In this paper, we present a novel iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm for the leader–follower formation tracking problem of a class of nonlinear multiagent systems that are subject to actuator faults. Unlike most ILC works that require identical reference trajectories over the iteration domain, the desired line-of-sight (LOS) range and angle profiles can be iteration dependent based on different tasks and environment in each iteration. Furthermore, the LOS range and angle tracking errors are subject to iteration and time dependent constraint requirements. Both parametric and nonparametric system unknowns and uncertainties, in particular the control input gain functions that are not fully known, are considered. We show that under the proposed algorithm, the formation tracking errors can converge to zero uniformly over the iteration domain beyond a certain time interval in each iteration, while the constraint requirements on the LOS range and angle will not be violated during operations. A numerical simulation involving two agents in leader–follower formation is presented in the end to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.


Transforming spoken words into written text in qualitative research is a vital step in familiarizing and immersing oneself in the data. We share a three-step approach of how data transcription facilitated an interpretative act of analysis in a study using qualitative data collection methods on the barriers and facilitators of HIV testing and treatment in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.


Abstract This article presents a preliminary comparative stratigraphy of excavated sites in Plain Cilicia and one in Rough Cilicia. It is the outcome of three workshops held in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Plain Cilicia at the junction of Anatolia, Syro-Mesopotamia and Cyprus is one of the most fertile regions of the Ancient Near East. In recent years, archaeological research in the region has intensified, re-opening questions of chronology. The comparative stratigraphy discussed in the workshops is presented here in form of a gazetteer of the participating sites and a chart. This is to be understood as a first step towards a more comprehensive chronology.


Copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles were prepared using the sol-gel autocombustion method and then coated with phosphate using different treatments with H3PO4. The structural and chemical properties of the phosphate-coated CuFe2O4 nanoparticles were controlled by changing the concentration of H3PO4 during the coating process. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and EDS which provided information about the catalysts' structure, chemical composition, purity, and morphology. The catalytic and photocatalytic activities of the phosphate-coated CuFe2O4 samples were tested and evaluated for the degradation of phenol using HPLC. The prepared nanoparticles successfully emerged as excellent heterogeneous Fenton-type catalysts for phenol degradation. The phosphate-coated CuFe2O4 catalysts exhibited a higher catalytic activity compared with the uncoated CuFe2O4 ones. Such a higher catalytic performance can be attributed to enhanced morphological, electronic, and chemical properties of the phosphate-coated CuFe2O4 nanoparticles. Additionally, the phosphate-coated CuFe2O4 nanoparticles also revealed a higher catalytic activity compared with TiO2 nanoparticles. Different experimental conditions were investigated, and complete removal of phenol was achieved under specific conditions.


One-dimensional (1D) semiconductors have garnered considerable attention in solar energy harvesting and conversion since they possess a long axis to absorb incident light yet a short radial distance for fast separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Among the diverse 1D semiconductors, metal oxides arrays prepared by electrochemical anodization technique demonstrate unique structure merits for efficient charge separation and transfer; nevertheless, thus far, recent process on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photocatalytic applications of electrochemically anodized 1D semiconductors has not yet been elucidated. In this review, basic principle, classification, and developments of electrochemical anodization technique were systematically introduced. Great attention was paid to summarize the predominant 1D metal oxides arrays fabricated by anodization approach and their wide-spread photocatalytic and PEC applications. Moreover, modification strategies used for boosting the photocatalytic and PEC performances of 1D anodized metal oxides nanostructures were further comprehensively elucidated. Finally, future perspectives and challenges in triggering the future innovative ideas on fabricating a large variety of promising anodized semiconductor-based nanomaterials are envisaged. It is anticipated that our review could provide enriched information on the rational design and construction of electrochemically anodized 1D semiconductors for solar energy conversion.


Collaborative filtering (CF) is widely used by personalized recommendation systems, which aims to predict the preference of users with historical user-item interactions. In recent years, Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have been utilized to build CF models and have shown promising performance. Recent state-of-the-art GNN-based CF approaches simply attribute their performance improvement to the high-order neighbor aggregation ability of GNNs. However, we observe that some powerful deep GNNs such as JKNet and DropEdge, can effectively exploit high-order neighbor information on other graph tasks but perform poorly on CF tasks, which conflicts with the explanation of these GNN-based CF research. Different from these research, we investigate the GNN-based CF from the perspective of Markov processes for distance learning with a unified framework named Markov Graph Diffusion Collaborative Filtering (MGDCF). We design a Markov Graph Diffusion Network (MGDN) as MGDCF's GNN encoder, which learns vertex representations by trading off two types of distances via a Markov process. We show the theoretical equivalence between MGDN's output and the optimal solution of a distance loss function, which can boost the optimization of CF models. MGDN can generalize state-of-the-art models such as LightGCN and APPNP, which are heterogeneous GNNs. In addition, MGDN can be extended to homogeneous GNNs with our sparsification technique. For optimizing MGDCF, we propose the InfoBPR loss function, which extends the widely used BPR loss to exploit multiple negative samples for better performance. We conduct experiments to perform detailed analysis on MGDCF. The source code is publicly available at https://github.com/hujunxianligong/MGDCF.


An effective 3D descriptor should be invariant to different geometric transformations, such as scale and rotation, robust to occlusions and clutter, and capable of generalising to different application domains. We present a simple yet effective method to learn general and distinctive 3D local descriptors that can be used to register point clouds that are captured in different domains. Point cloud patches are extracted, canonicalised with respect to their local reference frame, and encoded into scale and rotation-invariant compact descriptors by a deep neural network that is invariant to permutations of the input points. This design is what enables our descriptors to generalise across domains. We evaluate and compare our descriptors with alternative handcrafted and deep learning-based descriptors on several indoor and outdoor datasets that are reconstructed by using both RGBD sensors and laser scanners. Our descriptors outperform most recent descriptors by a large margin in terms of generalisation, and also become the state of the art in benchmarks where training and testing are performed in the same domain.


The views of morality presented by evolutionary psychology and Christian theology are generally considered mutually exclusive. Love is central to the Christian message, but the self-sacrifice of Christian love seems incompatible with an evolutionary paradigm. This incompatibility, however, stems not from irreconcilable differences, but from an overextension and misapplication of the methodology of evolutionary psychology; no acknowledgement of the transcendent is possible, and morality becomes mere functionality. Within human phylogeny there is an evident ascent of freedom, mind, and moral awareness. This freedom, however, leads to greater interpersonal dependence and vulnerability, which both makes possible and makes necessary moral behavior. The crucial significance of moral conviction and motivation receives its complement and completion within the natural order in the revelation of love through the sacrificial death of Christ. The earthly and the transcendent are unified, as humanity is called into communion with a loving God.


Amniotic constriction band , first described in 1832 by Montgomery1, is one term used to describe a wide range of associated congenital anomalies, including anular constrictions of multiple extremities, oligodactyly, acrosyndactyly, talipes equinovarus, cleft lip and cleft palate, and hemangiomas. Additional, less common clinical manifestations include complete absence of the limb, short umbilical cord, craniofacial disruptions, neural tube defects, cranial defects, scoliosis, and body-wall defects, such as gastroschisis and extrathoracic heart. Some of these manifestations are uncommonly noted at birth because they result in spontaneous abortion2-5.

The prevalence of amniotic constriction band is approximately one in 1200 to one in 15,000 live births6,7. The prevalence rate for male infants has been reported to be 0.91 and, for female infants, 1.44. These defects are reported to occur 1.76 times more frequently among African-Americans as compared with Caucasians6. Evidence of familial involvement is extremely rare. Although temporal and geographic clustering has been reported, this phenomenon is not well understood8.

The variability of presentation between patients, the unusual nature of this constellation of findings, and the lack of a consensus on etiology are all reflected in the fact that thirty-four different names have been used to describe this entity in the literature9. Most of the descriptive terminology used to describe this entity relates to the extremity manifestations; the central manifestations affecting the face and body have not typically been considered for nomenclature. The various names include amnion rupture sequence, aberrant tissue band syndrome, ADAM (amniotic deformity, adhesions, mutilations) complex2, constriction band syndrome, constriction ring syndrome, amnion disruption sequence, and Streeter dysplasia, among others9. The use of the word "syndrome" is controversial because there are no classic, consistently present and defining features of amniotic …


The prognostic value of bone marrow biopsy was established in 31 patients suffering from stage IIA and IIIA myeloma (Durie and Salmon classification). Data obtained from quantitative marrow cytology permit to differentiate 3 sub-groups of cells: plasmocytes, plasmoblasts, plasmocytes/plasmoblasts of which the incidence on the prognosis and the response to treatment was studied. There is a correlation between the response to MP and the nature of various cells populations and, on the other hand, the type of infiltration. A sub-group of patients, resisting to MP, was identified: diffuse plasmoblastic myelomas of poor prognosis. Induction poly-chemotherapy seems far superior over the MP combination, which was always a controverted issue.


ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to investigate the perceived discomfort for postures combined with shoulder flexion/extension and elbow flexion, and external load. 12 healthy male undergraduate and graduate students participated in this experiment. Experimental variables were the shoulder flexion/extension angle(-20°, 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°), the elbow flexion angle (0°, 45°, 120°), and the external load(0, 1.5Kg, 3Kg) as independent variables and a whole body perceived discomfort using Borg's CR10 as a dependent variable. The subjects maintained the given posture for 60 seconds and then rated the perceived discomfort. The ANOVA results showed that all main factors and two-way interactions were statistically significant at α=0.05. As a result of regression analysis to examine the effect of external load on the perceived discomfort, the perceived discomfort linearly increased as the level of external load increased. Then, the effect of external load on the perceived discomfort was quantitatively classified into three levels based on the result of regression analysis. Keyword: Perceived discomfort, Shoulder and elbow posture, External load


In this paper, we consider the general problem of object recognition based on a set of known templates, where the available observations are noisy. While the set of templates is known, the tremendous set of possible transformations and deformations between the template and the observed signature, makes any detection and recognition problem ill-defined unless this variability is taken into account. We propose a method that reduces the high dimensional problem of evaluating the orbit created by applying the set of all possible transformations in the group to a template, into a problem of analyzing a function in a low dimensional Euclidian space. In this setting, the problem of estimating the parametric model of the deformation is transformed using a set on nonlinear operators into a set of equations which is solved by a linear least squares solution in the low dimensional Euclidian space. For the case where the signal to noise ratio is high, and the nonlinear operators are polynomial compositions, a maximum-likelihood estimator is derived, as well.


The idea of developing a world-class EMC lab as part of an economic development initiative in Nebraska took root in 1997 when a group of local companies put their heads together with a large state university, a community college, economic development lobbyists and state legislators. The state of Nebraska funded the $5 million plan to put a lab in place and have it managed by an independent nonprofit entity known as the Nebraska Center for Excellence in Electronics (NCEE). This paper highlights just some of the steps and side steps taken to create and sell the concept to the state, specify the equipment and physical facility, and staff and manage it via a group of local businesses in a nonequity role, while meeting the requirements mandated by the state and the marketplace.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune inflammatory disease of the joints, which can result in permanent cartilage and bone damage. Although the exact cause of RA is unknown, there are many risk factors that have been associated with RA. When RA occurs, the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy synovial and connective tissue. Available treatment options work to reduce inflammation or slow the disease progression. The American College of Rheumatology published guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in 2015, with an update expected in late 2019/early 2020. Nonpharmacologic therapy for patients with RA includes rest, occupational and physical therapy, and weight reduction and use of assistive devices, as necessary. Pharmacologic options include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, antitumor necrosis factor agents, and interleukin receptor antagonists.


A procurement for the smooth arrival and departure of ships (port clearance) must be in accordance with existing procedures so that ships can leave the port and arrive safely at the destination port. The purpose of this study is to determine activities related to the clearance of document management by PT. Pelayaran Sumatra Timur Indonesia. This research is a type of qualitative descriptive research. In the research method, there are two types of data in this study, namely primary data and secondary data. There are 3 methods of obtaining the data needed during the research time including observation methods, interview methods and documentation methods. The results showed that the clearance activity of PT. East Sumatra Indonesia shipping there are several procedures for handling documents on ships, namely, checking shipping orders, checking cargo manifests or loading lists and checking cargo shipping lists or boot notes and other important ship requirements. The document clearance procedure is divided into two, namely clearance in and clearance out. The clearance procedure is the process of obtaining permits for ships that will arrive at the port to related agencies. Clearance out the procedure on PT. East Sumatra Indonesia shipping includes after the ship has finished carrying out activities at the port and will again sail out of the port area, the agent re-requests the ship's departure or clearance.


Release of eosinophil chemotactic factor (ECF) from murine bone marrow derived cultured mast cells was examined. As the indicator cells for in vitro chemotaxis assay, eosinophils were obtained from bone marrow of cyclophosphamide-treated and Toxocara canis-infected mice. When cultured mast cells were stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187 or IgE-antigen, they released ECF as well as beta-hexosaminidase. ECF-release was not observed when they were stimulated with compound 48/80. Freeze-thawed extract of cultured mast cells contained beta-hexosaminidase but no ECF activity, showing that the ECF is newly synthesized after stimulation. ECF was even spontaneously released when cultured mast cells were incubated for more than 30 min at 37 degrees C. The ECF released from cultured mast cells was low molecular weight substance (less than 1300 Dalton), and was resistant to digestion with carboxypeptidase. The ECF was extractable into chloroform-methanol (2:1) at acidic pH. Judging from these physicochemical characteristics, ECF released from cultured mast cells may be an arachidonic acid metabolite.


The high altitude flat area of Bogota is located at 2600 m elevation and has temperatures that oscillate between -5 and 25 oC (average 14oC). Based on archives, field notes, bibliographic review and a database from the Bee Research Laboratory of the National University in Bogota (LABUN), information was obtained on the wild bees present in the city of Bogota and nearby localities. In addition, surveys were made in different sites in the city and its surroundings, observations were taken directly in the field, and information was compiled on plants visited by bees in the study area. Forty bee species were found belonging to 18 genera and distributed among the five families recorded for the country. Halictidae and Apidae were the most speciose families. Among all bee species found, 82,5% are Neotropical in distribution and 25% typically Andean in distribution. Data is presented on the foraging behavior, nest architecture and external activity for some species of wild urban bees. Thygater aethiops and Caenohalictus sp. nest mainly in parks and near patches of ornamental plants, whereas Anthophora walteri nests in dry areas with little vegetation. Bees of the genus Bombus were found nesting outside of strictly urban boundaries. The most visited plants were mainly ornamental species belonging to the families Acanthaceae, Asteraceae, Caprifoliaceae, Solanaceae and Scrophulariaceae.


A case of intradural extramedullary hydatid cyst with spinal cord compression loeated in the cervica1region is presented. The diagnosis was ma de preoperatively on the basis of MR! findings. Many eases of aanial or spinal extradural hydatid cyst have


This article considers the simultaneous construction of the "Silk roads" at three levels, transnational in a commodity chain now extended between Algeria and China and national in a country where consumption increase and retail stores and markets multiply. The transregional level is an intersection of the two other levels that is organized from the anchor points of globalized trading posts and marketplaces located in East Algeria. Comparing these three levels enables us to shed light on the formation of global networks – what we call the route – that are situated at the crossroads of local, regional, national and transnational rationales and arise from arrangements at multiple scales among multiple actors.
It is now possible to sketch a chronology of the growth in the marketplaces where Algerian importers have obtained supplies for almost 40 years, thanks to recent research using the accounts of Algerian traders collected during continuous and regular surveys conducted by the two authors in Algeria, Dubai, and China since the early 2000s. These studies identified the places and the construction stages of this (these) transnational route(s?).


Abstract The pattern of interactions between foot and mouth disease (FMD) viral protein 1 (VP1) with susceptible and resistant host integrins were deciphered. The putative effect of site-directed mutation on alteration of interaction is illustrated using predicted and validated 3D structures of VP1, mutated VP1 and integrins of Bos taurus, Gallus and Canis. Strong interactions were observed between FMDV-VP1 protein motifs at conserved tripeptide, Arg-Gly-Asp 143RGD145 and at domain 676SIPLQ680 in alpha-integrin of B. taurus. Notably, in-silico site-directed mutation in FMDV-VP1 protein led to complete loss of interaction between FMD-VP1 protein and B. taurus integrin, which confirmed the active role of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) domain. Interestingly, in-vitro analysis demonstrates the persistence of the putative tropism site 'SIPLQ' in different cattle breeds undertaken. Thus, the attempt to decipher the tropism of FMDV at host receptor level interaction might be useful for future FMD control strategies through development of mimetic marker vaccines and/or host receptor manipulations. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma


ABSTRACT Keysers, J.H.; Quadros, N.D., and Collier, P.A., 2015. Vertical datum transformations across the Australian littoral zone. There is a growing demand in Australia for better information to assess the risks associated with sea-level rise and coastal inundation. Seamless elevation data across the littoral zone is an essential requirement for the assessment of coastal risks and the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies. Seamless coastal data products require the integration of topographic data with offshore bathymetric data. A prerequisite for the integration process is that the respective elevation data sets be related to the same vertical datum. This article discusses the development of a vertical datum transformation approach to facilitate the creation of seamless elevation data sets across the Australian littoral zone, with a focus on the challenges unique to Australia. Review of international projects, research into the relevant concepts, and an investigation of the data sets available in Australia led to the adoption of an ellipsoid-based transformation approach. Mean sea-level heights related to the ellipsoid and derived from coastal tide gauges were used to enhance a satellite altimetry–derived mean sea surface. Other tidal datums were modelled through hydrodynamic modelling, and the Australian Height Datum was achieved via Australia's current geoid model: AUSGeoid09. Although a transformation procedure has been developed, the current status and availability of Australian tide gauge data prevent the production of a suitably accurate and reliable vertical datum transformation software tool that provides full coverage of the Australian coast. To produce such a tool, Australia requires the collation of existing tide gauge data and metadata, a repository to store that data, an ellipsoid height survey of all tide gauges, and a denser network of tide gauges.


Direction finding and positioning systems based on RF signals are significantly impacted by multipath propagation, particularly in indoor environments. Existing algorithms (e.g MUSIC) perform poorly in resolving Angle of Arrival (AoA) in the presence of multipath or when operating in a weak signal regime. We note that digitally sampled RF frontends allow for the easy analysis of signals, and their delayed components. Low-cost Software-Defined Radio (SDR) modules enable Channel State Information (CSI) extraction across a wide spectrum, motivating the design of an enhanced AoA solution. We propose a Deep Learning approach for deriving AoA from a single snapshot of the SDR multichannel data. We compare and contrast deep-learning based angle classification and regression models, to estimate up to two AoAs accurately. We have implemented the inference engines on different platforms to extract AoAs in real-time, demonstrating the computational tractability of our approach. To demonstrate the utility of our approach we have collected IQ (In-phase and Quadrature components) samples from a four-element Universal Linear Array (ULA) in various Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) environments, and published the dataset. Our proposed method demonstrates excellent reliability in determining number of impinging signals and realized mean absolute AoA errors less than 2°.


