This essay explores how principles of the Cognitive Information Processing career theory add to how one could manage one's career in psychology. According to this theory, there are several components that may contribute to effective career choices, namely self-knowledge, occupational knowledge, generic information processing skills and metacognitions. This essay describes these components, and where suitable, provides additional information that relates specifically to a career in psychology.


Interchange Third edition is a four-level series for adult and young-adult learners of English from the beginning to the high-intermediate level. The full-color Video Activity Book is designed to accompany the videos. It provides pre- and post-viewing tasks for the learner. There are follow-up and Language Close-Up sections for those who want to use the videos as the basis for a short course, or to review more thoroughly the contents of the Student's Book.


We present equations of state relevant to conditions encountered in ramp and multiple-shock compression experiments of water. These experiments compress water from ambient conditions to pressures as high as about 14 GPa and temperatures of up to several hundreds of Kelvin. Water may freeze into ice VII during this process. Although there are several studies on the thermodynamic properties of ice VII, an accurate and analytic free energy model from which all other properties may be derived in a thermodynamically consistent manner has not been previously determined. We have developed such a free energy model for ice VII that is calibrated with pressure-volume-temperature measurements and melt curve data. Furthermore, we show that liquid water in the pressure and temperature range of interest is well-represented by a simple Mie-Grüneisen equation of state. Our liquid water and ice VII equations of state are validated by comparing to sound speed and Hugoniot data. Although they are targeted towards ramp and multiple-shock compression experiments, we demonstrate that our equations of state also behave reasonably well at pressures and temperatures that lie somewhat beyond those found in the experiments.


Patient with fixed appliances (braces) must have good oral hygiene to prevent dental caries, decalcification, periodontal problems and oral health diseases. Many orthodontic patients' complaint of not able to clean between their fixed appliances (braces) due to the arch wires prevented the insertion of the toothbrush. Food can also get stuck between the fixed appliances and their teeth. This could result in dental cavity and gum disease for this patient if left untreated. In this study, a new device of tooth cleaning was tested against normal tooth brushing. A new cleaning device which uses water irrigation to remove dental plaque on tooth enamel surfaces were develop for this study. Both method of tooth cleanings was compared between each other on the effectiveness to remove dental plaque on tooth enamel surfaces. In the end, water irrigator was found to be slightly more effective to clean dental plaque.


The first quarter of 2020 is one of the most difficult times for the region and whole world. Where the epidemic (COVID-19) invaded the world and thus affected many aspects of human aspects: in terms of low industrial production, the global economy stopping work, and educational aspects closed to students. All educational institutions modified their academic assessments, and then educational programs were modified during this period. As stakeholders and management of higher education institutions do not have another option is to take advantage of Internet and new technologies, and therefore go to online learning to continue academic activities at all levels of education around the region and the whole world. The study aims at assess whether students in KSA, especially Alasala University in general, and in particular the College of Law, if they are satisfied with the "group" online learning experience in higher education institutions, therefore, the study used an online survey to investigate the level of satisfaction with online learning and how students adapt to these "new initiatives". The study undertakes a case study of a law school within a leading university such as Alasala, which has implemented a quality system. The study reviews the development of the quality system and examines the concept of service quality in law education. The aim of this study is to address the paucity of service quality research in law education in this region. Empirical research is used to determine the factors that influence student evaluation of service quality. With data collected from 664 students, the study identifies six factors that influence students' evaluations of service quality. Research implications of the study are then discussed. The study results indicate that the implementation of online learning programs was a very impressive idea as the majority of students included in the sample supported the initiative.


One of the most tantalizing questions in astronomy and astrophysics, namely the origin and the evolution of the cosmic accelerators that produce the highest energy cosmic rays (UHECR), may be best addressed through the observation of ultra high energy (UHE) cosmogenic neutrinos. Neutrinos travel from their source undeflected by magnetic fields and unimpeded by interactions with the cosmic microwave background. At high energies, neutrinos could be detected in dense, radio frequency (RF) transparent media via the Askaryan effect. The abundant cold ice covering the geographic South Pole, with its exceptional RF clarity, has been host to several pioneering efforts to develop this approach, including RICE and ANITA. Building on the expertise gained in these efforts, and the infrastructure developed in the construction of the IceCube optical Cherenkov observatory, a low-cost array of radio frequency antenna stations could be deployed near the Pole to efficiently detect a significant number of UHE neutrinos with degree scale angular resolution within the next decade. Such an array, if installed in close proximity to IceCube, could allow cross-calibration on a small but invaluable subset of neutrino events detected by both the optical and radio methods. In addition to providing critical information in the identification of the source of UHECRs, such an observatory could also provide a unique probe of long baseline high energy neutrino interactions unattainable in any man-made neutrino beam. 1 Neutrinos: a unique astro-


At present in Germany Peking ducks in commercial housing are on ground with litter and nipple drinkers only and there is no access to open water. With this study we investigated if open water drinkers can affect behaviour and health of ducks positively. In this investigation ten fattening trials with 11 424 ducks, kept with straw, were analyzed. 25% of the compartment (32 m2) were covered with perforated grid, with one of the tested water systems (Nipple drinker, Sparkcup, Shower, Hollow and Round drinker and modified Round drinker) installed. Besides parts of the behaviour of ducks, animal health and hygiene and also economic factors were taken into account. In contrast to pens with nipple-drinkers only, the ducks in pens with open water troughs/showers had the opportunity to exhibit their natural drinking behaviour and water associated activities, such as straining and preening the plumage with water in accordance with the animal welfare requirements. In the free-choice pens, the open water systems were significantly preferred, and over a 24-hour period, the ducks in watering areas with open water troughs showed higher activity. Limiting the access to the open water systems (4, 6 and 8 hours) led to more intense use per time unit. Ducks with access to nipple drinkers only showed a significantly higher percentage of plugged up nostrils than animals from pens with open water drinkers (p < or = 0.05). Open water drinkers also had a positive impact on the plumage condition.The open water drinking systems were very well accepted by the animals and are, concerning behaviour and animal health, an improvement in housing systems of Peking ducks.


In heart failure, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. The increased release of norepinephrine from the heart and the elevated levels of circulating catecholamines produce a downregulation of myocardial beta 1-adrenoceptors. In ischemic cardiomyopathy and mitral valve disease, a downregulation of beta 2-adrenoceptors has been observed also. The beta-adrenoceptor downregulation closely correlates to the reduced positive inotropic effects of beta-adrenoceptor agonists. In addition, an increase of the inhibitory guanine-nucleotide binding protein (Gi alpha) has been observed, while the levels of the stimulatory guanine-nucleotide binding protein (Gs alpha), the activity of the catalyst and the anti-adrenergic effects of A1-adenosine receptor- or m-cholinoceptor stimulation remain unchanged in the failing human heart. The increase of Gi alpha correlated closely to the reduced positive inotropic responses to the cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor milrinone. In the failing human heart, the beta-adrenoceptor downregulation and the increased expression of Gi alpha represent pathobiochemical alterations which are involved in the reduced effects of cAMP-dependent positive inotropic agents. The therapeutic reversal of these pathobiochemical alterations is a future promise in the treatment of heart failure.


Myoelectric prostheses help amputees to regain independence and a higher quality of life. These prostheses are controlled by electromyography, which measures an electrical signal at the skin surface during muscle contractions. In this contribution, the electromyography is measured with innovative flexible insulated sensors, which separate the skin and the sensor area by a dielectric layer. Electromyography sensors, and biosignal sensors in general, are striving for higher robustness against motion artifacts, which are a major obstacle in real-world environment. The motion artifact suppression algorithms presented in this article, prevent the activation of the prosthesis drive during artifacts, thereby achieving a substantial performance boost. These algorithms classify the signal into muscle contractions and artifacts. Therefore, new time domain features, such as Mean Crossing Rate are introduced and well-established time domain features (e.g., Zero-Crossing Rate, Slope Sign Change) are modified and implemented. Various artificial intelligence models, which require low calculation resources for an application in a wearable device, were investigated. These models are neural networks, recurrent neural networks, decision trees and logistic regressions. Although these models are designed for a low-power real-time embedded system, high accuracies in discriminating artifacts to contractions of up to 99.9% are achieved. The models were implemented and trained for fast response leading to a high performance in real-world environment. For highest accuracies, recurrent neural networks are suggested and for minimum runtime (0.99–1.15 μs), decision trees are preferred.


Although a direct correlation between poor nutrition status and increased risk of readmission has yet to be established, it is reasonable to assume that patients who are identified as undernourished while hospitalized would be "at increased risk of adverse outcomes" following discharge. Also, the evidence that links nonadherence to dietary prescriptions after discharge, with increased readmissions in patients with heart failure (HF), is fairly robust. Nutrition screening prior to discharge should be mandated, just as it is at admission. However, the criteria to assess a patient's ability to adequately and appropriately nourish themselves after discharge are very different from those used to diagnose and treat malnutrition on admission or during a hospital stay. The U.S. healthcare environment germane to the readmissions rates policy that was adopted for implementation in October 2012 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is characterized. Factors critical to the successful development and implementation of a post-acute nutrition care plan are described. Nutrition-related contributors to readmissions in HF are delineated. Transitional care models that could be adapted to enhance nutrition care plan efficacy are identified, as is the need to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to nutrition in transitional care that includes care coordination and routine follow-up. An evidence-based systematic approach to determine those patients in whom palliative vs restorative nutrition care is appropriate needs to be developed.


