Earth is home to over 350,000 vascular plant species1 that differ in their traits in innumerable ways. Yet, a handful of functional traits can help explaining major differences among species in photosynthetic rate, growth rate, reproductive output and other aspects of plant performance2–6. A key challenge, coined "the Holy Grail" in ecology, is to upscale this understanding in order to predict how natural or anthropogenically driven changes in the identity and diversity of co-occurring plant species drive the functioning of ecosystems7, 8. Here, we analyze the extent to which 42 different ecosystem functions can be predicted by 41 plant traits in 78 experimentally manipulated grassland plots over 10 years. Despite the unprecedented number of traits analyzed, the average percentage of variation in ecosystem functioning that they jointly explained was only moderate (32.6%) within individual years, and even much lower (12.7%) across years. Most other studies linking ecosystem functioning to plant traits analyzed no more than six traits, and when including either only six random or the six most frequently studied traits in our analysis, the average percentage of explained variation in across-year ecosystem functioning dropped to 4.8%. Furthermore, different ecosystem functions were driven by different traits, with on average only 12.2% overlap in significant predictors. Thus, we did not find evidence for the existence of a small set of key traits able to explain variation in multiple ecosystem functions across years. Our results therefore suggest that there are strong limits in the extent to which we can predict the long-term functional consequences of the ongoing, rapid changes in the composition and diversity of plant communities that humanity is currently facing.


Anesthetics can either promote or inhibit the development of neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) after central nervous system (CNS) injury. The influence of isoflurane was examined in male Wistar rats using 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 4%, or 5% isoflurane in air. Epidural balloon compression of the thoracic spinal cord was performed. The development of NPE was examined in vivo and on histologic sections of lung tissue. Animals anesthetized with 1.5% or 3% isoflurane were behaviorally monitored using the BBB and plantar tests for 7 weeks post-injury. The spinal cord was examined using MRI and morphometry of the spared white and gray matter. All animals from the 1.5% and 2% groups developed NPE. Almost 42% of the animals in the 1.5% group died of severe pulmonary hemorrhage and suffocation; x-rays, the pulmonary index, and the histological picture revealed a massive NPE. More than 71% of the animals from the 2.5% and 3% groups did not develop any signs of NPE. Blood pressure after spinal cord compression rose more in the 1.5% group than in the 3% one. In the 1.5% group, the sympathetic ganglionic blockade prevented the neurogenic pulmonary edema development. Animals from the 3% group recovered behaviorally more rapidly than did the animals from the 1.5% group; morphometry and MRI of the lesions showed no differences. Thus, low levels of isoflurane anesthesia promote NPE in rats with a compressed spinal cord and significantly complicates their recovery. The optimal concentration of anesthesia for performing a spinal cord compression lesion is 2.5-3% isoflurane in air.


In Europe, new medicines are approved or rejected on the basis of the results of studies carried out by the manufacturer and submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This article briefly presents the main roles and responsibilities of the EMA and the key rules that govern the approval process. The main scientific limitations of this process are highlighted, together with some suggestions for dealing with them.


Deep learning models trained on large data sets have been widely successful in both vision and language domains. As state-of-the-art deep learning architectures have continued to grow in parameter count so have the compute budgets and times required to train them, increasing the need for compute-efficient methods that parallelize training. Two common approaches to parallelize the training of deep networks have been data and model parallelism. While useful, data and model parallelism suffer from diminishing returns in terms of compute efficiency for large batch sizes. In this paper, we investigate how to continue scaling compute efficiently beyond the point of diminishing returns for large batches through local parallelism, a framework which parallelizes training of individual layers in deep networks by replacing global backpropagation with truncated layer-wise backpropagation. Local parallelism enables fully asynchronous layer-wise parallelism with a low memory footprint, and requires little communication overhead compared with model parallelism. We show results in both vision and language domains across a diverse set of architectures, and find that local parallelism is particularly effective in the high-compute regime.


World-class Au-Cu deposits are distributed along Middle Tianshan Mountains of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Special attention should be paid to Au-Cu prospecting in China's Middle Tianshan and its northern and southern edges. Recently, a large AuCu deposit of Kateba'asu in Xinyuan County of Xinjiang was discovered by No.1 Geological Survey Party of Xinjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Exploration and Mining. The Kateba'asu Au-Cu deposit is located on the northern margin of the Middle Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, ~30km southeast of Xinyuan County. Gold-copper mineralization mainly occurs in the alteration zone of Carboniferous monzonitic granite intrusion. Au-Cu ore bodies are a few to several thousand meters long and several to dozens of me-ters thick, assume tabular and lenticular forms, and have average grades of gold 3.84g/t and copper 0.65%. The ore bodies in the upper part are mainly associated with gold mineralization and copper mineralization which increases with the depth. Ore minerals include pyrite and chalcopyrite, which are probably the main gold-bearing minerals. Gold-copper mineralization was closely related to the hydrothermal process after the emplacement of granite intrusions(e.g., monzonitic granite, alkali-feldspar granite, granodiorite). The Kateba'asu Au-Cu deposit possesses great economic value and also indicates the existence of high prospecting potential in the Middle Tianshan Mountains of west Xinjiang. The discovery of the Kateba'asu large Au-Cu deposit gives us an example of the new prospecting model, in which geological survey goes ahead and then guides the commercial exploration, thus finally realizing important breakthrough.


Simple Summary Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Treatment of cancer has long been a challenge. While researchers have been searching for many options for the cure, mother nature has blessed us with natural bioactive components with anticancer potential. Since the 1800s, scientists have been studying the efficacy of the bioactive agents present in our food for the treatment of cancer. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms responsible for these effects. Moreover, owing to the increased intake of probiotics in daily diets, this review also explains how they can be helpful in cancer prevention and treatment. Abstract In an attempt to find a potential cure for cancer, scientists have been probing the efficacy of the food we eat and its bioactive components. Over the decades, there has been an exponentially increasing trend of research correlating food and cancer. This review explains the molecular mechanisms by which bioactive food components exhibit anticancer effects in several cancer models. These bioactive compounds are mainly plant based or microbiome based. While plants remain the primary source of these phytochemicals, little is known about probiotics, i.e., microbiome sources, and their relationships with cancer. Thus, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effect of probiotics are discussed in this review. The principal mode of cell death for most food bioactives is found to be apoptosis. Principal oncogenic signaling axes such as Akt/PI3K, JAK/STAT, and NF-κB seem to be modulated due to these bioactives along with certain novel targets that provide a platform for further oncogenic research. It has been observed that probiotics have an immunomodulatory effect leading to their chemopreventive actions. Various foods exhibit better efficacy as complete extracts than their individual phytochemicals, indicating an orchestrated effect of the food components. Combining bioactive agents with available chemotherapies helps synergize the anticancer action of both to overcome drug resistance. Novel techniques to deliver bioactive agents enhance their therapeutic response. Such combinations and novel approaches are also discussed in this review. Notably, most of the food components that have been studied for cancer have shown their efficacy in vivo. This bolsters the claims of these studies and, thus, provides us with hope of discovering anticancer agents in the food that we eat.


Since the early 1970s, clinical ladder programs have been a method of defining, recognizing, and rewarding nursing practice. As clinical practice in an institution grows and evolves, so must the program that supports the development of the practitioner. An in-depth evaluation of one clinical ladder program was conducted to determine if it was reflective of current practice. The authors discuss the method of evaluation, findings, and the revised program.


Purpose of reviewMitochondrial disorders are increasingly acknowledged as a major category in clinical neurology. In this review we highlight the most recent advances in the field, including the characterization of new disease genes, new physiopathological insights, and the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegeneration. Recent findingsSubstantial progress has been made on the genetic basis and pathogenic mechanisms in disorders associated with altered mitochondrial DNA stability and expression. These defects include a wide spectrum of neurological conditions caused by genetic abnormalities of the mitochondrial replication and translation machineries, and of the metabolic pathways controlling the nucleotide supply to organelles, cells and tissues. Another relevant contribution has been given to the molecular dissection of coenzyme Q deficiency, a clinically heterogeneous, potentially treatable condition, thanks to the biochemical and genetic characterization of the first defects in coenzyme Q biosynthesis. Finally, the genetic determinants controlling the penetrance of mitochondrial disorders, as well as the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, have been investigated in both patients and animal models. SummaryThe dual genetic contribution controlling mitochondrial biogenesis, and the intricacy and universality of the metabolic pathways operating in the mitochondrion explain the complexity of what is now known as 'mitochondrial medicine'.


In this paper we study the amount of electron quasi-Fermi level splitting in the emitter–base junction of single and double heterojunction bipolar transistors using a new numerical model that includes Fermi–Dirac statistics and base recombination current. The degree of splitting is different using our model than with previous models when high voltage or high doping levels are used. In order to illustrate its features, the model is applied to the study of collector current HBTs and DHBTs.


The effect of tunneling oxide thickness on the Coulomb blockade behavior of a room temperature operating multi dot Single Electron Transistors (SET) was investigated. Our room temperature operational SETs, fabricated from focused ion beam deposited tungsten nano-islands, clearly show the modulation of Coulomb Blockade voltage with the change in the tunnel oxide thickness. The Coulomb blockade voltage of the device was increased from 2.0 V to 5.0 V by the reduction of tunnel junction thickness from 9 nm to 3 nm. In the present experiment, a decrease in the thickness of the tunneling oxide resulted in an increase in the conductance and tunnel current of the device by two orders of magnitude. The total capacitance of the SET device was reduced from 0.7 atto F to 0.5 atto F with the reduction in the thickness of the tunnel junction thickness of the SET. The charging energy of the SET device was increased from 110 meV to 146 meV with the reduction of the tunnel junction thickness from 9 nm to 3 nm, the modulation of the Coulomb blockade voltage was achieved with the variation in the tunnel junction thickness of the SET device.


