This paper argues that since at least the mid 1980s, there has been an observable negative attitude among the people of Burma against the Chinese. Such sentiment is not just transient public opinion, but an attitude. The author measures it by studying contemporary cultural and media works as found in legally published expressions, so as to exclude any material rejected by the regime's censors. The causes of such sentiment are various: massive Chinese migration and purchases of real estate (especially in Upper Burma), Chinese money that is inflating the cost of everything, and cultural "intrusion." The sentiment extends to the military, as well: the article examines a dozen memoirs of former military generals and finds that Burma's generals do not trust the Chinese, a legacy of China's interference in Burma's civil war until the 1980s. The public outcry over the Myitsone dam issue, however, was the most significant expression of such sentiment since 1969, when anti-Chinese riots broke out in Burma. The relaxation of media restrictions under the new government has allowed this expression to gather steam and spread throughout the country, especially in private weekly journals that are becoming more outspoken and daring in pushing the boundaries of the state's restrictions.


The aim of this study is to further elucidate the mother-daughter hormonal relationship and its effects on the daughter9s breast cancer risk, through the association with earlier age at menarche. Healthy girls residing on the island of Oahu, between the ages of 9–18 years and of white, Asian, or Polynesian ethnicity, or a mix thereof, were recruited from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. Anthropometric measures were taken of each participant at a clinic visit, and together with one of her parents, each participant completed a family background questionnaire that requested information on infant characteristics, mother9s pregnancy, family history of breast cancer, and the age at menarche for both mother and daughter. Cox proportional hazards regression, with age as the time metric, was used to determine the association between the maternal and intrauterine exposures and age at menarche. Tests for interactions between ethnicity and mother9s age at menarche was performed by including as variables in the model product terms of each ethnicity dummy variable by the continuous variable of mother9s age at menarche, along with each of the individual main-effect variables. The ethnic make-up of the 438 participants was categorized as follows: 31% mixed race (part-Polynesian plus Asian and/or white), 30% mixed race (white and Asian only), 23% all Asian, and 16% all white. Being all Asian, as compared to being all white, was associated with a greater risk of an earlier age at menarche, adjusted for age and waist circumference (HR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.29–2.71). Each year older the mother was when she began menstruating was associated with a 21% reduced risk of a relatively earlier age at menarche for the daughter, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, and waist circumference (95% CI: 0.73–0.86). When stratifying by race/ethnicity, mother9s age at menarche (as a continuous variable) was significantly associated with age at menarche for girls of all white (HR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.39–0.72), mixed white/Asian (HR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.64–0.92), and all Asian race (HR=0.79, 0.70–0.90), adjusting for age and waist circumference, but not for girls of mixed, part-Polynesian race, resulting in a significant difference between the association for mixed, part-Polynesian girls and possibly for fully Asian girls, as compared to fully white girls (p9s for interaction = 0.01 and 0.06, respectively). Being of less than 36 gestational weeks at birth was associated with a doubling of risk (95% CI: 1.05–3.86) for an earlier age at menarche, but being of greater than 41 weeks was not associated with risk. There was the suggestion that having a mother with a history of breast cancer was associated with an increase in risk of an earlier age at menarche (HR=2.18, 95% CI: 0.95–4.98). Having a second degree family history of breast cancer, a low or high birth weight, or a mother who experienced severe pregnancy-induced nausea was not associated with age at menarche. These findings give strong support to the hypothesis that maternal and intrauterine hormone-related exposures affect a girl9s risk for earlier age at menarche. Knowledge of the risk factors for early age at menarche among various populations, especially when able to examine their direct relationship with breast cancer risk, will help in identifying women at increased risk and, hopefully, lead to earlier detection, and greater survival, through better screening.


Cross-links increase the stability of screw-rod systems in biomechanical testing. The aim of this systemic review was to find evidence pertaining to the additional benefit of the implantation of cross-links in clinical practice in regard to different spinal diseases. Therefore, a systematic literature analysis of two online databases was performed according to the PRISMA statement. Inclusion criteria were prospective and retrospective studies investigating the use of cross-links in dorsal instrumentation. Biomechanical studies and case series were excluded. A total of seven retrospective studies remained for final full-text evaluation. In total, two studies each address the use of cross-links in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis or atlantoaxial fusion, one study in congenital scoliosis. In atlantoaxial fusion the additional use of cross-links may provide earlier bony fusion. In surgical treatment for pediatric scoliosis the additional use of cross-links does not provide additional benefit. Radiological outcome and complication rate did not differ in between groups. No study addressed the use of cross-links in short- or long-segment fusion due to degenerative or traumatic disorders of the spine. There is a deficiency in published literature towards the impact of cross-links in spinal surgery. The current clinical evidence data do not confirm the biomechanical advantages of cross-links in clinical practice. Further studies are needed to warrant the use of cross-links in the future.


ABSTRACT Amiodarone is a class III anti-arrhythmic benzofuran derivative extensively utilized in treatment of life-threatening ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. However, amiodarone also produces adverse side effects including liver injury due to its metabolites rather than parent drug. The purpose of the present study was to identify metabolites of amiodarone in the plasma and urine of rats administered the drug by using an untargeted metabolomics approach. Drug metabolites were profiled by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-linked electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI-QTOFMS) and results subjected to multivariate data analysis. A total of 49 amiodarone metabolites were identified and their structures were characterized by tandem mass spectrometry. Amiodarone metabolites are presumed to be generated via five major types of metabolic reactions including N-desethylation, hydroxylation, carboxylation (oxo/hydroxylation), de-iodination, and glucuronidation. Data demonstrated that an untargeted metabolomics approach appeared to be a reliable tool for identifying unknown metabolites in a complex biological matrix.


Abstract. Sea-level rise demands for protection measures of endangered
coastlines crucial for the local population. At the island of Sylt in the SE
North Sea, shoreline erosion is compensated by replenishment with sand
dredged from an offshore extraction site. We studied the long-term effects
of sand extraction on bathymetry, geomorphology, habitats and benthic
fauna. Sand extraction created dredging holes about 1 km in diameter and up
to 20 m below the ambient seafloor level. Directly after dredging the
superficial sediment layer, inside the pits was dominated by coarse sand and
stones. Hydroacoustic surveys revealed only minor changes of bathymetry
> 35 years after sand extraction. Obviously, backfill of the
dredging pits was very slow, at a rate of a few millimeters per year, presumably
resulting from low ambient sediment availability and relatively calm
hydrodynamic conditions despite high wave energy during storms. Thus, a
complete backfill of the deep extraction sites is likely to take centuries
in this area. Hydroacoustic surveys and ground truthing showed that the
backfilled material is mainly very fine sand and mud, turning the previously
coarse sand surface into a muddy habitat. Accordingly, grab samples revealed
significant differences in macrozoobenthos community composition, abundance
and species density between recently dredged areas (< 10 years ago),
recovery sites (dredging activity > 10 years ago) and undisturbed
sites (control sites). Overall, dredging turned the original association of
sand-dwelling species into a muddy sediment association. Since
re-establishment of disturbed benthic communities depends on previous
re-establishment of habitat characteristics, the low sedimentation rates
indicate that a return to a pre-dredging habitat type with its former
benthic community and habitat characteristics is unlikely. Since coarse sand
is virtually immobile in this area, a regeneration towards pre-dredging
conditions is also unlikely without human interference (e.g., mitigation
measures like depositing coarse material on the seafloor to restore the
sessile epifauna).


The Horvath's rock lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) is a rupicolous mountain species endemic of the eastern Alps and northern Dinaric range. The species has its known western limit of the distribution in the Veneto region of Italy. It is not known whether the species is really rare in Veneto or whether the area has been insufficiently surveyed. In addition, it is not known whether the westward distribution of the species is limited by a physiographic or by a climatic barrier. During the period 2016-2018, 118 sites were surveyed in the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige regions. Four new occurrences of Iberolacerta horvathi were discovered in Veneto that: 1) largely fill the gap between the westernmost known site and the closest site to the east; 2) extend further west the known distribution by 9 km. In addition the species was confirmed in three already known sites. A species distribution model was developed with the software MaxEnt, using 100 occurrences from Italy, Austria and Slovenia. The best model shows that the distribution is explained by the asperity of their habitat, the sedimentary bedrock, the aspect, the average temperature of the coldest quarter, the rainfall seasonality and the average summer rainfall. The last variable appears as the most likely responsible for the rarefaction of the species at its western limit. In addition, the species distribution model suggest that the Horvath's rock lizard might be present in some additional mountain groups where it has so far not been found yet.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to evaluate, through the health related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire MINICHAL, the influence of socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic variables on health related quality of life of hypertensive patients.

PATIENTS AND METHOD
An observational, prospective and multi-center study was carried out in hypertensive patients who were either starting or undergoing a modification of antihypertensive treatment. A total of three visits was done: a baseline visit and two follow-up visits at one and six months. At all three visits, several socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic variables were recorded and HRQoL was measured using the MINICHAL questionnaire, the Spanish version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index, and a single question about the change in general health status. The objective was to evaluate the impact of these variables on HRQoL.

RESULTS
736 patients with hypertension were evaluated. In the multivariate analysis, gender, number of concomitant diseases, degree of hypertension, organ damage and educational level were all variables displaying a relation with HRQoL. After 6 months of treatment intensification, an improvement of HRQoL was observed. Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between the degree of reduction of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate and HRQoL improvement, especially in the State of mind dimension.