Researchers have identified challenges for sexual minority individuals in schools; however, attention to lesbian and gay parents' experiences with their children's schools has not been given. We used a qualitativecase study involving one identified gay couple and one identified lesbian couple to document their experiences and relationships with/in their children's urban publicly funded schools. Individual interviews with these parents were the chief data source, which we augmented through reviewing school documents. Through the lens of critical queer theory, we interpreted three themes: (1) lesbian and gay parents are shaped by the teachers', administrators', and other parents' openness of attitudes and willingness to question assumptions about family; (2) lesbian and gay parents feel included, or excluded, depending on the policy and administrative processes that symbolically frame definitions of parenthood; and (3) lesbian and gay parents are sensitive to school climate as expressed through gesture, speech, and artefacts in the school. These four parents had the social capital to navigate barriers and opportunities. However, through the lens of critical queer theory, we conclude that there are real and symbolic markers and practices that normalize a heterosexual understanding of 'parent' in two-parent families that necessitates lesbian and gay parents to be intentional and vigilante about their positions in ways that heterosexual parents are not required to be to feel welcome in schools.


A block-colored photosensitive resin composition comprising a binder polymer, a photopolymerizable compound having an ethylenically unsaturated bond, a photopolymerization initiator, and a block pigment, wherein the binder polymer comprises an acrylic resin having repeating units represented by the general formulae (I), (II) and (III), respectively.


According to legal perspective, the Government's plan to implement New Normal desires to restore economic life and public health as a manifestation of the fulfillment of citizens' rights. From the description above, this paper will discuss several things, namely how the readiness of national Law to welcome the new normal era; how the constitutional legal system in the new era is normal; how is the urgency of structuring national regulations in the new normal era; and, how the influence of the new normal era for legal politics and public legal awareness. By using the normative juridical method, it can be concluded that the status of COVID-19 pandemic in Law is marked by the issuance of various legislative products to provide legal certainty of the Government's policy to overcome COVID-19 and implement New Normal policy. The practice of state administration is increasingly being carried out in the executive, legislative, and judiciary environments by utilizing digital networks through application facilities that provide virtual me eting services.


ABSTRACT: We document that firms included in the ExecuComp database tend to be larger, more complex, followed by more analysts, have greater stock liquidity levels, and have higher total, but less concentrated, institutional ownership than other firms. Based on these differences, we test and find support for three predictions. First, ExecuComp firms rely more heavily on earnings and stock returns in determining CEO cash compensation. Second, the weight on earnings is more sensitive to differences in the extent of growth opportunities for ExecuComp firms. Third, the positive relation between institutional ownership concentration and the value of stock option grants is stronger for ExecuComp firms. Overall, our results suggest that ExecuComp and non-ExecuComp firms operate in different contracting environments that lead to differences in the design of their executive compensation contracts. As a result, care should be taken in extending results based on ExecuComp samples to non-ExecuComp firms.


Acknowledgements: Portions of this paper were developed in Eric Barrette's dissertation and funded by AHRQ R36 dissertation grant #HS18272-01. We are grateful for insightful and constructive comments from Roger Feldman, Stephen Parente, Alok Gupta, Shane Greenstein, Ira Moscovice and participants at the 22 nd Annual Health Economics Conference and 2 nd Annual Workshop on Health IT and Economics. Additionally, Hawre Jalal provided exemplary research assistance and we greatly appreciate Ann Marie MacKinnon's editorial assistance.


Findings from the first 430 CT examinations of the thorax performed at the Mayo Clinic were compared with results of film studies and the most certain later diagnoses in the same cases. Results were analyzed by disease and by mediastinal compartment. CT was superior in staging bronchogenic carcinoma, detecting abnormal masses, and in demonstrating mediastinal normally when plain films were equivocal. It generally gave clear delineations of lesions and distinguished them better from normal structures, and, in correlation with clinical data, it was more accurate in suggesting whether they were benign or malignant.


Concept of autoimmune basis of infertility is still controversial, particularly regarding the presence of non-organ specific autoantibodies. Non-organ specific anticardiolipin (aCL) and antithyroglobulin (TgAt) antibodies were detected in infertile women. Both partners were evaluated according to the criteria of The American Society for Reproductive Medicine. All the results were normal in cases of unexplained infertility. Antisperm antibodies (ASA) were determined by a mixed antiglobulin reaction (MAR) and the Kibrick agglutination assay, aCL by commercial ELISA, TgAt by commercial RIA. Fertile women had children. Subjects were grouped in fertile (n=27), infertile (n=65), and cases of unexplained infertility (n=42). In fertile women, aCL was below the negative cut-off value (100 %), while women with unexplained infertility were positive in 23.8 %. Anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies were detected in 21.5 % of infertile patients, most of them with unexplained infertility (15.4 %). Other positive women had partners with ASA (4.6 %), or exhibited a negative postcoital test (1.5 %). In this study aCL were not detected in women with ASA. TgAt incidence was increased in infertile (20 %) and unexplained infertility group (21.4 %) compared to the fertile controls (18.5 %). Increased incidence of aCL and TgAt in infertile women supports the contention that these autoantibodies contribute to the infertility


Background and Purpose— Although knowledge concerning cortical reorganization related to upper limb function after ischemic stroke is growing, similar data for lower limb movements are limited. Previous studies with hand movement suggested increasing recruitment of motor areas in the unlesioned hemisphere with increasing disability. We used ankle movement as a lower limb analog to test for similarities and differences in recovery patterns. Methods— Eighteen subjects were selected with chronic residual gait impairment due to a single subcortical ischemic stroke. Functional MRI scans were obtained at 3.0 T during active and passive ankle dorsiflexion in the patients (8 females, 10 males; mean age, 59.9±13.5 years; range, 32 to 74 years) and 18 age-matched healthy control subjects. Results— We observed substantial neocortical activity associated with foot movement both in the patients with stroke and in the healthy control subjects. Our primary finding was increased cortical activation with increasing functional impairment. The extent of activation (particularly in the primary sensorimotor cortex and the supplementary motor area of the unlesioned hemisphere) increased with disability. The changes were most prominent with the active movement task. Conclusions— Using ankle movement, we observed increased activation in the unlesioned hemisphere associated with worse function of the paretic leg, consistent with studies on movement of paretic upper limbs. We interpret this finding as potentially adaptive recruitment of undamaged ipsilateral motor control pathways from the supplementary motor area and (possibly maladaptive) disinhibition of the ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex.


Aim DNA methylation is thought to be involved in regulating the expression of key genes and inducing diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). However, clinically, the level of whole-genome DNA methylation and its relationship with DPN remains unclear. Methods 186 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University since Jul. 2016 to Oct. 2017 were enrolled in the study, including 100 patients in the DPN group and 86 patients in the non-DPN group, diagnosed with Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS). Clinical and biochemical characteristics between the two groups were compared, and the correlations with TCSS scores were analyzed. Furthermore, the levels of genomic DNA methylation of leukocytes, measured with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), were also analyzed between the two groups. Results Age, duration, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), creatinine, uric acid (UA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in the DPN group. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the level of genomic DNA methylation were much lower in the DPN group. Spearman correlation analysis showed that TCSS was positively correlated with age, duration, UA, and CRP and was negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI), eGFR, and the level of genomic DNA methylation. Interestingly, multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that only duration, genomic DNA methylation, and eGFR had impacts on TCSS. The results also showed that the levels of genomic DNA methylation did not change significantly whether or not there was renal injury. Another multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that TCSS and BMI were the influencing factors of genomic DNA methylation. Finally, we found that genomic DNA methylation levels were decreased significantly in the DPN group compared with the non-DPN group when the duration is ≥5 years or BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Conclusion Low level of genomic DNA methylation is a relative specific risk factor of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.


Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia (WM) is an incurable B-cell malignancy characterized by bone marrow (BM) infiltration with a spectrum of clonally related cells, including small lymphocytes and lymphoplasmacytic cells (CD19 + ) as well as mature plasma cells (CD138 + ). The molecular pathogenesis of the disease remains to be defined. We therefore analyzed the gene expression profiles of CD19 + and CD138 + BM mononuclear cells from 30 untreated patients with WM and compared their gene expression profile to their normal counterparts from 10 healthy donors using Affymetrix microarrays (U133 plus 2.0). Since the microenvironment plays an important role in the pathogenesis of WM, we also profiled and compared gene expression profiling for CD19 and CD138 depleted BM mononuclear cells from the same patients and healthy donors. Gene expression analysis was performed using dChip software. Unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis demonstrated distinct gene expression patterns between WM cells versus their normal counterparts. In supervised hierarchical cluster analysis selecting for genes with > 2 fold change in expression and a False discovery Rate (FDR) + compartment in WM patients were: BCL2, TNFRSF13B, TNFRSF17, IGLL1, CCR2, CLLU1, whilst the AP1 family genes JUND and FOSB were among the most significantly down-regulated genes in both CD19 + and CD138 + cells in WM patients. Other interesting transcripts which were over-expressed in CD138 + cells from WM patients included those from genes involved in transcription regulation (ZKSCAN1, ZMYM1, ZNF189, ZNF19, and ZNF559) and interferon response (IFI16 and IFIH1). Of considerable interest was our observation that microenvironmental cells in WM patients demonstrated an overactive transcriptional profile composed of genes which are associated with immune and inflammatory responses including the Toll like receptors (TLR 1,5,7,8), interferon and cytokines (IFI16, IFNAR1, IL-10R, IL-8R), genes encoding extracellular matrix components (Fibronectin and Hepatocyte Growth Factor) as well as genes involved in apoptotic signaling (TNFSF10, TRAF4). These studies provide the first comprehensive molecular characterization of WM, dissecting the molecular features of the two immunophenotypically distinct populations of malignant cells, and providing for the first time evidence for a distinct molecular profile in BM microenviromental cells.