Abstract A cross-sectional study investigated the effectiveness of an education at work in health program in a Brazilian federal university, by sending an electronic questionnaire to 553 active and former participants (80.5% participation). Means of approximately 3.00 (scale from zero to 4.00) for program's clarity of purpose, suitability of process, and impact, indicated that the program was largely effective. Clarity of purpose was greater among preceptors and mentors when compared to students. The program's impact was perceived as greater by the students when compared to the lifelong learning of preceptors and mentors, and by females. Building the capacity of preceptors and mentors for education at work in the Brazil's national health system could advance the effectiveness of the program.


Missing values are very common in real-world datasets for a variety of reasons. Deleting data points with missing values can negatively impact the performance of data analysis methods (e.g., machine learning, data mining). Using a human expert to restore the missing values is expensive and time consuming. The alternative is to impute the missing values during data preprocessing using the known values. This improves performance for data analysis, assuming the imputed values are correct. Unfortunately, imputation algorithms which use all the known values (e.g., mean imputation) often have considerable variance between the imputed and real values. More complex imputation algorithms (e.g., deck and model-based) choose a suitable subset of the data points for imputation. However, a weakness of these algorithms is they use all the variables (i.e., attributes) for imputation even if some of the variables are uncorrelated. Here, we propose a framework called ClustFrame for imputation algorithms that chooses suitable subsets for both data points and variables. We also present a ClustImpute algorithm based on our framework that uses single imputation with (1) hierarchical clustering, (2) dynamic tree cut, and (3) a regression model to impute all missing values. Using nine datasets from the UCI repository and an empirically collected complex dataset, we evaluate our algorithm against several existing algorithms including stateof-the-art model-based algorithms that use multiple imputation. Results show that ClustImpute achieves significantly higher imputation accuracy on many of the datasets. We conclude with some suggestions on improvements


Purpose: Inhibitory and excitatory neurons play an essential role in brain function, and we aim to introduce an automatic method to discriminate these two populations based on features of the shape of their spikes. Consequently, we will explain the spike extraction from raw data of a single shank electrode and determine the best features of spike waveforms for the classification of neurons. It is noteworthy that, to the best of our knowledge, classification of inhibitory and excitatory neurons using the shape features extracted from their spike waveforms has not been done before.
Materials and Methods: In this paper, we use a dataset of mouse hippocampus neurons in which the neuron types (inhibitory or excitatory) have been verified optogenetically. For the classification of mouse hippocampus neurons, we extracted eight shape features of their spike waveforms in addition to their firing rates and used three types of classifiers: K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) to analyze the discriminatory power of features based on the accuracy of the classifications.
Results: We showed that Spike asymmetry, Peak-to-trough ratio, Recovery slope, and Duration between peaks were four shape features of spike waveforms participated in the optimum feature subsets that resulted in maximum classification accuracy. Moreover, the SVM classifier with RBF kernel resulted in maximum accuracy of %96.91 ± %13.03 and was identified as the best classifier.
Conclusion: In this study, we found that shape features of spike waveforms can accurately classify inhibitory and excitatory neurons of mouse hippocampus. Also, we found an optimum subset of shape features of spike waveforms that resulted in better classification performance than previously proposed subsets of features used for clustering of neurons. Our findings open a promising way toward a functional classification of neurons automatically.


Introduction: Clozapine is a frequently prescribed atypical antipsychotic drug. Various case reports documented the successful recovery of acute antipsychotics toxicity in association with the administration of intralipid emulsion (ILE). Aim: This study aimed to assess the adjuvant therapeutic role of SMOF Lipid administration on the outcomes of acute clozapine poisoning. Methods: Forty patients with acute clozapine poisoning were randomly allocated into two equal groups. The control group received the standard supportive treatment only, whereas the intervention group received the standard supportive treatment plus SMOF Lipid 20% infusion. All patients were subjected to history taking, full clinical examination, and laboratory investigations. The study outcomes were evaluated. Results: The mean Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at 6 hours (13.1 ± 2.3 vs 9.2 ± 2, p < 0.001) and 12 hours (14.3 ± 1.5 vs 9.6 ± 2, p < 0.001) after admission was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. The intervention group showed a significantly lower frequency of prolonged QTc interval 12 hours after admission (p = 0.003), as well as a significantly shorter hospital stay (p < 0.001). Conclusions: SMOF Lipid infusion seemed to have improved GCS, the prolonged QTc interval, and shortened the length of hospital stay. Furthermore, there were no adverse effects related to its administration.


The purpose of this reaserch is to analyze the development of Creative economy in the City of Medan and the pattern of strategies for developing creative economy with a SWOT analysis approach through the Triple Helix method. Methodology / Design The research used in this study is a qualitative method by conducting surveys and interviews on the parties concerned. By using SWOT analysis and development strategy with triple helix concept to obtain expected research result. The result of the research indicate that the development of the creative economy for the craft sub-sector is in the third position after culinary and fashion. The pattern of interaction between the three actors (actors, government and academics) must collaborate and symbiosis in mutualism in designing and developing the creative economy and the strategy used to develop the creative economy is by aggressive strategy or S-0 strategy which uses the power to take advantage of opportunities.


This paper proposes a novel transform mapping technique based on shared decision tree context clustering (STC) for HMMbased cross-lingual speech synthesis. In the conventional crosslingual speaker adaptation based on state mapping, the adaptation performance is not always satisfactory when there are mismatches of languages and speakers between the average voice models of input and output languages. In the proposed technique, we alleviate the effect of the mismatches on the transform mapping by introducing a language-independent decision tree constructed by STC, and represent the average voice models using language-independent and dependent tree structures. We also use a bilingual speech corpus for keeping speaker characteristics between the average voice models of different languages. The experimental results show that the proposed technique decreases both spectral and prosodic distortions between original and generated parameter trajectories and significantly improves the naturalness of synthetic speech while keeping the speaker similarity compared to the state mapping.


We evaluated the feasibility of large-scale production of biopharmaceuticals expressed as heterologous polypeptides from the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces lividans. As a model protein we used murine tumor necrosis factor alpha (mTNFalpha). mTNFalpha fused C-terminally to the secretory signal peptide of the subtilisin-inhibitor protein from Streptomyces venezuelae. Under appropriate fermentation conditions, significant amounts of mature mTNFalpha (80-120 mg/L) can be recovered from spent growth media. Efficient downstream processing allowing rapid purification of mTNFalpha from culture supernatants was developed. Importantly, the protein is recovered from the spent growth medium in its native trimeric state as judged by biophysical analysis. Further, mTNFalpha secreted by S. lividans is significantly more active in an in vitro apoptosis tissue culture assay than a corresponding polypeptide produced in Escherichia coli. This pilot study provides the first validation of S. lividans protein secretion as an alternative bioprocess for large-scale production of oligomeric proteins of potential therapeutic value.


With the explosive growth of online products and content, recommendation techniques have been considered as an effective tool to overcome information overload, improve user experience, and boost business revenue. In recent years, we have observed a new desideratum of considering long-term rewards of multiple related recommendation tasks simultaneously. The consideration of long-term rewards is strongly tied to business revenue and growth. Learning multiple tasks simultaneously could generally improve the performance of individual task due to knowledge sharing in multi-task learning. While a few existing works have studied long-term rewards in recommendations, they mainly focus on a single recommendation task. In this paper, we propose {\it PoDiRe}: a \underline{po}licy \underline{di}stilled \underline{re}commender that can address long-term rewards of recommendations and simultaneously handle multiple recommendation tasks. This novel recommendation solution is based on a marriage of deep reinforcement learning and knowledge distillation techniques, which is able to establish knowledge sharing among different tasks and reduce the size of a learning model. The resulting model is expected to attain better performance and lower response latency for real-time recommendation services. In collaboration with Samsung Game Launcher, one of the world's largest commercial mobile game platforms, we conduct a comprehensive experimental study on large-scale real data with hundreds of millions of events and show that our solution outperforms many state-of-the-art methods in terms of several standard evaluation metrics.


The following study examines the relationship between transformational leadership and employees' career salience. This research is conducted to answer the question that whether employees' career salience has association with transformational leadership. This study focuses only on banking sector. Transformational leadership is measured using its four dimensions i.e. idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and individualized considerations, relationship is determined with employees' career salience. The data was collected from five banks. 350 questionnaires were distributed for collection of data. For the analysis of data Correlation analysis was used. Findings of this study revealed that transformational leadership and all its dimensions have insignificant relationship with employees' career salience. Newness of this study is its originality that concerns with relationship between transformational leadership and employees' career salience. Limitations and future research is also discussed.


The search for an economic means to harness energy from ocean waves continues. This paper aims to summarise the findings from our recent studies of novel wave energy devices in which flexible, deformable structures are used in place of conventional rigid structures. The devices utilise a flexible air-filled bag to capture energy from the waves and three different configurations are compared. In each of the three device configurations, expansion and contraction of the bag in waves create a reciprocating air flow via a turbine between the bag and another volume. The bags are all in the form of a fabric encased within an array of longitudinal tendons. In the first configuration, the bag is floating and ballasted such that it pierces the free surface. In the second configuration, the bag is completely submerged and connected at its top to a rigid float and at its bottom to a weight. In the third configuration, the bag is fixed at its bottom and free at the top. A series of tests at approximately 1:20 scale in the laboratory was conducted to investigate the static behaviour of the bags in still water and their dynamic response in waves. Numerical models are developed for each configuration and the predictions agree closely with measurements. Both reveal some interesting properties that are distinct from one device configuration to another.