CONCLUSIONS
In hypertension, a better BP control has a positive influence on HRQoL. As several clinical variables are negatively correlated with HRQoL, specific interventions are needed to correct modifiable factors.


In this work, a multifunctional nanocomposite of chitosan, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been successfully prepared. The structure has been confirmed using X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmittance electron microscopes. CNTs, Ag NPs and Cu NPs are distributed homogeneously inside the polymer matrix. The adsorption efficiency of chitosan for Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) reached 60% using 5 g L−1 adsorbent dose while for the multifunctional composite, it reached 100% adsorption efficiency with a reduction of the amount of adsorbent to 1 g L−1. For the multifunctional composite, 10 min is enough for almost complete removal of metal ions from the solution while for chitosan the efficiency is rather lower. The adsorption process fitted to the pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm in the linear form in case of chitosan while in case of the multifunctional composite, it fitted to the pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir and Freundlich models in the non-linear forms. The maximum amount adsorbed (Qmax) was found to be directly related to and fitted well with the electrode potential values of metal ions in case of chitosan while for the multifunctional composite, the ionic radius is the most dependent parameter. The multifunctional composite was found to be regenerated effectively using EDTA solution for up to five efficient cycles of adsorption/desorption processes.


Background The novel anticoagulants dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban have entered the clinical arena for treatment of atrial fibrillation and thromboebolism.

Although these agents were designed not to require monitoring of the anticoagulation effect, there are certain clinical situations where such measurement would be useful including bleeding situations, trauma, and thromboembolic event while on treatment with the anticoagulant agent. At this point monitoring of these agents is under investigation and not fully understood and standardized. Thrombelastography (TEG) evaluates the viscoelastic properties of blood during coagulation. The clinical application of TEG in monitoring novel anticoagulant treatment is not yet well defined.

The purpose of this in vivo study was to systematically evaluate the anticoagulant effect of the novel agents dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban with TEG.

Methods Healthy male volunteers (n = 8) were given oral dabigatran 150 mg once, or rivaroxaban 20 mg, or apixaban 10 mg once. TEG parameters Reaction time R, angle of Alfa and Maximum Amplitude (MA) were measured at times 0, 2, 4, and 24 hours after intake of the anticoagulant agent. We applied different TEG assays including, Koalin, Funtional Fibrinogen, Rapid TEG and Platelet mapping. The measurement of each parameter was compared to baseline measurement at time 0. Repeated measures ANOVA and Dunnett's multiple Comparison test was performed.

Results All following results are with the Koalin assay. The other TEG assays did not demonstrate clinically relevant responsiveness after the intake of anticoagulant.

For dabigatran, Reaction time R was increased by 73% as compared to baseline (p < 0.008) by 2 hours after intake. Alfa was decreased by 8% at 2 hours (p < 0.008). see [Figure 1][1]. MA was not significantly altered.

![Figure][2]

For rivaroxaban, R was increased by 75% as compared to baseline at 2 hours after intake (p = 0.03). Alfa was decreased by 14% and MA was decreased by 6% at 2 hours after intake (p = 0.03 for both).

For apixaban R was increased by 18% as compared to baseline (p < 0.05) at 4 hours after intake. The MA was decreased by 5% (p= 0.016) and alfa was not significantly altered.

Conclusion We have for the first time demonstrated that Thromelastograph has the potential of monitoring the novel anticogulant's effect on the hemostatis system. This technology is relatively easy to use on whole blood without need for specialized laboratory expertise. The reaction time R with Koalin assay is the most suitable TEG parameters for evaluation of the antithrombotic effect of the novel anticoagulant. The reaction time R is most responsive to the effect of rivaroxaban and least responsive to the effect of apixaban. This finding demonstrates different effects on the hemostatic system by 2 agents in the class of factor Xa inhibitors. Efforts to find the appropriate TEG assay for optimization of R responsiveness to apixaban will likely improve the clinical usefulness of this technology. Larger clinical trials are needed to correlate R with specific agent drug level and clinical outcomes.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

 [1]: #F1
 [2]: pending:yes


This study was aimed to isolate the endophytic bacteria and fungi from the fruit and root of Musa Paradisiaca, commonly called as Nendran banana cultivar in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Endophytes are microbes living in plant tissue without harming the plants rather existing as potential beneficial organisms. Musa paradisiaca is a less explored variety of banana cultivar which possess anti-disease potential apart from nutritional quality. The total number of twelve root and fruit associated endophytes were isolated. The fruit associated endophytes were seven with four bacterial isolates and three fungal isolates. The number of root-associated endophytes were five with three bacterial isolates and two fungal isolates. The morphological characterisation of both root and fruit endophytes were performed by Gram staining for bacteria and lacto-phenol cotton blue staining for fungi. The bacterial colony examination of the fruit associated culture revealed a specific pink strain with an inhibitory zone proving antibacterial activity which was further investigated through agar well diffusion test.  The strain exhibited potential antibacterial activity against five human clinical pathogens. A significant zone of inhibition was observed against Bacillus subtilis  (22 mm), Escherichia coli (21 mm), Klebsiella pneumonia  and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (18 mm) which confirmed the potential antibacterial property of the fruit endophytic strain.


This article attempts to challenge the constitutional validity of Section 13(4) and Section 13(5) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, relying on the principle, 'nemo debet esse judex in propria causa', meaning, no one should be a judge in his own cause, which is one of the fundamental principles of natural justice. Under the present Act, when a party to the arbitration proceeding challenges and the appointment of an arbitrator, unless the arbitrator himself withdraws or the other party also joins in, such arbitral tribunal shall decide on the challenge made against it. The problem arises when such tribunal consists of sole arbitrator and his appointment is challenged, unless he himself withdraws or the other party joins in, such sole arbitrator shall be competent to decide upon such challenge made against him. Under this situation such arbitrator himself decides his own case. There is no provision in the Act, for a judicial review of the matter, in case the opposing party is dissatisfied by the decision of the arbitral tribunal. The only remedy available is that the award made by such a tribunal can be challenged before a court of law. In a host of decisions the Honorable Supreme Court and the High Courts have denied that such a provision in the statute would amount to violation of principles of natural justice. They even went to the extent of saying that this provision is made in order to avoid unnecessary delays in an arbitration proceeding. But merely by such declarations and decisions, the Courts and also the legislature cannot undermine the fundamental principles of natural justice under the veil of expedited proceeding, if rule of law is to be accorded the highest respect. This article asserts that such a statutory provision being violative of the principles of natural justice should be struck down as being unconstitutional and bad in law. The procedure has to be modified by providing an option for referring the matter to a Court of law or other institutional arbitration bodies consisting of unbiased judges and arbitrators respectively.


Background: Personal hygiene is something that needs to be taken care of especially in elementary school-aged children. Data from the Srondol Community Health Center states that in 2017 the fifth-highest number of diarrhea occurred in elementary school-aged children. SDN Srondol Kulon 02 is a health promoting elementary school in the city of Semarang. Based on School Health Unit data, in 2018 there were 52 students from SDN Srondol Kulon 02 referred to the public health center because of diarrhea and 13 students referred to because of toothache. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence personal hygiene practices in 5th grade elementary school students at SDN Srondol Kulon 02. Method: This study was observational analytic with cross-sectional approach using total sampling technique and questionnaire instrument. The sample was 98 5 grade students in SDN Srondol Kulon 02. Data was analyzed by using chi-square test and ordinal regression. Results: There was an influence between Knowledge (p= 0.037) attitudes (p= 0.009) support of teaching staff (p= 0.005) family support (p= 0.008) with personal hygiene practices and no influence between the support of health workers (p= 0.997) and PHBS facilities (p= 0.817) with personal hygiene practices. Conclusion: Support of teaching staff was the most influential in improving students' personal hygiene practices.


The statistic $y = (x_{\lbrack p\rbrack} - x)/s_\nu$ is studied where $x_{\lbrack p\rbrack}$ is the maximum of $p$ normal independent chance variables with common mean and common unknown variance $\sigma^2, x$ is another independent normal chance variable with the same mean and the same variance $\sigma^2,$ and $s^2_\nu$ (distributed as $\sigma^2\chi^2_\nu/\nu$ with $\nu$ degrees of freedom) is an estimate of the common variance which is independent of each one of the above $p + 1$ chance variables. Several different methods are proposed and studied for computing the probability integral of $y$ and percentage points of $y$; in addition, a method for computing percentage points without first computing the probability integral of $y$ is considered. A table of (upper) percentage points of $y$ is given as Table I at the end of the paper. Applications of the statistic $y$ to several ranking and selection problems are mentioned in Section 2. Moments of $y$ are given in Section 3. In Section 7 it is shown that Table I can be used to obtain an approximation and bounds to the percentage points of a related statistic.


Modulations, the moments where key change, are structurally important in tonal music. Analyzing music, especially studying large-scale music structure of a piece, often implies to look for modulations. State-of-the-art key-finding algorithms generally aim at identifying keys rather than studying the way they change. Here, we introduce new ways to model modulations with the help of features based on musicological knowledge, as well as an algorithm estimating the tonal plan of a piece. We study the concept of current diatonic pitch set and introduce a heuristic to detect dominant-to-tonic progressions. We design three proximity measures to assess how close the music is from each key. These measures are then combined by an algorithm that identifies an optimal tonal plan. We report results on a corpus including 38 movements from Mozart's string quartets,
obtaining a 84.8% prediction of correct keys with insight on where the modulations occur.