OBJECTIVE To describe clinical outcomes of a paediatric population with histologically confirmed lymphocytic myocarditis. DESIGN A retrospective review between November 1984 and February 1998. SETTING A major paediatric tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS 36 patients with histologically confirmed lymphocytic myocarditis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Survival, cardiac transplantation, recovery of ventricular function, and persistence of dysrhythmias. RESULTS Freedom from death or cardiac transplantation was 86% at one month and 79% after two years. Five deaths occurred within 72 hours of admission, and one late death at 1.9 years. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support was used in four patients, and three patients underwent heart replacement. 34 patients were treated with intravenous corticosteroids. In the survivor/non-cardiac transplantation group (n = 29), the median follow up was 19 months (range 1.2–131.6 months), and the median period for recovery of a left ventricular ejection fraction to > 55% was 2.8 months (range 0–28 months). The mean (SD) final left ventricular ejection and shortening fractions were 66 (9)% and 34 (8)%, respectively. Two patients had residual ventricular dysfunction. No patient required antiarrhythmic treatment. All survivors reported no cardiac symptoms or restrictions in physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Our experience documents good outcomes in paediatric patients presenting with acute heart failure secondary to acute lymphocytic myocarditis treated with immunosuppression. Excellent survival and recovery of ventricular function, with the absence of significant arrhythmias, continued cardiac medications, or restrictions in physical activity were the normal outcomes.


In this paper, we introduce an Integrated Decision-Support Tool (IDST v2.0) which was developed as part of the INFRARISK project (https://www.infrarisk-fp7.eu/). The IDST is an online tool which demonstrates the implementation of a risk-based stress testing methodology for analyzing the potential impact of natural hazards on transport infrastructure networks. The IDST is enabled with a set of software workflow processes that allow the definition of multiple cascading natural hazards, geospatial coverage and impact on important large infrastructure, including those which are critical to transport networks in Europe. Stress tests on these infrastructure are consequently performed together with the automated generation of useful case study reports for practitioners. An exemplar stress test study using the IDST is provided in this paper. In this study, risks and consequences of an earthquake-triggered landslide scenario in Northern Italy is described. Further, it provides a step-by-step account of the developed stress testing overarching methodology which is applied to the impact on a road network of the region of interest.


A combination of participant observation and in-depth interviews (10 with key informants; 21 with battered women) was used to investigate wife battering in Nicaragua and the casas de la mujer, or women's centers, that have been established to help abused women. The results are presented within the context of the historical and structural realities of women's lives in Nicaragua and the sanctions and sanctuary framework of cultural analysis of wife battering. Nicaraguan wife battering is exacerbated in the context of cultural traditions of acceptance of wife beating, machismo, and the recent history of warfare. Findings about the relationship context and intervention outcomes were similar to those found in studies of battered women and shelters in the United States. The results were generally supportive of the framework, demonstrating the importance of women's solidarity groups, community sanctions against domestic violence, and sanctuary for battered women.


The preventive potential of each sector of the society must be engaged in premotion of dental health. The article deals with the effect of dental health education and caries prevention in children's gardens after a certain period of time, The work was carried out by dentists, nursery-staff and parents. The correlation between dental health education and behaviour of children to healthy teeth is one of the most important and statistically significant factors. The investigation concerned the two different children's gardens ("Ciciban" = 41 children and "Cika Andra" = 62 children), 5-7 years old and their parents. The obtained results revealed a certain correlation between dental health education and prevention on one side, and dental health of pre-school children, on the other side. That was evident in DMF of primary dentition and in the number or intact first permanent molars.


High-performance shape-memory polyurethane block copolymers, prepared with two types of poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) used as soft segments, were investigated for their mechanical properties. Copolymers with a random or block soft-segment arrangement had higher stresses at break and elongations at break than those with only one kind of PTMG. Random copolymers with fewer interchain interactions showed higher elongation than block copolymers. All the copolymers had shape-recovery ratios higher than 80%. In dynamic mechanical testing, the glass-transition behavior clearly depended on the soft-segment arrangement: random copolymers had only one glass-transition peak, whereas block copolymers showed two separate glass-transition peaks. Overall, the control of the soft-segment arrangement plays a vital role in the development of high-performance shape-memory polyurethane. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2410–2415, 2004


Looking back into history, infectious diseases played an important role in human history being responsible, in terms of pathologies, for more deaths than any other disease. Considering that infectious diseases have a high rate of transmissibility, with an acute debut and sometimes with a fast evolution to exitus, the impact of the news on families of the departed patient diagnosed with an infectious disease can come as a shock. Processing the unexpected death of a family member needs not only the implication of the physician but also the counseling of a specialized psychologist which can help the families through all stages of loss and grief.


This chapter focuses on the contribution of communication competences, used by healthcare professionals in the clinical relationship with patients, to improve therapeutic adherence through a better understanding of health instructions and, hence, higher competences in health literacy. It is a main and specific goal to construct a model of communication competences that includes the interdependent use of assertiveness, clear language, and positivity by the healthcare professional, validated by a focus group of specialists. The participants of focus group validate the model and most punctuate, in assertiveness, active behavior, ability to listen, and ability to openly speak; in clarity, the simple language, utilization of verbs; and in positivity, orientation to a positive behavior of the patient. The results confirm that the assertiveness, clear language, and positivity are pivotal and strategic elements to the optimization of health literacy and clinical practices, recognized in the literature and by the participants in the focus group.


We present SHARP, an incremental context-sensitive pointer analysis algorithm that scales to real-world large complex Java programs and can also be efficiently parallelized. To our knowledge, SHARP is the first algorithm to tackle context-sensitivity in the state-of-the-art incremental pointer analysis (with regards to code modifications including both statement additions and deletions), which applies to both k-CFA and k-obj. To achieve it, SHARP tackles several technical challenges: soundness, redundant computations, and parallelism to improve scalability without losing precision. We conduct an extensive empirical evaluation of SHARP on large and popular Java projects and their code commits, showing impressive performance improvement: our incremental algorithm only requires on average 31 seconds to handle a real-world code commit for k-CFA and k-obj, which has comparable performance to the state-of-the-art incremental context-insensitive pointer analysis. Our parallelization further improves the performance and enables SHARP to finish within 18 seconds per code commit on average on an eight-core machine.


CONTEXT
CTNNB1/β-catenin mutations and activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway are frequent in adult adrenocortical tumors (ACT), but data on childhood ACT are lacking.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of Wnt/β-catenin pathway abnormalities in childhood ACT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Clinicopathological findings and outcome of 62 childhood ACT patients were analyzed regarding CTNNB1 mutations and the expression of Wnt-related genes (CTNNB1; WNT4, a Wnt ligand; SFRP1, DKK3, and AXIN1, Wnt inhibitors; TCF7, a transcription factor; and MYC and WISP2, target genes) by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
CTNNB1-activating mutations were found in only four of 62 ACT (6%), all of them harboring TP53 mutation. There was association between the presence of CTNNB1 mutations and death (P = 0.02). Diffuse β-catenin accumulation was found in 71% of ACT, even in ACT without CTNNB1 mutations. Compared to normal adrenals, ACT presented increased expression of CTNNB1 (P = 0.008) and underexpression of Wnt inhibitor genes: DKK3 (P < 0.0001), SFRP1 (P = 0.05), and AXIN1 (P = 0.04). With regard to Wnt/β-catenin target genes, ACT presented increased expression of WISP2 but lower expression of MYC. Higher overall survival was associated with underexpression of SFRP1 (P = 0.01), WNT4 (P = 0.004), and TCF7 (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
CTNNB1 mutations are not common in childhood ACT but appear to associate with poor prognosis. Nevertheless, most ACT exhibit increased expression of β-catenin and WISP2 and reduced expression of Wnt inhibitor genes (DKK3, SFRP1, and AXIN1). Thus, in addition to CTNNB1 mutations, other genetic events affecting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway may be involved in childhood adrenocortical tumorigenesis.


In an era of increased political polarization, it is important to measure how receptive US American citizens are to diverse political views. Being more open to diverse political viewpoints—openness to political pluralism—may involve holding emotional and intellectual tolerance, non-rigidity, and proactive motivation to seek out different political perspectives. In three preregistered studies of US residents, we present a new self-report measure of openness to political pluralism (OPP) consisting of 25 items. In Study 1 (MTurk n = 400), we verified a preregistered bifactor model with four facets, conducted initial validity analyses, and created a short five-item version (OPPS). Both OPP and OPPS have high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. In Studies 2 and 3, MTurk participants (n = 258) and Qualtrics panel participants (n = 296) completed OPP and measures of related constructs to validate our scale. OPP was modestly correlated with actively open-minded thinking (AOT) and highly correlated with open-minded cognition-political (OMC-P). Greater OPP was associated with an inverted U-shape relation to left-right political orientation. It was also correlated with more politically diverse social networks and varied information seeking. We discuss how our measure of openness to political pluralism can be used in future research.


Diffuse discharge excited by nanosecond-pulse discharge in atmospheric air has a promising application. Unipolar repetitive pulses with 25-ns rise time and 40-ns duration are used to produce the diffuse discharge in a point-to-plane gap in atmospheric air. The effect of pulse repetition frequency (PRF) on the discharge is investigated under two gap spacings. The discharge images show that both the PRF and air gap spacing are responsible for the diffuse discharge mode and the transition to a filamentary discharge.


