The purpose of this study is to analyze the wind environment of different height buildings around a residential district in hot summer and cold winter zone of China. A residential district was selected as the study object in Changsha of Hunan province with a typical hot summer/cold winter climate. In this paper, field tests and numerical simulation had been used to collect data. The relative parameters of the wind environment in this residential district during 2010 winter period were measured on-the-sit, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and the concentration of inhalable particles (PM10). Distribution of temperature, pressure and wind in the district environment of opening space and its numerical simulation in the typical summer/winter climate condition of Changsha were processed in detail. The analysis results show that: the average concentration of PM10 was 0.3 mg/m3—more than twice the daily average concentration (National Standard) of it. The building-complex arrangement in the north side of this residential areas was helped significantly to stop the icy wind at the winter, related the determinant in a very efficient way. The architectural distributed layout in the south side of it was good for strengthening the architectural natural ventilation in summer and transitional season. Over 75% of the pressure difference before and after plate construction met the requirement to keep a certain value of 1.5 Pa in summer and be not greater than 5 Pa in winter. The values of actual wind speed at 1.5-metre high around the building were less than 4 m/s, far below the standard value of 5 m/s. The simulation result of the wind environment is in line with the data of investigation of it. All of above provided basic data and frame of reference for the analysis to the characteristic of wind environment in different types of space.


This study integrated dynamic models and statistical methods to design a novel macroanalysis approach to judge the climate impacts. First, the incidence difference across Köppen-Geiger climate regions was used to determine the four risk areas. Then, the effective influence of climate factors was proved according to the non-climate factors' non-difference among the risk areas, multi-source non-major component data assisting the proof. It is found that cold steppe arid climates and wet temperate climates are more likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 among human beings. Although the results verified that the global optimum temperature was around 10 °C, and the average humidity was 71%, there was evident heterogeneity among different climate risk areas. The first-grade and fourth-grade risk regions in the Northern Hemisphere and fourth-grade risk regions in the Southern Hemisphere are more sensitive to temperature. However, the third-grade risk region in the Southern Hemisphere is more sensitive to relative humidity. The Southern Hemisphere's third-grade and fourth-grade risk regions are more sensitive to precipitation.


Background and Purpose Few longitudinal data about early atherosclerotic lesions of the carotid arteries are available in general populations. The main purpose of this study was to investigate risk factors for development and regression of intimal-medial thickening and atheromatous plaques. Methods Initial and 2-year examinations of the carotid arteries with high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography were performed in 308 apparently healthy women aged 45 to 55 years. The development of new atheromatous plaques and new intimal-medial thickening and the disappearance of preexisting plaques and intimal-medial thickening defined the four outcomes of interest. Results The development of plaques occurred more frequently in women with intimal-medial thickening than in women with normal carotid arteries at baseline (14.4% versus 7.2%, P<.053). A regression was seen in 21.7% of the women with preexisting plaques. Development of intimal-medial thickening occurred in 47.5% of the women with normal carotid arteries whereas 20.2% of the women with preexisting intimal-medial thickening showed a regression of their lesions. Multiple logistic regression showed that smoking (regression coefficient ±SE: 1.281 ±0.450; P<.005), baseline levels of systolic blood pressure (regression coefficient ±SE: 0.031 ±0.015; P<.04) and apolipoprotein B (regression coefficient ±SE: 0.016±0.007; P<.03) were independently associated with the development of plaques, whereas the presence of an intimal-medial thickening did not reach the significance level (regression coefficient ±SE: 0.639±0.436; P<.15). Independent predictors of the development of intimal-medial thickening were age (regression coefficient ±SE: 0.124±0.058; P<.04) and, with a borderline significance level, (log)triglyc-erides (regression coefficient ±SE: 0.854±0.451; P<.06). Low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (regression coefficient ±SE: 0.027±0.009; P<.004) were associated with its regression. Conclusions This longitudinal study emphasizes the interest of B-mode ultrasonography in the monitoring of early carotid lesions. It gives further support to the hypothesis that intimal-medial thickening may be an early indicator of the atherosclerotic process.


Perineural invasion (PNI) is considered as an alternative route for metastatic spread of pancreatic cancer cells; however the molecular changes leading to PNI are still poorly understood. In this study, we show that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, which is one of the most widely studied chemokines signaling, plays a pivotal role in the neurotropism of pancreatic cancer cells to local peripheral nerves. We conducted a co-culture model, which used newborn rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and pancreatic cancer cells, and a sciatic nerve invasion model by nude mice. We provide in vitro and in vivo evidence to study the function of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in PNI progression and pathogenesis. The results showed that the activation of CXCL12/CXCR4 axis significantly increased the invasion of pancreatic cancer cells and promoted the outgrowth of DRG. The chemotaxis migration of pancreatic cancer cells to the neurites of DRG is evidently suppressed by blocking the pathway. In vivo analyses revealed that the abrogation of the activated signaling could inhibit tumor growth and invasion of the sciatic nerve toward the spinal cord. These data indicated that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis is involved in PNI, and inhibition of the signaling pathway may be a promising new therapeutic strategy for the recurrence and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Qinhong Xu, Wanxing Duan, Jianjun Lei, Jiguang Ma, Erxi Wu, Qingyong Ma. CXCL12-CXCR4 chemotactic pathway modulates metastasis and perineural invasion in pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr A22.


Abstract. Recent research on the field of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology, revealed that except of a few, accessible and free BIM viewers there is a lack of Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) BIM software for the complete BIM process. With this in mind and considering BIM as the technological advancement of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems, the current work proposes the use of a FOSS CAD software in order to extend its capabilities and transform it gradually into a FOSS BIM platform. Towards this undertaking, a first approach on developing a spatial Database Management System (DBMS) able to store, organize and manage the overall amount of information within a single application, is presented.


In a study assessing the effectiveness of international environmental regimes published in 2002 the authors chose to exclude the negotiations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea as a case study because it was not an environmental regime per se and because the conference was far too complex to be useful as a control case. The present essay applies the analytic structure of the environmental regime effectiveness study to the UNLCOS III negotiations to assess what value, if any, would now be added to a comprehensive analysis of those negotiations. The findings are that the approach of my previous research on UNCLOS III would have been considerably tightened by such an application and a much more nuanced and evolutionary analysis would have been possible on the variable of problem type in which malignancy first increased but later decreased.


The increasing damage caused by fossil fuels has made it a necessity for new and clean energy sources. In recent years, the use of wind energy from renewable energy sources has increased, which is a new and clean energy source. Wind energy is everywhere in nature. The wind speed changes depending on time. Thus, the wind power is unstable. In order to keep this disadvantage at a minimum level, future power estimation studies have been carried out. In these studies, different methods and algorithms are applied to estimate short and medium term in wind power. In this study, artificial neural network, particle swarm optimization and firefly algorithm (FA) as a new method are used for the first time in predicting wind power. As input data, temperature, wind speed and rotor speed the data recorded in the SCADA in wind turbines are used to predict medium-term wind speed and also wind power. Each method is compared in detail and their performances are revealed.


This work provides an evaluating of the life cycle sustainability of biodiesel from soybean in Southern Brazil, one of Brazil's most important production regions of biodiesel and soybean. Life cycle approach and Dashboard of Sustainability (DoS) were applied to identify the hotspots gathering social, environmental and economic dimensions with the intention to obtain a sustainability factor index (SFI). Primary and secondary data were collected (specific and generic) covering all biodiesel soybean factories in Southern Brazil. Three environmental impact categories, three types of costs and four stakeholders were assessed. The results suggest that biodiesel production presented the most positive contribution to the economic dimension among all stages and that transportation had the worst value in all sustainability dimensions. In terms of the biodiesel production chain, the most critical impacts were acidification for environmental, supply costs for economic and the stakeholders' local community/society (together) for social. Also, issues associated with energy sources, feedstock improvements and shortening distances are key factors that could contribute to the overall sustainability of soybean biodiesel chain. There are opportunities for improving the environmental and economic dimensions together in industrial stage from methanol and electricity. Also, the social dimension can be upgraded in all life cycle if their actors compromise with social policy. The SFI presented was in the direction of sustainability, and it is possible to perceive the social dimension with a higher possibility of improvement. SFI remains similar results throughout of biodiesel chain production. Besides that, the results can support future strategies associates with energy security policy and social, economic, and environmental development of biodiesel production chain.


Abstract The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Aschers (Compositae) has been characterized by Illumina pair-end sequencing. The chloroplast genome is 152,351 bp in length, including a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,004 bp (12.1%) and a large single copy (LSC) and a small single copy (SSC) region of 83,972 bp (55.1%) and 18,371 bp (32.8%), respectively. The chloroplast genome includes 127 genes, which contain 83 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. The nucleotide composition is asymmetric (31.1% A, 18.5% C, 19.0% G, 31.4% T). The overall GC content of C. minima chloroplast genome is 37.5%. Phylogenetic analysis illustrates that C. minima is closely related to other Asteraceae species, including Helianthus annuus subsp. texanus, Tithonia diversifolia and Xanthium sibiricum with a strong bootstrap value of 100.


Mutation of the conserved Thr319 residue to Ala of cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2) increased the value of Vmax 9-fold for reductive dehalogenation of hexachloroethane in the reconstituted system under anaerobic conditions. The Thr319Ala mutation also increased the elimination over substitution product ratio by 5-fold. The addition of aliphatic alcohols increased by 22-fold the activity obtained with the wild type and varied the elimination over substitution product ratio. Increasing pH increased the ratio of elimination over substitution by primarily affecting the rate of elimination.


