OBJECTIVE
To evaluate serum and synovial fluid (SF) levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and in vitro MIF production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

METHODS
Serum, SF, and culture supernatant levels of MIF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Production of MIF by PBMCs was investigated by culturing PBMCs in the absence or presence of 2 different concentrations of concanavalin A.

RESULTS
Serum MIF levels were increased in patients with JIA, and the highest levels were present in patients with systemic-onset JIA. In systemic-onset JIA, serum levels of MIF correlated with the persistence of systemic features and the number of active joints. PBMCs from patients with systemic-onset JIA, when cultured under unstimulated conditions or at suboptimal stimulation, released higher amounts of MIF compared with those from patients with oligoarticular-onset JIA or healthy controls. MIF levels in the SF of patients with systemic-onset JIA were significantly higher than those in patients with oligoarticular-onset JIA. In individual joints, in both systemic-onset JIA and oligoarticular-onset JIA, SF MIF levels were inversely correlated with the duration of the clinical remission induced by intraarticular administration of triamcinolone hexacetonide.

CONCLUSION
MIF appears to be a relevant cytokine in the pathogenesis of JIA, particularly in systemic-onset JIA.


The taxonomic position of Miehea Ochyra has remained questionable since the type species M. himalayana Ochyra was synonymized into Hylocomium indicum Dixon, which was either treated as Miehea in the Hylocomiaceae or as a Ptychodium of the Thuidiaceae. In this study I re-examine the Miehea taxa and synonymize them to Pseudopleuropus Tak. based on the ontogenetic sequence of paraphyllia as well as other morphological characters of gametophytes. Miehea indica appears distinct from M. himalayana by having asexual gemmae and caudate apex of stem-leaves. Three species in Pseudopleuropus are recognized, i.e., P. morrisonensis Nog., P. indicus (Dix.) comb. nov., and P. himalayanus (Ochyra) comb. nov. Miehea (=Pseudopleuropus) is catalogued in the Leskeaceae and excluded from the Hylocomiaceae or Thuidiaceae based on the leskeoid peristomes (vs. hypnoid ones) and the unbranched paraphyllia. Pseudopleuropus is related to Lescuraea in sharing several gametophytic characteristics: differentiation of stem- and branch-leaves, concave leaves, and lanceolate laminal cells. The differentiation of dwarfness, an autapomorphy in P. morrisonensis, is suggested to be a key innovation for adapting to the selective regime switching from terrestrial to corticolous habitat.


Being a woman in Muslim or other religious societies does not include a process in which only religious rules are in effect. Instead, the experiences of women are determined by political, social, and economic conditions, and reflect the cultural precedents created by past societies, whether Muslim or not. Hence, the way women are described in a society they belong in emerges as a cultural reflection that bears each and every element in that particular society. Therefore, it is not possible to consider apart from this circumstance the descriptions of women in Ottoman Trabzon Sharīʿa court records. In this study, the definitions of women who lived in Ottoman Trabzon over their gender and, occasionally, their sexuality, reflected in the discourses of Sharīʿa courts are discussed, and the social and legal status of such women is examined. This investigation is placed within the framework of religious and cultural conditions which impacted such definitions and descriptions. This study has been based on evidence available in early seventeenth-century Ottoman Trabzon Sharīʿa court records.


The paper is a review of a number of writings in the humanities and in social science devoted to George Martin's series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire, and the television-serial drama Game of Thrones. At the beginning, we analyze the researchers' most heuristically-fruitful intellectual reactions to Game of Thrones, that is, specific products such as texts that may be of interest to social theory. The main part of the article considers the institutional and discursive order of George Martin's saga through the research lens of the classics of modern social theory, such as Niccolo Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and Max Weber. The paper then briefly touches upon the religious situation in Westeros, whose system of values and norms is paradoxically characterized by both post-secularism and a surge of religious fundamentalism. As a next step, it analyzes the political theology in the Game of Thrones, which is considered within the perspective of a transcendental legitimization of politics as proposed by Carl Schmitt. In conclusion, the paper considers Westeros' cognitive landscape which consists of various competing epistemic sets (maesters, septons, white walkers, etc.), and structurally reproduces the situation in the societies of late modernity.


It sometimes happens that parts of a wave front may become scattered, as for example in diffraction, and then be re-assembled but with differing phase relationships and amplitudes. In these circumstances 'Cornu's spiral' is a familiar tool for explaining in both quantitative and qualitative ways what has happened and why the result is as it is. Modern school physics syllabuses, such as the Nuffield A-level course, use the idea of successive phasor addition to explain the operation of, for example, diffraction gratings, and though Cornu's spiral is not explicitly mentioned, it would need only a small modification to the treatment to arrive at it. The author attempts to provide a conceptual framework which the student of A-level or first year subsidiary university physics may use to understand in a qualitative way what is happening at resonance, and upon which he may, if he has access to a computer, fairly easily build a quantitative understanding.


High-spin states in 132 Te, an isotope with two proton particles and two neutron holes outside of the 132 Sn doubly magic core, have been extended up to an excitation energy of 6.17 MeV. The prompt-delayed coincidence technique has been used to correlate states above the T 1/2 = 3.70(9) μs isomer in 132 Te to the lower states using 232 Th(7 Li ,f) at 5.4 MeV/u and the Indian National Gamma Array (INGA). With 9 Be(238 U ,f) at 6.2 MeV/u and EXOGAM γ-array coupled with the VAMOS++ spectrometer, the level scheme was extended to higher excitation energies. The high-spin positive-parity states, above J π = 10 + , in 132 Te are expected to arise from the alignment of the particles in the high-j orbitals lying close to the Fermi surface, the πg 2 7/2 , and the νh −2 11/2 configurations. The experimental level scheme has been compared with the large scale shell model calculations. A reduction in the p-n interaction strength resulted in an improved agreement with the measurements up to the spin of 15. In contrast, the comparison of the differences between the experiment and these calculations for the N = 76,78 isotones of Te and Sn shows the increasing disagreement as a function of spin, where the magnitude is larger in Te than in Sn. This behavior could possibly be attributed to the deficiencies in the p-n correlations, in addition to the n-n correlations in Sn.


Stimulation of β1-adrenergic receptor (β1AR), a GPCR, and the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), a pattern recognition receptor (PRR), have been independently implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy caused by various etiologies, including myocardial infarction, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and metabolic stress. Here, we show that the two distinctly different receptors, β1AR and RAGE, are mutually dependent in mediating myocardial injury and the sequelae of cardiomyopathy. Deficiency or inhibition of RAGE blocks β1AR- and RAGE-mediated myocardial cell death and maladaptive remodeling. Ablation or blockade of β1AR fully abolishes RAGE-induced detrimental effects. Mechanistically, RAGE and β1AR form a complex, which in turn activates Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), resulting in loss of cardiomyocytes and myocardial remodeling. These results indicate that RAGE and β1AR not only physically crosstalk at the receptor level, but also functionally converge at the common mediator, CaMKII, highlighting a combined inhibition of RAGE and β1AR as a more effective therapy to treat diverse cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and diabetic cardiovascular complications.


On-line auctions are the electronic marketplaces for trading commodities or services in modern life. Continuous Double Auction (CDA), which is different from the single-side auction types, allows multiple sellers and multiple buyers to update their asks and bids at the same time successively through the trading period. This paper discusses a new proposed CDA bidding strategy based on Genetic Network Programming (GNP) with generalized judgments using Gaussian functions for the agent-based CDA environment. GNP is one of the evolutionary computations, and the GNP-based bidding strategy can judge and analyze various situations of the ongoing auction using its judgment functions, then determine the most competitive and suitable ask or bid price at each time step according to the directed graph structure of the GNP individual. Especially, in the proposed GNP-based method, the generalized judgment functions are proposed using m-dimensional Gaussian Functions with evolution instead of conventional fixed judgment functions in order to judge the dynamically changing auction situations more sensitively and comprehensively. In addition, the proposed method uses some basic heuristic control rules for helping the auction agent to make ask or bid decisions. The performance of the proposed bidding strategy are studied and compared with other methods in CDA under different settings.


Conventional lateral cephalograms are ordered for patients even with available Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) radiographs which may increase the patient's radiation exposure. According to past studies landmark identification and hard tissue analysis errors on CBCT-derived lateral cephalograms were comparable to those of conventional lateral cephalograms. According to the soft tissue paradigm, diagnosis and treatment planning are based on the soft tissue goals. The aim of this study was to compare the soft tissue analysis between CBCT-derived and conventional lateral cephalograms of the same patient. Twenty-two patients who had both 12-inch CBCT scan (NewTom 3G) and conventional lateral cephalograms available within a 6-month time period were selected. Landmark identification carried out by two operators at the same time for Dolphin imaging software (v11.2). 8 angular and 11 linear soft tissue variables were measured. Paired t-test comparison of two groups revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups except for inclination of nasal base (P<0.05 was considered significant). CBCT-derived lateral cephalograms can be used for the soft tissue analysis as an alternative to conventional lateral cephalograms, when patient's CBCT volume is already available. This can reduce additional X-ray exposure.


According to the 1990 U.S. census, Florida has a population of 12,937,926. Three-quarters of that population, 9,639,615, reside in 754 "places," ranging in population from 635,230 in Jacksonville city (remainder) to 10 in the community of Orchid. The mean population of these communities is 12,768; the median population (4,875) is much smaller than the mean, reflecting the significant impact of the large urban communities on the mean value.


