Aim: High prevalence of child undernutrition is a well-known issue in rural areas of Si Lanka. Identification of real
burden, underlying specific causes and addressing those issues will help to improve the nutritional status of those
children.
Objective: To describe the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among children aged one to five years
in Siyambalanduwa MOH area.
Methodology: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 421 child-mother pairs in Siyambalanduwa
MOH area using two stage cluster sampling method. Data collection done by using pre tested interviewer administered
questionnaire. Relevant anthropometric measurements were done according to WHO slandered guidelines. Statistical
analysis was done using SPSS 20. The chi-square test was used, and P<0.05 was considered for statistically significant.
Results: Overall 41% of children aged 1-5 years were undernourished in Siyambalanduwa MOH area. Among the
study subjects 24% were underweight, 25.7% were stunted, 16.4% were wasted, 9.2% were both underweight &
stunted, 6.8% were both, underweight & wasted, 0.5% were both stunted & wasted and 9.9% were underweight &
stunted g & wasted. Only the low total monthly income (P<0.001) and low birth weight (P<0.001) were significantly
associated with child undernutrition.
Conclusions and recommendations: Prevalence of undernutrition among children aged 1-5 years is unacceptably
high and urgent efforts to reduce undernutrition should be a priority. Future studies should focus on assessing how
to reduce the burden of undernutrition with low cost interventions.


An important characteristic of mature spatial cognition is the ability to encode spatial locations in terms of relations among landmarks as well as in terms of vectors that include distance and direction. In this study, we examined children's use of the relation middle to code the location of a hidden toy, using a procedure adapted from prior work on spatial cognition in gerbils (Collett, Cartwright, & Smith, 1986). Children of 4 and 5 years searched for a hidden toy in a large-scale environment. They were trained to find the toy with either 2 or 1 landmark present. On subsequent trials we altered the number and locations of the landmarks to determine how children represented the location of the toy. With 2 landmarks present during the initial training trial, the children coded both the middle location and the distance and direction from the toy to the landmarks. With 1 landmark present during the training trial, the children coded the location in terms of distance and direction to the single landmark. Our results shed light on seemingly inconsistent prior findings in both human and nonhuman species and indicate that both relational and vector coding are present in young children.


As joint parental authority increasingly becomes the legal norm applied in situations where the parents do not live together, for example, after divorce or the breakup of a relationship, the settlement of disputes regarding the concrete exercise of parental authority gain relevance. A common dispute concerns the relocation of the resident parent. How do the courts deal with relocation disputes? Is relocation dealt with even-handedly between resident and non-resident parents? Do the same principles apply to relocation inside and outside the jurisdiction? This article compares the approaches taken in Dutch and Danish law, as well as the Principles on Parental Responsibilities drafted by the European Commission on Family Law.


Extracranial carotid artery aneurysms are extremely rare aneurysms. Treatment options are conventional open surgery, endovascular surgery, and conservative treatment. Surgical treatment of such aneurysms is challenging and it is important to determine the treatment strategies wisely. There is still no definite association for treatment modalities. In this case report, we present open surgical treatment of a 58-year-old female patient with internal carotid artery aneurysm. The patient was admitted to our clinic with spontaneous pulsatile mass in the right jugular region. Computed tomography angiography shown right internal carotid artery aneurysm. Aneurysm cranial distance was enough to perform end to end anastomosis. Aneurysm was excised by preserving cranial nerves. No complications developed during the postoperative period.


GUIDELINE QUESTION
Is there a role for the use of vinorelbine in the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)?

OBJECTIVE
To make recommendations about the use of vinorelbine in the management of patients with NSCLC.

OUTCOMES
Survival is the primary endpoint of interest. Response and toxicity are secondary endpoints.

PERSPECTIVES
Evidence was selected and reviewed by the 4 members of the Lung Disease Site Group (Lung DSG). Early drafts of this practice guideline were reviewed by the Lung DSG and by the Systemic Treatment Program Committee (STPC). These committees comprise medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists, surgeons, epidemiologists, pharmacists, nurses, a psychologist, a medical sociologist and administrators. No consumers participated in the development of this guideline.

QUALITY OF EVIDENCE
Only evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and phase II studies was evaluated. Six RCTs and 5 phase II studies were reviewed and are discussed in this report. Of the 6 RCTs, 3 have been fully published.

BENEFITS
Vinorelbine, either as a single agent or in combination with cisplatin, produces higher response rates (12%-37%) than other single agent vinca alkaloids (10%-20%) in patients with previously untreated NSCLC. Two of 3 RCTs that reported survival differences demonstrated a survival benefit for previously untreated patients with NSCLC when treated with vinorelbine in combination with cisplatin as compared with patients treated with either vindesine plus cisplatin (p = 0.04) or leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracil (p = 0.03). The third study reported no statistically significant difference between patients treated with vinorelbine alone and those receiving vinorelbine plus cisplatin.

HARMS
The major toxic effects are hematologic. Neutropenia is the dose-limiting toxic effect. However, there is less neurotoxicity than with other vinca alkaloids (e.g., vindesine) and less nausea and vomiting than with other active agents used in the treatment of NSCLC.

PRACTICE GUIDELINE
Evidence from randomized controlled trials supports the use of vinorelbine as an option for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC. Whether vinorelbine is used as a single agent or in combination with cisplatin depends on the anticipated trade-offs between the expected symptomatic benefits of a higher response rate with the combination (as seen in randomized controlled trials) and the increased toxicity. Evidence for a possible survival advantage for the combination of vinorelbine and cisplatin over vinorelbine alone is conflicting. There is insufficient evidence at the present time to advocate the use of vinorelbine in previously treated patients who have recurrent or progressive disease. Similarly, there is insufficient evidence at the present time to advocate the use of vinorelbine as adjuvant or induction therapy for patients with stage I, II or early stage III disease. The enrolment of patients with NSCLC in clinical trials is encouraged.


We study the local convergence of a generalized Steffensen method. We show that this method substantially improves the convergence order of the classical Steffensen method. The convergence order of our method is greater or equal to the number of the controlled nodes used in the Lagrange-type inverse interpolation, which, in its turn, is substantially higher than the convergence orders of the Lagrange type inverse interpolation with uncontrolled nodes (since their convergence order is at most \(2\)).


Identifying the structural rearrangements during photoinduced reactions is a fundamental challenge for understanding from a microscopic perspective the dynamics underlying the functional mechanisms of heme proteins. Here, femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy is applied to follow the ultrafast evolution of two different proteins, each bearing a six-coordinate heme with two amino acid axial ligands. By exploiting the sensitivity of Raman spectra to the structural configuration, we investigate the effects of photolysis and the binding of amino acid residues in cytochrome c and neuroglobin. By comparing the system response for different time delays and Raman pump resonances, we show how detailed properties of atomic motions and energy redistribution can be unveiled. In particular, we demonstrate substantially faster energy flow from the dissociated heme to the protein moiety in cytochrome c, which we assign to the presence of covalent heme–protein bonds.


The story of the taxi in the system of urban mobility is a story of so much unmet potential: There are many opportunities for taxis to play a much larger role in urban mobility, and yet, transportation planners have by and large overlooked these opportunities in practice. In this thesis, I examine whether perceptions--internalized and likely unexamined assumptions about the taxi, largely false--are to blame. I highlight seven commonly held misconceptions about the taxi, and survey a sample of 133 transportation planners to gauge the extent to which these misconceptions are held to be true. The results of the survey at least partially confirm the hypothesis. Taxis appear to be viewed as neither friend nor foe: an isolated industry divorced from transportation concerns, rather than a true partner in a comprehensive system of urban mobility.


Organic dyes have been used extensively in recent years as sensitizers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) due to their high molar extinction coefficients, straightforward synthetic routes and readily available synthetic precursors. Though widely used, these dyes have some drawbacks, such as a tendency to aggregate and to catalyze electron recombination, thereby compromising both photovoltage and photocurrent. To circumvent the above-mentioned shortcomings of organic dyes, we adopt a novel strategy based on the addition of substituted benzene co-solvents to the electrolyte. This approach has several advantageous features which enhance cell performance: first, the substituted benzene molecules penetrate the dye layer to form stable complexes, thereby screening the excited state quenching and increasing the charge separation efficiency in the cell. Second, the benzene additive inhibits the catalytic recombination processes between electrons in TiO2 and the oxidized electrolyte, which increases the device Voc. Finally, despite not being adsorbed to the surface, the benzene derivatives shift the TiO2 conduction band positively, which improves the Jsc. SQ-1 sensitized DSSCs obtained using this strategy show a Jsc of 10.7 mA cm−2, a Voc of 657 mV and a total efficiency of 4.7% which is the best efficiency reported so far for such dyes in DSSCs.


The Scaldback, Arnoglossus kessleri, is an endemic fish to the Mediterranean and Black seas. The present study was conducted to determine the weight-length relationships (WLRs) of this endemic species caught by beam trawl on the Rize province coasts of the southeastern Black Sea, Turkey and to compare the WLRs parameters of A. kessleri from different geographical locality for contributing fisheries management of this fish species in the Black Sea. The WLRs parameters showed that A. kessleri exhibited positive allometric (or hyperallometric) growth characteristics for male and combined data (Pauly' t test, P < 0.05) and isometric growth for female (Pauly' t test, P > 0.05). The values of coefficient (r) for female, male and combined data of this species are different from zero (P < 0.05), indicated that A. kessleri has higher correlation in the WLRs equations. In addition to this, to compare the estimations calculated from the present study with other studies, log(a) values were plotted against values of slope (b), proved to be consistent with previous studies data for unsexed A. kessleri specimens. This study provides new basic information on the WLRs for A. kessleri populations, in support of sustainable fisheries management of this species and especially of the coastal waters in the Black Sea, Turkey.