To investigate the beneficial impacts of domestic waste water on soil properties, we conducted an experiment in the lysimeter by measuring certain features essentially related to soil characteristics. The objectives in this study were (i) the domestic waste water in filtration by soil and (ii) the effect of domestic waste water on soil properties. In this experiment, we had 15 lysimeters that 1 - 5 lysimeters were irrigated by domestic waste water and primary drainage water was accumulated from these lysimeters and 6 - 9 lysimeters were irrigated by primary drainage water and secondary drainage water was accumulated and 10, 11 and 12 lysimeters were irrigated by secondary drainage water. In order to compare soil properties, 13, 14 and 15 lysimeters were irrigated by agronomical water and finally, soil and water properties were analyzed in each stage. The results showed that, soil could filter the domestic waste water and reduced BOD5 and COD of domestic waste water. Also, irrigation with domestic waste water increased nutritive elements in soil that can be source of nutrition for plants. The findings may give applicable advice to commercial farmers and agricultural researchers for management and proper use of water.


Introduction/Background Ovarian cancer is one the deadliest gynaecological malignancies and many risk factors for its occurrence have been described. Despite the wealth of data on the subject, the robustness of evidence available has not yet been extensively evaluated. This review aims to fill this gap and assess the strength and validity of evidence regarding the interrelationship between various risk factors and ovarian cancer incidence and mortality. Methodology Design: Umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Data sources: PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Eligibility criteria: Systematic reviews and meta analyses of observational studies investigating the relationship between various risks factors and ovarian cancer incidence and mortality and all- cause mortality. Data analysis: The evidence from the meta-analyses were graded according to a statistical criteria comprised of the random effects estimate of the meta-analyses and of their largest study, the number of cases, 95% prediction intervals, I2statistic of heterogeneity between studies, excess significance bias, small studies effect and sensitivity analysis using credibility ceilings. From this, meta-analyses were classified as strong, highly suggestive, suggestive or weak evidence. Results 205 meta-analyses from 71 eligible papers were assessed and 29 risk factors were identified. We observed strong evidence on the association between BMI as categorical variable (>30 vs. <25) and ovarian cancer incidence: RR 1.27 (1.19–1.36). For BMI as a continuous variable (per 5 unit increase), the summary effect estimate was smaller (1.27 v 1.08), and the evidence was judged as only suggestive. Between DM types 1 and 2 together and ovarian cancer incidence and mortality, the evidence was considered weak but suggestive evidence was observed for DM and all- cause ovarian cancer mortality. Additional data will be presented at the conference. Conclusion Ovarian cancer incidence appears to be strongly associated with high BMI, while a weaker association was observed with DM. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.


Based on a simplified potential of a solute atom in the dilatation field of a kink, the general one-dimensional diffusion equation of solute atoms along the pipe of a dislocation with a moving kink was solved numerically. The instantaneous distribution of the concentration of solute atoms, instantaneous values of the dissipation of energy, of the mean damping coefficient and of the mean rigidity of an oscillating kink were calculated.
Simplified approximate formulae about the mean damping coefficient and the mean rigidity were deduced from the numerical results obtained previously and in this paper, in terms of which the anomalous internal friction phenomena were explained semi-quantitatively.


AIM
To study the effect of experimental left varicocele (ELV) on epididymal structure and function in adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats.

METHODS
ELV was induced by partial ligation of the left renal vein. Sham-operated animals served as the controls. Four and 8 weeks after the operation, the histological, ultrastructural and biochemical (alpha-glucosidase activity and carnitine content) changes in different segments of the epididymis were observed.

RESULTS
In the treated animals, there were degeneration of the epididymal epithelium and edema of the interstitial tissue; numerous shedding cells, residual bodies, deformed sperm and macrophages appeared in the epididymal lumen. Morphometric measurement indicated a significant reduction in the epididymal tubular diameter (P<0.05) and a significant increase in the epididymal interstitial area (P<0.05) compared with the controls. Ultrastructural study showed sparse microvilli of the columnar epithelium, increased and enlarged lysosomes in the principal cells with defected organelles and the presence of large cytoplasmic vacuoles. The protein and carnitine contents and the alpha-glucosidase activity in the caput, corpus and cauda epididymis of the ELV rats were lower than those of the controls (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
There were structural and functional changes in the epididymis of adolescent ELV rats, which may contribute to the infertility caused by varicocele.


Aims: Hepatoblastoma (HB) was reported as the frequently diagnosed primary hepatic malignant tumor among children. No reports have shown the function of SOX7 and its relationship with the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in HB. Materials and Methods: SOX7 and factors related to Wnt/β-catenin pathway were detected using reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium and flow cytometry were used to detect HB cell proliferation and apoptosis. The transwell assay uses cell invasion. Results: In this study, RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry results indicated that the expression of SOX7 was significantly reduced in HB tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues, while the β-catenin was significantly increased in HB tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. There were significant differences in the PRETEXT stage and tumor metastasis between patients with low expression and high expression of SOX7. Moreover, it was found that the overexpression of SOX7 and inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin pathway significantly reduced the cell proliferation and invasion, while the cell apoptosis was significantly increased compared with the control group. Conclusions: This study shows that SOX7 was downexpressed in HB tumor tissues. Moreover, ex vivo experiments indicated that SOX7 was related to β-catenin and regulated the progression of HB cells.


The interface bonding performance between epoxy resin and fiber in the manufacturing process of insulation pull rod is the key to directly ensure the electrical insulation and mechanical properties of insulation pull rod. If the compatibility between the two is poor, it will cause dry spots, air gap and other defects. Because the surface of aramid fiber is smooth and chemically inert, its interfacial adhesion with epoxy resin is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to modify the surface of fiber to improve the compatibility between the fiber and epoxy resin. As an effective physical modification method, dielectric barrier discharge plasma surface treatment has the advantages of high efficiency, flexibility and environmental protection. In this paper, the surface of aramid fiber was modified by argon dielectric barrier discharge plasma. By changing the treatment time and argon flow rate, the compatibility between the fiber and epoxy resin under different treatment conditions was characterized by optical measurement of contact angle. The changes of microstructure and chemical groups on the surface of fiber were observed by SEM and XPS. It was found that the treated aramid fiber surface became rough, which increased the fiber surface area. And a new oxygen-containing polar group was introduced to improve the content of fiber surface active group. The interfacial properties between fiber and epoxy resin were improved.


This study investigates how the use of ICT could contribute to the success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within the sector of services. Within the knowledge-based economy, SMEs are facing both opportunities and challenges due to the information and communication technologies development. We consider that ICT should be used in small business management within the sector of services because ICT are key tools in management processes and could improve managerial practices. The study is based on evidence provided by articles and research reports. The research question was answered by analysing published sources and interpreting evidence. Another way of approaching this question could be collecting and analysing empirical data from the SMEs within the sector of services and comparing the results with the findings of this study.


Background: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene granules heat up from 169 to 320C in the production
of household appliance, which results in the decomposition of white smoke in the work place.
Objective: Staff respiratory exposure with ABS granules vapors and dust examined.
Methods: This analytical case-control study was performed on 78 persons of appliance
manufacturing company in Qazvin, in 2016. Particles measurement 0.3 and 2.5 microns by Micro
Dust Pro devices and Dust Counter and spirometry test were performed by Minispir. FEV1, FVC,
FEV1/FVC parameters before and after invention platform on 8 meters height and respiratory signs
staff complaints were considered by COPD assessment test.
Findings: Forty-eight persons that exposed with vapor and dust ABS plastic material mostly had a
lot of complaints to the frequent respiratory symptoms of cough and sputum occasionally.
Spirometry indices coldwall staffs on the second floor including FEV1, FVC and the ratio
FEV1/FVC were significantly decreased respectively (6.52%, 5.66%, 3.56 lit) during 2 years
(P<0.05) and for coldwall staffs on the first floor, FEV1 and FVC significantly decreased
respectively (9.26% and 5.6%) (P<0.05). But the ratio FEV1/FVC was not significant decreased.
The three above mentioned indices for injection plastic staffs had significantly reduced (P<0.05),
and increased for administrative staffs. Concentration of inhaled particles was 0.23±0.067 on the
floor and particle at platform 0.62±0.24 mg/m3.
Conclusion: It must be avoided to create a platform on the top of the hot source, such as plastic
injection process.


A new system for the calculation of malting quality of wheat varieties was designed. The malting parameters affected by a variety more than by a year or a site were used in the system. These parameters include wort viscosity, soluble nitrogen content, free amino nitrogen content, diastatic power, final attenuation of wort, and extract of malt. The system was used to assess the malting quality in 38 wheat varieties. The point value of each parameter was calculated using the regression equations, and the total value of the malting quality of wheat was determined by the modified "superiority measure" method. The results of the assessment of the wheat malting quality showed considerable differences between the varieties. Several varieties exhibited a more pronounced tendency to accumulate nitrogenous substances in grain. Some varieties, even with a slightly higher content of nitrogenous substances, provided above average malt quality. The set included the varieties that exhibited the optimal content of nitrogenous substances in grain, yet they did not give malt of good quality. Spring wheat varieties Alondra, Anabel, and Seance achieved significantly above average malting quality. Dagmar, Evina, Sultan, Rumor, Sailor, and Brokat exhibited slightly above average malting quality. The proposed system for monitoring malting quality of wheat varieties can help find the varieties suitable for the production of quality wheat malt.


