We compared a conventional PET-CT scanner (Siemens Biograph TruePoint TrueV) with and without resolution modeling (RM) image reconstruction with a high resolution research tomograph (HRRT) in order to assess the utility of conventional scanners for brain scanning. A modified Esser phantom and 6 neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) patients with vestibular schwannomas (VS) were scanned using both scanners. The phantom was filled with fluorine-18 (40 MBq, 4:1 contrast ratio) and scanned for 60 min on separate occasions. Patients were injected with ~200 MBq of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and [18F]fluorothymidine (FLT) on separate occasions and scanned for three consecutive 30 min periods moving between scanners. The HRRT images, although noisier, resulted in higher contrast recovery for the smallest cylindrical inserts in comparison to TrueV with and without RM. With the TrueV, higher uptake values were observed in VS lesions with both FDG and FLT which is consistent with greater spill-in from the brain for FDG and bone marrow for FLT. RM decreased measured FDG uptake. For large homogenous lesions the conventional TrueV gives similar or better results compared to the HRRT. For smaller lesions, the HRRT has benefit, with RM on the TrueV unable to restore parity, and with the potential for image artifacts.


Vacuum impregnation (VI) is a recent development in the osmotic treatment of foods. VI of a porous product consists of exchanging the internal gas or liquid occluded in open pores for an external liquid phase by the action of hydrodynamic mechanisms promoted by pressure changes. This process is carried out by applying vacuum pressure (P1) to the tank which contains the product immersed in a solution for a time (t1) sufficient for it to be de-aired, and subsequently restoring the pressure to atmospheric pressure (P2) while the product remains immersed for time (t2). VI can be useful introducing dissolved or dispersed substances directly into the porous structure of the food matrix. Moreover, VI can increase the mass transfer rate, as a result of shorter diffusive paths after the impregnation step, in processes in which solid-liquid operations are present, such as salting of meats, osmotic dehydration of fruits, oil extraction by liquid solvents and the incorporation of preservatives or additives to food items. VI has broad applications in fruit and vegetable processing and provides many unique advantages. This technique is being investigated to incorporate physiological active compounds (minerals, probiotics, vitamins and firming agents such as hydrocolloids) into the structure of fruits and vegetables. Impregnated products can be commercialized as minimally processed fresh functional foods or can be dried osmotically or by air in order to obtain more stability. In this study, the main factors and responses of fruits and vegetables to VI processing are explained and quality aspects of VI applied to minimally processed fruits and vegetables were discussed.


A new laser structure, the strip buried heterostructure (SBH) laser, using an active strip on a low-loss waveguide is described, theoretically analyzed, and experimentally characterized under both pulsed and CW operations. The waveguiding properties and laser threshold conditions are analyzed using the effective refractive index approximation. The calculated results agree fairly well with measured results. Pulsed output powers as high as 400, 230, and 130 mW/mirror without AR coating have been obtained at "catastrophic" mirror failure for SBH lasers with 10, 5, and 3 μm strips, respectively. Throughout this entire current injection range, stable transverse mode operation and excellent linearity and symmetry in light-current characteristic from each mirror were obtained. Intermodulation products were measured for 5 μm strip SBH lasers. At an average power of 4 mW and modulation depth of 80 percent, the third-order component was about 48 dB below the fundamental. Excess noise above threshold was not present. For SBH lasers with efficient injection current confinement and active strip area of 380 \times 10 \mu m, pulsed and CW current thresholds were about 74 and 85 mA, respectively. The average external quantum efficiency was about 45 percent. CW operation has been achieved at a heat-sink temperature as high as 115°C. The current threshold has an exponential variation with temperature exp ( T/T_{0} ) where T_{0} = 110 K. For SBH lasers with strip widths \sim5 \mu m, stable fundamental mode oscillation in both transverse directions was observed up to 9 times threshold. Far-field beam divergences of 8-10\deg and 26-30\deg were obtained in directions parallel and perpendicular to the junction plane, respectively. Single-longitudinal-mode operation up to twice threshold was obtained for SBH lasers with strip widths \lsim5 \mu m under both pulsed and CW operations. Relaxation oscillation and self-pulsation were not observed for SBH lasers with clean transverse modes in pulsed response up to current injection levels as high as 4 \times I_{th} . For these particularly good diodes, self-pulsation was not observed before aging under CW operation in preliminary experiments. Aging studies have not yet been performed. Densely packed monolithic linear arrays of SBH lasers with center-to-center spacing of 15 μm were also studied. They exhibited similar laser characteristics as in single SBH lasers, but with increased maximum pulsed output power/mirror, approximately ( 310 \times N ) and ( 150 \times N ) mW for arrays with ∼10 and \sim4 \mu m strips, respectively. N is the number of lasers in the array. Spectral behavior of these arrays was also studied as a function of injection current and temperature.


Background/Aims: The rate of healing failure after surgical repair of chronic rotator cuff tears is considerably high. The aim of this study was to investigate the function of the zinc finger transcription factor early growth response 1 (EGR1) in the differentiation of tendon stem cells (TSCs) and in tendon formation, healing, and tendon tear repair using an animal model of rotator cuff repair. Methods: Tenocyte, adipocyte, osteocyte, and chondrocyte differentiation as well as the expression of related genes were determined in EGR1-overexpressing TSCs (EGR1-TSCs) using tissue-specific staining, immunofluorescence staining, quantitative PCR, and western blotting. A rabbit rotator cuff repair model was established, and TSCs and EGR1-TSCs in a fibrin glue carrier were applied onto repair sites. The rabbits were sacrificed 8 weeks after repair operation, and tissues were histologically evaluated and tenocyte-related gene expression was determined. Results: EGR1 induced tenogenic differentiation of TSCs and inhibited non-tenocyte differentiation of TSCs. Furthermore, EGR1 promoted tendon repair in a rabbit model of rotator cuff injury. The BMP12/Smad1/5/8 signaling pathway was involved in EGR1-induced tenogenic differentiation and rotator cuff tendon repair. Conclusion: EGR1 plays a key role in tendon formation, healing, and repair through BMP12/Smad1/5/8 pathway. EGR1-TSCs is a promising treatment for rotator cuff tendon repair surgeries.


About 90% of all startups fail to become successful, and the most significant reason is due to
premature scaling. Limited research has priorly been conducted in the borderland between startups
and supply chain. Explicitly on how a startup should go about defining its supply chain objective
and how to measure its performance. Nevertheless, the high-tech startup industry sees potential
in gaining insights about this issue. This study will develop a framework to guide startups in
choosing a good supply chain strategy and scale it properly.
Purpose
The purpose of this research study is to identify a supply chain strategy for startups to increase
preparedness for future growth.
Methodology
To fulfill the purpose of this thesis, a method was developed including two segments. Firstly, a
literature review was conducted which resulted in a theoretical framework. Secondly, empirics were
collected through interviews and a survey. The method is iterative, thus the resulting framework
is developed in close relations with both theory and empirics.
Conclusions
A framework for deciding on a supply chain strategy for a startup is presented. In addition, critical
success factors as well as relevant key performance indicators, for a startup to assess when scaling
v
is presented. In order to determine a supply chain strategy, we propose that the following four
factors should be considered: (1) the characteristics of the industry they are operating in, (2) the
type of product they are selling, (3) the stage in the product life cycle that the product is currently
in, and lastly (4) the stage in the startup life cycle the organization is currently in. The CSFs and
KPIs are identified to help a startup scale its supply chain.


[Objective] The study was to analyze the fatty acid composition of Hickory nut oil,and provide the theoretical basis for its developing and utilization.[Method] With Hickory nut oil,korean pine seed oil,sambucus oil and olive oil as the materials,their fatty acid composition were compared by GC/MS and the characteristics of Hickory nut oil was fonnd.[Result] 5 compounds in Hickory nut oil were identified,and they were linoleic acid,oleic acid,linolenic acid,palmitic acid and stearic acid,and their contents were 63.48%,19.90%,11.96%,3.31% and 1.35% resp.The fatty acid ratio of n-6 to n-3 was 5.31,which was close to that of recommended by China(4-5)∶1.The ratio of saturated fatty acid,monounsaturated fatty acidand polyunsaturated fatty acids in Hickory nut oil was 1∶4.3∶16,the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids was slightly higher,but it mainly contained linoleic acid and a-linoleic acid,which were inevitable fatty acid to human body.[Conclusion] The content of unsaturated fatty acid in Hickory nut oil was high,and the fatty acid ratio of n-6 to n-3 of it was reasonable,so it had high development value.


Experimental plots were established in two sites at Pacific Region of Nicaragua to assess the early establishment of Hymeneae courbaril . Survivor, diameter and height increment, damage behavior were analyzed in two different light conditions, open site (100% light) and under canopy (31% light). Plots of 15m x15m were established in the open site with a distance among plants of 3m x 3m, while in the under canopy site, plots of 25m x 25m were established with a distance among plants of 4m x 4m. The evaluation period was one year. The survivor rate was higher (80%) in under canopy site compare with open site (61.6%). Higher diameter (44.3 mm) and height (159.7 mm) increment were obtained in condition of opened place planting than under canopy condition. Defoliation (58%) was most common damage in opened place plantation; while in under canopy cover diseases was the most common condition (36.5%). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/calera.v13i21.1678


It was found that modification of the physical properties of the surface layer of a target makes it possible to control, effectively and within a wide range, the characteristics of a femtosecond laser plasma (temperature, degree of ionisation, emissivity, and nonlinear-optical susceptibility) at moderate intensities of 1015 —1016 W cm-2, which are optimal for promising laser-plasma femtosecond technologies. The targets used in an experimental investigation were a periodic structure (gratings), ultrafine freely suspended films, and porous materials. Potential applications of such targets at intensities above 1017 W cm-2 were considered.


