A newly aerobic denitrifying bacterial strain, Pseudomonas sp. X31, which was isolated from activated sludge, was added to a newly developed aerobic denitrification bio-ceramsite reactor as an inoculum to treat nitrate-polluted water and the denitrification activities of this system under different air–water ratio, hydraulic loading, and C/N (carbon/nitrogen ratio) conditions were investigated. It demonstrated excellent capability for denitrification in the bio-ceramsite reactor at air–water ratios that varied from 6.5:1 to 8:1. The optimal hydraulic loading for the bio-ceramsite reactor was 0.75 m/h with the optimum denitrification efficiency of 95.18%. The optimal C/N was 4.5:1 with a maximum nitrate removal efficiency of 98.48%. COD could be completely removed under the most appropriate condition (air–water ratio 6.5:1–8:1, hydraulic loading 0.75 m/h, and C/N 4.5:1). The quantity of the biomass in the reactor decreased along with flow, which was in accordance with the variety of the available substrate concentrations in the water. However, the biofilm activity was not proportional to the biomass in the bio-ceramsite reactor, but increased with the quantity of the biomass up to a peak value and then decreased.


The morality of knowledge is the component part of a nation's cultural disposition. Raising the concept of intellectuals' morality of knowledge can contribute to the establishment of a clearer norm in social behavior relevant to knowledge. In this article, the authors discuss the connotation of intellectuals' morality of knowledge and its original relationship with the basic rules of morality. On the basis of these ideas, the authors point out the moral responsibilities committed by society, especially to be undertaken by the professional intellectuals in the creation, transmission and application of knowledge.


Experimental airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey data collected in Cape Cod Bay are used to derive continuous profiles of water depth, electrical depth, water conductivity, and bottom sediment conductivity. Through a few well-known empirical relationships, the conductivities are used, in turn, to derive density, porosity, sound speed, and acoustic reflectivity of the ocean bottom. A commercially available Dighem III AEM system was used for the survey without any significant modification. The helicopter-borne system operated at 385 and 7200 Hz; both were in a horizontal coplanar configuration. The interpreted profiles show good agreement with available ground truth data. Where no such data are available, the results appear to be very reasonable. Compared with the shipborne electrode array method, the AEM method can determine the necessary parameters at a much higher speed with a better lateral resolution over a wide range of water depths from 0 to perhaps 100 m. The bottom sediment conductivity that can be measured by the AEM method is closely related to physical properties of sediments, such as porosity, density, sound speed, and, indirectly, sediment types that might carry broad implications for various offshore activities.


A taxonomie investigation of the interstitial mites collected from Nobska Beach, \Voods Hole, Massachusetts, revealed that representatives of the suborders Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, and Sarcoptiformes are present. Members of the family Rhodacaridae (Mesostigmata) were the most common in all samples, the Halacaridae (Trombidiformes) somewhat less. Acaridiae and Oribatei (Sarcoptiformes) were very rare. Detailed study of the family Rhodacaridae revealed the presence of 5 genera of which 4 have been previously described, but are reported for the first time from this area. The new genus and species Psammonsella nobskae, is characterized by the presence of 5 pairs of long simple but unequal setae arranged in a cresentic pattern at both sides of the anterior margin of the notocephale, and by fusion of the ventri-anal plates with the petritremal plates, in both sexes.


MXene fibers are promising candidates for weaveable and wearable energy storage devices because of their good electrical conductivity and high theoretical capacitance. Herein, we propose a nacre-inspired strategy for simultaneously improving the mechanical strength, volumetric capacitance, and rate performance of MXene-based fibers through synergizing the interfacial interaction and interlayer spacing between Ti3C2TX nanosheets. The optimized hybrid fibers (M-CMC-1.0%) with 99 wt % MXene loading exhibit an improved tensile strength of ∼81 MPa and a high specific capacitance of 885.0 F cm-3 at 1 A cm-3 together with an outstanding rate performance of 83.6% retention at 10 A cm-3 (740.0 F cm-3). As a consequence, the fiber supercapacitor (FSC) based on the M-CMC-1.0% hybrid delivers an output capacitance of 199.5 F cm-3, a power density of 1186.9 mW cm-3, and an energy density of 17.7 mWh cm-3, respectively, implying its promising applications as portable energy storage devices for future wearable electronics.


Abstract:
 The paper analyzes the distribution pattern of resources, ecological environment, society and economy, and holds that it is conducive to Silk Road countries to carry out Omni-directional and multi-level economic cooperation. Then the article puts forth main modes and paths of sustainable economic development for the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB): ecological civilization mode, regional economic integration mode, transportation economic belt mode and international tourism economic zone mode. Finally, the article summarizes the key scientific issues for the sustainable development in the SREB and puts forward several action projects which include establishing International Scientists League and Think Tanks, establishing international information sharing platform and scientific policy-making system of ecological environment and sustainable development of the SREB, starting international science cooperation and technology traineeship program of the SREB, founding the international cooperation committee in the SREB and founding transnational construction and win-win cooperation mechanism of coping with climate change and ecological environment.


Speech is a carrier containing rich biological information, such as speaker identity information including age, gender, race. In this paper, we explore the use of a self-supervised method to obtain speaker identity information from high-dimensional speech representations to generate face image. At the same time, considering that the biological information contained in the same piece of speech has different expression forms (such as images), we designed a cross-modal knowledge distillation method to transform the feature information from the visual domain to the speech domain. The feature vectors obtained through self-supervised learning and knowledge distillation are fed into a GAN-based generative model to obtain facial images containing speaker information. Subjective experiments show that our model can reach a well performance in the task of speaker identification. Experiments show that our proposed method can effectively establish the connection between different modalities and generate a face with rich biological information.


A full-length book on Hadrian's Wall is very welcome, but this book is not altogether what one hoped for. It is built round a study of work and workers on Hadrian's Wall rather than on a study of the Wall itself. Birley has made a detailed investigation of the prosopography of his subject since Camden, and though it forms a chapter in the history of archaeology (now, alas, becoming a subject in its own right) and also has a wider historical interest connected with the growth of ideas and spread of antiquarian interest, this is not everyone's cup of tea. The early antiquaries sometimes made notes of value, as when they recorded inscriptions later lost or noted earthworks since destroyed (though the problem remains how much to believe) ; but in general their observations are of secondary interest only and are likely to be misleading (e.g. the figs. 16, 17 of the present book). It seems a pity to waste precious space on matter which can be listed as ' very curious ' but has little other value (e.g. plates xix 1 and 2). The hero of the book is F. G. Simpson, and indeed his achievements were noteworthy (it would have been well to have included an illustration of his pioneer work in relating pottery to stratigraphy); but the bibliography suggests that Simpson had virtually given up the detailed publication of his results from 1913 until he began his fruitful collaboration with Richmond in 1927, and even later there were lapses ; less than justice is done here to the work of the latter scholar. The main value of the book will be in the later chapters surveying the structures along the Wall. Here there is much of interest and we are introduced to a perspective and depth which to those not intimately concerned with the Wall will prove of great value. Of necessity their picture of the Wall is a collection of generalizations, and here is a splendid source from which these can be checked and enlarged. An example of this is the attention called to CIL VII, 563, recording repairs to the curtainwall in A.D. 158 : this strongly supports the suggestion that it was Julius Verus and not Calpurnius Agricola who re-occupied this frontier and began period Ib. Furthermore, for the first time we have a study of the Wall in its larger setting of outpost forts and extension down the Cumberland coast, and there is a short chapter on the epigraphic, numismatic and ceramic evidence. It is this part one would wish to see expanded, if necessary at the expense of the register of former antiquaries. Birley still holds that the milecastles were garrisoned independently by numeri, but it is curious that no single inscription attesting this has yet appeared, and that the numeri on the German lines were housed very differently. In some ways a neater scheme would be to man these turn and turn about from the forts ; on Birley's reckoning of c. 24 men per normal milecastle, this means about two centuries detached at any one time from each fort. Such a weakening of the striking force would not be serious on Birley's view of the pacific character of the limes. A curious feature of the book is its neglect of the later history of the Wall in Roman times : no views are expressed on the date at which it ceased to be occupied : Magnus Maximus does not appear in the index (and Stilicho only irrelevantly). The question of the later garrisons is hardly touched upon except that where attested they are listed under each fort, ending with the Notitia ; but the difficult question of the date of this latter list needs discussion, more especially now since the 1961 results at Halton Chesters (above, pp. 164 f.), which were too late for inclusion. Such a study Birley is uniquely equipped to undertake, and we must hope for a second volume devoted to the garrison.


Halogen compounds and antimony-based synergists are used at low loading levels in
many polymers systems to impart high levels of flame retardancy. This study used a
range of brominated flame retardants (BFR) and the most commonly used synergist
for halogen-based flame retardance, antimony trioxide (Sb2O3), to investigate the
effects on mechanical and physical properties of flame retardants in HIPS and PBT.
The polymers used were High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) and Polybutylene
Terephthalate (PBT). Initially each of the additives was used individually, before
being combined to study the effect of the complete package. This was achieved by
producing a series of compounds using a twin-screw extruder, and then an injection
moulder to produce impact, tensile and fracture toughness specimens. The
compounds were also analysed using rheological testing and thermal analysis. Also
the effects of Stereon impact modifier and Fyrebloc masterbatches were determined
in HIPS. [Continues.]