A hybrid problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum adopted in 2002 for medical students at China Medical University, Taiwan, was extended to dental students in 2007. Before that, PBL workshops were conducted for all students. Two PBL cases on basic biomedical issues were used for second-year medical students and second-year dental students to explore the feasibility of adopting PBL as part of the dental curriculum. This study compared the medical and dental students' attitudes toward the PBL tutorials and PBL curricula. Upon completion of the PBL component, an eighteen-item questionnaire asked students to assess (on a ten-point scale with 10 as the most positive response) their perceptions of the learning process in the PBL tutorials. Forty-six dental students from a cohort of fifty (92 percent) and 107 medical students from a cohort of 119 (90 percent) completed the questionnaires (fifty-three females and 100 males). The importance of all items was rated above 6.00. The medical students' mean score (7.29) was higher than the dental students' mean score (7.10). Of the eighteen attributes of the PBL process, the students indicated being generally comfortable with fourteen. No statistical significance was found between the dental and medical students' scores, but there was a significant difference (p=0.006) in their perception of PBL curricula. Overall, the medical students expressed a more positive outlook toward the PBL learning process than the dental students and were more willing to accept PBL as a pedagogy.


We analyze a large-scale molecular dynamics simulation of work hardening in a ductile model material comprising of 500 million atoms interacting with a Lennard-Jones pair potential within a classical molecular dynamics scheme. With tensile loading, we observe emission of thousands of dislocations from two sharp cracks. The dislocations interact in a complex way, revealing three fundamental mechanisms of work-hardening. These are (1) dislocation cutting processes, jog formation and generation of point defects; (2) activation of secondary slip systems by cross-slip; and (3) formation of sessile Lomer-Cottrell locks. The dislocations self-organize into a complex sessile defect topology. Our analysis illustrates mechanisms formerly only known from textbooks and observed indirectly in experiment. It is the first time that such a rich set of fundamental phenomena has been seen in a single computer simulation.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Background: Recently, we found that calorie restriction (CR) protected K-ras G12D; Pdx-1Cre mice against the progression of advanced PanIn lesions and pancreatic cancer. Since CR limits glucose availability, the CR mimetic metformin is also potential approach to prevent pancreatic cancer. Recent studies found that metformin reduced the incidence of pancreatic cancer in diabetic patients. However, it is not clear how metformin promotes the anticancer effects. One potential mechanism is by altering reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy. In this in vitro study, we explore the role of ROS and autophagy in mediating the growth-inhibitory effects of metformin by treating pancreatic cancer cells and normal pancreatic ductal cells with metformin.

Methods: We acclimated MiaPaca and KP mouse pancreatic tumor cells from K-ras G12D; Pdx-1Cre mice to physiological concentrations of glucose and then treated cells cells with metformin with and without the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or chloroquine (autophagy inhibitor) for 24h. Cell viability, ROS production, and apoptosis were measured.

Results: Metformin decreased viability of MiaPaca and KP cells in a concentration-dependent manner in comparison to untreated cells; metformin did not have any effect in HPNE human pancreatic normal epithelial cells. Pretreating MiaPaca and KP cells with NAC increase survival and decreased apoptosis, which suggests that ROS promotes the growth-inhibitory and apoptotic effect of metformin. Metformin increased ROS formation in MiaPaca and KP cells but not in HPNE cells. Cell survival increased and apoptosis decreased when MiaPaca cells were pretreated with chloroquine. Our findings suggest that ROS and autophagy may mediate the cytotoxic effects of metformin in MiaPaca and KP pancreatic cancer cells.

Conclusion: In summary, metformin may be a potential chemoprevention agent against pancreatic cancer without cytotoxic effects in normal pancreatic ductal cells.

Citation Format: Guang Yan, Theresa Freeman, Susan Lanza-Jacoby. Limiting glucose availability with metformin increased reactive oxygen species, decreased cell survival, and promoted apoptosis in human and mouse pancreatic cancer cells. [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 5405. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5405


The chapter assesses key biophysical and economic factors of climate change impact chain in the agriculture sector of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), mainly within the decade following the launching of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and Maputo Accord. This is done through a review of literature and analysis of data mainly from international databases. We find that land resources for agricultural production are substantial, but land degradation and land productivity are serious problems, particularly in the context of climate change. Although the region has experienced unprecedented growth, financing agricultural development is still an issue. Developing quality infrastructure and stimulating agricultural trade may provide a win-win strategy to build resilience to climate change and strengthen economic development. The economics of adaptation to climate change in the agricultural sector of ECOWAS has mainly focused on the magnitude of costs and returns on country-wide and technology-specific measures. There is a need, however, to integrate biophysical and economic factors of climate change impact chain in sound analytical frameworks to provide "multi-metric" considerations of non-monetary and nonmarket measures, risks, inequities, and behavioral biases in addressing climate change.


The combination of hyperthermia and radiation is considered to have a synergistic effect on mammalian cells, which depends on temperature and duration of time of the hyperthermia and on the sequence in which the modalities are given. The response of cultured colon cancer cells to hyperthermia and ionizing radiation was evaluated using the flow cytometry method by measuring DNA damage. The enhanced DNA damage after combined treatment with hyperthermia and irradiation was recognized after both sequences: heat followed by radiation as well as radiation followed by heat. The results demonstrated that the sequence of radiation plus heat produced more DNA damage on colon cancer cells than did the reverse order. The clinical application of these results is discussed. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This dissertation seeks to generalize and extend the theory of alignment as guided adaptation (TAGA) (Ward & Vessey Working Paper). TAGA is a descriptive theory that views alignment from a multilevel, process-oriented prospective. It is based upon the premise that in the short run each alignment factor adapts independently of the others in the alignment system. In the long run, however, the alignment factors are an interdependent system. TAGA was developed based on a small firm that had a nonstrategic view of IS. This dissertation therefore seeks to generalize the theory to firms that have a formal IS strategy and planning process and are large in size. The dissertation also extends the theory by examining the role that changes external to the alignment factors play in the alignment factor adaptation process.
Three case studies were conducted using semi-structured interviews with 31 high-level business and IS managers as data sources. The data was coded into change episodes demarcated by changes in business strategy (intent and initiatives) and was analyzed using alternative templates, visual mapping, and temporal bracketing strategies (Langley 1999; Ward & Vessey Working Paper).
The results indicate that TAGA generalizes to large firms and to firms with a formal IS strategy and planning process. Within these additional contexts, TAGA was able to explain the patterns of change in the alignment episodes while the traditional view of alignment as synchronization could not. The results also indicate that changes in the outer environment such as the level at which the changed occurred in the factor hierarchy, the magnitude of the change initiating adaptation, and the pace at which change occurred influenced the need for change in the internal alignment factors.
This research has implications for both academic and practitioner communities. The research shows that TAGA is applicable to firms that have a formal IS strategy and planning process; and that factors such as the level, magnitude, and pace of changes impacts the adaptation process. From a practitioner perspective, this research provides insight into managing the alignment process by redefining how to view alignment.


A case of eosinophilic gastroenteritis is reported in a 17-year-old woman. The disease has the signs of delayed gastric emptying, vomiting, weight loss, and substantial thickening of the gastric antrum. Histopathology established the diagnosis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis of panmural type. Improvement in the patient's symptoms and laboratory parameters was observed with steroid treatment. The clinicopathological features of this disease are summarized in the discussion.


Element partitioning between minerals and silicate melt has been investigated at pressures 1-17 GPa, by using 6-8 type multi anvil high pressure apparatus. The observed partition coefficients, D, were plotted on partition coefficient - ionic radius (PC-IR) diagram. In the case of olivine/silicate-melt system, partition coefficient of most of the elements gradually decreased with increasing pressure. However, partition coefficient of Al increased with increase in pressure, and this result may be suggesting that partition coefficient of Al may depend on the composition and structure of the coexisting silicate melt. It was difficult to identify peaks of partition coefficient profile in majorite / silicate-melt system. There was a bottom of the partition coefficient profile of Ca-perovskite / silicate-liquid at around 70-80 pm, and the existence of peaks at around 50 and 100 pm is expected from the observed profile of partition coefficient.


The paper approaches problem of the flow forecasting for the Liptovska Mara reservoir with a hybrid modelling approach. The nonlinear hybrid modelling framework was investigated under the specific physiographic conditions of the High Core Mountains of Slovakia. The mean monthly flows of rivers used in this study are predominantly fed by snowmelt in the spring and convective precipitation in the summer. Therefore, their hydrological regime exhibits at least two clear seasonal patterns, which provide an intuitive justification for the application of nonlinear regime-switching time series models. Differences in the prevailing geology, orientation of slopes and their exposure to atmospheric circulation for the right and left-sided tributaries of the Vah River indicate that the hydrological regime of mean monthly discharge time series in this area with respect to seasonality and cyclicity may differ, too. Therefore, a simple deterministic water balance scheme was set up for estimating the reservoir inflow from the left and right-sided tributary flows separately. It consists of the linear combination of the measured tributary flows and estimated ungauged tributary flows. The contributions of the ungauged catchments were estimated from flows from gauged tributaries with similar physiographic conditions by weighting these by the ratio of the catchment areas. Separate nonlinear regime-switching time series models were identified for each gauged tributary. The forecasts of the tributaries were combined into a hybrid forecasting model by the water balance model. The performance of the combined forecast, which could better include the specific regime of the time series of tributaries, was compared with the single forecast of the overall reservoir inflow in several combinations.


