As our tertiary-level trauma center is close to an industrial zone and associated international port, industrial injuries are seen more often than is expected in routine practice. The aim of this study was to present the demographic data, treatment options, and changes in worklife of patients with foot and ankle injuries due to a forklift accident, and to determine the factors affecting the clinical outcome. The study was conducted in our University hospital and included patients who presented with a foot and ankle injury resulting from a forklift accident. Data were collected including age, sex, dominant extremity, history of trauma, presence of fracture, management (surgical or conservative), complications, time of return to work, workforce loss, and the AOFAS and SF-36 scores at the final follow-up examination. Evaluation was made of 132 patients, comprising 113 (85.6%) males and 19 (14.4%) females with a mean age of 32 years (range, 16-65 years). The most frequently recorded occupational group was shipyard workers (50%). The most common mechanism of injury was crushing under the forklift wheel (n=63, 47.7%). The most frequently injured foot region was the forefoot (47%). A total of 90 (68.1%) patients continued to work in the same position on return to work. The lowest mean AOFAS score (73.4) and SF-36 (physical component) score (37.3) were determined in cases with mixed region injuries (p=0.0001, p=0.0001). The wearing of protective footwear had no effect on the rate of return to work (p=0.195), workforce loss (p=0.34) and AOFAS score (p=0.166). This study is the largest series of patients with foot and ankle injuries related to forklift accidents. Forklift injuries can be treated conservatively or surgically according to the clinical condition of the patient. The main indicators of return to work and functional outcome are which foot region is injured and whether or not the injury causes a fracture.


This paper presents empirical evidence on farmer-oriented factors that influence adoption of agroforestry practices in Kenya. The paper argues that the adoption of agroforestry practices are influenced by many factors and one category of these factors are the characteristics and conditions of the farmer. These include gender, household headship, and household power relations, level of education, ownership of land and other property, occupation, marital status, and the size of the household. The authors observed that farmers would engage in agroforestry practices of various types and nature that fit their individual-household situations. The paper concludes that there are those factors like level of education, household decision-making, size of the household among others that positively enhance agroforestry practices, while others like lack of knowledge on agroforestry are constraints to the same. This notwithstanding, agroforestry has the potential to enhance household's livelihood opportunities that translates into high income, food security, creation of jobs, aesthetics, soil conservation, and environmental gains like fresh air, shade and source of fuel energy. It is our recommendation that development agencies should come up with interventional measures mainly targeting training and creation of awareness among farmers on the importance of agroforestry production and how farmers can optimize on the gains of agroforestry within their local situations. These would include establishment of model farms, site visits, demonstrations, and training of selected farmers to train the rest.


A new primary-side-assisted zero-voltage and zero-current switching full bridge DC-DC converter with transformer isolation is proposed. The proposed DC-DC converter uses only one auxiliary transformer and two diodes to obtain ZCS for the leading leg. It has a simple and robust structure, and load current control capability even in short circuit conditions, The possibility of magnetic saturation due to asymmetricity of circuits or transient phenomena is greatly reduced, which is a very attractive feature in DC-DC converters with transformer isolation. The power rating of the auxiliary transformer is about 10% of that of the main transformer. Operation of a 12 kW prototype designed for welding application was verified by experiments.


We present numerical simulations of the defocusing nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation with an energy supercritical nonlinearity. These computations were motivated by recent works of Kenig-Merle and Kilip-Visan who considered some energy supercritical wave equations and proved that if the solution is {a priori} bounded in the critical Sobolev space (i.e. the space whose homogeneous norm is invariant under the scaling leaving the equation invariant), then it exists for all time and scatters.
In this paper, we numerically investigate the boundedness of the $H^2$-critical Sobolev norm for solutions of the NLS equation in dimension five with quintic nonlinearity.
We find that for a class of initial conditions, this norm remains bounded, the solution exists for long time, and scatters.


This paper presents a design of broadband circular polarization patch antenna for non-linear junction detector system. A patch antenna with inclined slots, two rectangular grooves on circular disc patch, asymmetry gap of the CPW feeding structure and truncated corner of ground plane was considered for circular polarization. By applying the CPW feeding, broad bandwidth is realized.


The brain-inspired, spike-based neuromorphic system is highly anticipated in the artificial intelligence community due to its high computational efficiency. The recently developed memristor-crossbar-array technology, which is able to efficiently emulate the plasticity of biological synapses and accommodate matrix multiplication, has demonstrated its potential for neuromorphic computing. To facilitate the computation, a high-speed integrate-and-fire circuit (IFC) and a counter were previously developed to efficiently convert the current from the memristor array into rate-coded spikes. However, the linear dynamic range of the circuit, which is limited by its responding speed, is challenged when the input intensity and the conductance of the memristor array are both high simultaneously. In this paper, a novel cyclical sensing scheme is developed that can significantly extend the linear dynamic range of the original IFC. Meanwhile, the power efficiency of the IFC can also be increased. The circuit simulation results indicated that the cyclical sensing IFC was able to efficiently and accurately facilitate the matrix multiplication when it was integrated with a 32×32 memristor crossbar array. With the optimized crossbar array structure and its peripheral circuits, the developed cyclical sensing IFC has shown great promise in accelerating matrix multiplication in spike-based computing systems.


We have discovered pulsating emission within Jupiter's main auroral oval, providing evidence of the auroral signature of Jovian ULF wave processes. The form comprises a 1∘ × 2∘ spot located directly on the main emission, whose intensity oscillates with a period of ∼10 min throughout the 45 min observation. The feature appears on the duskward edge of the discontinuity, maps to ∼13–14 h LT and ∼20–50 RJ , and rotates at around a half of rigid corotation. We show that the period of the oscillation is similar to the expected Alfvén travel time between the ionosphere and the upper edge of the equatorial plasma sheet in the middle magnetosphere, and we thus suggest that the pulsating aurora is driven by a mode confined to the low-density region outside the plasma sheet. This significant new observation shows that Jupiter's auroras present an important remote sensing window on Jovian magnetospheric wave processes.


Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida (A. salmonicida), a Gram-negative bacterium causing furunculosis in fish, produces the siderophores acinetobactin and amonabactins in order to extract iron from its hosts. While the synthesis and transport of both systems is well understood, the regulation pathways and conditions necessary for the production of each one of these siderophores are not clear. The acinetobactin gene cluster carries a gene (asbI) encoding a putative sigma factor belonging to group 4 σ factors, or, the ExtraCytoplasmic Function (ECF) group. By generating a null asbI mutant, we demonstrate that AsbI is a key regulator that controls acinetobactin acquisition in A. salmonicida, since it directly regulates the expression of the outer membrane transporter gene and other genes necessary for Fe-acinetobactin transport. Furthermore, AsbI regulatory functions are interconnected with other iron-dependent regulators, such as the Fur protein, as well as with other sigma factors in a complex regulatory network.


Multiple primary cancers are being reported with increasing frequency in recent years, the frequency varying from 0.3 to 4.3% in different studies. A combination of primary cancer of larynx and lung is the most common followed by malignant neoplasm involving lip-larynx, skin-larynx, skin-lung, breast-ovary and breast-endometrium. Two interesting cases of rare combinations of primary cancers are being presented. In the first case primary adenocarcinoma of the gall bladder was associated with appendiceal adenocarcinoma. In the second case primary malignant papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma of right ovary and squamous cell carcinoma of cervix uteri were found.


Abstract. To investigate possible couplings between planetary waves and the semidiurnal tide (SDT), this work examines the statistical correlations between the SDT amplitudes observed in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) mesosphere and stationary planetary wave (SPW) with wavenumber S=1 (SPW1) amplitudes throughout the global stratosphere and mesosphere. The latter are derived from the Aura-MLS temperature measurements. During NH summer-fall (July–October), the mesospheric SDT amplitudes observed at Svalbard (78° N) and Eureka (80° N) usually do not show persistent correlations with the SPW1 amplitudes in the opposite hemisphere. Although the SDT amplitudes observed at lower latitudes (~50–70° N), especially at Saskatoon (52° N), are often shown to be highly and positively correlated with the SPW1 amplitudes in high southern latitudes, these correlations cannot be sufficiently explained as evidence for a direct physical link between the Southern Hemisphere (SH) winter-early spring SPW and NH summer-early fall mesospheric SDT. This is because the migrating tide's contribution is usually dominant in the mid-high latitude (~50–70° N) NH mesosphere during the local late summer-early fall (July–September). The numerical correlation is dominated by similar low-frequency variability or trends between the amplitudes of the NH SDT and SH SPW1 during the respective equinoctial transitions. In contradistinction, during NH winter (November–February), the mesospheric SDT amplitudes at northern mid-high latitudes (~50–80° N) are observed to be significantly and positively correlated with the SPW1 amplitudes in the same hemisphere in most cases. Because both the SPW and migrating SDT are large in the NH during the local winter, a non-linear interaction between SPW and migrating SDT probably occurs, thus providing a global non-migrating SDT. This is consistent with observations of SDT in Antarctica that are large in summer than in winter. It is suggested that climatological hemispheric asymmetry, e.g. the SH and NH winter characteristics are substantially different, lead to differences in the inter-hemispheric SPW-tide physical links.


