In the field of genome assembly research where assemblers are dominated by de Bruijn graphbased approaches, string graph-based assembly approach is getting more attention because of its ability to losslessly retain information from sequence data. Despite the advantages provided by a string graph in repeat detection and in maintaining read coherence, the high computational cost for constructing a string graph hinders its usability for genome assembly. Even though different algorithms have been proposed over the last decade for string graph construction, efficiency is still a challenge due to the demand for processing a large amount of sequence data generated by NGS technologies. Therefore, in this thesis, we provide a novel, linear time and alphabet-sizeindependent algorithm SOF which uses the property of irreducible edges and transitive edges to efficiently construct string graph from an overlap graph. Experimental results show that SOF is at least 2.3 times faster than the string graph construction algorithm provided in SGA, one of the most popular string graph-based assembler, while maintaining almost the same memory footprint as SGA. Moreover, the availability of SOF as a subprogram in the SGA assembly pipeline will give user facilities to access the preprocessing and postprocessing steps for genome assembly provided in SGA.


While there is extensive analysis of proportionality in public law, little has been written about this subject in private law. This paper fills this gap in the literature by engaging in a comparative analysis of proportionality in private and public law, using the illegality defence, a crucial doctrine in private law, as a case study. In doing so, this paper clarifies, critiques and cautions against the use of proportionality in the illegality defence. Importantly, it demonstrates how the use of proportionality in the illegality doctrine is structurally similar to the proportionality requirements in public law. This comparison allows us to: clarify the indeterminate contents of the proportionality requirements in the illegality doctrine; specify their differences from those in public law; and demonstrate how the use of proportionality in the illegality defence is open to criticisms of indeterminacy, incommensurability and rights-based reasoning that have been levelled against its use in public law.


This work presents an intelligent algorithm teaching interface agent (ATIA) that teaches algorithms. This agent is autonomous, goal-driven, dynamic and collaborative, and acts as a mediator between the student and the tutoring environment. It monitors the student's habits and weaknesses to adapt its didactic directions based on his/her interests and preferences. This approach facilitates the reusability of this agent in different tutoring domains, such as iterative and recursive algorithms. ATIA offers to students a common, flexible and customizable interface that they can use for different algorithms. It explains an algorithm at various levels of abstraction. Each level is designed to present a single operation used in the algorithm. Operations are shown in a textual form of a pseudocode with an associated visualization. ATIA can make changes to the schedule of the algorithm lessons based on the student's performance. To demonstrate and evaluate the feasibility of the proposed agent, we describe a prototype, which is being developed.


The Big Dry, a recent drought over southeast Australia, began around 1997 and continued until 2011. We show that between 2002–2010, instead of a localized drought, there was a continent‐wide reduction in water storage, vegetation and rainfall, spanning the northwest to the southeast of Australia. Trends in water storage and vegetation were assessed using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. Water storage and NDVI are shown to be significantly correlated across the continent and the greatest losses of water storage occurred over northwest Australia. The frequency of tropical cyclones over northwest Australia peaked just prior to the launch of the GRACE mission in 2002. Indeed, since 1981, decade‐scale fluctuations in tropical cyclone numbers coincide with similar variation in rainfall and vegetation over northwest Australia. Rainfall and vegetation in southeast Australia trended oppositely to the northwest prior to 2001. Despite differences between the northwest and southeast droughts, there is reason to believe that continental droughts may occur when the respective climate drivers align.


A mobile ad-hoc Network (MANET) is a collection of mobile servers and clients that can communicate with each other directly via wireless link in the absence of fixed wired infrastructure. MANET needs to consider specially data replication that is traditionally seen as a way to increase the availability, reliability and performance of transaction processing. The reason why is that additional energy for data broadcasting can be consumed to maintain consistency if the database is fully replicated among all mobile servers. In this paper, we propose an eager replication scheme, named E-DRM (Eager replication extended Database State Machine) for MANET where both server and client have energy restrictions. That is, E-DRM extends database state machine scheme suitable to MANET with taking energy into consideration. According to E-DRM, tentative transactions are processed locally at single small mobile host (SMH) and are forwarded to one of large mobile hosts (LMH)s as soon as broadcast cycle starts. After that, LMHs certify tentative transactions as correct through only one message broadcasting. As a result, the proposed scheme can validate all conflicts in LMHs locally; hence, it can improve the performance by reducing additional energy consumed to maintain consistency and the number of message broadcasting.


The pattern of adolescent/young adult Hodgkin lymphoma (YAHL) suggests causation by a relatively late infection with a common childhood virus, but no causal virus has been found. Susceptibility is heritable and linked to lower interleukin 12 (IL12) levels, which can also result from fewer fecal-oral microbial exposures early in life. We studied twin pairs discordant for YAHL to examine exposures capable of altering the IL12 response and T-helper type 1 (Th1)-Th2 balance. One hundred eighty-eight YAHL-discordant twin pairs from the International Twin Study returned questionnaires (70% response). Exposure history of YAHL case-twins was compared with that of their unaffected control-twins using conditional logistic regression for matched pairs to calculate odds ratios (ORs). Behaviors likely to produce oral exposure to microbes conveyed decreases in risk (univariable OR range = 0.2-0.5, P = .003-.11). Significant adjusted ORs were seen for appendectomy (OR = 4.3, P = .001), eczema (OR = 4.2, P = .025), smoking (OR = 2.2, P = .054), and relatively more frequent behaviors associated with oral exposures (OR = 0.1; P = .004). Kappa statistics for intrapair agreement were higher than 0.8 for each significant finding. Our observations support a protective role for increased early oral exposure to the microbiome, suggesting that factors associated with increased Th2 and decreased Th1 cytokines are etiologically relevant to YAHL.


Ultrastructural localization of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity in metaphyseal osteoblasts of young rats was detected and compared with the localization of tartrate-sensitive acid phosphatase (TSAP). TRAP activity was detected in lysosomes and Golgi complex, such as Golgi lamellae, vacuoles and vesicles. TSAP, detected as beta-glycerophosphatase, was also located in Golgi lamellae, vacuoles and vesicles, and in lysosomes. Based on the ultrastructural features of TRAP-positive structures and the similarity of the distribution patterns of TRAP and TSAP, it is suggested that TRAP co-exists with TSAP, and is located in lysosomes and secretory granules in osteoblasts.


In this paper we attempt to assess the impact of IS research on practice. It is important to show a positive impact, if we can, so that academia, prospective students and the outside world more generally sees that the IS discipline has made a positive and major impact on organizations, people and society. Our research fills a gap as there has been little or no work to date that systematically assesses the effective relevance of IS research to practice. We find that the use of bibliometric indicators to trace the flow of ideas from research published in our top journals to practitioner journals does not detect any strong link between IS research and practice. We suggest several alternative means of assessing effective, rather than imagined, relevance and also consider how more effective diffusion of our IS research might be encouraged.


Saturn's F ring has been the subject of study due to its peculiar structure and the proximity to two satellites, named Prometheus (interior) and Pandora (exterior to the ring), which cause perturbations to the ring particles. Early results from Voyager data have proposed that the ring is populated with centimetre- and micrometre-sized particles. The Cassini spacecraft also detected a less dense part in the ring with width of 700 km. Small particles suffer the effects of solar radiation. Burns et al. showed that due to effects of one component of the solar radiation, the Poynting-Robertson drag, a ring particle will decay in the direction of the planet in a time much shorter than the age of the Solar system. In this work, we have analysed a sample of dust particles (1, 3, 5 and 10 μm) under the effects of solar radiation, the Poynting-Robertson drag and the radiation pressure components and the gravitational effects of the satellites Prometheus and Pandora. In this case, the high increase of the eccentricity of the particles leads almost all of them to collide with the outer edge of the A ring. The inclusion of the oblateness of Saturn in this system significantly changes the outcome, since the large variation of the eccentricity is reduced by the oblateness effect. As a result, there is an increase in the lifetime of the particle in the envelope region. Our results show that even the small dust particles, which are very sensitive to the effects of solar radiation, have an orbital evolution similar to larger particles located in the F ring. The fate of all particles is a collision with Prometheus or Pandora in less than 30 years. On the other hand, collisions of these particles with moonlets/clumps present in the F ring could change this scenario.


Serum testing for the tumor markers CA 15-3 and mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA) was performed in 144 patients with breast cancer. Of those patients, 127 were also tested for a third tumor marker, tissue polypeptide-specific antigen (TPS). At the time of testing, 73 patients (51%) were without evidence of disease and 71 patients (49%) had active disease. Mean follow-up time was 16 months. Positivity rates were: 29.8% for CA 15-3, 47.2% for MCA, and 58.3% for TPS. Mean value for patients with no evidence of disease as compared to patients with active disease was 21 U/ml and 117 U/ml for CA 15-3 (P = 0.001), 10.2 kU/l and 22.6 kU/l for MCA (P = 0.001), and 148 U/l and 310 U/l for TPS (P = 0.02). Two year actuarial survival, according to values below and above an established cutoff for CA 15-3 were 80% and 31% (P < 0.001), 75% and 45% for MCA (P < 0.01), and 82% and 50% for TPS (P < 0.01). We conclude that CA 15-3, MCA and TPS values reflect disease state and prognosis in breast cancer patients.