Backgroundand objectives The endogenous danger signal High Mobility Group Box protein 1 (HMGB1) promotes inflammation. HMGB1 has been implicated as a mediator of RA while there are no reports describing its presence in JIA patient samples. HMGB1 is aberrantly expressed in the synovitis of RA patients, intraarticular injection of HMGB1 induces arthritis in mice and HMGB1 blockade has beneficial effects in several different experimental disease models, including arthritis. In this study, the aim was to determine whether HMGB1 is extracellularly increased during JIA and, if so, to correlate the HMGB1 levels both with other more well-described laboratory parameters and with clinical parameters such as age at onset and disease duration. This type of descriptive study forms the basis for the evaluation of HMGB1 as a biomarker of inflammatory activity during JIA and as a potential therapeutic target. The newly established JIA biobank JABBA coupled to a clinical register gives us a unique opportunity to study JIA pathogenesis. Materials and methods Plasma and synovial fluid (SF) was collected from 23 patients with JIA (median age 12 (2–18)) at Astrid Lindgren Children's hospital, Stockholm, Sweden and at Tartu University Children's Hospital, Estonia. Samples were analysed by ELISA and Cytometric bead array (CBA) to measure levels of HMGB1, MMP-3, sRAGE, IL-12p70, TNF, IL-10, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, MCP-1, IP-10, RANTES, IFNγ, IFNα and IL-17A. Results Increased HMGB1 levels were recorded in SF as compared to plasma from JIA patients. Highest levels of HMGB1 were recorded in patients with a disease onset in early age (before age 10), while no correlation between the HMGB1 levels and disease duration was evident. In contrast, both S100 and IL-8 levels correlated with disease duration being highest during early stages of disease. MMP-3, a marker of cartilage destruction, was higher in patients with late disease onset which indicates similarities with RA. Conclusion The increased levels of HMGB1 in inflamed joints of JIA patients warrants further studies of HMGB1 as a biomarker for inflammatory activity and as a target for therapy. The correlation of HMGB1 levels with age at disease onset and continuously high levels irrespective of disease duration indicates, together with the decreasing levels of S100 and IL-8 during the disease course, that the inflammatory process in JIA evolves over time. Different mediators might thus be of varying importance during the disease progression. The authors conclude that the role of HMGB1 in the pathogenesis of JIA deserves further investigation.


Cu-Co-containing cellulose-based carbon composite materials (Cu-Co/Cel) were formed by a matrix isolation method. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared-Fourier spectroscopy (IR-Fourier spectroscopy), and non-isothermal research methods, the physicochemical properties of the composites were established. The catalysts are nanosized particles distributed in a carbon matrix, containing fragments of a system of conjugated bonds (C=C-C=C) of various lengths. Cu-Co/Cel catalysts are active in the synthesis of alcohols from CO and H2, demonstrating high CO conversion (68%) and specific activity (17 mol CO gMe s). Differences in the mechanism of alcohol formation from CO and H2 on cellulose-based composites and an oxide support (comparison catalyst) were shown by analyzing the distribution of synthesis products.


Forces on microparticles in energetic ion beams are investigated experimentally. For this purpose, hollow glass microspheres are injected into a vertically upward directed beam. The particles are illuminated by a diode laser, and their scattered light is recorded with a charge-coupled device camera. From the trajectories, the acceleration and net force on the particles are determined. It is found that the force is significantly higher than the expected ion drag force. This additional part of the total force is explained with fast neutral atoms produced by charge-exchange collisions. Special attention is paid to the momentum contribution from sputtered atoms, which is shown to be negligible in this experiment.


Endophytic fungi and bacteria live asymptomatically within plant tissues. In recent decades, research on endophytes has revealed that their significant role in promoting plants as endophytes has been shown to enhance nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and disease resistance in the host plants, resulting in improved crop yields. Evidence shows that endophytes can provide improved tolerances to salinity, moisture, and drought conditions, highlighting the capacity to farm them in marginal land with the use of endophyte-based strategies. Furthermore, endophytes offer a sustainable alternative to traditional agricultural practices, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and in turn reducing the risks associated with chemical treatments. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge on endophytes in agriculture, highlighting their potential as a sustainable solution for improving crop productivity and general plant health. This review outlines key nutrient, environmental, and biotic stressors, providing examples of endophytes mitigating the effects of stress. We also discuss the challenges associated with the use of endophytes in agriculture and the need for further research to fully realise their potential.


Purpose. Results of endoscopic surgical treatment evaluation in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Materials and methods. For median nerve decompression in the carpal tunnel endoscopic technique and K.G. Krishnan tools were selected. The detailed technique of endoscopic intervention using carpal approach is described. The results of 34 patient's treatment with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were analyzed. Results. Patients' state was evaluated before surgery, on the 7 and 30 days after surgery. Regression of neuropathic pain, according to the questionnaire BCTQ, was observed in all operated patients. Functional outcome worsened on the 7 day after surgery, but in a month later patients reported significant improvement in hand function that corresponds to changes in control electroneuromyography and ultrasound scanning of the middle nerve. In one case after surgery hypoesthesia regression was not achieved. Conclusions. Endoscopic technique is a method of choice in patients with CTS. Due to miniinvasive approach and sufficient carpal tunnel visualization, it can be successfully used in routine neurosurgical practice. Treatment results indicate efficacy of endoscopic method and fast rehabilitation of the patients.


The project proposed a commercial demonstration of advanced technologies that would capture and sequester CO2 emissions from an existing hydrogen production facility in an oil refinery into underground formations in combination with Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). The project is led by Praxair, Inc., with other project participants: BP Products North America Inc., Denbury Onshore, LLC (Denbury), and Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC) at the Bureau of Economic Geology of The University of Texas at Austin. The project is located at the BP Refinery at Texas City, Texas. Praxair owns and operates a large hydrogen production facility within the refinery. As part of the project, Praxair would construct a CO2 capture and compression facility. The project aimed at demonstrating a novel vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) based technology to remove CO2 from the Steam Methane Reformers (SMR) process gas. The captured CO2 would be purified using refrigerated partial condensation separation (i.e., cold box). Denbury would purchase the CO2 from the project and inject the CO2 as part of its independent commercial EOR projects. The Gulf Coast Carbon Center at the Bureau of Economic Geology, a unit of University of Texas at Austin, would manage the research monitoring, verification and accounting (MVA)more » project for the sequestered CO2, in conjunction with Denbury. The sequestration and associated MVA activities would be carried out in the Hastings field at Brazoria County, TX. The project would exceed DOE?s target of capturing one million tons of CO2 per year (MTPY) by 2015. Phase 1 of the project (Project Definition) is being completed. The key objective of Phase 1 is to define the project in sufficient detail to enable an economic decision with regard to proceeding with Phase 2. This topical report summarizes the administrative, programmatic and technical accomplishments completed in Phase 1 of the project. It describes the work relative to project technical and design activities (associated with CO2 capture technologies and geologic sequestration MVA), and Environmental Information Volume. Specific accomplishments of this Phase include: 1. Finalization of the Project Management Plan 2. Development of engineering designs in sufficient detail for defining project performance and costs 3. Preparation of Environmental Information Volume 4. Completion of Hazard Identification Studies 5. Completion of control cost estimates and preparation of business plan During the Phase 1 detailed cost estimate, project costs increased substantially from the previous estimate. Furthermore, the detailed risk assessment identified integration risks associated with potentially impacting the steam methane reformer operation. While the Phase 1 work identified ways to mitigate these integration risks satisfactorily from an operational perspective, the associated costs and potential schedule impacts contributed to the decision not to proceed to Phase 2. We have concluded that the project costs and integration risks at Texas City are not commensurate with the potential benefits of the project at this time.« less


Here, we report the isolation, identification, whole-genome sequencing, and annotation of the bacterium Yimella sp. strain RIT 621. Concentrated spent medium extract treated with ethyl acetate was found to produce bactericidal compounds against the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis BGSC 168 and the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. ABSTRACT Here, we report the isolation, identification, whole-genome sequencing, and annotation of the bacterium Yimella sp. strain RIT 621. Concentrated spent medium extract treated with ethyl acetate was found to produce bactericidal compounds against the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis BGSC 168 and the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli ATCC 25922.


In fluid turbulence, energy is transferred from a scale to another by an energy cascade that depends only on the energy dissipation rate. It leads by dimensional arguments to the Kolmogorov 1941 (K41) spectrum. Remarkably the normal modes of vibrations in elastic plates manifests an energy cascade with the same K41 spectrum in the fully non-linear regime. Moreover, the elastic deformations present large "eddies" together with a myriad of small "crumpling eddies", such that folds, developable cones, and more complex stretching structures, in close analogy with spots, swirls, vortices and other structures in hydrodynamic turbulence. We characterize the energy cascade, the validity of the constant energy dissipation rate over the scales and the role of intermittency via the correlation functions.


This article focuses on providing a critical commentary of a law journal article written by Vijaya Nagarajan that posits the view that a gender change in the boardrooms of Australia would give an economic and social fillip to corporate Australia.1 By presenting a critical analysis of Nagarajan's article a number of issues connected with proposals to revamp corporations will be raised. In effect, Nagarajan's article serves as a catalyst for opening up the space to critique the type of corporate reform program she champions. One of the issues that will be subjected to a forensic analysis in this article is Nagarajan's strange silence on the profit maximization ethos of the modern corporation and its impact on gender roles. It will be argued that by ignoring the interpenetration of corporate profit and gender Nagarajan undermines the attempt to produce a plausible reform program. If an examination of the profit imperative is elided any reform agenda is reduced to tinkering with the corporate power structure. Corporate feminism is a reformist doctrine posited on reconfiguring the upper strata of the corporation whilst leaving intact the economic pillars of a profit-making system that relies on the extraction of private profit from wage-earners. In effect, if conceptual confusion is the hallmark of a campaign to reform certain corporate features the upshot will be a framework of analysis that fails to touch on the structural foundations of the modern corporation. A misguided theoretical and methodological framework to corporate reform that suppresses key social and economic indicia runs the risk of proposing changes that consolidate the ranks of the corporate elite whilst making a marginal difference to gender inequalities.