Glutamine synthetase (GS, E.C.126.96.36.199) is a key enzyme involved in the assimilation of inorganic nitrogen in higher plants and gram-negative microorganisms. GS is the targeting enzyme of a herbicide phosphinothricin (PPT) or Basta. In order to generate PPT-resistant transgenic rice via overexpression of GS, we constructed a plant expression vector p2GS harboring two different isoenzymes GS1 and GS2 cDNAs under the control of constitutive promoters of rice Act1 and maize Ubiquitin(Ubi) genes. The p2GS was introduced into rice genome by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and confirmed by PCR and Southern blot hybridization. GS-transgene expression was first detected by Northern blot analyses. Results from Basta test indicated that GS-transgenic plants can tolerate as high as 0.3% Basta solution. In addition, our results also demonstrated that GS overexpression conferred transformed rice calli PPT resistance. Thus, GS cassette can serve as a selective marker gene instead of bar cassette for selection of PPT transformants.


Presents an approach for the prediction of radio relay link performance (probability distribution of path loss and IBLAD) and diversity improvement parameters (space, angle, pattern diversity) under varying tropospherical propagation conditions (k-factor-statistics, refractive index structure). Based on a deterministic 3D wave propagation model, the statistical behavior of the propagation conditions is simulated for varying input parameters according to available meteorological statistics. The wave propagation model takes into account scattering and diffraction in the vertical transmitter-receiver plane, and in addition rough surface scattering in the real three-dimensional environment. A digital terrain database for topographical and morphographical information is applied. The influence of the atmosphere is modeled with respect to k-factor-statistics, or, if the refractive index structure is available, by a ray-tracing algorithm.


The Environment -Development syndrome has been the major concern of developing countries like India. The developing countries being disenchanted by the unforeseen consequences brought forth by the process of development have been in a dilemma to choose between development and environmental protection. It would obviously be absurd to advice the developing countries to stop all industrialisation for the sake of the environment. The standard of living and standard of life simultaneously are the pre-requisites for humanity to survive. While development provides the former, the latter rests on the environment. It has been a tough trade-off decision between economic growth and environmental protection especially in developing countries. Development per se, is not always the cause of environmental degradation. Rather, there are certain kinds of mindless development strategies that deteriorate the environment and these need to be curbed and changed. As a result there is a growing recognition that the overall goals of environment and development are not in conflict but are indeed the same.


Subtropical forests are rich in vegetation and have high photosynthetic capacity. China is an important area for the distribution of subtropical forests, evergreen broadleaf forests (EBFs) and evergreen needleleaf forests (ENFs) are two typical vegetation types in subtropical China. Forest carbon storage is an important indicator for measuring the basic characteristics of forest ecosystems and is of great significance for maintaining the global carbon balance. Drought can affect forest activity and may even lead to forest death and the stability characteristics of different forest ecosystems varied after drought events. Therefore, this study used meteorological data to simulate the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and the Biome-BGC model to simulate two types of forest carbon storage to quantify the resistance and resilience of EBF and ENF to drought in the subtropical region of China. The results show that: 1) from 1952 to 2019, the interannual drought in subtropical China showed an increasing trend, with five extreme droughts recorded, of which 2011 was the most severe one; 2) the simulated average carbon storage of the EBF and ENF during 1985-2019 were 130.58 t·hm-2 and 78.49 t·hm-2, respectively. The regions with higher carbon storage of EBF were mainly concentrated in central and southeastern subtropics, where those of ENF mainly distributed in the western subtropic; 3) The median of resistance of EBF was three times higher than that of ENF, indicating the EBF have stronger resistance to extreme drought than ENF. Moreover, the resilience of two typical forest to 2011 extreme drought and the continuous drought events during 2009 - 2011 were similar. The results provided a scientific basis for the response of subtropical forests to drought, and indicating that improve stand quality or expand the plantation of EBF may enhance the resistance to drought in subtropical China, which provided certain reference for forest protection and management under the increasing frequency of drought events in the future.


Ocular surface reconstruction with ex vivo expanded limbal stem cells (LSCs) is a widely used clinical treatment for patients with limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). This is not applicable to patients with bilateral LSCD where there are no remaining LSCs. Cultivated oral mucosa epithelium (OME) has been used as an alternative source of autologous epithelial stem cells for ocular reconstruction in few clinical trials. However, successful generation of stratified OME epithelium has only been achieved in the presence of animal feeder cells and/or animal‐derived products in the culture media, likely to contribute to increased risk of pathogen transmission and graft rejection. In this study, we report generation of multilayered OME epithelium that shares many of the characteristics of corneal epithelium using a fully compliant good manufacturing practice, feeder‐ and animal product‐free method. Proof of concept was achieved by transplantation of autologous ex vivo expanded OME in two patients with histologically confirmed bilateral total LSCD that resulted in successful reversal of LSCD in the treated eye up to 24 months. Stem Cells 2014;32:2135–2146


The recent attacks on the decision by President Obama and Attorney General Holder to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM), one of the masterminds of the September 11th terrorist attacks, constitute one of those political moments where partisan sniping dominates everything else. For many Americans where KSM is tried is something of a non-issue a technicality that has little bearing on their lives, so long as justice is served. However, for many Republicans, none more so than former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani it is an opportunity to get some media attention and take a cheap shot at the president.


In a three-stimulus oddball task, the amplitude of P3a elicited by deviant stimuli increases with an increase in the difficulty of discriminating between standard and target stimuli (i.e. task-difficulty effect on P3a), indicating that attentional capture by deviant stimuli is enhanced with an increase in task difficulty. This enhancement of attentional capture may be explained in terms of the modulation of modality-nonspecific temporal attention; that is, the participant's attention directed to the predicted timing of stimulus presentation is stronger when the task difficulty increases, which results in enhanced attentional capture. The present study examined this possibility with a modified three-stimulus oddball task consisting of a visual standard, a visual target, and four types of deviant stimuli defined by a combination of two modalities (visual and auditory) and two presentation timings (predicted and unpredicted). We expected that if the modulation of temporal attention is involved in enhanced attentional capture, then the task-difficulty effect on P3a should be reduced for unpredicted compared with predicted deviant stimuli irrespective of their modality; this is because the influence of temporal attention should be markedly weaker for unpredicted compared with predicted deviant stimuli. The results showed that the task-difficulty effect on P3a was significantly reduced for unpredicted compared with predicted deviant stimuli in both the visual and the auditory modalities. This result suggests that the modulation of modality-nonspecific temporal attention induced by the increase in task difficulty is at least partly involved in the enhancement of attentional capture by deviant stimuli.


Carriers are an up-and-coming target family with enormous potential and offer commercial and scientific possibilities. The sodium/calcium exchanger is an important mechanism for the removal of Ca2+ from various cells. In the heart, said sodium/calcium exchanger extrudes Ca2+, which has entered through Ca2+ channels for the initiation of contractions, while Na+ enters the heart cell. It is of considerable interest to identify compounds that modulate the activity of the sodium-calcium exchanger. The present invention relates to a fluorescence-based assay for the detection of compounds for modulating the NCX in ″forward mode.″ The invention further relates to a parts set comprising cells that express NCX and to the use of said parts set for testing a compound for activity as an agonist or antagonist of NCX.


Development of private forests was thought to have good impact on the security of protected forest. The development could increase the ability of farmers in managing degraded lands, especially on private lands around the protected forest, so the disruption to the forest is reduced. The study was conducted in Sajang Village, East Lombok District and Bentek Hinterland, North Lombok District. Social factors were collected, such as education of farmers, forest ownership, local perceptions, and perception farmers towards forests, local institutions and the characteristics of the management of protected forest. Interview was conducted on 50 respondents for each location. Analysis data was done through correlation test, factor selection, and regression test. At 95% confidence level, was elected four factors associated with the ownership of private forests by farmers, namely: age of farmers, local institutional goals, pressure to local institutions and knowledge of farmers about the benefits of protected forest. Based on the four factors, the changes in the activity of local communities from depending on forest resources to building private forest was occured gradually over a long time, but it could be accelerated by increasing the independence of local institutions, and by the efforts to increase understanding of farmers in the benefits of protected forest. Keywords: Private forest, protected forest, social factors


The Morocco is facing demographic challenges and drought (less 1000m3/habitant/year). This causes people to use wastewater in the rough. These wastewaters contain fertilizing substances however its use in the raw could threaten the environment. For the city of Settat, a Morocco city which is located 60 km south of Casablanca, the wastewater is discharged without prior treatment in the river of Bou Moussa. Thus, in this work, we contribute to characterize the parasitological status of the wastewater in two main collectors A and B. The results showed that the average concentration of nematode eggs at the collectorAis 13.50 eggs/liter and 29.72 eggs/liter at the collector (B). Respectively, the eggs Cestoda was 5.24 eggs/liter inAand 2.68 eggs/liter in B. The Protozoa was 11.58 cysts/l and inAand 6.75 cysts/liter in B. Nematodes are represented especially by the eggs of Ascaris sp, Trichuris sp, Nematodirus sp, Enterobius vermicularis and Ancylostoma sp. For the tapeworms, we have Taenia saginata and Hymenolepis diminuta and Hymenolepis nana. The Protozoa were Entamoeba coli, Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba hystolitica. The concentrations of these parasites exceeds WHO standards. They therefore constitute a potential danger to the direct and indirect use of wastewater.


Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a prion disease characterized by spongiform degeneration and astrocytosis in the brain. Unlike classical BSE, which is caused by prion-disease-contaminated meat and bone meal, the cause of atypical BSE has not been determined. Since previous studies have reported that the somatic mutation in the human prion protein gene (PRNP) has been linked to human prion disease, the somatic mutation of the PRNP gene was presumed to be one cause of prion disease. However, to the best of our knowledge, the somatic mutation of this gene in cattle has not been investigated to date. We investigated somatic mutations in a total of 58 samples, including peripheral blood; brain tissue including the medulla oblongata, cerebellum, cortex, and thalamus; and skin tissue in 20 individuals from each breed using pyrosequencing. In addition, we estimated the deleterious effect of the K211 somatic mutation on bovine prion protein by in silico evaluation tools, including PolyPhen-2 and PANTHER. We found a high rate of K211 somatic mutations of the bovine PRNP gene in the medulla oblongata of three Holsteins (10% ± 4.4%, 28% ± 2%, and 19.55% ± 3.1%). In addition, in silico programs showed that the K211 somatic mutation was damaging. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate K211 somatic mutations of the bovine PRNP gene that are associated with potential BSE progression.


Ab initio calculations were performed on three cluster models to investigate the interaction of water with the (0001) surface of α-Al2O3. Surface relaxation effects are found to be similar to those in previous periodic Hartree−Fock and density functional calculations. Two types of dissociative reactions, 1−2 and 1−4 addition of water, were explored. Catalysis of the 1−4 addition reaction by a second water molecule was also examined. Of these three routes to hydroxylation of the aluminum terminated surface, the two water process was found to be the most exothermic. In all cases, little difference is observed between the energies of molecular and dissociative adsorption of one water. Multiple 1−2 dissociation events at a single surface site were also explored and found to be overall exothermic. Transition state theory was used to calculate molecular → dissociative adsorption unimolecular rate constants. Both the 1−2 and 1−4 dissociations are predicted to be rapid processes at 300 K, occurring within 10-2 s.


We suggest a simple method for improving the security of hashed passwords: the maintenance of additional "honeywords" (false passwords) associated with each user's account. An adversary who steals a file of hashed passwords and inverts the hash function cannot tell if he has found the password or a honeyword. The attempted use of a honeyword for login sets off an alarm. An auxiliary server (the "honeychecker") can distinguish the user password from honeywords for the login routine, and will set off an alarm if a honeyword is submitted.


MicroRNA expression is frequently altered in human cancers, and some microRNAs act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Mir-139 has recently been reported to function as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma and gastric cancer, but its function in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the mechanism of its suppression have not been studied in detail. Mir-139 was suppressed frequently in lung cancer cell lines and primary NSCLCs. Mir-139 was silenced with its host gene PDE2A by histone methylation, which was independent of DNA methylation. In primary NSCLCs, decreased expression of mir-139 was significantly associated with distant lymph node metastasis and histological invasiveness (lymphatic invasion and vascular invasion) on both univariate and multivariate analyses. Overexpression of mir-139 suppressed the proliferation of lung cancer cells. Collectively, these results suggest that histone methylation-mediated silencing of mir-139 enhances an aggressive phenotype of lung cancer. Citation Format: Kousuke Watanabe, Mitsuhiro Sunohara, Yosuke Amano, Rie Ishikawa, Junji Ichinose, Jun Nakajima, Masashi Fukayama, Yutaka Yatomi, Takahide Nagase, Nobuya Ohishi, Daiya Takai. Histone methylation-mediated silencing of mir-139 enhances an aggressive phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer; 2014 Jan 6-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2014;20(2Suppl):Abstract nr B28.


The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is applied to investigate the characteristics of nonlinear Fabry-Perot (FP) resonators in optical waveguide geometries. Our treatment, which is the extension of Tran's method developed to analyse the characteristics of nonlinear photonic crystals, correctly reproduces analytical results on optical bistabilities of the FP resonator provided by Chen and Mills in 1987. It is found that the minimum power required for optical bistabilities is significantry decreased by adopting the optical waveguide geometry, compared with the case of Chen and Mills, i.e., a conventional nonlinear FP interferometer.


The article deals with a comparative study in the field of marriage communication in Russian and Serbian lingua-cultures in axiological, symbolic, organizational and pragmatc aspects. The main constituents of marriage communication in Russian and Serbian lingua-cultures reveal similarities, which are due to close relationship and common religion, still, each single research aspect contains specific features.


American foulbrood, European foulbrood, Chalkbrood diseases and the varroa mite are all serious problems for beekeepers. These problem have led to the death of bee larvae and adults and ultimately in many cases severe economic loss. The most common method to treat these problems is through chemical treatments, however, such treatments are not generally acceptable due to the harmful chemical residues for the consumers. Here we pursue an alternative approach using essential oils studied in vitro. Lemon grass oil has been found to be the most effective agent against some microbial diseases and the parasitic mite. In this study we pursue an effective means to deliver the volatile oils by using porous ceramic materials as supporting media. In field trials, we used porous ceramics prepared using diatomaceous earth and activated charcoal as the main starting materials. The amount of activated charcoal was varied at 10, 20, 25, and 42.1 g. to determine optimal adsorption and control emission of the volatile lemongrass oil.


The paper describes three alternative volume rendering approaches to visualizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data. One new approach uses realistic volumetric gas rendering techniques to produce photo-realistic images and animations from scalar CFD data. The second uses ray casting that is based an a sampler illumination model and is mainly centered around a versatile new tool for the design of transfer functions. The third method employs a simple illumination model and rapid rendering mechanisms to provide efficient preview capabilities. These tools provide a large range of volume rendering capabilities to be used by the CFD explorer to render rapidly for navigation through the data, to emphasize data features (e.g., shock waves) with a specific transfer function, or to present a realistic rendition of the model.<<ETX>>


Allelopathy is an important non‐resource interaction in terrestrial plant communities that may affect invasions by non‐indigenous plants. The 'novel weapons hypothesis' (NWH) predicts that non‐indigenous plants will become invasive if they have allelopathic compounds that assemblages in the new range are not adapted to. Recently, the non‐indigenous, chemically rich macroalga Bonnemaisonia hamifera (Hariot) has become one of the most abundant filamentous red algae in Scandinavian waters. We used B. hamifera to specifically test the aspect of the NWH that concerns invasion success based on novel allelochemicals in the invaded range. Allelopathic interactions were tested through effects on the growth rate of adult native macroalgae in co‐cultures with B. hamifera and through the settlement success of native macroalgal propagules and microalgae on surfaces coated with 1,1,3,3‐tetrabromo‐2‐heptanone. We also investigated whether 1,1,3,3‐tetrabromo‐2‐heptanone can be transferred from B. hamifera to its native host algae, as a means of pre‐emptive competition. The settlement of native macroalgal propagules and microalgae was strongly inhibited on surfaces coated with 1,1,3,3‐tetrabromo‐2‐heptanone at ecologically relevant concentrations, but there were no effects of adult B. hamifera on growth rates of adults of the six native naturally co‐occurring species. The compound was shown to be transferred from B. hamifera to the surface of its native host algae at inhibitory concentrations in both laboratory and field experiments. By inhibiting the settlement of propagules on its thallus and on surrounding surfaces, B. hamifera achieves a competitive advantage over native macroalgae, a finding that parallels previous reports on soil‐ and litter‐mediated allelopathic interactions among vascular plants. Because competition for available substrata in marine benthic systems is intense, the ability to reserve space may be vital for B. hamifera's successful invasion. This is the first example of an allelopathic compound that can be transferred by direct contact from an exotic to a native species, with an active and unaltered function. Synthesis. Our results clearly show that the main secondary metabolite of the invasive red alga B. hamifera has strong allelopathic effects towards native competitors, suggesting that its novel chemical weapon is important for the highly successful invasion of new ranges.


Photodynamic inactivation is an effective treatment that uses light irradiation, photosensitizer and oxygen. The aim of this study was to determine photodynamic effectiveness of laser diode combined with ozone to reduce Staphylococcus aureus biofilm using exogenous chlorophyll (Chlo). The chlorophyll was extracted from leave of Dracaena angustifolia. To determine the antibacterial effect of S. aureus biofilm treatments, samples were separated into Chlo, Laser, Chlo+Laser, Ozone, Ozone+Laser, Chlo+Ozone+Laser categories. The data were analyzed using ANOVA test. The result of this study showed that Chlo+Ozone+Laser combine treatment at 20 s exposure of ozone with 4 min of irradiation time lead to 80.26 % reduction of biofilm activity, which was the highest efficacy of all the treatment groups. The combination of laser, chlorophyll and lower ozone concentration increases the effectiveness of photodynamic inactivation.


In the past decades, large-scale conservation programs have been implemented to halt the decline of farmland species. The mechanisms explaining the effectiveness of these programs remain poorly understood. Here we test the recent hypothesis that the effects of conservation management are determined by the ecological contrasts in limiting resources they create relative to the baseline situation. We examine responses of wintering seed-eating farmland birds to the experimental establishment of winter food plots in areas with contrasting food availability. We found that farmland bird abundance and species richness were strongly positively related to seed availability, regardless of compositional differences between agricultural landscapes. In line with the ecological contrast hypothesis, the responses of wintering farmland birds increased with increasing conservation induced contrast in a key limiting resource. Both contrasts and relative responses were negatively related to baseline food availability, but the absolute bird density in food plots was unrelated to baseline food availability. This indicates that both relative and absolute effects of conservation management need to be considered to properly evaluate the effectiveness of conservation management.


