Organizations depend on regular meetings to carry out their everyday tasks. When carried out successfully, meetings offer a common medium for participants to exchange ideas and make decisions. However, many meetings suffer from unfocused discussions or irrelevant dialogues. Within Social Science sometimes general, informal meeting guidelines are formulated. To study meetings in detail, we first formalize general properties for meetings and a generic meeting protocol for the role interactions in meetings that is coherent with such guidelines. In the context of a case study, an example meeting is simulated based on this protocol. The properties are verified in this simulated trace. These properties are also validated by verifying them against a formalisation of empirical data of a real meeting in the same context. A comparison of the two traces reveals that a real meeting is more robust in the sense by exception violations of the protocol may occur, and these exceptions are handled effectively without damaging the success of the meeting. Given this observation, a more refined protocol is specified that includes exception-handling strategies. Based on this refined protocol a meeting is simulated that closely resembles the real meeting.


Background and objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the health, social, and economic sectors all over the world. With a view to assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), we conducted a study to find out the incidence and severity of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among HCWs. Material and methods This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi from March 2021 to June 2021. One hundred HCWs working in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology were surveyed using a set of semi-structured interview schedules and structured questionnaires distributed via email or manually. The structured questionnaire included the demographic profile; other baseline information; the 42-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-42); and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) instrument. Data analysis was carried out using the statistical package STATA version 14.0 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX). Results A total of 100 HCWs participated in the study, out of which 39 (39%), 45 (45%), and 16 (16%) were doctors, nursing staff, and supporting staff, respectively. Overall, 92 (92%) of the participants were women, and the mean age of the participants was 29.87 ±4.85 years. Out of the 100 participants, 17 (17%), 25 (25%), 13 (13%), and two (2%) participants had depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD, respectively. Occupation-wise, among the nursing staff, doctors, and supporting staff, the incidence of depression was 24.4%, 15.4%, 0.0%, respectively; the anxiety rate was 33.3%, 25.6%, and 0.0%, respectively; and the rate of stress was 17.8%, 12.8%, and 0.0%, respectively. The IES-R score was significantly higher among unmarried as compared to married participants (2.70 ±7.935 vs. 1.60 ±3.583, p=0.000). Participants living in joint families had a higher DASS-42 score (DASS-D: 4.00 ±5.299 vs. 3.77 ±7.727, p=0.889; DASS-A: 4.31 ±4.398 vs. 4.12 ±7.496, p=0.905; DASS-S: 4.08 ±4.816 vs. 3.88 ±7.567, p=0.016) and lower IES-R score (1.31 ±4.922 vs. 2.66 ±9.947, p=0.752) as compared to those living in nuclear families. Depression (4.86 ±8.165 vs. 2.00 ±4.388, p=0.054), anxiety (5.31 ±7.538 vs. 2.14 ±4.704, p=0.024), stress (5.20 ±7.651 vs. 1.67 ±4.733, p=0.014) and PTSD (3.61 ±10.900 vs. 1.44 ±2.634, p=0.245) were all higher among HCWs having exposure to COVID-19 more than 10 hours per week compared to participants with an exposure of less than 10 hours per week. The participants having psychiatric illness in the family showed significantly higher mean values for DASS-42 (DASS-D: 20.00 ±26.870 vs. 3.50 ±6.264, p=0.001; DASS-A: 18.50 ±20.506 vs. 3.88 ±6.215, p=0.002; DASS-S: 18.00 ±21.213 vs. 3.64 ±6.346, p=0.003) as compared to those without any psychiatric illness in the family. Conclusion Based on our findings, occupational and environmental factors at the workplace play a key role in mental health outcomes, and COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the mental health of HCWs. Furthermore, we have also observed that effective planning can significantly reduce mental stress.


Three kinds of MgGeO 3 pyroxene single crystals of 1-10 mm size were grown by the flux method: an orthopyroxene, a clinopyroxene, and a "clino-from proto" phase. The lattice parameters and the space groups are (1) orthopyroxene: a = 18.8099(12), b = 8.9484(8), c = 5.3451(4)Aa, Pbca, (2) clinopyroxene and (3) "clino-from proto" phase: a = 9.6010(8), b = 8.9323(6), c = 5.1592(5)Aa, beta = 101.034(9) degrees , C2/c. The phase relations of MgGeO 3 were studied in the temperature range 655-1030 degrees C and in the pressure range 0-55 kbar. The boundary between orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene was determined as T = 810 degrees C + 3.8 P(kbar), where the high-pressure and low-temperature phase is monoclinic. Single crystals of ilmenite-type MgGeO 3 (up to 100 mu M in size) were also grown in association with the pyroxene-->ilmenite transformation at 55 kbar, using the flux-grown orthopyroxene or clinopyroxene MgGeO 3 single crystals as starting materials.--Modified journal abstract.


Gender wage gaps and women's underrepresentation in leadership positions exist at remarkably similar magnitudes across countries at all levels of income per capita. Women's educational attainment and labor market participation have improved, but this has been insufficient to close the gaps. A combination of economic forces, cultural and social norms, discrimination, and unequal legal rights appear to be contributing to gender inequality. A range of policy options (such as quotas) have been implemented in some countries; some have been successful, whereas for others the effects are still unclear.


The Fourier spectrum of a periodic signal may be ob- tained by fast Fourier transform algorithms, but, as is well known, special care must be taken to avoid severe distortions introduced by the sampling process. The main problem is the leakage gener- ated by the truncation required to obtain a finite length sampled data. The usual procedure to reduce leakage is to multiply the sampled signal by a weighting window. Several kinds of windows have been proposed in the literature, and today they are also included in many commercial instruments. A simple alternative procedure is proposed in this paper. It is implemented with a PC compatible data acquisition board (DAQ) and consists of an algorithm that uses decimation and interpola- tion techniques. This algorithm is equivalent to the use of an ad- justable sampling frequency and correspondingly an adjustable window size. Results obtained by this method on both harmonic and polyhar- monic signals are empirically analyzed and compared with those given by an instrument with built-in FFT capabilities.


Introduction: Hidden Riches in Secret Places Methods and Approaches 1. The Allure of Gilgamesh: The Construction of Desire in the Gilgamesh Epic Introduction: The Construction of Desire: Queering Gilgamesh The Erotic Gilgamesh: The Prostitute and the Primal Man: Inciting Desire, The Gaze of Ishtar: Denying Desire, Heroic Love: Requiting Desire, The Death of Desire Conclusion 2. On the Couch with Horus and Seth: A Freudian Analysis Introduction: Oedipus in Ancient Egypt A Contentious Court: Two Episodes: The Insult and the Enigma, Island Intrigue The Three Contests: Under the Water, In the Bed, On the Boat Conclusion 3. Desire in Death's Realm: Sex, Power, and Violence in "Nergal and Ereshkigal" Introduction: Giving Death its Due Crucible of Desire: Ereshkigal's Wiles A Goddess Scorned: Ereshkigal's Complaint To Reign in Hell: Nergal's Return, Gender and Power Conclusion: Desire and Death References Subject Index Text Index


This research aims to determine the cause of problematic credit in UPK Pidie district and problematic credit settlement procedures in UPK Pidie District as well as the settlement of problematic credit on UPK in Pidie district according to Sharia. Results of the study showed that the main factor of the cause of problematic credit in the UPK of Pidie District is because of business and business results that do not match the expectations plus more household needs that are increasingly increasing the day, earnings that do not meet the needs. Also and credit given is not fully used for capital, there are groups using loans for household needs. The problematic credit settlement procedure for UPK Pidie District is by conducting a field review, conducting coaching many times by continuing to spur the group to pay by the next set time with restructuring efforts. The settlement of problematic credit in the UPK Pidie District is appropriate because the UPK does not attract the angling but always takes a family path with the affected group members.


To better use low grade tobacco,it was irradiated by UV,the UV treated samples were extracted with simultaneous distillation extraction,the aroma substances in UV treated tobacco were detected by GC/MS.The total sugar,total nitrogen and nicotine were determined. The results showed that the contents of alcohols,esters and lactones increased, while the contents of phenolic substances decreased significantly after UV irradiation. The contents of aldehydes,furans,nitrogen-containing heterocycles and cembranols reached their highest values by UV irradiation in 60 minutes.


I. Overview In 2006, the National Research Council initiated a study on Learning Science in Informal Environments. The purpose of the study is to synthesize a range of relevant literatures and recommend strategic directions for future research in the area. In the course of working on this study the Committee has found one of its challenges to be the identification and assessment of evaluation studies of informal science programs, in particular those which have probed science learning outcomes. To that end they commissioned the Institute for Learning Innovation to produce a paper that would help them discern the state of evaluation practice, the range of methods used to assess learning in these settings, and the quality and strength of the evidence for such learning. This paper will be used by the Committee as they address the issue of evaluation in their report and make specific recommendations to their sponsor, the National Science Foundation, and the field of science learning in informal environments at large about how to best support and shape quality evaluation practice (questions, methods, etc.) in the future. In addition, the paper addresses the contribution that evaluation has made to the field's understanding of the impacts of informal science learning experiences and suggests how evaluation practice can be enhanced in the future.


Examined were 74 patients ranging in age from 6 to 48 years with dysplastic scoliosis. Disorders in the system of hemostasis were revealed in 67 patients. Including the 25 operated ones. The operative blood loss of more than 20 % of the circulating blood volume was noted 2 times more often in patients with the disorders in the system of hemostasis, mainly with the VIII factor deficiency. Intravenous administration of a cryoprecipitate contributed to restoration of the normal VIII factor level and more than 2-fold decrease in operative blood loss.


