Objectives: Excretion and tissue distribution of titanium oxide nanoparticles were evaluated in rats after oral administration. The relation between toxicity and systemic concentration of nanoparaticles was investigated. Methods: Rats were orally treated with titanium oxide nanoparticles (10, 100 mg/kg) for five consecutive days. General toxicity, blood chemistry, and serum biochemical analysis were analyzed. Titanium concentration in liver, kidney, lung, urine and feces were measured and histopathology was performed in these organs. Results: Induction of toxicological parameters was not observed and titanium nanoparticles were excreted via feces. Conclusion: Absorption of titanium oxide nanoparticles via the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration was very poor and systemic concentration of titanium oxide nanoparticles was not elevated. Titanium oxide nanoparticles did not cause toxicities in rats after oral administration.


Using both starch gel and cellulose-acetate electrophoresis is screening procedures, haemoglobin (Hb) Barts was detected in 11.08% of 325 cord blood samples from newborn Tanzanians. Red cell studies in these and in normals and a search for inclusion bodies of Hb H did not suggest alpha-thalassaemia. The mothers of these babies do not show any evidence of alpha-thalassaemia. It is suggested that the presence of Hb Barts in samples of cord blood is not due to the presence of alpha-thalassaemia in the Tanzanian population.


Given the high value of the online search market, whether brand perception or quality of search results matters more for users is a highly salient question. This paper presents findings of the largest controlled, systematic preference elicitation study of search quality versus brand perception. We examine a total of 548 instances of sponsored and organic search results from the Google and Bing search engines as rated by 25 participants. We find that, if users are not aware of the source of a set of search results, they will consistently rate Google results as better. However, the presence of the Google brand strongly influences perceived quality, essentially over-riding differences in search result quality. Together, these results demonstrate that, while Google may outperform Bing in blind searching, trust in the Google brand is a much more significant factor in users' search preferences.


Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most widely used drug classes worldwide. As a side effect of the therapy can occur an acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) or an acute tubular necrosis (ATN). In acute kidney injury, a major challenge is to distinguish between underlying etiologies. For instance, there are no disease-specific therapies for acute tubular necrosis, whereas acute interstitial nephritis requires immunosuppressive therapy. The differentiation of the two diseases is very important, but unfortunately, they present clinically and laboratory similarly. Good biomarker for differential diagnosis is lacking. Often renal biopsy is required for diagnosis. Renal biopsy is often associated with side effects and cannot be performed in all patients. Therefore, it is very important to know the small differences of the two diseases. Enclosed we present three typical cases in which we diagnosed ATN based on the clinic, history, and laboratory findings.


New acyclic quaternary polybipyridinium receptors containing 5,5′- and 4,4′-disubstituted N,N′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridinium moieties (L1–L6) and a polypyridinium receptor L7 have been synthesised. 1H NMR titration studies in deuteriated DMSO show these receptors complex chloride and bromide anions, with a 1:1 stoichiometric ligand: chloride stability constant evaluations suggesting the amide containing polypyridinium receptor (L7) forms the most thermodynamically stable chloride anion complex. Square-wave voltammetric investigations showed some of the polypyridinium receptors to recognise electrochemically the chloride anion.


This current study aims to establish a new centrality formula for tourism destinations in effective travel planning. Based on network analysis, the results provide several formulas for measuring centrality derived from our basic algorithm, which we call the attractiveness centrality for effective travel planning. Since the attractions at some tourist hup-points have an impact on the centrality scores of each destination, they can be utilised for more effective trip planning based on spatial patterns. With this in mind, several implications for future studies and destination authorities were also discussed.


A method is presented for pedestrian detection using a stereo night-vision system installed on the vehicle. Much of the work in this area makes use of shape information. The proposed method detects moving objects whose motions are not consistent with the movement of the background and is considered to be complementary to shape-based approaches. In this paper, two new techniques are introduced for this task for night vision, namely a two-stage method for stereo correspondence and motion detection without explicit ego-motion calculation. These techniques make use of characteristics of night-vision video data, in which humans appear as hotspots. This method works well in cases where the camera motion has a dominant translational motion with a small amount of rotational motion, which is suitable for the camera on the vehicle. Error analysis as well as experimental results are presented to validate our approach and comparisons have been carried out between our approach and frame-by-frame based pattern-recognition approaches.


We propose and analyze a scheme to cool atoms in an optical lattice to ultralow temperatures within a Bloch band and away from commensurate filling. The protocol is inspired by ideas from dark-state laser cooling but replaces electronic states with motional levels and spontaneous emission of photons by emission of phonons into a Bose-Einstein condensate, in which the lattice is immersed. In our model, achievable temperatures correspond to a small fraction of the Bloch bandwidth and are much lower than the reservoir temperature. This is also a novel realization of an open quantum optical system, where known tools are combined with new ideas involving cooling via a reservoir.


A series of diarylmethylamine compounds were analyzed using electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS). [M](+)˙ and [M - H](+) were both observed, but showed different abundances. A possible mechanism for the formation of [M](+)˙ and [M - H](+) was proposed to explicate the rule for the ratio change of I([M](+)˙)/I([M-H](+)). The [M](+)˙ has two structures, which can interconvert into each other in the gas phase. The substituted groups on the benzene rings play a crucial role in the transfer between the two structures. Electron withdrawing groups can prevent the formation of carbocations, thus nitro-containing diarylmethylamines remained mainly as structure I and were detected as [M](+)˙. On the contrary, electron donating groups help to stabilize carbocations. This makes structure I transfer to structure II, and structure II prefers to further generate [M - H](+) by loss of an H radical. Nuclear magnetic resonance and D-labelled MS experiments indicate that the 1-C-H bond has strong activity.


Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent rheumatic disease and its impact on patients' lives is related primarily with pain. In a population setting, it is important to evaluate the factors associated with pain. Objectives To determine potential factors associated with pain in self-reported OA. Methods An observational, population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted by Eurotrials Consultants in mainland Portugal, between September and October 2011, by random route. Citizens aged ≥45 years who agreed to participate completed a survey in home interviews including sociodemographics and presence of OA. Prevalent cases were characterized regarding treatment of OA, comorbidities, impact (VAS 0-10, none to higher impact) and pain of OA (VAS 0-10, no pain to worse pain), patient's perception of importance of OA given by current physician (VAS 0-10, none to higher importance), disability due to OA (VAS 0-10, none to maximum disability) and health status (SF-12 v2.0®; physical and mental health, 0 no health - 100 better health). Spearman correlation coefficient (r) was calculated. Results A representative sample of 1039 participants completed the screening survey. About 54% were female, mean age of 62 years (range: 45-99), average of 7 school-years, 18% obese (body mass index ≥30+ kg/m2) and 77% retired (0.8% due to OA). Self-reported OA was present in 9.9% of participants (95% CI, 8.1-11.7%), 92% of those with OA diagnosis confirmed by x-ray (self-reported). In this population, mean level of pain was 4.5 (standard deviation: 3.3). Mental and physical health scores averaged 45.9 and 38.5, respectively. Pain showed to be poorly but significantly associated with height (r=-0.221; p=0.025) and moderately associated with physical health (r=-0.479; p<0.001) and mental health (r=-0.414; p<0.001). Median pain score was higher in participants with neck OA than without (7.9 vs 4.2; p=0.008), hands (5.0 vs 3.1; p=0.029), lumbar spine (7.3 vs 4.1; p=0.020) and shoulders (7.2 vs 4.1; p=0.025). Pain was associated with OA impact (r=0.524; p<0.001), OA severity (r=0.557; p<0.001) and disability due to OA (r=0.587; p<0.001). Conclusions We found that OA pain is related to factors like severity, mental health and disability due to OA as a contributing factor of clinical impairments. Interestingly, we found that some of the less prevalent locations of osteoarthritis are more related with pain in contrast to knee or hip. Therefore pain reduction should be an important aim in the management of OA because of its close relation to severity, impact and disability. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


A technique for diffuse beam shaping is presented. The beam shaping is achieved by a single reflection on an element, which consists of many displaced parallel planar reflecting facets. The reflecting facets approximate a designed curved surface. We demonstrate the validity of the method for the conversion of a diffuse Gaussian beam into a uniform one in one of the spatial dimensions.


This paper assesses the performance of antimonide-based thermophotovoltaic cells fabricated by different technologies. In particular, the paper compares the performance of lattice matched quaternary (GaInAsSb) cells epitaxially grown on GaSb substrates to the performance of ternary (GaInSb) and binary (GaSb) cells fabricated by Zn diffusion on bulk substrates. The focus of the paper is to delineate the key performance advantages of the highest performance-to-date of the quaternary cells to the performance of the alternative ternary and binary antimonide-based diffusion technology. The performance characteristics of the cells considered are obtained from PC-1D simulations using appropriate material parameters.


Aplosonyx amorphophallus, a new species of chrysomelid beetle of the subfamily Galerucinae is described and illustrated from Timor, Indonesia. An aroid plant, Amorphophallus muelleri Blume, is identified as the host plant. Live specimens of the new species are shiny bright yellow, whereas dried preserved specimens are dull, brownish, or yellowish. The feeding behaviour of the new species differs from other Aplosonyx that have been reported, where it feed from the leaf margin resulting semicircular cuts, not as round holes on the leaf of the host plant. Information on bionomics is provided.


