Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Amounting evidence indicate that the tissue microenvironment in a developing tumor is created by the tumor to orchestrates molecular and cellular interactions. As a major pathway involved in tumorigenesis, Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is known to regulate tumor microenvironment, but the underlying molecular mechanisms in hedgehog-driven tumors remain unclear. Here we show that smoothened (SMO)-mediated tumor development is accompanied by TGFβ activation in a variety of cell types of the tumor microenvironment, such as keratinocytes, fibroblasts and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. To determine the role of TGFβ signaling for SMO-mediated tumor development, we generated cell type specific TGFβR2flp/flp mice in which SmoM2 expression is accompanied by TGFβR2 knocking out. We found that while K14cre-mediated TGFβRII knockout promoted tumor development, Mx-1cre-mediated TGFβRII knockout suppressed tumor development, indicating a tumor promoting effect of stromal TGFβ signaling. Using EGFP expressing mice for bone marrow transplantation, we determined that most stromal cells with TGFβ signaling activation are derived from bone marrow. To further determine the role of stromal TGFβ signaling for hedgehog signaling-mediated tumor development, we performed bone marrow transplantation experiments in mice that can be induced to develop basal cell carcinomas (BCC). We found that bone marrow cells with TGFβR2 knockout, but not the wild type cells, inhibited tumor development and reduced the size of developed tumors. Reduction of tumor development was associated with decreased expression of multiple inflammation stimulatory cytokines as well as the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). The tumor promoting effect of TGFβ signaling is not limited to BCC because tumor growth of B16-F10 cells was also affected by TGFβRII elimination in bone marrow-derived cells. Our data indicate that TGFβ signaling in the tumor microenvironment, not in the keratinocytes, is critical for maintaining the tumor microenvironment to foster tumor development and growth.

Citation Format: Jingwu Xie, Eric Qipeng Fan, Dongsheng Gu, Hailan Liu, Xiaoli Zhang, Mark Kaplan, Merv Yoder. A critical role of bone marrow-derived cells for hedgehog-mediated carcinogenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2860. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2860


With the development of mobile ad hoc network (MANET), quality of service (QoS) routing becomes more and more important power control scheme decrease the interference between paths and conserve energy at hosts. But, the bandwidth evaluations are more difficult due to the dynamic transmitting power. In this paper, we propose a multi-path QoS routing with power control (MQRPC) in TDMA-based MANETs. MQRPC can provide QoS guarantee and consent energy by power control, which takes into account both the transmit power and the residual energy of the hosts along the multiple disjoint paths from a source to a destination. Simulation results show that MQRPC has good network performance and balances the energy consumption of hosts


The Cesarean section (C-section) surgical site infection prevention implementation plan has been designed as a quality improvement project. The project included a microsystem assessment, identifying the problem, literature review, application of a nursing theory and conceptual model, and development of an implementation plan. The microsystem assessment involved a Labor and Delivery Unit who had initiated a new surgical site infection (SSI) prevention bundle developed by an interprofessional team utilizing evidence-based practices and other hospitals protocols. The problem defined was the elevated rates of SSIs due to gaps in the SSI bundle risking the sustainability of the bundle. A literature review was performed by searching CINAHL with the search terms: surgical site infection, cesarean section, and obstetrical surgery. The time frame chosen for the literature review was 2011-2016. The Nursing Role Effectiveness Model was utilized to assess the current unit structure and processes to evaluate related outcomes. Furthermore, the implementation plan was formulated with the idea of rapid cycle change utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. Collaboration with interprofessional teams and key stakeholders is essential for the success and sustainability of this project.


Abstract Purpose: The morphologic spectrum of aortic coarctation extends from discrete isthmic obstruction to tubular hypoplasia of the entire aortic arch. Neonates with coarctation frequently present with congestive heart failure and critically reduced perfusion of the descending aorta following ductal closure. During the recent years we observed several infants with coarctation who presented beyond the neonatal period with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We reviewed our patients with coarctation to determine whether this presentation represents an exception or is relevant for the differential diagnosis of children with DCM. Materials and Methods: From 1/2001 to 12/2013 74 babies with isolated coarctation were diagnosed in our institution. 50 patients presented in the neonatal period and 24 patients beyond the first month. Results: 5/74 infants presented after the neonatal period with poorly contractile, dilated left ventricles. Echocardiographic detection of the coarctation was facilitated by application of the ductal view and by Doppler interrogation of the celiac artery revealing a significantly diminished systolic flow velocity. All patients underwent resection of the coarctation and end-to-end anastomosis of the aorta. Postoperative normalization of left ventricular function was observed within a median interval of 2 months. Conclusion: Coarctation of the aorta presenting as DCM accounted for 21 % of our infants with coarctation who presented beyond the neonatal period and 7 % of those in the first year of life. The stenosis was difficult to detect because of its distal location and normal configuration of the aortic arch. Isthmic coarctation should be included in the differential diagnosis of infants with DCM and requires careful examination of the isthmic region in these children.


Fine particulate matter in the lower atmosphere (PM2.5) continues to be a major public health problem globally. Identifying the key contributors to PM2.5 pollution is important in monitoring and managing atmospheric quality, for example, in controlling haze. Previous research has been aimed at quantifying the relationship between PM2.5 values and their underlying factors, but the spatial and temporal dynamics of these factors are not well understood. Based on random forest and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) algorithms, this study analyses the spatiotemporal variations in selected key factors influencing PM2.5 in Zhejiang Province, China, for the period 2000–2019. The results indicate that, while factors influencing PM2.5 varied significantly during the period studied, SHAP values suggest that there is consistency in their relative importance as follows: meteorological factors (e.g., atmospheric pressure) > socioeconomic factors (e.g., gross domestic product, GDP) > topography and land cover factors (e.g., elevation). The contribution of GDP and transportation factors initially increased but has declined in the recent past, indicating that economic and infrastructural development does not necessarily result in increased PM2.5 concentrations. Vegetation productivity, as indicated by changes in NDVI, is demonstrated to have become more important in improving air quality, and the area of the province over which it constrains PM2.5 concentrations has increased between 2000 and 2019. Mapping of SHAP values suggests that, although the relative importance of industrial emissions has declined during the period studied, the actual area positively impacted by such emissions has actually increased. Despite developments in government policy, greater efforts to conserve energy and reduce emissions are still needed. The study further demonstrates that the combination of random forest and SHAP methods provides a valuable means to identify regional differences in key factors affecting atmospheric PM2.5 values and offers a reliable reference for pollution control strategies.


ABSTRACT Qin, H., 2020. Research on the influence of e-commerce entrepreneurship education on the development of marine economy based on the entropy method. In: Liu, X. and Zhao, L. (eds.), Today's Modern Coastal Society: Technical and Sociological Aspects of Coastal Research. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 111, pp. 263–267. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. With the development of ocean cultivation, various projects related to the sea have been implemented, and various marine activities have been increasing. The growth rate and scale of the marine economy are constantly improving, and the change of economic structure will inevitably have an impact on the hierarchical structure of education. This paper designs a service framework for entrepreneurship education based on e-commerce and big data. The entropy method is used to objectively assign weights, and the index value is added up to determine the intensity of entrepreneurship education. In terms of educational support, the stochastic frontier method (SFA) is used to select educational indicators related to the marine industry and analyze them from the perspective of e-commerce entrepreneurship education. During the simulation experiment, the accuracy of the algorithm and the coupling of indicators are analyzed, the data obtained through the information platform are verified by calculation, and their effects on the weight of education-related indicators is presented.


Subjective symptoms and blood findings were studied in 16 construction workers and 30 vehicle repairmen using organic solvent and compared to 30 workers who were not exposed to organic solvents. A statistically significant increase was observed in the prevalence of subjective symptoms, serum phospholipid, lipoprotein fraction and IgE in construction workers and vehicle repairmen. A statistically significant decrease in neutrophils function was observed in construction workers.


The relationship between disabled elderly veteran care receivers' functional status and their in-home family caregivers' strain was examined in this study. The convenience sample was composed of 93 dyads. Data were obtained from care receivers' health care records and included the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMS), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and Robinson's Caregiver Strain Index (CSI). Major findings were: 52% of caregivers experienced significant strain; 59% of care receivers were cognitively impaired to some extent and were severely impaired in IADL and ADL; and the relationships between care receivers' functional status (cognitive, ADL and IADL) and caregiver strain were statistically significant.


Selenomonas ruminantium (strain I10) isolated from the ovine rumen showed considerable morphological variation and lack of motility when cultured in a phosphate-limited chemostat in the presence of high levels of glucose (55.5 mM). Transmission electron microscopy showed that some of these variants were capable of producing daughter cells with a typical selenomonad morphology but lacking flagella.

The reduction of the levels of glucose (27.8 mM) in the media caused the numbers of cells exhibiting variation to decrease, with a corresponding increase in motile cells possessing a typical selenomonad morphology. The removal of trypticase from the media had no effect on the morphology or motility of the cells.

During the initial stages of changeover to reduced glucose levels variants could be found in the chemostat which were flagellate. The flagellae were consistently attached to a concave section of the cells.


A high-speed (400 Gb/s) and long-reach (180 m) four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4) optical wireless communication system employing Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM)-optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) broadband light source (BLS) and doublet lenses is proposed. Analytic results show that the data rate is markedly improved by PAM4 modulation and MZM-OEO BLS with multiple wavelengths, and the free-space transmission distance is considerably increased by a couple of doublet lenses. With the support of PAM4 modulation, MZM-OEO BLS, and doublet lenses, good bit error rate performance and clear PAM4/nonreturn-to-zero eye diagram are achieved at a 400 Gb/s/180 m operation. The proposed system is presented to be an eminent one not only as a result of its evolution in free-space optical (FSO) links, but also on account of its high-speed and long-reach characteristics in FSO links.


