Double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are viewed as the golden standard of drug research in Western medicine. However, RCTs are far from "golden" in many respects. They are impractical for many therapies, such as for surgeries and complex lifestyle changes. They encourage a one-size-fits-all approach to medical treatment that fails to address the huge diversity among individual patients in terms of their physical and emotional symptoms, social and cultural upbringing, and other factors. Perhaps, more importantly, they do not help doctors make the best medical decisions required to produce optimal patient outcomes. To guide a search for an alternate model of medical research, three principles based on Ayurveda, an ancient and powerful system of health care that has stood the test of time, are presented. These principles, arrived at after mining Ayurvedic epistemology, are: Inductive learning, whole systems thinking, and individually optimized therapy. In honor of the ancient sages or "Rishis," whose voice is used to deliver Ayurvedic knowledge in the ancient texts of Ayurveda, these are referred to as the "Rishi principles." Common research methodologies are examined for embodiment of these principles.


The present article investigates the acquisition of a core syntactic property – the ungrammaticality of null subjects in English – by advanced and near-native learners whose first languages are European Portuguese (EP), a null subject language, and French, a non-null subject language. Two experimental tasks were used: an untimed drag-and-drop task and a speeded acceptability judgement task. Results show that French speakers behave target-like across all tasks and conditions, but EP speakers do not. At an advanced level, they fail to reject expletive and [-animate] null subjects in the speeded task. Crucially, at a near native level, EP speakers behave fully target-like across all conditions and tasks. These findings indicate that the syntax of subjects may exhibit significant developmental delays depending on first-second language combinations, but is completely acquirable. Developmental problems are argued to result from the misanalysis of (some of) the overt expletive subjects in the L2 input. This proposal is supported by an exploratory follow-up experiment, whose results are presented and discussed in the article.


A large portion of system breaches are caused by authentication failure. These failures are themselves related to the limitations associated with existing authentication methods. The current proxy based or biometrics based authentication, are not user-centric or endanger users security and privacy. A central theme of authentication is to authenticate users using characteristics intrinsically linked with human users rather than some external factors. A central theme of authentication is to authenticate users using characteristics intrinsically linked with human users rather than some external factors. But current authentication methods, whether proxy based or biometrics based, are not user-centric and/or endanger users' security and privacy. A promising direction emerging from this effort is biometrics. This work proposes a biometrics based user-centric authentication approach. The proposed method securely fuses the extracted user biometrics feature with the user data forming a BioCapsule(BC) and enabling these BCs for authentication. This BC is then encrypted using AES algorithm to provide high security to the data. The user data used in this approach consist of user name, date of birth, address and account number which combines together forming a Reference Byte (RB). Such an approach is user friendly, secure, identity bearing yet privacy-preserving, resilient, and revocable once a BC is compromised. The proposed model can be applied for biometric ATMs which replaces card system by biometric technology for operating ATMs. During authentication, the user is required to provide another sample of the users biometric characteristics. This is matched with the one in the database, and if the two samples are the same, then the user is considered to be a valid user. Proposed model provides high security in authentication which also protects service user from unauthorized access for authentication. Such an approach is secure, privacypreserving, user friendly, and revocable. By fusing the users biometrics with a distinct user details makes the reference subject different among different users.


The purpose of this study is to examine the Americans' perception on Korean food by analyzing the articles of the New York Times which is the best quality newspaper in America. The number of articles of the New York Times on Korean food were 111 from 1980 to 2005. The average yearly articles was 1.3 form 1980 to 1989, 4.1 from 1990 to 1999, and 9.5 from 2000 to 2005. A large number of articles(54.1%) concerning Korean foods were restaurant reviews based on the experiences in dining at Korean restaurant in America. Main authors of restaurant reviews were Eric Asimo(14), Florence Fabricant(11), and Mark Bittman(8). The kinds of Korean foods reported in the New York Times were 111 which included staple food(21), subsidiary food(82) dessert(4) and Japanese Food(4). There were 15 recipes on Korean food reported in the New York Times including 3 items on Kimchi and 3 items on Bulgogi. The New York Times said Kimchi, Buigogi, Galbi, Pajeon, and Bibimbop were popular among Americans. The New York Times described Korean foods as exhilarating, robust, bold, rustic, healthful, incendiary, assertive, lusty, and exuberant. There were many favorable comments on Korean foods in the New York Times.


A specification concept for a distributed modular system is introduced. Concurrently executable modules and their interconnections are used as the basis for a computational model for distributed systems that allows the representation of distributed systems in which each of the local subsystems can be concurrently executable. Hence, both internal concurrency within local subsystems and external concurrency in the network between different subsystems can be appropriately expressed. A specification language for systems of that kind, called Pi language is introduced by giving an overview of its syntax and semantics.<<ETX>>


ABSTRACT Vivien Thomas (1910–1985) was an African-American scientist, pioneer, and renowned educator. Thomas's contributions to cardiovascular surgery were unequivocal, and yet it was only after his death that he gained more widespread recognition. Thomas's more notable work involves aiding in the discovery of the cause of traumatic shock, designing and guiding the first operation to treat Tetralogy of Fallot, carrying out the first atrial septectomy, and helping develop the electrical defibrillator. Thomas struggled amidst the adversities of racism and the Great Depression (1929–1941), armed merely with a high school degree. Nevertheless, his genius and determination eventually led him to receive an honorary doctorate from John Hopkins University. His story inspired the creation of the award winning PBS documentary in 2003 Partners of the Heart and also the 2004 Emmy Award-winning HBO film Something the Lord Made. This article will aim to provide an overview to the more notable events in Thomas's amazing tale, with a particular focus on his work on the Tetralogy of Fallot.


participant group with CP. Conclusions/Significance: The construct validity of the Wrist Position Sense Test and Functional Tactile Object Recognition Test has been supported, and further testing is currently underway to establish comprehensive psychometric properties. References: 1. Carey, L., Oke, L., and Matyas, T. 'Impaired limb position sense after stroke: a quantitative test for clinical use'. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 77 (1996): 1271–1278. 2. Carey, L., Nankervis, J., LeBlanc, S., & Harvey, L. 'A new functional tactual object recognition test (fTORT) for stroke clients: normative standards and discriminative validity'. Paper presented at: 14th International Congress of the WorldFederation of Occupational Therapists; July 23-28, 2006; Sydney, Australia. 3. Mathiowetz, V., Federman, S., & Wiemer, D. 'Box and Block Test of Manual Dexterity: Norms for 6–19 years olds'. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy 52.5 (1985): 241– 245.


Background: Multiple nosocomial outbreaks caused by Burkholderia cepacia involving contaminated water, contaminated medication, nebulization solution, etc., have been reported.

Objectives: This study was conducted with the aim of tracing the most likely causes of sudden increase in isolation rates of B. cepacia from blood samples of patients admitted in different intensive care units (ICUs) of a superspecialty hospital.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a super-speciality hospital located in New Delhi, India, from August 2015 to July 2016. Blood samples from 600 non-consecutive patients admitted in various ICUs were received for culture and sensitivity testing during the study period. Blood samples of 147 of these non-consecutive inpatients yielded B. cepacia in culture. Relevant details of all patients were obtained as per the pro forma formulated. Environmental sampling was also performed at regular intervals to trace the possible sources of infection. Chi-square test was used to calculate P value.

Results: The study period was divided into three-quarters and the difference in the proportion of cases isolated from the ICUs under study during each of these quarters was not found to be statistically significant (0.05 < P < 0.1). A statistically significant association (P < 0.001 using Chi-square test) was found between afebrile status and simultaneous isolation of B. cepacia from blood samples of patients. B. cepacia could not be consistently isolated from any source during the study period.

Conclusions: Nursing staff and doctors working in wards and ICUs should work in liaison with a diagnostic laboratory to assure swift communication of healthcare-associated infection alerts. Isolation of B. cepacia from clinical samples should always be correlated clinically to avoid inadvertent use of antimicrobials.


the patients developed gastrointestinal symptoms, and many stopped the drug as a result, though the side effects were not as severe as those from some other more powerful drugs. A 20-30",, response rate also means a 70-80 ,, failure rate. As in other forms of cancer, the era of single modality treatment for cancer of the prostate is drawing to a close, and collaborative studies of combined therapy are in progress in both Europe and North America. How far the investigation and treatment of an elderly man with carcinoma of the prostate should be taken must remain a matter of clinical judgment, but it is now evident that all patients with a reasonable life expectancy should be accommodated into a well-controlled clinical study to resolve the many doubts that still exist.


The use of narrative and other prose forms as a tool for investigating mental processes is not new. Psychologists such as Jean Piaget and F.C. Bartlett both used stories in research on complex cognitive skills in children and adults. However, with the advent of Ebbinghaus' monumental work on memory using "nonsense syllables," theoretical psychology turned away from the use of meaningful material. With the use of nonsense syllables, researchers hoped to isolate the variables of memory and individual content associations. Recently, there has been a renewal of interest in the study of narrative and memory due to the recognition that narrative taps certain processes that syllables and isolated words do not. In addition, narrative and memory studies have generated interest among those researchers concerned with the applicability of memory studies to educational settings. Disciplines Child Psychology | Cognitive Psychology | Early Childhood Education | Education | Educational Psychology | Language and Literacy Education This review is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/literacyorg_articles/26 VOL. 22 KEYSTONE FOLKLORE NO. 1-2


Inverse problems in multi-dimensional imaging, e.g., completion, denoising, and compressive sensing, are challenging owing to the big volume of the data and the inherent illposedness. To tackle these issues, this work unsuper-visedly learns a hierarchical low-rank tensor factorization (HLRTF) by solely using an observed multi-dimensional image. Specifically, we embed a deep neural network (DNN) into the tensor singular value decompositionframe-work and develop the HLRTF, which captures the underlying low-rank structures of multi-dimensional images with compact representation abilities. This DNN herein serves as a nonlinear transform from a vector to another to help obtain a better low-rank representation. Our HLRTF infers the parameters of the DNN and the underlying low-rank structure of the original data from its observation via the gradient descent using a non-reference loss function in an unsupervised manner. To address the vanishing gradient in extreme scenarios, e.g., structural missing pixels, we introduce a parametric total variation regularization to constrain the DNN parameters and the tensor factor parameters with theoretical analysis. We apply our HLRTF for typical inverse problems in multi-dimensional imaging including completion, denoising, and snapshot spectral imaging, which demonstrates its generality and wide applicability. Extensive results illustrate the superiority of our method as compared with state-of-the-art methods.


