This edition of the annual bibliography on library building still shows lively planning and building activities. The subject library building results from the overlap and interrelationship of the subjects architecture and library science. Accordingly journals, compilations and monographs from these two fields are scanned. This bibliography has 325 entries, publications of 172 objects have been entered.


The objective of this review is to describe the general aspects, the importance of protected fats in feeding of ruminants and review some aspects about their processing and obtaining in order to encourage the scientific community of the tropics to implement processes of research in this important area of animal production. The results of the use in ruminant feeding and the saponification flowcharts for making soap using sodium, potassium and calcium, for sheep tallow and for palm oil residue are evaluated. It is noticed that there is improvement in the production parameters with bypass fat, as well as the milk quality both in cattle, sheep and goats and reproductive parameters in dairy cattle, with decrease in the negative energy balance on the body condition of the animals, which improve evidenced postpartum conception rates and the reduction of open days. Likewise, the performance in meat production where an increase in weight gain and channel performance is recorded is also evaluated. A scientific space research in the search of methods of energy supplementation in ruminants in physiological stages of high requirements for the use of available resources in the tropics to potentiate ruminant production is stimulated. It is concluded that bypass fat have a positive effect on the productive and reproductive parameters of ruminant animals. However, it is necessary to perform the economic evaluation to establish the use rates.


Osseointegrated prostheses are widely used as the treatment for femur amputation. However, this technique requires sufficient implant stability before and during the rehabilitation period to mitigate the risk of implant breakage and loosening. Hence, reliable assessment methods for the osseointegration process are essential to ensure initial and long-term implant stability. This paper aims to investigate a vibration analysis method with a novel implant design, which focuses on the analysis of the dynamic response of the femur-implant system during the simulated osseointegration process. The paper also proposes a concept of using normalized energy difference to formulate an energy index (E-index). A 133mm-long amputated artificial femur model was constrained at the proximal end with a customized clamp. The epoxy adhesives were applied at the interface between the aforementioned femur and implant to simulate the change in stiffness in mimicking the osseointegration process. A two-unidirectionalsensor setup attached to the bottom of the implant was used to record the dynamic response stimulated by an impact hammer. The results show a significant change in magnitude of the cross-spectrum during the osseointegration processes. The resonance modes in cross-spectrum for the frequency above 1000Hz are hard to distinguish suggested that the vibration of the system being hindered by the high dampening effect of the adhesive before the initial bonding of the adhesive at 300s. The plot of E-index shows a clear correlation that the E-index provided a potential quantitative approach for monitoring the stages of osseointegration. These findings highlight the feasibility of using the vibration analysis technique and E-index to quantitatively monitor the osseointegration process for future improvement on the efficiency of human health monitoring and patient rehabilitation.


Aeromonas species, once thought pathogenic only in immunocompromised hosts, have more recently been found to be associated with many different infections in previously healthy individuals. The most common site of these infections is the gastrointestinal tract. We describe a 67-yr-old woman who presented with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea and was diagnosed with left-sided, segmental colitis due to Aeromonas sobria, which was proven by stool culture. Extensive work-up for ischemic colitis was unremarkable, and after treatment with antibiotics, the patient's symptoms resolved, and follow-up colonoscopy failed to reveal any evidence of residual colitis or inflammatory bowel disease. Our report supports the view that Aeromonas species need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of colitis, and we believe it to be the first report of left-sided, segmental colitis secondary to Aeromonas sobria infection.


Polypropylene (PP) recycling has always been challenging because the polymer is highly susceptible to thermooxidative degradation during extrusion. Recycled (degraded) PP is normally blended with virgin PP to achieve reasonable mechanical properties after reprocessing operations. However, impurities present in recycled PP tend to degrade even the virgin PP in this process. In this study, standard recycled PP was produced in a laboratory by repeated extrusion and pelletization operations of virgin PP. This material was blended with virgin PP in a ratio from 3 : 7 to 7 : 3. An attempt was made to stabilize the recycled blend by adding a peroxide decomposer (triphenylphosphite, TPP) and a slipping agent (zinc stearate) in contrast to radical scavengers normally used in reprocessing. It was found that by using 0.3–0.5 wt % of TPP and 2 wt % of zinc stearate, this degradation could be effectively attested. Compared to the tensile strength retention of 68% (based on strength of pure virgin PP) of a 60 : 40 (recycled : virgin) PP blend without any stabilizer, a value of 77% was obtained for the same blend with the above-mentioned stabilizers. This stabilization effect was attributed to decomposition of unstable hydroperoxides to stable compounds in the recycled materials by TPP, and lower generation of new radicals in the presence of zinc stearate. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 3247–3251, 2004


Abstract On‐site clinical training, which has been greatly hindered during the COVID‐19 pandemic, is essential in nursing practicum. This study aimed to identify the predictors of nursing students' motivational and self‐regulated learning in clinical nursing practicum during the pandemic. This cross‐sectional study aimed to identify the predictors of motivational and self‐regulated learning among nursing students in clinical nursing practicum during the COVID‐19 pandemic. An online survey was completed by 195 nursing students in Korea in 2021. Students' moral sensitivity and motivational and self‐regulated learning were assessed using the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis revealed that moral sensitivity was the most potent predictor of motivational and self‐regulated learning, followed by online clinical practicum experience, determination to become a nurse, and online practicum type; these factors explained 21.0% of the variance. Practicum courses using a tailored hybrid model, combining online and in‐person approaches for imparting nursing practices and inspiring moral sensitivity, can enhance nursing students' motivational and self‐regulated learning. Modules to enhance nursing students' moral sensitivity should be included in online practicum curricula.


The effects of four antigenic fractions of Pasteurella multocida serotype A isolated from a duck in the Philippines on the phagocytic activity of chicken peripheral blood leukocytes were studied by a flow cytometer. These fractions were the lipopolysaccharide-protein complex (LPS), crude capsular antigen (CCA), ribosomal fraction (RS) and outer cell layer (OCL). Among these four antigens, only CCA but not LPS RS and OCL, significantly increased the phagocytic activities of mononuclear cells (MNC) and polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). This result indicates that CCA has an immunological property enhancing the phagocytic activities of MNC and PMN.


Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is considered a global public health problem with high morbidity and mortality. Yishen Qingli Heluo granule (YQHG) is representative traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) remedy for clinical treatment of CKD. This study aims to explore the mechanism of YQHG on CKD through network pharmacology and experimental validation. Methods Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database and wide-scale literature mining were applied to screen active compounds of YQHG. Multiple bioinformatic tools and online databases were applied by us to obtain relevant targets of YQHG and CKD. The intersection targets between YQHG and CKD were considered as candidate targets. The compound-target, herb-candidate target and protein–protein interaction networks were constructed and visualized for topological analyses. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted to determine the biological processes and signaling pathways. Molecular docking was used to verify the reliability of network pharmacology. Finally, pharmacological evaluation was performed to explore the mechanism of YQHG against CKD on a 5/6 nephrectomy model. Results Seventy-nine candidate targets, ten core biological processes and one key signaling pathway (p53) were screened. PTGS2 was identified as a key target based on H-CT network. The molecular docking showed that Quercetin, Kaempferol, Luteolin were three key compounds with the best binding activity. In addition, IL6 and Quercetin could form a stable complex with high binding affinity (−7.29 kcal/mol). In vivo experiment revealed that YQHG improved kidney function and fibrosis in 5/6 nephrectomized rats. Moreover, the decreased expression of PTGS2, IL6, and the increased expression of p53 were observed in kidney tissue. Notably, the gut microbiota of rats treated with YQHG was reshaped, which was characterized by a reduced ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidota. Conclusion Our results predicted and verified the potential targets of YQHG on CKD from a holistic perspective, and provided valuable direction for the further research of YQHG.


Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was born in 1987 and is now commonly performed, usually under general anaesthesia, and under the same technical conditions as conventional surgery. The operative procedure varies with the operators, but it is mandatory to evaluate the state of the bile duct by pre- or peroperative explorations. Compared with conventional surgery, the advantages of laparoscopic cholecystectomy are well known: the entire peritoneal cavity is explored; the lack of postoperative ileus makes it possible to resume normal feeding, and hence normal activity, after a short interruption; systemic and parietal complications are less frequent, but the biliary tract complication rate is higher, probably in relation to the operator's training. The indications were initially restrictive but now embrace the quasi-totality of gallstones, complicated or not, and in particular when the patient's general condition is fragile.


Health care reform and immigration reform are heated subjects in the United States of America. The main research question of this paper links the two by analyzing the effectiveness of government communication about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) towards Hispanics. The expansion of health insurance does not necessarily ensure access to care for all members of this minority group. Apart from questions of eligibility, immigrants face other obstacles, such as language, cultural differences, and perceptions about health care. These realities should be taken into consideration when vangehuchten & willems: hispanics 281 communicating with Latinos, but was this the case for ACA? This paper presents the results of a corpus-based research of six government sources and six sources from nonprofit organizations on ACA. An analysis of effective communication using 11 parameters was performed on this corpus and showed that undeniable communicative flaws, together with the too frequent lack of linguistic accuracy in Spanish, point out the need for experts when it comes to communicate publically with ethnic minorities.


The calculation of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is dependent upon the accurate measurement of diastolic and systolic left ventricular volumes. Although breath-hold cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows coverage of the whole cardiac cycle with an excellent time resolution, many authors rely on the visual selection of diastolic and the systolic short-axis slices in order to reduce the postprocessing time. An automatic method was developed to detect the endocardial contour on each image, allowing an automatic selection of the systolic frame. The calculated ejection fraction was compared with radionuclide ventriculography (RNV). Sixty-five patients were examined using an electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated gradient echo sequence. Among these examinations, manual and automatic processing with MRI were compared when the time of the systolic frame concorded. Good correlations have been found between the automatic MRI approach and RNV, and between manual and automatic processing on MRI alone. The results show that the automatic determination of the ejection fraction is feasible, and should constitute an important step toward a larger acceptance of MRI as a routine tool in heart disease imaging. One major benefit of using automatic postprocessing is that it may eliminate the visual choice of the systolic frame, inaccurate in more than 50% of the studied patients.