NIMA-related expressed kinase 2 (NEK2) participates in the carcinogenesis and progression of certain types of cancer, however, its expression and roles in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. Here, we found that NEK2 expression was significantly upregulated in both human HCC tissues and cell lines, and increased NEK2 expression in HCC was significantly correlated with clinical progression of HCC in patients. Knockdown of NEK2 in HCC cells inhibited HCC progression, as determined by the suppressed cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Furthermore, knockdown of NEK2 inhibited drug resistance of HCC cells, as shown by the promoted suppression of cell viability in 5-fluorouracil (5‑FU)‑treated HCC cells. Mechanistically, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)/Akt and Wnt signaling activation are significantly inhibited by NEK2 knockdown, which is responsible for the HCC progression and involved in NEK2‑induced cancer cell abnormal biological behavior. Thus, enhanced NEK2 expression in HCC promotes HCC progression and drug resistance by promoting PP1/Akt and Wnt pathway activation, which may represent a new therapeutic target for HCC.


A crucial prerequisite for a derivative action is that the applicant must be acting in good faith in terms of section 165(5)(b)(i) of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 in order to obtain the leave of the court to bring the proposed derivative action. Both the Supreme Court of Appeal and the High Court have recently made important pronouncements of legal principle on the approach that the courts would take to the determination of good faith for the purposes of the statutory derivative action under section 165 of the Companies Act. These judicial findings relate not only to the complex issue of how to prove good faith but also to the meaning and content of the requirement of good faith. The courts have now reached a crossroads in delineating the content of good faith and how it is to be proved. This two-part series of articles critically evaluates these judicial pronouncements. While the focus of these articles is mainly on the tangled requirement of good faith, relevant judicial findings on the other prerequisites for a derivative action under section 165(5)(b) read with (7) and (8) of the Companies Act are also discussed. A comparative approach is adopted which takes into account the jurisprudence developed in Australia, Canada and Singapore. The first article in this series of two articles discussed the test of good faith. This article focuses on the proof of good faith.


Abstract The proliferation of adulterated health foods and beverages in the market demands a comprehensive analytical strategy to identify the adulterants, particularly those of isomeric phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. An instant coffee premix (ICP) purchased from an online retailer was flagged for suspected adulteration through PDE5 inhibition assay. The ICP was then analysed using suspected-target and non-targeted screenings of a liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Based on these findings, a PDE5 inhibitor initially assigned as compound X was isolated from the ICP by employing a liquid chromatography-diode array detection before its structural elucidation with liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (LC-UV) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The suspected-target screening matched the protonated molecule ([M + H]+) precursor ion of compound X at m/z 499.2310 with two suspected analytes that are structural isomers of one another. The fragmentation patterns of compound X were comparable to those analogues in the dithiocarbodenafil group through the non-targeted screening. These findings, complemented by the LC-UV and NMR spectroscopy data, together with the chromatographic separation of related structural isomers, conclude the identity of compound X. To our best knowledge, this is the first study to report the presence of 3,5-dimethylpiperazinyl-dithiodesmethylcarbodenafil in an ICP sample. Key points The herbal-based male sexual performance products' lucrative market has instigated their rampant adulteration, particularly with PDE5 inhibitors. The adulterated products may also contain analogues of the approved PDE5 inhibitors, which usually passed into the market undetected as they are not included in the routine targeted screening procedure. The present study detected, isolated, and identified an isomeric sildenafil analogue from an instant coffee premix sample using rapid qualitative assay and comprehensive analytical analysis. This paper highlighted the applicability of the established strategies for routine casework, particularly in a forensic drug testing laboratory.


Abstract Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share a common pathogenic mechanism. The prevalence of each of these conditions is increasing at an alarming rate. Despite the availability of several treatment options for patients with T2DM and the use of intensive regimens combining several antidiabetic drugs, less than half of all patients reach a target glycosylated hemoglobin level of less than 7%. Given the rapid increase in the number of patients with T2DM and obesity, as well as the CVD morbidity and mortality associated with this burden, efforts must be made to change the course of disease. The author reviews clinical trial data on the effect of glucose control on CVD risk, the selection and timing of antihyperglycemic agents, the management of associated CVD risk factors, and strategies to improve patient adherence and acceptance—with the goal of assisting physicians in selecting appropriate management strategies for their patients with T2DM.


Dartington Hall was a social experiment of kaleidoscopic vitality, set up in Devon in 1925 by a fabulously wealthy American heiress, Dorothy Elmhirst (née Whitney), and her Yorkshire-born husband, Leonard. It quickly achieved international fame with its progressive school, craft production and wide-ranging artistic endeavours. Dartington was a residential community of students, teachers, farmers, artists and craftsmen committed to revivifying life in the countryside. It was also a socio-cultural laboratory, where many of the most brilliant interwar minds came to test out their ideas about art, society, spirituality and rural regeneration. To this day, Dartington Hall remains a symbol of countercultural experimentation and a centre for arts, ecology and social justice. Practical Utopia presents a compelling portrait of a group of people trying to live out their ideals, set within an international framework, and demonstrates Dartington's tangled affinities with other unity-seeking projects across Britain and in India and America.


The novel drug delivery systems have various routes of administration to achieve controlled drug release and targeted drug delivery. Encapsulation of the drug in vesicular structures, which can be predicted to prolong the existence of the drug in systemic circulation and reduce the toxicity, if selective uptake can be achieved. Consequently, a number of vesicular drug delivery systems such as liposomes, niosomes, transferosomes, ethosomes and proniosomes were developed. Proniosomes are water soluble carrier particles that are coated with surfactants and can be hydrated to form a niosomal dispersion immediately before use on brief agitation in hot aqueous media. Proniosomes are very promising as drug carriers. The formulation study on Gliclazide is an attempt to prepare proniosome based niosomal drug delivery system using maltodextrin as carrier and to evaluate its performance. The proniosomes with various types and contents of nonionic surfactant and cholesterol is evaluated in this study. An ideal or best formulation of proniosomes based niosome is said to be one which gives high entrapment drug efficiency with desirable sustained release. In this study entrapment efficiency is found to be cholesterol: surfactant ratio dependent. The release rate also found to be dependent of cholesterol: surfactant ratio. For effective proniosomes, it is essential that the surfactant


Trophic level and bioaccumulation of total phosphorus in cage fish rearing in the aquaculture area at Itaipu reservoir. The intense production of fishes and the use of water resources can compromise the quality and availability of water, in addition to its effects on environmental carrying capacity, causing eutrophication and consequently water pollution. Therefore, the objective of this study was to monitor the physical-chemical water variables and to measure the total phosphorus (total-P) in sediment, feed and fish in cage culture in an aquaculture area situated at the Itaipu reservoir in Santa Helena - Parana State, observing water quality and determining the total eutrophic level on the aquaculture area, in addition to analyzing total-P bioaccumulation in fish and sediment. The physical-chemical water variables presented normal values as indicated by Conama. The mean concentration of total-P for the aquaculture area was 28.41 IET and Secchi disc transparency of 2.74 m, giving it an oligotrophic classification. There was a correlation of 0.55 (p < 0.01) between these two variables. The bioaccumulation of total-P in sediments decreased from 0.76 to 0.35 g kg -1 during this period. Mean fish accumulation ranged from 0.30 to 2.82 g kg -1 . This activity can be used in the biomanipulation of total-P


OBJECTIVE
We examined the factors related to consultations with both physicians and alternative practitioners, compared with visits to physicians only.

METHODS
A telephone survey (random-digit dialling) collected information from 818 adults living in and around Saskatoon. Respondents reported consultations with alternative practitioners and physicians in the previous 12 months.

RESULTS
Approximately one in five respondents had consulted both a physician and an alternative practitioner. Among respondents under 65 years of age, having one or more chronic medical conditions significantly increased the likelihood of concurrent use of care. Men, individuals suffering from back pain or migraines, those reporting an elevation level of distress, and those for whom spiritual values were important were also more likely to use both types of care.

INTERPRETATION
Consultations with alternative care providers occur as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement of visits to physicians. Particular types of medical conditions as well as psychosocial and spiritual factors are determinants of concurrent use of physicians and alternative practitioners.


BACKGROUND
The sensitive cross-match (XM) techniques that have been introduced for clinical transplantation can detect anti-donor immune reactivity despite a negative standard National Institute of Health (NIH) cross-match. One of them uses anti-kappa human light chain globulins (AHG). But there is some discussion about the clinical consequences of a positive AHG-XM in the historical sera that became negative in the sera collected just before the transplantation (pretransplant sera). This study was intended to assess the risk of kidney graft failure associated with a positive historic but negative pretransplant AHG-XM in allosensitized patients having a negative historic NIH-XM.

METHODS
This retrospective study includes 90 consecutive renal transplants in immunized patients performed at one center between 1985 and 1991. All of the patients had negative historical and pretransplant standard NIH lymphocytotoxic cross-matches and received the same immunosuppressive regimen. The AHG-XMs were done retrospectively using peak historic and sera collected on the day of the transplantation.

RESULTS
The AHG cross-match (AHG-XM) was positive in 17 patients, although the standard NIH cross-match was negative. Fourteen of them had a positive historical but negative pretransplant AHG-XM. The actuarial graft survival in this group of 14 patients was 100% at 1 year and 78% at 9 years compared with 90 and 67%, respectively, in patients with negative historical AHG-XM. In addition, the number of rejection episodes per patient as well as renal function at 1, 2, and 5 years were similar in the two groups. IgG anti-donor HLA class I accounted for the XM positivity in 12 of the 14 patients; most rapidly lost all antibody reactivity by NIH technique in an average time of 8 months before the transplantation. In conclusion, this study suggests that transplant patients having a negative historic NIH-XM but a positive historic AHG-XM may not be at high risk of graft failure especially if there is a well-documented sera history showing a marked decrease in PRA level before transplantation and a negative pretransplant AHG-XM.