Information technology and the need for global information are constantly changing the way securities analysts, one kind of knowledge worker, obtain, manipulate, and disseminate information. This study develops and tests a general model, with specific hypotheses, that individual characteristics and institutional resources influence the information sources and communication channels that individuals use, that use of these sources and channels influences the outcomes of analysts' activities, and that, therefore, individual characteristics and institutional resources both directly and indirectly influence the outcomes. The data for this study were collected through a telephone survey administered to a random sample of 100 securities analysts from 40 of the largest investment banking firms in the United States and the United Kingdom. The results show that individual characteristics have little influence on the information sources and communication channels used by analysts, and thereby do not have a significant influence on the outcomes of analysts' information activities. Institutional resources do have a significant influence on the information sources and communication channels analysts use, but also have a direct influence on outcomes, and thereby play a significant role in analysts' information activities. The conclusion discusses implications of these findings for securities analysts, institutional and retail investors, schools of library and information science, and practicing information professionals. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The gastric juice of Helicobacter pylori-infected individuals contains substantially higher levels of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) than that of individuals who are not infected. We present a new theory for how this H. pylori-induced PLA2 activity in gastric juice may play a major role in the development of peptic ulcer disease. When activated at neutral pH (pH 6.5-7.0), PLA2 may damage the surfactant-like, phospholipid-rich layer which constitutes an important part of the mucus barrier. Pepsin and other proteases, activated at low pH (pH 1.0-3.5), may then denature and cleave PLA2-exposed proteins. Peptic ulcers therefore tend to develop in regions exposed to changing luminal pH, such as the duodenal bulb when acid production is high or normal, or in the stomach when acid secretion is low.


This article examines the experiences of 25 persons who were assigned female status at birth but do not wish to live as women and take on a masculine or queer gender identity. We employ the concept of "gendered embodiment" and introduce the concept of "sexualized embodiment" to highlight what is involved in this process. We ask how experiencing a masculine gender identity is reflexively tied to a trans man's sexuality and the ways in which these two embodiments are tightly, moderately, or loosely coupled. For example, a tight coupling appeared when trans men began to use testosterone and obtained surgery such as breast removal; a moderate coupling was found where gender validation was sought from a sexual partner (with this being related to sexual preference identities as well as the interpretation of vaginal penetration); the loosest coupling of the gender-sexuality embodiments was linked to the liberality of the locale and whether "queer" identities could be easily adopted. In sum, our research demonstrates the link between gender and sexuality as a result of the body work trans men do and the historical and geographical situations in which they find themselves.


One of the important needs in marketing an electric vehicle is a device which reliably indicates battery state-of-charge for all types of driving. The purpose of the state-of-charge indicator is analogous to a gas gauge in an internal combustion engine powered vehicle. Many different approaches have been tried to accurately predict battery state-of-charge. This report evaluates several of these approaches. Four different algorithms were implemented into software on an IBM PC and tested using a battery test database for ALCO 2200 lead-acid batteries generated at the INEL. The database was obtained under controlled conditions which compare with the battery response in real EV use. Each algorithm is described in detail as to theory and operational functionality. Also discussed is the hardware and data requirements particular to implementing the individual algorithms. The algorithms were evaluated for accuracy using constant power, stepped power, and simulated vehicle (SFUDS79) discharge profiles. Attempts were made to explain the cause of differences between the predicted and actual state-of-charge and to provide possible remedies to correct them. Recommendations for future work on battery state-of-charge indicators are presented that utilize the hardware and software now in place in the INEL Battery Laboratory. 9 refs., 23 figs., 3 tabs.


Abstract. This paper describes a new multi-sensor approach for convective rain cell continuous monitoring based on rainfall derived from Passive Microwave (PM) remote sensing from the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite coupled with Infrared (IR) remote sensing Brightness Temperature (TB) from the Geosynchronous (GEO) orbit satellite. The proposed technique, which we call Precipitation Evolving Technique (PET), propagates forward in time and space the last available rain-rate (RR) maps derived from Advanced Microwave Sounding Units (AMSU) and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) observations by using IR TB maps of water vapor (6.2 μm) and thermal-IR (10.8 μm) channels from a Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) radiometer. PET is based on two different modules, the first for morphing and tracking rain cells and the second for dynamic calibration IR-RR. The Morphing module uses two consecutive IR data to identify the motion vector to be applied to the rain field so as to propagate it in time and space, whilst the Calibration module computes the dynamic relationship between IR and RR in order to take into account genesis, extinction or size variation of rain cells. Finally, a combination of the Morphing and Calibration output provides a rainfall map at IR space and time scale, and the whole procedure is reiterated by using the last RR map output until a new MW-based rainfall is available. The PET results have been analyzed with respect to two different PM-RR retrieval algorithms for seven case studies referring to different rainfall convective events. The qualitative, dichotomous and continuous assessments show an overall ability of this technique to propagate rain field at least for 2–3 h propagation time.


Although ample research suggests that urban environments and their associated land use/land cover modify convective precipitation patterns, little research has explored the role of human‐made bodies of water – artificial reservoirs – on thunderstorm climatology. This study provides the first radar‐derived climatological analysis of the impact of artificial reservoirs on warm‐season convective initiation (CI) and associated thunderstorms. An area centred on three large reservoirs in Southeast Texas is examined to explore how the artificial bodies of water influence the spatiotemporal nature of deep, moist convection. A thunderstorm day and CI climatology for the study domain is constructed utilizing composite radar reflectivity data from 1997 to 2013. The results illustrate enhanced (reduced) convective activity on the edges of (atop) the reservoirs. The presence of the reservoirs also induced increased variability in thunderstorm occurrence compared to areas with no reservoirs. In addition, spatial analytical testing yields statistically significant higher densities of CI events on the southern shores of the reservoirs. Evidence that relatively small bodies of water can influence regional convective patterns and modify the risk of thunderstorm hazards is presented.


Chromosome instability (CIN) instigates various malignant phenotypes, including deregulated proliferation, apoptosis and invasion to initiate and sustain carcinogenesis. A major source of CIN in cancer is centrosome amplification (CA), defined as the acquisition of abnormal number of centrosomes (3 or more) that may result in defective mitosis, chromosome missegregation and aneuploidy. CA is present in pre-malignant breast lesions and high percentages of CA correlate with metastasis to the lymph nodes. CA may facilitate breast tumorigenesis, albeit this hypothesis has to be tested. Our laboratory found that CA and binucleation, intermediates to tetraploidy, are more likely to occur in Her2+ER-PR- (Her2+) breast cancers, while triple-negative (TN or Her2-ER-PR-) display other forms of CIN, such as micronuclei, defined as missegregated whole or fragmented chromosomes. The Her2 and TN subtypes differ from good-prognosis breast cancers such as luminal in that they accumulate high frequencies of CIN. Even though all breast cancer patients respond similarly to radiation therapy, Her2+ and TN patients are more likely to recur. Our laboratory searches for sources of CA and CIN in breast tumors and found that CA and CIN are suppressed by silencing of Cdk4 and the E2F activators. We have shown that silencing of CDK4 radiosensitizes TN and Her2+ breast cancer cells by activating intrinsic apoptotic pathways. We propose that inhibiting the cell and centrosome machinery would represent future treatment modalities for breast cancer. Citation Format: Harold I. Saavedra. The Cdk4/E2F pathway drives centrosome amplification and chromosome instability in breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr IA17.


To determine whether the dawn phenomenon occurs in healthy elderly subjects, we compared glucose and insulin levels as well as glucose production rates in 10 young nondiabetic men (mean age 26 +/- 3 years) and 10 old nondiabetic men (mean age 69 +/- 3 years) between 0500 to 0800. Young subjects demonstrated a modest but significant rise in plasma glucose level (89 +/- 1 mg/dl to 92 +/- 1 mg/dl, p less than .05) and glucose production rate (1.7 +/- 0.1 mg/kg/min to 1.9 +/- 0.2 mg/kg/min, p less than .05) between 0540 and 0800. No rise was detected in the plasma glucose or glucose production rate in older subjects as a group, between these times. However, a few elderly subjects did display a dawn glucose rise. Changes in plasma insulin levels were not significant for either young or old subjects. Older subjects had significantly lower mean peak growth hormone levels during the night than young subjects (6.7 +/- 1.3 vs 10.1 +/- 1.6 ng/ml, p less than .05). These results demonstrate a modest rise in plasma glucose levels and glucose production rate in healthy young subjects consistent with previous reports of the dawn phenomenon. This modest early morning glucose rise is absent in most otherwise healthy older subjects.


Regarding the defects of a posteriori and experience-depended of traditional method, the research proposed use BP neural network to predict the length of garment marking. In the course of achievement,it starts from the order information analysis directly and picks out which factors are concerning with marking length instead of the process of pattern making marking ,and uses these factors as input parameters to establish a BPartificial neural network model for predicting marking length.The experiments show that the model has good prediction.If provide the actual value of factory production to the BP model in practice,the prediction will be more close to the reality,and may be the construction for factory to estimate the fabric consumption and design optimal cutting plan.


Ignition characteristics are studied using zero-dimensional equations and are compared for both the ITER89P and ITER93HP scalings with the H-mode power threshold in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor-intermediate design (ITER-ID). With the help of the operation path method on the -T plane, the ignition behaviour for both scalings is compared. The comparison study illustrates that the confinement factor of 2.6-2.9 over the ITER89P scaling is necessary for obtaining the equivalent performance to the ITER93HP scaling with 85% degradation due to an ELMy discharge. If the confinement degradation effect of due to the radiative divertor operation is taken into account, the confinement factor should be increased by up to . This result implies that the `advanced' tokamak operation regime may be required even for MA nominal operation from the outset. Modifications of the plasma shape, the central solenoid and divertor would be necessary to increase the confinement time for reducing the ignition risk. The ignition behaviour for both scalings are entirely different, where the ITER93HP scaling is more favourable for the safer ignited operation. Thus, in this sense, ITER89P scaling is highly recommended for designing the ITER.