In a qualitative study, 50 pre-service teachers were partnered with 50 elementary students to write each other in dialogue journals responding to texts on public issues. Based upon our analysis of the journals, written reflections from pre-service teachers, and interviews with the elementary teachers in the project, three findings emerged: student motivation for reading and writing increased, both types of students gained perspective consciousness, and elementary teachers found meaningful ways to integrate social studies with language arts. These findings suggest multiple avenues for future research surrounding dialogue journals, student engagement with public issues texts, and teacher education.


Background The medicinal leech is considered as a complementary and appropriate model to study immune functions in the central nervous system (CNS). In a context in which an injured leech's CNS can naturally restore normal synaptic connections, the accumulation of microglia (immune cells of the CNS that are exclusively resident in leeches) has been shown to be essential at the lesion to engage the axonal sprouting. HmC1q (Hm for Hirudo medicinalis) possesses chemotactic properties that are important in the microglial cell recruitment by recognizing at least a C1q binding protein (HmC1qBP alias gC1qR). Material/Methods Recombinant forms of C1q were used in affinity purification and in vitro chemotaxis assays. Anti-calreticulin antibodies were used to neutralize C1q-mediated chemotaxis and locate the production of calreticulin in leech CNS. Results A newly characterized leech calreticulin (HmCalR) has been shown to interact with C1q and participate to the HmC1q-dependent microglia accumulation. HmCalR, which has been detected in only some microglial cells, is consequently a second binding protein for HmC1q, allowing the chemoattraction of resident microglia in the nerve repair process. Conclusions These data give new insight into calreticulin/C1q interaction in an immune function of neuroprotection, suggesting another molecular target to use in investigation of microglia reactivity in a model of CNS injury.


The role of the global economy is fundamentally important to our daily lives. The stock markets reflect the state of the economy on a daily basis. Traders are the workers within the stock markets who deal with numbers, statistics, company analysis, news, and many other factors that influence the economy in real time. However, while making significant decisions within their workplace, traders must also deal with their own emotions. In fact, traders have one of the most stressful professional occupations. This survey merges current knowledge about stress effects and sensor technology by reviewing, comparing, and highlighting relevant existing research and commercial products that are available on the market. This assessment is made in order to establish how sensor technology can support traders to avoid poor decision making during the trading process. The purpose of this paper is: 1) to review the studies about the impact of stress on the decision-making process and on biological stress parameters that are applied in sensor design; 2) to compare different ways to measure stress by using sensors that are currently available in the market according to basic biometric principles under trading context; and 3) to suggest new directions in the use of sensor technology in stock markets.


In this paper, a CMOS digital pixel sensor integrating a novel photo-patterned micropolarizer array is proposed for real-time polarization imaging. The sensor is based on a compact Pulse Frequency Modulation (PFM) spiking pixel, which provides a relative immunity to the continuing scaling of power supply voltage in CMOS technologies. In contrast to previously reported implementations, the proposed micropolarizer array fabrication technology is not only simple but also completely removes the need for complex selective etching. Instead, we propose to use light to pattern micropolarizer elements at the pixel pitch. Reported results in 0.18 mum CMOS technology validate the concept of a compact, low cost, polarization image sensor integrated on a single chip.


The author's thermal model for monthly and seasonal numerical prediction of temperatures is generalized, so that besides radiation other forms of heating (or the anomalies of 'heating) are generated within the model. This is done by expressing such heating as a linear function of variables predicted in the model. The anomalies directly incorporated are those in the storages of thermal energy which are introduced by prescribing in the previous interval the temperature of the surface water in the oceans and the temperature of the midtroposphere, as well as the anomalies in the short-wave radiation absorbed by the surface; which in turn are introduced by prescribing the albedo (snow cover) at the end of the previous interval. The numerical experiments show that important anomalies of the evaporation at the surface, of the vertical turbulent transport of sensible heat from the surface, of the condensation of water vapor in the clouds, and of the cloudiness are introduced by the anomalies of the computed temperature fields. Furthermore, these induced anomalies of the heating functions and of the cloudiness in turn introduce changes in the anomalies of the temperature fields.


Design procedures for stable, causal and perfect reconstruction IIR parallel uniform DFT filter banks (DFT FBs) are presented. In particular a family of IIR prototype filters is a good candidate for DFT FB, where a tradeoff between frequency selectivity and numerical properties (as measured by the Weyl-Heisenberg frames theory) could be made. Some realizations exhibiting a simple and a massively parallel and modular processing structure making a VLSI implementation very suitable are shown. In addition, some multipliers in the filters (both the analysis and synthesis) could be made; powers or sum of powers of 2, in particular for feedback loops, resulting in a good sensitivity behavior. For these reasons as well as for the use of low order IIR filters (as compared with conventional FIR filters), the overall digital filter bank structure is efficient for high data rate applications. Some design examples are provided.


This article presents the first use of synchrotron radiation computed tomography (SRCT) to achieve sub-micron resolution of damage in aerospace grade carbon fiber—epoxy composites. The structure and interaction of the damage can be visualized in 3-D on a scale not previously observed in practical engineering configurations. The ability to detect and accurately measure features down to individual fiber breaks provides a valuable platform for future research; from the rigorous evaluation of damage models to understanding the fundamental physical mechanisms governing crack growth in composites. In particular the key role of intra-laminar cracks and delaminations in localizing fiber fractures is unambiguously identified for the first time.


The expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are major entities for gene discovery, molecular transcripts, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) analysis as well as functional annotation of putative gene products. In our quest for identification of novel diabetic genes as virtual targets for type II diabetes, we searched various publicly available databases and found 7 reported genes. The in silico EST analysis of these reported genes produced 6 consensus contigs which illustrated some good matches to a number of chromosomes of the human genome. Again the conceptual translation of these contigs produced 3 protein sequences. The functional and structural annotations of these proteins revealed some important features which may lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of diabetes.


In mapping nonflat regions of the Earth using airborne synthetic aperture radar, (SAR), terrain height variations cause two problems in radiometric calibration: the first being that the local incidence angle for any pixel may vary from that given by the flat (or curved) Earth assumption, the second, being that the wrong elevation angle may be used in correcting for the radiometric variation of the antenna pattern. In tracking radars, simultaneous amplitude or phase measurements made by the same radar antenna, but modulated differently, are compared to determine the angular position of targets. This is known as the monopulse principle. In the present paper, the authors show how polarimetric SAR data can be used in a novel application of the monopulse principle to determine the elevation angle and thus, the height at the different parts of the image. The authors' approach begins with the observation that, provided like- and cross-polarized backscatter are uncorrelated, then the algorithm described in van Zyl (1990) for calculating antenna crosstalk yields a measurable quantity whose amplitude (and phase) depends only on elevation angle (or off-boresight angle). Thus, if one determines the crosstalk for a given point in the image, one can relate that measurement to the elevation angle appropriate to that point. Knowledge of the slant range to the point then allows determination of the height of the platform above it. This operation, repeated at many locations throughout the image, allows a topographic map of the height of the aircraft above each location to be built up. The approach described in this paper gives sufficient resolution in elevation to allow the antenna pattern radiometric correction to be done properly, since it allows the determination of elevation angles at a grid of points in the image. Knowledge of the slant range to each point and the height of the aircraft then allows a grid of height estimates for the imaged area to be built up. Unfortunately, the spatial resolution of the grid was not sufficient to turn the height maps into usable maps of local incidence angle. The approach may be improved upon, using an active, phased array antenna. >


AIMS
Interventional left ventricular (LV) procedures integrating static 3D anatomy visualization are subject to mismatch with dynamic catheter movements due to prominent LV motion. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of a recently developed acquisition and post-processing protocol for low radiation dose LV multi-phase rotational angiography (4DRA) in patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS
4DRA image acquisition of the LV was performed as investigational acquisition in patients undergoing left-sided ablation (11 men; BMI = 24.7 ± 2.5 kg/m²). Iodine contrast was injected in the LA, while pacing from the RA at a cycle length of 700 ms. 4DRA acquisition and reconstruction were possible in all 11 studies. Reconstructed images were post-processed using streak artefact reduction algorithms and an interphase registration-based filtering method, increasing contrast-to-noise ratio by a factor 8.2 ± 2.1. This enabled semi-automatic segmentation, yielding LV models of five equidistant phases per cardiac cycle. For evaluation, off-line 4DRA fluoroscopy registration was performed, and the 4DRA LV contours of the different phases were compared with the contours of five corresponding phases of biplane LV angiography, acquired in identical circumstances. Of the distances between these contours, 95% were <4 mm in both incidences. Effective radiation dose for 4DRA, calculated by patient-specific Monte-Carlo simulation, was 5.1 ± 1.1 mSv.

CONCLUSION
Creation of 4DRA LV models in man is feasible at near-physiological heart rate and with clinically acceptable radiation dose. They showed high accuracy with respect to LV angiography in RAO and LAO. The presented technology not only opens perspectives for full cardiac cycle dynamic anatomical guidance during interventional procedures, but also for 3DRA without need for very rapid pacing.