With the development of society and economy, new media technology emerges as The Times require. Due to its characteristics of interactivity, timeliness, individuality and openness, it has been widely used and promoted in various fields, and has gradually become a part of public life, exerting a significant influence on people's behavior of obtaining, screening and screening information. Among them, the new media in ideological and political education (IPE) in colleges and universities give full play to the role of the media. It provides an open platform for college students to learn knowledge and understand the world, which provides a rare opportunity for IPE, but these conveniences also to the IPE work brings new problems and puts forward the new challenges. In this case, the analysis of the impact of new media on the IPE has become an important topic, and then explore the ways to use new media to enhance its effectiveness. This article, the former related research theory and IPE present situation, the combination of IPE under the new media age effectiveness of the existing problems and causes are analyzed, and put forward the ascension path of effectiveness, improve IPE work is dedicated to provide you with more theoretical basis, the propulsion of education education for colleges and universities play a positive role.


This paper presents a novel hybrid approach for solving the Container Loading (CL) problem based on the combination of Immune Genetic Algorithm (IGA) and Integer Linear Programming (ILP) model. More precisely, an IGA engine works as a generator of reduced instances for the original CL problem, which are formulated as ILP models. These instances, in turn, are solved by ILP, and the performance measures accomplished by the respective models are interpreted as affinity values by the immune genetic algorithm, thus guiding its evolutionary process. The proposed approach was compared with five well-known algorithms taken from the literature on the public benchmarks and the extensive computational results show that the quality of the solutions is equal to or better than that obtained by the best existing algorithms.


Numerous studies have examined the neural substrates of intertemporal decision‐making, but few have systematically investigated separate neural representations of the two attributes of future rewards (i.e., the amount of the reward and the delay time). More importantly, no study has used the novel analytical method of representational connectivity analysis (RCA) to map the two dimensions' functional brain networks at the level of multivariate neural representations. This study independently manipulated the amount and delay time of rewards during an intertemporal decision task. Both univariate and multivariate pattern analyses showed that brain activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and lateral frontal pole cortex (LFPC) was modulated by the amount of rewards, whereas brain activity in the DMPFC and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was modulated by the length of delay. Moreover, representational similarity analysis (RSA) revealed that even for the regions of the DMPFC that overlapped between the two dimensions, they manifested distinct neural activity patterns. In terms of individual differences, those with large delay discounting rates (k) showed greater DMPFC and LFPC activity as the amount of rewards increased but showed lower DMPFC and DLPFC activity as the delay time increased. Lastly, RCA suggested that the topological metrics (i.e., global and local efficiency) of the functional connectome subserving the delay time dimension inversely predicted individual discounting rate. These findings provide novel insights into neural representations of the two attributes in intertemporal decisions, and offer a new approach to construct task‐based functional brain networks whose topological properties are related to impulsivity.


Central hemodynamic parameters were studied in 12 phthisiopulmonological patients by integral rheography before, at the end, and 1, 2, 3, 7 days after surgery. Signs of cardiovascular failure with phenomena of "blood flow centralization" were revealed. With intensive care, these hemodynamic changes were most prominent on days 1, 2, and 3 after surgery and hemodynamic improvement occurred on day 7.


AIDS-associated vacuolar myelopathy (VM) is a common neurologic complication of AIDS. Pathologically, VM is characterized by vacuolization in the lateral and posterior columns of the thoracic spinal cord and has a striking similarity with the myelopathy of vitamin B12 deficiency. In autopsy series, 20% to 55% of patients with AIDS have evidence of spinal cord disease consistent with VM. The myelopathy usually manifests late in the course of HIV infection, with slowly progressive weakness of the lower extremities, gait disorder, sensory abnormalities in the legs, impotence in men, and urinary frequency and urgency. Its course is invariably progressive and leads to severe paralysis of the lower limbs, with loss of the ability to walk and of sphincter control. The differential diagnosis is extensive and includes metabolic, infective, and neoplastic spinal cord diseases. The diagnosis is based on the clinical observation and the exclusion of other causes of myelopathy via serologic, radiographic, and cerebrospinal fluid studies. The pathogenesis of VM is unknown. Attempts to detect HIV in the spinal cord have not yielded significant results, and there is no evidence of a relationship between the presence of HIV and the development of myelopathy. A metabolic disorder of the vitamin B12-dependent transmethylation pathway, induced by HIV or cytokine activation, is considered the possible cause of VM associated with AIDS. There is no known treatment for AIDS myelopathy and there is no evidence that antiretroviral drugs can improve the symptoms or slow the progression of VM. The symptomatic treatment includes antispasticity agents, management of sphincter dysfunction, and physical therapy. Experimental treatments are being tested in clinical trials.


This study was conducted to research the relationship between use of computer types and frequency and anger and aggression in adolescents. The study was conducted among years 9, 10 and 11 students (secondary level) in 2008-2009 academic year. The general research tool for this study used was "Relationship research" model. The focal schools of this research were randomly selected from the Nicosia district in North Cyprus. There were a total of 214 participating students and the data collection tools were: Aggression Scale, Anger Scale and a Personal Information form. In addition, the data collected through these scales and questionnaires were analyzed by using statistical calculations of frequency, mean, standard deviation, Anova and T-test techniques at p< 0,5 level. The results of the study show that there was no significant difference between adolescences who play and those who do not play computer games. It was also found that there was no significance in the relationship of playing computer games in other places between adolescences towards anger and aggression. Together with this, the average amount of computer games played within a week among adolescences has no significant impact on the levels of their anger and aggression. Also, there was no significance observed of playing weekly computer games at an internet cafe and the use of computer types and frequency in relation to their anger and aggression. Moreover, there was no significant difference between adolescents' levels of anger and aggression towards computer games of sports and competitive games, war and strategic games and general logic computer games.


Objective: To see the effect of exercise in preventing diastasis recti in pregnant women.
Study Design: Prospective comparative study.
Place and Duration of Study: Gynecology & Obstetrics, Avicenna Medical College, Lahore Pakistan, from Jan to Dec 2019.
Methodology: This study included 93 pregnant women who were randomized in two groups, exercise group and non-exercise group. The measurement for diastasis recti abdomen was taken at 3 locations: at the umbilicus, 5 cm above the umbilicus, and 5 cm below the umbilicus. Measurement for diastasis recti were done at the time of inclusion in study and 6 weeks after the termination of pregnancy.
Results: The mean age of the women in our study was 26.5 ± 0.62 years. The frequency of diastasis recti was far less in exercising pregnant women as compared to non-exercising pregnant ladies after 6-weeks postpartum period. No diastasis recti was present at the supra-umbilical level in 34 (36.55%) women of exercise-group as compared to 9 (9.67%) in non-exercise group. At supra umbilical level, there was no diastasis recti present in 43 (46.2%) women of exercise-group as compared to 7 (7.52%) women in non-exercising groups at 6-weeks postpartum period. Similarly, no diastasis recti were present in 43 (46.2%) women of exercise-group as compared to 8 (8.60%) women in non-exercising group at infra umbilical level at 6 weeks postpartum period. Result showed that there was statistically significant improvement in the diastasis recti abdominis in exercise-group (p=0.002).
Conclusion: Abdominal exercises help in reducing diastasis recti in pregnant women significantly as compared..............................


Standards for buildings have over the centuries reflected the societal values and expectations of the day. Health and safety considerations have dominated the design considerations for the structural systems for building for the past few centuries. Fitness for purpose of such systems is assessed in terms of structural safety, serviceability and durability and, depending upon the design, nature and usage of buildings, fire safety, resistance to moisture penetration and constructibility might also be considered. Societal expectations of the 21st century demand that the structural system for buildings be not only fit for purpose in use but also contribute to sustainable development over life cycle. This paper proposes a performance framework within which the structural system of both new and existing buildings may be assessed in terms of both their fitness for purpose in use and their contribution to sustainable development over life cycle.


or higher-level categories, other than the smells themselves. What does mint taste like? Well...mint. Higher level categories, like "floral," merely indicate "this set of smells are found on flowers." Even that category has holes; many people find the scent of daisies unpleasant and would not describe it as floral if they were smelling it without seeing the flower itself in front of them. It's like trying to develop a system of color classifi: / 50 i n t e r a c t i o n s / j a n u a r y + f e b r u a r y 2 0 0 4 <


Transplantation of rat granulocyte precursors was demonstrated in mice that had received 710 r of x-rays (LD∼30) and injection of rat bone marrow.

X-ray doses of 400–1300 r, followed by injection of rat bone marrow (140 × 106 cells), resulted in a bimodal mortality curve, with maximum (100 per cent) and minimum (22 per cent) 30-day mortality occurring at 710 and 950 r, respectively, in mice that showed positive rat bone marrow transplant. Persistence of the foreign transplant among some of the 30-day survivors of these experimental groups resulted in additional deaths beyond this period.

Injection of varying amounts of rat bone marrow cells (25 × 106 to 300 × 106) into mice that had received 710, 800, or 950 r resulted in different mortalities and rates of mortality for each respective bone marrow dose and x-ray dose.

The results obtained in this study are in agreement with the hypothesis that injection of foreign bone marrow into x-radiated mice may result in an in vivo antigen (transplanted foreign hematopoietic tissue)-antibody (recovering immune mechanism of irradiated host) reaction, the degree (chronic or acute) and effects of which are dependent on the two variables: ( a ) x-ray dose applied to the host and ( b ) number of bone marrow cells injected.


This paper is concerned with a special steel-concrete composite beam in which the resisting system is a truss structure whose bottom chord is made of a steel plate supporting the precast floor system. This system works in two distinct phases with two different resisting mechanisms: during the construction phase, the truss structure bears the precast floor system and the resisting system is that of a simply supported steel truss; once the concrete has hardened, the truss structure becomes the reinforcing element of a steel-concrete composite beam, where it is also in a pre-stressed condition due to the loads carried before the hardening of concrete. Within this framework, the effects of the diagonal bars on the bending stiffness of this composite beam are investigated. First, a closed-form solution for the evaluation of the equivalent bending stiffness is derived. Subsequently, the influence of geometrical and mechanical characteristics of shear reinforcement is studied. Finally, results obtained from parametric and numerical analyses are discussed.