End resection is a central step in DNA homologous recombination (HR) and the HR-mediated repair of DNA
 double-strand breaks (DSBs), which degrades 5'-end strands at DSBs by several kilo-bases and thus creates 3'-end
 single-strand DNA overhangs. A critical long-standing question is how the 3'-end strands are protected during end
 resection. Now, this question is answered. Liu et al. found that the protection of 3'-end strands is achieved by the
 formation of an RNA-DNA hybrid. RNA polymerase III is responsible for catalyzing the RNA strand in the hybrid.
 Thus, RNA polymerase III is an essential factor for HR, and the RNA-DNA hybrid is an essential HR intermediate.


This study evaluated the radiopacity of the following endodontic sealers Fillcanal®, Apexit®, Vidrion Endo® and Endomethasone®, varying exposure times (0.3 and 0.4s) and kilovoltage (50 and 70 kVp). For each material studied, five test specimens were made, which were radiographed together with a tooth, at the exposure times and kilovoltages determined. Five optic density measurements were made in each test specimen and tooth image. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess the influence of the kilovoltage factors, exposure time and sealer, and the Mann-Whitney test for multiple comparisons (p < 0.05). Under the assessed conditions, all the materials were more radiopaque than the tooth. With exception of EndomethasoneTM, which presented lower radiopacity in comparison with the other materials at the two studied exposure times, there was no significant difference among the endodontic sealers evaluated when kilovoltage of 50 kVp was employed. When the materials were exposed, using a kilovoltage of 70 kVp, there was higher optic density for time 0.4s, and at the two exposure times used, the density values among the sealers Vidrion EndoTM and FillcanalTM, and EndomethasoneTM and ApexitTM were similar. It was concluded that the kilovoltage factor showed greater influence on radiopacity of the materials than the time exposure. In the same way, kilovoltage of 70 kVp was said to allow the material radiopacity is differentiated by its density and composition.


We present a fast, large-scale algorithm for the simulation of electromagnetic waves (Maxwell's equations) in three-dimensional inhomogeneous media. The algorithm has a complexity of $O(N\log (N))$ and runs in parallel. Numerical simulations show the rapid treatment of problems with tens of millions of unknowns on a small shared-memory cluster (≤ 16 cores).


Abstract. The Peruvian endemic Lima Leaf-Toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus) is a critically endangered species with just a few known localities of occurrence, which are isolated from each other, within Lima City and in the Ica region. During 1 yr, we carried out monthly evaluations to determine the influence of the environmental factors on the size and population dynamics of this species in the Huaca Pucllana, as this area maintains one of the largest populations in Lima. We took body measurements and reproductive data and made a total of 1,924 captures and recaptures. The low catchability during the coldest months caused a population underestimation in which adults fluctuated between 69 and 313 and juveniles between 88 and 351 throughout the year for the study area of 6.07 ha. The catchability increased in the warmest months when the adult population peaked between December and January, whereas the population of juveniles peaked in December and April. We noted sexual dimorphism, the females being 8% longer than males. The reproductive cycle seems more similar to that of other species that inhabit the temperate zones, where females have oviductal eggs in spring and the appearance of young individuals occurs in mid- to late summer when food is abundant. We recommend carrying out one evaluation per year in Huaca Pucllana and in the other localities of occurrence of these geckos during summertime. We also recommend carrying out a management program including the translocation of individuals between Huaca Pucllana and the other four closest localities.


Stylistics emerged out of the mediation between literary criticism and linguistics; it concerns itself with the linguistic analysis of a text or discourse. The treatise is a new addition to the stylistic study. It aims at presenting a linguistic description of Keats's poetry at different levels of language. In textual and systemic perspectives, it explores the distinctive features of language in the selected poems of Keats at graphological, phonological, lexical, syntactic, semantic and discoursal levels. It also offers an insight into the interpretive tradition, contemporary approaches to literature and genesis of stylistic study. In addition, it seeks to equip the readers with an arsenal of analytical tools for interpreting literature in general and poetry in particular and add new dimensions to teaching and research in language and literature.


Calf and thigh blood flows in both of right and left legs were measured simultaneously after isometric contraction of the right thigh muscle. Isometric contraction was performed at a force of about 50% of maximal voluntary contraction for 15 sec. The thigh blood flow of the right leg increased immediately after voluntary contraction in all subjects, while the calf blood flow of right leg decreased conversely in spite of exercised ipsilateral leg.


BACKGROUND
The AMPLICOR assay (Roche; Branchburg, NJ), a rapid direct amplification test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has only been licensed for use in smear-positive respiratory specimens. However, many patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) have smear-negative disease. The clinical utility of this test in patients with smear-negative PTB is unknown.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of pretest probability of PTB estimated by chest physicians on the accuracy of the AMPLICOR assay in patients with smear-negative PTB.

DESIGN AND METHODS
A prospective study of consecutive patients suspected of having smear-negative PTB. Two chest physicians estimated the pretest probability of active disease (high, intermediate, and low categories). Respiratory specimens were examined with radiometric broth medium cultures and with the AMPLICOR assay for M tuberculosis. The decision on a final diagnosis of PTB was blinded to the AMPLICOR results.

RESULTS
Active PTB was diagnosed in 25 of 441 patients (5.7%). The AMPLICOR assay had an overall sensitivity of 44% and a specificity of 99%. Results of the assay were negative in seven patients with culture-negative PTB. The proportions of patients in the high, intermediate, and low pretest groups were 4.5%, 19.7%, and 75.7%, respectively. The incidence of PTB for each group was 95%, 3.4%, and 0.9%, respectively. The sensitivities of the AMPLICOR assay in the three groups of patients were 47%, 33%, and 33%, respectively, while the specificities were 100%, 98%, and 99%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
In patients suspected of having smear-negative PTB, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) the incidence of active PTB was low; (2) pretest estimates accurately discriminated between patients with high and low risk of PTB; (3) the risk of PTB was overestimated in the intermediate group; and (4) the utility of the AMPLICOR assay in the intermediate-risk group may be limited by the overestimation of disease prevalence and low test sensitivity. Further studies are needed on the role of the AMPLICOR assay in better selected patients with an intermediate risk of having smear-negative PTB.


9000 Background: FDA-approved 1L treatment options for patients with PD-L1-high advanced NSCLC (PD-L1 score ≥50%) include IO ± chemo (± anti-angiogenics) but it is unclear if chemo substantially improves efficacy outcomes when added to IO in this patient population. Methods: Data was pooled from 12 randomized controlled trials that investigated anti-PD-(L)1 regimens ± chemo for the 1L treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC. PD-L1 score was defined as the proportion of tumor cells stained by the assay and analysis was conducted for patients with tumor PD-L1 score ≥50%. OS, PFS, and ORR were compared between chemo-IO and IO alone via a pooled analysis. Median survival times were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models stratified by trial; odds ratios were estimated using a logistic regression model with trial as a covariate. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race, ECOG, histology and smoking status. Results: A total of 3,189 patients with NSCLC and PD-L1 score ≥50% were identified for this analysis. Baseline characteristics were: 38% ages 65-74 years and 11% ages ≥75 years; 69% male; 80% White; 66% ECOG ≥1; and 89% former/current smokers. Median OS in the pooled chemo-IO ( N=455) and IO-only ( N=1,298) arms was 25.0 vs 20.9 months (HR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.62, 1.08); median PFS was 9.6 vs 7.1 months, respectively (HR 0.69; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.87). ORR was higher with chemo-IO than with IO alone (61% vs 43%; Odds ratio 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.3). Conclusions: This exploratory, hypothesis-generating pooled analysis suggests that most subgroups of patients with advanced NSCLC with PD-L1 score ≥50% receiving FDA-approved chemo-IO regimens may have OS and PFS outcomes that are comparable with or better than IO-only regimens. Patients ≥75 years of age receiving chemo-IO may not have improved outcomes over IO. These results support shared decision-making that balances potential benefits and risks of adding chemo to IO regimens based on patient factors that may impact tolerability. [Table: see text]


Carbocations are short-lived reactive intermediates in many organic and biological reactions that are difficult to observe. This field sprung to life with the discovery by Olah that a superacidic solution allowed the successful capture and nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of transient carbocations. We report here that water microdroplets can directly capture the fleeting carbocation from a reaction aliquot followed by its desorption to the gas phase for mass spectrometric detection. This was accomplished by employing desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to detect a variety of short-lived carbocations (average lifetime ranges from nanoseconds to picoseconds) obtained from different reactions (e.g., elimination, substitution, and oxidation). Solvent-dependent studies revealed that aqueous microdroplets outperform organic microdroplets in the capture of carbocations. We provide a mechanistic insight demonstrating the survival of the reactive carbocation in a positively charged aqueous microdroplet and its subsequent ejection to the gas phase for mass spectrometric analysis.