In this paper, we describe a solution for wafer edge and bevel apex defect inspection for a 300 mm semiconductor automated fab. Traditionally, we have used an advanced macro inspection solution for topside wafer inspection. The automated tool revealed that defects surfacing after the back end of line (BEOL) copper chemical mechanical polish planarization (Cu CMP) process were significantly impacting yields. We suspected that particles and film on the edge and bevel were flaking off on to the top of the wafers, causing the yield degradation. However, we needed more information from the edge to confirm our hypothesis. Since offline manual edge analysis was not cost-effective for larger wafer sampling, we sought to develop an inline bevel inspection at the CMP sector that was fast, cost-effective, and integrated with the advanced macro inspection tool. We also established a long-term goal of expanding the process into an all-surfaces inspection within one manufacturing operation step. This paper describes how we integrated the top-down macro and edge bevel inspection into a single automated operation, enhancing data collection and our ability to take corrective action. The process includes full top and complete edge bevel inspection of less than 10 percent of each lot. Although we ran sample tests to inspect edges after numerous processes, this paper focuses on BEOL Cu CMP inspection, including data collection and corrective actions. We also highlight the benefits of edge inspection, and the new level of automated process control. As a result of edge inspection, we have taken corrective actions that have reduced defects on the edge bevel, and improved wafer final test yields by 10 percent from the baseline


Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major comorbidity in patients with ischemic stroke that exacerbates brain injury. Recent studies have revealed that stroke injury can be influenced by the composition of the gut microbiota. However, the role of the gut microbiota of T2D patients in stroke injury and the potential benefits of manipulating the dysbiotic gut microbiota in T2D are unknown.Methods: To modulate the gut microbiota profile, male diabetic (Db) mice and wild-type (Wt) mice were randomized to receive either sodium butyrate (SB) or sodium chloride (NaCl, Con) in drinking water. After 4 weeks, fecal samples were collected for microbiota analysis by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We then performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and established middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of stroke to investigate the causative relationship between the gut microbiota and stroke injury.Results: We found that SB supplementation reduced food/water intake, fasting blood glucose levels and serum triglyceride (TG) levels in Db mice. Moreover, SB-treated Db mice displayed a different gut microbiota composition and higher levels of fecal butyrate than NaCl-treated Db mice. Twenty-four hours after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, stroke mice that underwent FMT from SB-treated Db mice exhibited improvements in neurologic deficit scores and a smaller cerebral infarct volume than mice that underwent FMT from NaCl-treated Db mice. These improvements were accompanied by reductions in neuronal loss, apoptotic cell death, and microglial activation, increased levels of tight junction-related proteins and preservation of the endothelial glycocalyx in the ischemic brain.Conclusions: This study suggests that the gut microbiota of T2D can be modified by SB to afford neuroprotection against ischemic stroke injury.


PurposeThis article considers how the evaluation of research teams can better account for the challenges of transdisciplinarity, including their larger team size and more diverse and permeable membership, as well as the tensions between institutional pressures on individuals to publish and team goals.Design/methodology/approachAn evaluation team was retained from 2015 to 2020 to conduct a comprehensive external evaluation of a five-year EPSCoR-funded program undertaken by a transdisciplinary research team. The formative portion of the evaluation involved monitoring the program's developmental progress, while the summative portion tracked observable program outputs and outcomes as evidence of progress toward short- and long-term goals. The evaluation team systematically reviewed internal assessments and gathered additional data for an external assessment via periodic participation in team meetings, participant interviews and an online formative team survey (starting in Year 2).FindingsSurvey participants had a better understanding of the project's "Goals and Vision" compared to other aspects. "Work Roles," and particularly the timeliness of decision-making, were perceived to be a "Big Problem," specifically in regard to heavy travel by key managers/leadership. For "Communication Channels," Year 2 tensions included differing views on the extent to which management should be collaborative versus "hierarchical." These concerns about communication demonstrate that differences in language, culture or status impact the efficiency and working relationship of the team. "Authorship Credit/Intellectual Property" was raised most consistently each year as an area of concern.Originality/valueThe study involves the use of a unique survey approach.


The PATTERN of diseases seen in Saudi Arabia is such that certain diagnostic pitfalls are encountered, which are apt to be both interesting and initially confusing to a radiologist trained in the United States. An outstanding example of this occurs in the evaluation of "pulmonary calcification." During the past two years several cases were encountered in the Radiology Service of the Dhahran Health Center of the Arabian American Oil Company, in which calcifications noted on a standard posteroanterior chest film were seen upon further investigation to actually lie within the soft tissues of the chest wall. These have an appearance which is identical with calcified guinea worms (Dracuncu-lus medinensis) seen elsewhere in the body (notably the lower extremities), and it was apparent that the calcifications noted on the chest films were also calcified subcutaneous guinea worms. Report of Case A young, apparently healthy adult Saudi Arab male was noted


On account of the ageing of the population, the general practitioner will be more and more solicited to care for old people. The determinations of the degree of dependence of the elderly person is more a global bio-psycho-social concept than the classic view of the curative medicine. Two scales of evaluation of the state of dependence--the Katz scale and the Old People Aid scale--are commonly used in Belgium. Are they valid and do they reflect the actual recourse for aid and care? To answer the questions, this article refers to a study realized in the french community of Belgium about people older than 65 years. The analysis of the dependence degree will allow a better definition--in respect of the patient's will and choice--of the objectives and needed resources.


At Siemens we have invented and defined a new key role Test Architect to meet the diverse challenges of shorter time-to-market, increasing complexity and more agility while keeping quality and other key system properties high. In the real world our test systems increase in size, volume, flexibility, velocity, complexity and unpredictability: think about testing of autonomous systems or testing of AI systems (artificial intelligence). Additionally, digitalization (virtualization, cloud, mobile, big data, data analytics, internet of things, continuous delivery, DevOps) requires more than just a face lift in testing. This talk shares our motivations, decisions, achievements, and experiences on our journey since 2016 to establish this new key role Test Architect on eye level with the software architects within the company.


ABSTRACT The expression of adhesion receptors and diapedesis by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) were studied before and during experimentally induced Streptococcus uberis mastitis. Both quarters of the left half of the udders of five midlactation cows were inoculated with a suspension containing approximately 500 CFU of S. uberis 0140J. Clinical signs of an inflammatory reaction and leukocyte influx were observed 24 h after challenge. The expression of CD11b/CD18 adhesion receptors, determined by flow cytometry, was upregulated 24 h after challenge. A confluent monolayer of bovine secretory mammary epithelial cells on collagen-coated inserts was used to study PMN diapedesis. Bovine C5a was used as the chemoattractant. An 80% decrease in PMN diapedesis was observed 24 h after challenge. The decrease in diapedesis continued for 3 weeks after challenge.


The purpose of this study was to re‐evaluate the quantitative and qualitative responses of LH to exogenous and endogenous GnRH stimulation in normally cycling women and in polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD). Responses of serum LH to GnRH (100g i.v.) and the opioid antagonist naloxone (10 mg i.v.) were determined in healthy women in the early (n = 5) and late (n = 4) follicular phase, and in patients with PCOD (n = 20). Serum bioactive (B) LH was determined by a mouse interstitial cell in vitro bioassay, and immunoreactive LH by a conventional RIA (I‐LH) and a novel sensitive (0.05 IU/I) and specific immunofluorimetric assay (F‐LH). The B/I (2.4 ± 0.1) and B/F (2.7 ± 0.6) ratios in basal serum samples of the PCOD patients were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the corresponding ratios (1.6‐1.8 and 1.8‐2.0) of the control women. GnRH stimulated the secretion of I‐LH (2‐4‐fold), F‐LH and B‐LH (3‐5‐fold each) in all groups studied. There were no apparent changes of the BII and BIF ratios in normal women during early follicular phase or in patients with PCOD. However, the normal women during late follicular phase displayed a significant (pCO.05) increase in the BII ratio, albeit no change was found in the BIF ratio. During naloxone‐induced endogenous GnRH responses, the control women during late follicular phase showed a %‐fold increase in B‐LH, I‐LH and F‐LH, with unchanged B/I and B/F ratios. No LH responses to naloxone were found in normal women during early follicular phase or in patients with PCOD. We conclude that, hy utilizing an immunofluorimetric assay, the basally elevated biohmmuno ratio of LH could be confirmed in PCOD patients. However, there were no qualitative changes in LH during the response to GnRH stimulation in normal women or in PCOD.


Many have argued that faculty should transform the way accounting programmes are presented to undergraduate students. Changes in student expectations, professional qualifications and employer demands have driven innovative experiential learning interventions. Students want to learn collaboratively, inside and outside of the classroom, they want to use information technology and have fun. In response, this article reports on an auditing assignment where students were required to identify control weaknesses in everyday life, record it and report back using Facebook. A Facebook group was created where students posted photos or videos of the control weakness they identified. Other students could "like," comment and share posts. This was the first assignment of this nature. This research presents the accounting students' perceptions of the assignment as a whole, the pervasive skills applied and the use of Facebook. These were generally positive and should encourage educators to keep integrating technology and real life into learning.