Modern diagnostic modalities as well as ongoing improvement of vascular prosthetic material and surgical techniques have stimulated progress in vascular surgery. New discoveries concerning the mechanism of endothelial function, atherosclerosis, developments in gene therapy and endovascular techniques will expand the future therapeutic spectrum of vascular surgery. Endoluminal implantation of stent grafts for the treatment of aortic aneurysm may be a reasonable alternative to conventional surgery, especially in high-risk patients. Long-term results of this procedure, however, are not yet available. Stenting of internal carotid artery stenosis may be considered as an experimental method of treatment. Its feasibility, efficacy, safety and long-term results must be analyzed before the application of the method may be restricted or recommended. Endoluminal irradiation (brachytherapy) reduces intimal hyperplasia/restenosis and can improve the long-term results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Anti-atherosclerotic and anti-aggregatory therapy (with statins, estrogens, antibiotics, nitric oxide precursor/donors, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors) will play an important role in the prevention of ischemic diseases and improve the results of surgical/interventional treatment by reducing intimal hyperplasia and restenosis. Gene therapy opens new vistas in vascular medicine. Angiogenetic factors can be used for the treatment of patients with distal occlusion of the peripheral arteries. Gene transfer may be useful in the conservative treatment of progressive aortic aneurysms. A more unified vision toward vascular medicine might be the key for research and development in the future.


The research project described in the thesis uses atomic-scale computational modelling to investigate the storage of hydrogen in graphite intercalate compounds (GICs). The work is relevant to the energy economy, as hydrogen is a source of clean energy, and can be used efficiently in fuel cells to generate electricity. Storing hydrogen safely has long been a challenge in materials science and, since the proposal of a hydrogen-based transport economy, has attracted great attention. Graphite intercalate compounds offer the possibility of dense storage, because they contain large absorption pores for hydrogen to bind. The absorption mechanisms and patterns in different intercalate compounds are not well understood, and this is the motivation for this work. Alkali and alkaline-earth metal GICs (A/AE-GICs) were modelled using density func- tional theory (and benchmarked with quantum chemistry) to investigate their hydrogen storage capabilities and their stability against decomposition into the metal hydride and pure graphite upon hydrogenation. Detailed studies of the calcium-GIC were per- formed and also a survey of the other A/AE-GICs. The effect of the commonly modelled MC14 GIC compared with the experimental MC12 stoichiometry has been investigated to bridge the gap between experiment and theory. The calcium-GIC was found to favourably absorb hydrogen within U.S. Department of Energy targets, but was found to be extremely unstable. Our investigations showed that all AE-GICs are unstable. Heavier A-GICs were found to stably absorb hydrogen at reasonable volumetric densities at the cost of gravimetric densities. The theoreti- cally modelled MC14 stoichiometry was found to be fundamentally different from the experimental MC12 stoichiometry, with the latter breaking the simple symmetry of the former and offering many more distinct absorption sites and barriers to diffusion. Pair potentials have been built and parametrised to KC14 to aid simple modelling of KCn GICs in, for example, classical molecular dynamics.


Abstract Climate change and increasing world population call for careful utilization of water and energy sources. Microalgae to treat wastewater in a coupled process to produce biofuels and other value-added products for human consumption are promising solutions. An analysis of culture parameters and cultivation processes is presented as essential to achieve economical sustainability from the algae. Results of the activity of microalgal strains in detoxification of wastewater are compared and discussed, particularly in remediation of nitrogen and phosphorous compounds, heavy metal, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Phycoremediation mechanisms and culture conditions to obtain optimal microalgal growth are discussed. Finally, valuable products that can be produced by microalgae and ecological problems of untreated wastewater are presented.


While the bulk of previous studies on incidental vocabulary learning through audio-visual materials have looked at the differential effects of some input modalities (e.g., L1 subtitles vs L2 captions), little research has examined the effects of other important modalities of audio-visual input. The present research study investigates L2 incidental vocabulary short-term learning and long-term retention in four different audio-visual input conditions. More precisely, adopting a quasi-experimental research design, this study compares the effects of four modalities of audio-visual input: video, audio, and caption (VAC), video and audio (VA), caption and audio, (CA), and audio only (A only) on incidental learning and retention of knowledge of 36 target words' spoken form recognition, meaning recall, and meaning recognition. Additionally, the study examines the predictive roles of an item-related variable (frequency of occurrence) and a learner-related variable (working memory) in incidental vocabulary learning through the four different input conditions. The study used a range of data collection methods. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed through three vocabulary tests: spoken form recognition, spoken meaning recall, and spoken meaning recognition. These were administered at three different time points as, pre-tests, immediate post-tests, and delayed post-tests. Working memory capacity was measured using two verbal tests, (forward digit recall and backward digit recall) and two visuospatial tests, (dot matrix and odd one out). The study demonstrated that the four audio-visual input conditions resulted in L2 incidental vocabulary learning of the three vocabulary knowledge dimensions. The findings showed that the four modalities of audio-visual input had differential effects on incidental short-term learning of the three vocabulary knowledge types. The captioning conditions (CA and VAC) were more effective than the non-captioning conditions (VA and A only) for fostering form learning. The visual condition (VA) was the most effective condition for promoting meaning knowledge. Additionally, large attrition rates of the three vocabulary knowledge dimensions were found across the four experimental groups. The results also demonstrated that the effect of frequency of occurrence varied based on the modalities of audio-visual input and the target word knowledge aspects. In relation to the role of working memory, the findings indicated that individual differences in working memory capacity did not account for the variations in the vocabulary scores on the immediate and delayed post-tests. A number of pedagogical implications regarding the effects of the different modalities of audio-visual input on vocabulary learning and retention are presented.


Background: Increasing meal frequency is commonly used in the clinical practice as part of the nutritional treatment of patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2), although its effect on metabolic control parameters is controversial. Aim: To evaluate the association of energy intake, meal frequency, and amount of carbohydrates with fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin in a group of patients with DM2 without insulin therapy. Material and methods: Dietary intake was evaluated in 60 subjects with DM2 through three-day food records. The meal frequency was estimated establishing the main meal times considering snacks. Results: Meal frequency was 4.7 ± 1.1 times per day. There was a positive association between glycosylated and fasting blood glucose levels (p <0.01). Meal frequency was associated with energy intake (p <0.01). When meal frequency, available carbohydrates and energy intake, body mass index and fasting plasma glucose were analyzed in a multiple linear regression model, fasting blood glucose was the variable that best predicted changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (45.5%). Meal frequency had no association with glycosylated hemoglobin. Conclusions: Meal frequency showed no association with metabolic control parameters in DM2 patients.


Inhibitors of histone deacetylases have been approved for clinical application in cancer treatment. On the other hand, histone acetyltransferase inhibitors have not been investigated for their potential use in cancer therapy. In prostate cancer the histone acetyltransferases and coactivators p300 and CBP are upregulated and induce transcription of androgen-receptor responsive genes, even in the absence or in the presence of low levels of androgen receptor. To discover a potential anti-cancer effect of p300/CBP inhibition we used two different approaches: i) downregulation of p300 and CBP by specific siRNA and ii) chemical inhibition of the acetyltransferase activity by a newly developed small molecule. Knockdown of p300 by specific siRNA, but surprisingly not of CBP led to an increase of caspase-dependent apoptosis involving both extrinsic and intrinsic cell death pathways in androgen-dependent and castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Induction of apoptosis was mediated by several pathways including inhibition of androgen-receptor responsive genes and decrease of expression levels of the NF-κB subunit p65 due to a higher turnover of the protein. Furthermore, cell invasion was decreased upon p300, but not CBP depletion and was accompanied by a lower MMP-9 transcription. Thus, p300 and CBP have differential roles in the processes of survival and invasion of prostate cancer cells. Induction of apoptosis in prostate cancer cells was confirmed by the use of the cell permeable small molecule inhibitor of p300/CBP′s acetyltransferase domain. Taken together, those results suggest that p300 inhibition is a promising approach for the development of new anti-cancer therapies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1622. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1622


It is very important for the improvement of web service to develop high performance ondemand service by script language easily. In this paper, by the analyzing of on-demand service requirement, the architecture of on-demand service framework by script language is purposed first. Than, the framework was filled by Groovy script language as a sample, and named Groovy service. Furthermore, it is designed and implemented based on Java language and Tomcat/Axis. At last, the test shows that the script language based on-demand service architecture is more flexible and powerful without heavy overhead.


The Venezuelan hyperinflation process has caused serious economic and social consequences. The wave of migrants and refugees fleeing the country is one of the most obvious and important faces of the problem. The objective of this paper is to develop a model that can explain labor migration flow from changes in price level and apply it to the Venezuelan reality. We make use of a theoreticalmethodological framework related to the New Economic Geography. Results from our model's simulations show that, in the short run (1-year simulation horizon), Venezuelan industrial and agricultural workers will tend to migrate to nearby countries, such as Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. However, in the long run (10-year simulation horizon), agents seem to decide based on real wage differential. This explains why industrial workers have a propensity to migrate to Chile, Panama, Peru and Mexico, while agricultural workers have an incentive to move to Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Brazil.


Purpose: The study's purpose is to assess both the region's economic development and the SHG's wide range of activities. The paper emphasizes on the appropriate use of fund for economic purpose leading to the growth of rural area.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is based on primary data gathered from the Sanjeevini SHG groups officials during the fieldwork and other related information from local public residing in that area and Bajpe Gram panchayat.
Findings: The study helps us to know the involvement of people in the economic growth of the area. Achievement of groups enhances free flow of funds and challenges faced by groups in dealing with people and the area.
Originality/Value: This study is an attempt to trace role of SHG groups in development of rural areas and factors responsible for the growth of the panchayat.
Research Type: Case Study.


