Back ground: South Africa, which has a multi-ethnic population of over fifty million, is considered to have a medium (5-30/100 000) prevalence rate of Multiple Sclerosis. Teriflunomide is one of two oral disease modifying agents that have been registered in this country. We describe the real-world experience of this drug in South Africa with respect to efficacy, tolerability and side effects.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken of the demographics, clinical presentation, number of preceding relapses, date of last relapse, degree of disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale–EDSS- score) and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes at initiation of therapy with teriflunomide (14 mg daily orally) and the subsequent course. Tolerability and side effects were recorded. Any preceding disease modifying therapy was recorded. The treating neurologists were asked about the effectiveness of teriflunomide in the patients under their care.

Results: Data for 32 patients was analysed. The majority were women (75%) and of white race (78.1%). The mean age (±SD) was 41.1 (11.5) years at the time of initial assessment. Twenty six of the 32 (81%) patients were on prior disease modifying therapy (DMT) which consisted of an interferon-beta 1a or 1b and glatiramer acetate. One patient was on teriflunomide at initiation of the study. The duration on treatment with DMTs prior to teriflunomide ranged from 7.0 to 236.6 months with a mean (±SD) of 96.5 (71.2) months.

The duration of therapy with teriflunomide varied from 3 to 24 months with a mean (±SD) of 12.3 (5.0) months. Fourteen patients experienced mild to moderate relapses while on teriflunomide treatment, with 56% remaining relapse free over the study period. The mean (±SD) EDSS score on teriflunomide was 2.5 (1.6), remaining relatively stable compared to the baseline score 2.6 (1.3). The drug was well tolerated in 24 patients, satisfactorily tolerated in 7 and not tolerated in 1. The treating neurologists' assessment was that the drug was an effective treatment choice in 87.1% of patients, with 96.9% of patients remaining on therapy at the time of analysis. One patient experienced 2 relapses in the year of treatment and one experienced a relapse and progression of the gait disturbance.

Conclusions: This small "real world" study confirms that teriflunomide is an effective DMT for patients with mild to moderate MS, prolonged disease duration and switching from other DMTs. It has a tolerable side effect profile. The oral administration compared to the interferons will appeal to many patients. The drug was also effective in patients who were on previous DMTs.


Background and Objective: Cardiac angiography, which is widely used in Iran, is a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for cardiac diseases. The patients suffer from back pain due to complete bed rest after angiography. Thus, this study aimed at determining the correlated factors with the severity of back pain after cardiac angiography in Dr. Ganjavian Hospital of Dezful, 2011. Material and Methods: In this correlational study, 140 candidates of cardiac angiography were selected via convenience sampling. We used a checklist to collect the data about age, sex, body mass index(BMI), smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and duration of angiography, which are the influential factors of the severity of back pain. Then, the severity of back pain was measured at first, second, fourth and sixth hour after angiography, using a numerical scale of pain assessment.To analyze the data, we used descriptive statistic, Mann Whitney and Spearman correlation. Results: The subjects are males (N=67), females (N=64) and smokers (12%). The mean age is 55.7 ± 7.7, and body mass index is 27.6 ± 3.07. None of them has history of back pain and previous angiography. Based on Spearman, there is no significance correlation between back pain of 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours after angiography and factors such as age, BMI and duration of angiography. Man Whitney test indicates a statistical significance between gender and severity of pain in the first hour (Z=-2.17) and sixth hour (Z=-2.4) after angiography, whereas there is no statistical significance in the second, fourth and fifth hour after angiography. As well, there is no significant correlation between back pain and variables such as smoking, diabetes and hypertension. Conclusion: The findings showthat the nurses by being aware of related factors to back pain severity can try to reduce the pain and promote the patients ' convenience.


This paper examines the reception of classical historiography in Lucian's De historia conscribenda by suggesting that classical historians constitute a vehicle through which the author constructs his own persona; while presenting the rules of historiography, Lucian often equates himself to the classical historians. After offering a brief outline of the relevant vocabulary, expressions and allusions, I argue that Lucian's exploitation of classical historiography does not aim merely at aesthetic imitation or parody, but serves a deeper function: Lucian wishes to establish a connection between the act (traits, process) and the theory of history writing and uses the former in order to legitimize the latter. Furthermore, his adaptation of classical historians (especially Thucydides) has a self-referential aspect, since the ideal historian should possess the qualities of the competent orator that Lucian himself represents. I interpret these traits of Lucian's treatise by taking into account the cultural context of the second sophistic, as well as Lucian's thematic interests and priorities.


Marina and marina clubs are the essential structures to meet increasing marin tourism and marin leisure sports demand. According to the domestic situation, marina and marina clubs are divided into 6 types such as small sports type, small complex type, midium sports type, midium complex type, large sports type, large complex type. As a result of analysis of domestic three marina clubs, averagely marina facilities take 21% and commercial facilities take 79% of total space. In the short term, marina club should be designed focusing on complex program. Marina club will be for long-term transformed into marin leisure sports program. Additionally, it is certain that floating marina club is an architecture to have water-friendly space and to maximize marin tourism and marin leisure sports.


This paper presents an expert system design to evaluate in-vitro tissue culture plants growth. The expert system is developed to facilitate the researchers to monitor and evaluate activities in order to maintain the growth of tissue culture plants. Input of the system is a digital image of the plant and some additional information given by the researcher. The digital image is processed automatically to extract the leaf and branch intensity value. These intensity values are used as input to a fuzzy inference machine. The fuzzy inference system produces some rules explaining the status of the plant color. Together with other rules in the knowledge base, the expert system (through forward chaining reasoning) recommends appropriate maintenance procedures needed by the plant. It is shown that the accuracy of the system on giving the appropriate recommendation is 89% in average.


The data used in this study are from the first five lactations of 1,406 cows of the Mantiqueira Ecotype, daughters of 113 sires, with calving from 1952 to 1997. The total milk yield (PL), fat production (PG), lactation period (DL), and days dry (PS) were obtained from NPZGJRA/IZ/APTA/SAA. Based on the genetic values predictions, for each studied feature selection differentials and genetic trends were estimated though four selection paths of selection: bulls to breed bulls (SB), cows to breed bulls (DB), bulls to breed cows (SC) and cows to breed cows (DC). Two periods were involved: the first, from 1952 to 1976, representing the formation period and herd increase, the second, from 1977 to 1997, when the breeding program was implemented. The whole period from 1952 to 1997 was also considered. MTDFREML was used in the analysis with an animal model containing the year-season effects of calving, lactation period, the linear and quadratic effects of age of calving as fixed effects. Animal and permanent environment and error were included as random effects. The selection differentials for the SB and SC paths were larger in the first period. DB and DC paths were larger in the second period due to changes in the selection criterion. Selected gains for PG, DL, and PS paths were very small suggesting that the selection was only for PL. Rates of gains could be increased with changes in the breeding program.


with DMD, and that subject I.2 had transmitted three types of gametes: (1) one bearing the deletion (II.3); (2) one non-deleted and non-recombined (11.2, II.5, II.6); (3) one recombined but non-deleted (11.4). These results show that II.4 (in spite of the intragenic recombination), 11.2, 11.5, and II.6 are in fact not carriers and therefore the prenatal diagnosis performed in 1987 for 11.6 misdiagnosed a normal male fetus (III.3). This is the first case report of erroneous prenatal diagnosis owing to germinal mosaicism overlooked by genomic probes: carrier status had been evaluated with 5' informative markers, whereas the DMD mutation was located towards the 3' end of the gene. This stresses the importance of systematically searching for a DMD associated deletion. In these families all potential carriers should be re-evaluated regardless of previous results, using informative markers or densitometric scanning to investigate the deleted region. Our results also stress that germinal mosaicism must be looked for not only in families with an ascertained de novo mutation but also in those presenting as straightforward familial cases.


This ambitious book takes up the grand challenge to design regulatory thinking for a global future beyond wealth and growth, and towards social sustainability. Assuming a 'South World' perspective on market regulation and social sustainability, the authors present the options and possibilities for radically repositioning regulatory principle. The analysis of intersections between the market economies of the South and North reconsiders fundamental regulatory relationships and outcomes motivated by sustainability rather than individual wealth creation and economic growth models. The books aims to return economy to society at a critical global juncture, demanding new and creative regulatory intervention outside the regulatory state model. Along with new perspectives on regulation, the analysis offers a better understanding of the problematic future of global regulation by revealing the different reasons for fragmentation within and between very different regulatory spaces. Students of social development and scholars researching market economics and the global crisis will find this book to be of interest. Policy makers and readers interested in law and regulation will also benefit from the thoughtful discussion presented in this volume.