Ongoing memory impairment is a common long-term consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that negatively impacts everyday function. Traditional rehabilitation to improve memory function focuses on use of external and/or internal behavioral memory strategies, the benefits of which are supported by varying levels of evidence. This case report examined immediate behavioral and electrophysiological effects of three conditions of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on auditory working memory in a chronic TBI survivor with persisting post-injury memory problems. Pre- and post-tDCS behavioral memory performance was measured, as were auditory event-related potentials (P300 activity) and power of alpha and theta EEG bands. Behavioral and electrophysiological results were specific to tDCS condition, with anodal tDCS, versus cathodal and sham, significantly enhancing memory function and related cortical activity. Rehabilitation implications of these findings are discussed.


The development of the immunologic basic research and a deeper insight into the pathogenesis of diseases with changed immune reactivity led to an intensivation of the clinic-immunologic in-vivo- and in-vitro-diagnostics. At the instance of the pulmonary diseases according to the classification of Gell and Coombs the immunologic-diagnostic possibilities and problems are shown. Here is referred to the importance of the use of standardized tests and of the wide replaceability of in-vivo-techniques by in-vitro-methods.


Deregulation of tyrosine kinases has been implicated in Philadelphia chromosome negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) with a higher risk of relapse. The studies in this thesis sought to identify potential receptor tyrosine kinase targets and to explore the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in childhood ALL.

Initial work describes the baseline receptor tyrosine kinase profiles of 18 primary ALLs. Alterations in the phosphorylation signals of Axl, EphA2, EphB2, FGFR2, FLT3, Mer and PDGFRβ were identified and associated with clinical and biological features.

Subsequently, 5 ALL cell lines and a panel of 20 primary samples representative of common biological features were screened for sensitivity to a library of TKIs. Significant heterogeneity in sensitivity was observed in the panel of leukaemia cells. No correlation was evident between response to TKIs and current clinical or biological stratification parameters in the primary cell panel.

Two candidate inhibitors, dovitinib and foretinib, were taken forward for further preclinical work. Potent nanomolar activity was demonstrated in cell lines and primary ALL. The combination of dovitinib or foretinib with conventional cytotoxics demonstrated significant synergy and sensitised steroid – resistant cell lines to dexamethasone. Objective responses were not identified to single agent TKI therapy in a murine primagraft model.


A survey of nongovernment, nonprofit and for-profit hospitals in Washington, Oregon and California was conducted to determine the incidence of selected hospital pharmacy services (1) directly related to drug distribution and (2) not directly related to drug distribution. Questionnaires were mailed to all qualifying hospitals in the three states; the return rate was 75.4%. Unit dose drug distribution was used in combination with other delivery systems by 58.3% of the respondents; 26.5% used unit dose exclusively. Over half of the respondents provided i.v. admixture programs, outpatient and inpatient discharge prescriptions, and inpatient medication profiles. Additionally, 77.9% provided pharmacy consultation to physicians. Nonprofit hospitals had significantly higher pharmacy staffing levels (both pharmacists and supportive personnel) than for-profit hospitals in the categories, "open seven days per week," "open nine to 16 hours per day," "open 17 to 24 hours per day, "101 to 200 beds" and "201 or more beds." Hospitals that provided the following services had significantly higher pharmacy staffing levels than those that did not provide the serices: unit dose drug distribution, i.v. admixture services, inpatient discharge prescriptions, inpatient medication profiles, drug therapy monitoring, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation team participation (difference of supportive staff only).


This paper describes coping mechanisms used by commercial sex workers (CSWs) and their partners in confronting the threat of HIV. Data are part of a study exploring sexuality and HIV-related issues among members of the Durban commercial sex industry. Participants were 100 female CSWs, 25 male trucker driver clients and ten male personal partners. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Analysis revealed high HIV-awareness and high prevalence of risky sexual behaviour. While they were acutely aware of the sex industry's potential role in HIV spread, study participants chose to remain sexually involved and engage in high risk sexual practices with both professional and personal partners. Men and women adopted several strategies to cope with the possibility of HIV infection: (1) denial of risk, (2) fatalism, (3) economic rationalization, (4) partner categorization through selective condom use, (5) purposeful ignorance of HIV status, and (6) abnegation of responsibility for practising safe sex. Among the most significant findings is the difference in study participants' handling of HIV risk and employing coping mechanisms in personal versus professional sexual situations. The implications of these coping strategies for HIV education, message development and intervention in the commercial sex industry and in general are discussed.


Novelty Search (NS) is a unique approach towards search and optimization,
where an explicit objective function is replaced by a measure
of solution novelty. However, NS has been mostly used in evolutionary
robotics, its usefulness in classic machine learning problems has been
unexplored. This thesis presents a NS-based Genetic Programming
(GP) algorithms for common machine learning problems, with the following
contributions. It is shown that NS can solve real-world classification,
clustering and symbolic regression tasks, validated on realworld
benchmarks and synthetic problems. These results are made
possible by using a domain-specific behavior descriptor, related to the
concept of semantics in GP. Moreover, two new versions of the NS algorithm
are proposed, Probabilistic NS (PNS) and a variant of Minimal
Criteria NS (MCNS). The former models the behavior of each solution
as a random vector and eliminates all the NS parameters while reducing
the computational overhead of the NS algorithm; the latter uses a
standard objective function to constrain and bias the search towards
high performance solutions. The thesis also discusses the effects of NS
on GP search dynamics and code growth. Results show that NS can be
used as a realistic alternative for machine learning, and particularly for
GP-based classification.


SWOT analysis is an established method for assisting the formulation of strategy. In this respect SWOT application to strategy formulation about bridge organization is examined and proposed in this study. A qualitative investigation using strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT) has been successfully implemented, emphasizing the limited capabilities of bridge resources to provide safe navigation and properly implemented bridge team management procedures. The human factor approach interacting with SWOT parameters was discussed in advance to clarify the potential threats of bridge operations for the enhancement of safety in maritime transportation. The originality of this study is that SWOT analysis as a management tool was firstly applied to bridge team management to perform strategic action plans for ship management companies to utilize bridge resources. With this bridge resource based SWOT analysis, efforts were made to explore the ways and means of converting the possible threats into opportunities and changing the weaknesses into strengths. Consequently, strategic action plans were developed for improved bridge team organization and safer marine operations. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2007


A novel tobermorite-based porous material has been synthesized from municipal incineration bottom ash (MIBA), using a hydrothermal processing method under saturated steam pressure (1.0 MPa) at 453 K for 12 h. Without additional vesicants, NaOH solution that is incorporated into the starting material acts as both a reaction solvent and a vesicant. As a reaction solvent, the NaOH solution first promoted tobermorite formation to form a huge number of small pores during hydrothermal processing; then, as a vesicant, it was released as vapor from the solidified specimens to form large pores after drying. The porous material possessed a pore diameter distribution of 0.01−10 μm, a BET specific surface area of 60 000 m2/kg, and a bulk density of 500−700 kg/m3. Moreover, the leaching tests showed that the concentration of heavy metals dissolved from the solidified specimen became very low after hydrothermal processing.


A theoretical treatment of transient grating diffraction is derived for gratings that are spatially nonuniform in the direction perpendicular to the sample surface. This treatment is readily generalized to any four-wave mixing experiment. Both reflection and transmission geometries of diffraction are examined for the standard transient grating case, in which both grating excitation beams are incident upon the same side of the sample For samples in which the grating amplitude perpendicular to the sample surface varies slowly relative to the optical wavelength, the reflection geometry is shown to probe only the surface or the interface, while the transmission geometry probes the bulk of the sample. An experimental example using four transient grating geometries (two reflection, two transmission) is shown to yield significantly different temporal responses, illustrating the nature of the theoretical predictions. The sample is a thin molecular crystal upon a substrate Both electronic excitations (excitons) and wave-guided acoustic modes are generated and probed Distinct signals are obtained from the bulk, the crystal–substrate interface, and the free-crystal face. Model calculations are presented that illuminate the behavior of the experimental example.


ABSTRACT This paper examines how a transnational orientation shapes Dominican mothers' contradictory attitudes towards education in New York City. Through this ethnographic study, which draws on 36 interviews, community walkabouts, and participant observations in community-led adult education classes, we show how Dominican mothers struggle with conflicting values; on the one hand, they embrace the idea of schooling for individual advancement, integration in the US, and critical thinking, while on the other hand, they regret the diminution of a collective, family orientation and respect for parents. Overall, this study shows that contradictions are not a sign of confusion or denial, but rather a struggle to transform cultural practices that satisfy multiple worlds. A deeper understanding of these contradictions could help educators and educational institutions consider how these transnational tensions motivate parent engagement and their hopes for their children's education.


Diabetic wound is one of the common complications in diabetic patients, which exhibits chronic, hard-to-heal characteristics. The healing process of wounds is impaired by several factors, including excessive oxidative stress, blocked angiogenesis, and bacterial infection. The therapeutic effects of traditional microneedle patches remain not satisfactory, due to their difficulty simultaneously targeting multiple targets to treat diabetic wounds. As such, there is an urgent need to develop a multifunctional microneedle (MN) patch for promoting the healing of diabetic wounds. A multifunctional MN patch with antioxidant, proangiogenesis, and antibacterial capacities was fabricated to target the pathogenesis of diabetic wounds. Silk fibroin methacryloyl, which has excellent biocompatibility, stable mechanical properties, and well processability, and is selected as the base material for multifunctional MN patches. Prussian blue nanozymes (PBNs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are encapsulated in tips of MN patches, Polymyxin is encapsulated in base layers of MN patches. Based on synergic properties of these components, multifunctional MN patches exhibit excellent biocompatibility, drug-sustained release, proangiogenesis, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. The developed multifunctional MN patches accelerate diabetic wound healing, providing a potential therapeutic approach.