Rapid advances in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) indicate that they are becoming increasingly complex. Consequently users and applications are becoming more demanding. Due to unique characteristics of WSNs, like small dimensions and limited resources and capabilities, Quality of Service (QoS) is imposed as one of the key factors of WSNs. In this paper, we surveyed two main approaches for QoS provisioning in WSNs: layered and cross-layer approach. QoS provisioning with layered approach is surveyed in three WSN layers: MAC, network and transport layer. Current developments show that they can be efficiently used for QoS provisioning. However, they consider QoS only as layer specific isolated set of problems and they are highly dependent on the performance of other layers. Cross-layer approach does not have the restrictions as layered approach and hence can dispose with information from all layers of the communication protocol stack. Although it has huge potential to become the most efficient solution for QoS provisioning in WSNs, current development indicate that there are still many issues and challenges that need to be overcome. Since the concept of the QoS is relatively new in WSNs, there are not a large number of patents currently dealing with this issue, however but in coming years a large increase in the number of such patents is expected. Available patents in this domain are described in the paper.


The stability of the plane Couette flow of a viscoelastic fluid adjacent to a flexible surface is analyzed with the help of linear and weakly nonlinear stability theory in the limit of zero Reynolds number. The fluid is described by an Oldroyd-B model, which is parametrized by the viscosity \eta, the relaxation time \lambda, and the parameter \beta, which is the ratio of solvent-to-solution viscosity; beta=0 for a Maxwell fluid and \beta=1 for a Newtonian fluid. The wall is modeled as an incompressible neo-Hookean solid of finite thickness and is grafted to a rigid plate at the bottom. The neo-Hookean constitutive model parametrized by the shear modulus G, augmented to include the viscous dissipation, is used for the solid medium. Previous studies for the Newtonian flow past a compliant wall predict an instability as the dimensionless shear rate \Gamma= $(\eta^{V/GR})$ is increased beyond the critical value $\Gamma_c$. The present analysis investigates the effect of fluid elasticity, in terms of the Weissenberg number W=$\lambda {G/\eta}$, on the critical value of the imposed shear rate $\Gamma_c$ for various parameters. The fluid elasticity is found to increase $\Gamma_c$, indicating the stabilizing influence of the polymer addition on the viscous instability. For dilute polymeric solutions with \beta \geq 0.5, the flow is stable when the Weissenberg number is increased beyond a maximum value Wmax, and Wmax increases proportional to the ratio of solid-to-fluid thickness H. For concentrated polymer solutions and melts with \beta \le0.5, the flow becomes unstable when the strain rate increases beyond a critical value for any large Weissenberg number. The weakly nonlinear analysis reveals that the bifurcation of the linear instability is subcritical when there is no dissipation in the solid. The nature of bifurcation, however, changes to supercritical when the viscous effects in the solid are taken into account and the relative solid viscosity \etar is large such that sqrt( \eta_r)/H \ge1. The equilibrium amplitude and the threshold strain energy for the solid have been calculated, and the effect of parameters H, \beta, \etar, and interfacial tension on these quantities is analyzed.


Abstract When the British government declared war against Germany in August 1914, a great drive to gain popular support by presenting the conflict to the public as a morally righteous endeavour began in earnest. Stories of German violence against French and Belgian civilians, largely based in fact, were central to this process of 'cultural mobilisation'. The German serviceman thus came to be widely regarded in Britain as inherently cruel and malevolent while his British counterpart was revered as the embodiment of honour, chivalry and courage. Yet by the autumn of 1920, less than two years after the Armistice, the conduct of members of the crown forces in Ireland was being publicly drawn into question by British commentators in a manner that would have been unthinkable during the war against Germany. Drawing on contemporary press reports, parliamentary debates and personal narrative sources, this article explores and analyses the moral climate in Britain in 1920 and 1921 and comments on the degree to which memories of atrocities committed by German servicemen during the Great War informed popular and official responses to events in Ireland.


Inclusion of hypertonic (5%) solution of sodium chloride in polyglucin or rheopolyglucin in the infusion-transfusion therapy composition during the operation performance for gastrointestinal bleeding have permitted to eliminate circulatory nonstability rapidly, to rise the blood osmolarity of the expense of the sodium and chlorine concentration rising, to heighten the urination rate at the expense of the glomerular filtration increase, and as a result the excretion of sodium, chlorine and potassium out of the organism have increased.


The object of the article is the National competitiveness, which we relate to the understanding that it is the possibility for maintaining high levels of labor and capital efficiency, and to reach stable economical progress through systematic innovations, and this to be combined with an increase of the real income of the population. It includes a certain level of competition and thereby it is the subject of the research. The purpose is to find out the prerequisites of the competition in progress and the reaching of the high competitiveness. They could be found in the model pursuit and followed by the businesses – of attractiveness or of aggressiveness.


The phenotype of a Bacillus subtilis 168 strain with no detectable penicillin-binding protein 4 was examined. Despite the fact that penicillin-binding protein 4 is one of the most penicillin-sensitive proteins in the species, its apparent loss had no obvious effect on the organism or its susceptibility to various beta-lactam antibiotics.


Background : Patient-centered care improves the quality of life and health care, and re-duces the costs of care. The advent of new technologies such as health social networks, and personal health records (PHR), have significant impact on the patient-centered care. The aim of this article is to analyze and provide a set of features and requirements needed by the users of health social network serving as a PHR (Personal Health Record) system. The combination of capabilities offered by PHRs and social networks providing better delivery of patient-centered care. Methods : In this paper, after a brief study of capabilities and features of existing health social networks and based on a comparative study, a set of requirements which are nec-essary to create a comprehensive health social network as a PHR system are proposed. Identification of such a systems stakeholders and users e.g. healthcare professionals, pa-tients, and healthcare organizations is important for categorizing the requirements. Also, classifying relatively vast range of existing systems is needed to have a better analyze and design. Results : The proposed health social network can be used by different user groups in healthcare e.g. healthcare professionals, patients, and healthcare organizations. Accord-ing to the each user group's requirements, it provides separate facilities for them. The users of this integrated health social network can optionally share some of their information with other users in their group or with users in the other groups and interact with them. Studies show that the proposal requirements and capabilities for health social network not only cover the capabilities of similar systems but also satisfactory provide the requirements of a PHR system to deliver the patient-centered care. Conclusion: The proposed set of requirements are qualitatively compared with the other similar systems. Using the proposed health social network that provides PHR capabilities for its users will have an irrefutable impact on quality and efficiency of pa-tient-centered care, and play an important role in improving the health of society. Abstract


Electrophysiologic studies indicated a lesion of the deep branch of the ulnar nerve in the palm of a 42-year-old man with painless weakness and wasting of ulnar-innervated intrinsic hand muscles. Magnetic resonance imaging of this region demonstrated a soft-tissue mass in the palm distal to Guyon's canal. Surgical exploration disclosed a giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath, compressing the deep branch of the ulnar nerve.


The present article sets out to explore the under-researched relationship between linguistic (im)politeness and audiovisual translation, by taking the speech act of requests as object of analysis in English films and in their dubbed Italian versions. As dubbing constraints often lead translators to depart substantially from the original utterance, the study shows how linguistic changes can result in alterations of the (im)polite load inherent in the requests from original film versions. The study focuses on pragmatic strategies for realizing requests in English film dialogues and shows that dubbing constraints may underlie the adoption of different pragmatic strategies for the requests of target-language dialogues. The (im)politeness shifts that this linguistic modification process entails may make the same character come across as more or less (im)polite in the target-language version and are, for this reason, worth investigating.


ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) strains vary widely in their abilities to grow in Old World monkey (OWM) cells such as those of cynomolgus monkeys (CM). We evaluated eight HIV-2 isolates for their sensitivities to CM TRIM5α, an anti-HIV factor in OWM cells. We found that different HIV-2 isolates showed differences in their sensitivities to CM TRIM5α. Sequence analysis showed that TRIM5α-sensitive viruses had proline at the 120th position of the capsid protein (CA), whereas TRIM5α-resistant viruses had either alanine or glutamine. Mutagenesis studies indicated that the single amino acid at the 120th position indeed affected the sensitivity of the virus to CM TRIM5α.


Attempts to understand the degeneration of the eyes in cave fish has largely been explained by either various extents of gradual degeneration, ranging from partial to total loss, observed in various species or by acceleration of loss caused by dark environments. However, neither the theory of biological evolution developed by Charles Darwin nor the neutral theory of molecular evolution formulated by Kimura Motoo adequately explains these phenomena. Recent trends in utilizing multidisciplinary research, however, have yielded better results, helping reveal a more complex picture of the mechanisms of degeneration. Here, we summarize the current progress of the research via morphology and anatomy, development biology, animal behavior science and molecular genetics, and offer some perspectives on the ongoing research into the development and degeneration of eyes in cave fish.


This paper reviews the research on building safe and supportive families and communities for Indigenous children in Australia. Based on assessments of 22 research and evaluation reports, it examines the evidence base in the areas of: " building safe and supportive Indigenous communities for children and families; " support for vulnerable and at-risk Indigenous families; and " prevention of child abuse and neglect in Indigenous families and communities. The paper synthesises the findings and discusses the implications for future research. The reports were identified in the research audit, Protecting Australia's Children Research Audit 1995–2010 (McDonald, Higgins, valentine, & Lamont, 2011).


