Market participants have been surprised by the decline of U.S. interest rate swap rates relative to Treasury yields of equal maturity over the past two years, with interest rate swap spreads becoming negative for many maturities. This movement of swap spreads into negative territory has been attributed anecdotally to idiosyncratic factors such as changes in foreign reserve balances and liability duration management by corporations. However, we argue in this article that regulatory changes affected the willingness of supervised institutions to absorb shocks. In particular, we find that increases in the required leverage ratio may have changed the breakeven level of the swap spread at which market participants are willing to enter into spread trades. We present a stylized example of these economics, illustrating how a higher leverage ratio can help explain these historic movements in swap spreads.


In this paper, we study the entry and expansion decisions of McDonald's and KFC in China using an originally assembled data set on the two chains' expansion in the China market from their initial entry up to year 2007. We analyze how the presence of a rival affects each firm's strategies. The results indicate that a rival's presence has a net positive effect on a chain's expansion decision. We focus on testing two possible explanations for a positive rival impact: market learning and demand expansion. First, we derive a set of theoretical predictions on how a chain's optimal expansion decision would react to its rival's expansion patterns when market learning versus demand expansion is the driving force of the rival's positive influence. The empirical analysis based on these predictions consistently suggests that market learning is more likely to explain the positive effect of KFC on McDonald's and that demand expansion is more plausible with McDonald's positive spillover on KFC. In other words, the results are consistent with the presence of KFC signaling market demand potential and growth to McDonald's and the presence of McDonald's helping to cultivate consumer taste and generate demand for Western fast food, which benefits KFC.


The separate roles of falling, and constant low, body temperature in stimulating the vasomotor and thermogenetic responses of the white rat have been assessed. Peripheral vasoconstriction (indicated by conductance measurements) was induced by constant low body temperature, the degree being a function of the level of temperature. At any temperature, the degree was further increased initially when the temperature began to fall unless heat production was elevated instead. It was decreased initially when the temperature began to rise. Heat production was not significantly correlated with constant body temperature unless 'corrected' to normal temperature according to the Q 10 law. Heat production was always significantly increased when an already low temperature was caused to decrease further. Oscillations of colon temperature in animals exposed to constant environments have been described.


A series of acetone-sensitized photodecarboxylation reactions involving phthalimides have been investigated using conventional and microphotochemistry. Both, intra- and intermolecular transformations were compared. In all cases examined, the reactions performed in microreactors were superior in terms of conversions or isolated yields. These findings unambiguously prove the advantage of microphotochemistry over conventional photochemical techniques.


This article describes the changes in population number and structure, of Merlin ( Falco columbarius ) at the southern limit of its breeding range. Breeding phenology, reproductive efficiency and success, and prey species composition were analysed during 2014-2015.


This Letter discusses how re-emission of absorbed solar light by centimeter- to decimeter-sized structures on the surface of an asteroid can create a component of the recoil force that is parallel to the surface. Under certain conditions, the western sides of stones appears to be on average slightly warmer than their eastern sides, thus experiencing stronger recoil force and increasing the rotation rate of the asteroid. We study this effect, called the tangential YORP effect, in a toy model, replacing stones with walls and simulating heat conductivity in them. We discuss general trends of the effect, estimate its magnitude, and find it to be comparable to the normal YORP effect determined by gross-scale asymmetry of the asteroid. The existence of this effect would modify the predictions of the YORP acceleration of asteroids. In some cases, equilibrium between tangential and normal components of YORP is possible, resulting in a large number of asteroids expected to have no net YORP acceleration, which can be the case for Itokawa.


Waste minimization strategies and the relative significance of construction waste sources were examined using a survey of 24 construction firms operating in Australia. The results indicated that a sizeable proportion of respondent firms did not have specific policies for minimizing waste. Furthermore, while a majority of firms with specific waste minimization policies made efforts to minimize waste at source, i.e. to avoid generating waste in the first place, this minimization was limited to waste generated by site offices and amenities. Potential scope exists for improving the effectiveness of waste minimization at source by addressing the sources of all waste generated during the construction phase. The survey results indicated that the five most significant sources of construction waste were design changes, leftover material scraps, wastes from packaging and non‐reclaimable consumables, design/detailing errors, and poor weather. Potential opportunities for minimizing the amount of waste generated on construction project sites are identified.


Abstract In this paper a critical study is presented on how the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) membrane properties are affected by a pre‐treatment. Membranes based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (sPEEK) with sulfonation degree (SD) of 42% were used, plain and modified inorganically with 1 wt.% of zirconium oxide. Nafion® 1135 was used as reference. The results obtained show that the sPEEK polymer (SD=42%) enables the preparation of proton exchange membranes with improved properties compared to Nafion® and to the ZrO2‐modified sPEEK membrane, mainly due to its improved relation between proton conductivity and methanol permeation. After the pre‐treatment, the plain sPEEK membrane had a performance 6.4 times higher in terms of maximum power output when used in the DMFC.


For sensitive and fast detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, organic and inorganic hybrid Au/Fe3+ nanoclusters (NCs) were synthesized for the first time using gold nanoparticles (GNPs), bovine serum albumin, ferric chloride, phosphate-buffered saline, and antibodies. The Au/Fe3+ porous spongy NCs with large surface area showed excellent bio-specific capability for E. coli O157:H7. GNPs in Au/Fe3+ NCs functioned as signal enhancers, significantly increasing the Raman signal via the metathesis reaction product of Prussian blue and obviously improving the detection sensitivity. We combined the novel Au/Fe3+ NCs with antibody-modified magnetic nanoparticles to create a biosensor capable of sensitive detection of E. coli O157:H7, which showed a good linear response (101 to 106 cfu/mL), high detection sensitivity (2 cfu/mL), and good recovery rate (93.60–97.50%) in spiked food samples. These results make the biosensor well-suited for food safety monitoring. This strategy achieves the goal of sensitive and quantitative detection of E. coli O157:H7.


Medicine's lifesaving techniques and the system organized to deliver them are in sharp contrast. Progress in medicine's lifesaving techniques is dramatic. Today there are cardiac monitors and pacemakers, exquisite surgical techniques, drugs of great potency, institutions splendidly equipped and superbly staffed. These are available for many. Emergency medical systems in most cities and nearly all rural areas, however, do not often enough bring the patient at the right time to the right place; nor is there assurance the patient will get the proper treatment by the proper professional. Progress in this system is not dramatic. An emergency need exists in a patient's mind until he is convinced by a health professional that his life or well-being or that of a loved one is not threatened. When an emergency exists, professional decisions are required to determine the time, the type, the amount and the place of treatment. The child with a


Motivation As available genomic interval data increases in scale, we require fast systems to search it. A common approach is simple string matching to compare a search term to metadata, but this is limited by incomplete or inaccurate annotations. An alternative is to compare data directly through genomic region overlap analysis, but these approaches lead to challenges like sparsity, high dimensionality, and computational expense. We require novel methods to quickly and flexibly query large, messy genomic interval databases. Results Here, we develop a genomic interval search system using representation learning. We train numerical embeddings for a collection of region sets simultaneously with their metadata labels, capturing similarity between region sets and their metadata in a low-dimensional space. Using these learned co-embeddings, we develop a system that solves three related information retrieval tasks using embedding distance computations: retrieving region sets related to a user query string; suggesting new labels for database region sets; and retrieving database region sets similar to a query region set. We evaluate these use cases and show that jointly learned representations of region sets and metadata are a promising approach for fast, flexible, and accurate genomic region information retrieval.


Rectosigmoid solitary juvenile polyps are benign lesions, relatively frequent in childhood. The clinical debut of a pediatric polyp with bleeding is relatively frequent, but there are very few reports of anal prolapse of polyps. We present the case of a 7-year-old female patient with no previous history who presented with anal prolapse of a polyp with acute bleeding. An urgent endoscopic examination was performed and two rectosigmoid polypoid lesions were found and resected. The anatomopathological study showed that these were two hamartomatous polyps with mild dysplasia. The patient is asymptomatic and is being followed up. The existing reports in the medical literature of this entity are scarce. In a pediatric patient with an anal prolapse, this entity should be considered in the differential diagnosis.


In a recent article, Prousalidis and colleagues1 reported an interesting study about postoperative recurrence of cystic hydatidosis. The purpose of the study was to determine prognostic factors for recurrence. We think that some points need to be clarified.

The authors claimed that the most important determinants for recurrence of hydatid cysts were spillage of the hydatid cyst, missing the cysts preoperatively or intraoperatively and incomplete pericystectomy. They argue their point by giving the value for spillage (Exp(β) 1.330, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.643–2.720), and the value for missing cysts or incomplete pericystectomy (Exp(β) 1.194, 95% CI 0.260–5.489).1 According to statistical calculation, spillage and missing cysts or incomplete pericystectomy are not statistically significant in the study by Prousalidis and colleagues,1 since in both cases the CI includes the 1 value.

However, we do agree that both spillage and incomplete pericystectomy are predictive factors of recurrence in the literature.2–4 Other factors can be reported. In a retrospective single-centre study, we found that both history of hydatid cysts on the liver (surgery for hydatid cysts on the liver before enrolment into the study) and number of cysts in the liver were independent risk factors for recurrences.5 In addition, we think that the surgeon's practice and experience are the most important predictors of success the surgical treatment. It prevents complications and recurrences.


"Bibliography of literature on Information Retrieval (IR) was needed to help in sustaining the interest of LIS professionals in IR for it makes available the list of relevant literature. The present bibliography will help in literature search, in knowing various aspects of IR, which are not yet paid enough attention to. The bibliography will also be useful in avoiding duplicates in research on IR."


This paper presents a framework for the computation of a novel 3D facial attribute, namely,the face kernel. The first part of the paper exposes the theoretical background related to the kernel computation and demonstrates some properties of the surface kernel. The second part describes two applications of the kernel concept, namely, spherical facial surface mapping and facial surface alignment. This framework has been tested and experimented on real 3D face surfaces. The usefulness of the face kernel is manifested in two aspects: 1)It provides a simple scheme for an optimal spherical embedding in the sense of minimizing the related distortion error. 2) It can be used for an efficient facial surface alignment.