A new approach for the measurement of the surface coverages of monomolecular films fabricated by spontaneous adsorption of thiol compounds on gold is described. It is based on the mass change measurement with EQCM for the reductive electrochemical desorption of thiol in aqueous KOH solution. The results were compared with that of charge calculation during electrochemical desorption. The surface coverage value for eicosanethiol agrees with that obtained by charge calculation of electrochemical reduction as well as that expected from a geometrical model of the compact monolayer.


Academic self-efficacy is traditionally viewed as one of the most important non-intellective determinants of performance outcomes in student populations. However, undergraduate students are particularly prone to "miscalibration", whereby their self-efficacy beliefs do not align with their performance outcomes. Typically, students believe they are capable of higher performance outcomes than those they achieve. However, little is known about what underlies miscalibration of academic self-efficacy miscalibration. The aim in the present study was therefore to explore potential predictors of academic self-efficacy miscalibration in undergraduate university students. The study investigated the influence of a range of characteristics on the likelihood of being overconfident, underconfident, or calibrated. Participants were 85 undergraduate psychology students, who completed a 64-item online questionnaire assessing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, task value, internal attribution of success, external attribution of failure, previous experience in pre-tertiary psychology, Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) scores, perfectionistic self-presentation, and sex. Participants were prone to miscalibration overall; though in this sample, most were underconfident. Multinomial logistic regression models provided support for the influence extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and task value, the internal attribution of success, pre-tertiary psychology completion, and ATAR scores. Furthermore, several hypotheses were only partially supported; predictor variables differentiated between students according to their calibration group, but not in the anticipated direction. Students were prone to miscalibration nonetheless, thus indicating that educational interventions that specifically target under-confidence in university undergraduates may be necessary.


A heuristic search for stable high-order delta sigma modulators is presented. Searches guided by the Linear Model found stable modulators with higher SNR performance compared to classical filter design techniques. The presented design approach is both more automatic than classical design and can also be weighted such to direct the search toward designs for special purpose. A novel adaptive modulator concept is also presented.


Properties of the Petrov type (3,1) spatially homogeneous vacuum solution and its generalised form with positive or negative cosmological constant are discussed.


Background Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) are central to anti-MM therapy and 3 are currently licensed: bortezomib, carfilzomib and ixazomib, increasing treatment options. Bortezomib (BZ) and carfilzomib (CFZ) have been studied in head-to-head comparison using a CFZ dose of 56mg/m2 in doublet with dexamethasone in relapse (ENDEAVOR), and also at 36mg/m2 in triplet with melphalan and prednisolone in newly diagnosed non-transplant eligible patients. Differing results may relate to dosing and scheduling, as well as to different study populations. There is growing evidence for triplet regimens especially at relapse. Aims The MUK five phase 2 study compared the activity and safety of CFZ and BZ in triplet combination using a CFZ dose of 36mg/m2, with cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (KCD vs VCD), for patients at first relapse, or refractory to no more than 1 prior line of therapy. Methods The study compares 8 cycles of VCD with 6 cycles of KCD (24 weeks treatment), and also assesses the benefit of maintenance carfilzomib in the KCD arm. Participants were randomised (R1) in a 2:1 ratio in favour of KCD, minimisation factors were β2M, prior bortezomib, prior ASCT and timing of first relapse ( 80g/L, neutrophils>1.0x109/L, platelets 50x109/L and GFR>30ml/min. KCD therapy was 28 day cycles of biweekly carfilzomib 20/36mg/m2 IV (weeks 1-3) while VCD was 21 day cycles of biweekly bortezomib 1.3mg/m2 SC (weeks 1 and 2), both with cyclophosphamide 500mg orally weekly (weeks 1-3 only for KCD) and dexamethasone 40mg orally weekly. Co-primary endpoints were ≥VGPR rates at 24 weeks post R1 (powered for non-inferiority comparison, deemed non-inferior (NI) if 90% confidence interval (CI) for odds ratio (OR) >0.8), and PFS from R2 (superiority). Disease response was assessed according to the Modified IWG Uniform Response Criteria, and minimal residual disease (MRD) by multiparameter flow cytometry (10-4). Results From Feb 2013 to Sept 2016, 300 participants were randomised, 201 to KCD and 99 to VCD. Patient and disease features were balanced between arms, median ages 67 and 69 years, 57.5% and 64.6% male, 93.5% and 94.9% ECOG 0-1 for KCD and VCD respectively. Median time from diagnosis was 32.5 and 36.1 months, 50.0% and 45.5% were ISS 2/3, and 66.2 and 67.7% had had an ASCT. While 81.6% of patients in the KCD arm received all 6 treatment cycles, only 53.5% in the VCD arm received all 8 cycles; reasons for stopping treatment were toxicity (KCD, 7%; VCD, 19.2%), disease progression (6.5%, 6.1%) and withdrawal of consent (2.5%, 11.1%). Dose modifications occurred in 78.6%, and 85.4% of patients in the KCD and VCD arms respectively. A total of 196 and 96 patients were evaluable for efficacy analysis in the KCD and VCD arms. Major response (≥VGPR) at 24 weeks for KCD and VCD was 40.2% and 31.9% respectively (OR 1.48; 90% CI (0.95, 2.31), deemed NI). Overall response (≥PR) was 84.0% and 68.1% (OR 2.72; 90% CI (1.62, 4.55); p=0.0014, deemed superior). MRD negativity (all evaluable patients; n=134 KCD, n=48 VCD) at 24 weeks was 16.4% for KCD and 12.5% for VCD. The safety population was 292 patients (KCD, 196; VCD 96). Treatment emergent neuropathy occurred in 21.4% and 56.3% of patients in the KCD and VCD arm, respectively. The proportion of patients with grade ≥3 neuropathy or grade ≥2 neuropathy with pain (key secondary endpoint) was lower with KCD (1.5%, vs 19.8% with VCD; p Conclusion Major response (≥VGPR) to KCD therapy is non-inferior to VCD and overall response rate is superior to VCD over a fixed treatment duration. This may be related to better tolerability and reduced incidence of neurotoxicity with KCD, with superiority of KCD in terms of grade ≥3 neuropathy or grade ≥2 neuropathy with pain. Further details on safety and activity will be presented at the meeting. Disclosures Yong: Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding. Auner: Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding. Williams: Janssen: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria. Cavenagh: Amgen: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria. Kaiser: Chugai: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy, Other: Travel expenses; Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Rabin: Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Other: Travel support for meetings, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Travel support for meetings, Speakers Bureau. Ramasamy: Janssen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria. Garg: Janssen: Other: travel support, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Other: travel support; Novartis: Other: travel support, Research Funding. Hawkins: janssen: Honoraria. Morgan: Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers: Consultancy, Honoraria. Davies: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria. Owen: Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: travel support; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: travel support.


This article gives an overview of the current progress of a class of supramolecular soft materials consisting of fiber networks and the trapped liquid. After discussing the up‐to‐date knowledge on the types of fiber networks and the correlation to the rheological properties, the gelation mechanism turns out to be one of the key subjects for this review. In this concern, the following two aspects will be focused upon: the single fiber network formation and the multi‐domain fiber network formation of this type of material. Concerning the fiber network formation, taking place via nucleation, and the nucleation‐mediated growth and branching mechanism, the theoretical basis of crystallographic mismatch nucleation that governs fiber branching and formation of three‐dimensional fiber networks is presented. In connection to the multi‐domain fiber network formation, which is governed by the primary nucleation and the subsequent formation of single fiber networks from nucleation centers, the control of the primary nucleation rate will be considered. Based on the understanding on the the gelation mechanism, the engineering strategies of soft functional materials of this type will be systematically discussed. These include the control of the nucleation and branching‐controlled fiber network formation in terms of tuning the thermodynamic driving force of the gelling system and introducing suitable additives, as well as introducing ultrasound. Finally, a summary and the outlook of future research on the basis of the nucleation‐growth‐controlled fiber network formation are given.


We present monozygotic twin boys of a triplet pregnancy with phalangeal abnormalities, deafness, a caudal appendage and the additional features of short stature, cryptorchidism, mental retardation and facial dysmorphism.


Anomaly detection in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks is generally difficult due to the large number of users in the network. Exhaustive probing on each user is extremely unrealistic. Besides, unlike hierarchical systems, the infrastructure of a P2P network is flat, which makes multi-casting based probing schemes impossible. Most P2P security research focus on proactive prevention schemes to secure the system. In this paper, we aim to apply passive anomaly detection to estimate the proportion of malicious nodes in the network, without any network parameter information. Two deployment schemes are proposed for different network attacks. We deploy monitoring nodes which maintain both in- and out-of-band P2P communications. Monitoring nodes collaboratively probe one another periodically, and observations at each monitoring node are aggregated by a token message. Simulation results show that after applying our anomaly detection system, we can estimate the status of malicious nodes in a P2P network with high accuracy, and the delivery rate of the network is noticeably increased after successfully blocking suspicious nodes.


Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) responds to heat stress with a shift in partitioning from tubers to shoots. Enzymes responsible for sucrolysis previously have been used as indicators of sink strength and are likely involved in controlling flow of carbon into developing organs. Changes in activity of enzymes involved in sucrose metabolism were investigated in shoots of two potato cultivars that previously were characterized as susceptible and tolerant to heat stress. Enzyme activity of sucrose synthase (SS) and invertases was determined for mature leaves, young leaves, and stems of plants adapted to 21/19 °C, or after transferring plants to 29/27 °C for 3 days. High temperatures resulted in a nonsignificant increase in activities of SS, acid, and neutral invertase in young growing leaves but not in stems or mature leaves. The combined activity of the two invertases was ≈40 times higher than SS activity in young leaves. There was no temperature × genotype interaction with regard to these enzymes in the tissues investigated. A previously reported increase in activity of sucrose-phosphate synthase in mature leaves of plants subjected to high temperature was reversed after these plants were returned to a normal growing temperature.


Abstract Objective: Benzodiazepines (BZD) are often prescribed to address sleep difficulties but many BZD users report a poor quality of sleep. Although social support was found to be associated with quality of sleep in a recent meta-analysis, this relationship was never studied in older BZD users. This study thus aims to examine how social support is associated with quality of sleep in older BZD users. Method: Seventy-two older adults (age 60–85) using BZD were recruited. Data was collected during the pre-test of the ''PASSE-60+; Support program for a successful withdrawal, NCT02281175'' study. Quality of sleep was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while social support was evaluated with the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ-6). Results: When examining the various dimensions of self-reported sleep quality as a whole, we found no significant association with social support, while controlling for daily BZD dose, anxiety and depression. However, we found a significant association between self-reported diurnal dysfunctions (e.g., daytime sleepiness) and satisfaction with social support. Conclusion: Although the results of our study should be replicated with larger samples, they might indicate that social support is not a significant factor influencing sleep quality in older chronic BZD users. Our results could differ from those found in other populations because of the changes in sleep quality associated with long term BZD use. Longitudinal studies should analyse the relationship between diurnal dysfunctions and satisfaction with social support, to examine if social support could help older adults alleviate their diurnal dysfunctions and eventually facilitate BZD tapering.


ABSTRACT The adverse effects of sleep disorders on male fertility are of increased concern. In this study, a rat model of chronic sleep restriction (CSR) was established using the modified multiplatform method. The effects of CSR on the fertility of male rats were evaluated first based on sexual behavior. Serum hormones, including testosterone (T), prolactin (PRL), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and sperm parameters (concentration, viability, motility, deformation rate) were measured, and testicular histology was analysed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The transcriptional differences between CSR rats and control rats were detected by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), and DNA methylation was then detected by bisulfite sequencing. After the differentialy expressed genes of CSR rats were sequenced and screened, representative up- and down-regulated genes were randomly sampled to verify the sequencing results by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Finally, functional annotations were completed, including gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomic (KEGG) pathway analyses. The results showed that the sexual behavior of CSR rats did not change when compared with control group rats. The sperm concentration, viability and motility of the CSR rats decreased significantly, while the sperm malformation rate increased significantly. In the KEGG pathway analysis database, some specific differentially expressed genes were screened, which are involved in metabolic pathways, inflammation-related pathways, the renin-angiotensin system, as well as others. However, the aforesaid differentially expressed genes in the testes were not related to their DNA methylation status. CSR could significantly reduce the fertility of male rats, and one of its mechanisms occurs by altering gene expression in the testes, which is not related to their state of DNA methylation. The results of this study suggest that CSR could cause male infertility by significantly altering the testicular transcriptome. Abbreviations: CSR: chronic sleep restriction; SD: sleep deprivation; RNA-Seq: RNA sequencing; NGS: next generation sequencing; qRT-PCR: real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; KEGG: Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomic; NO: nitric oxide; INOS: Inducible nitric oxide synthase; Il6: interleukin-6; Tnf: tumour necrosis factor alpha; Hsd11b1: hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1; Dnmt3a: DNA methyltransferase 3Ax; PSD: paradoxic sleep deprivation; DNMTs: DNA methyltransferases family; REM: rapid eye movement sleep; PGD: preimplantation genetic diagnosis; PGS: preimplantation genetic screening; ECS: expanded carrier screening; T: testosterone; FSH: follicle stimulating hormone; LH: luteinizing hormone; PRL: prolactin; BC group: Blank Control group; MC group: Model Control group; Hist1h2ba: histone cluster 1 H2ba; Lgr4: leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 4; Atrn: attractin ; Ogg1: 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase; SNVs: single nucleotide variants ; HPG axis: hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Star protein: steroid acute regulatory protein; Dmac2l: distal membrane arm assembly complex 2 like; Esr1: estrogen receptor 1; MAPK pathways: mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways; Sos2: SOS Ras/Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 2; Jak2: Janus kinase 2; Pik3cb: phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, and catalytic subunit beta; Kras: KRAS proto-oncogene and GTPase; RRBS: reduced representation bisulfite sequencing; DEGs: differently expressed genes; SPF: Specific Pathogen Free; HE: hematoxylin & eosin; DMR: differentially methylated region; GO Analysis: Gene Ontology analysis; SINE: short interspersed nuclear elements; LINE: long interspersed nuclear elements; LTR: long terminal repeats


Cloud computing is a mode of acquisition of infrastructure where a cloud service provides on demand computing and on-demand storage, accessible over the web, with a matching business model, namely pay-per-use. Lower cost, sometimes a factor of five, is achieved by automating operations in warehouse-sized data centres, sharing the hefty burden of cooling, physical security, and power backup, and the use of commodity components. As access to storage managed by cloud service providers gained market acceptance, the phrase ?the cloud? came into use to refer to the location of information stored with a cloud service provider to be shared (business documents and photos) or copied for backup (against losing a phone or deleting information on a laptop). Security, and to a lesser extent privacy, concerns are the major barriers to the adoption of cloud computing, but the leading cloud service providers have responded to the point that sensitive information, such as medical records and credit-card-holder data, is now held in the cloud.


Nursing programs are stressful learning environments, and students are expected to maintain high academic performance to successfully graduate. Cognitive test anxiety has been minimally studied among nursing students, including how to successfully manage. The Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS) was administered to 31 students before and after a high-stakes nursing examination. The intervention was inhaled lemon essential oil delivered via a personal nasal device. Neither the control nor the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant change in the CTAS score from pretest to posttest (P = .19). More quantitative studies are warranted with undergraduate nursing students, the CTAS, and aromatherapy to reduce the burden of cognitive test anxiety.


Notch signaling pathway unfolds principal cell communication machinery that plays a vital role in development. It is apparent from several studies that the outcome of Notch signaling is tightly regulated in different cellular context. Notch signaling affects a number of cellular processes at various developmental stages by modulating itself in number of ways to produce different magnitude in the signaling output. It is, therefore, important to understand the context dependent complexity of Notch and various modes of its regulation. This article aims to briefly describe the advances in Notch signaling in Drosophila in the past one year.


Public-private partnership (PPP) is the current procurement model used for largescale public engineering and municipal facilities procurement and is now advocated by governments around the world. Value for money (VfM) assessment is a critical process used to evaluate whether the PPP procurement model applies to a project throughout its lifecycle. VfM assessment aligns with financial capacity assessment and feasibility assessment, providing an essential decision-making reference for project managers and associated with performance measurement (PM) in the ex-post stages, which are linked to the payment model. Therefore, the evaluation of the project through VfM determines the success of the PPP model to a great extent. Through a comprehensive literature review, the dissertation identifies the practical deficiencies for the current VfM assessment process and presents a detailed view of the content of the VfM assessment. Based on that, the dissertation determines the research motivation and formulates detailed research questions and hypotheses to establish a thorough understanding of a knowledge-based management platform to achieve automated processes that support human decision making.
By using the deductive approach, this research leverages knowledge engineering principles and developed a core VfM knowledge base to help manage knowledge in the PPP decision-making process concerning VfM assessment. The system development is based on the design science methodology. In order to integrate information about the engineering project management and VfM assessment, the standardized information exchange processes are first used to develop robust information with project versatility. The Building Information Modelling (BIM) application platform, which uses Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) as the engineering project data source, is connected with the developed information schema, thus establishing the basis for implementing automated information exchange. Second, ontology modeling is used to establish a VfM knowledge base. The various factors associated with the PPP project can be stored in a semantic environment for better identification by engineers. Furthermore, automated project assessment is achieved by developing different rules-based functions in the ontology and combining them with the data platform represented by BIM. By using case studies and action research strategies, this research demonstrates the feasibility of the constructed knowledge base.
Abstract
iv
The main outcomes of the research lie on the definition and screening of information for VfM assessment, as well as the establishment and application of a smart knowledge base. The developed components and software tools have been thoroughly tested, validated and calibrated by leveraging knowledge from experienced domain experts, software companies and other industry partners. Due to the generic development principles adopted in the research, the method, tools and framework can be further extended for other related areas where smart decision making is required


Scan chains provide increased controllability and observability for testing digital circuits. The increased testability, however, can also be a source of information leakage for sensitive designs. The state-of-the-art defenses to secure scan chains apply dynamic keys to pseudo-randomly invert the scan vectors. In this paper, we pinpoint an algebraic vulnerability of these dynamic defenses that involves creating and solving a system of linear equations over the finite field GF(2). In particular, we propose a novel GF(2)-based flush attack that breaks even the most rigorous version of state-of-the-art dynamic defenses. Our experimental results demonstrate that our attack recovers the key as long as 500 bits in less than 7 seconds, the attack times are about one hundredth of state-of-the-art SAT based attacks on the same defenses. We then demonstrate how our attacks can be extended to scan chains compressed with Multiple-Input Signature Registers (MISRs).