Ideally, a multitude of steps has to be taken before a commercial implementation of a pedestrian model is used in practice. Calibration, the main goal of which is to increase the accuracy of the predictions by determining the set of values for the model parameters that allows for the best replication of reality, has an important role in this process. Yet, up to recently, calibration has received relatively little attention within the field of pedestrian modelling. Most studies focus only on one specific movement base case and/or use a single metric. It is questionable how generally applicable a pedestrian simulation model is that has been calibrated using a limited set of movement base cases and one metric. The objective of this research is twofold, namely, to (1) determine the effect of the choice of movement base cases, metrics, and density levels on the calibration results and (2) to develop a multiple-objective calibration approach to determine the aforementioned effects. In this paper a multiple-objective calibration scheme is presented for pedestrian simulation models, in which multiple normalized metrics (i.e., flow, spatial distribution, effort, and travel time) are combined by means of weighted sum method that accounts for the stochastic nature of the model. Based on the analysis of the calibration results, it can be concluded that (1) it is necessary to use multiple movement base cases when calibrating a model to capture all relevant behaviours, (2) the level of density influences the calibration results, and (3) the choice of metric or combinations of metrics influence the results severely.


Preservice teachers enrolled in teacher education programs are required to engage in reflective practice to develop understanding of the teaching profession and to develop a personal teacher identity. Reflective practices are particularly useful during rural and remote Supervised Professional Experiences (SPE). Preservice teachers also reflect on Wider Field Experiences (WFE) which provide them with additional experiences that extend their professional learning. This study examines the value of shared autobiographical reflections of a group of preservice teachers as they completed Wider Field Experience (WFE) in an Aboriginal community school in a rural area. Preservice teachers indicated that the WFE had an impact on their professional learning and contributed to developing a positive understanding of teaching Aboriginal students. However, it was the opportunity to participate in shared autobiographical reflections on the WFE that contributed significantly to their teacher identity, and their teaching practices for both urban and rural classrooms. The preservice teachers' autobiographical reflections about the WFE suggest the value of well-chosen WFE and the benefit of including personal experiences in developing professional learning and teaching practices for teaching in rural schools.; ;


We study sharp low-energy resonance peaks in the local density of states (LDOS) induced by Zn impurities or possible Cu vacancies in superconducting Bi 2Sr2CaCu2O8+d. The measured structure of these near-zero-bias resonances is quantitatively reproduced by an extended impurity potential without invoking internal impurity states or sophisticated tunneling models. The Zn potential extends at least to the nearest-neighbor Cu sites, and the range of order parameter suppression extends at leas t 8 Å away from the Zn site. We further show that the local spin susceptibilities near Zn impurities increase rather than decrease with decreasing temperature in the superconducting state due to the sharp increase of the LDOS near the Fermi level.


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Abstract

Fusarium graminearum Schwabe is one of the predominant fungal species responsible for stalk rot of maize in Canada and many other countries. Adapted sources of resistance to this disease are scarce but recently a few have been identified. To evaluate the usefulness of these sources in a breeding programme to improve stalk rot resistance, a complete diallel cross of five inbreds of varying susceptibility to stalk rot was conducted. Artificial inoculations of stalks were accomplished by injecting a conidial suspension into the first internode above the uppermost aerial root node. Stalk rot ratings, yield and lodging in the parents, crosses and reciprocals were evaluated over two field seasons. There were significant differences between inbred lines and hybrids for stalk rot ratings. Inbreds CM174 and CO325 were highly susceptible, whereas inbreds 73405 and 73353 were classified as resistant and both had good general combining ability. Those inbreds could be used as donors of favourable alleles in breeding programmes for Gibberella stalk rot resistance.


Stethoscopes were originally designed for the auscultation of a patient's chest for the purpose of listening to lung and heart sounds. These aid medical professionals in their evaluation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as in other applications, such as listening to bowel sounds in the gastrointestinal system or assessing for vascular bruits. Listening to internal sounds during chest auscultation aids healthcare professionals in their diagnosis of a patient's illness. We performed an extensive literature review on the currently available stethoscopes specifically for use in chest auscultation. By understanding the specificities of the different stethoscopes available, healthcare professionals can capitalize on their beneficial features, to serve both clinical and educational purposes. Additionally, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the unique application of digital stethoscopes for telemedicine. Thus, the advantages and limitations of digital stethoscopes are reviewed. Lastly, to determine the best available stethoscopes in the healthcare industry, this literature review explored various benchmarking methods that can be used to identify areas of improvement for existing stethoscopes, as well as to serve as a standard for the general comparison of stethoscope quality. The potential use of digital stethoscopes for telemedicine amidst ongoing technological advancements in wearable sensors and modern communication facilities such as 5G are also discussed. Based on the ongoing trend in advancements in wearable technology, telemedicine, and smart hospitals, understanding the benefits and limitations of the digital stethoscope is an essential consideration for potential equipment deployment, especially during the height of the current COVID-19 pandemic and, more importantly, for future healthcare crises when human and resource mobility is restricted.


Pregnancy is a unique time when health care providers have more regular contact with women. Using this time to more fully understand the social influences at play can provide physicians an opportunity to leverage networks to improve health and wellbeing while stemming the exposure to health misinformation. Advocating for supportive social networks or exercise groups/programs can provide additional support and behavioral reinforcement which is needed for sustained behavior change. In this manner, fostering these networks is likely more beneficial to supporting healthy exercise behavior during pregnancy than education alone.


Using a multilocus DNA probe, individual - specific hybridization patterns, the so-called DNA fingerprints (TAB) were determined in six horse families by the DNA fingerprinting method. The probe with evolutionally preserved nucleotide sequence from bacteriophage M13 determines hypervariable regions placed in genomic minisatellite DNA. The use of this probe permits an identification of an individual and execution of paternity relationships with a probability over 99.99 per cent.


Abstract Children with cleft palate frequently show speech and language disorders. In the related scientific literature, several reports have described the use of different strategies for treating speech disorders in children with cleft palate. However, only a few studies have addressed the use of these strategies within a meaningful linguistic context. Deliberate practice is a procedure or strategy, which proposes that the key for achieving high levels of expert performance is dedicating long time for practice. Deliberate practice has been studied mainly in the areas of sports and intellectual games. The purpose of this article is to study whether the use of a strategy originally designed for achieving expert performance in sports and intellectual games, can be useful for the speech intervention of children with cleft palate. For this project, 32 children with cleft palate were studied. The children were randomly assigned to 2 independent groups. Both groups received speech therapy based on the principles of the Whole Language Model. In addition, deliberate practice was used in the children included in the active group. After a speech intervention, although both groups of children demonstrated significant improvement in articulation placement, the active group demonstrated a significantly higher improvement as compared with the control group. In conclusion, these preliminary results seem to suggest that the use of deliberate practice can be effective for enhancing articulation in children with cleft palate.


Introduction: Involvement of peripheral nerves in the experimental model of multiple sclerosis (MS) is rarely observed. The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in the locomotion in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and correlate with histological changes, if any, in the sections of sciatic nerve and lumbar part of spinal cord. Material and Methods: C57BL/6 mice (10 weeks, n = 8) were immunized with single subcutaneous injection of 300 μg of MOG35-55 and 200 μL of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) to produce EAE models. Limp tail with weakness of hindlimb was observed on day 10 and improvement in the weakness was observed on day 20 onwards. Footprint analysis was done to evaluate the impairment in the locomotion on day 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 of the experiment. Results: One way repeated measure ANOVA found significant reduction in the mean hindlimb stride length on day 10 and 15 (left) and on day 15 and day 20 (right) when compared to mean stride length in day 0 (p<0.05). Histological analysis showed evidence of macrophage infiltration around the dilated blood vessels in the epineurium of sciatic nerve and evidence of damage in the myelinated white matter of lateral funiculus of the lumbar sections of the spinal cord in EAE mice. Conclusion: It is concluded that in mouse model of EAE, the impairment of locomotion due to damage in the lumbar part of spinal cord can be associated with inflammatory changes in the sciatic nerve.


This study compares four different notch shapes made on the anterior margin of the palatal plates of heat-cured acrylic resin test specimens as well as the effect of self-cured acrylic resin repair on the fatigue resistance of dentures. The test specimens had the shape of an upper partial denture (n = 25). The fatigue test applied was a constant-force fatigue test at a force of 150 N. The stress concentrations during loading the replicas of the test specimens were determined in the field of a circular polarized light. The results showed that the fatigue resistance of the test specimens decreased dramatically (P = 0.002) when there was a notch at the anterior margin of the palatal plate in the test specimen. A 90 degree notch decreased the fatigue resistance most effectively. The test specimens repaired with self-cured acrylic resin were also weaker than the original unnotched test specimens. Examination of the replicas in the field of polarized light showed that stresses occurred only very close to the notch. The highest stress concentrations were detected in the test specimen with a 90 degree notch, i.e. the test specimens with the lowest fatigue resistance. The results of this study suggest that the shape of the anterior margin of the palatal plate in the acrylic resin-based partial denture plays an important role in the fatigue resistance of the dentures.


Phytoremediation is defined as cleaning up of pollutants mediated primarily by plants. It is an emerging technology for environmental remediation that offers a low-cost technique suitable for use against different types of contaminants in a variety of media. Phytoremediation is potentially applicable to a diversity of substances, involving hyperaccumulators heavy metals and radionuclides. It is also applicable to other inorganic contaminants such as arsenic, various salts and nutrients, and a variety of organic contaminants, including explosives, petroleum hydrocarbons and pesticides. At least there are one taxon of plant as hyperaccumulator for Cd, 28 taxa for Co, 37 taxa for Cu, 9 taxa for Mg, 317 taxa for Ni, and 11 taxa for Zn. Extensive progress were done in characterizing physiology of plants which hyperaccumulate or hypertolerate metals. Hypertolerance is fundamental to hyperaccumulator, and high rates of uptake and translocation are observed in hyperaccumulator plants. Hyperaccumulator plants and agronomic technology were undertaken to improve the annual rate of phytoextraction and to allow recycling of soil toxic metals accumulated in plant biomass. These techniques are very likely to support commercial environmental remediation. Most phytoremediation systems are still in development, or in the stage of plant breeding to improve the cultivars for field use. However, application for commercial purposes has already been initiated. Many opportunities have also been identified for research and development to improve the efficiency of phytoremediation. ___________________________________________________________________________


In standard treatments of the political economy of port cities, ports are seen to play key roles as centers of mediation between hinterlands and the maritime sphere. This article lends nuance to this framework through a case study of Terceira Island in the Azores and the ways in which merchants, city officials, and Catholic confraternity members in the latter sixteenth century attempted to regulate the harvesting and commerce of birds across the rural districts and urban marketplaces of the island. By seeking to implement complex tax arrangements through lengthy negotiations, provisional accords, and outright conflict, individuals claiming the right to oversee the procurement and trade of wild and domesticated fowl engaged in a palpable politics of the hinterland. I argue that struggles over the types of birds that could be found, exchanged, and consumed throughout Terceira responded to the social, political, and ecological dynamism of the hinterlands in ways that were not always connected to developments in the ports but were sometimes nevertheless enmeshed in broader Atlantic transformations.