Background Resistance exercise training can be effective against sarcopenia. We identified predictors of drop-out and compared physical outcomes between men and women after such training. Methods Subjects (N = 236, 73.7 ± 5.7 years) participated in a 12-week resistance exercise program. Outcome variables were measured at baseline and endpoint. Results Drop-out was 11.9% and not significantly different between genders. Drop-outs were significantly older and had poorer strength and physical function in comparison to completers. Anthropometrics, QoL, and cognitive function were not related to drop-out. According to multivariate analysis, gait speed and physical activity were the strongest predictors of drop-out. After the training, gains in lean mass or appendicular muscle were significantly higher in men than women; however relative gains in appendicular muscle as well as absolute improvements in strength and function were similar in men and women, respectively. Conclusions Participants who drop out are older, have poorer physical function, and are less physically active. Old women do not drop out more frequently than men and show meaningful improvements in relevant outcomes similar to men after such a training program. The trial is registered at the US National Library of Medicine (NCT01074879).


Smallpox and monkeypox pose severe threats to human health. Other orthopoxviruses are comparably virulent in their natural hosts, including ectromelia, the cause of mousepox. Disease severity is linked to an array of immunomodulatory proteins including the B22 family, which has homologs in all pathogenic orthopoxviruses but not attenuated vaccine strains. We demonstrate that the ectromelia B22 member, C15, is necessary and sufficient for selective inhibition of CD4+ but not CD8+ T cell activation by immunogenic peptide and superantigen. Inhibition is achieved not by down-regulation of surface MHC- II or co-stimulatory protein surface expression but rather by interference with antigen presentation. The appreciable outcome is interference with CD4+ T cell synapse formation as determined by imaging studies and lipid raft disruption. Consequently, CD4+ T cell activating stimulus shifts to uninfected antigen-presenting cells that have received antigen from infected cells. This work provides insight into the immunomodulatory strategies of orthopoxviruses by elucidating a mechanism for specific targeting of CD4+ T cell activation, reflecting the importance of this cell type in control of the virus.


Metal transfer modes in GMA welding process are different from welding variables: current, voltage, shielding gas, electrode wire and etc. Essentially they are influenced by physical properties of molten metal and electro-magnetic force. Then we numerically investigated the time-change of liquid transfer process using calculation model developed. The numerical result agreed very well with experimental result of water drop transfer from cylindrical nozzle. Numerical analysis shows that liquid transfer modes depend on the pressure balance at the tip of drop. When the dynamic pressure induced by liquid flow is lower than capillary pressure due to surface tension, globular transfer occurs. In contrast, when the dynamic pressure of liquid flow is higher, spray transfer occurs. In the case that the electrical current flows in the liquid, electro-magnetic force significantly influences on the transfer mode and the drop detachment. As for liquid flow-out from the nozzle of 1.2 mm in diameter, calculated results with use of physical properties of molten mild steel show that electro-magnetic force induced by higher current than 250 A changes the transfer mode from globular to spray. Whereas in real GMAW with pure argon gas shielding the transfer mode changes at around 230 A. The behavior of drop detachment is varied by both spatial distribution and time-change of the electro-magnetic force.


The designs and costs of magnetic-confinement experimental devices and reactors can be affected strongly by the choice of parameters for the neutral-beam injection system. To provide the designer with information with which to estimate the physical and cost consequences of variations in energy, neutralizer thickness, ion-species mixtures, etc., we are carrying out parametric studies of the neutralization efficiency. Some of the results are reported here. The data base is too small and uncertain to permit calculations which would optimize all aspects of designs at this time.


A new universal wireless digital system (UWDS) is considered. It allowing provide subscribers being in the broadcasting zone of the base station, in a radius to 40 km by multiprogram digital television, high speed Internet and quality telephone communication. UWDS-12M operate in a range 11,7-12,5 GHz and includes the base station and subscriber equipment. The UWDS structural scheme and engineering solutions used for its construction is considered.


Immunohistochemical analysis of 6 cases of renal angiomyolipoma not related to tuberous sclerosis proved the same rate of expression of HMB 45 and NKI/C3 as well in epithelioid smooth muscle cells of the tumours. Beyond this, an unspecific expression of alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin was found which has not been mentioned in the literature up to now.


In this  paper, we study the prediction performance of the Kalman filter (KF) in a worst case minimax  setting as studied in online machine learning, information, and game theory. The aim is to predict the sequence of observations almost as well as the best reference predictor (comparator) sequence in a comparison class. We prove worst-case bounds on the cumulative squared prediction errors using a priori knowledge about the complexity of reference predictor sequence. In fact, the performance of the KF is derived as a function of the performance of the best reference predictor and the total amount of drift that occurs in the schedule of the best comparator.


Machine learning has been applied to the problem of X-ray diffraction phase prediction with promising results. In this paper, we describe a method for using machine learning to predict crystal structure phases from X-ray diffraction data of transition metals and their oxides. We evaluate the performance of our method and compare the variety of its settings. Our results demonstrate that the proposed machine learning framework achieves competitive performance. This demonstrates the potential for machine learning to significantly impact the field of X-ray diffraction and crystal structure determination. Open-source implementation: https://github.com/maxnygma/NeuralXRD.


Hydrostatic tests with water are used to evaluate leaks in welds and possible cracks and failures that may have occurred during construction in petroleum storage tanks and derivatives. Defects and cracks in the concrete foundations that support the tank on the ground are also observed in these tests. The use of seawater as a fluid for hydrostatic testing of petroleum storage tanks and derivatives can be a good option in areas lacking fresh water, especially when these tanks are near the sea. The use of seawater is economically attractive; on the other hand, corrosion by seawater is much more aggressive toward carbon steel than corrosion by treated fresh water. The potential advantages of the use of a mixture of silicates and zinc sulphate as a corrosion inhibitor are the effective protection of carbon steel, especially in saline fluids, low cost, and non-aggressive behaviour toward the environment. Gravimetric and electrochemical laboratory tests were carried out using synthetic seawater with the addition of a mixture of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) and zinc sulphate (ZnSO4.7H2O). Gravimetric testing with an immersion time of 40 days using 1000 and 2000 mg/L of Na2SiO3 and 150 mg/L of ZnSO4.7H2O gave a good performance and can be used for hydrostatic testing with seawater.


A hybrid lamp power control scheme for dimmable electronic ballasts is proposed. Apart from adjusting the brightness of the lamp, the proposed method can also minimize the ambient temperature effect on light output. Instead of regulating the lamp current, the proposed method is based on regulating the power supplying the lamp. First, the dimming operation is achieved by regulating the dc voltage at the ballast inverter input. Second, variation of the lamp power (due to the temperature effect) is regulated by sensing the inverter average input current to adjust the switching frequency of the inverter. An 18 W prototype has been built and tested. The lamp power and luminous output of the prototype at the ambient temperature from 5/spl deg/C to 35/spl deg/C have been studied.


Cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induces activation of blood coagulation and systemic inflammation involved in post-operative complications. Our study evaluated the impact of the minimal extracorporeal circulation (mini-CPB) system (Synergy®, Sorin Group) on these functional aspects. Twenty patients were randomly assigned to standard CPB (n=10) or to Synergy (n=10). Platelet expression of PAC-1, and monocyte/granulocyte-platelet conjugates were evaluated by flow cytometry. A leukocyte-platelet adhesion index was calculated after cell number normalization. ELISAs were performed to measure IL-6 and TNF-α, thrombin-antithrombin III complexes (TAT), prothrombin fragments (F1+2), β-thromboglobulin (β-TG) and sP-selectin (sCD62P). Blood samples were drawn at the time of anesthesia (T1), at the end of CPB (T2), and at 4 (T3) and 24 hours (T4) after weaning from CPB. All patients were similar for clinical characteristics. When compared to standard CPB, the Synergy showed lower levels of the monocyte-platelet adhesion index at T2 (0.023 ± 0.005 vs 0.063 ± 0.013, P = 0.0092) and T4 (0.031 ± 0.003 vs 0.055 ± 0.005, P = 0.0017), TAT complexes at T2 (27.175 ± 5.967 vs 86.592 ± 5.415, P = 0.0005) and T3 (26.977 ± 2.468 vs 45.146 ± 4.365, P = 0.0041), F1+2 fragments at T2 (2.222 ± 0.226 vs 4.249 ± 0.292, P = 0.0009), and sP-selectin at T3 (115.17 ± 19.623 vs 169.554 ± 19.709, P = 0.0703) and T4 (108.542 ± 6.429 vs 140.799 ± 14.771, P = 0.0833). In summary, the Synergy exhibited a lower post-operative activation of blood coagulation, together with a reduced interaction between circulating monocytes and platelets.


Bis(trimethylsilyl)mercury reacts readily under u.v. irradiation with chlorotrifluoroethylene to give initially the 1 : 1-adduct trimethylsilyl-(1-chloro-1,2,2-trifluoro-2-trimethylsilylethyl)mercury, which loses mercury and fluorotrimethylsilane to give a mixture of cis and trans-2-chloro-1,2-difluorovinyltrimethylsilane. Trimethyltrifluorovinyl-silane and chlorotrimethylsilane are also formed, but by another route. The 1 :1-adduct has been identified spectroscopically and by its reactions with sodium stannite and with bromine. Bis(trimethylsilyl)mercury reacts more slowly under similar conditions with trifluoroethylene, and the reaction may be non-regiospecific.


Sequential precipitations of soluble BALB/c antigen with antisera detecting private and public H-2 specificities indicated three distinct classes of molecules of 45,000 mol wt. However, only two of these classes of molecules were detectable in antigen from the loss mutant, BALB/c-H-2db. The class of molecules, detectable in the wild-type strain but missing in the mutant, does not bear private specificities but does react with an antiserum detecting H-2 public specificities. Absorption in mutant mice of the antiserum to public specificities, left antibodies specific for the antigen detectable in BALB/c but not BALB/c-H-2db. Genetic mapping studies using this specific antiserum indicated that the antigenic loss of this mutant is in a gene which maps in or close to the H-2D region, separable from the H-2K, S, G, Qa- 2, and Tla regions.