2656 DNA ligase IV (Lig4) is an indispensable component of the DNA double strand break repair pathway known as nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). Lig4 is also an indispensable component of V(D)J recombination, a process used to generate antigen-specific lymphocyte receptors. These pathways are essential for maintaining genomic integrity and developing a functional immune system. The overall goal of this project is to study the Lig4 BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminal) domains and their role in coordinating Lig4 activities with other components of the NHEJ complex. All homologs of Lig4 contain two BRCT domains; however their function has not yet been identified. BRCT domains are commonly found in proteins that participate in DNA damage repair and cell cycle signaling. Two recent studies identified a class of BRCT domains that interact with phosphorylated peptides and make phosphorylation-dependent protein interactions. BRCT domains share a common folding pattern despite their divergent sequence homology and phosphorylation is a key regulatory event in DNA damage signaling. This recent discovery may provide a link between DNA damage-induced phosphorylation and the function of BRCT domains. It has been shown that a Lig4 protein without BRCT domains can ligate DNA substrates in vitro yet cannot recombine substrates in vivo. To test the hypothesis that the Lig4 BRCT domains play an in vivo role in DNA end ligation, the Lig4 BRCT domains will be characterized in two projects. First, we are identifying residues critical to BRCT domain function by evaluating BRCT deletion and point mutants. Our point mutant design incorporated the use of comparative protein modeling to identify surface-exposed, structure-independent amino acids. Second, we are identifying interactions potentially made by the Lig4 BRCT domains within the NHEJ complex. DNA polymerase μ, γ-H2AX and additional NHEJ components will be assessed for their ability to interact with the Lig4 BRCT domains. Potential interactions will be analyzed using co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence analysis. To characterize interactions, these assays will be performed using BRCT mutants to define critical residues, and using EtBr to assay for DNA dependence. Kinetics of the interaction will also be determined. Our findings will determine the function of the Lig4 BRCT domains and further define interactions between the multiple protein complexes involved in DNA double strand break repair. Our findings will also improve our understanding of mechanisms that result in the development of immunodeficiency syndromes and cancer formation in lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells.


s XVII.th World Congress of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR | SCGAB) (pp. 28), Québec City: QC, Canada, 2010. [14] Stewart C.M., McBratney A.B., Skerritt J.H.: Site-specific Durum wheat quality and its relationship to soil properties in a single field in Northern New South Wales. Precision Agriculture, 2002, 3, 155-168. [15] Taylor J.; Whelan B.; Thylén L., Gilbertsson M.; Hassall J.: Monitoring wheat protein content on-harvester Australian experiences. In B. J. V. Stafford (Eds.) Precision agriculture '05, 5th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, Conference paper (pp. 369-375), Uppsala, Sweden, 2005. [16] Thylen L., Gilbbertsson M., Rosenthal T., Wrenn, S.: Sorting of Grain on the Farm Experiences with an Online Protein Sensor. In B: D.E. Maier (Eds.) International Quality Grains Conference (pp. 1-8), Indianapolis: Purdue University, USA,


In this protocol, we outline procedures to mount the fly and to open up the head cuticle to expose the optic lobes for in vivo imaging. The fly is first inserted into a custom-made fly chamber in which the fly's head is stabilized on a piece of aluminum foil. Once the fly is mounted in the chamber, its head cuticle is removed, exposing the optic lobe for recording. The brain tissues (above the foil), including the optic lobes, should be bathed in fly saline. Meanwhile, the eyes (below the foil) are kept dry to receive light stimuli during the recording. A considerable level of expertise and hand dexterity is required to handle a small animal such as a fly, especially when opening its head capsule without damaging the brain tissue. This expertise should be gained through mindful repetition of the protocol. With appropriate preparation and skills, the success rate for this procedure can be >95%. Using this protocol, it is possible to record ultraviolet (UV)-sensing photoreceptors, which have long visual fibers that terminate at the medulla (the second optic neuropil). Depending on the visual neurons of interest, some modifications to fly mounting might be needed.


The framework of this paper is the aerospace industry, which is one of the world's leading sectors, thus playing a noteworthy role in current society. This makes it especially important to try to optimize the management of the aerospace sector. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to propose the so-called Enhanced-Earned Value Management (hereinafter, E-EVM) model, able to explore the simultaneous evaluation of many projects, from which the management of the project can take advantage. Additionally, this model considers the possibility of forecasting pending tasks, measurable in time units or cost units, until the end of the project. The main contribution of E-EVM methodology is its capacity to detect both delayed and advanced projects by converting times (hours) into monetary units (EUR). Empirically, this enhanced model has been applied to a real case study in the aerospace industry composed of thousands of subprojects and the results provide the project manager with valuable information to make decisions in a short term. Through computer graphic representation techniques, the visualization of project deployment can be improved. Finally, the E-EVM model can be used even in big projects where a very large volume of information must be simultaneously treated and also, it will be suitable to apply pattern recognition concerning the project performance.


Abstract : Reaction times of modern current and future war platforms are eroded, since they are expected to operate in a large variety of complex scenarios. To cope with the increasingly diverse air and surface threats, modern platforms, either operating in a single ship configuration or within a (joint and/or combined) task group/force, will require their sensor suite and weapon arsenal to be efficiently managed. The coordination and tight integration of these resources will also be required. The Decision Support Systems (DSS) Section, at Defence Research & Development Canada- Valcartier (DRDC Valcartier), has initiated collaboration with industry and university partners. This collaboration aims at developing and demonstrating advanced concepts of combat resource management, which could apply to the current Command & Control Systems (CCSs) of the Halifax and Iroquois Class ships, as well as their possible future upgrade (e.g., Canadian Surface Combatant platform), in order to improve their performance against the predicted future threat. This activity builds upon and broadens the scope of prior research in the domain. It is oriented to the study, development, and implementation of management decision aids for tactical shipboard resources, based on intelligent agent technology and techniques for multi-agent planning and coordination. This report presents a review of agent and multi-agent coordination approaches. Theoretical basis of distributed planning in multi-agent systems is introduced and coordination mechanisms are described. Multi-agent approaches are used to address the coordination problems for: 1) hardkill/softkill, 2) weapons deployment/ship navigation, and 3) multi-ship positioning and operations. Results of the implementation and test of different algorithms for these combat resource coordination problems, in naval engagements, are presented and discussed.


The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the formulation parameters on the release of water slightly soluble drug from the lipid matrices. Ibuprofen and hydrogenated cotton seed oil were used as the slightly soluble drug and matrice material, respectively. The preparations satisfying sustained release dosage form of Ibuprofen was also investigated. The effect of preparation method particle size of granules and the compression forces for tabletting process were determined by dissolution rate studies. Upon the evaluation of dissolution data, the temperature applied to the matrix material and the preparation method were found to be important factors for the release of active substance whereas the particle size of granules and the compression forces have no effect.


The prospective purchaser of a computer system designed to acquire and analyse dynamic data provided by a gamma -ray scintillation camera should know how rapidly framed data can be accumulated. This problem is analysed by considering the size of the memory available for data storage, the count rate provided by the camera, the sizes and count rates in the target and non-target regions and the dead time of the system. The maximum frame rate for a typical system was analyzed, and found to be less than ten frames per second under most conditions. A general equation is presented for calculating the maximum frame rate, applicable to any camera-computer system. The equation may also be used to estimate the frame rate for any prospective study.


BACKGROUND: Neuraxial anesthesia improves components of the Virchow's triad (hypercoagulability, venous stasis, and endothelial injury) which are key pathogenic contributors to venous thrombosis in surgical patients. However, whether neuraxial anesthesia reduces the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) remain unclear. We therefore tested the primary hypothesis that neuraxial anesthesia reduces the incidence of 30-day VTE in adults recovering from orthopedic surgery. Secondarily, we tested the hypotheses that neuraxial anesthesia reduces 30-day readmission, 30-day mortality, and the duration of postoperative hospitalization. METHODS: Inpatient orthopedic surgeries from American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2011–2015) in adults lasting more than 1 hour with either neuraxial or general anesthesia were included. Groups were matched 1:1 by propensity score matching for appropriate confounders. Logistic regression model was used to assess the effect of neuraxial anesthesia on 30-day VTE, 30-day mortality, and readmission, while Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to assess its effect on length of stay. RESULTS: Neuraxial anesthesia decreased odds of 30-day VTE (odds ratio 0.85, 95% confidence interval, 0.78–0.95; P = .002) corresponding to number-needed-to-treat of 500. Although there was no difference in 30-day mortality, neuraxial anesthesia reduced 30-day readmission (odds ratio 0.90, 98.3% confidence interval, 0.85–0.95; P < .001) corresponding to number-needed-to-treat of 250 and had a shortened hospitalization (2.87 vs 3.11; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Neuraxial anesthesia appears to provide only weak VTE prophylaxis, but can be offered as an adjuvant to current thromboprophylaxis in high-risk patients.


Background: Volatile anesthetics moderately depress respiratory function at clinically relevant concentrations. Phox2b-expressing chemosensitive neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus, a respiratory control center, are activated by isoflurane, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The hypothesis of this study was that the sodium leak channel contributes to the volatile anesthetics-induced modulation of retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons and to respiratory output. Methods: The contribution of sodium leak channels to isoflurane-, sevoflurane-, and propofol-evoked activity of Phox2b-expressing retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons and respiratory output were evaluated in wild-type and genetically modified mice lacking sodium leak channels (both sexes). Patch-clamp recordings were performed in acute brain slices. Whole-body plethysmography was used to measure the respiratory activity. Results: Isoflurane at 0.42 to 0.50 mM (~1.5 minimum alveolar concentration) increased the sodium leak channel–mediated holding currents and conductance from −75.0 ± 12.9 to −130.1 ± 34.9 pA (mean ± SD, P = 0.002, n = 6) and 1.8 ± 0.5 to 3.6 ± 1.0 nS (P = 0.001, n = 6), respectively. At these concentrations, isoflurane increased activity of Phox2b-expressing retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons from 1.1 ± 0.2 to 2.8 ± 0.2 Hz (P < 0.001, n = 5), which was eliminated by bath application of gadolinium or genetic silencing of sodium leak channel. Genetic silencing of sodium leak channel in the retrotrapezoid nucleus resulted in a diminished ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in mice under control conditions and during isoflurane anesthesia. Sevoflurane produced an effect comparable to that of isoflurane, whereas propofol did not activate sodium leak channel–mediated holding conductance. Conclusions: Isoflurane and sevoflurane increase neuronal excitability of chemosensitive retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons partly by enhancing sodium leak channel conductance. Sodium leak channel expression in the retrotrapezoid nucleus is required for the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide during anesthesia by isoflurane and sevoflurane, thus identifying sodium leak channel as a requisite determinant of respiratory output during anesthesia of volatile anesthetics. Isoflurane increased neuronal activity of chemosensitive retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons in brain slices of neonatal mice. Genetic ablation of the voltage-independent sodium leak channel from retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons decreased respiratory rate and ventilatory response to carbon dioxide upon isoflurane and sevoflurane but not after propofol exposure. These observations suggest that the voltage-independent sodium leak channel in retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons of the medulla is a target of volatile anesthetics to activate respiratory activity. Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.