The differences of the pollen assemblages of three sites in Shiyang River basin,an internal river system in the arid area of Northwest China,are so sharp that they can't be explained by climatic change.The early to mid Holocene pollen assemblage of Sanjiaocheng section located at the end of Shiyang River basin is dominated by the conifer.The surface samples of a site closed by the Sanjiaocheng Section has over 90% of xeromophte in the pollen assemblages.The pollen in the lower part of Hongshui River Secton is mainly xeric herb.In the upper part of the same section,however,conifer is dominant.Based on the analyses of sedimentary facies,depositional environments and the transportion characteristics of modern pollen,we proposed that the obvious difference of pollen assemblages in the catchment are caused by the differences of depositional environments.As the Sanjiaocheng Section is near to the inlet of Shiyang River to the paleo lake with a semi enclosed environment,the sediments including pollen transported by water from the upper reaches would settle down there.The pollen assemblage,therefore,represents the vegetation of the upper reaches of the drainage.the Hongshui River Section is located near the end of the Hongshui River,a tributary of Shiyang River.The lower part of the section is alluvial sediments indicating an open flowing environment where only a small portion of the pollen carried by water can be kept in the sediments.There is no environmental significance in this pollen assemblage and it can't be used to explain the vegetation.The upper part of the section is lacustrine sediments suggesting an enclosed environment similar to that in Sanjiaocheng Section.The pollen assemblage also reflects the vegetation in the uplands.The prevailing xeromophte in the surface sample near the Sanjiaocheng section implies the local desert vegetation because there is no water to the lowest reaches of the Shiyang River as several reservoirs were built for irrigation in the upper and middle reaches.We have to be very careful when reconstructing or explaining palaeoenvironment with pollen assemblages only.Sedimentary facies and environment should also be given enough consideration as it is useful in judging the origin of pollen in the sediments.


Genetic differentiation within breeds was analyzed using 30 populations belonging to six Japanese and one Bangladesh indigenous breeds and to two improved breeds of chickens. Gene frequencies at four blood group (A, B, D and E) and 7 blood protein (Akp, Akp-2, Es-1, Amy-1, Alb, Tf and Pas) loci were examined. Although some specific patterns of gene frequencies were observed between breeds, no such patterns were found between local populations within each breed. Genetic distances between the populations within breeds were small. Cluster analysis showed that almost all populations within each breed belonged to one cluster. The estimates of genetic differentiation between local populations within indigenous breeds were smaller than those between strains within improved breeds. These results suggest that in most of Japanese indigenous breeds genetic differentiation between local populations is small.


BACKGROUND
Dominant cancer of transition zone origin of the prostate (TZ cancer) has been frequently detected, because ultrasound-guided systematic biopsies have been generalized. In cases of TZ cancer, we attempted to determine clinical significance of coexistent non-TZ cancer foci.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty cases with TZ cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy or cystoprostatectomy were clinicopathologically evaluated using step-sectioned specimens.

RESULTS
In TZ cancer foci, there were extraprostatic extension in 5 cases (25%), seminal vesicle invasion in 2 cases (10%), positive surgical margin in 6 cases (30%) and bladder neck invasion in 4 cases (20%). The extraprostatic extension and the positive surgical margin occurred at the anterior or anterioapical portion of the prostate in all the cases. On the other hand, 17 (85%) had coexistent non-TZ cancer foci. In non-TZ cancer foci, there were extraprostatic extension in 3 cases (15%), seminal vesicle invasion in 1 case (5%) and positive surgical margin in 1 case (5%). The extraprostatic extension and the positive surgical margin occurred at the posteriolateral portion of the prostate in all the cases. In 3 cases a coexistent non-TZ cancer focus showed the extraprostatic extension, the seminal vesicle invasion or the positive surgical margin, although a TZ cancer focus were organ-confined.

CONCLUSION
We should add attention to coexistent non-TZ cancer foci in TZ cancer cases. Particularly, we believe that pre-operative evaluation of non-TZ cancer foci is needed in TZ cancer cases of the candidates for nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy.


Fast-growing imported plantation tree species have become an available wood resource for Europe's wood industry in the last decades. This sustainable alternative may reduce the gap between the increasing demand for and decreasing supply of the local tree species. The aim of the study was to determine and compare basic physical and mechanical properties of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus grandis) wood from Uruguay and radiata pine (Pinus radiata D.Don) wood from New Zealand as an alternative for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) from Latvia, to produce non-structural semi-finished glued laminated timber members for the manufacturing of windows. Such properties as density, swelling, bending strength, bending modulus of elasticity, compression strength and resistance to impact were determined according to ISO 13061 series standards test methods for small clear wood specimens. As the result of this study it was established that there is not significant difference between the majority of radiata pine and Scots pine properties, with the exception of resistance to impact and radial swelling where radiata pine shows significantly higher values. Not surprisingly all the properties of deciduous eucalyptus wood were significantly higher compared to both coniferous tree species. Higher swelling and density properties of eucalyptus compared to radiata pine and Scots pine should be taken into consideration for the design and production of wooden window elements.


Sera from 98 patients were examined for antinuclear antibodies (ANA). The patient population has been previously identified clinically as having the following diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, dermato or polymyositis, discoid lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud phenomena only, undifferentiated connective tissue disease, and psoriasis. All sera samples were tested using both HEp-2 cells and rat kidney tissue as substrates and were stained with both fluorescein-conjugated antihuman antibody and glucose oxidase-conjugated antibody to human IgG. Each serum was initially tested at a screening dilution of 1:40 with PBS. Positive sera were serially diluted until an end point was observed. The number of dilutions for each specimen in all four combinations was compared mathematically using the Pearson product moment correlation. Using this method, glucose oxidase- and fluorescein-conjugated antinuclear antibody (FANA) techniques appear to have a high positive correlation (r = 0.92 kidney, r = 0.95 Hep-2) in this patient population. In our experience, the glucose oxidase technique offers comparable results to FANA and is ideally suited for the hospital laboratory, especially facilities without the benefit of a fluorescent microscope.


This article aims at describing the improving of students' speaking skills trough PPP model (Triple P model). This model can encourage the students to speak English in the teaching learning process especially in speaking class. This is indicated by the improvement of students' creativity on teaching learning process in speaking class, their ability to express their own ideas, and their ability to interact or communicate with their friends.  This model covers three activities; presentation, practice and production. So, it is wise for the English teachers/lectures to consider implementing this "Triple P" model in teaching speaking. Key words/ Phrases : speaking, triple P model, English, presentation, practice, production


Many scholars have contended that Africa is underdeveloped most probably in comparison with other continents of the world. Some have concluded that there are many obstacles inhibiting the dire desire for development in Africa. Prominent amongst these problems is the issue of the oppression and suppression of the poor and less privileged in the society. The social sciences is one of the disciplines charged with the responsibility of studying the situation of the socially oppressed and suppressed in any society and finding ways of improving the lot of this majority of people. This paper will, therefore, inter alia, attempt a philosophical survey of the success or otherwise of the social sciences in efficiently studying the situation of the oppressed and suppressed in the African society and professing ways of creating a better Africa for all and sundry. Key words: Injustice, Inhumanity and a better Africa


Protection engineers always have desired to obtain a system of ground fault protection that will discriminate and actually trip out only the ground faulted circuit of a complex distribution network. This has been a difficult chore because the magnitude of the ground current often varies so greatly as to be out of the range of the normal protective relay settings. A system is proposed here that not only has proper discrimination, but also operates on very low amounts of ground current with the maximum ground current held to such a low value that practically no harm or damage is done by the ground fault. This development was encouraged by the necessity of joint use of poles by lines of communication circuits and distribution circuits. This method comprises the installation of a small bank of grounding transformers at each of the stations where the lines originate or terminate. With these small ground banks the maximum ground fault current is very small. Adequate relays and systems are used to isolate only the faulted sections of line. The installation of one 11-kv and one 16.5-kv loop will be described. These two systems have had several years of successful operation.


This article based on a study of writing errors contained in some thesis of Arabic Literature students of UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh. Among the mistakes that often occur in the thesis is on writing Hamzah, morphology, grammar, and semantics. Several causes of these errors are: 1 ) The influence of mother tongue and the presence of the difference between Indonesian and Arabic in vocabulary, structure, and style of language; 2) Some errors occur on developmental stages of the students during process of Arabic language acquisition. So, there are some errors caused by lack of knowledge about the application of linguistic context in writing that comes from a thought, or the ignorance of rules of grammar.


To date, little research has been conducted on the workload experienced by teams. Attempts to evaluate team workload have typically relied upon validated measures of individual workload, but this approach may not adequately capture the drivers of team workload. Data from three previous research experiments were reexamined using hierarchical multiple regression in the present analysis. Each of the experiments assessed individual and team workload, though the measures employed differed in each. The goal was to investigate whether addition of team workload measures improved prediction of team performance after variance associated with experimental manipulations and individual workload had been removed. Results indicated that inclusion of team workload measures produced an increase of 5-15% in the variance explained. This suggests that workload associated with team processes is not adequately reflected in measures of individual workload. Researchers investigating workload in team settings are recommended to consider inclusion of a team workload measure in their experiments. The mental result assessment performance


In the subsocial bug Elasmucha putoni, females lay egg masses on leaves of fruit-bearing wild mulberry trees. Parent females invariably remained straddling their offspring until the offspring moulted to the second instar on natal leaves. Thereafter, the females usually settled on the stem of shoots which harboured second-or-later-instar nymphs feeding on fruit or aggregating on leaves, and faced toward the base of the shoot. To evaluate the effectiveness of maternal attendance on parasitism of nymphs by a braconid wasp, I divided the boughs of each mulberry tree into two experimental groups : a single bough which was isolated from the others by Tanglefoot treatments and on which guarding females were removed from broods before the second instar, and other boughs on which broods were left intact as controls. The experiments showed that nymphal parasitism was not affected by the presence of females. The position and orientation of females attending second-or-later-instar nymphs is probably effective for detecting predators approaching the nymphs by walking along the stem ; however, this posture may prevent the females from detecting parasitoids, which fly and land directly on plant parts close to the nymphs. The ineffectiveness of the females in providing defence against the parasitoid is possibly associated with a specialization of the attending posture to pedestrian predators : a parental defensive behaviour specific to these predators may make the offspring more vulnerable to the parasitoid.