In the present work, the Ca2+ dependence of mitochondrial H2O2 elimination was investigated. Mitochondria isolated from guinea pig brain were energized by glutamate and malate and incubated with micromolar concentrations of Ca2+ in the presence of ADP, preventing permeability transition pore formation. After the completion of Ca2+ uptake, mitochondria were challenged with H2O2 (5 μM), then at various time points residual H2O2 was determined using the Amplex red method and compared with that in mitochondria incubated with H2O2 without Ca2+ addition. Dose‐dependent inhibition of H2O2 elimination by Ca2+ was detected, which was prevented by the Ca2+‐uptake inhibitor Ru 360. Stimulation of Ca2+ release from Ca2+ ‐loaded mitochondria by a combined addition of Ru 360 and Na+ decreased the Ca2+‐evoked inhibition of H2O2 removal. After Ca2+ uptake (50 μM), mitochondrial aconitase activity was found to be decreased, which was partially attributable to the impaired elimination of endogenously produced reactive oxygen species. We found that the effects of Ca2+ and H2O2 on the activity of aconitase were additive. These results confirm that Ca2+ inhibits elimination of H2O2 in mitochondria and demonstrate that this effect is concentration dependent and reversible. The phenomenon described here can play a role in the modulation of ROS handling under conditions involving excessive cellular Ca2+ load. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Thick volcaniclastic sequences of early to middle Pleistocene age in southern North Island, New Zealand, contain rhyolitic tephra beds that record the early history of the Taupo volcanic zone (TVZ). At least 54 different tephra beds are recorded, and their chronology is defined by glass fission-track ages and paleomagnetism. The tephra beds span the interval ca. 2.0−0.6 Ma and provide an event frequency of 1/19 k.y., significantly higher than the frequency of sheet-forming ignimbrites preserved in the TVZ at this time (≈1/100 k.y.). The distal tephra beds thus provide a record of volcanism not revealed in the proximal volcanic region and suggest a major period of explosive activity at ca. 1.79−1.60 Ma. Several important marker horizons are identified: Pakihikura tephra (1.63 Ma), Mangatewaiiti tephra (1.24 Ma), Potaka tephra (1.00 Ma), Kidnappers B tephra (1.00 Ma), and Kaukatea tephra (0.88 Ma). These tephra beds allow direct correlation between (1) marine and nonmarine facies and (2) the fore-arc and back-arc regions of New Zealand. The tephra beds provide a framework for a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the southern North Island. Volcaniclastic transport routes from the TVZ to basins in the south and southeast, and through the site of present mountain ranges, supplied material to a terrestrial lowland fore-arc area in the interval 1.64−0.7 Ma. Uplift and deformation since 0.7 Ma have disrupted paleodrainage routes, diverting them to the north and southwest.


In this paper, we utilize ordered statistics decoding (OSD) techniques for intersymbol interference (ISI) channels. To achieve good efficiency and storage complexity, a combination of a modified generalized Viterbi algorithm (GVA) and Battail's algorithm is proposed to implement OSD for ISI channels. Simulation results showed significant performance improvement for the [128,64,22] eBCH code, and the [255,239,17] Reed-Solomon (RS) binary image, on the (1+D)2 perpendicular recording channel.


In the present endeavour, force - deflection behavior of various piezoelectric actuator configurations has been analyzed for performance comparison. The response of stack actuator has been simulated using MATLAB Simulink, in a stack actuator-pendulum configuration. During simulation, stack actuator has been used in charge control feedback mode, because of the advantage of low hysteresis, and high linearity. The model incorporates three compensation blocks, viz 1) a PID position controller, 2) a PI piezoelectric current controller, and 3) a dynamic force feedback. A typical stack actuator, having 130 layers, 1.20x10-4 m thickness, 3.46x10-5m2 cross sectional area, of PZT-5H type, has been utilized for simulation. The response of the system has been tested by applying a sinusoidal input of frequency 500 Hz, and waveform amplitude of 1x10-3V.


Lampropeltis calligaster was studied at the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation, 1948 to 1978, and in western Harvey County, south-central Kansas, 1959-1963. At both localities L. calligaster was found along with fifteen other snake species, and compared with others was intermediate in both size and abundance. It occupies a variety of grassland habitats. Males differ from females in relatively longertails (15.2% S-Vvs. 13.5%) and larger size (870 vs. 823mm S-V; 216 vs. 176.5gms). Scale-clipped individuals that were recaptured had made movements up to 485m (males) and 350m (females) in fairly well graduated series, implying ranges of these diameters, with areas of about 22 and nine has., respectively. Microtus ochrogaster was estimated to make up approximately 48% by volume of 66 recorded food items. Eight other species of small mammals, seven of reptiles and the eggs of bobwhite quail made up the remainder of the food. Neither insects nor amphibians were found as primary food items. For 25 egg clutches, including 11 obtained in this study and 14 from published literature, average was 10.10+ .98 (6-17); egg-laying extends over a little more than a month and average date is 3 July. Many adult females are non-breeders. Most young hatch in late August or September. Growth is highly variable. Typical year-old young have nearly doubled in length, from 272 to 536mm S-V. A gain of 23mm per month is typical in the second year. Maturity is attained in the second or third year. Because of differences in size, habitat, food preference and hunting technique, L. calligaster seemingly does not compete with many of the snake species that are its community associates on the two study areas. Certain species share some of the same food resources, but in every instance there are important differences.


The Dehydration Responsive Element-Binding protein/C-repeat Binding Factor (DREB/CBF) plays important roles in regulating physiological processes and downstream gene expression for drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, and wheat. 'Essex' soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] was identified as tolerant and a wild soybean PI 407155 (Glycine soja Sieb. & Zucc.) as more tolerant to dehydration stress in a greenhouse screen. In this study, we cloned and characterized the Glycine DREB1 (GlyDREB1) from the dehydration-induced PI 407155 and Essex using a semi-quantitative RT-PCR, rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), and northern blot. We also investigated the physiological characteristics including biomass accumulation, moisture content, and electrolyte leakage for both soybean genotypes under dehydration stress. Analysis of homologous GlyDREB1 genes from PI 407155 and Essex indicated differences in both the timing and strength of expression under dehydration stress. The GlyDREB1 in PI 407155 was rapidly induced in 1 h of dehydration shock and the transcription level was much higher than that in Essex. The root system of PI 407155 maintained higher moisture content and biomass accumulation than that of Essex on the 15 d without irrigation. The percentage electrolyte leakage in Essex was almost twice that in PI 407155 under 5 d no irrigation treatment. Both molecular and physiological studies indicated that PI 407155 had higher level of tolerance to dehydration stress than Essex, therefore providing a new potential soybean genome for developing dehydration stress cultivars.


As a pulsed power supply, compensated pulsed alternator (CPA) has high power density and high energy density. In order to compensate the torque and gyroscopic effects during the discharge process and improve the ability of power supply, even number of similar counter-rotating alternators could be used, synchronously running in pairs and connecting in parallel to the load. However, there are unavoidable differences in parameters between machines, and this may result in a large difference between their discharge depth and discharge current waveforms and then cause the loss of life of some machines and rectifier devices as well as the decline of system output. Focusing on the synchronization of CPAs running in pairs, the factors that affect the synchronous operation of the machines are analyzed first. Then, the principle and characteristics of using different excitation circuit topologies to achieve synchronization are studied, and the limitations of such methods are pointed out. Finally, three active synchronization methods are proposed: excitation loop suppression (ELS), startup time regulation, and seed capacitor voltage regulation, hoping to make that the discharge depth tends to be the same and the difference of the discharge current amplitude to be in a small range. Simulation results show that all the three methods have good synchronization effect, and the effect of ELS is the best.


Several felt scale (Eriococcidae) lineages show deep, phylogenetically constrained, host use. The most diverse of these host‐constrained lineages is Australian, associated with plants in the family Myrtaceae, and the most diverse sublineage within this group is associated with Eucalyptus. Here we use Bayesian analysis of morphological data to estimate relationships among the eucalypt‐feeding species of this group. We identify an unusual species for which we erect the monotypic genus Heathcotia Hardy & Beardsley gen.n., with type species Heathcotia crypta Hardy & Beardsley sp.n., and recover a clade comprised of six new species closely related to Lachnodius hirtus Maskell. We erect the genus Lobimargo Hardy & Gullan gen.n. for the latter clade, designate Lobimargo sagittisetus Hardy & Beardsley sp.n. as its type species, transfer Lachnodius hirtus to the genus as Lobimargo hirtus (Maskell) comb.n. and describe the five other new species: Lobimargo brookesae Hardy & Beardsley sp.n.,Lobimargo donaldsoni Hardy & Gullan sp.n., Lobimargo latrobeus Hardy & Beardsley sp.n., Lobimargo rhipidotrichus Hardy & Gullan sp.n. and Lobimargo williamsi Hardy & Gullan sp.n. A lectotype is designated for L. hirtus. The adult female of each species, the first‐instar nymph of L. sagittisetus, the second‐instar female of L. hirtus and the adult male of L. williamsi are described and illustrated. A key is provided to the adult females of all eriococcid genera found on eucalypts and of all Lobimargo species. Adult females of Lobimargo have been found on stems, sometimes causing shallow pits, and on foliage or under bark, but may move to the latter habitat for oviposition.


In Taiwan, oral cancer is causally associated with environmental carcinogens. Survivin is an anti-apoptotic protein and is generally considered a marker of malignancy. The current study explored the combined effect of survivin gene polymorphisms and environmental carcinogens on the risk and clinico-pathological development of oral cancer. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of survivin genes from 439 male patients with oral cancer and 424 male control participants (who did not have cancer) were analyzed. The survivin −31GG, +9194 GG, and +9809 TT homozygotes exhibited higher risk for oral cancer compared with the corresponding ancestral genotype, after adjustment for related confounders. The survivin −31, +9194, and +9809 SNPs combined with betel quid chewing and/or tobacco consumption could robustly elevate susceptibility to oral cancer. The distribution frequency of the −31 G: +9194 A: +9809 T haplotype was significantly higher in oral cancer patients than in control participants. These results suggest that survivin gene polymorphisms and their interactions with environmental carcinogens may increase susceptibility to oral cancer in Taiwanese men. Abbreviations: AOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence intervals; PCR, polymerase chain-reaction; SNP, single-nucleotide polymorphisms.