Bursaphelenchus xylophilus ( B. xylophilus ) is one of the most important causal agents of infectious diseases in forest pathology. Obviously, the rapid detection of B. xylophilus is an urgent need for its prevention and cure. We have developed a detection method of B. xylophilus by strand exchange amplification (SEA). This method could detect 10^5 copies of genomic DNA of B. xylophilus , and it was sufficiently sensitive to detect a single nematode as short as 40 min. Moreover, because the amplification result could be visualized by the naked eyes, the only equipment required throughout the process was a simple isothermal block. Therefore, our method would be a potential for developing on-site detection of B. xylophilus to prevent and control its spread.


In integrating lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technologies facilitated with a series of microfluidic units, microfluidic channels, with substrates put into metal nanoparticles, especially when gold, silver or copper nanoparticles, were prepared and pumped into μl or nl analytes. This sample preparation methods have important significance in real time, in-situ trace- or processing reaction analysis jointing with surface enhanced spectroscopies (SES).This combined technologies would integrate the mertis of the two technologies of lab-on-a-chip LOC and SES. LOC has the advantages of minuming the amount of analytes and stable test environments for step by step processing operations to achieve screening samples, segmentating, real-time detecting and so on, whiel SES has the characteristics of fast spectral response, high sensitivemess and selectivness,and in-situ detectoring. On the base of Drude medol and appropriate boundary conditions, external electric field induces localizing plasmon oscillation of valence electron of metal nano particles, then which derivates the mechannisms of resonant localized suface plasmon enhancement and electromagnetic enhancement mechanism of the surface enhanced Raman scattering by dipole polarization. In this paper, combined LOC and localized surface plasmon resonance technologies analysed in biological, pharmaceutical and food safety fileds with additional channels prompting detecting efficiencies and the limits of trace detections further being broken out. This paper also summarizes the application of chip laboratory technology in the fields of public safety testing, biomedical medicine detecting, electrochemical or biological sensors with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopieswhich were capable of high sensitivitiness and molecular spectral fingerprint. LOC technologies have gotten great develoment in their respective fileds, especially combinning with 3D fingerprint technologies, which could precisely control the sizes of 3D structures and high-accuracy manufacture 3D structures according to the special purpose. LSPR and SERS have been more maturing in some applications of near filed imaging and Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopies (TERS), which have the ability to break through the optical limit of conventional microscopes and do that the width and depth of the SES technologies have been greatly extended in the micro and nano scales. So The jointed technologies would have a bright prospects in the practical applications for the qualitative and semi quantitative determination of trace analysis.


This article examines the likely role of competition in the regulatory analysis of bank mergers in China. Despite financial reforms, the banking sector remains subject to a complex web of financial regulation, with industrial policy favouring stability to facilitate national economic development. While there are currently no Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) bank merger determinations under the Anti-Monopoly Law ( AML ), examples of MOFCOM's merger analysis in other sensitive industries diverge from a pure competition-based analysis, favouring grounds linked to national economic development broadly within the terms of the AML . Given the importance of banking to the Chinese economy, this article argues that competition is unlikely to play a large part in any assessment of bank mergers by MOFCOM, particularly where a foreign bank is involved. Instead, issues linked to 'national economic development' and stability are likely to play the most important role, leading to less predictable merger approval outcomes.


The majority of heritable breast cancer risk is unknown. One potential source of "missing heritability" is genetic modifiers in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Although genetic modifiers in the TME have long been suspected, they have rarely been studied and are largely unknown. Here, we used two new techniques: the Consomic Xenograft Model (CXM) and species-specific RNA-seq (SSRS) to map genetic modifiers in the TME. In CXM, human breast cancer xenografts are implanted in immunodeficient consomic rat strains and tracked for tumor progression. Because the rat strains vary by one chromosome (i.e., consomic), whereas the malignant tumor cells do not differ, any observed changes in tumor phenotypes are due to genetic modifiers in the TME and can be localized to one chromosome. The SSRS method uses probabilistic mapping of RNAseq reads to a joint human and rat transcriptome to assess differential expression (DE) in malignant (human) tumor cells and the nonmalignant (rat) TME. Validation of SSRS revealed >99.4% specificity in calling human or rat reads, which was significantly better than conventional RNA-seq. Using CXM, we found that BN-derived genetic variant(s) on rat chromosome 3 significantly reduced growth of MDA-MB-231-Luc (231Luc+) tumors by 49% (P 4-fold; P Citation Format: Michael J. Flister, Alexander Stoddard, Shirng-Wern Tsaih, Angela Lemke, Jozef Lazar, Howard Jacob. New tools for mapping genetic modifiers of cancer risk in the tumor microenvironment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Computational and Systems Biology of Cancer; Feb 8-11 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 2):Abstract nr PR08.


Lymphedema is defined as an abnormal accumulation of extracellular fluid in the subcutaneous compartment caused by impaired lymphatic drainage. Scrotal lymphedema is a rare condition characterised by swelling of the scrotal skin due to deterioration in lymphatic drainage. Over time, fibrosis may develop in the scrotum and genital malformations that impair the patient's quality of life. Here, we present the first case in our experience of scrotal lymphedema, which occurred in a 3-year child following circumcision, and subsequently was treated successfully with complex decongestive physiotherapy.


ABSTRACT A 36-year-old diabetic woman presented to hospital with a seizure that started with shaking of the right hand which sequentially progressed to the entire right side of the body with associated loss of consciousness. Capillary Blood Glucose was 29 mmol/L. HbA1c was 133 mmol/L. Non-contrast computerised tomography (CT) scan of the brain was normal suggesting that the cause of her seizure was hyperglycaemia. However, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain showed infarcts in the left paracentral lobule and caudate nucleus. It also identified loss of signal flow void in the intracranial segment of the left internal carotid artery (ICA) raising the suspicion for thrombosis secondary to dissection. This was later confirmed on CT angiogram. This case demonstrates how the initial CT Head was non-diagnostic. We stress the importance of taking a careful seizure history and subsequently obtaining an MRI scan to fully exclude structural pathology.


This study is to investigate the effect of an aromatic content in high cetane number (CN) fuels on exhaust emissions under low temperature diesel combustion, which expands the previous research about an aromatic content in low CN fuels. A 1.9L common rail direct injection diesel engine was run at 1500 rpm 2.6 bar BMEP with four fuel sets: an aromatic content of 20% (A20) or 45% (A45) with CN30, i.e. low CN fuels, and CN55, i.e. high CN fuels. Given experimental conditions, the trend of exhaust emissions in high CN fuels was inconsistent with that of low CN fuels which all produced nearly zero smoke but higher NOx for the high aromatic fuel (CN30-A45). For high CN fuels, however, the low aromatic fuel (CN55-A20) produced lower smoke than the high one (CN55-A45) while NOx was similar to each other. The cause of this discrepancy between high CN and low CN fuels is unclear whether it comes from that CN may be a dominant factor to govern exhaust emissions rather than an aromatic content or that the actual CN value of CN55-A45 is lower than CN55-A20. More decent fuel matrix should be prepared and further experiments are needed to confirm it.


Introduction Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has developed over recent years to become a sophisticated tool for the multielemental and isotope ratio analysis of solid samples. Besides a true multi-elemental capability, independent of matrix, the major requirements for most geological laser applications in ICP-MS are the highest sensitivity and scan speed. Such demanding analytical pre-requisites often require the most sophisticated instrumentation, such as the Thermo Scientific ELEMENT 2. This Application Report describes a variety of LAICP-MS applications from different scientists to provide a brief summary of the technique in their particular fields of interest. The contributions included are:


AIM
To evaluate the clinical efficacy of subgingival ultrasonic instrumentation irrigated with essential oils (EOs) of residual periodontal pockets.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Sixty-four individuals with chronic periodontitis were invited to participate in this randomized, double-blind, parallel, and placebo-controlled clinical trial. All subjects received non-surgical periodontal therapy. After re-evaluation (baseline), residual pockets (pocket depth ≥5 mm) received test (ultrasonic instrumentation irrigated with EOs) or control therapy (ultrasonic instrumentation irrigated with negative control). Probing pocket depth (PPD), gingival recession (R), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque were assessed at baseline and after 4, 12, and 24 weeks. Differences between groups and changes over the course of time were analysed according to a generalized linear model.

RESULTS
There was a significant reduction in PPD and BOP, as well as a significant CAL gain in the two groups (p<0.001). Nevertheless, there were no differences between the groups at any time of the study. When only initially deep pockets (PPD ≥7 mm) were analysed, a significantly greater CAL gain (p=0.03) and PPD reduction (p=0.01) was observed in the test group.

CONCLUSION
The adjunctive use of EOs may promote significant CAL gain and PPD reduction in deep residual pockets.


Introduction: Improved drug delivery mechanisms
for the treatment of residual peritoneal cancer cells following cytoreduction
surgery are needed. Alginate microcapsules are a potentially useful mechanism
for delivery of bioengineered cells, but when injected into the peritoneum, their
distribution and properties are not well described. Methods: Aliquots of 300,
600 or 1200 microcapsules were injected into the peritoneum of 81 mice. Mice
were sacrificed at 6, 12, 18, and 48 days and laparotomy was performed to
quantify the distribution of microspheres. Results: The injections were well
tolerated for up to 48 days. No peritoneal adherence or inflammatory reaction
was noted to the microcapsules. Injection of 1200 microcapsules resulted in a
better overall persistence and widespread peritoneal distribution at up to 48
days. The volume of fluid used for injection of the microcapsules did not
affect their distribution or persistence. Conclusion: The intraperitoneal
injection of alginate microspheres allows wide and persistent distribution
throughout the abdominal cavity. The next step is to test the distribution of
microcapsules when delivered following surgery in a rodent model.