Fault current levels occurring in power systems force the breaking capacities of the breakers. In the power system elements, the generator, transformer, cables, etc., are exposed to the dangerous effects of fault current until the breaker clears the fault. Various limiting methods have been developed to eliminate this adverse situation in recent years. One of these methods is Superconducting Fault Current Limiters (SFCL). With the discovery of High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS), SFCL's Resistive type has become more popular. Resistive SFCL (R-SFCL), based on the non-linear resistance property of superconducting materials, limits the fault within the first half period. However, it cannot provide such a fast response after the fault. The time required to regain the superconducting state after the fault is the recovery time. For R-SFCL manufacturers, recovery time is a design parameter that must be kept short. This study examines limiting performance, recovery time, and voltage stability with the dynamic model created using MATLAB/Simulink. With the shunt breaker method proposed in the study, the recovery time was shortened, and the voltage stability improved.


The gyromagnetic switching behavior of a single-domain grain or particle with uniaxial magnetocrystalline and shape anisotropy is solved analytically by the gyromagnetic torque equation using physically plausible Gilbert damping. The sole restriction is that the anisotropy easy axis and the applied field be collinear. The analytical solution for the magnetization switching time is then used to calculate precisely various phenomena which occur in pulsed-current stripline testing of magnetic recording storage media. Also, the analytic relationship between the polar and azimuthal angles of the magnetization during damped precession is derived.


Nanoparticles are being designed with chemically modifiable surfaces to attach a variety of molecules to improve biosensing, imaging techniques, delivery vehicles, and other useful biological tools. Keeping this in view, the present research work is focused on investigation of cytotoxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles. Different metal oxide nanoparticles (e.g titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, iron oxide, aluminum oxide etc) of different sizes and different concentrations were used to investigate the cellular response. Electron microscopy and colorimetric assays were used to characterize the various process steps. Zirconium oxide nanoparticles were used in suspension form stabilized with stabilizer and the others were used as their aqueous suspension. Results clearly reflect that as the concentration increases, cytotoxicity also increases. As aggregation occurs, cytotoxicity decreases. In suspension with stabilizer, cytotoxicity is more as compared to aqueous suspensions. Copyright © 2012 VBRI Press.


Visfatin and resistin appear to interfere with reproduction in the gonads, but their potential action at the hypothalamic-pituitary level is not yet known. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mRNA and protein expression of these adipokines in murine gonadotroph cells and to analyse the effects of different concentrations of recombinant mouse visfatin and resistin (0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10ngmL-1) on LH secretion and signalling pathways in LβT2 cells and/or in primary female mouse pituitary cells. Both visfatin and resistin mRNA and protein were found in vivo in gonadotroph cells. In contrast with resistin, the primary tissue source of visfatin in the mouse was the skeletal muscle, and not adipose tissue. Visfatin and resistin both decreased LH secretion from LβT2 cells after 24h exposure of cells (P<0.03). These results were confirmed for resistin in primary cell culture (P<0.05). Both visfatin (1ngmL-1) and resistin (1ngmL-1) increased AMP-activated protein kinase α phosphorylation in LβT2 cells after 5 or 10min treatment, up to 60min (P<0.04). Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation was transiently increased only after 5min resistin (1ngmL-1) treatment (P<0.01). In conclusion, visfatin and resistin are expressed in gonadotroph cells and they may affect mouse female fertility by regulating LH secretion at the level of the pituitary.


We present a statistical, mathematical, and computational model for prediction and analysis of wave propagation through complex, wave-chaotic environments. These are generally enclosed environments that are many wavelengths in extent and are such that, in the geometric optics limit, ray trajectories diverge from each other exponentially with distance traveled. The wave equation solution is expressed in terms of a novel stochastic Green's function that includes both coherent coupling due to direct path propagation and incoherent coupling due to propagation through multiple paths of the scattering environment. The statistically fluctuating portion of the Green's function is characterized by random wave model and random matrix theory. Built upon the stochastic Green's function, we have derived a stochastic integral equation method, and a hybrid formulation to incorporate the component-specific attributes. The proposed model is evaluated and validated through representative experiments.


For more than ten years the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has proven to be a valuable model for studies of the host response to various bacterial and fungal pathogens. When exposed to a pathogenic organism, a clear response is elicited in the nematode, which is characterized by specific alterations on the transcriptional and translational levels. Early on, researchers took advantage of the possibility to conduct large-scale investigations of the C. elegans immune response. Multiple studies demonstrated that C. elegans does indeed mount a protective response against invading pathogens, thus rendering this small nematode a very useful and simple host model for the study of innate immunity and host-pathogen interactions. Here, we provide an overview of key aspects of innate immunity in C. elegans revealed by recent whole-genome transcriptomics and proteomics studies of the global response of C. elegans to various bacterial and fungal pathogens.


The highly populated geographical area, even since ancient times, the water catchment area of Arges river has been the subject of some dramatic changes in time, especially during the last 50-60 years, due to demographical pressure. These changes regarding the natural ecosystems have been, in most cases, contradictory to what can be understood through the concept of sustainable development of the natural capital. The pressures made on the environment, through various human activities, such as the animal husbandry, the intensive over-exporting and, sometimes, the illegal exporting of wood, industrial development, the building of communication systems have led to the development of environmental problems, of some negative effects whose costs had been either underestimated or not considered and which had been much higher reported to the benefits of human intervention. Even some activities that were considered clean, from the perspective of their impact on the natural ecosystems, such as tourism, have proven to have mid and long term negative effects. The analysis of the environmental problems generated by the economic activities in the water catchment areas of some tributary waters of Arges river leads to the conclusion that the negative effects on the environment can be diminished and that the finding of a sustainable development way of the socio-economic system, represented by the local communities, is the only viable long-term alternative.


Over time, various industries have experienced repeated swings between more and less extensive governmental regulation. This pattern reflects in part the ongoing cycle of economic prosperity and hardship. Using the airline industry as an example, Judge Cudahy demonstrates how problems fostered by deregulation come to the fore in a slumping economy. An exclusive focus on market efficiency may be too simplistic in light of bankruptcies, oligopoly, lost jobs, and chaotic pricing. Even with the enhanced participation of foreign carriers in the U.S. air market, Judge Cudahy anticipates a return to more regulation in the airline industry, and suggests that this trend may apply to other deregulated industries.


The abstract isthe early stages of ship design, the decision of the ship's main dimensions significantly impacts the ship's performance and the total cost of ownership. This paper focuses on an optimization approach based on surrogate models at the early stages of ship design. The objectives are to minimize power requirements and building costs while still satisfying the constraints. We compare three approaches of surrogate models: Kriging, BPNN-PSO (Backpropagation Neural Network-Particle Swarm Optimizer), and MLP (Multi-Layer Perceptron) in two multi-objective optimization algorithms: MOEA/D (Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm Decomposition) and NSGA-II (Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II). The experimental results show that MLP surrogate models get the best performance with MAE 6.03, and BPNN-PSO gets the second position with MAE 7.2. BPNN-PSO and MLP with MOEA/D and NSGA-II improve the design with around 58% smaller adequate power and 6% less steel weight than the original design. However, BPNN-PSO and MLP have lower hypervolume than Kriging for both optimization algorithms MOEA/D and NSGA-II. On the other hand, Kriging has the most inadequate model accuracy performance, with an MAE of 22.2, but produces the highest hypervolume, lowest computational time, and far lower objective values than BPNN-PSO and MLP for both optimization algorithms, MOEA/D and NSGA-II. Nevertheless, the three surrogate model approaches can significantly improve ship design solutions and reduce work time in the early stages of design.


We have developed a periodical self-assembled method of patterning the sapphire substrate with silica nanospheres for light-emitting diode (LED) applications. Using this method, silica nanospheres were directed to self-assemble in a periodic fashion on a wet-etched patterned sapphire substrate (WPSS). Moreover, we fabricated an InGaN/GaN-based LED on the silica-nanosphere-assembled WPSS. The light output power of the resultant LED was about 2.23 and 1.7 times higher than that of the LEDs grown on planar sapphire and WPSS, respectively. Moreover, the light extraction efficiency of the silica-nanosphere-assembled WPSS LED was 37% higher than that of conventional LED.


Hydrocarbon (LPG) sensors based on the nanostructures of V2O5 do not exhibit satisfactory characteristics, while sensors based on WO2.72 nanowires show high sensitivity (∼1800) for 2000 ppm of LPG at 200 °C as well as relatively short recovery and response times. Impregnation of WO2.72 nanowires with Pt in the 0.1–1.0 at% range, significantly improves the sensor characteristics, the sensitivity increasing with Pt concentration and reaching a value of ∼106 for 2000 ppm of LPG in the 100–200 °C range with 1 at% Pt. The sensitivity remains high even for 50 ppm of LPG, and is not affected significantly by repeated cycles or humidity. The mechanism of sensing of hydrocarbons by WO2.72 nanowires is explained on the basis of adsorbed oxygen species.