The main signaling protocol of next generation networks especially in multimedia applications (e.g. video conference, IPTV and VoIP) is session initiation protocol (SIP). Different types of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks are applicable to SIP entities because of the stateful functionality and text based nature of SIP. More than 98 percent of these attacks against SIP entities are caused by misconfiguration and implementation shortcomings. In this paper, a feature set for using in anomaly detection systems by feature engineering approach is generated. The knowledge of SIP packets, SIP internal state machine and normal behavior of this protocol were employed to create features that make machine learning algorithms work. The performance of the engineered feature set is evaluated with two different classifiers by applying three different data sets. The experimental results show the performance of proposed feature set in terms of detection and false alarm rate.


Energy spectra of pions produced in the reaction 10B(p,π+)11B at Ep=185 MeV have been measured in the angular range 20°-130° (lab.). Angular distributions for proton capture to the ground state and first excited state in 11B have been determined. An attempt to observe the T = 3/2 analogue states in 11B and 11N was made but did not succeed.


The paper proposes two logical analyses of (the norms of) justification. In a first, realist-minded case, truth is logically independent from justification and leads to a pragmatic logic LP  including two epistemic and pragmatic operators, namely, assertion and hypothesis. In a second, antirealist-minded case, truth is not logically independent from justification and results in two logical systems of information and justification: AR 4  and AR 4 ¢ , respectively, provided with a question-answer semantics. The latter proposes many more epistemic agents, each corresponding to a wide variety of epistemic norms. After comparing the different norms of justification involved in these logical systems, two hexagons expressing Aristotelian relations of opposition will be gathered in order to clarify how (a fragment of) pragmatic formulas can be interpreted in a fuzzy-based question-answer semantics.


Patients of African ancestry have the poorest outcome and the shortest survival rates from cancer globally. This could be attributed to many variables including racial, biological, socioeconomic and sociocultural factors (either single, multiple or combined), which may be responsible for this major health problem. We sought to assess the most common types of cancer that endanger the health of the African people, and tried to investigate the real differences between African and other Non-African patients regarding incidence, prevalence and mortality rates of different cancers. Therefore, identifying the underlying aetiological causes responsible for the increased incidence and mortality rates of African patients will allow for changing the current plans, to make optimized modalities for proper screening, diagnosis and treatment for those African patients, in order to improve their survival and outcomes.


In studies employing the intravenous administration of minute amounts of C14 glucose to tag the body glucose pool, the uptake of glucose by the tissues and the output of glucose by the liver were measured in unanesthetized dogs in the postabsorptive state prior to and subsequent to a small intravenous dose of glucagon-free insulin. In this way hypophysectomized dogs treated with hydrocortisone acetate (1.2–1.5 mg/kg/day for 9–18 days) were compared with untreated hypophysectomized dogs, and three important differences were observed. The steroid regimen a ) restored to normal the low glucose turnover rate and the low plasma glucose concentration seen in the untreated hypophysectomized dog prior to the administration of insulin, b ) reduced the increased responsiveness of the tissues to insulin stimulation of glucose uptake which is characteristic of the untreated hypophysectomized dogs, and c ) restored to near the level seen in the normal dog the decreased capacity of the hypophysectomized dog to respond to hypoglycemia with an increase in glucose output by the liver. The decreased insulin sensitivity brought about in the hypophysectomized dog by an 11, 17-oxycorticosteroid regimen is due partly to a reduced capacity of the insulin dose to lower the blood sugar concentration and partly to an increased capacity of the treated animal to restore its blood sugar concentration to the normal level. The decreased capacity of administered insulin to stimulate extra glucose uptake by the tissues is considered to be secondary to the increased glucose turnover and to a postulated increased endogenous insulin secretion existing in the steroid-treated animal prior to insulin injection. Thus all three of the observed effects of the steroid regimen may be ascribed to a single change, namely the increased capacity of the liver to put glucose into the blood.

with the technical assistance of C. Bjerknes


Background: The ongoing progresses in the knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms of various immunemediated or inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, disseminated granuloma annulare, psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis, and the availability of innovative biotechnological approaches have lead to the development of new drugs which add to conventional treatments. There are five TNF-α inhibitors available for clinical use including anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibodies (infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab and certolizumab pegol) and a fusion protein that acts as a "decoy receptor" for TNF-α (etanercept). Pharmacogenetics has the potential of increasing drug efficiency by identifying genetic factors responsible for lack response or toxicities to TNF-α inhibitors.

Methods: We analyzed the most recent studies in the literature relating to different genetic polymorphisms and their potential association with the therapeutic response to TNF-α inhibitors.

Results: SNP at position -308 of the TNF-α promoter genes and particularly the -308 G/G genotype and HLA-DRB1-encoding shared epitope (allele *0404 and allele *0101) may predict a better response to etanercept. Polymorphisms of TNFR1 and TNFR2 decrease response to infliximab. By contrast, FCGR3A-158 polymorphism seems to favor the response to infliximab. G allele of SNP rs610604 located in the TNFAIP3 gene and its haplotype with the T allele of rs2230926 could be considered as markers of good response to etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab.

Conclusion: Most of these studies are often small and not sufficiently powered to detect an effect and often examines only the effects of a single SNP, while it would be more useful to analyze more haplotypes in contemporary in the same patients. Candidate genes may be in linkage with other loci, thus, having a true influence upon the pharmacology of TNF-α inhibitors. Further studies are needed before a pharmacogenetic approach may be applicable in daily clinical therapeutic practice.


The encapsulation of liquid cheese aroma (20%) in different carbohydrate matrices by spray-drying was investigated. Carbohydrate stabilized emulsions have been prepared by two emulsifying methods, ultrasonic or Ultra-Turrax treatments, and have been compared in terms of emulsion stability and encapsulation efficiency. The use of ultrasound is particularly effective to obtain a stable emulsion with maltodextrin as support, which is known for poor emulsification properties. In the same way, the spray-dried maltodextrin microcapsules were more effective for retaining cheese aroma when ultrasound (12.7 g/100 g of dry powder) was used for the emulsification step rather than Ultra-Turrax (10.7 g/100 g of dry powder). In terms of encapsulation efficiency, the best system of cheese aroma encapsulation is obtained using ultrasound for the emulsification step and modified starch as support (94.3%). With this support, the positive effect of ultrasound resulted in a lower microcaspsule size and in a higher aroma retention than when Ultra-Turrax was used (83.3%). Studies on the aroma profiles showed changes after encapsulation that depend not only on the nature of the support and the emulsification method but also on the interactions between the aroma compound and the matrix. In terms of flavor quality, the best system of cheese aroma encapsulation is obtained using ultrasound and maltodextrin as support.


Based on the activation barriers and reaction energies from periodic density functional calculations, we conducted kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations of surface carbon species formation from ethylene decomposition on a Pd(100) surface. A comprehensive reaction network of ethylene decomposition involving such intermediates as CH2CH, CHCH, CH2C, CHC, CC, CH2 and CH was proposed. Our kMC simulations show that the most probable pathway of ethylene decomposition on Pd(100) is CH2CH2 → CH2CH → CH2C → CHC → CC, among which the dehydrogenation of CH2CH2 to CH2CH is the rate-limiting step with the activation barrier of 1.51 eV, followed by CH2CH2 → CH2CH → CHCH → CHC → CC, whose rate-limiting step is the dehydrogenation of CH2CH to CHCH with the activation barrier of 1.59 eV. The two most probable pathways produce a carbon dimer as the final product, since the activation barrier of the C–C bond cleavage reaction is so high (2.32 eV) that it is almost impossible for it to occur before the metal surface is totally poisoned by surface carbon species. Another three feasible pathways are: (i) CH2CH2 → CH2CH → CHCH → CH → C, (ii) CH2CH2 → CH2CH → CHCH → CHC → CH + C → C and (iii) CH2CH2 → CH2CH → CH2C → CHC → CH + C → C, whose final products contain surface carbon monomers. And the reactions involving C–C bond cleavage are the rate-limiting step of the three pathways. Simple as the reaction network of ethylene decomposition looks, it is still difficult to analyze the decomposition mechanism merely according to the activation barriers from DFT calculations. Our work here demonstrates that kMC simulations can nicely tackle the problem on competitive reaction pathways, each of which involves some reactions with relatively low activation barriers (e.g. the dehydrogenation reactions involved in ethylene decomposition) and some other reactions with relatively high activation barriers (e.g. the C–C bond cleavage reactions involved in ethylene decomposition).


A parallel advancing front scheme has been developed. The domain to be gridded is first subdivided spatially using a relatively coarse octree. Boxes are then identified and gridded in parallel. A scheme that resembles closely the advancing front technique on scalar machines is recovered by only considering the boxes of the active front that generate small elements. The procedure has been implemented on the SGI origin class of machines using the shared memory paradigm. Timings for a variety of cases show speedups similar to those obtained for flow codes. The procedure has been used to generate grids with tens of millions of elements. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Ion-induced secondary electron emission from the MgO protecting layer of an AC plasma display panel (AC-PDP) and the successive back-scattering of secondary electrons toward the cathode due to high gas pressure have been studied theoretically. A correlation between the intrinsic secondary electron emission coefficient (γi) and the MgO surface properties such as band gap energy and defect states in the band gap was found. The behavior of the effective secondary electron emission coefficient (γeff) of various ion species as a function of the reduced electric field (E/P) has also been investigated. These relationships can be applied to AC-PDP manufacturing in order to enhance the luminous efficiency and to reduce the breakdown voltage of AC-PDPs.