Data from earlier investigation of Au-Cu-Ag ternary alloys indicate that there may be a relationship between an alloy's corrosion behavior and its biological effects. Corrosion properties were determined using standard potentio dynamic techniques and the biological effect was assessed as cytotoxicity in vitro. Linear mathematical methods were used to analyze the data and model the systems. A direct correlation was found between corrosion properties and cytotoxic response.


The authors report the case of a benign renal mesenchymal tumor in a baby boy detected by ultrasound scanning during prenatal diagnosis. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) with myoid differentiation. The tumor normally is characterized by a fascicular proliferation of bland, spindle-shaped cells. CMN is the most common renal tumor in the neonatal period and presumedly results from a neoplastic transformation affecting the pluripotent mesodermal nephric blastema. In embryonic life, tumorigenic influences acting on the nephric blastema might result in selective overgrowth of its mesoblastic derivates. CMN must be differentiated from other spindle-shaped tumors, like Wilms' tumor, rhabdoid tumor of the kidney, clear cell sarcoma, nephrogenic adenofibroma, fibroma and fibrosarcoma, leiomyoma, metanephric stromal tumor, and, in this case especially, from tumors with myoid differentiation like infantile myofibromatosis. Numerical molecular abnormalities are observed frequently in renal mesenchymal tumors, especially in chromosome 11. Cytogenetic findings in our tumor after comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) showed full trisomies of chromosomes 20 and 22q, partial trisomies for the distal part of 11q and 1p, and an approximately full monosomy of chromosome 4 (4qter-4p15). The chromosomal imbalances of the tumor can be described as: rev ish enh(1p31pter,11q23qter,20,22), dim(4)(p15qter).


The space and time evolution of initial parton production in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions is investigated within . the framework of perturbative QCD which includes both initial and final state radiations. Uncertainty principle is used to relate the life time of a radiating parton to its virtuality and momentum. The interaction time of each hard or semihard parton scattering is also taken into account. For central Au +Au collisions at -/S = 200 GeV, most ofthe partons are found to be produced within 0.5 fm/ c after the total overlap of the two colliding nuclei. The local momentum distribution is approximately isotropical at that time. The implication ori how to treat correctly the the secondary scattering in an ultimate parton cascading model is also discussed. *This. work was supported by the Director, Office of Energy Research, Division of Nuclear Physi~s of the Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC03-76SF00098.


It has been seen that 20% of children with deafness have inner ear malformations. Studies demonstrate that Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) leakage occurs in 40–50% of patients with inner ear malformations. Differentiating between the various malformations pre-operatively allows the cochlear implant surgeon to plan and prepare for various difficulties associated with the management of such cases. In case of a CSF gusher, a choice of an electrode with a stopper helps in effectively closing off the cochleostomy, thus reducing the chances of post-operative infections. Case description: SM, a 10-year-old girl with the diagnosis of bilateral progressive profound hearing loss showed cochlear malformations on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans of the temporal bones. A detailed study and discussion with the neuro-radiologist helped in identifying the cochleo-vestibular malformations (CVM) on both sides, thus making the choice of the better ear for electrode insertion and the type of electrode. She was subjected to left ear cochlear implantation using a lateral canal labyrinthotomy approach and a Form electrode (Med El®) with a special conical stopper was used to effectively seal the labyrinthostomy. Conclusion: Common cavity (CC) and Incomplete Partition (IP) Type I present as diagnostic challenges. Getting to the right diagnosis is of paramount importance as it helps in deciding the correct ear, choosing the correct electrode, and preparing for the surgical situations the surgeon might encounter. The Form electrode shows promise due to its unique conical seal which helps in preventing CSF leakage, thus reducing the chances of post-operative infections in cases of deformed cochlea.


The space environment is quite hostile to structural materials. The lifetime of space-craft is determined by the environmentally induced degradation of the structural materials. The self-healing systems discussed in this book chapter are applied mainly to polymer matrix-based materials. They usually include a variety of epoxies, polyimides, polysulfones and phenolics. In particular, cyanate-ester resins have been considered due to their lower hygrostrain/outgassing compared to the first generation of epoxy matrices. Carbon, glass and aramid fibres have also been used as reinforcing filaments within composite space structures. Aramid fibres are often employed as a `buffer' within a shielding system against damage induced by micrometeoroid impacts.


Many studies have shown the balance between the oxygen reactive species (ROS) and the antioxidant capacities, and that the massive ROS generation could lead to cell damage and diseases such as atherosclerosis, aging and cancer. Changes in antioxidant capacity like free radicals scavenging antioxidant agents such as vitamin E, C content, serum concentrations of bilirubin, uric acid, albumin and antioxidant enzyme systems like SOD, and GPx activities have been described to be related to many diseases. However, the research on chronic airway inflammatory disease and the antioxidant defence system is still not enough. Understanding of the antioxidant status and antioxidant enzymes in asthmatic patients is still unclear. In the present controlled study, we investigated the total antioxidant status (TAS) in serum and the antioxidant enzyme (total SOD and GPx) activities in 46 asthmatic children and 52 normal controls. The serum level of TAS in asthmatic children was significantly lower than the controls. The SOD concentration in asthmatic children was higher than the control, however the GPx was much lower than the control children, even though it was not statistical significance. In conclusion, these results suggested the existence of higher oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in asthmatic children, and that the antioxidant capacities in asthmatic children were altered. If the production of ROS was persistent, it would result in chronic inflammation and the imbalance of oxidative-reductive status in those patients.


In this paper, we introduce a hybrid iterative scheme for finding a common element of the set of solutions for a system of mixed equilibrium problems, the set of common fixed points for a nonexpansive semigroup and the set of solutions of the quasi-variational inclusion problem with multi-valued maximal monotone mappings and inverse-strongly monotone mappings in a Hilbert space. Under suitable conditions, some strong convergence theorems are proved. Our results extend some recent results in the literature.


Biomimetic design, the use of nature to inspire solutions to engineering problems, has been practiced on an ad hoc basis throughout human history. Only recently, however, have researchers sought to develop formal tools and principles to effectively tap the wealth of design solutions found within nature. Texas A&M University is developing an undergraduate course to introduce interdisciplinary engineering students to the current concepts, principles, and methods of biomimetic design, as found in published literature. This paper seeks to concisely present the results and conclusions of the many research efforts that will be incorporated into the developing course. The research reviewed in this paper is discussed with some emphasis on its pedagogical implications. Research efforts in applying design tools such as functional modeling, analogical reasoning, and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to biomimicry are summarized. This paper also discusses the efforts to develop effective tools to search biological information for design inspiration. As similar courses in biomimetic design have been conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland, the published findings from those courses are also presented.© 2011 ASME


Older adults are more likely to be prescribed opioids and to suffer from opioid-related harms. Despite growing concerns about opioid misuse in older adults, providers and health care systems often struggle with approaches that would effectively manage opioid use and reduce opioid misuse in older adults. To address this issue, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded a four-year project to work with primary care practices in developing and testing innovative strategies for opioid management in older adults. To develop a change package that will inform learning collaboratives where primary care practices will be encouraged to test new or modified strategies in managing opioids in older adults, Abt, the contractor, first completed an environmental scan to identify existing resources/tools. Identified resources/tools were vetted by an expert panel and appropriate items were used to develop a change package consisting of nine high-leverage change (HLC) strategies (e.g., Develop processes/workflows that clearly define roles/responsibilities and promote coordinated team-based care). In the change package, multiple key activities that accompany each HLC strategy are presented as examples of strategies that could be implemented to bring about the selected HLC. Primary care practices participating in learning collaboratives will use the change package to guide the development and testing of strategies to manage opioids in their older adults, which will inform the development and refining of a compendium of strategies to best reduce harms of opioid use in older adults.


This meta-analysis enhances our insight into the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving eudaemonic well-being. The focal outcome of these interventions is Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being. We summarized experimental studies and concluded whether a specific intervention approach improves individual positive functioning by assessing the six dimensions of psychological well-being and the composite score of well-being. Our study confirmed that eudaemonic well-being can be improved. The strongest influence is seen in integral programs that link directly to Ryff's conceptual model. Breaking down to dimensional scores, existing interventions had the strongest influence on Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, and Self-Acceptance. The weakest influence was on Autonomy and Positive Relations with Others. Overall, our result is an important contribution to the well-being literature in that it shows, more convincing than previous meta-analyses due to its exclusive and comprehensive focus on Ryff's model, that psychological eudaemonic well-being can be enhanced by targeted intervention programs.


Efficient Algorithmic Differentiation of Fixed-Point loops requires a specific strategy to avoid explosion of memory requirements. Among the strategies documented in literature, we have selected the one introduced by B. Christianson. This method features original mechanisms such as repeated access to the trajectory stack or duplicated differentiation of the loop body with respect to different independent variables. We describe in this paper how the method must be further specified to take into account the particularities of real codes, and how data flow information can be used to automate detection of relevant sets of variables. We describe the way we implement this method inside an AD tool. Experiments on a medium-size application demonstrate a minor, but non negligible improvement of the accuracy of the result, and more importantly a major reduction of the memory needed to store the trajectories.


