One of the keys to safe laparo-endoscopic surgery is an expeditious, reliable, and safe access to the operative field. Aside from appropriate surgical technique, the technology of trocars, cannulae, and other endoscopically guided insertion techniques plays a decisive role for safe identification of and access to the peritoneal cavity. This report takes a close look at critical features of trocar and cannula design for blind insertion with the focus on the biomechanical principles involved in traversing the abdominal wall. Particular attention has been paid to techniques minimizing the risk of accidental injury of major vessels, intestine, and other important structures. The principle of controlled visualized access led to several developments in the field of trocars, cannulae, and puncture techniques. Aside from blind and open access with the Veress needle, conventional trocars and cannulae, a selected variety of endoscopically assisted ports such as the optical Veress needle, optical trocars and optical scalpel, and a vacuum-supported access system are described in detail.'


.......................................................................................................................................... ii Table of contents ............................................................................................................................ iii List of tables .................................................................................................................................. vii List of figures ................................................................................................................................. ix Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... xiv Co-authorship statement ................................................................................................................ xv


Growing evidence suggests that the consumption of dairy products may contribute to a reduced incidence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. The fatty acid composition in milk fat, the duration of ripening, and the complexity of the food matrices are important factors that may interfere with the physiological impact. In this study, we treated genetic obese and type 2 diabetic mice (db/db) for 4 weeks with different dairy (cheese-based) products, differing by the duration of ripening (0, 15, or 35 days). We found that 35 days ripened product significantly improved glucose tolerance, an effect associated with a decreased adipose tissue lipid peroxide markers (TBARS and NAPDH-oxidase mRNA expression), without affecting body weight, food intake, and fat mass. Both fermented matrices significantly decreased the hepatic lipid content, without modifying plasma triglycerides or plasma total cholesterol. These data suggest that dairy products issued from longer ripening positively impact glucose tolerance, hepatic steatosis, and adipose tissue oxidative stress. Further investigations are warranted to decipher the interactions between milk products fermentation, lipids, and host metabolism.


Floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) systems are an alternative to other types of deep water development and production systems such as spar platforms, tension leg platforms and floating production systems. A typical FPSO vessel may produce up to 300,000 barrels of oil per day (BOPD) and 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (SCFGPD), with one million barrels of on board oil storage. Oil off loading is normally by shuttle tanker and associated gas is normally injected to maintain field pressure. These vessels typically have more extensive electrical systems than the typical fixed platforms. Electrical loads may total 40-50 MW or more depending on the vessel configuration. Selection of the large drivers (turbines versus motors), picking the generation configuration (including prime, essential and emergency), configuring the electrical distribution system, and locating the various parts of the electrical distribution system (hull versus topsides) are major critical early decisions that will impact the future coordination efforts of the project. This paper explores the design of various electrical systems and installation issues of typical FPSOs and provides some lessons learned.


This chapter will set out how the distinction and relationship between tort and crime can be examined comparatively. To do so it gives a framework to prime investigations and to facilitate comparison. It builds on three interfaces of tort and crime: where, how, why they connect. Progressing through these interfaces builds up layers towards a complete picture of the relationship between tort and crime.The relationship between tort and crime is important. Each legal issue, and the legal system as a whole, is better understood by acknowledging when its parts work in concert not by artificially separating them out. Its interfaces also highlight how important legal actors' frameworks and practices are in shaping the law. The interfaces between tort and crime provide excellent places to examine the weave of the law: the moral, regulatory, philosophical, political, practical and societal threads, as well as how these feed back to the way the problem is conceived. We are asking, in other words, what the overlaps between areas of law can tell us about law itself.


Mano Watsa, President of Point Guard College (PGC) Basketball, is contemplating the next direction to take his organization. His co-owner, Nicole, is adamant that the next five years should be focused on growing PGC Basketball. Like Nicole, Mano would love to see PGC Basketball continue to grow; however, he is skeptical about focusing on growth when the organization is facing some significant challenges. Specifically, PGC Basketball is faced with a low athlete annual retention rate (i.e., 20%) and camps in some regions operating below 70% capacity. In addition, Mano recognizes that PGC Basketball has issues achieving consistency within their operations to ensure quality control, promoting their summer camps within all the markets they serve, as well as attracting and retaining top talent to work as camp instructors. Mano must determine the best strategy to implement for PGC Basketball to continue its success over the next five years.


Abstract:  Fordyce spots are benign, enlarged sebaceous glands that commonly present as tiny yellow papules on a variety of body surfaces, including the lips. Although these lesions are asymptomatic, in some patients, they are abundant and conspicuous, leading to concerns regarding their cosmetic appearance. The response of Fordyce spots to isotretinoin therapy is poorly documented in the literature, which contains only one case report of an affected patient treated with a short course of isotretinoin (35 mg/kg in total). Herein, we report dichotomous long‐term response to a standard course of isotretinoin in two patients with Fordyce spots of the lips and concomitant acne.


This article describes how clinicians are working on establishing structures that will enable research on and producing evidence for narrative family therapy with families struggling with psychiatric illnesses. The aim is to suggest ways for clinicians working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to implement collaborative therapies in a psychiatric setting that favors evidence-based practices. Pragmatism and the narrative theory of multistoried practices offer the means to both speak and theorize about such dilemmas and suggest practices that enable clinicians to grapple with these challenges. We hope that this article will be part of the growing inspiration for others to practice "narrative psychiatry."


The thoracic gland in Rhodnius breaks down and disappears within 48 hr. after the moult to the adult stage. Two factors are involved: (i) The gland suffers some change as the result of going through a moulting stage in the absence of the juvenile hormone. (ii) It must then be exposed to some humoral action at the time of the adult moult. The source and nature of the stimulus which operates at the time of the final ecdysis are not known. But when the gland has been exposed to these two changes it will rapidly break down even in an environment containing the juvenile hormone.


The study aims to conduct interactive multimedia development courses learning strategies to improve student motivation learning. This research uses the R&D (research and Development) research type with the ADDIE development model. The results showed that the phase of the Interacive Multimedia Development adopted an ADDIE development model which was modified into four phases, namely analysis, design, development, and implementation. Interactive learning media testing using Google Classroom media developed with media flowcharts in line with storyboards created. The validation results of media experts are not required to revise because they meet excellent categories (92%), and good category (84%).  While the results of trials in improving motivation to learn to students of University of PGRI Adi Buana Lamongan Campus average get a score of 115.46 pretes with variants of 16.56, while the test post score of 140.11 with a variant of 14.99. In addition, the results of statistical trials used using the T-Test concluded that there was an increased motivation to study learning strategy courses on students using interactive multimedia.


Different types of final strengthening treatment of gas turbine engine (GTD) compressor blades are considered. The influence of each type of treatment on the formation of roughness of the surface with favorable microrelief, as well as on the level and depth of distribution of residual compressive stresses in the compressor blade airfoil is analyzed. The causes of blade fatigue failure are described and methods of controlling this kind of failure are presented. The results of testing special specimens made of VT9 titanic alloy are presented to establish the influence of final strengthening treatment modes on the compressor blade resistance to fatigue stress. The results of testing residual stress distribution along the thickness of compressor blade airfoil are presented. A method of improving dynamic strengthening of specimens due to the protection of compressor blade edges is discussed. The results of semi-graphical analysis of the stressed state of low-pressure and medium-pressure compressor blades made of VT9 alloy are presented. They take into account residual stresses, as well as operating load stresses in the process of operation. We show that it is possible to increase the limit of the blade endurance due to the optimization of residual stress diagrams by improving the final strengthening technology with the use of dust blasting.


The 400 MeV/u 12C6+ ion beam was successfully cooled by the intensive electron beam near 1 A in CSRe. The momentum cooling time was estimated near 15 s. The cooling force was measured in the cases of different electron beam profiles, and the different angles between the ion beam and electron beam. The lifetime of the ion beam in CSRe was over 80 h. The dispersion in the cooling section was confirmed as positive close to zero. The beam sizes before cooling and after cooling were measured by the moving screen. The beam diameter after cooling was about 1 mm. The bunch length was measured with the help of the signals from the beam position monitor. The diffusion was studied in the absence of the electron beam.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Background: Despite the clinical approval of VEGF pathway targeted agents in the treatment of late-stage metastatic disease, sustained benefits are not seen in the majority of patients, and eventual relapse occurs. Understanding mechanisms of intrinsic and acquired drug resistance has taken on increasing importance as both host- and tumor-mediated pathways may contribute to treatment failure. However, few studies have aimed to assess resistance in clinically-relevant spontaneous metastatic disease after surgical resection of the primary tumor.

Methods: Here we describe the derivation of spontaneous metastatic human kidney, breast, and melanoma cell lines following long-term in vivo sunitinib treatment. Re-exposure of selected tumor and stromal cells to drug in vitro for extended periods allowed evaluation of reversible and irreversible gene expression changes. Cells were implanted orthotopically and then surgically removed to assess primary and metastatic growth potential following treatment cessation.

Results: Our results show that metastatic sunitinib-resistant cells retained treatment sensitivity when re-implanted orthotopically regardless of in vitro drug exposure conditions, suggesting a predominant host-mediated role in treatment failure. However, sunitinib treatment withdrawal elicited significant increases in tumor growth and metastatic potential, a finding which was enhanced when non-tumor bearing mice were 'conditioned' with drug prior to i.v. tumor cell inoculation. Parallel studies in vitro show increased proliferation and migration following therapy removal. Results from gene and protein expression analysis of cells in different sunitinib treatment conditions will be presented showing that coordinated tumor and host reactions can contribute to changes in metastatic phenotype upon therapy removal.