The objective of this paper is to make known the company where the business practices of the student Katherine Arenas were carried out.
In this is taught, the presentation of Colombiana de Comercio and / or Alkosto S.A encompassing the corporate identity, the product portfolio, the sale of the same at a general level, the clients, suppliers and competencies for the company are also disclosed; emphasizing in the commercial area for the hardware and home businesses; Together, internal variables of the company are analyzed, such as the organizational culture. In addition, characteristics of the position of the practitioner and their pre-preparation to enter the working world are identified.
Finally, a SWOT analysis is transmitted and then an improvement plan for the hardware and home business area; At the same time, a questionnaire is evidenced as a conclusion to the business practice.


Second-order vibronic reduction factors for spin-orbit coupling are derived for orbital triplet systems using the recently derived symmetry-related method. This involves the calculation of oscillator overlaps which are projected out of the cubic vibronic states. Details are presented in the weak coupling limit for T(X)e, T(X)t2 and T(X)(e+t2) vibronic systems and in the strong coupling limit for T(X)e and T(X)t2 systems. The analyses are shown to be in agreement with those obtained by other methods. The discussion is then extended to the calculation of the off-diagonal matrix element between the vibronic T1 ground state and the A2 inversion level of a T1 ion for the T(X)t2-system using symmetry-adapted vibronic states. The effects of anisotropy in the problems studied are also briefly discussed.


Although interleukin (IL)-12 was originally purified from an Epstein-Barr (EBV)-transformed B cell line and the high correlation of EBV infection and IL-12 expression has been suggested, no study has reported whether EBV infection is directly linked to IL-12 expression. To address this issue, we have investigated IL-12 expression in B cells during in vitro transformation with EBV. Human peripheral B cells became capable of constitutively producing p40 by in vitro transformation with EBV, coincident with the expression of latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) of EBV. These B cells expressed p40 and p35 mRNA, and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) stimulation strongly enhanced p40 and p70 production. Furthermore, transfection with LMP1 expression vector into a human B lymphoma cell line, Daudi, led to p40 production with nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation. These results suggest that transformation of primary B cells with EBV induces IL-12 expression potentially through LMP1 expression.


Automation has been an integral part of clinical laboratory testing for many years. In most moderate, or large laboratory settings, it is common to have a piece of equipment available to automate at least some, if not all portions of the urinalysis (UA). Examples range from the simple hand-held refractometer for the measurement of specific gravity, to a very sophisticated floor model instrument that performs the entire assay.


Nutritional evaluation of Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm found in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria was analyzed in this work for the nutrients present in the edible mushroom; Pleurotus ostreatus as well as the antinutrients present. These antinutrients include Tannins, Phytate, Oxalate, and Hydrogen Cyanin which when in high quantity can cause health hazards to humans such as poor protein digestibility and reduction in growth. This work, however, showed that antinutrients occur in moderate amounts in Pleurotus ostreatus. The difference in the structure of these mushrooms is as a result of the differences in the environmental conditions and the substrate.


This paper discusses about the images of communist figures in "post-suharto 1965 fictions". Images of communist figures have been acknowledged by Indonesian people through many books and films produced under Suharto regime as evil people and atheist. In other words, they are antagonists of the nation who deserve to be jailed and killed. This paper unpacks the stereotypical infamous images of communist or alleged-communist figures by showing opposite images of the figures portrayed in "Post-Suharto 1965 fictions". The end of Suharto regime which brings freedom of speech enables some victims of post-1965 tragedy (mostly ex-political prisoners) and their descendants to do such a counter-culture. They write books to provide other version of historiography. One of the authors is Gunawan Budi Susanto who wrote "1965 short story" collection entitled "Penjagal Itu Telah Mati" (The Slaughterer Has Died) (2015). From these current publications, we find other images of communist or alleged-communist figures; most of them are depicted as good citizens. The findings show that the images of communist figures are not as stable and absolute as what Suharto regime had constructed, yet the images remain contested in the unfinished and unstable historiography.


Chelonia is a novel grid storage system designed to fill the requirements gap between those of large, sophisticated scientific collaborations which have adopted the grid paradigm for their distributed storage needs, and of corporate business communities gravitating towards the cloud paradigm. Chelonia is an integrated system of heterogeneous, geographically dispersed storage sites which is easily and dynamically expandable and optimized for high availability and scalability. The architecture and implementation in term of web-services running inside the Advanced Resource Connector Hosting Environment Dameon (ARC HED) are described and results of tests in both local -area and wide-area networks that demonstrate the fault tolerance, stability and scalability of Chelonia will be presented. In addition, example setups for production deployments for small and medium-sized VO's are described.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method based on nonlinear least squares (NLS) for solving the parameters of nonlinear grey Bernoulli model (NGBM(1,1)) and to verify the proposed model using the case of employee demand prediction of high-tech enterprises in China.

Design/methodology/approach

First of all, minimising the square sum of fitting error of grey differential equation of NGBM(1,1) is taken as the optimisation target and the parameters of classic grey model (GM(1,1)) are set as the initial value of parameter vector. Afterwards, the structural parameters and power exponents are solved by using the Gauss-Newton iteration algorithm so as to calculate the parameters of NGBM(1,1) under given rules for ceasing the algorithm. Finally, by taking the employee demand of high-tech enterprises in the state-level high-tech industrial development zone in China as examples, the validity of the new method is verified.

Findings

The results show that the parameter estimation algorithm based on the NLS method can effectively identify the power exponents of NGBM(1,1) and therefore can favourably adapt to the nonlinear fluctuations of sequences. In addition, the algorithm is superior to the GM(1,1) model, grey Verhulst model, and Quadratic-Exponential smoothing algorithm in terms of the simulation and prediction accuracy.

Research limitations/implications

Under the framework of solving parameters based on NLS, various aspects of NGBM(1,1) remain to be further investigated including background value, initial condition and variable structural modelling methods.

Practical implications

The parameter estimation algorithm based on NLS can effectively identify the power exponent of NGBM(1,1) and therefore it can favourably adapt to the nonlinear fluctuation of sequences.

Originality/value

According to the basic principle of NLS, a new method for solving the parameters of NGBM(1,1) is proposed by using the Gauss-Newton iteration algorithm. Moreover, by conducting the modelling case about employees demand in high-tech enterprises in China, the effectiveness and superiority of the new method are verified.


INTRODUCTION
To determine the carrier frequency and common mutations of Mendelian variants in Chinese couples using next-generation sequencing (NGS).

METHODS
Preconception expanded carrier testing using NGS was offered to women who attended the subfertility clinic. The test was then offered to the partners of women who had positive screening results. Carrier frequency was calculated, and the results of the NGS panel were compared with those of a target panel.

RESULTS
One hundred twenty-three women and 20 of their partners were screened. Overall, 84 (58.7%) individuals were identified to be carriers of at least one disease, and 68 (47.6%) were carriers after excluding thalassaemias. The most common diseases found were GJB2-related DFNB1 nonsyndromic hearing loss and deafness (1 in 4), alpha-thalassaemia (1 in 7), beta-thalassaemia (1 in 14), 21-hydroxylase deficient congenital adrenal hyperplasia (1 in 13), Pendred's syndrome (1 in 36), Krabbe's disease (1 in 48), and spinal muscular atrophy (1 in 48). Of the 43 identified variants, 29 (67.4%) were not included in the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics or American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology guidelines. Excluding three couples with alpha-thalassaemia, six at-risk couples were identified.

CONCLUSION
The carrier frequency of the investigated members of the Chinese population was 58.7% overall and 47.6% after excluding thalassaemias. This frequency is higher than previously reported. Expanded carrier screening using NGS should be provided to Chinese people to improve the detection rate of carrier status and allow optimal pregnancy planning.


In order to evaluate and compare slow-release mexiletine 360 mg 12 hourly and conventional mexiletine 200 mg 8 hourly, twelve patients with symptomatic ventricular arrhythmias have been studied. Ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring was performed before treatment and at the end of two, two week long treatment periods during which slow-release mexiletine and conventional mexiletine were administered in random order. On the last day of each treatment period frequent blood samples for drug assay were collected during a dosage interval. Each formulation produced greater than 70% suppression of ventricular ectopic beats in 55% of patients. The variation between pre-dose and observed peak plasma concentration was 29.6% with slow-release mexiletine and 71.6% with mexiletine (P less than 0.01). The time from pre-dose to observed peak concentration was 4.0 h (+/- 1.6 SD) with slow-release mexiletine and 2.0 h (+/- 1.8 SD) with conventional mexiletine (P less than 0.05). Three patients were withdrawn from the study in the first treatment period because of central nervous system or gastric adverse effects. Overall, side-effects were marginally fewer on therapy with slow-release mexiletine. We conclude that, in the nearest equivalent dosage, the slow-release formulation is as effective as conventional mexiletine and at least as well tolerated. The fluctuations in plasma mexiletine concentration are less marked on the slow-release preparation despite the longer dosage interval, which allows effective oral therapy with a twice daily dosage.