Objective: Transforaminal endoscope was used in the treatment of thoracic disc herniation and the therapeutic effect was discussed. Methods: Sixteen patients with thoracic disc herniation admitted to our hospital from October 2018 to May 2019 were divided into control group and observation group according to the random number table method, with 8 patients in each group. The control group was treated with posterior laminectomy approach, and the observation group was treated with transforaminal endoscope. The surgery-related conditions (intraoperative blood loss, surgery time, and postoperative drainage volume), VAS score, JOA score and postoperative complications were compared and analyzed. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the total effective rate and preoperative VAS score (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had shorter surgery time and incision length, less postoperative drainage volume, and higher VAS score 3 days after surgery, JOA score on day 7 after surgery, and JOA score 3 months after surgery, showing statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the complications between the two groups (X=1.067, P=0.833). Conclusions: Transforaminal endoscope had a good clinical effect with small incision and injury in the treatment of patients with thoracic disc herniation.


Myocardial protection by atorvastation pretreatment was found in several trials applied to percutaneous coronary intervention by the ARMYDA study group. This article reviews those studies and explores future avenues.


Single-species, microcosm and mesocosm toxicity tests frequently have been shown to be inadequate in assessing impacts on whole ecosystems, yet effective environmental management requires attention to such impacts. Whole ecosystem manipulation provides community and ecosystem level assessment, but is expensive and logistically demanding. Thus most whole ecosystem experiments are pseudoreplicated, which gives them limited inferential capability. We present the results of two whole ecosystem experiments — dosing of stream channels with chlorine and ammonia and acidification of a lake — and review several other such experiments from the literature. Most whole ecosystem studies are complex, expensive, involve multiple investigators and have a low degree of true replication. Difficulty in replicating whole system manipulations makes quantifying cause-effect relationships difficult, but this can be partially overcome by carefully developing the inferences from an investigation. In sum, we suggest that such experiments do indeed represent a useful test system, and that they are the only acceptable way of discerning impacts at the community and ecosystem levels.


Objectives To study the influence of personal anxiety (PA) on relative risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in women aged of 25–64 years during 16 years of follow up in Novosibirsk. Methods Within the WHO 'MONICA-psychosocial' programme random representative sample of women aged 25–64 years who were residents of one district in Novosibirsk, were surveyed in 1994. Levels of personal anxiety were measured at the baseline examination by means of Spilberger's test. The registration of MI incidence during 16 years (1995–2010) was performed with using of Myocardial Infarction Registry data. Registration of stroke incidence was made during dynamic following under the cohort of women. Cox proportional regression model was used for an estimation of relative risk (HR) of MI, stroke. χ2 was used for assessment of statistical significance between groups. Women having heart diseases or cerebrovascular events at the baseline were not included in the analysis. Results High level of anxiety (HLA) in studied cohort revealed in 59.8% of women. During 16 years of study (1995–2010) MI was developed in 2.2% of women, stoke—in 5.1%. Risk of MI development in women with HLA was higher in 4.2 times, compared women with lower levels of anxiety (95.0% CI 1.946 to 18.583; p=0.05). HR of stroke development was in 3.5 times higher in women with HLA than without it (95.0% CI 1020 to 12 015; p  < 0.05). MI incidence rates were significantly higher in married women with HLA compared divorced women with lower level of anxiety (χ2=5.66 n=1 p  < 0.05). There was a higher rate of stroke incidence in women having HLA with higher education, compared those with high school (χ2=4.32 df=1 p  < 0.05). With regard to occupational status, the rate of stroke increased in hard manual worker having HLA, compared engineers with average level of PA (χ2=3.99 df=1 p<0.05) or with HLA (χ2=7.325 df=1 p < 0.01). There was statistical differences in stroke rate between groups of women with heavy manual work having HLA and women with easy manual (χ2=6.35 df=1 p  < 0.05) and women with moderate manual work (χ2=4.518 df=1 p<0.05) having HLA too. Conclusions There is high prevalence of HLA in Russian female population aged 25–64. During 16 years of follow up women with HLA have significantly higher risk of MI and stroke than without it. MI and stroke development strictly associated with social gradient (married status, level of degree, occupation) in women with HLA.


Investors were surprised during the Global Financial Crisis that mortgage securitizations were exposed to larger default rates than corporate bonds given the same credit rating. This paper presents a parsimonious model attributing deviations of default rates from expected default probabilities implied by credit ratings to systematic risk. Conditions, under which the systematic risk of securitized tranches of pools is higher than that of single name debt instruments with the same rating are identified. An extensive empirical study analyzes a unique and comprehensive data set, which includes ratings, yield spreads, defaults and control variables for securitizations and corporate bonds. The analysis finds evidence that financial instruments may be exposed to different levels of systematic risk given the same rating. Therefore, credit ratings do not provide comprehensive information on the degree of systematic risk. An analysis of yield spreads at origination finds empirical evidence that fixed income investors (contrary to credit rating agencies) include systematic risk in the pricing of financial instruments. JEL classification: G20; G28; C51


To meet ever increasing demand for performance of emerging System-on-Chip (SoC) applications, designer employ techniques for concurrent communication between components. Hence communication architecture becomes complex and major performance bottleneck. An early performance evaluation of communication architecture is the key to reduce design time, time-to-market and consequently cost of the system. Moreover, it helps to optimize system performance by selecting appropriate communication architecture. However, performance model of concurrent communication is complex to describe and hard to solve. In this paper, we propose methodology for performance evaluation of bus based communication architectures, modeling for which is based on modular Stochastic Automata Network (SAN). We employ Generalized Semi Markov Process (GSMP) model for each module of the SAN that emulates dynamic behavior of a Processing Element (PE) of an SoC architecture. The proposed modeling approach provides an early estimation of performance parameters viz. memory bandwidth, average queue length at memory and average waiting time seen by a processing element; while we provide parameters viz. number of processing elements, the mean computation time of processing elements and the first and second moments of connection time between processing elements and memories, as input to the model.


Abstract 1. Physalin A is a bioactive withanolide isolated from the natural plant Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii (Solanaceae), a common traditional Chinese herbal medicine. This study aims to investigate the metabolites of physalin A in vivo. 2. Two metabolites (M1 and M2) were characterized as sulfonate metabolites in the feces obtained from rats treated with physalin A orally at a dose of 15 mg/kg/day for 3 days, by application of a UPLC-Q/TOF-MS method. Furthermore, formation of the two sulfonate metabolites was verified by chemical synthesis and NMR, including 1H NMR, 13C NMR and two-dimensional NMR. The structures of M1 and M2 were identified to be 3α-sulfo-2,25β,27-trihydrophysalin A and 3α,27-disulfo-2,25α-dihydrophysalin A, respectively. 3. In summary, this study indicated that physalin A could be biotransformed to sulfonate metabolites with strong polarity, which contributed to the elimination of physalin A. A rare metabolic pathway has been revealed in this study.


Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by the clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow. There is a growing literature that tumor cells release biologically active microvesicles (MVs) that modify both local and distant microenvironments. In this study, our goals were to determine if MM cells release MVs, and if so, begin to characterize their biologic activity. Herein we present clear evidence that not only do both patient MM cells and human MM cell lines (HMCLs) release MVs, but that these MVs stimulate MM cell growth. Of interest, MM-derived MVs were enriched with the biologically active form of CD147, a transmembrane molecule previously shown by us to be crucial for MM cell proliferation. Using MVs isolated from HMCLs stably transfected with a CD147-GFP fusion construct (CD147GFP), we observed binding and internalization of MV-derived CD147 with HMCLs. Cells with greater CD147GFP internalization proliferated at a higher rate than did cells with less CD147GFP association. Lastly, MVs obtained from CD147 downregulated HMCLs were attenuated in their ability to stimulate HMCL proliferation. In summary, this study demonstrates the significance of MV shedding and MV-mediated intercellular communication on malignant plasma cell proliferation, and identifies the role of MV-enriched CD147 in this process.


Post-silicon validation is one of the most expensive and complex tasks in today's System-on-Chip (SoC) design methodology. A major challenge in post-silicon debug is limited observability of the internal signals. Existing approaches address this issue by selecting a small set of useful signals. These signal states are stored in an on-chip trace buffer during execution. The applicability of existing methods is limited to a specific debug scenario where every component has equal importance all the time. In reality, a verification engineer would like to focus on a specific set of components (functional regions). Some regions can be ignored in a certain duration during execution due to clock gating and other considerations. Similarly, certain regions may be well verified datapath and less likely to have errors compared to other control-intensive regions. In this paper, we propose an efficient signal selection algorithm and a low-overhead trace controller design that would enable verification engineers to dynamically select a set of trace signals for improved error detection. Our experimental results using both ISCAS'89 benchmarks and Opencores circuits demonstrate that our approach can detect up to 3 times more errors compared to existing techniques.


ABSTRACT Copitarsia decolora (Guenée) is an important pest of several crops such in Mexico, Central and South America. In addition, this species is a regulatory concern in the USA. In this work, we investigated the influence of trap design, trap height, and trap color on pheromone trap catches of C. decolora males in cruciferous crops. Additionally, we investigated the seasonal dynamics of C. decolara for 3 yr. The water-trap captured a significantly higher number of males compared to the jug trap and the Scentry® Heliothis trap. There were no significant differences between in the number of males captured by traps positioned at 0.5, 1, and 1.5 m above ground level. There was also no an interaction between trap design and trap height. Green water-traps captured more males than red water-traps, however, the catches of red water-traps were intermediate and not significantly different from those captured by yellow, blue, and brown water-traps. A total of 6,978 C. decolora males were captured during the 3 yr of trapping. The overall distribution of trap captures over the season was unimodal, with a distinctive peak in trap catches occurring between Mar and Apr.