Context IgE mediated food allergy affects 6–8% of children and the prevalence is thought to be increasing. Current national guidelines for the diagnosis and management of these children include the use of oral food challenge (OFC). Recent evidence from the LEAP trial (Learning Early about Peanut Allergy), suggesting that immune tolerance to peanuts in 'at risk' infants may be possible through early ingestion, may also increase the burden on this service. Our large District General Hospital currently performs all oral food challenges on the day care unit, under direct supervision of a doctor. Problem The current waiting time for OFC at our hospital is 8 months. This potentially prolongs dietary exclusion unnecessarily and does not allow us to perform early OFC (ie at 4–8 months of age) to facilitate safe early introduction of allergens as recommended in the LEAP trial. Assessment of problem and analysis of its causes OFC against single allergens (egg, milk or wheat) were audited from hospital over one year. Waiting times and services provided were also reviewed. Gold standards of care from other centres were studied by reviewing their established guidelines and visiting other clinics. 62 OFC challenges were performed by a doctor – all could have been nurse led; Current waiting time for OFC: 36 weeks; Current waiting time for Allergy follow-up appointment: 21 weeks Current waiting time for Allergy new appointment: 7 weeks Intervention and Study design Analysis of the cost benefit ratio for a 0.6FTE (full time equivalent) specialist paediatric allergy nurse was performed. This role would enable nurse led oral food challenges, expanded follow-up clinics, and provide telephone support for paediatric allergy patients in the region. In addition, it would free up consultant time to expand new paediatric allergy clinics. See Figure 1 below which details the cost benefit, improvement in waiting times and improvement in quality that would be achieved by implementing this change. 1 Consultant clinic/month: 7 new patients (£232) + 10 f/u patients (£154) = 204 patients = £37,968 (based on multi-professional Paediatric OP tariff) Nurse in clinic: 6 follow-up patients/week for 45 weeks/year = 270 patients at £154 = £41,580Abstract G549(P) Figure 1 Strategy for change Using data from the quality improvement project, a business case for a 0.6FTE paediatric allergy nurse was submitted to the Trust Management Board. Measurement of improvement and Effects of changes The Trust Board has approved the business case for a long term paediatric allergy nurse (0.6FTE) and the recruitment process has begun. This service expansion also involves the establishment of a regular multidisciplinary team meeting, new food allergy testing guidelines and the set-up of a patient database to enable further auditing of services. Lessons learnt and Message for others This project demonstrates how QI methodology was used to identify potential cost savings and improvements. Cost/benefit ratios from this evidence provided a powerful argument to our Trust Board, resulting in a successful business case. This successful long term service improvement will not only improve the allergy services provided by the region, but has also taught the trainee a great deal about health care management and quality improvement.


This study examined the effects of incremental rehearsal (IR) on letter sound expression for one kindergarten and one first grade English learner who were below district benchmark for letter sound fluency. A single-subject multiple-baseline design across sets of unknown letter sounds was used to evaluate the effect of IR on letter-sound expression and fluency. Although visual analysis of the data showed an increase in level and trend for the kindergarten participant, data were variable for the first grade participant who was referred for special education services during the intervention. Mean percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) was 94% for the kindergarten student and 98% for the first grade student. Although both learners made increases in letter sound expression and fluency, the intervention was 17 weeks in duration. Future research should examine both the effectiveness and efficiency of IR, as compared to other interventions, for increasing letter-sound knowledge of English learners.


Background: A major challenge for blood banks is to provide a safe and regular supply of blood to meet the patients' needs through voluntary donation. In this study, we investigated the process of blood donation at four major donating centres in Jamaica. Materials and Method: The research was carried out at four blood donation centres under the National Blood Bank, during routine blood collection, in a period of five working days in September 2004. It involved the systematic random sampling of 42 blood donors by using a 17-item, self-administered, anonymous questionnaire. Results: Of the 42 donors, (51%) were voluntary and 49% were replacement donors. The motivation drivers of first time donors were as a result of certain personal considerations such as to assist family or relatives in need. Seventy six percent of donors were repeated and 24% were first timers. Four (10%) of 42 applicant donors were rejected and the most frequent reasons for deferral were high/low blood pressure and anaemia. Forty-five percent of the donors were fearful of the process and the greatest fears highlighted by donors were that of the needle size and the stinging sensation experienced upon venipuncture. The majority of the donors (78%) found that the facilities at the blood donation centres were adequate, while 22% found that they were clustered. Conclusion: The results provide useful insights that can be used to make effective plans and to implement strategies to encourage the current donors to donate blood more often and to motivate the persons who are eligible to donate, in order to support Jamaica's transfusion needs.


Acid and base initiated cyclization and retrocyclization reactions of the selenoureas 1-6 and isoselenoureas 7-12 to fused 4H-1,3-selenazine and 1,2,3,4tetrahydropyrimidine-4-one skeletons are reported. Fused 2-acylamino-4 H-1,3-selenazine-4ones 13-18 were formed by the action of concentrated sulfuric acid on acylselenoureas 1-6 or on 2,2-dimethylpropanoylisoselenoureas 10-12 at room temperature. On the other hand, benzoylisoselenoureas 7-9 were not obtained in this cyclocondensation under the same conditions. The reaction of potassium ethoxide on selenazines 13-18 in the ethanol solution evoked retrocyclization to the starting acylselenoureas 1-6. Both types of the title compounds, i.e. selenoureas 1-6 and isoselenoureas 7-12, were deprotonated in a methanol solution of potassium hydroxide used in an equimolar amount, giving rise to potassium salts 1924, which were isolated only for the thiophene series. By heating the separated potassium salts 20, 21, 23 and 24 in the methanol solution provided, deacylation and isoselenoureas 26, 27 were formed. The in situ prepared salts 19, 22 cyclized under the same conditions with deacylation to 4-selanyl-3,4-dihydroquinazoline-4-one 28. The title compounds 1-6, 7-12 and products of their deacylation 26, 27 on boiling in methanolic potassium hydroxide cyMolecules 2000, 5 38 clized to the corresponding fused 2-selenoxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-4-one potassium salts. These compounds provided pyrimidine-4-ones 28-30 on acidification. Acid initiated retrocyclization 28-30 to the corresponding 2-amino-4H-1,3-selenazine-4-ones was unsuccessful. C, H, N, Se elemental analyses, FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopies supported the structure of synthesized compounds.A short review on cardiotonic steroids and their analogues is presented. The natural, semisynthetic and synthetic derivatives, as well as their mechanism of action and structure-activity relationships are shown, with a special reference to aminoguanidine derivatives.


An attempt was made to examine quantitatively the survival of Escherichia coli and the halotolerant Brevibacterium species, as a function of the exposure time to carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), a proton conductor. Growth rates, viability, and protein concentrations of E. coli grown in the absence of glucose were unaffected by the addition of 100 microM CCCP. In the presence of glucose the viability was reduced after 24 h incubation with CCCP. Such a high efficiency of CCCP lethality for E. coli cells in the presence of glucose was attributed to not only the growth phase but also the acidic pH of the culture due to metabolites from glucose, mainly lactic acid. The culture of E. coli appeared to be in a syncopic state hovering between life and death when it was exposed to CCCP in the presence of more than 30 mM glucose. In contrast, growth rates of Brevibacterium were reduced in proportion to the exposure time to CCCP. The lethal effect of CCCP to Brevibacterium was slightly enhanced by the addition of glucose into the culture.


Tidal regime change with general hydrolic condition change is examined, according to Garolim Tidal Power Plant (TPP) operation. Numerical model has been developed for the Yellow and East China Seas region, in order to consider the tidal regime change by the TPP operation. The changes of tidal elevation and tidal current inside the Garolim bay are also investigated in details, along with examining the change of the tidal flat area with operation. The field measurement for the tide and current have been carried out for the validation of the numerical model and for understanding the state of current system in the present state.


This review focuses on diet and exercise interventions that have been conducted in pediatric cancer and pediatric stem cell transplant patients. It examines the different reasons for conducting lifestyle interventions with attention to the different outcome measurements and feasibility of these measures with an argument toward a need for standardization to move the field forward.


CONTENTS I. Introduction 466 II. Preparation and some properties of N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine 466 III. Use of N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine for the quantitative determination of elements 468 IV. Use of N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine for the analytical separation of elements 471 V. Derivatives and analogues of cupferron as analytical reagents 427


The detection system based on protein is a method to evaluate the safety of genetically modified foods (GMF). Using cecropin BD gene in capsicum, a detecting method was set up. It is a system of evaluating the real expressive condition and safety of the foreign target protein of GMF. In this studies, with the preformative technic method, a satisfactory results by making use of hemolymph of immunized pupae of Antheraea pernyi as standard experimental material was achieved, comparing with the realities of the goal protein expressive condition of cecropin D gene in capsicum. The detecting steps were as following: the goal protein from material was extracted roughly, then with CM-Sepharose-FF ion-exchange chromatography twice, the goal protein was purified moderately. The purified product was identified by detecting the anti-bacterial activity, electrophoresis, biological auto-photography of the goal protein and MADDI-TOF mass spectrum. The results showed that the expressive foreign target protein in transgenic capsicum was in accordance with standard protein in the physical and chemical property, anti-bacterial activity and molecular weight. It indicated that expression of the target gene in capsicum is real, it corresponded to expected value. The separation, purification and identification methods of cecropin D were established in the study. By means of the comparative experiments about anti-bacterial activity and molecular weight of anti-bacterial peptide(ABP) from GM-capsicum and hemolymph of immunized pupae of Antheraea pernyi, the identification method of target protein from GM-capsicum was set up. The method is easy to be operated, fast and feasible.