This study aims to identify the characteristics of expression of place identity shown in public design Choryang Ibaguil in Dong-gu, Busan and analyze them from physical aspects and from psychological ones. Choryang Ibagugil has special historicity indicating that it is a hillside road(Sanbokdoro) dwelling site created after the 6.25 Korean War and the quintessence of Busan. In addition, the site is a good example that used the topographic characteristics as they were and used the road for movement called as `gil` to design public environment. Ibagugil connected to Sanbokdoro (i.e. Mangyang-ro) starting from the big road (Busan Station) where there was a large floating population represented the regional identity to public design by the medium of `gil.` As a result of analyzing the characteristics of expression of place identity based on the current status discovered, our conclusions could be drawn as follows: First, place forms identity under interpersonal relationships and there is a story on the lives of people in the contexts between place and identity. Second, place identity is an independent specialty of a certain place and expression of place identity into public design makes the place more place-like. Ibaguil expressed its identity while adapting to the topographic characteristics of hillside road(Sanbokdoro). Third, adjacent public buildings were included into Ibaguil, thus highlighting the placeness, although it is considered that it is ambiguous to determine it as public design in the current-status analysis. Fourth, form the public value aspect, slumized hillside road(Sanbokdoro) was improved, which led to improvement in quality of environment and improvement in pride of local residents. Resultingly, it can be said that the place identity appeared in the public design of Choryang Ibagugil were the stories that happened in this place. Moreover, the indication of future image of how the place will be developed in the future makes the value of the place more significant. Therefore, in public design for expressing place identity, utilization of independent speciality of the site is considered to be an important factor. By doing so, `place becomes a real place` and `place can get an independent identity.` Going further, it comes to get the characteristics of `being the place as it is.`


PURPOSE
To study the effect of dexamethasone on adhesion and phagocyosis of bovine trebacular cells (BTC).

METHODS
After treated with different concentrations of dexamethasone (10(-7) M, 10(-6) M, 10(-5) M) for three days, BTC were added to 96-well plates coated with various extracellular matrix (ECM) and incubated for 90 minutes at 37 degrees C, Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay were used to evaluate the amount of the cells attach to ECM; In addition, using latex micropheries 0.8 microm in diameter as markers,we investigated the effect of dexamethasone on phagocytosis of BTC.

RESULTS
All groups of Dexamethasone can inhibit BTC attach to various ECM and in a dose-depend manner; the phagocytosis of BTC were also inhibited by three concentrations of dexamethasone and in a dose-depend manner.

CONCLUSIONS
Dexamethasone can inhibit adhesion and phagocytosis of BTC, it may be related with pathogenasis of glucocorticoid induced glaucoma.


The examples of phase equilibria in binary systems, solid/liquid (SLE), liquid/liquid (LLE), vapor/liquid (VLE), as well as liquid/liquid equilibria in ternary systems mainly containing ionic liquids (ILs), or the infragrance materials, or pharmaceuticals with molecular organic solvents, such as an alcohol, or water, or hydrocarbons, are presented. The most popular correlation methods of the experimental phase equilibrium data are presented, related to the excess Gibbs free energy models such as Wilson, universal-quasichemical, UNIQUAC and non-random two-liquid model, NRTL as well as several popular theories for the modeling of the phase equilibria and excess molar enthalpy, HE in binary or ternary mixtures are presented: the group contribution method (Mod. UNIFAC) and modified UNIFAC model for pharmaceuticals and lattice theory based on non-random hydrogen bonding (NRHB). The SLE, LLE, or VLE and HE of these systems may be described by the Perturbed-Chain Polar Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (PC-SAFT), or a Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS). The examples of the application of ILs as extractants for the separation of aromatic hydrocarbons from alkanes, sulfur compounds from alkanes, alkenes from alkanes, ethylbenzene from styrene, butan-1-ol from water phase, or 2-phenylethanol (PEA) from water are discussed on the basis of previously published data. The first information about the selectivity of extrahent for separation can be obtained from the measurements of the limiting activity coefficient measurements by the gas–liquid chromatography technique. This review outlines the main research work carried out over the last few years on direct measurements of phase equilibria, or HE and limiting activity coefficients, the possibility of thermodynamic modeling with emphasis on recent research achievements and potential for future research.


Designed to be read as narrative and also to be dipped into for inspiration, encouragement and consolation, The Good Book offers a thoughtful, non-religious alternative to the many people who do not follow one of the world's great religions. Instead, going back to traditions older than Christianity, and far richer and more various, including the non-theistic philosophical and literary schools of the great civilisations of both West and East, from the Greek philosophy of classical antiquity and its contemporaneous Confucian, Mencian and Mohist schools in China, down through classical Rome, the flourishing of Indian and Arab worlds, the European Renaissance and Enlightenment, the worldwide scientific discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries to the present, Grayling collects, edits, rearranges and organises the collective secular wisdom of the world in one highly readable volume. Contents: Genesis Proverbs Histories Songs Wisdom Acts The Lawgiver Lamentations Concord Consolations Sages The Good Parables


Deserts represent extreme habitats where photosynthetic life is restricted to the lithic niche. The ability of rock-inhabiting cyanobacteria to modify their photosynthetic apparatus and harvest far-red light (near-infrared) was investigated in 10 strains of the genus Chroococcidiopsis, previously isolated from diverse endolithic and hypolithic desert communities. The analysis of their growth capacity, photosynthetic pigments, and apcE2-gene presence revealed that only Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 010 was capable of far-red light photoacclimation (FaRLiP). A total of 15 FaRLiP genes were identified, encoding paralogous subunits of photosystem I, photosystem II, and the phycobilisome, along with three regulatory elements. CCMEE 010 is unique among known FaRLiP strains by undergoing this acclimation process with a significantly reduced cluster, which lacks major photosystem I paralogs psaA and psaB. The identification of an endolithic, extremotolerant cyanobacterium capable of FaRLiP not only contributes to our appreciation of this phenotype's distribution in nature but also has implications for the possibility of oxygenic photosynthesis on exoplanets.


In recent studies performed on pancreatic stones from patients with alcoholic pancreatitis, a novel secretory protein was identified: the pancreatic stone protein (PSP Mr 14,000). This protein suppresses CaCO3. precipitation, and could therefore stabilize normally supersaturated pancreatic juice. Crystallographic analysis of stones from patients with nutritional pancreatitis (NP), as well as alcoholic pancreatitis (AP), revealed that the main constituent was calcite (CaCO3). In the present study, we investigated the organic matrix of NP stones. In the 14 cases studied, the organic matrix was rendered soluble after mineral dissolution with EDTA + citrate. Analysis of the isolated matrix revealed the presence of one major protein (Mr 14,000), and of a minor protein (Mr 30,000), which is in fact an aggregate form of the 14,000 Mr protein. Using PSP antibodies, complete immunological identity was found between PSP, the immunoreactive form of PSP present in nonactivated pancreatic juice, and the protein matrix of NP stones. Moreover, protein matrix of NP stones also inhibited the nucleation of CaCO, crystal, and decreased their growth rate in vitro. The presence of PSP in all AP and NP stones suggests that it plays a key role in stone formation during the course of chronic pancreatitis. These results also suggest the existence of some pathophysiological links between these two apparently different etiological forms of calcifying pancreatitis.


We submit that anomalies in radiocarbon data in archaeological studies should be viewed positively as a stimulus to undertake further targeted research. Additional analyses to resolve anomalies have the potential to provide important insights into heretofore unstudied or incompletely understood depositional or geochemical processes affecting 14C values, particularly in certain types of samples and samples from certain types of environments. We consider 2 major categories or sources of 14C dating anomalies that we posit are mostly responsible for the vast majority of problematic 14C results: anomalous sample contexts and anomalous sample composition. Two additional sources of 14C anomalies are much more rarely encountered. Six case studies taken from New World archaeological studies are briefly presented to provide examples of where questions concerning the validity of 14C measurements generated additional and ultimately more accurate understandings of temporal relationships. AMS-based 14C measurement technology has rendered detailed investigations of 14C anomalies routinely feasible.


Sterols are ubiquitous and essential constituents of all eukaryotic cells, found either esterified and stored in droplet form (l), or unesterified and integrated into bilayers (2) . Sterols not only play a major structural role in membranes, but serve as precursors for steroid hormones and bile acids (3). The distribution of cholesterol within the cell and how it is apportioned properly are not only of fundamental interest but of cardinal medical importance. Despite intensive study (reviewed in 4"7), the basic mechanisms of apportionment among cellular membranes of structural lipids in general and cholesterol in particular are still poorly understood. This brief review will focus on the utility of a particular probe, cholesterol oxidase.


c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) (comprising JNK1–3 isoforms) are members of the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) family, activated in response to various stimuli including growth factors and inflammatory cytokines. Their activation is facilitated by scaffold proteins, notably JNK-interacting protein-1 (JIP1). Originally considered to be mediators of neuronal degeneration in response to stress and injury, recent studies support a role of JNKs in early stages of neurite outgrowth, including adult axonal regeneration. However, the function of individual JNK isoforms, and their potential effector molecules, remained unknown. Here, we analyzed the role of JNK signaling during axonal regeneration from adult mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, combining pharmacological JNK inhibition and mice deficient for each JNK isoform and for JIP1. We demonstrate that neuritogenesis is delayed by lack of JNK2 and JNK3, but not JNK1. JNK signaling is further required for sustained neurite elongation, as pharmacological JNK inhibition resulted in massive neurite retraction. This function relies on JNK1 and JNK2. Neurite regeneration of jip1−/− DRG neurons is affected at both initiation and extension stages. Interestingly, activated JNKs (phospho-JNKs), as well as JIP1, are also present in the cytoplasm of sprouting or regenerating axons, suggesting a local action on cytoskeleton proteins. Indeed, we have shown that JNK1 and JNK2 regulate the phosphorylation state of microtubule-associated protein MAP1B, whose role in axonal regeneration was previously characterized. Moreover, lack of MAP1B prevents neurite retraction induced by JNK inhibition. Thus, signaling by individual JNKs is differentially implicated in the reorganization of the cytoskeleton, and neurite regeneration.