Against essentialist looks besieging the concept of political subject as an a priori, it is proposed here reflect on the dynamic and dialogic process of construction of the subject and the conditions required: the event, the construction of situations, the political drift, the desire of rebellion, and the production of knowledge, the creation of meaning. Education is a social field in constant dispute, at least in Europe for universal policies, in the nineteenth century, but the current extreme situation conflicting positions. Education -in Bourdieu's notion of social space where agents equipped with different cultural capitals dispute its hegemony. Education can be a laboratory in which to test the possibilities and limits of public political project of citizenship, the project of the public sphere. I think that education can contribute, therefore, to the construction of the political subject if it facilitates the conceptual and procedural tools for policy learning reading of reality, to analyze what holds us to understand that we confers identity and subjectivity. Education will be truly educational if you feed the desire to walk and explore new possibilities of living in a dialogic understanding the differences; will be truly educational if active teaching strategies that allow the creation of life experiences based in the rebel gesture against all forms o control.


In recent years, researchers have shown an interest in understanding students' own ideas about basic chemical principles and guiding them through innovative ways to gain conceptual understanding where necessary. This research was a case study designed to assess 50 first year high school students' conceptual understanding about changes in matter, with interpretive underpinnings. A diagnostic probe was administered to find out if discrete particles could be used to differentiate chemical changes from physical changes and to unravel the different conceptual interpretations that students had. Submissions obtained from the students were classified on levels of conceptions, and analysed using frequency counts and percentages, after which an interview was conducted to gain a deeper insight into their unscientific submissions. Findings from the study indicated that only a few students had difficulties in distinguishing between physical and chemical changes. These few did not associate the changes in states with associated physical and chemical properties, as was expected at their level. Neither did they base their explanation on the breaking nor formation of bonds, nor with changes in the constitutions of entities. They overwhelmingly intimated that physical changes were reversible whilst chemical changes were not. About 38% of participants who provided correct definitions for physical and chemical changes in two of the probes could not assign reasons for them. However, almost 79% of the participants showed an appreciable knowledge of types of changes that occur in chemistry. The adopted diagnostic probe and interview were useful in identifying students' alternative conceptions about changes in chemistry. Diagnostic probes are recommended as a pre-requisite for conceptual change strategies.


This study explores student learning outcomes from an Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies course. The article focuses on students' perceptions of cognitive abilities, skills and attributes developed through participation in an interdisciplinary research and design project. Participants were 50 students enrolled in the course. A pre-post survey matched pairs design was used to analyze data generated from Likert scale responses. Content analysis was used to analyze responses to open-ended survey questions. The study's findings illustrate the potential interdisciplinary studies programs have for fostering the development of skills required for success in the workplace and for good citizenship.


Benjamin Davis Wilson was one of the first American settlers in Southern California. He became a prosperous rancher and the mayor of little Los Angeles. A special friend of the Indians of Southern California, Wilson was appointed their sub agent in 1852, when the Indians were on the edge of catastrophe, their population reduced by two-thirds within a generation. Wilson's great contribution, the one he wished to be remembered for, was to appraise the problems of these Indians and urge their settlement on land set aside for them. His report (published in the "Los Angeles Star" in 1868) was instrumental in creating the reservation system."The Indians of Southern California in 1852" was inspired by Wilson's desire 'to secure peace and justice to the Indians'. He recognized his duty to guard against Indian raids on the ranchos and settlements while establishing policies that ensured the future welfare of Indians suffering from the breakdown of the old mission program. Besides the influential Wilson report, this volume contains vivid descriptions of life in the so-called Cow Counties of Southern California at mid-nineteenth century. Also included are excerpts from contemporary newspapers. The editor, John Walton Caughey, is the author of "Gold Is the Cornerstone and California". Albert L. Hurtado is an associate professor of history at Arizona State University and the author of "Indian Survival on the California Frontier".


This work presents a dynamically reconfigurable platform called EXPRESS-1, which uses the commercially available embedded processor FPGA. The system makes the most of a fully reconfigurable logic part to explore the area of fine-grained reconfigurable computing. A dynamic reconfiguration mechanism is implemented utilizing a real-time operating system, so device reconfiguration in response to application demand works without suspending other services. EXPRESS-1 features a transparent execution mechanism. Whether a function is executed by the hardware or software, the mechanism frees users from awareness of its execution manner. Furthermore, there is no need to explicitly specify reconfiguration commands into a program because the system determines if reconfiguration is needed based on current conditions. The development of EXPRESS-1 and the runtime reconfiguration mechanism of the fully reconfigurable logic are described. System capabilities are also reported through fundamental evaluations with some practical applications such as JavaVM, encryption processing, and image processing.


The minimum vital of drinking water for vulnerable people is protected by the Colombian Constitutional Jurisprudence, locally and nationally. The Constitutional Court has created a solid jurisprudential line on the right to water in relation to the suspension of water supply service for the customer's failure to pay for the service; this Court has also defined the conditions necessary for the companies to refrain from suspending service and the minimum amount necessary for survival. Compliance with these sentences has been limited to the orders pronounced to the benefit of the company that provides such service, including the execution of payment agreements for accessing the water supply. The implementation of the free minimum vital of drinking water in Colombia has been defined through targeting and requirements that are set only to benefit market laws, such as payment agreements, except for Bogota that, from the point of view of human rights, has proposed the respect for the minimum vital of drinking water for all social strata.


Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK) is involved in multiple signaling pathways in mammalian systems, including G-protein signaling. Arabidopsis NDPK2, like its mammalian counterparts, is multifunctional despite its initial discovery phytochrome-interacting protein. This similarity raises the possibility that NDPK2 may play a role in G-protein signaling in plants. In the present study, we explore the potential relationship between NDPK2 and the small G proteins, Pra2 and Pra3, as well as the heterotrimeric G protein, GPA1. We report a physical interaction between NDPK2 and these small G proteins, and demonstrate that NDPK2 can stimulate their GTPase activities. Our results suggest that NDPK2 acts as a GTPase-activating protein for small G proteins in plants. We propose that NDPK2 might be a missing link between the phytochromemediated light signaling and G protein-mediated signaling.


A methodology for the worst case measurement uncertainty estimation for analytical methods which include an instrumental quantification step, adequate for routine determinations, is presented. Although the methodology presented should be based on a careful evaluation of the analytical method, the resulting daily calculations are very simple. The methodology is based on the estimation of the maximum value for the different sources of uncertainty and requires the definition of limiting values for certain analytical parameters. The simplification of the instrumental quantification uncertainty estimation involves the use of the standard deviation obtained from control charts relating to the concentrations estimated from the calibration curves for control standards at the highest calibration level. Three levels of simplification are suggested, as alternatives to the detailed approach, which can be selected according to the proximity of the sample results to decision limits. These approaches were applied to the determination of pesticide residues in apples (CEN, EN 12393), for which the most simplified approach showed a relative expanded uncertainty of 37.2% for a confidence level of approximately 95%.


Thrombospondin (TSP) is a 450 kDa extracellular matrix glycoprotein expressed in normal, hyperplastic, and neoplastic human breast. In this study, the patterns of expression of TSP were determined during development of the human fetal mammary gland between the 15th and the 39th week of gestation. Using immunohistochemistry, TSP is found in the dense mesenchyme immediately adjacent to the mammary bud, and at the membrane of budding epithelial cells invading the surrounding mesenchyme. As formation of the ductal tree system occurs, TSP is deposited at the myoepithelial-stromal junction of mammary ducts. Such an immunolocalization of TSP in buds and ducts of the fetal mammary gland has been confirmed at the mRNA level using in situ hybridization. Presence of TSP transcripts in nascent breast tissue has been also demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction assay. Comparison of TSP immunolocalization with that of two known TSP cell surface receptors, CD36 and CD51, reveals no codistribution of TSP with these receptors during mammary gland development. As opposed to TSP, CD36 is strongly expressed at the membrane of preadipocytes present in the fat pad tissue, but absent from budding epithelial cells. CD51 is only weakly expressed by malpighian epithelial cells and does not colocalize with TSP. In lactating ducts of a newborn, TSP disappears from the myoepithelial-stromal junction of ducts and is synthesized at the apices of secretory epithelial cells of lactating ducts together with CD36. In conclusion, our findings support the existence of an important role for TSP during development of the human fetal mammary gland.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This paper looks at the three-way relationship between the Government of Chad, humanitarians, and the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) from 2004 until June 2011. Chad was never comfortable with the international presence of either humanitarians or peacekeepers and asserted its sovereignty increasingly during this period. MINURCAT was deployed in 2008 to protect humanitarian workers and to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance in eastern Chad. This association between the UN mission and humanitarian agencies contributed to making the latter the target of repressive practices by the government, such as the imposition of armed escorts. Facing a steep learning curve, Chad and its state officials gradually appropriated the discourse of the humanitarian and international community and ultimately, in 2010, requested the departure of MINURCAT, claiming that they could meet the protection needs of vulnerable populations in eastern Chad on their own.