RATIONALE
CeO2 -WO3 and CeO2 -MoO3 catalysts have shown excellent performance in the selective reduction of NOx by ammonia (NH3 -selective catalytic reduction) over a wide temperature range. Strong interaction between CeO2 and WO3 or MoO3 might be the dominant reason for the high activity of these mixed oxides. Studies of ceria-containing gaseous salts involve considerable experimental difficulties, since the transition of such salts to vapor requires high temperatures. To predict the possibility of the existence of gaseous associates formed by cerium and molybdenum (tungsten) oxides it is important to know their thermodynamic characteristics. Until the present investigation, gaseous cerium oxyacid salts were unknown.

METHODS
Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry was used to determine the partial pressures of vapor species and the equilibrium constants of gas-phase reactions, as well as the formation and atomization enthalpies of gaseous cerium molybdates and tungstates. CeO2 was evaporated from molybdenum and tungsten effusion cells containing gold metal as a pressure standard. A theoretical study of gaseous cerium gaseous molybdates and tungstates was performed by several quantum chemical methods.

RESULTS
In the temperature range 2050-2400 K, CeO, CeO2 , XO2 , XO3 , CeWO3 , CeXO4 , CeXO5 (X = Mo, W) and CeMo2 O7 were found to be the main vapor species over the CeO2 - Mo (W) systems. On the basis of the equilibrium constants of the gaseous reactions, the standard formation enthalpies of gaseous CeWO3 , CeXO4 , CeXO5 (X = Mo, W) and CeMo2 O7 at 298 K were determined. Energetically favorable structures of gaseous cerium salts were found and vibrational frequencies were evaluated in the harmonic approximation.

CONCLUSIONS
The thermal stability of gaseous cerium oxyacid salts was confirmed by high-temperature mass spectrometry. Reaction enthalpies of the gaseous cerium molybdates and tungstates from gaseous cerium, molybdenum and tungsten oxides were evaluated theoretically and the obtained values are in reasonable agreement with the experimental one.


The power plants usually operate on the strategy of economic dispatch. Due to the growing concern over the reduction of environmental pollution, there arises the necessity to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere from the power generation plants. A hybrid technique involving genetic algorithm is proposed to solve the economic and emission dispatch problem. The incremental cost factor /spl lambda/ is searched using the binary coded genetic algorithm in the first phase. The best solution of the first phase is taken as the initial solution for the second phase where the search region is reduced. The solution is obtained using MATLAB, for a six-unit system.


Although a lot of research and development has been done to understand and master the major physics involved in cryogenic rocket engines (combustion, feeding systems, heat transfer, stability, efficiency, etc.), the injection system and wall heat transfer remain critical issues due to complex physics, leading to atomization in the subcritical regime and the interactions of hot gases with walls. In such regimes, the fuel is usually injected through a coaxial annulus and triggers the atomization of the central liquid oxidizer jet. This type of injector is often referred to as air-assisted, or coaxial shear, injector, and has been extensively studied experimentally. Including such injection in numerical simulations requires specific models as simulating the atomization process is still out of reach in practical industrial systems. The effect of the injection model on the flame stabilization process and thus on wall heat fluxes is of critical importance when it comes to the design of wall-cooling systems. Indeed, maximizing the heat flux extracted from the chamber can lead to serious gain for the cooling and feeding systems for expander-type feeding cycles where the thermal energy absorbed by the coolant is converted into kinetic energy to drive the turbo-pumps of the feeding system. The methodology proposed in this work to numerically predict the flame topology and associated heat fluxes is based on state-of-the-art methods for turbulent reactive flow field predictions for rocket engines, including liquid injection, combustion model, and wall treatment. For this purpose, high-fidelity Large Eddy Simulation Conjugate Heat Transfer, along with a reduced kinetic mechanism for the prediction of H2/O2 chemistry, liquid injection model LOx sprays, and the use of a specific wall modeling to correctly predict heat flux for large temperature ratio between the bulk flow and the chamber walls, is used. A smooth and a longitudinally ribbed combustor configuration from JAXA are simulated. The coupling strategy ensures a rapid convergence for a limited additional cost compared to a fluid-only simulation, and the wall heat fluxes display a healthy trend compared to the experimental measurements. An increase of heat transfer coherent with the literature is observed when walls are equipped with ribs, compared to smooth walls. The heat transfer enhancement of the ribbed configuration with respect to the smooth walls is coherent with results from the literature, with an increase of around +80% of wall heat flux extracted for the same chamber diameter.


With the increasing demand for multimedia contents and with the increased usage of small hand-held devices, a user in a home network has a number of devices at hand which may offer similar multimedia services but with varying capabilities. The user may choose one device for using a particular multimedia service at one time, and change to another device at another time. The user may, however, continue using the same service and maintain his previous session on the new device without restarting a new session. In this paper, we describe how UPnP can be used for transferring a multimedia session from a device to another in a home network. The procedure for transfer of session is based on the UPnP audio video architecture. We also describe our prototype implementation.


Background
 We already showed that in CML pts peripheral blood CD34+/CD38-/CD26+ cell population represent a "CML specific" leukemia stem cell (LSC) circulating compartment. Indeed, we demonstrated that CD26+LSCs are measurable by flow-cytometry in 100% of CML pts at diagnosis the latter representing an alternative and rapid diagnostic tool. In addition, in a cross-sectional study we were able to spot peripheral blood CD26+LSCs also in about 65% of CML during TKI treatment regardless of type and length of TKI treatment and degree of molecular response. However, no prospective data are available regarding the behavior of PB CD26+LSCs in terms of rate and timing of reduction during TKI therapy and the correlation, if any, with the attainment of response according to ELN guidelines. Interestingly, even CML patients in stable TFR may harbor circulating CD26+LSCs thus suggesting a probable active role of the immune system in the control of residual disease. One hypothesis could reside in the presence or absence on the LSCs of molecules (such as PD-L1) able to hamper an anti-leukemic T cell response. From Jan 2018 we conducted a prospective multicenter Italian study including CML pts at diagnosis treated and managed by each of 15 participating center according to ELN guidelines. We here present the first interim analysis after a median time of treatment of 12 mos.
 Aims
 The main goals of this study were to prospectively monitoring PB CD26+LScs in CML pts during TKI treatment and to correlate the behavior of LSCs with molecular response. In a proportion of pts PD-L1 expression on CD26+ LSCs at diagnosis was also evaluated.
 Methods
 At diagnosis and during TKI treatment, pts have been centrally evaluated in Siena lab for flow-cytometry PB CD26+ LSCs (+3, +6, +12, +18, +24 mos) and PD-L1 expression (at diagnosis). At each time point molecular BCR-ABL/ABLIS ratio was monitored locally in each center.
 Results
 176 consecutive CML pts (IMA 92; NILO 61; DASA 23) were enrolled in the study so far (table 1). PB CD26+LSCs were measured at time 0 (baseline) in all 176 CML pts and in 165/176 (94%), 142/176 (81%) and 112/176 (71%) at +3, +6, +12 mos of TKI treatment, respectively. Median CD26+LSCs absolute number/µL at baseline was 6.96/µL (range 0.0126-64429), at +3 mos 0.0137/µL (range 0-6,49), at +6 mos 0.0056/µL (range 0-1.188), and at +12 mos 0.0112/µL (range 0-0.1824). No significant correlation between number of CD26+LSC, degree of response and BCR-ABL copies was found (Table 2). Interestingly, median CD26+LSCs at diagnosis was found significantly higher in NILO and DASA treated pts (12, 48/µL and 17,48/µL, respectively) than in IMA pts (4,58/µL). So far, 20/176 (11.4%) pts switched to different TKIs, due to failure/suboptimal response: of note, median CD26+ LSCs of this cohort at diagnosis was the highest (23.12/µL).
 Starting from Jun 2019, 44/176 (25%) CML pts have been evaluated also for PD-L1 expression at diagnosis: of these, 23/44 (52%) resulted PD-L1 positive and 21/44 (48%) resulted negative with a median of CD26+LSCs of 15.39/µL (range 1.28-635.5) and 4.45/µL (range 0.234-113.9), respectively.
 Conclusions
 After a sensible drop observed at 3 mos of any TKI treatment, CD26+LSCs are fluctuating and measurable at low level in most of pts (> 65%) even at 18 and 24 mos. We confirmed no correlation between the absolute number of persisting CD26+LSCs and BCR-ABL copies. However, pts with failure or suboptimal response showed the highest level of CD26+ at diagnosis. CD26+LSCs were found PD-L1+ in about half of 44 pts tested. At diagnosis higher CD26+LSCs number, PD-L1 positivity or both may correlate with a lower probability to achieve an optimal response; interim data of this first report will be presented; enrolment and follow up are ongoing.

 Bocchia: Incyte: Honoraria; CELGENE: Honoraria. Abruzzese:Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bms: Honoraria. Galimberti:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria. Pregno:Incyte-Italy,: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: conference reports; Novartis-Italy: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: conference reports; Pfizer-Italy: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: conference reports. Crugnola:BMS: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Liberati:MORPHOSYS: Honoraria, Research Funding; ONCONOVA: Honoraria, Research Funding; INCYTE: Honoraria; VERASTEM: Honoraria, Research Funding; ROCHE: Honoraria, Research Funding; PFIZER: Honoraria, Research Funding; ONCOPEPTIDES AB: Honoraria, Research Funding; TAKEDA: Honoraria, Research Funding; FIBROGEN: Honoraria; BIOPHARMA: Honoraria; ARCHIGEN: Honoraria; BEIGENE: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; AMGEN: Honoraria; CELGENE: Honoraria; JANSSEN: Honoraria; ABBVIE: Honoraria, Research Funding; NOVARTIS: Honoraria, Research Funding; KARYOPHARM: Honoraria, Research Funding.