In order to solve the complex decision-making problems, there are many approaches and systems based on the fuzzy theory were proposed. In 1998, Smarandache introduced the concept of single-valued neutrosophic set as a complete development of fuzzy theory. In this paper, we research on the distance measure between single-valued neutrosophic sets based on the H-max measure of Ngan et al. [8]. The proposed measure is also a distance measure between picture fuzzy sets which was introduced by Cuong in 2013 [15]. Based on the proposed measure, an Adaptive Neuro Picture Fuzzy Inference System (ANPFIS) is built and applied to the decision making for the link states in interconnection networks. In experimental evaluation on the real datasets taken from the UPV (Universitat Politecnica de Valencia) university, the performance of the proposed model is better than that of the related fuzzy methods.


In this paper, we present two main results. First, by only one conjecture (Conjecture 2.9) for recognizing a vertex symmetric graph, which is the hardest task for our problem, we construct an algorithm for finding an isomorphism between two graphs in polynomial time $ O(n^{3}) $. Second, without that conjecture, we prove the algorithm to be of quasi-polynomial time $ O(n^{1.5\log n}) $. The conjectures in this paper are correct for all graphs of size no larger than $ 5 $ and all graphs we have encountered. At least the conjecture for determining if a graph is vertex symmetric is quite true intuitively. We are not able to prove them by hand, so we have planned to find possible counterexamples by a computer. We also introduce new concepts like collapse pattern and collapse tomography, which play important roles in our algorithms.


Characteristic T-wave abnormalities transiently apparent during "normal" conduction in patients with intermittent left bundle branch block have been described1-5; the mechanism and clinical significance of these T-wave abnormalities remain uncertain. We describe a patient with intermittent left bundle branch block who demonstrated such T-wave abnormalities. REPORT OF A CASE A vigorous and asymptomatic 54-year-old man was refused insurance coverage because, he was told, his routine electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrated "coronary arterial disease." He had a distant 40-pack-year history of cigarette smoking, having abstained for 20 years, and a family history of coronary artery disease in his father and paternal uncles, but he had no known history of hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia. Results of a routine physical examination and ECG two years earlier had been entirely normal. On examination, he appeared younger than his stated age, with a blood pressure of 150/90 mm Hg and a regular pulse of 70 beats


The spectral-domain method is applied to the analysis of bilateral (double-sided) coplanar waveguides that are printed on electric and/or magnetic anisotropic substrates. A nondecoupling approach is used to solve the coupled differential equations for the transverse propagation constants inside the substrate. The dyadic admittance Green's function is derived for both open and shielded bilateral coplanar waveguides, taking into account the anisotropy of the material. Finally, numerical results, describing the propagation characteristics of these structures, are presented for both electric and magnetic wall symmetries. >


Similar to many ureas, N-carbamoylamino acids were shown to be hydrolyzed in aqueous solution through elimination mechanisms at close to neutral pH, the nucleophilic attack of water being a minor process. Two competing elimination mechanisms can take place involving either cyanate or isocyanate transient intermediates. Peptide formation was observed and attributed to the latter pathway through the intermediacy of amino acid N-carboxyanhydride (NCA). Eventually, cyanate and its precursors (including urea) unexpectedly behave as amino acid activating agents because of their ability in amino acid carbamoylation. Owing to its ability to generate a background prebiotic production of NCAs on the primitive Earth, this reaction is suggested to have contributed to the origin of life process.


Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a chronic autoimmune disease and spontaneously develops in NOD mice and humans. The role of T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines in the immunopathogenesis of disease is not understood. IL-10 has presented a particularly paradoxical role. Transgenic (Tg) BALB/c mice expressing IL-10 in the pancreas exhibited periinsulitis but not insulitis and diabetes. However, backcrossing of these Tg mice with NOD mice accelerated the onset of diabetes, indicating a pathogenic role for IL-10 in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes since it is able to replace the genetic susceptibility information on the NOD genome. Conversely, administration of IL-10 to adult NOD delayed the onset of and decreased the incidence of diabetes suggesting a potential therapeutic role for IL-10 in autoimmune diabetes. Overall, the findings indicated a paradoxical role for IL-10 in the immunoregulation of autoimmune diabetes.


Power transformer modelling and simulation requires detailed material and design information. However, this detailed information about a transformer is usually not entirely available. Therefore, we use a supplemental single-phase excitation setup (saturation test) to measure the transformer core hysteresis characteristic at elevate voltages. Only transformer parameters from the factory acceptance test and very few design data is used to set up the topology transformer models. In topology-correct models each section of the core is represented separately. Also the different off-core (leakage) flux paths can be included in the models. In this study we compare two transformer topology models in the electric domain with measurements from a 3-limb 2-winding, 50 kVA transformer in YNyn0 vector group. The first model uses the capacitance-permeance analogy to model the transformer. The second model uses the principle of duality of electric and magnetic circuits together with the Jiles-Atherton (JA) model for the hysteresis implementation. The hysteresis model parameters in both models are identified with the Nelder-Mead Simplex algorithm. We have found that both transformer topology models can reproduce the measured current waveforms during the no-load and saturation test with very good accuracy. The active and reactive power deviation between the capacitor-permeance model and the measurements are below 10 %, and for the JA model below 17 % for the no-load and the saturation test.


The pollen morphology of 7 species belonging to the 7 genera of the family Aizoaceaewas investigated by light microscope and scanning microscope. It is stenopalynous in nature. Pollen grains are usually radially symmetrical, isopolar, oblate-spheroidal to prolate-spheroidal, rarely sub-prolate, tricolpate, colpi long, with tapering ends, colpal membrane granulate. Sexine slightly thinner or thicker then nexine, rarely thicker at the polar reqion than at the equator. Tectum scabrate-punctate or spinulose. On the basis of exine ornamentation 2 distinct pollen types are recognized, namely, the Zaleya pentandra type and the Aizoon canariense type.


The scattering of light from an anisotropic medium, which may present either spatially random or deterministic statistics, has attracted substantial interest where the measurement of structural properties of scatterers is concerned. To date, however, no literature has studied near-zone evanescent waves scattered from a spatially deterministic and anisotropic medium. In this Letter, integral expressions are derived to represent electric fields of evanescent waves in the near-zone scattered field. In addition, the dependences of spectral densities of scattered field on the propagation distance of evanescent waves and effective radius of the scattering potential (ERSP) are also shown by numerical graphs, respectively. Potential applications of our study include the near-field optical microscopy and biomedical sensing.


The purpose of this study was to analyze leadership competency in the rural leader roles. The data were derived from 317 leaders in 97 rural communities by questionnaire. SPSSWIN/ver10 was adopted t-test and IPA (Importance-Performance Analysis) methods employed. The major findings of this study were as follows; Rural leaders should concentrate on developing coaching/feed back, program management skills, and presentation skills. Administrative head of village should pay attention to benchmarking, brand development and conflict resolution rather than resident management, service knowledge, and making relationships. Leaders of village development council should concentrate on brand development, benchmarking, and educating residents. Head of women's organizations should concentrate on developing assessments, educating residents, and resolving conflict skills, whereas members of Samaeul organization should try to concentrate on program management, coaching/feed back and presentation skills. Rural leaders showed different leadership competency by the IPA. Therefore, this study suggested that leadership education for rural leaders should consider leadership competency.


Male guppies select female mates based off of a variety of characteristics that the female possess; mainly the female's brightness and size.  The scientists set out to find if male guppies preferred bright or dull colored mates, and to observe how female size difference affected males' selection.  Previous research has found that female guppies which are larger and brighter are more likely to be selected as mates.  To answer the question, we obtained two different female guppy models, which varied in color and/or size, and placed them in a tank with a single male guppy four different times with four different males.  To observe the males' behavior, each female model was placed on opposite sides of the tank and the time that the male guppy was close to each model or if he displayed any courting techniques to one of the models was recorded.  From the trials, the scientists concluded that male guppies prefer larger and brighter mates; this information will allow future researchers to better understand why color and size are greatly varied in guppy populations as well as why certain guppies might reproduce more often.


Silk fibroin protein was purified from Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons using a novel dialysis strategy to avoid fibroin aggregation and pre-mature formation of β-sheets. The degummed silk fibers were dissolved in Ajisawa's reagent, a mixture of CaCl2–EtOH–H2O, that is less expensive than lithium bromide. The dissolved solutions were dialyzed against either water or urea solution with a stepwise decrease in concentration. When the steps of 4 M-2 M-1 M-0 M urea (referred to as silk-TS-4210) were adopted, the purified silk fibroin had smaller aggregates (<10 nm), similar average molecular weight (225 kDa) and a lower content of β-sheet (∼15%) compared to the sample processing methods (silk-TS-210, 10, 0) studied here. This outcome was close to the fibroin purified by the lithium bromide (silk-Li-0) method. Polyvinyl alcohol-emulsified silk microspheres generated using the purified solution had a similar size distribution and morphology when compared to lithium bromide dissolved solutions, while glycerol-blended silk films showed different mechanical properties. The silk-Li-0 generated films with the highest breaking strength (5.7 MPa ± 0.3) while the silk-TS-4210 had the highest extension at break (215.1% ± 12.5). The films prepared from silk-TS-4210 were cytocompatible to support the adhesion and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells, with improvements compared to the other samples likely due to the porous morphology of these films.