This article is devoted to the development of a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines (ICEs or engines) with positive ignition, which operates on superheated fuels. Such systems allow engines securely starting and working on absolute (96%) alcohol, even in low temperature environments. This article describes the operation principle of a multi-point superheated fuels injection system; and the comparison analysis of thermal efficiency and heat balances of both the baseline gasoline engine and the engine with a developed superheated alcohol-based fuel injection system is provided. In experimental studies, the contents of CO, CH, and CO 2 in the combustion products of alcohols were determined. Based on the obtained results we can conclude that the application of the proposed multi-point injection system operating on superheated alcohol fuels reduces both greenhouse gas emissions and harmful substances in exhaust gas emissions.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The aim of this study was to develop an integrated central blood pressure-aortic stiffness (ICPS) risk score to predict cardiovascular events.

METHODS
It was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 100 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on conservative therapy were included. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), central systolic blood pressure (cSBP), and central pulse pressure (cPP) were measured. A score was assigned to tertiles of PWV (0-2), cPP (0-2), and cSBP (0 to the first and second and 1 to the third tertile) based on each parameter's ability to individually predict cardiovascular outcome. The sum of these scores and three ICPS risk categories as predictors were studied. Finally, we compared discrimination of the ICPS risk categories with PWV, cSBP, and cPP.

RESULTS
Adjusted for age and sex, patients in high and very high ICPS risk categories had increased cardiovascular risk (HR: 3.52, 95% CI: 1.65-7.49; HR: 7.56, 95% CI: 3.20-17.85, respectively). High and very high ICPS risk categories remained independent predictors in a model adjusted for multiple CV risk factors (HR: 4.58, 95% CI: 1.65-7.49; HR: 8.56, 95% CI: 3.09-23.76, respectively). ICPS risk categories (Harrell's C: 0.723, 95% CI: 0.652-0.795) showed better discrimination than PWV (Harrell's C: 0.659, 95% CI: 0.586-0.732, p = 0.028) and cSBP (Harrell's C: 0.660, 95% CI: 0.584-0.735, p = 0.008) and there has been a tendency of significance in case of cPP (Harrell's C: 0.691, 95% CI: 0.621-0.761, p = 0.170).

CONCLUSION
The ICPS score may clinically importantly improve the identification of CKD patients with elevated cardiovascular risk.


During the mid-1960s, shipborne gravity developed as a commercially important and lower-cost alternative to sea-bottom gravity. The tradeoff for lower cost has been lower resolution in both anomaly amplitude and wavelength. Since dynamic gravity was introduced, first on ships and later in aircraft, a lot of effort has gone into understanding the dynamic gravity signal and improving resolution so that the geologic signal in gravity is more clearly developed.


Abstract In February and March 1996 a series of interviews were conducted in six establishments offering GNVQ Business at Advanced Level: three further education colleges and three school sixth forms. Eighteen staff, including course co-ordinators, tutors responsible for the delivery of Mandatory Units and those concerned with Key Skills delivery, were involved in the study, along with 45 students. There were 26 on the first year and 18 on the second year of the two year programme. The purpose behind the interviews was to investigate what the GNVQ experience entails, and what the students can be said to leave further education with. This report gives a summary of the findings and draws a contrast with A Level study. Questions are raised about what we want from our educational programmes for young adults.


OBJECTIVE To study the effect of cyclic etidronate in secondary prevention of corticosteroid induced osteoporosis. METHODS A double blind, randomised placebo controlled study comparing cyclic etidronate and placebo during two years in 37 postmenopausal women receiving long term corticosteroid treatment, mainly for polymyalgia rheumatica (40% of the patients) and rheumatoid arthritis (30%). Bone density was measured in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and femoral trochanter. RESULTS After two years of treatment there was a significant difference between the groups in mean per cent change from baseline in bone density in the spine in favour of etidronate (p=0.003). The estimated treatment difference (mean (SD)) was 9.3 (2.1)%. Etidronate increased bone density in the spine (4.9 (2.1)%, p<0.05) whereas the placebo group lost bone (−2.4 (1.6)%). At the femoral neck there was an estimated difference of 5.3 (2.6)% between the groups (etidronate: 3.6 (1.4)%, p<0.05, placebo: −2.4 (2.1)%). The estimated difference at the trochanter was 8.2 (3.0) (etidronate: 9.0 (1.5)%, p<0.0001, placebo: 0.5 (2.3)%). No significant bone loss occurred in the hip in placebo treated patients. CONCLUSIONS Cyclic etidronate is an effective treatment for postmenopausal women receiving corticosteroid treatment and is well tolerated.


Abstract : There is a problem known as human trafficking that could have a direct effect on America's national security. Human trafficking involves various forms of human enslavement for prostitution and other forms of exploitation, including false promises of jobs and marriage opportunities for outrageous fees. The history of human trafficking is long and varied, but reasons why humans are trafficked remain relatively constant. The numbers involved in trafficking, and the revenue generated each year are staggering. There are a number of initiatives and activities in recent years focusing on the fight against human trafficking, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels. It is well documented that monies generated through the illegal trafficking of humans finds its way into the hands of drug lords. We know that drug monies support terrorist activities around the world. Therefore, the revenue generated by trafficking of persons support terrorism on some level and thus, human trafficking directly threatens the National Security of the United States.


Using an idea of Rommelse and den Nijs, we have investigated a direct analogy between the topological order in integer quantum antiferromagnets and the topological order in the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). Numerical results are presented for the S = 1 generalized Heisenberg chain. The analogy between the Laughlin gap in the FQHE and the Haldane gap in integer spin chains is discussed.


Background Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome-associated mortality contributes considerably to overall mortality rates among adults in the United States. The purpose of this review is to systematically examine conceptual approaches that have been used to evaluate the association between socioeconomic status of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus and their survival and summarize existing evidence regarding the association between socioeconomic status and mortality due to human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome. Methods We systematically retrieved neighborhood and individual-level studies of acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome-related or all-cause mortality among patients diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus that reported original data and analyzed socioeconomic status as a predictor of mortality. Results We included 21 studies (19 cohort and 2 case-control studies). Heterogeneity in both the conceptual approaches to socioeconomic status measurements and selection of variables for the adjustment of the measure of association precluded meta-analysis of the results. Six studies observing populations before the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy found that socioeconomic status was not associated with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome mortality. In the post- highly active antiretroviral therapy period socioeconomic status was inconsistently associated with Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome mortality risk in studies adjusting for highly active antiretroviral therapy use. Conclusion Further studies considering multilevel socioeconomic status measurements and controlling for treatment and clinical variables are needed to enhance understanding of the role of socioeconomic gradients on human immunodeficiency virus outcomes.


Howe, C. 2019. Heterocystous cyanobacteria, Dps proteins and H2 production. Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 1837. 89 pp. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. ISBN 978-91-513-0716-9. To mitigate climate change, CO2-emitting technologies have to be exchanged by renewable alternatives such as H2. H2 can be produced by cyanobacteria, but major efforts to enhance H2 production yields by genetic modifications or optimised cultivation conditions resulted in energetic photo-to-H2 conversion efficiencies of 4.0 %, far from its theoretical maximum. New concepts to enhance photobiological H2 production are described in two separate thesis chapters. In photobioreactors, photosynthesis can lead to high O2 concentrations promoting oxidative stress that decreases the photosynthetic efficiency. Genetic modifications could potentially increase the cellular robustness facing oxidative stress e.g. by the introduction of Dps proteins. This protein class is known to mitigate oxidative stress, but cyanobacterial Dps proteins are fairly unexplored. In the 1 thesis chapter, I searched to identify the function of five Dps proteins from the filamentous and heterocystous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme. Since the physiologically active Dps proteins are twelve subunit complexes, various methods were utilised to verify their multimeric state and stability. All five NpDps formed high multimeric complexes that allowed for further enzymatic characterisations. In spectroscopic analyses NpDps1-3 were found to utilise H2O2 for Fe oxidation, whereas NpDps4 only used O2. NpDps4 crystal structures revealed an uncommon ferroxidase center (FOC) with a His character. This His-type FOC was found across the cyanobacterial phylum. Based on their O2 and H2O2 consumption, all four NpDps display interesting candidates to enhance the cellular robustness in photobioreactors. To enhance H2 production yields, a reallocation of photosynthetic energy from cell growth to H2 production is required. In the 2 thesis chapter, Nostoc PCC 7120 ΔhupW was set under iron starvation to evaluate this cultivation strategy for the purpose of H2 production. The Fe-limited culture comprised a ~ 5.3 fold lower chlorophyll a and a ~ 4.5 fold higher specific carbohydrate concentration as compared to the control. The Fe-limited cells retained long filaments with high heterocyst frequency of ~ 6 %. The microoxic environment inside heterocysts enables efficient H2-production from O2-senstive photo fermentative pathways. Therefore, iron-starvation could display the basis of enhanced H2 production on the cost of growth. For this purpose a biofilmcontaining photobioreactor was designed.


Unintentional doping of the active layer is a source for lowered device performance in organic solar cells. The effect of doping is to induce a space-charge region within the active layer, generally resulting in increased recombination losses. In this work, the impact of a doping-induced space-charge region on the current-voltage characteristics of low-mobility solar cell devices has been clarified by means of analytical derivations and numerical device simulations. It is found that, in case of a doped active layer, the collection efficiency of photo-generated charge carriers is independent of the light intensity and exhibits a distinct voltage dependence, resulting in an apparent electric-field dependence of the photocurrent. Furthermore, an analytical expression describing the behavior of the photocurrent is derived. The validity of the analytical model is verified by numerical drift-diffusion simulations and demonstrated experimentally on solution-processed organic solar cells. Based on the theoretical results, conditions of how to overcome charge collection losses caused by doping are discussed. Furthermore, the presented analytical framework provides tools to distinguish between different mechanisms leading to voltage dependent photocurrents.