Abstract Genomic "scans" to identify loci that contribute to local adaptation are becoming increasingly common. Many methods used for such studies have assumed that local adaptation is created by loci experiencing antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) and that the selected locus itself is assayed, and few consider how signals of selection change through time. However, most empirical data sets have marker density too low to assume that a selected locus itself is assayed, researchers seldom know when selection was first imposed, and many locally adapted loci likely experience not AP but conditional neutrality (CN). We simulated data to evaluate how these factors affect the performance of tests for genotype‐environment association (GEA). We found that 3 types of regression‐based analyses (linear models, mixed linear models, and latent factor mixed models) and an implementation of BayEnv all performed well, with high rates of true positives and low rates of false positives, when the selected locus experienced AP, and when the selected locus was assayed directly. However, all tests had reduced power to detect loci experiencing CN, and the probability of detecting associations was sharply reduced when physically linked rather than causative loci were sampled. AP also maintained detectable GEAs much longer than CN. Our analyses suggest that if local adaptation is often driven by loci experiencing CN, genome‐scan methods will have limited capacity to find loci responsible for local adaptation.


This paper describes the authors' recent development work involving the use of EPROM-based microcontrollers for implementation of artificial neural networks. The microcontrollers used are selected from the PIC family of devices, which are 8-bit devices employing a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) and Harvard architectures. The primary motivation for this work is to develop implementations of small neural networks which are simple to understand and experiment with, enabling them to be used as aids in the undergraduate teaching of neural networks and in demonstrations of their basic principles. Practical issues are addressed and results are presented for implementations of a single neuron and a small feedforward neural network. In each case on chip training is incorporated using the delta rule and the error backpropagation algorithm respectively. Proposals for hardware implementations of larger networks are included. (5 pages)


During the spring and summer of 2020, cities across the world responded to the global COVID-19 pandemic by converting roadway facilities into open pedestrian spaces. These conversions improved access to public open space, but measuring the variation in that improvement among different populations requires clear definitions of access and methods for measuring it. In this study, we evaluate the change in a utility-based park accessibility measure resulting from street conversions in Alameda County, California. Our utility-based accessibility measure is constructed from a park activity location choice model we estimate using mobile device data – supplied by StreetLight Data, Inc. – representing trips to parks in that county. The estimated model reveals heterogeneity in inferred affinity for park attributes among different sociodemographic groups. We find, for example, that neighborhoods with more lower-income residents and those with more residents of color show a greater preference for park proximty while neighborhods with higher incomes and those with more white residents show a greater preference for park size and amenities. We then apply this model to examine the accessibility benefits resulting from COVID-19 street conversions to create a set of small park-like open spaces; we find that this has been a pro-social policy in that Black, Hispanic, and low-income households receive a disproportionate share of the policy benefits, relative to the population distribution.


The military trauma management experiences in the 1950s and 1960s were some of the catalysts for the development of emergency medical services systems worldwide. How is the Australian military managing trauma in light of the recent experiences in Rwanda and Papua New Guinea?


This paper investigates the influence of switching frequency and modulation index on the iron losses in thin silicon-iron (SiFe) lamination sheets of a small slot-less permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). First, measurements are conducted on one welded and one non-welded stator core for switching frequencies between 1 kHz and 20 kHz and modulation indices of 0.4, 0.7, and 0.9, keeping constant fundamental flux density peak values. The obtained measurement data is afterwards used in finite element method (FEM) simulations to investigate the switching frequency influence on the performance of the PMSM.


ABSTRACT The study espoused the access analytical framework to investigate how introduction of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) in Kenya has changed the various actors' ability to benefit from the forest resources of Eastern Mau Forest Reserve. Data collected through key informant interviews, and a household survey showed that implementation of PFM has triggered new income opportunities for forest adjacent communities in seedling production and beekeeping. However, PFM bestowed no real decision-making powers to the established Community Forest Associations (CFAs) over important forest resources such as timber and firewood. Members of the local communities and other actors have continued to access these resources through various structural and relational means, in the same way as before the introduction of PFM. Further, it is documented that PFM has introduced additional burdens on the local communities, especially the poorest households, as a result of increased enforcement of rules. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the PFM policy in Kenya, in its current form, is unlikely to realize its dual objectives of forest conservation and livelihood enhancement. To attain them would require a further devolution of rights to the CFAs.


Introduction: Sleep deprivation is one of those factors that affect the energy intake and appetite of individuals. It is reported that sleep deprivation affected by certain hormones (e.g. insulin, Leptin, ghrelin, and cholecystokinin, etc.) that are involved in energy balance may affect body weight through appetite. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 30-hours sleep deprivation on the response of leptin and ghrelin levels to an Exhaustive activity among active male students. Materials and Methods: Among the active male students of Razi University of Kermanshah, 20 undergraduate students were selected through convenience sampling and participated in the study. Subjects were evaluated by simple randomized cross-sectional design in two situations. Results: Information related to the comparison of post-test and pre-test in two experimental (sleep deprivation) and control (adequate sleep) situations showed that leptin hormone in sleep deprivation conditions decreased compared to rest conditions (9.4 %) And ghrelin hormone in experimental conditions increased compared to control conditions (2.04%) and this difference is considered significant at the level (p = 0.0012). Insomnia also caused significant changes in physiological parameters (VO2max, heart rate, blood pressure, time to exhaustion, etc.). Conclusion: 30 hours of sleep deprivation decreased leptin and at the same time increased ghrelin, which indicates the importance of night sleep, which is one of the influential factors associated with obesity and overweight. *Corresponding Author: Vahid Kazemizadeh Address: Master of Sports Physiology Student, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran Tel: 09182688075 E-mail: email@example.com


Uncertainty contributes to stress and anxiety-like behaviors by impairing the ability of participants to objectively estimate threat. Our study used the cue-picture paradigm in conjunction with the event-related potential (ERP) technique to explore the temporal dynamics of anticipation for and response to uncertain threat in healthy individuals. This task used two types of cue. While 'certain' cues precisely forecasted the valence of the subsequent pictures (negative or neutral), the valence of pictures following 'uncertain' cues was not predictable. ERP data showed that, during anticipation, uncertain cues elicited similar Stimulus-Preceding Negativity (SPN) to certain-negative cues, while both of them elicited larger SPN than certain-neutral cues. During affective processing, uncertainty enlarged the mean amplitude of late positive potential (LPP) for both negative and neutral pictures. Behavioral data showed that participants reported more negative mood ratings of uncertain-neutral pictures relative to certain-neutral pictures and overestimated the probability of negative pictures following uncertain cues. Importantly, the enlarged anticipatory activity evoked by uncertain cues relative to that evoked by certain-neutral cues positively modulated the more negative mood ratings of uncertain-neutral pictures relative to certain-neutral pictures. Further, this more negative mood ratings and the general arousal anticipation during anticipatory stage contributed to the covariation bias. These results can provide a novel insight into understanding the neural mechanism and pathological basis of anxiety.


In a previous paper, action structures were proposed as a variety of algebra to underlie concrete models of concurrent computation and interaction. That work is summarised here, to make the paper self-contained. In particular, the uniform construction of a process calculus upon an arbitrary action structure is reviewed. Another relevant concept from the previous paper is recalled, namely the notion of incident set. Its importance is that, in the process calculus uniformly constructed upon any action structure, a bisimulation equivalence which rests upon an incident set is guaranteed to be a congruence for the calculus. The main purpose of this paper is to give a family of action structures for the -calculus. Using one of these, the original -calculus is obtained by the uniform construction. The most substantial technical element here is the construction of an appropriate incident set for this action structure, yielding a bisimulation congruence for the -calculus. Another action structure is used to provide (again via the uniform construction) a synchronous version of the -calculus, in the sense that MEIJE or SCCS is a synchronous version of CCS. The natural version of this action structure contains an anomaly which appears to prevent the existence of the appropriate incident set. However, a so-called reflexive version of the action structure does indeed yield a natural incident set, and thereby again a bisimulation congruence. Two innovations are noteworthy. One is the definition of reflexive substitution. With this new kind of substitution, restricting a port-name x (in the sense of CCS) amounts to "making x denote itself" – i.e. reflexively substitutingx for itself. This notion simplifies the action structure for the synchronous -calculus. The second innovation is that the action structures are presented graphically, giving a new perspective on the -calculus. Indeed, both definition and proof of the incident set for the reflexive -calculus are in terms of a simple graph-theoretic notion of reachability. This work was done with the support of a Senior Fellowship from the Science and Engineering Research Council, UK.