An assembly for a commercial Ga(+) liquid metal ion source in combination with an ion transportation and focusing system, a pulse high-voltage quadrupole deflector, and a beam diagnostics system has been constructed in the framework of the iThemba LABS (Cape Town, South Africa)-JINR (Dubna, Russia) collaboration. First, results on Ga(+) ion beam commissioning will be presented. Outlook of further experiments for measurements of charge breeding efficiency in the electron string ion source with the use of external injection of Ga(+) and Au(+) ion beams will be reported as well.


Since the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI or CAI) was put forward, different manners were adopted to realize HCCI combustion with gasoline and ethanol. However, each combustion mode could only work in a narrow operation region. In order to put the HCCI modes into practice, the researchers suggested that the engine operated in more different HCCI modes and operated in conventional combustion mode (SI, CI) in others operation conditions, which was called hybrid combustion mode engine. In this paper, HCCI combustion was achieved in a modified single cylinder mass production engine through preheating the intake charge and trapping residual gases. Three modes of trapping residual gases were realized by a newly developed full variable valve timing system controlled by electronic system. The transition smoothness was improved by applying the strategy in which the fuelling consumption was compensated. Due to the cycle-synchronous control of valve timings, injection and ignition offered by the control system, transitions between the HCCI modes and SI operating mode can be realized without misfire or negative torque response. In order to control the HCCI combustion modes, the internal EGR strategies were studied by GT-POWER coupled with CHEMKIN.


In patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, delay in door-to-balloon time strongly increases mortality rates. To our knowledge, no randomized studies to date have focused on reducing delays within the catheterization laboratory.We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who presented with ST-elevation myocardial infarction at our institution from July 2006 through June 2010, looking primarily at time differences between percutaneous coronary intervention in the culprit vessel on the basis of ECG criteria, followed by contralateral angiography (Group 1), versus complete coronary angiography followed by culprit-vessel percutaneous intervention (Group 2).There were 49 patients in Group 1 and 57 patients in Group 2. No major differences in baseline characteristics were observed between the groups, except a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Group 2. There was a statistically significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 in door-to-balloon time (median and interquartile range, 75 min [61-89] vs 87 min [70-115], P=0.03, respectively) and access-to-balloon time (12 min [9-18] vs 21 min [11-33], P=0.0006, respectively). Five Group 1 patients (10%) with inferior myocardial infarction had a contralateral culprit vessel. There were no differences in mortality rate or ejection fraction at the median 1-year follow-up. Four patients in Group 1 and 3 patients in Group 2 were referred for coronary artery bypass grafting after percutaneous intervention.This study suggests that performing culprit-vessel percutaneous intervention on the basis of electrocardiographic criteria, followed by angiography in patients with anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction, might be the preferred approach, given the door-to-balloon time that is saved.


Method of Lee and Trifunac (1985; 1987) for the synthetic generation of translational, torsional and rocking accelerograms has been generalized to enable computation of strains at ground surface during passage of strong earthquake ground waves. Variations of strain with time resemble ground velocity components in corresponding directions. The Fourier spectrum amplitudes of strain are proportional to the spectrum amplitudes of the corresponding velocity components divided by the representative phase velocities.


At Site 716, drilled during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 115, a long continuous carbonate-rich sequence was recovered from a shallow (533 m) basin within the Maldives region of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. The oxygen isotope stratigraphy, along with four internally consistent biostratigraphic datums, indicates a late Quaternary record with a sedimentation rate of 3 cm/1000 yr, a rate rarely found in the equatorial Indian Ocean. Thus, the upper 18.4 m of Hole 716B provides us with an excellent opportunity to conduct high-resolution studies of changes in foraminifer faunas and aragonite preservation within a time-stratigraphic framework established by oxygen isotope stratigraphy. Analyses of two indicators of aragonite preservation (°7o whole pteropods, % pteropods) reveal significant variability over the past 600,000 yr. A long interval of poor aragonite preservation occurs during isotope stages 9-13 (-300-500 k.y.). Significant smaller amplitude and higher frequency (1/f on the order of 104 yr) aragonite preservation fluctuations occur throughout the last 600,000 yr. Analyses of the indicators of calcite preservation (°?o whole foraminifers and % whole Globorotalia menardii complex) reveal low variability and high levels of calcite preservation throughout the section. Excellent preservation enables us to evaluate downcore changes in the relative abundance of foraminifer species in terms of changes in environmental conditions of equatorial Indian Ocean surface waters and without regard to dissolution. The seven most abundant foraminifer species exhibit considerable systematic downcore variation, with ranges of variability approaching 15%. All seven species exhibit statistically independent high-frequency (1/f on the order of 104 yr) variability, with the two most abundant species (Globorotalia ruber and Globorotalia dutertrei) exhibiting a series of low-frequency (1/f on the order of 105 yr) maxima and minima. A set of similar, well-preserved, northern Indian Ocean analogs was found for all Hole 716B samples. The Modern Analog Technique was used to calculate sea-surface temperature (SST) changes at Site 716 over the past 600,000 yr for the warm and cold seasons. Warm SSTs show little variation and are similar to modern values (near 28°C). Cold SSTs are consistently cooler than the modern values that dip below 26°C during glacial isotope stages 6 and 8. The absence of large SST changes and the presence of considerable species variation indicate that foraminifer faunas are responding to non-SST-related environmental changes in surface waters, such as changes in salinity and/or nutrient levels.


This paper outlines the types of information technologies applied to translation today and translation sub-competences. A study was made in which students were motivated to participate in building DIY corpus based on a given task and to solve the problems in their former translation. It was found that students' instrumental competence was improved in recognizing, evaluating, and utilizing information technologies in solving real translation problems, and that their other translation sub-competences could be acquired when translating a real world task in highly contextualized teaching environment. The purpose of the study is to showcase the necessities of including the revising skills required for online machine translate into instrumental competence of language learners at undergraduate level and the possibilities and limitations of online machine translation system when translating Chinese texts into English.


BACKGROUND
It is important to be able to measure and maintain a specific sedation level to compare outcomes of different levels of sedation during anesthesia and the aims include general patient comfort, freedom from specific discomfort, and some amnesia for both the block procedure and the surgical operation, in order to meet the patient preference and safety. In this prospective randomized clinical study, we compared the three different infusion doses of propofol.

OBJECTIVE
To find out the appropriate infusion dose of propofol for optimal sedation without causing undue side effects in patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia.

METHOD
One hundred twenty patients ASA PS I-II were randomly allocated to three groups 1, 2 and 3 receiving propofol infusion at the rate of 25, 50 and 75 microgram/kg/min with concentration of (0.5%), (1%) and (1.5%) respectively. They were observed for sedation score, hemodynamic parameters and satisfaction level. The adverse effects like respiratory depression, nausea and vomiting score were assessed.

RESULT
Median sedation score increased in a dose dependent manner, with significantly higher scores in group 2 and 3 compared with group 1. Hemodynamic parameters were better in group 1 and 2 as judged by mephentermine requirement. The awakening time after stoppage of infusion was significantly delayed in group 3 (p < 0.001). Respiratory depression, nausea and vomiting were comparable clinically. Almost three fourth of the patients were satisfied with the techniques used.

CONCLUSION
Propofol infusion at the rate of 50 mcg/kg/min for sedation in spinal anaesthesia provides optimal sedation, early awakening and excellent satisfaction level in the postoperative period.


Aim of the study Informing cancer patients about various types of treatment and their adverse effects and communicating negative information is an important element of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Understanding the purpose of treatment and expectations, and socio-demographic factors in patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy because of lung cancer. Material and methods The study included 100 patients with lung cancer at the age of 40–80 years (mean 63.1) in the Oncology Center in Bydgoszcz in 2013–2014. The diagnostic survey method with the author's questionnaire was used. Results Forty-one percent of patients were convinced that the purpose of chemotherapy is to cure the disease. Both inhabitants of small towns (population below 50 thousand) and large villages (p = 0.09) were similarly convinced about the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Seventy-three percent of inhabitants of small towns and 79% of country dwellers (p = 0.005) thought that chemotherapy is aimed at improving the quality of life. Patients with very good economic conditions responded that chemotherapy is designed to improve the quality of life more often than those with good and bad economic conditions, 90%, 88% and 60%, respectively (p = 0.001). With the increase in population the number of people who claimed that palliative chemotherapy prolongs their life increased, 71%, 77% and 90%, respectively (p = 0.03). Conclusions The knowledge of patients with lung cancer about palliative chemotherapy is insufficient. Almost half of them do not understand the purpose of treatment and hope that chemotherapy will cure them of the disease. Most patients know that the aim of chemotherapy is to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life and prolong their life. Half of the patients want to obtain information on treatment and half of them about life expectancy. Almost half of the patients feel stress and anxiety towards chemotherapy. Most patients do not use the help of a psychologist and do not feel such a need.