Background:
 Electronic consultations (e-consults) are a novel approach to patient care that may improve access to specialty care by reducing the burden on outpatient clinics. We adopted e-consults within an active referral management (ARM) process for our Veterans Health Administration (VHA) outpatient cardiology clinic to reduce clinic wait times.

 Methods:
 Our ARM process consisted of reviewing all incoming consult requests for our outpatient clinic and triaging the requests to either an e-consult or a clinic visit. This occurred in two phases, triaged by physician alone in the first phase (11/1/15 to 10/30/16) and by a non-physician provider/provider dyad (11/1/16 to 3/1/17) in the second phase.

 Results:
 The primary outcome was wait time for an appointment in our clinic. A secondary analysis of consult requests was reviewed to determine the proportions of ordering specialties, reasons for consults, and the result of the ARM triage. The median wait time for our clinic prior to adopting e-consults and the ARM process was 24 days. In phase 1, we observed 20 weeks of wait times below the median and the wait time was calculated to be 13 days (46% reduction). In phase 2, we observed a significant increase in both overall consult volume and in wait times. Approximately 60% of incoming consults could be triaged into e-consults, predominantly by managing stable diseases or minor symptoms.

 Conclusions:
 E-consults and ARM of clinical referrals were effective at reducing wait times for outpatient VHA cardiology clinic. The majority of clinical referrals could be handled through e-consult and did not require an in-person clinic visit.


Recent experiments involving fullerene ions in a storage ring are discussed. Storage times of the order of 2 to 10s set by collisional destruction in the background gas were observed. Short-lived components related to metastability of some of the ions were observed and are related to thermionic emission and unimolecular fragmentation. The long storage time may lead to "cold" cluster beams. An example (photodetachment) where this quality is utilized is also discussed.


Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and magnetic studies have been carried out on polycrystalline YIG films deposited by pulsed laser deposition (at TS:750 °C, O2:5×10-2 mbar) using a range of laser energies (240 to 350 mJ). The films were ex situ annealed (Ta:700 °C, in air for 2 h). The film thickness increases from 100 to 290 nm for an hour of deposition with the increase in laser energy from 240 to 350 mJ. The FMR linewidth was found to reduce from 340 to 70 Oe for the same incremental variation in laser energy. Multiple resonance modes were observed in the perpendicular FMR spectra of our samples which are related to intrinsic as well as extrinsic mechanisms such as in homogeneities. Saturation magnetization measurement (Ms) is found to be dependent on the laser energy. The value of Ms is found to increase with laser energy and is close to 90% of the bulk value for the film with highest power. An attempt has been made to correlate the magnetization results with the microstructure.


Over the last few years, laparoscopy has become more common in urology. Nevertheless only a few centres carry out more than 40 laparoscopies a year. A reduction to two standard techniques has led to the simplification and time optimisation in preparation for surgery and thus to an increase in quality. Two standard positionings and trocar placements are described for all important urological laparoscopies. At the same time, operations involving the small pelvis and the retroperitoneum are differentiated.


Multiscale methods can in many cases be viewed as special types of domain decomposition pre- conditioners. The localisation approximations intro- duced within the multiscale framework are dependent upon both the heterogeneity of the reservoir and the structure of the computational grid. While previous works on multiscale control volume methods have fo- cused on heterogeneous elliptic problems on regular Cartesian grids, we have tested the multiscale control volume formulations on two-dimensional elliptic prob- lems involving heterogeneous media and irregular grid structures. Our study shows that the tangential flow approximation commonly used within multiscale meth- ods is not suited for problems involving rough grids. We present a more robust mass conservative domain decomposition preconditioner for simulating flow in heterogeneous porous media on general grids.


Este trabajo fue recibido el 21 de enero de 2019. Aceptado con modificaciones: 26 de abril de 2019. Aceptado para ser publicado: 13 de agosto de 2019. ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between food consumption of 99 pregnant women aged 16-44 years who gave birth at a maternity hospital in Rio de Janeiro and newborn birth weight. Maternal consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed and ultra-processed foods was evaluated through the Food Consumption Markers Form. For ultra-processed foods, most pregnant women regularly consumed sweets (73.7%), soft drinks (71.7%), sausages (65.7%), salted crackers (63.6%) and fried foods (55.6%). Among unprocessed or minimally processed foods, most pregnant women consumed beans (85.9%) and milk or yogurt (60.6%), while less than half consumed fruits (44.4%), raw vegetables (28.3%) and cooked vegetables (27.3%) regularly. Among newborns, 13.5% presented low birth weight. There was a significant relationship between consumption of sausages (p= 0.02) and sweets (p= 0.04) by pregnant women and low birth weight of newborns. Maternal consumption of sausages increased the odds of newborn low birth weight (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02-2.10).


In this paper, we illustrate how historical data can be capitalised for future virtual visualization applications. We will demonstrate our proposition thanks to a research and development project started in 2008 about a mock-up of Nantes (french city) harbour. This mock-up is an historic and geographic witness of the country it represents. The amount of available knowledge with such a historic witness is significant and can be useful for many experts and obviously for museum public. What we aim to do is to capitalise the whole knowledge related to this patrimonial object before designing any end user's application. Digital technologies such as 3D numerisation, virtual reality and cognitive infocommunications [1] will help us to achieve this goal.


The rapid evolution of XML from a mere data exchange format to a universal syntax for encoding domain-specific information raises the need for new query languages specifically conceived to address the characteristics of XML. Such languages should be able not only to extract information from XML documents, but also to apply powerful transformation and restructuring operators, based on a well-defined semantics. Moreover, XML queries should be natural to write and understand, as nontechnical persons also are expected to access the large XML information bases supporting their businesses. This article describes XML-GL, a graphical query language for XML data. XML-GL's uniqueness is in the definition of a graph-based syntax to express a wide variety of XML queries, ranging from simple selections to expressive data transformations involving grouping, aggregation, and arithmetic calculations. XML-GL has an operational semantics based on the notion of graph matching, which serves as a guideline both for the implementation of native processors, and for the adoption of XML-GL as a front-end to any of the XML query languages that are presently under discussion as the standard paradigm for querying XML data.


Objective. The objectives of the study were to determine the absolute bioavailability of fentanyl from fentanyl buccal soluble film, estimate the percentage of a fentanyl dose absorbed through the buccal mucosa, and compare the bioavailability of equivalent doses administered either as single or multiple dose units. Design. Open-label, randomized, four-period, Latinsquare crossover pharmacokinetic study. Setting. Inpatient phase 1 unit. Patients. Twelve healthy volunteers. Interventions. Injectable fentanyl citrate (200 mg) administered by intravenous infusion, injectable fentanyl citrate (800 mg/16 mL) administered orally, and fentanyl buccal soluble film (800 mg) administered as a single film and as four separate 200 mg films simultaneously. Outcome Measures. Plasma concentrations after fentanyl dosing; pharmacokinetic parameters. Results. The two buccal film treatments were bioequivalent and both had an absolute bioavailability of 71%. The percentage of an administered dose absorbed through the buccal mucosa was calculated to be 51%. Conclusions. Fentanyl buccal soluble film effectively delivers a high percentage of the administered fentanyl dose and nearly identical plasma profiles are obtained when equivalent doses are delivered by single or multiple dosage units.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a clinically significant opportunistic pathogen which rarely causes disease in healthy immunocompetent individuals. The emergence of multi-drugresistant strains in P. aeruginosa isolates has increased worlwide. Fluoroquinolones act as bactericidal agents by inhibiting DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, thus inhibiting DNA transcription and replication. The second-generation quinolones have broader clinical applications in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and pyelonephritis, sexually transmitted diseases, selected pneumonias and skin infections. The presence of second-generation quinolone resistance-associated alterations in topoisomerase II: gyrA and topoisomerase IV: par C genes was investigated for 54 P. aeruginosa clinical isolates with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analyses. Our study revealed that gyrA (Thr-83→Ile) mutation was found in 51.5% of ciprofloxacin resistant samples, while it was absent in ciprofloxacin sensitive samples. Accordingly, parC (Ser-87→Leu) mutation was found in 42.4% of ciprofloxacin resistant samples and parC mutations mostly accompanied gyrA mutation. GyrA (Thr-83→Ile) and parC (Ser-87→Leu) mutations were also present in the same value of 33.3% of ofloxacin resistant samples. Higher level of quinolone resistance rates stemming from target site mutations can guide us to take advantage of these molecular surveillance tests for the efficient management of Pseudomonas infections.


This month we are promoting the Proud to be a CA campaign and in the magazine you can read accounts from leading members from a range of different fields, explaining why they are "Proud to be a CA" and what their professional qualification means to them.


Digital inclusion proposals are oriented towards specific groups of people. These groups are excluded due to their qualities or lack of them, their attitude, socio-political factors, economic factors, or just by the geographic zone where they live. Since 1999 several strategies have been proposed, either related to educational or technological aspects. The lessons learned are collected with the aim of proposing an adapted model that allows defining a set of good practices. In order to know what technology is the most suited to promote the digital inclusion of each group, multiple variables are analysed. A higher number of variables allow better groups description regarding their context and the relevance of each variable for each group. In this work the authors discuss the dimensions of the group profiles, the factors affecting them, and the infrastructure and software solutions that can change the situation. Finally a simple graphic is proposed to show the dimensions of causes and user groups in order to improve their comparison.