The University of Texas at Austin introduced the Independent Synchrophasor Network in order to monitor events and analyze low frequency oscillations from the electric power grid through PMU measurements taken at customer level voltage (120 V). The purpose of this paper is to present validation of the quality of these distribution level measurements for power system monitoring and analysis. Three different steps are used in the validation process. In the first step, the distribution voltage phase angle measurements are plotted with and compared to the state estimated transmission level voltage phase angle. The second step is the comparison of distribution level PMU measurements to transmission level PMU measurements during a power system transient response. The frequency, voltage magnitude, and voltage phase angle are analyzed during a unit trip event. In the final step, the modal frequency and damping estimates are used to illustrate the accuracy of distribution measurements as representative of the power system's ambient response. Because of the location of the PMUs within the network, it will also be possible to measure the effects of wind power on the rest of the grid.


It is a well known fact that majority of rural India earns its livelihood from agriculture and farming. Although India is a net exporter of various agricultural products, the farmer who happens to be the primary producer, has remained information poor which puts him at a disadvantage. With little or no knowledge of prices at the markets, farmers have no leverage to negotiate better prices for their produce. Speech based solution can address this issue of market price information availibility to farmers. Speech based solutions are increasingly being used for transaction but they are both (a) restricted to menu based type interactions where a series of interactions are required for the transaction to take place and (b) primarily built for the English literate population synonymously urban population. Paradoxically, the benefit of a speech based solution is best reaped by the rural folks speaking their native language (very often non-English) because the other modes of transactions are either not readily available to them or if available difficult to use. In this paper, we develop a natural language Hindi speech interface to enable Hindi speaking population access market prices of commodities.


Context Introducing Computer Science (CS) into formal education can be challenging, notably when considering the numerous stakeholders involved which include the students, teachers, schools, and policy makers. We believe these perspectives should be considered conjointly, which is possible within Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs). RPPs look to bridge research-practice gaps and have seen an increase in the field of education and CS-education. Unfortunately, RPPs are considered to be under-researched, in addition to presenting their own challenges. Objectives To the purpose of assessing how RPPs may support the successful introduction of CS into formal education, we investigate three perspectives (students, teachers, and RPP stakeholders) and their interplay within the context of a multi-institution RPP conducting a pilot program to introduce CS to secondary school students. Methods A mixed methods analysis was employed to triangulate data in a concurrent triangulation design. The data included (i) three surveys distributed over the semester to 106 grade 9 students (ages 12-14), (ii) four teacher-journals, (iii) two interviews and four focus groups with the teachers and representatives of the partner institutions. Findings From the students' perspective, while their self-efficacy increased, their motivation decreased throughout the semester due to a miss-match between their expectations and the course. The findings also indicate that gender biases and heterogeneity are already present in grade 9. From the teachers' perspective, co-constructing the study plan, having access to regular support and collaborating within a community of practice when starting to teach CS all facilitated the teachers' experience. Finally, from the RPP's perspective the collaboration between stakeholders and having researchers evaluate the program were considered to be key elements in the pilot program. However, there appears to be a research-practice gap, in large part due to limited interactions between researchers and curriculum designers, and researchers and the teachers in the field. Conclusions From the students' perspective it appears relevant to introduce CS (i) prior to secondary school to address motivation and bias-related issues early on, and (ii) to all students to avoid participation being motivation-, stereotype-, or belief-driven, and risk broadening the gap between students, (iii) all the while being attentive to course format and content to ensure that the course meets students' expectations and fosters autonomous motivation. From the teachers' perspective, while the support provided met the teachers' needs, it is essential to find means of scaling such approaches when looking to deploy CS-curricular reforms to entire administrative regions. Finally, from the RPP's perspective (i) teachers' should be given a voice in the RPP to better align with the field, and (ii) researchers' roles should be reconsidered to move beyond being only evaluators, and towards having a more co-constructive role in setting up the curricular reform. Recommendations are provided for researchers and practitioners involved in CS curricular reforms.


A physical layer enhanced secure future generation passive optical network (PON) based on chaotic signal scrambling and the secure hash algorithm (SHA) is proposed and demonstrated. In this paper, the architecture of a wavelength-division multiplexed orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) PON system based on a centralized light source using direct detection is analyzed. A logistic chaos map is employed here for the scrambling of OFDM symbols in the frequency and time domains. Before transmitting the signal over optical fiber, a message- digest of scrambled and descrambled OFDM signals is computed and compared at the optical line terminal and optical network unit, respectively, to verify the actual data recovered. For the downstream channel, a 10 Gbps 32 quadrature amplitude modulation OFDM signal is successfully transmitted over a distance of 50 km single-mode fiber within the limits of the peak-to-average-power value. The results show that the proposed scheme can protect the system from bad actors and eavesdroppers, while chaos encryption with SHA-2 provides a robust and promising secure strategy for future-generation PON systems.


The problem of data privacy on the internet takes on a large proportion considering that personal databases are a source of economic value for companies, which leads to an ethical and legal discussion. This article aims to examine privacy, addressing the issue of Cookies, used to obtain personal information from users for targeted advertising, even when there is no user consent, or such is compromised due to lack of information or knowledge. The article questions whether the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is being violated through this increasingly common practice of Digital Marketing. The methodology used was qualitative, descriptive and bibliographic, based on the GDPR and on articles on that matter. It was concluded that internet users are highly vulnerable regarding their personal data and that companies' digital marketing should be guided by the GDPR rules on the obtainment of Cookies for targeted advertising, which requires greater inspection over its compliance.


Damage-free sputter deposition process has been developed for metal gate complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. A plasma charge trap (PCT) was introduced in order to eliminate high-energy particle bombardment during sputter deposition processes. Molybdenum (Mo)-gated PMOSFETs were fabricated using a conventional gate-first process. It is shown that the PCT technology yields excellent characteristics in current drivability, as well as in gate oxide integrity (GOI) such as gate leakage current and charge-to-breakdown (Q/sub BD/). The metal gate was also applied to a nonvolatile memory (NVM), which would require most stringent damage control, and good retention characteristics were demonstrated.


In experiments with dogs was shown the role of motivational and emotional structures of the hypothalamus in reproduction of the adaptive motor reaction both in classical and instrumental conditioned reflexes (alimentary and defensive). Change of parameters of electrostimulation gave a possibility to activate differentially the motivational, emotional negative, and emotional positive structures of the hypothalamus. Electrostimulation of the motivational structures reproduced alimentary but not defensive adaptive motor reaction and decreased the threshold of the motor reaction which was used as a signal during classical alimentary conditioning. Electrostimulation of the emotional negative structures reproduced defensive adaptive reaction and inhibited alimentary unconditioned response. Elaboration of the avoidance of the stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus was a proof for the activation of the emotional negative structures. Electrostimulation of the emotional positive structures which was used as an unconditioned stimulus during self-stimulation conditioning reproduced neither defensive nor alimentary conditioned response.


Bronze is the defining metal of the European Bronze Age and has been at the center of archaeological and science-based research for well over a century. Archaeometallurgical studies have largely focused on determining the geological origin of the constituent metals, copper and tin, and their movement from producer to consumer sites. More recently, the effects of recycling, both temporal and spatial, on the composition of the circulating metal stock have received much attention. Also, discussions of the value and perception of bronze, both as individual objects and as hoarded material, continue to be the focus of scholarly debate. Here, we bring together the sometimes-diverging views of several research groups on these topics in an attempt to find common ground and set out the major directions of the debate, for the benefit of future research. The paper discusses how to determine and interpret the geological provenance of new metal entering the system; the circulation of extant metal across time and space, and how this is seen in changing compositional signatures; and some economic aspects of metal production. These include the role of metal-producing communities within larger economic settings, quantifying the amount of metal present at any one time within a society, and aspects of hoarding, a distinctive European phenomenon that is less prevalent in the Middle Eastern and Asian Bronze Age societies.


The recent high-throughput sequencing has enabled the composition of Escherichia coli strains in the human microbial community to be profiled en masse. However, there are two challenges to address: (1) exploring the genetic differences between E. coli strains in human gut and (2) dynamic responses of E. coli to diverse stress conditions. As a result, we investigated the E. coli strains in human gut microbiome using deep sequencing data and reconstructed genome-wide metabolic networks for the three most common E. coli strains, including E. coli HS, UTI89, and CFT073. The metabolic models show obvious strain-specific characteristics, both in network contents and in behaviors. We predicted optimal biomass production for three models on four different carbon sources (acetate, ethanol, glucose, and succinate) and found that these stress-associated genes were involved in host-microbial interactions and increased in human obesity. Besides, it shows that the growth rates are similar among the models, but the flux distributions are different, even in E. coli core reactions. The correlations between human diabetes-associated metabolic reactions in the E. coli models were also predicted. The study provides a systems perspective on E. coli strains in human gut microbiome and will be helpful in integrating diverse data sources in the following study.


Lack of teaching initiatives and learning difficulties related to understanding contemporary problems in engineering education in the Gulf region and beyond requires corrective measures. It requires new policy decisions at department, college and university levels, not only in curriculum design but also in curriculum delivery. The integrated approach of curriculum design and delivery along with the formulation of new education policy in universities is needed in order to change and adapt engineering education with changing economic conditions and social demands. This paper suggests some principles of cooperation between industry and science, which are important to tackle contemporary issues in engineering. Focuses on real world engineering projects and a human approach in engineering—which interprets the world of engineering education through human values—are described as the key to the development of the engineering education, not just in the issue mentioned above but also on creative problem solving.


Studies using haptic form recognition tasks have generally concluded that the adventitiously blind perform better than the congenitally blind, implicating the importance of early visual experience in improved spatial functioning. The hypothesis was tested that the adventitiously blind have retained some ability to encode successive information obtained haptically in terms of a global visual representation, while the congenitally blind use a coding system based on successive inputs. Eighteen blind (adventitiously and congenitally) and 18 sighted (blindfolded and performing with vision) subjects were tested on their recognition of raised line patterns when the standard was presented in segments: in immediate succession, or with unfilled intersegmental delays of 5, 10, or 15 seconds. The results did not support the above hypothesis. Three main findings were obtained: normally sighted subjects were both faster and more accurate than the other groups; all groups improved in accuracy of recognition as a function of length of interstimulus interval; sighted subjects tended to report using strategies with a strong verbal component while the blind tended to rely on imagery coding. These results are explained in terms of information-processing theory consistent with dual encoding systems in working memory.