Abstract Objective Craniofacial resection (CFR) and temporal bone resection (TBR) on malignant head and neck tumors (MHNTs) invading skull base require accurate and precise determination of the tumor invasion. We investigated tumor skull base invasion patterns and surgical results in CFR and TBR cases. Methods We performed either CFR or TBR for 75 selected patients with the possibility of en bloc resection over the period between 2011 and 2018. The medical charts of the selected patients were reviewed. Results Primary tumor onset site (TOS) groups were: (1) nasal cavity/ethmoid sinus, 20 cases; (2) orbit, 10 cases; (3) maxillary sinus, 28 cases; and (4) external ear/temporomandibular joint, 17 cases. Grades for tumor invasion depth (TID) included: (I) extracranial invasion and skull base bone invasion; (II) extradural invasion; or (III) intradural invasion. Patients in groups 1 and 2 had a significantly higher frequency of grade II and III invasions than patients in groups 3 and 4. The main invasion site was nasal cavity superior wall and ethmoid sinus superior wall for group 1 tumors, orbit superior wall, and lateral skull base sphenoid bone for group 2 and 3 tumors, and lateral skull base temporal bone for group 4 tumors. Positive resection margins represented a significant negative prognostic factor. TID and TOS did not affect skull base margin status. Conclusion Skull base invasion of MHNTs exhibits certain fixed patterns in sites susceptible to invasion based on the TOS. The frequencies of extradural and intradural invasions differed, indicating the importance for accurate preoperative tumor evaluation.


In the current Iranian poultry industry, antibiotics are the most frequently used additive in feeds to increase the productivity. Regarding the negative effects on human health due to consuming chicken whose feeds contain antibiotics, finding an appropriate alternative is of a great importance. This study aims to find an appropriate and harmless feed additive to increase the quality and quantity of poultry eggs. Total of 60 laying hens which had been in production for 85 weeks were allocated in a completely randomized design considering five treatments with four replicates and three birds in each. Group one received a layer basal diet with no supplementation which served as control. The second, third and fourth groups received basal diet with 1 mL of herbal extracts (garlic, thyme and caraway) / L drinking water, respectively. The fifth group fed the basal diet plus 1 g of probiotic / kg diet. The number and weight of produced eggs were measured in a daily manner, feed consumption in weekly manner and the egg quality, yolk cholesterol, intestinal bacterial population and effect of treatments on the morphology of the small intestine were measured at the end of experiment after 8 weeks. All treatments showed no overall effect on quality and quantity of produced eggs in comparison with controls; however, the thyme and garlic extracts reduced the cholesterol of serum and yolk relative to the control. The herbal extracts caused a significant decrease in the intestinal bacterial population and probiotic increased villus height in ileum (P<0.05).


Background Recent studies suggest that caveolae transduce endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitric oxide (NO) signalling in ischemic preconditioning (IPC) hearts. And the NO-mediated protein S-nitrosylation (SNO) has been shown to play cardioprotective roles against ischemic reperfusion injury. Interestingly, most of these identified IPC-induced SNO proteins are mitochondrial proteins, suggesting mitochondria are the major end effector for NO-mediated cardioprotection (Circ Res, 2007, 101:1155–1163; 2010, 106:285–296; 2011, 108:418–426). Aims Given the diffusion-limited NO signalling in the cells and the close ultrastructural distance in cardiomyocytes between the subsarcolemmal mitochondria (SSM) and the sarcolemma, the SSM rather than the interfibrillar mitochondria (IFM) are hypothesised to be the preferential targets for caveolae-associated eNOS signalling in IPC hearts. Methods C57BL/6J male mice (12–16 weeks) were Langendorff perfused, and the control hearts were perfused for 40 min while IPC hearts were subjected to four cycles of 5 min of ischemia and 5 min of reperfusion followed with 20 min of equilibrium perfusion. After perfusion control and IPC protocol, the SSM and IFM were isolated quickly in the presence of 1 mM of EDTA and 0.1 mM of neocuproine in the dark to prevent the decomposition of SNO. The protein compositions in these two populations of mitochondria were analysed by immunoblot using various marker antibodies, and the SNO was measured by a modified biotin switch method using DyLight Fluor-maleimide. Results In the samples isolated from the perfusion control hearts, eNOS and caveolin-3 (the specific caveolae marker in muscles) were found to be present only in the SSM but not in the IFM, suggesting a close subcellular co-localisation and interaction between the sarcolemma and the SSM. IPC not only caused the phosphorylation and activation of AKT/eNOS signalling pathway, but also led to a translocation of eNOS to the SSM via caveolae-mediated trafficking. Consistent with the presence of eNOS and caveolin-3 in the SSM but not in the IFM, the total SNO content in the SSM was significantly higher than that present in the IFM in perfusion control hearts. More interestingly, IPC significantly increased SNO only in the SSM but not in the IFM, parallel with the findings that IPC led to a translocation of eNOS only to the SSM. Conclusion In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the SSM are the major targets for caveolae/eNOS/NO-mediated protein S-nitrosylation in IPC hearts, suggesting that the SSM might be preferentially targeted by post-translational protein modifications derived from the sarcolemmal signalling (caveolae-associated eNOS and NO-mediated protein S-nitrosylation in this study) and then to elicit cardioprotection.


ABSTRACT To the Editor:— The report of 3 cases of tuberous sclerosis without mental defect (JAMA175:869, 1961) was presented to emphasize the occurrence of relatively benign cases lacking the most familiar manifestations of the disease. It was not the occasion for a discussion of the several lesions which may appear in many different organs in this protean disorder. However, we appreciate Dr. Johnson's comments and indeed feel that the retinal lesion to which he refers deserves emphasis as an aid in detecting atypical or oligosymptomatic cases of tuberous sclerosis. Similarly, various cutaneous lesions such as the "shagreen skin," paraungual fibromata, cafe-au-lait spots, and anemic nevi may help betray the presence of a neurocutaneous syndrome.Unfortunately, the incidence among patients having tuberous sclerosis of the retinal lesion described by Van der Hoeve (Trans Ophthal Soc U K43:534, 1923) is as uncertain as that of its other manifestations. The


The field distribution of a thin-film inductive head and its relationship to pole configurations are examined. Three components of the field distribution at high frequencies are measured using a newly developed electron beam tomography method. Focused ion beam etching is used for the processing of the pole configuration. A comparison between the measured field distribution and the results of three-dimensional computer simulation shows that a sharp field distribution suitable for high-density recording is produced to promote magnetization at the tip region. Furthermore, the optimum design of the pole configuration clarifies the feasibility of 1- mu m track recording. >


Solvothermal process was successfully developed to graft dibutylmaleate (DBM) onto poly(ethylene-co-1-octene) (POE) with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as free radical-initiator. FTIR spectra demonstrate that DBM is successfully grafted onto the backbone of POE by this novel method. The influences of DBM content, DCP concentration, POE concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time on the grafting copolymerization have been investigated in detail through grafting degree (GD). It is worthy to indicate that high grafting degree (above 15%) can be achieved through the one-pot way when the graft reaction is carried out in 40 mL toluene at 150°C for 5 h with 1.6 g DBM, 6–8 g POE and 0.35 g DCP. This developed solvothermal process is becoming an effective way to prepare POE-g-DBM graft copolymers, and can be extended to other systems. In addition, TGA results show that the thermal properties of POE are enhanced after the grafting reaction. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010


In this work, difference - temperature (ΔT) sensors based on the Seebeck effect integrated into a common drain smart power MOSFET technology are presented. The sensors generate a voltage signal proportional to the ΔT. The highest Seebeck coefficient measured was 0.92 mV/K. This result was achieved with a p - doped silicon and n+ - doped poly silicon Seebeck ΔT sensor. Power MOSFETs with embedded Seebeck ΔT sensors are, to our knowledge, demonstrated for the first time.


Composting industry is a progressive and innovative industry that has been growing worldwide, especially in the last 20 years. Firstly, in this paper, an overview of fundamentals and processes on composting and anaerobic digestion are compiled, showing the versatility and multivariable profile of these processes. Secondly, a methodological proposal for a mid-size city is presented. It is proposed that the biodegradable part of the municipal solid waste, called BSW, can be efficiently composted with wastewater sludge, wood ash, coal ash, lime-kiln dust, and/or limestone quarry dust to improve the profile of the compost. In addition, anaerobic decomposition followed by vermicomposting is pointed as one of the best and efficient MSW treatment system, since it may reduce total time of the composting process. Furthermore, it generates liquid fertilizer and biogas, which provides energy to supply the composting plant. This makes the plant auto-sustainable in energy. Finally, an outline using real data from the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, is being presented to illustrate an example of this proposed methodology of efficient composting.


The paper introduces a computer aided surgical system (CASS) based on the 3D medical images, which is designed for the surgeons to examine the tissues, acquire anatomical structures, diagnose illness and plan surgery. The system takes the 3D medical images as input and designs a segmentation pipeline to segment out the volumes of interested tissues. Then triangle meshes of the interested tissues were constructed by the discrete March Cubes algorithms, which is used to provide surface models for real time processing and rendering. To assist the surgeons with biomechanical simulation, several volume mesh generation approaches are provided to construct tetrahedral and hexahedral meshes for FEM. With this integrated models, the system can provide intuitive visualization of the slice images and focused medical models, as well as several effective computer aided diagnosis tools which are proved valuable in clinical practice.


Abstract : A new subgenus, Exallomyia, of the genus Wyeomyia is established for three species previously included in the subgenera Davismyia and Dendromyia, and in the genus and nominate subgenus Sabethes. The terminalia of the holotype males of the three species, the midlegs of the males of two species, and the larvae and pupae of two species are illustrated.