Our work focuses on an array of hollow blocks formed on a two-sided plate,
 inserted in a rectangular channel, heated and exposed to forced convection of
 air at room temperature. The thermal performance of the extended surface of
 the plates is investigated within a range of air velocities and power input.
 The investigation is conducted experimentally, using an infrared camera, and
 numerically in a 3-D computational domain. The experimental results and the
 numerical calculations showed quantitatively a satisfactory agreement. As
 expected, the heat transfer rates significantly increased as the air
 velocity in the channel increased. At low velocities the thermal performance
 of the extended plate compared to the performance of a flat plate. A
 numerical analysis of the extensions size and the ratio of plate height to
 width were also carried out and its effect upon the thermal performance of
 the system was examined. Relation between fluid pressure losses and heat
 transfer was studied and generalized. The application of the surfaces
 extended by blocks is found in several industries, for example in electronic
 equipment, solar industry, and others.


In this study, the geometric wear characteristics of tool electrodes were obtained for various pulse time, discharge current and machining depth settings in electric discharge machining. Different forms of protrusions were machined on the front surface of the tool to reduce the geometric wear. Significant reductions in original tool geometric wear characteristics (front wear, side wear and edge wear) were obtained with the use of square cross-section protrusions. The dimensions of the square cross-section protrusions were modeled mathematically in terms of machining parameters used in the experiments.


Macrophages were obtained from the peritoneal cavities of mice and infected in vitro with Mycobacterium leprae. After three weeks, the multiplication of the bacteria was observed inside of the infected cells. Three weeks after the infection the medium was replaced and antibiotic free medium was added to culture flask which was incubated at 32°C. Three months later, amorphous turbidity was observed under the surface layer of the medium. This turbidity slowly progressed with time. Next the sample was centrifuged and CBA macrophages ingested. After 3 weeks Ziehl-Neelsen positive rods were observed in 0.2-0.6% of the cells. These observations not only indicated the release of M. leprae from infected macrophages, but also suggested the possibility of the micro-organism growing in the medium itself. With these observations and experiences accumulated over fifteen years of trial and error, I discuss various potential improvements for the medium and the environment to permit more efficient growth of M. leprae in vitro.


Sexually experienced or naive male rats, subjected to neocortex removal or neocortex plus hippocampus removal, were paired with female rats for up to 180 days and compared with control rats with respect to success and latency to impregnate the female. All of the control rats and half of the brain-damaged rats successfully impregnated female rats at least once. Success was not correlated with lesion type or presurgical experience. The brain-damaged rats took longer to impregnate the females than control rats. Since the ablations were extensive, more than 95% of the neocortex in many rats, the study shows that decorticate rats can copulate. Presumably the intact subcortical structures are sufficient for male copulation, but cortical structures in some way facilitate rapid female impregnation.


Aim: This study investigated the molecular variability among accessions of Ocimum gratissimum from selected states in Nigeria and Mali using RAPD marker. Study Design: The experimental design was complete randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. Materials and Methods: Twenty accessions of Ocimum gratissimum were collected from nineteen selected Local Governments in four South-western States of Nigeria (Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Lagos) and Mali, to assess their genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship. Molecular statistics of binary data generated from Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker was conducted using numerical taxonomic and multivariate analysis (NTSYS-PC) package, while dendrogram was constructed by Jaccard's similarity coefficient using unweighted paired group method of arithmetic mean (UPGMA). Results: Accession Y3 from Ona-Ara yielded the highest total volume of DNA concentration (736.9 μ/l), while the highest genomic DNA concentration of 2.44 ng/μ was recorded in accession L-04 from Agege. Original Research Article Olawuyi et al.; BJI, 22(3): 1-11, 2018; Article no.BJI.45381 2 Out of total number of 52 bands from three primers of RAPD, 48 produced polymorphic amplified products. OPO-08 primer was highly polymorphic with 94.73%, and had the highest allele numbers, gene diversity and polymorphic information contents of 16.0, 0.914 and 0.909 respectively, while OPO-06 produced the highest number of 20 polymorphic bands. Cluster II was the highest group in the dendogram, and comprised of two states (Oyo and Lagos) and Mali which constituted seven accessions; Y-03 (Ona-Ara), Y-04 (Egbeda), Y-05 (Ido), L-01 (Surulere), L-03 (Ifako-Ijaye), L-04 (Agege) and M (Mali). Accession S-03 from Ife-North was the most distant with highest similarity index of 1.188. Conclusion: The RAPD is highly polymorphic, and could be useful in characterizing and revealing wide range of genomic variation and phylogenetic relationship among different accessions of O. gratissimum with broad genetic base.


Intense suprathermal radiation, with spectral peaks at multiple harmonics of the deuteron cyclotron frequency, is detected from the outer midplane edge of KSTAR deuterium plasmas that are heated by tangential neutral beam injection (NBI) of 100keV deuterons. We identify how this deuterium ion cyclotron emission (ICE) is generated, and distinguish this signal from the ICE driven by fusion-born protons in KSTAR deuterium plasmas (B. Chapman et al., Nucl. Fusion 57, 124004 (2017) and 58, 096027 (2018)). We first combine particle orbit studies in approximate KSTAR magnetic field geometry with an analytical treatment of the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability (MCI), to identify the sub-population of freshly ionised NBI deuterons that can excite deuterium ICE by the MCI. These deuterons are then represented as an energetic minority, together with the majority thermal deuteron population and electrons, in kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) computational studies where all particle gyro-orbits are fully resolved. The PIC approach solves the Maxwell-Lorentz equations for many millions of interacting particles, with the self-consistently evolving electric and magnetic fields. It enables us to study the collective relaxation of the NBI deuterons through the linear phase of the MCI and deep into its saturated regime. The Fourier transform of the excited fields displays strong spectral peaks at multiple successive deuteron cyclotron harmonics, mapping well to the observed KSTAR deuterium ICE spectra. The time-evolution of the energy densities of the particle populations and field components in the PIC computations further supports our identification of the driving sub-population of NBI deuterons, whose relaxation through the MCI generates the observed deuterium ICE signal. We conclude that the physical origin of this signal in KSTAR is broadly the same as the NBI-driven ICE seen in TFTR tokamak and LHD stellarator plasmas. Its spatially localised character suggests that planned ion beam-plasma experiments in simpler magnetic geometries could also generate ICE of this kind.


Background: The achievement of breastfeeding in Surakarta City in 2017 was 76.7% while the target of infants with exclusive breastfeeding is 80%. The lowest achievement of exclusive breastfeeding was at Gilingan Public Health Center (66.1%). The role of health center staff is very important in improving and supporting social breastfeeding efforts. Method: The study was descriptive qualitative research using a case study approach. The informant of this research consists of 2 main informants and 3 triangulation informants with a purposive sampling technique. Results: The role of health center staff in socialization were in the form of counseling and individual counseling; education program were in the form of class for pregnant women and class for parents with under-five children. There has been no health campaign implementation in the World Breastfeeding Week celebration. Conclusion: The socialization and education program could be implemented but for the campaign has not been implemented. It was because of a lack of coordination by Gilingan Public Health Center's staff.


The electron density within the volume of the tungsten divertor of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is calculated based on Dε line (396.9 nm) Stark broadening (SB) measurements. The quasistatic approximation is employed in the SB calculation of the Dε line. The influences of other broadening mechanisms on the calculation error of electron density have been evaluated. The SB method is applied to the study of spatial distribution and time evolution of the electron density in the W divertor. Two electron density bands are observed in the detached divertor plasma during an L-mode discharge sustained by low hybrid wave (LHW) heating, which could be related to the striated particle flux distribution induced by LHW. After the onset of detachment, the upper electron density band corresponding to outer strike point firstly increases then decreases, while the lower density band corresponding to striated particle flux increases continually although the electron densities from Langmuir Probes at the divertor plate keep a descending trend. This could indicate a downward movement of the radiation region that approximately moves along the magnetic field lines after the onset of detachment.


The temperature field analysis method of steel tubes reinforced columns under fire by finite element analysis software ABAQUS is proposed in this paper. The theoretical method is validated by tests, and the calculated results agree well with those of tests. On the basis of that, the influencing laws of section perimeter; steel reinforcement ratio and sectional core area ratio on temperature field are discussed. It has been found that the effects of section size and sectional core area ratio on temperature field are significant, but steel ratio has very little effect on temperature both of steel tube and of sectional center. These achievements make it possible to study further theoretical study on the fire resistance of steel tube reinforced concrete columns.


This publication presents the Early Middle Ages as a period of transformation when cultural exchange was reflected in the development of different regional cultures in Europe from Ireland to the Mediterranean, from the Baltic to Greece and Spain. The overarching themes of connectivity and diversity give shape to individual elements such as the heritage of the ancient Roman Empire, the effects of travel and the impact of war, the representation of identity and the connection of knowledge and faith as Jewish, Christian and Muslim groups coexisted, reflecting the cohesive nature of Europe in the Early Middle Ages.