We report on the preliminary results of the ongoing update of our study of 4-jet production at the LHC in High-energy Factorization (HEF), which is being supplemented by parton showers. We focus on a specific angular variable introduced in two papers by the CMS Collaboration on 4-jet production with and without two b-tagged jets. The variable is, by construction, sensitive to contributions from Multi Parton Interactions (MPIs), specifically hard Double Parton Scattering (DPS). We preliminarily find that, adding parton showers to the single parton scattering channel, the evidence for the need for MPIs is compatible with the one reported by the CMS Collaboration after a comparison of the data with simulations based on collinear Monte Carlo event generators.


A common cichlid of the Epe Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria is an important food fish and viable candidate for culture in meeting the millennium goal and vision 2020 in the subregion. The intense fisheries of this ecotype also pose a conservation issue. The comparative protein contents of the cichlid fishes were 21.80, 18.34, 19.13, 18.71 and 18.08% for Wesafu, Sarotherodon galileaus, Sarotherodon melanotheron, Tilapia guineensis and Tilapia mariae, respectively. The highest percentage of protein was obtained for Wesafu. The results of the lipid determination showed that Wesafu had 0.9% lipid which is higher than others with T. guineensis having the least (0.4%) value for lipid. The result showed that all the fish studied belong to low oil category and therefore can be classified as lean fish. The major component of fish muscle is moisture. There was a progressive increase in the number of ripe eggs (absolute fecundity) from larger fish to smaller one. However, the relative fecundity followed a reverse order. Female Wesafu produce only a few hundreds to less than 2,000 eggs per spawn but inter-spawning period varied from 25 to 30 days in the present study. It was observed that this parameter (spawning frequency) was not affected by the weight of the broodstock. Although Wesafu could be seen as a commercially important fish species based on its credentials of deeper body, high economic value, in terms of price, white flesh and good taste, its aquaculture potential may be affected by its low fecundity. On the courtship behavior, Wesafu exhibits a characteristic golden yellow radiation during breeding period. During courtship, the fish display a characteristics kissing lifestyle. This appears different from that of Oreochromis niloticus which displays a poking courtship behavior with the female swimming in front while the male pokes the side. The result of this finding showed that of all the brooders in all hapas, only females that had eggs/hatchlings in their mouthparts. This comes to show that Wesafu probably belong to the genus, Oreochromis. Although this study has identified Wesafu as a probable member of the genus, Oreochromis, there is the need to identify the fish at a molecular level to see if it belongs to any of the known species of Oreochromis, or perhaps a simple strain.


We have investigated the role of the allylic 7-ketone in oxidized &Dgr;5-steroids on antileukemic activity. We synthesized and studied a series of oxidized and non-oxidized steroidal esters of p-N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)aminophenylacetic acid (PHE), chlorambucil's active metabolite. In a comparative study of these 7-keto derivatives, on a molecular basis, regarding their ability to induce sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and to inhibit cell proliferation in normal human lymphocytes in vitro, the results with these 7-keto derivatives, on a molecular basis, correlated well with their antileukemic potency against leukemia P388- and L1210-bearing mice, which proved to be significantly increased compared to that of the non-oxidized derivatives. Our results indicate that the role of the steroidal skeleton it is not only for the transportation of the alkylating agent into the cell, but also contributes directly to the mechanism of antileukemic action, by an as-yet unknown way. The main conclusion from this study is that the existence of the allylic 7-keto group in the skeleton of the &Dgr;5-steroidal esters impressively enhances their antileukemic activity, while the toxicity remains at clinically acceptable levels, suggesting that this structural modification should be further investigated.


World War II was a truly global conflict, fought in five continents, with a rich dramatis personae. The players included not only soldiers and statesmen of orthodox background, but three dictators of world stature, Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin; demagogues like Goebbels and ideologues like Alfred Rosenberg; politicians of charismatic power, like F.D. Roosevelt; and prophets of national resistance, like Charles de Gaulle and of national liberation like Mahatma Gandhi. This book brings together the most important of these characters from every sphere of responsibility - or irresponsibility - and provides a reference source for the salient facts about the life, career, and personality of each of them.


The problem of object generalization with account for the necessity of processing the incomplete and inconsistent information stored in real databases is considered. It is suggested to use means of rough sets theory and decision trees to generalize the information stored in real databases. Noise models are presented, and a noise effect on the operation of generalization algorithms using the methods of building decision trees is developed. The algorithm for unknown values reconstruction in learning samples subjected to the noise effect based on the nearest neighbour method is proposed. The results of program modeling are brought out.


The effect of human interferons (IFNs) (alpha, beta, and gamma) on the in vitro replication of AIDS viruses (LAV, HTLV-III, and ARV-2) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes was investigated. At the time of peak virus production, IFN-alpha preparations (leukocyte, Namalwa, alpha 1, and alpha 2) at 100 U/ml, suppressed LAV, HTLV-III, and ARV-2 replication as measured by reverse transcriptase (RT) activity by greater than 50%. This suppression was dose dependent and high dosages (500 U/ml) of IFN-alpha resulted in almost complete suppression of RT activities (77-99%). A low dose (100 U/ml) of IFN-beta suppressed all three AIDS viruses by 75%. In contrast, human IFN-gamma at a dose range from 100 U/ml to 500 U/ml had no significant effect on the production of infectious viruses. These results indicate that only IFN-alpha and -beta are effective against LAV, HTLV-III, and ARV-2 replication. A continuous supply of IFN appeared to be essential for the constant suppression of RT activity. In fact, upon termination of single IFN treatment, enhanced virus production resulted.


The research was conducted in March 2022, using the databases Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (Lilacs), National Library of Medicine (PubMed), MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus, in English. and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRSMA-ScR) Checklist (PRISMA, 2020). The criteria adopted for inclusion and exclusion and the specific keywords/descriptors: drug discovery; in silico clinical trial; computational methods; model-informed drug Discovery and development; virtual patients.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effectiveness of a 12-month exercise therapy on kinesiophobia and physical activity in patients with spondylolisthesis after lumbar spine fusion.

DESIGN
Randomized controlled trial.

SUBJECTS
Patients (n = 98) with spondylolisthesis who had undergone lumbar spine fusion.

METHODS
All patients (mean age 59 years) had received lumbar spine fusion surgery and identical postoperative instructions. Three months postoperatively, they were randomized into an exercise group (n = 48) or usual care group (n = 50). The exercise group received 12-month progressive home-based training with regular booster sessions, and the usual care group a single session of physiotherapy instruction. Kinesiophobia was assessed with the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) and physical activity by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) preoperatively, 3 months after lumbar spine fusion, and at the end of the 12-month intervention.

RESULTS
Before the intervention, the median (first quartile; third quartile) of TSK was 32.5 (29.0; 37.0) in the exercise group and 30.0 (25.8; 36.0) in the usual care group, changing to 30.0 (25; 36) in the exercise group and to 30.5 (24; 36.3) in the usual care group (between-group p = 0.17). IPAQ metabolic equivalent minutes per week increased from 1,863 (1,040; 3,042) to 3,190 (1,634; 6,485) in the exercise group and from 2,569 (1,501; 4,075) to 3,590 (1,634; 6,484) in the usual care group (between-group p = 0.92).

CONCLUSION
Progressive 12-month home-exercise starting 3 months postoperatively was not superior to usual care in decreasing kinesiophobia or increasing physical activity in spondylolisthesis.


This paper considers a single machine scheduling problem to determine release and processing times where both the release times and processing times are linearly decreasing functions of resources. The objective is to minimize the sum of the associated resource consumption cost and scheduling cost including makespan, sum of completion times, maximum lateness, or sum of lateness. This paper proves that the scheduling problem is NP-hard in the strong sense even if the release times are constant.


A novel procedure for the preparation of superhydrophilic surfaces is described. The method employs fabricating the surface from a mixture of silica nanoparticles (NPs) and polymers containing reactive trimethoxysilyl (TMOS) groups. Suitable polymers include quaternized poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PQDMAEMA) and poly(3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate) (PTMOSPMA). Condensation of the TMOS groups in a deposited film occurs under mild conditions and results in formation of a cross-linked polymer-SiO(2) nanocomposite coating covalently anchored onto a glass substrate. When silica nanoparticles, containing micrometer-sized agglomerates, are introduced into the film, a hierarchical micro/nanostructure within the coating is built up. Superhydrophilic behavior is achieved with a high weight ratio of fumed silica NPs or polymer/fumed silica NP bilayer coatings. The superhydrophilic surfaces have high stability and antifogging behavior and display easy cleaning characteristics. Furthermore, the superhydrophilic nanocomposite coatings containing PQDMAEMA exhibit antimicrobial properties against E. coli due to the presence of quaternary ammonium groups.


Once absent in much of Amazonia, dogs are now commonly used for hunting throughout the lowland Neotropics. Although some ethnographers have questioned their usefulness, dogs are particularly effective in pursuits of several mammalian prey species. The return rates of hunting with dogs appear to compare favorably with those of hunting with firearms, and dogs may be especially beneficial in anthropogenic habitats. There is considerable cross-cultural variation in the training and care of dogs. Good hunting dogs typically receive better care than their less-talented conspecifics. Mortality rates for dogs in the Neotropics are high, and the causes of death include malnutrition and attacks by other animals. Although isolated Neotropical societies may not have initially recognized the overall value of hunting dogs, a more likely explanation for the absence of dogs in prehistoric Amazonia is the high mortality of dog populations in the region. Additional research is needed to resolve ethnological questions about the use of dogs in the lowland Neotropics.