The IoT protocols used for data transfer in the application layer, namely the Constraint Application Protocol (CoAP) and Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) have dependencies to the transport layer. The choice of transport, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), on the other hand, has an impact on the Internet of Things (IoT) application level performance, especially over a wireless medium. Furthermore, we touch upon the impact of different security solutions. The motivation of this work is to look at the impact of the protocol stack on performance over a narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) link. The use case studied is infrequent small reports sent from the sensor device to a central cloud storage over a last mile radio access link. We find that while CoAP/UDP based transport performs consistently better both in terms of latency, coverage, and system capacity, MQTT/TCP also works when the system is less loaded.


Regarding glioblastoma, there has been controversy over whether a large number of infiltrating macrophages act as anti-tumor effectors or not. It has been exhibited that intratumoral lipid environments have a possible influence on anti-tumor immunity. Necrosis of glioblastoma and non-necrotic tissues of astrocytic tumors were analyzed to compare the amount of free docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content. The apoptosis inducible effects of DHA on macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes and cultured glioma cells were evaluated by flow cytometry. The influence of DHA on the anti-tumor effects of macrophages was assessed at 0, 30, 60, and 90 mM of DHA by (51)Cr releasing assay and MTT assay. The mean concentration of free DHA in necrotic tissues (757.6 mmol/kg) was 5 times higher than that in non-necrotic tissues (147.2 mmol/kg). The DHA concentration of 30 mM induced apoptosis in macrophages, however, glioma cells were not affected even at a DHA concentration of 60 mM. Macrophages pre-exposed to DHA for 24 h decreased the cytotoxicity to U251MG cells as shown by (51)Cr releasing assay. Total viability of co-cultured macrophages and U251MG cells showed an increase at high concentrations of DHA (60 and 90 mM) according to 24 h MTT assay, although each separate culture did not. The DHA concentration in necrosis of glioblastoma was sufficient for macrophages to cause apoptosis and suppress their anti-tumor effects. The results suggest that liberated DHA in necrosis can induce apoptosis in macrophages and inhibit their functions.


Abstract In the field of teacher attrition, there is a significant body of literature on why teachers leave high-needs urban schools and particularly why beginning teachers leave their schools and the profession. However, there is little research on the reasons why experienced teachers leave the teaching profession. This paper examines this subject by considering whether teachers experience an 'identity crisis' in their careers which prompts them to leave. Drawing on identity theory, data from a single case study of an experienced urban teacher are taken from a wider qualitative research study carried out in London, England. The case is made that decisions to leave or stay in a school are contingent on a number of personal, professional and situational factors related to the teacher's identity. The article concludes that one way to understand why long-serving teachers leave the profession is to examine aspects of their teacher identity and explore how a crisis in professional identity can contribute towards teacher attrition. In the light of this alternative approach towards understanding attrition, at the very least, supportive structures can be put in place to encourage more teachers to stay and contribute to the success and well-being of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.


We have proposed a novel all-optical quantization scheme that may be useful for analog-to-digital conversion. The preprocess of optical sampling is performed by four-wave mixing, and optical quantizing is realized by soliton phenomena. We have conducted a simple proof-of-principle experiment, and demonstrated the optical multilevel thresholding to show the feasibility of the proposed method.


Abstract A graph is well-indumatched if all its maximal induced matchings are of the same size. We first prove that recognizing the class WIM of well-indumatched graphs is a co-NP-complete problem even for (2 P 5 , K 1,5 )-free graphs. We then show that the well-known decision problems such as Independent Dominating Set, Independent Set, and Dominating Set are NP-complete for well-indumatched graphs. We also show that WIM is a co-indumatching hereditary class and characterize well-indumatched graphs in terms of forbidden co-indumatching subgraphs. However, we prove that recognizing co-indumatching subgraphs is an NP-complete problem. A graph G is perfectly well-indumatched if every induced subgraph of G is well-indumatched. We characterize the class of perfectly well-indumatched graphs in terms of forbidden induced subgraphs. Finally, we show that both Independent Dominating Set and Independent Set can be solved in polynomial time for perfectly well-indumatched graphs, even in their weighted versions, but Dominating Set is still NP-complete.


Water security is an important component part of regional security problem. Regional water security problem which is characterized by the shortage and pollution of water resource9y the increased soil erosion and floods is becoming a vital restraint in the sustainable development of regional society, economy and ecological environment. The major water security problem of Linyi City is analyzed systematically from aspects of the shortage and pollution of water resources and the possible resulting problems such as ecological safety, food safety and economic and social security. We also put forward the countermeasures against water security problem.


The neural crest arises from the neuro-ectoderm during embryogenesis and persists only temporarily. Early experiments already proofed pluripotent progenitor cells to be an integral part of the neural crest(1). Phenotypically, neural crest stem cells (NCSC) are defined by simultaneously expressing p75 (low-affine nerve growth factor receptor, LNGFR) and SOX10 during their migration from the neural crest(2,3,4,5). These progenitor cells can differentiate into smooth muscle cells, chromaffin cells, neurons and glial cells, as well as melanocytes, cartilage and bone(6,7,8,9). To cultivate NCSC in vitro, a special neural crest stem cell medium (NCSCM) is required(10). The most complex part of the NCSCM is the preparation of chick embryo extract (CEE) representing an essential source of growth factors for the NCSC as well as for other types of neural explants. Other NCSCM ingredients beside CEE are commercially available. Producing CCE using laboratory standard equipment it is of high importance to know about the challenging details as the isolation, maceration, centrifugation, and filtration processes. In this protocol we describe accurate techniques to produce a maximized amount of pure and high quality CEE.


Governments have been engaged in budget reforms by coupling together information systems with new budgetary and managerial techniques. The result is a joint innovation unevenly adopted between reformer and implementer organizations in cross-boundary collaboration. This study extended structuration theory to study the adoption of these joint innovations to learn about the critical factors from overlapping structures identified as formal and informal practices or routines that influence a successful adoption of these initiatives in a context of crossboundary collaboration. The study used an embedded case study design employing qualitative research methods to a recent case of budget reform in Mexico. 28 semi-structured interviews with top-level officials of Mexican federal government and analysis of various official documents were conducted. This research design grounded the extended model for budget reforms and captured a broad set of data and practices (critical factors) involved in their adoption. The results show that only a subset of formal practices for systems and policy prescribed by reformers was effectively adopted while new informal practices were enacted by actors. Several outcomes of the interaction during the adoption of the budget reform were also identified.


The analysis of DNA repair mechanisms is of fundamental importance to understand how cells remove DNA damage and maintain their genome stability. Investigating the dynamic association of proteins at sites of active DNA synthesis has been successfully performed at DNA replication forks, providing important information on the process, and allowing the identification of new players acting at these sites. However, the applicability of these studies to DNA repair events at sites of nascent unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) in non-proliferating cells has been never tested. Here, we describe the analysis of dynamics association of protein participating in nucleotide excision repair (NER), and in other DNA repair processes, at sites of nascent UDS in non-proliferating cells, to avoid interference by DNA replication. Labeling with 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) after DNA damage, followed by click reaction to biotinylate these sites, permits the analysis of dynamic association of proteins, such as DNA polymerases δ and κ, as well as PCNA, to active DNA repair synthesis sites. The suitability of this technique to identify new factors present at active UDS sites is illustrated by two examples of proteins previously unknown to participate in the UV-induced DNA repair process.


p53 is very often mutated in human cancers. The majority of alterations are missense mutations located within the DNA‐binding domain of the protein. Many reports have characterized such mutant proteins. Little is known, however, about the properties of proteins that have a missense mutation outside this domain. We investigated here the properties of 8 mutant proteins identified in human tumors as having a missense mutation in the tetramerization domain. The Arg342Gln, Glu349Asp and Gln354Arg proteins behaved like wild‐type both in vitro and in cells. Two mutants, Arg342Pro and Leu344Pro, were inactive in all assays. Finally, the 3 mutant proteins Leu330His, Arg337Cys and Arg337Leu, which are inactive in vitro, showed no activity at low expression levels in cells but became active at higher expression levels. Our results reveal new phenotypes for p53 mutants and suggest that sequencing of the p53 gene from patients with tumors should be extended to exons 9 and 10 in clinical investigations. Int. J. Cancer 78:372–376, 1998.© 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In this paper we are concerned with the parameters identification of the inverse heat conduction problems governed by linear parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs). It is the first time that one can construct a closedform estimation method for the inverse thermal problems of estimating the spatial-dependent thermophysical parameters. The key points hinge on an establishment of a one-step group preserving scheme (GPS) for the semi-discretization of PDEs, as well as a closed-form solution of the resulting algebraic equations. The new method, namely the Lie-group estimation method, has four advantages: it does not require any prior information on the functional forms of thermal conductivity and heat capacity; no initial guesses are required; no iterations are required; and the inverse problem can be solved in closed-form. Numerical examples were examined to convince that the new approach is highly accurate and efficient with the maximum estimation error very small even for identifying the highly discontinuous and oscillatory parameters. Although the estimation is carried out under a large measurement noise, our method is also stable. Keyword: Inverse problem, One-step group preserving scheme, Inverse thermal problem, Estimation of thermophysical parameters, Lie-group estimation method, Closed-form estimation.