The gas tunnel plasma spraying method was employed to deposit HA/ZrO2 composite coatings on SUS 304 substrate in an atmospheric chamber. The design of the plasma torch allows for the external and internal feeding of the sprayed powder. Pure HA powder was fed externally and ZrO2 powder was fed internally. The feeding rate was controlled to deposit HA/ZrO2 coatings with different zirconia contents. Two sprayed coatings with different zirconia contents were obtained. The influence of ZrO2 and its volume fraction on the microstructure and mechanical properties of HA/ZrO2 composite coatings was investigated. A comparison between the microstructure and mechanical properties of pure HA and HA/ZrO2 composite coatings was made. Scanning electron micrographs of the coatings cross-sections showed good adhesion between the coatings and the substrate and also the dense structure of the coatings. The presence of ZrO2 improved the hardness and abrasive wear resistance of the composite coatings compared with the pure HA coatings.


In this article, to miniaturize the hydrogenation reactor and make the H2O2 production with more safety a gas-liquid microdispersion system was generated to intensify the process of catalytic hydrogenation of ethylanthraquinone by passing the gas-liquid microdispersion system through a generally packed bed reactor. A microdispersion device with a 5 μm pore size microfiltration membrane as the dispersion medium has been developed and microbubbles in the size of 10–100 μm were successfully generated. The reaction and mass transfer performance was evaluated. The conversion of ethylanthraquinone as much as 35% was realized in less than 3.5 s. The overall volume mass transfer coefficient in the microdispersion reaction system reached in the range of 1–21 s−1, more than two orders of magnitude larger than the values in normal gas-liquid trickle-bed reactors. A mathematical model in the form of Sh = 2.0 + 54.7Sc1/3We1/2ϕ1/10 has been firstly suggested, which can well predict the overall mass transfer coefficient. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012


The p53 tumor suppressor protein controls cell fate by inducing apoptosis or cell cycle arrest in response to cell stress [1]. Cell cycle arrest can be temporary (quiescent) or permanent (senescent) depending on p53 regulation [2, 3]. Under normal conditions, p53 binds to MDM2, which transports the protein to the cytoplasm where it undergoes rapid proteosomal degradation. A class of chemotherapeutic molecules called Nutlins inhibit p53-MDM2 interaction, and can therefore be used to control p53 activity in cancer cells [4]. In this issue of Aging, Korotchkina et al make use of nutlin-3a to dissect the mechanism by which p53 induces cellular senescence and quiescence [5]. The group demonstrates that p53-mediated senescence is irreversible in cells that maintain mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycn) signaling. However, when mTOR signaling is inhibited, activation of p53 leads to quiescence (Figure (Figure1).1). These findings may have broad implications because the mTOR pathway is dysregulated in many forms of cancer [6].

Figure 1.

p53-induced senescence or quiescence.

Establishing the mechanisms involved in cell cycle arrest and cell dormancy is critical for understanding cancer cell proliferation. Demidenko et al. have previously demonstrated that despite its ability to induce cell cycle arrest, in some cell types p53 is a suppressor, not an inducer of cellular senescence [7]. They have also shown that cells (HT-p21-9) induced into senescence using an ITPG-inducible p21 expression construct, were converted to quiescence in the presence of p53. In the same cells, nutlin-3a-induction of p53 caused reversible cell cycle arrest, and cells resumed proliferation after removal of nutlin-3a.

The same group has also demonstrated that when the cell cycle is blocked, activation of mTOR is required for induction of senescence. Addition of the TOR inhibitor rapamycin converted p21-induced senescent cells back to quiescence [7]. These findings suggest that activa-tion of p53 sets in motion cell cycle arrest, after which its ability to exercise senescence is dependent on its interaction with the mTOR pathway. Senescence is achieved if p53 is incapable of disabling mTOR. Therefore, activating both mTOR and p53 in order to achieve a permanent state of cell dormancy, may prove to be a promising therapeutic strategy for treating cancer. In their current study, Korotchkina et al further explore the role of mTOR as a senescence-inducing factor. They show that nutlin-3a-induced senescent cells converted to a quiescent state when mTOR was inactivated with rapamycin (Figure (Figure1).1). Furthermore, the authors show that in p53-mediated quiescent cells, depletion of TSC2, a negative regulator of mTOR, results in conversion to senescence. This body of work may also offer explanations as to the role that p53 plays in aging. Others have shown that p53 function declines with age [8, 9], and mild activation of p53 may increase the lifespan of mice [10]. It will be interesting to further determine the interactions between p53 and mTOR in both models of cancer and aging.


Abstract : Cluster beams offer a means of depositing high quality thin films at low substrate temperature for microelectronics fabrication. The advantage of cluster beam depositions is the ability to optimize the energy of the impacting particles, either directly in clustered vapors of nonvolatile materials or indirectly by bombarding the film during deposition with clusters of insert gases. When a cluster beam is ionized and accelerated through several thousand volts, cluster that contain 1000 or more atoms strike the surface with several electron volt energy per atom. The suprathermal energy of the depositing atoms is thought to produce unique thin films (either in quality, or in the ability to be desposited at all). This report describes the general effort on cluster beam formation methods, on cluster ionization by electron bombardment in a gridded ionization cell, on electrostatic mass-separation, and on electrostatic acceleration to a predetermined velocity. Detailed results are given on the improvements in performance of ionization cells for cluster beams of nonvolatile and gaseous materials.


A quadrature direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDFS) is fabricated in 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS using a new phase-to-sine conversion algorithm. It achieves a spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of 96 dB with small-sized lookup tables and appropriate arithmetic hardware. The prototype DDFS IC generates 16 b cosine and sine outputs with an output frequency tuning resolution of 0.03 Hz. It works at 150 MHz sampling rate, consuming 670 mW.


Cervical cancer is initiated by infection of cervical epithelium with human papillomavirus. Vaccines have been developed, incorporating papillomavirus viral capsids and alum based adjuvants. In extensive clinical trials these vaccines have been shown safe and effective in preventing infection with, and disease caused by, the papillomavirus genotypes they incorporate, in women not already infected. These vaccines have the potential to reduce the global burden of cervical cancer by up to 70%.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are defined as tumors that lack expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (EGFR2). TNBCs account for 15-20% of all breast tumors. These breast tumors are usually aggressive and have a specific molecular profile. Unfortunately, treatment options for TNBCs are limited, leading to a poor prognosis and high mortality rates. Thus, novel therapeutic approaches are needed to treat TNBCs. To date, several molecular targets have been identified (e.g., PARP, EGFR, mTOR, Akt, and BRAC-1). Moreover, many pre-clinical and clinical trials are underway to determine the efficacy of specific inhibitors against these molecular targets, used either alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents. So far, these trials have failed to produce significant promising results. Hence, our goal is to identify novel therapeutic agents that specifically target breast tumor cells, especially TNBCs, without causing toxicity to normal cells. Our studies identified nimbolide as a novel therapeutic agent. Nimbolide is a major bioactive compound derived from the Azadirachta indica (Neem) leaves, which is well-known medicinal plant having a wide spectrum of biological activities. In our studies, nimbolide targeted TNBC cells without causing toxicity to normal primary breast epithelial cells. We also explored the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-cancer effect of nimbolide on TNBC cells and found that nimbolide, simultaneously inhibited phosphorylation of Akt mediates pro-survival signaling. In addition, downstream signaling by mTOR and NF-kappa-B was down regulated by nimbolide which resulted in the induction of pJNK and pc-Jun mediated pro-apoptotic signaling and apoptosis in TNBC cells. These changes in the pro and anti-apoptotic molecular circuits also inhibited migration and invasion properties of TNBC cells. Altogether, our results strongly suggest that nimbolide could be a potent compound for the prevention and/or treatment of TNBC. Our ongoing in vivo studies may reveal the in vivo efficacy of nimbolide and toxicity to other organs or cells if any.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 166. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-166


Aims The NHS Long-Term Plan includes the perinatal mental health objective: by 2023/24 'Maternal Mental Health Services' will be available across the country to provide psychological therapy for those who experience mental health difficulties directly arising from birth trauma and or/perinatal loss. We achieved early implementer status via application to NHS England and, using transformation funding received, 'Thrive' was piloted in East Kent. A gap in service provision was identified: some existing primary care services provide intervention for this cohort, however some people remain in psychological distress but do not meet the criteria for specialist perinatal mental health secondary care services; these secondary care services are not commissioned to support those who have experienced perinatal loss. Thrive is co-delivered by a mental health trust and acute healthcare trust; NICE recommended psychological interventions are provided by Psychological Therapists, Specialist Mental Health Midwives and a Peer Support Worker. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Thrive pilot in reducing PTSD symptomology whilst also collating feedback from patients, their families and healthcare staff across the maternity system, in order to adapt the service offer for full county rollout. Methods 40 people who received care from Thrive from 11th January 2021 to 31st December 2021 were included in this evaluation. Data were collected retrospectively at the end of each period of care via: Clinical outcomes measures (quantitative): • PCL-5: a 20-item self-report measure assessing the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. • CORE-34: a universal method of establishing well-being and risk. • HoNOS (Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales): a measure of the health and social functioning of people with severe mental illness. Patient Satisfaction Survey (qualitative). Results • 100% of patients improved following Thrive intervention: PCL-5 (significant change = a reduction in score by 10–20 points has been met) / CORE-34 (clinically significant change =score above 10 initially and below 10 after intervention). • Clinical improvement: HoNOS = 100% of patients improved following Thrive intervention. Conclusion Evaluation has evidenced the effectiveness of Thrive in successfully treating those with PTSD symptomology arising from their maternity experience. Post-treatment measures indicate that the level of trauma symptomology and the impact of psychological distress on the functioning of patients who have received intervention from Thrive has reduced to a sub-clinical level in all cases.