Throughout the period between the 11th and 15th centuries, Christian and Arabic
countries as well as territorial dominions, although faced with feudal political chaos,
managed to take joint action against pirates. Piracy was unanimously treated as a major
risk both to inshore safety and safety at sea, as well as to trade and economic growth.
Attempts were made to establish institutional framework for prosecuting the pirates and
setting terms under which respective counties would remain legally liable. International
treaties had laid foundations for the aforementioned framework and imposed certain
liabilities on the countries. A number of treaties concluded during the period under discussion
and published by an archivist in the 19th century enables modern researchers to
get to know the Law of Nations created somewhere in between the Islamic and European
legal cultures.


The object of research is a bimetallic composite material with a thin intermediate layer of aluminum. The aim of the work is to determine the features of the stress-strain state at the interlayer boundaries of a steel-aluminum composite material with a thin layer using the computational exper-iment method and to calculate separation resistance using the energy criterion. The stress-strain state along the boundaries of the joint at delamination is determined from the results of modeling the de-formation of axisymmetric samples made of a steel-aluminum bimetallic composite material with a thin intermediate layer of aluminum. A series of computational experiments with varying the critical rate of elastic energy release under separation conditions, including under the combined influence of low temperatures and static loads, is implemented. The energy criterion is used to evaluate the stress level that leads to the separation of the bimetallic compound. The dependence of the separation re-sistance along the ring contour on the critical rate of elastic energy release, which is variable in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 N/mm, is calculated. It is established that, for the studied variants of the compu-tational experiment, a rigid stress state with a predominance of normal tensile stresses is realized at the place of delamination onset.


The use of radiotherapy in the management of bronchial carcinoma was evaluated in 106 patients (mean age: 56.6 yrs, s. d. 9.10) with male:female ratio of 2:2.1 who presented at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital 1975 to 1995 with this disease. About two-thirds (61%) of the patients smoked heavily for many years. Cough and chest pain were the most common presenting symptoms with frequencies of 81.1% and 74.5% respectively. Tissue biopsy and cytology and chest radiograph accounted for 63.2% of the methods of diagnosis while the rest was based on clinical impression and chest radiograph.
All cases were advanced and therefore inoperable on presentation but 89% had good symptomatic control following radiotherapy. Less than 7% were alive at 1 year. Chemotherapy did not appear to influence prognosis and survival.
In view of the fact that patients tend to present late preventive measures such as control of tobacco use will be much more effective in reducing the prevalence of carcinoma of the bronchus.
Key Words: Carcinoma, Bronchus, Radiotherapy, Lagos [J. of Med. & Medical Sci. Vol.1(1) 1999: 26-30]


This study investigates the relation of fibre length and ray dimensions to the sound propagation velocity in four commercial tropical hardwoods. The species used in the study were Doussie (Afzelia bipindensis Harms), Merbau (Intsia bijuga (Colebr.) Kuntze), Muiracatiara (Astronium graveolens Jacq.) and Wenge (Millettia laurentii De Wild.). The sound propagation velocity was established by the frequency-resonance method. A positive correlation was obtained between fibre length and sound velocity within species. The correlation was stronger in species with a higher proportion of libriform fibres. A trend analogous to fibre length within species was observed for ray ratio but, in contrast to fibre length, the correlation was strong also between species. The samples with higher and at the same time narrower rays (higher ray ratio) showed a higher velocity of sound propagation along the grain.


A journalist is one of the professions that has high public support and should be characterised by high moral and ethical requirements when performing their work, which is to provide information to the public. The aim of this article is to analyse the notion of journalist on a linguistic and legal level. It was made by analysing the definition of a journalist in dictionaries of the Polish language and in the science of social communication and the media, as well as by analysing the dogmatic legal definition of the notion of journalist contained in Article 7(2)(5) of the Press Law.


Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by an intense fibrotic reaction termed tumour desmoplasia/fibrosis, which is partially responsible for its aggressive nature. The pro-fibrotic cytokine TGFβ1 promotes fibroblast accumulation in several pathological disorders, including cancer via endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), thereby implicating EndMT as a potential therapeutic target. Previous studies have demonstrated angiogenic co-receptor, neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) as a co-receptor for TGFβ1 in mediating several oncogenic processes. NRP-1 expression and TGFβ1 signaling have been shown to be up-regulated in PDAC. However, the therapeutic benefits of targeting NRP-1 in PDAC remain unexplored. We therefore hypothesized that targeting NRP-1 in PDAC may inhibit TGFβ1-mediated EndMT, tumour perfusion and tumour growth. Methods: Orthotopic tumours were generated in RNU athymic rats from BxPC-3 human pancreatic cancer cells using the implantation technique. Animals were delivered at day 28 post surgery with either empty minicircle-DNA (150 μg) or shNRP-1 minicircle-DNA (200 μg) using ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD). For UTMD, ultrasound was transmitted using a phased array transducer (S3, Sonos 5500) at 1.3 MHz and a transmit power of 0.9 W (120 V, 9 mA), and at a pulsing interval of 5 s. Contrast enhanced ultrasound perfusion imaging was performed on day 28 (gene delivery) and day 56 (end-point) with standardized analyses. Tumour tissues and remote organs were collected for evaluation of tumour volume and other downstream analyses like real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry and Masson9s trichrome staining (for fibrosis). Results: RT-PCR and immunoblotting demonstrated successful silencing of NRP-1 in shNRP-1 minicircle group. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated a typical ductal morphology and substantial collagen content within the tumours. Histological assessments further revealed reduced NRP-1 expression and reduced fibrosis in shNRP-1 minicircle group. Significant changes were observed in EndMT markers at transcript level and protein level in shNRP-1 minicircle delivered animals compared to empty minicircle. At day 56, profound reductions were observed in tumour volumes in shNRP-1 minicircle delivered animals. Tumour area and perfusion were found to be greater and more complete throughout the tumour in empty minicircle group, while reduced area and perfusion was observed in shNRP-1 minicircle group. At day 56, tumour microvascular blood flow and blood volume were markedly reduced in the shNRP-1 minicircle group. Conclusions: Overall, these in vivo results suggest that loss of NRP-1 leads to reduced fibrosis and tumour growth in PDAC possibly through limiting EndMT and NRP-1 mediated angiogenesis, making NRP-1 as a potential therapeutic target against PDAC. Citation Format: Pratiek N. Matkar, Krishna K. Singh, Gerald J. Prud'homme, David W. Hedley, Howard Leong-Poi. Ultrasound-mediated neuropilin-1 shRNA minicircle delivery inhibits tumour growth in an orthotopic human pancreatic adenocarcinoma model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2919.


It seems there is no end to the growth of social media. Facebook, in particular, enjoys its hegemonic position as the leading social networking site, with more than one and a half billion global monthly active users throughout 2015. 71 per cent of all adult Internet users in the United States have used Facebook in 2014, which constitutes 58 per cent of the entire U.S. adult population. The website has permeated many aspects of social, cultural, and economic life. It has equipped its users with new ways of online social interaction, governments with new means of communicating policies with the public opinion, and businesses and advertisers with a platform for reaching consumers faster and on a broader-than-ever scale. David Lyon, the leading scholar of international surveillance studies, observes: "Facebook has quickly become a basic means of communicating – of 'connecting', as Facebook itself rightly calls it – and is now a dimension of daily life for millions" (p. 35). The effect of social networking and social media on mass popular culture of the modern world is undoubtedly immense. What is less clear, however, is the normative value and nature of Facebook. From its appearance on the Internet, the website has been an object of criticism pointing to the modern paradigm of individuals' lives being constantly exposed to the public gaze. The increasingly complex and decreasingly intelligible architecture of the globalising "technoscape" have created new means of surveillance. David Lyon (1994) has been at the forefront of this line of thinking, arguing together with Zygmunt Bauman that modernity brought about the rise of a new Panoptic "surveillance society". Lyon sees Facebook as an exemplary modern surveillance system, designed for the purpose of collecting data about its users and turning it into commercial profits. The revelations about the global surveillance of Facebook users by the U.S. National Security Agency, exposed by Edward Snowden in 2013, seem to be a case in point. The international uproar that followed inspired many to reflect critically on the nature of social networking sites and to question their safety.


Objectives N, N, N', N'-tetrakis (2-pyridylmethy1) Ethylenediamine (TPEN), a membrane-permeable zinc chelator, has been demonstrated to modify the intracellular level of calcium and to exhibit antioxidative effects. The present study was to investigate whether TPEN could provide protective effects in atrial fibrillation cells, especially under circumstances of oxidative stress. Methods Cell models of atrial fibrillation were established by rapid paced HL-1 cells with 600 times per minute (10 Hz/5ms, 1.0 V/cm). These cells were divided into five groups: paced group, in which HL-1 cells were paced for 2 h with 600 times per minute; control group, in which HL-1 cells were never paced as sinus rhythm control; ONOO− group, in which HL-1 cells were pretreated with ONOO− and then paced; TPEN group, in which HL-1 cells were pretreated with TPEN and then paced, and ONOO−+TPEN group, in which cells were pretreated with ONOO− and TPEN before they were paced. The changes of fluorescence intensity of intracellular calcium ion (Ca2+) were observed with laser scanning confocal microscope. The protein expression of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT; a biological marker of peroxynitrite) was detected by Western blot. The occurrence of cardiomyocytic apoptosis was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL). Additionally, MTT assay was used to measure the viability of HL-1 cells under different concentrations of ONOO− and TPEN. Results The fluorescence intensity of Ca2+ within HL-1 cells increased significantly when cells were rapidly paced (p<0.05), and this intensity further increased when paced cells were pretreated with ONOO− (p<0.05). TPEN treatment could significantly reduce the increased level of intracellular Ca2+ induced by rapid pacing (p<0.05) and ONOO− stimulation (p<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the expression of 3-NT increased dramatically in the paced group as compared to control group (p<0.05) and the same increase was observed in the ONOO− group compared with that in the paced group (p<0.05). Noticeably, the expression of 3-NT decreased prominently in the TPEN group and the ONOO−+TPEN group as compared to paced group (p<0.05) and ONOO− group (p<0.05). MTT assay revealed that ONOO− reduced the viability of HL-1 cells in a dose dependent manner (p<0.01), and 1 µmol/l TPEN could significantly ameliorate the damage caused by ONOO− (p<0.05). Additionally, TPEN significantly reduced the apoptosis index of HL-1 cells induced by rapid pacing (p<0.01) and ONOO− stimulation (p<0.01). Conclusions TPEN exhibites protective effects in atrial fibrillation cells, especially in circumstances of oxidative stress.