The article deals with background and the stages of formation the concept of sustainable development, its reflection in legal acts on vegetation adopted by the Soviet Union, the independent Ukraine is shown. The content of the seven tasks and principles of sustainable development that should be implemented to the current legislation for the protection of vegetation.


A study was conducted during 23 days in order to evaluate the impact of floating aquatic macrophyte on the water quality of a fishpond. Water samples were collected in four points, three inside the pond and one in water inlet. Drastic reduction of dissolved oxygen was observed in the pond, down to 0.87 mg/L. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed for total CO 2 , nitrite and ammonia with respect to inlet water (P 1 ) and inside the pond (P 2 , P 3 e P 4 ). Chlorophyll a displayed an inverse relationship with phosphorus. Among nitrogen compounds, ammonia presented the highest concentrations except in water inlet where nitrate was higher, 513.33 µg/l, as well as the highest conductivity values. The pH was slightly acid. The results obtained showed that the macrophyte cover promoted an adverse effect in the medium. Under control, aquatic plants might impact positively due to its capacity to reduce total phosphorus and nitrate in the water column as observed in this study


To examine direct influences of capillary blood flow on its permeability of water-soluble substances, we measured the local capillary permeability in the rabbit tenuissimus muscle at various capillary blood flow levels by the use of microscopic tissue clearance method. After staining the muscle with Cr-EDTA (M.W.: 341) as the test tracer by suffusing its solution around the tissue, subsequent concentration change in the tissue due to the tracer washout by capillary blood flow was measured from the intensity change on the TV monitor through the vital-microscope. The decay constant of obtained tissue clearance curve has been theoretically predicted to be equal to the local capillary permeability surface area product (PS) per unit tissue volume (Vt). The local capillary permeability (P) could be quantified by calculating the capillary surface area (S) from the perfused capillary density in the visualized microscopic field. The calculated values of P and PS/Vt in the high flow state were 6.00 +/- 0.70 (X 10(-6) cm/s) and 5.85 +/- 0.77 (X 10(-4)/s), respectively, which were significantly larger than those in the low flow state (p < 0.01). It was suggested that there was a mechanism in the red cell passage through the capillary which facilitated the substance exchange across the capillary wall.


3389 Gefitinib and erlotinib are novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with specificity for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and are being used in the treatment of lung cancer. Recently mutations in the tyrosine kinase (TK) domain of EGFR have been associated with very high response rates and great sensitivity to gefitinib. However, another subset of lung cancer patients with wild-type EGFR in their tumors also have clinical benefit. We wished to develop gene expression profiles that predict responsiveness to gefitinib and erolotinib in lung cancers in addition to that conveyed by a TK domain EGFR mutation. To do this we determined the concentration of drugs required to give 50% growth inhibition (IC50) in a large panel of 45 NSCLC cell lines (8 with documented mutations of the TK domain of EGFR) which also were profiled for mRNA expression using Affymetrix U133 A & B chips. None of the lung cancer lines came from patients previously treated with TKIs. Cells were grown in 96-well plates, 24 hours after plating TKI's were added to final concentrations from 0.06 μM to 1,000 μM in 4-fold dilutions, and at 96 hours after plating cell number was measured (CellTiter® 96 Aqueous One Solution (Promega) as a function of drug concentration (8 replicates per plate, all assays repeated 3 or more times), and the IC50 determined with software. Apoptosis assays were performed 24 hours after drug addition using the BD ApoAlert™ Caspase Plates (BD Biosciences). Nude mice were injected with 5 x 106 tumor cells subcutaneously into animals that received 350 cGy whole body irradiation. Tumors were measured twice weekly and tumor volume was calculated using the formula length x width2π/6. The IC50's to gefitinib range from 0.04 to 324.37 μM and those to erlotinib range from 0.04 to 159.75 μM. As expected 5 of the EGFR mutant lung cancers were sensitive (IC50 1 μM). In apoptosis assays the 5 sensitive lines underwent large scale apoptosis while the 3 EGFR mutant but TKI resistant lines did not. There was nearly a perfect correlation between the log IC50 gefitinib versus the log IC50 erlotinib. The tumor cell lines with wild-type EGFR had IC50 values ranging from 1 μM to 300 μM) indicating a broad range of sensitivity within this group. Xenograft studies showed that sensitive cell lines were also exquisitely sensitive to gefitinib in vivo with large tumors being either cured or put into long term remission with TKI therapy while several resistant cell lines were resistant in vivo as well. Taken together these facts suggest that EGFR mutations are necessary but not sufficient to confer TKI sensitivity. These tumor cell lines provide novel resources to study these important aspects of targeted therapy. Likewise the xenograft studies provide a way to generate in vivo resistant variants to TKI therapy in EGFR mutant lung cancers.


Wireless sensor networks are thousands micro sensor nodes that energy consumption is one of the most important constraints about them. These nodes have very small dimensions so for producing their energy; we can only use batteries with limited power. We know that the problem of energy reduction is always challenging in these networks. Routing is one of the issues that can reduce energy reduction. We proposed a new method for routing in wireless sensor networks in this paper that attempts to add nodes which have the minimum distances from each other instead of using the traditional routing methods. In our method, we divide nodes to some clusters according to LEACH algorithm then cluster heads create minimum spanning tree according to Prim algorithm. Continuously the tree is balanced according to AVL algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm is very well for big area.


University basketball players (Team A) received quiet eye (QE) training over two seasons of league play, compared to two control teams (Team B and Team C), who competed at the top of the same league but did not receive similar training. QE was defined as the player's final fixation on the hoop or backboard prior to the shooting action. In Season 1, Team A improved significantly, Pre to Post, in experimental accuracy, QE duration, and relative shot timing but did not transfer these improvements to league play during the season. At the conclusion of Season 2, Team A improved their free throw shooting accuracy by 22.62% to 76.66%, more than Team A (66.18%) or B (74.05%). The results highlight the importance of training a sustained duration of QE on a single location on the hoop prior to the execution of the shooting action. Theoretical and applied implications of training QE are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research and training.


[Introduction]: A common misconception is that shade protects the human body against ultraviolet radiation. While direct UV from the Sun is generally reflected or absorbed by the shade structure, the diffuse component is still present in the shade. Atmospheric scattering is the main cause of the diffuse UV, although other factors impact on the amount of UV radiation that exists in the shade. Over exposure to this diffuse radiation may cause a number of conditions mainly erythema and photokeratitis. This paper describes the research conducted using a scanning UV spectroradiometer, for different shade environments, and the possible resulting damaging effects on the skin and eyes.

METHODS: The protective nature of specific shade environments was investigated by measuring the spectral UV in 1 nm increments with a calibrated spectroradiometer in the shade for the three planes of horizontal, 45o and vertical and comparing this to that on a horizontal plane in full sun. The spectral UV irradiance measurements were made under clear sky conditions at a sub-tropical Southern Hemisphere site. The solar UV in the shade of a shade umbrella, covered veranda, covered sand pit and covered walkway were measured for an increasing solar zenith angle, between March and August of 2001, for the times of 11:30 am to 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

RESULTS: The Ultraviolet Protection Factors (UPFs) of the shade structures ranged from 1.4 to 10 with a general decrease from noon to afternoon. For a shade umbrella placed on dry grass with no surrounding vegetation, UV levels in the shade reached approximately 81% and 84% of that in the full sun for erythema and photokeratitis respectively. For a covered sand pit with trees and shrubs in close proximity, damaging UV levels were less than half that of the shade umbrella. Observations also showed that the diffuse UV levels in the shade increased as the solar zenith angle increased, amplifying the damaging effects.

CONCLUSION: This research shows that there is sufficient UV in the shade to cause sunburn and increase the risk of sun-related eye disorders in a short period of time. Shade structures must be given careful consideration when construction occurs. Even though the UV transmission through the materials may be very low, it is the construction of the entire shade setting that determines the exposure beneath the shade structure.


Nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity and NADPH-diaphorase activity were examined in explant culture preparations of the myenteric plexus from beneath the taenia coli of the guinea-pig caecum. Nitric oxide synthase immunoreactive neurones formed approximately one third of the total neuronal population. NADPH-diaphorase positive neurones, demonstrated histochemically, constituted a similar proportion of the total number of neurones. Immunocytochemistry and NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry performed on the same preparations revealed that all nitric oxide synthase immunoreactive neurones expressed NADPH-diaphorase activity. This histochemical evidence is consistent with the view that nitric oxide may act as a regulatory agent in the guinea-pig caecum.