Learning more about people mobility is an important task for official decision makers and urban planners. Mobility data sets characterize the variation of the presence of people in different places over time as well as movements (or flows) of people between the places. The analysis of mobility data is challenging due to the need to analyze and compare spatial situations (i.e., presence and flows of people at certain time moments) and to gain an understanding of the spatio-temporal changes (variations of situations over time). Traditional flow visualizations usually fail due to massive clutter. Modern approaches offer limited support for investigating the complex variation of the movements over longer time periods. We propose a visual analytics methodology that solves these issues by combined spatial and temporal simplifications. We have developed a graph-based method, called MobilityGraphs, which reveals movement patterns that were occluded in flow maps. Our method enables the visual representation of the spatio-temporal variation of movements for long time series of spatial situations originally containing a large number of intersecting flows. The interactive system supports data exploration from various perspectives and at various levels of detail by interactive setting of clustering parameters. The feasibility our approach was tested on aggregated mobility data derived from a set of geolocated Twitter posts within the Greater London city area and mobile phone call data records in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. We could show that MobilityGraphs support the identification of regular daily and weekly movement patterns of resident population.


The microscopic slides of 16 patients who underwent bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy for hyperthyroid Graves' disease were reviewed and classified into three groups: I, Hashimoto's thyroiditis; II, Graves' disease; and III, both Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease. Three patients were classified as group 1, 10 as group II, and three as group III. In 38% of the patients with clinical Graves' disease the histologic evidence of Hashimoto's thyroiditis could be found either alone or in combination with histologic evidence of Graves' disease (groups I and III). One patient in group I, four in group II, and three in group III had infiltrative ophthalmopathy (50% of total). Hyperthyroid Graves' disease, Graves' ophthalmopathy, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis can occur all together, in duads, or individually at a specific time in a patient's life.


In the present short review, we analyze past experiments that addressed the interactions of intracellular pathogenic protozoa (Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, and Plasmodium) with host cells and the initial use of the term active penetration to indicate that a protozoan "crossed the host cell membrane, penetrating into the cytoplasm." However, the subsequent use of transmission electron microscopy showed that, for all of the protozoans and cell types examined, endocytosis, classically defined as involving the formation of a membrane-bound vacuole, took place during the interaction process. As a consequence, the recently penetrated parasites are always within a vacuole, designated the parasitophorous vacuole (PV).


Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is featured by acute events such as respiratory infections and exacerbations. So far, much remains unknown about the impact of COPD on community acquired pneumonia (CAP). This dissertation shows that patients with COPD have a 4.5 times higher risk of developing CAP, regardless smoking status. Moreover, patients with COPD had on average more severe CAP, with a different bacterial pathology and higher mortality rates. Recently, respiratory microbiome (i.e. all micro-organisms in the lungs) analysis is positioned as a promising technique to overcome pressing questions concerning the microbiology of the lungs, related to these acute events. Our results show that the respiratory microbiome is diverse, depending on the place of sampling. But different specimens within one patient are more alike than similar specimens of other patients. However, respiratory microbiome analysis is complex and further research is essential.


In the future, autonomous vehicles are predicted to be much safer than current vehicles and affordable enough for all vehicle owners. At such a point, should we still allow people to manually drive non-autonomous vehicles? Can we say people who want to drive have a right to drive? In this paper, we first attempt a deontological justification of a right to drive, by trying to derive the right from more uncontroversial rights, like the right to freedom of movement, but fail. Looking at the right on consequentialist grounds, both in terms of paternalistic justifications of denying the right and the externalities caused by manual driving, we are able to justify a right to drive. However, the externalities caused by manual driving (especially the risks imposed on non-drivers and the property damage) are enough to limit this right to drive to non-public roads.


"A SCHOOL OF CHARITY: THE FORMATIVE DIMENSION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST FOR MINISTRY AND MISSION" JAMES BOYD STUTLER Project under the direction of the Right Reverend J. Neil Alexander, dean of the School of Theology and professor of liturgy and theology. This paper provides a theoretical and practical basis for teaching the meaning of holy eucharist in the parish. The approach is Anglican, inspired by the liturgical movement as expressed in the 1979 book of common prayer. It is premised on the eucharist as the center of parish life. The eucharist gives structure and substance to the individual and corporate lives of the parish in spiritual growth, mission, and ministry. Fundamental to this process is that the eucharist, while clearly instructional, is essentially sacramental and therefore more broadly formational. The weekly regularity and seasonal variation of the eucharist, particularly when engaged intentionally, form holiness of character. This occurs through the basic structural elements of gathering, word, presence, and vocation which have been received in the eucharistic tradition. Superficially, this might look like a serial process where the parish gathers to hear the word of God in order to experience the presence of God so that they might be sent out to do the work of God. However, these elements are best understood as interdependent and overlapping rather than sequential. This interdependence is empowered by the similarly interrelated themes of thanksgiving (eucharistia), memory (anamnesis), and hope (escatology) which permeate the entire structure. Formation occurs through all these elements, in word and sacrament, engendering a trajectory which both deepens the spiritual life and informs the missional


BACKGROUND/AIMS
Atherosclerosis underlies the majority of cardiovascular events, consequent to non-resolving inflammation. Considerable evidence implicates autophagy dysfunction at the core of this inflammatory condition, but the basis of this dysfunction is not fully understood.

METHODS
Using an in vitro model of lipid-laden macrophages, activity-based probes and high-throughput techniques, we studied the role of the cysteine proteases cathepsins in autophagy.

RESULTS
We showed that cathepsin activity is suppressed by oxidized lipids and that cathepsin has an indispensable role in the autophagy-lysosomal degradation pathway. Accordingly, loss of cathepsin function resulted in autophagy derangement. Shotgun proteomics confirmed autophagy dysfunction and unveiled a pivotal role of cathepsin L in a putative cathepsin degradation network. At the physiological level, cathepsin inhibition resulted in mitochondrial stress, which translated into impaired oxidative metabolism, excessive production of reactive oxygen species and activation of the cellular stress response, driven by ATF4-CHOP transcription factors. In addition, transcriptomic analysis of these cells uncovered some genetic similarities with the inflammatory macrophage phenotype (a.k.a M1 macrophages) and increased expression of inflammatory cytokines.

CONCLUSION
Our data highlight the importance of cathepsins for mitochondrial quality control mechanisms and amelioration of vascular inflammation.


The vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) and the vasoconst rictor endothelin-1(ET-1) are the principal vasoreactive regulators of the vascular tone and re gional blood flow (portal venous and pulmonary arterial systems). Their syntheses are anatomically dependent processes and their circulating concentrations among schistosomal porto-pulmonary h ypertensives are not yet elucidated. Assessment of plasma nitric oxide metabolites (nitr ite and nitrate) together with endothelin-1 levels in patients with schistosomal porto-pulmonary hyperten sion. One hundred and fifty patients with schistosomiasis were withdrawn from the Internal Me dicine, Tropical Medicine and Cardiology Outpatient Clinics, Mansoura University Hospitals. Of thems 25 patients had simple intestinal schistosoma mansoni infestations without any compli cations, 50 patients suffered from bilharzial portal hypertension, 25 patients had hepatospleenomegallie s, ascites and intrahepatic presinusoid and sinusoid fibrosis and 50 patients suffered from bot h bilharzial portal vein and pulmonary artery hypertensions. At the same time, a healthy referenc e group comprized 25 clinically and laboratory normal individuals and free of schistosomiasis were similarly investigated.


It is widely agreed that a society must guarantee a social minimum to all its members. Yet, the organisation of social protection within the European Union (EU) is insufficient to protect all Europeans effectively against the risk of poverty and social exclusion. Against this backdrop, this thesis investigates whether a European universal basic income (EUBI) is, if at all, a worthwhile policy to address the problem of poverty in the EU.The central claim of the study posits that there are strong reasons to consider a partial EUBI as a desirable instrument for EU-wide poverty alleviation. Under this scenario, the EU works as a complementary welfare layer offering systemic support to its Member States' welfare models whilst respecting the diversity of national social protection arrangements. At the same time, as an instrument of pan-European solidarity, the EUBI provides substance to EU social citizenship.The method used is problem-oriented and interdisciplinary, combining insights from political theory, political economy and EU studies writ large. After having layed out the various dimensions underpinning the problem of poverty in the EU and clarified the contours of the solution under scrutiny, the thesis confronts the EUBI with a series of challenges, ranging from normative issues associated with the unconditionality of the basic income and the pursuit of social justice in the EU, to the institutional hurdles pertaining to the legal feasibility of the proposal, via the macroeconomic difficulties related to the diversity of interdependent economies.Overall, this contribution examines an idea which remains unexplored in EU studies and proposes a new approach to European anti-poverty strategy. It also bridges the gap between EU social policy and basic income literatures, beyond established boundaries of research compartmentalisation. As such, it prepares the ground for further fine-tuned research in the areas covered by this comprehensive multi-dimensional analysis.


The high power RF transmission line components are required for transmitting MW level RF power continuously in RF heating and current drive system which heat the plasma and produce plasma current in fusion reactor The liquid stub and phase shifter is proposed as the superior to the conventional stub and phase shifter. Experimental results show that they are reliable and easy to operate compared to the conventional stub and phase shifter. There is no distortion of reflected power during the raising of the liquid level. RF breakdown voltage is over 40kV. Temperature increment of the liquid is expected not to be severe. These results verify that the liquid stub and phase shifter can be used reliably in the high power continuous RF facilities.