From the standpoint of linguophilosophical viewson the system and structure of the language the synthesis of its cognitive and communicative functions determines in its main features the integrative cognitive-discursive paradigm of modern linguistics. The latest achievements of linguistics have actualized the functional and communicative perspective, which involves concentrating the main research interest around speech problems, cognitive and communicative aspects of semantics. The research hypothesis is that linguistic activity and creative ability of an individual are expressed not only with regard to a "linguistic experiment", but also involve a mental experiment, understood as a heuristic strategy of the speaker, a conscious deviation from the norm in order to generate entities with the ludic (playful) charge.


In an aircraft design process, as the design progresses through various design stages, concerted effort to introduce optimization capabilities, explore alternate designs, and introduce novel ideas becomes limited by the process chains, and reliance on higher fidelity analysis. Therefore introduction of global search and optimisation capability is limited to the conceptual design stage, where lower fidelity tools are utilised. These tools, although verified and validated for known trends, limit the exploration of novel design spaces, as they are reliant on empirical data sets. In this work a multidisciplinary program, which is designed to utilise physics based tools to achieve design exploration capabilities, is presented. In addition to this, the code presented aids in the assessment of the impact of structural analysis on the observed design space, for top level geometric parameters. The importance of fidelity variation on the design exploration of the wing configuration for mass, drag and cost is also explored. Presented in this work are trends for wing performance characteristics derived from models for varying structural fidelity, for variations in Aspect Ratio (AR) , Sweep (SWPI), Area (SG), and thickness to chord at the root (t/cr). The models include; a simple beam model, a three dimensional wing box model (with spars, covers, and ribs), and the three dimensional wing box model with the addition of stingers. The trend variance resulting from the inclusion of incremental physics, and certification based analysis in the coupled structural and aerodynamic analysis, provides a guide to the fidelity required to successfully optimise the aircraft wing configuration. Following the assessment of trends, sensitivity studies are conducted for multiple variables, at different levels of structural fidelity. These sensitivity studies allow the visualisation of the wing performance characteristics in two and three dimensions, and facilitate the understanding of design variable sensitivity. Finally Response Surface Models (RSMs) and design space visualisation studies (using parallel and hierarchical axes techniques, and Pareto fronts) were conducted in order to fulfil the overall aims of the thesis; appropriate structural fidelity selection, reduction of the data overhead between design levels, and design space exploration.


According to recent experiments by Wallbank and Holmes (1993, Phys. Rev. A 48 R2515; 1994, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 27 1221) on small angle, slow electron scattering by He atoms in a CO2-laser field, the observed cross section data on free-free transitions are by many orders of magnitude larger than the predictions by the Kroll-Watson scattering formula (1973, Phys. Rev. A 8 804), which are based on the consideration of scattering in a laser field by a single atom. Instead, we show here that a simple model of the collective and coherent scattering of electrons by a quasi-macroscopic laser-induced polarization potential reproduces the observed data surprisingly well.


To fully explore the influences of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) on the properties of sweet-potato-starch (SPS)-based films, five SFAs were chosen to add to SPS. The SPS-based films were prepared by casting. The microstructure, mechanical, optical, water vapor barrier, and thermal properties of the films were investigated. The 2.0% (w/w, on the basis of starch) SFA significantly changed the SPS pasting characteristics in the peak viscosity, breakdown, and other feature point viscosity values as determined by a Rapid Visco Analyser. The amylose molecular weights decreased as measured by high-performance size exclusion chromatography. A thermal study with differential scanning calorimetry suggested that the addition of SFA increased the onset temperature and peak temperature. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) images showed a continuous and uniform structure in the films with SFA. The SPS–SFA composite films showed lower light transmission and elongation at break than the control. Compared with the control films, the addition of SFA increased the tensile strength and decreased the water vapor permeability of the films. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41380.


Most of current camera calibration methods for a non-metric digital camera adopt polynomials of image coordinates composed of terms representing the correction to the principal distance, the offsets of the principal point, the radial lens distortion, and the decentering lens distortion of the target camera as the image distortion model. However, there is no standard procedure to evaluate appropriateness of parameter selection of the image distortion model. Therefore, we conducted a field experiment on parameter selection of the ordinary image distortion model widely used for camera calibration. We adopted a calibration method using a set of calibration points distributed on the 2-D plane with no ground survey. Four non-metric digital cameras were calibrated in the filed experiment. 16 rounds of camera calibration for six different parameter sets of the image distortion model were conducted. Evaluation of calibration results was performed by differences of image distortions calculated at all pixels on image between the obtained image distortion models. The experiment results indicate that the adoption of the decentering lens distortion component has the significant influence on the estimation of the distribution of image distortion, even if the magnitude of the decentering lens distortion component is small.


In this paper, we study the phenomenon of stochastic resonance (SR) in a periodically driven bistable system with correlations between multiplicative and additive white noise terms when there are two different kinds of time delays existed in the deterministic and fluctuating forces, respectively. Using the small time delay approximation and the theory of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the adiabatic limit, the expression of SNR is obtained. The effects of the delay time τ in the deterministic force, and the delay time θ in the fluctuating force on SNR are discussed. Based on the numerical computation, it is found that: (i) There appears a reentrant transition between one peak and two peaks and then to one peak again in the curve of SNR when the value of the time delay θ is increased. (ii) SR can be realized by tuning the time delay τ or θ with fixed noise, i.e., delay-induced stochastic resonance (DSR) exists.


Phototherapy is commonly used for the treatment of neonatal jaundice. Riboflavin is a photosensitizer that generates singlet oxygen, which promotes bilirubin photodecomposition. Metalloporphyrins are also effective photosensitizers. The effect of a combined dosing regimen of riboflavin and metalloporphyrins was studied, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the phototherapeutic treatment of hyperbilirubinemia. It was envisaged that riboflavin and the metalloporphyrins, by promoting the photodecomposition of bilirubin, would thereby lead to a reduction of the toxic side effects associated with phototherapy. The results shows that a phototherapeutic treatment, in which riboflavin and metalloporphyrins were co-administered, was effective in reducing Heme Oxygenase activity. However, a comprehensive study of the possible side effects of metalloporphyrin treatment in the wavelength under consideration is essential prior to utilizing these compounds for any clinical applications.


The calcaneus secundarius (CS) is a small accessory ossicle of the anterior calcaneal facet. A sample of 1,367 calcanei including early 20th century U.S. blacks and whites, XIIth Dynasty Egyptians, Islamic Period Bahrainis, and protohistoric American Indians from two states were examined to determine the frequency of this nonmetric trait. Statistical testing of the correlation of the trait with sex could only be performed on the blacks and whites, a documented cadaver collection. Tests of chi 2 indicated that, although sex differences were insignificant, significant group (not necessarily racial or geographical) differences existed at the .05 level. There was no correlation of side dominance in the overall sample, although significant population differences existed. The trait frequencies of the black and white samples were more similar to one another than to the nonindustrial groups who, in turn, were more similar to each other than to the Terry sample. The findings suggest that a CS is of genetic or congenital origin resulting in a secondary center of ossification in the anterior calcaneal facet.


How to make German lessons more interesting for students? How to motivate them to work more independently, to be creative and to think critically? What else is interesting for them when they use smartphones, social networks, etc. on a daily basis?
The widespread use of ICT has not only changed the daily activities and lifestyles of individuals but has also had a profound impact on education at all levels.
The joint foreign languages session of secondary school students and ninth graders had to be prepared in a way that was close to them. The COVID -19 pandemic and its associated quarantine have left many of us feeling trapped in a constant state of escape. Therefore, a virtual escape room entitled "Who Stole the Goldfish?" seemed appropriate for this workshop. Using their mobile phones, students entered a virtual world where they could communicate and collaborate without boundaries. The online escape room offered a series of clues, challenges, puzzles, and visual elements that led them to the solution - the discovery of the culprit.
The goals of the session were to promote problem solving and team building, develop group problem solving and listening skills, and build better communication skills for collaboration.
Keywords: German lessons, use of ICT, escape room, team problem solving, communication skills


Separate abstracts were prepared for 20 papers in this report. For several years the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER), has supported a research program aimed at developing new experimental approaches for the improvement of cancer risk assessments. The central issue is to overcome the organizational, species and other barriers that make it difficult to extrapolate laboratory-based data to predict risk to man. Most of the participants at the meeting are involved in research aimed at understanding the mechanism(s) of chemical carcinogenesis. Complex mixtures of chemicals are associated with many energy technologies. DOE's initial program emphasis focused on semi-applied research aimed at quantitative evaluation of carcinogenic activity of complex materials. Since much progress has been made in DOE integrated technology-specific chemical-biological characterization studies, the number and kinds of chemicals of concern has been reduced to a relatively few well-defined classes. Although the classes of compounds seem to be unique to some of the synfuel technologies, they are quite similar to compounds of general interest, for example, poly-nuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Special emphasis was placed on molecular and cellular dosimetry as one of the key requirements for quantitative comparison of effects at the cell level in vivomore » and in vitro. Although it is relatively easy to measure cell, tissue, organ and whole organism doses associated with radiation exposures, we are just learning how to do this for chemical agents. Several methods have been developed in the past several years which can be used.« less