IL-27, a member of the IL-6/IL-12 family, activates both STAT1 and STAT3 through its receptor, which consists of WSX-1 and gp130 subunits, resulting in augmentation of Th1 differentiation and suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production. In the present study, we investigated the role of STAT3 in the IL-27-mediated immune functions. IL-27 induced phosphorylation of STAT1, -2, -3 and -5 in wild-type naive CD4+ T cells, but failed to induce that of STAT3 and STAT5 in STAT3-deficient cohorts. IL-27 induced not only proinflammatory responses including up-regulation of ICAM-1, T-box expressed in T cells, and IL-12Rβ2 and Th1 differentiation, but also anti-inflammatory responses including suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production such as IL-2, IL-4, and IL-13 even in STAT3-deficient naive CD4+ T cells. In contrast, IL-27 augmented c-Myc and Pim-1 expression and induced cell proliferation in wild-type naive CD4+ T cells but not in STAT3-deficient cohorts. Moreover, IL-27 failed to activate STAT3, augment c-Myc and Pim-1 expression, and induce cell proliferation in pro-B BaF/3 transfectants expressing mutant gp130, in which the putative STAT3-binding four Tyr residues in the YXXQ motif of the cytoplasmic region was replaced by Phe. These results suggest that STAT3 is activated through gp130 by IL-27 and is indispensable to IL-27-mediated cell proliferation but not to IL-27-induced Th1 differentiation and suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production. Thus, IL-27 may be a cytokine, which activates both STAT1 and STAT3 through distinct receptor subunits, WSX-1 and gp130, respectively, to mediate its individual immune functions.


In this paper we discuss different configurations of experiments where two nanoemitters are coupled through exchange of photons via shared cavity modes. We introduce an experimental setup where we combine microspheres as optical resonators with the techniques of scanning confocal and scanning near-field microscopy. The emission of fluorescence light from a single nanoemitter in high-Q whispering-gallery modes is demonstrated. Also first experiments with a novel type of stable active nanoprobe are reported. These results demonstrate the feasibility of experiments where optical modes mediate interactions between few quantum emitters in a controlled manner.


We have reported Metadherin (MTDH) was proven to be overexpression and involved in malignance of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) via Wnt signaling pathway. In this study, we further investigate the role of MTDH in regulation of BCR signaling pathway in CLL. Six CLL samples whose cells were proliferation after BCR activation were chosen from patients with unmutated IgVH. CCK-8 method used to evaluate the proliferation rate. MTDH expression was measured by quantitative PCR and Western blot. After BCR activation, there exist upregulation of MTDH expression in mRNA and protein level in all six CLL patients (P<0.05). In cell line MEC-1, we observed the same pro-proliferation effect accompanying with elevated MTDH expression. The proliferation effects of BCR activation to MEC-1 can be inhibited by MTDH interference. The results of this study indicate that MTDH involved in the pro-proliferation effect of BCR activation in CLL. And the results imply that MTDH can be a potential therapy target of CLL.


Development of a computationally-tractable design method for combined multi-physics optimization of packing and routing problems, at a relevant scale, within compact packaging volumes, will offer benefits across several engineering domains. But for performing multi-physics packing and routing optimization, the generation of spatially feasible initial layouts is essential. Three new and computationally efficient methods are demonstrated in this article to produce automatically interference-free 2D geometric layouts. First, a novel 2D force-directed layout method (FDLM) is proposed that implicitly ensures noninterference between components and/or the interconnect network by utilizing spring force theory without using explicit geometric constraints. Second, the A* algorithm, a well-established 2D shortest path algorithm (SPA), has been modified significantly to perform efficient routing of complex interconnect systems. Third, a new geometric topology (GT) enumeration algorithm is presented that produces all unique interconnect routing configurations for given multi-component system architecture. These layout generation methods are then compared with respect to average computational efficiencies and average success rates in attaining feasible layouts for a restricted class of topologies, including evaluation of how the methods scale to problems with an increased number of components. Limitations and future work items for each method are discussed. These methods are presented as an important step toward solution strategies that are compatible with the currently unmet challenges of real-world 2D and 3D combined packing and routing problems, including efficient navigation of the space of discrete options for interconnect geometric topology, as well as scaling to more complex problems.


The present specification relates to composite metal oxide particles manufactured through a reaction of two or more types of metal oxides, and a method for manufacturing same.


PURPOSE
To present a case of visually significant retinal injury due to internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling using ILM forceps alone.

METHODS
Case report.

RESULTS
A 60-year-old woman who underwent ILM peeling for an epiretinal membrane presented with linear central scotomata. Peeling had been initiated and performed with ILM forceps alone, without the use of other surgical instruments. Fundus examination and spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging confirmed the presence of several discrete areas of inner and outer retinal injury in the macula, which corresponded to her scotomata.

CONCLUSION
This is a case of visually significant retinal injury due to ILM peeling that was performed with ILM forceps alone. Improper peeling technique can transmit injurious forces to the retina. Surgeons must be mindful of the biomechanical forces involved in ILM peeling to minimize traction on the retina.


Over the past 2 years, new insights into mutator and stromal epithelial cell interactions have enhanced the understanding of the carcinogenesis process and have identified potential new approaches to chemoprevention in diverse epithelial sites. Data testing the efficacy of chemopreventive agents in genetically mutated animal carcinogenesis models as screening tools for chemopreventive agents remain immature and point to a continued need for chemical carcinogenesis models to screen for the potential efficacy of chemopreventive agents. The Breast Cancer Prevention Trial is a published, risk-reduction trial that demonstrated a tamoxifen-induced reduction of the risk for breast cancer and focused attention on the clinical use of chemopreventive agents in healthy women. This trial highlighted the potential chemopreventive activity of selective estrogen-receptor antagonists as chemopreventives for breast cancer. New data from animal and human models continue to support the development of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents as chemopreventives for colorectal cancer. Micronutrient- and diet-intervention trials for colorectal chemoprevention present a mixed picture. Although calcium and vitamin supplements, including folate, reduce the recurrence of adenomatous polyps in humans, the effect is small. Fiber supplementation does not reduce the incidence of polyps or colorectal cancer. New approaches for the chemoprevention of esophageal adenocarcinomas, hepatomas, and squamous cell skin cancers represent promising new approaches to the chemoprevention of epithelial cancers.


This paper reports the prevalence of intestinal helminthic infections among 101 Rattus rattus collected in Addis Ababa, from November, 1996 to December, 1997. Examination of faecal samples from each rat by the formol-ether concentration technique revealed that 44/101 (43.6%) of the rats were positive for a single intestinal parasite: 31/101 (30.7%) for Hymenolepis diminuta, and 13/101 (12.9%) for Hymenolepis nana. Double infection was recorded in 7/101 (7%). Among the double infection, 3% were infected with H. diminuta and H. nana, and 4% with H. diminuta and Syphacia obveleta. H. diminuta was the most frequent followed by H. nana. S. obveleta was found only in association with H. diminuta. The infection rates for cestodes in the present study were compared with the rates reported for cities in other countries. These findings suggest that household rats could be potential sources of human infections in the areas studied. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science Vol. 23, No. 1 (June 2000), pp. 115-120 Key words/phrases: Hymenolepis diminuta, H. nana, Syphacia obveleta, household rats, Addis Ababa


Aesthetic quality assessment for photographs is an important research topic since it can be used for a number of applications, such as image database management or image browsing. In 2012, the aesthetic visual analysis (AVA) dataset has been proposed. It has since then been used to train the majority of computational models of aesthetics assessment. We observe that AVA is mainly composed of competitive photographs which notion of aesthetics differs from other kinds of photographs, such as professional photographs. In this paper, we evaluate whether or not recent aesthetics assessment models generalize well and perform well over professional photographs. We noticed that the different models we tested behave differently on both categories, and therefore do not generalize well. Besides, we fine‐tuned one of the tested model using professional photographs and the results show that this fine‐tuning is effectively improving the coverage of the methods.


We give attacks on Feistel-based format-preserving encryption (FPE) schemes that succeed in message recovery (not merely distinguishing scheme outputs from random) when the message space is small. For $4$-bit messages, the attacks fully recover the target message using $2^{21}$ examples for the FF3 NIST standard and $2^{25}$ examples for the FF1 NIST standard. The examples include only three messages per tweak, which is what makes the attacks non-trivial even though the total number of examples exceeds the size of the domain. The attacks are rigorously analyzed in a new definitional framework of message-recovery security. The attacks are easily put out of reach by increasing the number of Feistel rounds in the standards.


Introduction: There are a lot of unmet needs in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Fenofibrate, a PPAR-α (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha) agonist, has been used for decades to treat hypertriglyceridaemia and mixed dyslipidaemia and recent studies showed that it may have anti-tumor effects, however, the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we assessed the ability of fenofibrate to inhibit TNBC cells proliferation and to induce apoptosis in vitro and in vivo and explored possible involved mechanisms. Methods: Utilization of cell count kit-8 method was to evaluate the anti-proliferation effect of fenofibrate. The percentage of apoptotic cells and distribution ratio of cell cycle was determined by flow cytometric analysis. The related protein levels were measured with Western Blotting methods. The inhibition of tumor growth in vivo was assessed using MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model. Terminal deoxytransferase-catalyzed DNA nick-end labeling assay was employed to estimate the proportion of apoptotic cells in tumor tissue sections. In order to evaluate the safety of fenofibrate, counts of leukocyte, erythrocyte, hemoglobin, platelet, aspartate transaminase,alanine transaminase and blood urea nitrogen in peripheral blood were detected. Results: Fenofibrate had anti-proliferation effects on the twelve different subtype breast cancer cell lines we studied, of which the first five most sensitive ones were all TNBC cell lines. Its induction of apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cell lines was independent on PPAR-α status with the highest apoptosis percentage of 48.0% when compared with 4.8% in the control group. It occurred in a both time- and dose-dependent manner accompanied by up-regulation of Bad, down-regulation of Bcl-xl, Survivin and activation of caspase-3 and NF-κB pathway. Interestingly, activation of NF-κB pathway played an important role in the induction of apoptosis by fenofibtate and the apoptosis effect can be almost totally blocked by a NF-κB specific inhibitor, that is pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(PDTC). In addition, fenofibrate led to cell cycle arrest at G1 phase accompanied by down-regulation of Cyclin D1, Cyclin-dependent kinase4(Cdk4) and up-regulation of p21, p27/Kip1.In vivo, fenofibrate significantly inhibited tumor growth in the MDA-MB-231 xengograft mouse model and induced apoptosis with a good safety profile. Conclusions: Fenofibrate can induce apoptosis in TNBC in vitro and in vivo, and the mechanism is the activation of NF-κB pathway in a PPAR-α independent way, which may serve as a novel therapeutic drug for TNBC therapy. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-09-13.