The authors examined 150 strains of S. aureus and 180 strains of S. epidermidis isolated from different dermatoses. The determination of S. aureus and S. epidermidis was based on common routine tests as plasmacoagulase, production of hemolysin, acid production from mannitol and production of pigment. This determination was verified with the aid of a new identification system STAPHYtest. The STAPHYtest confirmed the previous diagnosis of S. aureus in 60.66% and that of S. epidermidis in 31.66% of strains only. The remaining strains were identified by means of STAPHYtest as S. simulans, S. xylosus, S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri, S. auricularis, S. sciuri and Micrococcus sp. The authors discuss the importance of an curate identification of skin staphylococci by means of STAPHYtest for taxonomic purposes and for classification of staphylococci influence on different dermatoses.


Multipartite viruses are formed by a variable number of genomic fragments packed in independent viral capsids. This fact poses stringent conditions on their transmission mode, demanding, in particular, a high multiplicity of infection (MOI) for successful propagation. The actual advantages of the multipartite viral strategy are as yet unclear. The origin of multipartite viruses represents an evolutionary puzzle. While classical theories suggested that a faster replication rate or higher replication fidelity would favour shorter segments, recent experimental results seem to point to an increased stability of virions with incomplete genomes as a factor able to compensate for the disadvantage of mandatory complementation. Using as main parameters differential stability as a function of genome length and MOI, we calculate the conditions under which a set of complementary segments of a viral genome would outcompete the non-segmented variant. Further, we examine the likeliness that multipartite viral forms could be the evolutionary outcome of the competition among the defective genomes of different lengths that spontaneously arise under replication of a complete, wild-type genome. We conclude that only multipartite viruses with a small number of segments could be produced in our scenario, and discuss alternative hypotheses for the origin of multipartite viruses with more than four segments.


The first section is about 200 pages long and is grouped into the following chapters each written (with one exception) by a different author: soft parts of the external eye region (mongolian folds, epicanthus, obliquity of palpebral fissures, eyelashes, etc. ), iris (structural characteristics, color), external nose (root, bridge, point, alae), chin (profile, chin, dimples, etc.), taste (PTC and a host of other substances, such as Conteben, diphenylguanidine, anetholtrithion, MBS, and quinine) and smell (including polymorphism of ability to smell sodium or potassium cyanide).


In this paper, an applicative example of multi-objective control based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) is presented. A dynamic output feedback attitude controller is designed for flexible satellites subject to persistent disturbance model uncertainty and the actuator saturation. The controller is assumed to have an observer-based structure and the non-linearity due to saturation is incorporated into the controller design process. The design specifications in terms of robust stable, disturbance attenuation and actuator saturation can be effectively dealt with in the LMI synthesis framework


As modern society developed, educational theory and practice has been informed by a concept of learning that divides content and method, the "what" and "how" of the act of learning. The "what" of learning is largely taken out of the hands of the learners, while their possibilities of participation in defining the process are confined to questions of "how" to learn. Based on critical action and learning theory, we analyze in this article how such bisection of learning undermines substantially the unfolding of the human potential to learn and present an approach as well as basic concepts toward a new non-bisected language of learning.


Among 13,314 necropsies following death from neoplastic and nonneoplastic diseases performed at the Mayo Clinic from 1942 through 1958, 189 cases of secondary malignant lesions of the pericardium were demonstrated, an incidence of 1.42 per cent. Carcinoma of the lung and breast, the lymphomas, and leukemia constituted the large majority of the primary malignant lesions that caused the pericardial metastasis. Fifty-five of the 189 patients were adjudged to have had some impairment of cardiac function as a consequence of the pericardial metastasis and the following conclusions concern this group. 1. In 47 patients (86 per cent), the lesions were either the immediate or a contributory cause of death. 2. The most common mechanism whereby metastatic lesions in the pericardium interfered with cardiac function was by the development of pericardial effusion. Next in frequency was effusion combined with myocardial invasion and then cardiac constriction by tumor. Combinations of these processes with malignant encroachment on the great vessels and with invasion of coronary veins were the other mechanisms noted. Involvement of coronary arteries and the cardiac nerve supply was not noted. 3. Pericardial fluid was significant in causing tamponade in 31 cases. The fluid was frankly hemorrhagic in a small minority of these cases although fibrinous pericarditis was present in 45 (82 per cent) of the group. Pleural effusion was present in 48 (92 per cent) of 52 cases and was usually bilateral. Ascites was present in 22 (50 per cent) of 44 cases; the quantity was usually rather small. 4. Only one patient had metastasis to the pericardium without metastasis to other thoracic structures; exclusive of patients with leukemia, 43 (92 per cent) of 47 patients had extrathoracic metastatic lesions. 5. Dyspnea, cough, pleural effusion, hepatomegaly, and thoracic pain were the most commonly recorded signs and symptoms that might be related to the pericardial lesions. However, more specific signs and symptoms directing attention to pericardial or cardiac involvement were not commonly recorded. 6. The diagnosis of pericardial metastatic disease was suspected or established in only 16 (29 per cent) of the 55 patients, although 34 (62 per cent) either received treatment for congestive heart failure or were given roentgen therapy to mediastinal structures. 7. Of the 27 patients whose electrocardiograms were available, 25 had T-wave abnormalities, 22 had low QRS voltage, and 15 showed sinus tachycardia. 8. Thoracic roentgenograms, made on 53 patients, supplied clues to the diagnosis of pericardial malignancy in 28.


Secure commitment is a primitive enabling information hiding, which is one of the most basic tools in cryptography. Speciically, it is a two-party partial-information game between a \committer" and a \receiver", in which a secure envelope is rst implemented and later opened. The committer has a bit in mind which he commits to by putting it in a \secure envelope". The receiver cannot guess what the value is until the opening stage and the com-mitter can not change his mind once committed. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of bit commitment when one of the participants (either committer or receiver) has an unfair computational advantage. That is, we consider commitment to a strong receiver with a large computational power (requiring that despite his power he can not \open" the secret commitment) or commitment by a strong com-mitter (requiring that despite his power he can not change the value of the committed bit). We allow the strong party to use its computational resources and investigate the underlying complexity assumptions necessary for the feasibility of these primitives. We show how to base commitment by a strong committer on any hard on the average problem. In fact, this is the rst application of average case completeness to hiding information in a security primitive. We also show how commitment to a strong receiver with information theoretic security can be implemented based on any one-way function. In addition, we show that commitment to a strong receiver is complete for all partial information games between weak and strong players. That is, given any implementation of the commitment protocol to a strong receiver, any partial-information game between a weak and a strong player can be implemented based solely on such a protocol.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the clinical characteristics, therapeutic responses and outcomes of pediatric Crohn's disease (CD).

METHODS
From a hospital-derived incidence cohort, 20 Crohn's disease patients (aged 0.5 - 15 years old at diagnosis), diagnosed from 2003 to 2009, received a follow-up period of more than one year. The patients were phenotyped according to Montreal standards. PCDAI was introduced to assess the disease activity and the Hyams J rules adopted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacies. The treatment was individualized based on the overall evaluation of child.

RESULTS
Of these 20 patients, 55% were 7 - 12 years old at the diagnosis time. The male: female ratio was 1.5:1. At the time of diagnosis, the common manifestations included abdominal pain (95.0%), fever (80.0%) and diarrhea (80.0%). Growth retardation was detected in 50% of the cases. Complicated behavior was observed in 45% patients at diagnosis. The most frequent disease location at diagnosis was terminal ileum/colon (55%). Upper GI tract involvement was quite common in children (20%). Non-penetrating non-stricture (50%) behavior was most frequent at diagnosis. Ultimately, corticosteroids plus 6-MP/AZA treatment was administrated in 11 cases. Of these, 9 (82%) successfully withdrew the corticosteroids and maintained a complete remission. Colonoscopy was repeated in 6 complete remission cases and 4 of them achieved a complete mucosa healing. The mean follow-up period was 23 months (range: 12 - 59). At the endpoint of follow-up, 15 cases achieved a complete remission, 4 had a partial remission, 1 underwent operation and none of them died. The children who successfully withdrew from corticosteroids and achieved a complete remission could catch up the height of their age group. 6-MP/AZA associated severe adverse effects were reported at 17% in this group.

CONCLUSION
Growth retardation is predominant in pediatric CD and it may provide diagnostic clues. Immunosuppressant therapy may improve the natural history of this disease. It is safe under close monitoring.


This paper is concerned with the application of systems analysis to problems of physical distribution. The principles of systems analysis and the concepts of the systems approach are outlined. Physical distribution is described as a set of major subsystems. The objective of this analysis is to provide a generalised framework for the solution of physical distribution problems. It may be noted that in the United Kingdom, systems analysis has come to be used in a narrower sense and to be concerned primarily with the design and specification of computer systems. In this paper, it is used in the wider sense, and for an appreciation the reader's attention is drawn to collections of papers by Emery, Opfner and Beishon and Peters. The use of a problem solving methodology is not unique to systems analysis except in the sense that systems analysis defines a particular process of problem solution. Similar processes are used in industrial engineering, method study, operational research, value analysis and management accounting. Other analyses of physical distribution systems are equally valid. That presented in this paper identifies a series of distribution units in the chain of distribution. It seeks to define the subsystems within each unit. The approach relies heavily on a series of diagrams which is intended to give a visual image of the relationships between elements in the chain.