The strong links between transitional justice, development and gender equality have been overlooked and underdeveloped in both theory and practice. Transitions are rare periods of rupture that offer opportunities to reconceive the social meaning of past conflicts in an attempt to reconstruct their present and future effects. The peace-building initiatives unfolding in Nepal encourage a timely examination of the application of the right to development to transitional justice mechanisms. This right embodies much more than economic growth; it is a human rights-based process that aims to empower marginalized groups. In Nepal, this must include women, who not only bore the brunt of the conflict but also continue to suffer systematic discrimination. Many of Nepali women's preexisting problems stem directly from inequality and underdevelopment. This article suggests that transitional justice should go beyond retributive and restorative approaches to consider the economic, social and cultural inequalities that fuel conflicts while setting the foundation for a permanent rights-based development programme that ensures the viability of women's rights in the future. A redistributive approach to transitional justice based on the legal and political process of the right to development is crucial to achieving gender equality in Nepal and avoiding renewed cycles of violence.


Few people would deny the increasing global drive towards inclusive education. Implications of this include education for learners with hearing impairment (HI) in inclusive mainstream schools. This book explores communication strategies utilized by teachers and other professionals for learners with HI in inclusive mainstream school settings based on empirical research. Issues discussed include strategies used for communication, factors affecting communication strategy selection, how they compare to those of hearing learners, and views about their suitability. Strategies discussed include listening training, use of sign language interpreters, visuals cues and aids among others. School policy is presented as a significant factor in choice of communication strategy. Others include professional competencies, amplification technology and class environment. Debates around what communication strategy is most suitable for learners with hearing impairment in inclusive settings are also presented. This book targets educators and teaching staff in academic institutions, college and university students in the field of education, particularly in special and inclusive education.


Planar quadratic potential fields are useful for distributed manipulation because they are readily analyzable and naturally produce predictable equilibria. This generally simplifies implementation, since feedback and control may not be necessary. Traditionally, to dynamically produce moving fields for complex manipulation tasks, these fields had to be realized by highly capable, but redundant, actuator arrays. This paper suggests a new method: using simpler devices to generate basic component fields, and superposing these fields to produce desired fields with similar degrees of freedom. This approach is particularly useful for naturally produced force fields which do not allow the dynamic moving and changing of a field, but allow for superposition, and thus, can be spatially combined to produce the desired net behaviors. A vector representation of these fields is developed and applied to two problems: how to place the fields in space to span the maximum possible configuration space; and how to generate an optimal solution to generate a desired field by a superposition of a fixed field arrangement with minimal effort from each field. We experimentally validated these methods using airflow fields based on phenomenological and time superposition. Finally, we use superposition to simplify trajectory following, by blending proportions of two fields over time and by superimposing a set of component fields, each responsible for compensating a particular dynamic term


Pathologists cannot have failed to notice the recent rash of colour atlases appearing on bookshop shelves. Most are expensive, but well produced, large format volumes. At £87-50 Sandritter's atlas of macropathology is also expensive but, being the size of an average monograph, it is likely to go unnoticed among its peers. Within its unimpressive covers, however, is an outstanding collection of colour illustrations covering almost every conceivable aspect of macroscopic pathology. The small size of many of the illustrations in no way detracts from their value, and there is a very useful and economically written accompanying text, which gives a brief overview of the conditions illustrated. At a time of declining interest in necropsies and the devaluation ofmacroscopic pathology in general, this atlas is to be welcomed. Established pathologists will read it with nostalgia, and trainees should be encouraged to use it as their standard for macroscopic dissection and display.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the factors in association with colorectal disorders in adult renal transplant recipients.

METHODS
A retrospective cohort study was carried out with clinical, microbiological and management data regarding diarrhea in 513 renal transplant recipients from Jan. 2007 to Dec. 2012.

RESULTS
Of the 513 patients, 118(23.00%) with no history of ulcerative colitis, were found to have diarrhea after kidney transplantation. In the 118 patients, diarrhea was probably caused by administration of immunosuppressive agents in 65 cases (55.08%), in 30 cases (25.42%) diarrhea was antibiotics associated, and in 23 cases (19.49%) it was due to infections, including bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Diarrhea occurred soon after transplantation in most cases. Of the 118 patients, the symptom of diarrhea occurred in the first 1 month in 84 cases (71.19%), and in the next 5 months in 16 cases (13.56%), and the other 18 cases (15.05%) occurred after 180 days after transplantation. Of the 118 patients, 84 cases (71.19%) were relieved or cured after proper diets, the symptomatic therapy or the adjust meat of the doses of immunosuppressive agents: 18 cases (15.25%) needed to use or adjust the antibiotics , 16 cases (13.56%) had to stop mycophenolate mofetil and convert to other drugs.

CONCLUSION
Immunosuppressive agents, antibiotics and infection are the common causes of diarrhea after kidney transplantation. The outcome is good with appropriate conservative management.


Fifty-three patients were examined by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Operative and/or instrumental-clinical findings indicated that 38 patients had pancreatic disease, consisting of 17 cases of neoplasia, 10 of chronic pancreatitis with benign stenosis, and 11 of chronic pancreatitis without stenosis. An analysis of Wirsung's duct and of the secondary ducts was carried out employing, in the latter case, linear discriminate analysis (Nix and Schmitz method). With this method, 16 of 17 patients (94%) were correctly assigned to group A (pancreatic neoplasia), thus indicating high sensitivity; 7 of 8 patients (88%) were assigned to group B (chronic pancreatitis with benign stenosis), and finally 7 of 10 patients (70%) were placed in group C (chronic pancreatitis without stenosis). Detection of a sample sign such as sharp and/or irregular stenosis of Wirsung's duct enabled a correct diagnosis of neoplasia in the cases examined; this criterion, however, is very specific but poorly sensitive. When it is absent, analysis of the secondary ducts is determinant. If the two criteria are applied together, an exact diagnosis of all forms of neoplasia is obtained.


Commissioned by Creative Scotland and the BBC for the Cultural Festival accompanying the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Virginia Heath's current research project, "From Scotland With Love", takes the form of a 75 minute poetic documentary film created entirely from archive film material which Heath researched over several months in the National Library of Scotland / Scottish Screen Archive. It is a purely visual narrative with music sound track and will be accompanied by a live music performance curated by composer King Creosote (aka Kenny Anderson), who was Mercury Prize nominated for his album with Jon Hopkins, "Diamond Mine". Heath's approach as a filmmaker to the creative process is investigating new territory in the way she works with the composer / lyricist, King Creosote. In the process of making the film, she was exploring themes and creating fragments of visual material, which were then responded to by the composer and musicians, returned to the editing room for further visual development and sent back to composer. In this way, the fabric of the film was created and developed in an iterative process between the visual and musical writing of the material. The project will culminate in a major, high profile performance during the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival on the 31st of July 2014 along with a screening on BBC2.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

HLTF (Helicase like Transcription Factor) is a DNA helicase protein which is homologous to SNF/SWI family. It has also been shown to be a functional homolog of yeast rad5, required for the maintenance of genomic stability through the ubiquitination of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Although the physiologic role of HLTF is largely unknown, inactivation of HLTF by promoter methylation has been demonstrated in more than 40% human colon cancers. In this study, we have applied mouse transgenic approaches to determine whether loss of HLTF function could be important for colorectal carcinogenesis.

HLTF knockout mice were created by the deletion of first 5 exons of HLTF genome. The complete loss of HLTF expression in these mice was confirmed by Northern blot and RT-PCR assays. HLTF knockout mice did not show any developmental defects within a 2-year observation, indicating that HLTF is dispensable for normal development, and loss of HLTF function alone is not sufficient to drive colon carcinogenesis. To determine whether loss of HLTF function could cooperate with other tumor suppressors in the formation of colon cancers, we have bred HLTF knockout mice with the mutant mice for p53 and Apc (adenomtous polyposis coli). In HLTF−/−/Apc+/− mice, the significantly increased formation of intestinal adenocarcinoma and colon cancers were observed. Although very few HLTF−/−/p53−/− mice developed colon cancers, these mice had increased incidence of lymphoma formation. This finding suggests that loss of HLTF function could not only promote colon cancer formation, but also for other types of tumor. Cytogenetic analysis of colon cancer cells derived from HLTF−/−Apc+/− mice demonstrated a high incidence of gross chromosomal instabilities, including Robertsonian fusions, fragments and aneuploidy. All these genetic alterations were not observed in the intestinal tumor cells from Apc+/−, implicating that loss of HLTF function could induce genomic instability which contributes to colorectal carcinogenesis. To further establish the role of HLTF in the maintenance of genomic stability, we have also derived HLTF deficient mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, and demonstrated that HLTF−/− ES cells exhibited similar, but a milder genetic alterations as observed in HLTF deficient colon cancer cells. Taken together, our work provides direct genetic evidence that loss of HLTF function as observed in a majority of human colon cancers is able to promote colorectal carcinogenesis. This function could be mediated by the induced genomic instability.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2396. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2396


The clinical success of the application of TNF-alpha in the setting of isolated limb perfusions in patients with advanced sarcomas, melanomas and other tumors has renewed the interest in TNF alpha as an anticancer drug in man. We have developed an interactive preclinical-clinical TNF alpha program that explores new methods to use TNF alpha in various settings or enhance its activity. Thus we have developed regional organ perfusion models and are testing the effectivity of targeting of TNF to the tumor by means systemic administration of long circulating liposomes. Furthermore various drugs and mechanisms that may enhance the activity of TNF alpha are under investigation. An overview of this comprehensive program is presented here.