The Wright and Lanczos solutions are studied, which represent the gravitational field produced by a rigidly rotating dust cylinder coupled with the cosmological constant. It is shown that when certain physical conditions are imposed the five-parameter Wright solutions reduce to the two-parameter Lanczos solutions. The geodesic motion of test particles in the Lanczos spacetime is then studied. The effects of the cosmological constant on the motion are investigated. It is found that confinement occurs quite generally in the radial direction, whereas the motion in the axial direction is free. The possible relevance of the confinement to extragalactic jet formation is pointed out.


Purpose – To document the police protective custody (PPC) process and in doing so develop a predictive model to better inform police decision makers on the factors that are more likely to result in the state maintaining custody of a child.Design/methodology/approach – Data for the current study were gathered through a series of focus groups and 6,607 existing records of PPC admissions into a children's home in the Wichita Children's Home (WCH) (Kansas). Systematic predictive modeling (logistic regression) was used to differentiate between children that are likely to need continued involvement of the child welfare system and those who could remain in the custody of their families.Findings – Documents the PPC process by which a child is referred to be housed by WCH by a law enforcement agency. Reports on the design of a decision model which identifies the factors affecting the outcome of the PPC process.Originality/value – Provides recommendations for streamlining the PPC process as well as the improvement ...


A flow system was developed for the determination of total mercury concentration in fish samples by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry (CVAAS), based on the multicommuted flow injection analysis (MCFIA) approach. The system uses independently controlled solenoid valves for the introduction of reagents and samples. When not injected, solutions were recirculating to the reservoir bottles, in this way reducing the waste produced by the analytical system and also the sample consumption. Results were compared to those obtained by the reference flow injection procedure. Accuracy was also assessed by recovery studies using a certified reference material as well as spiked samples; recovery percentages in the range of 90.7% to 99.8% were found. The repeatability of the method was better than 6.0% (RSD, n = 10). A limit of detection of 4.8 μg of mercury per kg of fresh fish sample was achieved. The total waste produced was reduced to 30% of that from the reference flow injection CVAAS procedure.


Whereas most of the literature on the benefits of alliances for learning and innovation has taken on a competence perspective, this paper provides an alternative integrated framework based on both a competence and governance point of view. The former focuses on the role of knowledge flows as means to access new knowledge, whereas the latter is centered around the core concepts of opportunism and freeridership in knowledge exchange situations. Although it has generally been acknowledged that competence-based benefits of collaboration may come at a price of elevated risks due to knowledge spillovers and freeridership, such a governance view remains understudied. This paper explains how a firm's alliance network structure affects benefits as well as risks of collaboration in the context of the creation of core and noncore technology. In the case of core technology, firms attach more value to reducing governance-based risks relative to obtaining competence-based benefits. The opposite is found when firms develop noncore technology. This paper contributes to the existing literature by going beyond the common idea that competence and governance perspectives are either complementary or competing. Instead, this study shows that for technology-based collaboration, they can both apply at the same time, implying a trade-off in some cases and offering synergy in other cases. Basedonanempiricaltestinthreedifferentindustries(pharmaceuticals,chemicals,andautomotive),thereissupport for most of our hypotheses. Direct ties have an inverted U-shaped effect on both core and noncore technology, and the effect is relatively stronger for the former. The results furthermore show that indirect ties play a positive role in noncore technology development and that this effect is not hampered by the number of direct ties a firm has. In contrast, indirect ties seem to hamper core competence development when companies have a lot of direct ties. Finally, firms are found to benefit from nonredundancy in their alliance network in their efforts to strengthen their core technology. The joint effect of these three network characteristics leads to optimal results for core and noncore technologies under quite different alliance network structures. This poses a problem for the ambidexterity of companies, when they simultaneously try to strengthen core and noncore technologies.


This paper develops an economic analysis of commodity price dynamics and price volatility. The approach applies under general supply-demand conditions, including the role played by private and public inventory holders. Quantile autogression is used to estimate the evolving distribution of price. The usefulness of the method is illustrated in an application to two markets in China: a food market (rice) and a feed market (corn). Based on monthly data over the period 2000-2014, the econometric analysis shows how the price distributions (including skewness and kurtosis) vary across commodity markets. Using a Markov chain representation, the paper evaluates the dynamics of price volatility. It finds slow adjustments in the price distribution between short run and long run situations. The investigation also assesses the short run and long run effects of alternative economic policies on the price distributions. It finds that the Chinese price support programs have helped stabilize the domestic food market but not the feed market.


In recent decades, morbidity in road traffi c accidents has declined in Western Europe, mainly due to the enforcement of road safety policies and innovations in car engineering. In classic cars-so called "oldtimers" in Switzerland-these innovations in car engineering and often even seat belts are lacking, leading to a greater risk of morbidity after accidents. Thus, we reviewed our own series of victims of accidents with oldtimers who were admitted to our Level 1 Trauma Centre in Switzerland over the last 18 years. Within the 18-year study period and a total of 500,000 consultations, six documented oldtimer accidents were included in this case series. In three of the six oldtimer accidents and in all high-speed accidents, the car was overturned. In one case, the reason for this was unknown, in another a tire had suddenly burst and in a third this was triggered by evading an obstacle. Four reports contained information about a missing airbag and/or seat belt. Injuries included blunt abdominal injuries (laceration, mesenteric vessel injury), chest trauma (pneumothorax, rip fracture, scapula fracture), brain injury, and contusions. None of the patients died. In conclusion, oldtimer accidents are rare. However, pre-clinicians and clinicians treating patients after oldtimer car accidents should be aware of the specific risks-such as steering wheel injuries and consequences of trauma, i.e., extensive injuries to the head, chest and abdomen.


Aeromonas calmonicida is a Gram negative rod shaped bacterium capable of causing furunculosis in salmonid fish and other chronic and inflammatory diseases in goldfish, carp and also salmonids. The surface layer of A , salmonicida, the A-layer, has been demonstrated to be a major virulence factor for the organism, and its subunit A-protein has been purified and its Structural gene vapA lias been cloned. The vapAx gene from A, salmonicida strain A450 was subcloned (pSC150) and expressed in Escherichia coli. Its DNA sequence was then determined to consist of 1,506 bp encoding a 502-amino acid residue protein, containing a 21residue signal peptide and a mature protein of 50,778 Dalton. The A-protein assembled on the cell surface in the form of an 5-layer was refractile to trypsin cleavage while trypsin digestion of the purified mature protein revealed a highly resistant 39,400 Dalton N-terminal fragment and a 16,700 Dalton Cterm inal fragm ent w ith m oderate resistance, These trypsin-resistan t fragments may form distinct structural domains, consistent w ith threedimensional ultraStructural observations. The plasmid pSC150 contained 62 bp of Aeromonas DNA in front of the vapA structural gene. A promoter (P2) was predicted in this region which showed sequence homology to the E. co lic70 promoter. However, primer extension in the wild type strain A44S> showed a transcriptional start site 181 bp upstream from the gene, and thus, another promoter (PI) was shown to be the major promoter. The DNA sequence coding for the untranslated leader mRNA contained two stem-loop structures, a putative small open reading frame spanning the stem-loop structures, and a palindromic sequence which overlaps the predicted ribosome binding site. Northern analyses of A449 vapA mRNA showed that incubation at 15°C produced the highest level of the transcript, and the transcript half-life was 22 m in in cells grown at 15°C compared to 11 min in cells grown at 20°C. DNA gyrase inhibitors nalidixic acid and novobiocin significantly reduced the vapA transcript level. A. salmcnicida 30°C. m utants w ere1 found to produce significantly reduced levels of A-protein and some of them were shown t;o have the native insertion elements, ISAl and ISA2, inserted in the vapA area. These insertion elements have been cloned a sequenced, and also identified in the wild type strains A449 and A450. ISA2 was shown to have sequence similarity to other bacterial insertion elements. Plasm id encoded vapA expression in E, coli was also affected by a downstream gene abcA, which, when deleted from the clone, significantly reduced vapA expression. This reduction could be complemented by the abcA gene carried on a second plasmid. In addition, the lipopolysaceharide (LPS) Ochain deficient phenotype of A449 m utant strain TM4, which has the abcA gene interrupted by ISAl, was also complemented by abcA. DNA sequence analysis showed that the abcA gene coded for a 308 amino acid residue protein, which was Confirmed by in vivo and in vitro expression and gene fusion w ith lacZ, and was localized in the inner membrane fraction of E. coli. At the N-term inal pa rt of the protein, the predicted sequence of AbcA displayed high homology w ith a bacterial transport protein super family/ including a well conserved nucleotide binding sequence. This binding sequence was shown by site-directed mutagenesis to be required for LPS Ochain complementation in TM4. ATP binding activity was confirmed in the purified AbcA-LacZ fusion protein. A leucine zipper-basic region sequence w ith p redom inan tly a -h e lice l conform ation w as p red ic ted further downstream, with leucine residues in four of the five heptad repeats and valine residue in the remaining heptad repeat,


The synthetic, integrative significance of biosemiotics as a modern interdisciplinary research program is under discussion in the article. Aimed at studying the cognitive and life activity of living beings, which are capable of recognizing signals and extracting the meanings, biosemiotics serves as a conceptual node that combines some important notions of theoretical biology, evolutionary epistemology, cognitive science, phenomenology, neuroscience and neurophilosophy as well as the theory of complex adaptive systems and network science. Worlds of perception and actions of living beings are built in the process of co-evolution, in structural coupling and in enactive interaction with the surrounding natural environment (Umwelt). Thereby the biosemiotic theories developed by the founders of biosemiotics (J. von Uexküll, Th. Sebeok, G. Prodi, H. Pattie) are conceptually closed to the system-structural evolutionary approach developed in synergetics by H. Haken and S.P. Kurdyumov, the conception of autopoiesis (H. Maturana and F. Varela), second-order cybernetics (H. von Foerster), the conception of enactivism in cognitive science (F. Varela, E. Thompson, A. Noë). The key to comprehending the processes of extracting and generating meanings is that every living organism lives in the subjectively built world (Umwelt), so that its Umwelt and its internal psychic organization become parts of a single autopoietic system. According to the well-known expression of G. Bateson, information is a not indifferent difference or a difference that makes a difference. Differences become information when a cognitive agent as an interpreter, acting as part of an autopoietic system, sees signs in these differences that make meanings.