Technologies based on optical fibers provide the possibility of installing relatively dense networks of sensors that can perform effective strain sensing functions during the operational life of structures. A contemporary trend is the increasing adoption of composite materials in aerospace constructions, which leads to structural architectures made of large monolithic elements. The paper is aimed at showing the feasibility of a detailed reconstruction of the strain field in a composite spar, which is based on the development of reference finite element models and the identification of load modes, consisting of a parameterized set of forces. The procedure is described and assessed in ideal conditions. Thereafter, a surrogate model is used to obtain realistic representation of the data acquired by the strain sensing system, so that the developed procedure is evaluated considering local effects due to the introduction of loads, significant modelling discrepancy in the development of the reference model and the presence of measurement noise. Results show that the method can obtain a robust and quite detailed reconstruction of strain fields, even at the level of local distributions, of the internal forces in the spars and of the displacements, by identifying an equivalent set of load parameters. Finally, the trade-off between the number of sensor and the accuracy, and the optimal position of the sensors for a given maximum number of sensors is evaluated by performing a multi-objective optimization, thus showing that even a relative dense network of externally applied sensors can be used to achieve good quality results.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: Surgical site infection (SSI) prevention remains significant, particularly in the era of antimicrobial resistance. Feedback on practices and outcomes is known to be key to reduce SSI rates and optimize antibiotic usage. However, the optimal method, format and frequency of feedback for surgical teams remains unclear. The objective of the study is to understand how data from surveillance and audit are fed back in routine surgical practice. Methods: A systematic scoping review was conducted, using well-established implementation science frameworks to code the data. Two electronic health-oriented databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE) were searched to September 2019. We included studies that assessed the use of feedback as a strategy either in the prevention and management of SSI and/or in the use of antibiotics perioperatively. Results: We identified 21 studies: 17 focused on SSI rates and outcomes and 10 studies described antimicrobial stewardship for SSI (with some overlap in focus). Several interventions were reported, mostly multimodal with feedback as a component. Feedback was often provided in written format (62%), either individualized (38%) or in group (48%). Only 25% of the studies reported that feedback cascaded down to the frontline perioperative staff. In 65% of the studies, 1 to 5 implementation strategies were used while only 5% of the studies reported to have utilized more than 15 implementation strategies. Among studies reporting antibiotic usage in surgery, most (71%) discussed compliance with surgical antibiotic prophylaxis. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need to provide feedback to all levels of perioperative care providers involved in patient care. Future research in this area should report implementation parameters in more detail.


The characteristics of the binding of human lactoferrin (LF) to the cells of a human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1, were investigated. 125I-Labeled LF (125I-LF) bound to THP-1 cells, and the binding increased markedly as the cells matured into macrophages (THP-1 macrophages) by stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Scatchard analysis of the binding of 125I-LF to THP-1 macrophages indicated that high and low affinity receptor sites (Kd = 0.57 x 10(-6) and 3.7 x 10(-6) M, respectively) are present on the cells. The number of these high and low affinity receptor sites were 2.4 x 10(6), and 2.5 x 10(6) per cell, respectively. Removal of iron from 125I-LF did not affect its binding to THP-1 macrophages, indicating that the binding is not dependent on Fe(III) ion. The binding of the labeled LF to THP-1 macrophages was markedly decreased following acetylation, suggesting that the amino residues of the polypeptide portion of LF play a major role in the binding. The binding of labeled LF was partially inhibited by the isolated whole oligosaccharides of LF, and by the isolated whole oligosaccharides of band 3 glycoprotein of human erythrocyte membrane which contain poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl saccharide chains, like the LF oligosaccharides. Their inhibitory activity did not depend on the terminal sialyl residues of the saccharide chains. Lacto-N-fucopentaose III and lacto-N-neotetraose, an analogous structure being present in the poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl chains of LF, also artially inhibited the binding of 125I-LF to the THP-1 macrophages. When poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl saccharide chains of 125I-LF were cleaved by endo beta-galactosidase, the binding of 125I-LF was partially reduced. These results suggest that binding of LF to THP-1 macrophages is primarily mediated by its protein component, but a short oligosaccharide structure, possibly Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal, which is contained in the nonreducing terminal region of poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl saccharide chains of LF and band 3, and in lacto-N-fucopentaose III and lacto-N-neotetraose is also recognized by THP-1 macrophages, and this recognition partly contributes to the binding of LF to cells.


Summary form only given. A second-harmonic TE/sub 21/ gyro-TWT amplifier with an axis-encircling beam is being constructed at UCD that is predicted to double the efficiency of our previous 200 kW, 12% efficient MIG TE/sup (2)//sub 21/ gyro-TWT. The new device will avoid the loss in efficiency due to off-axis electrons interacting with a linear polarized mode. The 70 W, 3.5 A axis-encircling beam with v/sub /spl perp///v/sub 2/ = 1.2 will be produced by a Cusp electron gun delivered by Northrop Grumman. The amplifier is predicted by our large signal code to produce 50 KW in Ka-band with 20% efficiency, 30dB saturated gain and 3% saturated bandwidth. An important advantage of harmonic gyro-TWTs is that they are capable of higher power than at the fundamental cyclotron harmonic because they are more stable to the absolute instability at cutoff of the operating mode. Due to the weaker strength of the harmonic interactions, the start-oscillation current is significantly higher for higher harmonic operation. This allows higher harmonic gyro-TWTs to operate stably with appreciably higher beam current. The second-harmonic TE/sub 21/ gyro-TWT amplifier is predicted to have a start oscillation current of 5 A for v/sub /spl perp///v/sub 2/, = 1.2, Bo/Bg = 0.99 which yields a safety margin 30% for our planned operating parameters. The device will employ a sliced mode-selective interaction circuit to destroy the odd order TE/sub ml/ modes. The circuit is sliced with two orthogonal slices through the axis to interrupt the wall currents and is surrounded by a lossy cylinder to absorb radiated power. Also, loss will be added to the interaction circuit to suppress gyro-BWO. The interaction circuit will have a wall resistivity 2300 times copper to yield a stable interaction length of 220 r/sub w/ for the strongest gyro-BWO threat, the TE (4)41 mode. The last 11.5 cm of the 42 cm circuit is not loaded to avoid attenuating the wave after it reaches high power levels. Identical multi-hole 0 dB input and output couplers were designed with the BFSS code using the same design as the previous UCD experiment. The directional coupler contains an array of slots connecting the narrow wall of the TE/sub 10/ rectangular input waveguide to the TE/sub 21/ circular interaction waveguide. HFSS simulation results predict that the coupler will have less than 0.3 dB insertion loss over a bandwidth of 10%. All modes are matched in the coupler due to upstream termination. BFSS simulation results predict that the return loss will be greater than 19 dB for the TE/sub 11/ circular mode and 45 dB for the TE/sub 21/ circular mode over the 10% bandwidth.


A neural network approach to the classification of acoustic emissions of ground vehicles and helicopters is demonstrated. Data collected during the Joint Acoustic Propagation Experiment conducted in July of l991 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico was used to train a classifier to distinguish between the spectrums of a UH-1, M60, M1 and M114. An output node was also included that would recognize background (i.e. no target) data. Analysis revealed specific hidden nodes responding to the features input into the classifier. Initial results using the neural network were encouraging with high correct identification rates accompanied by high levels of confidence.


Groups of rats and guinea pigs were exposed, by inhalation, to 0.25, 2.5, and 25 mg/m3 of aluminum chlorhydrate (ACH) for six months to study the effects of a common component of antiperspirants. Similar groups of animals of both species exposed to clean air served as controls. The ACH was generated as a particulate dust using a Wright dust feed mechanism. After six months of exposure, animals were sacrificed. Decreases in body weight were seen in rats exposed to 25 mg/m3 of ACH. Marked increases in lung weights and significant increases in lung to body weight ratios were seen in rats and guinea pigs exposed to 25 mg/m3 of ACH. The lungs of all rats and guinea pigs showed significant dose-related increases in aluminum accumulation when exposed to either 0.25, 2.5, or 25 mg/m3 of ACH. The lungs of all rats and guinea pigs exposed to either 2.5 or 25 mg/m3 of ACH contained exposure-related granulomatous reactions characterized by giant vacuoled macrophages containing basophilic material in association with eosinophilic cellular debris.


Waste or by‐products contains a substantial amount of nutrients. Fish silage is an alternative way for assessment of fish discards and waste generated in the fish processing industries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential use of discard species (Equulites klunzingeri, marine fish and Carassius gibelio, freshwater fish) for fish silage and chemical quality of fish oil extracted from fish silages prepared with acid and fermented methods. Lipid quality of fish oils extracted from fish silages with LAB strains was evaluated in terms of thiobarbituric acid (TBA), peroxide value (PV), p‐Anisidine (AV), totox values and fatty acid composition. The results showed that PV, TBA, AV and totox values of all extracted fish oils were within the acceptable limits for edible oils. Recovered fish oils from silage contained high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), serving as a source of good quality fish oil for human consumption.


Two novel statistical methods are applied to the prediction of transitions between weather regimes. The methods are tested using a long, 6 000-day simulation of a three-layer, quasi-geostrophic (QG3) model on the sphere at T21 resolution. The two methods are the k nearest-neighbor classifier and the random-forest method. Both methods are widely used in statistical classification and machine learning; they are applied here to forecast the break of a regime and subsequent onset of another one. The QG3 model has been previously shown to possess realistic weather regimes in its Northern Hemisphere and preferred transitions between these have been determined. The two methods are applied to the three more robust transitions; they both demonstrate a skill of 35–40% better than random and are thus encouraging for use on real data. Moreover, the random-forest method allows, while keeping the overall skill unchanged, to efficiently adjust the ratio of correctly predicted transitions to false alarms. A long-standing conjecture has associated regime breaks and preferred transitions with distinct directions in the reduced model phase space spanned by a few leading empirical orthogonal functions of its variability. Sensitivity studies for several predictors confirm the crucial influence of the exit angle on a preferred transition path. The present results thus support the paradigm of multiple weather regimes and of their association with unstable fixed points of atmospheric dynamics.


This paper demonstrates the architecture of an Ethernet prototype platform for On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD) and a camera based application using an ARM centred system. Driver is also provided with a user interface through which user can read any of the sensor values by selecting on the list. Diagnosis of faults in parameters, notification of sudden changes to the driver, and indication regarding the reason for the fault are included in the system setup. The driver can find out the faults in car on the spot and this does not require an OBD scan tool for it. If in case the vehicle got struck in remote areas, the proposed OBD system inside the vehicle can be connected to the vehicle service centre by providing internet facility. This paper focuses on a migration concept for replacing todays employed CAN-buses by Ethernet/IP-based networks.