Abstract The ability to look upward on signal while closing the eyelids (Eye Roll Sign) correlates highly (73.9%) with hypnotic trance capacity as measured by the Hypnotic Induction Profile in 2000 consecutive psychotherapy cases. In practical clinical terms this implies that in about five seconds the Eye Roll (ER) sign predicts hypnotizability in three out of four cases. Further, the higher the roll (0–4 scale), the higher is the trance capacity. This offers a quick, subtle, clinical way to ascertain whether or not hypnosis can have a probable role as an adjunct in the various psychotherapeutic strategies. Technic and data are presented.


To determine the acute effect of low and high-dose BA trials on maximal aerobic speed (MAS) in endurance athletes. We hypothesized that high doses of BA have a greater effect than low doses, both compared to baseline.
Twelve male endurance athletes volunteered for the study (age = 21.8 ± 2.37 years, weight = 69.8 ± 4.36 kg, height = 174 ± 5.45 cm, maximal oxygen uptake = 59.6 ± 3.77 mLO2·kg-1·min-1). The experimental design applied was randomized cross-over, double-blind. Treatment included three 6-minute run tests (6-MRT), the first as a baseline, then randomized 6-MRT with low (30 mg·kg-1) and high (45 mg·kg-1) dose BA trials. The 6-MRTs were separated by 72 hours. The main variable of the study was the distance (m) performed in the 6-MRT. Differences between tests were established through ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison tests (p < 0.05).
The analysis showed significant differences between baseline and both doses (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between low and high-dose BA trials (p > 0.05).
Both 30 and 45 mg·kg-1 of BA increased physical performance at maximal aerobic speed in endurance athletes. The acute intake formats described in the present investigation may be helpful for endurance athletes training and competing in aerobic-anaerobic transition zones.


Perceptions of the typical smoker (i.e., prototype) were assessed in a sample of 174 adult smokers when they first joined a cessation clinic and were used to predict smoking status at 6-month follow-up. As predicted, consistent with a prototype-based model of health risk behavior (F. X. Gibbons & M. Gerrard, 1995, in press), smokers with more favorable perceptions were more likely to have relapsed at follow-up. Also as predicted, this prospective effect was moderated by smokers' social networks: Prototypes did not predict status among those who had a lot of friends and family members who smoked, suggesting that these other smokers were inhibiting smokers' attempts to distance themselves psychologically from the prototype. Implications of the results for interventions that use prototypes to discourage smoking are discussed.


[Purpose] The sagittal shape of the spine is associated with back-pain, balance and quality of life. We developed, evaluated and report the responses of a graphical tool to assess sagittal spine shape knowledge (literacy). [Participants and Methods] Two hundred and fifty adults were randomly assigned, in a cross-sectional crossover study, to free-hand draw and select the "ideal" sagittal spine shape. We evaluated the inter and intra-rater reliability and agreement between tests and the sagittal and lordotic spine literacy between the drawing and selection test versions. [Results] Drawing test inter- and intra-rater agreement was 79% and 80% respectively. Drawing vs. selection agreement was 43%. More participants drew than selected the correct spine (30% vs. 21%) (p<0.001) and lumbar lordosis shape (56% vs. 42%) (p<0.001). Test order did not affect spine shape literacy scores. A significantly poorer literacy trend was observed with spine pain presence (p=0.02). [Conclusion] We developed a reliable method to evaluate spine shape literacy and established that only 21% and 42% of our sample demonstrated correct sagittal spine and lordotic spine shape literacy, respectively. The low literacy scores suggests that consideration of including spine shape literacy in health literacy and self-management programs may be warranted, especially in ageing populations.


Background Although a delayed decrease in heart rate during the first minute after graded exercise has been identified as a powerful predictor of overall mortality in cardiac patients, the potential to influence this risk factor by aerobic training remains to be proven. Objective The aim was to study the relationship between aerobic training and Heart Rate Recovery (HRR) in patients with established heart disease. Methods (Quasi) randomized clinical trials on aerobic exercise training in adults with established heart disease were identified through electronic database and reference screening. Two reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias and therapeutic validity. Methodological validity was evaluated using an adapted version of the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias and the therapeutic validity of the interventions was assessed with a nine-itemed, expert-based rating scale (CONTENT). Scores range from 0 to 9 (score ≥ 6 reflecting therapeutic validity). Results Of the 384 articles retrieved, 8 studies (449 patients) were included. Three of the included studies demonstrated adequate therapeutic validity and five demonstrated low risk of bias. Two studies showed both adequate therapeutic validity and a low risk of bias. For cardiac patients aerobic exercise training was associated with more improvement in HRR compared to usual care. Conclusion The present systematic review shows a level 1A evidence that aerobic training increases HRR in patients with established heart disease.


To investigate the preventive practice of Mongolian dental students, in relation to their knowledge of preventive care, self-perceived competency, oral self-care, and dental health status, a questionnaire was distributed to all (n = 79) clinical-year students of The Dental School of the Mongolian National Medical University. Dental students' reported preventive practice was explained by their knowledge of preventive care (P = 0.002) and self-perceived competency (P = 0.002), whereas their study-year, oral self-care, and dental health status, expressed as the Tissue Health Index (THI), remained statistically non-significant in the linear regression model. This explained 28% of the variation in the parameters examined. In logistic regression analysis, a student's study year (OR = 2.5), knowledge of preventive care (OR = 1.1), and THI (OR = 1.8) were related to their highest scores on preventive practice. Preventive practice among Mongolian dental students could be improved by increasing their knowledge, particularly in modern methods for caries-prevention such as fluoride, sealants, and xylitol. Preventive methods should be integrated into all topics of the dental curriculum and the learning environment should support such training for future oral health professionals.


A univariate polynomial f over a field is decomposable if it is the composition f = g ○ h of two polynomials g and h whose degree is at least 2. We determine an approximation to the number of decomposables over a finite field. The tame case, where the field characteristic p does not divide the degree n of f, is reasonably well understood, and we obtain exponentially decreasing relative error bounds. The wild case, where p divides n, is more challenging and our error bounds are weaker.


The article presents the processes and the results of the application of some ergonomic techniques, used to evaluate the usability of the virtual learning environment adopted by the Distance Education Center of the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo - Brazil.


A camera (100), a plurality of pictures having a photographing function and the photographing picture stored in the buffer storage device (102) is activated when the shutter release button (130). The screen includes a plurality of conventional picture taken before and after the shooting screen. This provides a review of pictures taken upon activation of the shutter release button of the plurality of screens and screen and select one or more favorite images stored in the camera's non-volatile memory (101) for the user may be.


Abstract Objective: This study describes signals generated by .22 and .32 caliber starter pistols in the context of noise-induced hearing loss risk for sports officials and athletes. Design: Acoustic comparison of impulses generated from typical .22 and .32 caliber starter pistols firing blanks were made to impulses generated from comparable firearms firing both blanks and live rounds. Acoustic characteristics are described in terms of directionality and distance from the shooter in a simulated outdoor running track. Metrics include peak sound pressure levels (SPL), A-weighted equivalent 8-hour level (LeqA8), and maximum permissible number of individual shots, or maximum permissible exposures (MPE) for the unprotected ear. Results: Starter pistols produce peak SPLs above 140 dB. The numbers of MPEs are as few as five for the .22-caliber starter pistol, and somewhat higher (≤ 25) for the .32-caliber pistol. Conclusion: The impulsive sounds produced by starter pistols correspond to MPE numbers that are unacceptably small for unprotected officials and others in the immediate vicinity of the shooter. At the distances included in this study, the risk to athletes appears to be low (when referencing exposure criteria for adults), but the sound associated with the starter pistol will contribute to the athlete's overall noise exposure.


BACKGROUND
The predominant effect of opioids on respiratory pattern during anaesthesia is an increase in the duration of expiration (an effect on 'timing'), but there may also be changes in tidal volume (an effect on 'drive'). Timing and drive are controlled by separate neuronal systems, but are infrequently considered individually. The effects of opioids on breathing are not well characterized clinically because changes in carbon dioxide and anaesthetic levels usually occur at the same time, and can obscure the effects of the opioid.

METHODS
To study these effects in isolation, we established stable mild hypercapnia in female patients breathing spontaneously during sevoflurane anaesthesia, and then gave fentanyl 0.5 microg kg(-1) i.v. End-tidal carbon dioxide and sevoflurane concentrations were maintained constant, and the changes in timing of inspiration, expiration and tidal volume were measured.

RESULTS
The duration of inspiration increased by 30%, and the duration of expiration increased by 95%. Tidal volume increased in proportion to inspiratory duration, and the pattern of flow during the breath was recognizably changed, with a reduction in the rate of increase of flow at the onset of inspiration.

CONCLUSIONS
Small doses of opioid given when anaesthesia and carbon dioxide are stable affect respiratory timing predominantly, but in addition changes in the pattern of motor output can be detected.


The invention aims to provide an entecavir compound prepared in a novel method. The reaction procedures in the preparation method of the entecavir compound are simplified. Moreover, isopropyl is adopted as a protection agent. Since the steric hindrance can function as multiple types of directional substitution, the invention reduces the introduction of heterogeneous impurities. The reaction in multiple procedures needs no strict operating conditions. Therefore, the invention lays a foundation for industrial production.