1067e the chance of recurrence incrementally.5–8 Although Chen et al. completed an extensive systematic review, ultimately the comparisons made should not guide our practice with regard to recurrence of disease. Two of the six studies, which were included in the open partial fasciectomy cohort, underwent dermofasciectomy.9 In addition, one study included surgery for recurrent disease.10 These patients would have a far different spectrum of disease compared with those amenable to collagenase treatment and therefore one cannot draw conclusions unless a study compares a matched cohort. Also, the incidence of nerve division in the open partial fasciectomy cohort of 2 to 7.7 percent is higher than one would expect, perhaps indicating the severity of disease in this cohort. Fat grafting is certainly a novel technique in the treatment of Dupuytren's disease; however, there is only one publication to date that has described its use, with no long-term data.11 In addition, this procedure is carried out under general or regional anaesthesia and involves an abdominal flank donor site to harvest the fat. Although the morbidity associated with liposuction is low, we feel that it excludes it from a minimally invasive treatment category. The operative time of 1 to 1.5 hours is far in excess of needle aponeurotomy or collagenase injection, but also of segmental fasciectomy, which we argue is no less invasive, and there is robust support of its effectiveness in the literature.6,12–14 The surgical treatment of Dupuytren's contracture has evolved since the original description by Sir Henry Clines, and novel minimally invasive treatments are offering exciting new possibilities. Surgery, in its many forms, remains the cornerstone of Dupuytren's treatment, and how these new techniques compare in relation to time, cost, hand function, recurrence rates, morbidity, and patient satisfaction is as yet uncertain. DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000001301


Aesthetics, like other philosophical subjects, has historically made use of «top down» (mentalistic, analytic, and linguistic) methods. Recent discoveries in genetics, evolutionary psychology, paleoarchaeology, and neuroscience call for a new «naturalistic» or «bottom up» perspective. Combining these fields with behavioral biology and ethnoarts studies, I offer seven premises that underlie a new understanding of evolved predispositions of the brain/mind that all artists use to attract attention, sustain interest, and create, mold, and shape emotion. I describe aesthetic «primitives» in somatic and behavioral (as well as psychosensory) modalities, suggesting that these were present in early sapiens and continue to influence human art making and aesthetic response today. Keywords: Aesthetic Mind; Neuroaesthetics, evolutionary aesthetics, cognitive aesthetics, evolution of art.


Teladorsagia circumcincta is the most important gastrointestinal parasite in the livestock industry in temperate regions around the world, causing great economic losses. The infective third-stage larvae (L3) of Teladorsagia circumcincta secrete a large number of excretory-secretory (E/S) molecules, some of which are likely to play critical roles in modulating the host immune response. One of the most abundant E/S molecules is a protein termed Tci-gal-1, which has similarity to mammalian galectins. Galectins are a family of carbohydrate-binding molecules, with characteristic domain organisation and affinity for β-galactosids that mediate a variety of important cellular functions including inflammation and immune responses. To understand the role of Tci-gal-1 at the host–parasite interface, we used a proteomics pull-down approach to identify Tc-gal-1 interacting proteins from sheep abomasal scrapes and whole tissue. A total of 135 unique proteins were identified from whole abomasal tissue samples, while 89 proteins were isolated from abomasal scrape samples. Of these proteins, 63 were present in both samples. Many of the host proteins identified, such as trefoil factors and mucin-like proteins, play critical roles in the host response. The identification of Tci-gal-1 binding partners provides new insights on host–parasite interactions and could lead to the development of new control strategies.


Abstract: Introduction: Medical training is a long and expensive process. Admission processes are highly competitive all over the world but being accepted is no guarantee of academic success. Medical school is demanding and stressful, and some students are not able to cope with this new scenario successfully. It is estimated that 10-15% of medical students experience difficulties in adapting to the course, which can lead to academic failure. The identification of predictive factors of failure supports the creation of mechanisms and strategies to avoid course dropout or graduation delay. To identify predictive factors of academic failure in a Brazilian medical program. Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out with all medical students admitted to a private Brazilian medical school in 2010 and 2011. The main outcome was academic success. Academic failure was defined as graduation delay or course dropout (Group 1), and academic success was defined as graduating within 6 years (Group 2). Sociodemographic and academic data were collected, including grades obtained at the admission process and the first-semester courses. Freshman students and students with passing grades in the first semester (passed students) were analyzed separately. Descriptive and comparative analyses, logistic regression and ROC curve analysis were performed. The level of significance was 0.05. Results: A total of 312 students were admitted during the study period, but 10 were excluded due to lack of information. Of the 302 students included in the study, 105 were included in Group 1 and 197 were included in Group 2. Thirty-two students failed the first semester. The 270 students with passing grades in the first semester were divided into Group 1 (n=73) and Group 2 (n=197). Among the freshman students, lower admission grades were associated with a higher chance of failure (padjusted=0.012). Of the 270 students with passing grades, low academic performance (courses' mean grades) was associated with graduation delay (padjusted<0.001). Conclusions: Low grades at the admission process (freshman students) and low academic performance in the first semester (students with passing grades) were predictive factors of academic failure.


Taxation, as fundamental element of budgetary revenue, represents the subject of newest utilization. Budget revenues through importance they hold, exercises a direct influence on the behavior of people being used by natural and legal persons as modeling tools in the economic and social life. Using the generic concept of taxation we can obtain a plurality of components, it's defining elements, such as expression level of tax levies by various reports, the legal framework on tax revenue, financial institutions with responsibility for budgetary and fiscal powers, mandatory sampling methods, techniques and procedures used in the settlement and settlement revenue collection and budget. Performance of the economy at a time, effective use of public spending financed by taxes, public needs set by government policy and approved by Parliament, taxpayers, understanding of the budgetary needs, state of democracy in that country reached the level of taxation this one being determined by mentioned factors.


Background: Hydrotherapy, is also called as aquatic or water therapy, and its benefits include improved
muscle strength and endurance, increased joint range of motion and enhanced cardio respiratory functioning
and reduced cardio metabolic risk profile. Utilization of hydrotherapy during labor and child birth is
increasing globally among the educated public. Despite its exclusive benefits, data on its safety and
outcomes are still lacking especially in India. Hence it is the need of the hour for the clinicians to discuss
the potential benefits and safety of water birth and utilize it particularly for women with uncomplicated
pregnancy who prefer physiological childbirth and wish to avoid the use of pharmacological pain relief
methods.
Objectives: To assess and validate about the maternal and neonatal outcomes of hydrobirthing from a series
of parturients who volunteered for the utilization of hydrotherapy during labor and childbirth.
Materials and Methods: This case series consist of 26 out of 33 pregnant women who opted for
hydrobirthing between 1 December 2015 and 31 April 2019 at a tertiary care hospital with NABH
accreditation. Booked cases with uncomplicated pregnancy and who were on regular antenatal check
up, with gestational age >37 consent. The dataset was limited to vaginal delivery following spontaneous labor and included pre-specified
outcomes such as labor pain, perineal tear , episiotomy, post partum hemorrhage (PPH), temperature
after delivery and apgar scores of the new born to evaluate the maternal and fetal outcomes following
hydrotherapy and the results were discussed.
Conclusions: The present case series on hydro birthing has demonstrated that it is one among the safe
natural mode of labor without any serious maternal and neonatal complications. Further study on a large
scale with evaluation of long-term outcomes would help to generalise the observed outcomes of the present
study.

Keywords: Water birth, Delivery, Childbirth, Labor, Hydrotherap


Tamara T. Chin examines how relations between China and the Xiongnu transformed the discourse of China's imperial frontiers during the Han dynasty (206 b.c.e .–220 c.e .), and particularly how early Han dynasty political debates about the Han-Xiongnu "peace through kinship" (heqin 和親) treaty shaped Sima Qian's ethnography. She shows that Sima Qian, whose description of the Xiongnu introduced empirical ethnography into the Chinese tradition, represented the Xiongnu from multiple perspectives and drew attention to political bias in Han discussions of the Xiongnu. His portrait of "Han customs" provided a comparative ethnography of Han and Xiongnu kinship that exposed the tensions in early Han-dynasty disputes over the meaning of the metaphor of heqin kinship. Later historiography, though modeling itself on Sima Qian's work, lacks both his unease about Han bias and his self-reflexivity in representing foreigners.


In this paper, we propose a novel content-aware image resizing method based on grid transformation. Our method focuses on not only keeping important regions unchanged but also keeping the aspect ratio of the main object in an image unchanged. The dual conditions can avoid distortion which often occurs when only using the former condition. Our method first calculates image importance. Next, we extract the main objects on an image by using image importance. Finally, we calculate the optimal grid transformation which suppresses changes in size of important regions and in the aspect ratios of the main objects. Our method uses lower and upper thresholds for transformation to suppress distortion due to extreme shrinking and enlargement. To achieve better resizing results, we introduce a boundary discarding process. This process can assign wider regions to important regions, reducing distortions on important regions. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method resizes images with less distortion than other resizing methods.