Abstract Introduction This study assessed the association of exclusive and concurrent use of cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and cigars with ever and past 12-month wheezing symptoms among a nationally representative sample of US adult current tobacco users. Methods Cross-sectional data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 3 (W3) were used. The weighted prevalence of self-reported ever and past 12-month wheezing symptoms for noncurrent users compared with users of cigarettes, ENDS, cigars, and any combination of these products (polytobacco use of these tobacco products) were presented for 28 082 adults. The cross-sectional association of tobacco use with self-reported wheezing symptoms was assessed using weighted multivariable and ordinal logistic regression with consideration of complex sampling design. Results Significantly higher odds of ever had wheezing or whistling in the chest at any time in the past were observed among current cigarette (adjusted odds ratio: 2.62, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.35, 2.91), ENDS (1.49, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.95), and polytobacco users (2.67, 95% CI: 2.26, 3.16) compared with noncurrent users. No associations were seen for cigar use. Polytobacco use was associated with a higher odds of ever wheezing when compared with exclusive ENDS (1.61, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.17) and exclusive cigar use (2.87, 95% CI: 1.93, 4.26), but not exclusive use of cigarettes. Conclusions Ever wheezing is associated with the use of cigarettes, ENDS, and polytobacco use of cigarettes, ENDS, and/or cigars, but not cigar use. The association of polytobacco use and wheezing appears to be driven by cigarette use. Implications Cross-sectional associations with ever and past 12-month wheezing symptoms were found to be the strongest among cigarette users, exclusively or in combination. Future longitudinal research is needed to better understand how cigarette use interacts with other tobacco and nicotine products and contributes to respiratory symptoms.


In previous reports we demonstrated that glucose deprivation induces metabolic oxidative stress in drug-resistant human breast carcinoma MCF-7/ADR cells (Lee, Y. J., Galoforo, S. S., Berns, c. M., Chen, J. C., Davis, B. H., Swim, J. E., Corry, P. M., and Spitz, D. R. (1998)J. Biol. Chem. 273, 5294–5299). In the study described here, we investigated intracellular responses to metabolic oxidative stress. Northern blots show an increase in the level ofHSP70 and HSP28 mRNA in cells exposed to glucose-free medium for 1 h. One- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel analyses confirmed that glucose deprivation induced a family of HSPs, particularly an inducible HSP70. Overexpression of bcl-2 suppressed glucose deprivation-induced HSP70 gene expression, heat shock transcription factor-heat shock element binding activity, as well as c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK1) activation. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of JNK1 also suppressed glucose deprivation-induced JNK1 activation as well asHSP70 gene expression. Taken together, the stress-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway is involved in glucose deprivation-induced heat shock gene expression.


We investigate the rate-distortion (R-D) characteristics of full ultra-high definition (UHD) 360° videos and capture corresponding head movement navigation data of virtual reality (VR) headsets. We use the navigation data to analyze how users explore the 360° look-around panorama for such content and formulate related statistical models. The developed R-D characteristics and modeling capture the spatiotemporal encoding efficiency of the content at multiple scales and can be exploited to enable higher operational efficiency in key use cases. The high quality expectations for next generation immersive media necessitate the understanding of these intrinsic navigation and content characteristics of full UHD 360° videos.


Microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) instability within genes can induce genetic variation. The SSR signatures remain largely unknown in different clades within Euarchontoglires, one of the most successful mammalian radiations. Here, we conducted a genome-wide characterization of microsatellite distribution patterns at different taxonomic levels in 153 Euarchontoglires genomes. Our results showed that the abundance and density of the SSRs were significantly positively correlated with primate genome size, but no significant relationship with the genome size of rodents was found. Furthermore, a higher level of complexity for perfect SSR (P-SSR) attributes was observed in rodents than in primates. The most frequent type of P-SSR was the mononucleotide P-SSR in the genomes of primates, tree shrews, and colugos, while mononucleotide or dinucleotide motif types were dominant in the genomes of rodents and lagomorphs. Furthermore, (A)n was the most abundant motif in primate genomes, but (A)n, (AC)n, or (AG)n was the most abundant motif in rodent genomes which even varied within the same genus. The GC content and the repeat copy numbers of P-SSRs varied in different species when compared at different taxonomic levels, reflecting underlying differences in SSR mutation processes. Notably, the CDSs containing P-SSRs were categorized by functions and pathways using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes annotations, highlighting their roles in transcription regulation. Generally, this work will aid future studies of the functional roles of the taxonomic features of microsatellites during the evolution of mammals in Euarchontoglires.


City-scale sensing holds the promise of enabling a deeper understanding of our urban environments. However, a city-scale deployment requires physical installation, power management, and communications all challenging tasks standing between a good idea and a realized one. This indicates the need for a platform that enables easy deployment and experimentation for applications operating at city scale. To address these challenges, we present Signpost, a modular, energy-harvesting platform for city-scale sensing. Signpost simplifies deployment by eliminating the need for connection to wired infrastructure and instead harvesting energy from an integrated solar panel. The platform furnishes the key resources necessary to support multiple, pluggable sensor modules while providing fair, safe, and reliable sharing in the face of dynamic energy constraints. We deploy Signpost with several sensor modules, showing the viability of an energy-harvesting, multi-tenant, sensing system, and evaluate its ability to support sensing applications. We believe Signpost reduces the difficulty inherent in city-scale deployments, enables new experimentation, and provides improved insights into urban health.


Abstract:This article explores the production and circulation of murder ballads and crime reports, and the potential feelings that these mass-produced narratives generated among the Ottoman reading public at the end of the nineteenth century. It argues that, on the one hand, these crime narratives bolstered the ominous and unsettling image of Istanbul and informed residents of the city that the perpetrators of the crime had either been executed, sentenced to death, or captured and facing trial. Thus, this news instilled the idea that the administrative system was working well and a safe city environment was ensured. On the other hand, the proliferation of these crime narratives, whether based in reality or fantasy, especially after the 1880s, cultivated a "growing appetite for crime stories" and created a mass audience composed of new social actors and new urban spectators who positioned themselves in relation to the protagonists of these narratives. This world of perception enthusiastically welcomed crime stories as they fed the popular imagination in exciting new ways, allowing individuals to experience novel urban spectacles that were neither possible nor imaginable previously.


In oxide materials, the presence of dislocations often strongly affects the properties of thin film and multilayer devices. Although it was reported that ionic conduction can be enhanced by introducing dislocations in ionic conductors, the underlying mechanism of such enhancement remains unclear. Here we analyzed the ionic conduction enhancement in an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) single edge dislocation from a structural point of view, using atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). First, the atomic structure and chemistry of a dislocation in YSZ were characterized by STEM and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). A relative ionic conduction variation map around the dislocation was then estimated based on the well-established strain-conductivity and chemistry-conductivity relationships in YSZ. We propose that a faster ionic conductivity path can be formed around the dislocation core due to the coupling of the tensile strain field and dopant segregation, which could account for enhanced ionic conductivity along dislocations.


Study Design This study adopted a retrospective cohort study design. Purpose This study aimed to clarify the influence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) on bone fusion after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Overview of Literature The negative effects of DISH on lumbar degenerative diseases have been reported, and DISH may be involved in the onset and severity of lumbar spinal canal stenosis. Patients with DISH have significantly more reoperations after posterior lumbar fusion, including TLIF. However, the effects of DISH on bone fusion after TLIF have not been reported. Methods The medical records of patients with intervertebral TLIF from 2012 to 2018 were retrospectively examined. The patients were divided into those with fusion and those with pseudoarthrosis, and the following data were compared: age, sex, DISH, diabetes mellitus, smoking, drinking, albumin levels, body mass index ≥30 kg/m2, and L5/S fixation. Statistical analyses were performed using regression models. Results In this study, 180 patients (78.6%) had fusion and 49 patients (21.4%) had pseudoarthrosis. The number of patients with DISH was significantly higher in the pseudoarthrosis group than in the fusion group (36.7% and 21.7%, respectively; univariate p=0.031, multivariate p=0.019). No significant differences in age, sex, diabetes mellitus, smoking, drinking, albumin levels, body mass index ≥30 kg/m2, and L5/S fixation were observed between the two groups. The risk factors for bone fusion were statistically analyzed in 57 patients with DISH. DISH with a caudal end below Th11 was an independent risk factor for pseudoarthrosis (univariate p=0.011, multivariate p=0.033). Conclusions DISH is an independent risk factor for pseudoarthrosis after one intervertebral TLIF, and DISH with a caudal end below Th11 is associated with a higher risk of pseudoarthrosis than DISH without a caudal end below Th11.


Abstract:While a growing body of research points to considerable sexual concerns among women with an eating disorder, this research predominantly focuses on Western samples of Euro-Caucasian women. As eating disorder rates continue to increase globally, research on sexuality and disordered eating among ethnically diverse samples is needed to understand whether these associations differ cross-culturally. The present study examined disordered eating and sexual concerns in Chinese and Euro-Caucasian undergraduate women. Chinese (n = 512; Mage = 20) and Euro-Caucasian (n = 494; Mage = 21) undergraduate women completed online questionnaires assessing sexual function, sexual insecurities, symptoms of disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and psychological traits of eating disorders. In both samples, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and psychological traits of eating disorders were associated with increased sexual concerns. Group membership only moderated the associations between disordered eating and performance-based cognitive distractions, such that it was stronger in Euro-Caucasian women. These findings might be used to develop cross-cultural interventions that address sexual concerns and disordered eating.


by JOHN ALLEN STEPHENS (Under the direction of Beatrice Hanssen) ABSTRACT In Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy and Walter Benjamin's "The Storyteller" the emergence of art is based on cultural traditions which are negated by modernizing forces. For Nietzsche these modernizing forces can be negated by the re-emergence of tragedy through the "German spirit" that possesses the same capacity for aesthetic sensitivity and creativity as the Hellenic genius of Greek tragedy. For Benjamin however, modern culture is unable to utilize storytelling as a remedy for the modern world's loss of meaning. Under Benjamin's perspective of historical realism, culture and social structure are both tied to particular historical moments, and the present is unable to recover past experiences. This thesis considers how Nietzsche and Benjamin assess the connection between art and culture, and how these philosophies of literature reflect different assessments of the possibilty of the rebirth of art.