The bestselling author of PRESIDENT KENNEDY presents a stunning account of the brilliant and isolated man who destroyed his own presidency. President Nixon shows a man alone in a White House ruled by secrets and lies, trying to impose old values at home and new balances of power everywhere in the world. Reeves proves that the Watergate scandal was no abberation in an administration forshadowed by a series of successful uses of 'national security' to cover coups, burglaries, lies, the abandonment of America's allies - and even murder. Reeves portrays a man of vision and iron will who created, used and was used by a small cast of hard, ambitious men who formed a poisonous circle around their insecure leader. Alone, Nixon challenged and changed the world's political and military balance while also plotting to destroy both the Democratic and Republican parties in an attempt to create secretly a new party of the centre. This account of Nixon's stewardship will stand as the balanced, authoratative portrait of an astonishng president and his ruined presidency.


Popular and youth and adults education are subjects that may look like identical for the casual audience. In a general way, the arguments are that the target is the same and the responsibility of those who dedicate themselves to these activities only reduces the drama of unprivileged population that were not able to attend school at the right age. This almost immediate identification between one and another and the social exclusion processes does not happen accidentaly. However, for educators who dedicate themselves to these modalities, despite their similarities, including their own paths, these are not the same kind of practices, neither the same people.
What binds them is their origins and the fact that they are both secondary themes of political-educational interests in all of the last brazilian governments. The identification of concrete problems, epistemological, political and social in the pedagogical propositions and practices, still has not produced new government policies neither the recognition of the necessary changes. We still have to discover and create new acting ways closer and more compatible to our discourses and new ways to make policies and education that will contribute for democracy, horizontalization of relationships between different social groups and social emancipation.


Membrane crystallization is today recognized as an innovative and efficient method for enhancing crystallization of biomolecules, allowing the production of crystals with controlled shape, size distribution, and polymorphism. Membranes are used both to promote an efficient mass transfer of solvent for a better control of the supersaturation, and to activate heterogeneous nucleation for a reduced induction time. The development of membranes having ordered structures and tailored surface properties is, therefore, a key issue in order to fully exploit the potential of membrane crystallization. In this work, theoretical and experimental correlations between the physico-chemical properties of the membranes, kinetics of nucleation and the characteristics of the final product are presented.


Part of the pharmacy education curriculum in the Philippines is the completion of a 300-hour experiential pharmacy practice or internship in the community pharmacy to provide students with expertise and competence in promoting the role of pharmacists in the healthcare setting. To ensure continuity of learning amid the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, onsite pharmacy internships shifted to a remote setting. This study aims to evaluate the achievement of learning outcomes and satisfaction of Centro Escolar University-Manila students on virtual community pharmacy internship. The study utilizes Cross-Sectional Correlational research methods, a web-based questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 128 through purposive sampling. The results revealed that there was a very high positive correlation between the achieved learning outcomes and student satisfaction on the virtual internship (r=0.820, p<0.001). This means that if learning outcomes increase by an additional unit, the student internship satisfaction level will also increase by 82%. The students showed a positive attitude towards their experience, learning outcomes and satisfaction during the virtual internship program despite the limitations of the pandemic. It is recommended that periodic evaluation of internship programs be conducted to allow educational institutions to improve and adjust the program to meet the standards of pharmacy education and demands of the pharmacy profession.


ABSTRACT We examine the evolution of infrastructure, and the impact of infrastructure investment, in middle-income countries (MICs). We document how different types of infrastructure stocks, as well as infrastructure investment, vary with the level of development and growth performance. We then use the two-stage approach of Corsetti, Meier, and Müller (2012) to identify exogenous public investment shocks and investigate the macroeconomic impact of these shocks. We find that the provision of infrastructure varies across development stages; there is a focus on basic infrastructure, such as transport, water, and sanitation, during early stages, and an emphasis on "advanced" infrastructure, such as power and especially information and communication technology, in later stages. Better-performing MICs tend to invest more on infrastructure. They also have more information and communication technology infrastructure. Finally, we find a more significant and sustained impact of exogenous public investment shocks on output in MICs than in low-income countries.


Objective: To examine the effectiveness of hip strengthening exercises in reducing pain and disability in persons with low back pain. Methods: We searched for randomized controlled clinical trials on MEDLINE, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, LILACS, Scielo and CINAHL from the earliest date available to June 2020. Studies that included hip strengthening exercises for persons with low back pain and included pain and/or disability as an outcome measure were evaluated by two independent reviewers. Mean difference (MD), and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated by random effect models. Results: Five studies met the eligibility criteria (309 patients). Four studies included hip strengthening in conjunction with other interventions, while one study evaluated hip strengthening as a standalone intervention. Hip strengthening exercises improved pain (MD −5.4 mm, 95% CI: −8.9 to −1.8 mm), and disability (MD −2.9; 95% CI: −5.6 to −0.1) in persons with low back pain compared to interventions in which hip strengthening was not utilized. The quality of evidence for the pain outcome, was assessed as being moderate. The quality of evidence for the outcome of self-reported disability, was assessed as being low. Conclusion: Addition of specific hip strengthening exercises to conventional rehabilitation therapy may be beneficial for improving pain and disability in persons with low back pain.


A form parameter method compounds the form parameters which define the hull geometric characteristics. This method can transform a hull form by changing the form parameters. The form parameter method is a hull define method without utilization of mother ships. However it is difficult to determine these form parameters. Thus, we are complemented the form parameter method using the neural networks. It is found that the form parameter method using the neural networks is efficient in hull form design by consideration of application examples.


Background Joint bleeding due to trauma, major joint surgery, or haemophilia leads to joint damage. However, it is unclear if there are differences between coagulating blood and anticoagulated blood with respect to joint degeneration, especially in vivo. Objectives In a canine in vivo model we evaluated whether intra-articular blood exposure is more destructive in case of coagulating blood compared to anticoagulated blood, and whether inflammation plays a role in the cartilage damaging process. Methods In 7 dogs left knees were injected with coagulating blood 4 times a week in week 1 and 4; right knees with saline. In 7 other dogs anticoagulated, heparinized blood was injected with heparinized saline as control. Ten weeks after the last injection cartilage matrix turnover and synovial inflammation were analyzed ex vivo. To study cartilage damage without involvement of synovial inflammation, healthy full thickness human cartilage explants were exposed in vitro to coagulating and anticoagulated blood for 4 days (n=6). Cartilage matrix turnover was determined at day 16. Results Canine knees injected with coagulating blood showed an increase of both newly formed and total (resident) glycosaminoglycans of 9% and 15%, respectively (p=0.04 and p=0.01, respectively), as well as a decreased proteoglycan content of 6%. Injection with coagulating and anticoagulated blood caused an increase of proteoglycan synthesis rate of 24% and 14%, respectively (p=0.01 and p=0.04, respectively), as a characteristic of (ineffective) repair activity. Intra-articular injections with coagulating blood led to more synovial inflammation on macroscopy as well as histology (p<0.001and p=0.01, respectively), in contrast to knees injected with anticoagulated blood. Coagulation of blood in vitro resulted in more cartilage damage compared to anticoagulated blood. This was expressed as more reduction of proteoglycan synthesis rate by coagulating blood compared to anticoagulated blood (17% difference; p=0.05), and a higher release of proteoglycans after exposure to coagulating blood compared to anticoagulated blood (94% difference; p=0.01). Conclusions This study shows that coagulating blood causes more long-lasting in vivo joint damage than anticoagulated blood; directly on cartilage and via inflammation. In case of joint surgery prolonged anticoagulation might limit the harmful effects of intra-articular blood. Moreover, aspiration of blood would prevent joint damage. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Abstract Context: Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) consisting of a powder mixture containing coarse carrier particles (generally lactose) and micronized drug particles are used for lung drug delivery. The effective drug delivery to the lungs depends on size and shape of carrier particles. Thus, various methods have been proposed for engineering lactose particles to enhance drug delivery to lungs. Objective: The objective of current work was to assess suitability of electrospray technology toward crystal engineering of lactose. Further, utility of the prepared lactose particles as a carrier in DPI was evaluated. Materials and methods: Saturated lactose solutions were electrosprayed to obtain electrosprayed lactose (EL) particles. The polymorphic form of EL was determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffractometry, and differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, morphological, surface textural, and flow properties of EL were determined using scanning electron microscopy and Carr's index, respectively. The aerosolization properties of EL were determined using twin-stage impinger and compared with commercial lactose particles [Respitose® (SV003, Goch, Germany)] used in DPI formulations. Results and discussion: EL was found to contain both isomers (α and β) of lactose having flow properties comparable to Respitose® (SV003). In addition, the aerosolization properties of EL were found to be significantly improved when compared to Respitose® (SV003) which could be attributed to morphological (high elongation ratio) and surface characteristic (smooth surface) alterations induced by electrospray technology. Conclusion: Electrospray technology can serve as an alternative technique for continuous manufacturing of engineered lactose particles which can be used as a carrier in DPI formulations.


The host–guest interaction as noncovalent bonds can make polymeric materials tough and flexible based on the reversibility property, which is a promising approach to extend the lifetime of polymeric materials. Supramolecular materials with cyclodextrin and adamantane are prepared by mixing host polymers and guest polymers by planetary ball milling. The toughness of the supramolecular materials prepared by ball milling is approximately 2 to 5 times higher than that of supramolecular materials prepared by casting, which is the conventional method. The materials maintain their mechanical properties during repeated ball milling treatments. They are also applicable as self‐healable bulk materials and coatings, and they retain the transparency of the substrate. Moreover, fractured pieces of the materials can be re‐adhered within 10 min. Dynamic mechanical analysis, thermal property measurements, small‐angle X‐ray scattering, and microscopy observations reveal these behaviors in detail. Scars formed on the coating disappear within a few seconds at 60 °C. At the same time, the coating shows scratch resistance due to its good mechanical properties. The ball milling method mixes the host polymer and guest polymer at the nano level to achieve the self‐healing and recycling properties.