This review deals with the recent progress achieved in the understanding of vortex dynamics in discrete arrays of classical Josephson junctions, JJAs. We first give an up-to-date overview of the discrete models currently used to describe the physics of JJAs: the `JJ array formalism', the discretized version of the sine-Gordon equation and the Frenkel-Kontorova model. Special emphasis is put on the recent reformulation of the screening term that makes use of the full-inductance matrix. The relationship between the phase and the vortex-particle dynamics is also discussed. An overview of the `state of the art' in the understanding of the single-vortex dynamics in overdamped JJAs follows; the dependence of the motion of the vortex on its size (i.e. on the screening strength, the sample geometry and the coupling anisotropy, ) and, also, on the bias current is pointed out and discussed. A peculiar phenomenon, alternate-vortex motion, is also briefly illustrated. Subsequently, we review the single-vortex dynamics in underdamped JJAs. A short description of the conditions that lead to the observation of anomalous dissipation, vortex reflection, ballistic vortex motion, resonances, instabilities and row switching is given. To conclude, we discuss open problems and future perspectives of the research on JJAs.


A generalized exponential spectrum model is derived, which considers finite turbulence inner and outer scales and has a general spectral power law value between the range 3 to 5 instead of standard power law value 11/3. Based on this generalized spectrum model, a new generalized long exposure turbulence modulation transfer function (MTF) is obtained for optical plane and spherical wave propagating through horizontal path in weak fluctuation turbulence. When the inner scale and outer scale are set to zero and infinite, respectively, the new generalized MTF is reduced to the classical generalized MTF derived from the non-Kolmogorov spectrum.


Case-based reasoning (CBR) and decision analysis have been two separate research areas aiming to solve problems from different perspectives. CBR is powerful to offer solutions to problems by reusing previous experiences, while decision theory exhibits its strength in dealing with uncertain, nondeterministic situations subject to likelihoods, risks, and probable consequences. In this paper, we present a novel framework of integrating CBR and decision analysis for the purpose of case-based decision analysis. CBR is employed as a methodology to reason from previous cases for building a decision model given the current situation, while decision theory is applied to the decision model learnt from previous cases to identify the most promising, secured, and rational choices. In such a way, we take advantage of both the ability of CBR to learn without domain knowledge and the strength of decision theory to analyze under uncertainty.


and report that approximately one third of children and adoles-cents with severe or refractory chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) showed a sustained response to treatment with the monoclonal anti-C20 antibody, rituximab. This prospective study is notable for several reasons and it also serves to highlight several unanswered questions as to the drug's mechanism of action and place in ITP management.


Multi-dimensional discrete Fourier transforms (DFT) are typically decomposed into multiple 1D transforms. Hence, parallel implementations of any multi-dimensional DFT focus on parallelizing within or across the 1D DFT. Existing DFT packages exploit the inherent parallelism across the 1D DFTs and offer rigid frameworks, that cannot be extended to incorporate both forms of parallelism and various data layouts to enable some of the parallelism. However, in the era of exascale, where systems have thousand of nodes and intricate network topologies, flexibility and parallel efficiency are key aspects all multi-dimensional DFT frameworks need to have in order to map and scale the computation appropriately. In this work, we present a flexible framework, built on the Redistribution Operations and Tensor Expressions (ROTE) framework, that facilitates the development of a family of parallel multi-dimensional DFT algorithms by 1) unifying the two parallelization schemes within a single framework, 2) exploiting the two different parallelization schemes to different degrees and 3) using different data layouts to distribute the data across the compute nodes. We demonstrate the need of a versatile framework and thus a need for a family of parallel multi-dimensional DFT algorithms on the K-Computer, where we show almost linear strong scaling results for problem sizes of 1024^3 on 32k compute nodes.


Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is an inappropriate response of the sympathetic nervous system that commonly occurs when individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), at or above the sixth thoracic (T6) vertebra, are subjected to a noxious stimulus below the level of injury. An AD event can be put into motion by something as simple as an ingrown toenail or a full bladder, with symptoms ranging from headache, high blood pressure, and even stroke. We have characterized the onset of AD and resulting autonomic events in an individual with SCI using a fiberoptic-based probe. Two probes were located above and below the injury level, on the subjects forearm and thigh, respectively, and were connected to a dual channel spectrophotometer. Oxygen saturation was calculated using the reflectance spectra and an algorithm based on melanin and hemoglobin absorption. We noticed that during an AD event the amount of oxygen in the skin below the injury level dropped by as much as 40%, while above the injury level, skin oxygenation remained constant. In addition, we found that the level of skin perspiration below the level of injury increased significantly. We hypothesize that the combination of AD-related ischemia with pressure-related ischemia and increased perspiration places individuals with spinal cord injury level at T6 or above at an elevated risk for developing a pressure sore below the injury site.


In this paper Stepped Impedance Resonator (SIR) is effectively used for the design of UWB Chipless RFID tag (3.1–10.6GHz). The properties of SIRs like independent control over the resonant modes, capability of placing higher harmonics away from the fundamental mode and control over the electrical length are effectively utilised in the design of proposed tag. RFID tag consist of 10 SIR is designed and fabricated in such away that its higher harmonic modes are designed to be outside the UWB spectrum. Theoretical, numerical and experimental results are also discussed in this paper. Backscattered signal from the tag is measured up to distance of 50cm.


Background In this study the effects of a new, highly selective sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) inhibitor, ORM-10962 were investigated on cardiac NCX current, Ca2+ transients, cell shortening and in experimental arrhythmias. The level of selectivity of the novel inhibitor on several major transmembrane ion currents (L-type Ca2+ current, major repolarizing K+ currents, late Na+ current, Na+/K+ pump current) was also determined. Methods Ion currents in single dog ventricular cells (cardiac myocytes; CM), and action potentials in dog cardiac multicellular preparations were recorded utilizing the whole-cell patch clamp and standard microelectrode techniques, respectively. Ca2+ transients and cell shortening were measured in fluorescent dye loaded isolated dog myocytes. Antiarrhythmic effects of ORM-10962 were studied in anesthetized ouabain (10 μg/kg/min i.v.) pretreated guinea pigs and in ischemia-reperfusion models (I/R) of anesthetized coronary artery occluded rats and Langendorff perfused guinea pigs hearts. Results ORM-10962 significantly reduced the inward/outward NCX currents with estimated EC50 values of 55/67 nM, respectively. The compound, even at a high concentration of 1 μM, did not modify significantly the magnitude of ICaL in CMs, neither had any apparent influence on the inward rectifier, transient outward, the rapid and slow components of the delayed rectifier potassium currents, the late and peak sodium and Na+/K+ pump currents. NCX inhibition exerted moderate positive inotropic effect under normal condition, negative inotropy when reverse, and further positive inotropic effect when forward mode was facilitated. In dog Purkinje fibres 1 μM ORM-10962 decreased the amplitude of digoxin induced delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs). Pre-treatment with 0.3 mg/kg ORM-10962 (i.v.) 10 min before starting ouabain infusion significantly delayed the development and recurrence of ventricular extrasystoles (by about 50%) or ventricular tachycardia (by about 30%) in anesthetized guinea pigs. On the contrary, ORM-10962 pre-treatment had no apparent influence on the time of onset or the severity of I/R induced arrhythmias in anesthetized rats and in Langendorff perfused guinea-pig hearts. Conclusions The present study provides strong evidence for a high efficacy and selectivity of the NCX-inhibitory effect of ORM-10962. Selective NCX inhibition can exert positive as well as negative inotropic effect depending on the actual operation mode of NCX. Selective NCX blockade may contribute to the prevention of DAD based arrhythmogenesis, in vivo, however, its effect on I/R induced arrhythmias is still uncertain.


In this paper, we study the spreading speed of complex contagions in a social network. A $k$-complex contagion starts from a set of initially infected seeds such that any node with at least $k$ infected neighbors gets infected. Simple contagions, i.e., $k=1$, quickly spread to the entire network in small world graphs. However, fast spreading of complex contagions appears to be less likely and more delicate; the successful cases depend crucially on the network structure~\cite{G08,Ghasemiesfeh:2013:CCW}.
Our main result shows that complex contagions can spread fast in a general family of time-evolving networks that includes the preferential attachment model~\cite{barabasi99emergence}. We prove that if the initial seeds are chosen as the oldest nodes in a network of this family, a $k$-complex contagion covers the entire network of $n$ nodes in $O(\log n)$ steps. We show that the choice of the initial seeds is crucial. If the initial seeds are uniformly randomly chosen in the PA model, even with a polynomial number of them, a complex contagion would stop prematurely. The oldest nodes in a preferential attachment model are likely to have high degrees. However, we remark that it is actually not the power law degree distribution per se that facilitates fast spreading of complex contagions, but rather the evolutionary graph structure of such models. Some members of the said family do not even have a power-law distribution.
We also prove that complex contagions are fast in the copy model~\cite{KumarRaRa00}, a variant of the preferential attachment family.
Finally, we prove that when a complex contagion starts from an arbitrary set of initial seeds on a general graph, determining if the number of infected vertices is above a given threshold is $\mathbf{P}$-complete. Thus, one cannot hope to categorize all the settings in which complex contagions percolate in a graph.


Interactions of aging and disease are poorly understood by both clinicians and the aged themselves. The altered expressions of illness in the oldest old--in severity, presentation, and perception--provide a clinical challenge to treatment as well as to the formulation of health policy. A progressively diverse population, the oldest old will require new strategies for individualized care (acute and long-term), case-finding, research and training, and health promotion.