Mutualism, or the type of positive interaction in which species exploit each other for reciprocal benefits, plays a central role in the maintenance of life on earth. Since all species need to interact with others for survival, mutualistic interactions are not isolated but assemble into complex networks. Known examples of such networks are those formed by the reciprocal dependence of flower plants on their insect pollinators, or that of fruit trees on their animal seed-dispersers. Albeit their complexity, mutualistic networks are self-organized in nature for ecosystem functioning, with detectable non-random network structures and architectures [1].  However, whether network complexity and structures contribute to network stability remain an ongoing debate [2,3]. The universality of network structures suggests the existence of some general mechanisms underlying network functioning.  These mechanisms are often related to both past evolutionary history and current ecological processes [4]. By using an eco-evolutionary model based on adaptive dynamics theory [5], we explore the evolution of mutualistic network complexity through time at both fast ecological and slow evolutionary time scales. The model depicts simultaneously the evolutionary dynamics of functional traits and the ecological dynamics of population densities. Specifically, we explore the relationship between mutualistic network structures and network stability and investigate on how this relationship changes as time evolves


Abstract The cactus enthusiasts of our world place a high intrinsic value on their work! It seems the more rare or endangered the point of view, the greater the desirability. Some are mostly eager to complete their collection; others deal with propagation, while still more debate taxonomic and nomenclatural status. Europeans especially like to publish about lost or missing species or even new locations, the "non plus ultra". Something different occurs in the home countries of succulents where increasingly practical issues of species conservation are pushing into focus. This background is especially important for the entity known as Echinocereus melanocentrus later described as E. reichenbachii var. albertii, which is endemic to south Texas. Despite the efforts of the Texas government, these cacti are caught between conflicting land use issues. As a result the conservation efforts regarding these cacti in Texas shall be improved. In this context, the present article is intended as taxonomic-nomenclatural awareness training as well as documentation and call for help regarding the habitat conditions. Hopefully, the characteristics that we admire in cultivation in the European greenhouse can be returned to the native land. The description and naming of the white-blooming cultivar 'Margaret' acknowledges the widow of the eponymous Dr. Richard O. Albert for their support for earlier fieldwork. It is hoped that this publication has a positive influence on the fate of this small, extremely interesting, and worthy of culture cactus.


We have a problem with a lack of mass (or liquidity?) in the universe from the first big bang that occurred circa 15 billion years ago. The Hadron collider has been designed to provide us with some new insights into the origins of the universe by unlocking the mysteries of the strange world that is sub-atomic particle physics. But for now lets set this fabulous experiment to one side and concentrate on the fallout from the second big bang that occurred circa 1986.The recent gymnastics in the banking system have generated a veritable cornucopia of hypothesis as to what went wrong and who should now be consigned to the stocks. Fred and Fanny, spivs and speculators, buccaneering be-knighted bankers, those damn productive Chinese with their $2 trillion export surplus and of course, G. Dubya Bush. Financial commentators with a reputation for sober analysis,have been forced to stretch hyperbole beyond its natural elasticity.These economists appear to be truly astounded by what has happened, for they all come from the same tradition that has imbued them - like Voltaire's Candide - with an intrinsic belief that the so called, 'free market' is 'the best of all possible worlds'.


In the process of metal cutting, the cutting performance of cutting tools varies with different parameter combinations, so the results of the performance indicators studied are also different. So in order to achieve the best performance indicator it is necessary to get the best parameter matching combination. In addition, in the process of metal cutting, the value of the performance index is different at each stage of the processing process. In order to consider the cutting process more comprehensively, it is necessary to use a comprehensive evaluation method that can evaluate the dynamic process of performance indicators. This paper uses a dynamic evaluation method that considers the dynamic change of performance indicators in each stage of the cutting process to comprehensively evaluate the tool parameters and cutting parameters at each level. For the purpose of high processing efficiency and long tool life, tool wear rate and material removal rate are used as performance indicators. In the case of specified rake angle, cutting speed and cutting width, titanium alloy is studied by end milling cutter side milling. The tool parameters and cutting parameters in milling process are optimized by using a dynamic comprehensive evaluation method based on gain horizontal excitation. Finally, the parameter matching combination that can make the performance indicator reach the best is obtained. The results show that when the rake angle is 8°, the cutting speed is 37.68 m/min, and the cutting width is 0.2 mm, the tool wear rate and material removal rate are the best when the clearance angle is 9°, the helix angle is 30°, the feed per tooth is 0.15 mm/z, and the cutting depth is 2.5 mm.


Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging computing concept that describes a structure in which everyday physical objects, each provided with unique identifiers, are connected to the Internet without requiring human interaction. Long-term and self-sustainable operation are key components for realization of such a complex network, and entail energy-aware devices that are potentially capable of harvesting their required energy from ambient sources. Among different energy harvesting methods such as vibration, light and thermal energy extraction, wireless energy harvesting (WEH) has proven to be one of the most promising solutions by virtue of its simplicity, ease of implementation and availability. In this article, we present an overview of enabling technologies for efficient WEH, analyze the life-time of WEH-enabled IoT devices, and briefly study the future trends in the design of efficient WEH systems and research challenges that lie ahead.


A review of the extensive literature on the subject indicates that sex hormones have been associated with a wide variety of adverse clinical conditions following usage during pregnancy. About 230 cases of female pseudohermaphroditism have been reported following use of hormones with androgenic potency, but masculinization observed with estrogens in a few females may represent only adrenal-stimulated pseudohermaphroditism. Feminization of males, mostly by progestogens in some 45 cases, is unproven at present. Realizing the limitations of the published studies when all present data are considered, there seems no justification for undue concern over the induction of nongenital congenital malformations through hormone use in pregnancy. The available data on the association to cardiac, limb, and CNS defects, and to several malformative syndromes, are not convincing: the effects appear to be remarkably nonspecific, the studies are contradicted by a large number of negative reports, and an increased incidence of defects with increased usage has not materialized. A possible exception are the CNS malformations associated with the use of the antifertility agent clomiphene, and careful surveillance is warranted at present. While a reasonable interpretation from this review would be that hormones present no major teratogenic hazard, elimination of hormonal exposure whenever possible during pregnancy is suggested.


Organizations in the health care sector are increasingly managed and judged on the basis of economic criteria. At the same time they are faced with growing risks which necessitate 'appropriate' reserves. Various major risks are mentioned in this paper. Health care organizations are allowed to form provisions instead of reserves, for some of these risks. The conditions under which this is allowed are discussed, as are the criteria which indicate the differences between reserves and provisions. The main part of this paper consists of a critical description and analysis of two models which can be used to determine the 'appropriate' size of reserves of health care organizations.


Abstract Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease that occurs when the pancreas is not producing enough insulin or when the insulin that it does produce is not able to be used effectively in the body. This results in hyperglycemia and if the blood sugars are not controlled, then it can lead to serious damage of various body systems, especially the nerves and the blood vessels. Uncontrolled diabetes is a major cause of kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and amputation. One of the most devastating complications for patients is diabetic retinopathy (DR) which represents the leading cause of preventable vision loss in people between 20 and 65 years of age. Sodium glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been shown to reduce the risk for cardiovascular and renal events, however literature highlighting their potential role to prevent DR is limited. We therefore used a relevant mouse model (Akimba) to explore the effects of the SGLT2 inhibitor, Empagliflozin (EMPA), on the development of diabetic retinal changes. Here we show that when given in the early stages of type 1 diabetes (T1D), EMPA reduced the weight loss usually associated with T1D, decreased diabetes-associated polydipsia, lowered fasting blood glucose levels, decreased kidney-to-body weight ratios and, most importantly in the current context, substantially reduced retinal abnormalities associated with DR. We show that EMPA reduces vascular leakage indicated by lower albumin staining in the vitreous humor and diminishes expression of the pathogenic factor VEGF in the retina. Additionally, EMPA significantly alters the retinal genetic signature. Our findings suggest that SGLT2 inhibition may be a useful therapeutic approach to prevent the development of DR and its severity if given early in the disease process.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to explore the role of the transforming growth factor-β/mitogen activated protein kinase (TGF-β/MAPK) signaling pathway in the effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on urinary control and interstitial cystitis in a rat model of urinary bladder transplantation.

METHODS
A urinary bladder transplantation model was established using Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were assigned to normal (blank control), negative control (phosphate-buffered saline injection), BMSCs (BMSC injection), sp600125 (MAPK inhibitor injection), or protamine sulfate (protamine sulfate injection) groups. Immunohistochemistry, urodynamic testing, hematoxylin-eosin staining, Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and MTT assay were used to assess BMSC growth, the kinetics of bladder urinary excretion, pathological changes in bladder tissue, bladder tissue ultrastructure, the expression of TGF-β/MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins, levels of inflammatory cytokines, and the effects of antiproliferative factor on cell proliferation.