ABSTRACT:Externalities from recreation scale at the extensive and intensive margins of resource interaction. Recreators have differentiated demands for these margins, so unbundling the prices of access and intensive depletion could improve on traditional management. We use choice experiment data from U.S. Gulf of Mexico recreational headboat anglers to estimate structural models of trip and red snapper retention demand, then simulate aggregate harvest across a range of trip and harvest tag prices. In our simulations, the red snapper harvest tag market equilibrates at $15 per tag and generates $760,000 in management revenues per year while more efficiently allocating harvest.


The granulocyte colony-stimulating-factor (G-CSF) is a glycoproteina which has been described for decades, and it is commonly utilized in the treatment of neutropenic states and bone marrow transplants. G-CSF stimulates hematopoietic stem-cels e crucially regulates the survival of mature neutrophils through a mechanism of apoptosis inhibition. Beyond its systemic effect, recently it has been shown its surprising activity in the central nervous system (CNS). G-CSF administration mobilizes bone marrow stem cells para systemic blood, and those cells cross the blood-brainbarrier e target brain's damaged area. G-CSF's activity in the CNS has been defined as multimodal, because additionally it has been demonstrated a direct neuroprotective action through different mechanisms such as antiapoptotic activity, angiogenesis, antiinflamatory effect, and stimulation of endogenous neurogenesis. This paper sumarizes G-CSF action in the CNS and approaches its potential para use in stroke. Rev. Bras. Hematol. Hemoter. 2009; 31(Supl. 1):104-111.


Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder and demands to find a way for prevention and delayed onset. The development of therapeutics for AD is based on the amyloid cascade hypothesis (vaccines, β- and γ-Secretase inhibitors), or targeting tau and neurofibrillary tangle formation, neuroinflammation, etc. Cholinesterase, BACE-1, amyloid-β 1-42, γ and β-Secretase, Phosphodiesterase type IV (PDE4) inhibitors are the reported treatment strategies. Among these, the γ- and β-Secretase inhibitors can be clustered in several heterocyclic classes (imidazoles, thiazoles, indoles, benzaldehydes, pyrimidine, etc), with subsequent description of the structure-activity relationships, and extended to the pharmacological profile in order to evaluate their drug-likeness, with special attention to toxicity and bioavailability. This article discusses the approaches proposed by several research groups working on the synthesis of enzyme inhibitors, based on modelling studies and the way these findings were used to obtain new drugs for the treatment of AD.


Aggregate measures of family planning are used to monitor demand for and usage of contraceptive methods in populations globally, for example as part of the FP2030 initiative. Family planning measures for low- and middle-income countries are typically based on data collected through cross-sectional household surveys. Recently proposed measures account for sexual activity through assessment of the distribution of time-between-sex (TBS) in the population of interest. In this paper, we propose a statistical approach to estimate the distribution of TBS using data typically available in low- and middle-income countries, while addressing two major challenges. The first challenge is that timing of sex information is typically limited to women's time-since-last-sex (TSLS) data collected in the cross-sectional survey. In our proposed approach, we adopt the current duration method to estimate the distribution of TBS using the available TSLS data, from which the frequency of sex at the population level can be derived. Furthermore, the observed TSLS data are subject to reporting issues because they can be reported in different units and may be rounded off. To apply the current duration approach and account for these data reporting issues, we develop a flexible Bayesian model, and provide a detailed technical description of the proposed modeling approach.


The immunologic requirements for generating long-lived protective CD8 T cell memory remain unclear. Memory CD8 populations generated in the absence of CD4 Th cells reportedly have functional defects, and at least a subset of CD8 T cells transiently express CD40 after activation, suggesting that direct CD4-CD8 T cell interactions through CD40 may influence the magnitude and functional quality of memory CD8 populations. To ascertain the role of CD40 in such direct T cell interactions, we investigated CD8 T cell responses in CD40 (cid:1) / (cid:1) mice after infection with Listeria monocytogenes , an intracellular bacterium that induces APC activation and thus priming of CD8 T cells independently of CD4 Th cell help through CD40. In this study we show that memory CD8 T cells generated in CD40-deficient mice show in vivo cytotoxicity and cytokine production equivalent to CD8 memory T cells from wild-type mice. Upon secondary Listeria infection, CD40 (cid:1) / (cid:1) memory CD8 T cells expand to greater numbers than seen in wild-type mice. These results indicate that CD40 ligation on CD8 T cells, although reportedly a part of CD8 T cell memory development in an H-Y-directed response, is not needed for the development of functional memory CD8 T cell populations after Listeria infection. The Journal of Immunology, 2004, 173: 4084–4090.


Background and  Objective: Computed Tomography  of  brain (CT brain) is  a   higher   radiation  dose  imaging  technique  than  in  the conventional  radiographic  examination.  Not only the brain but also the orbits may included in the area of scanning. The  radiation  risk  of  CT  brain  to patient was  the effect of  radiation  damage  to  the  lens  of  eye  which  is  the  radiosensitive  organ.  Which may induced  cataracts.  In 2005, the  Multislice CT  was  set  up in Sappasittiprasong  hospital Ubonrajchathani.  The   majority   of   CT  examination  was   CT brain.  There  is no previous study to determine  the  radiation  dose  delivered  to  the  eye  of  the  lens.    The  result  of  scattered  radiation  dosimetry   may  provide to evaluate of  radiation  risk  to  the  patient. This study aim to  measure the  scattered  radiation  dose  to  the  lens  of  the  eyes  in Rado Phantom during scanning CT  brain. Method : An  experimental   study was performed at Physics Department, Faculty of  Science, Ubonrajchathani  University  and  Sappasit-tiprasong  hospital  Ubonrajchathani. Using  the thermoluminescence  dosimeter (TLD).  The  TLD  discs   model  TLD–100  and  TLD   Reader  in   model   3500   provided   by   Harshaw.   The   TLD–100  discs   were  attached  directly  to  both  eye  of  Head rando  phantom   and   they  were  scanned  to  measure  the  scattered  radiation  dose  to  the  lens  during  procedures. The  protocol  for  brain  examination  was  120 kV   250 mAs. Result : The  mean  scattered  radiation  dose  to  lens of head rado phantom was  13.87  mGy . Conclusion : The  measured  dose  was  lower  than  the  reported  threshold  of  lens opacity  and  well  cataract. Keyword: Scattered  Radiation  Dose, Computed Tomography  of  brain, lens  dose, thermoluminescence  dosimeter (TLD)


Model life tables are commonly used for estimating various parameters of mortality of populations in developing countries with limited data. The application of the models is based on the assumption that the agemortality pattern of the population under consideration resembles one of the life tables in the models. The analysis in this paper tests the validity of this assumption for developing countries with data usable for the purpose. The major conclusion is that infant mortality in the populations analyzed is higher than predicted by the models corresponding to the levels of adult mortality of these populations. The observed discrepancy is ascribed to the selectivity involved in the construction of model life tables, which are primarily derived from the historical experience of Western countries. Populations in the currently developing countries apparently differ in the process of mortality change from those used in the models. Though the analysis is limited to a few countries and may not necessarily be true for all the less developed countries, it suggests the need for caution in the use of conventional model life tables.


It is shown that the existence of a parallel (-)-spinor with respect to a metric connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion requires more local restrictions than the existence of a parallel (+)-spinor. It is proved that every harmonic spinor with respect to the Dirac operator of this connection on a compact four-dimensional spin Riemannian manifold is parallel with respect to a naturally arising metric connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and all such spaces are classified up to a conformal transformation.


A highly conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) film, obtained by addition of a polar solvent, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), to an aqueous solution of PEDOT:PSS, was thoroughly investigated to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental characteristics of the solvent-modified PEDOT:PSS film. Use of the DMSO-modified PEDOT:PSS film as a transparent anode to achieve low-cost and high-efficiency ITO-free organic solar cells (OSCs) based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C61 (PCBM) was also examined. Changes in the conductivity, morphology, surface composition, work-function, and anisotropic conductivity in both the parallel and perpendicular directions of solvent-treated PEDOT:PSS films that resulted from the addition of various amounts of DMSO were investigated to better understand the nature of the solvent-modified PEDOT:PSS film and the origin of its dramatically enhanced conductivity. Furthermore, the effects of using the modified PEDOT:PSS films as polymer anodes on solar cell performance were investigated by addition of various amounts of DMSO and by the use of PEDOT:PSS films with different thicknesses. The ITO-free OSCs with optimized PEDOT:PSS anodes had a high power conversion efficiency that was comparable to that of conventional ITO-based devices.


Introduction: Hydrocephalus is a common pediatric neurosurgical pathology, typically treated with a ventricular shunt, yet approximately 30% of patients experience shunt failure within the first year after surgery. As a result, the objective of the present study was to validate a predictive model of pediatric shunt complications with data retrieved from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) National Readmissions Database (NRD). Methods: The HCUP NRD was queried from 2016 to 2017 for pediatric patients undergoing shunt placement using ICD-10 codes. Comorbidities present upon initial admission resulting in shunt placement, Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups (JHACG) frailty-defining criteria, and Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) at admission classifications were obtained. The database was divided into training (n = 19,948), validation (n = 6,650), and testing (n = 6,650) datasets. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify significant predictors of shunt complications which were used to develop logistic regression models. Post hoc receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created. Results: A total of 33,248 pediatric patients aged 6.9 ± 5.7 years were included. Number of diagnoses during primary admission (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.04–1.07) and initial neurological admission diagnoses (OR: 3.83, 95% CI: 3.33–4.42) positively correlated with shunt complications. Female sex (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76–0.99) and elective admissions (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.53–0.72) negatively correlated with shunt complications. ROC curve for the regression model utilizing all significant predictors of readmission demonstrated area under the curve of 0.733, suggesting these factors are possible predictors of shunt complications in pediatric hydrocephalus. Conclusion: Efficacious and safe treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus is of paramount importance. Our machine learning algorithm delineated possible variables predictive of shunt complications with good predictive value.