In the last decade, the rapid advancements in computational power have favored the development of high-resolution numerical models capable of directly resolving small-scale structures such as fronts and filaments. Such models have greatly improved our understanding of submesoscale dynamics. At the same time, the small dimensions and short duration of these structures still pose major challenges for small-scale dedicated field experiments. For this reason, submesoscale studies from in situ observations are still relatively scarce and quantitative estimates of key physical parameters for high-resolution numerical models, such as horizontal eddy diffusivity, are still lacking. This study presents a novel approach for computing in situ horizontal eddy diffusivity associated with frontal structures by combining cross-front widths derived from surface thermosalinograph sections with stirring rates estimated from Lagrangian drifter trajectories. The method is applied to the measurements collected across a frontal structure observed in the western part of the Gulf of Lion during the Latex10 campaign (LAgrangian Transport EXperiment, 1-24 September 2010). A total of 76 estimates of eddy diffusivity were obtained for strain rates of 0.70 and 1.21 day −1 and front widths (horizontal scales) ranging between 1 and 4 km. The estimates are log-normally distributed, with 70% of the values ranging between 0.4 and 5 m 2 s −1 . Further analysis based on high-resolution simulations and remote sensed observations, as well as dedicated field experiments will help to assess the robustness of some of the assumptions at the base of the proposed approach, and to extend the results to different ocean regions.


Innovation is a specific process to exploit change as an opportunity and is consistently found to be associated with organisational success In particular, the construction industry is widely perceived as being among the less innovative sectors, in part due to its project-based and fragmented nature This thesis will address a gap in the knowledge to which organizations systems measure the success of innovation projects and review which projects to select to realise value. The research is positioned in the wider context of the corporate objectives and principally asset management programmes of work. Following an initial review of innovation project selection systems, a set of research questions will be developed to investigate the potential for a new benchmark solely focused on Innovation Potential. It will deliver an original contribution to knowledge by developing an empirically validated conceptual model that consists of the main factors that have an influence, and are influenced by, innovation selection. The Paper will first, systematically review the existing literature in two broad sections: innovation studies within the construction industry and then specifically, the way in which organisations choose which projects to take forward and measure their success. Research studies on innovation measurement in the construction industry are a limited body of knowledge and as characterised by the industry, drivers and barriers appear to be the main focus of the studies. In addition, the majority of construction innovation studies have been carried out by academics with very few from industry. This research will ultimately identify a conceptual framework of the term innovation measurement within construction industry programmes to determine better innovation selection.


RISC processors have been widely accepted in the performance driven segments of the reprogrammable computer market such as workstations and file servers. However, these chips, despite their high levels of performance, do not adequately address embedded control applications. A description is given for the macro- and micro-architecture of the LR 33000, a single chip, 50 MHz, RISC processor, which was designed and optimized for embedded control applications while retaining both software compatibility with the MIPS-1 instruction set and a high level of performance. The optimization for embedded control applications was done by focusing on the following goals: minimizing the overall system cost by increasing the level of integration, simplifying the system design, and reducing the power consumption.<<ETX>>


Objective:To evaluate, with the support of autopsy findings, the frequency of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) among patients with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in comparison with that of AIDS patients with other AIDS-defining diseases. Methods:The study involved 363 consecutive patients with AIDS who were cared for and died at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases in Milan between May 1984 and December 1992. Clinical records and autopsy data of all of the patients were retrospectively reviewed. Kaplan–Meier product-limit estimates of the time to the development of NHL were calculated for all patients and by specific subgroups. Cox proportional hazards analyses were made to determine the factors associated with the development of NHL. Results:In the majority of cases (82%), KS was diagnosed during life, whereas NHL was diagnosed before death in only 41.6% of cases. Taking the autopsy data into account, the cumulative incidence of the two tumours was 16.8% for KS and 16.5% for NHL. Among the 61 patients in whom KS was the index disease of AIDS, 16 also developed NHL. The probability of developing NHL was significantly higher in patients with KS at AIDS diagnosis than in patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), oesophageal candidiasis or other AIDS-related diseases (P=0.004). Multivariate analysis of the factors associated with the development of NHL (such as sex, age, risk factors, AIDS-defining diseases and CD4+ cell counts) showed that the patients with KS as the index disease of AIDS had a 5.3-fold higher risk of developing NHL than the patients with PCP as the primary manifestation of AIDS. Conclusions:Our results confirm the higher incidence of malignant lymphoma in patients with AIDS-KS than in patients with other AIDS-related diseases. The importance of autopsy in assessing these data is underlined by the high percentage of NHL diagnosed only after death. These observations may support the hypothesis of a common aetiological agent, or of a common pathway, for the two neoplasms.


Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) is a well-studied and promising material due to its remarkable chemical and physical properties. It is used, for example, in coatings for corrosion protection layer, wear and oxidation, in optical applications (mirror, filters), for decorative components, for anti-counterfeiting solutions and for medical applications. ZrO2 can be obtained as a thin film using different deposition methods such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). These techniques are mastered but they do not allow easy micro-nanostructuring of these coatings due to the intrinsic properties (high melting point, mechanical and chemical resistance). An alternative approach described in this paper is the sol-gel method, which allows direct micro-nanostructuring of the ZrO2 layers without physical or chemical etching processes, using optical or nano-imprint lithography. In this paper, the authors present a complete and suitable ZrO2 sol-gel method allowing to achieve complex micro-nanostructures by optical or nano-imprint lithography on substrates of different nature and shape (especially non-planar and foil-based substrates). The synthesis of the ZrO2 sol-gel is presented as well as the micro-nanostructuring process by masking, colloidal lithography and nano-imprint lithography on glass and plastic substrates as well as on plane and curved substrates.


The 140 000-dalton collagenous glycoprotein (CGP) from calf aorta and ligament characterized by Gibson & Cleary (1982) [Gibson, M.A., & Cleary, E.G. (1982) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 105, 1288-1295] has been studied. In the electron microscope, rotary-shadowed CGP molecules appear similar to the dimers of type VI collagen (short-chain collagen, intima collagen) described by other authors [Furthmayr, H., Wiedemann, H., Timpl, R., Odermatt, E., & Engel, J. (1983) Biochem. J. 211, 303-311] except that they have larger globular domains. As shown by gel electrophoresis, pepsin treatment of CGP at 4 degrees C either before or after reduction releases polypeptide chains corresponding in size to those of type VI collagen. Electron microscopic examination shows that pepsin digestion of nonreduced CGP removes the outer globular domains, reduces the size of the inner ones, and separates the paired central strands. The residual structures look like type VI collagen dimers. When intact CGP is reduced, monomers with two large globular ends are obtained. Pepsin digestion of monomers removes most or all of both globular domains. In immunoblots, CGP and its pepsin-derived fragments react with antibodies directed against type VI collagen. The results indicate that type VI collagen is an integral component of CGP.


HVAC&R systems account for more than 50% of the energy consumption of buildings. The purpose of this study is to propose an optimal design method for the HVAC&R system and to examine the possibility for the energy conservation of a selected system. The energy demand for cooling and heating is determined by using TRNSYS and HEET. By an interaction between total system efficiency and cooling-to-heating load ratio, the optimal HVAC&R systems will be decided. The results showed that this proposed method is significantly capable of determining optimal system and building design for saving energy.


Trabecular bone (TB) is a complex quasi-random network of interconnected plates and rods. TB constantly remodels to adapt to the stresses to which it is subjected (Wolff's Law). In osteoporosis, this dynamic equilibrium between bone formation and resorption is perturbed, leading to bone loss and structural deterioration. Both bone loss and structural deterioration increase fracture risk. Bone's mechanical behavior can only be partially explained by variations in bone mineral density, which led to the notion of bone structural quality. Previously, we developed digital topological analysis (DTA) which classifies plates, rods, profiles, edges, and junctions in a TB skeletal representation. Although the method has become quite popular, a major limitation of DTA is that it provides only hard classifications of different topological entities, failing to distinguish between narrow and wide plates. Here, we present a new method called volumetric topological analysis (VTA) for regional quantification of TB topology. At each TB location, the method uniquely classifies its topology on the continuum between perfect plates and perfect rods, facilitating early detections of TB alterations from plates to rods according to the known etiology of osteoporotic bone loss. Several new ideas, including manifold distance transform, manifold scale, and feature propagation have been introduced here and combined with existing DTA and distance transform methods, leading to the new VTA technology. This method has been applied to multidetector computed tomography (CT) and micro-computed tomography (μCT) images of four cadaveric distal tibia and five distal radius specimens. Both intra- and inter-modality reproducibility of the method has been examined using repeat CT and μCT scans of distal tibia specimens. Also, the method's ability to predict experimental biomechanical properties of TB via CT imaging under in vivo conditions has been quantitatively examined and the results found are very encouraging.


Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting CD38 are demonstrating remarkable efficacy, particularly when combined with anti-MM agents. Thus, in-depth understanding of the MoA of anti-CD38 mAbs is of utmost importance to design rational treatment combinations. Notably, while there is considerable data about the MoA of Daratumumab, there is virtually no data about the MoA of Isatuximab. Here, we started by analyzing in a selected panel of MM cell lines (RPMI8226, H929, MM1S and OPM2) the effect of Isatuximab on 1) proliferation, 2) direct cell death, 3) complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), 4) antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), and 5) antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADPC). Our results show that Isatuximab had no effect on proliferation, and did not directly killed any of the MM cell lines tested. Interestingly, while Isatuximab (similar to drugs such as Cetuximab) binds to C1q, CD38 receptor density in MM cell lines was insufficient to trigger CDC based on the absence of C3 deposition and impact on cell survival. Upon co-culture with human blood leukocytes, Isatuximab induced ADCC particularly on cells showing higher expression of CD38 (P=0.02). Upon co-culture with human-derived M2-like macrophages, we noted a trend (P=.1) towards decreased MM cell expansion; thus, in order to establish the exact contribution of ADCC and ADCP on the efficacy of Isatuximab, we co-cultured RPMI8226 MM cells with human leukocytes and prior to treatment (10µg/mL), used sensitive FACS sorting to remove key immune cell populations such as NK cells, macrophages and T cells from the culture. Our results show that the presence of NK cells was critical for the efficacy of Isatuximab, whereas macrophages and T cell depletion had no effect on MM cell viability in the presence of Isatuximab. We next tested Isatuximab (10µg/mL) in 10 primary patient samples. In the absence of C3 deposition in the majority of samples (ie. no CDC), we observed Isatuximab-induced cell death in all patients tested (P=0.002), along with increased proliferation and activation of NK cells upon Fc recognition. Due to broad expression of CD38 in hematopoietic cells, we also investigated presence of off-target effects of Isatuximab. Importantly, with the exception of CD38bright B cell precursors (P=.0006), there was no toxicity observed in other progenitor and mature hematopoietic cells. We also investigated the potential synergism of Isatuximab in combination with Bortezomib-Dexamethasone; interestingly, the addition of Isatuximab resulted in a (P=0.06) 2.7-fold increment in MM cell death. In order to further understand the direct effect of Isatuximab in both MM and (CD38bright) NK cells, we determined the molecular signature of both subsets in co-culture and upon treatment with Isatuximab. Interestingly (though consistent with the lack of impact in proliferation and direct apoptosis), MM cells showed no gene dysregulation upon treatment with Isatuximab and in the absence of NK cells. By contrast, in the presence of NK cells and respective ADCC, MM cells chemoresistant to Isatuximab showed 184 dysregulated genes, including significant down-regulation of CD38. Noteworthy, Isatuximab binding induced in NK cells up-regulation of genes related to antigen binding, chemokine receptor activity, G-protein coupled peptide receptor or hydrolase activity. One such gene was CD137, which up-regulation was subsequently confirmed at the protein (surface antigen) level. In summary, this critical analysis on Isatuximab9s MoA using a comprehensive set of assays, MM cell lines and primary patient samples, suggests that ADCC is the major efficacy contributor for this particular mAb. Thus, drugs that can further stimulate NK cells might be optimal candidates for rational combinations with Isatuximab; in this regard, we showed that Isatuximab induces up-regulation of CD137 which warrants further investigations on the value of combined Isatuximab and anti-CD137 immune therapies. Disclosures Paiva:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; EngMab: Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria; Binding Site: Research Funding.


Abstract : An SHF/EHF measurement program was conducted to determine the effects on propagation through vegetation common to the Colorado East Slope. Presented in this report are the frequency dependence of vegetation losses, polarization, depolarization, and backscatter on observed signal amplitude for three deciduous tree paths, two conifer tree paths, and one grass path at 9.6, 28.8, and 57.6 GHZ. Some of the variables for these measurements were foliage depth, antenna position, antenna pointing, and antenna beamwidth. Time series data showing scintillation due to wind is displayed and discussed. A single rain event and a single snow event were recorded. Summer foliage measurements were compared to a wintertime defoliated state with identical terminal locations used for each condition. (Author)


Direct metal deposition is one of the rapid manufacturing technologies to fabricate geometrically complicated, dense, near-net-shape components. Deposition process involves a large number of parameters, among which the laser power is considered as the primary variable. In order to develop a control system for the process, molten pool temperature during deposition was monitored by a two-color pyrometer. Laser power and molten pool temperature form a single-input single-output system, whose dynamics were identified using a linear state space model. A generalized predictive control system with input constraints was designed for controlling the direct metal deposition process. To demonstrate the use of the proposed sensor and control algorithm, closed-loop experiments were conducted to adjust the laser power in order to track molten pool temperatures to the reference values.Direct metal deposition is one of the rapid manufacturing technologies to fabricate geometrically complicated, dense, near-net-shape components. Deposition process involves a large number of parameters, among which the laser power is considered as the primary variable. In order to develop a control system for the process, molten pool temperature during deposition was monitored by a two-color pyrometer. Laser power and molten pool temperature form a single-input single-output system, whose dynamics were identified using a linear state space model. A generalized predictive control system with input constraints was designed for controlling the direct metal deposition process. To demonstrate the use of the proposed sensor and control algorithm, closed-loop experiments were conducted to adjust the laser power in order to track molten pool temperatures to the reference values.


Author(s): Oldenhuis, Nathan John | Advisor(s): Guan, Zhibin; Dong, Vy M | Abstract: In this dissertation, I will discuss the primary authored papers I have published over my time at UCI. They cover a broad range of topics, including catalysis, drug delivery, and dynamic materials. Chapter 1 is a modified version of a yet to be published book chapter I have written. It will discuss green methodology for the construction of amide bonds compared to commonly used methods, which generally produce stoichiometric amounts of waste. Chapter 2 is reproduced from a published manuscript that describes a catalytic system using a PNP type pincher complex, Ru-Macho, which was discovered to produce amides via dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols and amines. This methodology allows for the creation of secondary and tertiary amides as well as imines, producing only hydrogen and water as the by-products. Chapter 3 is reproduced from a published manuscript that describes a catalytic system using a PNP type pincher complex, Ru-Macho, which was discovered to produce alpha chiral amines via a hydrogen borrowing methodology from secondary alcohols and Ellman's tert butanesufinylamide. This methodology allows for the creation of high value added alpha chiral amines, producing only water as the by-product. Chapter 4 is reproduced from a published manuscript that describes the development of a dendronized polymer system for the delivery of mRNA to immortalized and primary cells in vitro. In the past decade mRNA delivery has emerged as a promising way to modulate protein expression without the need for plasmid DNA transfections. In spite of this need, there are very few synthetic vectors currently available for mRNA delivery. We developed a vector, which was able to deliver both eGFP and Luc-2 mRNA to 3T3, DC 2.4, and bone marrow derived dendritic cells. Chapter 5 is a yet to be published manuscript which, describes the formation of a biomimetic synthetic mechanical gradient material. Large changes in material stiffness at interfaces often causes manifestation of damage at the interface during stressing of the material. In order to solve this problem, we have developed a synthetic mechanical gradient material based of the metal ligand interaction found in the polychaete worm jaw. Using metal imidazole based materials previously studied in the lab, we were able to create a material with a continuous metal gradient of over 2 orders of magnitude in Young's modulus.


In mice, the early host response to intravenous infection with small doses of dispersed Mycobacterium bovis BCG is controlled by the Bcg gene. After infection with a low dose of M. bovis BCG, Lyt-1+ cells were generated in the spleens of BCG-susceptible mice (Bcgs) in parallel with an increase in the proportion of phagocytic cells. Very few changes occurred in the splenic cell types of BCG-resistant mice (Bcgr).


Three cases of stable fractures of the atlas and axis in children are presented. All patients presented with pain, spasm of neck musculature and head tilt along with a neurological deficit. All fractures were apparently stable; with conservative treatment all symptoms and signs resolved.


The transfer of public health services from the NHS to local authorities is damaging, flawed, and unsafe, says the network Public Health for the NHS, which is made up of more than 500 medical professionals and legal and academic experts.

A report from the network says that the rationale for transferring public health services to local government has never been properly explained and seems to be "more consistent with the aim of shrinking the NHS and commercialising the health system, than it is with any claim to improve public health."

It says that the Health and Social Care Bill provides no safeguards or guarantees that public health services will be provided as a universal entitlement to all, as under the existing NHS.

The areas of work threatened by the bill include public …


This paper describes a novel method to detect 3D bilateral symmetry from a ne structure as well as directly from a ne views. Applying the notion of skewed symmetry to 3D a ne structure, the problem is reduced to detecting geometric degeneracies in sets of 3D points. We present a method of detecting such degeneracies in a ne structure in the presence of measurement errors. We further extend this method to be applicable directly to point correspondences in two or more a ne views, without the need of explicit 3D reconstruction. We describe an algorithm, which applies the tests of degeneracy to symmetry detection in an e cient manner. Results are included of performance under noise and application to real images.


The integral equation for the current induced on a thin, perfectly conducting strip of infinite length above a homogeneous conducting half-space is examined for an incident field with E parallel to the strip axis. A closed form quasi-static solution is obtained for the case when the width and elevation of the strip are small compared to the skin depth (or wavelength for a lossless medium) in the lower region. Results are presented which compare the quasi-static solution with a numerical solution of the exact integral equation.


We show that there exists significant heterogeneity across US households in how uncertain they are in their expectations regarding personal and macroeconomic outcomes, and that uncertainty in expectations predicts households' choices. Individuals with lower income or education, more precarious finances, and living in counties with higher unemployment are more uncertain in their expectations regarding own-income growth, inflation, and national home price changes. People with more uncertain expectations, even accounting for their socioeconomic characteristics, exhibit more precaution in their consumption, credit, and investment behaviors.