Abstract The phase shifting action of low temperature pulses of 6 °C and 2 h duration administered to the various phases of the Drosophila pseudoobscura circadian rhythm and the action of light pulses given 30 min after the beginning of these low temperature pulses have been investigated. The phase response curve obtained from experiments with light pulses during low temperature cannot be ex plained on the basis of a straightforward and sequential phase shifting of the oscillation by the various transitions in the pulses. The response curve, after the slight phase shifting action of the temperature pulses is corrected for, resembles the standard phase response curve 4 for light pulses (at 20 °C) in its wave form but not in its time course. Our curve is shifted in time in a manner that indicates that the light pulses accompanying the low temperature pulses arrived at phase points 1.5 h later than the actual phases at which they were given. We attribute this delay to a slowing down of the information that is apparently transmitted by a process that is temperature dependent.


Reigns At Bru Dance Tonight in the Brubacher dining room a dixieland group from RPI \\ ill prov hie the music for a Bru Date Partv The Date Party will be In Id I ruin !) lo \'i p in Freshmen will be granted III o'clock hours, and may pn k up their late permission Irom I lo a 3D p in.


Measurements of serum calcium on the first, third and sixth day of life and serum Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and Calcitonin (CT) by radioimmunoassay on the first and third day of life have been effected on a group of 31 infants born after 29-42 weeks of gestation and weighing at birthday 1300-3510 g. The mean serum iCT levels on the first day of life (996 +/- 95 pg/ml) were significantly higher than on the third day of life (533 +/- 79 pg/ml; p less than 0,001) and both were upper normal range of method (200 pg/ml). Mean serum iCT values were found negatively correlated both with birthweight (p less than 0,025) and with gestational age (on 1st day p less than 0,02; on 3rd day p less than 0,001) in AGA newborns. No correlation was found between iCT values and serum Calcium values. The mean serum iPTH levels on the first and third day of life were in the normal range (on 1st day 416 +/- 61 pg/ml; on 3 rd day 640 +/- 114 pg/ml) and not correlated neither with serum Calcium and serum iCT levels, nor with birthweight and gestational age of the newborns. It is excluded that any transient hypoparathyroidism can cause early neonatal hypocalcemia and it is confirmed the presence of high levels of serum Calcitonin in term and premature infants.


Educational robotics laboratories typically involve building and programming robotic systems to perform particular tasks or solve problems. In this paper we explorethe potential educational value of a form of robot-supported educational activity that has been little discussed in the literature. During these activities, primary school children are asked to explain the behaviors of a robot constructed in advance by the teacher orlaboratory supervisor, rather than having to construct or program a robot themselves. It is argued that activities of this kind may have a significant role to play within science education: participation in a collaborative process aimed at explaining the behaviors of an educational robot provides children with the opportunity to develop scientific research skills and competencies and to engage in meta-cognitive reflection on fundamental issues surrounding scientific research methods.


For diagnosis of Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), expectorated sputum is the most commonly received sample in the laboratory. Normal resident bacteria of the oropharynx contaminate the sputum sample. The value of sputum microscopy and culture in the diagnosis of LRTIs is a matter of controversy. The following study was conducted to evaluate the correlation of Gram's stain and culture in sputum samples from LRTIs. A total of 50 sputum samples were processed. All the samples were processed through Gram's stain and culture. The Gram's smear was examined for the presence of polymorphs, epithelial cells and bacterial forms. Sputum samples were evaluated based on Bartlett's grading system. The cultures were identified by standard protocols and antibiotic susceptibility performed by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. Out of 50 sputum samples processed, 21 (42%) were acceptable and 29 (58%) were not meeting the standard criteria of Bartlett. Potential pathogens were obtained from 17 of 21 acceptable samples (80.95 %), and from11 of 29 non-acceptable samples (27.58%). The most common organisms isolated in the present study include: Klebsiella pneumoniae (22%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%). we recommend initial screening of sputum samples for clinically relevant results, and reject the non-acceptable samples, and re-order for fresh and correct specimens.


Locative Narratives tie elements of the narrative to physical locations that users must visit in order to experience. While single reader locative stories and multiplayer locative games are increasingly common, the intersection of these, multi-reader locative narratives, are much less common. This work will analyse prior works of Locatives Narrative and Multi-User Locative Games in order to develop a model to describe Multi-Reader Locative Narrative and present the design for Shelley's Heart (an in-development multi-reader locative narrative) in the terms of this model.


The capital city of Odisha known as Bhubaneswar is under the administration of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). Because of rapid urbanization the population of BMC has grown manifold during the last decade. As a result of the increasing population load, the requirement of water has also increased considerably. Due to various human activities, a huge amount of municipal solid waste is generated which are dumped in different dumping sites of BMC. Infiltration of water by rainfall, water already present in the waste, water generated by biodegradation cause the leachate to leave the dumping ground and percolate into the ground water thereby causing contamination. Presently around forty percent of people of BMC depend on ground water which is getting polluted day by day. In view of this it is felt necessary to make an evaluation of the status of ground water quality in BMC. Eight different locations near Municipal Solid Waste Dumping Site have been chosen spreading across Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. The samples were collected yearly in 2009 – 10 and 2010 – 11 to determine the physical, chemical and biological parameters. Attempt has been made to see the impact of dumping of Municipal Solid Waste on the ground water due to non-scientific disposal as at present. From the study of physicochemical parameters along with heavy metal concentration of the tube well placed near the dumping site for the year 2009–2010, it was found that presently almost all the parameters are within the limit for drinking water in both the years except Iron and Turbidity. But all the parameters are in increasing trend over the years which is clearly indicated in the graph. So it is the high time to take preventive action to arrest the leaching from the municipal dumping site to ground water otherwise ground water of Bhubaneswar will become unfit for drinking purpose within a very short period of time.


In the field of geotechnical engineering, the problems of liquefaction and land subsidence are of major concern. In order to mitigate or prevent damage from liquefaction, the chemical injection method is actively used as one of the countermeasures for ground improvement. However, a complete understanding of the long-term sustainability of improved grounds is still unavailable due to a lack of knowledge of the influencing parameters. Thus, the chances of chemical injection accidents cannot be ruled out. In this study, the compressive strength of improved grounds by the granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), one of the grouting materials used in the chemical injection method, was evaluated and used for a time-series prediction of long-term sustainability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and validity of the prediction method by comparing the prediction results with the test results. The study was conducted for three different models, namely, the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, the state-space representation (SSR) model, and the machine learning predictive (MLP) model. The MLP model produced the most reliable results for the prediction of long-term data when the input information was sufficient. However, when the input data were scarce, the SSR model produced more reliable results overall. Meanwhile, the ARIMA model generated the highest degree of errors, although it produced the best results compared to the other models depending on the criteria. It is advised that studies should be continued in order to identify the parameters that can affect the long-term sustainability of improved grounds and to simulate various other models to determine the best model to be used in all situations. However, this study can be used as a reference for the selection of the best prediction model for similar patterned input data, in which remarkable changes are observed only at the beginning and become negligible at the end.


At  the  Gazi - Husrev bey's  Library,  from  the  time  when  separated  from  the Kursumli madrassa in  1864 untill well  in the  1944, there served two librarians -  hafizi kutubi,  as they  had  been called  officially  till  the year  1945..  Among them  there were some very  known  persons, that played an important part  in this or that  respect in the life of the  Moslims of  Bosnia Hercegovina, particularly  in Sarajevo. The firs  hafizi kutub, appointed  in  1864, was Hafiz Abdulah Ajni Hasagic, the distinguished caligrapher- hatat,  who  run  a caligraphic school as well. Salih Sidki  Hadžihuseinovic- Muvekit was an astronomer and a historian.  He left behind  History of  Bosnia  (Tarihi Bosnia) and a work  in astronomy. Hadži Mehmed Handžic was a professor, preacher and a distinguished  Islamic  writer.  Although  he died  in  the  age of  thirty eight,  his  bibliography  of published  works  contains  more  than three hundreds of entries.  His writings belong to the  Islamic  studies,  history  of  Islam  and  Moslims.  His contribution  to  the  research studies  of  the literature of the Moslims of  Bosnia Hercegovina  in Oriental  languages is great.  At the Gazi- Husreffbey's  Library  he started with cataloguing of manuscripts in possession of the  Library.


To determine whether preliminary assessment of ovarian reserve by simultaneous evaluation of basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and oestradiol response to gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue (F-G-test) can be used to tailor individually the drug regimen for ovarian stimulation, the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) results of 238 patients were retrospectively analysed. Sixty-two women with abnormal response to the test (DeltaE2 <180 pmol/l and/or FSH >9.5 mIU/ml) had commenced buserelin nasal spray in the mid-luteal phase and discontinued it on cycle day 1. Ovarian stimulation was started on cycle day 3 with 375 IU/day of gonadotrophin. Fifty-three patients completed the treatment cycle (group A). A total of 176 women with normal response to the test (DeltaE2 >180 pmol/l and FSH <9.5 mIU/ml) had continued the GnRH analogue throughout the stimulation cycle and a starting dose of 225 IU/day of gonadotrophin was used from cycle day 3. A total of 158 patients completed the treatment cycle (group B). Group A had significantly higher age (34.9 +/- 4.2 versus 33.2 +/- 4.2) (P < 0.05) and basal FSH (9.2 +/- 3.8 versus 7.0 +/- 2.2) (P < 0.05) and required a higher total dose of gonadotrophin. The numbers of oocytes retrieved and embryos transferred were significantly lower. However, fertilization, clinical pregnancies, and implantation rates were similar in both groups. It was concluded that simultaneous evaluation of basal FSH and oestradiol response to GnRH analogue can be useful in identifying subcategories of women with reduced ovarian reserve who may benefit from reduced GnRH analogue administration and a higher starting dose of gonadotrophin.