We have investigated the effects of oxygen annealing on the transport properties and surface microstructures of epitaxial La0.8Ba0.2MnO3 (LBMO) films deposited on SrTiO3 substrate at different oxygen pressures using the pulsed laser deposition technique. The thickness dependence of the transport properties was strongly affected by the oxygen pressure during the deposition and the oxygen annealing temperature. Oxygen stoichiometry, in addition to the substrate-induced strain, was found to be a very important factor in controlling the physical properties of low-doped LBMO. Oxygen annealing seemed to induce strain and the strain accommodated in the films was relaxed by forming a secondary phase in an ordered rod-like shape or in particulate form.


Abstract Sowing on elevated ridges is effective in reducing wet injury of soybean plants cultivated in upland fields converted from rice paddy fields. Therefore, we investigated the effect of ridge tillage (RT) on soybean N accumulation properties. We compared the amounts of plant N associated with N2 fixation of nodules and from soil and fertilizer in the RT treatment with amounts in conventional tillage (CT) in two fields in 2002–2003. Both fields were upland fields converted from rice paddy fields (Typic Hydraquents). The main difference between the fields was the presence of a field underdrain. The amounts of Rb and K accumulated in the shoots were also determined to estimate soybean root distribution. The grain yields with RT increased in both fields from 106% to 129% compared with CT. Increased pod number and seed weight were the major factors responsible for the yield increase. anova indicated that RT significantly increased the activities of both N2 fixation of nodules and N absorption by roots until R1 (flowering stage). The ratio of Rb and K accumulated in the shoots indicated that with RT, the root distribution was more abundant in the superficial layers compared with CT. Thus, RT reduced wet injury during the rainy season that overlapped the flowering stage. Nitrogen accumulation from N2 fixation until the R7 stage with RT was significantly higher than that with CT. We concluded that RT was effective in increasing N2 fixation of nodules in poorly drained upland fields converted from rice paddy fields.


A patient with a history of lung adenocarcinoma, which was treated with chemoradiation, presented to our interventional pulmonology clinic for suspicion of recurrent lung cancer. The patient had a PET-avid right upper-lobe mass and subcarinal lymphadenopathy. We performed a curvilinear endobronchial ultrasound (CP-EBUS) with transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA), followed by transbronchial EBUS-guided biopsies (TBB) of the subcarinal lymph node using miniforceps. The EBUS needle sheath was inserted over the needle through the bronchial wall and advanced into the lymph node. The EBUS-guided placement of the transbronchial sheath facilitated the miniforcep insertion and the performance of multiple transbronchial biopsies. Given success with this method, we further developed this technique in a second patient with a right lower-lobe mass. In an effort to obtain adequate tissue and minimize repeated efforts at miniforcep guidance into the lesion, we inserted a radial EBUS guide sheath through the curvilinear EBUS scope and guided it into the lesion using the miniforceps. We therefore used the radial sheath as a placeholder while obtaining repeated TBB using miniforceps as described. These modifications of previously described techniques allow for maximal and expeditious sampling of target lymph nodes and masses, with sufficient material obtained for histopathologic analysis.


This author suggests the concept of a new technology for global detection (GLOBDET) of atmospheric disturbances of natural and technogenic origin, on the basis of phase measurements of the total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere using an international GPS network. Temporal dependencies of TEC are obtained for a set of spaced receivers of the GPS network simultaneously for the entire set of "visible" (over a given time interval) GPS satellites (up to 5–10 satellites). These series are subjected to filtering in the selected range of oscillation periods using algorithms for spatiotemporal analysis of signals of nonequidistant GPS phased antenna arrays which are adequate to the detected disturbance. An analysis is made of the possibilities of using the GLOBDET when detecting the ionospheric response of solar flares. In this case it is best to make the coherent summation of the filtered series of TEC. Powerful impulsive flares of July 29, 1999, and December 28, 1999, were chosen to illustrate the practical implementation of the proposed method.


The concepts of traditional full mouth reconstruction have been used in the rehabilitation of a patient. A practical full mouth rehabilitation technique has been described combining the chairside advantages of the programmed reconstruction with the laboratory advantages associated with the complete mouth simultaneous rehabilitation. The particular case involved rehabilitation with fixed and removable prosthodontic therapy in accordance with the conventional and the contemporary prosthodontic treatment options and principles.

Keywords: Attachment, Cast partial denture, Fixed, Removable, Curve of spee


To the Editors: Lichen aureus (LA) is a rare, chronic, benign dermatosis of unknown origin which is included within the pigmented purpuric eruptions group (1). Typical clinical presentation consists of one or more golden yellow to purple patches over the lower extremities of young adults. Infrequently this entity has been also repwrted in children. We report an 8-year-old girl who was referred to our department beeause of an asymptomatic, abdominal •'purple rash" present for about 6 months. The patient was otherwise healthy, and her past medical history and family hi.story were unremarkable. Previous local ttautna and recent drug ingestion were lacking. Physical examination showed a solitary, 3-ctn in diameter rounded lesion located over the right upf)er quadrant of the abdominal wall. Closer examination revealed a slightly raised patch consisting of grouped small lichenoid papules with a brownish to purple hue (Fig. 1). Other mucocutaneous lesions were ab.sent, and the results of routine hematologic and biochemical tests were normal. Histopathologic examination of the lesion showed a bandlike lymphohistiocytic inftltrate with extravasation of erythrocytes and hemosiderin deposition in the upper dermis (Eig. 2); the overlying epidermis was normal. A diagnosis of LA was e.stablished, and subsequent therapy with topical corticosteroids proved unsuccessful, ."̂ fter 1 year of follow-up, the lesion retnains unchanged. Most cases of LA occur in young adults. In the literature review by Gelmetli et al. (2), children repre.sent 17% of total cases. Childhood LA occurs more often


W. W. Newby, professor of biology at the University of Utah from 1927 to 1971, was renowned as a great teacher and a clear and forceful writer and for his meticulous research in invertebrate embryology. Ancillary skills were counseling (especially of premedical students), illustrating, wood crafting, and paper preserving. Some of his writings pertained to the history of research in the biological sciences at the University of Utah. His specialty areas in teaching were embryology and genetics, and he served as chairman of the Department of Genetics and Cytology from the year of its creation in 1948 until 1962. The most outstanding example of his research pertained to the early embryology of the echiuroid worm Urechis caupo .


Analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data is plagued by dropouts, zero counts for mRNA transcripts due to low mRNA in individual cells and inefficient mRNA capture. Dropouts are traditionally treated as an error to be corrected through normalization while performing unsupervised clustering of single cells based on highly expressed, variable transcripts. A novel algorithm, co-occurrence clustering, treats dropouts as a signal and binarizes scRNA-seq data for cell clustering, producing the same clusters as Seurat. Previous application of Seurat to single nuclear RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) data taken from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) found no difference in clusters between brain regions. This seems at odds with literature suggesting tissue-specific emergence of co-expression networks and regional specialization in the brain. We applied co-occurrence clustering to ASD samples to parse interregional heterogeneity between the PFC and ACC and identify novel cell clusters.


Abstract In an in vitro trial, the effect of forage/concentrate ratio (F/C) and soybean oil (SO) supplementation on rumen liquor fatty acids profile was studied with the aim to evaluate changes in the profiles of biohydrogenation intermediates during the fermentation process. Feed samples of four diets were inoculated with sheep rumen liquor: i) high F/C and no SO; ii) high F/C and SO; iii) low F/C and no SO; iv) low F/C and SO. Fermentation times were 6, 12 h. Trans fatty acid were formed when oil supplement or a low forage content were present in the diets, but at different times of fermentation, as a consequence of a shift from the usual rumen biohydrogenation pathway. In fact, when a higher forage percentage was included in the diet, the alternative pathways of rumen biohydrogenation did not occur; trans10 C18:1 concentration was low and neither trans10, cis12 CLA nor trans, trans CLA appeared.


Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal co-dominant disorder of lipid metabolism, caused by mutations in LDL receptor gene. The penetrance of FH is almost 100%, meaning that half of the offspring of affected parents born with disease. The patients are at risk of premature coronary heart disease (CHD). There is no report about the molecular basis of FH in Iran. Identification of mutations allows unequivocal diagnosis in potentially affected relatives. To characterize genetic aberrations in Iranian FH patients, after ruling out the most common mutation producing familial defective ApoB100 (R3500Q), we screened exon 4 in LDL receptor gene in 30 heterozygous FH patients by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). A new missense mutation (445G>T) was found in proband and his mother. This causes a Gly to Cys change in repeat 3 of LDL binding domain. This nucleotide change was not found in 50 normal individuals. Iran. Biomed. J. 9 (3): 139-142, 2005


BACKGROUND
 The extent of empathy is an individual human property, not completely dependent on cognitive intelligence. People arise with certain genetic fundament for empathy but the ability to perceive empathically develops further during the life. There has been much discussion in the medical literature about the importance of empathy and physician communication style in medical practice. Empathy has been shown to have a very real positive eff ect on patients outcomes. The literature suggests that empathy training is warranted and should be incorporated into surgical residencies through didactics, role-playing and simulations, and apprenticeship to empathic attending role models.