【Objective : Acupuncture has been used for treating eye disease for thousands of years but there are few evidence based medicine (EBM) for its use. This study is a review of Clinical trials related to the treatment of eye disease by acupuncture therapy. Methods : We referred a Pubmed site by using searching word of "eye, acupuncture" (Limits: 10 Year, Clinical Trials, Humans, English). Results : Eight journals with twelve papers were searched. Eight of these studies were randomized and ten trials of acupuncture treatments reported significant effect. On the topic of these clinical trials, five of them were about dry eyes, four about disorder of refraction, two about intraocular pressure and one about visual function. The result of clinical studies represented the significant cure rate. Conclusion : We found that RCTs about the acupucnture for eye diseases were more and more published. But their average impact factor was 2.16 and average modified Jadad score was 3.89, so there needs more qualifying studies.】


We simulate the slider/disk interaction induced Zdol lubricant depletion and flow-back dynamics by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). Experimental results show that the lubricant flow rate is inversely proportional to original lubricant thickness. The flow rate on partially removed lubricant layer is much higher than that on lubricant depleted carbon surface. These could be attributed to the increase in disjoining pressure gradient with aid of ion beam sputtering on lubricant surfaces.


The online pattern detection technology is an important part of the time series analysis, and some methods have been proposed, in which distance based window-sliding is popularly applied. For window-sliding, Euclidean distance and dynamic time warping (DTW) are always used as subsequence matching, but they have the drawbacks of sensitivity and expensive computational load respectively. Recently, the model based method is introduced into the field of online pattern detection, especially, the segmental semi-Markov model shows better performance than sliding methods in many aspects. However, the resolution of the model is limited. In this paper a hybrid online series pattern detection algorithm, which combines the distance based method and the model based method, is proposed. It is successfully demonstrated on real data sets, including financial and medical data.


Background Extensive evidence has correlated epigenetic alterations in articular tissues with both the presence and progression of human osteoarthritis, but few analyses of blood cell epigenetic patterns have been done in OA. Objectives We examined the DNA methylation aging rate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at baseline from knee OA patients with rapid radiographic progression compared to well-matched nonprogressors enrolled in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). Methods PBMC DNA was obtained from baseline blood draws of 64 OA patients enrolled in the OAI longitudinal study. All patients had baseline symptomatic and radiographic OA. 32 rapidly-progressive OA patients, defined as ≥1.0mm radiographic joint space loss within 24 month follow-up were compared to 32 non-progressive patients. There were no differences in age, sex, race, BMI, baseline K/L grade, or calculated PBMC subset composition between rapid- and non-progressors. DNA methylation was quantified with Illumina HumanMethylation 450k arrays. Preprocessing was performed in GenomeStudio and normalized to internal controls. Epigenetic age was estimated with the algorithm described by Horvath et. al., using 353 age-associated CpG sites. This epigenetic age was compared to chronological age to calculate epigenetic-chronological age discordance (ΔAge) and group differences compared with a Student t-test. ΔAge was correlated with individual CpG methylation sites of rapid progressors, and Pearson values calculated. Correlation was considered significant if Pearson's r values were ≤-0.55 or ≥0.55 (p≤0.001). Pathway analysis of correlated genes was performed with the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) system. Results The baseline DNA methylation aging rate in rapidly progressive (RP) knee OA patients was decelerated compared to nonprogressors (NP) and to chronological age (ΔAge-RP: -4.9±1.4 vs. ΔAge-NP: -0.071±1.3 mean±SEM years less than chronological age, p=0.015). 1165 CpG sites were correlated with ΔAge in rapid progressors, corresponding to 755 genes. Ontologic analysis of highly correlated genes showed association of the STAT3 pathway (p=6E-4), Notch signaling (p=1E-3), axonal guidance signaling (p=7E-3), CREB signaling (p=2E-2), NFAT signaling (p=2E-2), and autophagy (p=4E-2) among others. Associated upstream regulators included FGF2 (p=3E-5), SMAD4 (p=9E-4), SMAD5 (p=1E-3, TNF (p=4E-3), and TGFB1 (p=4E-3), among others Conclusions Our data reveal that a decelerated peripheral blood differential DNA methylation age epigenotype is present at baseline in rapidly progressive knee OA patients, but not in nonprogressive knee OA patients. The genes correlated with this methylation age deceleration cluster in pathways previously associated with OA in articular tissues, suggesting that these pathways may systemically epigenetically dysregulated. Our data reinforce the notion that OA is a heterogeneous disease composed of distinct subgroups, and suggests that future epigenetic investigation of immune cell subsets may be beneficial in unraveling OA pathogenesis. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Michael Nevitt, PhD, MPH, and Dr. John Lynch, PhD, of the University of California San Francisco and the OAI for their assistance in sample selection. Disclosure of Interest None declared


PROBLEM
Multicultural or cultural competence education to address health care disparities using the traditional categorical approach can lead to inadvertent adverse consequences. Nontraditional approaches that address these drawbacks while promoting humanistic care are needed.

APPROACH
In September 2014, the Cleveland VA Medical Center's Center of Excellence in Primary Care Education Transforming Outpatient Care (CoEPCE-TOPC) collaborated with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) to develop the Original Identity program, which uses a biocultural anthropologic framework to help learners recognize and address unconscious bias and starts with a discussion of humans' shared origins. The program comprises a two-hour initial learning session at the CMNH (consisting of an educational tour in a museum exhibit, a didactic and discussion section, and patient case studies) and a one-hour wrap-up session at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.

OUTCOMES
The authors delivered the complete Original Identity program four times between March and November 2015, with 30 CoEPCE-TOPC learners participating. Learners' mean ratings (n = 29; response rate: 97%) for the three initial learning session questions were consistently high (4.2-4.6) using a five-point scale. Comments to an open-ended question and during the audio-recorded wrap-up sessions also addressed the program objectives and key elements (e.g., bias, assumptions, stereotyping).

NEXT STEPS
The authors are completing additional qualitative analysis on the wrap-up session transcriptions to clarify factors that make the program successful, details of learners' experience, and any interprofessional differences in interpreting content. The authors believe this innovative addition to health care education warrants further research.


The paper argues that Internet and mobile phone use represent two opposed configurations of ICT use, rather than a single movement into an 'information society'. Moreover each configuration exemplifies quite different poverty reduction strategies deployed by poor urban Ghanaians. Internet use is widespread and is predominantly used to chat with or email foreigners, generally in the North, as part of a strategy of accumulating foreign social, economic and cultural capital; it is part of a poverty reduction strategy of 'escape' that is generally conducted in a fantasy modality. Mobile phones, by contrast, are used to manage existing and embedded social networks, the complex family, business or social connections that constitute both resources and obligations. These two ICT configurations are not only opposed to each other, but they are also in some disjuncture with government and NGO policies on ICTs. Most significantly, such policies foreground use of Internet to meet information needs whereas most users understand the Internet as a chat medium.