The bacterial twin-arginine translocase (Tat) pathway is able to export large folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. It derives its name from the almost invariant twin-arginine motif present in the signal peptide of Tat substrates.
Components of the Tat pathway have been identified in many bacteria, and in Escherichia coli one of these essential proteins, TatA, forms large complexes of variable size. The research presented in this thesis sought to gain insight into the Tat pathway in E. coli and the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, mainlyfocusing on the TatA component of the E. coli Tat pathway and how its various domains contribute to function and complex formation.
Green fluorescent protein tagged with a Tat signal peptide was used to compare the Tat pathway in E. coli and Synechocystis, using biochemical and bioimaging techniques. Substitution of the twin-arginine motif with lysine residues highlighted differences between the specificity of the two systems.
The transmembrane (TM) domain and amphipathic helix (APH) of E. coli TatA were analysed using synthetic peptides and the TOXCAT assay. Investigation of the TM domain demonstrated it is α-helical and spontaneously inserts into membranes. It interacts relatively weakly and substitution of a glutamine does not affect these interactions or function of the protein at high expression levels. In contrast, the APH only forms an α-helical secondary structure in high detergent concentration or in the presence of negatively charged lipids, and does not insert into lipid bilayers. Analysis of the unstructured C-terminus of TatA led to the identification of an acidic motif just after the APH. Removal of this motif has a severe effect on function and complex formation of TatA. Removal of the C-terminus does not affect the proofreading abilities of TatA.
The research presented here has led to the proposal of a new model for TatA complex formation in E. coli – the weak interactions of the TM domains bring the monomers together, whilst interactions between the acidic motif and other regions stabilise these complexes.


The most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fueled warnings worldwide that humanity has nearly run out of time to reduce the worst effects of global warming, including the extreme weather, food shortages, and power losses that make everyday life unnecessarily challenging for billions of the Earth's inhabitants. The magnitude of these impacts for the poorest among us supports the claim that global warming represents the greatest ethical issue of our time. In particular, ensuring reliable access to clean and affordable modern energy is critical for economic growth and the provision of health care, education, and other social services. Deep socioeconomic inequalities within as well as among nations underscore the justice dimensions of energy access in a global political economy constrained by climate change. Moreover, if peoples' propensity to modify their behavior in the common interest is contingent on their sense that the underlying distribution of costs and benefits is fair, energy justice may prove essential to the success of climate mitigation policy at all levels of governance. Despite marked differences in purpose, the three volumes reviewed here provide significant insights with respect to the alleviation of energy poverty. They discuss ways to address lack of access to modern energy sources by institutionalizing energy justice locally, within nations, and globally. Injustice is inherent to


To identify adequate surgical strategies for patients with incurable gastric cancer, long-term results in 228 patients with peritoneal metastasis were analyzed. There was a significant difference in survival between the 141 palliatively gastrectomized and the 87 non-gastrectomized patients. The prognostic factor both in all patients and in gastrectomized patients was the degree of peritoneal metastasis (hazard ratio 1.9073/1.2530) but none was selected in those not gastrectomized. In patients with slight peritoneal metastases (POCY1, P1), the prognostic factors were resection (hazard ratio 5.8631) and a tumor diameter less than 100 mm (hazard ratio 1.7762), but there were non where severe peritoneal metastases were present (P2, P3). Morbidity was frequent in palliation. Palliative gastrectomy is indicated in POCY1 or P1 cases with tumor diameters less than 100 mm. In such gastrectomy, lymph node dissection is limited to a little more than D1, which eradicates only macroscopically identifiable metastatic lymph nodes near the stomach.


Poverty, narrowly, is the inability of people to meet basic human needs with their current income. Poverty affects different groups of society in different dimensions. However, empirical studies have shown that women and their children are most affected by poverty. One of the most important reasons behind this result is gender inequality against women. By preventing women from benefiting from education equally, participating in employment, and having better working conditions as high wages, social security rights, etc., gender inequality leads to more impoverishment of women. This study aims to determine the dimensions of women poverty and the reflections of this poverty on both their own and family lives. To accomplish this aim, a survey has been conducted with 200 poor women that are in the first 10% decile according to the distribution of annual equivalized household disposable income in Erzurum. Field research was conducted in the period March-May 2019. According to the results, the women have felt less poor if their husbands work or there is an insured employee in the household. Also, as household income decreases, the women have experienced greater negativities in meeting basic needs (education, health, etc.), and this negativity is also passed down from generation to generation.


The present invention provides methods and compositions for increasing the seed size and/or seed number in plants. In particular, the methods and compositions provide for the over expression of a plant growth and/or development related or associated gene during embryo development. Transgenic plants transformed with genetic constructs having the plant growth and/or development associated gene under the control of an early phase-specific embryo promoter provides mature plants in the field that produce larger and/or more seeds. Methods for selection growth and development associated genes that provide transgenic plants with a higher yield phenotype are also provided.


An investigation on the incidence of gastro-intestinal protozoans of pigs slaughtered at the Jos Abatoir  was carried out between May and November, 2007 using direct smear, floatation method and sporulation of oocysts of coccidia. Out of the 532 pigs examined 236 (44.36%) were positive for five genera of   intestinal protozoans. The study identified five genera of intestinal protozoans which include: Giardia   lamblia 36(6.77%) Isospora sp 42(7.90%) Eimeria sp 38(7.14%) Balantidium coli 50(9.40%) Entamoeba  sp 25(4.70%). Mixed infection of the intestinal protozoans involving some of the five genera of the  parasites recovered in this studies accounted for 45(8.46%) out of the 532 samples. The parasites  occurred more in female Pigs 148(49.66%) than in the male pigs 88(37.61%). However statistical  analysis revealed no significant difference in the sex related incidence of gastro-intestinal parasites  (P.0.05). Adult pigs haboured more of the parasites 282(67.14%) than the young pigs 54(48.21%). The  incidence rate of infection for adult pigs ranged between 6.67% and 9.05% while that of young pigs ranged  between 4.46% and 10.71%  Statistical analysis showed significant difference in the rate of infection between the young and adult pigs at (P.0.05). The large white breed was more infected 212(44.92%) than any other breeds. Which was followed by the mixed breed 14(43.75%) and the least rate of 10(35.71%) was recorded in the large black. Generally the incidence rate of infection with intestinal protozoans was low in this investigation as compare to previous researches. KEY WORDS : Endemecity, Gastro-intestinal, Occurrence, Pigs, Protozoans.


Summary form only given. Over the recent years learning from data streams that evolve over time has been witnessing an ever-increasing interest within research and industry communities. Typically a wide range of applications exploit data streams for different sorts of decision making, including monitoring, industrial processes, internet traffic, surveillance, etc. By their very nature, data streams are usually unlabeled given the high velocity of their generation. Collecting labelled examples become very difficult, delayed, costly and sometimes prone to errors. It is therefore very important to devise mechanisms to optimize the labeling process. Active learning offers a principled and systematic way to selectively choose candidate data examples whose labels are to be queried. The overall goal of active learning is to provide, in the worst case, the same performance as that of passive learning (i.e., relying on random sampling) while using less labeled examples. Obviously, the learner should also be able to accommodate unlabeled and labeled data in an online manner. In this talk we will cover recent work on active learning for data stream classification, which is known as stream-based selective sampling. In this latter, the learner makes immediate query decision for each data example during a single scan of the data stream. Stream-based selective sampling is in particular suitable for applications that demand on-the-fly interactive labelling. It is however difficult, because the learner lacks complete knowledge of the underlying data distribution and because such distribution may suffer dynamic change over time. We will overview active learning for stationary as well as non-stationary evolving data streams. In particular, we will discuss multi-criteria active learning and methods for dealing with data drift using online active learning. We will also highlight some of the typical applications where online active learning is relevant.


Abstract We examined the depth-wise distribution of microfungi through 0–30 cm soil profiles under different surface types—cyanobacterial crusts, three lichen-dominated crusts, and non-crusted bare surface located at the north-oriented slope and sun-exposed plain at the Tabernas Desert, Spain. A total of 116 species from 60 genera was isolated using the soil dilution plate method. High ultraviolet and solar radiation, high temperatures and desiccation caused the dominance of species with the protective dark pigmentation and partly with the protective many-celled spore morphology in the majority of uppermost communities. At the same time, deeper layers were mostly inhabited by light-colored fungi producing a high amount of small thin-walled spores—thermotolerant Aspergillus spp. (at the depth of 1–5 cm) and mesophilic Penicillium spp. (at the depth of 10–20-cm, with the increase much more pronounced in the north-oriented profiles). Limited water infiltration in the fine-grained Tabernas soil causing the deposition of spores of aspergilli and penicillii at the depth of 1–10 cm most likely led to the substantial increase of isolate densities at these depths. Among environmental aspects, soil depth most strongly governed the microfungal communities, highly significantly influencing all their characteristics; meanwhile, habitat position and surface type significantly affected only the communities' composition.


ABSTRACT This article examines whether deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs), which allow prosecutors to negotiate and enter into agreements with corporations to defer or suspend criminal proceedings, can ever be in the public interest as a way of addressing corporate crime. DPAs are seen as quicker, cheaper and more predictable than the conventional criminal trial but raise questions of consistency, proportionality and fairness, as well as the circumvention of conventional criminal justice by corporations. I consider if and how a mechanism for deferring prosecution in this way coheres with the existing scheme of corporate criminal liability, relying on four United Kingdom case studies to demonstrate the array of issues raised by DPAs. I argue that DPAs are both necessitated by but also misconstrued as a way of offsetting problems with corporate criminal liability. Moreover, and paradoxically, while DPAs are introduced in an effort to remedy such issues, they are deployed also to mitigate the inevitable consequences of conviction. DPAs therefore both serve to supplement as well as dilute corporate criminal liability. This is a tension that has to be confronted.