Conclusions: Taken together, clinically relevant models of drug-resistant spontaneous metastatic disease may have the potential to distinguish tumor- and stromal-responses to treatment that can alter in vivo disease progression both on (and off) therapy.

Citation Format: Michalis Mastri, Amanda Tracz, Christina R. Lee, Derya Deveci, John M. L. Ebos. Sunitinib withdrawal uncovers complementary stromal- and tumor-mediated mechanisms of resistance and rebound growth in metastatic mouse models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2996. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2996


The essays in this collection address the prophetic function of opening scenes and sequences in Shakespeare's histories, dramas, and comedies. The authors ask and attempt to answer such questions as what constitutes an opening sequence, the purpose of prologues and choruses, the meaning of enframed action, and the relationship between exposition and mood setting. The contributors include prominent Shakespearean scholars such as Douglas Peterson, Barbara Palmer, David Bergeron, and J.L. Styan. Several of the papers were originally presented at a meeting of the Shakespeare Association of America.


The present study was carried out to investigate the influence of inhibitor factors on the immunological response of the mother. Using a FIVET program (in vitro fertilization and embryo-transfer) we were able to detect in vitro the modulation of lymphocyte response by hormones, utilizing subjects receiving hormone therapy. A new assay has been used to study the antibody response. The lymphocytes were adhered during the culture to the plastic surface of microplates, and the modulation of the expression of the surface IgG was detected with an E.L.I.S.A. assay in the same culture plate. Many hormones were tested in vitro using this assay. The addition to the lymphocyte cultures of hCG and oestradiol give a variable effect. This effect is concentration dependent and whilst in all instances the higher dosages were inhibitory, in same subjects the lower dosages had a stimulatory effect, but if the subjects were treated in vivo with hCG, then an inhibitory effect was observed in vitro even using very low concentrations of hormones. This could suggest that these hormones have an inhibitor effect on the lymphocyte response, inhibition that was enhanced when the lymphocytes were "primed" in vivo.


The rated output of induction motors varies with frame size in a manner which is well known to designers of these machines. However, in the case of permanent magnet excited machines, there is a shortage of comparable information. The aim of the paper is to use both analysis and published results to attack this problem. The analysis is presented in terms of torque and the principal dimensions of rotor diameter and length for cylindrical machines. Results are tabulated for a range of machines with rare-earth magnets in terms of available torque output. A clear relationship involving magnet volume and rotor diameter is shown. Consideration of cooling of the stator leads to the conclusion that the observed relationship between torque and dimensions is important for maintaining a satisfactory frame temperature. The effect of the scaling factors on the capability of field weakening for high speed operation is also studied. The general scaling rule should prove useful in establishing the basic size of machine needed for a given output requirement.


Please note that while this protocol is for TNA extraction using the Perkin Elmer Chemagic 360, RNA extraction with resuspended solids from this protocol has been verified to perform well using the Kingfisher MagMax kit as another high throughput, automated option and two manual Qiagen kits - the All Prep Powerviral DNA/RNA Kit and the Qiamp Viral RNA Mini Kit. This process instruction describes the steps for purification of nucleic acids from wastewater solids and preparation for downstream quantitative analysis with Reverse Transcriptase droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-ddPCR). Due to the large quantities of substances that have inhibitory effects on PCR in wastewater samples, a subsequent PCR inhibitor removal step is required after nucleic acid purification. Both steps of the process are carried out in a 96-well plate format. This method uses the resuspended solids generated using this protocol: High Throughput pre-analytical processing of wastewater settled solids for SARS-CoV-2 RNA analyses. RNA purification is carried out using a kit optimized for the purification of viral on for the Perkin Elmer Chemagic 360. Although only RNA is used in the downstream applications from this protocol, DNA is also eluted in this process. A crucial component of the purification kit are the magnetic particles coated with poly vinyl alcohol (M-PVA Magnetic Beads) which have a hydrophilic surface giving them an affinity for nucleic acids but not many other biological molecules. The workflow involves binding nucleic acids in a sample to the beads which are then transferred through a series of wash buffers to remove debris with a robotic head with magnetic rods. The OneStep PCR Inhibitor Removal Kits are PCR inhibitor clean up kits that contain all the components needed for efficient removal of contaminants that can inhibit downstream enzymatic reactions (e.g. PCR and RT) from DNA and RNA preparations. The column matrices in these PCR inhibitor clean up kits have been specifically designed for the efficient removal of polyphenolic compounds, humic/fulvic acids, tannins, melanin, etc. from the most impure DNA and RNA preparations. This process instruction applies to extraction of RNA from wastewater samples using the Chemagic™ Viral DNA/RNA 300 Kit H96 for the Perkin Elmer Chemagic 360 followed by PCR Inhibitor Removal with the Zymo OneStep-96 PCR Inhibitor Removal Kit.


In forested watersheds, forest changes and climatic variability have been commonly recognized as two major drivers for streamflow variations. Previous research has separated their relative contributions but mainly focused on either deforestation and climate or reforestation and climate, but rarely with single studies on both. This study used the Meijiang watershed (6983·2 km2), situated in the upper reach of the Poyang Lake basin, as an example to quantify how climate and forest changes (both deforestation and reforestation) consecutively affect streamflow dynamics. Two methods, namely modified double‐mass curves and sensitivity‐based approach, were used in this study. Two breakpoints (years 1968 and 1985) with significant annual streamflow changes were detected, and together with the control period, they were then used to define three distinct periods: the control (1957–1967), deforestation (1968–1984) and reforestation (1985–2006) periods. Our results show that in the deforestation period, the average annual streamflow increment attributed to deforestation was 112·78 mm year−1, while the annual streamflow variation attributed to climate variability was −111·39 mm year−1. In the reforestation period, the average annual streamflow decrease caused by reforestation was −51·04 mm year−1, while the annual streamflow variation attributed to climate variability was 52·52 mm year−1. The sensitivity‐based approach also provided similar results. The positive and negative values in the streamflow changes suggest offsetting effects between forest changes and climate variability in both deforestation and reforestation periods. The similar magnitudes of streamflow changes demonstrate that the hydrological effects of forest changes can be as great as those caused by climate change. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Targeted to urban and suburban reader who may be new to animal raising, "The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals" is a compendium of information on chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, goats, sheep, cattle, pigs and honey bees - all of which are suitable for small-scale backyard food production. Readers will learn exactly how to raise these animals successfully, from selecting the rights breeds for the space and resources available to producing delicious cheese, honey, milk, eggs and meat. Comprehensive and details, yet readable and fun, the book includes hundreds of helpful line drawings. It also offers an appealing fold out colour section illustrating the breeds most suitable for backyard life, along with breed profiles for each animal.


Drought, especially after anthesis, is one of the main stresses in wheat production in Mediterranean regions. An experiment was conducted for assessing tolerance of 5 bread wheat genotypes to terminal drought. Experimental design was split plot on the basis of randomized complete block in four replications in Research Farm of agricultural and natural resources university of Ramin in Ahvaz, Iran. Three levels of irrigation include S1 (mild stress), S2 (severe stress), and S- (without stress) as main plots, and 5 genotypes of bread wheat including G1 (Chamran), G2 (Falat), G3 (Verinak), G4 (Kavir), and G5 (Shole) as sub plot. Four drought tolerance indices, stress tolerance (TOL), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Stress Susceptibility Index (SSI) and Mean Productivity (MP) were used. Whereas the indicates that have the most correlation with grain yield in different conditions are the best index for selection of tolerance genotypes against drought stress, there for (STI) and (MP) was selected for classify of genotypes. There was a significant and positive correlation of (Yp) and (Ys1) and (Ys2) with (MP and STI). Totally based on these indices genotypes of Chamran were the most desirable genotypes for both mild stress and severe stress environments.


The growth of U.S. productivity has been declining for several years. The reasons for this decline are complex, and there is little consensus among experts as to the real cause. Part of the difficulty lies in accurately assessing the productivity of today's workforce. Much of the work being done in today's society is based on services, communications, and information and, therefore, no longer fits the traditional production processes and techniques used for measuring productivity in an industrial society. Traditional input and output measures do not work for measuring the productivity of most white collar workers. New measures and definitions are needed to measure productivity more accurately. Information technology and the effective management of information resources are beginning to play a significant role in reversing the declining rate of U.S. productivity growth. Traditionally, the introduction of new technologies into the workplace has focused on the blue collar worker or, within the office environment, on the secretarial or clerical population. However, the bulk of U.S. salary expenditures is spent on the managerial and professional population. The greatest productivity gains can be realized by improving the productivity of this group, often referred to as knowledge workers. By improving knowledge workers' ability to communicate more effectively and to find and use information more efficiently, significant improvements in productivity can be realized.


The principal-component analysis is a statistical method, which lowers the number of important variables in a data set. The use of this method for the bursts' spectra and afterglows is discussed in this paper. The analysis indicates that three principal components are enough among the eight ones to describe the variablity of the data. The correlation between the spectral index α and the redshift
suggests that the thermal emission component becomes more dominant at larger redshifts.