level security maintenance is very important nowadays for safe and trusted communication over the internet but due to enormous interconnectivity this task has become very complex. Threat of intrusions and misuses is always present in communication over the internet and any other network. These intrusions are occurring at higher rates than before and additionally existing security products are not able to detect these. Neural networks can help in this problem and not only can the known but unknown intrusions also be detected with certain efficiency. Due to high error rate and low detection rate BP algorithm's efficiency is not unto mark. So this research has used a Gradient based BP algorithm for detection of intrusions considering all 41 inputs from dataset. It shows how learning with Gradient-based BP algorithm and testing it in real time can improve efficiency. The desired results that are low false detection and high accuracy are achieved with this and for better results KDD99 datasets are also filtered. KeywordsSecurity, Intrusion Detection, Neural Networks,


Up-propagation is an algorithm for inverting and learning neural network generative models. Sensory input is processed by inverting a model that generates patterns from bidden variables using top-down connections. The inversion process is iterative, utilizing a negative feedback loop that depends on an error signal propagated by bottom-up connections. The error signal is also used to learn the generative model from examples. The algorithm is benchmarked against principal component analysis in experiments on images of handwritten digits.


An electrospray ionization (ESI)/fast-flow technique has been applied to the study of gas phase hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange kinetics. Multiply charged ubiquitin ions [ubiquitin + nH](n)(+), in charge states n = 7-13, were reacted with ND(3). The behavior of ND(3) as exchange reagent is different from that of the previously studied reagents, D(2)O and CH(3)OD. Contrary to those, the maximum number of exchanged hydrogen atoms and the overall exchange rate were observed to increase with increasing charge state of the ubiquitin ions. The results are reagent-dependent because the exchange mechanisms are different for the different reagents. This observation is in agreement with a recent conclusion by Beauchamp and co-workers that contrary to the assumption often expressed in earlier studies, H/D exchange kinetics may not directly reflect ion structures. The results for all three reagents are, however, consistent with observations of previous ion mobility experiments that with increasing charge state the conformers change from more compact, partially folded structures to elongated nearly linear ones. H/D exchange of (ubiquitin + 13H)(13+) with ND(3) leads to two separated ion populations reflecting the possible existence of two conformers with different exchange rates. The ions (ubiquitin + 8H)(8+) and (ubiquitin + 11H)(11+) represent a partially folded structure and an unfolded structure, respectively, and were studied in greater detail. The relative abundances of ions were measured in steps of 0.5 m/z (mass-to-charge ratio), as a function of the ND(3) flow rate. The experimental results were simulated by computer fitted curves based on a recently developed algorithm. The algorithm allows the extraction of sets of grouped rate constants. Eight rate constant groups were deduced for each of the two ions. These rate constants correspond to 32 and 44 H/D exchanges for the 8+ and 11+ charged ions, respectively. The results indicate higher individual rates for most of the exchanged atoms in the 11+ ion compared to the 8+ ion.


Abstract. The sedimentary infill of glacially overdeepened valleys
(i.e., structures eroded below the fluvial base level) is an excellent but
yet underexplored archive with regard to the age, extent, and nature of past glaciations. The ICDP project DOVE (Drilling Overdeepened Alpine Valleys) Phase 1 investigates a series of drill cores from glacially overdeepened troughs at several locations along the northern front of the Alps. All sites
will be investigated with regard to several aspects of environmental
dynamics during the Quaternary, with focus on the glaciation, vegetation,
and landscape history. Geophysical methods (e.g., seismic surveys), for
example, will explore the geometry of overdeepened structures to better
understand the process of overdeepening. Sedimentological analyses combined
with downhole logging, analysis of biological remains, and state-of-the-art
geochronological methods, will enable us to reconstruct the erosion and
sedimentation history of the overdeepened troughs. This approach is expected
to yield significant novel data quantifying the extent and timing of Middle
and Late Pleistocene glaciations of the Alps. In a first phase, two sites
were drilled in late 2021 into filled overdeepenings below the
paleolobe of the Rhine Glacier, and both recovered a trough filling composed
of multiphase glacial sequences. Fully cored Hole 5068_1_C reached a depth of 165 m and recovered 10 m molasse bedrock at the base. This hole will be used together with two flush holes (5068_1_A, 5068_1_B) for further geophysical cross-well experiments. Site 5068_2 reached a depth of 255 m
and bottomed out near the soft rock–bedrock contact. These two sites are
complemented by three legacy drill sites that previously recovered filled
overdeepenings below the more eastern Alpine Isar-Loisach, Salzach, and Traun paleoglacier lobes (5068_3, 5068_4, 5068_5). All analysis and
interpretations of this DOVE Phase 1 will eventually lay the ground for an
upcoming Phase 2 that will complete the pan-Alpine approach. This follow-up
phase will investigate overdeepenings formerly occupied by paleoglacier
lobes from the western and southern Alpine margins through drilling sites in France, Italy, and Slovenia. Available geological information and
infrastructure make the Alps an ideal area to study overdeepened structures;
however, the expected results of this study will not be restricted to the
Alps. Such features are also known from other formerly glaciated mountain
ranges, which are less studied than the Alps and more problematic with
regards to drilling logistics. The results of this study will serve as
textbook concepts to understand a full range of geological processes
relevant to formerly glaciated areas all over our planet.


This chapter presents a synthesis of research on the acquisition of French as a second and foreign language undertaken at Stockholm University. It relates the earlier results of the project called InterFra (French interlanguage — development, interaction and variation ) with more recent research on ultimate attainment in SLA. The study is presented in three parts. The first two are retrospective: first a description of the corpus InterFra (www.fraita.su.se/interfra) — the integral corpus is here introduced for the first time — then follow the results of the doctoral theses and the continuum of the developmental stages as proposed by Bartning and Schlyter (2004), which all build upon the InterFra corpus. The third part accounts for a recent research programme about the last stages in SLA, namely High-level proficiency in second language use , a common programme between four departments at Stockholm University. The chapter gives the latest results from studies in this programme using three learner groups near the native borderline, called 'advanced', 'functional bilinguals' and 'near-natives'.


Purpose: Building a diverse healthcare workforce warrants efforts to scale health careers education for underrepresented and nontraditional students, as health career opportunity programs are not accessible to many students. A massive open online course (MOOC) is a new model for education that offers knowledge and resources for free. Accessible globally to anyone with an internet connection, MOOCs have the potential to impart interdisciplinary knowledge and skills toward students9 pursuits of health related careers. Here, we describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of the MOOC, "Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Healthcare." Career 911 seeks to enable students to explore health career options and build skills for their career journey, including: articulating a personal story, resume and cover letter writing, job search, interviewing, professional networking, and professional communications. We examine the reach and characteristics of enrolled learners from the first run of Career 911 (April 13 – May 24, 2015) and investigate the challenges and concerns students had about pursuing their healthcare career goals. Methods: Data collected included students9 self-reported demographic information from a pre-course survey as well as students9 content usage and engagement from participant tracking logs and activity metadata. Self-reported career challenges were parsed from homework submissions and coded using standard qualitative methods. Results: A total of 8,338 students from 159 different countries (44% from the United States) enrolled in the first run of Career 911. Whereas MOOC student populations tend to be male, older, highly educated, and employed, Career 911 students were female (56%), younger (mean = 34.2 and 18% were under the age of 22), currently still in school (43%), and not currently employed full time (63%). The most frequently cited challenges and concerns students had about pursuing their career goals included finances, time management, competition of getting jobs/getting into programs, and family commitments. In the six week run of the course, 450 students explored career websites; 220 students mapped their 1, 2, and 5-year career steps to achieve their target profession/job; 163 students put together a professional networking plan with informational interview questions; 132 students created a cover letter; and 125 students created a resume. A sizeable percentage of learners (11%) indicated that they were educators and were interested in using the course content for their own students. Conclusion: MOOCs have the potential to scale health careers exploration and career readiness resources to global populations, supporting thousands of students through content that can scale. We discuss several key challenges and opportunities for future MOOCs to enhance entry into health care careers and impact health equity globally. Citation Format: Melissa A. Simon, Laura S. Tom, Kasey Brown, Shaneah Taylor, Nadia Hajjar, Emmanuel Cordova Telles, Erika de la Riva. Career 911: A massive open online course (MOOC) to promote healthcare workforce diversity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B01.


The precise prediction of maximum load carrying capacity of bored piles is a complex problem because it is a function of a number of factors. These factors include method of boring, method of concreting, quality of concrete, expertise of the construction staff, the ground conditions etc. besides the pile geometry. The performance of pile load tests is, therefore, of paramount importance to establish the most economical design of piles especially where bored cast-in-situ piles are to be provided to support a structure. This paper describes the experience gained from four pile load tests at a site in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan where a new cement plant is going to be installed. Geotechnical investigations at the site were carried out to a maximum depth of 60 m. The subsoils at the site are predominantly hard clays within the investigated depth with thin layers of gravels / boulders below 40 m depth. Perched water was encountered at various horizons. Four piles of diameter varying from 660 mm to 760 mm and length ranging between 20 m and 47.5 m were subjected to axial loads. The load test data were analyzed using various state of the art techniques including intercept of two tangents, point of change of slope, 6 mm net settlement [1], 90 percent and 80 percent Hansen [7], limit value Davisson [2], and Chin [3]. Based on a comparison of pile capacities from these methods with the theoretical values, recommendations are made on the approach to estimate the pile capacity in hard clays. Using the pile load test results, back calculations were also carried out to estimate the appropriate values of pile design parameters such as undrained cohesion and adhesion factor.