Single-stage power factor corrector (PFC) AC/DC converter with galvanic isolation is preferable in some industrial applications due to its characteristic of cost-effective and high-power density. However, the transformer used for isolation in such topologies can be easily saturated. In this paper, the generation principle of flux density bias for the transformer involved in the single-stage (SS)-type full-bridge (FB) power factor corrector (PFC) converter is analyzed in detail. The maximum flux density bias during every line period is obtained by recursion. Conventional suppressing strategies of flux density bias are analyzed, and a digital suppressing approach is proposed. A 5 kW SS-FB PFC prototype is built and tested, and the proposed control strategy is implemented by means of a digital signal processor (DSP) board based on the TMS320LF2407A. The feasibility of the proposed approach is well verified through the experimental results.


IntroductIon Sunlight is the primary source of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to which humans are exposed. Although a portion of the sun's UVR is absorbed by the ozone layer of the atmosphere, significant UVR penetrates the ozone to strike the surface of the earth. For most people, the total amount of UVR received (the cumulative dose) increases linearly over time.1 Documentation that cumulative sunlight exposure causes irreversible eye damage has been part of the medical literature for more than 100 years, but public awareness of the need to protect eyes from sunlight has lagged far behind. And new findings about the nature of solar UVR hazards underscore the importance of continuous UVR protection, which for eyeglass wearers is possible only if every pair incorporates effective UVR protection. For example, we now know that a significant portion of the solar UVR incident on the cornea comes from indirect sources, including UVR striking from the side rather than the front (called "albedo") and UVR reflected by


Recovery of digital nerve function in 21 patients with toe‐to‐digit transplantation was evaluated by clinical sensory tests and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to median and digital nerve stimulation. The mean interval between injury and surgery was 7 months, and that between surgery and study was 31 months. The transplanted toes achieved a satisfactory but incomplete recovery in temperature (warm and cold), pinprick, touch, vibration, and two‐point discrimination in that order. The overall sensory status of the transplanted toes appeared to be closer to normal toes than to normal fingers. In SEPs from the transplanted side, median N9, N13, and N20 components had normal latency but reduced amplitude, whereas digital N9 component was usually absent, but N13 and N20 components had prolonged latency and reduced amplitude. Transplantation performed within 1 month after injury prevented amplitude reduction in median SEPs and latency prolongation in digital SEPs. The SEP data suggest that timing of surgery was critical in preventing retrograde effect on the median nerve, and that recovery of digital nerve function was incomplete correlating with clinical sensory findings. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Ecology and epidemiology of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) have been intensively studied since the isolation of the virus from murid rodents in 1976. This virus was detected in various mammalian species that share the biotope with rodent reservoirs of MHV-68. However, a survey of MHV-68 in birds has not so far been performed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of MHV-68 in blood samples from two bird species captured at four localities in Slovakia. Using the nested PCR targeting ORF50 gene of MHV-68, we confirmed the presence of MHV-68 DNA in 9 out of 57 blood samples from Great tits (Parus major) (prevalence 15.8%, confidence interval [95% CI]: 8.5-27.4) and in 3 out of 43 blood samples from Eurasian blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) (prevalence 7.0%, 95% CI: 2.4-18.6). Our results suggest that not only mammals but also birds may serve as reservoirs for MHV-68, providing further evidence that MHV-68 is capable of frequent cross-species transmission.


This paper attempts to find one of Sunan Abi Dawud's scholarly books: "Bazdl Al-Majhud Fi Halli Aby Dawud". After a brief review of this book in various aspects it turns out that the book is a complete study of Sunan Abi Dawud than the previous books of science. This book is very important because it contains many legends of hadiths related to the law. In addition, the book of Abi Dawud is included in the group of classics of the hadith (cube cube) so there is an expression "if there is no other hadith book, the Abi Dawud is sufficient to understand the religion".


Hyperspectral (HS) image can describe subtle differences in the spectral signatures of materials, but it has low spatial resolution limited by the existing technical and budget constraints. In this paper, we propose a promising HS pansharpening method with deep priors (HPDP) to fuse a low-resolution (LR) HS image with a high-resolution (HR) panchromatic (PAN) image. Different from the existing methods, we redefine the spectral response function (SRF) based on the larger eigenvalue of structure tensor (ST) matrix for the first time that is more in line with the characteristics of HS imaging. Then, we introduce HFNet to capture deep residual mapping of high frequency across the upsampled HS image and the PAN image in a band-by-band manner. Specifically, the learned residual mapping of high frequency is injected into the structural transformed HS images, which are the extracted deep priors served as additional constraint in a Sylvester equation to estimate the final HR HS image. Comparative analyses validate that the proposed HPDP method presents the superior pansharpening performance by ensuring higher quality both in spatial and spectral domains for all types of data sets. In addition, the HFNet is trained in the high-frequency domain based on multispectral (MS) images, which overcomes the sensitivity of deep neural network (DNN) to data sets acquired by different sensors and the difficulty of insufficient training samples for HS pansharpening.


This study was conducted to assess the potential of Jatropha curcas in remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals from hydrocarbon fuel. Matured cuttings of Jatropha plant were planted in the plastic pots filled with soils contaminated with three different level of HMs concentration; 250mg/kg, 500mg/kg and 1000mg/kg respectively arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The aim was to appraise if Jatropha curcas can be used to treat the heavy metals; Zn, Ni, Cd, Pb and Cu in the contaminated soils and determine whether the treated metals complied to soil permissible limit concentration of agricultural soils advocated by Nigerian and other related international standards. Findings indicated that all the analysed metals recorded a significant statistical difference with different level of soil contamination (P<0.05). However, despite their concentration achieved compliance at their initial soil contamination, Cu, Zn and Ni were highly removed by Jatropha plant though the latter metal failed compliance to Nigerian standard at both pre and post Jatropha planting period. Moreover, the metals showed highest removal efficiency in the range of 57%-95% at 500mg/kg hydrocarbon fuel soil contamination. In contrast, Cd metal concentration was low and above compliance limit at pre and post Jatropha planting period except at 1000mg/kg hydrocarbon fuel contamination that achieved compliance of United States (US) with removal efficiency in the range of 8%-42%. However, Pb metal concentration was high and variable at both initial contamination and concentration after Jatropha planting, with the metal achieving and failing compliance of some countries at certain level of concentration after the Jatropha phytoremediation. Overall, the outcome of this research indicates that the Jatropha plant has depurated the metals effectively from the contaminated soils particularly Cu, Zn and Ni at 500mg/kg level of contamination despite the fact that the phytoremediation process was within the period of two months. Hence, the continuation of the experiment is needed in order to fully determine the actual period and appropriate level of soil contamination required for the optimum metal phytoremediation and type of metals the Jatropha plant prefers most in terms of the remediation compared to others.


There is a rich literature within the Jewish tradition, both from biblical exegesis and Talmudic and Midrashic commentary, of concern for animals. In particular, there are injunctions against cruelty that are reflected, for example, in the traditions of kashrut , of humane slaughtering. But the important message is that tradition maintains that caring for animals is a necessary precursor to caring for humans.


UNLABELLED
Laparoscopic Roux en-Y-Gastric Bypass (RYGB) has been performed in our initial series in 50 patients.

METHODS
The results of surgery, technique, including 3-12 months follow-up, are described with 100% follow-up in the first 50 patients. Weight loss, operative morbidity and relief of co-morbidities have been thoroughly studied in a prospective way.

RESULTS
Diabetes mellitus was normalized and gastroesophageal reflux was relieved in all patients. Length of stay, recovery time and cosmetic results are superior to the 'open' technique, and the operative times are comparable.

CONCLUSION
Laparoscopic RYGB deserves a place in the operative repertoire of bariatric surgeon.


Intermediate wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedia (Host) Bark- worth and D.R. Dewey] is grown over a vast geographical area in North America, but information on the genetic variability for ag- ronomic traits and the stability of these traits over environments is limited. Genotype and genotype X environment interaction effects for forage yield and quality of intermediate wheatgrass were studied using 36 strains (plant introductions, experimental strains, and a released cultivar). They were grown in two central Great Plains environments, Lincoln and Alliance, NE, that differ markedly in cli- mate. Forage yield and forage quality, measured by in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and percent protein, were determined in both locations in 1980 and 1981 in spaced-plant nurseries. In the combined analyses over years and locations, there were significant differences among strains or genotypes (G) for first-cut yield and IVDMD, but not for protein. Strain X location (GL) and strain X year (CY) interaction effects were significant for first-cut forage yield but not for IVDMD, a trait that appears to be relatively stable over environments. For forage yield, the variance component for strains (ui) was 300% larger than those for GL (u,:,) and GY (&). These variance components results plus rank correlations of the strains in the two environments of 0.77 for both first-cut IVDMD and yield indicate that the strains ranked similarly for both traits in both environments. Existing genetic variability for forage yield and qual- ity as measured by IVDMD should permit the development of improved intermediate wheatgrass populations. At least in the initial stages of a breeding program, selection for these traits could be done in a single environment. Concurrent selection for both first-cut yield and IVDMD is feasible since the phenotypic correlation coefficients between these traits were positive and significant for both locations. words:


Test uncertainty of a towed underwater Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (SPIV) system was assessed in a towing tank. To estimate the systematic error and random error of mean velocity and turbulence properties measurement, velocity field of uniform flow was measured. Total uncertainty of the axial component of mean velocity was 1.45% of the uniform flow speed and total uncertainty of turbulence properties was 3.03%. Besides, variation of particle displacement was applied to identify the change of error distribution. In results for variation of particle displacement, the error rapidly increases with particle movement under one pixel. In addition, a nominal wake of a model ship was measured and compared with existing experimental data by five-hole Pitot tubes, Pitot-static tube, and hot wire anemometer. For mean velocity, small local vortex was identified with high spatial resolution of SPIV, but has serious disagreement in local maxima of turbulence properties due to limited sampling rate.


Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is considered as a treatment option in patients with stroke and brain injury for controlling intracranial pressure. A relatively longer duration of TH is required in such patients than in cardiac arrest patients. We aimed to investigate blood glucose parameters during TH that predict unfavorable neurological outcomes and mortality in patients admitted to the neurological or neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU). This retrospective study evaluated electronic medical records of patients admitted to the ICU from January 1, 2012, to May 20, 2017. A total of 103 patients were included in the analyses. Multivariable analyses revealed that age and glycemic variability (GV) index were significantly associated with poor neurological outcomes (odds ratio [OR] 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.15, p = 0.002, and OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.06, p < 0.001, respectively); furthermore, cumulative input-output balance, sequential organ failure assessment score, and glucose variability index were associated with 90-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.13, 95% CI 1.05-1.21, p < 0.001; HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.04-1.38, p = 0.010; and HR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.02, p < 0.001, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses of the GV index for prediction of 90-day mortality and poor neurological outcomes revealed that the areas under the curves were 0.747 (95% CI 0.65-0.85) and 0.826 (95% CI 0.75-0.91), respectively. In conclusion, variability in glucose levels may be valuable for predicting 90-day mortality and poor neurological outcomes in patients undergoing long-term TH.


My intent is to bring a key group of critical terms associated with the emotions—bitterness, sentimentality, and emotionality—to greater feminist attention. These terms are used to characterize emoters on the basis of how we express ourselves, and they characterize us in ways that we need no longer be taken seriously. I analyze the ways in which these terms of emotional dismissal can be put to powerful political use.


Biochemical research in mood disorders has focused, along the cascade of events involved in signal transduction, from studies at the level monoamine neurotransmitters and their receptors to mechanisms beyond receptors. Growing evidence suggests that G proteins may be involved in the pathophysiology and treatment of mood disorders: (1) lithium, other antibipolar and antidepressant treatments affect G protein levels, function, and mRNA levels; (2) differential alterations exist in G proteins measures in peripheral blood elements of patients with mood disorders; (3) alterations in G proteins levels exist in postmortem tissues of patients with mood disorders; and (4) candidate G protein–encoding genes as susceptibility loci for bipolar mood disorder and depression were detected. G protein signal transduction is regulated at a proximal point: following phosphorylation by G protein–coupled receptor kinases, receptors bind to arrestins, uncoupling the receptors from G proteins; at a distal regulatory point, regulators of G protein signaling proteins act primarily as GTPase‐activating proteins. Both regulatory points have been recently found to be involved in the pathophysiology and treatment of mental disorders. It is to be hoped that an admixture of genomics, proteomics, multi‐marker, large‐scale automated measures, together with the "old" biochemical approaches, will enable the development of an objective biological differential diagnostic system for major mental disorders that will also enable monitoring and predicting response to treatments. Drug Dev. Res. 65:147–155, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Twelve Mainland Chinese export salespersons and seven Hong Kong traders were interviewed via a semi-structured format. Results indicate that (1) types of conflict were mainly determined by the trading culture, (2) a few Chinese cultural values, particularly pragmatism, were reflected in some conflict causes and resolution strategies traders chose to deal with domestic suppliers, (3) the political and economic environments and Chinese managerial practices also played a role in the conflict process, (4) traders were able to use international trading conventions to resolve conflict with foreign buyers while they would settle disputes with domestic suppliers in a Chinese way, and (5) exposure to and knowledge of international trading may serve to decrease the influence of Chinese culture on conflict processes.


We investigate the mechanisms of planar cell polarity (PCP) in the Drosophila larva. The epidermis displays an intricate pattern of polarity and is excellent for the study of one system of PCP, the Dachsous/Fat system; partly because the Starry Night/Frizzled system plays no discernable role in the larva. Measurements of the amount of Dachsous reveal a peak near the rear of the anterior compartment. Localisation of Dachs and orientation of ectopic denticles reveal the polarity of every cell in the segment. We discuss how well these findings evidence our gradient model of Dachsous activity. Several groups have proposed that Dachsous and Fat fix the direction of PCP via oriented microtubules that transport PCP proteins to one side of the cell. We test this proposition in the larval cells and find that most microtubules grow perpendicularly to the axis of PCP. We find no meaningful bias in the polarity of those microtubules aligned close to that axis. We also reexamine published data from the pupal abdomen and fail to find evidence supporting the hypothesis that microtubular orientation draws the arrow of PCP.


Tibialis posterior dysfunction is a complex progressive condition caused primarily by injury to the tibialis posterior tendon, leading to acquired pes planus. The tibialis posterior is the most frequent ankle tendon to be injured, and the disorder commonly occurs in late middle-aged females. Degenerative, inflammatory, functional and post-traumatic aetiologies have all been proposed. Failure of the tibialis posterior tendon causes excessive load stress on the spring ligament and sinus tarsi ligaments. A wide spectrum of bony and soft-tissue abnormalities may be seen on plain radiographs, ultrasound and MRI, including malalignment, anatomical variants, and enthesopathic and tendinopathic changes. Knowledge of the anatomical and biomechanical considerations in tibialis posterior dysfunction allows the radiologist to diagnose injury to key structures and provide prognostic information that may assist with management options to prevent further flat foot deformity.


This contribution analyses residence rights of migrants and irregular residence from a conceptual viewpoint. In the pertinent legal literature, it is argued that every Member State still decides autonomously if the residence of a migrant is permitted; in other words, if he or she is found to be irregular. I question this view, since it ignores the multi-layered character of decision-making in the EU. To do so, I differentiate between migrants who have privileged residence rights (e.g. Union citizens) and those who have not. In depicting the legal situation of migrants with privileged residence rights, I am able to identify three different levels among which the legislative decision-making power in the EU is distributed (international, EU and national level). Consequently, I challenge the 'statist assumption' in showing that legislative decisions with regard to residence rights of migrants have been partly taken out of the exclusive domain of Member States in the EU.


Purpose. Development of a simple, phantom-based methodology allowing for pilot applications for the Elements TPS cranio-vascular module and clinical implementation prior to AVM treatments. Methods. A customized phantom was developed to be visible in MRI and CT images. High resolution digital subtraction angiograms (DSAs) and CT images of the phantom were acquired and imported into the Brainlab Elements treatment planning system. A clinical treatment plan with 5 arcs was generated in cranial vascular planning module and delivered to the phantom using a Varian TrueBeam STx Linac equipped with HD-MLCs and Brainlab ExacTrac imaging system for non-coplanar setup verification. The delivered dose was verified using a calibrated ionization chamber placed in the phantom. Upon verification of the TPS workflow, three patients with AVM who have been treated to date at our center using the Brainlab's cranial vascular module for AVM are presented here for retrospective review. Results. The difference between the planed and measured dose by the ionization chamber was found to be less than 1%. Following a successful dose verification study, a clinical workflow was created. Currently, three AVM patients have been treated successfully. Clinical aspects of imaging and treatment planning consideration are presented in retrospective setting. Conclusions. Dose verification of the Brainlab Elements cranial vascular planning module for intracranial SRS treatments of AVM on Varian TrueBeam was successfully implemented using a custom-made phantom with <1% discrepancy. The Brainlab Elements' cranial vascular module was successfully implemented in clinical workflow to treat patients with AVM. This manuscript provides a guideline for clinical implementation of frameless Linac-based AVM treatment using the Brainlab Elements TPS.


A recent clinical protocol combining retinoic acid, interferon, and radiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer produced proctitis severe enough to necessitate dose reductions. In an attempt to model this biological response to multimodality therapy, we used a murine model to study the response of the colonic epithelium. Mice were treated with retinoic acid (100 micrograms/day) and interferon (3 x 10(4) units/day) for 5 days before undergoing whole-body irradiation. The functional response of the bowel was assessed by the ability to maintain body weight, and reproductive cell survival was quantified by the colon crypt assay. Both assays indicated a moderate protective effect of treatment with retinoic acid and interferon prior to irradiation. Protection factors in the range of 1.1-1.4 were observed.


This research documents systematic gender performance differences (GPD) at a top business school using a unique administrative data set and survey of students. The findings show that women's grades are 11% of a standard deviation lower in quantitative courses than those of men with similar academic aptitude and demographics, and men's grades are 23% of a standard deviation lower in nonquantitative courses than those of comparable women. The authors discuss and test for different reasons to explain this finding. They show that a female instructor significantly cuts down GPD for quantitative courses by raising the relative grades of female students. In addition, female instructors increase women's interest and performance expectations in these courses and are perceived as role models by their female students. These results provide support for a gender stereotype process for GPD and show that faculty can serve as powerful exemplars to challenge gender stereotypes and increase student achievement. The authors discuss several important implications of these findings for business schools and for society.


The transfer of an unknown quantum state, from a sender to a receiver, is one of the main requirements to perform quantum information processing (QIP) tasks. In this respect, the state transfer of a single qubit by means of spin chains has been widely discussed, and many protocols aiming at performing this task have been proposed. Nevertheless, the state transfer of more than one qubit has not been properly addressed so far. In this paper, we present a modified version of a recently proposed quantum state transfer (QST) protocol (Lorenzo S, Apollaro T J G, Sindona A and Plastina F 2013 Phys. Rev. A 87 042313) to obtain a quantum channel for the transfer of two qubits. This goal is achieved by exploiting Rabi-like oscillations due to excitations induced by means of strong and localized magnetic fields. We derive exact analytical formulae for the fidelity of the QST and obtain a high-quality transfer for general quantum states as well as for specific classes of states relevant for QIP.


We consider the final-state sensitivity in periodic windows of one-hump maps. Its quantitative measure, the uncertainty exponent ?, is shown to vary with the square root of the change of the bifurcation parameter of the map.


Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) have not previously been represented in studies of laterality in wild great apes. The discovery of swampy clearings frequented by gorillas in northern Congo has provided the first opportunity to redress this imbalance. Hand preference data are presented from 33 gorillas in seated and standing postures, covering the procurement and processing of 2 to 4 plant species. Levels of hand preference exhibited were low. When data from all postures and plant species were pooled, 33% of gorillas showed hand preferences in excess of chance. In the standing posture, more gorillas exhibited significant left-hand preferences than right, but an overall population-level bias was not evident.


AIM
To study the chemical constituents of the seeds from Artabotrys hexapetalus (L.f.) Bhandari (Annonaceae).

METHODS
Various chromatographic techniques were used to separate and purify the constituents. Their structures were elucidated on the physico-chemical properties and spectral data.

RESULTS
Eight compounds were isolated from the seeds of A. hexapetalus. They were identified as four neolignans: isoamericanin A (1), isoamericanol A (2), americanin B (3) and artabotrycinol (4), a semiterpenoid: (R)-artabotriol (5) and others: palmitic acid (6), beta-sitosterol (7) and daucosterol (8).

CONCLUSION
Artabotrycinol (4) and (R)-artabotriol (5) are new compounds. Three other neolignans were isolated from this plant for the first time.


COSMOLOGYSAN DIEGO-- Vast hydrogen clouds filled the early universe but have since vanished, leaving the matter they contained unaccounted for. But in a talk at an American Astronomical Society meeting here earlier this month, a cosmologist predicted that observers will soon find most of the ordinary matter in the universe right under their noses. Computer simulations show that the primordial clouds condensed over time into a vast, filamentary network of ionized gas--a cosmic cobweb that now links galaxies and galaxy clusters.


IgG4 interstitial nephritis is a recently described entity. A middle-aged gentleman with bilateral parotid enlargement, hepatosplenomegaly and generalized lymphadenopathy was referred to us for evaluation of renal failure. He had trace proteinuria and large kidneys. Kidney biopsy revealed interstitial nephritis with characteristic storiform fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated intense staining for IgG4-secreting plasma cells in the interstitium.


A 94-year-old man consulted our hospital due to a rapidly growing tumor on the left cheek. The histological diagnosis of the tumor was basal cell carcinosarcoma, which was composed of intermingled epithelial and mesenchymal components. The former was basal cell carcinoma, while the latter was spindle cell sarcoma. The tumor was completely resected with a 3-mm margin and the patient remained free of local recurrence or distinct metastasis for 2 years. We report here a case of cutaneous basal cell carcinosarcoma and a review of the literature.


Comparison of the primary structures of pig kidney D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) and human brain D-aspartate oxidase (DDO) revealed a notable difference at I215-N225 of DAO and the corresponding region, R216-G220, of DDO. A DAO mutant, in which I215-N225 is substituted by R216-G220 of DDO, showed D-aspartate-oxidizing activity that wild-type DAO does not exhibit, together with a considerable decrease in activity toward D-alanine. These findings indicate that I215-N225 of DAO contributes profoundly to its substrate specificity. Based on these results and the crystal structure of DAO, we systematically mutated the E220-Y224 region within the short stretch in question and obtained five mutants (220D224G, 221D224G, 222D224G, 223D224G, and 224D), in each of which an aspartate residue is mutated to E220-Y224. All of the mutants exhibited decreased apparent K(m) values toward D-arginine, i.e., to one-seventh to one-half that of wild type DAO. The specificity constant, k(cat app)/K(m app), for D-arginine increased by one order of magnitude for the 221D224G or 222D224G mutant, whereas that for D-alanine or D-serine decreased to marginal or nil.


There is always a relative motion between the magnetometer and the magnetic target. Especially when both are moving, in certain scenarios, the magnetometer is demanded to have the capability of point-by-point and real-time positioning. In this letter, we deduce normalized gradient formulas based on the total field gradient (TFG) and the tensor module gradient (TMG) of the target, respectively. In addition, we analyze the capability of these two formulas to determine the direction of the target. Afterward, the none-asphericity-error method based on the union of aforementioned formulas (TFG-TMG) is proposed. Simulation results show that the union method has no asphericity error on magnetic target localization as well as evaluating the magnetic moment of the target. Even in some noisy environment, the direction error is smaller than 1° and the mean error of the magnetic moment is smaller than 5% of the magnetic moment of the target.


OBJECTIVES
We examined whether characteristics of local health departments (LHD) and their geographic region were associated with using Facebook and Twitter. We also examined the number of tweets per month for Twitter accounts as an indicator of social media use by LHDs.

METHODS
In 2012, we searched for Facebook and Twitter accounts for 2565 LHDs nationwide, and collected adoption date and number of connections for each account. Number of tweets sent indicated LHD use of social media. LHDs were classified as innovators, early adopters, or nonadopters. Characteristics of LHDs were compared across adoption categories, and we examined geographic characteristics, connections, and use.

RESULTS
Twenty-four percent of LHDs had Facebook, 8% had Twitter, and 7% had both. LHDs serving larger populations were more likely to be innovators, tweeted more often, and had more social media connections. Frequency of tweeting was not associated with adoption category. There were differences in adoption across geographic regions, with western states more likely to be innovators. Innovation was also higher in states where the state health department adopted social media.

CONCLUSIONS
Social media has the potential to aid LHDs in disseminating information across the public health system. More evidence is needed to develop best practices for this emerging tool.


International technology transfer and the associated flow of technical knowledge have come to be traditionally regarded as processes developed in invariable—and too frequently liberal—economic systems. But what occurs in the event of strongly planned and ideologized state economies? Even more, to what degree was the technology inflow to the Spanish oil industry during the Franco regime affected by a severe policy of autarchy, and by subsequent liberalizing policies? Historical evidence seems to suggest that this liberalization during the 1950s modified previous transfer modes and rates and even the nature of relations among the actors. Thus in effect, instead of the mere acquisition of "turnkey" technology from foreign sources—the characteristic pattern during the autarchic period—we observe a more complex transfer and greater trend to promote new associations and alliances for contracting with foreign specialists.


Upper gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas (UGCs) respond poorly to current chemotherapeutic regimes. We and others have previously reported frequent AURKA gene amplification and mRNA and protein overexpression in UGCs. It has been shown that AURKA can induce chemotherapeutic resistance and regulate several key signaling pathways in cancer cells, suggesting its role as a central node in cancer cell signaling. The DCF (docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-FU) regimen is the most promising chemotherapeutic regimen against UGC. However, AURKA overexpression can mediate resistance to both Taxol and cisplatin. These findings provide a credible rationale for targeting AURKA. In this study we have reported therapeutic response of the recently developed AURKA selective inhibitor MLN8237 as a single agent and in combination with docetaxel. Our findings provide a foundation for a promising new approach of future targeted therapy in UGCs. Using AGS, FLO-1 and OE33 UGC cell lines, with constitutive AURKA overexpression and variable-p53 status, we observed inhibition of cancer cell survival with 0.5μM MLN8237 (p<0.05) alone. This effect was significantly enhanced in combination with 1.0nM docetaxel (p<0.001). Cell cycle analyses after 48hr of treatment with MLN8237 demonstrated a significant increase in the percentage of polyploidy for AGS and OE33 UGC cells (p<0.01) which was further enhanced by docetaxel (p<0.001). Additionally, an increase in the percentage of cells in the sub-G1-phase at 24hrs and 48hrs was observed with MLN8237 in FLO-1 (p<0.01) cells which was significantly enhanced with MLN8237 and docetaxel combination (p<0.001). Western blot analysis demonstrated higher induction of cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved PARP with the combined treatment, as compared to a single agent treatment. Using xenograft models, we demonstrated an enhanced anti-tumor role for the MLN8237 and docetaxel combination, as compared to single agent treatments (p<0.001). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that MLN8237, combined with docetaxel, can mediate a better therapeutic outcome in UGCs.


Sequential labeling-based NER approaches restrict each word belonging to at most one entity mention, which will face a serious problem when recognizing nested entity mentions. In this paper, we propose to resolve this problem by modeling and leveraging the head-driven phrase structures of entity mentions, i.e., although a mention can nest other mentions, they will not share the same head word. Specifically, we propose Anchor-Region Networks (ARNs), a sequence-to-nuggets architecture for nested mention detection. ARNs first identify anchor words (i.e., possible head words) of all mentions, and then recognize the mention boundaries for each anchor word by exploiting regular phrase structures. Furthermore, we also design Bag Loss, an objective function which can train ARNs in an end-to-end manner without using any anchor word annotation. Experiments show that ARNs achieve the state-of-the-art performance on three standard nested entity mention detection benchmarks.


A modification to the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA) for modal parameter identification is presented in this paper. The ERA minimum order realization approach using singular value decomposition is combined with the philosophy of the Correlation Fit method in state space form such that response data correlations rather than actual response values are used for modal parameter identification. This new method, the ERA using data correlations (ERA/DC), reduces bias errors due to noise corruption significantly without the need for model overspecification. This method is tested using simulated five-degree-of-freedom system responses corrupted by measurement noise. It is found for this case that, when model overspecification is permitted and a minimum order solution obtained via singular value truncation, the results from the two methods are of similar quality.


Fine-grained face editing, as a special case of image translation task, aims at modifying face attributes according to users' preference. Although generative adversarial networks (GANs) have achieved great success in general image translation tasks, these models cannot be directly applied in the face editing problem. Ideal face editing is challenging as it has two special requirements – personalization and spatial-awareness. To address these issues, we propose a novel Personalized Spatial-aware Affine Modulation (PSAM) method based on a general GAN structure. The key idea is to modulate the intermediate features in a personalized and spatial-aware manner, which corresponds to the face editing procedure. Specifically, for personalization, we adopt both the face image and the desired attribute as input to generate the modulation tensors. For spatial-aware, we set these tensors to be of the same size as the input image, allowing pixel-wise modulation. Extensive experiments in four fine-grained face editing tasks, i.e., makeup, expression, illumination and aging, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed PSAM method. The synthesis results of PSAM can be further boosted by a new transferable training strategy.