PURPOSE
This paper reviews empathy and its importance as it pertains to the physician-patient relationship and improving patients outcomes, and the need for increased education in empathy during medical training.


Multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles are unstable in headwind because of nose-up pitching moment generation and thrust degradation. Reducing the pitching moment generation could enhance the tolerance of the unmanned aerial vehicles to wind and improve cruise flight speed. In this study, a canted rotor configuration was proposed to reduce the moment in uniform flow and examined. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of moment reduction by canted rotors. First, flow interactions between rotors of the quad-rotor were visualized using a smoke wire method. Second, the moment reduction by canted rotors was estimated based on isolated rotor performance. Third, the moment of the quad-rotor varying the body pitching angle was examined using a wind tunnel. At an 8 m/s wind, when the body pitching angle is horizontal, slanting the rotor by 20° to outside the body degraded the moment by 26% compared with the parallel rotor configuration.


An approach to integrated network management that eliminates the need for interface protocol conformance and provides applications that seamlessly isolate and resolve faults in the entire network is described. The approach uses off-the-shelf artificial intelligence tools and open-architecture client/server workstation technology. A sophisticated tool similar to a fourth-generation language, called the Universal Device Interface Generator, is used to develop and support agent interface modules very quickly and easily. This tool is used to provide a manager of managers, called the ALLINK Operations Coordinator (AOC), that can interface to virtually any existing element management system. With the AOC, information from all of the subnetwork managers is gathered and correlated, the results of this correlation are presented to the human operators in a uniform fashion, and any other interactions between the subnetwork managers and the human operators are also performed in a uniform fashion.<<ETX>>


OBJECTIVE
This study defined the clearance mechanisms of naturally occurring reflux episodes in normal subjects and patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND
Previous studies on acid clearance have been performed in the laboratory setting in supine subjects using acid instillation and stationary motility. The mechanisms of clearance have not been studied using ambulatory pH and motility monitoring.

METHODS
A new system capable of monitoring simultaneously for 24 hours pharyngeal pressure, esophageal motility, and pH was used to study the clearance of naturally occurring reflux episodes in 10 normal subjects and 18 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Esophageal contraction waves were classified as primary (i.e., initiated by a pharyngeal swallow) and secondary (i.e., unrelated to a pharyngeal swallow).

RESULTS
A total of 1288 reflux episodes were analyzed, during which 2781 contraction waves occurred. Clearance (i.e., restoration of pH to > 4) occurred after primary peristalsis in 83% of reflux episodes. An additional 11% were cleared by pharyngeal swallows without an esophageal body response. Secondary waves were rare and when they occurred, only 19% were peristaltic. Secondary peristalsis cleared only 9 of the 1288 reflux episodes. Patients and normal subjects cleared reflux episodes similarly. Baseline swallowing frequency was 0.87/min during the daytime and increased to 2.59/min (p < 0.01) during daytime reflux episodes. Swallowing frequency in response to nighttime reflux episodes was less (1.42/min; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Pharyngeal swallowing is the most important mechanism for esophageal acid clearance. Secondary waves are rare, usually disorganized, and unimportant in clearing a reflux episode. During sleep, the mechanisms of clearance are depressed.


To the Editor: Bass et al. (March 25 issue)1 conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing 6-month rifaximin therapy with placebo in patients with chronic liver disease who were in remission from recurrent hepatic encephalopathy. They found that rifaximin not only maintained remission more effectively than placebo but also significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization for hepatic encephalopathy. Nevertheless, several issues deserve discussion. First, since infection or gastrointestinal bleeding is known to precipitate an episode of hepatic encephalopathy,2 the authors should provide data on the frequency of breakthrough episodes without precipitating factors to reduce the confounding effects. Second, patients with cirrhosis usually have complications associated with infections caused by enteric bacteria. Because of the antimicrobial effect of rifaximin against enteric bacteria, patients who received this drug appeared to have fewer episodes of bacteremia, sepsis, or bacterial peritonitis than did those receiving placebo (3 of 140 patients in the rifaximin group vs. 8 of 159 patients in the placebo group). However, whether the frequency of recurrence of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis could be reduced or prevented by the prophylactic use of rifaximin deserves further investigation.3 Chia-Chi Wang, M.D.


. This paper provides a careful and accessible exposition of the theory of analytic semigroups which may have weak singularity at the origin, with emphasis on its applications to a class of subelliptic initial-boundary value problems for linear parabolic dif-ferential equations of second order.


[1] During the 1996 Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide-International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition traverse, two firn cores were retrieved from the Talos Dome area (East Antarctica) at elevations of 2316 m (TD, 89 m long) and 2246 m (ST556, 19 m long). Cores were dated by using seasonal variations in non-sea-salt (nss) SO42− concentrations coupled with the recognition of tritium marker level (1965–1966) and nss SO42− spikes due to the most important volcanic events in the past (Pinatubo 1991, Agung 1963, Krakatoa 1883, Tambora 1815, Kuwae 1452, Unknown 1259). The number of annual layers recognized in the TD and ST556 cores was 779 and 97, respectively. The δD record obtained from the TD core has been compared with other East Antarctic isotope ice core records (Dome C EPICA, South Pole, Taylor Dome). These records suggest cooler climate conditions between the middle of 16th and the beginning of 19th centuries, which might be related to the Little Ice Age (LIA) cold period. Because of the high degree of geographical variability, the strongest LIA cooling was not temporally synchronous over East Antarctica, and the analyzed records do not provide a coherent picture for East Antarctica. The accumulation rate record presented for the TD core shows a decrease during part of the LIA followed by an increment of about 11% in accumulation during the 20th century. At the ST556 site, the accumulation rate observed during the 20th century was quite stable.


Mutualistic symbiosis can be regarded as interspecific division of labour, which can improve the productivity of metabolites and services but deteriorate the ability to live without partners. Interestingly, even in environmentally acquired symbiosis, involved species often rely exclusively on the partners despite the lethal risk of missing partners. To examine this paradoxical evolution, we explored the coevolutionary dynamics in symbiotic species for the amount of investment in producing their essential metabolites, which symbiotic species can share. Our study has shown that, even if obtaining partners is difficult, 'perfect division of labour' (PDL) can be maintained evolutionarily, where each species perfectly specializes in producing one of the essential metabolites so that every member entirely depends on the others for survival, i.e. in exchange for losing the ability of living alone. Moreover, the coevolutionary dynamics shows multistability with other states including a state without any specialization. It can cause evolutionary hysteresis: once PDL has been achieved evolutionarily when obtaining partners was relatively easy, it is not reverted even if obtaining partners becomes difficult later. Our study suggests that obligate mutualism with a high degree of mutual specialization can evolve and be maintained easier than previously thought.


4586 A number of studies have shown that HLA-DR, DQ and DP alleles are associated with an increased risk of paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), but the significance of these multiple HLA locus/allele associations for the aetiology of childhood ALL remains uncertain. One possibility is that they denote differences in immune responsiveness to a causative infection(s), mediated by the differential antigenic peptide-binding efficiency of HLA class II alleles. We previously reported that B cell precursor ALL [BCP] was associated with HLA-DPB1*0201 and related alleles with glutamic acid (E) at position DPβ169 in the P4 peptide binding pocket (PBP). However, recent studies suggest that DPB1 alleles can be clustered into a small number of functional supertypes based on the shared peptide binding characteristics of several PBP. To determine whether these influence the risk of BCP ALL, we clustered DPB1 alleles into 3 pairs of supertypes, defined by di-allelic polymorphisms at DPβ184, 69 and 11, anchoring amino acids at the P1, P4 and P6 positions of a putative antigenic peptide. This allowed us to distinguish 0201-like from 0201-unlike supertypes with DPβ169E. In case-control comparisons with normal newborns (n=864) we found that both supertypes were associated with an increased risk of paediatric leukaemia (n=895), but not solid tumours (ST;n=409), whereas supertypes with DPβ169K were associated with protection from leukaemia. Stratification of leukaemias into BCP (n=687) and non-BCP (NBCP; n=208) leukaemia, or by molecular subtype (TEL-AML1:n=95; hyperdiploid:n=300) also revealed significant risks associated with the DPβ169E supertypes. Frequency comparisons of genotypes consisting of both supertype alleles ("supergenotypes") revealed significant risks of BCP, NBCP and ST associated with 3/15, 1/15 and 1/15 heterozygous supergenotypes, respectively, but not with 6/6 homozygous supergenotypes. Risk ratios for TEL-AML1 and hyperdiploid leukaemia were significant for 5/15 and 4/15 heterozygous supergenotypes, respectively, but not for 6/6 homozygous supergenotypes. The association of BCP ALL, TEL-AML1 and hyperdiploid leukaemia with heterozygous DPβ1 supergenotypes implies a greater diversity of bound peptides than in homozygotes, suggesting that activation of a broader T cell repertoire by infection may be a factor in the development of these leukaemias.


Courts may determine that an offer is irrevocable due to the offeree's reasonable reliance on it. For instance, the landmark case of Drennan v. Star Paving Co. (1958) held a subcontractor's price offer to be irrevocable once it had been relied upon by the general contractor in computing his overall bid. However, a rule of implied irrevocability raises two main difficulties. First, it seems unfair to force the offeror to commit, but not the offeree. Second, from an ex ante perspective, the implied irrevocability rule seems to deter parties from submitting low-priced, unqualified offers. These concerns have led several scholars to argue for modification of the rule. This paper rationalizes the implied irrevocability rule by demonstrating that the above concerns are unfounded. We demonstrate that whereas some restrictions on the offeree's freedom to conduct bid shopping ex post (i.e., after the uncertainties are resolved) are essential in order to allow him to receive viable price offers ex ante, these restrictions need not be absolute nor legally enforced. Partial restrictions, in the form of a self-enforced Binding Range, may well suffice. The plausible existence of a self-enforced Binding Range ensures that offerors have incentives to submit irrevocable bids because they can expect to earn a profit by submitting the best offer. This paper characterizes the optimal size of the Binding Range, and explores what legal provisions should be applied when the self-enforced Binding Range is sub-optimal.