The effects of fluctuations of the supermodes radiated from the phased-locked array lasers on the far field are theoretically analyzed on the basis of coherence theory. As a result, the far-field patterns are deformed, with increases in the parameters proportional to the integrated intensity fluctuations and the spatial correlation length of fluctuations of the supermodes. However, the effect of fluctuations on the patterns becomes small with an increase in the number of the emitters of array lasers. >


This study involves development of a dendrimer-based nanoconstruct by conjugating α-tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on a poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (G4 PAMAM) to improve intracellular delivery of a poorly water-soluble chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel (PTX). The conjugates were characterized by NMR, and PTX-loaded nanocarriers (G4-TOS-PEG-PTX) were evaluated for hydrodynamic diameter, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, percentage encapsulation efficiency (%EE), and percentage drug loading (%DL). A hemolysis study was performed, which indicated that the synthesized dendrimer conjugates were not toxic to red blood cells; hence, they were biocompatible. A cellular uptake study in (B16F10 and MDA MB231) monolayer cells and 3D spheroids showed that α-TOS conjugation improved the time dependent uptake of nanosized dendrimer conjugates. The cell viability assay revealed that G4-TOS-PEG-PTX enhanced the cytotoxicity of PTX as compared to free PTX and PTX-loaded G4-PEG (G4-PEG-PTX) at tested concentrations. Correspondingly, the α-TOS-anchored dendrimer induced more apoptosis as compared to free PTX and G4-PEG-PTX. Moreover, the fluorescently labeled G4-TOS-PEG penetrated deeper into MDA MB231 3D spheroids as visualized by confocal microscopy. G4-TOS-PEG-PTX showed significant growth inhibition in 3D spheroids as compared to free PTX and G4-PEG-PTX. Further, the in vivo efficacy study using B16F10 xenografted C57Bl6/J mice indicated that the G4-TOS-PEG localized in tumor sections. G4-TOS-PEG-PTX reduced the tumor growth significantly compared to free PTX and G4-PEG-PTX. G4-TOS-PEG-PTX had more apoptotic potential in tumor sections as analyzed by TUNEL assay. Hence, the newly developed dendrimer conjugate, G4-TOS-PEG, has the potential to target loaded drug to the tumor, and G4-TOS-PEG-PTX has the potential to be utilized successfully in cancer treatment.


Cardiomyocyte death secondary to transient ischaemia occurs mainly during the first minutes of reperfusion in the form of contraction band necrosis. Research on the mechanisms leading to sarcolemmal rupture and necrosis during initial reperfusion identified several promising pharmacological targets directed either to correct the alterations in Ca(2+) handling occurring during this period (Na(+)/H(+)-exchanger, reverse mode of Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchanger, sarcoplasmic reticulum) or to interfere with its consequences [hypercontracture, calpain activation, and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening]. However, despite the fact that pharmacological tools against some of these targets have consistently demonstrated that it is possible to reduce infarct size in experimental studies by interventions applied at the time of reperfusion, the translation of these approaches to clinical practice has failed due in part to the lack of drugs able to be tested in humans. Recently, the benefits of both post-conditioning and inhibition of mPTP have been supported by proof-of-concept trials demonstrating the clinical applicability of strategies aimed at preventing lethal reperfusion injury. These promising results should stimulate efforts to develop drugs testable in humans against known, unexploited targets involved in reperfusion injury and to identify and validate additional ones.


Abstract The last forty years have seen the publication of numerous important works on the use of the Old Testament in the Fourth Gospel, including those of E.D. Freed, G. Reim, M.J.J. Menken, A.T. Hanson, B. Schuchard, and A. Obermann. While R. Bultmann's emphasis on the Gnostic origins of the Fourth Gospel detracted attention from the influence of the Old Testament for a time, scholars such as E. Hoskyns and C. K. Barrett made important contributions, and discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls spurred interest in the subject. One feature of the Fourth Gospel's use of the Old Testament that has occasioned a significant amount of discussion is its tendency to depart from the Old Testament text, sometimes quite significantly, in its citations. Some have argued that the evangelist's free citations are due to his faulty memory, while others have attributed them to his use of pre-Christian Jewish traditions or early Christian traditions. Over against these explanations, M.J.J. Menken and B. Schuchard (among others) have emphasized the evangelist's redaction of the Old Testament for theological purposes. On this view, the evangelist had access to Old Testament texts (whether written or memorized, Hebrew or Greek), and therefore the differences between the Old Testament texts and the Johannine citations are intentional. This whole question is an important one: if it can in fact be shown that the evangelist drew on specific and identifiable Old Testament textual traditions, we may study his redactions of the Old Testament texts to gain insight into his theological interests and emphases.


In desktop manipulations such as cooking or assembly instruction videos, a performer often draws the viewers' attention to significant portions of the video's content by means of a specific set of physical behaviors. We verified the efficacy of videos edited based on those behaviors by observing television programs and simulating them with the use of our editing scheme. We first discuss the typical behaviors commonly shown in TV programs, and statistically describe the relationships between certain types of shot changes. We then propose an editing method using those behaviors, and demonstrate that our method generates videos whose quality is close to that of some of television programs. Moreover, we demonstrate the usability of our online editing system in experiments involving actual scenes.


Behaviour-centred design can be used to trigger changes in sanitation and hygiene practices. SNV Netherlands Development Organization used behaviour-centred design in an intervention to address the motivators of washing hands with soap in its Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene For All (SSH4A) programme. This paper describes the use of emotional demonstrations (emo-demos) for triggering handwashing behaviour changes. The targets were the caregivers of children. Emo-demos focused on the motives of nurture (desire to care for one's offspring) and disgust (a feeling of revulsion to avoid disease vectors and contamination). The paper provides practical information for implementing a small-scale handwashing promotion emo-demo within a WASH programme intervention. It concludes with lessons learned for wider practice.


Abstract OBJECTIVES Early results from the prospective ESPOIR Trial have indicated excellent results for pulmonary valve replacement using decellularized pulmonary homografts (DPH). METHODS A 5-year analysis of ESPOIR Trial patients was performed to provide an insight into the midterm DPH performance. ESPOIR Trial and Registry patients were matched with cryopreserved homografts (CH) patients considering patient age, type of heart defect and previous procedures to present the overall experience with DPH. RESULTS A total of 121 patients (59 female) were prospectively enrolled (8/2014–12/2016), median age 16.5 years (interquartile range 11.2–29.8), and median DPH diameter 24 mm. One death (73 year-old) occurred during a median follow-up of 5.9 years (5.4–6.4), in addition to 2 perioperative deaths resulting in an overall mortality rate of 2.5%. One case of endocarditis in 637 patient-years was noticed, resulting in an incidence of 0.15% per patient-year. At 5 years, the mean peak gradient was 19.9 mmHg (9.9), mean regurgitation 0.9 (0.6, grade 0–3) and freedom from explantation/any reintervention 97.5% (1.5). The combined DPH cohort, n = 319, comprising both Trial and Registry data, showed significantly better freedom from explantation for DPH 95.5% (standard deviation 1.7) than CH 83.0% (2.8) (P < 0.001) and less structural valve degeneration at 10 years when matched to 319 CH patients [DPH 65.5% (standard deviation 4.4) and CH 47.3% (3.7), P = 0.11]. CONCLUSIONS The 5-year data of the prospective ESPOIR Trial show excellent performance for DPH and low rates of adverse events. ESPOIR Registry data up to 15 years, including a matched comparison with CH, demonstrated statistically significant better freedom from explantation.


This research paper proposes an adaptive reclosing mechanism to preserve the network stability in post-fault scenarios for the power grids equipped with synchronous-based distributed generation (SBDG). The proposed adaptive reclosing scheme will utilize the extracted fault location information for the classification of the fault events in reclosing or block reclosing zones (BRZs). Furthermore, this intelligent reclosing scheme will ensure safe and stable network operation by preventing hazardous reclosing attempts against persistent faults in forestry/bushes areas such as in Australia. The swift fault removal by the associated protective devices (PDs) will assist in ensuring the stable operation of the SBDG. The adaption of the proposed scheme will allow the reclosing at an appropriate instant to preserve the network stability against momentary faults. However, it will also ensure quick fault clearance by permitting the associated PD to directly operate against the permanent faults. The validation of the proposed protection strategy has been carried out on the IEEE standardized test system to demonstrate its effectiveness in comparison with the conventional reclosing practices.


Objective Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease that displays a significant gender difference in terms of incidence and severity. However, the underlying mechanisms accounting for sexual dimorphism remain unclear. The aim of this work was to reveal the heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of SLE between male and female patients. Methods PBMC were collected from 15 patients with SLE (7 males, 8 females) and 15 age-matched healthy controls (7 males, 8 females) for proteomic analysis. The proteins of interest were validated in independent samples (6 male SLE, 6 female SLE). Biomarkers for neutrophil activation (calprotectin), neutrophil extracellular traps (cell-free DNA and elastase), and reactive oxygen species (glutathione) were measured, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in plasma obtained from 52 individuals. Results Enrichment analysis of proteomic data revealed that type I interferon signaling and neutrophil activation networks mapped to both male and female SLE, while male SLE has a higher level of neutrophil activation compared with female SLE. Western blot validated that PGAM1, BST2, and SERPINB10 involved in neutrophil activation are more abundant in male SLE than in female SLE. Moreover, biomarkers of neutrophil activation and reactive oxygen species were increased in male SLE compared with female SLE. Conclusion Type I interferon activation is a common signature in both male and female SLE, while neutrophil activation is more prominent in male SLE compared with female SLE. Our findings define gender heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of SLE and may facilitate the development of gender-specific treatments.