Since the early 1970s, caries prevalence among school-aged children in the United States has declined. It appears that a small percentage of the children experience most of the caries increment. In addition, a large proportion of children in the US who need dental care receive it. An important factor in the amount of treatment received by children is the socioeconomic status of the family. Data on caries prevalence among preschool populations are limited. The Head Start program serves low-income families in the US and offers a unique opportunity to look at individuals who may be at greater risk of health problems and may experience less access to health services. A survey of 1,796 three- to five-year old Head Start children from low-income families was conducted in 1986-87. Caries prevalence, baby bottle tooth decay prevalence and relative need for dental care are reported for fluoridated and non fluoridated communities in California, Hawaii, and Micronesia. The data reveal scores that are higher in the sample population than in five-year-olds in national surveys and among Head Start children in previous surveys.


A key element of understanding the efficacy of overparameterized neural networks is characterizing how they represent functions as the number of weights in the network approaches infinity. In this paper, we characterize the norm required to realize a function $f:\mathbb{R}^d\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ as a single hidden-layer ReLU network with an unbounded number of units (infinite width), but where the Euclidean norm of the weights is bounded, including precisely characterizing which functions can be realized with finite norm. This was settled for univariate univariate functions in Savarese et al. (2019), where it was shown that the required norm is determined by the L1-norm of the second derivative of the function. We extend the characterization to multivariate functions (i.e., networks with d input units), relating the required norm to the L1-norm of the Radon transform of a (d+1)/2-power Laplacian of the function. This characterization allows us to show that all functions in Sobolev spaces $W^{s,1}(\mathbb{R})$, $s\geq d+1$, can be represented with bounded norm, to calculate the required norm for several specific functions, and to obtain a depth separation result. These results have important implications for understanding generalization performance and the distinction between neural networks and more traditional kernel learning.


Molecular programming aims to systematically engineer molecular and chemical systems of autonomous function and ever-increasing complexity. A key goal is to develop embedded control circuitry within a chemical system to direct molecular events. Here we show that systems of DNA molecules can be constructed that closely approximate the dynamic behavior of arbitrary systems of coupled chemical reactions. By using strand displacement reactions as a primitive, we construct reaction cascades with effectively unimolecular and bimolecular kinetics. Our construction allows individual reactions to be coupled in arbitrary ways such that reactants can participate in multiple reactions simultaneously, reproducing the desired dynamical properties. Thus arbitrary systems of chemical equations can be compiled into real chemical systems. We illustrate our method on the Lotka–Volterra oscillator, a limit-cycle oscillator, a chaotic system, and systems implementing feedback digital logic and algorithmic behavior.


The determining mechanism of memory regulation is a system involving the right temporal region and two anterior frontal regions. This is a cortical part of the integral system of the emotional regulation of memory. The dopaminergic mechanism forms the basis for fortifying the emotiogenic memory system, promoting the facilitation of retrieval. The selective emotional set of aggressive and submissive mice determines both the processes of extinction, development of amnesia, and subsequent reactivation of a memory trace induced by neuropharmacological agents. The GABA system is shown to enter the mechanism that controls the activity of dopamine system--dopamine release from the terminals of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic systems is stimulated. The neurochemical background in the development of amnesia or forgetting determines the subsequent retrieval of a memory trace. The dopamine and GABA systems are common links in the retrieval of amnestic and forgetting memory traces, respectively. A substantial rise of met-enkephaline levels along with the maximum increase of D2-receptor density in the frontal cortex, amygdala, striatum, and hippocampus were observed in rats after learning. In vitro experiments indicated that met-enkephaline and beta-endorphine stabilized the kinetics of dopamine-receptor interactions.


The lipolytic activity of milk with different somatic cell counts (SCC) was investigated in samples with low (100,000 cells.ml-1) and high (1,000,000 cells.ml1) SCC in order to obtain the following treatments: A) low SCC milk; B) high SCC milk; C) low SCC milk with somatic cells added, taken from high SCC milk. All samples were pasteurized and kept refrigerated at 6oC for 21 days. Repeated measures during storage time were performed from pasteurized milk at days 1, 7, 14 and 21 to evaluate free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations. No effect of treatments was observed on milk FFA concentration during storage period, nor during each day of sampling, with FFA averaging 0.181; 0.159 and 0.153meq/kg for treatments A, B and C, respectively. FFA concentration in pasteurized milk increased during the storage period, independently of the milk SCC, as the level of FFA was 0.121 meq/kg on day 1 and 0.219 on day 21. Addition of somatic cells to low somatic cell milk did not increase lipolysis rate of milk during refrigerated storage. It can be concluded that pasteurized milk fat breakdown during refrigerated storage is not related to enzymes from somatic cells.


AIM
Qualitative analysis of acute psychiatric patients' subjective opinions on the conditions and effects of their hospital treatment. Presentation of patients' expectations in this respect and the follow up of the opinion changes taking place during hospital stay.

METHOD
Patients' opinions were obtained in open questions which were part of the Clients' Scale for Assessment of Treatment (CAT) performed twice during the study: one week after admission and at discharge. Answers were analyzed using a qualitative approach and odds ratio.

RESULTS
An overwhelming part of the respondents pointed to the positive aspects of psychiatric hospitalization (92% of those interviewed) and less than a half (42%) pointed to its negative aspects. The most important sources of positive cognitions about hospital stay were: a relationship with the ward staff, the forms of treatment introduced, relationship with other patients, overall atmosphere and sense of security and empathy. Almost 3/4 of the interviewed patients were convinced about a favourable outcome of treatment and care. Amongst elements of treatment that were helpful to the patients, pharmacotherapy was named most frequently. Patients' activity understood as occupational therapy and interpersonal contacts was an important component of the stay in the hospital and treatment. Most patients felt that no changes in the ward routine were necessary.

CONCLUSION
It is important to take into consideration the patients' opinions and expectations towards therapy, ward conditions and work organization while planning mental health care. The presented results are a part of a complex investigation and might inspire to expanded research in this field.


Fragmentation, ionization and C2 fragment evaporation of the C60 molecule induced by collisions with H+, H2+, H3+ and He+ monocharged ions have been measured in coincidence with the electron emission in the 2-130 keV projectile energy range. The time-of-flight mass spectra were found to vary strongly with the collision energy or velocity and the projectile. On the other hand, they scale rather nicely with the energy deposited in the molecule. Relative weights of the total multi-fragmentation into small Cn+ fragments (n = 1-14), individual multi-fragmentation (n = 1,7 and 11), double ionization of the intact molecule and evaporation of C2 molecules associated with the doubly charged fullerene ion, are used to illustrate our finding quantitatively.


In this paper, the authors propose an algorithm-level time redundancy-based concurrent error detection (CED) scheme against permanent and transient faults by exploiting the hardware allocation diversity at the register transfer level. Although the normal computation and the recomputation are carried out on the same data path, the operation-to-operator allocation for the normal computation is different from the operation-to-operator allocation for the recomputation. The authors show that the proposed scheme provides very good CED capability with very low area overhead.


Sorafenib is an oral angiogenetic multikinase inhibitor approved in the treatment of renal and hepatocellular carcinoma. Bleeding and venous thrombotic events have been described with angiogenetic agents but cerebrovascular accidents are rarely reported. We report two cases of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who developed a cerebrovascular accident while on sorafenib. Neither patient had any risk factors for the cerebrovascular events apart from gender and age in the second patient. Laboratory data were noncontributory. The head CT scan did not reveal acute abnormalities. No hemodynamically significant stenosis was visible in the carotid ultrasound, and the echocardiogram showed normal size of the heart chambers and normal systolic function of the left ventricle. Sorafenib was discontinued in both cases. Physicians should monitor patients receiving sorafenib for neurologic symptoms, and in the absence of other etiology, prompt discontinuation of this drug should be considered.


Erythrina variegata L (Fabaceae) has been investigated for isolation of secondary metabolites and evaluation of bioactivities. Previously, we reported re-isolation of alpinum isoflavone (4) and first isolation of 6-hydroxygenistein (5), 3fi,28-dihydroxyolean-12-ene (6) and epilupeol (7) from a methanol extract of E. variegata. Now we report three further isoflavones, namely, scandenone (1), 4',5,7trihydroxy-8-prenylisoflavone (2) and 4',5,7-trihydroxy-8-methylisoflavone (3), for the first time from this plant. Purified compounds (2, 4 and 5) and crude fractions were subjected to free radical scavenging activity by l,l-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The crude methanol extract, n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform soluble fractions showed moderate antioxidant activity (ICS0= 4844-82.35 Hg/ml), while the purified compounds, 4',5,7-trihydroxy-8-prenyl isoflavone alpinum isoflavone and 6hydroxygenistein , exhibited high antioxidant activity having IC50 of 6.42, 8.30 and 8.78 pLg/ml, respectively. At the same time the standard compound, tert-butyl-1-hydroxytoluene (BUT) demonstrated an IC50 of 5.88 pLg/ml. In the fi-glucosidase inhibitory bioassay, the crude methanol extract, n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform soluble fractions of E. variegata revealed of 34.75, 95.04, 91.49 and 55.32%, inhibition respectively.


A random sample of over 700 adults resident in Northern Ireland answered a questionnaire about their drinking practices. Approximately one-quarter of the men and almost 40% of the women described themselves as non-drinkers. Logistic regression analyses identified religious denomination, marital status, and age as the most important predictors of drinking. Of the drinkers 15.8% of the men and 5.7% of the women obtained a CAGE score of 3 or 4. Further logistic regression analyses identified gender, marital status, and religious denomination as the most important predictors of problem drinking.