The authors analyse the results of radiological examination of 65 patients with cholesteatomas of the brain and the value of the main neuroradiological methods in the diagnosis of the disease. The specific features of the CT-picture of these tumors are discussed. The article describes cases of atypical CT isodensity cholesteatomas and cholesteatomas of increased density as well as cases in which a vascular network of the tumor capsule was demonstrated by angiography. The indices of the contrast range of brain cholesteatomas are analysed. The algorithm of radiodiagnosis of cerebral cholesteatomas is elaborated on the basis of the results of the study.


A method of obtaining polymeric materials showing high anisotropy of electrical conductivity (up to 108) is reported. Electrical properties of polycarbonate films doped with TTT-TCNQ crystalline CT complex obtained using this method are discussed.


BACKGROUND
The Philadelphia chromosome (Ph') is originated by the t(9;22) which determines the rearrangement BCR/ABL. This rearrangement has been associated with an unfavourable prognosis in patients diagnosed with adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
The BCR/ABL gene (p210 and p190) was prospectively studied by nested RT-PCR in 17 adult patients diagnosed with ALL BCR/ABL-positive cases were monitored by RT-PCR and cytogenetic techniques over the treatment period (LAL-93 AR protocol).

RESULTS
BCR/ABL mRNA was detected in 8 out the 17 patients studied (47%). The Ph' chromosome was detected in 4 cases. Follow-up was completed in 6 out of the 8 BCR/ABL positive cases. PCR only became negative in one patient. The 5 patients with persistently positive BCR/ABL relapsed, whereas the case which became negative was still in complete remission after 24 months follow-up. In 3 out of the 4 Ph' positive patients, the karyotype was normal after induction therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
This study clearly demonstrates the usefulness of molecular analysis in the diagnosis and follow-up of ALL compared with conventional cytogenetic techniques. The importance of molecular analysis to assess the efficacy of the treatment used has been emphasized and the poor evolution of BCR/ABL-positive patients has been confirmed.


Curcuma supplementation has been investigated to prevent or treat obesity. However, evidence suggests development of pancreatic steatosis as well. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different doses of curcumin supplementation on weight, biochemical profile, and histological analysis of the pancreas and liver of mice fed a high-fat diet.

 This was an experimental, longitudinal and randomized study. Fifty C57BL/6 male mice, thirty days age, were separated into five groups: 1. Standard diet (n = 10); 2. High-fat diet (n = 10); 3. High-fat diet plus 50 mg of curcumin/kg of body weight (n = 10); 4. High-fat diet plus 250 mg of curcumin/kg of body weight (n = 10); 5. High-fat diet plus 500 mg of curcumin/kg of body weight (n = 10). Group 1 was fed a standard control diet (AIN 93 G), group 2 was fed a purified high-fat diet (AIN 93 HF 60%) and both groups received only the vehicle (carboxymethyl cellulose - CMC 1%) by gavage. Mice from groups 3, 4 and 5 were fed a purified high-fat diet (AIN 93 HF 60%) plus curcumin at different doses (50, 250 and 500 mg/kg of body weight diluted in 1% CMC) by gavage for twelve weeks. All groups received food and water ad libitum. At the end of the experimental period, we analysed lipid profile, blood glucose, insulin, histology of the pancreas and liver. ANOVA one way and Kruskal-Wallis analysis were performed and a value of P ˂ 0.05 was used to denote statistical significance.

 Curcumin supplementation did not improve weight and biochemical profile. Additionally, histological changes were not observed at any dose of supplementation. Pancreatic or hepatic steatosis was not evidenced in high-fat diet groups and also in the groups who received curcumin, suggesting no toxic effects at the different doses of supplementation provided.

 Our results suggest that curcumin supplementation has no beneficial effect on weight gain prevention and biochemical profile, regardless of the dose administered.

 FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation).


We present new observations of the recently discovered gas cloud G2 currently falling toward the massive black hole in the Galactic Center. The new data confirm that G2 is on a highly elliptical orbit with a predicted pericenter passage mid-2013. The updated orbit has an even larger eccentricity of 0.966, an epoch of pericenter two months later than estimated before, and a nominal minimum distance of 2200 Schwarzschild radii only. The velocity gradient of G2 has developed further to 600 km s−1 FWHM in summer 2012. We also detect the tail of similar total flux and on the same orbit as G2 along the trajectory at high significance. No hydrodynamic effects are detected yet, since the simple model of a tidally shearing gas cloud still describes the data very well. The flux of G2 has not changed by more than 10% between 2008 and 2012, disfavoring models where additional gas from a reservoir is released to the disrupting diffuse gas component.


Rapid thermal processing (RTP) of the Al/TiW/amorphous-Si system results in a decrease of the capacitance by about order of magnitude when the temperature is increased from 300 to 500 degrees C. The general characteristics of the functions, capacitance versus applied voltage and versus applied frequency, remains the same in this range of temperatures. Rapid thermal processing can be used to control the gradual decrease of the capacitance of the Al/TiW/amorphous-Si system by up to approximately one order of magnitude without changing the general characteristic of the C-V curves. >


The Australian Coastal Experiment was conducted off the east coast of New South Wales between September 1983 and March 1984. The experiment was conducted with arrays of current meters spanning the continental margin at three latitudes (37.5o, 34.5o, and 33.0oS.), additional shelf moorings at 29o and 42oS. coastal wind and sea-level measurements, monthly conductivity-temperature-depth probe/expendable bathythermograph (CTD/XBT) surveys, and two satellite-tracked buoys. Over the continental shelf and slope, the alongshore component of the current generally exceeded the onshore component, and the subtidal ( 50 cm sec-1), persistent (>8 days), southward currents over the continental slope and outer shelf. Temperature and geostrophic velocity sections through the eddies, maps of ship's drift vectors and temperature contours at 250 m, and the satellite-tracked drifter trajectories showed that these eddies were similar in structure to those observed previously in the East Australian Current region. Both eddies migrated generally southward. Eddy currents over the shelf and slope were rare at Cape Howe (37.5oS.), more common near Sydney (34.5oS.), and frequent at Newcastle (33.0oS.), where strong northward currents were also observed. Near Sydney, the eddy currents over the slope turned clockwise with depth between 280 and 740 m, suggesting net downwelling there. Repeated CTD sections also indicated onshore transport and downwelling at shallower levels; presumably, upwelling occurred farther south where the eddy currents turned offshore. Periodic rotary currents over the continental slope near Sydney and Newcastle indicated the presence of small cyclonic eddies on the flank of a much larger anticyclonic eddy. Between early October and late January, no strong southward currents were observed over the continental margin near Sydney. Data from this 'eddy-free' period were analysed further to examine the structure and variability of the coastal currents. Much of this variability was correlated with fluctuations in coastal sea-level (at zero lag) and with the wind stress (at various lags). The coherence and phase relationships among current, wind-stress, and sea-level records at different latitudes (determined from spectral analysis and frequency-domain empirical orthogonal functions) were consistent with the equatorward propagation of coastal-trapped waves generated by winds in phase with those near Cape Howe. Time-domain empirical orthogonal functions show that the current fluctuations decayed with distance from shore and with depth, as expected of coastal-trapped waves.


"Balikbayang Sinta" represents an epoch-making anthology of San Juan's recent interventions into cultural studies in this stage of corporate-led globalization. From his pioneering introduction of Georg Lukac's essays, "Marxism and Human Liberation" (1972), to his engagement with the debate of racial formations in the last decades of the twentieth century, San Juan has inserted the Philippines into the contemporary discourse on the crisis of the humanities and modern letters. Hailed as a scholar of world-historical significance, San Juan sums up forty years of critical reflection on the burning topics of his time in this gathering of essays and interviews.


We study the path integral chiral bosonization of the Abelian-Thirring model defined on a boundaryless Riemann surface as a two-dimensional space-time.


Quantum Cascade lasers (QCLs), relying on intersubband transitions in semiconductor quantum well structures, show very short carrier lifetimes of the order of picoseconds [1]. As a consequence, relaxation oscillations remain over-damped up to modulation frequencies of several tens of GHz [2], enabling efficient amplitude modulation of the gain medium in this frequency range. These properties make QCLs ideally suited for RF-injection-locking. We demonstrate that the round-trip frequency of THz QCLs, as observed from the beatnote, can be injection-locked by RF-modulating the bias current. Within a certain locking range we observe mutual phase-locking of approximately 20 longitudinal modes for significantly lower RF-powers than in previous studies [3]. Apart from injection-locking, we demonstrate beatnote control by means of an external cavity.


Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), which have several special properties such as negligible vapor pressure, high thermal and chemical stability, good molecular structure and property designability, have received a great deal of attention, and have emerged as potential environmentally benign solvents. Therefore, a deep understanding of the solvent properties of RTILs, especially the microenvironment properties, is crucial to design new RTILs and extend their applications. The structural heterogeneities and local viscosities of the microenvironments of the ionic liquid [bmim][PF6] and the ether-functionalized ionic liquid [moemim][PF6] were investigated by the rotational dynamics of coumarin 153 (C153) and the excimer-to-monomer fluorescence emission intensity ratio (I-E/I-M) of 1,3-bis(1-pyrenyl)propane (BPP). The rotational dynamics of C153 shows that there are incompact and compact domains within the heterogeneous structure of [bmim][PF6], resulting in fast and slow components of C153 rotational dynamics. The rotational dynamics of C153 shows that there is mainly one type of microenvironment in [moemim][PF6]. The C153 rotation time constants show that the microviscosity of [moemim][PF6] is lower than that of [bmim][PF6], and this result is confirmed by steady-state fluorescence measurement with the BPP microviscosity probe. The side chain of [moemim][PF6] is more polar and more flexible than that of [bmim][PF6], and the oxygen of the ether group could act as a hydrogen bond acceptor and interact with the cations of the ionic liquid, which possibly reduces the electrostatic attraction between the cations and anions in the ionic liquid and leads to the lower structural heterogeneity and microviscosity of [moemim][PF6].