This paper deals with several key issues including Paleoproterozoic sedimentary sequences,metamorphism and magmatic intrusion,and comes to following primary suggestions for Proterozoic tectonic evolution of the North China Craton(NCC):(1)The NCC fundamentally amalgamated by continent-continent,arc-continent or arc-arc collisions by~2500 Ma;The NCC behaved as a stable continent block without tectonic-thermal action during 2500~2300 Ma.(2)2300~1950 Ma mobile belts,such as Jinyuand Jiaoliao,formed and represent intracratonic orogenesis with Phanerozoic orogenic characteristics on some aspects.(3)The evolution of these mobile belts includes basin rifting,subduction and final collision at~1850 Ma.(4)A proposed northern mobile belt that was not preserved was located north of the Baiyan Obo.The khondalite sequences possibly represent a structural zone within craton,which was related to subduction and collision of the northern mobile belt and caused deep-level granulite facies rocks to uplift by sole- thrusting.(5)The Baiya Obo,Zhaertai and Huade sedimentary sequences deposed in passive continent marginal basins in 1800~1700 Ma,same as the Changcheng System.(6)The tectonic regime in the NCC was inverted from compression to extension in 1850~1700 Ma,resulting in rifting within craton,mafic dyke swarm emplacing and cratonic basement uplifting.(7)In the middle of northern margin of the NCC,an ultra-high-temperature metamorphic complex has been discovered.The paper also discusses genetic relationship between the ultra-high-temperature metamorphic rocks and high-pressure granulites in the central NCC,and suggests that they are related to a mantle upwelling and magma underplating event of~1900 Ma.


Background: Eucalyptus globoidea Blakely produces ground-durable (Class 2) and stiff wood and has the potential to be grown in New Zealand to supply high-value environmentally-friendly timber for use as posts in the agricultural sector and stiff veneers for the LVL industry. The New Zealand Dryland Forests Initiative (NZDFI) has established a breeding programme for this species. The objective of this study was to identify trees with superior wood properties for commercial propagation enabling the establishment of a domestic plantation resource of ground-durable timber.
Methods: The genetic variation in wood properties at mid-rotation age (8-year-old) of 141 E. globoidea families was assessed for the following traits: heartwood diameter, diameter under bark at ~0.5 m height, combined sapwood diameter, heartwood collapse, sapwood collapse, standing tree acoustic velocity and extractive content in the heartwood. Families were ranked and genotypes with large heartwood diameter, high extractive content and stiffness as well as low collapse were identified.
Results: Heartwood diameter (h2 = 0.51) and extractive content (h2 = 1.16) showed good heritability, which in combination with high variation are promising traits for a breeding programme. The high heritability for extractive content indicated a closer relatedness within the population than the assumption of unrelated families of half-siblings. The unfavourable correlation between the heartwood diameter and extractive content (genetic correlation (rg) = −0.45) indicated that a compromise is required for simultaneous improvement of both traits. Heritability estimates for heartwood collapse (h2 = 0.30) and acoustic velocity (h2 = 0.36) were moderate.
Conclusions: Genetic selection for wood quality traits of E. globoidea is practically feasible. Superior individuals with above average performance for multiple traits were present in the breeding populations, however, this was dependent on the intended end use of the timber.


This paper introduces the definition of mental poverty and the status quo of mental poverty in China's rural areas. Mental poverty in China's rural areas embodies the following aspects: the sense of parochialism is serious; the small farmer consciousness is strong; there is misgiving about identity. This paper analyses the reason of Mental poverty influencing farmers' behavior model and rural economic development. Mental poverty influences the farmers' changing current situation; Mental poverty influences the rural population structure; Mental poverty influences the rural normal order. The countermeasures and proposals are put forward to obviate Mental poverty in rural areas as follows: first, strengthen farmers' consciousness of main body, and improve farmers' psychological feeling; second, coordinate urban-rural development, and strengthen farmers' social identity degree; third, increase inputs into cultural building, and promote farmers' quality; fourth, open up mind, and encourage the outflow of labor forces.


BACKGROUND
Research on sibling death in a pediatric/neonatal intensive care unit is limited, despite many qualitative differences from deaths at home or in hospitals' general care areas and has overlooked cultural differences.

OBJECTIVES
To describe parents' reports of children's responses to a sibling's death in a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit via qualitative interviews at 7 months after the death. Methods English-speaking (n = 19) and Spanish-speaking (n = 8) parents of 24 deceased infants/children described responses of their 44 surviving children: 10 preschool, 19 school-age, and 15 adolescent. Parents' race/ethnicity was 48% black, 37% Hispanic, 15% white. Ten siblings died in the neonatal unit and 14 in the pediatric intensive care unit. Semistructured interviews in parents' homes were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed with content analysis.

RESULTS
Six themes about surviving children emerged. Changed behaviors were reported by parents of school-age children and adolescents. Not understand what was going on was reported primarily by parents of preschoolers. Numbers of comments in the 4 remaining themes are as follows: maintaining a connection (n = 9), not having enough time with their siblings before death and/or to say goodbye (n = 6), believing the sibling is in a good place (n = 6), not believing the sibling would die (n = 4). Comments about girls and boys were similar. White parents made few comments about their children compared with black and Hispanic parents. The pattern of comments differed by whether the sibling died in the neonatal or the pediatric intensive care unit.

CONCLUSIONS
Children's responses following a sibling's death vary with the child's sex, parents' race/ethnicity, and the unit where the sibling died. Children, regardless of age, recognized their parents' grief and tried to comfort them.


Skill in seasonal forecasts in the Northern Hemisphere extratropics is mostly limited to winter. Drivers of summer circulation anomalies over the North Atlantic–European (NAE) sector are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the role of North Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in driving summer atmospheric circulation changes. The summer North Atlantic Oscillation (SNAO), the leading mode of observed summer atmospheric circulation variability in the NAE sector, is correlated with a distinct SST tripole pattern in the North Atlantic. An atmospheric general circulation model is used to test whether there are robust atmospheric circulation responses over the NAE sector to concurrent SSTs related to the SNAO. The most robust responses project onto the summer east Atlantic (SEA) pattern, the second dominant mode of observed summer atmospheric circulation variability in the NAE sector, and are most evident at the surface in response to tropical SSTs and at altitude in response to extratropical SSTs. The tropical-to-extratropical teleconnection appears to be due to Rossby wave propagation from SST anomalies, and in turn precipitation anomalies, in the Caribbean region. We identify key biases in the model, which may be responsible for the overly dominant SEA pattern variability, compared to the SNAO, and may also explain why the responses resemble the SEA pattern, rather than the SNAO. Efforts to eradicate these biases, perhaps achieved by higher-resolution simulations or with improved model physics, would allow for an improved understanding of the true response to North Atlantic SST patterns.


Introduction: Exacerbations of inflammatory bowel disease are thought to be related to concurrent infections. As infections are associated with elevated local and serum concentrations of chemokines, we have determined whether systemic administration of the CC chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) exacerbates colitis in a mouse model. Methods: Colitis was induced in Balb/c mice using trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Starting four days later, animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of recombinant MIP-1α. On day 7, mice were killed and pieces of colon taken for immunohistology and polymerase chain reaction analysis. The direct effects of MIP-1α on mucosal T cells and fibroblasts in vitro were also investigated. Results: Systemic administration of MIP-1α markedly enhanced colitis with mice developing large transmural ulcers filled with granulation tissue. Treatment resulted in increased numbers of CD4 cells infiltrating the colonic lamina propria, increased interferon γ (IFN-γ) levels, and increased transcripts for tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3). Isolated lamina propria lymphocytes from mice with TNBS colitis contained increased numbers of IFN-γ and TNF-α transcripts when stimulated with MIP-1α in vitro. Colonic lamina propria fibroblasts also responded to MIP-1α with increased proliferation and decreased collagen 1 synthesis but fibroblast proliferation was not seen in vivo. Conclusions: These experiments show that increasing serum concentrations of a chemokine, MIP-1α, exacerbates immune mediated colitis. The effect seems to be due to the ability of MIP-1α to boost Th1 responses in the gut wall. Our findings also suggest a potential pathway by which peripheral infections can exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease.


Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to develop nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as well as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and evaluate their potential in the topical delivery of meloxicam (MLX). Materials and methods: The effect of various compositional variations on their physicochemical properties was investigated. Furthermore, MLX-loaded lipid nanoparticles-based hydrogels were formulated and the gels were evaluated as vehicles for topical application. Results and discussion: The results showed that NLC and SLN dispersions had spherical shapes with an average size between 215 and 430 nm. High entrapment efficiency was obtained ranging from 61.94 to 90.38% with negatively charged zeta potential in the range of −19.1 to −25.7 mV. The release profiles of all formulations exhibited sustained release characteristics over 48 h and the release rates increased as the amount of liquid lipid in lipid core increased. Finally, Precirol NLC with 50% Miglyol® 812 and its corresponding SLN were incorporated in hydrogels. The gels showed adequate pH, non-Newtonian flow with shear-thinning behavior and controlled release profiles. The biological evaluation revealed that MLX-loaded NLC gel showed more pronounced effect compared to MLX-loaded SLN gel. Conclusion: It can be concluded that lipid nanoparticles represent promising particulate carriers for topical application.