4 Abstract For several neurological diseases, the relationship between onset of pathological changes and development of clinical symptoms is unclear. This makes it difficult to define 'disease onset' against which to evaluate potential risk factors, and increases the risk that associations are due to reverse causality. Equally it may be difficult to define the exposure of interest, for example, differentiating the effects of sun exposure from those of vitamin D status. Here it is important to consider the relevant time course of exposure and to critically evaluate the evidence linking it to the outcome of interest. Intervention studies provide a means to distinguish the contributions of closely related exposures, and interim markers of disease, such as radiological changes, may be needed to identify disease onset.


Laser-based heating offers insight into the thermodynamic processes in a nanopore sensor. Single-molecule approaches for probing the free energy of confinement for polymers in a nanopore environment are critical for the development of nanopore biosensors. We developed a laser-based nanopore heating approach to monitor the free energy profiles of such a single-molecule sensor. Using this approach, we measure the free energy profiles of two distinct polymers, polyethylene glycol and water-soluble peptides, as they interact with the nanopore sensor. Polyethylene glycol demonstrates a retention mechanism dominated by entropy with little sign of interaction with the pore, while peptides show an enthalpic mechanism, which can be attributed to physisorption to the nanopore (e.g., hydrogen bonding). To manipulate the energetics, we introduced thiolate-capped gold clusters [Au25(SG)18] into the pore, which increases the charge and leads to additional electrostatic interactions that help dissect the contribution that enthalpy and entropy make in this modified environment. These observations provide a benchmark for optimization of single-molecule nanopore sensors.


Aim: To determine the prevalence of common health conditions in adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and to identify associations with the CP subtype or the severity of impairments. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional study of 153 adults with CP born from 1959 to 1978 (87 males, 66 females; median age 48 years 3 months, range 37–58 years; 41% with unilateral spastic, 36% bilateral spastic, 19% dyskinetic, and 4% with ataxic CP). Data was gathered through interviews, physical assessments, and medical record reviews. Results: The most common health conditions in adults with CP were pain 65%, upper gastrointestinal disorders 33%, dysphagia 29%, epilepsy 29%, and depression 27%. Cerebral palsy subtype was significantly associated with the presence of pain (p = 0.029), gastrointestinal (p < 0.001), and respiratory disorders (p = 0.006). A more severe physical impairment was associated with a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders (p < 0.001), respiratory disorders (p < 0.001), and pressure ulcers (p < 0.001). Intellectual disability was associated with a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders (p < 0.001), pneumonia (p = 0.001) epilepsy (p = 0.001), and pressure ulcers (p < 0.001), but with a lower prevalence of pain (p < 0.004) and hypertension (p = 0.043). Conclusion: The prevalence of several common health conditions is related to the CP subtype and severity of impairments, indicating that CP plays a role in the development of these health conditions. Follow-up of adults with CP needs to include not only impairments, but general health as well. Increased attention directed toward signs of gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders in individuals with either dyskinetic CP, gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) levels IV–V, or intellectual disability, is recommended.


Perioperative complications after parotidectomy are poorly studied and have a potential impact on hospitalization stay. The Clavien–Dindo classification of postoperative complications used in visceral surgery allows a recording of all complications, including a grading scale related to the severity of complication. The cohort analyzed for perioperative complications is composed of 436 parotidectomies classified into three types, four groups, and three classes, depending on extent of parotid resection, inclusion of additional procedures, and pathology, respectively. Using the Clavien–Dindo classification, complications were reported in 77% of the interventions. In 438 complications, 430 (98.2%) were classified as minor (332 grade I and 98 grade II), and 8 (1.8%) were classified as major (grade III). Independent variables affecting the risk of perioperative complications were duration of surgery (odds ratio = 1.007, p-value = 0.029) and extent of parotidectomy (odds ratio = 4.043, p-value = 0.007). Total/subtotal parotidectomy was associated with an increased risk of grade II-III complications (odds ratio = 2.866 (95% CI: 1.307–6.283), p-value = 0.009). Median hospital stay increased moderately in patients with complications. Use of Clavien–Dindo classification shows that parotidectomy is followed by a higher rate of perioperative complications than usually reported. Almost all complications are minor and have limited consequence on hospital stay.


Maxillary osteomyelitis is a rare condition defined as inflammation of the bone primarily caused by odontogenic bacteria, with trauma being the second leading cause. The present report documents a rare case of maxillary osteomyelitis in a 38-year-old female who was the victim of domestic violence approximately a year prior to presentation. Intraoral examination revealed a lesion appearing as exposed bony sequestrum, with significant destruction of gingiva and alveolar mucosa in the maxillary right quadrant, accompanied by significant pain, local edema, and continued purulence. Teeth numbers 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 were mobile, not responsive to percussion, and nonvital. Treatment included antibiotic therapy for seven days followed by total enucleation of the necrotic bone tissue and extraction of the involved teeth. Microscopic findings confirmed the clinical diagnosis of chronic suppurative osteomyelitis. Six months postoperatively, the treated area presented complete healing and there was no sign of recurrence of the lesion.


Present train control is performed in the following manner. Train location is detected by wayside signaling facilities, and according to train location, train control signals are indicated to prevent collisions between trains. However, this control way requires an enormous number of facilities. That means large acquisition and maintenance costs. Recent remarkable progress in the field of information technology makes possible a new train control system where train itself detects its location and communicates with other trains through radio transmission. Therefore, we have been developing the new train control system called "ATACS (Advanced Train Administration and Communications System)". ATACS is the new train control system using information technology and ADS technology. In the present signaling system, trains are controlled in a uniform way by the ground system. In ATACS, each train controls its own brake system autonomously by using its own train location and the location of the preceding train which is transmitted from the preceding train through the ground system. In this paper, we describe ATACS and its ADS technology.


Aim: To compare the outcomes of patients who underwent autograft tenodesis with those who underwent allograft tenodesis for the treatment of chronic mechanical ankle instability. Patients & methods: Ten patients who underwent allograft lateral tenodesis were compared with 15 patients who underwent lateral tenodesis using a split peroneus brevis tendon. Patients were followed up after an average time of 10.5 years. Results: No statistically significant differences concerning American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society and Karlsson-Peterson scores were reported (p = n.s.). A reduced average radiographic anterior talar translation was observed in the autograft group compared with the allograft group (1.4 and 4.0 mm respectively, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Both surgical techniques significantly improved subjective and objective outcomes in patients suffering from chronic ankle instability compared with pre-operatory status. Autograft stabilization provided reduced post-operative anterior talar translation compared with allograft tenodesis.


The effects of sterilization modalities on dialysis-induced cytokine release are still unknown. To investigate these effects, 8 patients on chronic hemodialysis were enrolled for evaluating at different intervals interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production (pg/ml/106). They were using a 1.3 m2 ethylene oxide (E3) or steam (E3S) sterilized Cuprophan membrane. The patients underwent a basal test with E3 (A1) and 2 following tests after 1 (B1) and 2 (B2) months of E3S treatment, respectively. Finally, the last test was performed 1 month after the switch to E3 (A2). Il-1beta predialysis release by mononuclear cells was 162 +/- 114 pg/ml/106 in A1, 185 +/- 129 pg/ml/106 in B1, and 226 +/- 138 pg/ml/106 in B2, then decreased to 123 +/- 134 in A2 (p < 0.07). Il-1beta postdialysis levels were 234 +/- 238 pg/ml/106 in A1, 429 +/- 285 pg/ml/106 (B1), and 438 +/- 473 pg/ml/106 (B2) with the steam membrane, decreasing to 204 +/- 134 pg/ml/106 in A2 (p < 0.01). TNF-alpha predialysis basal release (A1) was 826 +/- 817 pg/ml/106, 720 +/- 496 in B1, and 1079 +/- 515 pg/ml/106 in B2, and finally 680 +/- 588 pg/ml/106 in A2 (p < 0.03). In postdialysis TNF-alpha levels were 963 +/- 542 pg/ml/106 in A1, 1,226 +/- 541 pg/ml/106, and 1,183 +/- 776 in B1 and B2 respectively, and 388 +/- 297 pg/ml/106 in A2 (p < 0.003). Steam sterilization seems to induce a higher cytokine release by mononuclear cells when a Cuprophan membrane is used. This finding may be related to a less physiologic action of the steam in the case of Cuprophan membranes. Further studies are needed to clarify this hypothesis.


The fate of the tracheal system is traced from the first larval instar to the adult stage. The basic larval pattern conforms to that shown for other Diptera Cyclorrhapha (Whitten, 1955), and is identical in all three instars. According to previous accounts the adult system directly replaces the larval: the larval system is partly shed, partly histolysed, and the adult system arises from imaginal cell clusters independently of the preceding larval system. In contrast, it is shown here that in the cephalic, thoracic, and anterior abdominal region there is a definite continuity in the tracheal system, from larval, through pupal to the adult stage, whereas in the posterior abdominal region the larval system is histolysed, and the adult system is independent of it in origin. Moreover, in the pupal stage this region is tracheated by tracheae arising from the anterior abdominal region and belonging to a distinct pupal system. Moulting of the tracheal linings is complete at the first and second larval ecdyses, but incomplete at the third larval-pupal and pupal-adult ecdyses. In consequence, in both pupal and adult systems there are tracheae which are secreted around preexisting tracheae, others formed as new 'branch' tracheae, and those which have been carried over from the previous instar. In the adult the newly formed tracheae of the posterior abdominal region fall into a fourth category. Most of the adult thoracic air sacs correspond to new 'branch' tracheae of other instars. The pre-pupal moult and instar are discussed with reference to the tracheal system and tentative suggestions are made concerning the true nature of the pre-pupal cuticle. There is no pre-pupal tracheal system. Events traced for Drosophila would seem to be general for Cyclorrhapha, both Acalypterae and Calypterae. The separate fates of the anterior and posterior abdom inal systems, in contrast with the straightforward development in Dipterc Nematocera, would appear to mark a distinct step in the evolution of the system in Diptera.