In an era of antiviral treatment, reexamination of the cost‐effectiveness of strategies to prevent perinatal hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission in the United States is needed. We used a decision tree and Markov model to estimate the cost‐effectiveness of the current U.S. strategy and two alternatives: (1) Universal hepatitis B vaccination (HepB) strategy: No pregnant women are screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). All infants receive HepB before hospital discharge; no infants receive hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG). (2) Current strategy: All pregnant women are screened for HBsAg. Infants of HBsAg‐positive women receive HepB and HBIG ≤12 hours of birth. All other infants receive HepB before hospital discharge. (3) Antiviral prophylaxis strategy: All pregnant women are screened for HBsAg. HBsAg‐positive women have HBV‐DNA load measured. Antiviral prophylaxis is offered for 4 months starting in the third trimester to women with DNA load ≥106 copies/mL. HepB and HBIG are administered at birth to infants of HBsAg‐positive women, and HepB is administered before hospital discharge to infants of HBsAg‐negative women. Effects were measured in quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios (ICER). Compared to the universal HepB strategy, the current strategy prevented 1,006 chronic HBV infections and saved 13,600 QALYs (ICER: $6,957/QALY saved). Antiviral prophylaxis dominated the current strategy, preventing an additional 489 chronic infections, and saving 800 QALYs and $2.8 million. The results remained robust over a wide range of assumptions. Conclusion: The current U.S. strategy for preventing perinatal HBV remains cost‐effective compared to the universal HepB strategy. An antiviral prophylaxis strategy was cost saving compared to the current strategy and should be considered to continue to decrease the burden of perinatal hepatitis B in the United States. (Hepatology 2016;63:1471‐1480)


Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is the most common biliary tract cancer and exhibits poor patient prognosis. Previous studies have identified that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serve important regulatory roles in cancer biology. Alterations in lncRNAs are associated with several types of cancer. However, the contribution of lncRNAs to GBC remains unclear. To investigate the lncRNAs that are potentially involved in GBC, lncRNA profiles were identified in three pairs of human GBC and corresponding peri-carcinomatous tissue samples using microarray analysis. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to validate the microarray data. In order to elucidate potential functions, Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis, and network analysis were used to determine relevant signaling pathways. Abundant RNA probes were used, and 1,758 lncRNAs and 1,254 mRNAs were detected to be differentially expressed by the microarray. Compared with para-carcinoma tissue, numerous lncRNAs were markedly upregulated or downregulated in GBC. The results demonstrated that the lncRNAs that were downregulated in GBC were more numerous compared with the lncRNAs that were upregulated. Among them, RP11-152P17.2-006 was the most upregulated, whereas CTA-941F9.9 was the most downregulated. The RT-qPCR results were consistent with the microarray data. Pathway analysis indicated that five pathways corresponded to the differentially expressed transcripts. It was demonstrated that lncRNA expression in GBC was markedly altered, and a series of novel lncRNAs associated with GBC were identified. The results of the present study suggest that the functions of lncRNAs are important in GBC development and progression.


ABSTRACT Faculty Development seeks to support educators in a range of functions in the areas of teaching, research, extension, management and evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate faculty development based on the social representations constructed by the teachers of a medical course. A qualitative survey was carried out, using the analytical method of discourse analysis and social representation as a theoretical contribution. Twelve teachers were randomly selected, and a semi-structured interview was conducted for the data collection. The responses, recorded in audio, were transcribed and discourse analysis was performed with the aim of mapping the social representations constructed by the subjects. The social representations were grouped into two categories: institutional development and personal development. Within the category institutional development, three subcategories were identified: Guiding principles of Faculty Development Programs, Teaching-learning strategies used in Faculty Development Programs, and Skills to be developed by faculty. Within the category Personal development, two subcategories were identified: Development as a person and as a social being, and Professional development. Over the years, a variety of social representations have been constructed in relation to the nature of teaching in medical education, but it is only in recent decades that managers and teachers of educational institutions have begun to focus more closely on this topic. In the present study, it was observed that for faculty development to be effective, the educator must have a desire to learn; however, institutional support and recognition are also essential. Faculty Development Programs must be flexible and adaptable, to meet the needs of the institution and its professors, and encourage reflection on their practices, though the exchange of experiences, the development of interpersonal relationships, and collaboration. However, it is vital to identify and facilitate the development of leadership skills, and to systematically evaluate the process and the results achieved. This will encourage teachers to develop in their academic careers and thereby increase the professionalization of teaching. Managers and teachers can sustain a shared mission to win resources, adapt to change, strive for excellence in the leadership of the organization in a national and international context, and consequently, provide a quality medical education.


Background: This pilot study combined physiologic imaging, microcomputed tomography, and histologic tumor evaluation with a xenograft model of breast cancer to identify surrogates likely to correlate with response to AZD2171, an inhibitor of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinases. Experimental Design: MCF-7 cells transfected with vector (MCF-7neo) or VEGF (MCFVEGF) were implanted in the right and left mammary fat pads of 75 athymic mice. Treatment with AZD2171 (5 mg/kg/d) or vehicle control was initiated once tumors were established. Positron emission tomography with [11C]carbon monoxide to measure blood volume, [18F]fluoromethane to measure perfusion, and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose to measure glucose utilization was done at baseline, and after 24 hours, 72 hours, and 4 weeks of treatment. After imaging, tumors were analyzed for microvessel density, proliferation, and VEGF expression. Results: AZD2171 induced significant inhibition of tumor growth in established MCF-7neo xenografts and regression of established MCF-7VEGF xenografts. An acute decrease in blood flow was detected in MCF-7VEGF tumors at 24 hours (P = 0.05). Tumor blood volume was increased in the MCF-7VEGF tumors but correlated with tumor size; blood volume did not change with AZD2171 therapy. Glucose utilization correlated with tumor size and did not change with acute or chronic AZD2171 therapy. Unlike blood flow and blood volume, glucose utilization was similar in MCF-7neo and MCF-7VEGF tumors. Microvessel density and proliferation acutely decreased in MCF-7VEGF tumors but returned to baseline during chronic therapy. Conclusions: [18F]Fluoromethane imaging may be a useful surrogate for biological activity of AZD2171 with changes identified within 24 hours of starting therapy.


Psychophysiological research on emotion utilizes various physiological response measures to index activation of the defense system. Here we tested 1) whether acoustic startle reflex (ASR), skin conductance response (SCR) and heart rate (HR) elicited by highly arousing stimuli specifically reflect a defensive state and 2) the relation between resting heart rate variability (HRV) and affective responding. In a within-subject design, participants viewed film clips with a positive, negative and neutral content. In contrast to SCR and HR, we show that ASR differentiated between negative, neutral and positive states and can therefore be considered as a reliable index of activation of the defense system. Furthermore, resting HRV was associated with affect-modulated characteristics of ASR, but not with SCR or HR. Interestingly, individuals with low-HRV showed less differentiation in ASR between affective states. We discuss the important value of ASR in psychophysiological research on emotion and speculate on HRV as a potential biological marker for demarcating adaptive from maladaptive responding.


Any everyday subject may trigger individual conceptions either
scientifically correct or naively shaped (misconceptions, alternative
conceptions). For any
educator, knowledge about a pupil's individual perception may strongly support
teaching success. Within this context, we see the use of drinking water as
daily behavior loaded with conceptions. We monitored the perceptions of two
different samples, of high achieving 10th graders and of undergraduates in
Biology. All participants responded to three closed and three open questions
requesting individual statements about drinking water. All open questions were
categorized via qualitative content analysis mainly revealing the perception of
drinking water as a clean product, precisely controlled and drinkable with no
need for worry. In general, some alternative conceptions did not seem differ in
both samples over the time of about five years: For instance, many see our drinking
water as purified in sewage plants. However, differences between individuals
exist: For example, whether water is consumed as tap or bottled water. Here,
some name water hardness as the reason to not drink tap water, because they
think it is harmful (although the very same participants prefer bottled mineral
water). Other conceptions seem to change over time, such as the estimation
about the remaining time until our drinking water might be used up, or
familiarity with the term "virtual water". Summing up, we did find a positive
attitude towards national drinking water policy, although major knowledge gaps
need its mentioning. The relevance of these results and strategies for public
and school teaching are discussed.


The explosive growth of multimedia contents, especially videos, is pushing forward the paradigm of cloud-based media hosting today. However, the wide attacking surface of the public cloud and the growing security awareness from the society are both calling for data encryption before outsourcing to cloud. Under the circumstance of encrypted videos, how to still preserve all the service benefits of cloud media center remains to be fully explored. In this paper, we present a secure system architecture design as our initial effort toward this direction, which bridges together the advancements of video coding techniques and secure deduplication. Our design enables the cloud with the crucial deduplication functionality to completely eliminate the extra storage and bandwidth cost, which would have been incurred by hosting encrypted videos from different entities. The design is also carefully tailored to the scalable video coding (SVC) techniques to support heterogeneous networks and devices for high-quality adaptive video dissemination. We show fully functional system implementations with structure-aware encryption design and structure-aware deduplication strategies that are both completely compliant with the video format in SVC. Extensive security analysis and experiments via our prototype deployed on Azure cloud platform show the practicality of the design. Our work can also be easily extended to support other media applications that employ media files with scalable structures.