The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary vitamin E deficiency on systematic pathological changes and oxidative stress in fish. A total of 320 healthy common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were randomized into four groups; the control group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 100 IUkg-1 of vitamin E, while the three experimental groups were fed the same basal diet with reduced vitamin E content (0, 25, or 50 IUkg-1). Findings showed that fish in the experimental groups mainly presented with sekoke disease, exophthalmia, leprnorthsis, and ascites. Histopathological and ultrastructural changes comprised nutritional myopathy with muscle fiber denaturation and necrosis, and multi-tissue organ swelling, degeneration, and necrosis. Compared with the control group, RBC count, hemoglobin content, vitamin E concentration, and superoxide dismutase activity were significantly lower in all three experimental groups. However, malondialdehyde content was considerably higher in experimental groups than in the control group. However, there was no difference in glutathione peroxidase activity among groups. In conclusion, dietary vitamin E deficiency (<100 IUkg-1) can cause severe injury and, in particular, oxidative damage in common carp. The oxidative damage might be a main influence caused by vitamin E deficiency in fish. These findings reveal the complete systematic pathological effect of vitamin E deficiency in common carp, which may be applicable to other fish and animals.


Background Chronic breathlessness syndrome has been recently defined to help clinicians actively seek and patients legitimately present with persistent breathlessness, and to drive service development and research. There are many evidence-based interventions emerging. However, the naming and defining process did not include views from low to middle-income countries, where chronic breathlessness is a significant issue. Methods Views of hospital physicians caring for people with conditions causing chronic breathlessness were explored in a South Indian hospital as part of a service improvement project. Three semi-structured focus groups were conducted in English, audio-recorded, transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Results Fifteen clinicians participated, representing oncology, palliative care, cardiology and respiratory specialties. Three major themes (Impact, Invisibility and Purpose) and 12 subthemes were generated by the data. Chronic breathlessness as defined, was seen as prevalent with a huge impact on patients, their families, carers and clinicians. In non-palliative care clinicians, a sense of therapeutic helplessness with a lack of awareness or ability to manage chronic breathlessness was observed in association with active avoidance. This, a perceived lack of assessment tools and lack of clear clinical pathways allowing access to palliative care contributed to the invisibility of people with this symptom. Most participants were in agreement about the name of chronic breathlessness syndrome. All agreed that focussed systematic identification would foster education regarding assessment, management and monitoring and would support service development and research. Conclusions Chronic breathlessness syndrome is recognised in clinical practice in Southern India but risks being invisible due to lack of awareness, particularly of interventions to manage the breathlessness itself. A named and defined syndrome was seen as a way to improve identification and management of chronic breathlessness.


Novel red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on GaN/sub 0.011/P/sub 0.989/-GaP double-heterostructure (DH) directly grown on [100] GaP substrates have been fabricated for the first time. The samples were grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy with an RF nitrogen radical beam source to incorporate N in GaP. Compared to conventional GaAs-based AlGaInP red LEDs, this novel LED structure eliminates the complicated steps of etching the light-absorption GaAs substrate and wafer-bonding to a transparent GaP substrate. Based on the uncoated devices made with the heterojunction bipolar transistor masks, the emission efficiency of the DH LEDs is 20 times stronger than that of a GaNP pn homojunction diode.


The objective of this on-farm study was to develop an effective and labour-extensive method to cure forage Lablab purpureus 'Highworth' for resource-constrained smallholder farmers in the Goromonzi district, Zimbabwe in 2014. In a completely randomised factorial design, the drying rate of forage subjected to three conditioning treatments, viz. pressing with a plain water-filled 200 L steel drum, pressing with a water-filled 200 L steel drum covered with 14-gauge wire mesh, and chopping to 5 cm length with a machete, was compared with that of unconditioned forage. The conditioning treatments were subjected to three natural aeration methods, viz. Aframe, raised platform, and dry ground. Replicated four times, conditioned forage was cured at a swath density of 25 kg m−2 to cover 3 m2 per treatment over 28 d. Conditioning of forage had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on drying rate. However, conditioning did not have a significant (p > 0.05) effect on crude protein content. Aeration treatments did not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) on drying rate or crude protein content. Moisture loss rate was higher for forage conditioned with a wired drum and machete. Conditioning with a machete was most labour intensive compared with drum conditioning treatments. Laceration and pressing is an effective and labour-extensive conditioning method for resource-constrained smallholder farmers.


Grazing incidence x-ray scattering and cross-sectional high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) have been applied to the study of thin trilayers of the miscible system Co–Cr–Co grown by ultra-high vacuum evaporation on silicon. Good agreement was found between numerical values for layer thickness deduced by the two techniques. The Co–Cr interface roughness was found to be low with substantial interdiffusion, significantly greater than the roughness amplitude. HREM images confirmed the diffuseness of the interfaces. The roughness had a lateral correlation length of typically 150 Å and a very low fractal parameter h of 0.15. The correlation length was always found to correspond to the lateral grain size observed in the HREM images.


Background Confidentiality is a cornerstone of good medical practice. However, sharing of medical information is often essential for safe, effective care. The advent of computerised records has increased the scope for efficient data transfer. However, the same principles for patient confidentiality remain for this format. Ambiguity in current guidelines exists regarding patient data relating to sexual health. Peer-reviewed research reveals a lack of patient understanding on confidentiality, and concerns on inappropriate data disclosure within local areas. Aims A survey assessing patient understanding of, and views on, confidentiality and data sharing in sexual health. Methods Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to 203 consecutive patients seen in our busy inner-city sexual health clinic and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2007. Results The 90 respondents demonstrated a good understanding of the definition of confidentiality (92%). Of the 54 respondents that were happy for information to be shared, 9% preferred this to be in paper format, 37% electronic, 54% were happy with both. 30% would be happy with medical record sharing between sexual health clinics, and 58% of these would prefer this information to be shared locally rather than nationwide. 50% agreed with the use of a shared database between our Trust's sexual health centres. Conclusion Patients understand the concept of confidentiality. Pertinent to the increasing use of electronic patient records, patients prefer the transfer of information to be in an electronic format. Opinions vary on data sharing practices, and at present, half of patients agree with the prospect of a shared database.


In-process control (IPC) is an important task during chemical syntheses in pharmaceutical industry. Despite the fact that each chemical reaction is unique, the most common analytical technique used for IPC analysis is high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Today, the so-called "Quality by Design" (QbD) principle is often being applied rather than "Trial and Error" approach for HPLC method development. The QbD approach requires only for a very few experimental measurements to find the appropriate stationary phase and optimal chromatographic conditions such as the composition of mobile phase, gradient steepness or time (tG), temperature (T), and mobile phase pH. In this study, the applicability of a multifactorial liquid chromatographic optimization software was studied in an extended knowledge space. Using state-of-the-art ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), the analysis time can significantly be shortened. By using UHPLC, it is possible to analyse the composition of the reaction mixture within few minutes. In this work, a mixture of route of synthesis of apixaban was analysed on short narrow bore column (50 × 2.1 mm, packed with sub-2 µm particles) resulting in short analysis time. The aim of the study was to cover a relatively narrow range of method parameters (tG, T, pH) in order to find a robust working point (zone). The results of the virtual (modeled) robustness testing were systematically compared to experimental measurements and Design of Experiments (DoE) based predictions.


ABSTRACT Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are proteoliposome nanoparticles ubiquitously produced by Gram-negative bacteria. Typically bearing a composition similar to those of the outer membrane and periplasm of the cells from which they are derived, OMVs package an array of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Once considered inconsequential by-products of bacterial growth, OMVs have since been demonstrated to mediate cellular stress relief, promote horizontal gene transfer and antimicrobial activity, and elicit metazoan inflammation. Recently, OMVs have gained appreciation as critical moderators of interorganismal dynamics. In this review, we focus on recent progress toward understanding the functions of OMVs with regard to symbiosis and ecological contexts, and we propose potential avenues for future OMV studies.


Mutations of the p53 gene play a key role in the development of common human malignancies. In the case of breast cancer patients, cancer cells can be obtained directly from the patient with minimal damage by fine-needle sampling. Thus, the method of aspiration biopsy cytology (ABC) by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was developed, enabling us to prepare cancer cell nuclei for detection of p53 gene mutation by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis. Fine-needle samplings were successfully performed and p53 gene mutations were disclosed in 25 advanced breast cancer patients. We investigated 27 mutations of the p53 gene in these 25 specimens, showing all point mutations including 10 CpG mutations and 3 double mutations in one allele. Of the 25 patients with p53 gene mutations, 16 patients were disease free (64.0%) but 9 had postoperative recurrence (36.0 %) ; in detail, 7 patients (28.0%) experienced short-term relapse of disease, i. e. recurrence within 5 years after operation. In the study using FNAB, we further examined the correlation of p53 gene mutation in breast cancer with clinicopathological features, and especially with short-term relapse of disease. No significant correlation was found with respect to age, menopausal status, histological type, ER status, operative procedures, and postoperative adjuvant therapy in almost all tumors, however there was a significant relationship between p53 gene mutation and short-term relapse (P<0.01). Moreover, p53 gene mutation related closely with nuclear p53 protein accumulation (P<0.01) and with DNA aneuploidy pattern as well (P<0.001). Twelve p53 gene mutations were shown in 9 aspirated biopsy specimens. All were point mutations containing 8 transitions, 2 transversions, and 2 deletions; the dominant mutations were transition at GC base pairs (G to A), constituting 41.7% of all mutations. Typical hot spot codons in the study were codon 175, 248, and 282. Mutations localizing at the CpG site of the gene were seen in 7 cases (58.3%). Additionally, there was a tendency of high recurrence of disease in advanced clinical stage IIIA and IIIB, lymph node metastatic estimation of N2/N3, and histologic grade 3. These results thus indicate that p53 gene mutations in aspirated breast cancer cells obtained by FNAB reflect the biological characteristics of breast cancer and may be a good indicator of short-term relapse of postoperative patients.


Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the dye decolorization ability of laccase from Trametes versicolor. Five azonaphthalene dyes (Acid Violet 7, Acid Red 1, Allura Red AC, Orange G and Sunset Yellow FCF) were used to evaluate dye decolorization. Laccase from T. versicolor is capable of decolorizing dyes, namely Acid Violet 7 (53.7±2.3 %) and Orange G (46.0±2.2 %). The less effective ability of laccase was observed at the decolorization of other selected dyes (6.9 - 18.6 %). The presence of redox mediator (1-hydroxybenzotriazole) increased decolorization percentage for all tested dyes (≥ 90.5 %). Toxic effect of azo dyes and their degradation products after laccase treatment was observed on the growth of selected bacteria (Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas syringae and Escherichia coli), yeasts (Candida parapsilosis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and algae (Chlorella vulgaris and Microcystis aeruginosa). It was confirmed that degradation products showed lower inhibition effect compared to initial dyes. These findings suggest that laccase from T. versicolor are able to decolorize and detoxify selected azonaphthalene dyes.


An important issue in the design of future personal communication services (PCS) networks is the efficient management of location information. The current IS-41 standard PCS architecture uses a centralized database, the home location register (HLR), to store service and location information of each mobile registered in the PCS network. If the HLR fails, all incoming calls to a mobile from hosts which are not in the same location area as the mobile are lost. Location updates from mobiles to the HLR are also lost. Once the HLR is functional it can not direct calls to mobiles immediately as mobiles could have changed their location during the HLR's failure. Fast recovery from a failure of the HLR is hence important. A link failure in the network could partition the network resulting in a loss of location updates from mobiles affected by the failed link. We present a new protocol for fast recovery of the HLR after a HLR failure or an intermediate link failure. The protocol does not require use of wireless bandwidth during the recovery process, has a bounded recovery period and is simple to implement making it an appealing choice in the design of future mobile networks. We analyze the protocol in order to find a medium between protocol cost and the recovery interval.


: Diabetes Mellitus is emerging as an epidemic globally; the major causative factors involved are both environmental and genetic, affecting the intrauterine exposures to the fetus as well. If stimulus occurs to be glucose intolerance during pregnancy, gestational diabetes Mellitus (GDM) establishes. Hyperglycemia poses serious immediate adverse consequences for both mother and foetal development by permanently changing physiology and metabolism. The objective of this review was to identify the global key foetal complications, risk assessment and preventive solutions to avoid T2DM epidemics. Search was done through PubMed, Google Scholar and Aga Khan University, Karachi Campus Library resources. Literature indicated that gestational diabetes is strongly associated with higher birth weights, cesarean section of mother and risk of infant shoulder dystocia, Erb's palsy, clavicular fractures, fetal distress, and birth asphyxia resulting in 30-50 % of perinatal mortality. Respiratory distress syndrome (31%) of infants and cardiac septal hypertrophy was seen in 35-40 % of cases worldwide. GDM play a crucial role in increasing prevalence of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Use of insulin therapy has decreased the incidence of foetal macrosomia however, the extent of any effect on maternal and neonatal health outcomes are uncertain. Policy makers need to work at ;1) to prevent the development of GDM per se, may implement appropriate guidelines such as ADA/WHO by which patients should be screened for risk factors for GDM at their initial visit and 2) to organize program for reducing the incidence of type 2 DM and non-communicable diseases .


This thesis addresses evaluation methods used to measure the performance of machine learning algorithms. In supervised learning, algorithms are designed to perform common learning tasks including classification, ranking, scoring, and probability estimation. This work investigates how information, produced by these various learning tasks, can be utilized by the performance evaluation measure. In the literature, researchers recommend evaluating classification and ranking tasks using the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve. In a scoring task, the learning model estimates scores, from the training data, and assigns them to the testing data. These scores are used to express class memberships. Sometimes, these scores represent probabilities in which case the Mean Squared Error (Brier Score) is used to measure their quality. However, if these scores are not probabilities, the task is reduced to a ranking or a classification task by ignoring them. The standard ROC curve also eliminates such scores from its analysis.
We claim that using non-probabilistic scores as probabilities is often incorrect, and doing it properly would mean imposing additional assumptions on the algorithm or on the data. Ignoring these scores fully, however, is also problematic since, in practice, although they may provide a poor estimate of probabilities, their magnitudes, nonetheless, provide information that can be valuable for performance analysis. The purpose of this dissertation is to propose a novel method that extends the ROC curve to include such scores. We, therefore, call it the scored ROC curve. In particular, we develop a method to construct a scored ROC curve, demonstrate how to reduce it to a standard ROC curve, and illustrate how it can be used to compare learning models.
Our experiments demonstrate that the scored ROC curve is capable of measuring similarities as well as differences in the performance of different learning models, and is more sensitive to them than the standard ROC curve. In addition, we illustrate our method's ability to detect changes in data distribution between training and testing.


While problem-based learning (PBL) is widely regarded as an effective instructional approach, research on it has largely been restricted to advanced and/or gifted learners. This study examined the potential of a hypermedia based expert tool to scaffold regular education sixth graders engaged in a problem-based learning (PBL) program. Participants completed Alien Rescue, a hypermedia PBL environment on the solar system. The tool under investigation offered students interactive video of an expert modeling his cognitive processes as he performed tasks relevant to the development of a solution to the central problem of the PBL unit. Two other versions of the expert tool were developed to isolate the effect of the cognitive modeling. Results suggest that the cognitive modeling offered through the expert tool brought the way students worked during periods of self-directed study into line with expert actions and impacted the quality of the rationales students wrote for their solutions.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Introduction: Aside from its normal function in the embryonic development fibulin-5 seems to be involved in tumor formation by controlling proliferation and cell motility. In several malignancies including those from prostate, lung, breast and kidney predominantly down regulation of fibulin-5 was reported. But even enhanced expression in some minor cell populations was published. Since fibulin-5 mediates Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in mammary epithelial cells its function during invasion seems to be likely. To evaluate the role of this matrix-protein in tumor progression we analyzed fibulin-5 expression in primary prostate cancer samples cultivated in our previously published 3D-invasion model.

Experimental procedures: Fresh biopsies from 11 radical prostatectomies were subjected to our 3D-invasion model which allows for an expansion of the invading growing cell population. Expression of fibulin-5 was assessed by qRT- PCR in non-invading (top) and invasive growing (bottom) tumor cells. To investigate the role of Fibulin-5 on tumor cell migration, Fluoroblock® membranes were coated with 3 different Fibulin-5 peptides: two NH2-terminal peptides harbouring the RGD motif and one C-terminal peptide without this sequence. PC-3, LNCaP, DU-145 and A549 cells were applied onto these inserts and migration was quantified after 24 hrs by fluorescence reading using calcein staining.

Results: No fibulin-5 signals were revealed by qRT-PCR and immunostaining in LNCaP and PC-3 cell lines. In contrast, the expression in DU-145 was comparable to A 549, a lung carcinoma cell line which serves as a positive control. Invasive growing primary prostate tumor cells exhibit in all cases lower fibulin-5 expression as compared to the non-invasive cell population. After coating with fibulin-5 peptides migration of the cell lines was inhibited differentially with the most pronounced effect in LNCaP and Du145; migration of PC-3 and A 549 were not affected. Migration was less inhibited in all cell lines by the C-terminal peptide.

Conclusion: Our results confirmed the down regulation of fibulin-5 in prostate cancer samples in our 3D- invasion model. Interestingly, we observed differences in the expression of this matrix protein between the non-invading cell population and the more aggressive invading tumor cells, both originating from the same biopsy sample. Since all invasive cells exhibit a reduced fibulin-5 expression as compared to the non-invading cells we conclude that down-regulation of fibulin-5 expression favors tumor invasion and metastasis. This assumption is supported by the results of the migration experiments. Thus, the expression profile of fibulin-5 may reflect the invasive potential of individual tumor cells.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2351. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2351


Neural networks are widely used for almost any task of recognizing image content. Even though much effort has been put into investigating efficient network architectures, optimizers, and training strategies, the influence of image interpolation on the performance of neural networks is not well studied. Furthermore, research has shown that neural networks are often sensitive to minor changes in the input image leading to drastic drops of their performance. Therefore, we propose the use of keypoint agnostic frequency selective mesh-to-grid resampling (FSMR) for the processing of input data for neural networks in this paper. This model-based interpolation method already showed that it is capable of outperforming common interpolation methods in terms of PSNR. Using an extensive experimental evaluation we show that depending on the network architecture and classification task the application of FSMR during training aids the learning process. Furthermore, we show that the usage of FSMR in the application phase is beneficial. The classification accuracy can be increased by up to 4.31 percentage points for ResNet50 and the Oxtlower17 dataset.