The pharmacokinetics of unchanged and total (unchanged plus Glusulase [Biotechnology Systems, Boston, MA]) released dilevalol and secretion into human breast milk was studied in six healthy breast‐feeding female volunteers administered a single 400‐mg dilevalol hydrochloride capsule. In plasma, the mean Cmax for unchanged dilevalol, 485 ng/mL was reached at 0.8 hour (tmax) and the AUC(48 hours) was 1435 hr × ng/mL. Pharmacokinetic analysis of unchanged dilevalol in plasma showed that dilevalol was distributed and eliminated with half‐lives of 0.9 and 8.2 hours, respectively. Breast milk concentrations of unchanged dilevalol as a function of time, paralleled those of plasma but were consistently lower. The milk Cmax, 149 ng/mL, occurred during the 0 to 2 hour collection interval; the AUC(42 hours) for unchanged dilevalol in milk was 663 hr × ng/mL. The mean milk to plasma concentration ratio was 0.46. The unchanged dilevalol plasma concentrations were 12 to 18% those of total drug suggesting that the drug is extensively conjugated. By contrast, the concentrations of unchanged dilevalol in breast milk, based on Cmax and AUC data were 63 to 94% those of total drug, indicating that very little conjugated drug is secreted into breast milk. Through 48 hours, a mean of only 27 μg dilevalol or 0.007% of the administered dose was secreted into breast milk, which is much less than that reported for other beta blockers.


The transfer of mobile genetic elements between bacteria is the main cause of the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. While biofilms are the predominant bacterial lifestyle both in the environment and in clinical settings, their impact on the propagation of mobile genetic elements is still poorly understood. ABSTRACT Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) by integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) is an important mechanism in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal dynamic of ICE propagation in bacterial biofilms, which are multicellular structures ubiquitous in natural and clinical environments. We report here that a high level of biofilm matrix production favors ICEBs1 acquisition. Also, using a fluorescently marked ICEBs1, we observed that conjugation appears restricted to clusters of bacteria in a close neighborhood in which a high level of ICEBs1 transfer occurs. These conjugative clusters are heterogeneously distributed in the biofilm, forming close to the air-biofilm interface. Importantly, we established that transconjugant cells are the main contributors to ICEBs1 propagation in biofilms. Our findings provide a novel spatiotemporal understanding of ICEs propagation in biofilms, which should have an important role in our understanding of horizontal gene transfer in relevant settings. IMPORTANCE The transfer of mobile genetic elements between bacteria is the main cause of the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. While biofilms are the predominant bacterial lifestyle both in the environment and in clinical settings, their impact on the propagation of mobile genetic elements is still poorly understood. In this study, we examined the spatiotemporal propagation of the well-characterized ICEBs1. Using the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, we observed that the main actors of ICEBs1 propagation in biofilms are the newly formed transconjugants that allow rapid transfer of ICEBs1 to new recipients. Our study provides a better understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamic of conjugative transfer in biofilms.


To help boost the number of women entering physics careers, the well-established program International Masterclasses is holding special events on the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11). Girls aged 15-19 participate in a Masterclass under the supervision of female facilitators, who serve as role models. Particle Physics Masterclasses, organized by the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG), are a proven tool to engage high school students with particle physics. In a Masterclass, participants learn about high energy physics in a day-long course and perform a tailor-made physics analysis with real LHC data. In 2020, universities and research labs organized 17 Masterclasses for girls, with participation from three continents. About 600 girls attended the Masterclasses. videoconferences with CERN were held where the girls could talk to CERN women scientists and learn about the careers of these role models.


Many studies have been carried out on outsourcing in various industries. However,
the vast majority of these studies were done from the demand side or from the
perspective of customers who transfer their services to outside companies. This
research adopts the supplier's perspective to study the implementation of operations
outsourcing in the telecommunication industry. Telecommunication outsourcing is an
important recent phenomenon, where new operators with inadequate expertise
outsource complex network operations to experienced suppliers. The present research
employs a multiple case study method to understand the phenomenon of operations
outsourcing and to identify success factors of implementation. Two
telecommunication operations outsourcing cases implemented by a supplier in
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are studied in detail. These two extensive cases are
supplemented by short case studies of three other relevant suppliers.
These case studies show that the implementation of operations outsourcing consists of
three main stages: preparation, operation and performance review. To achieve
success in implementation, the supplier should pay attention to five Critical Success
Factors (CSF): namely, engagement model, supplier-customer relationship, quality of
service delivery, supplier capability and external factors. The relative importance of
these CSF is shown to change between the three stages. The CSF model developed in
this study contributes to the few academic studies on operations outsourcing from the
supplier's perspectives. Based on the CSF model, guidelines are produced to assist
suppliers in successfully implementing operations outsourcing.


A supersonic blunt body problem was solved by the Euler equation, by using spreadsheets. Spreadsheets have an iteration function, and a finite difference Euler equation can be solved by flux vector splitting and the explicit time marching procedure. The cells in a spreadsheet are used as grids in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). We created computational space on spreadsheets based on standard CFD procedures. We first solved a blunt body problem, i. e., the flow around a sphere, with a prescribed approximate hyperbolic shock. This was an engineering approach and the result was satisfactory and comparable to that of the experiment. We used a coarse grid system and the shock fitting technique was subsequently employed by using the time-dependent cells. The asymptotic shock waveform was almost identical to the real one. The physical quantities of the flow were compared to the experimental results.


Based on the findings of the preceding paper, it is known that auditory and visual signals have been translated into common coordinates at the level of the superior colliculus (SC) and share a motor circuit involved in the generation of saccadic eye movements. It is not known, however, whether the translation of sensory signals into motor coordinates occurs prior to or within the SC. Nor is it known in what coordinates auditory signals observed in the SC are encoded. The present experiment tested two alternative hypotheses concerning the frame of reference of auditory signals found in the deeper layers of the SC. The hypothesis that auditory signals are encoded in head coordinates predicts that, with the head stationary, the response of auditory neurons will not be affected by variations in eye position but will be determined by the location of the sound source. The hypothesis that auditory responses encode the trajectory of the eye movement required to look to the target (motor error) predicts that the response of auditory cells will depend on both the position of the sound source and the position of the eyes in the orbit. Extracellular single-unit recordings were obtained from neurons in the SC while monkeys made delayed saccades to auditory or visual targets in a darkened room. The coordinates of auditory signals were studied by plotting auditory receptive fields while the animal fixated one of three targets placed 24 degrees apart along the horizontal plane. For 99 of 121 SC cells, the spatial location of the auditory receptive field was significantly altered by the position of the eyes in the orbit. In contrast, the responses of five sound-sensitive cells isolated in the inferior colliculus were not affected by variations in eye position. The possibility that systematic variations in the position of the pinnae associated with different fixation positions could account for these findings was controlled for by plotting auditory receptive fields while the pinnae were mechanically restrained. Under these conditions, the position of the eyes in the orbit still had a significant effect on the responsiveness of collicular neurons to auditory stimuli. The average magnitude of the shift of the auditory receptive field with changes in eye position (12.9 degrees) did not correspond to the magnitude of the shift in eye position (24 degrees). Alternative explanations for this finding were considered. One possibility is that, within the SC, there is a gradual transition from auditory signals in head coordinates to signals in motor error coordinates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Social animals are expected to experience a positive effect of conspecific number or density on fitness (an Allee effect) because of the benefits of group living. However, social animals also often disperse to live either solitarily or in small groups, so to understand why social animals leave their groups it is necessary to understand how group size affects both average fitness and the expected fitness outcomes of individuals. We examined the relationships between group size and fitness in the colonial spider Cyrtophora citricola using long-term observations of colony demographics. We censused colonies, recording the number of juveniles, large females, and egg sacs, approximately every 2 months for 2 years. We also recorded the substrates supporting colony webs, including plant species and size, and the azimuth the colony occupied on the plant. Colonies in all regions showed cyclical patterns of growth and decline; however, regions were not synchronized, and seasonal effects differed between years. Colonies with fewer individuals at the initial observation were less likely to survive over the course of observations, and extinction rates were also influenced by an interaction between region and plant substrate. Small colonies were more likely to be extinct by the next census, but if they survived, they were more likely to have high growth rates compared to larger colonies. Despite the potential for high growth rates, high extinction rates depressed the average fitness of small colonies so that population growth rates peaked at intermediate colony sizes. Variance in egg sac production also peaked at intermediate colony sizes, suggesting that competitive interactions may increase the uneven distribution of resources in larger groups. Even if average fitness is high, if spiders can anticipate poor outcomes in large colonies, they may disperse to live solitarily or in smaller, less competitive groups.


Interpersonal relationships and information are intertwined as essential cornerstones of health care. Although information technology (IT) has done much to advance medicine, we are not even close to realizing its full potential. Indeed, issues related to mismanaging health information often undermine relationship-centered care. Information technology must be implemented in ways that preserve and uplift relationships in care, while accommodating major deficiencies in managing information and making medical decisions. Increased collaboration between experts in IT and relationship-centered care is needed, along with inclusion of relationship-based measures in informatics research.


The law relating to the transportation of dangerous goods is a complex combination of numerous statutes. The new Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act is intended to be an all-inclusive regulatory scheme. The author points out many problems inherent in the Act and suggests that they are a result of the Act being passed in response to an urgent situation rather than as a result of foresight. The author reviews the current legislation, discusses the reforms contemplated by the Act and presents recommendations.