Non-equilibrium spin-polarized transport properties of antiferromagnetic stanene nanoribbons are theoretically studied under the combining effect of a normal electric field and linearly polarized irradiation based on the tight-binding model at room temperature. Due to the existence of spin-orbit coupling in stanene lattice, applying normal electric field leads to splitting of band degeneracy of spin-resolved energy levels in conduction and valence bands. Furthermore, unequivalent absorption of the polarized photons at two valleys which is attributed to an antiferromagnetic exchange field results in unequal spin-polarized photocurrent for spin-up and spin-down components. Interestingly, in the presence of band bending which has been induced by edge potentials, an allowable quantum efficiency occurs over a wider wavelength region of the incident light. It is especially important that the variation of an exchange magnetic field generates spin semi-conducting behavior in the bended band structure. Moreover, it is shown that optical spin-filtering effect is obtained under the simultaneous effect of uniaxial strain and narrow edge potential.


The paper presents the design of a (Shape Memory Alloys) SMA-in-the-loop testing stand, which allows the testing of the controllers of any type of software implemented by Simulink platform in real conditions. The stand offers the possibility to test SMA and SMA-based actuators by electric current driving for the heating stage and air forcing the cooling process. Also, it allows the acquiring of the parameters: voltage and intensity of the driving current, SMA temperature, accomplished displacement and force. The stand was tested under the following hardware structure: software implemented controllers running on PC, Arduino Due as interface with the physical environment, Arduino Uno-based dual output buck converter and sensors. The stand can be easily extended by other components, it is very flexible as structure.


Tissue-resident macrophages are highly heterogenous and perform various dedicated functions depending on their locations. In particular, skin resident macrophages have intriguing roles in long-distance intercellular signaling by mediating cellular protrusions called 'airinemes' in zebrafish. During pigment pattern formation, macrophages relay signaling molecules containing 'airineme vesicles' from one pigment cell to another. Without macrophages, airineme-mediated signaling is abolished, disrupting pigment pattern formation. It remains unknown, however, if the same macrophage population controls both these signaling roles and typical immune functions or if a separate macrophage subpopulation functions in intercellular communication. In this study, with high-resolution confocal live-imaging and cell type-specific genetic ablation approaches in vivo, we have identified a macrophage subpopulation responsible for airineme-mediated signaling. These cells appear distinct from conventional skin resident macrophages by their amoeboid morphology and faster/expansive migratory behaviors. Instead, we show that they resemble ectoderm-derived macrophages termed metaphocytes. Metaphocyte ablation dramatically reduces airineme extension and signaling. In addition, these amoeboid/metaphocytes require high levels of MMP9 expression for their migration and airineme-mediated signaling. These results reveal a novel macrophage subpopulation with specialized functions in airineme-mediated signaling, which may play roles in many other aspects of intercellular communication.


The complexes, Pb(ChAr(Pri4))2 (Ch = O (1), S (2); Ar(Pri4) = C6H3-2,6-(C6H3-2,6-Pr(i)2)2) were synthesized by alcoholysis and salt metathesis routes and represent the first fully characterized monomeric, two-coordinate, lead dichalcogenolates in the solid state. Structural studies showed that the S-Pb-S angle (77.21(4)°) is about 22° narrower than the corresponding O-Pb-O angle. (207)Pb NMR and electronic spectroscopy show that the separation between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) decreases from the bisaryloxo plumbylene to the bisthiolato derivative. Reaction of LiSAr(Me6) with PbBr2 in a 2:1 ratio led not to Pb(SAr(Me6))2, but to a mixture of the monothiolato lead(II) complex, {Pb(Br)(μ-SAr(Me6))}2 (3) and the lithium tristhiolato plumbate, LiPb(SAr(Me6))3 (4). 3 and 4 were isolated and purified by fractional recrystallization, and both were characterized by X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic studies.


We introduce a new approach to represent a two-body direct correlation function (DCF) in order to alleviate the computational demand of classical density functional theory (CDFT) and enhance the predictive capability of the phase-field crystal (PFC) method. The approach utilizes a rational function fit (RFF) to approximate the two-body DCF in Fourier space. We use the RFF to show that short-wavelength contributions of the two-body DCF play an important role in determining the thermodynamic properties of materials. We further show that using the RFF to empirically parametrize the two-body DCF allows us to obtain the thermodynamic properties of solids and liquids that agree with the results of CDFT simulations with the full two-body DCF without incurring significant computational costs. In addition, the RFF can also be used to improve the representation of the two-body DCF in the PFC method. Last, the RFF allows for a real-space reformulation of the CDFT and PFC method, which enables descriptions of nonperiodic systems and the use of nonuniform and adaptive grids.


The Smithsonian Widefield Infrared Camera (SWIRC) is a Y -, J-, and H-band imager for the f/5 MMT. Proposed in May 2003 and commissioned in June 2004, the goal of the instrument was to deliver quickly a wide field-of-view instrument with minimal optical elements and hence high throughput. The trade-off was to sacrifice K-band capability by not having an internal, cold Lyot stop. We describe SWIRC's design and capabilities, and discuss lessons learned from the thermal design and the detector mount, all of which have been incorporated into the upcoming MMT & Magellan Infrared Spectrograph.


We examine whether connected hedge funds (i.e. those that are prime-brokerage clients of bailout banks) benefited from bailout programs initiated in seven countries during the 2007–2009 financial crisis. We find that being connected to a bailout bank is generally beneficial for hedge funds in that it lowers the rate of fund failure. However, this benefit becomes smaller during the post bailout period, for example, due to the greater risk-taking and higher leverage of such funds subsequent to bailouts. As such, our findings provide support for the moral hazard hypothesis.


Numerous studies reported a small subpopulation of TCRαβ+CD4-CD8- (double-negative) T cells that exert regulatory functions in the peripheral lymphocyte population. However, the origin of these double-negative T (DNT) cells is controversial. Some researchers reported that DNT cells originated from the thymus, and others argued that these cells are derived from peripheral immune induction. We report a possible mechanism for the induction of nonregulatory CD4+ T cells to become regulatory double-negative T (iDNT) cells in vitro. We found that immature bone marrow dendritic cells (CD86+MHC-II- DCs), rather than mature DCs (CD86+MHC-II+), induced high levels of iDNT cells. The addition of an anti-MHC-II antibody to the CD86+MHC-II+ DC group significantly increased induction. These iDNT cells promoted B cell apoptosis and inhibited B cell proliferation and plasma cell formation. A subgroup of iDNT cells expressed NKG2D. Compared to NKG2D- iDNT cells, NKG2D+ iDNT cells released more granzyme B to enhance B cell regulation. This enhancement may function via NKG2D ligands expressed on B cells following lipopolysaccharide stimulation. These results demonstrate that MHC-II impedes induction, and iDNT cells may be MHC independent. NKG2D expression on iDNT cells enhanced the regulatory function of these cells. Our findings elucidate one possible mechanism of the induction of peripheral immune tolerance and provide a potential treatment for chronic allograft rejection in the future.


. Vibrofluidization is widely used in various industrial processes. So the study of vibrofluidization modes is current research. In this paper we investigated the modes of vibrofluidized layer using the package OpenFOAM. The results of modelling of the vibrofluidized layer dynamics at different values of the amplitude and frequency of oscillations, the thickness of the filling, were presented. The modes in which layer becomes unstable were identified. Wavelets formed from granular material and the jetting channels appear in these modes.


Gingival overgrowth represents an over-exuberant response to a variety of local and systemic conditions. Certain anticonvulsants, immunosuppressive drugs, and a number of calcium channel blockers have been shown to produce similar gingival overgrowth in susceptible patients. Among the calcium channel blockers, nifedipine is most frequently associated with gingival overgrowth. Whereas, there is limited evidence of amlodipine-induced gingival hyperplasia. We report a case of accelerated drug-induced gingival overgrowth in a 60-year-old hypertensive patient taking amlodipine at a dose of 10 mg.


BACKGROUND
Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) is a rare soft-tissue tumor that usually occurs in the proximal extremities and trunk. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess patient demographics, treatment approach, and outcomes for patients with LGFMS of the distal upper extremity.

METHODS
We performed a literature review of case reports and patient reports of LGFMS using Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) and PubMed. Inclusion criteria included case reports and case series of patients with LGFMS of the distal upper extremity. Animal studies, comments, and non-English publications were excluded. Data on available patient demographics, treatment regimen, recurrence, and metastasis were collected.

RESULTS
A total of 365 publications were reviewed. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 articles were included. There were 24 unique patients with LGFMS of the distal upper extremity. The median age was 32 years, and most patients were treated with a surgical excision. Of the 15 reported outcomes, 4 patients had local recurrences, and no patient had metastases or died due to the tumor.

CONCLUSIONS
Although LGFMS of the distal upper extremity is less common, it is critical for surgeons to consider it as a differential. The current approach is a wide excision with negative margins, and chemotherapy or radiotherapy may not be necessary. We found decreased proportions of local recurrence and metastases in the distal upper extremity compared with other anatomical regions. We recommend that surgeons follow up with their patients indefinitely given the slow mitotic rate of LGFMS.