This work investigates the use of interactively updated label suggestions to improve upon the efficiency of gathering annotations on the task of opinion mining in German Covid-19 social media data. We develop guidelines to conduct a controlled annotation study with social science students and find that suggestions from a model trained on a small, expert-annotated dataset already lead to a substantial improvement – in terms of inter-annotator agreement (+.14 Fleiss' κ) and annotation quality – compared to students that do not receive any label suggestions. We further find that label suggestions from interactively trained models do not lead to an improvement over suggestions from a static model. Nonetheless, our analysis of suggestion bias shows that annotators remain capable of reflecting upon the suggested label in general. Finally, we confirm the quality of the annotated data in transfer learning experiments between different annotator groups. To facilitate further research in opinion mining on social media data, we release our collected data consisting of 200 expert and 2,785 student annotations.


Child obesity is on the rise globally and evidence suggests that this upward trend has continued into the 21st century.  Genetic, dietary and/or physical activity patterns are important factors explaining why increasing number of children and adolescents are becoming obese. Evidence also suggests that social class position may be important in understanding the upsurge in its occurrence. In Nigeria, information on parents' perception of the obese status of their children is still inadequate. There is also a dearth of information on perceived causes and effect of child obesity among Nigerian elites. This article discusses knowledge of the etiology of child obesity among the elites, awareness of therapeutic measures, efficacy of adopted measures and assumed solutions. Utilizing both descriptive and survey research design, 180 high status residents in Bodija, Ibadan, were recruited as respondents through systematic random sampling techniques. Using purposive sampling, additional information on child obesity was obtained from ten medical and health service providers in the area. Research instruments comprised of questionnaires and unstructured interview guides. Results revealed that although respondents were generally aware of obesity and child obesity, and were generally conversant with its etiology, they were not unduly worried about the consequences of obesity although they recognized its possible harmful health outcomes. The article recommends for more educational and preventive social policies to encourage positive nutritional and recreational habits.


Immunoglobulin (Ig) class switch recombination (CSR) deficiencies are rare primary immunodeficiencies characterized by the lack of switched isotype (IgG/IgA/IgE) production. In some cases, CSR deficiencies can be associated with abnormal somatic hypermutation. Analysis of CSR deficiencies has helped reveal the key functions of CSR-triggering molecules, i.e., CD40L, CD40, and effector molecules such as activation-induced cytidine deaminase and uracil N-glycosylase. We report a new form of B cell–intrinsic CSR deficiency found in three patients with deleterious, homozygous mutations in the gene encoding the PMS2 component of the mismatch repair machinery. CSR was found partially defective in vivo and markedly impaired in vitro. It is characterized by the defective occurrence of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) in switch regions and abnormal formation of switch junctions. This observation strongly suggests a role for PMS2 in CSR-induced DSB generation.


The paper analyzes newspaper articles written towards the end of the 1980ies (1987-1988) about the so called Terazije fountain (which existed between 1927 and 1947 at the Terazije Square in the center of Belgrade, Serbia – not to be confused with the older Terazije fountain from 1860 that still stands). At first glance, this was an example of investigative journalism, where one searched for some lost (removed or destroyed) and "forgotten" fountain, by using contemporary documents, photographs, recollections, eyewitnesses, etc. Speaking in terms of methodology, this investigation had a strategy to establish facts (descriptions of the fountain, chronology of its removal); to understand the fountain in its cultural and historical context and recognize the changes of its meaning and symbolism during 30ies, late 40ies and in the 80ies; to re-evaluate the fountain; to restore it as a piece of the national heritage and bring it back to the contemporary Belgrade. However, the investigation identified an enormous lack of knowledge in history, art history, architecture, urbanism, anthropology, technology, etc. It was carried out as a patchwork of anonymous comments, so the articles were inconsistent and displayed many controversies. The activity of the author therefore resembled pretty much the job of a moderator on the Internet-based forums or social networks. At the same time, opinions of experts and scientists were eliminated as irrelevant, their books considered as non-existing and cultural institutions as incompetent. The story of the fountain appears to be just a stone for a political stone soup; the point of the paper was to criticize the cultural policy, social policy, political leaders or the post-war basis of the socialist Yugoslavia and to promote a new ideology and a new political strategy that was fully introduced in the 90ies.


Viroids are the smallest. well-characterized infectious agents presently known. and so far viroids have been found only in higher plants. The structures of viroid-molecules are single-stranded, covalently closed circular RNA molecules with a range of 240 to 380 nucleotides according to the various viroids. Viroids are remarkable not only as a new category of pathogen, which cause economically important diseases, but also as an excellent model system for biochemical and biophysical investigations because of their small size, relative stability and their self-replication. Four different patato spindle tuber viroid isolates, which express the different symptoms on the same host plant exchange only 2 to 6 nucleotides in the total number of 359 nucleotides, but now the mechanism of viroid pathogenicity is not explained fully. Viroid-melecules are replicated without any special viroid-associated proteins, and during the process of viroid replication oligomeric viroid-associated RNAs are detected at nuclei of viroid infected leaf tissue. The mechanism of viroid replication can now be illustrated according to a possible explanation of rolling-circle system. Although the rapid progress have been made in elucidation of the biochemical and biophysical properties of PSTV and other viroids, the mechanism of viroid replication and pathogenicity is less known and is still a matter of speculation. When these problems can be sufficiently explained, the viroid molecule could play an important role as an available vector in plant genetic engineering.


Nowadays, people are expected to be able to write and literate. As one of the important skills in language learning, writing has been considered as an important role in all aspects of life. In order to help our students having a good skill in writing, the use of technology is chosen to be integrated in the learning process. And Blogging is one of the activity that can be used to motivate the students to write actively and constructively. By using blog, teachers can help students to write constructively, promote student�s autonomy and enhance their motivation.


Introduction There are relatively few recent investigations that have addressed the issues of preferred learning styles and approaches to studying in sports-related disciplines such as: Sports Studies; Sports and Exercise Science; Coaching Science; Sport and Leisure Management and Outdoor Recreation Management. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine student learning across a range of sport-related programmes at a UK University College. It applied tools from two related, but different, educational research paradigms: approaches to learning and learning styles analysis. Thus, these differing means of researching student learning were tested against the same student group. Results were compared to students' perceptions of their own developing autonomy of learning and achieved grades; insights were generated into the particular learning approaches and styles of sports students; and tentative recommendations are made on the implications of the findings for higher education teachers seeking to promote improvements in the learning of sports students.


Until recently, liquid chromatographic (LC) methodology for pantothenic acid, biotin, and B12 (cyanocobalamin) has been only marginally successful. These vitamins are difficult to determine by conventional LC techniques and UV detection at 254 or 280 nm, because either the chromophore is inadequate for detection or interference from co-eluting vitamins is overwhelming. Biotin and B12 are usually present in pharmaceutical products at concentrations 100-1000 times lower than other commonly occurring water-soluble vitamins. Co-extraction of all water-soluble vitamins results in gross interferences, especially in LC when the interfering vitamins co-elute with biotin or B12. In addition, pantothenic acid and biotin are colorless in solution and do not exhibit strong UV absorption above 240 nm. As a result, they must be quantitated either by using a low UV wavelength for detection or by derivatizing the vitamin to obtain an adequate chromophore. A description of procedures for LC determination of pantothenic acid, panthenol, cyanocobalamin, and biotin in pharmaceutical products is presented. Pantothenic acid has been measured by using both a derivatization technique and low UV wavelength detection. Biotin has been quantitated by using low UV wavelength detection. The limitations of these techniques are also discussed. Chromatographic separation of cyanocobalamin is complicated by co-eluting vitamins such as riboflavin. It is detected by using the 546 nm wavelength where riboflavin does not interfere.


Ozanimod is approved in the EU, US, and other countries for treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults. In the phase 3 True North (TN) study, ozanimod 0.92 mg once daily demonstrated efficacy and safety for up to 52 weeks in patients (pts) with moderately to severely active UC. This open-label extension (OLE) analysis evaluated the long-term durability of ozanimod based on symptomatic and clinical endpoints in pts who experienced disease relapse while on placebo during the TN maintenance period (MP) and then recaptured response to ozanimod during the OLE.

 Responders to ozanimod 10-week induction therapy were rerandomised 1:1 to ozanimod (n=230) or placebo (n=227); this OLE interim analysis (data cutoff: January 10, 2022, at which point the OLE Week 94 disposition was available for pts) included all pts who relapsed on placebo during the MP and reinitiated ozanimod in the OLE. Endpoints included symptomatic response and remission, clinical response and clinical remission (which include endoscopy subscores), and corticosteroid (CS)-free remission (clinical remission while off CS for ≥12 weeks) evaluated using observed case (OC) and nonresponder imputation (NRI) analyses, and mean total Mayo score over time.

 A total of 77/227 pts (34%) rerandomised to placebo during MP experienced a relapse after a median of 12.7 weeks and all entered the OLE. Symptomatic response was achieved by 46/73 (63%) pts 5 weeks after restarting ozanimod in the OLE (NRI analysis: 60% at OLE Week 5) and in 32/33 (97%) by OLE Week 94 in the OC analysis. Symptomatic remission was also achieved by OLE Week 5 by 24/73 (33%) pts. Sustained efficacy of ozanimod reinitiation was also demonstrated comparing OLE Weeks 46 and 94 across clinical endpoints by OC analysis (clinical response, 76% and 86%; clinical remission, 44% and 59%; CS-free remission, 37% and 52%) and NRI analysis (clinical response, 42% and 31%; clinical remission, 25% and 22%; CS-free remission, 21% and 20%) (Figure 1). In addition, 56.3%, 52.6%, and 50% of pts who experienced clinical response, clinical remission, and CS-free remission, respectively, at OLE Week 46 continued to sustain these endpoints at OLE Week 94. Reductions in mean total Mayo score at OLE Week 46 were also sustained through OLE Week 94 (Figure 2).