Summary: By treating leaves of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in various ways at intervals after they were inoculated with the Rothamsted tobacco necrosis virus, a series of events in infected cells was detected and approximately timed. Treating leaves with ribonuclease, or floating them in water, in the first hour after inoculation decreases the number of infections; these treatments fail to do so later, perhaps because the virus has become firmly attached to some host component, or because cells injured at inoculation have healed and no longer allow virus particles to diffuse out or ribonuclease in.
After 2 hr. at 25° the virus is less readily inactivated by ultraviolet radiation than previously, suggesting that infected cells now contain more of substances that absorb radiation of 2537A. After 4 hr. the inactivation curve with ultraviolet radiation deviates from the course of a first-order reaction, probably because some infected cells now contain more than one potentially infective particle. After 6 hr. the formation of some lesions cannot be prevented by irradiation, suggesting that newly formed virus has spread from initially infected cells to deeper tissues, where it is protected from inactivation. At 16° the mean time for virus to spread from the initially infected cells is 12·5 hr. and it probably spreads from some cells by 8 hr. and from most by 15 hr.
Newly formed virus is not detectable in extracts of inoculated leaves until after it has spread from the epidermis to deeper tissues. Up to 20 hr. after inoculation most of the extractable virus seems to come from the epidermis, but later it comes predominantly from other tissues.


Abstracts: Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research 2008

A19

RARB2 is a master tumor suppressor that mediates the growth-inhibitory action of retinoic acid (RA). Homozygosis for epigenetically silent RARB2 alleles, which results into loss of RARB2 tumor suppressor activity, leads to RA-resistance, and apparently precedes the acquisition of morphological transformation of breast epithelial cells (Bistulfi et al., Cancer Research, 2006). RARB2 epigenetic silencing is marked by chromatin repressive changes, including DNA methylation of the RARB2 CpG island (Sirchia et al., Oncogene, 2000). In a mechanistic study, we demonstrated that methylation arises at a specific epicenter in the RARB2 CpG island, which we call the RARB2 methylation epicenter (RME) (Ren et al., MCB, 2005). Here we show that RME methylation is detectable in both benign and ductal carcinoma in situ within the same patient tissue sample. This finding implies sequential epigenetic silencing of RARB2 alleles. Timely identification of the first epigenetic hit in breast tissue of women at risk of breast cancer could prevent progression to RME methylation homozygosity, the consequent loss of RARB2-mediated tumor suppressor function, RA-resistance, and morphological epithelial cell transformation.

This work was supported by the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Award (NS), the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester (NS), the Susan Komen Foundation (SR).

Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):A19.


Advances in Internet search engine technology may not help you blast Klingons into outer space, but they should help you find them more quickly on the Web. The whole arena for Internet searching has become rather interesting. Search engines appear poised to make some serious breakthroughs in relevancy ranging and personalization that promise to increase the accuracy and reliability of search. On the ether hand, data suggests that users are becoming increasingly disenchanted with search engines that don't actually search the Web, but rather search records of the Web sites their robots have visited. Some online merchants (Victoria's Secret, for example) don't even enable keyword searches on their sites. The Web's increasingly dynamic nature complicates searching. New pages created on the fly using personalization information, and even static content, with dynamically inserted sidebars, navigation bars, advertising and commentary, can present a rapidly changing picture for any robot to discover. And as indexes grow larger, search system performance becomes a significant problem.


The abundant spatial and angular information from light fields has allowed the development of multiple disparity estimation approaches. However, the acquisition of light fields requires high storage and processing cost, limiting the use of this technology in practical applications. To overcome these drawbacks, the compressive sensing (CS) theory has allowed the development of optical architectures to acquire a single coded light field measurement. This measurement is decoded using an optimization algorithm or deep neural network that requires high computational costs. The traditional approach for disparity estimation from compressed light fields requires first recovering the entire light field and then a post-processing step, thus requiring long times. In contrast, this work proposes a fast disparity estimation from a single compressed measurement by omitting the recovery step required in traditional approaches. Specifically, we propose to jointly optimize an optical architecture for acquiring a single coded light field snapshot and a convolutional neural network (CNN) for estimating the disparity maps. Experimentally, the proposed method estimates disparity maps comparable with those obtained from light fields reconstructed using deep learning approaches. Furthermore, the proposed method is 20 times faster in training and inference than the best method that estimates the disparity from reconstructed light fields.


As one of the most important families of non-natural polymers with the propensity to form well-defined secondary structures, the beta-peptides are attracting increasing attention. The compounds incorporating beta-amino acid residues have found various applications in medicinal chemistry and biochemistry. The conformational pool of beta-peptides comprises several periodic folded conformations, which can be classified as helices, and nonpolar and polar strands. The latter two are prone to form pleated sheets. The numerous studies that have been performed on the side-chain dependence of the stability of the folded structures allow certain conclusions concerning the principles of design of the beta-peptide foldamers. The folding propensity is influenced by local torsional, side-chain to backbone and long-range side-chain interactions. Although beta-peptide foldamers are sensitive to solvent, the systematic choice of the side-chain pattern and spatiality allows the design of the desired specific secondary structure. The application of beta-peptide foldamers may open up new directions in the synthesis of highly organized artificial tertiary structures with biochemical functions.


This paper discusses current control techniques for utility interface converters with low total harmonic distortion (THD), fast dynamic responses, and high stability for transient responses. A repetitive control technique with designed phase margin has been developed to reduce the THD of a single-phase boost AC/DC converter operating over a wide range of load variations. A green-mode control strategy is developed to adjust the control mode as well as the switching frequency for efficiency improvement. A predictive current loop controller is used to achieve fast dynamic response under wide input voltage variation range and a repetitive controller is designed to minimize periodic errors within the current loop bandwidth. A single-chip DSP controller is used to realize the proposed control scheme. Simulation and experimental results confirm the feasibility and performances of the proposed control scheme.


Prediction equations is forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEVi), maximum mid-expiratory flow rate (MMFR) and peak expiratory flow rate (PFR) have been derived from a study of 367 asymptomatic Caucasian and Coloured (mixed race) children, aged 11--15 years, who did not smoke. Significant ethnic differences were found in FEVi, FVC, FEVi/FVC, and MMFR/FVC, but not in MMRF or PFR. The practical and epidemiological value of these observations is discussed.


Fault-slip rock burst is one type of the tectonic rock burst during mining. A detailed understanding of the precursory information of fault-slip rock burst and implementation of monitoring and early warning systems, as well as pressure relief measures, are essential to safety production in deep mines. This paper first establishes a mechanical model of stick-slip instability in fault-slip rock bursts and then reveals the failure characteristics of the instability. Then, change rule of mining-induced stress and microseismic signals before the occurrence of fault-slip rock burst are proposed, and multiparameter integrated early warning methods including mining-induced stress and energy are established. Finally, pressure relief methods targeting large-diameter boreholes and coal seam infusion are presented in accordance with the occurrence mechanism of fault-slip rock burst. The research results have been successfully applied in working faces 2310 of the Suncun Coal Mine, and the safety of the mine has been enhanced. These research results improve the theory of fault-slip rock burst mechanisms and provide the basis for prediction and forecasting, as well as pressure relief, of fault-slip rock bursts.


Abstract 1224 Poster Board I-246 Multiple myeloma (MM), is a monoclonal plasma cells disorder that constitutes 10% of all hematologic malignancies. Patients with a good performance status are usually offered high-dose therapy (HDT) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). HDT/ASCT is associated with complete response (CR) rates of up to 40%. Although a significant proportion of patients have a durable response after HDT/ASCT, others relapse relatively quickly and do not appear to benefit from the procedure, which may impact the overall survival (OS) of these patients. We attempt here to define the role of infusing mobilized myeloma cells on the survival of patients undergoing ASCT. Methods After obtaining an Institutional Review Board approval, we conducted a retrospective analysis on MM patients undergoing ASCT at our center. Data of disease status, graft characteristics, and outcome were collected. As part of the flow panel used to assess the mobilized ASC, monoclonal myeloma cells were identified by gating on a population of cells that express high levels of CD38 but do not stain or weakly with CD45 (CD38 + /CD45 − ). OS was calculated from the date of ASCT to the time of death or last contact. Survival analysis was performed using the method of Kaplan and Meier (KP). Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results 349 patients underwent ASCT between January 1999 and April 2008. Complete data on autograft characteristics were available on 303 patients. The mobilization regimen was Cyclophosphamide and GCSF for the majority of the patients and GCSF for the more recent transplants. Melphalan at 200 mg/m 2 was give 18 hours prior ASC infusion. In 199 patients there was no CD38+/CD45- cells detected. Among the 104 patients with evidence of CD38+/CD45- cells the range was 0.1-10.2 ×10 6 cells/kg and there was no difference in survival in this patient group compared to the group without evidence of contaminating myeloma cells (p= 0.54). Continuous variable analysis also did not reveal any relationship between the dose of CD38+/CD45- cells and survival (p=0.84). There may be a survival advantage after 40 moths for those receiving CD38+/CD45- cells, however the scientific rational is not well understood. Neither B2 microglobulin nor the numbers of plasma cells in the bone marrow were relevant in multivariate analysis (p= 0.42 and 0.13, respectively). Conclusion The presence of myeloma cells in the autograft does not appear to influence overall survival and the inclusion of CD45 and CD38 flow cytometric analysis of mobilized stem cells may not be necessary. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The private food assistance network has expanded amidst a receding welfare state, signaling the privatization of food assistance and other social services. Simultaneously, the cultural association of poverty with morality characterizes some individuals as more "deserving" of assistance than others. As people seek social services, they must navigate programs embedded with these ideas of deservingness. I use data from 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with food bank clients and over 225 hours of participant observation at a California food bank and its partner agencies to examine how clients experience barriers to accessing private food assistance. I find that nonprofit program structures are designed to serve an unencumbered client, yet even populations characterized as "deserving" do not meet the characteristics of the unencumbered client. This nearly unattainable status of unencumbered client contributes to inequity emerging from the structural level that manifests as individuals try to access and use private food assistance. These structural barriers manifest in four ways at the food bank: material resources, nonprofit infrastructure and coordination, communication channels, and policing. Based on these findings, organizational practices of nonprofits are of key importance when considering the reproduction of inequality in society.