To achieve satisfactory outcome by the expression of therapeutic genes, it is of great importance to obtain efficient and high level of gene expression as well as minimizing inappropriate gene expression in non-target cells. To accomplish this goal for cancer gene therapy, we have evaluated the potential of cancer specific gene expression of functional promoter/enhancer elements in six putative cancer-specific genes (Tcf1alpha, C-Ha-Ras, CyclinE, Cdc25A, HK II, and hTert) using a luciferase reporter assay. Most of the reporter constructs showed higher activity in HepG2 cells than in non-transformed or stem cells, and, in particular, the hTert (E) or Tcf1alpha (T) regulatory element showed significantly higher activity. We have also constructed a series of artificial chimerical regulatory elements by combinatorial linking of E promoter and T enhancer. A dramatic decrease of activity was observed as the copy number of concatenated T/E regulatory elements increased. In contrast, in chimerical constructs containing two or three copies of regulatory elements of T/E, cell type preferential expression profiles were changed. Thus, both pGL3-TE and -TEE showed higher activity specifically in MCF7 breast cancer cells, whereas pGL3-TET showed moderate activity in several cancer cell lines of different origins. Our results demonstrate that although the transcriptional activities of synthetic promoters are weak, some cancer-specific regulatory elements are useful in developing optimized and systemic cancer-specific regulatory regions with potential application in targeted cancer cell therapy.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
To evaluate the long-term results of unicompartmental knee joint alloplasty (UKA) in a group of 21 patients. On the basis of their own results and literature data, the authors discuss effective strategies for treatment of unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee joint.

MATERIAL
A group of 21 patients, who were implanted a total of 22 unicompartmental knee replacements, type St. Georg, Waldemar Link, between 1986 and 1992, were followed-up till 2002. Since two patients living permanently abroad were excluded, the group at the final evaluation consisted of 19 patients with a total of 20 knee replacements.

METHODS
In 2002, all patients were clinically and radiologically examined. They were interviewed about their subjective evaluation of the knee joint after alloplasty, and clinical and functional findings were assessed. The evaluation of long-term results was based on The Knee Society Clinical Rating System.

RESULTS
The average Knee Score value was 84 points and average Function Score value was 78 points. Out of the 20 knee replacements evaluated, only one failure of UKA was recorded at 9 years after the primary implantation.

DISCUSSION
The authors discuss the current state of treatment in unicompartmental knee arthritis and present several different views based on literature sources. Opinions on indications for specific surgical methods are still controversial. The authors draw attention to comparisons of long-term results between patients with UKA and patients who underwent high tibial valgus osteotomy or total knee replacement. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of UKA in comparison with the other therapies. They also pay some attention to repeat surgery in failed UKA.

CONCLUSIONS
UKA implantation is a surgical method of managing unicompartmental arthritis of the knee joint. The results presented by the authors and corroborated by many literature data provide evidence that UKA is of great importance in the treatment of unicompartmental knee arthritis. If a consistent selection of patients is maintained, a precise operation technique is used and a reliable implant is chosen, excellent immediate as well as long-term outcomes will be achieved.


Hypoglycemia is the most common complication of diabetes, causing morbidity and death. Recurrent hypoglycemia alters the cascade of physiological and behavioral responses that maintain euglycemia. The extent to which these responses are normally triggered by decreased whole-brain cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRglc) has not been resolved by previous studies. We measured plasma counterregulatory hormonal responses and whole-brain CMRglc (along with blood-to-brain glucose transport rates and brain glucose concentrations) with 1-[11C]-d-glucose positron emission tomography during hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps at nominal plasma glucose concentrations of 90, 75, 60, and 45 mg/dL (5.0, 4.2, 3.3, and 2.5 mmol/L) in 18 healthy young adults. Clear evidence of hypoglycemic physiological counterregulation was first demonstrated between 75 mg/dL (4.2 mmol/L) and 60 mg/dL (3.3 mmol/L) with increases in both plasma epinephrine (P = 0.01) and glucagon (P = 0.01). In contrast, there was no statistically significant change in CMRglc (P = 1.0) between 75 mg/dL (4.2 mmol/L) and 60 mg/dL (3.3 mmol/L), whereas CMRglc significantly decreased (P = 0.02) between 60 mg/dL (3.3 mmol/L) and 45 mg/dL (2.5 mmol/L). Therefore, the increased epinephrine and glucagon secretion with declining plasma glucose concentrations is not in response to a decrease in whole-brain CMRglc.


In this essay I briefly discuss the reasons why feminist theory, which twenty years ago had repudiated Hannah Arendt, now embraces her. I then present my own embrace of Arendt as an illustration. I examine how Arendt, in the company of Frantz Fanon and Rosa Luxemburg, illuminates nationalism as an especially explosive form of "identity politics." I argue that all three thinkers press feminists to consider the dangers of political solidarities based on "being," not "thinking and doing." In addition, Fanon and Arendt press feminists to reconsider the significance and value of violence in politics. (JC)


Background: Uveitis can be described as inflammation of the eye. It is classified depending on the location of the inflammation in anterior, intermediate, posterior and panuveitis. The current guidelines for first-line treatment include glucocorticoids, topical with eyedrops, intraocular corticosteroid injections and systemic (oral). Potential complications of patients on prolonged topical steroids include, glaucoma, and cataracts, which can subsequently cause permanent visual loss. The aim of this study is to describe the complications related to the use of prolonged topical steroids among pediatric uveitis patients.
Methods: This retrospective observational study reviewed the medical records of children (age ≤ 18 years) with uveitis at Riley Hospital for Children between 1997-2022 data collected included age at onset of uveitis, sex, anatomic location of ocular inflammation, comorbid disease (including systemic inflammatory disease), ocular complications, relevant laboratory data, and treatment. Study data was collected and managed using REDCap. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software.
Results: Out of 122 subjects, anterior uveitis constituted 45.1% of patients, intermediate 15.6%and posterior uveitis 0.8%.  The median age of diagnosis was 10 years of age and 53.3% were female. Among these 54.1% of patients were placed on steroids, of which 49.2% were on topical steroids drops and 5.7% on oral steroids. Within the group of patients on chronic steroids 18% developed cataracts and 8.2% subsequently required corrective surgery, 10.7% developedglaucoma and 13.9% required intraocular pressure reducing drops. `
Conclusion and Potential Impact:  Uveitis treatment can be challenging, and some patients require longer periods of topical steroid use, which can be associated with complications including glaucoma and cataracts which can lead to blindness. In this cohort 18% developed cataracts and 10.7 % developed glaucoma. These effects can be mitigated with attentive monitoring. Balancing the benefits and risks of steroids and judicious use are vital to optimizing ocular health.


Historically linking the importance of knowledge with the pursuit of excellent organizational performance, it is noticed that organizations have always been dependent on the adoption of practices and processes to identify, manage and maintain their knowledge. With this context, this communication aims to reflect on the evolution of the management, interpretation and perception of knowledge through the so-called conceptual framework, used for the interpretation and management of knowledge. In terms of use, the conceptual framework that is now used in knowledge management can be considered an intersection of two areas, namely management sciences with information and communication technology sciences . These are diagrams of theoretical construction, but of practical use, which are designed to represent and model information of a phenomenon in the context of organizational knowledge (Ichijo and Nonaka, 2007), being applied in business processes or in the scientific research management . Thus, this communication aims to present the following objectives: 1 – Reflect on the evolution of the management, interpretation and perception of knowledge through the so-called conceptual framework, used for the interpretation and management of knowledge; 2- To demonstrate the strategic importance of the knowledge management to the organizations, through the full perception of its tools and particularities demonstrated in practical cases; 3 – Demonstrate the evolution of concepts of conceptual framework in relation to knowledge management, and; 4- To present a theoretical framework of the application of conceptual framework in the business advisory area and in scientific management research. To achieve these objectives, this communication methodically sought to identify these so-called conceptual models in 12 case studies of business organizations already registered in the literature a (Holsapple and Joshi, 2008) and 05 cases related to the use of conceptual models in scientific research management phenomena , with conceptual models moderators history in and out comes (Gibson and Birkinshaw, 2004, Raisch and Birkinshaw, 2008).


InAs/AlSb quantum wells may be grown with two types of interfaces: InSb-like and AlAs-like. The interface type refers to the half-monolayer of the well material and half monolayer of barrier which are in contact. The type and quality of the quantum well interface is critical to the ISBT intensity and lineshape and, to a lesser extent, position. In addition to FTIR spectroscopy of the ISBT, we have performed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to directly evaluate the quality of the interfaces at the atomic level. In order to evaluate the effects of interface type and quality on ISBT intensity, lineshape, and linewidth, we studied the TEM of a 10 nm QW sample with InSb-InSb interfaces and a 3 nm QW sample with InSb-AlAs interfaces.


The White House's proposed fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced on 13 February, looks favorable at first glance. The administration's request calls for $5.1 billion, an increase of $153 million (3.1%) above the FY 2012 estimated budget. However, the increase for NOAA satellites is $163 million, which means that other areas within the agency would be slated for decreased funding, including programs within the National Ocean Service (NOS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Weather Service (NWS), and some NOAA education programs. The proposed overall budget for the agency "reflects the overarching importance of weather satellites to public safety, to national security, and to the economy," NOAA director Jane Lubchenco said at a 16 February briefing, noting that difficult choices were made regarding the budget. "Due to significant resources required for our weather satellites and the economic conditions in the country, other parts of our budget have been reduced, in some cases quite significantly," she said. She added that the imperative to fund both the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and geostationary satellites in FY 2013 "imposes serious constraints on the rest of NOAA's budget."


Structural-functional systems stochastic approach to the study and analysis of the process of migration accumulation of substances in the soil was presented in the paper. The purpose of the model investigation of the considered system is to study stochastic flow patterns of substances, which in some discrete time points come in the studied type of soil. The feasibility of the approach to solving a given problem is caused by dynamic process of migration accumulation of substances, as well as a large number of probabilistic factors of influence. The proposed approach is founded on the theory of probabilistic-automaton modeling of dynamic processes, which is based on the selected Moore automaton. The authors have synthesized probabilistic-automaton model of migration accumulation of certain substances in specific-type soil subsystems. The input parameters of this model are statistical data, relating to the time points of substances arrival in the soil and the amount of certain substances arrival at fixed, sufficiently large time intervals. Depending on the accumulation intensity of anthropogenic changes and conditional intensity of equilibrium transitions of ecosystem, expressions for the probability of system stable functioning take different forms. According to examples of using the synthesized model, this approach allows to conduct research, analysis and forecasting of processes of migration accumulation of pollutants under anthropogenic load and is one of the most suitable for environmental studies.


Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered a major effector of hypotension in septic shock, partly through increasing nitric oxide (NO) formation. LPS-activation of leukocytes that express cytokines which induce NO synthase (iNOS) has also been considered an important contributor to shock. However, LPS, cytokines, and NO are not necessarily associated with hypotensive shock. We investigated whether the timing of LPS injection after initial surgery could influence responses to LPS. E. coli LPS (17 mg/kg 0111:B4 and 026:B6 serotypes) was injected 15 or 120 min after tracheal and femoral cannulation in the anesthetized rat. LPS caused hypotension for 2 h when injected 15 min (early injection) after initial surgery. LPS decreased blood pressure for only 15 min when injected 2 h (late injection) after initial surgery. Plasma NO was increased and leukocytes were decreased after both the early and late LPS injection. Blood pressure responded the same when a second surgery (ileal cannulation and luminal perfusion) followed the early or preceded the late LPS injection. Ileal NO secretion increased and effective mucosal blood flow decreased when LPS followed gut surgery, but these did not change when gut surgery followed LPS. Plasma NO was increased and leukocytes were decreased when LPS followed gut surgery, but these did not change when gut surgery followed LPS. Ileal water absorption was not affected by LPS. These observations suggest that a desensitization to the hypotensive effect of LPS develops with time after an initial trauma. An additional gut trauma does not change the blood pressure response, but does have effects on leukocyte sequestration and NO synthesis. NO synthesis alone could not explain the effects on blood pressure.


The importance of convergence in foreign trade is mentioned in the theory of optimum currency from the very beginning. Also the OCA index incorporates two basic aspect of foreign trade. The territorial reorientation is always characteristic for new EU-members and this process was already accomplished by most of the new EU-members. The more developed associated countries are already at the level of EU-members. The commodity orientation is connected highly with the competitiveness and level of development of the whole economy and the shares of sophisticated product in exports reflect it. Hence the evaluation was concerned on the manufactured goods, SITC group 7-Machinery and transport equipment and the high-technology intensive products. From viewpoint of commodity structure the countries joining EU in 1995 are the most successful. They are closely followed by the other EU-members. The new EU-members of 2004 are lagged, the lag is getting wider with the rise of technology intensity. Only the Czech Republic and Hungary are able to compete with the older EU-members. The commodity convergence of EU countries is runs very dynamically in new members, the shares of other EU countries are almost constant. The results of intra-industry trade also reflect the lag in competitiveness of economies under transition. The transition countries are very heterogeneous in the intra-industry trade as well. The internal structure of transition countries is similar to result obtained when assessing the commodity structure.


Purpose: A few studies have been reported on extrahepatic metastasis after curative resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the patterns of extrahepatic recurrence and we identified the risk factors for extrahepatic recurrence after curative resection for HCC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 587 patients who underwent surgical resection with a curative aim from January 1998 to December 2007 in the Yonsei University Health Care System. Among the 571 patients, 291 (51.0%) patients developed recurrence. Sixty five patients initially presented with extrahaptic recurrence. The patients with extrahepatic recurrence were divided into Group A (peritoneal recurrence) and Group B (non-peritoneal extrahepatic recurrence). Results: Group A had higher rates of intraoperative bleeding>1,500 ml and perioperative transfusion too. On the multivariate analysis, perioperative transfusion, satellite nodule and the tumor size were the independent risk factors for Group A. The Edmondson-Steiner grade, satellite nodule and the tumor size were the independent risk factors for Group B. The 1, 3 and 5year overall survival rates after curative resection for the patients with extrahepatic recurence were 83.1%, 48.9% and 27.4%, respectively. The recurrence patterns and treatment modalities did not affect the overall survival after treatment for extrahepatic recurrence. Conclusion: A perioperative transfusion was found to be a different risk factor for peritoneal recurrence, as compared to those risk factors for non-peritoneal extrahepatic recurrence. Therefore, efforts by physicians to decrease intraoperative bleeding may prevent peritoneal recurrence after performing curative resection for HCC. 이형순, 최기홍, 황호경, 강창무, 최진섭, 이우정


Sanghuangporus vitexicola (Hymenochaetales) is described as a new species based on collections made from Pingtung County, tropical South Taiwan. All studied basidiocarps grew on living trunks of Vitex negundo. This new species is characterized by having perennial, pileate basidiocarps; pore surface yellowish brown, pores 6–8 per mm; context 0.7–1.5 cm thick; setae ventricose to subulate, dark brown, 17–30 × 5–8 μm; basidiospores broadly ellipsoid, brownish, smooth, 4.2–4.8 × 3.2–3.7 μm, with 0.2–0.5 μm thick walls. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenies inferred from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA indicated that six strains of Sanghuangporus viexicola formed a monophyletic group which is sister to S. zonatus. An identification key to known species of Sanghuangporus is provided.


This study used both quantitative and qualitative data to assess whether a High Immersion viewing platform (virtual reality headset) elicits stronger feelings of narrative engagement and empathy compared to a Low Immersion platform (smartphone) when viewing an animated 360° video. In line with prior research, participants (N = 65) reported greater feelings of presence in the High Immersion condition compared to Low Immersion. However, immersive condition was not significantly related to narrative engagement or empathy. Interview responses revealed that participants' perceptions of their role in the film experience (i.e., Character, Observer, or Other/Not Sure) varied and were significantly related to narrative engagement. Participants who saw themselves as a Character (versus Observer) reported higher narrative engagement and empathy. Findings suggest that although a more immersive viewing platform can enhance presence during a 360° video experience, a clear understanding of viewer role is both difficult to achieve and critical to story comprehension and empathy.


Power transformers are key components in the distribution of electrical energy, so it is very important to protect them from a breakdown. Hot spot temperature is an important parameter in aging of a transformer so it's both for customers and producers of transformers very useful to have an accurate measurement or computer model prediction of the hot spot temperature. This paper describes a computer model, which can predict hot-spot temperatures for different types of cooling regimes and transformer winding geometries. The program can be used as a design tool, to verify if the hot spot temperature is not too high and to verify the influence of different parameters (winding geometry as well as cooling method or number of radiators) on the temperatures. This knowledge can be shared with the customers allowing improved loading conditions.


The article presents criticism of a widely spread assertion of the progressive nature of the world's monotheistic religions. The author identifies the differences in understanding the social nature of religions in different cultures: religion as private faith; religion as the duty of respect towards the community, its Gods and ancestors; religion as the path of cognition. Ethnic religions are considered, primarily, as social ones; while metaphysical religions are viewed as religions of the elites.


Spike activity of single perigeniculate (PGN) neurons was recorded in the anaesthetized (N2O/halothane) and paralysed cat during presentation of moving gratings of optimal spatial frequency. Typically, the ongoing (tonic, spontaneous) activity of PGN cells increased during a rise in EEG delta power accompanied by a reduction and often a total loss of spike rate modulation by the moving grating. The opposite behaviour was found when the EEG delta power vanished. Micro-iontophoretically applied acetylcholine (ACh) had an effect similar to a decrease in EEG delta power, decreasing ongoing activity but increasing the response modulation depth. The opposite effect could be achieved with the excitatory action of serotonin (5-HT), mimicking a strengthened EEG delta power. These data support previous data indicating that PGN neurons contribute to spatio-temporal tuning of subcortical visual activity in a state-dependent way.


Cyberbullying is one of the major electronic problems, and it is not a new phenomenon. It was present in the traditional form before the emergence of social networks, and cyberbullying has many consequences, including emotional and physiological states such as depression and anxiety. Given the prevalence of this phenomenon and the importance of the topic in society and its negative impact on all age groups, especially adolescents, this work aims to build a model that detects cyberbullying in the comments on social media (Twitter) written in the Arabic language using Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Random Forest methods in building the models. After a series of pre-processing, we found that the accuracy of classification of these comments was 0.861 in XGBoost, and 0.849 in Random Forest. Then the results of this model were improved by using one of the optimization algorithms called cuckoo search to adjust the parameters in two methods. The results are improved clearly in the random forest method, which obtained results similar to the extreme gradient boosting method, with a value of 0.867.


Micro/nanoparticles containing densely packed gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess unique properties potentially useful for various biomedical applications. The micro/nanoparticles are conventionally produced by the bottom-up methods, which have limited capability for controlling the particle size, shape and structure. This article reports development of a top-down method that integrates layer-by-layer assembly and microcontact printing to fabricate disk-shaped microparticles named microdisks composed of densely packed AuNPs. This method allows precise control of not only the size, shape and structure of the microdisks but also the amount of the AuNPs in the microdisks. The microdisks can be loaded with different Raman reporters to generate characteristic surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra under the near infrared excitation over a centimetre-scale lens-sample distance. Moreover, the microdisks can be attached to single live cells. This microdisk platform holds potential for multiplex Raman labelling of therapeutic cells for in vivo tracking of the cells.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the clinician satisfaction of a newly introduced around-theclock radiology coverage system for the emergency department. Materials and Methods: Seventeen emergency physicians (8 board certified physicians, 9 residents) were invited to fill out a survey pertaining to the newly introduced radiology coverage system for the emergency department. The questionnaire included 10 questions covering three major topics. The first topic related to the around-the-clock radiology coverage by two full-time radiology residents. The second topic focused on the preliminary interpretations of radiology residents. The last topic included the interpretation assistance system by board-certified radiologists. The answers to each question were assessed using a scoring system of 1 to 5. Results: The mean satisfaction score of the around-the-clock radiology coverage system by the two full-time radiology residents was 4.6 (range 3-5). The mean score for the preliminary interpretation system by the radiology residents was 4.8 (range 4-5). The score for the reliability of the preliminary versus the final interpretations was 4.1 (range 4-5). Lastly, the mean score for the interpretation assistance system by board-certified radiologists was 4.9 (range 4-5). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate a high satisfaction rating among clinicians'of the new aroundthe-clock radiology coverage system for the emergency department.