This study addresses the role of pragmatic and discourse theories in the foreign language classroom. It contrasts constructions of the type U tebe hroshi ie? [positive syntax] 'Do you have any money?' with such constructions as U tebe hroshei nemaie? [negative syntax] 'Do you have any money?' in order to demonstrate how these theories could assist the development of communicative rather than mere formal-linguistic competence by learners of Ukrainian as a foreign language. These constructions are common in speech acts or requests, invitations and offers. The latter type is of particular interest, because it is syntactically negative but does not bear the semantics of negativity. The present analysis considers both positive and negative constructions in terms of their structure, meaning, circumstances of use, and their dependence on the set of pragmatic rules applied by the speaker and the hearer during a linguistic interchange. The study proposes that the choice of either positive or negative coding depends on the speaker's conceptualization of discourse and the subjectivity focus. In addition, the study looks at current presentations of these constructions to learners of Ukrainian, and proposes the manner in which such presentations could be enhanced so as to expand the repertoire of pragmatic skills of non-native speakers and to help them acquire communicative competence.


A streamwise upwind algorithm has been extended to compute unsteady flows with a moving grid system and applied to compute flows over oscillating wings at transonic Mach numbers. Comparisons have been made between results obtained from this upwind algorithm, using both temporally nonconservative- and conservativeimplicit methods, with the results obtained from a central-difference method, and also with experimental data. The efficiency and practicality of the temporally nonconservative implicit solver are illustrated. Results to show the robustness and accuracy of the upwind method for unsteady computations compared to the central-difference method are presented.


Recent developments in biomechanics and technology have improved our understanding of the shoulder joints. While the shoulder joint is the one of the most mobile joints in the human body, its stability mostly relies on soft tissue structures such as the glenoid labrum and capsular ligament. Traumatic anterior instability is the most common instability related to sports injury. Younger individuals have a higher rate of recurrence after nonoperative treatment after the firsttime episode of anterior instability. Arthroscopic repair of the Bankart lesion provides reliable outcomes in most of the anterior instability, while selected patients with significant bone loss may require bony augmentation procedures. Posterior instability has been underestimated. Sports injury is commonly associated with symptomatic posterior instability, and posterior labral lesions are commonly found. Arthroscopic reconstruction of the posteroinferior height and ligament balance is required. Superior labral lesions are a commonly diagnosed disease in the shoulder. Care must be taken to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures especially in nonathletic populations without significant traumatic episodes. Partial articular surface tears are common among sports related rotator cuff injuries. Symptomatic articular surface tears require arthroscopic treatment such as debridement or trans-tendon repair.


The second edition of this popular textbook continues to demonstrate the application of theory to nursing practice, presenting a clear strategy for choosing and applying specific theories to specific clinical situations. Each chapter follows a common format: a case is presented, along with several possible theories that might be applied to it. Each theory includes a concise description, with references and recommended readings for those who want more in-depth coverage. Finally one theory is selected for each case and is described in depth, ultimately creating a nursing care plan, with support from the theory. In all, nearly 10 middle-range theories are presented in detail. New to this edition is a selection in each chapter about research supporting the theories discussed. In recognition that a case study format can not encompass all practice cirumstances, the final chapter provides the framework for using the strategy in any clinical situation.


We present a brief review of studies of the relative stability of canonical vs. zwitterionic forms of amino acids and dipeptides under the influence of gas phase hydration. Focus is given on the number of water molecules necessary to stabilize the zwitterionic conformer. Experimental and theoretical investigations for this interesting question are discussed. It is shown that the hydrating properties of amino acids and dipeptides are strongly dependent on the characteristics (hydrophilicity, basicity etc.) of side chains, the presence of metal cations, or an excess electron. Besides the relative Gibbs free energies of various conformers to estimate their relative thermodynamic stability, the activation barriers of proton transfer processes between canonical and zwitterionic forms are emphasized to assess the kinetic stability of thermodynamically less favorable species in low-temperature, gas phase environments.


One-bead-one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial library screening has been broadly utilized for the last two decades to identify small molecules, peptides or peptidomimetics targeting variable screening probes such as cell surface receptors, bacteria, protein kinases, phosphatases, proteases etc. In previous screening methods, library beads were suspended in solution and screened against one single probe. Only the positive beads were tracked and isolated for additional screens and finally selected for chemical decoding. During this process, the remaining negative beads were not tracked and discarded. Here we report a novel bead immobilization method such that a bead library array can be conveniently prepared and screened in its entirety, sequentially many times with a series of distinct probes. This method not only allows us to increase the screening efficiency but also permits us to determine the binding profile of each and every library bead against a large number of target receptors. As proof of concept, we serially screened a random OBOC disulfide containing cyclic heptapeptide library with three water soluble dyes as model probes: malachite green, bromocresol purple and indigo carmine. This multiplicative screening approach resulted in a rapid determination of the binding profile of each and every bead respective to each of the three dyes. Beads that interacted with malachite green only, bromocresol purple only, or both indigo carmine and bromocresol purple were isolated, and their peptide sequences were determined with microsequencer. Ultimately, the novel OBOC multiplicative screening approach could play a key role in the enhancement of existing on-bead assays such as whole cell binding, bacteria binding, protein binding, posttranslational modifications etc. with increased efficiency, capacity, and specificity.


Telegram from Henry R. Luce, editor of TIME Magazine, to Amon Carter expressing appreciation for Carter's hospitality during his visit to Fort Worth.


This paper studies the design of reactive power supply of microgrids. The problem can be stated as follows: for a given microgrid, we seek an optimum allocation of reactive power sources so that adequate voltages can be maintained during grid connected operation as well as one or more topologies of islanded operation. A genetic algorithm is used to develop the optimal allocation.


We report the case of a 35-year old patient with sticking-out ears who had no particular past medical history. The patient had congenital ear anomaly which had progressed over the past years and that was a heavy psychological burden with serious social repercussions as well as a family and professional impact. Approach was based on surgery in order to provide the best possible outcomes. Ear surgery, also known as otoplasty, gives patients a natural appearance. In our case study, surgical outcome was satisfactory. The duration of surgery was 2 hours. The surgical procedure was based on ear-lobe repositioning with posterior lift of the skin and reshaping of the conch in order to fix it back to the bone. The patients needed dressing change every other day. He had the stitches removed on day 10.


Background: Recently, the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index has been considered a surrogate marker of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a well known pathogenic factor in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, few studies have investigated the relationship between the TyG index and liver fibrosis in subjects with NAFLD. Thus, we investigated the relationship between the TyG index and liver fibrosis in Korean adults. Methods: In total, 5158 participants who underwent ultrasonography in a health promotion center were enrolled. Anthropometric profiles and multiple metabolic risk factors were measured. The TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2], and the insulin resistance index of homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) was estimated. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography, and degree of liver fibrosis was assessed by NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS). Significant liver fibrosis was defined as NFS ≥ -1.5. Results: All subjects were stratified into four groups based on their TyG indices. Significant differences were observed in metabolic parameters among the groups, and the prevalence of NAFLD and liver fibrosis by NFS significantly increased with increasing TyG index. When classifying the severity of NAFLD into three groups, there was a significant correlation between the severity of NAFLD and the TyG index. In the logistic regression analysis after adjustment for multiple risk factors, the odds ratio for the prevalence of liver fibrosis, when comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of the TyG index was 1.92 (95% CI: 1.46-2.53; P for trend Conclusion: There is a significant association between the TyG index and liver fibrosis of NAFLD, but HOMA-IR was superior to TyG index for predicting liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients. Disclosure M. Kim: None. J. Kim: None. K. Park: None. S. Lee: None. J. Nam: None. S. Kang: None. J. Park: None. C. Ahn: None. Y. Kim: None.


E. M. Wood, one of the main figures of political Marxism, is interviewed by Frederick-Guillaume Dufour and Jonathan Martineau and discusses the different directions of her work. The main questions she is asked concern : her relationship to Marx ; her specific approach to history and how it differs from other Marx-inspired types of analysis ; the situation of contemporary capitalism ; the dead ends of intellectual debates in recent years and the challenges of the current political situation.


In this study, effects of variable viscosity and thermal conductivity on natural convection flow through a vertical channel are investigated. The governing equations are transformed into a set of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The transformed equations are solved using Differential Transformation Method (DTM). Results obtained were compared with exact and numerical methods. The influence of the flow parameters on fluid temperature, concentration and velocity are presented graphically. From the course of investigation, it was revealed that fluid temperature increases within the channel with increasing viscosity and thermal conductivity. In addition, results from DTM show an excellent agreement with results obtained from exact and numerical method.


In this research, it focused on the prediction and optimization of the production quantity in Innoson Plastic Manufacturing Company, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. The research method used is the application of factorial design methods to model, to evaluate the best optimal solutions for the production quantity of extrusion plastic pipes in the aforementioned company. The analysis shows that the parameters used to model the production quantity are significant and the model produced is also significant with its coefficient of determination to be 0.9968 and the adjusted R-Squared is 0.9823. Adequate Precision measures the signal to noise ratio. A ratio greater than 4 is desirable. The ratio of 29.271 indicates an adequate signal. This model can be used to navigate the design space. The Model F-value of 68.99 implies the model is significant. There is only a 1.44% chance that an F-value this large could occur due to noise. Values of "Prob > F" less than 0.0500 indicate model terms are significant. The 3D surface plot shows the effect of the variables in production system. It describes the variations of the input and output parameters in production of plastic extrusion products. The factorial design method applied shows the optimal solution which revealed that the best quantity of the product that is necessary to produce in any given month is 14414.112 units of a 25mm diameter plastic pipes with the optimal desirability of 100%. The tool also shows that the pigment is almost not important in the optimization of the product production quantity due to its insignificant quantity. However, the results further revealed that the industry should be conscious of highly influence input variable during production.