According to new proposals from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and WHO, venous peripheral plasma is the preferred system for measuring glucose for diagnosing diabetes mellitus. Owing to the instability of glucose in plasma after blood sampling, strict well-defined and standardized preanalytical conditions are essential to ensure that glucose concentration measured in plasma reflects real blood glucose in the patient. This is in contrast to the capillary whole blood measurements, which are easy to perform and well established. We investigated whether it is possible to perform analysis on capillary whole blood but express the results as plasma glucose values and hence obtain comparable results and the same predictive values for diagnosis in the individual patient? The conclusion of our investigations is that these two systems are not interchangeable and that conversion should not be done for diagnostic purposes where plasma determinations are recommended.


Islamic funds are an upcoming alternative to conventional funds, aided by the increasing prominence of Islamic finance. This paper contributes to the extant literature by comparing the performance of Islamic and conventional funds during crisis and recovery periods. In contrast to most previous literature, we focus on the countries of the Middle East and North African region (MENA), which represent an appealing context to study both from a financial and socioeconomic point of view due to recent events in the area. To this end, we consider a linear model control- ling for the bias of omitting relevant benchmarks. Although this methodology is now widely accepted in the financial literature, it is less common when evaluating Islamic mutual funds, but it is particularly appropriate when the aim is to focus on markets where Shari'ah-compliant investments are in home territory. Our results show that the relative performance of Islamic and conventional funds must be tempered by several factors such as the (geographical) context in which the investment is made. Considering all the MENA region, Islamic funds perform, on average, slightly worse than conventional funds. However, if the analysis is restricted to GCC countries, the result is the opposite. This evidence holds for both crisis and recovery periods. In addition, the performance gap between the two types of funds either widens or shrinks when considering recovery or crisis times, reinforcing the views that Islamic funds are more stable in hazardous times.


We did not observe an increase in quinolone-resistant strains in recent years despite a dramatic increase in drug usage. P. aeruginosa strains should be carefully monitored in the future since a trend to increased MICs seems obvious. Epidemiologic data on resistance have to be evaluated carefully, and special interest must be focused on the breakpoint in relation to the normal distribution of MICs. Conclusions can be drawn only if the increased numbers of strains are clearly separated from the normal distribution.


Purpose - The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee perceptions of their organization's management of cultural diversity, their perceived organizational support and affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire survey was developed and distributed to a sample of employees working in a large Australian financial institution. Findings - Analysis of the data shows that, when controlling for perceived organizational support, there is no direct relationship between cultural diversity management perceptions and affective commitment. Rather, the data support an indirect relationship between the two variables via perceived organizational support. Research limitations/implications - Implications are, first, that managers need to recognize the potential contribution of developing a positive workplace atmosphere for cultural diversity to strengthen employee perceived organizational support, which in turn enhances affective commitment. Second, the research findings underscore the importance of perceived organizational support in linking cultural diversity management perceptions to organizational outcomes, such as affective commitment. Third, managers should not underestimate the influence of initiatives, such as making all employees feel included in the "taken-for-granted" informal networks in engendering positive organizational and individual attitudes. Originality/value - The paper examines cultural diversity management from the employees' (rather than a management) perspective to develop a fully mediated model using organizational support to link cultural diversity management perceptions to commitment. The study reinforces the need to rethink simple relationships between cultural diversity management perceptions and organizational/individual outcomes, to consider more complex models that include important mediating variables to more fully understand the effects of cultural diversity management.


Cross-layering is a design paradigm for overcoming the limitations deriving from the ISO/OSI layering principle, thus improving the performance of communications in specific scenarios, such as wireless multimedia communications. However, most available solutions are based on empirical considerations, and do not provide a theoretical background supporting such approaches. The paper aims at providing an analytical framework for the study of single-hop video delivery over a wireless link, enabling cross-layer interactions for performance optimization using power control and FEC and providing a useful tool to determine the potential gain deriving from the employment of such design paradigm. The analysis is performed using rate-distortion information of an embedded video bitstream jointly with a Lagrangian power minimization approach. Simulation results underline that cross-layering can provide relevant improvement in specific environments and that the proposed approach is able to capitalize on the advantage deriving from its deployment.


The source characteristics of third-generation synchrotron radiation machines lead to enhanced possibilities for diffraction topographic techniques: real-time observations, high-resolution experiments, investigation of heavy or bulky materials using short wavelengths and the possibility of using large sample environments. We describe the instrumentation of the ESRF ID19 'Topography and High Resolution Diffraction Beamline', which has been designed to take advantage of these new experimental possibilities. Experiments performed, in white and monochromatic beam, on two other beamlines of the ESRF illustrate these new possibilities. They show that (i) typical exposure times for white-beam topography (down to about 10-2 s) are about 102-103 times shorter than at other synchrotron radiation topographic set-ups, (ii) the divergence of the diffracted beam is small enough to retain good spatial resolution when placing the film far (up to 1 m) from the sample, (iii) with short wavelengths (about 10 pm and less) it is possible to carry out topographical investigations of bulky or heavy samples or to detect weak long-range deformation fields of defects and (iv) 'low-divergent wave' or 'weak-beam' monochromatic beam topographs can be recorded in a few seconds. Sample-heating effects are observed in white-beam topography even for materials that are not highly absorbing or thermally insulating. A simple criterion for observation of these effects is presented and tested.


Agonists of the GABA-A receptor are neuroprotective after experimental stroke, but studies of GABA-B agonists have contradicted each other. To further investigate whether GABA-B agonists may be neuroprotective, we devised a quantal bioassay using the intraluminal occlusion method of inducing reversible cerebral ischemia. Subjects underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion for varying amounts of time, ranging from 5 to 90 min. Behavioral outcome was measured 48 h later with a quantal observational scale: score of abnormal given for any one of asymmetric forepaw flexion on tail lift, asymmetric grip, circling, reduced exploration, seizures, or death. To the grouped response data the logistic equation was used to find the ED50, the duration of occlusion that caused one-half of the subjects to be abnormal. To find the potency ratio for each drug, we divided the ED50 for treatment by that for vehicle. We administered baclofen, a GABA-B agonist, intraperitoneally 5 min after the onset ofischemia. Baclofen (20 mg/kg) was neuroprotective (potency ratio of 3.0, P < 0.05), but a lower dose (10 mg/kg) was not. However, both doses of baclofen caused significantly more intracerebral hemorrhages than control. In awake animals, both baclofen doses caused significant increases in mean arterial pressure, but no changes in other cardiorespiratory variables. The glutamate antagonist MK-801, the GABA-A agonist muscimol, and hypothermia were all protective using the bioassay (potency ratios ranging from 1.5 to 3.0). We conclude that although baclofen (20 mg/kg) may be neuroprotective, its utility is complicated by postischemic hypertension and cerebral hemorrhages.


A b s t r a c t The study was aimed at evaluation of the effect of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy on baroreflex sensitivity of heart rate (BRS, ms/mm Hg) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and essential hypertension (EH). BRS was significantly increased after 12 weeks of walking training program in diabetics without hypertension as well as in diabetics with hypertension controlled by monotherapy. The BRS value in normotensives corresponds to the BRS value in diabet- ics with hypertension after training as well as in patients with essential hypertension with combined pharmacotherapy.


Text comprehension requires readers to mentally simulate the described situation by reactivating previously acquired sensory and motor information from (episodic) memory. Drawing upon research demonstrating gender differences, favouring girls, in tasks involving episodic memory retrieval, the present study explores whether gender differences exist in mental simulation in children (Grades 4 to 6). In Experiment 1, 99 children performed a sentence–picture verification task measuring mental simulation at sentence level. In Experiment 2, 97 children completed a lexical decision task in which imageability of words was manipulated to measure mental simulation at word level. Only for girls we found faster reaction times for matching versus mismatching sentence–picture pairs (Experiment 1) and high-imageability versus low-imageability words (Experiment 2). The results suggest that girls construct more coherent and vivid mental simulations than boys and rely more heavily on these representations. The results emphasize the importance of including gender into reading comprehension research. [Correction added on 13 June 2016, after first online publication: The affiliation of author "Bjorn B. de Koning" was previously wrong and has been corrected in this current version.]


Aims: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor
(IMT) of the urinary bladder is a clinically and histologically uncommon benign
tumor that can be easily mistaken for a malignant neoplasm. We sought to
determine whether immunohistochemical staining would be evaluated IMT of
the urinary bladder. We have also shown the literatures that imminohistochemical
staining of IMT was investigated to distinguish malignant lesions using PubMed
data base. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining, including anaplastic lymphoma kinase
(ALK), p53, cytokeratin, vimentin, desmin, alpha-smooth muscle actin,
myoglobin, smooth muscle myosin and S100, was carried out on serial sections
from archival specimens of three patients who underwent transurethral resection
and partial cystectomy. Results: Immunohistchemical
staining in all patients was positive for ALK and weak positive for p53
protein. In the literatures, positive rates of ALK and p53 inthe IMT of the urinary bladder were 60.9% and
53.1%, respectively. Sarcoma and carcinosarcoma were shown in the pathological
specimens with negative ALK and strongly positive p53 inthe same data base. Conclusions: Both ALK and p53 were potentially useful protein markers to
distinguish between IMT and sarcoma. However, this study was small sample size.
Further study was warranted an investigation of the availability of these
proteins in IMT.