This essay takes a look at the impact the television news program Entertainment Tonight had on the news industry and popular culture's appeal in society from its inception in 1981 onward. ET defined a style of news coverage and helped draw in and maintain the audience for entertainment news that in turn affected how news outlets worldwide viewed entertainment and where it fit into programming, society and culture today. This is chronicled through interviews with original creators, producers and writers of ET as well as news directors and producers who remember and reflect on the impact this entertainment news program had on the news media and entertainment culture.


In natural infection, hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein (HBc) accumulates frequent mutations. The most frequent HBc variant in chronic hepatitis B patients is mutant 97L, changing from an isoleucine or phenylalanine to a leucine (L) at HBc amino acid 97. One dogma in the HBV research field is that wild type HBV secretes predominantly virions containing mature double-stranded DNA genomes. Immature genomes, containing single-stranded RNA or DNA, do not get efficiently secreted until reaching genome maturity. Interestingly, HBc variant 97L does not follow this dogma in virion secretion. Instead, it exhibits an immature secretion phenotype, which preferentially secretes virions containing immature genomes. Other aberrant behaviors in virion secretion were also observed in different naturally occurring HBc variants. A hydrophobic pocket around amino acid 97 was identified by bioinformatics, genetic analysis, and cryo-EM. We postulated that this hydrophobic pocket could mediate the transduction of the genome maturation signal for envelopment from the capsid interior to its surface. Virion morphogenesis must involve interactions between HBc, envelope proteins (HBsAg) and host factors, such as components of ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport). Immature secretion can be offset by compensatory mutations, occurring at other positions in HBc or HBsAg. Recently, we demonstrated in mice that the persistence of intrahepatic HBV DNA is related to virion secretion regulated by HBV genome maturity. HBV virion secretion could be an antiviral drug target.


Recent advances in subcellular imaging transcriptomics platforms have enabled high-resolution spatial mapping of gene expression, while also introducing significant analytical challenges in accurately identifying cells and assigning transcripts. Existing methods grapple with cell segmentation, frequently leading to fragmented cells or oversized cells that capture contaminated expression. To this end, we present BIDCell, a self-supervised deep learning-based framework with biologically-informed loss functions that learn relationships between spatially resolved gene expression and cell morphology. BIDCell incorporates cell-type data, including single-cell transcriptomics data from public repositories, with cell morphology information. Using a comprehensive evaluation framework consisting of metrics in five complementary categories for cell segmentation performance, we demonstrate that BIDCell outperforms other state-of-the-art methods according to many metrics across a variety of tissue types and technology platforms. Our findings underscore the potential of BIDCell to significantly enhance single-cell spatial expression analyses, including cell-cell interactions, enabling great potential in biological discovery.


Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common acute and severe cardiovascular disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of different lipid indicators, particularly sdLDL-C, in the assessment of AMI.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the hospital database for all consecutive participants who underwent coronary angiography due to the experience of chest pain in our hospital from September 2019 to June 2020. The basic demographic and clinical data and laboratory assay results for all participants were collected and evaluated at admission. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.0.Results: A total of 216 patients with AMI, 154 patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and 103 healthy subjects were included. The levels of LDL3-7 were significantly different among the three groups (P<0.05). Significant positive correlations were observed between the Gensini score and several variables, including hypertension and levels of glucose, sdLDL-C, TC, and LDL-C (r > 0.1, P < 0.001). The sdLDL-C level in the AMI group was significantly higher than that in the control group in individuals with normal LDL-C (P < 0.001). Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the area under the curve (AUC) of sdLDL-C for AMI risk was 0.666, which was better than that of other lipids. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the sdLDL-C level was significantly correlated with AMI. A logistic regression model were established based on sdLDL-C and other variables to identify people at high cardiovascular risk, with an AUC of 0.868.Conclusions: Increased sdLDL-C level was an independent risk factor for AMI. sdLDL-C may be a useful parameter for the assessment of AMI and help clinicians classify high-risk cardiovascular disease.


The event-related potential P300 probably reflects the encoding of information into short-term memory. Anatomical structures of the limbic system are involved in this process. Since the same structures are involved in the generation of the event-related potential P300, P300 is thus well suited to assess pharmacological influence on memory functions and cognitive processes, for example, by changing the availability of neurotransmitters like acetylcholine at their respective receptors.


This article explores the experiences of enemy civilians in Japan through a case study of Kobe during the Pacific War. It highlights the widely varying experiences of individuals, and the fact that relations between the internees had an important impact on life in internment. Although there was no convention covering the treatment of civilian detainees, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Swiss, as protecting power, played a significant role in improving the conditions of detention for civilians in wartime Japan, but gaps in cultural norms between Japan and the West created grievances among both the detainees and Swiss humanitarian officials. This article has been peer-reviewed.


This paper develops a neural network model for solving the Value-at-risk forecasting problems. The application of forecasting methods in neural network models is discussed, which involves normal-GARCH model and grey forecasting model. Compared to the use of traditional models, the new method is fast, easy to implement, numerically reliable. After describing the model, experimental results from Chinese equity market verify the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed work.


The object of analysis of the proposed benchmark exercise is a system of ion propulsion for a science mission to the outer solar system. The propulsion system consists of a single propellant tank and 5 propulsion assemblies. The mission consists of 7 phases with different durations and requirements for the number of operational assemblies. The objective of the benchmark exercise is to determine the time dependent reliability of the propulsion system over the planned mission duration using the provided reliability data. Mission success implies success of all phases. The solution approach here undertaken uses fault-tree/event-trees (ET/FTs) for each functional mode (start up, shut down, operation and no-operation) to generate the transition probabilities of a discrete-time, inhomogeneous embedded Markov chain consisting of 11 states. Results of the study show that assembly failure during Start Up and the Shut Down functional modes of the propulsion system significantly contribute to mission failure.


Based on a careful physical description, the RF performance of ultrathin-body (down to 3 nm) silicon-on-insulator transistors is investigated. While the mobility reduction in a thin Si film slightly degrades the peak cutoff frequency and the maximum frequency of high-performance cross-coupled pair-based RF oscillators, the changes in feedback capacitance improve the low operating power and high-performance wideband and power operation of RF circuits. Also, the influence of various gate stacks on the benefits of downscaling is investigated. Fully silicided gates will enable to benefit from gate-length downscaling from an RF perspective down to 9 nm if the finger width is kept below 6 /spl mu/m, and deposited metal gates have the potential to provide advantages if the total interface resistivity is below 6-7 /spl Omega//spl middot//spl mu/m/sup 2/. Finally, the effect of series resistance at the source/drain is quantified. The device RF performance decreases by 10% per 100 /spl Omega//spl middot//spl mu/m of series resistance.


We report an extremely rare tumor presenting with myoid features in the left cerebellar hemisphere in a 62-year-old man. This tumor consisted of medium to large round cells with focal lipomatous and myoid differentiation. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells expressed synaptophysin, GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and focally desmin. From these findings, we concluded that this tumor was a liponeurocytoma with myoid features. To the best of our knowledge, this report constitutes the second described case of liponeurocytoma with myoid differentiation in the cerebellum.


OBJECTIVE
We tested a chest tube device and insertion technique designed to reduce complications and expedite effective thoracostomy tube placement.

METHODOLOGY
This is a case series study. We placed chest tubes using this device in 25 infants ranging in weight from 425 to 3500 g. This investigation was performed in a regional referral center neonatal intensive care unit.

RESULTS
Using this device, chest tube insertion was safe and effective. No complications were identified.

CONCLUSION
We believe percutaneous placement of small-bore pigtail catheters using this technique represents a useful alternative to the standard approach of thoracostomy tube placement in small infants.

SYNOPSIS
To reduce complications during thoracostomy tube placement and to expedite tube insertion, we modified a chest tube device for use in premature infants. This technique and device facilitates quick and accurate placement. We placed chest tubes using this device in 25 infants ranging from 425 to 3500 g. Using this device, chest tube insertion is quick, easy, and safe. No complications were identified. We believe percutaneous placement of small-bore pigtail catheters using this technique represents a useful alternative to the standard approaches of thoracostomy tube placement in small infants.


Mushroom wastes are available in high volumes, with 5 million tons of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) being disposed of globally every year. Due to this high availability, various forms of SMS have been researched for their use as alternative animal feeds. Additionally, experimental techniques can be used to grow certain mushroom species, such as oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.) on various lignocellulosic waste materials. Therefore, the SMS from Pleurotus sp. grown on these waste materials may offer a promising conversion from a waste material to a low-cost, nutritionally sufficient feed. However, little research has been done to determine if feeds from Pleurotus SMS specifically grown on urban waste substrates offer the same benefits. Given rising awareness on circularity and urban self-sufficiency, growing mushrooms on urban waste is a promising solution which should be investigated. This paper assesses the feasibility of using SMS from golden oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) grown on urban waste as dairy cattle feed, comparing substrate ratios to determine which would result in the most desirable protein and fiber contents. SMS from three experimental substrates of cardboard and spent coffee grounds (SCG) were compared to traditional dairy cattle feeds. Treatments 2 and 3 were found to be suitable for use as additives to traditional feeds in small replacement amounts. However, both treatments also had high fiber content, which may affect practicality of use as feeds.