 Response to ozanimod was regained after temporary therapy discontinuation for most pts, and this response was durable for up to 2 years as demonstrated by both symptomatic and clinical endpoints in this interim analysis from the TN OLE study. These results suggest that pts who experienced disease relapse after temporarily holding ozanimod in clinical practice may benefit from resumption of ozanimod.


Humans behave more prosocially toward ingroup (vs. outgroup) members. This preregistered research examined the influence of God concepts and memories of past behavior on prosociality toward outgroups. In Study 1 (n = 573), participants recalled their past kind or mean behavior (between-subjects) directed toward an outgroup. Subsequently, they completed a questionnaire assessing their views of God. Our dependent measure was the number of lottery entries given to another outgroup member. Participants who recalled their kind (vs. mean) behavior perceived God as more benevolent, which in turn predicted more generous allocation to the outgroup (vs. ingroup). Study 2 (n = 281) examined the causal relation by manipulating God concepts (benevolent vs. punitive). We found that not only recalling kind behaviors but perceiving God as benevolent increased outgroup generosity. The current research extends work on morality, religion, and intergroup relations by showing that benevolent God concepts and memories of past kind behaviors jointly increase outgroup generosity.


Introduction: β-thalassemia is caused by autosomal mutations in the β-globin gene, which induce the absence or low-level synthesis of β-globin in erythroid cells. It is widely accepted that a high production of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is beneficial for patients with β-thalassemia. Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin, is a lipophilic macrolide isolated from a strain of Streptomyces hygroscopicus that serves as a strong HbF inducer in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we report biochemical, molecular, and clinical results of a sirolimus-based NCT03877809 clinical trial (a personalized medicine approach for β-thalassemia transfusion-dependent patients: testing sirolimus in a first pilot clinical trial, Sirthalaclin). Methods: Accumulation of γ-globin mRNA was analyzed using reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), while the hemoglobin pattern was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The immunophenotype was analyzed using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS), with antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD14, CD19, CD25 (for analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells), or CD71 and CD235a (for analysis of in vitro cultured erythroid precursors). Results: The results were obtained in eight patients with the β+/β+ and β+/β0 genotypes, who were treated with a starting dosage of 1 mg/day sirolimus for 24–48 weeks. The first finding of this study was that the expression of γ-globin mRNA increased in the blood and erythroid precursor cells isolated from β-thalassemia patients treated with low-dose sirolimus. This trial also led to the important finding that sirolimus influences erythropoiesis and reduces biochemical markers associated with ineffective erythropoiesis (excess free α-globin chains, bilirubin, soluble transferrin receptor, and ferritin). A decrease in the transfusion demand index was observed in most (7/8) of the patients. The drug was well tolerated, with minor effects on the immunophenotype, and an only side effect of frequently occurring stomatitis. Conclusion: The data obtained indicate that low doses of sirolimus modify hematopoiesis and induce increased expression of γ-globin genes in a subset of patients with β-thalassemia. Further clinical trials are warranted, possibly including testing of the drug in patients with less severe forms of the disease and exploring combination therapies.


Automobile companies and research institutions in leading automobile-manufacturing nations have recently been very active with research regarding the HCCI engine for use in future vehicles. Because HCCI engines take advantage of high compression ratio and heat release rate, they exhibit high efficiency found in compression ignition engines. HCCI engines also utilize a lean air/fuel ratio resulting in low emissions of NOx and PM (particulate matter). The objective of this research is to determine the effects of EGR rate on the combustion processes of HCCI. For this purpose, a 4-cylinder, compression ignition engine was converted into a HCCI engine, and a heating device was installed to raise the temperature of the intake air and also to make it more consistent. In addition, a pressure sensor was inserted into each of the cylinders to investigate the differences in characteristics among the cylinders. The experimental study of the effects of EGR rate on various gas emissions, engine Performance, etc. Should prove to be a valuable source of information for the development of the HCCI engine.


Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a perennial forage crop grown in mixture with grasses or as a pure stand. It is valued for its nitrogen fixation capacity, benefits in organic farming, high quality forage, and beneficial effects on the soil structure. However, the lack of persistence is a major problem in red clover and the lack of winter hardiness and diseases are the most important reasons. Clover rot (clover cancer or Sclerotinia crown and root rot) is an important disease in European red clover crops, caused by the ascomycete fungi Sclerotinia trifoliorum Erikks. or Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Lib. de Bary, Clover rot is difficult to control because its development is highly dependent on weather conditions. Moreover, resistance breeding is hampered by the lack of useable bio-tests and by the lack of knowledge on the genetic and phenotypic variation among Sclerotinia isolates. In this context, the objectives of this thesis were to analyse the phenotypic and genetic diversity among Sclerotinia populations from European red clover crops, to construct bio-tests for Sclerotinia, to identify possible sources of resistance and factors related with resistance, and to acquire insight in the heritability of clover rot resistance.
In the first part of this dissertation the focus was on the genetic diversity among a collection of 192 Sclerotinia isolates from 25 locations in 12 European countries. Mycelial compatibility grouping provided a first idea of genetic diversity, while an AFLP study disclosed the genetic diversity in more detail. Two Sclerotinia species were present on red clover: S. trifoliorum was found in most locations while S. sclerotiorum was found in locations Fr.A and Fr.B. Genetic differences were found among isolates between and within locations, but there were no subpopulations and genetic distance was not correlated with geographic distance. Within-location variance accounted for 79.2% and among location variance for 20.8% of the genetic variation within S. trifoliorum isolates, indicating that the degree of population differentiation is low. A species specific PCR based on the -tubulin gene was constructed to quickly discriminate between S. trifoliorum and S. sclerotiorum. Bio-tests were developed for Sclerotinia on red clover. First, ascospore production for S. trifoliorum was optimised. A high-throughput bio-test was optimised: young plants are inoculated a with suspension of ascospores or mycelium fragments and incubated on an ebb and flow table covered with an opaque plastic cap. The disease is scored on a scale from 1 to 5 after incubation at 15°C during 10 days for mycelium fragment inoculation and 14 days for ascospore inoculation. Additionally, we constructed an in vitro bio-test on detached leaves to analyse plant - pathogen interactions more precisely. Leaves are incubated on 0.5% water agar, inoculated with a mycelium plug or by spraying an ascospore suspension and the percentage of leaf damage is calculated after incubation. Both bio-tests were fairly correlated. The phenotypic variation was studied among a sub collection of 30 Sclerotinia isolates. Mycelial growth rate, production of sclerotia and secretion of oxalate were measured and aggressiveness was assessed by both bio-tests. Growth rate, sclerotia production, oxalate production and pathogenicity according to both bio-tests differed between isolates. While fast growing isolates and isolates that were aggressive on detached leaves were more aggressive on plants, isolates that produced numerous sclerotia were less aggressive. A microscopic analysis of the infection process disclosed that the speed of ascospore germination was similar among isolates, yet aggressive isolates grew shorter secondary mycelia and attained more successful penetrations after 48h. To identify possible sources of resistance in red clover germplasm, a diverse collection of over 121 red clover accessions was screened. Plants were evaluated in the field and susceptibility to clover rot was determined. Accessions differed significantly in susceptibility to clover rot but no completely resistant accessions were found. Isoflavone levels, branching, growth habit and resistance to mildew and virus disease did not affect clover rot susceptibility. High yielding plants and plants susceptible to rust were more resistant to clover rot. Tetraploid cultivars were less susceptible by 11.7% than diploid cultivars. Cultivars were generally less susceptible than landraces and wild accessions. Two tetraploid cultivars and one diploid landrace were significantly more resistant. Cultivars and some landraces from both ploidy levels may be the most suitable sources of resistance.
In a final part, the inheritance of clover rot resistance was investigated. Analysis of segregation ratios in progenies from 15 pair crosses between ramets of resistant and susceptible genotypes suggested that clover rot resistance was conferred by three major quantitative resistance genes, while at least a part of the resistance was conferred by minor effect genes. Clover rot resistance was not maternally inherited. To estimate the heritability of clover rot resistance, we applied divergent selection by the high-throughput bio-test on an experimental population. Our high-throughput biotest altered the resistance level in both directions in the first generation of selection, but only marginal progress was made in the second generation. The heritability was on average 0.34 in the first cycle of selection and 0.07 in the second cycle of selection. The insights obtained during this research offer a basis for resistance breeding. The influence of isolates in resistance breeding is expected to be small. Allocating sources of resistance is difficult, yet recent cultivars and landraces from different genetic backgrounds may be the most suitable. Mass selection is ineffective, yet successive cycles of family selection against a strong selection pressure may increase clover rot resistance. Tetraploidisation of diploid populations may provide an additional level of protection. Finally, attention should be paid to other ways of controlling clover rot, such as culture techniques and biocontrol agents, as they may prevent the disease even more efficiently than cultivars with low susceptibility.