This study reports on the production of chitosan-based composite scaffolds
 reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HA) powders prepared with cerium oxide
 (CeO2) with various concentrations (10, 20, 30 wt.%). Besides, the effect of
 CeO2 additive on the microstructural,mechanical and bioactivity properties
 of the composite scaffolds was investigated. The CeO2 reinforced HA powders
 were synthesized having homogenous particle distribution via spray drying
 process. The synthesized powders and the produced scaffolds were examined
 using different characterization methods. From the results, it can be seen
 that the scaffolds were significantly affected by amount of CeO2 additive.
 An increase in the compressive strength is observed as the amount of CeO2
 additive rises. Furthermore, the composite scaffolds possessed a high
 mineralization ability of apatite in simulated body fluid (SBF). These
 observations related to the composite scaffolds have considerable potency
 for application in bone tissue engineering.


In this paper, a circuit for power factor correction by implementing Power Factor Correction(PFC) circuit with boost converter in the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor drive is developed. The control of PMSM drive used is Field Oriented Control using Space Vector Modulation. The simulation is carried out with and without power factor correction controller and analysis of input current waveform is done. The power factor correction circuit proposed here improves the power factor and reduces harmonic distortion. Simulation work is performed using MATLAB / SIMULINK environment.


Many recent advances in biomedical research are related to the combination of biology and microengineering. Microfluidic devices, such as organ-on-achip systems, integrate with living cells to allow for the detailed in vitro study of human physiology and pathophysiology. With the poor translation from animal models to human models, the organ-on-a-chip technology has become a promising substitute for animal testing, and their small scale enables precise control of culture conditions and high-throughput experiments, which would not be an economically sound model on a macroscopic level. These devices are becoming more and more common in research centers, clinics, and hospitals, and are contributing to more accurate studies and therapies, making them a staple technology for future drug design.


The Relationlog system is a novel persistent deductive database system for advanced data and knowledge‐based applications. It directly supports the storage and inference of data with complex structures, especially data supported in nested relational and complex‐object models. The Relationlog system supports the Relationlog query language, which is a typed extension of Datalog with tuples and sets and stands in the same relationship to the nested relational and complex‐object models as Datalog stands to the relational model. It also supports an SQL‐like data definition language and a declarative data manipulation language. This article introduces the Relationlog language, discusses the system architecture, the design decisions incorporated within its implementation, and our experience in developing the system. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract Statistical analysis of the spatial distribution of oil spills detected using Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) in 2004-2015 at the sea surface in the Southeastern Baltic Sea was conducted. Number, area, and shape of oil pollution division between Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Poland, Russia, and Lithuania were estimated for the first time. The most polluted area of the Southeastern Baltic Sea is Russian EEZ, where 55% of the total amount of detected oil spills, and 52% of the total area of oil pollution were located. The average area of an oil spill detected within Territorial Sea (TS) and EEZ was estimated. Tail-shaped spills associated with oil discharge from the moving vessels are prevailed, and their amount and area within TS and EEZ were estimated.


Cycle sales have increased substantially but overall cycle use has not. This project investigated the expectations and experiences of new cycle owners to see how they might be encouraged to cycle more, particularly for utility purposes. 76 adults who did not regularly cycle, who were buying a new cycle for themselves, were interviewed in cycle shops immediately after their purchase, about their planned cycle use and expectations. After one month they completed a four-day travel diary. After another month, they were interviewed in-depth regarding their cycle use, experiences and attitudes. Almost all those who completed the survey were pleased with their purchase. The majority cycled at least once a week, some much more frequently. Leisure was the main journey purpose but those who cycled to work tended to cycle more frequently. Physical effort, practical difficulties, the weather and the danger and unpleasantness from motor traffic were the main deterrents. One quarter reported using their cars less. However, most continued to use cars for the majority of journeys, including many under one mile. The report concludes that measures are needed to overcome practical barriers to greater cycle use, and to make cycling more enjoyable, for both new and existing cyclists. (A)


Resistance inheritance to rice stripe disease of C224 were analyzed by the mixed major gene plus polygene mixed genetic model of quantitative traits. Meanwhile, the resistances of seven crosses derived from C224 and seven maintainer lines were investigated. The results showed that rice stripe disease resistance of the rice restorer line C224 was controlled by two major genes with additive-dominance-epistatic effects plus polygene with additive-dominance effects(E-1 model). These two major genes showed different additive effects and negative dominance effects. One major gene′s additive effect was about -12.47 and the other was -24.75. There were significant epistatic and interactive effects between the two major genes. The heritability of the two major genes was about 92.12%, while the heritability of polygene was about 2.74%. The resistance to rice stripe disease had a significant major gene effect in the seven crosses. Of the seven crosses five possessed high or medium rice stripe disease resistance.


Many have studied Roman Catholic clergy who have sexually abused children, but the range of investigations remains disconnected. This article brings together various disciplinary perspectives to form a comprehensive view. A review of the literature is first undertaken to comprehend how clergy offenders have been conceptualized in psychosocial, sociocultural, and moral-religious studies. These perspectives are then used as a foundation for examining how these clergy can be rehabilitated. Three rehabilitative modalities—psychological treatment, rehabilitation through restorative justice, and ritual healing—are explored. The article concludes with a discussion of the insights gained from the literature review and how the modalities can be advanced in an interdependent and considered approach.


Bariatric surgery is recognized as the most effective treatment for morbid obesity, maintaining a stable weight reduction in the long term and reducing comorbidities, with a favorable impact on mortality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the complication rate and treatment techniques adopted in all patients undergoing bariatric surgery procedures in our center. From May 2017 to March 2020, 91 patients with morbid obesity are admitted to the Department of Medical and Surgical Science of the University Hospital of Foggia undergoing bariatric surgery. Seventyone patients underwent sleeve gastrectomy, nineteen gastric bypass and one mini-gastric bypass, five of these were redo operation procedures. Regarding postoperative complications (8,8%), there were 1 gastric leak (1,09%), 4 bleedings (4,39%) - 1 intraluminal bleeding and 3 intra-abdominal bleedings, 2 port-sites infections (2,19%) and 1 haemoperitoneum (1,09%). In our center we have also treated 3 cases of complications after bariatric surgery procedures performed in others centers. There were no deaths. Despite improvement in the performance of bariatric surgical procedures, complications are not uncommon. Flexible endoscopy has become an essential tool in managing bariatric surgery patients and offers the benefit of providing both diagnostic and therapeutic applications.


Background: Cold airway hyperresponsiveness (CAHR) modifies the course of bronchial asthma (BA). Optimal strategy of basic therapy in patients with CAHR remains controversial.

Aim: To estimate the achievement of the BA control in patients with CAHR at the application of monotherapy by beclomethasone or the combined therapy by budesonide/formoterol.

Methods . 59 patients with uncontrolled BA (ACT ≤19 points) at monotherapy with beclomethasone dipropionate more than 4 weeks at the moment of getting into the research were devided into 2 groups: the 1st group included 35 patients with CAHR (ΔFEV1 in response to 3-minute isocapnic cold air hyperventilation was -19.7±1.06%), 2nd group included 24 patients without CAHR (ΔFEV1=-6.3±1.11%).

Results . At the first 12 weeks of treatment the patients in 1st and 2nd groups took beclomethasone in a doses of 610.6±9.3mkg/day and 576.2±11.4 mkg/day, respectively (p<0.05). The part of the patients who achieved asthma control (20-25 points ACT) at the end of the first period was 28% in 1st group and 58% in 2nd group (p<0.05). There was no dynamics of CAHR in the 1st group (ΔFEV1=-18.46±1.02%). Budesonide/formoterol in a stable doze of 320/9 mkg/day was offered to the patients of 1st group at the second 12-week stage of the therapy. As a result the asthma control was achieved in 48% as compared with 50% in 2nd group with the monotherapy with beclomethasone (603.5±12.3mkg/day). After 24 weeks of treatment ΔFEV1 decreased till -16.81±1.12% in the 1st group.

Conclusion . The application of the combined therapy in the stable dose in BA patients with CAHR is associated with the higher frequency of asthma control achievement.


Sedimentary structures provide critical information for the reconstruction of ancient environments of Earth and other planets. Fluvial dune cross sets, structures that record dune migration via the filling of leading troughs along ancient riverbeds, are particularly useful. Most quantitative methods for interpreting cross sets require thickness measurements, but the growth of planview imaging of sedimentary rocks on Earth and Mars has introduced a need for methods to interpret planview exposures of cross sets. Here, we measured 359 cross-set widths exposed along ancient channel belts of the Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation exposed in Utah, USA, and compared these widths to published thicknesses (n = 350). We found that the mean cross-set width was 1.29 m, 9.3 times the mean thickness. The normalized distributions of widths and thicknesses were statistically similar and thus contained similar paleoenvironmental information. Numerical experiments representing a series of trough cut-and-fill structures show that cross-set reworking is equally important in setting width as thickness and that the observed cross-set widths could be explained by a gamma-distributed range of trough widths with a mean of 2.96 ± 0.25 m, ∼2.3 times cross-set width. Given the similarity of dune-field geometries across depositional settings and planetary boundary conditions, we suggest this cross-set width-to-thickness relationship could be useful for interpreting other cross sets exposed in planview.