Seeds of Hibiscus dasycalyx S. F. Blake and Shiller, a federally listed candidate endangered species and native to North America and two variants of Hibiscus acetosella Welw. ex. Hiern were scarified using sulfuric acid and hot water. The effects of the scarification methods on in vitro and ex vitro germination in both species were evaluated. Sulfuric acid scarification was very effective for in vitro and ex vitro germination of both forms of H. acetosella and H. dasycalyx seeds by dramatically increasing germination rate and decreasing germination time. Acid scarification of H. acetosella seeds for 10, 15, or 20 min resulted in close to 90% germination within a week. Germination rates of about 70% (ex vitro) and 80% (in vitro) were obtained in H. dasycalyx seeds treated with sulfuric acid. Germination rates of 54% (ex vitro) and 95% (in vitro) were achieved when H. dasycalyx seeds were treated with hot water for 5 min, but exposing the seeds for 10, 15, or 20 min produced poor results in H. acetosella and H. dasycalyx as hot water scarification appeared to result in severe injury or death of the embryos. The protocols described here constitute rapid, reliable and simple methods to germinate H. acetosella and H. dasycalyx seeds in vitro and ex vitro. These results can be valuable in commercial productions or research projects. In addition, the in vitro germination of H. dasycalyx can offer a valuable tool in conservation efforts for this threatened species.


Generative AI models have recently achieved astonishing results in quality and are consequently employed in a fast-growing number of applications. However, since they are highly data-driven, relying on billion-sized datasets randomly scraped from the internet, they also suffer from degenerated and biased human behavior, as we demonstrate. In fact, they may even reinforce such biases. To not only uncover but also combat these undesired effects, we present a novel strategy, called Fair Diffusion, to attenuate biases after the deployment of generative text-to-image models. Specifically, we demonstrate shifting a bias, based on human instructions, in any direction yielding arbitrarily new proportions for, e.g., identity groups. As our empirical evaluation demonstrates, this introduced control enables instructing generative image models on fairness, with no data filtering and additional training required.


This paper presents the objectives of reclaimed water use in China and the current quantities used at the national and provincial levels. Using 2015 statistical data as an example, this paper studies the influences of water resources quantity, gross domestic product and policy promotion hierarchy on reclaimed water use in all provincial administrative regions in China. Reclaimed water use in Beijing and Jiangsu are presented as two representative examples. China9s reclaimed water experience can provide some guidance for other countries facing similar water resource situations.


The future tube T + n of n -dimensional Minkowski spacetime may be identified with the reduced phase space P , or `space of motions' of a particle moving in (n + 1)-dimensional anti-de Sitter spacetime. Both are isomorphic to a homogeneous bounded domain in n whose Shilov boundary may be identified with n -dimensional conformally compactified Minkowski spacetime.


CP violation is a major challenge of contemporary particle physics. It has been discovered in kaon decays and appears also in B decays, where the B 0 → J/ψK S,L channels are considered to be clean probes of this phenomenon. Recent B-factory data challenge the description of CP violation in the standard model of particle physics, showing some "tension" with theoretical predictions. We take a detailed look at certain standard-model contributions, which are usually neglected, and point out that they can be included unambiguously through measurements of the B 0 → J/ψπ 0 observables. Using the most recent data, we show that the tension with the standard model is softened, and we constrain a possible new-physics phase in B 0 - B 0 mixing. Our strategy is crucial to fully exploit the accuracy of the search for this kind of new physics at the LHC and future super-flavor factories.


In the course of her eight-page rejoinder [Historia, May 2009] to the five reviews of her book [Historia, November 2008], Merle Lipton writes of my "aggressive attack" on her book. It is always difficult to know whether or not to respond to such a rejoinder. Will one, in so doing, give a book that does not deserve much attention even more attention? On the other hand, not to reply will leave Lipton with the last word and readers unclear about how the reviewers would respond to what she says. For this reason I have decided that I should briefly address some of the inaccurate and misleading assertions that she makes about what I had said in my review.


Choosing remand in custody for the defendant on the sole basis of the need to ensure the execution of the sentence, without establishing and taking into account the risk of evading serving the sentence, is unacceptable. In such cases, the restrictive measure lacks a fundamental feature, i.e. its preventive nature. In this regard, the emerging criminal procedural relations are not governed by the provisions of Ch. 13 of the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federation, but are subject to Ch. 46 of the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federation, regulating the issues of presentation of the sentence for execution. The presentation of the sentence, yet to enter into legal force, in terms of the punishment imposed, for immediate execution bypassing the prohibition established by law, as well as the choice of a restrictive measure according to the punishment imposed when deciding the sentence solely for the purpose of its execution, contradicts the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence. The provisions of Part 2 Art. 97 of the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federation determine the possibility to choose a restrictive measure for ensuring the execution of the sentence. The constitutional legal sense suggests that in order to ensure the execution of the punishment imposed by a sentence yet to become effective, the court has the right to choose or change a restrictive measure according to the punishment imposed, if there are sufficient grounds to believe that the accused will evade serving the sentence imposed on him. The court does not have the right to choose or change a measure of restraint in respect of the accused according to the sentence imposed simultaneously with the sentencing. The issue of the necessity of applying a restrictive measure in connection with the decision of the sentence shall be resolved in a separate court session at the request of the prosecution or at the initiative of the court after the pronouncement of the sentence.


Network Function Virtualization (NFV) simplifies the deployment of network services by leveraging virtualization technologies to make the management of network functions more flexible and cost efficient. The deployment of these services requires the allocation of Virtual Network Function - Forwarding Graphs (VNF-FGs), which implies placing and chaining VNFs according to the requests of VNF-FGs. In this paper, we consider the offline allocation of VNF-FGs problem to improve resource utilization and reduce total costs. We focus on how VNF-FG demands are routed so as to optimize resource utilization without adding capacity to the infrastructure. Given a non-linear cost function associated to each network resource, we formulate the problem as a non-linear single-path routing problem in an extended graph. Then, we propose to adapt a single-path routing heuristic algorithm inspired from game theory to solve it. We show that this algorithm converges and establishes its approximation ratio in a number of cases. Experimental results obtained for different network topologies and different cost functions show that this algorithm provides very good quality solutions with substantially lower computing times compared to the optimal solution.


The agricultural water has manifold functions for farming at community level. However, along with the difficulties to maintain the agriculture water path that are caused by the decreasing of farmers and the aging of the society, the agricultural water is losing its functions even that as water resource for local community. This paper presents a survey of the residential awareness on regional water utilization to find the possibility for the maintenance of agricultural water path. Economic evaluation is tried for the regional warter utilization function. This study is carried out at a regional level that covers both farming households and non farmers. Following three points can be confirmed based on the results of questionnaire survey. Firstly, local citizens admit that the agricultural water does have some values (3,037 Yen per household per year). Secondly, the higher the environmental awareness is, and the longer the citizen has lived there, the higher evaluation to function of the agricultural water can be observed. Thirdly, even within those who is holding high evaluation to the agricultural water, it is thought to be quite difficult to maintain the agricultural water path due to the aging of the society and uneven distribution of the participants.


Ceftazidime was tested against 2,224 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa obtained from 17 hospitals in April, May and June, 1986 and against 607 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 234 strains of K. oxytoca obtained from 16 hospitals in October, 1987. The MIC's of ceftazidime against P. aeruginosa were distributed normally, with an MIC50 of 2 mg/l and an MIC90 of 4 mg/l. Depending on critical concentrations, 80 per cent of strains were sensitive, 11.4 per cent were of intermediate sensitivity and 0.54 per cent were resistant. There were few differences in results between hospitals. Ninety-two per cent of resistant strains and 45 per cent of intermediate strains (as opposed to 6 per cent of all strains) produced a high-level constitutive cephalosporinase with little variations between centres. The MIC's of ceftazidime against K. pneumoniae and K. oxytoca had a bimodal distribution: 91 per cent of strains were sensitive to 0.25 mg/l, 6 per cent of strains showed intermediate sensitivity and 3 per cent were resistant. All intermediate and resistant strains produced a very broad spectrum beta-lactamase which hydrolyzed some of the third generation cephalosporins: K. pneumoniae 36 CTX-1, 5 SHV-2, and 14 strains producing a recently identified beta-lactamase "CAZ-5/SHV-4"; K. oxytoca 3 CTX-1. These strains were isolated in 10 of the 16 hospitals which took part in the 1987 study. Comparison of these results with those of studies performed in 1984 and 1985 showed a moderate increase in the number of intermediate sensitivity strains of P. aeruginosa and the occasional occurrence, of the epidemic type, in some hospitals of Klebsiella spp. producing very broad spectrum beta-lactamases which were rare in 1985.


Anti-cardiac troponin antibodies have been studied in different types of clinical diseases and in healthy populations. A systematic review of published data on anti-troponin antibodies was carried out (search performed on PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases). From title and abstract analysis, thirty-three articles were included that met the pre-specified criteria; after full-text analysis, nine articles were excluded. Most studies assessed anti-troponin I antibodies. The prevalence of anti-cardiac troponin antibodies in healthy individuals ranged from 0.0% to 20.0%. The prevalence of anti-troponin I autoantibodies in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) ranged from 7.0% to 22.2%. Other conditions under study were myocardial infarction, ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM), peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), Chagas disease, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) and renal transplantation. In the different patient populations studied, anti-cardiac troponin antibodies have been shown to be either positively or negatively associated with prognostic and clinical features. In what concerns a possible value as biomarkers, these assays have not emerged up to the present moment as important aids for practical clinical decisions in cardiac or other types of patients. In what concerns pathophysiology, anti-cardiac troponin autoantibodies may play a role in different diseases. It can be speculated that these antibodies could be involved in perpetuating some degree of cardiac injury after an event, such as myocardial infarction or PPCM.