ABSTRACT Aims: To assess the inter-observer agreement for detecting bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) lesions in digital colour photographs of the hind feet of cows, which had been taken while the animals were standing to be milked, between two trained observers. Methods: Thirty-six photographs were selected from a total of 184 photographs held by the first author (R1), who had classified them as negative (n=11) or positive (n=25) for BDD. They were delivered to a technician (R2) who had previously visually inspected cattle for BDD lesions, and who then recorded the photographs as being either BDD-positive or BDD-negative. The percentage agreement between R1 and R2, and two other inter-observer agreement statistics, Cohen's κ and Gwet's first-order chance correction agreement coefficient (AC1), were calculated. The cumulative membership probabilities of Cohen's κ and Gwet's AC1 were then calculated for different benchmark ranges of κ. Results: The percentage agreement between R1 and R2 was 33/36 (92%), Cohen's κ was 0.80 (95% CI=0.57–1.0) and Gwet's AC1 was 0.86 (95% CI=0.69–1.0). Based on the cumulative membership probabilities for Gwet's AC1, there was 75% probability that the two observers had almost perfect agreement (κ≥0.81). For both Cohen's κ and Gwet's AC1, there was >95% probability that the two observers had at least substantial agreement (κ≥0.61). Conclusions: The two trained observers had at least substantial agreement in identifying from a digital photograph as to whether BDD lesions were present or absent. Therefore results from the two could be used interchangeably. Clinical Relevance: Visual assessment for BDD lesions in the milking parlour can be subjective. However a high agreement between these two trained BDD inspectors means BDD prevalence reported from different regions in New Zealand by these two can be directly compared.


The involvement of [Ca2+]i in the reactive changes of astrocytes which accompany exposure to different chemicals were studied in cultures of C6 and 1321N1 cells. Cells were exposed to up to three serial pulses of the differentiating agent dBcAMP, which induces activation-type changes in the cells. Other cells, with or without the dBcAMP treatments, were treated with a range of concentrations of the antidepressants amitriptyline and fluoxetine and the glial toxicants acrylamide and chloroquine. In some experiments the L-type voltage calcium channel blocker Nifedipine was employed. [Ca2+]i was measured in populations of the cells using Fura-2AM and a charge coupled device (CCD) camera attached to a fluorescence microscope. dBcAMP induced both dose- and time-dependent changes in [Ca2+]i with increases in both the [Ca2+]i oscillations and mean [Ca2+]i (e.g. in C6 cells at 18 min mean [Ca2+]i was 318 ± 20nM following the single differentiating dBcAMP pulses, 489 ± 17nM (p < 0.001) following two serial pulses, and 275 ± 30nM (not significant) following three pulses). Therapeutic doses of fluoxetine and amitriptyline caused increases in the calcium oscillations and the mean calcium concentrations (maximum recorded mean increase was in the C6 cells at 10min by 0.02 μM fluoxetine when [Ca2+]i was 411 ± 35nM c.f. control 254 ± 25nM, p = 0.01). Higher (non-therapeutic) doses of both antidepressants caused significant reductions. Chloroquine and acrylamide also caused dose-dependent bi-phasic types of alterations in [Ca2+]i, with significant reductions at lower, sub-cytotoxic doses followed by significant increases at higher concentrations, approaching those which cause cell damage. Nifedipine treatment caused some reductions in the dBcAMP, antidepressant or toxicant-induced calcium changes, but this substance also initiated cytotoxic alterations. The findings show that both the activation-type changes (which are frequently associated with increased protective capacities) and toxic responses of C6 and 1321N1 cells to different chemical agents are associated with dose-dependent alterations in [Ca2+]i.


The purpose of this paper is to find out what passion means to oneself and why millennials fail to pursue their passion.

This phenomenological type of qualitative research was conducted through purposive sampling and by participation of 16 millennials.

The data were collected by an in depth semi-structured interview. All the interviews were transcribed and analyzed inductively.

Through this study we could understand what passion means to oneself and we could see that it is something that brings joy and is a driving force for some people, bringing content and motivating oneself. The study shows the dissonance and regrets faced due to the shift that millennials made and how they faced it. To understand the dissonance they went through, we observed their emotions like frustration, and even a season of depression they went through. Some of the coping mechanisms we found out were accepting the present, spiritual encouragement, developing new interests and social involvement among peers. The results of this study shows what caused them to shift from their passion to the current situation and participants explained the hindrances they faced in life like family challenges, uncertainty in industry, societal influence and lack of guidance. Finally, the study shows some reasons why millennials can't pursue their passion at all, where participants express their constraints and how they don't see any hope in future.


In the last three decades, Brazil nut ( Bertholletia excelsa ) has emerged as a cornerstone species for Amazonia. This has gone hand-in-hand with the creation of extractive reserves, an alternative land use model to balance biodiversity conservation with rural development, whereby traditional forest residents are assigned legal responsibility for co-management of these reserves and their resources, including Brazil nut. The essential role of this species in conservation and local livelihoods has precipitated a shift from general exploitation to more conscious, intensive management. Drawing heavily on our more than 25 years of research in the Brazilian state of Acre and the larger body of B. excelsa research across the Amazon basin, we ask: (1) Are Brazil nut harvests sustainable in terms of fruit production patterns and resilience to nut (seed) collection? (2) In what ways might production be augmented and nut quality enhanced? We highlight that scientific evidence and local knowledge indicate that current levels of nut harvests are compatible with sustaining populations of B. excelsa and its key seed disperser, Dasyprocta spp. Rather than concentrating on the fate of most seeds produced, the more pressing risk to B. excelsa populations is survival of existing large trees. Moreover, ample knowledge indicates possible futures to increase productivity by protecting and improving conditions of these large trees. Cutting lianas from host tree crowns dramatically improves productivity over time. Additional promising ways to grow Brazil nut-rich forests include: (1) Search and map previously unharvested productive trees located beyond traditional collection trails, (2) Tend new recruits, particularly in abandoned swidden fallows, and (3) Conduct enrichment plantings to establish small-scale intensive groves. Upgraded drying, storage and processing have led to dramatic improvements in nut quality and market access over the last 30 years. The growing knowledge base and diverse management interventions examined help promote Brazil nut sustainability and maintain its critical role in conserving Amazonian forests.


Political theology may be said to be the ecumenical theology of today, its influence extending from the World Council of Churches to the Roman Catholic Church in South America. Through carefully chosen extracts, this Reader illustrates the growth and significance of a vitally important movement. The main sections, each provided with a brief introduction, present examples of political theology in the authors' own words. They cover Christian-Marxist dialogue, the 'theology of hope', the 'theology of revolution', the 'theology of development', the 'theology of liberation', 'black theology', Christian resistance, and violence- The writers represented include Jurgen Moltman, Rubem A. Alves, Gustavo Gutierrez, James Cone, Thomas Merton, Helder Camara and Camilo Torres. Dr Kee concludes that authentic theology springs from authentic witness, and political theology is open-ended, as committed Christians discover new truth in a costly way.


The invention discloses highly purified daptomycin and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising this compound. The invention discloses a method of purifying daptomycin comprising the sequential steps of anion exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography and anion exchange chromatography. The invention also discloses a method of purifying daptomycin by modified buffer enhanced anion exchange chromatography. The invention also discloses an improved method for producing daptomycin by fermentation of Streptomyces roseosporus. The invention also discloses high pressure liquid chromatography methods for analysis of daptomycin purity. The invention also discloses lipopeptide micelles and methods of making the micelles. The invention also discloses methods of using lipopeptide micelles for purifying lipopeptide antibiotics, such as daptomycin. The invention also discloses using lipopeptide micelles therapeutically.


Ocean towing in general, and non-routine tows in particular, present unique technical challenges to towing vessel owners/operators, salvors, the offshore oil/gas and wind industries, and others. When such tows "go wrong", the harm to human life, property and/or the environment can be significant.
 The authors have drawn from their work on the Towing Safety Advisory Committee's investigation of the grounding of the MODU Kulluk to present methods and considerations in analyzing ocean towing evolutions, both "routine" and "non-routine". (TASK 14-01)
 The methods and considerations presented should be employed in advance of a towing evolution, but can be used in accident reconstruction and forensic analysis when an evolution has failed. The methods presented are iterative, and consider 2 x 6 degree freedom of motion (of the towing vessel(s) and towed vessel respectively) and characteristics of the towline, and facilitate determination of:
 Worst Case Conditions.
 Extreme Towline Tension (ETT) as a function of sea state and speed.
 Limits of the Tow (Go-No Go Criteria).
 Recommended Catenary Length as a function of sea state and speed.
 Size and Selection of the Towing Vessel and Gear, including:
 Required Bollard Pull.
 Required Strength, Characteristics and Condition of the Towline.
 Limits and Set Points of the Towing Winch, Automatic or Manual.
 Required Strength and Characteristics of the Synthetic Emergency Towline and its methods of deployment and connection.
 Working Load Limit (WLL) of the Shackles, Delta Plate and Attachment Points.
 Required Strength and Characteristics of Bridles, Pendant and Surge Gear/Shock Lines.
 The authors further explore the implications of single point failure modes, redundancy in gear and towing vessel(s), high cycle fatigue, and strain monitoring.


OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi B clinical isolates, and the clonality of resistant strains. METHODS: Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by disk-agar diffusion. Conjugation experiments and plasmid analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis after EcoRI digestion were followed by hybridization to a digoxigenin-labeled TEM-type beta-lactamase probe. DNA fingerprints were obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of Xbal-digested chromosomal DNA. RESULTS: Three S. typhi isolates (7% of the isolates studied), of which one was ampicillin resistant and the other two multiresistant (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and streptomycin), and two ampicillin-resistant S. paratyphi B isolates (25% of the isolates studied) were further evaluated. A 34-MDa conjugative plasmid, previously isolated from Salmonella enteritidis, conferred ampicillin resistance. A 100-MDa conjugative plasmid encoded resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, as well as ampicillin. Chromosomal fingerprinting revealed two distinct resistant strains for each serovar which were different from a matched set of sensitive S. typhi strains. CONCLUSIONS: Two conjugative, TEM-type beta-lactamase-encoding plasmids conferred ampicillin resistance to S. typhi and S. paratyphi B. The 34-MDa plasmid was identical to that previously characterized from S. enteritidis, while the 100-MDa plasmid also encoded resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. Resistant isolates did not belong to a single clone but rather represented distinct strains.


Writing on imperial and colonial history has been heavily criticised, initially for its complete ignorance of women as historical subjects and, more recently, for its gender-blind methodology and hence failure to envisage history as a gendered experience. A deluge of counter histories have been produced in response to these criticisms, some singularly focused on relocating women in history, and others which have examined women in relation to men in specific historical contexts and from diverse theoretical perspectives. Despite the rush to locate 'lost female worlds' (Nair 1994), however, gender issues have yet to receive serious attention in work on environmental history. Indeed the growing body of work on the causes and impacts of land use change, and their relationships with imperial and colonial policy and politics, has to date shown remarkably little interest in their gender dimensions.


Spreadsheets are used extensively in business, in many domains. The applicability of software engineering methods to spreadsheets has been a topic of research for several years [2], but the main focus has been on analyzing the formulas, and not on analyzing the data in the spreadsheets. One of the factors that plays a role in spreadsheet data quality is the occurrence of clones in the spreadsheet data. Clones in data are caused by copy-pasting. This is a very common practice in spreadsheet use, however, it can have a negative impact on the spreadsheet's quality, since 1) editing the copied data needs to be done in multiple places increasing maintenance effort and 2) when editing, some copies might be forgotten, leading to errors. Clone detection has been proven useful in the realm of source code analysis [3], in two different forms: exact clones, and clones that differ slightly, called near-miss clones [1]. Because of the success of clone detection and removal in source code, it seems feasible to research the applicability of both techniques on clones in spreadsheet data. Our work shows that this is a promising avenue. BODY Clone detection in spreadsheets is useful both to reveal opportunities for improving the spreadsheet and to detect actual errors.


High-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a clinical challenge due to drug resistance and poor prognosis. A characteristic molecular defect of most high-risk ALL is the deletion or inactivating mutation of one allele of the IKZF1 (Ikaros) tumor suppressor. Ikaros encodes a DNA-binding protein that regulates transcription of its target genes via chromatin remodeling. The mechanisms through which Ikaros regulates cellular proliferation in high-risk leukemia, are unknown. Using a systems biology approach, we determined that Ikaros regulates transcription of genes that are critical in the control of G2/M transition (CDC2) and mitotic progression (ANAPC1 and ANAPC7) in leukemia. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments demonstrate that Ikaros represses the transcription of CDC2, ANAPC1 and ANAPC7. Overexpression of Ikaros in leukemia also results in cell cycle arrest. We studied the mechanism through which Ikaros represses CDC2, ANAPC1 ad ANAPC7. The use of serial quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (qChIP) analyses spanning the promoters of Ikaros target genes demonstrated that Ikaros can repress transcription of its target genes by two different mechanisms: 1) via recruitment of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), which is associated with the formation of repressive chromatin characterized by H3K27me3 and loss of H3K9ac (for ANAPC1 and CDC2); and 2) via an HDAC1-independent mechanism which is associated with the formation of repressive chromatin characterized by H3K9me3, along with the loss of H3K9ac (for ANAPC7). In high-risk ALL that is characterized by deletion of one Ikaros allele, the function of Ikaros as a transcriptional regulator is impaired due to reduced binding to promoters of Ikaros target genes. We showed previously that Ikaros DNA-binding affinity is regulated via direct phosphorylation by pro-oncogenic Casein Kinase II (CK2). CK2 is overexpressed in high-risk B-ALL as compared to normal B-cell precursors, which further reduces Ikaros function in this disease. In vivo CK2 inhibition with the CK2 specific inhibitor, CX-4945, results in a strong therapeutic effect in primary high-risk ALL xenografts. Analysis of primary high-risk B-ALL (that have deletion of one Ikaros allele) showed that treatment with CX-4945, restored Ikaros function as a transcriptional regulator of CDC2, ANAPC1 and ANAPC7, and was associated with cell cycle arrest. Epigenetic analysis of promoters of CDC2, ANAPC1 and ANAPC7 genes revealed that restoration of Ikaros binding to the promoters of these genes is associated with epigenetic alterations that are consistent with Ikaros overexpression and formation of repressive heterochromatin. In conclusion, our results reveal that: 1) Ikaros functions as a tumor suppressor by repressing transcription of genes that are critical for G/M transition (CDC2) and mitotic progression (ANAPC1 and ANAPC7); 2) Ikaros represses transcription by inducing two distinct epigenetic alterations at promoters of its target genes and 3) CK2 inhibition with CX-4945 restores Ikaros function as a transcriptional regulator of CDC2, ANAPC1 and ANAPC7 in high-risk leukemia. These results provide novel insights into the control of cell cycle progression in high-risk leukemia and the mechanisms by which CK2 inhibitors exert their therapeutic effects. Supported by the National Institutes of Health R01 HL095120, and the Four Diamonds Fund Endowment. Citation Format: Chunhua Song, Chandrika Gowda, Yali Ding, Kimberly J. Payne, Sinisa Dovat. Epigenetic regulation of cell cycle progression at the G2/M transition and mitosis in high-risk leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Cancer Cell Cycle - Tumor Progression and Therapeutic Response; Feb 28-Mar 2, 2016; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(11_Suppl):Abstract nr A21.


Traits oer a fine-grained mechanism to compose classes from reusable components while avoiding problems of fragility brought by multiple inheritance and mixins. Traits as originally proposed are stateless, that is, they contain only methods, but no instance variables. State can only be accessed within stateless traits by accessors, which become required methods of the trait. Although this approach works reasonably well in practice, it means that many traits, viewed as software components, are artificially incomplete, and classes that use such traits may contain significant amounts of boilerplate glue code. We present an approach to stateful traits that is faithful to the guiding principle of stateless traits: the client retains control of the composition. Stateful traits consist of a minimal extension to stateless traits in which instance variables are purely local to the scope of a trait, unless they are explicitly made accessible by the composing client of a trait. We demonstrate by means of a formal object calculus that adding state to traits preserves the flattening property: traits contained in a program can be compiled away. We discuss and compare two implementation strategies, and briefly present a case study in which stateful traits have been used to refactor the trait-based version of the Smalltalk collection hierarchy.


[1] We study the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability at the dayside magnetopause, modeling the flow, the magnetic field, and the density profiles in the transition from magnetosheath to magnetosphere with hyperbolic tangent functions. The strength and the direction of the fields on the sunward sides of the magnetopause are obtained from a MHD simulation code of the magnetosheath, which includes the magnetic tension forces on the plasma in the plasma depletion layer. The theory is applied to strongly northward interplanetary magnetic fields. We work at slightly off-noon local times and compute at three different latitudes. We find that as the latitude increases the instability growth rate becomes negligible due to the increasing local magnetic shear, which reaches ∼21° at the highest latitude examined. The KH growth rates for the most unstable modes are given as functions of λ/Δ, the ratio of the wavelength to the width of the transition. The KH perturbation tends to be localized on the magnetospheric side when the configuration is most unstable, whereas it shifts increasingly toward the magnetosheath side of the velocity gradient region as the latitude increases and the growth rate diminishes substantially. Growth rates for a tangential discontinuity model are within a 10% of those corresponding to continuous profiles when λ > 15Δ. The influence of temporary (sunward or earthward) accelerations of the magnetopause on the KH modes is examined. The effect of a difference between the scale length of the density profile and the width of the current sheath on the KH instability, as in pristine magnetopauses, is also studied.


The Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps), the first conditional cash transfer (CCT) program of the Philippine government, has become a popular approach aimed at improving the health and educational status of disadvantaged households. Its implementation is expected to advance the government's health agenda, particularly in terms of child mortality reduction and maternal health improvement. Despite the growing evidence on the positive health outcomes resulting from the implementation of CCT programs, evidence remains limited to the qualitative evaluation of health care service utilization among beneficiary households. In this regard, by employing key interviews and focus group discussion, this study aims to examine the impacts of 4Ps on health and nutrition as experienced and perceived by beneficiaries at a community-level implementation. After subjecting the interview transcripts to thematic network analysis, the results reveal six dominant themes: enhanced health practices, improved uptake of health care services, increased awareness on health issues, improved living conditions, responsive program implementation, and persisting implementation challenges. While it is evident that the positive impacts are reflective of the beneficiaries' strict compliance to meet the program conditionalities, there is still much to be done to ensure the sustainability of the program. The provision for adequate health care should then be supplemented with reinforced delivery of the program's learning component (family development session) and support mechanism to the implementers.


According to the philosopher and music historian Lydia Goehr, a widespread view of the musical work as an object whose existence transcends both time and space was established at the turn from the ...