In many cases, when browsing the Web users are searching for specific information or answers to concrete questions. Sometimes, though, users find unexpected, yet interesting and useful results, and are encouraged to explore further. What makes a result serendipitous? We propose to answer this question by exploring the potential of entities extracted from two sources of user-generated content -- Wikipedia, a user-curated online encyclopedia, and Yahoo! Answers, a more unconstrained question/answering forum -- in promoting serendipitous search. In this work, the content of each data source is represented as an entity network, which is further enriched with metadata about sentiment, writing quality, and topical category. We devise an algorithm based on lazy random walk with restart to retrieve entity recommendations from the networks. We show that our method provides novel results from both datasets, compared to standard web search engines. However, unlike previous research, we find that choosing highly emotional entities does not increase user interest for many categories of entities, suggesting a more complex relationship between topic matter and the desirable metadata attributes in serendipitous search.


The University of Kent was commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (the Commission) in November 2008 to investigate ways of measuring the lesbian, gay and bisexual population (LGB) of Great Britain (GB), for which there is no currently reliable estimate. The absence of reliable population data means that it is impossible to develop representative samples of LGB people in research.

From 2010, the Integrated Household Survey (IHS) will provide the biggest dataset on those people who are willing to identify as LGB in the context of the household. The Scottish government has also indicated that a sexual orientation question will be included in all major social surveys it funds in the future. This project was devised in order to progress thinking in defining an approach or approaches to estimating the size of the LGB population of GB. Achieving a reliable and accurate measure of this population is critical for promoting equality and challenging discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Comprehensive information about LGB people is required in order to develop appropriate service provision, address inequalities and allocate resources fairly.


The era of multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) has brought a new challenge for modern electronic systems. Communication between IP cores and other peripheral in the MPSoC environment is becoming critical which will affect the performance. Network-on-Chip (NoC) is a promising solution for MPSoC communication limitation. Several NoC studies have been reported over the years but only a few discussed about the actual hardware implementation. In this paper, we presented FPGA design and implementation of MPSoC system with NoC architectures in order to obtain its actual performance. A case study of Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) using parallel programming is carried out to validate the design.


Ten years after its introduction, the technique of intra-focal pinning of fractures of the lower extremity of the radius is now widely used. In view of the large number of operators, it is important to define a number of technical points: insertion of the pins without damaging the nerves or tendons, the number and type of pins, conduct of the operation, clinical and radiological criteria of success, post-operative course and removal of the pins. The author also reviews his experience concerning the frequency and the type of possible complications together with methods designed to avoid them and analyses the development of the indications for this procedure. When correctly performed, this technique, which is simple in principle, but which must be performed meticulously, provides considerable improvement in the results of these extremely common fractures due to the absence of immobilisation.


Gynodioecy, the co-occurrence of females and hermaphrodites, is considered an intermediate step in the evolution of separate sexes in flowering plants. Highly variable female frequencies among populations suggest structuring o f sex determining genes and differences in the relative fitness of females and hermaphrodites as seed parents. I investigated spatial variability in sex ratio and the effects of inbreeding on offspring quality in Silene acaulis. Female frequencies varied among populations from 0.32 to 0.69, and most were at temporal equilibrium. Females were significantly clumped within two of six populations. Females produced from 4 to 27 times as many fruits as hermaphrodites. Self-pollination of hermaphrodites reduced offspring survivorship and growth by an average of 67% compared to outcrosses. Overall, spatial variation in female frequency suggests a role of founder events and local seed dispersal. Low fruit production and reduced quality of inbred offspring suggest hermaphrodites may be functioning primarily as pollen donors.


The efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is low due to the strong resistance of somatic donor cells to epigenetic reprogramming. Many epigenetic drugs targeting DNA methylation and histone acetylation have been used in attempts to improve the in vitro and in vivo development of SCNT embryos. H3K9me3 has been shown to be an important reprogramming barrier for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and SCNT embryos in mice and humans. In this study, we examined the effects of selective siRNA and chemical inhibition of H3K9me3 in somatic donor cells on the in vitro development of bovine SCNT embryos. Chaetocin, an inhibitor of SUV39H1/H2, was supplemented during the culture of donor cells. In addition, the siRNA knockdown of SUV39H1/H2 was performed in the donor cells. The effects of chaetocin and siSUV39H1/H2 on H3K9me3 and H3K9ac were quantified using flow cytometry. Furthermore, we assessed chaetocin treatment and SUV39H1/H2 knockdown on the blastocyst formation rate. Both chaetocin and siSUV39H1/H2 significantly reduced and elevated the relative intensity level of H3K9me3 and H3K9ac in treated fibroblast cells, respectively. siSUV39H1/H2 transfection, but not chaetocin treatment, improved the in vitro development of SCNT embryos. Moreover, siSUV39H1/H2 altered the expression profile of the selected genes in the derived blastocysts, similar to those derived from in vitro fertilization (IVF). In conclusion, our results demonstrated H3K9me3 as an epigenetic barrier in the reprogramming process mediated by SCNT in bovine species, a finding which supports the role of H3K9me3 as a reprogramming barrier in mammalian species. Our findings provide a promising approach for improving the efficiency of mammalian cloning for agricultural and biomedical purposes.


Hexapeptides are widely applied as a model system for studying the amyloid-forming properties of polypeptides, including proteins. Recently, large experimental databases have become publicly available with amyloidogenic labels. Using these data sets for training and testing purposes, one may build artificial intelligence (AI)-based classifiers for predicting the amyloid state of peptides. In our previous work (Biomolecules2021, 11, 500), we described the Support Vector Machine (SVM)-based Budapest Amyloid Predictor (https://pitgroup.org/bap). Here, we apply the Budapest Amyloid Predictor for discovering numerous amyloidogenic and nonamyloidogenic hexapeptide patterns with accuracy between 80% and 84%, as surprising and succinct novel rules for further understanding the amyloid state of peptides. For example, we have shown that for any independently mutated residue (position marked by "x"), the patterns CxFLWx, FxFLFx, or xxIVIV are predicted to be amyloidogenic, while those of PxDxxx, xxKxEx, and xxPQxx are nonamyloidogenic. We note that each amyloidogenic pattern with two x's (e.g.,CxFLWx) describes succinctly 202 = 400 hexapeptides, while the nonamyloidogenic patterns comprising four point mutations (e.g.,PxDxxx) give 204 = 160 000 hexapeptides in total. We also examine the restricted substitutions for positions "x" from subclasses of proteinogenic amino acid residues; for example, if "x" is substituted with hydrophobic amino acids, then there exist patterns containing three x's, like MxVVxx, predicted to be amyloidogenic. If we can choose for the x positions any hydrophobic amino acids, except the "structure breaker" proline, then we get amyloid patterns with five x positions, for example, xxxFxx, each corresponding to 32 768 hexapeptides. To our knowledge, no similar applications of artificial intelligence tools or succinct amyloid patterns were described before the present work.


The Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a collection of no. of mobile nodes which communicate through wireless channel without any existing network infrastructure. Because the resource constrained nature of WSN a data packet routing requires multiple hops to exchange data across the network. In order to facilitate communication within the network, a secure energy efficient routing protocol is used to discover routes between nodes. The proposed energy efficient elliptical curve based spherical grid routing protocol for WSN provides correct and efficient route establishment between a pair of nodes so that data packets can be delivered in time to the destination. Secure route construction can be done with optimized WSN performance matrices such as packet delivery ratio, throughput, minimum energy consumptions, communication overheads & end to end delay. This proposed algorithm evaluates Spherical grid routing protocols for wireless sensor networks protocol while varying no. of nodes and pause time and results are compared with few existing routing protocols using network simulator.


Health care is deficient in many parts of the world, in money, facilities and manpower. In wealthy countries, the costs and complexity of health care are increasing unsustainably. Nevertheless, richer countries claim an ever escalating need for doctors, who migrate from poorer countries, with an ensuing global health workforce crisis. These political, social, demographic and international events necessitate a discussion on the roles and values of the doctor in the world today. The international mobility of both doctors and patients underlines the need for a global definition. Only when these roles and values are agreed in a global perspective, will medical education be capable of producing a professional equipped to fulfil that role. This doctor will then be useful both as a leader and as a member of health care teams with a flexible composition, related to resources and needs of particular regions, and at the same time be able to practise within any given health care system. An international task-force of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) is working to agree themes relevant to the role of the doctor globally, and developing a statement that can be used world-wide, and used to develop medical education policy.


This article presents FAST-LIO2: a fast, robust, and versatile LiDAR-inertial odometry framework. Building on a highly efficient tightly coupled iterated Kalman filter, FAST-LIO2 has two key novelties that allow fast, robust, and accurate LiDAR navigation (and mapping). The first one is directly registering raw points to the map (and subsequently update the map, i.e., mapping) without extracting features. This enables the exploitation of subtle features in the environment and, hence, increases the accuracy. The elimination of a hand-engineered feature extraction module also makes it naturally adaptable to emerging LiDARs of different scanning patterns; the second main novelty is maintaining a map by an incremental k-dimensional (k-d) tree data structure, incremental k-d tree (ikd-Tree), that enables incremental updates (i.e., point insertion and delete) and dynamic rebalancing. Compared with existing dynamic data structures (octree, R$^\ast$-tree, and nanoflann k-d tree), ikd-Tree achieves superior overall performance while naturally supports downsampling on the tree. We conduct an exhaustive benchmark comparison in 19 sequences from a variety of open LiDAR datasets. FAST-LIO2 achieves consistently higher accuracy at a much lower computation load than other state-of-the-art LiDAR-inertial navigation systems. Various real-world experiments on solid-state LiDARs with small field of view are also conducted. Overall, FAST-LIO2 is computationally efficient (e.g., up to 100 Hz odometry and mapping in large outdoor environments), robust (e.g., reliable pose estimation in cluttered indoor environments with rotation up to 1000 deg/s), versatile (i.e., applicable to both multiline spinning and solid-state LiDARs, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and handheld platforms, and Intel- and ARM-based processors), while still achieving a higher accuracy than existing methods. Our implementation of the system FAST-LIO2 and the data structure ikd-Tree are both open-sourced on Github.