Flare appear a television show or character role "effiminate" also make many public figure who has a feminine character when they are clearly a man. This raises pro contra up their presence.
Public men figure into some type of in accordance with the profession, among others, actor, comedian and presenter, and so forth. In this case, the authors highlight the presenter more men who have feminine character alias "sissy" who is currently mushroom, such as Ivan Gunawan, Ruben Onsu, Olga Syahputra, and Dave Hendrik, Bobby Tince and many more.
With many programs as described above that from a lot of different pop perception among a diverse community that had witnessed the event. Differences in perception of this cause pro and contra on the presence of actors in the "gray area" is. One side argues that it is just as market demand and the only role only, while on the other side think this is already included harassment against women, the marginalized, behavior or personality irregularities even more dangerous is for children who are very vulnerable in the catch the information they get from mass media, namely television. In other hand, these children will have the perception that the "effeminate" is the only legitimate or legitimate-reasonable-reasonable, if, without the filter of the impression while watching them. So that the role of parents need the most.
The research using this type of descriptive research herd data with qualitative interview techniques and the documentation in the form of a study of literature and field study is the primary data and use the questionnaire in order to help dig up the data support from respondents. Unit of analysis is the research community in the area of RT. 03 / RW. 07, Kelurahan Lesanpuro, Kedungkandang Malang District, with a minimum age limit of 17 years and never watch those impressions minimum - the lack of five times. In this way researchers actually use purposively sampling techniques. Analysis of data in research using a qualitative approach, in principle, in the form of induction-interpretation-conceptualization.
Results of research indicate that the community RT. 03 / RW. 07 as the audience perceive impressions with feminine male presenter with this perception accept, reject, and proportional. On receiving the perception, the respondents to receive and welcome the emergence of both the men's feminine because the presenter is able to bring an event to be more alive and have better traction so it can be a short statement that is entertaining, it is necessary to maintained. Next, the perception of decline appears that the impact is very dangerous for children - children. Because children - children are considered not able to be critical and be awake or medium, so that it scared to occur in self-imitation in the child - a child or even adult individuals who have intellectual background under the average - the average, the short form of the statement being that a bad impact, needs to eliminated . Finally, the perception is that allegations appear outside researchers is not the focus where the perception of respondents that have not also does not reject the support, so that the researchers called this perception with the perception proportional, because the perception of respondents in this view from various angles and able to give the impression of tolerance -- impressions do not skip over this limit. Presenters such as feminine men still wearing men's clothes in general. Because they realize that at this time the presence of this in terms of presenters and entertainment commercial level is entertaining and has a sale value high enough in the community and being able to entertain a short statement, try to keep ethics and values. Based on three short statements, the researchers constrict audience perceptions about feminine male characters on television is entertaining, full of controversy.


Objective To investigate the clinical significance of atypical glandular cells (AGC) by analyzing the prevalence and histologic outcomes of patients with AGC according to Pap smear. Methods The medical records of 83 patients who were diagnosed AGC on Pap tests at the Pusan National University Hospital outpatient department and health care center from January 1998 to March 2006 were reviewed. Results The prevalence of AGC was 55 of 54,160 (0.10%) and 28 of 54,160 (0.05%) for AGC-not otherwise specified (NOS) and neoplastic associated AGC, respectively. The histopathologic results of the AGC-NOS group (n=55) were as follows: low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 7 (12.7%); high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 4 (7.2%); adenocarcinoma of cervix, 3 (5.4%); endometrial carcinoma, 2 (3.6%); and other malignancies including 2 ovarian cancer cases and 1 breast cancer case, 3 (5.4%). The histopathologic results for the AGC-associated neoplastic group (n=28) were as follows: low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 1 (3.5%); high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 3 (10.7%); adenocarcinoma of cervix, 5 (17.8%); endometrial carcinoma, 4 (4.8%); and additional malignancies including 3 stomach cancer cases, 2 ovarian cancer cases, and 2 breast cancer cases; 7 (25%). Conclusion AGCs may represent a variety of benign and malignant lesions. AGC-associated neoplastic findings may be related to gynecological or extrauterine malignancies. Thus, when AGCs, especially neoplastic AGCs, are encountered, it is best to evaluate the cervix not only for typical maladies, but also for gynecological and non-gynecological malignancies.


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Abstract
Purpose
This chapter examines if women in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are constrained in their leadership style and if the organizational culture makes them less valued in senior management teams. It then explores if the 7-S organizational framework has relevance to gender and leadership in HEIs.

The nature of authority within HEIs increases the complexity of leadership within an academic context. Leadership is often vested in a single person, and the positional power of Rectors/Vice-Chancellors (VCs) is based on authority, discipline knowledge, experience, and peer and professional recognition. The literature highlights that HEIs continue to be male dominated and that women are underrepresented in university leadership.

Methodology
A total of 44 interviews with female and male university senior managers in Australia and Portugal were conducted by the authors and then analyzed using thematic content analysis.

Results
This chapter analyzed the leadership styles of female and male leaders in HEI management teams in Australia and Portugal. It found that both women and men in Australian universities valued transformational leadership skills, whereas the male respondents in Portugal saw traditional management as more effective, even though female respondents considered women demonstrated transformational leadership. It also found that while women's leadership is recognized in Australian universities, in Portugal men saw women's leadership as problematic.

Originality/value of chapter
The findings suggest that there is more possibility for transformation in the academy if both men and women in HEI leadership value women's leadership role.


Environmental context Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the Earth's atmosphere plays an important role in climate change and human health, in which secondary organic aerosol (SOA) that forms from the photooxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has a significant contribution. SOA derived from isoprene, the most abundant non-methane VOC emitted into the Earth's atmosphere, has been widely studied to interpret its formation mechanisms. However, the ability to predict isoprene SOA using current models remains difficult due to the lack of understanding of isoprene chemistry. Abstract Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from the photooxidation of isoprene was simulated against smog chamber experiments with varied concentrations of isoprene, nitrogen oxides (NOx=NO + NO2) and ammonium sulfate seed aerosols. A semi-condensed gas-phase isoprene chemical mechanism (ISO-UNC) was coupled with different aerosol-phase modelling frameworks to simulate SOA formation, including: (1) the Odum two-product approach, (2) the 1-D volatility basis-set (VBS) approach and (3) a new condensed kinetic model based upon the gas-particle partitioning theory and reactive uptake processes. The first two approaches are based upon empirical parameterisations from previous studies. The kinetic model uses a gas-phase mechanism to explicitly predict the major intermediate precursors, namely the isoprene-derived epoxides, and hence simulate SOA formation. In general, they all tend to significantly over predict SOA formation when semivolatile concentrations are higher because more semivolatiles are forced to produce SOA in the models to maintain gas-particle equilibrium; yet the data indicate otherwise. Consequently, modified dynamic parameterised models, assuming non-equilibrium partitioning, were incorporated and could improve the model performance. In addition, the condensed kinetic model was expanded by including an uptake limitation representation so that reactive uptake processes slow down or even stop; this assumes reactive uptake reactions saturate seed aerosols. The results from this study suggest that isoprene SOA formation by reactive uptake of gas-phase precursors is likely limited by certain particle-phase features, and at high gas-phase epoxide levels, gas-particle equilibrium is not obtained. The real cause of the limitation needs further investigation; however, the modified kinetic model in this study could tentatively be incorporated in large-scale SOA models given its predictive ability.


A previous study (Chandler and Fletcher, J. Aud. Res., 1983, 23, 23-32) examined group hearing loss of 209 U.S. Army engineers by comparing current with reference audiograms. The sample was categorized by military occupation specialty, age, and time on job. The present study reports comparable data for 187 civilian engineers on the same Army post exposed to essentially the same noise. These had less hearing loss than their military counterparts. Some reasons are suggested, such as attrition of the civilian workforce because of hearing problems, and a likely greater exposure of the military engineers to noises not job-related. Age was less important than time on the job. Both groups, however, exhibited significantly lower hearing levels than the industrial population of Glorig et al (Am. Acad. Ophthalmol. Otolaryngol., 1957) at the 1954 Wisconsin State Fair, possibly because both military and civilian personnel at this Army post had been for some years in an aggressive hearing conservation program.


In this paper, we discuss second-order consensus problems for multi-agent systems with dynamic agents and fixed topologies. A new second-order consensus protocol incorporating the predictive mechanism is proposed and a convergence analysis related to the real and imaginary parts of the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix of the corresponding network is provided. We establish a direct connection between the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix and parameters of the proposed second-order consensus model, and we compute a lower bound for the sum of parameters. It is proved under general conditions related to the second-order consensus protocol and the network topology that the asymptotic consensus is achieved and the convergence speed is increased via designing a state predictor. Finally, simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed protocol and the analytical claims.


Urban Traffic is recognized as one of the major CO2 contributors that puts a high burden on the environment. Different attempts have been made for reducing the impacts ranging from traffic management actions to shared-vehicle concepts to simply reducing the number of vehicles on the streets. By relying on cooperative approaches between different logistics companies, such as sharing and pooling resources for bundling deliveries in the same zone, an increased environmental benefit can be attained. To quantify this benefit we compare the CO2 emissions, fuel consumption and total delivery time resulting from deliveries performed by one cargo truck with two trailers versus by two single-trailer cargo trucks under real conditions in a simulation scenario in the city of Linz in Austria. Results showed a fuel consumption and CO2 emissions reduction of28% and 34% respectively in the scenario in which resources were bundled in one single truck.


Measurement of physical fitness is a common and appropriate practice in sports competition. The information obtained from testing will allow adjustments of the training program to meet an individual's specific fitness needs. The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in metabolic and motor performance variables in handball players during a training program following a model proposed by Verkhoshanski(7) and adapted by Oliveira(8). Eleven handball players, from 20 to 32 years old, body weight 89.5 ± 10.4 kg (70.2 and 105.1 kg), height of 184.4 ± 6.7 cm (171.8 and 198 cm) participated in this study. All participants were members of "UniFil/Londrina" Handball Team of Londrina, Parana. The subjects were tested and retested after developing a 16-week training program, prior to the start of the National League Championship. Data were analyzed using t-test for repeated measures (p < 0.05). The results showed very important adaptations with an increase in velocity strength (7.8%, p < 0.05), explosive strength (8.1%, p < 0.05) and agility (6.4%, p < 0.05). Moreover, the training program allowed for some metabolic adaptations, such as anaerobic power (30.5 and 37.5%, p < 0.05), and the total time the players could stand at the Yo-yo test, respectively. Aerobic power, measured by VO2max, also increased (8.1%, p < 0.05). The results suggest that the program proposed was able to create positive motor capacities responses that were observed in the lasting training posterior effect.