Dose-response studies in chemical carcinogenesis are a valuable method for evaluating the risk involved by a certain carcinogen. This article deals with the methods that are presently applied for dose-response studies. It is emphasized that there are many possible mistakes that are already hidden in the method itself; a critical approach is made to the indicative value of dose-response studies. It is also emphasized that the conclusions which may be drawn from dose-response studies can always only be extrapolative but never mathematically calculable. Finally, some practical examples for dose-response studies with n-nitroso compounds are described.


Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a well-defined and aggressive type of B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is genetically characterized by the t(11;14)(q13;q32) chromosomal translocation, which results in constitutive overexpression of CYCLIN D1. Although newly developed drugs such as ibrutinib show promising clinical outcomes, relapsed MCL often acquires drug resistance, which is a critical obstacle to treatment. Alternative approaches to overcoming the drug resistance of relapsed MCL are urgently needed. PRC1 and 2 are important epigenetic regulators that maintain the stemness of embryonic and hematopoietic stem cells. EZH1 and 2 are catalytic components of PRC2, which trimethylates histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27) to repress transcription of target genes. Mutation and overexpression of EZH1/2 are associated with cancers, including hematopoietic malignancies. Here, we used a novel dual inhibitor of EZH1/2 to show that inhibiting EZH1/2 is a promising therapeutic strategy for MCL. First, we developed a xenograft (PDX) mouse model using cells from a heavily pretreated and relapsed MCL patient, and then orally administered an inhibitor of EZH1/2, called OR-S1. OR-S1 strongly impaired proliferation of the patient-derived tumors and did not cause any serious side effects. Additionally, an in vitro assay using MCL cell lines showed that OR-S1 inhibited the growth of MCL cells, and that the effect was much more significant than that using the single EZH2 inhibitor (GSK126). The IC50 of OR-S1 was about one tenth that of GSK126. These results strongly suggest that dual inhibition of EZH1/2 could be a promising therapeutic strategy for relapsed MCL. Next, to investigate the effect induced by dual inhibition of EZH1/2, we conducted further analyses of the MCL cell lines. Cells exposed to OR-S1 showed cell cycle arrest (G1 arrest) along with a dose-dependent reduction in phospho-Rb and cell differentiation, coupled with increased cell surface expression of hCD138. We then used RNA-seq analysis of MCL cell lines to compare OR-S1-treated cells with vehicle-treated cells and found that cell cycle-related signaling was significantly affected and that a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, CDKN1C (TP57), was one of the genes most markedly upregulated by OR-S1. ChIP qPCR of MCL cell lines showed that the CDKN1C locus was strongly marked by H3K27 trimethylation, and that OR-S1 induced a significant reduction in the level of this histone marker. Furthermore, administration of OR-S1 alone to PDX mice induced increased expression of CDKN1C (as in the in vitro assay). Thus, dual inhibition of EZH1/2 in MCL induces expression of CDKN1C, which in turn causes cell cycle arrest and reduced growth of MCL. Taken together, these results strongly suggested that dual inhibition of EZH1 and EZH2 is a promising therapeutic strategy for MCL, illustrating the potential of novel epigenetic approaches to overcoming drug resistance of relapsed MCL. Citation Format: Shuhei Fujita, Yuki Kagiyama, Daisuke Honma, Nobuaki Adachi, Kazushi Araki, Issay Kitabayashi. Novel epigenetic approach to relapsed mantle cell lymphoma based on dual inhibition of EZH1/EZH2 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4672. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4672


A combination of forces makes the scaphoid bone susceptible to fracture. The common mechanism of trauma is a force applied to the palmar aspect of the wrist while it is in extreme dorsiflexion. Because early fracture diagnosis by x-ray study is difficult, all patients with a suspicious wrist injury and tenderness in the scaphoid region should be treated as if they have a fracture until radiographs at two and four weeks are normal. Treatment usually consists of immobilization using a long or short plaster arm cast. Various treatment methods, including electrical stimulation, are used when nonunion occurs. It is important to remember that patients are mainly concerned with results, not means, as long as such means are fast, safe, and minimally disabling.


Trypanosoma cruzi undergoes a biphasic life cycle that consists of four alternate developmental stages. In vitro conditions to obtain a synchronic transformation and efficient rates of pure intermediate forms (IFs), which are indispensable for further biochemical, biological, and molecular studies, have not been reported. In the present study, we established an improved method to obtain IFs from secondary amastigogenesis. During the transformation kinetics, we observed progressive decreases in the size of the parasite body, undulating membrane and flagellum that were concomitant with nucleus remodeling and kinetoplast displacement. In addition, a gradual reduction in parasite movement and acquisition of the amastigote-specific Ssp4 antigen were observed. Therefore, our results showed that the in vitro conditions used obtained large quantities of highly synchronous and pure IFs that were clearly distinguished by morphometrical and molecular analyses. Obtaining these IFs represents the first step towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in amastigogenesis.


Four cases of abnormal metabolic patterns which were obtained from three infantile patients and one adult on valproate (valproic acid; 2‐n‐propyl‐pentanoic acid) therapy are reported. Serum levels of valproate and 15 metabolites were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A mentally retarded, 11‐month‐old boy developed an extremely altered metabolic profile after having been treated with valproate polytherapy for 3 months. The altered pattern included strongly elevated serum levels of the 4‐ene as well as of the x‐/x 1‐metabolites, with the b‐metabolites (2‐ene; 2,3′‐diene) being diminished. Two samples obtained previously had shown a common pattern. The infant died 3 weeks after the last sample had been taken. Two boys of the same age showed similar but less intense deviations in their metabolic profiles at the onset of valproate therapy. Within a few weeks they approached, in a step‐wise fashion, the average pattern common for children under 3 years of age. The striking alterations were paralleled by the metabolic profiles of an adult patient who suffered from intrahepatic metastasis and renal insufficiency. From the close resemblance of the abnormal metabolic patterns it was concluded that liver dysfunction results in alteration of the whole metabolic system. Regular inspection of the entire profile of an individual might help to recognize conspicuous alterations in time to avoid severe side effects.


Cross-cultural studies are particularly relevant in the context of climate change, given its pervasive character and the growing demand for climate change mitigation at both global and local levels. This paper reports on findings from comparative cross-cultural mixed-methods research eliciting perceptions of the future among citizens in Norwich (UK) and Rome (Italy). The paper explores how individuals at the two locations interpret socio-economic and climate scenarios, and how they relate environmental change to human behavior. Attitude segmentation was found to be similar in both localities. Although most participants in both locations realized the benefits of a future centered on sustainable resource use and societal welfare, individuals' attitudes and considerations about the future were not largely influenced by the scenarios. Discussions revealed that the credibility of the projections depended on individuals' prior beliefs and their trust in the science portrayed.


The active surveillance of root caries lesions to monitor potential remineralization or decay progression is challenging for the clinician, due to unreliable diagnostic information. The conventional visual and tactile methods for assessing the lesion activity are not reliable, and the clinician is often unable to determine if the lesion is progressing or has been arrested. An important marker of an arrested lesion is a highly mineralized transparent surface zone (TSL) that forms when the mineral is deposited in the outer layer of the lesion. The purpose of this study was to determine if cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP-OCT) could be used to detect changes in the lesion severity and activity during active monitoring. In total, 18 subjects with 22 suspected active root caries lesions were evaluated using CP-OCT at the baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. All subjects were instructed to use a high fluoride dentifrice at the baseline. The results showed that CP-OCT was able to discriminate the active from the arrested lesions by identifying the presence of a TSL on arrested lesions. The results also indicated that the mean TSL thickness increased significantly (p < 0.05) for the nine lesion areas. In addition, CP-OCT was able to show the progression of demineralization, erosion, and changes in gingival contours in scanned areas. CP-OCT was valuable for monitoring the activity and severity of root caries lesions in vivo. CP-OCT can be used to assess the activity of root caries lesions at a single time point by detecting the presence of a TSL at the lesion surface indicative of the lesion arrest.


Delay discounting tasks present alternatives that differ in two attributes: amount and delay. Typically, choice is modeled by application of a discount function to each option, allowing alternative-wise comparison. However, if participants make decisions by comparing attributes, manipulations that affect the salience of either attribute may affect patience. In Experiment 1, participants completed one block of trials in which amount was a fixed attribute (constant across trials), and another in which delay was fixed. Consistent with the hypothesis that the varying attribute would be more salient, participants exhibited less patience in the amount-fixed condition. Moreover, this effect was larger for participants who responded more quickly when making choices that favored the varying attribute. In Experiment 2, these findings were extended by adding trial blocks with a working memory dual task. We replicated the fixed-attribute effect, along with the aforementioned association with reaction time. Contrary to expectation, the fixed-attribute effect was not larger when participants were under working memory load. Instead, working memory load was associated with more patient responses, which may be related to idiosyncrasies of the task including the absence of immediate rewards. Overall, results suggest a fixed-attribute effect on patience, which is consistent with a multi-attribute decision framework.