The mechanical behaviour of some plastics with and without fibre reinforcement has been investigated experimentally for compressive loading cycles of approximately 100 μs duration and for steady-state compressive loading. For the dynamic measurements the split Hopkinson pressure bar technique has been used in which cylindrical specimens are sandwiched between two rods and deformed under the action of a compressive stress wave induced by impacting the free end of one of the rods with a projectile launched by a light gas gun. The experimental results are compared with the mechanical behaviour predicted by a particular form of nonlinear mechanical equation of state. For all materials two regions of deformation are distinguished, the transition from one state, that is the higher state of the internal structure to the lower state being identified with the phenomenon of thixotropy as observed in the flow of certain types of non-Newtonian liquid.


Investments in cancer control—prevention, detection, diagnosis, surgery, other treatment, and palliative care—are increasingly needed in low-income and particularly in middle-income countries, where most of the world's cancer deaths occur without treatment or palliation. To help countries expand locally appropriate services, Cancer (the third volume of nine in Disease Control Priorities, 3rd edition) developed an essential package of potentially cost-eff ective measures for countries to consider and adapt. Interventions included in the package are: prevention of tobacco-related cancer and virus-related liver and cervical cancers; diagnosis and treatment of early breast cancer, cervical cancer, and selected childhood cancers; and widespread availability of palliative care, including opioids. These interventions would cost an additional US$20 billion per year worldwide, constituting 3% of total public spending on health in low-income and middle-income countries. With implementation of an appropriately tailored package, most countries could substantially reduce suff ering and premature death from cancer before 2030, with even greater improvements in later decades.


Abstract Objective Severe toxicity from ingestions of oral sustained-release potassium is rare. While acute hyperkalaemia requires urgent intervention given the risk of cardiac toxicity, there is a lack of clinical consensus on optimal management. The aim of this study was to characterise the clinical manifestations of acute potassium overdose and its management approach. Methods This is a retrospective case series of patients presenting following oral potassium overdose of ≥6000mg between January 2009 and December 2020 in Queensland, Australia as recorded in the state's Poisons Information Centre database and a tertiary Clinical Toxicology Unit database. Patients were identified from prospective databases maintained by both units and data were extracted from these in addition to medical records. Results Thirteen presentations in eleven patients occurred in the twelve-year period. The median age was 35 years (range 14–55 years). The median dose ingested was 6.4 mmol/kg (range 0.9–30.8 mmol/kg). Severe hyperkalaemia >7mmol/L occurred in five patients, four with ingestions ≥60,000mg. All patients with hyperkalaemia received multiple modes of intracellular potassium shifting therapy. Four patients had endoscopic removal of pharmacobezoars. One also underwent whole bowel irrigation. Three presentations were managed with haemodialysis. All patients were discharged home with a median length of stay of 20 h. Conclusion Aggressive medical therapy to shift potassium into cells appears to be the mainstay of treatment in patients with normal renal function. Early decontamination may limit peak potassium concentrations. It is unclear if haemodialysis provides significant additional benefit in patients with normal renal function.


Proximal humerus fractures encompass a broad spectrum of injuries. They are often the result of a fall in an osteoporotic patient, but also occur in high-energy trauma. These account for 4 -5 % of all fractures and incidence increase rapidly with age and occurs twice as often in women as in men. Functional results associated with non-operative treatment of displaced fracture of proximal humerus are poor. Over the last decades, several techniques have been applied for treatment of proximal humerus fractures. Widely accepted is the initiation of a conservative treatment regimen for undisplaced fractures, however, the ideal treatment of displaced fractures, especially 3 and 4 part fractures is still the center of scientific debate . In our hospital 36 patients with 36 proximal humerus fractures were treated with locking compression plate from December 2010 to December 2012. Among these 21 patients were male & 15 patients were female. Youngest patient was 29 years & oldest was 76 years. Fractures were classified according to Neer's classification & type 2, 3, & 4 were included in the study. Post operatively rehabilitation started depending upon stability of fixation & tolerability of patient. According to Neer's scoring system approximately 60% of patients had satisfactory to excellent results, 30% had fair results and 10% had unsatisfactory to poor results.


Relation between Laterality and School Learning Many authors relate children's learning problems with laterality, and attribute problems in the acquisition, among other things, of literacy skills to opposite side, crossed or undefined laterality. In this study we have given a laterality test to 170 children aged between 6 and 7 (first and second year primary school) with tests of the upper limb, lower limb and eye, as well as right-left discrimination and spatial orientation. At the same time, the class teachers have assessed the children's acquisition of several items of school education, with questions about their reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning and attention in class among other things. Our results suggest that children with consistent right-hand laterality get better scores in all learning with respect to the consistently left-handed and children with crossed and unconfirmed laterality; the few cases we have of consistent left-handers (3% of the sample) get the worst scores. In addition, children that discriminate between left and right get better learning outcomes compared with those who do not and they also have better spatial orientation with respect to those who have poor orientation.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

We previously reported the development of a mill based instrument for dissection of slide-mounted tissue sections. This instrument employs a specialized disposable mill bit that simultaneously dispenses liquid, cuts tissue from the slide surface using rotary motion, and aspirates the liquid along with the displaced tissue fragments. An accompanying software package is capable of transferring digital annotations between images of serially cut tissue sections to guide dissection and generate an electronic record of the process. Since the original report, a new instrument and software package has been developed with a computer controlled stage for automatic dissection of tissue. Here we report three applications using this mesodissection system. The first application investigated the relationship between dissection resolution and percent tumor tissue recovered. Areas of high tumor content were indicated on digital images of lung tumor samples. The areas of highest concentration were dissected at 400 micron resolution, the remaining areas of tumor dissected at 800 micron resolution, and then surrounding areas that would typically be recovered using manual macrodissection were dissected at 2 mm resolution. The percent mutant DNA, determined using the Sequenom OncoCarta panel, was greater than 60% for the 400 micron resolution dissections, about 45% for the 800 micron resolution dissections, and less than 10% for the remaining regions. The second application investigated the effect of various dissection related parameters on expression analysis, as assayed by Reverse Transcription and Quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). These parameters included placing freshly microtomed FFPE tissue sections directly on slides vs. first floating on water, dissection of deparaffinized vs. paraffinized tissue, the use of crude lysates vs. purified RNA for the reverse transcription reactions, and manual dissection vs. mesodissection of the same areas on serial sections. RT-qPCR results were robust and equivalent for all parameters except those derived from crude lysates, which were equivalent to the no template controls. The third application investigated if mesodissected tissue fragments could be re-adhered to glass slides and used for FISH analysis. This application has the potential to automate and increase the throughput of FISH on tissue sections while reducing sample consumption. The preliminary results demonstrate that tissue fragments can produce good FISH signals, but a more detailed comparison to undissected tissue sections is ongoing. A significant concern is the loss of context of these fragments. This concern can be somewhat minimized by adjusting dissection conditions to obtain fragments larger than 1 mm in diameter and by mapping the dissected area onto the corresponding area a serial H&E stained tissue section using the mesodissection software.

Citation Format: Nils Adey, Dale Emery, Derek Bosh, Robert Parry. Mesodissection of slide mounted tissue: Applications including tumor tissue enrichment, expression analysis, and FISH on tissue fragments. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3472. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3472


This study is to determine the effects of ATP and Ca(2+) on mucin5AC (MUC5AC) overexpression in airway epithelial cells in mechanical ventilation. Oxygen was injected into the closed box used in this study to increase the pressure. Gravity-driven draining flow led to formation of a thin liquid film on the upper portion of cell monolayer, exposing cells to the tension forces at the air-liquid interface. The levels of MUC5AC protein and ATP in culture medium were detected by ELISA and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Ca(2+) and MUC5AC mRNA in culture cells were detected by flow cytometry and RT-PCR, respectively. Mechanical stretching increased the expression of MUC5AC in cells and the concentration of MUC5AC and ATP in supernatant. BAPTA-AM and EGTA partially reduced the increases in the concentrations of MUC5AC and ATP in supernatant with mechanical ventilation. BAPTA-AM completely inhibited ATP in supernatant with normal breathing conditions. Our results showed that mechanical ventilation increases the secretion of MUC5AC in airway epithelial cells. This is possibly related to Ca(2+)-dependent ATP release and intracellular and external Ca(2+).


The primary objective of this study was to demonstrate shifts of plasma between vascular and extravascular spaces during the first 2½ hours of life. Such shifts in plasma volume have been postulated by Marks et al. in order to account for the significant rise in packed cell volume that they demonstrated within the first 2½ hours of life. 1 Plasma volume was measured by human serum-albumin-bound iodine 131 (Risa, Abbott Laboratories). Since, to date, this agent has not been used for this purpose in newborn infants, a demonstration of its effectiveness was the second major objective. A third objective of this study was to relate the early changes occurring in the blood compartments to the pathogenesis of hyaline membrane disease. For this purpose, infants born by Cesarean section were compared with infants born by normal vaginal delivery. Materials and Method Nine normal newborns and 9 elective Cesarean section infants were