The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using social norms to promote sustainable behaviour. To achieve this aim, a meta-analysis was conducted. Studies published in peer reviewed journals after 1990 that experimentally tested the effectiveness of social norms in promoting sustainable behaviour were included in the analysis. No distinction was made among various populations when selecting studies. Random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled effect sizes. It was found, that social norms can be effectively used in promoting sustainable behaviour (d = 0.35, 95% CI [0.13, 0.57]), the effect is highest in cases that imitate real-life situations (d = 0.52, 95% CI [0.38, 0.65]), and remains significant when comparing normative interventions against alternative appeals that are aimed at promoting sustainable behaviour (d = 0.18, 95% CI [0.03, 0.32]). The article concludes that normative interventions are an effective way of promoting sustainable behaviour. Those who are engaged in promoting sustainable behaviour should strongly consider using social norms as a means to their goals as it is an effective and evidence-based way of promoting desired behaviour.


The nonlinear development of stationary crossflow vortices over a 45° swept NLF(2)-0415 airfoil is studied. Previous investigations indicate that the linear stability theory (LST) is unable to accurately describe the unstable flow over crossflow-dominated configurations. In recent years the development of nonlinear parabolized stability equations (NPSE) has opened new pathways toward understanding unstable boundary-layer flows. This is because the elegant inclusion of nonlinear and non-parallel effects in the NPSE allows accurate stability analyses to be performed without the difficulties and overhead associated with direct numerical simulations (DNS). NPSE results are presented here and compared with experimental results obtained at the Arizona State University Unsteady Wind Tunnel. The comparison shows that the saturation of crossflow disturbances is responsible for the discrepancy between LST and experimental results for cases with strong favourable pressure gradient. However, for cases with a weak favourable pressure gradient the stationary crossflow disturbances are damped and nonlinearity is unimportant. The results presented here clearly show that for the latter case curvature and non-parallel effects are responsible for the previously observed discrepancies between LST and experiment. The comparison of NPSE and experimental results shows excellent agreement for both configurations. Through this work, a detailed quantitative comparison and validation of NPSE with a careful experiment has now been provided for three-dimensional boundary layers. Moreover, the results validate the experiments of Reibert et al. (1996), and Radeztsky et al. (1993, 1994) suggesting that their databases can be used by future researchers to verify theories and numerical schemes. The results show the inadequacy of linear theories for modelling these flows for significant crossflow amplitude and demonstrate the effects of weak curvature to be more significant than slight changes in basic state, especially near neutral-stability locations.


Aggressive resource utilization for patients with cancer at the end of life has been associated with poor outcomes for patients and their families. To our knowledge, no previous studies have characterized resource utilization as a proxy for quality end-of-life care in hospitalized patients awaiting discharge to hospice by physician and advanced practice providers (APPs). We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine resource utilization and the quality metrics for end-of-life care in patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from the date of hospice decision to discharge. Patients under the care of APP teams were less likely to receive laboratory testing (50% vs 59%, P = .046) and received fewer tests than those with house staff teams, though performance on end-of-life quality metrics was similar. Our findings suggest APPs may improve quality of end-of-life care by avoiding unnecessary or aggressive measures compared to house staff.


The benzo[a]pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon known to be genotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic in higher vertebrates. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the enzymatic and genotoxic effects of BaP in a benthic fish species, Solea solea. Sole hepatocytes were exposed to BaP in order to measure the modulation of ethoxyresorufin-o-deethylase (EROD) activity and the DNA strand breaks induced by BaP metabolism. Exposures were performed in both culture flasks and microplate wells in order to check for the possible miniaturization of the exposure system. Moreover, sole liver microsomes were exposed to BaP in the presence of standard DNA in order to assess the potential formation of DNA adducts in sole. The results demonstrated the ability of sole hepatic enzymes to metabolize BaP into reactive species responsible for bulky DNA adducts and DNA strand breakage, whatever the tested exposure concentration and the mode of exposure.


Different methods have been developed to model tearing prediction, as e.g., the combination between the cohesive principle and the finite element method. Unfortunately, this method has some well known issues that can be fixed by recourse to discontinuous Galerkin formulation. Such a formulation allows to insert very easily an extrinsic cohesive element at onset of fracture without any mesh modification. This promising technique has been recently developed by the authors for linear shell. Although promising numerical results were obtained, it is difficult to compare the method with experiments due to the large plastic deformation present in material before the fracture apparition. Thus, the method is extent herein to elasto-plastic finite deformations. The simulations of some benchmarks prove the ability of this new framework to model accurately the continuum part of the deformation and the crack propagation.


We evaluated the energy cost of vessel disturbance for individual Kittlitz's Murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska, USA. We used Monte Carlo simulations to model the daily energy expense associated with flight from vessels by both breeding and non-breeding birds and evaluated risk based on both the magnitude of costs incurred and the degree to which the costs may be chronic. We used two scenarios of vessel disturbance for average- and peak-vessel traffic. Because they are more likely to fly away from vessels, non-breeding birds had a greater increase in energy expenditure when disturbed (up to 30% increase under the average scenario and >50% increase under the peak scenario) than breeders (up to 10% and 30% increases under the average and peak scenarios, respectively). Likewise, non-breeding birds were more likely to experience chronic increases in energy expense (i.e. a greater percentage of days with an increase in energy expenditure) than breeding birds. Our modeling results indicated that breeding and non-breeding birds were both susceptible to fitness consequences (e.g. reduced reproductive success and survival) resulting from the energy cost.


Invariance of the one-dimensional lattice Boltzmann model is proposed together with its rigorous theoretical background. It is demonstrated that the symmetry inherent in Navier–Stokes equations is not really recovered in the one-dimensional lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE), especially for shock calculation. Symmetry breaking may be the inherent cause for the non-physical oscillations in the vicinity of the shock for LBE calculation.


In the recent past, huge parts of the Balkans were overcast with conflicts and destruction activities, which had harmful consequences upon the entire Southeast Europe, deepening the already existing negative undertone linked with the Balkans. This area's peripheral position, not only in geographic, hut also economic and political terms makes it rather difficult to join in the European integration process. In the paper, some considerations were made to the altering functions of the still inflexible borders, as to how to intensify cross-border cooperation and enable a more freely flow of people, goods and information. Furthermore, the potentials and the importance of culture are being explored in respect to the possible integration of the Balkans. Several cultural axes have been stressed, along which similar cultural identification patterns occur. To illustrate the benefits of a regional association, based on common development interests, goals and regional identity, the case of the Baltic Sea Region was presented as a possible way of how to promote a macroregion.


The use of fiber optic sensors on civil engineering structural health monitoring (SHM) applications have become quite popular for the past two decades. Within this type of sensors however, the study and use of Optical Backscatter Reflectometry (OBR) based Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors (DOFS) is relatively new. In this way, there is still some uncertainty that would allow the use of this technology in a more systematic and standardized way. Some of this uncertainty is related with the long-term reliability behavior of these sensors when applied on the monitoring of a structure under a large number of load cycles. In this way, the authors conducted a laboratory experiment where a reinforced concrete beam was instrumented with a DOFS that was adhered in a way to allow the measuring of strain on four different longitudinal segments on its bottom surface. A fatigue test was then conducted on this element where the inputted load range was the one expected on a standard highway bridge between its self-weight and the additional traffic load. Furthermore, each longitudinal segment of the DOFS was adhered to the concrete using a different adhesive in order to assess the optimal one in these conditions. The obtained data is then compared with strain gauges that are also instrumented on the concrete beam.


PURPOSE
This article reports on an evaluation which explored students' experiences with a Senior Citizen Partnership Program (SCPP). This was implemented in 2017 as part of Curtin Medical School's curriculum to support students' learning about healthy ageing.

METHODS
This mixed methods study reports a cross-section of attitudes and content analyses of (i) open-ended responses from 258 students and (ii) transcriptions from seven focus group discussions which allowed 33 students from first, fourth and fifth years to articulate their experiences of the SCPP and its impact on their training.

RESULTS
Three main themes were identified: (i) challenges to prior perceptions of older adults (with ten subthemes), (ii) positive impacts on their medical education (with eight subthemes) and (iii) on their personal development (with five subthemes). Overall, students viewed the SCPP as a valuable contribution to their learning. Its intentional creation of a designated space and time coincided with students' transition into adulthood and formation as a doctor. Clinical-year students attributed the SCPP to improved interpersonal communication and care of older patients.

CONCLUSION
A longitudinal program which partners students with residential-based older adults may support the emerging identity of a doctor who provides quality care for older persons.


Collision experiments with He 2 3S and Ne 3P metastable atoms are described, giving the total collision cross-sections of these atoms and their resonance photons with He, Ne, A at thermal energies. Their values are discussed in terms of energy considerations. The secondary electron yields from He metastable atoms incident upon W, Mo, Pt surface flashed to 1700 °C are compared with the yield from an unflashed Au surface, which is known absolutely from the experiments of Stebbings. The gas contamination of the surface causes the yields to rise. The absolute yields from atomically clean surfaces are calculated and compared with the data of Hagstrum for positive ions. The yields for the resonance photons have also been determined, and are compared with the data of various workers.