There has been a growing awareness of the importance and nature of property cycles. There is now a considerable and growing literature on the subject. However, much of this literature is focussed within individual countries and a review by Pyhrr et al (1999) makes a plea for further research into international dimensions. The analysis of office property cycles is increasingly seen in the context of the globalisation of capital markets and the integration of national economies. This paper represents a contribution to research in this direction by focusing on the national economic influence of urban rent cycles. In addition in a world that still suffers from the paucity of property market data the relationship between the macroeconomy and urban rental trends has intrinsic potential practical investment applications in its own right.


SHG is an important contrast mechanism in optical examination for thick biological tissues. Fibrous proteins, such as myosin and collagen, exhibit biophotonic crystal nature and are dominant SHG harmonophores in vertebrates. Local molecule arrangements strongly affect SHG polarization behavior. Here we demonstrate to distinguish myosin-based muscle fibers from intertwined collagenous perimysium through SHG polarization selection, without complicated staining or sample/image processing required.


The thin-wire time-domain electric field integral equation is formulated starting from the extended boundary condition theorem and including a first-order approximation for the charges at the end caps of the wire. The equation obtained is solved directly in the time domain by the moment method. The effects of this approximation and of changing the situation of the matching points on the segments of the wire are studied.


The street food industry plays an important role in meeting the food demands of the urban dwellers in developing countries. Foods are often prepared under unsanitary conditions and stored for long periods in unsuitable conditions before selling. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among street food vendors in Alexandria. Setting: The study was carried out in Alexandria City, which composed of eight zones; out of them three zones were randomly selected (El-Montaza, East and El-Gomrok Zones). Subjects: The total sample was 100 street food vendors. Tools: Tool I: Street vendor's personal, vending data and food vending knowledge structured interview schedule and Tool II: Vending environment and hygienic practices of street vendors by using observation checklist. Results: The majority (91.0%) of street vendors were males and their mean age was 30.48±8.5 years. Less than half (41.0%) of them were mobile street vendors, working for more than 5 years. Food poisoning and dysentery were the most prevalent type of food borne diseases identified by street vendors and86.0% of them acquired their knowledge about food vending by experience. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the majority of food vendors acquired the knowledge of food preparation by self-teaching and some of their knowledge could not be translated to practice due to absence of basic facilities. Recommendations: The study recommended that food vendors should be adequately educated on the relation between food and disease transmission as well as on principles of personal hygiene and safety food practices. Also, the routine  medical  examination  of  food handlers  must  be  carried  out by  health  office  for  regulating  safe  street food handling, preparation and vending.


Regardless of the final fitting of the Anthropocene in the Geologic Time Scale, conceptualizing the Anthropocene as a human-induced ecological crisis of planetary scale linked to the capitalist mode of production allows addressing the research on the deep roots of such crisis into the fundamentals of this production mode. In this regard, a Marxian dialectical approach is pertinent to face some of the major challenges launched by the Anthropocene narrative. In particular, understanding capital as the automatic fetish that commands social production and reproduction in modern society allows not falling into mystified techno-scientific solutions for the crisis. Capital as the automatic fetish that mediates in the universal metabolism between humans and nature yields an alienated form of social metabolism that is at the base of the metabolic rift inherent to the production and reproduction of capital and that is enhanced by the tendency of the rate of profit to fall.


Between 1920 and 1950, British and US internationalists called for aviation and atomic energy to be taken out of the hands of nation-states, and instead used by international organizations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations. An international air force was to enforce collective security and internationalized civil aviation was to bind the world together through trade and communication. The bomber and the atomic bomb, now associated with death and devastation, were to be instruments of world peace. Drawing on rich archival research and focusing on public and private discourse relating to the control of aviation and atomic energy, Waqar H. Zaidi highlights neglected technological and militaristic strands in twentieth-century liberal internationalism, and transforms our understanding of the place of science and technology in twentieth-century international relations.


The quenching of photoluminescence of GaAs by surface acoustic waves (SAWs) is investigated in the presence of a magnetic field. The response of the luminescence to the SAWs is weakened in high magnetic fields. The suppression of the quenching is attributed to electrons and holes trapped around disorder potentials. These electrons and holes are generated from the dissociation of excitons by the SAWs. When a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is placed near the GaAs surface, the electron–hole recombination associated with the background carbon acceptors becomes totally undisturbed by the SAWs and the magnetic-field-induced transition of the quenching behaviour for the near-band-edge exciton recombination becomes abrupt. These observations demonstrate the modification of the boundary conditions imposed on the piezoelectric potential by means of changing the 2DEG conductivity.


Encrypted HTTP/2 (h2) has been worldwide adopted since its official release in 2015. The major services over Internet use it to protect the user privacy against traffic interception. However, under the guise of privacy, one can hide the abnormal or even illegal use of a service. It has been demonstrated that machine learning algorithms combined with a proper set of features are still able to identify the incriminated traffic even when it is encrypted with h2. However, it can also be used to track normal service use and so endanger privacy of Internet users. Independently of the final objective, it is extremely important for a security practitioner to understand the efficiency of such a technique and its limit. No existing research has been achieved to assess how generic is it to be directly applicable to any service or website and how long an acceptable accuracy can be maintained.This paper addresses these challenges by defining an experimental methodology applied on more than 3000 different websites and also over four months continuously. The results highlight that an off-the-shelf machine-learning method to classify h2 traffic is applicable to many websites but a weekly training may be needed to keep the model accurate.


The membrane interactions and position of a positively charged and highly aromatic peptide derived from a secretory carrier membrane protein (SCAMP) are examined using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and several biochemical methods. This peptide (SCAMP-E) is shown to bind to membranes containing phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, PI(4,5)P2, and sequester PI(4,5)P2 within the plane of the membrane. Site-directed spin labeling of the SCAMP-E peptide indicates that the position and structure of membrane bound SCAMP-E are not altered by the presence of PI(4,5)P2, and that the peptide backbone is positioned within the lipid interface below the level of the lipid phosphates. A second approach using high-resolution NMR was used to generate a model for SCAMP-E bound to bicelles. This approach combined oxygen enhancements of nuclear relaxation with a computational method to dock the SCAMP-E peptide at the lipid interface. The model for SCAMP generated by NMR is consistent with the results of site-directed spin labeling and places the peptide backbone in the bilayer interfacial region and the aromatic side chains within the lipid hydrocarbon region. The charged side chains of SCAMP-E lie well within the interface with two arginine residues lying deeper than a plane defined by the position of the lipid phosphates. These data suggest that SCAMP-E interacts with PI(4,5)P2 through an electrostatic mechanism that does not involve specific lipid-peptide contacts. This interaction may be facilitated by the position of the positively charged side chains on SCAMP-E within a low-dielectric region of the bilayer interface.


Compression Ignition Diesel Engine use Diesel as conventional fuel. This has proven to be the most economical source of prime mover in medium and heavy duty loads for both stationary and mobile applications. Performance enhancements have been implemented to optimize fuel consumption and increase thermal efficiency as well as lowering exhaust emissions on these engines. Recently dual fueling of Diesel engines has been found one of the means to achieve these goals. Different types of fuels are tried to displace some of the diesel fuel consumption. This study is made to identify the most favorable conditions for dual fuel mode of operation using Diesel as main fuel and Gasoline as a combustion improver. A single cylinder naturally aspirated air cooled 0.4 liter direct injection diesel engine is used. Diesel is injected by the normal fuel injection system, while Gasoline is carbureted with air using a simple single jet carburetor mounted at the air intake. The engine has been operated at constant speed of 3000 rpm and the load was varied. Different Gasoline to air mixture strengths investigated, and diesel injection timing is also varied. The optimum setting of the engine has been defined which increased the thermal efficiency, reduced the NOx % and HC%.


This paper compares and contrasts the role of commercial managers from a range of organisations and across industry sectors within the UK, as a first step in developing a body of knowledge for commercial management. It contends that there are persuasive arguments for considering commercial management, not solely as a task undertaken by commercial managers, but as a discipline in itself: a discipline that bridges traditional project management and organisational theories. While finding differences in approach and application both between and within industry sectors, it establishes sufficient similarity and synergy in practice to identify a specific role of commercial management in project-based organisations. These similarities encompass contract management and dispute resolution; the divergences include a greater involvement in financial and value management in construction and in bid management in defence/aerospace.

It advocates the utilisation of the Internet to establish loosely based ?communities of practice? as a vehicle to disseminate good practice and cutting edge research pertinent to commercial managers. Also, the development of a body of knowledge for commercial management is recommended and key areas for targeted research to underpin the discipline proposed. These areas include: relationship management, value and value management, risk and uncertainty management, performance measurement, procurement and supply chain management, contract management, dispute resolution and conflict management, cost management, organisational learning and knowledge management, and bidding.


BACKGROUND
Although regulatory T cells (Tregs) are key to the maintenance of immunologic homeostasis and tolerance, little is known about Treg-mediated immunosuppression in the stage of sepsis. This article aimed to review the current literature on the role of Tregs in the pathophysiology of septic response, attempting to investigate the role of Tregs in immune dysfunction during sepsis.

DATA SOURCES
A literature search was conducted in January 2014 using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and PubMed. Articles on the role of Tregs in immune dysfunction during sepsis were identified.

RESULTS
The identified articles indicated that Treg levels can be used for the assessment of the course of sepsis. The inhibition of Treg activity can promote the recovery of immune function.

CONCLUSION
Since the mechanism of Tregs is complex during the sepsis, more studies are needed.