The Steen River impact structure (SRIS) formed in mixed target rocks, with Devonian carbonates, shales, and evaporites overlying granitic basement rocks of the Canadian Shield. A detailed study of impact melt phases within a continuous sequence of polymict impact breccia, as intersected by drill core, evaluated the relationship of impact melt to the breccia, identified the target rocks that contributed to the melt, and calculated the amount of melt within the breccia. Impact melt in the SRIS breccia occurs in three main forms (1) as individual matrix‐supported clasts, (2) as rims enveloping granitic clasts, and (3) as layers of agglomerated melt. Major and minor element abundances of large impact melt clasts (>1 mm) are similar to granitic basement, aside from elevated CaO and K2O wt% oxides in these melt clasts from incorporation of carbonates and calcareous shales. In contrast, submillimeter‐sized impact melt clasts have a composition derived almost exclusively from melting of shales. The small size of the shale‐derived melt clasts is attributed to increased fragmentation and a wider dispersion due to the volatile‐rich nature of the shale protolith. The wide compositional range of impact‐melted target lithologies documented at the SRIS contradicts breccia clast formation by impact melts that merged into larger bodies but were subsequently disrupted. Our observations are consistent with disruption of impact melt early in its formation history, and the volatile‐rich nature of the target materials likely contributed to this disruption. Bimodal thin section scans provide an estimate of the proportion of impact melt phases in the SRIS breccias (~19 vol%). When compared to similarly sized, mixed‐target impact structures, our results are consistent with the estimated volume of impact melt clasts from Ries, Germany (21 vol%), but are roughly twice that observed at Haughton, Canada (<10 vol%).


iis book consists of twenty-six papers, originally given at a conference entitled '''Social and lvironmental Psychology in the European Context&dquo; held in Lisbon in September I986. The nference was sponsored by the European Association of Experimental Social Psychology, d financed by NATO. Like most published conference proceedings it inevitably bears traces its origins in the somewhat disparate nature of its papers-a remarkably wide-ranging group topics, from problems of conversing with databases, to research on national identities. Faced th the difficult task of imposing coherence on the enterprise, Canter's stimulating introduc-


The paper deals with the questions of studying the literary phenomena in interrelation between separate literatures. Both the general problems and separate questions devoted to the concrete facts of interaction of the Russian literature with foreign literatures are examined. The concept «literary communication» is thought to be the aХrt and ideological continuity. It is inferred that in order to understand the world nature of literary processes, first of all, relation ships between national literatures and creative individualities within them have to be studied.


Outcomes for high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients have remained dismal due to the inevitable development of chemotherapy resistance with recurrent disease.1 In order to better tailor treatment approaches and uncover opportunities for novel treatments, we need to better understand factors contributing to chemotherapy resistance. Recent studies have shown that immune-related gene expression profiles may serve as prognostic indicators of response to chemotherapy and clinical outcomes in solid tumors, including ovarian cancer.2–7 Moreover, immunologic factors have been shown to mediate chemotherapy resistance8 Reports in the literature show that common ovarian cancer therapeutics, including chemotherapy, PARP inhibitors, and bevacizumab, modulate tumor cell expressed PD-L1 levels through immunologic signaling pathways.9–12 However, very little research has addressed the effect of these treatments on other immune ligands or the differences in immunologic responses between platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant HGSOC cell lines.The HGSOC cell lines OVCAR4 (naturally platinum-resistant), PEO1 and PEO4 (matched platinum-sensitive and -resistant lines from the same patient), were treated with common ovarian cancer therapeutics (carboplatin/paclitaxel, olaparib, and bevacizumab), in the presence or absence of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Western blot was employed to identify levels of immune ligands of interest and a proteome profiler was used to detect broad immunologic changes in response to standard of care therapeutics.Olaparib and bevacizumab treatment strikingly upregulated levels of tumor cell expressed immune ligands ICOSL and PVRL2. Platinum status or presence of an immune component had no bearing on the effect. Moreover, blockade of PVRL2 using siRNA or monoclonal antibodies suppressed STAT3 signaling. When examining the effect of these therapeutics on cytokine levels in HGSOC cell lines treated in immune cell co-culture, OVCAR4 cells displayed marked changes in cytokine levels, particularly CXCL10, CXCL12, SERPINE1, IL1A, and IL1RA. While PEO1 and PEO4 cells displayed more subtle cytokine changes compared to OVCAR4 cells, differences in basal levels and treatment responses were observed between the platinum-sensitive and -resistant lines, most strikingly higher basal levels of SERPINE1 and CCL5/RANTES in PEO4 cells, and a robust increase in IL8 levels in response to chemotherapy in only PEO1 cells and not PEO4.In conclusion, common ovarian cancer chemotherapeutics and targeted agents induce tumor cell intrinsic immunologic effects that could potentially be exploited as combinatorial therapeutic targets. Differences in immunologic responses may help define platinum-sensitive and -resistant disease. These results will require further exploration in immune-competent mouse models and human HGSOC tissue.Cortez AJ, Tudrej P, Kujawa KA, Lisowska KM. Advances in ovarian cancer therapy. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2018;81(1):17–38.James NE, Miller K, LaFranzo N, Lips E, Woodman M, Ou J, Ribeiro JR. Immune modeling analysis reveals immunologic signatures associated with improved outcomes in high grade serous ovarian cancer. Front Oncol 2021;11:622182.Liu R, Hu R, Zeng Y, Zhang W, Zhou H-H. Tumour immune cell infiltration and survival after platinum-based chemotherapy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer subtypes: a gene expression-based computational study. EBioMedicine 2020;51:102602.Liu J, Meng H, Nie S, Sun Y, Jiang P, Li S, et al. Identification of a prognostic signature of epithelial ovarian cancer based on tumor immune microenvironment exploration. Genomics. 2020.Ding J, Zhang Q, Chen S, Huang H, He L. Construction of a new tumor immunity-related signature to assess and classify the prognostic risk of ovarian cancer. Aging (Albany, NY). 2020;12.Wu Y, Xia L, Zhao P, Deng Y, Guo Q, Zhu J, et al. Immune profiling reveals prognostic genes in high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Aging (Albany, NY). 2020;12(12):11398–11415.Montfort A, Owen S, Piskorz AM, Supernat A, Moore L, Al-Khalidi S, et al. Combining measures of immune infiltration shows additive effect on survival prediction in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Br J Cancer 2020;122(12):1803–1810.Liu W, Wang Y, Xie Y, Dai T, Fan M, Lu C, Zou Y. Cisplatin remodels the tumor immune microenvironment via the transcription factor EB in ovarian cancer. Cell Death Discov. 2021;7(1):136.Peng J, Hamanishi J, Matsumura N, Abiko K, Murat K, Baba T, Yamaguchi K, Horikawa N, Hosoe Y, Murphy SK, Konishi I, Mandai M. Chemotherapy induces programmed cell death-Ligand 1 overexpression via the nuclear factor-κB to foster an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in Ovarian cancer. Cancer Res 2015;75(23):5034–45.Jiao S, Xia W, Yamaguchi H, Wei Y, Chen M-K, Hsu J-M, et al. PARP inhibitor upregulates PD-L1 expression and enhances cancer-associated immunosuppression. Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(14):3711–3720.Xue C, Xu Y, Ye W, Xie Q, Gao H, Xu B, et al. Expression of PD-L1 in ovarian cancer and its synergistic antitumor effect with PARP inhibitor. Gynecol Oncol 2020;157(1):222–233.Zhang L, Chen Y, Li F, Bao L, Liu W. Atezolizumab and bevacizumab attenuate cisplatin resistant Ovarian cancer cells progression synergistically via suppressing epithelial-Mesenchymal transition. Front Immunol 2019;10:867.


This case study describes the combined use of a wound contact layer dressing containing collagen with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). The patient was treated at a university hospital in Santiago, Chile. A wound size reduction of 58% was observed within the first 10 weeks of treatment, and the wound went on to heal fully over the next 14 weeks. The combined use of collagen and NPWT helped to initiate healing and prevent amputation of the foot. At 64, the patient was able to maintain his independence and quality of life.


The growing concern for health is currently a global trend, so promoting healthy products is an opportunity that companies can exploit to differentiate their products in highly competitive markets. The purpose of this research is to examine the antecedents of social media advertising value and their consequences for attitudes to healthy food and intentions to consume it, in a representative sample of Spanish consumers. The theory of Ducoffe's advertising value model was used as a conceptual framework for the antecedents of attitudes based on utilitarian and hedonic values. To achieve this objective, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out based on primary data from a survey of a representative sample of the Spanish population with 2023 valid questionnaires. The Partial Least Square (PLS) method was applied to test the hypothesized relationships and predictive variables. The result of this research allows us to determine which variables influence the consumer's response, as measured by intention, motivated by the consumer's attitude to the value of healthy food, as influenced by the advertising value on social networks. Furthermore, the findings show that, for advertising healthy food on social networks to be valuable, it must be credible and richly informative.


The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey measured the redshifts of over 200 000 ultraviolet (UV)- selected (NUV < 22.8 mag) galaxies on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The survey detected the baryon acoustic oscillation signal in the large-scale distribution of galaxies over the redshift range 0.2 < z < 1.0, confirming the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe and measuring the rate of structure growth within it. Here, we present the final data release of the survey: a catalogue of 225 415 galaxies and individual files of the galaxy spectra. We analyse the emission-line properties of these UV-luminous Lyman-break galaxies by stacking the spectra in bins of luminosity, redshift, and stellar mass. The most luminous (-25 mag < M < -22 mag) galaxies have very broad Hβ emission from active nuclei, as well as a broad second component to the [OIII] (495.9 nm, 500.7 nm) doublet lines that is blueshifted by 100 km s, indicating the presence of gas outflows in these galaxies. The composite spectra allow us to detect and measure the temperature-sensitive [O III] (436.3 nm) line and obtain metallicities using the direct method. The metallicities of intermediate stellar mass (8.8 < log (M*/M⊙) < 10)WiggleZ galaxies are consistent with normal emission-line galaxies at the samemasses. In contrast, the metallicities of high stellarmass (10 < log (M*/M⊙) < 12) WiggleZ galaxies are significantly lower than for normal emission-line galaxies at the same masses. This is not an effect of evolution as the metallicities do not vary with redshift; it is most likely a property specific to the extremely UV-luminous WiggleZ galaxies.


We carried out a statistical study of equatorial dipolarization fronts (DFs) detected by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission during the full 2017 Earth's magnetotail season. We found that two DF classes are distinguished: class I (74.4%) corresponds to the standard DF properties and energy dissipation and a new class II (25.6%). This new class includes the six DF discussed in Alqeeq et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0069432) and corresponds to a bump of the magnetic field associated with a minimum in the ion and electron pressures and a reversal of the energy conversion process. The possible origin of this second class is discussed. Both DF classes show that the energy conversion process in the spacecraft frame is driven by the diamagnetic current dominated by the ion pressure gradient. In the fluid frame, it is driven by the electron pressure gradient. In addition, we have shown that the energy conversion processes are not homogeneous at the electron scale mostly due to the variations of the electric fields for both DF classes.


Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) enhances osteoclast formation and activity leading to bone loss in various pathological conditions, but its precise role in osteoclastogenesis remains controversial. Although several groups showed that TNF can promote osteoclastogenesis independently of the receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) ligand (RANKL), others demonstrated that TNF-mediated osteoclastogenesis needs permissive levels of RANKL. Here, we independently reveal that although TNF cannot stimulate osteoclastogenesis on bone slices, it can induce the formation of functional osteoclasts on bone slices in the presence of permissive levels of RANKL or from bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) pretreated by RANKL. TNF can still promote the formation of functional osteoclasts 2 days after transient RANKL pretreatment. These data have confirmed that TNF-mediated osteoclastogenesis requires priming of BMMs by RANKL. Moreover, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the dependence of TNF-mediated osteoclastogenesis on RANKL. RANK, the receptor for RANKL, contains an IVVY535–538 motif that has been shown to play a vital role in osteoclastogenesis by committing BMMs to the osteoclast lineage. We show that TNF-induced osteoclastogenesis depends on RANKL to commit BMMs to the osteoclast lineage and RANKL regulates the lineage commitment through the IVVY motif. Mechanistically, the IVVY motif controls the lineage commitment by reprogramming osteoclast genes into an inducible state in which they can be activated by TNF. Our findings not only provide important mechanistic insights into the action of RANKL in TNF-mediated osteoclastogenesis but also establish that the IVVY motif may serve as an attractive therapeutic target for bone loss in various bone disorders.


Poultry processing antimicrobial interventions are critical for pathogen control, and organic, mobile operations in Washington seek alternatives to chlorine. Laboratory and field studies (three replications each) evaluated lactic acid efficacy as a chlorine alternative. For the laboratory study, retail-purchased, conventionally processed chicken wings inoculated with Salmonella were randomly assigned to the following treatments: Salmonella inoculation followed by no treatment (10 wings) or by 3-min rinses of water, 50 to 100 ppm of chlorine, or 2% lactic acid (20 wings for each rinse treatment). Wings were sampled for Salmonella enumeration on xylose lysine desoxycholate agar. During pastured poultry processing at mobile slaughter units for each field study replication, 20 chicken carcasses were randomly assigned to each treatment: untreated control or 3-min immersion in lactic acid or chlorine. Whole-carcass rinses were examined for aerobic plate count (APC) on tryptic soy agar and coliforms on violet red bile agar. Untreated controls were also examined for Salmonella. In the laboratory study, lactic acid produced a significant (P < 0.01) Salmonella reduction compared with the inoculated no-rinse, water, and chlorine treatments, which were statistically similar to each other. In the field study, no Salmonella was detected on untreated controls. Lactic acid produced significant >2-log (P < 0.01) reductions in APC and coliforms, whereas chlorine resulted in slight, but significant 0.4-log reductions (P < 0.01) and 0.21-log reductions (P < 0.05) in APC and coliforms compared with untreated controls. Considering laboratory and field studies, lactic acid produced greater reductions in Salmonella, APC, and coliforms, validating its effectiveness as a chlorine alternative in mobile poultry slaughter operations.


Railroads in the U.S. and Europe have evolved to perform the same functions but have developed different specification and regulatory environments. In the U.S., AAR rules apply while in Europe the UIC code is followed. This paper compares selected parts of both specifications with a view to understanding the differences in philosophy between them and pointing out areas where we in the U.S. might gain from adopting the methods used in Europe.
 Clearly, the volume of regulation prohibits a comprehensive review and so discussion is limited to three key areas: Trackability—which includes ride quality and safety from derailment, Structural Integrity and Gauging—the calculation of the maximum permitted profile of the car. It is the author's belief that improved performance could be obtained from the existing railroad environment by adopting certain UIC methodologies.


Objective To identify the risk factors, etiologies, length of stay, severity, and predictors of disability among patients with the first ischemic stroke in Jordan. Methods A retrospective cohort study of 142 patients who were admitted to the Neurology Department at King Abdullah University Hospital between July/2017 and March/2018 with a first ischemic stroke. Etiology was classified according to the TOAST criteria. Severity was represented by NIHSS score, disability by mRS score, and prolonged length of stay as hospitalizations more than 75th percentile of the cohort's median length of stay. Analysis of the sample demographics and descriptive statistics were done, including frequencies of prevalence of independent variables (risk factors) and frequencies of stroke and etiology work-up. Chi-square and univariate analysis of variance "ANOVA" were used to investigate the relationship between risk factors and type of stroke. Finally, logistic regression analysis was used to measure the contribution of each of the independent variables. IRB approval was obtained as necessary. Results The mean age for the cohort was 66.5 years. The most common risk factors were hypertension (78.8%), diabetes mellitus (60.5%), and ischemic heart disease (29.4%). The most common stroke etiology was small-vessel occlusion (54.2%). Median length of stay was 4 days. Prolonged length of stay was observed in 23.23% of patients, which was associated with several factors, the most common of which were persistent dysphagia (57.5%), nosocomial infection (39.3%), and combined dysphagia and nosocomial infection (21.2%). The mean admission NIHSS score was 7.94, and on discharge was 5.76. In-hospital mortality was 2.81%, while 50% of patients had a favorable outcome on discharge (mRS score between 0-2). The mean discharge mRS score for the cohort was 2.47 (SD ± 1.79). Large artery atherosclerosis was associated with the highest residual disability with a mean score of 3.67 (SD ± 1.88), while the stroke of undetermined etiology was associated with the lowest residual disability with a mean score of 1.60 (SD ± 1.78). Significant predictors of mRS score were smoking (t 3.24, P < 0.001), age (t 1.98, P < 0.049), and NIHSS score (t 9.979, P 0.000). Conclusion Ischemic strokes have different etiologies that are associated with different levels of impact on the patient's clinical status and prognosis. Large artery atherosclerosis was associated with the highest residual disability. Regarding predictors of prognosis, current smoking status, age above 50, gender, and NIHSS on admission appear to be the strongest predictors of prognosis. Finally, higher NIHSS score on admission resulted in a longer hospital stay.


On the basis of the unified calculation of the thermal shifts of R1 line, R2 line and ground-state-splitting transition probabilities of direct and Raman processes have theoretically been calculated. The thermal broadenings of R,R′ and B line-groups for ruby, by taking into account all the levels and admixtures of wavefunctions within d3 electronic configuration and all the ΓM in electron-phonon interaction,the transition probabilities of direct and Raman processes have theoretically been calculated, The thermal broadenings of R,R′ and B line-groups have successfully been interpreted in terms of the direct and Raman processes of acoustic phonons. The theoretically predicted transition probabilities are in good agreement with the experimental ones.


A series of toughened polyetherimide (PEI)–ethylene-acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate (EAGMA) copolymer blends were prepared using a twin screw extruder and then injection molded by conventional and microcellular methods. The effect of the EAGMA content on the mechanical, thermal and dielectric properties, rheological behavior and morphology of the PEI–EAGMA blends was investigated. The results showed that the PEI–EAGMA blends exhibited a notched Charpy impact strength of 27.9 kJ m−2. This is 4–5 times higher than that of pure PEI and indicates that EAGMA had an excellent toughening effect on the PEI–EAGMA system. The interfacial tension calculation and SEM micrographs indicated that the PEI matrix was highly compatible with the EAGMA elastomer. The rheological results showed the restriction in the molecular mobility of PEI was more significant as the content of EAGMA increased. Moreover, the dielectric constant and loss of the materials can be effectively reduced through the technology of micro-foaming. EAGMA plays an important role in the microcellular structure formation and final dielectric properties of the PEI–EAGMA foam.


The ability of seeds to tolerate desiccation plays an important role in plant regeneration ecology. Globally, the majority of species produce desiccation‐tolerant (orthodox) seeds, while comparatively few produce desiccation‐sensitive (recalcitrant) seeds that are unable to survive dehydration. The trait has important implications for species conservation, as desiccation‐sensitive species cannot be conserved using traditional seed banking techniques. In addition, these species may be less resilient to the increases in droughts predicted for some regions under climate change scenarios. The best available resource on seed desiccation tolerance is the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Seed Information Database. This database contains seed desiccation‐sensitivity data for over 18 000 taxa, approximately 3% of which have desiccation‐sensitive seeds. However, this database is likely biased towards desiccation‐tolerant species. Previous attempts to estimate the proportion of seed plants with desiccation‐sensitive seeds have ranged from 7% to 50%. Here, we aimed to overcome sampling bias to derive a best estimate for the proportion of seed plants with desiccation‐sensitive seeds, based on current data. We used a recently developed method, based on taxonomic relatedness, to account for sampling bias and estimate the proportion of seed plants with desiccation‐sensitive seeds. As a comparison, given that seed desiccation sensitivity is strongly related to habitat, we repeated our analyses using habitat as a basis. The predictions from our taxonomy‐based models ranged between estimates of 7·5% and 19·6% of the world's seed‐plant species with desiccation‐sensitive seeds, depending on model type, while the habitat‐based models suggested a value of approximately 8%. Our evidence suggests that, based on current data, the best estimate of the proportion of species with desiccation‐sensitive seeds is likely to be approximately 8%. Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests had the highest incidence of seed desiccation sensitivity, where an estimated 18·5% of the seed‐plant flora possessed the trait. Synthesis. Alongside our estimation of the numbers of species with desiccation‐sensitive seeds, we provide data on taxa and habitats where this trait may be most prevalent. These findings can be used to support conservation planning, particularly with respect to providing decision support for in and ex situ conservation techniques.