The poor dispersibility and stability of graphene and its derivatives in aqueous media is an influential limitation in the biological applications of graphene based nanomaterials. The aim of this study is to improve the solubility and dispersibility of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in cell culture media and serum using three amphiphilic polymers (polystyrene-co-polyacrylic acid (PS-PAA), polystyrene-co-poly4-vinylpyridine (PS-P4V) and phospholipid-polyethylene glycol (PL-PEG)) as first layer coating materials. A cationic cell penetrating peptide, octaarginine (R8), is incorporated as a second layer on the selected formulation to enhance the cell internalization capability of the stabilized rGO. Chemical, physical and biological properties of the double-layer coated (DLC)-rGO are fully characterized. The cellular uptake of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled DLC-rGO is evaluated using confocal microscopy. None of the polymer-functionalized rGO samples show cell toxicity. While the amount of immobilized PL-PEG on the rGO surface is less than PS-PAA and PS-P4V, much higher dispersibility is observed than with other copolymers. Furthermore, the R8 coated rGO-PL-PEG shows great cell internalization ability after 4 h incubation with MCF-7 cells. It is concluded that DLC-rGO could have great potential to be used as a nanocarrier in the biomolecular delivery of biological materials such as drugs and genes.


MHC class I molecules, in addition to their role in specific activation of the CTL of adaptive immune system, function also as the main ligands for NK cell inhibitory receptors, which prevent NK cells from killing normal, healthy cells. MHC class I proteins are divided into classical and nonclassical proteins. The former group consists of hundreds of HLA-A, B, and C alleles, which are universally expressed, whereas several alleles of the latter group, such as HLA-G, manifest a restricted expression pattern. Despite the important role played by these molecules in innate and adaptive immune responses, their complex expression regulation is not fully known. In our study, we investigated the regulation processes controlling the expression of MHC class I molecules, with a particular focus on their 3′ untranslated regions. We identified heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein R (HNRNPR) as an important positive regulator of classical and nonclassical MHC class I molecules. HNRNPR is a RNA-binding protein belonging to the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein family, which has a known role in processing of precursor mRNA. We demonstrated that HNRNPR binds MHC class I mRNAs in their 3′ untranslated regions and enhances their stability and consequently their expression. Furthermore, regulation by HNRNPR modulates the cytotoxic activity of NK cells. In conclusion, we show that HNRNPR acts as a general positive regulator of MHC class I expression.


Rhodovulum spp. are anoxygenic phototrophic purple bacteria with versatile metabolisms, including the ability to obtain electrons from minerals in their environment to drive photosynthesis, a relatively novel process called phototrophic extracellular electron uptake (pEEU). A total of 15 strains of Rhodovulum sulfidophilum were isolated from a marine estuary to observe these metabolisms in marine phototrophs. One representative strain, Rhodovulum sulfidophilum strain AB26, can perform phototrophic iron oxidation (photoferrotrophy) and couples carbon dioxide fixation to pEEU. Here, we reclassify two R. sulfidophilum isolates, strainAB26 and strain AB19, as Rhodovulum visakhapatnamense using taxonomic re-evaluation based on 16S and pufM phylogenetic analyses. The strain AB26 genome consists of 4,380,746 base-pairs, including two plasmids, and encodes 4296 predicted protein-coding genes. Strain AB26 contains 22 histidine kinases, 20 response regulators, and dedicates ~16% of its genome to transport. Transcriptomic data under aerobic, photoheterotrophy, photoautotrophy, and pEEU reveals how gene expression varies between metabolisms in a novel R. visakhapatnamense strain. Genome comparison led by transcriptomic data under pEEU reveals potential pEEU-relevant genes both unique to R. visakhapatnamense strains and shared within the R. sulfidophilum genomes. With these data we identify potential pEEU-important transcripts and how speciation may affect molecular mechanisms of pEEU in Rhodovulum species from the same environment.


Judge Sonia Sotomayor has written three published opinions on federal taxation, one as a District Court judge and two as a Court of Appeals judge. Two of the opinions deal with routine matters and are unremarkable in the sense that it is difficult to imagine the cases coming out any other way. Her third opinion, however, in William L. Rudkin Testamentary Trust v. Commissioner, 467 F.3d 149 (2d Cir. 2006), aff'd sub nom. Knight v. Commissioner, 552 U.S. 181, 128 S. Ct. 782 (2008), generated a sharp difference of opinion with Chief Justice Roberts. Although Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the Supreme Court, affirmed the result in this third opinion, he criticized Judge Sotomayor's reasoning (despite the fact that both the Solicitor General and the Department of the Treasury had endorsed it) and offered instead a different rationale. After a careful reading, I find the rationale of Judge Sotomayor's opinion as least as valid as, and probably preferable to, that of Chief Justice Roberts. I also find Chief Justice Roberts' criticism of Judge Sotomayor's rationale logically flawed and therefore unwarranted.


Food is a source of sustenance, a cause for celebration, an inducement to temptation, a vehicle for power, an indicator of well-being, a catalyst for change and, above all, a life good.  Along with other life goods such as potable water, clean air, adequate shelter and protective clothing, food is something we cannot live without.  The global corporate food system, however, allows 800 million to go hungry, while an even larger number of people grow obese.  Based in money-values, this food system promotes accumulation first and foremost, enriching a few while creating economic, social and environmental externalities that are destroying local economies, devastating individuals, families and communities and degrading the planet. What would a food system look like that was based in life-values, centred on the commons and anchored by social justice?  This paper will focus on the creation of sustainable food systems, beginning with the crises of the global corporate food system and then moving to the heart of sustainable food systems – the civil commons.


Zaidoon M. Shakoor , Mumtaz A. Zablouk* & Adel A. Shuhaib* Received on: 1/ 9/2008 Accepted on: 26 /1/2009 Abstract In this research hydrogenation kinetic of alpha-methylstyrene (AMS) on Pd/Al2O3 catalyst was studied. The reaction is mildly exothermic (∆H=-109 kJ/mol). Intrinsic kinetic law was investigated under wide range of operating conditions 0.1 and 0.2 gm catalyst loading, 0.5-100 wt% AMS, 10, 15 and 20 bar pressure and 343-373 K temperature. The experiment data are fitted to estimate the kinetic parameters for different reaction mechanisms by using ACM (Aspen Custom Modeler) software. Finally the results of produced reaction mechanisms are compared with experimental results to obtain the optimum reaction mechanism.


In order to study the dietary intakes of children having lunch at school, 150 children were observed: 60 aged 5-6 years, 60 aged 9-10 years and 30, aged 5-13 years, attending 5 different schools (4 in town, 1 in the country). The estimation of spontaneous ingesta was made according to the weighing method. Energizing rations, the percentages of caloric intakes, the amounts of total, animal and vegetal lipids, of total carbohydrates and pure carbohydrates, of total, animal and vegetal proteins were estimated for each meal and each child. The analysis of these ingesta suggests that the dietary habits of children at school is a major factor of nutritional lack of balance, much more important than that related with the quality of the proposed food.


This paper presents a V-band low-noise amplifier with high RF performance and ESD robustness. An inductor-triggered silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) assisted with both a PMOS and an inductor is proposed to enhance the ESD robustness and minimize the impact of the ESD protection block on the millimeter-wave LNA. The initial-on PMOS improves the turn-on speed and the inductor resonates with the parasitic capacitance, respectively. Also, a 3-stage wideband V-band LNA is designed by using the gate inductor in the common-gate stage of the cascode topology as gain peaking to compensate the roll-off at high frequencies for bandwidth extension. The measured results demonstrate a 2.5-kV HBM ESD protection level with a minimum noise figure (NF) of 5.1 dB and a peak gain of 22 dB, also a 3-dB bandwidth of 56-67 GHz can be achieved under a power consumption of only 23 mW.


Selenium (Se) is a beneficial element for higher plants and its positive effect on plants growth and performance has been reported. Effect of Se under non-stress conditions especially during reproductive phase has not been attracted enough attention. In this work effect of Se supplementation at 0, 10 and 20 μg Se plant -1 was studied in canola (Brassica napus'RGS') plants during vegetative and reproductive phase of growth under greenhouse conditions. Selenium addition resulted in a significant enhancement of dry matter production of vegetative parts as well as pod and seed dry weight. In addition, Se supplementation caused a considerable acceleration of reproductive events. In vegetative plants, higher photosynthesis rate, carbohydrates and protein content in the leaves was observed in Se treated plants compared with control. Our results suggested beneficial effect of Se on canola seed yield that may also contribute in improving nutritional value of canola for livestock and human.


For many types of integrated circuits, accepting larger failure rates in computations can be used to improve energy efficiency. We study the performance of faulty implementations of certain deep neural networks based on pessimistic and optimistic models of the effect of hardware faults. After identifying the impact of hyperparameters such as the number of layers on robustness, we study the ability of the network to compensate for computational failures through an increase of the network size. We show that some networks can achieve equivalent performance under faulty implementations, and quantify the required increase in computational complexity.