The concept of venture philanthropy has been greatly discussed by various parties especially among the policy makers. The increasing social problems call for corporations to respond positively and take responsibilities in the social sector. It encourages venture philanthropy activities among profit and non-profit organizations in enhancing business values and creating positive social impacts. There have been past studies that looked at how venture philanthropy concept can be linked with Islamic philanthropy. Islamic philanthropy includes but not limited to zakat, waqf and sadaqah. The instruments within Islamic philanthropy aim to serve the purpose of narrowing social distance and reducing inequalities. This conceptual paper aims to understand further the concept of venture philanthropy and how it links to Islamic philanthropy. This paper also aims to explore how venture philanthropy approach is applicable in enhancing waqf practices.


Being as it is volatile, multifaceted, amorphous, omnipresent, flexible, and dynamic, "practice" defies precise definition. Plural in its characteristics, practice is also plural in the roles it plays. Hence, the question arises as to how "practice" operates as a tool of treaty interpretation and application. To answer this question, it is necessary to explore the genesis and features of the "practice family" as well as the way in which species of practice operate under a treaty regime. That is crucial to ascertain a better understanding of today's role of subsequent practice in the legal regime applicable to treaties. It also allows for reflection on how the legal category of "subsequent practice" may itself evolve in the future to meet the needs of any given treaty. At present, subsequent practice is centred on the conduct of states. However, the presence of other legally relevant practice under current treaties involving various actors may require a more in-depth consideration as to how all of these different categories coexist and interact with one another.


This work describes the development of a novel vision-based grasping system for unknown objects based on laser range and stereo data. The work presented here is based on 2.5D point clouds, where every object is scanned from the same view point of the laser range and camera position. We tested our grasping point detection algorithm separately on laser range and single stereo images with the goal to show that both procedures have their own advantages and that combining the point clouds reaches better results than the single modalities. The presented algorithm automatically filters, smoothes and segments a 2.5D point cloud, calculates grasping points, and finds the hand pose to grasp the desired object.


The Von Bertalanffy growth parameters {orXeiognathus jonesi are estimated as: L~ = 146.617 mm and K = 0.917 per year. The coefficient of total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M) and fishing- mortality (F) rates are estimated. The length-weight relationship of the fish is W= 0.000030335 ^^ 2.887. Beverton and Holt yield per recruit analysis shows that an increase in Lc results in better yield per recruit. The estimated average annual stock ranges between 8,800-9,100 tonnes and the average standing stock between 1,700-1,900 tonnes.


BACKGROUND
Distributed Research Infrastructures are gaining political traction in Europe to facilitate scientific research. This development has gained particular momentum in the area of biobanking where cross-national attempts have been made toward harmonizing the biobanking standards across the European Union through the establishment of the organization BBMRI (BioBanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure). BBMRI exists as separate national nodes across several European countries, although Sweden took on a pioneering role in its early stages. Thus, the Swedish node, BBMRI.se, was set up in 2009.

PURPOSE
To document publications addressing the current debate on large-scale distributed medical and/or biobank Research Infrastructures and identify the most pressing issues discussed by these articles through a narrative review.

METHODS
The Web of Science (WOS) and PubMed databases were searched to find prior studies of large-scale medical Research Infrastructures, with no limits set with regard to study design and/or time period. All identified articles published up until March 2016 were included in the initial review.

RESULTS
A total of 145 articles were retrieved from WOS and PubMed, though merely 17 ultimately made it past the final exclusion criteria. About two-thirds of the articles listed a first author affiliated to a European country. The articles most commonly discussed the need for developing and expanding the use of "infrastructures."

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
The future of scientific research will call for a deeper and more widespread multidisciplinary collaboration. This will emphasize the need of research seeking to optimize the preconditions of securing sustainable scientific collaboration. Future investigators will thus need to understand the components and mechanisms of Research Infrastructures in addition to acquiring knowledge of how to build, manage, brand, and promote them as well.


Differential Power Analysis (DPA) is a powerful technique for revealing secret data of cryptographic algorithms such as DES, AES and RSA implemented on a specific platform. In recent years, Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) allowed to better formalize the differential approaches of DPA with the use of a power model. We propose here two methods in order to optimize the power model for the targeted bits of the analysed algorithm. We will consider that all the targeted bits do not give the same contribution to the power consumption. Our first method consists in finding out the optimal ratio among the bits of a specific device. The second method is based on a statistical analysis of attack results while applying different possible ratios among the bits. The experimental electromagnetic radiation signals intercepted from an ASIC during DES operations show that our proposed methods allow to improve significantly the attack performance.


Objective: To investigate the expression of integrin α5β1 and fibronectin in the human aorta and coronary artery, and their effects in the development of atherosclerosis. Methods: One hundred and twenty autopsy aorta and coronary artery specimens were collected, and the expression of CD68, actin, integrin α5β1 and fibronectin was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Atherosclerotic plaques were located by CD68 and actin staining, and the degree of coronary artery stenosis was determined by elastic fiber staining and NIH Scion Image(60.1) software. The coronary artery tissues were divided into groups A (0-25%); B (26%-50%); C (51%-75%) and D (76%-100%) according to the degree of stenosis. Results: Integrin α5β1 showed cytoplasmic expression in endothelium, foam cells, monocytes, smooth muscle cells and adjacent tissue around calcification. In both the aorta and coronary artery, integrin α5β1 expression was stronger in the smooth muscle cells in the internal elastic lamina than in the tunica. The expression intensity in coronary artery smooth muscle decreased with increasing degree of coronary artery stenosis. Fibronectin showed cytoplasmic expression in foam cells, monocytes, smooth muscle cells of the internal elastic lamina and adjacent tissue around calcification. There was positive correlation of fibronectin and integrin α5β1 expression in smooth muscle cells and adjacent tissue around calcification. Conclusions: In the development of atherosclerosis, integrin α5β1 and fibronectin may participate in the regulating the migration of smooth muscle cells to the intima, and promote the formation of local calcification of atherosclerotic plaques. But integrin α5β1 is not involved in the late stage of atherosclerosis with increasing coronary artery stenosis.


The systematic review in Chapter 1 synthesizes evidence for the role of childhood adversity in BDD. This includes a background to the area, a detailed description of the review process, and appraisal and synthesis of current research evidence. In summary, experiences of sexual and emotional abuse, including victimisation and teasing aimed at physical appearance appear to be strongly associated with dysmorphic concern and BDD.
Although the review concludes that there is evidence for a relationship between childhood adversity and body dysmorphic disorder, it also highlights a paucity of research in the area and identifies particular gaps in the literature. Specifically in light of the finding that appearance-focused teasing is implicated in the development of BDD, Chapter 2, the empirical paper, seeks to explore this further. Recognizing dysmorphic concern as the central concept in BDD, the study examines the role of specificity in the relationship between appearance-focused teasing and dysmorphic concern in a University sample. The chapter provides an introduction and rationale for the study. An online survey method was selected to attend to the aims and objectives of the study, and findings are analysed and reported using carefully selected quantitative methods. Participants who recalled a specific focus to appearance teasing during childhood (i.e. teasing aimed at a specific body part) were found to have significantly higher levels of body dysmorphic concern, than those who were teased more generally about their appearance, or not at all. However, specificity did not moderate the relationship between frequency of appearance teasing and dysmorphic concern in further analyses. A discussion of the findings in relation to existing research evidence and clinical practice is provided and limitations of the study are discussed along with recommendations for future research.


Non-perennial rivers (N-PRs) make up two thirds of all rivers in South Africa, yet many are ungauged. Traditionally, it has been assumed that when a flow is recorded, there is water throughout that river. These assumptions have led to incorrect estimations of available water resources. This work thus aimed at developing a new spatially explicit framework, for monitoring river water availability in a N-PR system. The Tankwa River in South Africa was used for testing this approach. The length of the river reach with water was determined using the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data derived indices. Image thresholding was applied to Sentinel-1, and the normalised difference water index (NDWI) to Sentinel-2. Sentinel-2 yielded an overall accuracy (OA) of 85%, whereas Sentinel-1 yielded an OA of 38%. The analysed reach of the Tankwa River had an actual length of 9 244 m. Based on the performance of Sentinel-2 data, further analysis was undertaken using Sentinel images acquired during the months of February, May and July of 2016. The results indicated that the lengths of the reaches of inundated Tankwa River were 2 809 m, 3 202 m and 2 890 m, respectively. Overall, the findings of this study show that an estimated length of a river inundated by water can be determined using new-generation Sentinel data and these results provide new insights on the dynamics of N-PRs – a previously challenging task with broadband multispectral satellite datasets.