Although Brazil was inhabited by more than 3,000 Indigenous populations prior to European colonization, today's Indigenous peoples represent less than 1% of Brazil's census population. Some of the decimated communities belonged to the so-called "Botocudos" from central-eastern Brazil. These peoples are thought to represent a case of long-standing genetic continuity bearing a strong craniometric resemblance to that of the oldest Indigenous Americans ("Paleoamericans"). Yet, little is known about their origins and genetic relationship to other Native Americans, as only two "Botocudo" genomes have been sequenced so far and those were surprisingly of Polynesian ancestry. To deepen our knowledge on the genomic history of pre-contact Indigenous Americans and the pathogens they were exposed to, we carbon-dated and sequenced 24 ancient Brazilians (including 22 "Botocudos") whose remains were hosted at the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro and recovered prior to the tragic 2018 fire. The resulting genomes' depth of coverage ranged from 0.001× to 24×. Their genetic ancestry was found to be Indigenous American without gene flow from external populations such as Europeans, Africans or Polynesians. Unlike Mesoamericans, the "Botocudos" and Amazonians do not seem to have experienced a population expansion once in the Americas. Moreover, remarkably, their genomes exhibit amongst the lowest levels of heterozygosity worldwide and long runs of homozygosity, which could be explained by unique social practices or a very small effective size. Finally, whole genomes of likely ancient pathogens were recovered, including lineages of Human parvovirus B19 that were possibly introduced after the European contact. Significance statement To better understand the genetic relationship among Indigenous populations in Brazil, we sequenced the genomes of 24 ancient individuals (22 of which labelled as "Botocudos", a term used to describe hunter-gatherer tribes) whose remains were hosted at the Museu Nacional of Rio de Janeiro prior to the tragic fire that consumed it in 2018. Unlike two previously published "Botocudo" genomes, the 22 "Botocudos" from this study have Indigenous American-related ancestry without any Polynesian-related ancestry, and they are similarly related to several Native Brazilian populations. Finally, unlike Eurasian hunter-gatherers, the "Botocudos" exhibit among the lowest heterozygosity and longest runs of homozygosity worldwide – compatible with a very small effective size and suggesting a unique social structure among hunter-gatherers in the Americas.


Water level controlled gas emissions from North Florida swamp forests. Under flooded conditions, CO2 and CH4 were the principle carbon gases transported to the atmosphere by bubble ebullition and molecular diffusion. The respective emission rates were for CO2, 29.3 ± 16.4 (13% by means of ebullition, 87% by means of diffusion, error is ± 1 standard deviation throughout) and for CH4, 2.16 ± 2.24 (45% by means of ebullition, 55% by means of diffusion) mol m−2 yr−1. Methane emissions were significantly attenuated by CH4 oxidation which occurred primarily at the sediment-water interface. Forty-six ± 22 % (n=19) of the belowground CH4 diffusing to this interface was oxidized before it could escape to the atmosphere. Under dry conditions, CO2 was the principle carbon gas released and atmospheric CH4 was consumed by microbes in the soil. The respective rates were 101.2 ± 26.80 and −0.015 ± 0.005 mol mr−2 yr−1. A carbon budget for the degradation of soil organic matter was developed for a swamp forest site under flooded and dry conditions. Assuming that live root respiration accounted for 67% (value determined in a swamp forest and is at the upper range of literature values) of the total CO2 emissions (given above), we calculate that under flooded conditions carbon remineralization proceeded at a total rate of 11.9 mol C m−2 yr−1. Forty-nine percent of the remineralization was by means of nonmethanogenic processes which produce CO2; the balance was by means of methanogenic processes, which produce both CH4 and CO2. Under dry conditions, remineralization was dominated by aerobic processes at a rate of 33.7 mol C m−2 yr−1. Carbon inputs to the soil occurred by aboveground and belowground production. Aboveground litter production contributed 25.6 mol C m−2 yr−1. If belowground production contributed an equal amount, then over the course of this study organic carbon accumulated in the soils at rates of 39.3 and 17.5 mol C m−2 yr−1 under flooded and dry conditions, respectively. If root respiration accounted for only 6% (lowest value in literature) of the total CO2 emissions, organic carbon would accumulate in the soil at a rate of 21.6 mol C m−2 d−1 under flooded conditions and be lost from the soil at a rate of 43.8 mol C m−2 d−1 under dry conditions.


Antitumor effect of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha lacking one to three amino acids from the N terminal part (TNFNv3) was tested for its antitumor effect on subcutaneous fibrosarcoma SA-1 tumors. Peritumoral treatment with 5 x 10(4) U TNFNv3 three times every second day significantly delayed tumor growth. Treatment with 10 times higher dose (5 x 10(5) U) produced 6.0 +/- 1.0 days tumor growth delay, but had side effects such as weight loss. The two new desmuramyl N-acyl dipeptides, LK-409 and LK-410, also exhibited such effect; however, the tumor growth delay was barely significant. The treatment was performed with two concentrations (2.5 micrograms and 25.0 micrograms) applied intraperitoneally for 5 consecutive days, without a dose-dependent effect. Combined treatment with TNFNv3 and desmuramyl dipeptides augmented the antitumor effect of treatments. The effect was additive and significant in the combination of 2.5 micrograms LK-410 with 5 x 10(5) U TNFNv3. LK-410 treatment also reduced the side effects of TNFNv3. The results indicate that combined treatment with both biological response modifiers is effective in tumor treatment.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of the volar capsular ligament complex on stability of the wrist joint and to provide basic biomechanical theoretical criteria for clinic application of the external fixator.

METHODS
Nine upper limbs specimens (left 6, right 3) were taken from fresh adult cadavers to make wrist joint-bone capsular ligament complex specimens. Firstly, soft tissues of forearms and hands were resected and capsular membranes and ligaments were reserved to make the bone-articular ligament complex (normal specimen). Secondly, the volar capsular ligament complex was cut off from radial malleolus to ulnar malleolus (impaired specimen). Thirdly, the impaired volar capsular ligament complex was uninterruptedly sutured by the use of 4# suture silk (repaired specimen). To simulate clinical operation with external fixator, the biomechanical test was done according to the sequence (normal, impaired, repaired, repaired and fixed, impaired and fixed). Statistical significance was analyzed through selected loads at the three different shifts (1.5, 2.0, 2.5 cm).

RESULTS
According to the sequence (normal, impaired, repaired, repaired and fixed, impaired and fixed), when the shift was 1.5 cm, the different respective loads were (60.74 +/- 20.60), (35.23 +/- 13.88), (44.36 +/- 20.78), (168.40 +/- 29.21) and (139.00 +/- 33.18) N, respectively. When the shift was 2.0 cm, the different loads were (138.46 +/- 12.93), (87.17 +/- 24.22), (97.52 +/- 23.29), (289.00 +/- 54.29) and (257.98 +/- 55.74) N, respectively. When the shift was 2.5 cm, the different loads were (312.87 +/- 37.15), (198.16 +/- 37.14), (225.66 +/- 30.96), (543.15 +/- 74.33) and (450.35 +/- 29.38) N, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the impaired and repaired specimens (P > 0.05). Similarly, there was statistically significant difference among the rest specimens (P < 0.05). The same statistical results were obtained when the two different shifts were compared. There was statistically significant difference at the three different shifts for the same specimen (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Volar capsular ligament complex is an important anatomic structure to keep stability of the wrist joint. The carpal instability arises out of the injured complex. Repairing the injured complex only can not immediately restore stability of the wrist joint. The external fixator can effectively help to diminish the relative shift of the impaired capsular ligament complex, to reduce the load of the repaired complex and to protect the complex accordingly. The device plays an important role in maintaining stability of the wrist joint.


The methods for properly executing inspection and maintenance of stormwater control measures are often ambiguous and inconsistently applied. This paper presents specific guidelines for inspecting and maintaining stormwater practices involving media filtration, infiltration, ponds, and permeable pavements because these tend to be widely implemented and often unsatisfactorily maintained. Guidelines and examples are based on recent scientific research and practitioner experience. Of special note are new assessment and maintenance methods, such as testing enhanced filtration media that targets dissolved constituents, maintaining proper vegetation coverage in infiltration practices, assessing phosphorus release from pond sediments, and the development of compressed impermeable regions in permeable pavements and their implications for runoff. Inspection and maintenance examples provided in this paper are drawn from practical examples in Northern Midwest USA, but most of the maintenance recommendations do not depend on regional characteristics, and guidance from around the world has been reviewed and cited herein.


Objectives The aim of this study was to use general practice data from the MedicineInsight program to determine the proportion and type of imaging of the low back region requested for people with acute low back pain (LBP) in Australian general practice. Many GPs are aware of the limited role of imaging in non-specific LBP, yet a large proportion of patients presenting to GPs with acute LBP receive an image request. Methods MedicineInsight operates under ethics approval and a robust data governance framework. De-identified patient data are extracted routinely from the clinical information systems (CIS) of consenting general practices participating in the MedicineInsight program. To ensure high quality data, MedicineInsight applies acceptability criteria before extracting from the CIS. A cohort of patients aged 18 years or older with acute LBP was identified by searching the MedicineInsight database. Both coded and free-text condition information were analysed from designated CIS fields including: diagnosis, reason for encounter and reason for prescription. Imaging requests were included only if the imaging was specific to the low back region. Requests made through the CIS, and results of imaging requests, including those ordered by other external clinical providers, received back to the practice were captured. Results National MedicineInsight data at 1 July 2018, show that from a total of 1,865,565 patients aged 18 years or older, 86,377 (4.6%) were managed for the condition of acute LBP in MedicineInsight practices in the previous 12 months. Of these patients, more than one third (34%) received a lumbosacral image request in the previous 12 months (either Medicare Benefits Schedule [MBS] or privately rendered). The highest proportion of imaging requested in these patients was for computed tomography (CT) scans (57%), followed by X-rays (42%) and then magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (19%). Unique patients were counted more than once only if they received more than one type of image request. Conclusion Lumbosacral imaging is not indicated for the management of acute non-specific low back pain and should be reserved for the very small amount (up to 1%) of patients with acute low back pain where a potentially serious underlying condition is suspected. Outcomes of this study showed that more than one third of MedicineInsight patients with acute low back pain received a lumbosacral image request in the previous 12 months. MedicineInsight data also indicated CT scans were the most common request types when imaging was requested for these patients, which was comparable to MBS lumbosacral imaging data for the financial year 2017–18. This study shows the type and extent of imaging requested for patients with acute low back pain in Australian primary care, which is clearly too high. The effectiveness of presenting MedicineInsight data to GPs to influence rates of image request for patients with LBP is yet to be evaluated.