A data safety monitoring board (DSMB) established in a phase III trial to monitor the safety of participants in a clinical trial views itself as protecting participants and ensuring the integrity of the study. The DSMB should operate under a clear charter, with expectations understood by all members of the Board, the sponsor, and the investigators. Sponsors must trust their DSMBs. The sponsor must give the DSMB the tools and the data that it needs to operate effectively in protecting the safety of the participants.


The electromagnetic (EM) behavior of a geological fault is postulated to follow the mathematical model of a fault in seismology that illustrates seismic EM anomalies EMAs). Charge densities, +q and -q in C/m2 are generated at a fault zone by the change in seismic stress, α as dq/dt = -αdσ/dt - q/∊ρ, where σ,∊ and ρ are the charge generation constants measured in C/N, dielectric constant and reisitivity of bedrocks, respectively. A fault of length, 2a, plane area, A and the displacement or rupture time, τ gives pulsed charge densities, +q(t) and -q(t), or a dipole moment of P(t) = 2aAq(t) = αM0[∊ρ/(τ - ∊ρ) - exp(-t/∊ρ)] using the earthquake moment M0. Maxwell's equations for this dipole in a conductive earth give power spectra of EM waves at diferrent distances. Seismic electric signals (SES) including the DC VAN method can be explained as EM waves. Electrons with density n in the atmosphere are accelerated by the electric field and travel a distance l. resulting in the exictation and ionization of atmospheric molecules leading to earthquake lightning (EQL). They also polarize the ionosphere by disturbing the transmission of EM waves prior to an earthquake and artificial electronic noises. The same pulsed field surprised eels and hamsters, suggesting seismic anomalous animal ehavious animal behavior (SAAB) as electro-physiological responses to the stimuli of electric pulses.


Open source projects are an interesting source for software engineering education and research. By participating in open source projects students can improve their programming and design capabilities. By reflecting on own participation by means of an established research method and plan, master's students can in addition contribute to increase knowledge concerning research questions. In this work we report on a concrete study in the context of the Net- beans open source project. The research method used is a modification of action research.


Graph Neural Networks have shown tremendous potential on dealing with garph data and achieved outstanding results in recent years. In some research areas, labelling data are hard to obtain for technical reasons, which necessitates the study of unsupervised and semi-superivsed learning on graphs. Therefore, whether the learned representations can capture the intrinsic feature of the original graphs will be the issue in this area. In this paper, we introduce a self-supervised learning method to enhance the representations of graphlevel learned by Graph Neural Networks. To fully capture the original attributes of the graph, we use three information aggregators: attributeconv, layer-conv and subgraph-conv to gather information from different aspects. To get a comprehensive understanding of the graph structure, we propose an ensemble-learning like subgraph method. And to achieve efficient and effective contrasive learning, a Head-Tail contrastive samples construction method is proposed to provide more abundant negative samples. By virtue of all proposed components which can be generalized to any Graph Neural Networks, in unsupervised case, we achieve new state of the art results in several benchmarks. We also evaluate our model on semi-supervised learning tasks and make a fair comparison to state of the art semi-supervised methods.


This first number of a new literary venture is intended to provide room for publications which are too bulky for monthly or quarterly magazines but not suitable for monographs. The program is rather extensive: history, thought and religion of classical and Christian antiquity. The contributors are men who have established a reputation for scholarship in the various departments they are cultivating. One study is written in French and another in German. Three contributions treat of the East: Oriental influence on the Gallican Liturgy, the oldest Latin version of the Byzantine liturgies and medieval Georgian historical literature. Special points are discussed in the studies on the concept of living stone in classical and Christian antiquity, on St. Irenaeus "gnosis alcthes," on Ockham's "notitia of Non-existents," on the source of Capgrave's Life of St. Augustine. Broader subjects are treated in the studies on Nominalism in the theological works of the twelfth century, on the glossators of canon law, and the rise of political representation from 1150 to 1325. A short note on the observance of the Feast of Purification in the East brings out the fact that as late as 602 A.D. Christmas had not yet been celebrated at Constantinople. Post's study on Plena Potestas (p. 355-408) points out that by the end of the thirteenth century the representatives summoned to Parliament by carrying "full power" made absolutism impossible. Kuttner tackles in his study on the glossatores of canon law one of the most intricate problem of medieval research. Boehner clears Ockham of the charge of skepticism. On the whole the studies present new results or point out new problems. This first volume of Traditio fully represents what it promised to be, "an effort toward comprehensive knowledge of all the living forces in the Church and secular Society."


In the aftermath of war, those who remain must rebuild lives in spaces that bear the scars of conflict. This essay focuses on one such space, the unrecognized state in north Cyprus, which has experienced waves of displacement, ethnic cleansing, and the appropriation and redistribution of "enemy" property. Families raise children in plundered spaces; grandchildren play in gardens replanted after war; houses are furnished with the remains of others' lives. In such contexts, the questions of what belongs to whom, and who belongs where, or with whom, are particularly contested, while the future of these places and objects remains uncertain. This essay asks what everyday historical work may be done with looted homes and objects, and it shows how practices with and stories about belongings may also be ways of helping us to "belong" in history. [temporality, materiality, history, memory, belonging, Cyprus]


Background: There is variation in the risk of malignancy in dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) in the existing literature. Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the risk of malignancy in DM and PM as compared with the general population. Methods: Medline and Embase Database abstracts were searched through August 2014 using the search terms myositis, neoplasms, and paraneoplastic syndromes. Population-based, observational studies in English were included. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models. Results: A total of 5 studies with 4538 DM or PM patients were included in the analysis. The overall relative risk was 4.66 for DM and 1.75 for PM. By gender, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of malignancy among DM patients was 5.29 for males and 4.56 for females; the SIR of malignancy among PM patients was 1.62 for males and 2.02 for females. By time since diagnosis, the SIR of malignancy among DM patients was 17.29 in the first year, 2.7 between 1 and 5 years, and 1.37 after 5 years. By age group, the SIR among DM patients was 2.79 for patients between 15 and 44 years and 3.13 beyond 45 years. Conclusions: Both DM and PM are associated with increased risk of malignancy, but the risk is higher in DM. The risk of malignancy is present in both genders and all age groups and is highest in the first year after diagnosis but persists beyond the fifth year in DM. Adults should be evaluated for malignancy at diagnosis, followed by long-term surveillance.


Purpose of review The optimal approach to improve protein metabolism in critical illness is not yet fully defined. Here, we have summarized recent literature dealing with the main catabolic and anabolic factors influencing protein kinetics in acute hypercatabolic patients. Recent findings Protein/amino acid intake levels should be adapted to type and severity of illness, keeping in mind that energy overfeeding is associated with poor outcome. A number of anticatabolic nutraceuticals and drugs have been tested in acute patients. The encouraging results have been obtained with &bgr;-hydroxy-&bgr;-methylbutyrate, omega-3 fatty acids, oxandrolone, propranolol, and metformin. Their efficacy and lack of side-effects need to be confirmed. Physical therapy, including muscle electro-stimulation, appears a very promising intervention, both effective and safe. Summary Protein catabolism can be minimized in acute patients by adequate nutritional support, early mobilization, and, possibly, pharmacological and nutraceutical interventions. A combination of these strategies should be tested in randomized controlled trials.


Descriptive exploratory study accomplished with the purpose of identifying nurses' scientific productions in the Northeast Region during the period of 1988-1992, checking the rind of papers presented, the predominating theme area and the divulgation used. We observe that there is a sensitive increase in these productions since 1990. Scientific articles and assistentcal area themes predominated, as did the divulgation through national events.


The intensity of the Euro-crisis was reflected by significant increases of sovereign bond yields in the troubled countries. This has launched a hot debate whether this increase can solely be attributed to fundamental factors like e.g. rescue programmes, rising budget deficits, deteriorating economic prospects or changes in the rating-status of the country, or whether a part of these growing yields is likely to represent a systemic risk, i.e. that one or more countries will drop out of the European Monetary Union and reintroduce their own national currencies. This empirical analysis explores whether such systemic risk is present in the yield spreads of nine Euro area countries by using a novel market based indicator from the virtual prediction market Intrade. Our empirical results suggest that beside fundamental factors a systemic risk component played a role in determination of sovereign yields. Our empirical measure of the systemic component in sovereign yields can be related to the expected change of the newly introduced national currency. Accordingly to that, Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy are expected to depreciate their currency while the others would appreciate after a withdrawal from the Euro area. Risk premia that are related to fears of the reversibility of the Euro are unacceptable, and they need to be addressed in a fundamental manner. (ECB-President Mario Draghi, August 2012) Es gibt fundamentale Zweifel der Markte an der Sicherheit der Wahrungsunion. (Bundesbankprasident Jens Weidmann, July 2012)


An earlier method for the inverse diffraction problem, using only the backscattering cross section as a function of aspect angle, yields the profile curve for a strictly convex body of revolution. If the profile curve has straight line segments, the body is not strictly convex. Nevertheless, it is shown that the method, when applied to such a body, yields the correct profile except for a shortening of the straight segment by a factor which is at worst 0.7.