Performance analysis has been used for many applications including providing feedback to coaches and players, media applications, scoring of sports performance and scientific research into sports performance. The current study has used performance analysis to generate knowledge relating to the demands of netball competition which has been used in the development of a Netball Specific Fitness Test (NSFT). A modified version of the Bloomfield movement classification was used to provide a detailed analysis of player movement during netball competition. This was considered during a needs analysis when proposing the structure of the NSFT. A series of pilot versions were tested during an evolutionary prototyping process that resulted in the final version of the NSFT, which was found to be representative of movement in netball competition and it distinguished between recreational club players and players of university first team level or above. The test is incremental and involves forward, backward and sideways movement, jumping, lunging, turning and choice reaction.


: This article explores the unprecedented growth of the elderly population in India and the multifaceted challenges they face in various aspects of their lives. Drawing upon data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, it highlights the rapid increase in the elderly population compared to the general population, attributing it to improved healthcare, economic well-being, and lower fertility rates. The article also delves into the regional disparities in elderly population distribution across Indian states. It sheds light on the critical role of Elderline-14567, a helpline for senior citizens initiated by the Government of India in partnership with Tata Trusts, in providing essential support, information, and intervention for elderly individuals. Furthermore, the article examines the diverse challenges faced by the elderly, including financial insecurity, loneliness, elder abuse, and health issues. It discusses the inadequacies in accessing government schemes and programs, emphasizing the need for streamlined application processes and greater awareness among the elderly. Additionally, the article underscores the importance of addressing caregiving challenges, improving physical infrastructure, and enhancing emergency services tailored to the elderlies unique needs. It also highlights the risks associated with limited technological awareness among the elderly. In conclusion, the article calls for comprehensive policy initiatives to address the growing elderly populations well-being, encompassing financial support, employment opportunities, and protection against abuse and abandonment, while also stressing the significance of raising awareness and outreach efforts among the general population to fully realize the potential of existing legislation. The aging population in India represents a valuable resource that, with the right policies and support, can contribute significantly to the nations enrichment.


Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, and the rate of liver cancer is high due to the of its illness. The main risk factor for liver cancer is infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), but a considerable number of genetic and epigenetic factors are also directly or indirectly involved in the underlying pathogenesis of liver cancer. In particular, the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic peptide-like protein (APOBEC) family (DNA or mRNA editor family), which has been the focus of virology research for more than a decade, has been found to play a significant role in the occurrence and development of various cancers, providing a new direction for the research of liver cancer. APOBEC3B is a cytosine deaminase that controls a variety of biological processes, such as protein expression, innate immunity, and embryonic development, by participating in the process of cytidine deamination to uridine in DNA and RNA. In humans, APOBEC3B has long been known as a DNA editor for limiting viral replication and transcription. APOBEC3B is widely expressed at low levels in a variety of normal tissues and organs, but it is significantly upregulated in different types of tumor tissues and tumor lines. Thus, APOBEC3B has received increasing attention in various cancers, but the role of APOBEC3B in the occurrence and development of liver cancer due to infection with HBV remains unclear. This review provides a brief introduction to the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma induced by HBV, and it further explores the latest results of APOBEC3B research in the development of HBV and liver cancer, thereby providing new directions and strategies for the treatment and prevention of liver cancer.


Bridges as transport infrastructures play a vital role in smoothing traffic flows. The success of a bridge in playing its role and serving its function depends on its management. The Directorate General of Highways of the Ministry of Public Work has used a system to manage bridges known as the Bridge Management System (BMS). The system allows a systematic plan and provides a uniform procedure for all bridge operation activities on the national and provincial level. Data from Implementation Agency of National Inter-Urban Roads of Area IX, Northern Maluku in 2011 indicates that the total length of national roads in Maluku Province is 15,238.01 M, with a total of 562 bridges. In Ambon Island, especially, there are 52 bridges totaling 1,176.25 m in length. The study was conducted at several inter-urban bridges in Maluku Province of Ambon Island: Wai Batu Merah, Wai Ruhu, Wai Lawa, Wai Yari and Wai Tua bridges. Assessment of bridge structure conditions was conducted visually to determine the conditions of the existing bridges comprehensively by referring to the Bridge Management System (BMS) complemented with a computer-based Bridge Management Information System (BMIS). Condition scores for the five bridges—Wai Batu Merah, Wai Ruhu, Wai Lawa, Wai Yari, and Wai Tua, according to Bridge Management System, are 2, 1, 2, 1, and 2 respectively. The scores of the five bridges indicate that their physical condition can be categorized as good or with minor defects. Based on technical screening, the proposed treatment for Wai Batu Merah, Wai Ruhu, Wai Lawa, dan Wai Tua bridges is the rehabilitation of their sub-elements. As for the Wai Yari Bridge, the treatment will be maintained regularly. The defect repair costs are IDR 149,138,238.00, IDR 81,048,000.00, IDR 174,579,106.10, IDR 79,233,324.01 and IDR 238,323,258.60 for Wai Batu, Wai Ruhu, Wai Lawa, Wai Yari, and Wai Tua Bridges, respectively.


Since receiving unexplained pneumonia patients at the Jinyintan
Hospital in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has
rapidly spread in Wuhan, China and spread to the entire China and some neighboring
countries. We establish the dynamics model of infectious diseases and time series model
to predict the trend and short-term prediction of the transmission of COVID-19, which
will be conducive to the intervention and prevention of COVID-19 by departments at all
levels in mainland China and buy more time for clinical trials.


Based on IEEE 802.16 specifications, the convergence sublayer (CS) of 802.16-based networks provides the function for heterogeneous upper layer protocols. The CS can encapsulate such as IP packets with variable lengths or ATM cells with fixed length in its MAC PDU and usually adds a CRC-32 field to the rear of the MAC PDU. Based on the CRC-32, each 802.16 relay node or BS can detect error occurrence on a MAC PDU and use ARQ mechanism to retransmit the corrupt MAC PDU. However, for real-time streaming (e.g., UDP streaming), the ARQ mechanism is not required and the CRC-32 is also removed. Once CRC- 32 is removed from the MAC PDUs, PDU error will not be detected by the intermediate nodes in time and these corrupt IP packets or ATM cells will be still forwarded in the networks to waste radio bandwidth. Hence, the error detection mechanism could be maintained, but the large overhead of CRC-32 should be reduced for real-time streaming. In this paper, we propose an efficient discrete-error-checking scheme (DECS) to reduce the overhead of error detection for real-time streaming. The proposed DECS only needs a few checking bits inserted in the MAC PDU, and it can efficiently provide the error detection function. Moreover, a chase mechanism concurrently works on each relay node and BS to early discard these corrupt and useless IP packets or ATM cells. The concept of the DECS including the chase mechanism can be extensively implemented in many wire and wireless multi-hop networks to further improve bandwidth utilization.


The consumption of luxury goods is complex in its essence permeate interpretation failures. In this sense the objective of this study is to describe the development and validation of a tool for analyzing the real reasons behind the decision to consume luxury products. This quantitative, descriptive study was conducted in three capitals fields, where 385 consumers of luxury goods were interviewed. Its preparation was possible because of existing studies and national and international theory, constituted from the sequential use of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The final scale consisted of 35 questions that showed good internal consistency and factorial stability. Analyses indicated that the exclusivity factor, tradition and status are key elements for the consumption of luxury, and tradition presents itself as the most important aspect in the pursuit of pleasure. The contribution of this study is to provide a tool that brings understanding to the consumption of luxury, a process fraught with opportunities for various areas of the Brazilian economy.


In this review a survey of tunnelling processes between barrier-separated two-dimensional (2D) systems and systems of different dimensionality is given. Tunnelling between barrier-separated 2D systems can be studied on very different samples such as triple-barrier structures, double-barrier structures with a two-dimensional emitter, double-barrier structures under hydrostatic pressure, double heterostructures, coupled quantum wells and also coupled 2D electron - hole systems. Pure 2D - 2D tunnelling processes with individual contacts on both 2D systems, however, are only reported on double heterostructures and coupled quantum wells. Using a transfer Hamiltonian formalism, it is shown that all resonances in the tunnelling current have their origin in density of states effects, transmission coefficients or the overlap integrals between the initial and final states. 2D subband energies, background impurity concentrations, the effective mass and also non-parabolicity effects can be determined quantitatively in terms of the transfer Hamiltonian formalism. By nanofabrication, tunnelling processes between 2D systems and states of lower dimensionality (1D, 0D) can also be investigated. Here, the tunnelling processes are mainly influenced by the overlap integral between the initial and final states. The corresponding resonance positions in the tunnelling current strongly depend on the shape of the confining potential and, moreover, the current - voltage characteristics turn out to be the Fourier transform of the 1D (0D) wavefunction of the final state. A brief survey of 1D - 1D and 1D - 0D tunnelling experiments is also given.


The conservation of key wildlife species such as tigers and elephants are threatened by poaching activities. In many conservation areas, foot patrols are conducted to prevent poaching but they may not be well-planned to make the best use of the limited patrolling resources. While prior work has introduced PAWS (Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security) as a game-theoretic decision aid to design effective foot patrol strategies to protect wildlife, the patrol routes generated by PAWS may be difficult to follow in areas with complex terrain. Subsequent research has worked on the significant evolution of PAWS, from an emerging application to a regularly deployed software. A key advance of the deployed version of PAWS is that it incorporates the complex terrain information and generates a strategy consisting of easy-to-follow routes. In this demonstration, we provide 1) a video introducing the PAWS system; 2) an interactive visualization of the patrol routes generated by PAWS in an example area with complex terrain; and 3) a machine-human competition in designing patrol strategy given complex terrain and animal distribution.


We investigated the degradation pathways and kinetics of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) by an endemic soil fungus, Mortierella sp. (Zygomycetes). Mortierella sp. degraded 32% of added DCP (final concentration, 250 μM) within 1 h. We identified four aromatic metabolites and found two DCP degradation pathways (a hydroxylation pathway and a dechlorination pathway). This is the first report of a dechlorination pathway in Zygomycetes.