Motor learning is an important subject and is a required course for undergraduate students who major in health and physical education according to NASPE standards two. The objective of motor learning courses at the undergraduate level is to prepare our students to be competent to teach motor skills in the future. However, teaching the motor learning course effectively at this level is truly challenging due to the abstractness of the motor learning theories which are largely based on laboratory experiments. Many times students" motivation of learning could be compromised due to a potential disconnect between theory and practice of motor learning course in general. Thus, the purpose of this paper is two-fold: (a) to illustrate the obstacles of teaching motor learning courses, and (b) to introduce the effective ways of connecting theory to practice for teaching motor learning at the undergraduate level.


The problem of dynamic fleet management for truckload carrier fleet operations is introduced, and the principal elements of a simulation framework for the evaluation of dynamic fleet management systems are described. The application of the simulated framework to the investigation of the performance of a family of real-time fleet operational strategies, which include load acceptance, assignment, and reassignment strategies, also is described. The simulation framework described is an example of a first-generation tool for the evaluation of dynamic fleet management systems. Selected experimental results are highlighted. These are intended to illustrate some of the issues encountered in real-time fleet management and the role of the simulation modeling environment in investigating them.


A critical step in tumor progression is the interaction of malignant and stromal cells via paracrine mechanisms. Stromal cells, particularly fibroblasts, support cancer cells in invasion of the surrounding tissue for access to the vascular system. Here, the question is addressed of whether tumor cells induce 'stromal resistance', i.e. protect the microenvironment from oxidative damage. The supernatant of cultured skin-derived tumor cells was added to fibroblasts and was shown to protect the fibroblasts from hydrogen peroxide-mediated cell toxicity. The platelet-derived growth factor secreted from the cancer cells was identified as trigger of this protection in fibroblasts via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway. These data suggest that prosurvival signals in stromal fibroblasts as initiated by tumor cells constitute a strategy of 'stromal resistance', illustrating a novel biological role of fibroblasts for the tumor microenvironment.


ABSTRACT
 In Brazil, soybean Glycine max (L.) Merril crops are subjected to incidence of several pests, which are mainly insect species. However, the occurrences of other pest species are growing. In this context, outbreaks of phytophagous mites are becoming more frequent. Nevertheless, records of mites in such crop are available only for Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul states. Thus, this work gathers all information published about the diversity of mites found in soybean in Brazil, and also new records of mite species made on samplings taken from the central Cerrado area. In the whole, occurrence of 44 species of plant mites in soybean has been recorded in Brazil. Data from prior studies and the results of this work present the tetranychid Mononychellus planki (McGregor) as the mite species most frequently occurring in the Brazilian soybean crops. A large portion of Phytoseiidae species has occurred in crops from Rio Grande do Sul state. In addition, spontaneous soybean has hosted almost half of the phytoseiid species sampled in Cerrado region. High diversity of Tarsonemidae has been found in the cultivated soybean. More studies about soybean mites are needed to clarify the damage potential of phytophagous mites and the biological role of predatory mites in this crop.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract This study was conducted to describe in detail the branching patterns of cortical branches from the middle cerebral artery supplying the feeding of the temporal region, to define the arterial structure of temporal artery (TA) and to determine the effect of this arterial supply to the temporal region. The arteries of brains (n = 22; 44 hemispheres) were prepared for dissection after filling them with colored latex. TA was defined, and its classification was described, specifying its relationship with other cortical branches. A new classification was defined related to TA terminology. TA was found in 95% of cadavers, and it originated as an early branch in 75% and from the inferior trunk in 24% of cadavers. TA was classified as Type 0: No TA, Type I: single branch providing two cortical branches, Type II: single branch providing three or more cortical branches and Type III: double TA. Type I-TA (45%) was the most common, and Type II-TA arterial diameter was significantly larger than that of other types. All cadavers showed the cortical branches of temporal region from middle cerebral artery, anterior TA , middle TA, posterior TA and temporooccipital artery, except temporopolar artery (81%). Temporopolar artery, anterior TA, and middle TA primarily originated from TA, an early branch, but posterior TA and temporooccipital artery primarily originated from the inferior trunk. Detailed knowledge about cortical branches together with TA and also this region's blood supply would enable increased prediction of complications, especially in cases with these region-related pathologies, and would make interventions safer.


Tumor recurrence remains a major therapeutic obstacle to curing breast cancer. Cytokines within the breast tumor microenvironment (TME) influence recurrence following chemotherapy by altering the balance between mesenchymal CSC (MES/CSC) and epithelial non-CSC (EP/non-CSC). Here, we find that transformed breast MES/CSC express elevated levels of Un-phosphorylated Interferon Stimulated Gene Factor 3 (U-ISGF3), which is composed of STAT1 and STAT2 lacking phosphorylation of their tyrosine residues, and IRF9. Elevated expression of the U-ISGF3 proteins in breast cancer has previously been linked with resistance to ionizing radiation, thus we hypothesized that the U-ISGF3 complex is important for maintaining MES/CSC properties. However, knockdown of IRF9, the critical DNA binding component of this complex, or STAT1 did not alter the MES/CSC phenotype. Moreover, ISGF3 transcriptional targets were actually repressed in MES/CSC relative to EP/non-CSC, suggesting that elevated U-ISGF3 may act as a repressor in MES/CSC. Interestingly, we found that an MES/CSC program independent of IFN-B, was responsible for mediating U-ISGF3 expression. We therefore hypothesized that stimulating MES/CSC with IFN-B would phosphorylate the ISGF3 proteins and engage canonical IFN-B mediated inhibition of MES/CSC properties. Acute exposure to IFN-B led to the phosphorylation of ISGF3 in MES/CSC and induced the transcription of IFN-B responsive genes. Continuous exposure to IFN-B maintained Phosphorylated ISGF3 (P-ISGF3) which partially reverted the MES/CSC phenotype, resulting in the repression of mesenchymal markers (Vimentin and Slug), re-expression of Ep/non-CSC markers (CD24) and functionally inhibited colony formation in soft agar and migratory capability. In line with these observations, data from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients confirmed that increased expression of IFN-B responsive genes correlates with decreased expression of a CSC gene signature, and correlates with improved recurrence-free survival. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that IFN-B mediated signaling promotes the differentiation of MES/CSC by phosphorylating U-ISGF3, resulting in the suppression of MES/CSC-driven tumor recurrence. Future studies will examine the mechanism by which IFN-B mediated P-ISGF3 suppresses MES/CSC properties and whether elevation of U-ISGF3 can predict which patients would be candidates for an IFN-B therapy to phosphorylate STAT1 and STAT2, thus suppressing MES/CSC tumor recurrence. Citation Format: Mary R. Doherty, Damian J. Junk, HyeonJoo Cheon, George R. Stark, Mark W. Jackson. Interferon Beta (IFN-B) re-activates canonical type I IFN signaling to differentiate breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) and suppress mesenchymal/CSC driven tumor recurrence [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2884. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2884


The article explores the concept of developing pathogenesis specific medicines for the management of SARS-CoV-2. This is high time to shift the paradigm from pathogen specific (vaccine) treatment to pathogenesis specific treatment for the permanent solution of such pandemics. The article gives an empherical outlook about the fact that immune system gives a sequential response to any invading matter and augmenting the immune response at first step prevents the development of disease. During evolution, immune responses for invading proteins are specified and categorize based on their lethality. Those proteins which are encounter during envenomation are recognized by the immune cell as toxin. The core concept that the human body has stored memory for venomous protein response conclude possibility that envelop proteins of coronavirus belongs
to venom group of protein. The article introduces the concept that human immune system recognizes novel coronavirus envelop protein and nucleocapsid as toxin and therefore giving hyper-immune response like cytokines storm. Potential of this concept and its utility in the management of COVID-19 is discussed under two headings (1) Use of anti-toxin herbs and (2) Detoxification therapies. Herbs described as Anti-toxin can be extracted and use as natural source of neutralizing antibodies for passive immunity. The article gives the details of natural ways described in Ayurveda for creating HERD immunity and also explains the concept of cosmic immunity, its role in the outbreak of epidemics and utility in prevention of spread of disease. Novel concept of neuro-endocrine-immune response (using thought modulation as immune-stimulant) and the possibility of pseudo-illness due to infodemic is also converse in the article. The Ayurvedic measures described in the article can be used for asymptomatic patients, quarantine people and high risk health workers. These are simple, safe measures that can be easily followed to maintain physical as well as mental health during pandemic.


The linear and nonlinear (based on optical field intensity) intersubband absorptions in conduction band, and its change in refractive index in AlGaAs-GaAs interdiffused quantum wells (QWs) are presented. The calculation of the electron energy levels and the envelope wave functions in a modulation doped interdiffused QWs with screening effects are considered. QW interdiffusion shows a wavelength tunability of the intersubband absorption peaks and refractive index dispersions. This shifting of the transition energies is also demonstrated here to be a useful technique for broad-band and multicolor photodetector application. In addition, it can serve to remove noise, such as minor peaks and dispersions, in the optical spectra.


We analyze a large database generated from recent direct numerical simulations (DNS) of passive scalars sustained by a homogeneous mean gradient and mixed by homogeneous and isotropic turbulence on grid resolutions of up to 40963 and extract the turbulent Schmidt number over large parameter ranges: the Taylor microscale Reynolds number between 8 and 650 and the molecular Schmidt number between 1/2048 and 1024. While the turbulent Schmidt number shows considerable scatter with respect to the Reynolds and molecular Schmidt numbers separately, it exhibits a sensibly unique functional dependence with respect to the molecular Peclet number. The observed functional dependence is motivated by a scaling argument that is standard in the phenomenology of three-dimensional turbulence.