Slow waves represent one of the prominent EEG signatures of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and are thought to play an important role in the cellular and network plasticity that occurs during this behavioral state. These slow waves of natural sleep are currently considered to be exclusively generated by intrinsic and synaptic mechanisms within neocortical territories, although a role for the thalamus in this key physiological rhythm has been suggested but never demonstrated. Combining neuronal ensemble recordings, microdialysis, and optogenetics, here we show that the block of the thalamic output to the neocortex markedly (up to 50%) decreases the frequency of slow waves recorded during non-REM sleep in freely moving, naturally sleeping-waking rats. A smaller volume of thalamic inactivation than during sleep is required for observing similar effects on EEG slow waves recorded during anesthesia, a condition in which both bursts and single action potentials of thalamocortical neurons are almost exclusively dependent on T-type calcium channels. Thalamic inactivation more strongly reduces spindles than slow waves during both anesthesia and natural sleep. Moreover, selective excitation of thalamocortical neurons strongly entrains EEG slow waves in a narrow frequency band (0.75–1.5 Hz) only when thalamic T-type calcium channels are functionally active. These results demonstrate that the thalamus finely tunes the frequency of slow waves during non-REM sleep and anesthesia, and thus provide the first conclusive evidence that a dynamic interplay of the neocortical and thalamic oscillators of slow waves is required for the full expression of this key physiological EEG rhythm.


Examines multiple factors in women's involvement/non-involvement in irrigation in the Chhattis Mauja irrigation scheme in Nepal. Includes an empirical analysis of the livelihood strategies of farm households, documentation of the level and nature of participation of women and men in the water users' organizations, analysis of women's access to irrigation services, and an examination of the need and desirability of increasing the participation of woman in the scheme organization.


The distribution of dissolved gallium, a less‐reactive analogue of aluminum, has the potential to reveal information about the averaged dust input to the surface ocean and to complement studies using aluminum as a tracer. New data are presented here on the distribution of dissolved Ga, including six profiles in the south and central Atlantic as well as seven shallow and two deep profiles from the northwest Pacific. The Atlantic data allow for an estimate of Ga in Antarctic Bottom Water (∼25–30 pmol kg−1) and show reasonably conservative behavior in deep waters. In the northwest Pacific, surface water Ga/Al ratios correlate with chlorophyll concentrations, probably reflecting the biogenic removal of dissolved Al and suggesting a possible means for estimating variation in surface water Al removal times. Also in the northwest Pacific, low surface water Ga in subpolar surface waters suggests low dust input, thereby providing an explanation for the high nutrient–low chlorophyll behavior of this environment. This low Ga subpolar water implies that North Pacific Intermediate Water is low in Ga and thus provides an advective explanation for the intermediate water Ga minimum observed in the temperate North Pacific. Surprisingly, the deepest waters sampled in the North Pacific have Ga concentrations similar to that estimated for circumpolar waters, thus indicating minimal reactivity of Ga in its northward transit in the deep Pacific.


An investigation was conducted to examine the effects of a variable flow low pressure turbine on a variable cycle engine's performance.One of the greatest challenges, during the design of a variable cycle engine is how to optimise the various cycles and then to match then to the capabilities of the engine components, the use of extensive variable geometry is required to achieve this.A method of matching variable cycle engines that was developed Cranfield University was adapted to cater for the use of a variable flow low pressure turbine. It was discovered that the implementation of variable geometry within the low pressure turbine could significantly reduce the requirements for variable geometry within the compressor system, at the cost of replacing well proven compressor variable geometry with high risk technology within the LP turbine.Utilising the variable flow turbine to expand the bypass ratio range of the engine was studied. Increasing the LPM bypass ratio to 1.1 and 1.2 yielded SFC reductions of 3% and 5% respectively, reducing the bypass ratio of the HPM to 0.1 gave a 20% increase in specific thrust. It was found that the performance benefits gained from expanding the bypass ratio are large enough to warrant further investigation into this concept.Copyright © 1999 by ASME


Gaspeite is a low reactivity, rhombohedral carbonate mineral and a suitable surrogate to investigate the surface properties of other more ubiquitous carbonate minerals, such as calcite, in aqueous solutions. In this study, the acid-base properties of the gaspeite surface were investigated over a pH range of 5 to 10 in NaCl solutions (0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 M) at near ambient conditions (25 +/- 3 degrees C and 1 atm) by means of conventional acidimetric and alkalimetric titration techniques and microelectrophoresis. Over the entire experimental pH range, surface protonation and electrokinetic mobility are strongly affected by the background electrolyte, leading to a significant decrease of the pH of zero net proton charge (PZNPC) and the pH of isoelectric point (pH(iep)) at increasing NaCl concentrations. This challenges the conventional idea that carbonate mineral surfaces are chemically inert to background electrolyte ions. Multiple sets of surface complexation reactions (i.e., ionization and ion adsorption) were formulated within the framework of three electrostatic models (CCM, BSM, and TLM) and their ability to simulate proton adsorption and electrokinetic data was evaluated. A one-site, 3-pK, constant capacitance surface complexation model (SCM) reproduces the proton adsorption data at all ionic strengths and qualitatively predicts the electrokinetic behavior of gaspeite suspensions. Nevertheless, the strong ionic strength dependence exhibited by the optimized SCM parameters reveals that the influence of the background electrolyte on the surface reactivity of gaspeite is not fully accounted for by conventional electrostatic and surface complexation models and suggests that future refinements to the underlying theories are warranted.


In satellite phased-array antennas, mechanical distortions, which may be due to vibrations caused when launching the satellite into the orbit or thermal variations in the orbit, result in significant degradation of electrical performance. In this paper, two on-board calibration methods are proposed for such mechanical distortions: One compensates for the element phase differences resulting from mechanical distortions, and the other is used to set the best-fit phase distribution obtained from the measured phases. The latter method is effective even at a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The proposed methods have been validated by experiments, through which the theoretically predicted calibration accuracy of the methods has been successfully reproduced.


Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Akwa Ibom State University, IkotAkpaden, Mkpat Enin, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Corresponding e-mail:firstname.lastname@example.com The study modeled palm oil, palm kernel and rubber annual output equations in Nigeria. Time series data were used in the analysis, and the time frame covered the period 1962 to 2013. The data were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization; Central Bank of Nigeria and National Bureau of Statistics. Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test revealed that, specified macroeconomic variables were non-stationary at level but stationary at first difference. Following these results, cointegration and error correction models were specified. The coefficient of the ECM for each crop equation was negative and statistical significant at conventional probability levels, thus justifying the long run equilibrium relationship in the specified crop output equations. The empirical results revealed that, per capita GDP, industrial capacity utilization, lending interest rate and kilowatts per capita of electricity influenced the output of palm oil, palm kernel and rubber in the long run; whereas, per capita GDP was significant variable in the short run. The result revealed the need to stabilize some macroeconomic variables in order to attain sustainable agricultural production in Nigeria. Hence, it is recommended that, the country should expand its industrial capacity; increase the per capita income or the demand capability of Nigerian and also increase the Kilowatts per capita of electricity in the country. In addition, the study upholds that, government should intervene in the lending policy of commercial bank. Lending policy should be influence to favour lower lending rate to the agricultural sector in the country.


1. 1. Two neurones have been encountered with the properties of non-spiking stretch-receptors on both sides of each swimmeret-bearing segment of the crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus .

2. 2. Each neurone depolarizes by up to 35 mV (measured intracellularly in the ganglionic neuropil) in response to experimentally imposed retraction of the appropriate swimmeret, but does not generate spikes.

3. 3. Depolarizing and hyperpolarizing current injected into these neurones can excite or inhibit the spike activity of several swimmeret motorneurones.

4. 4. Intracellular injection of dye shows that both non-spiking stretch-receptors have large diameter axons in the anterior branch of the first root and central cell bodies. One has a cell body in the anterior ipsilateral quadrant of the ganglion (NSSR-A), while the other has a cell body in the posterior ipsilateral quadrant (NSSR-P).

5. 5. Both neurones innervate a peripheral elastic strand which spans the base of the swimmeret, with its posterior attachment on the sternal rib at the posterior rim of the swimmeret socket, and its anterior attachment on the swimmeret basipodite. This strand (S1) is stretched by retraction of the swimmeret.

6. 6. A second strand (S2) stretches from the anterior rim of the swimmeret socket to the mid point of S1, and is innervated by several small diameter axons which also do not appear to have cell bodies in the periphery.


Metabolic syndrome is a chronic metabolic disorder that has turned into a severe health problem worldwide. A previous study reported that large yellow tea exhibited better anti-diabetic and lipid-lowering effects than green tea. Nevertheless, the potential mechanisms are not yet understood. In this study, we examined the prevention effects and mechanisms of large yellow tea water extract (LWE) on metabolic syndrome using leptin receptor knockout (Lepr−/−) rats. Seven-week-old male Lepr−/− and wild type (WT) littermate rats were divided into Lepr−/− control group (KO) (n = 5), Lepr−/− with LWE-treated group (KL) (n = 5), WT control group (WT) (n = 6), and WT with LWE intervention group (WL) (n = 6). Then, the rats were administered water or LWE (700 mg/kg BW) daily by oral gavage for 24 weeks, respectively. The results showed that the administration of LWE significantly reduced the serum concentrations of random blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and free fatty acids, and increased glucose tolerance in Lepr−/− rats. Moreover, LWE remarkably reduced hepatic lipid accumulation and alleviated fatty liver formation in Lepr−/− rats. A mechanistic study showed that LWE obviously activated SIRT6 and decreased the expression of key lipogenesis-related molecules SREBP1, FAS, and DGAT1 in the livers of Lepr−/− rats. Furthermore, LWE significantly improved microbiota dysbiosis via an increase in gut microbiota diversity and an abundance of the microbiota that produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as Ruminococcaceae, Faecalibaculum, Intestinimonas, and Alistipes. Finally, LWE supplementation increased the concentrations of SCFAs in the feces of Lepr−/− rats. These results revealed that LWE attenuated metabolic syndrome of Lepr−/− rats via the reduction of hepatic lipid synthesis through the SIRT6/SREBP1 pathway and the modulation of gut microbiota.