We screened for 22 cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations in DNA from a first cohort of 69 CF patients from southern Italy using a semiautomated allele specific oligonucleotide (ASO) dot blot procedure based on two multiplex PCR amplifications. Seven mutations (delta F508, N1303K, G542X, 1717-1 G-->A, W1282X, 1148T, and R553X) identified 77.6% of CF chromosomes. Detection reached 79.8% with the 2183 AA-->G mutation analysed with the restriction generating PCR method. Thus, we included the 2183 AA-->G mutation in the ASO protocol and set up the conditions to amplify the gene regions that include the eight mutations in a single multiplex PCR reaction. With this method we tested the DNA of the first cohort of 69 CF patients, a second cohort of 63 CF patients, and 300 carrier relatives; we also performed 12 prenatal diagnoses. The results from the 132 CF patients showed differences in the distribution of CF mutations between the south and north of Italy. The XV2c, KM19, and intron 8 VNDR haplotypes suggested the presence, in CF chromosomes bearing undetected mutations, of a limited number of unknown mutations typical of southern Italy. Finally, for six of the eight mutations, we compared the ASO procedure with the methods based on restriction enzymes; the results obtained with the two procedures were identical for all the 57 chromosomes compared.


Modeling propagation channels for future pico-cellular indoor THz communication systems requires the knowledge of the reflective properties of building materials. The reflectivity of smooth, optically thick materials can be modeled with Fresnel equations. In case of materials with a rough surface, diffuse scattering reduces the power reflected in the specular direction. Kirchhoff scattering theory can be employed to derive modified Fresnel equations which account for these losses by introducing a Rayleigh roughness factor calculated from the measured surface height distribution of the sample under observation. Using the resulting, analytically derived reflection coefficient based on material parameter and surface measurements in propagation models enables the simulation of arbitrary configurations. We present a set of calculated and measured reflection coefficients for a selection of common indoor building materials which are in good agreement, thus verifying our modeling approach. Furthermore, we illustrate by ray-tracing simulations the effect of wall and ceiling roughness on propagation in future indoor scenarios. Both, absolute power levels and propagation patterns are shown to be strongly influenced by scattering. In some cases, reflected transmissions with longer propagation paths can be more efficient than the shorter ones in terms of incurred losses.


Background:Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) is quite rare and is distinguished by incomplete penetrance presentation as early-onset relapsing pancreatitis, usually beginning in childhood. HP is now known to be commonly relevant to mutations in the PRSS1 (gene-encoding cationic trypsinogen), SPINK1 (serine protease inhibitor, Kazal type 1), CFTR (cystic fibrosis), carboxypeptidase A1 (CPA1), and chymotrypsin C (CTRC) genes as reported in some Caucasian studies. HP has a variable spectrum of severity and may develop complications. Methods & Results:We describe the clinical course of 3 preschool children, hospitalized with postprandial abdominal pain, whose laboratory tests showed high serum amylase. Similar episodes of abdominal pain led to readmission, and the patients recovered quickly after using symptomatic therapy. The condition of the first boy, who developed a pancreatic tail pseudocyst and splenic infarction, was especially complicated. The boy underwent 2 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies and stenting, along with a surgical procedure that completely relieved his symptoms for 3 months. The 3 patients and their parents were given genetic testing. All of the patients carried 1 or more gene mutations inherited from their mothers, fathers, or both parents; however, none of the parents were affected. Conclusion:For children with repeated pancreatitis, clinicians should consider HP in the differential diagnosis. It is reliable to perform gene sequencing on suspicious patients and their parents. Multidisciplinary and comprehensive treatment should be recommended to manage HP and its complications. Cholangiopancreatography and stenting is a relatively minimally invasive approach when compared with surgery and can be tried as an early intervention. Surgical procedures should be reserved for patients with complications.


Ball-and-socket designs of cervical total disc replacement (TDR) have been popular in recent years despite the disadvantages of polyethylene wear, heterotrophic ossification, increased facet contact force, and implant subsidence. In this study, a non-articulating, additively manufactured hybrid TDR with an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene core and polycarbonate urethane (PCU) fiber jacket, was designed to mimic the motion of normal discs. A finite element (FE) study was conducted to optimize the lattice structure and assess the biomechanical performance of this new generation TDR with an intact disc and a commercial ball-and-socket Baguera®C TDR (Spineart SA, Geneva, Switzerland) on an intact C5-6 cervical spinal model. The lattice structure of the PCU fiber was constructed using the Tesseract or the Cross structures from the IntraLattice model in the Rhino software (McNeel North America, Seattle, WA) to create the hybrid I and hybrid II groups, respectively. The circumferential area of the PCU fiber was divided into three regions (anterior, lateral and posterior), and the cellular structures were adjusted. Optimal cellular distributions and structures were A2L5P2 in the hybrid I and A2L7P3 in the hybrid II groups. All but one of the maximum von Mises stresses were within the yield strength of the PCU material. The range of motions, facet joint stress, C6 vertebral superior endplate stress and path of instantaneous center of rotation of the hybrid I and II groups were closer to those of the intact group than those of the Baguera®C group under 100 N follower load and pure moment of 1.5 Nm in four different planar motions. Restoration of normal cervical spinal kinematics and prevention of implant subsidence could be observed from the FE analysis results. Superior stress distribution in the PCU fiber and core in the hybrid II group revealed that the Cross lattice structure of a PCU fiber jacket could be a choice for a next-generation TDR. This promising outcome suggests the feasibility of implanting an additively manufactured multi-material artificial disc that allows for better physiological motion than the current ball-and-socket design.


Core biopsy is an alternative technique to surgical excision for assessment of nonpalpable mammographically detected suspicious lesions. The pattern of radiologic calcification is often considered to have diagnostic importance. The aim of this study was to correlate radiologic and histologic features of calcification, with respect to appearance, distribution, and size, to determine the significance, if any, of different radiologic patterns of calcification. Core biopsy samples from 124 women who had 129 mammographically suspicious areas of calcification were examined. Core biopsy samples (five cores per procedure) were obtained stereotactically using a 14-gauge needle in an automated Biopty (Bard Australia, Chatswood, NSW, Australia) gun. In 30 lesions no histologic calcification was found. In the others, there was a poor correlation between radiology and histology with respect to the appearance and distribution of calcification. In a subgroup of 53 women, radiographs of biopsy cores were available to allow correlation with the size of histologic calcification. Calcification of <100 microm assessed histologically was not visible on core biopsy specimen radiographs and may not represent the calcification seen mammographically. Thus, radiography of core biopsy samples and histologic measurement of the size of calcification in core biopsy specimens is useful to reduce false-negative diagnoses in which a biopsy has been performed to evaluate mammographically suspicious calcifications.


In this discussion of the problem of the use of hearing aids it should be understood that the children referred to here are severely and profoundly deaf. That is to say, they are children who, as a result of the onset of deafness before or immediately after birth, or during early infancy, are unable to acquire speech and language naturally unless special help is given. Obviously children whose handicap is less severe will benefit very much from the use of aids, but in their case the therapy is more obvious and the results well established. Preschool Children Until seven or eight years ago the use of hearing aids by small children was not thought desirable. In fact, until the development of more compact and lighter aids it was not practicable, since no infant would find pleasure in being encumbered by bulky and heavy apparatus. This point is an important one


[1] Shoreline location and incident wave energy, observed for almost 5 years at Torrey Pines beach, show seasonal fluctuations characteristic of southern California beaches. The shoreline location, defined as the cross-shore position of the mean sea level contour, retreats by almost 40 m in response to energetic winter waves and gradually recovers during low-energy summer waves. Hourly estimates of incident wave energy and weekly to monthly surveys of the shoreline location are used to develop and calibrate an equilibrium-type shoreline change model. By hypothesis, the shoreline change rate depends on both the wave energy and the wave energy disequilibrium with the shoreline location. Using calibrated values of four model free parameters, observed and modeled shoreline location are well correlated at Torrey Pines and two additional survey sites. Model free parameters can be estimated with as little as 2 years of monthly observations or with about 5 years of ideally timed, biannual observations. Wave energy time series used to calibrate and test the model must resolve individual storms, and model performance is substantially degraded by using weekly to monthly averaged wave energy. Variations of free parameter values between sites may be associated with variations in sand grain size, sediment availability, and other factors. The model successfully reproduces shoreline location for time periods not used in tuning and can be used to predict beach response to past or hypothetical future wave climates. However, the model will fail when neglected geologic factors are important (e.g., underlying bedrock limits erosion or sand availability limits accretion).


The present article sketches the emergence of the scholarly conferences on the history of religion at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. The focus is in particular on the 'First International Congress on the History of Religions' (Paris 1900) and the much smaller Leiden conference of 1912. By comparing these with one of the most famous conferences on religion in history – the World's Parliament of Religions, organized in the context of the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago – it is shown how the early historians of religion defined themselves as scholars over against those interested in religious dialogue and theology. Special attention is paid to the fact that some of these conferences were part of world exhibitions, which themselves had a distinct religious dimension.


This paper represents a work in progress by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Earlier drafts of the work have appeared in IUCN publications, but the "International Issues" section of Conservation Biology seems an appropriate and important place to publish the penultimate version of the document. Comments on this issue in general or on the approach taken by the IUCN should be sent to the authors directly.