This research aimed to increase the efficiency of biogas production from the community distillery slop (CDS) and the glycerol waste (GW) through the anaerobic co-digestion process. The feasibility study of using GW together with the CDS as co-substrate was tested by the bio-methane potential (BMP) in which different concentrations of GW ranging from 1-5% (v/v) were employed. The findings revealed that an anaerobic co-digestion process of the GW at 5% (v/v) concentration and the CDS were potentially improved both in terms of quality and quantity of biogas production. The experiment could produce maximum methane and methane production up to 2,245 mLCH4 and 706 mLCH4/g VS respectively, which increased around 300%, higher than the only CDS single-digestion. The methane yield was well predicted by the Modified Gompertz Model compared with the data obtained from the experiments. This could be seen from the statistical regression coefficient values which higher than 95% (R2 > 0.95). The obtained data which predicted by the Modified Gompertz Model would be used to design the continuous system in the next step.
Keywords: Biogas production, Community Distillery Slop, Co-digestion, Glycerol waste


The paper studies the importance of demographic processes on the territory of Sandžak in the period of 1948-1991 in the context of demographic causes of Great-Serbian aggression against Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991 and Serbian military activities in Kosovo and south-east of Serbia (Presevo and Bujanovac districts). It has been presumed that the religious and national structure of Sandžak with a further trend of the increase of absolute number and relative share of Moslems and decreasing number of Serbians and Montenegrins, as well as considering its geostrategic importance to Serbian and Montenegrin interests then those of international power centres, will continue to be the causal space of potential crises and war conflicts not only in the quoted country but in the larger region too. As it is a question of nearer Croatian security environment, the territory of Sandžak is important also from the viewpoint of national security of the Republic of Croatia.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the preferred leadership frame of two female primary school principals. A mixed method study design was employed sequentially. The quantitative method informed the qualitative method. Fifty-two teachers (70.8%) were involved in the quantitative part of the study and seven others (one female principal, two department heads, two teachers, and two vice-principals) were involved in the qualitative part of the study. Leadership Orientations Questionnaire (LOQ) developed by Bolman and Deal (1991), Semi-structured interview, and observation were instruments of data collection. The data were analyzed using percentages, mean, SD and independent sample t-test with the help of SPSS. The results showed that Muuxannoo school female principal was multi-frame by orientation to a higher extent (structural, human resources, political and Symbolic) whereas Daawoo school principal was moderate in using all the four leadership frames. When respondents were compared by sex on how they perceive their female principal, male teacher respondents rated higher whereas the female teacher respondents rated them moderate in all the four frames. Among the recommendations, the single frame female principal and others having similar behavior and action needed to size up their lenses so that they understand the complex school environment and meet their requirements.
Keywords: Human Resource Frame; Leadership Frame; Political Frame; Structural Frame; Symbolic Frame


UNLABELLED
It was the aim of this prospective clinical splitmouth investigation to evaluate the survival rate and long-term behavior of all-ceramic partial coverage restorations (PCR) on molars. Pressed ceramic (IPS e.max Press) and CAD/CAM made (ProCAD) PCR were compared. 80 vital molars of 25 patients were restored with all-ceramic PCR (40 IPS e.max Press* and 40 ProCAD*). All PCR were adhesively luted with a light-polymerizing composite (Syntac*/Tetric*) (*Ivoclar-Vivadent AG, Schaan, Liechtenstein). The ProCAD PCR were produced with Cerec 3 and Cerec Inlab CAD/CAM system (Sirona Dental Systems, Bensheim, Germany). IPS e.max Press PCR were heat-pressed following the lost-wax IPS-Empress method. Clinical recall was arranged in average 8, 14, 20 and 28 months after cementation of the restoration. PCR were classified by USPHS criteria. The prospective survival rate of ProCAD PCR was 97% and 100% for IPS e.max Press PCR after an observation period of 24 months. After fracture, one ProCAD restoration had to be replaced after nine months. The clinical accuracy of the marginal fit of ProCAD PCR and IPS e.max Press PCR was recorded "Alfa". Limitations were recognized with respect to the color matching of both types of PCR ("Bravo").

CONCLUSION
Within the limits of the present clinical results, the tested all-ceramic materials IPS e.max Press und ProCAD seem to be indicated for partial coverage restorations on molars.


Agelasines, asmarines and related compounds are natural products with a hybrid terpene-purine structure isolated from numerous genera of sponges (Agela sp., Raspailia sp.). Some agelasine analogs and related structures have displayed high general toxicity towards protozoa, and have exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against a variety of species, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and also an important cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines, including multidrug-resistant ones. Of particular interest in this context are the asmarines (tetrahydro[1,4]diazepino[1,2,3-g,h]purines), which have shown potent antiproliferative activity against several types of human cancer cell lines. This review summarizes the sources of isolation, chemistry and bioactivity of marine alkylpurines and their bioactive derivatives.


In 1971, Dr Samuel Frank wrote a book on acne. Except for a forgettable volume on the subject by another author a few years earlier, it was the first published textbook about acne in English in nearly a century. Since then, two comprehensive texts on acne have appeared. Dr Frank's new book is still another presentation of the subject, the fourth in less than a decade. With this opus, Dr Frank has undertaken the editorship of a multiauthored text composed of 26 chapters. The title of the book is entirely apt; literature citations are indeed up to date (I spotted one from 1979). Moreover, the book is for the most part well suited for the practitioner, containing lucidly written chapters encompassing all aspects of acne and having much clinical relevance. However, as is invariably the case in a text with many contributors, repetition was unavoidable. This is readily but unapologetically


S100 protein expression is a relevant indicator of prognosis in meningiomas and it is more common in benign meningiomas. To our knowledge, a clinically feasible non-invasive method that preoperatively identifies S100 protein expression is not available. In this study, we proposed registration-free deep learning models to predict S100 expression non-invasively using T2-w MRI. The proposed hybrid deep learning model could predict S100 protein expression in meningiomas using T2-w MRI, with 91% accuracy on the validation set, and 83% accuracy on the test set.


OBJECTIVES
To observe the expression of cellular retinol-binding protein-1 (CRBP-1) in pulmonary tissues after rat myocardial infarction (MI) and uncover the role of CRBP-1 on the pulmonary structural remodeling.

METHODS
MI was produced in male Wistar rats by left coronary ligation. Rats were sacrificed to obtain the lung at the 3(rd), 6(th), 15(th), 30(th), and 45(th) day after operation. After weighted, the rat lungs were fixed in 4% formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections were cut and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), Masson's trichrome (MT), rabbit anti-CRBP-1 antibody.

RESULTS
Thirty-nine Wistar rats survived and developed MI. Pulmonary tissue sections with HE and MT staining showed a remarkable lung structural remodeling. The content of pulmonary tissue collagen at the 30(rd) was higher than in the sham group (8.4% ± 3.6 vs 4.5% ± 2.6, P < 0.001). CRBP-1 expression was detected on the alveolar septa at the 3(rd) day after operation, and peaked at the 15(th) day (43.8 ± 7.4). Then the CRBP-1 expression decreased, and arrived at the level of the 3(rd) day.

CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate that CRBP-1 is expressed temporal on the alveolar septa after rat MI. It indicates a potential relationship between CRBP-1 and lung structure remodeling process after MI.


Biodiesel was synthesized from waste cooking oil (WCO) utilizing a transesterification process with clay as a heterogeneous catalyst. The transesterification was carried out for 4 hours at reaction temperatures of 60°C using 4 wt.% catalyst and 9:1 (methanol to oil) ratio. Continuous stirring at 60°C for 4 hours and a 9:1 methanol/oil molar ratio with 4wt.% catalyst resulted in a high yield of FAMEs (91.2%). The impact of several reaction factors on biodiesel yield were explored. For the optimization of five process parameters, this study uses regression models constructed using central composite design (CCD) of randomized response surface methodology (RSM) to forecast FAME production for the transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO). The influence of methanol to oil molar ratio, catalyst weight, temperature, and reaction time was investigated in 32 trials. The estimated coefficient of determination (R), corrected R, and coefficient of variance were determined to be 0.9956 percent, 0.9877 percent, and 663.15 percent, respectively, at a molar ratio of 9:1, catalyst concentration of 4 wt.%, and a reaction duration of 4 hrs. 3D plots were used to determine the effects of the combination of these elements. The response surface methodology (RSM) was shown to be an effective statistical technique for developing an acceptable empirical model for linking operational parameters and forecasting optimal operating conditions. The statistical analyses and the closeness of the experimental results to model predictions demonstrate the regression model's dependability, and the findings will aid in the selection of an efficient and cost-effective biodiesel production technique from low-cost raw materials with high free fatty acid. Furthermore, according to international biodiesel specifications, the fuel characteristics of the created biodiesel were within acceptable levels.


Greece is widely acknowledged, but the subject has often been approached in a rather limited way. Attention has focused on democratic Athens, and interpretations of the available evidence have, in turn, concentrated on its function in creating and reinforcing a specifically Athenian and specifically democratic ideology. This article attempts to broaden that focus. Concentrating on late fifth-century monuments from three anti-democratic, and anti-Athenian, city-states (Megara, Tanagra, and Thespiae), it explores the complex pattern of similarity and difference which is visible in these monuments, and suggests that this pattern must be explained with reference to an equally complex network of social, cultural, and ideological factors. War memorials, by their nature, encourage monologic interpretations, but a closer engagement with a broader range of Greek commemorative material reveals the fluidity that underlies those dominant narratives.


Evaluation of twenty-four consecutive patients with fracture of the femoral shaft showed injuries of the ligaments of the ipsilateral knee in eight (33 per cent) of them. The history was always one of violent injury, but the examiner had to suspect that this combination of injuries had occurred simultaneously before a careful local physical examination elicited diagnostic signs. Then, pin stabilization of the distal part of the femur with stress radiographs of the knee yielded an early diagnosis. Late recognition of the combined injuries usually could be documented by radiographs of the femur and the knee in traction.


Experiment was an important way to integrate theory with practice.Based on the characteristics of Pharmaceutical Engineering,the outlines of experiment systems(pharmaceutical preparations,pharmaceutical analysis) were worked out.The practical results showed that the ability of problem analysis and solving and creativity of the student were improved.


Frequency domain interferometry (FDI) is a method for more accurately measuring the position and thickness of various refractive index structures, as compared to the measurements under normal MST radar operation. For this paper a 7-hour data set has been collected and analyzed, forming a longer data set than previously used at stratospheric-tropospheric heights. A technique for fixing the height measurements within each range gate to be absolute rather than relative is presented. Two types of structure are present in the data, referred to as "layers" and "blobs." The layers have a thickness of around 50–100 m, are often aspect sensitive, last for many hours, and exhibit fine altitude variations, some oscillatory. One layer descending over the experiment appears to be positioned at the top edge of a frontal surface zone in the overall meteorological structure. The blobs are thicker regions of around 600 m, are not aspect sensitive, and are short-lived.