Arisaema madhuanum , a new species of Araceae from the southern Western Ghats, is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically allied to Arisaema attenuatum , from which it differs in having subulate neuters on the male spadix, a wide-mouthed spathe tube with the margins dilated into broad auricular extensions, and an erect to arching, oblong-lanceolate spathe limb with a narrow constricted basal region. The new taxon belongs to Arisaema sect. Sinarisaema Nakai.


An attempt has been made to assess daily intake of of dieldrin with fish and fishery products in Poland. The calculated arithmetic mean weighted concentration of dieldrin in muscle tissue of the fatty Baltic fish was 20 ng/g wet weight (n = 3863) in 1970-1983 and 4.4 ng/g wet weight in 1986-1992 (n = 143) while in lean fish was 6.7 ng/g wet weight (n = 9210 in 1970-1983 and 1.5 ng/g wet weight (n = 143) in 1986-1992. The intake of dieldrin has been assessed for 230 to 300 ng/person/day (mean 270 ng) in years 1970-1985 and from 44 to 54 ng/person/day (mean 51 ng) in 1989-1996.


A simple procedure for preparing colloidal "black" bismuth films is introduced, which leaves the target cold and does not pollute the recipient. The Bi evaporation occurs in a closed box in the evaporation chamber with an internal radiation shield. The bismuth is evaporated from a tantalum boat at a residual air pressure of 2×102Pa. The resulting films with a thickness of about 10μm are structureless down to a spatial resolution of 5.6μm, they become electrically insulating after 48h storage time in air, and they show an IR absorbance of above 70% in the 3–5μm wavelength range. The films are easily removable in an ultrasonic water bath. Thus, these films are ideally appropriate to increase the IR emissivity of microelectronic structures in microthermal infrared failure analysis investigations such as lock-in thermography, as is demonstrated in an application example. The application of this film may improve the thermographic detection limit of heat sources below metallized areas by up to a factor of 10, l...


AbstractQatar declared that by 2020, at least 2% of its electrical power generation should be by solar energy. This means that solar power plants (SPPs) of at least 640 MW capacity should be added, and be operational by 2020. Among the SPP alternatives to be built are: stand-alone solar Rankine cycle operated by parabolic trough collectors, photovoltaic power stations, and integrated solar combined cycle (CC). In this paper, the main characteristics and equipment of CC operating in Qatar and other Gulf area are illustrated. Then, the integration of the CC with solar field to become ISCC is introduced, and its merits are given. Then the ISCC is integrated with multi-stage flash desalting units to produce both electric power and desalted seawater. The addition of solar increases the solar steam, and thus, the capacity of both the steam turbine and desalination units. The additional cost of adding 55 MW capacity to the CC by solar energy is less than the 60% of stand-alone SPP with Rankine cycle having the s...


Nearshore sandbars are characteristic features of sandy surf zones and have been observed with a variety of geometries in cross‐shore (e.g. location) and longshore direction (e.g. planform). Although the behaviour of sandbars has been studied extensively on spatial scales up to kilometres and timescales up to years, it remains challenging to observe and explain their behaviour on larger spatial and temporal scales, especially in locations where coastline curvature can be prominent. In this paper, we study a data set with 38 years of coastal profiles, collected with alongshore intervals of 50 m, along the 34 km‐long curved sandy shoreline of Sylt island, Germany. Sylt's shoreline has an orientation difference of ~20° between the northern and southern half of the island. We found that the decadal coastal profiles on the southern half show features of a low‐tide terrace and a sandbar located further from the shoreline (~441 m). On the nothern half, the sandbar was located closer to the shoreline (~267 m) and was less pronounced, while the profiles show transverse bar and rip features. The alongshore planform also differed systematically and significantly along the two island sides. The sandbar on the southern island half, with alongshore periodicity on a larger length scale (~2240 m), was coupled out‐of‐phase to the shoreline, while no phase coupling was observed for the sandbar with periodicity on a shorter length scale (~670 m) on the northern half. We related the observed geometric differences of the sandbars to the difference in the local wave climate along Sylt, imposed by the shoreline shape. Our observations imply that small alongshore variations in wave climate, due to the increasing shoreline curvature on larger spatial scales, can lead to significant alongshore differences in the decadal evolution of coastal profiles, sandbars and shorelines. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd


The paper discusses the classical understanding of legal principles as the most general norms of a legal order, confronting it with Dworkin's and Alexy's understanding of legal principles as prima facie , unconditional commands. The analysis shows that the common,classical conception brings into question the status of legal principles as norms, by disreguarding their usefulness in judicial reasoning, while,conversely, the latterhas significant import forlegal practice and consequently for legal dogmatics. It is argued that the heuristic fruitfulness of understanding principles as optimization commands thusbecomesapparent. When we understand the relation of priciples to the idea of proportionality, as thespecific mode of their application, which is different from the supsumtive mode of applying rules,the theory of legal principles advanced by Dworkin and Alexy appears therefore to be descriptively better than others, but not without its flaws.


[1] In small and intermediate sized streams, the interaction between wood and bed material transport often determines the nature of the physical habitat, which in turn influences the health of the stream's ecosystem. We present a stochastic model that can be used to simulate the effects on physical habitat of forest fires, climate change, and other environmental disturbances that alter wood recruitment. The model predicts large wood (LW) loads in a stream as well as the volume of sediment stored by the wood; while it is parameterized to describe gravel bed streams similar to a well-studied field prototype, Fishtrap Creek, British Columbia, it can be calibrated to other systems as well. In the model, LW pieces are produced and modified over time as a result of random tree-fall, LW breakage, LW movement, and piece interaction to form LW jams. Each LW piece traps a portion of the annual bed material transport entering the reach and releases the stored sediment when the LW piece is entrained and moved. The equations governing sediment storage are based on a set of flume experiments also scaled to the field prototype. The model predicts wood loads ranging from 70 m3/ha to more than 300 m3/ha, with a mean value of 178 m3/ha: both the range and the mean value are consistent with field data from streams with similar riparian forest types and climate. The model also predicts an LW jam spacing that is consistent with field data. Furthermore, our modeling results demonstrate that the high spatial and temporal variability in sediment storage, sediment transport, and channel morphology associated with LW-dominated streams occurs only when LW pieces interact and form jams. Model runs that do not include jam formation are much less variable. These results suggest that river restoration efforts using engineered LW pieces that are fixed in place and not permitted to interact will be less successful at restoring the geomorphic processes responsible for producing diverse, productive physical habitats than efforts using LW pieces that are free to move, interact, and form LW jams.


A total of 142 samples including beef (n = 52), fresh milk (n = 45) and rectal swabs of cattle (n = 45) were collected from various wet markets (beef) and dairy cattle farms (milk and rectal swabs) in the vicinity of Selangor, Malaysia. All samples were examined for the presence of Arcobacter species using four different isolation methods. The organisms were first identified on the basis of phenotypic tests and later the suspected isolates were confirmed using multiplex PCR (mPCR). Method I (MI) and Method II (MII) detected Arcobacter in 43.7 and 75%, respectively from beef, but were unable to detect microbe from milk and rectal swabs. On the other hand, Method III (MIII) detected Arcobacter in 100, 60 and 40% of beef, milk and bovine rectal swab samples respectively; Method IV (MIV) detected 93.7, 60 and 40% in beef, milk and cattle rectal swabs respectively. The discriminatory power among the isolation methods for Arcobacter species was evaluated and MIII was found to be the best as it identified A. butzleri (72.7%); A. cryaerophilus (22.7%) and A. skirrowii (4.5%) while A. butzleri (61.1%), A. cryaerophilus (22.7%) and A. skirrowii (9%) were isolated from MIV.


During wine production, approximately 25% of the grape weight results in by-product/waste (termed 'pomace' which is comprised of skins and seeds). Currently, most pomace is being composted to be reintroduced into the vineyards to complete the carbon cycle. Due to the increasing consumer demand for the use of natural over synthetic compounds, and because of increased attention to sustainability of agricultural practices (Fontana, Antoniolli, & Bottini, 2013), there is a vast array of applications for grape pomacebioactives including: functional foods (dietary fiber + polyphenols), food processing (biosurfactants), cosmetics (grapeseed oil + antioxidants), pharmaceutical/biomedical (pullulan) and supplements (grape pomace powder). To date, there has been no assessment as to the market potential for value-added usage of grape pomace. This paper seeks to address this gap. The annual production of grape pomace along with its multitude of applications, create an opportunity to discover an unexploited market with great commercial potential.


This master thesis investigates and answers the question if it can be efficient to define resources
in a resource system through their capabilities. If resources are abstracted to a set of capabilities
that describes the resource's use, searching for these resources will be easier given a capability
requirement. This way, a resource satisfies one or more required capabilities and is thus
replaceable with other resources that satisfy the same required capabilities.
This concept eases the work for a user, who is not required to be a domain expert, and all he has
to do is to define a capability requirement. Only specifying a resource's capabilities requires
domain knowledge. This perspective on resources becomes a natural step for organizations that
define their tasks and missions through capability requirements, such as a rescue service.
The problem to find suitable resources given a capability requirement is fundamentally a
matching problem where the problem is to decide whether a resource should be included or not
depending on the context of the capability requirement. Numerous of algorithms of different
types have been evaluated for this problem which turns out to be efficiently solvable. Mainly two
algorithms are recommended, binary integer programming – a constrained version of linear
programming as well as a greedy algorithm.