Recent reforms in the Dutch health care system have dramatically changed the role of and relationship between hospitals and home care organizations. These changes have fostered a more active role for hospitals in the delivery of home care services.


Almost 35% of all rare and endangered animal species are either located in wetland areas or are dependent on them. Coastal wetlands are extremely important to coastal states such as the study area and are extensively exploited. This study gives an inventory of the wildlife resources of the study area and its utilization. Stop count at five minutes interval along tracts and variable intersect belt was employed in the assessment of species and population of the study area. A combination of questionnaire and market survey was also used to further determine the animals that are encountered in the study area. All four classes of vertebrate are well represented in the study area. Animals found in the study area are abundant and zoned both horizontally and vertically. Amphibian is the dominant group of aquatic vertebrates other than fish in terms of their numbers and distribution, particularly the frogs and toads. All the Rana species with their very long hind legs are edible in Nigeria and are harvested as wild bush meat. Grasscutter, antelopes, duicker and bush rats such as squirrel and the piscivorous mammals the marsh mangrove otter and manatee are found in all zones in the study area. Alligators are highly valued inhabitants of Lagos State coastal wetlands. The Nile crocodile is wildly distributed in the swampy areas while the commonest lizard found is the Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus ). Amongst the aquatic birds are the common species of herons, water fowls, fish eagle and darters, king fishers ( Ceryle rudis ), strait pidgeons (ducala bicolor) which frequent the wetlands. Wildlife contributes immensely to the protein consumption and economy of the people of the study area, animal parts are also used in industry and medicine


The Variable Volume Water Model (VVWM), the receiving water body model for the USEPA regulatory assessment of aquatic pesticide exposures, is composed of a set of static and quasistatic receiving water body conceptual models, but research comparing performance of these models to observations is limited. The water body models included are the constant volume (CVol), constant volume with overflow (CVO), and varying volume with overflow (VVO) models. This work quantified the performance of these three VVWM conceptual models compared with atrazine observations in 50 community water systems (CWSs), and the effect of alternative conceptual models on estimated environmental concentrations of pesticides in regulatory screening assessments. The 50 selected CWSs most relevant to the static and quasistatic VVWM concepts were small in size, with estimated time to peak flow of <1.5 d for consistency with the daily runoff assumption in USEPA landscape Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM). The CVO and VVO conceptual models resulted in similar distributions of bias across CWSs with the median result being close to no bias, but the CVol model resulted in overestimation in the majority of CWSs with median model bias near three times the observed values. At present, the CVol conceptual model parameterized with conservative input assumptions has been the regulatory standard invoked in VVWM, yet our results showed that a more physically correct conceptual model (CVO or VVO) could be invoked in regulatory exposure modeling for ecological risk assessment, reducing structural model bias while still allowing users to introduce conservative model inputs for screening purposes.


The renin-angiotensin (Ang) system regulates multiple physiological functions through Ang II type 1 and type 2 receptors. Prior studies suggest an intracellular pool of Ang II that may be released in an autocrine manner upon stretch to activate surface membrane Ang receptors. Alternatively, an intracellular renin-Ang system has been proposed, with a primary focus on nuclear Ang receptors. A mitochondrial Ang system has not been previously described. Here we report that functional Ang II type 2 receptors are present on mitochondrial inner membranes and are colocalized with endogenous Ang. We demonstrate that activation of the mitochondrial Ang system is coupled to mitochondrial nitric oxide production and can modulate respiration. In addition, we present evidence of age-related changes in mitochondrial Ang receptor expression, i.e., increased mitochondrial Ang II type 1 receptor and decreased type 2 receptor density that is reversed by chronic treatment with the Ang II type 1 receptor blocker losartan. The presence of a functional Ang system in human mitochondria provides a foundation for understanding the interaction between mitochondria and chronic disease states and reveals potential therapeutic targets for optimizing mitochondrial function and decreasing chronic disease burden with aging.


Seismostratigraphic studies on the Scotian and mid-Norwegian Continental Shelves have led to the development of a conceptual model for glacial deposition and erosion by ice sheets in a marine environment (till-tongue model). Some of the terminal deposits of the marine-ending glaciers are composed in part of acoustically incoherent, wedge-shaped bodies. The wedges are thought to be part of a grounding-line system associated with a floating terminus. According to the model, the sedimentary wedges are formed through the accumulation of glacial debris by subglacial processes proximal to the grounding line, together with a penecontemporaneous, proglacial contribution from sediment gravity flows. Sedimentation rates appear to be highest near and proximal to the grounding line; that is, within a grounding-line zone. Ice-proximal, stratified glaciomarine sediment accumulates from plumes within the water column and rain out of ice-rafted debris. The glaciomarine sediment interfingers with the till tongues, resulting from oscillations of the grounding line. Till tongues represent discrete stratigraphic units formed in both vertical and lateral successions, marginal to massive till deposits. Major till tongues can be correlated regionally for hundreds of kilometers and thus can provide a basis for stratigraphic correlation. On the mid-Norwegian Shelf, lateral and vertical successions of till tongues delineate several large-scale till units which represent major advances and retreats of the ice that probably were of both stadial and glacial rank. We refer to this type of succession as a "till-tongue stratigraphy." It appears that till-tongue formation is limited to intermediate water depths which range from 75 to 1,000 m (present water depth), but those formed in water depths >600-700 in may not be strictly subglacial in origin. We speculate that processes leading to the development of till tongues possibly give rise to the formation of subglacial undermelt till, together with thin flow tills near the grounding line. It is also possible that another type of subglacial till, embracing concepts inherent in the expression "deforming basal tills" as described by Alley and others (1989), may contribute to the formation of till tongues. Boundaries between the major till units of the mid-Norwegian Shelf are mainly depositional in the zone of maximum glaciation near the shelf edge and upper slope. Proximal to this zone of major deposition, intraformational erosional processes dominate and give rise to smooth, widespread, time-transgressive, erosional surfaces. Erosion progressively increases in a proximal direction, beveling the earlier glacial deposits, and ultimately reaches and modifies the bedrock surface. These regional surfaces are analogous to the Ross Sea unconformity which was also formed by glacial erosion. Morainic deposits within a till-tongue stratigraphy are termed "grounding-zone moraines" and are subdivided into advance and retreat varieties, with linear, tabular, and hummocky attributes. Fields of small morainic ridges (lift-off moraines) form in basinal areas during recession.


Toxoplasmosis infection of the mother during pregnancy is linked to transplacental transmission to the fetus. Toxoplasma gondii infection is difficult to diagnose and necessitates a comprehensive examination that includes laboratory and clinical testing. This study used RT-PCR using B1 gene based on paired blood samples and clinical data, for the detection of Toxoplasma infections in miscarriage women, this technique was compared to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There are a total of 125 miscarriage women at Al-Muthanna Hospital. Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies, IgG (latent infection) and IgM (recently acquired infection), were positive in 50/125 cases, with 25.6% IgG, 8.8% IgM, and 5.6% for IgM and IgG. In addition, women who have had two miscarriages have a high seropositivity rate. Furthermore, the development of molecular technologies to amplify parasite nucleic acids has enhanced toxoplasmosis diagnosis. The cycle threshold values Ct, which indicate the target gene's quantity, were calculated. With DNA from 500 T. gondii tachyzoites, a Ct of 25-28 was usually obtained. Present results show that the assay's reproducibility was found in 50 which considered (40%) from total miscarriage women of ELISA positive samples while 28/125 samples (22.4%) will positively in molecular detection and 56% from serological test was positive in molecular test. A move forward was the invention of diagnostic methods that used ELISA IgG and IgM followed by an RT-PCR methods in women were the most effective in detecting recent and reactive Toxoplasma gondii infection.


Topical application of vitamin K is beneficial in the treatment of various skin pathologies. However, its delivery to the skin is hampered by the photo-instability and phototoxicity of vitamin K (quinone form). Indeed, topical use of vitamin K is regulated in Europe owing to the photosensitive properties of this molecule. Here, we discuss the suitability of ester derivatives of vitamin K hydroquinone (VKH), the active form of vitamin K, for topical applications. Notably, VKH derivatives have the potential to overcome the photo-instability and phototoxicity problem of vitamin K and act as VKH prodrugs, as demonstrated in HaCaT human keratinocytes. Thus, VKH prodrug is a promising strategy for topical application of vitamin K without the need for special protection from light.


Biological signals generated during various biological processes are critically important for providing insight into the human physiological status. Recently, there have been many great efforts in developing flexible and stretchable sensing systems to provide biological signal monitoring platforms with intimate integration with biological surfaces. Here, this review summarizes the recent advances in flexible and stretchable sensing systems from the perspective of electronic system integration. A comprehensive general sensing system architecture is described, which consists of sensors, sensor interface circuits, memories and digital processing units. The subsequent content focuses on the integration requirements and highlights some advanced progress for each component. Next, representative examples of flexible and stretchable sensing systems for electrophysiological, physical and chemical information monitoring are introduced. This review concludes with an outlook on the remaining challenges and opportunities for future fully flexible or stretchable sensing systems.


In this paper we define a new model of limited communication for multiplayer team games of imperfect information. We prove that the Team DFA Game and Team Formula Game, which have bounded state, remain undecidable when players have a rate of communication which is less than the rate at which they make moves in the game. We also show that meeting this communication threshold causes these games to be decidable.