Today, heavy metal pollution is an urgent problem in the world including Vietnam. An analytical approach is very important to identify, assess and forecast environmental risks from toxic components, in which ecotoxicology is considered to be the optimal tool. We conducted a study on M. micrura in order to contribute the creation of a biological basis for the use of zooplankton as an early warning of the risk of water pollution. The results showed that M. micrura was isolated from 29/3 Park Lake, Da Nang City, central Vietnam. The acute toxicity test of potassium dichromate on M. micrura showed LC 50 at 12, 24 and 48 hr were 0.26, 0.15 and 0.08 mg.l-1 K2Cr2O7, respectively. EC 50 was 0.015 mg.l-1 K2Cr2O7 for egg parameter and 0.009 mg.l-1 K2Cr2O7for neonate parameter. The results of acute and chronic toxicity tests showed that M. micrura was more sensitive than D. magna, D. pulex and C. cornuta.


The cause of higher morbidity rates among men than women from diseases of the respiratory tract may be complex and involve several factors, one of which may be structural differences within airways. In an attempt to determine whether such differences exist, 13 male rats and 45 female rats (15 each in proestrous, estrous, and diestrous) were evaluated. Tracheas were fixed in situ by injection of a mixture of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde. Longitudinal sections cut from paraffin blocks were stained and combined alcian blue (pH 2.5) and periodic acid-Schiff stain to count goblet cells, or with Weigert's hematoxylin and eosin stain to determine epithelial thickness. In the normal rat trachea, cells containing periodic acid-Schiff-positive granules at their apices constituted a major population of goblet cells. The number of these goblet cells present in the trachea was greater in female than in male rats at each stage of the estrous cycle, with the values in the diestrous females closest to the value in the males. Among females, estrous and proestrous rats contained significantly more of these goblet cells than did diestrous animals. The tracheal epithelium of male rats was significantly thicker than that of female rats. These studies demonstrate that the tracheal epithelium differs in male and female rats and varies in the female rat as a function of hormonal cycles. These results raise the question of whether similar differences might be important in the pathogenesis of human disease, and they deserve further clarification in man.


The educational behavior of parents of schizophrenic juveniles with both favorable and unfavorable prognoses is discussed. The study reported by the author is based upon a three-factor concept of education, which comprises conflictive, laudatory, and fundamental situations. Consequently, parents of schizophrenic juveniles with either favorable or unfavorable prognoses will show different reactions in conflictive, laudatory, fundamental, and abnormal situations. (Statistical evidence of the results was obtained through the use of quality levels.) The results and their possible interpretations are discussed, and recommendations for behavioral or familial therapy, respectively, are given.


Based on a historical cultural research, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the complex transition of relations between communication, experience and discourse in the work of LS Vygotsky, exploring its evolution in the thinking of the author. Particular attention will be assigned to the problem of ineffability, namely the difficulties of expression of living and thinking in the speech, which permeate both our ordinary everyday discourse and the more complex processes of verbal creation. Are explained such phenomena from a brief overview of influences, especially in the field of literary criticism, applied to the author in his first work, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, seeking, than, deal with the peculiarities acquired by the transition between aesthetic experiences and speech, in the Art of Psychology. Finally, the terms "experience" and "sense" are discussed in the historical-cultural theory and its relationship to thought-speech transition in the work The Construction of Thought and Language, focused as a work of psychology of language.


It is commonly adopted that X-rays from O stars are produced deep inside the stellar wind, and transported outwards through the bulk of the expanding matter which attenuates the radiation and affects the shape of emission line profiles. The ability of the X-ray observatories Chandra and XMM-Newton to resolve these lines spectroscopically provided a stringent test for the theory of the X-ray production. It turned out that none of the existing models was able to fit the observations consistently. The possible caveat of these models was the underlying assumption of a smooth stellar wind. Motivated by the evidence that the stellar winds are in fact structured, we present a 2-D numerical model of a stochastic, inhomogeneous wind. Small parcels of hot, X-ray emitting gas are permeated by cool, absorbing wind material which is compressed into thin shell fragments. Wind fragmentation alters the radiative transfer drastically, compared to homogeneous models of the same mass-loss rate. X-rays produced deep inside the wind, which would be totally absorbed in a homogeneous flow, can effectively escape from a fragmented wind. The wind absorption becomes wavelength independent if the individual fragments are optically thick. The X-ray line profiles are flat-topped in the blue part and decline steeply in the red part for the winds with a short acceleration zone. For the winds where the acceleration extends over significant distances, the lines can appear nearly symmetric and only slightly blueshifted, in contrast to the skewed, triangular line profiles typically obtained from homogeneous wind models of high optical depth. We show that profiles from a fragmented wind model can reproduce the observed line profiles from ζ Orionis. The present numerical modeling confirms the results from a previous study, where we derived analytical formulae from a statistical treatment.


NO2 impurities in combustion flue gas can initiate oxidation in amine-based post-combustion capture systems and ultimately react with secondary amines to form nitrosamines, further degrading the solvent and creating both environmental and economic impacts. Bench-scale experimental work has been conducted to demonstrate that alkaline SO2 polishing scrubbers can remove simultaneously NO2 via the reaction of NO2 with sulfite, when sulfite oxidation is inhibited via the addition of thiosulfate or other oxidation inhibitors. This technology will be demonstrated with a baseline control experiment at the pilot scale in Summer 2017 using the Pilot Bay 3 PreScrubber at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). Thiosulfate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), used to chelate dissolved metals that can further accelerate solvent oxidation, will be added to the Pilot Bay 3 PreScrubber to demonstrate high NO2 removal and low sulfite oxidation. The pre-scrubbing system at the NCCC consists of a packed column, buffer tank, and a pump that recirculates sodium hydroxide solution from the buffer tank to the packed column. Flue gas exiting the upstream FGD from the main power generation facility flows through the pre-scrubber, which uses dilute caustic solution to remove a majority of the remaining SO2 from the flue gas. Concentrated sodium sulfate solution from the buffer tank is blown down to wastewater neutralization, while the cooled flue gas exits the pre-scrubber to a flue gas blower. The pre-scrubber column contains approximately 20 ft of Sulzer structured packing. The typical SO2 content of the flue gas feed to the pre-scrubber is 30 to 40 ppmv, which is typically scrubbed to about 1 ppmv at the outlet. During prior baghouse modifications that took place at the E.C. Gaston power plant, the NO2 concentration entering the pre-scrubber decreased by an order of magnitude. In order to more effectively demonstrate the NO2 prescrubbing technology, modifications are being made at NCCC to inject NO2 (via a liquid N2O4 cylinder) into the flue gas piping upstream of the pre-scrubber to increase the inlet concentration. In addition to the artificial concentration increase on the inlet to the pre-scrubber, the accuracy of the outlet NO2 concentration measurement is being improved with the installation of a Rosemount CT5400 Continuous Gas Analyzer, which a lower detection limit of 0.05 ppmv (as compared to 1 ppmv for the previously installed analyzer). Test objectives include, but are not limited to, the following:  Measure the rate of sulfite oxidation in the liquid phase and measure the rate of SO2 absorption from the gas phase.  Measure the steady state sulfite concentration as a function of thiosulfate and EDTA concentrations.  Quantify thiosulfate consumption to define the economics of NO2 scrubbing with sulfite. Thiosulfate will be consumed via oxidation, and also lost to blowdown when caustic is replenished.  Calculate the NO2 removal rate in the presence of steady state sulfite concentration in scrubbing solution via liquid and gas-phase measurements.  Quantify metals present in solution that catalyze oxidation, if any. The ratio of the rate of sulfite oxidation to the rate of NO2 absorption during the campaign is of particular importance to evaluating the feasibility of the technology. Although sulfite will be initially added to the pre-scrubber along with thiosulfate and EDTA, the steady-state sulfite concentration is a function of the SO2 concentration entering the pre-scrubber. Inlet and outlet SO2/NO2 concentrations will be analyzed continuously, while collected solvent samples will be analyzed on-site by iodometric titration, and back at The University of Texas lab via anion chromatography, to determine sulfite and thiosulfate concentrations.


How can attention to spatial dynamics improve our understanding of where, how, and why conflict-related violence (CRV) concentrates within postwar cities such as Mitrovica? Like many other postwar cities, Mitrovica – one of Kosovo's largest cities – remains affected by violence connected to the preceding war. This violence is not equally distributed across the city but rather concentrates to certain flashpoints while other sites are comparatively calm(er). To date, however, research on postwar cities has not fully explained such patterns, partly due to limitations in microlevel data. In this article we rely on novel georeferenced data on CRV, in combination with in-depth fieldwork, to map CRV in Mitrovica and explore the causes for its spatial clustering. Using this approach, we show that CRV concentrates at Mitrovica's Main Bridge and explore this concentration using relational space as an analytical lens. The analysis contributes new insights into patterns of violence in Mitrovica, demonstrates the value of combining systematic data on the patterns of CRV with in-depth exploration into its underlying dynamics, and contributes to existing research on Mitrovica as well as on postwar cities and postwar violence more broadly.


The Pancharatnam–Berry phase induced by the winding topology of polarization around a vortex singularity at bound states in the continuum (BIC) provides a unique approach to optical vortex (OV) generation. The BIC-based OV generators have the potential to outperform their counterparts that rely on spatial variations in terms of design feasibility, fabrication complexity, and robustness. However, given the fact that this class of OV generators originates from the topological property of the photonic bands, their responses are generally fixed and cannot be dynamically altered, which limits their applications to photonic systems. Here, we numerically demonstrate that a silicon photonic crystal slab can be used to realize optically switchable OV generation by simultaneously exploiting the vortex topology in momentum space in conjunction with silicon's nonlinear dynamics. Picosecond switching of OV beams at near-infrared wavelengths are observed. The demonstrated nontrivial topological nature of the active generators can significantly expand the application of BIC toward ultrafast vortex beam generation, high-capacity optical communication, and mode-division multiplexing.