This article surveys the historical literature on totalitarianism and 'political religion' since 1990 that has little in common with the Cold War interpretation of the personalised and total rule of Hitler and Stalin. Inspired by cultural history, researchers have instead revived 'political religion' theory as an analytical tool to explain the popular appeal and the success of totalitarian movements. Against the background of some general considerations and controversies about the applicability of 'political religion' theory to such diverse phenomena as Fascist Italy, anti-clerical National Socialism and anti-religious Soviet Communism, this survey evaluates recent scholarship on the sacralisation of the language and rites of totalitarian movements and the effects this had on their success as well as their willingness to use excessive violence against their political opponents. The author argues that the revived 'political religion' theory can offer a useful multi-dimensional access to the workings of totalitarian movements as long as it does not abandon a historical and political context. The article closes with a glance at Islamic fundamentalism and the 'war on terror' of the United States and their allies, a conflict that is increasingly associated with a new totalitarianism and politicised religion.


We investigate mechanisms of RNA regulation central to human breast cancer progression. Aberrant gene expression is known to be an important factor in cancer, yet little is known about the role RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play in disease onset and progression. Sequence specific RBPs coordinately regulate subsets of functionally related mRNAs within ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs), which are remodeled in response to cellular perturbations, allowing for the rapid and coordinated translation of proteins that have common functions. These post-transcriptional events robustly influence expression patterns of proto-oncogenes, growth factors, cytokines, and cell cycle regulators by influencing both mRNA stability and translation. Therefore, understanding the post-transcriptional layer of gene regulation is critical to understanding cancer development and progression. We have identified significant transcriptomic changes during the stepwise transition from primary mammary epithelial cells to a fully malignant state, as well as coordinated RNA dynamics of transient cellular RNP complexes. For this analysis, we generated a model of human breast cancer formation in which normal mammary epithelial cells were first immortalized through the expression of hTERT, p53 DD , Cyclin D1, CDK4 R24C and C-MYC T58A , and then subsequently transformed by the addition of H-RAS G12V . RNA-sequencing analysis demonstrated that the genes most significantly changed in this model are those involved in cell adhesion. In fact, while primary cells have a gene expression pattern typical of normal epithelial cells, both immortalized and transformed cells exhibit an mRNA expression pattern typical of mesenchymal cells. Interestingly, we found that N-cadherin protein, as well as other prototypical mesenchymal proteins, are only robustly expressed in the fully malignant cells, but not in immortalized cells. This suggests coordinated translational regulation of mRNAs that are essential for activating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Many of these EMT-related mRNAs are targets of both the HuR protein and microRNAs. HuR is a translational activator that competes with microRNAs and is mislocalized in many cancers. To integrate the quantitative RNA dynamics of HuR and microRNAs on a global scale, we used RNP-Immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing to identify and quantify the remodeling of mRNA subsets associated with HuR and the Ago2/RISC complex in our breast cancer progression model. This integrative work provides global information about the underlying biology of carcinogenesis at the level of post-transcriptional coordination of gene expression, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of the many layers of complex gene regulation. Therefore, the results from this study may ultimately direct our ability to counter the RNA regulatory changes that underlie malignancy. Citation Format: Laura Simone Bisogno, Jack D Keene. Post-transcriptional coordination of gene expression during breast cancer tumorigenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-07-06.


A novel organic phosphorescent white-light-emitting device (WOLED) with configuration of ITO/NPB/NPB:Ir(piq) 2 (acac)/CBP:TBPe /BAlq:rubrene/BAlq/Alq 3 /Mg:Ag is fabricated successfully, in which the phosphorescent dye (Ir(piq) 2 (acac)) doped into NPB (hole transport material), fluorescent dye (TBPe) doped into CBP (ambipolar conductivity material) and another fluorescent dye (rubrene) doped into BALq (electron transport material) work as the red, blue and green emitting layer, respectively. The emitting layers are sandwiched between the undoped NPB and BALq layers. The charge distribution has been balanced for the introduction of heterojunctions between the different emitting layers, which results in a high fabrication reproducibility of the device. White emission is obtained by tuning the thickness and doping proportions of each layer. The device turns on at the driving voltage of 4.5 V. It shows a maximum external quantum efficiency and brightness of 1.5 % and 16260 cd/m 2 , respectively. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates varies from (0.396, 0.432) at 5 V to (0.411, 0.414) at 20 V. The emission spectra of the device mainly consist of blue (464 nm), green (552 nm) and red (620 nm) emissions peaks, which are particular suitable to be combined with color filters to obtain the three primary colors and further achieve full color displays.


It is imperative that public policy be based on the most thorough, balanced, and critical appraisal of the available evidence. Regrettably, the two papers1,2 on which we were invited to comment fall short of those criteria.

Bates et al 2 concluded snus played a "positive public health role" but did not weigh all available evidence nor critically appraise the methodologies, funding sources, or interpretations of the studies they included. Their "Evidence from Sweden" section included only an unpublished survey with unknown methodology,3 a newspaper article,4 and a study from northern Sweden.5 Foulds et al 1 concluded that snus had "...a direct effect on the changes in male smoking and health" with little additional evidence. However, both papers ignored published studies and selectively reported findings. A consideration of all the available evidence suggests snus played, at best, a minor role in reducing smoking in Sweden.

A one year Swedish cohort study of persons aged 45–69 years at baseline in 1992–94 examined predictors of smoking cessation or change to non-daily smoking among baseline daily smokers (n  =  3550).6 At baseline, 7.0% of men and 0.4% of women used snuff. At follow up, 7.2% of daily smokers had quit and 6.5% were non-daily smokers. The study found: snus use was not associated with smoking cessation; snuff use by non-daily smokers neither predicted cessation nor prevented transition to daily smoking7; and even if snuff helped some smokers to quit, it accounted for a small fraction of cessation.

In another prospective study, 5104 persons aged 16–84 years were interviewed in 1980–81 and followed up in 1988–89.8 These included 1546 daily smokers, 418 men who used snuff daily, and 129 men who used both snuff and cigarettes. By follow up, 26% of female and 28% of male …


We present the results of the investigation of a wide class of self-interacting, self-gravitating homogeneous scalar fields models, characterized by quite general conditions on the scalar field potential, and including both asymptotically polynomial and exponential behaviors. We show that the generic evolution is always divergent in a finite time, and this result is used to construct cosmological models as well as radiating collapsing star models of the Vaidya type – for the latter it turns out that black holes are generically formed.


Deregulation, privatization and the change in international rules on trade in services led to the increase in the number of private higher education institutions and international branch campuses in the Arab Gulf region. With the inspiration to shift to a knowledge-based economy and to prepare graduates to meet the needs of the public and the private sectors, recent initiatives in higher education in these countries have been either mostly state-driven or mostly market-driven, with varying degree of success. These initiatives required changes in the regulatory environment and did not fully address the challenges faced in the higher education sector. The paper examines the rationales and strategies used by six countries in the Arab Gulf, which are working towards positioning themselves as regional education hubs, highlighting the challenges and the areas that require further study.


BACKGROUND
Several studies have reported an association between smoking and periodontal destruction in young adults.

AIMS
To investigate the effects of cigarette smoking on the periodontal condition of young Jordanian adults.

METHODS
A case-control study of young adults between the ages of 20 and 35 years who were attending a dental hospital in Jordan for routine dental treatment. A group of 100 subjects who had smoked for at least 2 years were compared with 100 age- and sex-matched never smokers. Clinical measurements of plaque, bleeding on probing and probing depth were recorded and interproximal bone levels related to molar teeth were assessed from bitewing radiographs.

RESULTS
The smokers had higher levels of plaque, more sites which bled in response to probing and a greater mean probing depth than never smokers. The unadjusted odds ratio for smoking to be associated with the presence of more than 10 pockets which were > or =4 mm was 3.08 (95% confidence interval 1.58-6.03). The proportion of measurable surfaces in smokers (22.7%) which had bone levels > or =3 mm below the cementoenamel junction was significantly higher (P<0.0001) than in never smokers (7.4%). Independent predictors of reduced bone levels in multivariate analysis were infrequent interdental cleaning (P=0.03), age of 30 or older (P=0.03) and smoking (P<0.0001). Within the multivariate analysis the adjusted odds ratio for smoking to be associated with reduced molar bone levels was 4.95 (confidence interval 2.48-9.88).

CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that cigarette smoking was a major environmental factor associated with accelerated periodontal destruction in the young adult Jordanians investigated.


textabstractEntrepreneurship and SMEs have emerged as the engine of economic and social development throughout the
world. The role of entrepreneurship has changed dramatically and fundamentally, so that it is now seen as a
requisite ingredient generating employment, economic growth and international competitiveness in the global
economy. The purpose of this report is first to explain why the role of SMEs is crucial for international competitiveness
and a strong economic performance in Europe, and then to document the role that SMEs play in
Europe.
Entrepreneurship and SMEs are related but certainly not identical concepts. Entrepreneurs, for example, are the
main drivers of the firm creation process where young and small firms play a role. On the other hand, the entrepreneurial
energy of a country, region or industry is often described using phenomena such as firm creation and
turbulence (Carree and Thurik, 2003).
The impact that SMEs have on economic performance in Europe is explained in Chapter 2. A careful measurement
of the structure and role of SMEs is required to understand the different roles that SMEs play and how
these roles are evolving throughout Europe. In particular, a measurement of SME activity in Europe provides (in
Section 3.1) what the (static) role of SMEs is in Europe, how the role of SMEs varies across specific countries and
how it is benchmarked against the other major areas in the world. How the economic role of SMEs has been
changing over time is presented in Section 3.2.
The way in which the measurement of the structure and role of SMEs is set up hinges on two views: first it attempts
to illustrate the theory-based results surveyed in Chapter 2. Second, it is in line with the measurements
given in earlier versions of the SME Observatory reports 'SMEs in Europe'.
A report about SMEs in Europe would however not be complete if no attention is paid to the current economic
setting. The European economy is recovering from an economic downturn. Very little information is available
about the roles of SMEs in the business cycle and in particular how do SMEs respond to economic adversity. This
issue is dealt with in Chapter 4.
Finally a Synthesis is presented in Chapter 5.