RESULTS
Compared with normal, negative control, BMSCs, and sp600125 groups, rats in the PS group exhibited decreased discharge volume, maximal micturition volume, contraction interval, and bladder capacity but increased residual urine volume, bladder pressure, bladder peak pressure, expression of TGF-β/MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins, levels of inflammatory cytokines, and growth inhibition rate. Levels of inflammatory cytokines and the growth inhibition rate were positively correlated with the expression of TGF-β/MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings demonstrate that the TGF-β/MAPK signaling pathway mediates the beneficial effects of BMSCs on urinary control and interstitial cystitis.


. In this paper we investigate the localization and mass spectra of bulk matter fields on a Gergory-Rubakov-Sibiryakov-inspired braneworld. In this braneworld model, there are one thick brane located at the origin of the extra dimension and two thin branes at two sides. For spin 1 / 2 fermions coupled with the background scalar φ via η ¯Ψ φ p Ψ with p a positive odd integer, the zero mode of left-hand fermions can be localized on the thick brane for finite distance of the two thin branes, and there exist some massive bound modes and resonance modes. The resonances correspond to the quasi-localized massive fermions. For free massless spin 0 scalars, the zero mode can not be localized on the thick brane when the two thin branes are located finitely. While for a massive scalar Φ coupled with itself and the background scalar field φ , in order to get a localized zero mode on the thick brane, a fine-tuning relation should be introduced. Some massive bound modes and resonances also will appear. For spin 1 vectors, there is no bound KK mode because the effective potential felt by vectors vanishes outside the two thin branes. We also investigate the physics when the distance of the two thin branes tends to infinity.


The comparison of the clinical results and costs of the two methods of closure of patient ductus arteriosus was undertaken in two comparable groups of 40 patients treated in the same period in the same hospital. After transcatheter closure there was a 9% residual shunt rate at 3 years, the 2 patients with a residual continuous murmur being operated secondarily. The only complication was severe haemolysis which regressed after transcatheter ablation of the prosthesis. After surgical closure, there were no residual shunt. Some postoperative complications were observed in 20% of cases, usually benign (ventilatory problems, dysphonia or urinary infection), but occasionally more serious (peroperative lesion of the pulmonary artery). Morbidity, inherent to the technique of closure, was very different and much less in catheter closure. The average cost (daily cost x average length of hospital stay) was much less with transcatheter closure 38,558 francs versus 11,240 francs. On the other hand, the direct cost of transcatheter closure was greater than that of surgery: 32,798 francs versus 20,903 francs, the difference being related to the actual price of the prosthesis. The authors conclude that the 3 year results of transcatheter closure of patent ductus arterious make this technique a reasonable therapeutic alternative to surgery. From the safety point of view, the two techniques are comparable bu patient confort is greater with transcatheter closure for an increase in cost of the initial procedure which should decrease in relation to the types and prices of the prosthesis used.


According to the Polish Banking Supervision (KNF) statistics , banking mortgage loans total 22.4% of the overall assets of the Polish banking credit portfolio as of January 2015 data. Around 15% of those loans might have Loan To Property Value proportion (LTV) exceeding 100%. Rapid growth of mortgage loans in Poland was the result of growth of foreign currency mortgage loans. That was the typical situation for Central and Eastern European Countries. In the Polish banking sector, collective provisions typical for retail segment including IBNR (Identified but nor Reported Loss Provisions) provision applied under current IAS 39 seems to be too low to cover credit risk. Assuming conservative credit risk parameters in determining collective provisions might affect adversely the financial situation of the Polish banks. The financial results of the Polish banks might go down considerably. In addition, borrowers having loans denominated in foreign currency have won certain legal cases in Europe and in Poland. Therefore, the presence of the foreign currency denominated mortgage loans (FCML) in the Polish banking sector represents an element of the systemic risk and has to be solved. Growth of FCML weakens the abilities of central banks to control over credit creation and to steer monetary policy. On the other hand, compulsory conversion of the mortgage loans hitherto denominated in foreign currency into mortgage loans in Polish zloty by special law, might create considerable losses in the Polish banking sector and reduction of Capital Adequacy Ratio of the Polish banks. Therefore, direct replication of the Hungarian style legal solution of the foreign currency banking (compulsory loan currency conversion into PLN) loans might create problems in the Polish banking sector. Moreover, potential state aid devoted to some borrowers in Poland that have saved significant amount of money having cheaper foreign currency mortgage loans is controversial from the social justice point of view. Law should not treat favourable one group of borrowers at the expense of the another one. Any legal solutions to sort out the problem of foreign currency loans have to take these facts into consideration. Given that background, the paper present several ways to resolve the problem of the foreign currency loans in the Polish banking sector. Complex solution how to tackle FCML problem in the Polish banking sector is needed. Any realistic solution is going to be is linked with extra provisioning after thorough investigation of real nature of FCML borrowers in Poland (households) and their financial standing. Polish Banking Supervision (KNF) should play a leading role in initiating such survey leading to more credible credit risk parameters in IAS 39.


Nutrient and hormonal regulation of systemic lipid and glucose handling Laelie Allison Snook University of Guelph, 2016 Advisors: Dr. Graham P. Holloway Dr. David C. Wright Nutrient uptake into skeletal muscle involves the redistribution of specific transport proteins to the plasma membrane, events that are tightly regulated by various cellular signals, including the hormone insulin. However, a dysregulatation in nutrient homeostasis causes insulin resistance, a process related to attenuated skeletal muscle glucose transporter (GLUT4), and exaggerated redistribution of fatty acid transporters (i.e. FAT/CD36), at the plasma membrane. Therefore, this thesis investigated the hormonal regulation of nutrient uptake, as well as the ability of prior exercise training to combat high fat diet induced metabolic perturbations. Study one examined post-prandial control of GLUT4 subcellular localization in muscle. This study demonstrated that a mixed carbohydrateand fat-containing meal increased circulating GIP and improved whole body glucose clearance. Moreover, in skeletal muscle, GIP directly stimulated glucose uptake and increased plasmalemmal GLUT4 independent of insulin, highlighting a novel mechanism for GIP. Hyperinsulinemia has been proposed to result in FAT/CD36 redistribution to the plasma membrane, influencing ectopic lipid accumulation and insulin resistance. However, study two demonstrated that although a pharmacological dose of insulin is sufficient to cause fatty acid transporter plasmalemmal accumulation, this relocation is brief and cannot explain the responses observed post-prandially or during a high-fat challenge. Rather, acute and chronic translocation of fat transporters was matched to increased circulating free fatty acids, suggesting lipids may regulate fatty acid transporter subcellular location. Adipose tissue metabolism is known to influence whole body insulin sensitivity, and is responsive to exercise training. Therefore, in the third study I utilized prior exercise training to examine the protective effects on high fat diet-induced insulin resistance, and potential mechanisms in diverse tissues. I determined that prior training blunted high fat diet-induced weight gain and glucose intolerance independently of food intake and cage activity, responses associated with increased mitochondrial enzyme content in white adipose tissue and increased UCP-1 content in brown adipose tissue. Together, this thesis adds to our understanding of the signals mediating nutrient transporter cycling in skeletal muscle, potentially providing new targets for the treatment of insulin resistance. Additionally, this thesis further emphasizes the importance of regular exercise on metabolic health, specifically in the face of nutrient over-


Noninvasive evaluation of the health of the vasculature is an increasingly important approach to identifying individuals at risk for cardiovascular morbid events. Vascular health assessment involves functional and structural examination of the large and small arteries. Endothelial dysfunction, which alters small artery function, is a key contributor to progressive structural vascular changes. Ultrasonography of conduit arteries and aortic pulse-wave velocity provide information limited to structural changes in large arteries. Comprehensive assessment of the large and small arteries is best carried out by pulse-contour analysis. This can provide insight into functional and structural abnormalities in the small as well as the large arteries, and may be useful in monitoring response to therapy.


Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) testing is increasingly used for cervical cancer screening in conjunction with cervical cytology. Although privacy, cultural, and infrastructure issues challenge the effective implementation of HPV testing for cervical cancer screening worldwide, several countries have already implemented HPV testing in their screening protocols. There are currently no tests that can reliably identify the patients with abnormal cytology and positive oncogenic HPV results (HPV+) that need to be referred for colposcopy. A useful triage test from cytology to colposcopy must discriminate the patients with a Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) lesion that are more likely to progress to cervical cancer (CIN2+), from those that are less likely to progress. We set out to identify a panel of methylated HPV and human genes that can discriminate between CIN2+ and normal/CIN1 patients, first in cytology samples and then in urine samples. The Reverse Line Blot Assay identified high-risk HPV types in study participants from a Discovery cohort (n=96): 31 women with normal cervical cytology and 65 women with dysplasia (LSIL, n=43) and (HSIL, n=22). We developed custom sequence capture pools of baits to pull down genomic (Roche SeqCap EZ) and bisulfite converted high-risk HPV DNA (Agilent SureSelect) from urine, before library prep for NGS in a Roche 454 and MiSeq instruments, respectively. We also optimzed a qPCR assay to identify high risk HPV types, and quantitative Methylation Specific PCR (qMSP) assays to examine methylated HPV and human genes, in Pap smear DNA and TrDNA samples from women with normal Pap and women with CIN1, CIN2 and CIN3 lesions (n=80). The human genes selected for the qMSP assays, ZNF516, FKBP6, and INTS1, were identified in a previously published genome-wide analysis of the cevical cancer methylome using Nimblegen 385K CpG plus Promoters oligonucleotide tiling arrays. Presence of high-risk HPV in cervical epithelium correctly classified 37% of HSIL when compared with LSIL patients, with 61% sensitivity and 22% specificity. Promoter methylation of INTS1 correctly classified 67% (31% sensitivity, 92% specificity), promoter methylation of ZNF516 correctly classified 54% (11% sensitivity, 84% specificity), promoter methylation of FKBP6 correctly classified 59% (19% sensitivity, 88% specificity), and methylation of the HPVL1 gene correctly classified 61% (22% sensitivity, 90% specificity) of HSIL patients when compared with LSIL patients. A molecular panel comprised of HPV16-L1 methylation and promoter methylation of INTS1, ZNF516 and FKBP6 correctly classified 70% of HSIL patients with an Area Under the Curve of 0.66, 44% sensitivity, 88% specificity and 72% Positive Predictive value. While HPV16-L1 methylation discriminated patients with normal cytology from women with cervical dysplasia with close to 100% sensitivity and specificity, the high-risk HPV TrDNA qPCR assay had a pre-capture and post-capture sensitivity of 79% with 50% specificity. The detection of circulating HPV DNA in urine is a cost-effective and non-invasive alternative for cervical cancer screening. We have shown that a panel of genomic and epigenomic alterations in human and high risk HPV DNA can discriminate normal from cervical dysplasia in cervical epithelium DNA and TrDNA isolated from patients seen in a high risk cervical cancer screening setting. Citation Format: Rafael Guerrero-Preston, Anne Jedlicka, Oluwasina Folawiyo, Francesca Pirini, Blanca L. Valle, Fahcina Lawson, Angelo Vergura, Gabriela Perez, Marisa Renehan, Carolina Guerrero-Diaz, Liliana Florea, Teresa Diaz-Montes, Josefina Romaguera, David Sidransky. Genomic and epigenomic alterations in human and high-risk HPV DNA can discriminate normal from cervical dysplasia patients in urine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translation of the Cancer Genome; Feb 7-9, 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 1):Abstract nr A1-50.


The hot-carrier (HC) reliability of low-standby-power 0.1 /spl mu/m n-MOSFETs is investigated, and design guidelines for channel and halo profiles are described. The heavy channel-doping needed to obtain high V/sub th/ enhances HC-injection efficiency, and heavy halo-doping dramatically reduces the lifetime when using substrate-bias (V/sub bb/). Shallow-channel and tilted-halo doping is optimal to keep the HC-generation site away from the SiO/sub 2/-Si interface and to minimize the vertical electric field that is responsible for secondary impact ionization.


Background: Origanum is one of the over 200 genera in the Lamiaceae (mint family), and this genus includes culinary, fragrant, and medicinal properties. The plant is reported to contain anti-microbial properties, but it lacks combination studies with that of synthetic antibiotics. Aim: To investigate the anti-oxidant and anti-microbial interaction studies of Origanum vulgare with standard drugs against Bacillus species of bacteria and Aspergillus niger. Materials and Methods: The anti-oxidant properties of phenolic, non-phenolic fractions of chloroform extract and volatile oil were evaluated by free radical-scavenging, hydrogen peroxide radical-scavenging assay, reducing power, and metal chelating assays. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentration and fractional inhibitory concentration index were determined which demonstrates the behavior of volatile oil, phenolic, and non-phenolic fractions of volatile oil with that of ciprofloxacin and fluconazole. The IC 50 value for volatile oil was found to be 15, 30, and 30 μg/ml and that of phenolic fraction was 60, 120, and 120 μg/ml for free radical-scavenging, hydrogen peroxide-scavenging, and metal chelating assays respectively. Non-phenolic fraction was found to act antagonistically along with ciprofloxacin against B. cereus and B. subtilis, while the phenolic fraction exhibited indifferent activity along with ciprofloxacin against both the bacterial strains. Conclusion: This combination of drug therapy will not only prove effective in antibiotic resistance, but these natural constituents will also help in preventing body from harmful radicals which lead to fatal diseases.


Wildlife observations submitted by volunteers through citizen science initiatives are increasingly used within research and policy. Ladybirds are popular and charismatic insects, with most species being relatively easy to identify from photographs. Therefore, they are considered an appropriate taxonomic group for engaging people through citizen science initiatives to contribute long-term and large-scale datasets for use in many different contexts. Building on the strengths of a mass participation citizen science survey on ladybirds in the United Kingdom, we have developed a mobile application for ladybird recording and identification across Europe. The main aims of the application are to: (1) compile distribution data for ladybird species throughout Europe, and use this to assess changes in distribution over time; (2) connect and engage people in nature and increase awareness about the diversity and ecological importance of ladybirds. In developing the application we first constructed a database including ladybird species from the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium, and Portugal with associated information on relevant morphological features (e.g., size, main color, pronotum pattern) to inform identification. Additionally, the species were assessed on the basis of probability of occurrence within each country which enables users to reduce the number of species to only those with relevance to the location of the recorder. This is amongst the first collaborative citizen science approaches aimed at involving participants across Europe in recording a group of insects. In the near future, we aim to expand the use of the application to all countries in Europe.


In sawfly taxonomy the structure of the lancet or the saw is an important character for identification of females. Because adult females use the saw to place eggs into the host plant its teeth may wear and their shape may thus be altered. We investigated the pattern of wear in a species of nematine sawfly that we also describe for the first time. Saw wear of females that deposited known numbers of eggs was examined. Saw wear was not strongly related to the number of eggs laid, despite some saws being considerably worn. The range of variation in saw profile illustrated by Lindqvist (1956) in the closely-related species D. virididorsata (Retzius) was not observed in our study. Despite the shape of the saw being altered to some extent with use, other structures on the saw do not change and provide good taxonomic characters in the genus Dineura, as evidenced by our detection of the cryptic (= sibling) species on the basis of differences in ctenidial structure. We describe this species under the name Dineura pullior sp. n.


This study aims to examine the effects of public or private sector based urban investment on housing values which are in the environs of these kinds of investments. For this purpose, the study uses totally 13 parameters including 5 parameters related the properties of housing structure, 7 parameters related environmental properties and accessibility parameter. At the last 15 years, two regions are in the forefront where urban investments have important impact in Konya which can be seen as a catalyst for the rapid development of the city. For this reason, these areas were chosen as sample. The first sample area is at the north new-developing side of the city. This area has many new investments like shopping mall, gated housing projects, stadium, fairground etc. And, the second sample is at the east side of the city which has also many transformation areas and investments (law court, private university, hospital, urban park, shopping mall, etc). In this context, for measuring the structural and environmental properties of housing units, a total of 200 questionnaire was applied to the housing units by using random sampling technique. Information regarding economical values of housing units was obtained from real estate companies. These derived data were evaluated by statistically. In conclusion, the results from the evaluations showed that building age, housing unit size, density, safety-security, accessibility, having parking lots and having elevator parameters are significantly effective on housing values.


This presentation has 2 major objectives. The first is to present an over-all analysis of the findings and experience of those who have studied primary aldosteronism with the hope that it will serve as a basis for improvement of diagnostic criteria of this curable form of hypertension. The second is to define and perhaps clarify current problems in distinguishing primary aldosteronism from renal, malignant, and essential hypertension. The Figure shows a few data over 5 years on the first patient recognized as having primary aldosteronism.1-4Of note are a 14.8 gm. right adrenal adenoma, very high values for aldosterone in the preoperative period withmildhypertension, the quick reversal of the abnormal electrolyte pattern of the serum in the postoperative period, the elevated levels of serum potassium 3 months after operation suggesting aldosterone deficiency, and finally, 5 years later, the maintenance of normal blood pressure, normal serum electrolytes, and


Driving while suspended is a growing problem in most American states. To deal with this problem a number of jurisdictions are impounding and/or immobilizing the vehicles of driving-while-suspended (DWS) or multiple driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenders. This study evaluates the first two years of the implementation of this type of law in Franklin County (Columbus) Ohio. Variations in police enforcement and judicial sentencing policies resulted in some offenders who were eligible for impoundment or immobilization but did not receive the sanction. The recidivism rates of these offenders were compared with individuals who did receive a vehicle sanction. Tracking these two groups of offenders for up to two years demonstrated that the offenders who received the sanction had lower recidivism rates, both before and after they reclaimed their vehicles. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 893891.


Acute toxic responses to a 50-mg/kg oral dose of 1-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) were evaluated by microarray analysis of laser capture–microdissected rat biliary epithelium or hepatic parenchyma obtained 2 and 6 hours postdose. Distinct differences in gene expression patterns between biliary epithelium and hepatic parenchyma were noted at the 2-hour postdose time point, where 375 genes were altered in biliary epithelium but only 38 genes were altered in hepatic parenchyma. Endoplasmic reticulum stress genes were uniquely expressed in biliary epithelial cells at 2 hours postdose. By 6 hours postdose, 620 genes were altered in biliary epithelium, but only 32 genes were altered in hepatic parenchyma. In biliary epithelium, expression of genes involved in the unfolded protein response had decreased compared with the 2-hour time point, while expression of genes involved in protein degradation such as proteasome-ubquination pathways and cell death pathways had increased. At this same time, hepatic parenchymal gene expression changed little. Within 6 hours following oral exposure to ANIT, prior to morphologic changes, specific biliary epithelial gene expression changes, indicative of a vigorous unfolded protein response with protein destruction and cell death pathway activation were noted, in contrast to minor changes in the hepatic parenchyma.