In this paper, a new medium-voltage (MV) wind turbine generator (WTG) - energy storage grid interface converter topology with medium-frequency (MF) link transformer isolation is introduced. The system forms a 3-port network in which several series stacked AC-AC converters transform the low-frequency (50/60 Hz) utility MV into MF (0.4 to 2 kHz) AC voltage by modulating it with MF square wave. This voltage is then fed to the MF transformer primary windings. The secondary and tertiary windings interface with the WTG side and the battery energy storage side respectively after power conversion. The power generated by WTG is transferred to the MF transformer secondary windings through a 3-phase PWM rectifier and a 3-phase PWM inverter, whereas the power transfer between the energy storage and the tertiary winding occurs through a 3-phase PWM inverter. It is shown that the utility grid sinusoidal currents, the battery current and the WTG output currents can be controlled to be of good quality using PI and DQ control strategies. Thus, the proposed MF transformer based 3-port topology results in smaller converter weight/volume. Moreover, the control can effectively handle voltage sags/swells and provide low voltage ride through (LVRT) capability without significant change in the topology. Simulation waveforms along with preliminary experimental results are discussed in this paper.


A pilot study marshals sequencing resources and broad expertise to analyze patients' tumors in a cost-effective and clinically relevant time frame. More than a decade into the age of molecularly targeted cancer therapeutics, most clincal laboratories, which are required to operate under standards established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), are still using a one gene–one test approach to molecular diagnostics. For example, such tests are routinely used to screen for mutations in the gene encoding the signaling protein KRAS in colorectal carcinomas, and in the gene encoding the epidermal growth factor receptor in non–small cell carcinomas of the lung. There is a growing need, however, for broader approaches that can identify more rare mutations (e.g., mutations in the ERBB2 and BRAF genes in lung carcinomas) that could have an impact on clinical care. Several CLIA labs have introduced multiplexed screens that cover as many as several hundred mutations across dozens of cancer genes (1, 2). But even these approaches are limited to mutation "hotspots" and, for technical reasons, necessarily favor oncogenes over tumor suppressors. Larger panels of genes based on next-generation sequencing will be introduced by a number of labs in the immediate future; even so, some are asking: Why not sequence the entire genome of each patient's tumor?


Welcome to the full version of the first intellectual output (IO1) of the Erasmus+ project FairShares Labs for Social and Blue Innovation Project (Project 2016-1-DE02-KA204-003397). IO1 has been prepared by project partners to describe their methodology for creating FairShares Labs. Work started in Erfurt, Germany (7-9 December 2016) and has been discussed in three further transnational meetings in Sheffield (26-28 June 2017), Berlin (27-28 August 2017) and Osijek (20-22 Feb 2018).

In this document, we set out the purpose of IO1.
This document provides any person involved in the creation and development of a FairShares Lab (partners, coordinators, trainers and advisers) with an overview of the methodology for creating their lab. This includes an account of the FairShares Model itself as well as processes for setting up, recruiting people to and marketing a FairShares Lab, and supporting lab participants as they incubate new FairShares enterprises and contribute to building an ecosystem for FairShares.

Section 1 provides background information and an overview of the methodology. Section 2 provides an overview of five elements of a FairShares Lab. Three elements come from the FairShares Model of social enterprise development (created by FairShares Association Ltd) - values and principles; key questions and; legal choices. The other two elements are social and technical support systems selected by the partners for this project. Social support is provided through learning and development methods (elaborated further in Section 3). These generate ideas, improve the effectiveness of team work and enable stakeholders to make decisions together. In Section 4, we examine the process of establishing a lab, inviting people to it, running activities, selecting projects, producing prototypes of goods and services, planning and incorporating (social) enterprises. In Section 5, we consider the marketing of FairShares Labs, who they are for, what needs they serve, what messages should be communicated to target groups (and future lab organisers).


New complex method of surgical treatment of spacious purulent-necrotic affection (SPNA) was elaborated. Isolation of cutaneous-subcutaneous flap in accordance with anatomic structure and vascularization of the affected region guarantees the conditions for conduction of effective sanation using composition, made of mixture of hydrogen peroxide and spirituous solution of iodine. Application of method in complex of treatment of SPNA in patients with diabetes mellitus permits to preserve cutaneous flaps, to shorten the duration of treatment and to reduce lethality from 50 to 8%.


Understanding how people feel about their financial situation and how they act upon that is a noble challenge to take on, but it is due to this complexity that such research can deliver a significant amount of practical relevance and added value to the scientific disciplines. This study examines the occasional discrepancy between declining consumer sentiment and incresing spending in Hungary. Through a well-constructed deliberative investigation the difficulties of this complex topic were turned into important insights and useful learnings, for theoretical consideration as well as for practical utilization. The first key element was the selection of the phenomenon in the focus of the study. The sentiment of people regarding their financial circumstances and the related actions (like spending or saving) are more than just theoretical concepts: they do have a clear manifestation, one that almost everyone experiences. Due to this background, the research was able to rely on and benefit from solid theoretical foundations and a wide range of empirical data. On the other hand, this wide-spread embeddedness of the topic made it challenging to find a proper perspective for the analysis. This is where the second main achievement was realized. In order to maintain the focus of the research, a deliberative investigation method was applied in a mixed method research form. The benefit of this approach is provided by combining an inductive review of the secondary data, including theoretical foundations and empirical findings, with a deductive primary research that validated the hypotheses and revealed additional insights. The results that emerged from this special combination of methods provided important details about how and why people spend, what makes people discontent with their financial situation, what can caise a discrepancy between higher spending and lower consumer confidence levels, how the measurement can be fine-tuned, as well as holistic recommendations for economic and social decision-makers. The findings of this research should help the comprehension of consumer confidence measures, closing the gap in the scientific literature in the discussions around its predictive power, and avoid the misconceptions in regard to its results and what it means for the society and the economy. The study revealed that the increase of expenditure cannot be fully contributed to people being more content with their financial situation: there are several scenarios in which people increase their spending without actually having better financial circumstances. In parallel to this, people who benefit from trends of prosperity might not contribute proportionally to the general improvement of consumer confidence, especially in times of income inequality. The research also pointed out that it is incorrect to consider the consumer confidence as the manifestation of people's satisfaction with their financial situation: consumer confidence should rather be looked at as the difference between what people would like to achieve and their perceived situation. The study mapped four key turning points along the scale of aspirations. Furthermore, it revealed a significant amount of relativity in consumer confidence: it is not an absolute level, but strongly depends on how people measure themselves to others and to past circumstances in their life. In addition to these, the study formulated recommendations for the polling institutions on how to fine-tune their consumer confidence measurements, through which it could more accurately represent the actual sentiment of people and lead to better comprehension of the results. It is not only the individual-level insights that contain the real value of the research, but also the holistic findings. The study argued that general financial prosperity in a country is not sufficient to make people content with their circumstances. Should this economic improvement be unevenly distributed, leading to growing income gap and inflation in a society with high level of envy, facing scandals of corruption and fraud while aspiring for justice and equality, and aggravated by an oppression to conform and stay silent about discontent; the combination of such circumstances may result in a record-low consumer confidence. Low consumer confidence should not be taken lightly. Theoretical studies and empirical research confirmed that consumer confidence predicts consumer action in a sense that low confidence forecasts low consumer spending level, which can subsequently have a significant negative impact on the economic performance of a country. When this research was conducted between 2019 and 2022, consumer confidence levels across the world appeared to be fragile, with a potential underlying instability and inclination for collapse. With economic and social turmoils following 2020 becoming more prevalent, the economic, political and social decision-makers are strongly advised to take the findings of this study into account and provide the required amount of emphasis on the needs of the society in order to improve the quality of life and financial satisfaction of individuals and ultimately to assure the economic performance and stability that their countries or unions of countries require.


Psychotherapeutic work in Japan with minority populations requires an understanding of their specific social and cultural context. Clinical case studies of individuals of burakumin, Korean, and mixed ancestry illustrate the complex issues of prejudice, discrimination, legal contraints, state ideology, and popular mythology of homogeneity that each brings to counseling. Clinical approaches, guided by a multicultural counseling and therapy framework, are discussed.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the therapeutic effect of qi benefiting blood activating method (QB-BAM) on acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients with blood stasis syndrome (BSS) by observing its effect on plasma fibrinogen (Fg) and D-dimer (D-D) levels.

METHODS
Sixty AECOPD patients with BSS were randomly assigned to the treated group and the control group, 30 in each group. All patients received conventional therapy for AECOPD. Those in the treated group were additionally injected with Shengmai Injection and Tanshinone IIA Injection. Clinical efficacy and indices including levels of Fg, D-D, PaO2, and PaCO2 were measured and compared before and after treatment.

RESULTS
The effective rate was 93.3% (28/30 cases) in the treated group, higher than that of the control group [73.3% (22/30 cases) , P < 0.05]. There was no significant difference in all indices between the treated group and the control group before treatment (P >0.05). After treatment all indices were significantly improved in the two groups (P < 0.01). But in the treated group levels of Fg and D-D decreased more and levels of PaO2 increased more (P < 0.01). Plasma levels of Fg and D-D levels were negatively correlated with PaO2 (r = -0.493, r = -0.438, P < 0.01) before treatment, and also negatively correlated with PaO2 (r = -0.452, r = -0.325, P < 0.01, P < 0.05) after treatment, but they were not significantly correlated with PaCO2 before and after treatment (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
QBBAM could play a therapeutic role in improving prethrombotic states of AECOPD patients with BSS. Plasma levels of Fg and D-D were related to the severity of AECOPD.