Objective We tested the hypothesis that increased responsiveness of phospholipase D (PLD) to angiotensin II (Ang II) is associated with increased oxidative stress and exaggerated growth responses in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from untreated essential hypertensive patients. Design VSMCs from peripheral resistance arteries of normotensive and hypertensive subjects were studied. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured with the fluoroprobe 5-(and 6)-chloromethyl-2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (CM-H2DCFDA). PLD and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H) oxidase were assessed with the inhibitors, dihydro-d-erythro-sphingosine (sphinganine) and diphenylene iodinium (DPI), respectively, and protein kinase C (PKC) effects were determined using chelerythrine chloride and calphostin C. PLD activity was measured by the transphosphatidylation assay. Results Ang II increased the CM-H2DCFDA fluorescence signal, derived predominantly from H2O2. Ang II-induced generation of DPI-inhibitable ROS was significantly enhanced in cells from hypertensives compared with normotensives (Emax = 72 ± 2 versus 56.9 ± 1.8 fluorescence units, P < 0.01). PLD inhibition attenuated Ang II-induced ROS generation, with greater effects in the hypertensive group than the normotensive group (Δ = 42 ± 3.3 versus 21 ± 2 units). PKC inhibition partially decreased Ang II-elicited signals. Ang II-stimulated PLD activity and DNA and protein synthesis were significantly greater in cells from hypertensives than normotensives. These effects were normalized by DPI and sphinganine. Conclusions Our results suggest that in essential hypertension enhanced oxidative stress and augmented growth-promoting actions of Ang II are associated with increased activation of PLD-dependent pathways. These processes may contribute to vascular remodeling in hypertension.


The objective of our study was to examine fusional, hemolytic, hemagglutination and hemadsorption activities of the surface glycoprotein HN and F antigens of Newcastle disease (ND) virus, in vitro. The samples of activated ND virions, induced Vero cell fusion after 6h, 12h, 24h and 48h. After 24h of treatment of the inoculated Vero cells with dilutions of the specific immune sera against ND virus, cell fusion was not registered at dilutions of 1:2 and 1:4. The ND virion samples, activated with 0.025 g/dL trypsin-versen, induced hemolysis of chicken erythrocytes at antigen dilutions of 1:4 and 1:8. The samples of activated ND virions, expressed an intensive hemagglutinating activity of 256 HAU/0,1 mL. After treatment of the abovementioned samples with specific immune sera against ND virus, hemolytic activities were not detected at immune sera dilution of 1:32. The hemadsorption of chicken erythrocytes at the surface of inoculated Vero cells was detected after 6h of inoculation with activated ND viruses. After 24h of treatment of inoculated Vero cells with dilutions of specific immune sera against ND virus, the hemadsorption of chicken erythrocytes was not registered at immune sera dilution of 1:64. These results showed the possibility to use fusion, hemolytic and hemadsorption tests for the detection of immunologically important glycoprotein antigens of ND viruses and their identification with specific immune sera.


Growing environmental awareness coupled with stricter regulations has pushed various industries to look for appropriate technologies to treat wastewater. Natural coagulants have recently been used as part of water and wastewater technologies due to their performance, cost-effectiveness when compared to chemical coagulants, they produce less sludge and are safer for humans. A huge effort has also been taken to find new plant species and ingredients that may be used as natural coagulants, and hence improve the efficacy of existing plant-based natural coagulants. The purpose of this research is to assess the progress of various natural coagulants used for water and wastewater treatment. Besides, several plant-based natural coagulants are also summarized and reviewed. The results reveal that natural coagulants are more successful than chemical coagulants at removing heavy metals and suspended particles from wastewater, with better removal efficiency exceeding chemical coagulants and being more environmentally friendly.


Background: Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare malignancy that accounts for 3% of all gastrointestinal tumors. We evaluated the clinical characteristics, outcomes, and prognostic factors of primary SBAs. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes of 300 patients with SBA from three institutions in China between January 2003 and July 2020. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and it was statistically compared using the log-rank test. Single-variable and multivariate analyses were used to identify the significant correlates of OS. Results: The primary tumor was on the duodenal papilla in 156 patients (52%), in the duodenum in 60 patients (20%), and in the jejunum–ileum in 84 patients (28%). The median OS of the entire cohort was 32.5 months (range, 0-213 months), with a 1-year OS rate of 78.0%. For jejunoileal adenocarcinoma, advanced age, advanced T stage, advanced N stage, more positive lymph nodes, distant metastasis, high carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio < 2.32 predicted worse survival on single-variable analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that advanced age, advanced tumor node metastases (TNM) stage, high CEA level, high alpha fetoprotein (AFP) level, and low prealbumin level were independent prognostic factors for non-ampullary SBA. The independent prognostic factors for duodenal papilla adenocarcinoma included TNM Stage III, nerve invasion, low platelet/lymphocyte ratio, and high CA19-9. Conclusion: We found different independent prognostic factors for tumors at different locations. This finding warrants further investigation to ensure more effective management strategies for SBA.


Visual recognition for object grasping is a well-known challenge for robot automation in industrial applications. A typical example is pallet recognition in industrial environment for pick-and-place automated process. The aim of vision and reasoning algorithms is to help robots in choosing the best pallets holes location. This work proposes an application-based approach, which ful l all requirements, dealing with every kind of occlusions and light situations possible. Even some "meaning noise" (or "meaning misunderstanding") is considered. A pallet model, with limited degrees of freedom, is described and, starting from it, a complete approach to pallet recognition is outlined. In the model we de ne both virtual and real corners, that are geometrical object proprieties computed by different image analysis operators. Real corners are perceived by processing brightness information directly from the image, while virtual corners are inferred at a higher level of abstraction. A nal reasoning stage selects the best solution tting the model. Experimental results and performance are reported in order to demonstrate the suitability of the proposed approach.


In order to reduce the pressure drop and mitigate vibration, No Tubes in Window (NTIW) bundle configuration is used in heat exchanger. However, this configuration has significant effect on the mechanical design of the tubesheet. Method proposed in ASME Section VIII Div.1 is widely used for designing the tubesheet with different configuration. ASME method mainly consists of analytical formulas based on consideration of equivalent properties for perforated zone and applicability of this method is limited to the plate which is uniformly perforated up to Outer tube limit (OTL) of the tubesheet. Therefore this type of configuration (NTIW) is generally design by stress analysis using finite element analysis (FEA) method. Modeling complete heat exchanger (3D model) creates huge size FEA model and hence results in more computation time. This paper mainly discusses the advantages and limitations of axisymmetric model with respect to 3D model for designing the NTIW tubesheet of heat exchanger.


Stress among other things contributed immensely to the development of an individual positively and negatively depending on adopted coping strategies, hence, this study explored stress, types of stressors and coping strategies among student nurses. Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive design was adopted, with 285 respondents' selected using multistage sampling technique. Three standardized instrument were used; Self-Reported questionnaire; perceived stress scale and coping inventory scale. Result: The mean age of respondents were 20.24±2.3 of which female dominated (87.7%). The level of stress expression were mild (50.2%), moderate (33.7%) and severe (16.1%). Stress from assignment /workload was the highest among stressors reported with mean value of 9.40±3.68. There is a positive correlation between the total stress and total coping behaviour utilized by the respondents. Conclusion: The study concluded that the respondents utilized appropriate coping strategies in addressing minimal stress level exposure.


General predictions of community dynamics require that insights derived from local habitats can be scaled up to explain phenomena across geographic scales. Across these larger spatial extents, adaptation can play an increasing role in determining the outcome of species interactions. If local adaptation is common, then our ability to generalize measures of species interaction strength across communities will be limited without an additional understanding of the genetic variation underlying interaction traits. In the context of predatorprey interactions, prey individuals commonly are expected to reduce risky foraging behaviors and subsequent growth under predation threat. However, rapid growth into a large body size can defend against gape-limited predators, creating a tradeoff between increased predation risk due to elevated foraging activity and decreased predation risk due to large size. Here I combine field observations, natural selection experiments, and common garden assays to understand potential adaptations of spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum larvae to gape-limited and gape-unconstrained predators. Field observations and natural selection trials suggested antagonistic selection on prey body size among ponds dominated by gape-limited predator salamanders A. opacum and gape-unconstrained beetle larvae Dytiscus. In common garden experiments, prey from sites with high gapelimited predation risk grew larger than those from other sites, suggesting the evolution of rapid growth into a prey size refuge. Larvae from all sites grew to a large size when exposed to the gape-limited N. viridescens predator's kairomones. Hence, induced rapid growth into a size refuge may be an adaptive response to gape-limited predation risk. Results point to an important role for cross-community generalizations based on functional classifications of predators by their gape constraints and inter-site genetic variation in prey growth rates and behaviors.


When you think about beer, you might not think about your local library. You almost certainly are not going to think about the Aspen Institute's 2014 report, Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries. Nevertheless, these three things—beer, libraries, Rising to the Challenge—all came together in a digital collection created by Multnomah County Library called Portland Brew Stories.

The Portland Brew Stories project was a community-focused effort to gather and share images and other primary documents that celebrate beer culture in Portland and Multnomah County. Planning began in 2014, the bulk of the project work took place in 2015, and the collection went live to the public in February 2016. This article provides a broad description of how the Portland Brew Stories collection was conceived and created, based on conversations with library staff who were involved and my own experiences with the project. Successes are identified and advice is presented for libraries who want to embark on a similar digital project within their community. Finally, the article reflects briefly on how this project embodies the ideas and strategies in Rising to the Challenge.