The current study takes the hilly south Anhui province as the study area, which is located in the subtropical China and far from urban and industrial activities. The rainwater samples were collected from April to November in 2007 and were determined for pH, major cations and anions, to estimate acidity characteristics and the sum of hydrogen ion and other cation and anion input during the studied period. The results showed that the frequency of acid rain was over 92%, with an average pH of 4.61. The average concentrations of SO4(2-) and Ca2+ were 39.69 microeq/L and 68.82 microeq/L respectively, which were the most abundant cation and anion among the determined elements. The atmospheric pollution was characterized as SO2 and NOx with an average of SO4(2-)/NO3(-) 1.23 in the rainwater. The variation of the major chemical component in the rainwater with time implied that the atmospheric NOx mainly originated from the local agricultural activities, while SO2 was mainly affected by non-local source and the base cation was mainly affected by dust transportation during spring season. The total input of base cation and H+ was 1,289 eq/hm2 and 360 eq/hm2 respectively, while that of SO4(2-) and NO3(-) was 926 eq/hm2 from April to November in 2007. The input of acid deposition may have a detrimental effect on the local ecosystem.


The objective of this study was to compare haemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) levels measured by the immunoturbidimetric assay on ci8200 Architect (Abbott Diagnostics) to those obtained by the high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay from Tosoh Bioscience. Firstly, we verified correlation between the two methods in 47 subjects without hemoglobin variants: the coefficient of correlation was 0.968 and the regression equation was as follows: y(Abbott) = 0.928x(Tosoh) - 0.081. We then measured HbA(1c) levels by both methods in blood samples of 23 patients with a structural hemoglobin variant (A/S, A/C or S/C). Analysis of these samples revealed significant discrepancies between results of both methods, as indicated by the higher mean value obtained by immunoturbidimetric assay when compared to HPLC assay (7.17 +/- 2.68% vs. 5.86 +/- 1.41%). Classification of patients according to the HAS (French Haute Autorité de Santé) recommendations HbA(1c) was not modified for 68% of patients with abnormal hemoglobin. However, in 32% of cases, discrepancies between the two methods may have clinical importance, which justifies the occurrence of an abnormal hemoglobin when the HbA(1c) assay is performed by the method immunoturbidimetry Abbott Diagnostics.


Introduction: A cerebral lesion refers to any type of abnormal tissue found in the brain, particularly in the cerebral cortex. The cerebrum is responsible for allowing voluntary movements within the human body. Cerebral tumors arise from tissue throughout the brain. Neuroglial cells mainly consist of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and ependymal cells. These cells provide shelter and maintenance for neurons. About half of the primary CNS tumors derive from glial cells.
Aims and Objectives: To study the lesions of cerebrum with age and sex incidence and to find the incidence between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions and correlation with radiological appearance and histopathological findings of the lesions.
Materials and Methods: A present study including of 150 cases of cerebral lesions. All surgical biopsies were taken at department of Neurosurgery and then send for the histopathology examination in department of Pathology of Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College attached with Sheth V.S. General Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat from July 2011 to June 2013.
Results: Out of these total 150 biopsies, 100 were diagnosed as neoplastic lesions and 50 were diagnosed as non-neoplastic lesions. Among the neoplastic lesions, majority cases were of Gliomas (82%). Among the non-neoplastic lesions, majority cases were of infectious origin (60%). Out of total 82 cases of gliomas, 64 were of astrocytic Gliomas (78%). The peak age incidence for patients with neoplastic lesions was the 4th and 5th decade while that for benign lesions was 1st and 3rd decade. The male to female ratio was 2.7:1.
Summary and Conclusion: Among the 100 neoplastic lesions most common was Gliomas. Among the glioma, most common was the Astrocytoma (78%) which was followed by the oligodendroglioma (11%) and then Ependymoma (6%). Overall male: female ratio was 2.7:1 in the patient with Glial tumors. Out of 50 non neoplastic cerebral lesions, 30 (60%) were of infectious origin.

Keywords: Astrocytoma, Cerebr


The objective of the research is to describe the mosque committee preparation in arranging the description of loan mosque of orphan and MDA per month. This research is a descriptive reasearch.  In collecting the data, the data will be collected through observation and interview. Those data will be analyzed and interpreted in form of table. If it is possible, the data will be corralted among the variables. Finding of the research is hoped that they can give smart solution for the next researcher to do the further research. Key words: information system, accountancy of masjid


Abstract Purpose: To establish the Role Checklist Version 2: Quality of Performance as a measure of past, present and desired future role incumbency, role value and self-perception of the quality of role performance for 10 roles consistent with the ICF Participation Domains. Methods: Discuss the literature on the measurement of participation; present a conceptually based case for similarities in content between the RC V2: QP; and illustrate through a case example its efficacy as a balanced measure of performance. Results: Despite different origins, the ICF domain areas: Chapters 6–9 correspond to the roles included in the RC V2: QP. The measure is shown sensitive to change in quality of performance through insider self-report serving in the case provided, as an early indicator of deterioration in physical status. Conclusion: A balanced measure of the insider and outsider perspective of participation, the case of one liver transplant recipient illustrates how the RC V2: QP serves to reflect participation outcomes thus, adding an available measure of the ICF construct of participation. Implications for Rehabilitation The Role Checklist Version 2: Quality of Performance is consistent with the ICF performance qualifier of participation. The insider view of participation is strengthened in this Second version of the Role Checklist. The Role Checklist Version 2: Quality of Performance provides a general measure of participation that can be used across populations.


Megalocytivirus infections cause serious mass mortality in marine fish in East and Southeast Asian countries. In this study the immunogenicity of crude subunit vaccines against infection by the Megalocytivirus RSIV was investigated. Three capsid proteins, 18R, 351R and a major capsid protein, were selected for use as crude subunit vaccines. High homology among Megalocytivirus types was found in the initial sequence examined, the 351R region. Red sea bream (Pagrus major) juveniles were vaccinated by intraperitoneal injection of recombinant formalin‐killed Escherichia coli cells expressing these three capsid proteins. After challenge infection with RSIV, fish vaccinated with the 351R‐recombinant bacteria showed significantly greater survival than those vaccinated with control bacteria. The 351R protein was co‐expressed with GAPDH from the bacterium Edwardsiella tarda in E. coli; this also protected against viral challenge. A remarkable accumulation of RSIV was observed in the blood of vaccinated fish, with less accumulation in the gills and spleen tissues. Thus, the 351R‐GAPDH fusion protein is a potential vaccine against Megalocytivirus infection in red sea bream.


Distributed applications has been a big boon for the development of several applications ranging from on-time supply chain management ,virtual collaborations and several kinds of service integration across organizations. Often this leads to new challenges in security and dependability. Collaborating services in a system with a Service-Oriented-Architecture (SOA) may belong to different security realms but often need to be engaged dynamically at runtime. If their security realms do not have a direct cross-realm authentication relationship, it is technically difficult to enable any secure collaboration between the services. A potential solution to this would be to locate intermediate realms at runtime, which serve as an authentication-path between the two separate realms. However, the process of generating an authentication path for two distributed services can be highly complicated. It could involve a large number of extra operations for credential conversion and require a long chain of invocations to intermediate services. In this paper, we address this problem by designing and implementing a new cross-realm authentication protocol for dynamic service interactions, based on the notion of service-oriented multi-party business sessions. Our protocol requires neither credential conversion nor establishment of any authentication path between the participating services in a business session.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Breath diagnostics, the measurement of volatile chemicals in human breath, is currently receiving attention as a technique for the detection of disease which, being non-invasive in nature, is particularly suited to screening for pre-symptomatic disease in healthy populations. A disorder in which more effective screening would be beneficial is celiac disease (CD), an under-diagnosed autoimmune disease of the small intestine characterized by nutritional malabsorption, which presents with diverse, and sometimes serious, symptoms. We aimed to determine whether breath analyses could be used to screen for the presence of CD.

METHODS
Based on our hypotheses that malabsorption of dietary carbohydrates would lead to over production of alcohol fermentation products in the large intestine, we investigated levels of alcohols in the breath of 10 patients with CD compared to that in 10 healthy controls using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS).

RESULTS
No differences were found in the breath levels of methanol, propanol, butanol, heptanol or hexanol investigated using chemical ionization of breath air with H3O+ and/or NO+ precursor ions. In one patient, diagnosed within days of our study and not currently in receipt of any therapeutic intervention, a relatively high production of three product ions was detected compared to all other study patients.

CONCLUSION
Our data suggest that breath alcohol levels are unlikely to be of diagnostic use in CD, although further investigation of those recently diagnosed with the disorder may be warranted.


The Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine that is overexpressed in a number of cancer types, with increased MIF expression often correlating with tumor aggressiveness and poor patient outcomes. In this study, we aimed to better understand the link between primary tumor expression of MIF and increased tumor growth. Using the MMTV-PyMT murine model of breast cancer, we observed that elevated MIF expression promoted tumor appearance and growth. Supporting this, we confirmed our previous observation that higher MIF expression supported tumor growth in the 4T1 murine model of breast cancer. We subsequently discovered that loss of MIF expression in 4T1 cells led to decreased cell numbers and increased apoptosis in vitro under reduced serum culture conditions. We hypothesized that this increase in cell death would promote detection by the host immune system in vivo, which could explain the observed impairment in tumor growth. Supporting this, we demonstrated that loss of MIF expression in the primary tumor led to an increased abundance of intra-tumoral IFNgamma-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and that depletion of T cells from mice bearing MIF-deficient tumors restored growth to the level of MIF-expressing tumors. Furthermore, we found that MIF depletion from the tumor cells resulted in greater numbers of activated intra-tumoral dendritic cells (DCs). Lastly, we demonstrated that loss of MIF expression led to a robust induction of a specialized form of cell death, immunogenic cell death (ICD), in vitro. Together, our data suggests a model in which MIF expression in the primary tumor dampens the anti-tumor immune response, promoting tumor growth.