Since year 2000, the increase of the installed wind energy capacity all over the world (mainly in Europe and United States) attracted the attention of electricity companies, wind farm promoters and researchers towards the short term prediction, mainly motivated by the necessity of integration into the grid of an increasing dasiaunknownpsila (fluctuating) amount of wind power. Besides, in a deregulated system, the ability to trade efficiently, make the best use of transmission line capability and address concerns with system frequency, accurate very short-term forecasts are motivated more than ever. In this study, very short term wind speed forecasting is developed utilizing artificial neural networks (ANN) in conjunction with Markov chain approach. Artificial neural networks predict short term values and the results are modified according to the long term patterns due to applying Markov chain. For verification purposes, the integrated proposed method is compared with ANN. The results show the effectiveness of the integrated method.


There is no standard rule for the test of the railway abrasion measurement system composed of the line laser and the camera. This paper is proposed of the method to estimate the performance of the railway abrasion measurement system. The performance estimation is achieved by the quantitative analysis parameters such as MTF, NPS and DQE.


To assess chemical toxicity, current high throughput screening (HTS) assays rely primarily on in vitro measurements using cultured cells. Responses frequently differ from in vivo results due to the lack of physical and humoral interactions provided by the extracellular matrix, cell-cell interactions, and other molecular components of the native organ. To more accurately reproduce organ complexity in HTS, we developed an organotypic assay using the cryopreserved precision cut lung slice (PCLS) from rats and mice. Compared to the never-frozen PCLS, their frozen-thawed counterpart slices showed viability or metabolic activity that is decreased to an extent comparable to that observed in other cryopreserved cells and tissues, but shows no differences in further changes in cell viability, mitochondrial integrity, and glutathione activity in response to the model toxin zinc chloride (ZnCl2). Notably, these measurements were successfully miniaturized so as to establish HTS capacity in a 96-well plate format. Finally, PCLS responses correlated with common markers of lung injury measured in lavage fluid from rats intratracheally instilled with ZnCl2. In summary, we establish that the cryopreserved PCLS is a feasible approach for HTS investigations in predictive toxicology.


Sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) are a key component of Southern Ocean benthos, with 16% of the known sea star species living there. In temperate marine environments, sea stars commonly play an important role in food webs, acting as keystone species. However, trophic ecology and functional role of Southern Ocean sea stars are still poorly known, notably due to the scarcity of large-scale studies. Here, we report 24332 trophic marker (stable isotopes and elemental contents of C, N and S of tegument and/or tube feet) and biometric (arm length, disk radius, arm to disk ratio) measurements in 2456 specimens of sea stars. Samples were collected between 12/01/1985 and 08/10/2017 in numerous locations along the Antarctic littoral and Subantarctic islands. The spatial scope of the dataset covers a significant portion of the Southern Ocean (Latitude: 47.717° South to 86.273° South; longitude: 127.767° West to 162.201° East; depth: 6 to 5338 m). The dataset contains 133 distinct taxa, including 72 currently accepted species spanning 51 genera, 20 families and multiple feeding guilds / functional groups (suspension feeders, sediment feeders, omnivores, predators of mobile or sessile prey). For 505 specimens, mitochondrial CO1 genes were sequenced to confirm and/or refine taxonomic identifications, and those sequences are already publicly available through the Barcode of Life Data System. This number will grow in the future, as molecular analyses are still in progress. Overall, thanks to its large taxonomic, spatial, and temporal extent, as well as its integrative nature (combining genetic, morphological and ecological data), this dataset can be of wide interest to Southern Ocean ecologists, invertebrate zoologists, benthic ecologists, and environmental managers dealing with associated areas. Please cite this data paper in research products derived from the dataset, which is freely available without copyright restrictions.


The effects of harvest dates on superficial scald development and postharvest quality in 'Granny Smith' apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) were investigated. Apples were harvested at 15-day intervals during 2 consecutive years (2000-2001) and stored at 0 °C with 90% relative humidity for 8 months. At the end of the 8 - month storage period plus an additional 1 week at 20 °C the percentage of superficial scald was lower (24.4%) in late harvested (November 15) apples than in apples harvested early (October 15), which was 85.4%. The apples harvested late reached a climacteric maximum quicker than those harvested early. The percentage of weight loss, soluble solids, titratable acidity and flesh firmness varied among the different harvest dates. Delaying harvest achieved an increase in soluble solids percentage. Flesh firmness, titratable acidity and soluble solids remained at acceptable levels regardless of harvest dates and storage durations. Loss of chlorophyll was slower in apples harvested late than in those harvested early. The percentage of decay was lower in fruit harvested early. We conclude that 'Granny Smith' apples could be stored for 8 months with minimal scald incidences (0% to 14.2% depending on storage length) if they are harvested in November in Korkuteli, Antalya ecological conditions.


The urinary excretion of carnitine by boys with Duchenne dystrophy did not differ significantly from age-matched controls. Since serum and muscle concentrations of carnitine are also normal in Duchenne dystrophy, it cannot be proved that this small molecule leaks from muscle in Duchenne dystrophy. If the muscle surface membrane is abnormally leaky in Duchenne dystrophy, different molecules seem to be affected in different ways.


Robust, washable, and self-healing superhydrophobic fabrics with non-iridescence structural colors were prepared by a one-step spray coating technique using easily available materials: polyacrylate (PA) adhesive, monodisperse poly(styrene-methyl methacrylate-acrylic acid) (P(St-MMA-AA)) colloidal microspheres, and carbon black (CB). The color of the coated fabrics could be tuned as violet, green or red by just varying the size of the microspheres, and this method was effective in enhancing the fastness of the structural color on fabrics; for example, the coated fabrics could repeatedly withstand standard laundry, expedite laundry, and even supersonic vibrating cleaning without apparent color fading. In addition, the as-formed fabrics maintained superhydrophobicity with a high contact angle (>150°). The coated fabrics could also restore its super liquid-repellent property by a short-time heating treatment or room temperature ageing after being tentatively damaged. This simple but effective coating method may facilitate the development of special functional clothing for various applications.


To evaluate whether the 'oxygen and capacity limited thermal tolerance' model (OCLTT) applies to an air-breathing ectothermic vertebrate, we measured oxygen uptake (), cardiac performance and arterial blood gases during a progressive rise of temperature from 30 to 40°C in the snake Python regius. of fasting snakes increased exponentially with temperature whereas of digesting snakes at high temperatures plateaued at a level 3- to 4-fold above fasting. The high and sustained aerobic metabolism over the entire temperature range was supported by pronounced tachycardia at all temperatures, and both fasting and digesting snakes maintained a normal acid–base balance without any indication of anaerobic metabolism. All snakes also maintained high arterial PO2, even at temperatures close to the upper lethal temperature. Thus, there is no evidence of a reduced capacity for oxygen transport at high temperatures in either fasting or digesting snakes, suggesting that the upper thermal tolerance of this species is limited by other factors.


Objective : To define the use of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) as a predictor of prostate volume in catheterized BPH patients. Material & methods : Data were collected from medical record of symptomatic BPH patients who underwent prostate biopsy at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital Urology Clinic since 1994 until 2006. Data of age, serum PSA, indwelling catheter, maximal flow, urine residue, and prostate volume were recorded as variables. Patients who had histopathological result of BPH with or without prostatitis were included; while who had prostate carcinoma, high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasm (HGPIN), and BPH with atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) were excluded. Subject were then divided into 2 groups, catheterized or not. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test, analysis of variance, correlation test and linear regression test. Results : Of  2283 patients were performed prostate biopsy, 1036 patients had results of BPH with or without prostatitis, 766 patients had prostate carcinoma, while 581 patient's biopsy result were not recorded. Of the 1036 patients, 347 were catheterized, 192 non-catheterized, and 457 were not recorded. In the catheterized group the average age were 67,04 years old, serum PSA 26,88 ng/ml, prostate volume 54,33 ml, PSA density 0,39. In non-catheterized group the average age were 66,32 years old, serum PSA 16,58 ng/ml, prostate volume 53,94 ml, PSA density 0,33. Regression test showed that serum PSA could be used as a predictor of prostate volume (F=12,830; p < 0,001); in non-catheterized group it was stronger (F=12,989; p<0,001) than in catheterized group (F=6,814; p<0,01). The accuracy of serum PSA as a prostate volume predictor based on Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) as indicated by Area Under the Curve (AUC), in the catheterized group was 0,678 - 0,725 (p<0,001); in non-catheterized group was 0,723 - 0,784 (p<0,001). Conclusion : Serum PSA could be used as a predictor of prostate volume in patients with BPH wether catheterized or not. This predictor function is stronger in non-catheterized patients. Catheter has the effect of lowering the function of serum PSA as a prostate volume predictor in patients with BPH.


This paper will try to give an alternative treatment of the subject "parallel RLC circuits" and "resonance in parallel RLC circuits" from the Physics curricula for the XI th grade from Romanian high-schools, with an emphasis on practical type circuits and their possible applications, and intends to be an aid for both Physics teachers and students eager to learn and understand more.


This paper discusses the possibilities and potentialities of new technologies of communication, considering characteristics of these technologies, processes of mediatisation and models of communication. The advent of internet has favored the interaction, modifying the relationship between media and society. However, its use according to the diffusionist model may limit its potential. In order to illustrate the theoretical analysis and discussing new roles played by journalism and society in production of content and the impact produced by them on the field of communication and health, an event involving the media coverage of a tumultuous consultation schedule in a health centre which attends to SUS (Unified Health System) patients is presented here.


An efficient multiscale constitutive framework for nickel-base superalloys is proposed that enables the incorporation of strain gradient effects. Special interface regions in the unit cell contain the plastic strain gradients that govern the development of internal stresses. The model is shown to accurately simulate the experimentally observed size effects in the commercial alloy CMSX-4. The limited complexity of the proposed unit cell and the micromechanical simplifications make the framework particularly efficient in a multiscale approach. This is demonstrated by applying the model in a gas turbine blade finite element analysis.