The Meaning-Text Theory is a formal, dependency-based linguistic theory in which the lexicon plays a central role. Within this theory, the vocabulary of a language is described by an Explanatory-Combinatorial Dictionary [ECD]. Unlike most existing dictionaries, an ECD is oriented towards language generation rather than analysis. This orientation makes it especially useful for language learners or computers that need to produce nativequality (i.e. highly idiomatic) texts. An ECD of a language aims at describing exhaustively all three components of its lexical units: their meaning, their form and their combinatorics. While it is common for current dictionaries to describe words' meaning and form, their combinatorics is often left undescribed, so that the user has no information on how to actually use them in a sentence. An ECD, on the contrary, describes not only the syntactic and morphological behavior of words, but also their restricted lexical cooccurrence. The description of the restricted lexical cooccurrence of words constitutes the heart of an ECD. It is done using a formal language known as lexical functions. Lexical functions offer an elegant and powerful way of encoding common semantico-syntactic patterns of lexical cooccurrence. Until now, most of the work in explanatory-combinatorial lexicography has been done on French and Russian. The main goal of this paper is to show that it would be possible and useful to develop an ECD of Japanese, and to discuss potential problems inherent to this task and propose some leads towards a solution.


The rapidly developing field of high resolution neutron radiography primarily concentrates on non-destructive studies of stationary objects with relatively long exposure times required to achieve adequate neutron statistics. The combination of a high intensity neutron beam with a high temporal and spatial resolution detector, enables the investigation of dynamic processes in a stroboscopic mode, where image frames are synchronized with the sample or acquired continuously at high acquisition frame rates. Although neutron statistics in the acquisition frames as short as <; 10 μs is considered quite low (typically <; 1000 n/cm2 at the sample), repetitive processes can still be studied with high resolution by integrating a large number of frames synchronized to the process. In this paper we demonstrate the stroboscopic imaging capabilities of the highly collimated thermal neutron beamline ANTARES together with a high resolution detector with neutron-sensitive microchannel plates and the Medipix2 readout. The dynamics of water uptake due to capillary forces as well as the two-phase flow of an air-water mixture is investigated, and stroboscopic imaging of an operating beam chopper and a spinning fan is performed, with sub-100-μm spatial resolution and with acquisition frames varying between 10 μs and 200 ms. The results of these experiments demonstrate the future potential for performing high resolution neutron radiography of fast and/or repetitive processes, such as water flow and uptake, operation of fuel injection nozzles, as well as many others.


To increase the glass transition temperature (Tg) of poly(aryl ether ketone), and to decrease the melting temperature (Tm) and temperature of processing, a series of novel poly(aryl ether ketone)s with different contents of 2,7-naphthalene moieties (PANEK) was synthesized. We focused on the influence of the naphthalene contents to the copolymer's crystallization. The crystallization kinetics of the copolymers was studied isothermally and nonisothermally by differential scanning calorimetry. In the study of isothermal crystallization kinetics, the Avrami equation was used to analyze the primary process of the crystallization. The study results of the crystallization of PANEK at cooling/heating rates ranging from 5 to 60°C/min under nonisothermal conditions are also reported. Both the Avrami equation and the modified Avrami–Ozawa equation were used to describe the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PANEK. The results show that the increase in the crystallization temperature and the content of 2,7-naphthalene moieties will make the crystallization rate decrease, while the nucleation mechanism and the crystal growth of PANEK are not influenced by the increasing of the content of 2,7-naphthalene moieties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 2527–2536, 2006


This work deals with the effect of the contact orientation distribution on the crushing of granular materials. At first, a simple drop weight experiment was designed in order to study the effect of the location of three contact edges on the fracture pattern and the strength of a model cylindrical particle. The sample was placed on two bottom contact edges symmetrically distributed with reference to the vertical symmetry plane of the particle and subjected to an impact at the top. Angle α between the plane connecting a bottom contact edge to the centerline of the cylinder and a vertical plane was varied. The energy required to fracture the particle was shown to be an increasing function of angle α . Peculiar crack patterns were also observed. Then, we present a discrete model of grain fracture [1] and employ it for a numerical analysis of the problem. The cylindrical particle is discretized by means of a space filling Voronoi tessellation, and submitted to a compression test for different values of angle α . In agreement with experiments, simulations predict a strong effect of the contact orientation on the strength of the particle as well as similar fracture patterns. The proposed numerical model is therefore an interesting tool for understanding fracture mechanisms with the purpose of optimizing the crushing process.


We propose two schemes for quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) and deterministic secure quantum communication (DSQC) over collective dephasing noisy channel. In our schemes, four special two-qubit states are used as the quantum channel. Since these states are unchanged through the collective dephasing noisy channel, the effect of the channel noise can be perfectly overcome. Simultaneously, the security against some usual attacks can be ensured by utilizing the various checking procedures. Furthermore, these two schemes are feasible with present-day technique.


The purpose of this study was to determine the role of genetic influence on the variability of pulmonary function tests in normal individuals. Thirty-one pairs of twins (20 monozygotes (MZ) and 11 dizygotes (DZ) of both sexes, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years, were tested. Degree of similarity in each parameter was compared between MZ pairs and DZ pairs by within-pair variance ratio (MWDZ/MWMZ). The within-pair variances of MZ were smaller than DZ with respect to FVC, FEV1/FVC, V50, V25, delta N2 and FRC. These parameters were corrected for height; again the within-pair variances of MZ were smaller than DZ with respect to all the parameters except for FRC. The results indicate that these parameters were at least partly determined by genetic factor. However the within-pair variance of FEV1, PF, CV/VC, Raw, Pao2, Paco2, pH, and [HCO3-] were not different between the two groups. To estimate the similarity within MZ pairs, among-pair to within-pair variance ratio (MAMZ/MWMZ) were used. All the parameters of pulmonary mechanics showed similarity within pairs. Arterial pH and Pao2 also disclosed a significant similarity within-pairs, but Paco2 and [HCO3-] did not.


The scaling properties of coupled optical interface modes in Fibonacci dielectric superlattices are investigated. In the dielectric continuum approximation, the frequency spectra are found to have two sets of dual triadic Cantor structures. This duality is also reflected in the distributions of electric fields. Scaling and multifractal analyses are used to establish that the frequency spectra are all singular continuous and the eigenstates are critical.


The effect(s) of an intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of aqueous extracts of two Nigerian medicinal plants, Garcina cola and Vermonia amygdalina on the level of glucose-6-phosphatase activity, total protein content and regenerative and total DNA concentrations, was determined in liver homogenates of partially-hepatectomized and normal albino rat liver. The established control curves for the DNA and microsome syntheses rates after partial hepatectomy showed two waves of synthetic activity; the first occurring at 24 hrs., and the second at 32 hrs as judged by total regenerative DNA concentration and glucose-6-phosphatase activity. Garcina cola significantly inhibited the first wave of microsome and DNA syntheses by 31% and 24% respectively in a dose-related manner. However, the degree of inhibition of glucose-6-phosphatase activity by Garcina cola was substantially reduced in normal rat liver when administered simultaneously with carbon tetrachloride. Dilute and concentrated extracts of Vermonia amygdalina, on the other hand, elevated the levels of glucose-6-phosphatase activity in normal rat liver by 44% and 54%, respectively over the controls. Total DNA concentration was similarly increased, though to a lesser degree. The implication of these results are discussed in relation to the structural similarity of the furocoumarins contained in these plants to AFB1, and their likely modes of action.


The risk of breast cancer for unaffected men who test positive for a BRCA2 mutation is based on very few retrospective studies. We have used both retrospective and prospective analysis in 321 families with pathogenic BRCA2 mutations. Three breast cancers occurred in male first-degree relatives after family ascertainment in 4140 years of follow-up suggesting a risk of breast cancer to 80 years of 8.9%. A second analysis excluding index cases identified 16 breast cancers in 905 first-degree male relatives on which Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed after assigning carrier status. This analysis confirmed that breast cancer risk in men was 7.1% (SE 5.2–8.6%) by age 70 years and 8.4% (SE 6.2–10.6%) by age 80 years.


A questionnaire on the criteria used in hiring teachers of the hearing impaired was sent to 200 administrators. The 157 respondents generally agreed on the importance of most criteria (e.g. academic grades, professional involvement, strong letters of recommendation). The majority indicated that graduating from a program with a Total Communication philosophy was "very important" and training in the oral philosophy was "not important." Closer investigation, however, revealed that while residential programs rated oralism as "not important," day programs judged oralism as more important and were more evenly spread in their other responses. Administrators of residential programs also rated extracurricular skills and talents as important, while day school heads did not. The majority of administrators recommended that teachers earn second endorsements in learning disabilities.


Tropical freshwater lakes are well known for their high biodiversity, and particularly the East African Great Lakes are renowned for their adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes. While comparative phylogenetic analyses of extant species flocks have revealed patterns and processes of their diversification, little is known about evolutionary trajectories within lineages, the impacts of environmental drivers, or the scope and nature of now-extinct diversity. Time-structured palaeodata from geologically young fossil records, such as fossil counts and particularly ancient DNA (aDNA) data, would help fill this large knowledge gap. High ambient temperatures can be detrimental to the preservation of DNA, but refined methodology now allows data generation even from very poorly preserved samples. Here, we show for the first time that fish fossils from tropical lake sediments yield endogenous aDNA. Despite generally low endogenous content and high sample dropout, the application of high-throughput sequencing and, in some cases, sequence capture allowed taxonomic assignment and phylogenetic placement of 17% of analysed fish fossils to family or tribe level, including remains which are up to 2700 years old or weigh less than 1 mg. The relationship between aDNA degradation and the thermal age of samples is similar to that described for terrestrial samples from cold environments when adjusted for elevated temperature. Success rates and aDNA preservation differed between the investigated lakes Chala, Kivu and Victoria, possibly caused by differences in bottom water oxygenation. Our study demonstrates that the sediment records of tropical lakes can preserve genetic information on rapidly diversifying fish taxa over time scales of millennia.


We study the interest rate spread of the Argentine financial system during the last eighteen years. We analyze Granger causality of selected variables, and estimate econometric models that relate spread to macroeconomic and microeconomic factors. Results indicate that output growth and monetization reduce spread during the whole period, while country risk and prices are significant only by subperiods, suggesting changes in macroeconomic context. Banking system variables also have significant impacts, including: taxes, administrative expenses, non-performing loans, the use of own resources and liquidity.