The influence of zinc content in the diet on cadmium retention in the liver and kidney was studied in growing chicks. Cadmium and zinc concentrations used were similar to those occurring in normally feeds. Increasing cadmium levels in feeds resulted in increasing cadmium concentrations in organs. The cadmium levels in liver were about half as high as in kidneys. Physical conditions and growth rate of the chicks remained unaffected by the cadmium feeding. Cadmium retention in liver and kidneys was related to the zinc content of the diet. Feeding zinc-deficient diets resulted in a 40% higher cadmium retention than feeding adequate zinc diets (50 mg/kg). Excessive zinc levels had no additional effect on cadmium retention.


Abstract The author describes the properties and mechanisms of visual perception in the context of their significance to the principles of symbol design as used in cartography. Map perception relies on the process of visual perception. Therefore, the knowledge of its inner workings in the map environment allows cartographers to construct cartographic symbols in agreement with the properties of the visual system. Visual perception involves neurosensory processes taking place between the eye and the short-term memory. As such, they operate independently of the beholder's consciousness and significantly influence the information received by the map user. The author discusses the mechanisms of human vision and the nature of the process of visual perception. It also shows the relationships between the image characteristic and the visual system's properties such as the optical resolution, visual adaptation, reactions of inhibition and reinforcement, reactions to the image characteristics – as well as the phenomena of contrast, grouping and spatial arrangement. The principles of constructing map symbols that have been developed in the long course of cartography, and based mostly on the map makers' intuition, find validation in the light of properties and mechanisms of visual perception. As discussed in the paper, the fundamental properties and basic mechanisms of human vision support the view that knowledge of how the visual system works provides foundation for articulating new mapping guidelines and cartographers' calls for stricter observance of cartographic principles are fully justified.


Kingman derived the Ewens sampling formula for random partitions describing the genetic variation in a neutral mutation model defined by a Poisson process of mutations along lines of descent governed by a simple coalescent process, and observed that similar methods could be applied to more complex models. Mohle described the recursion which determines the general- ization of the Ewens sampling formula in the situation when the lines of descent are governed by a �-coalescent, which allows multiple mergers. Here we show that the basic integral representa- tion of transition rates for the �-coalescent is forced by sampling consistency under more general assumptions on the coalescent process. Exploiting an analogy with the theory of regenerative partition structures, we provide various characterizations of the associated partition structures in terms of discrete-time Markov chains.


Byzantine fault-tolerant state-machine replication (BFT-SMR) is a technique for hardening systems to tolerate arbitrary faults. Although robust, BFT-SMR protocols are very costly in terms of the number of required replicas (3f+1 to tolerate f faults) and of exchanged messages. However, with "hybrid" architectures, where "normal" components trust some "special" components to provide properties in a trustworthy manner, the cost of using BFT can be dramatically reduced. Unfortunately, even though such hybridization techniques decrease the message/time/space complexity of BFT protocols, they also increase their structural complexity. Therefore, we introduce Asphalion, the first theorem prover-based framework for verifying implementations of hybrid systems and protocols. It relies on three novel languages: (1) HyLoE: a Hybrid Logic of Events to reason about hybrid fault models; (2) MoC: a Monadic Component language to implement systems as collections of interacting hybrid components; and (3) LoCK: a sound Logic of events-based Calculus of Knowledge to reason about both homogeneous and hybrid systems at a high-level of abstraction (thereby allowing reusing proofs, and capturing the high-level logic of distributed systems). In addition, Asphalion supports compositional reasoning, e.g., through mechanisms to lift properties about trusted-trustworthy components, to the level of the distributed systems they are integrated in. As a case study, we have verified crucial safety properties (e.g., agreement) of several implementations of hybrid protocols.


To predict stock price is always a challenging task. The stock prices are dependent on many factors. Much research has been done in this field but it has been difficult to find the right features, which will help predict the prices with high accuracy. When you try to analyze stock price using historical stock data, it has many attributes (feature set) containing useful as well as redundant features. Thus there is a need to remove the unwanted stock information. In this research we first try to find the best features from the available company data as well as data about similar companies and stock indexes. The best-extracted features are then used to predict stock prices using different machine learning algorithms. Based on the results obtained in the previous experiments, we then implemented two new techniques for predicting stock prices. We used genetic algorithms and evolution strategies. The results obtained using these algorithms were promising. In each case the accuracy obtained was more than 70%. In this research, data of eight companies was used, each having six attributes. Also NASDAQ and S & P 500 data was used for predicting the stock prices.


Glucocorticoids are commonly prescribed medications to treat multiple diseases across many medical specialties. One of the most common yet largely unappreciated side effect of glucocorticoid use is increased risk of fracture. Many different therapies are indicated to prevent and treat this condition; many guidelines exist that suggest appropriate use of both glucocorticoids and the medications approved to prevent this common side effect of glucocorticoid therapy. Nevertheless, 30%–50% of patients on long-term glucocorticoid therapy sustain a fracture. Teriparatide, recombinant human parathyroid hormone (1–34), is a daily self-injectable therapy for 24 months approved for use in patients taking long-term glucocorticoids. Teriparatide has been shown to increase bone mineral density and reduce vertebral fracture risk in glucocorticoid-treated patients. Glucocorticoids have many adverse effects on bone that teriparatide has been shown to prevent or negate. Given the fact that preventive therapy for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is often not prescribed, one wonders whether a daily self-injectable therapy for this condition would be prescribed by physicians and accepted by patients. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathophysiology, treatment, guidelines, and persistence data (when available) for patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis treated with teriparatide.


This year's recipient is a very worthy addition to the list of Gold Medal winners, whose important contributions to the development of ultrasound are still felt today. Hugh Robinson was born in 1943 in Ayr, in the south of Scotland. He was educated at Ayr Academy, a school that was founded – I love saying this in America – in 1202, and completed his medical education at Glasgow University, qualifying in 1967. In 1972, he became First Assistant to Professor Ian Donald at the Queen Mother's Hospital in Glasgow and from 1973 to 1975 he pioneered firsttrimester studies on fetal heart rate, crown–rump length measurement and early pregnancy failure. It is of note that many of his publications in this period carry only the name of Hugh Robinson there was no droit du seigneur with Ian Donald; if one of Donald's junior doctors made an advance or had an original idea then he let them publish it with their name on the title page alone. Ian Donald was in this regard the most generous of men. In 1977–1978, Hugh collaborated with Joachim Hackelöer in his pioneering work on follicular and corpus luteal development. He subsequently moved to Melbourne, Australia, to take up a position as Assistant Professor at the Royal Women's Hospital. There he collaborated with Lachlan de Crespigny on numerous papers on subjects such as ectopic pregnancy, fertility scanning and interventional ultrasound. From 1987 to 1992, he was instrumental in setting up a training program for ultrasound as a subspecialty in obstetrics and gynecology in Australia and he discussed this in an early Editorial for Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Hugh retired from medical practice in 2006 to run his own vineyard, on the Mornington Peninsula located south of Melbourne. I have been told by an expert that Hugh's vineyard produces the best pinot noir in the world. As always with Hugh, he is meticulous in everything that he does. Many of our Gold Medal winners have received the award for a lifetime of endeavor. In Hugh's case, it is for his extraordinary burst of innovation over those few years in the early 1970s. His paper 'Sonar measurement of fetal crown–rump length as means of assessing maturity in first trimester of pregnancy' was published in the British Medical Journal in 1973. I have to admit that at the time I was somewhat incredulous that it was possible to predict the gestational age from the crown–rump length measurement to within 3 days between the 6th and 14th weeks of gestation. The best that I could do at that time with the biparietal diameter in the second trimester Hugh Robinson scanning with the Diasonograph in c.1975.


Biocatalytic retrosynthetic analysis of dibenz[c,e]azepines has highlighted the use of imine reductase (IRED) and ω-transaminase (ω-TA) biocatalysts to establish the key stereocentres of these molecules. Several enantiocomplementary IREDs were identified for the synthesis of (R)- and (S)-5-methyl-6,7-dihydro-5H-dibenz[c,e]azepine with excellent enantioselectivity, by reduction of the parent imines. Crystallographic evidence suggests that IREDs may be able to bind one conformer of the imine substrate such that, upon reduction, the major product conformer is generated directly. ω-TA biocatalysts were also successfully employed for the production of enantiopure 1-(2-bromophenyl)ethan-1-amine, thus enabling an orthogonal route for the installation of chirality into dibenz[c,e]azepine framework.


............................................................................................................................................................... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................................iv LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER


High-performance computing (HPC) storage systems become increasingly critical to scientific applications given the data-driven discovery paradigm shift. As a storage solution for large-scale HPC systems, dozens of applications share the same storage system, and will compete and can interfere with each other. Application interference can dramatically degrade the overall storage system performance. Therefore, developing a flexible and effective storage solution to assure a certain level of resources per application, i.e. the Quality-of-Service (QoS) support, is critical. One of the common solution to achieve QoS assurance for storage systems is using provisioning technique~\cite{3}. Provisioning refers to the ability of providing certain amount of resources for applications and expected workloads. However, provisioning has limitations such as requiring the detailed knowledge of the expected workloads. In addition, the storage workloads are transient hence expensive to be satisfied. Due to these limitations, providing QoS storage systems through provisioning is challenging.
In this research, a software-defined approach~\cite{0} is proposed as a flexible solution to achieve QoS guarantee for storage systems. The driving force of using a software-defined approach instead of the traditional approaches, is that it has the ability to enable a more flexible, scalable, and efficient platform. For example, if any changes occurred in the system, it does not necessarily need to re-configure thousands of devices; instead, with re-configuring a logically centralized component, other devices will be automatically notified.