Antimicrobial peptide MsrA1 is a synthetic hybrid molecule based on cecropin A from giant silk moth larvae and on melittin from melliferous bee venom. Transgenic potato plants of the Belarusian variety Odyssey with the constitutive expressiоn of msrA1 gene are shown to exhibit increased resistance to fungal pathogens Phytophthora infestans and Alternaria solani. Peroxidase genes expression studies using cDNA-PCR and DNA sequencing revealed the activation of the POX peroxidase gene in transgenic plants in the absence of pathogens. This may be indirect evidence of the increased formation of reactive oxygen species, which may explain special resistance to fungal pathogens. The data obtained also confirm a possible role of intracellular antimicrobial peptide in making the plants more resistant to oxidative stress by the way of activation of the host plant defense system.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Background and Aim: Despite improvement in the treatment of viral infection, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide is still high. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases and is known to develop liver cirrhosis (LC) and HCC in patients with obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. NASH may account for a large proportion of virus-independent HCC in developed countries. The aim of this study was to reveal the molecular mechanism underlying hepatocarcinogenesis from NASH, especially in the change of microRNA (miRNA) expression during carcinogenesis in an animal model. Methods and Results: MiRNA expression profiles were analyzed in STAM® mice, a NASH-HCC animal model. MicroRNA expression was also examined in 42 clinical samples from patients with HCC. Histopathology of the liver in STAM® mice at the ages of 6, 8, 12, and 18-weeks showed findings compatible with simple fatty liver, NASH, LC, and HCC, respectively. The result of miRNA expression profile showed that the liver-specific miRNA, miR-122, significantly decreased in non-tumor LC at the age of 18-weeks than that in LC at the age of 12-weeks. Expression of miR-122 was further decreased in HCCs than non-tumor LC at the age of 18-weeks. Expression of miR-122 was also decreased in clinical samples of liver tissue showing macrovesicular steatosis and HCC, being consistent with the findings in the NASH model mice. To further investigate the mechanism of decrease in miR-122 expression, the promoter region of miR-122 in human cell lines, HepG2 and HuH7, clinical samples and mice livers was analyzed. In vitro study using human cell lines revealed that the miR-122 promoter region was CpG-poor but DNA methylation of the specific region in miR-122 promoter, where peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ is associated, was critical for regulation of miR-122 expression, which was demonstrated by treatment with a DNA methylation inhibitor. However, the average levels of DNA methylation in the miR-122 promoter region were significantly reduced in HCC tissues than non-tumor liver tissues in human clinical samples. And also there was no significant difference in the level of DNA methylation between non-tumor LC and HCC in mice samples. These results suggested that that silencing of miR-122 was not mediated by DNA hypermethylation of the promoter region in this NASH-HCC model. Conclusion: Thus, although epigenetic regulation of miR-122 expression was still unclear, the results in the present study indicated that silencing of miR-122 was an early event during hepatocarcinogenesis from NASH, and that miR-122 could be a novel molecular marker for evaluating the risk of HCC in patients with NASH.

Citation Format: Hidetsugu Saito, Yoko Takaki, Azusa Takasugi, Shoji Yamada, Toshihide Muramatsu, Masaki Kimura, Kazuo Sugiyama, Hiromu Suzuki, Yae Kanai, Yoshimasa Saito. Decrease of microRNA-122 is a key event during hepatocarcinogenesis from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3112. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3112


ABSTRACT: To determine the stability of the injury, examine phalangeal and metacarpal fractures for intra-articular involvement. Suspect carpal bone fracture in any patient with wrist pain and tenderness; proper splinting is essential to prevent avascular necrosis of the bone, arthritis, and chronic disability. After successful reduction of a distal or proximal interphalangeal joint dislocation, order follow-up x-ray films. Apply stress testing of the joint space to all injured joints to ensure ligamentous integrity. Carpal and carpometacarpal dislocations require immediate consultation with a hand specialist. Therapy for bite wounds includes copious irrigation, debridement (in the operating room if necessary), and antibiotic prophylaxis. A patient with an infected bite wound requires hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics.


ABSTRACT This study aims to determine the nutmeg crop diversity is based on the character of the fruit, seeds, nutmeg mace in Sangihe Island Regency (Island of Sangihe) and District SITARO (Siau Island). The method used is the method of direct observation at the farmer's planting area nutmeg. Location research based on secondary data, namely the districts and villages producer of nutmeg, then determined the three observation points in each study site. Each observation point is determined 10 samples to be observed fruit trees, and every tree observed 20 fruit ready for harvest. Samples of plants is determined by: 1) Age of plants, which is about 15-30 years, and 2) The state of the plant, which is being fruitful and healthy tree. Observations carried out on: 1) The shape of fruit, 2) Color rind 3) Thick flesh, 4) Weight pieces, 5) The length of the fruit, 6) diameter pieces, 7) The color of the fruit flesh, 8) Weight seed fresh, 9) Lengh seed, 10) diameter seed, 11) weight  mace fresh, 12) Color mace. The results showed: 1) The shape of fruit and nutmeg seeds in Sangihe Islands Regency is more diverse than in the District Sitaro. 2) The highest weight of fresh nutmeg obtained from the location Talawid weighing 57.95 g fresh weight and r lowest nutmeg obtained from the location Karatung I is weighing 35.91 g fresh weight nutmeg while the highest was obtained from the location that is weighing 9.45 g Talawid and the lowest seed fresh weight was obtained from the location Karatung I are weighing 6.75g. 3) The same colors are red blood mace. Keywords: nutmeg plant, diversity of fruit, Sangihe, SITARO


Discusses the characteristics of health care accreditation schemes, especially the implications of their voluntary status. Singles out the Trent small hospital accreditation scheme (TSHAS) for detailed and systematic evaluation. Describes the quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, which involved a meta-analysis of the literature, interviews with key staff and questionnaires completed by other participants in TSHAS. The main findings, divided into ten themes, confirm much of the published work on accreditation. The findings also provide new insights into the nature and value of health care accreditation, notably about the direction in which accreditation needs to go if both community and larger hospital accreditation is to survive.


The accumulation of partially degraded lipid waste in lysosomal-related organelles may contribute to pathology in many aging diseases. The presence of these lipofuscin granules is particularly evident in the autofluorescent lysosome-associated organelles of the retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells, and may be related to early stages of age-related macular degeneration. While lysosomal enzymes degrade material optimally at acidic pH levels, lysosomal pH is elevated in RPE cells from the ABCA4-/- mouse model of Stargardt's disease, an early onset retinal degeneration. Lowering lysosomal pH through cAMP-dependent pathways decreases accumulation of autofluorescent material in RPE cells in vitro, but identification of an appropriate receptor is crucial for manipulating this pathway in vivo. As the P2Y12 receptor for ADP is coupled to the inhibitory Gi protein, we asked whether blocking the P2Y12 receptor with ticagrelor could restore lysosomal acidity and reduce autofluorescence in compromised RPE cells from ABCA4-/- mice. Oral delivery of ticagrelor giving rise to clinically relevant exposure lowered lysosomal pH in these RPE cells. Ticagrelor also partially reduced autofluorescence in the RPE cells of ABCA4-/- mice. In vitro studies in ARPE-19 cells using more specific antagonists AR-C69931 and AR-C66096 confirmed the importance of the P2Y12 receptor for lowering lysosomal pH and reducing autofluorescence. These observations identify P2Y12 receptor blockade as a potential target to lower lysosomal pH and clear lysosomal waste in RPE cells.


Abstract : What impact has the Information Age had on the Air Force's doctrinal tenet of centralized control and decentralized execution? This thesis traces the evolution of command and control of air power through operations Desert Storm, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom and compares its practice with classic theories established by Huntington, Cohen, Van Creveld, and Air Force doctrine. In the absence of a peer superpower in the 1990s, U.S. decision makers often resorted to the use of detailed constraints to gain direct influence on military operations. The more detailed the constraints from the strategic level, the closer the theater military commander held authority for planning air strikes, and the less proactive the air component was in coordinating with other components. The Air Force developed the Air Operations Center (AOC) to put together battlespace information. It is not yet possible to do this at lower levels, so the AOC has become dominant in controlling air operations. Initially resistant to get involved in ongoing missions, commanders found the AOC was needed to accomplish time-sensitive targeting missions. But the insertion of the AOC into ongoing operations also led to a change in the distribution of tasks. Whereas before the aircrew performed the whole kill chain sequence, now it often performed only the end-game tasks. This redistribution increases the potential for system accidents because people tend to drift from procedures during slack times and are more likely to be unprepared when the system becomes tightly coupled. Information, telecommunications, sensor, and weapons technologies have altered the way these humans perform their jobs, and the jobs themselves, but commanders still need to cultivate a learning organization. Uncertainty and the coupling of diverse organizations still require that they balance empowerment with accountability by developing depth in the command relationships among their subordinates.


Most postoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) arises from the venous systems of the pelvis and lower extremities, especially the soleal veins. Embolization of venous thrombi is related to the size and location of thrombi and movement of the lower limbs and commonly occurs within 1 week from the onset of formation. There are three steps in the final diagnosis of DVT: probable diagnosis by anamnesis and physical examination; screening diagnosis using quantitative tests; and definitive diagnosis using imaging tests. To determine embolic sources, venous echography, which is noninvasive and convenient, is the first choice. Therapeutic methods are selected based on thrombi extent and time after formation. Anticoagulant therapy is indicated in all cases except in patients with possible bleeding tendency and continues for 3 months or more. Among the endovascular therapies, catheter-directed thrombolysis is a more effective approach when combined with a temporary vena cava filter than operative thrombectomy. Although the prevention of DVT is mandatory for surgeons, it is difficult to avoid venous thromboembolism completely. Systemic early diagnosis and emergent therapeutic strategies for venous thromboembolism are clinically effective and promising.