The teaching of computer organization has been handled in a number of different ways. The purpose of this paper is to outline an approach that we have classroom tested and found to be successful. A main decision is that of using real machines as design examples. The level of detail used to explain computer component structure and operation is an important consideration. Two examples are presented to show the style we use. Laboratory experiments are an integral part of the presentation.


The development of rational accesses and methods of surgical interventions to the chest walls, muscles and vascular-nerve formations of the chest involves clarifying data on the topography of fascia, superficial and deep muscles of the chest at different stages of human ontogenesis. The purpose of the study. Identification of macromicroscopic structure and topography of fascia and chest muscles in 4-6-month human fetuses. Materials and methods. The study was performed using microscopy of a series of consecutive histological sections of 29 human embryos of 81.0-230.0 mm parietal-coccygeal length, production of three-dimensional reconstruction models and morphometry. Results and discussion. In some early fetuses, and in isolated cases in the same fetus, there is anatomical variability of the pectoralis major muscle, characterized by asymmetry of shape, size and topography of individual parts of the right and left pectoralis major muscles. The underdevelopment of the individual muscle bundles of the sternocostal part of the pectoralis major muscle, hypoplasia of the internal intervertebral muscles, aplasia of the external intercostal membrane, internal intercostal and subcostal muscles, transverse muscles of the chest is described. Conclusion. In human fetuses of 4-6 months old there is anatomical variability of the chest muscles, characterized by bilateral asymmetry, variability of shape, size and topography of both their individual parts and muscle as a whole. In early human fetuses, thoracic fascia is a rather thin structural plate, in the structure of which there is no layering. Intervertebral spaces at the level of rib cartilage are filled with internal intervertebral muscles, the fibers of which near the edges of the thorax have a vertical direction, and from the point of connection of the rib cartilage to the thorax – oblique. In the gap between the external and internal intervertebral muscles of fascia as such is not manifested, but only a small layer of loose fiber is determined, in which the vascular-nerve bundles pass. In the fetuses of 6 months, the endothorаcic fascia on the posterior wall of the chest is somewhat thickened, split into separate plates and forms fascial cases for vascular-nerve formations located near the spinal column


To understand mechanisms of shortwave cloud‐radiative feedback to global warming in a general circulation model (GCM), we analyzed the response of tropical clouds to uniform increase of sea surface temperature in an atmospheric GCM with two different experimental designs: a single Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) run for 30 years and a series of 10 day weather hindcasts following the Transpose AMIP II (TAMIP). Given the fast time scale of cloud processes, the hindcast ensemble can capture initial transient responses toward equilibrium obtained in the AMIP experiment, which shows a reduction of low clouds over tropical subsidence regions. The reduction of clouds occurs in the first 10 days in TAMIP when the marine boundary layer (MBL) is destabilized because of contrast between fast and slow warming in the MBL and aloft. Enhanced evaporation from the sea surface that should moisten the MBL through turbulent mixing is suppressed by a reduced surface wind speed associated with a slowdown of the Walker circulation. The sign of the low‐cloud change over the subsidence regime is thus determined roughly by competition between convective drying and turbulent moistening of the MBL.


The recently adopted Trade Secrets Directive aims to increase incentives for cross-border innovation activities and business competitiveness in the European Union. Yet, the Directive has been controversial and criticised for failing to provide adequate safeguards for whistleblowers, i.e. individuals who expose information in the public interest. This Insight offers a legal analysis of interlinks between protection of trade secrets and whistleblower protection and questions whether the Directive increases the susceptibility of whistleblowers. Furthermore, despite the prima facie antagonism between trade secrets and whistleblowing, this Insight shows that their rationale for improving the EU internal market is shared, and points to the necessity of across-the-board EU protection of whistleblowers alongside trade secrets protection.


Magnetic and dielectric properties of rubber composites are controlled by using two kinds of high-permeability metal particles with different electrical conductivity (Sendust, Permalloy), and their effect on microwave absorbance has been investigated, focusing on the quasi-microwave frequency band (0.8-2 GHz). Noise absorbing sheets are composite materials of magnetic flake particles of high aspect ratio dispersed in polymer matrix with various filler amount of 80-90 wt.%. The frequency dispersion and magnitude of complex permeability is almost the same for Sendust and Permalloy composite specimens. However, the complex permittivity of the Permalloy composite (, ) is much greater than that of Sendust composite (, ). Due to the large dielectric permittivity of Permalloy composite, the absorbing band is shifted to lower frequency region. However, the investigation of impedance matching reveals that the magnetic permeability is still small to satisfy the zero-reflected condition at the quasi-microwave frequency band, resulting in a small microwave absorbance lower than 10 dB.


Component importance analysis plays an important role in system reliability theory. This paper proposes a novel measure of component importance for all-digital protection systems, which considers both the manufacturing cost and the failure cost. First, the function of manufacturing cost versus component failure rate is proposed, and the function of total cost versus system reliability for all-digital protection systems is derived. Second, the measure of importance considering cost with respect to component as well as component type is defined, and related calculation equations are derived. Afterwards, the component importance for a typical all-digital protection system is analyzed and discussed, which demonstrates the application value of the new measure of component importance. A conclusion about the benefits of the application principle and method of the new measure is given at the end.


A community mental health center operates a psychiatric consultation program as an integral part of the medical emergency service of a 550-bed general hospital. A major advantage of the system is that it allows the hospital to provide immediate comprehensive services--psychiatric as well as medical--to emergency patients. The consultation program also accepts referrals of hospitalized medical patients with apparent emotional problems and referrals of patients from such sources outside the hospital as pediatricians, clergymen, and other community agencies.


The purpose of the present experiment was to examine which of the two major theories, the reinforcement theory or the cognitive theory, could explain verbal conditioning better. If verbal conditioning conforms to the reinforcement theory, the following hypotheses can be demonstrated. (a) The level of reversal learning will be low when the level of original learning is high. (b) The level of reversal learning will be low when the trials of original learning are few.To test these hypotheses, two experiments were conducted using the procedure of reversal learning of the Taffel-type task. The personal pronouns used were "I", "YOU", "HE", "SHE", "THEY" and different verbs were combined with each of them. In the original learning (40 trials) of the first experiment, positive reinforcement was given to the pronoun of the lowest operant level (L-O), negative reinforcement to the other four pronouns. Subjects were divided into three groups according to the level of the original learning. In the original learning of the second experiment, the pronoun of the middle operant level (M-O) which was given positive reinforcement in the original learning was used instead of L-O. Subjects were divided into three groups according to the number of trials of the original learning; 20, 40, 60. In the reversal learning of Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, positive reinforcement was given to the pronoun of the highest operant level (H-O). Throughout these experiments, reinforcements were provided by E's saying "Yes" or "No".The main results were as follows. (a) The higher the level of original learning, the higher the reversal learning. (b) The reversal learning was higher as the number of trials of the original learning increased.These results might be interpreted as follows: In the groups which showed the highest level of original learning in Exp. 1 or which were given many trials of original learning in Exp. 2, overtraining might have resulted, so that reversal learning was promoted because of the overtraining reversal effect. To test this possibility, subjects were given 10, 20, or 40 trials of overtraining after reaching a criterion of 5 successive correct responses. Immediately after completing the original learning, they were given the reversal learning with a criterion of 5 successive correct responses. No relationship was found between the magnitude of overtraining and reversal learning.The present study did not support the hypotheses based on the reinforcement theory, but suggested the interpretation of the cognitive theory.


The nanocrystalline αII-phase of the industrially produced organic pigment quinacridone was studied by 3D electron diffraction of its crystals with a thickness of only 10 nm. The diffraction data showed strong diffuse scattering along one direction indicating severe stacking disorder. The average crystal structure was obtained from electron diffraction data using direct methods. In αII-quinacridone, the molecules are connected by a pair of hydrogen bonds thereby forming molecular chains, which are stacked, resulting in the formation of layers. The layers exhibit a stacking disorder with a mixture of herringbone and parallel arrangements, which explains the diffuse scattering. The crystal structure was confirmed by dispersion-corrected DFT calculations.


There is still uncertainty about the diagnosis and nature of the plague; some scholars have been forced to abandon certainties and be filled with doubts: from believing that the mediaeval Black Plague was, in reality, the bubonic plague (although with unusual characteristics) to stating that there is very little evidence to support a retro-diagnosis. This article looks at this in depth, not only reviewing the historiography but also giving new interpretations which question previous hypotheses through research on images of the time, comparing them to the most recent investigative data. Two primary sources are analysed: Renaissance treaties written by four Italian doctors: Michele Savonarola, Marsilio Ficino, Leonardo Fioravanti and Gioseffo Daciano; and iconography: an illustrated manuscript of the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio and a Hebrew Haggadah from the XIVth century. The results are compared to the most recent research on DNA and in micropaleontology.


Background The Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome protein (WASp) family of proteins plays a crucial role in the activation of the Arp2/3 (actin-related protein 2/3) complex to promote the branching of actin filaments. The proline-rich domain (PRD) of WASp is known to contribute to branching nucleation but was overlooked, until experiments showed that the PRD of budding yeast Las17 can bind actin filaments (1). Methods We purified recombinant proline-rich domains from fission yeast S. pombe Wsp1 and budding yeast S. cerevisiae Las17 to test in biochemical assays of actin binding and polymerization. Results The PRD of the S. pombe Wsp1 binds actin filaments with micromolar affinity. The PRDs of both Wsp1 and Las17 slowed the rate of actin filament elongation by Mg-ATP-actin monomers by half and slowed the spontaneous polymerization of Mg-ATP-actin monomers modestly. Conclusion The affinity of PRDs of WASp-family proteins for actin filaments is high enough to contribute to the reported stimulation of actin filament branching by Arp2/3 complex.