The efficacies of the new strobilurin fungicide kresoxim-methyl for the protection of apple leaves from infection by baseline populations of Venturia inaequalis were uniform across five major apple growing regions in North America. The mean ED50 value determined for 25 populations was 0.35 μg ml-1, with values ranging from 0.11 μg ml-1 to 0.75 μg ml-1. The mean level of scab control achieved at the kresoxim-methyl dose of 4 μg ml-1 was 93%. For one of the five orchards sampled in each region, kresoxim-methyl sensitivities of germinating conidia were determined. Sensitivities of 250 isolates were broadly distributed, with ED50 values ranging from 0.003 μg ml-1 to 0.14 μg ml-1 and a mean of 0.02 μg ml-1. This broad range of in vitro sensitivities was not reflected for the in vivo efficacy of kresoxim-methyl in the protection of apple leaves from scab infections. The discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro sensitivities implies that in vivo tests are more useful for the monitoring of kresoxim-methyl sensitivities of orchard populations. Because it can be expected that only isolates resistant under both test conditions will be prone to future selection, such isolates will contribute to increased frequencies of the least sensitive isolates described in this baseline study. Testing of in vitro isolate sensitivities will, therefore, provide an additional tool in the monitoring of kresoxim-methyl resistance development.


In an effort to measure both fear of HIV/AIDS contagion and possible co-factors, two cohorts (n = 331) of incoming graduate level nursing students were surveyed during two consecutive academic years. All completed a Risk Perception Scale and an AIDS Attitude Scale; additionally, 118 completed an AIDS Knowledge Scale. Findings indicate this population had tremendous fears of the possibility of HIV infection. Estimates of potential contagion far outweighed scientific estimates of risk, and in some cases corresponded to behaviors that are scientifically purported to have no risk. Of interest in this same regard were perceptions of increased risk in the case of visible testimony to disease (that is, in the case of holding a patient with Kaposi's sarcoma lesions versus one without) and in the case of a patient with AIDS (versus an HIV seropositive, asymptomatic patient). Results showed that exaggerated perceptions of risk were correlated with a lack of knowledge and with negative HIV-related attitudes. The study indicates the need for AIDS education that addresses biomedical findings and fact while concurrently addressing perceptions that may preclude the assimilation and application of such knowledge.


: We study maximally supersymmetric solutions of all gauged or deformed supergravity theories in D (cid:21) 3 space-time dimensions. For vanishing background (cid:13)uxes the space-time background has to be either Minkowski or anti-de Sitter. We derive a simple criterion for the existence of solutions with non-trivial (cid:13)uxes and determine all supergravities that satisfy it. We show that their solutions coincide with those of the corresponding ungauged theories and conclude that the known list of maximally supersymmetric solutions is exhaustive.


Purpose
This paper aims to analyse researchers' awareness about plagiarism and impact of plagiarism detection tools on the actions that they take to prevent plagiarism. It also employs a structural model that examines whether awareness of plagiarism and anti-plagiarism tools have any significant effect on the actions taken by the researchers to avoid plagiarism.

Design/methodology/approach
A survey questionnaire was distributed to researchers at a large public university in Bangladesh. The survey accumulated 184 valid responses. Descriptive statistics were obtained to assess researchers' awareness about plagiarism and impact of plagiarism detection tools and the actions taken by them. The reasons that may cause plagiarism were also identified. The awareness of the availability of the anti-plagiarism software that was being used by the university and its actual use by the researchers was gathered through the survey. Non-parametric Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were conducted to investigate the differences in awareness levels and actions in terms of gender, age, discipline and current level of research. The chi-square test was carried out to examine the relationship between awareness about the availability of the anti-plagiarism software and its use by the researchers. Finally, the survey data were analysed using structural equation modeling to examine the effects of awareness of plagiarism and anti-plagiarism software on the actions taken by the researchers.

Findings
The study revealed that the level of awareness regarding plagiarism and impact of plagiarism detection software is generally high among the researchers. There are some significant differences between researchers' demographic and personal characteristics and their awareness levels and actions with regard to plagiarism. The findings indicate that almost three-quarters of the researchers were aware about the anti-plagiarism tool that is being used, whereas more than half of the researchers indicated that they used the software to assess their works. The results of the structural equation model do not show a good fit, although there is strong statistical evidence that awareness about plagiarism and anti-plagiarism software has significantly impacted researchers' actions towards preventing plagiarism.

Originality/value
There is no reported study on researchers' awareness of plagiarism and its affiliated issues in Bangladesh. The findings of this study will not only provide useful insights regarding awareness about plagiarism but also assist university authorities to formulate relevant policy and take necessary actions against plagiarism in higher education institutions.


We present a physical parameter extraction methodology for BSIM3 to generate accurate pre-silicon parameters (parameters created before device fabrication). Using this method, the parameters of the 0.20 /spl mu/m process device can be generated from a 0.25 /spl mu/m technology with 5% accuracy in a few minutes. We applied this method in optimizing the devices of our microprocessor in the early stages of design.


PURPOSE
To prospectively depict carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-expressing tumors in mice with a high-affinity probe consisting of a near-infrared (NIR) fluorochrome and the clinically used anti-CEA antibody fragment arcitumomab.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was approved by the regional animal committee. By coupling a NIR fluorescent (NIRF) cyanine dye (DY-676) to a specific antibody fragment directed against CEA (arcitumomab) and a nonspecific IgG Fab fragment, a bio-optical high-affinity fluorescent probe (anti-CEA-DY-676) and a low-affinity fluorescent probe (FabIgG-DY-676) were designed. The dye-to-protein ratios were determined, and both probes were tested for NIRF imaging in vitro on CEA-expressing LS-174T human colonic adenocarcinoma cells and CEA-nonexpressing A-375 human melanoma cells by using a bio-optical NIR small-animal imager. In vivo data of xenografted LS-174T and A-375 tumors in mice (n = 10) were recorded and statistically analyzed (Student t test).

RESULTS
The dye-to-protein ratios were determined as 3.0-3.5 for both probes. In vitro experiments revealed the specific binding of the anti-CEA-DY-676 probe on CEA-expressing cells as compared with CEA-nonexpressing cells; the FabIgG-DY-676 probe showed a markedly lower binding affinity to cells. In vivo LS-174T tumors xenografted in all mice could be significantly distinguished from A-375 tumors with application of the anti-CEA-DY-676 but not with that of the FabIgG-DY-676 at different times (2-24 hours, P < .005) after intravenous injection of the probes. Semiquantitative analysis revealed maximal fluorescence signals of anti-CEA-DY-676 to CEA-expressing tumors about 8 hours after injection.

CONCLUSION
Findings of this study indicate the potential use of the high-affinity probe anti-CEA-DY-676 for specific NIRF imaging in in vivo tumor diagnosis.


In article methodical aspects of use of the WordPress platform for preparation of blogs and sites, for creation of a control system by a training content are discussed.


The RRM-type RNA-binding protein Mei2 is a master regulator of meiosis in fission yeast, in which it stabilizes meiosis-specific mRNAs by blocking their destruction. Artificial activation of Mei2 can provoke the entire meiotic process, and it is suspected that Mei2 may do more than the stabilization of meiosis-specific mRNAs. In our current study using a new screening system, we show that Mei2 genetically interacts with subunits of CTDK-I, which phosphorylates serine-2 residues on the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II (Pol II CTD). Phosphorylation of CTD Ser-2 is essential to enable the robust transcription of ste11, which encodes an HMG-type transcription factor that regulates the expression of mei2 and other genes necessary for sexual development. CTD Ser-2 phosphorylation increases under nitrogen starvation, and the stress-responsive MAP kinase pathway, mediated by Wis1 MAPKK and Sty1 MAPK, is critical for this stress response. Sty1 phosphorylates Lsk1, the catalytic subunit of CTDK-I. Furthermore, a feedback loop stemming from activated Mei2 to Win1 and Wis4 MAPKKKs operates in this pathway and eventually enhances CTD Ser-2 phosphorylation and ste11 transcription. Hence, in addition to starting meiosis, Mei2 functions to reinforce the commitment to it, once cells have entered this process. This study also demonstrates clearly that the stress-responsive MAP kinase pathway can modulates gene expression through phosphorylation of Pol II CTD.


Parmentier, E., Fine, M., Vandewalle, P., Ducamp, J.-J. and Lagardere, J.-P. 2006. Sound production in two carapids (Carapus acus and C. mourlani) and throught the sea cucumber teguments. —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 87: 113–119

Carapus acus and Carapus mourlani are able to live inside sea cucumbers and sea stars respectively. Unlike other carapids whose sounds have been recorded (C. boraborensis, C. homei and Encheliophis gracilis), these two species have a central constriction in their swimbladder and are unlikely to encounter heterospecific carapids within their hosts. We evoked sound production in Carapus acus and Carapus mourlani by adding several individuals to a tank with a single host and found that their sounds differ substantially from the sounds emitted by other carapids in pulse length, peak frequency and sharpness of tuning (Q3 dB). Unlike the other carapids, C. mourlani and C. acus produce shorter and less repetitive sounds and do not produce sounds when they enter their host. Since sounds produced within a sea cucumber have the potential to be heard by distant carapids and are typically recorded outside the sea cucumber, we examined the effect of the sea cucumber tegument on acoustic transmission. Attenuation by the tegument was negligible at the frequencies within carapid sounds. Therefore, carapids have the potential to call from the relative safety of a sea cucumber without sacrificing the distance over which their transmissions are heard.