One of the main challenges in content-based or semantic image retrieval is still to bridge the gap between low-level features and semantic information. In this paper, A two-phase hybrid knowledge base inference mechanism based on DL and FOL is presented using integrated heterogeneous image features in ontology reasoning. The proposed method, having been proved by FO theory, promotes images ontology inference efficiently, and broadens the application fields of image ontology retrieval system. The relevant experiment shows that this method ameliorates the problems such as too many redundant data and relations in the traditional ontology system construction. The method also improves the performance of semantic images retrieval.


Purpose: Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease, more prevalent among visual display terminal users. Reduced blink rate is a risk factor to dry eye disorder, innovative means to remind to blink while using computers can be helpful. Methods: Single-blinded Randomized Control Trial enrolled computer users with dry eye. Allocation concealment was done using opaque envelope and principal investigator was blinded. After baseline examination, eligible participants were randomized to intervention group (appearance of bars is 8 times/min) and control group (appearance of bars is 1 time/min). Participants from both groups used the software for 15 days, came for first follow up, and did not use the software for next 15 days until second follow-up examination. During each visit, detailed eye examination was done including blink rate, tear film break up time, and Ocular Surface Disease Index score. Results: Forty-six participants (women n = 31; men n = 15) with a mean age of 28.02 (±6.295) years completed the study. Four participants were excluded from analysis because of early dropout. In the intervention group (n = 23) and control group (n = 23), participants were allocated. At the end of first phase, there was statistically significant difference in OSDI score (P = 0.021). Statistically significant difference was noticed in OSDI (P = 0.014) and blink rate (P = 0.049) as baseline, and final visit data were compared. Conclusion: "Blink–Blink" software with 8 reminders/min improved DED-related symptoms by increasing the blink rate. The carry-over effect after cessation of Blink-Blink software in improving blink rate was maintained even after 1 month. Trial Registration: Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI): CTRI/2018/08/015176


The present study was conducted from December 2013 to November 2014 to investigate the reproductive features of Himri Carasobarbus luteus in the Northern reaches of Shatt Al-Arab river in Southern Iraq. The samples were collected using seine, gill, cast nets as well as electrofishing. A total of 351 specimens from himri were caught but only mature individuals were chosen to estimate the absolute and relative fecundity and egg diameters. The results of the present research revealed that the highest GSI values were recorded in male and female (4.63 and 11.99) during the April month. Absolute fecundity was increased with length, weight and gonads weight, and it was ranged as 2098 eggs for 131 mm total length and 35 g weight to 14147 eggs for 209 mm total length and 131 g weight. Relationship between length, weight and reproductive parameters were highly significant. A highest relative condition factor of females (1.24) was calculated in March 2014.


ACTN4, a gene which codes for the protein α-actinin-4, is critical for the maintenance of the renal filtration barrier. It is well known that ACTN4 mutations can lead to kidney dysfunction, such as familial focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a common cause of primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS). To elucidate whether other mutations of ACTN4 exist in PNS patients, we sequenced the ACTN4 gene in biopsies collected from 155 young PNS patients (≤16 years old). The patients were classified into five groups: FSGS, minimal change nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, and those without renal puncture. Ninety-eight healthy people served as controls. Samples were subjected to Illumina's next generation sequencing protocols using FastTarget target gene capture method. We identified 5 ACTN4 mutations which occurred only in PNS patients: c.1516G > A (p.G506S) on exon 13 identified in two PNS patients, one with minimal change nephropathy and another without renal puncture; c.1442 + 10G > A at the splice site in a minimal change nephropathy patient; c.2191-4G > A at the cleavage site, identified from two FSGS patients; and c.1649A > G (p.D550G) on exon 14 together with c.2191-4G > A at the cleavage sites, identified from two FSGS patients. Among these, c.1649A > G (p.D550G) is a novel ACTN4 mutation. Patients bearing the last two mutations exhibited resistance to clinical therapies.


This paper attempts to show the effect of preservatives and storage on the chemical, sensorial and microbial aspect of ready to use (RtU) onion paste, stored at two conditions i.e. ambient temperature (AT: 30±30C) and refrigerated temperature (RT: 5±10C) over a period of 180 days after treating with preservatives i.e. Potassium metabisulphites (KMS), Sodium benzoate (SB) and Citric acid (CA) at two levels i.e. 750 and 1000 ppm respectively. In the context of chemical aspect, a throughout observations over 180 days with 60 days interval showed negligible changes in chemical constituents of RtU onion paste both at AT and RT conditions with a little exception. Over the period pH slightly increased for both the storage conditions. Towards the sensorial point of view, use of preservatives in RtU onion paste resulted in the acceptance of color, flavor and texture up to 60 and 120 days of storage at AT and RT, respectively. To improve the effect of preservatives, mixture of them (KMS & CA; SB & CA) was also applied into to the sample (onion paste) besides the individual application. As a consequence, sensorial quality was better sustained by the addition of CA (0.8%) with other preservatives in comparison to the samples without CA. Onion paste, in specific, treated with 1000 ppm KMS & 0.8% citric acid stored both at AT and RT condition retained the most acceptable quality attributes compared to other treatments. However, onion paste without any preservative (control) was found acceptable only up to 20 days of storage at RT while storage at AT condition resulted in the more worse situation (acceptable up to 5 days). Total bacterial count was found in the lowest amount in RtU onion paste treated with the combination of KMS (1000 ppm) and CA (0.8%).
Progressive Agriculture 30 (2): 219-226, 2019


This paper examines the macroeconomic performance of the Irish economy in the years leading up to the Celtic Tiger period and afterward, from 1980 to 2011. The goal of the paper is to determine how a severe recession in the 1980s could be followed so quickly by the unprecedented boom years of the Celtic Tiger, and followed again by the marked economic downturn since 2007. I build a Keynesian model of growth that integrates effective demand and productivity regimes to allow for the possibility that a redistribution of income can either spur or retard growth, depending on whether the regime is wage-led or profit-led. Using data for the Irish economy I test this model for wage-led or profit-led growth, finding plausible evidence that the Celtic Tiger years were, in fact, profit led.


The development of anticancer drugs would be facilitated by the availability of an in vivo screening system based on a multicellular organism. We intended to construct an animal model which can be stable and easily detected tumors without autopsy for chemical screening and assessment. In this study, the medaka which is a small egg-laying freshwater fish native to East Asia was applied. The medaka has proved suitable for toxicology and carcinogenesis in the past studies. Furthermore most of molecular technology is available to the medaka and the size of the medaka genome (∼800 Mb) is about half that of the zebrafish genome. To construct a tumor model using transgenic medaka fish, a promoter sequence suitable for the tissue specific tumorigenesis was selected. There are some genes having specific expression in melanocyte. Melanocyte specific expression of oncogenes may induce progression to melanoma. Therefore we selected a promoter sequence encoding Tyrosinase, one of the melanocyte specific genes. The recombinant plasmids for microinjection are consisting of the medaka tyrosinase promoter and human oncogenes (cMyc, BRAF mutant V600E and HRAS mutant G12V). One cell stage embryos were applied for microinjection. We obtained three stable transgenic individuals derived from one cMyc and two BRAF mutant (BRAF600E) injected F0, but none from HRAS mutant (HRAS12V). The transgenic (Tg)-cMyc and the Tg-BRAF600E produced tumor in internal organs with more than 50 % of all fish, but in eyes or skins (outer detectable organs) with less than 10 %. The Tg-HRAS12V animals died before achieving adulthood. We therefore developed a conditional gene expression system in which HRAS12V is expressed in response to the induction of Cre recombinase by heat treatment, given that the Cre gene was placed under the control of a medaka heat shock promoter. One of the stable transgenic lines developed abnormal pigment cell proliferation in the eyes and epidermis with 100% penetrance by 6 months postfertilization. Sorafenib, an inhibitor of RAS signaling, was administered to the transgenic fish and was found both to reduce the extent of melanophore proliferation and to improve survival. This Tg-HRAS12V medaka established here thus represents a promising in vivo system with which to screen potential anticancer drugs that target RAS signaling, and this system can readily be adapted for the screening of agents that target other oncogenes. Citation Format: Yuriko Matsuzaki, Haru Hosokai, Yukiyo Mizuguchi, Atsushi Shimizu, Hideyuki Saya. Establishment of transgenic medaka as a stable tumor model for in vivo screening of anticancer drugs. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1579. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1579


Intestinal epithelial cells are constantly exposed to physiologically hypoxic environment. The further reduction of tissue oxygen delivery may result in the intestinal epithelial cells function impairment, being a sign of active inflammation. The cultivation conditions are important when performing in vitro studies, since those may affect the cells' properties. The study was aimed to assess the integrin receptor expression in the human colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cell line when simulating both hypoxic condition using the cobalt chloride and microcirculation. Transcriptome analysis revealed the significantly increased expression of the integrin receptors ITGA2 and ITGA5 α2- and α5-subunit genes under hypoxic conditions, as well as the reduction of ITGA5 during incubation in the microfluidic chip. The expression of β-subunits did not change. Analysis of microRNA transcriptomes revealed the decreased expression of hsa-miR-766-3p and hsa-miR-23b-5p microRNA. One of the validated targets for both microRNAs is mRNA of gene ITGA5. It has been shown that microcirculation makes it possible to bring the intestinal epithelial cells cultivation conditions closer to physiological conditions. The possible biological significance of the detected integrin expression profile alterations and the role of microcirculation have been discussed.