The phase transition evolution with hydration of a model system, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), was investigated with a fast nanocalorimetry system. Using nanocalorimetry, it is possible to measure the gel to liquid phase transitions that occur on millisecond to second time scales and quantify the time to recover the hydrated state. The results show the phase transition occurring in a few milliseconds and the relaxation or recovery time from the dehydrated state back to original hydrated state occurring with times dependent on the local humidity. With relative humidity (RH) of 43% or higher, the recovery time can be less than a few seconds. With RH of 11% or lower, the recovery time is extended to greater than a minute. The recovery process is controlled by mechanisms that depend on the lipid molecular repacking and water transport from the environment. Nanocalorimetry provides a powerful method to investigate the kinetics of such transformations in lipids and other biological and pharmaceutical moieties.


A new SWIG / Fortran tool introduced in Johnson et al. [to appear] automatically generates native Fortran 2003 interfaces to C and C ++ libraries. This allows a seamless integration of existing C ++ libraries into the Fortran applications. However, using the generated interfaces is complicated by the lack of appropriate documentation. In this report, we document a way to automatically port the existing Doxygen documentation of the C ++ libraries to Fortran. We use ForTrilinos library as our target application, and discuss the scope and limitations of this approach.


An (m,p) urn contains m balls of value − 1 and p balls of value +1. A player starts with fortune k and in each game draws a ball without replacement with the fortune increasing by one unit if the ball is positive and decreasing by one unit if the ball is negative, having to stop when k = 0 (risk aversion). Let V(m,p,k) be the expected value of the game. We are studying the question of the minimum k such that the net gain function of the game V(m,p,k) − k is positive, in both the discrete and the continuous (Brownian bridge) settings. Monotonicity in various parameters m, p, k is established for both the value and the net gain functions of the game. For the cut-off value k, since the case m − p < 0 is trivial, for p → ∞, either , when the gain function cannot be positive, or , when it is sufficient to have , where α is a constant. We also determine an approximate optimal strategy with exponentially small probability of failure in terms of p. The problem goes back to Shepp [8], who determined the constant α in the unrestricted case when the net gain does not depend on k. A new proof of his result is given in the continuous setting.


This paper presents the concept of equivalent pseudowords and develops a new unsupervised Chinese word sense disambiguation method. This method, after statistical learning from the equivalent pseudowords, realizes unsupervised word sense disambiguation by calculating mutual information to measure the degree of collocation information between the ambiguous words and their context. In our experiment, we test ten real ambiguous words and get the highest accuracy of 97%. The mean accuracy was 88.52%. The experimental results have proved the feasibility of this method.


"The Cares of a Family Man", Kafka's 474-word text has attracted the minds of a number of inspiring philosophers and literary critics such as Walter Benjamin, Werner Hamacher, and J. Hillis Miller. The magnificence of this piece of writing is the unique relation between the word "Odradek" and the creature with the same name; that is what this essay is mostly concentrated on, and where the paradoxes in Hamacher and Miller studies of this story shows up; points such as the significant difference between being meaningless and meaning meaningless, and the extremely specific name-named relation in this particular text, an arrow that just points and refuses to dedicate any sort of meaning to the named entity. Following these, this essay proposes a study of "Biodegradable" by Derrida in order to erect a critical analysis of Hamacher and Miller's endeavor to decompose the word Odradek. The discussion will be continued in the second chapter then on the connections between Odradek-Hausvater and Speech-Logos, based on a critical reading of Derrida's "Disseminations", in particular on the metaphor of "The Father of Logos". In the end, a few patterns will be proposed for the twofold set of Odradek-Hausvater, and the concepts of voice, death, and boundary will be investigated.


An immunosuppressive effect was seen in murine brucellosis as detected by using plaque forming cell (PFC) and 3H-labelled lymphocyte blastogenesis transformation (LBT) assays. The immunosuppression PFC could last until 11 months after infection, while that of LBT was only seen at 3 months after infection. This immunosuppression could be relieved by using immunomodulators such as levamisole, bestatin, IL-2 and polyporus umbellatus. IL-2 and polyporus umbellatus could reverse the suppression to normal levels. Thus, this study provided evidence that immunosuppression is a component of pathogenesis of brucellosis.


Spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy has been performed on single, H-terminated, Si nanocrystals in the size range 25–500 A. The particles were prepared via the gas-phase photolysis of a dilute Si2H6/He mixture in a gas flow cell, and deposited on a holey carbon grid for analysis. Energy loss within a few eV of the core 2p ionization edge reveals information about the conduction band states at Δ1 and L1 in the Brillouin zone. The conduction band edge is observed to shift to higher energy as the inverse square of the particle radius. In addition, a strong increase in the oscillator strength for these transitions is observed for decreasing particle sizes below 60 A.


One of the biggest challenges in volcanology is assessing the role of magma properties (volatile budgets, storage depths, and ascent rates) in controlling eruption explosivity. We use a new approach based on apatite to estimate volatile contents and magma ascent rates from a sequence of sub-Plinian, effusive, and Vulcanian eruption deposits at Rabaul caldera (Papua New Guinea) emplaced in 2006 CE to probe the mechanisms responsible for the sudden transitions in eruption styles. Our findings show that all magmas were originally stored at similar conditions (2–4 km depth and 1.8–2.5 wt% H2O in the melt); only the magma that formed the lava flow stalled and degassed at a shallower level (0.2–1.5 km) for several months. A more energetic batch of magma rose from depth, bypassed the transient reservoir, and ascended within ≤8 h to Earth's surface (mean velocity ≥0.2 m/s), yielding the initial sub-Plinian phase of the eruption. The shallowly degassed magma was then able to reach the surface as a lava flow, likely through the path opened by the sub-Plinian magma. The magma of the last Vulcanian phase ascended without storage at a shallow depth, albeit more slowly (ascent rate 0.03–0.1 m/s) than the sub-Plinian magma. Our study illustrates how the complexity of plumbing systems may affect eruption styles, including at other volcanic systems, and have implications for interpreting volcano monitoring data.


Dasatinib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is approved for therapy of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Common adverse effects of this therapy include myelosuppression, fluid retention and diarrhoea. However, Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) in the context of dasatinib therapy, without a history of antecedent antibiotic use, has not been reported previously. We present here a case of a 36-year-old man diagnosed with accelerated phase of CML, who was started on treatment with dasatinib. Two months into therapy, he experienced profuse diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed multiple confluent colonic mucosal ulcerations. Immunoassay study of stool revealed positive C. difficile toxin. The patient was started on oral metronidazole, with discontinuation of all other drugs, including dasatinib. He made a complete uneventful recovery following 2 weeks of antibiotic therapy. Chemotherapeutic agents, such as dasatinib, should be considered as possible etiological agents in the pathogenesis of CDI, even in absence of antibiotic use.


We study quantum particles at zero temperature in an optical lattice coupled to a resonant cavity mode. The cavity field substantially modifies the particle dynamics in the lattice, and for strong particle-field coupling leads to self-organization of the particles, a configuration with only every second site occupied. We study the growth of this order out of a homogeneous initial distribution for few particles. Simulations reveal that the growth dynamics crucially depends on the initial quantum many-body state of the particles and can be monitored via the cavity fluorescence. Studying the relaxation time of the ordering reveals inhibited tunnelling due to the interaction with the cavity field. However, the relaxation becomes very quick for strong coupling.


This article discusses the impact of territorial expansion on the socio-political structure among Papuans. The strategic issue of socio-economic and cultural transformation that is driven through territory expansion becomes hampered when new Papuan elites take over resources. The formation of a new social class, namely the new Papuan elites provided enormous political economy benefits in the expansion of the region. Strategic political positions and access toward development projects are tempting income. The presence of the new Papuan middle class is an important phenomenon in the midst of various development efforts for the welfare of the Papuan. Applying ethnographic approach this study aims to examine the process of the formation of Papuan elites as an impact of the dynamics of regional expansion, as well as the habitus of the presence of elites and strategy practiced in the community level.


Recurrent tuberculosis was treated in hospital in 86 patients, 82.7% of whom had destructive disease, while 84.0% disseminated the bacteria. Combined chemotherapy included 4 tuberculostatic drugs: 10% isoniazid (7 mg/kg iv drip), streptomycin (0.5 g intramuscularly), rifadin (0.6 g orally) and tisamid (25-30 mg/kg orally). The drugs were given twice a week under the intermittent regimen in combination with 10% isoniazid (7 mg/kg) and streptomycin (0.5 g) inhalations. During a mean hospital stay of 6.5 months disappearance of destruction and discontinuation of the bacilli dissemination were achieved in 91.1% and 93.9% of patients, respectively, suffering from infiltrative and disseminated tuberculosis.


The cytological features including chromosome number, karyotypic characteristics, C-banding and silver NOR-banding were investigated in a local cultivar of Allium sativum L., from Turkey. Actual lengths, relative lengths, L/S arm ratios of mitotic chromosomes were calculated from best six metaphase plates. Only Chromosome 5 was submedian, all the others were median. C-banding was observed on 4 chromosomes. Bands were centromeric on Chromosome 1 and 4, located to the neighbourhood of the secondary constrictions on Chromosome 5 and were interstitial close to centromere on Chromosome 8. Darkly stained silver nitrate bandings were present in the NORs of Chromosome 5 and 7, on Chromosome 1 and 8 in some cells.