In modern kinase drug discovery, allosteric inhibitors have become a focus of attention due to their potential selectivity, but such compounds are difficult to identify. Here we describe an NMR-based competition assay using 19F-containing reporter molecules, which allows for rapid identification and discrimination between ATP-competitive and allosteric kinase inhibitors. We illustrate the principle of such a dual-site competition assay with the example of catalytic and allosteric ABL1 kinase inhibitors. The assay can also be used to identify and characterize mixed binding modes of well-known drugs, as shown for crizotinib and fingolimod.


Concern that unilateral greenhouse gas emission reductions could foster carbon leakage and undermine the international competitiveness of domestic industry has led to growing calls for carbon-based border-tax adjustments (BTAs). This paper uses a global general equilibrium model to assess the economic effects of BTAs and comes to three main conclusions. First, BTAs can reduce carbon leakage if the coalition of countries taking action to reduce emissions is small, because in this case leakage (while typically small) mainly occurs through international trade competitiveness losses rather than through declines in world fossil fuel prices that trigger rising carbon intensities outside the region taking action. Second, the welfare impacts of BTAs are small, and typically slightly negative at the world level. Third, and perhaps more strikingly, BTAs do not necessarily curb the output losses incurred by the domestic energy intensive-industries (EIIs) they are intended to protect in the first place. This is in part because taken as a whole, EIIs in industrialised countries make important use of carbon-intensive intermediate inputs produced by EIIs in other geographical areas. Another, deeper explanation is that EIIs are ultimately more adversely affected by carbon pricing itself, and the associated contraction in market size, than by any international competitiveness losses. These findings are shown to be robust to key model parameters, country coverage and design features of BTAs.


Antiphospholipid antibodies may interfere with the PC pathway, displaying a resistance to the activated PC (resistant phenotype). This effect was evaluated by the APCR and the ProCG systems in 36 lupus anticoagulant samples, yielding abnormal results in 47% of APCRoriginal, 17% of APCRmodified, and 22% of ProCG test. ProCG values correlated with APCRoriginal but not with APCRmodified. Most of lupus anticoagulants affecting the PC pathway showed abnormal APCRoriginal results but not abnormal ProCG values. The different behavior between both systems may be due to the heterogeneity of the antibodies or could be attributed to the fact that, in the ProCG, a PC activator is added, while the APCR employs already activated exogenous PC. Am. J. Hematol. 71:128–130, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


A lower bound on the minimal mean-square error in estimating nonlinear diffusion processes is derived. The bound holds for causal and noncausal filtering.


A lunar sampler plays the critical role and is of great importance in lunar explorations. In this paper, an error model was established for a novel flexible lunar sampler which has low weight, small volume, large workspace, and low power consumption. Based on its specific configuration, the forward and inverse kinematic models and the kinetostatic model are developed to formulate the volumetric error model of the mechanism. The error model is built by considering three classes of error sources: flexibility-induced errors, structural parameter-induced errors, and joint clearance errors. The flexible errors are compensated according to the experimental data; the second class of errors are modeled based on complete differential-coefficient theory, while the third class of errors are modeled based on the deterministic method. For the third class in error modeling, contact modes are introduced to build a joint clearance-induced error model. The relationship between different error sources and the output pose error of the sampling head is obtained. Finally, the error distribution in the workspace is evaluated.


An ordinary differential equation technique is developed via averaging theory and weak convergence theory to analyze the asymptotic behavior of continuous time recursive stochastic parameter estimators. This technique is an extension of L. Ljung's work in discrete time. Using this technique, the following results are obtained for various continuous time parameter estimators. The recursive prediction error method, with probability one, converges to a minimum of the likelihood function. The same is true of the gradient method. The extended Kalman filter fails, with probability one, to converge to the true values of the parameters in a system whose state noise covariance is unknown. An example of the extended least squares algorithm is analyzed im detail. Analytic bounds are obtained for the asymptotic rate of convergence of all these estimators applied to this example.


Federated Learning (FL) decouples model training from the need for direct access to the data and allows organizations to collaborate with industry partners to reach a satisfying level of performance without sharing vulnerable business information. The performance of a machine learning algorithm is highly sensitive to the choice of its hyperparameters. In an FL setting, hyperparameter optimization poses new challenges. In this work, we investigated the impact of different hyperparameter optimization approaches in an FL system. In an effort to reduce communication costs, a critical bottleneck in FL, we investigated a local hyperparameter optimization approach that -- in contrast to a global hyperparameter optimization approach -- allows every client to have its own hyperparameter configuration. We implemented these approaches based on grid search and Bayesian optimization and evaluated the algorithms on the MNIST data set using an i.i.d. partition and on an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor based industrial data set using a non-i.i.d. partition.


This article explores the communicative practice of a Tanzanian NGO, Femina. Based on a tripartite model of engagement (Madianou, 2012) integrating speech, action and understanding, and drawing on fieldwork on the communication practices of Femina, I critically assess the forms of civic engagement the organization strategizes about and seeks to articulate amongst Tanzanian youth. Situated in the 'perverse confluence' (Dagnino, 2011) between neoliberal and radical democratic agendas in the communicative practices of civil society-driven media platforms, Femina navigates between identities as an NGO, a social movement and a media initiative. In the context of the growing literature on social networking sites and their affordances, dynamics and structures, the case of Femina illustrates how a civil society sphericule emerges within the dynamic co-evolution of new and old media platforms. The study is furthermore an example of the difficult shift in civil society practice, from service provision to an agenda of public service monitoring, social accountability and community engagement.


Zinc (Zn) homeostasis in adults is primarily regulated by changes in intestine expression and localization of Zn-specific transporters such as Zip4 (primary Zn importer), ZnT-1 (Zn efflux), ZnT-2 (vesicular Zn sequestration), and MT-1 (intracellular metal-chelator). However, Zn absorption and excretion are higher and less regulated, respectively, in premature infants, suggesting that mechanism-regulating intestinal Zn homeostasis may be immature. We used cultured fetal (FHs) and adult (Caco-2) intestine cell lines to determine difference in Zn uptake, Zn transporter expression (MT-1, ZnT-1, ZnT-2, and Zip4), and effects of acute (1 h) Zn exposure (50 μM). Zn supplementation induced higher Zn uptake (3-fold) in fetal cells, which were also more sensitive to Zn exposure than adult cells (FHs, LD50 = 70 μM; Caco-2, LD50 = 120 μM). Our data suggest that these differences may be a result of differential expression of Zn-specific transporters as fetal cells do not express Zip4 but have higher Zip1 (2-fold) and Zip3 (3-fold) and lower ZnT-1 (20%) and ZnT-2 (50%) expression compared to adult cells. While acute Zn exposure post-transcriptionally increased Zip4 and ZnT-1 protein levels, resulting in no effects on MT-1 (an indicator of cellular stress or Zn levels) in adult cells, Zn exposure increased MT-1, ZnT-1, and ZnT-2 mRNA and ZnT-1 protein levels in fetal cells. We speculate that this difference is due to the inability of fetal cells to tightly regulate Zn uptake as a result of absence of Zip4 expression. In conclusion, our data suggest that the lack of Zip4 expression in fetal intestine cells may be responsible for the difference in Zn absorption observed between preterm infants and adults, resulting in the lack of sensitive regulation at this age.


N-type Schottky-gated Si:SiGe heterostructure field-effect transistors with physical gate lengths between 70 and 450nm are characterized over a wide temperature range (T=10 K...300 K) for low electric fields. The room-temperature maximum low-field transconductance increases 61% to 440 mS/mm at T=10 K for the 70-nm device. The minimum subthreshold slope is 14...19 mV/dec at T=10 K. The off-state currents I/sub OFF/ are limited by parallel conduction at high temperatures and by the gate leakage current at low temperatures. Substrate leakage currents are found to be due to generation of carriers within the drain/substrate depletion layer and only make a minor contribution to I/sub OFF/. Operation of the devices at the lowest temperature is found to result in the occurrence of the floating-body kink effect, as a consequence of substrate freeze-out and subsequent self-biasing by impact ionization currents. Low temperature characteristics exhibit a nonlinear low-field drain current dependence on the drain voltage, due to the presence of parasitic Schottky source/drain contacts. An extraction method for access resistance consistent with this phenomenon is presented.


Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been widely explored as a neuromodulatory adjunct to modulate corticomotor excitability and improve motor behavior. However, issues with the effectiveness of tDCS have led to the exploration of empirical and experimental alternate electrode placements to enhance neuromodulatory effects. Here, we conducted a preliminary study to compare a novel electrode montage (which involved placing 13 cm2 electrodes anterior and posterior to the target location) to the traditionally used electrode montage (13 cm2 stimulating electrode over the target area and the 35 cm2 reference electrode over the contralateral orbit). We examined the effects of tDCS of the lower limb motor area (M1) by measuring the corticomotor excitability (CME) of the tibialis anterior muscle using transcranial magnetic stimulation in twenty healthy participants. We examined behavioral effects using a skilled motor control task performed with the ankle. We did not find one electrode montage to be superior to the other for changes in the CME or motor control. When the group was dichotomized into responders and non-responders (based on upregulation in CME), we found that the responders showed significant upregulation from baseline after tDCS for both montages. However, only the responders in the traditional montage group showed significant changes in motor control after tDCS. These results do not support the superiority of the new anterior–posterior montage over the traditional montage. Further work with a larger cohort and multiple cumulative sessions may be necessary to confirm our results.