Recently, optical 3D scanners are frequently used for inspection of parts, assembly and manufacturing tooling. One of the advantages is being able to measure a large area fast and accurately. Owing to recent advances in high-resolution image sensing technology, high power illumination technology, and high speed microprocessors, the accuracy and resolution of optical 3D scanners are being improved rapidly. In order to measure the entire geometry of objects, multiple scans have to be performed in various setups by moving either the objects or the scanner. This paper introduces novel methods to measure the entire geometry of objects by automatically changing the setups and then aligning the scanned data in a single coordinate system.


Internationalization of the curriculum is increasingly important to many in higher education. Proponents cite cultural understanding, global knowledge, and a commitment to develop sustainable international food systems. However, there are a number of barriers to implementing international content in undergraduate courses. Agular (2002) suggested that curriculum, attitudes, policies, resources, and faculty training were among some of the key obstacles. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of internationalized curriculum on undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture at Montana State University. The objectives were to: 1) identify perceived benefits gained by students participating in internationally focused courses, and 2) identify long-term impact of student participation in the internationally focused courses. Evaluation of results indicated predominately positive responses toward international learning. Students indicated that they have a much better understanding of international agricultural markets, culture, broader worldview, and a greater understanding of global issues related to agriculture.


Collections of cells exhibit coherent migration during morphogenesis, cancer metastasis, and wound healing. In many cases, bigger clusters split, smaller sub-clusters collide and reassemble, and gaps continually emerge. The connections between cell-level adhesion and cluster-level dynamics, as well as the resulting consequences for cluster properties such as migration velocity, remain poorly understood. Here we investigate collective migration of one- and two-dimensional cell clusters that collectively track chemical gradients using a mechanism based on contact inhibition of locomotion. We develop both a minimal description based on the lattice gas model of statistical physics, and a more realistic framework based on the cellular Potts model which captures cell shape changes and cluster rearrangement. In both cases, we find that cells have an optimal adhesion strength that maximizes cluster migration speed. The optimum negotiates a tradeoff between maintaining cell-cell contact and maintaining cluster fluidity, and we identify maximal variability in the cluster aspect ratio as a revealing signature. Our results suggest a collective benefit for intermediate cell-cell adhesion. SIGNIFICANCE Cells have been observed to migrate faster and more efficiently in clusters than as individuals. We conjecture that adhesion among cells and with the extracellular environment plays an important role in achieving higher-speed for the entire cluster. We carry out our analyses analytically and computationally, by employing a simplistic one-dimensional model and a realistic two-dimensional model which capture the essential features of multicellular migration. Our study demonstrates that an optimal cell-cell adhesion, which corresponds to maximal cellular rearrangement and loose packing, leads to a higher migration velocity for a multicellular cluster, acting as a crucial factor in effective movement of a collection of cells in a coordinated and directed fashion.


Additive manufacturing technologies have reached a point where ready-to-use items are directly produced from a PC-stored data file. Among these technologies, selective laser sintering has become a mature technology able to fabricate complex geometric structures using a variety of materials. Despite the versatility of this technology, it also has some drawbacks. One of those limitations, of major concern for building optical elements, is the step-like structure of the surface specific to the layer-by-layer building. In our paper, we present extensive full-wave electromagnetic calculations that consider the effect of those steps on the optical behaviour of refractive lenses made for the THz spectral domain. Our results show that at least up to 1.5 THz, the additively manufactured, stepwise lens behaves very close to its ideally smooth surface counterpart.


Recent papers discussing advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAF) as a solution for astrophysical accretion problems should be treated with some caution because of their uncertain physical basis. The suggestions underlying ADAF involve ignoring the magnetic field reconnection in heating of the plasma flow, assuming electron heating due only to binary Coulomb collisions with ions. Here we analyze the physical processes in optically thin accretion flows at low accretion rates including the influence of an equipartition random magnetic field and heating of electrons due to magnetic field reconnection. The important role of the magnetic field pointed out by Shvartsman comes about because the magnetic energy density, Em, increases more rapidly with decreasing distance than the kinetic energy density, Ek (or thermal energy density). Once Em grows to a value of order Ek, further accretion to smaller distances is possible only if magnetic flux is destroyed by reconnection. For the smaller distances it is likely that there is approximate equipartition, Em ≈ Ek. Dissipation of magnetic energy is associated with the destruction of magnetic flux. We discuss reasons for believing that the field annihilation leads to appreciable electron heating. Such heating significantly restricts the applicability of ADAF solutions, and it leads to a radiative efficiency of the flows of ~25% of the standard accretion disk value.


Background: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is among the top ten devastating mental disorders. Psychiatric nurses have significant roles in its diagnosis and management. Aim of the study: to investigate the effects of insight with obsessive beliefs and metacognition appraisal on the severity of symptoms among patients with OCD. Subjects and methods: This case-control study was conducted in the outpatient clinics at El Maamoura Mental Health Hospital. It included 69 OCD patients recruited from the setting, and 69 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. A self-administered questionnaire Yale Brown OCD Scale, Overvalued Ideas Scale (OVIS), and Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30) was used in data collection. The fieldwork was from October 2020 to March 2021. Results: Most patients were diagnosed with OCD at <30 years age (78.3%), and 39.1% tried self-management. OCD patients' scores of Yale Brown, OVIS, and MCQ-30 were significantly higher than controls (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between Yale Brown severity and OVIS insight scores (r=0.459). The multivariate analysis revealed that OVIS score is the strongest independent positive predictor of the Yale Brown severity score, while good family relations is a negative predictor. As for the MCQ-30, the control thoughts score was a positive predictor, and the self-consciousness score a negative predictor. Conclusion and recommendations: OCD patients have poorer insight and more maladaptive metacognitive beliefs in comparison with healthy controls. Although poor insight has a significant negative impact on OCD severity, the effects of metacognition still need further research. The study recommends training programs to improve the insight of OCD patients. Further research addressing the role of metacognition in OCD is warranted.


Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 23H7 is a hybridoma-derived IgG that is generated following fusion of mouse myeloma cell line P3U1 and spleen cells from BALB/c mice hyperimmunized with a human fibrosarcoma. It detects a mesenchymal antigen of 23KD expressed on human sarcoma tissues and other neoplasms, including myeloid leukemias, but it rarely binds to normal tissues. The MAb 23H7 was labeled with 67Ga and 111In using the bifunctional ligand method. The 67Ga was chelated to the MAb via desferrioxamine B, while 111In was chelated via the cyclic anhydride of diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid. Higher specific activity was obtained with 67Ga than with 111In (4.5 and 2 muCi/microgram, respectively); both gave stable complexes. When 23H7 was labeled with 125I, considerable breakdown was observed. This, together with the physical shortcomings of this isotope, emphasizes the advantages of labeling with 111In and 67Ga. The rapid blood clearance of the labeled sarcoma-associated MAb may be beneficial for early tumor uptake and for imaging shortly after injection.


Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) belongs to the Retroviridae family, genus Gammaretrovirus. Unlike other retroviruses, a portion of FeLV exposed animals eliminates antigenemia/viremia, according to convectional techniques of virus detection, such as isolation in cell culture, direct fluorescent antibody test and ELISA. The use of more sensitive techniques to detect and quantify viruses enabled the detection of proviral DNA and RNA in cats with undetectable antigenemia/viremia, and thus the refinement of the different infection outcomes analysis. As a result, FeLV pathogenesis was reclassified in 4 categories: abortive, regressive, latent and progressive infections. It was also demonstrated the detection of proviral DNA and RNA in cats believed to be immune to infection after vaccination. Therefore, the objectives of this review were to demonstrate the implications of the use of sensitive techniques for viral detection in the interpretation and classification of FeLV infection and reconsider the techniques for FeLV diagnostic purposes. In addition, it was presented the results concerning the effectiveness of FeLV vaccination with the use of these techniques.


A rainfall simulator for laboratory experimentation is developed to test hydrological performances of micro-detention pond permeable pavement, MDPP. Rainfall characteristics consisting of rainfall intensity, spatial uniformity, raindrop size, and raindrop velocity show that natural rainfall is simulated with sufficient accuracy. The rainfall simulator used pressure nozzles to spray water for rainfall intensity from 40 to 220mm/hr. Uniformity distribution test gives coefficient of uniformity of 95% over an area of 1m2. The raindrops falling at velocity ranging from 0.5 to 15m/s with drop sizes diameter between 2 to 5mm. Free drainage system below the rainfall simulator is accompanied with outlet tanks attached with ultrasonic sensor devices to record the outflow data. During the experiments, the outflow received is 98% in average. Experiment results in typical runoff hydrograph and percolation rate of the MDPP system. This shows the ability of the rainfall simulator to obtain initial hydrology data to aid in the design of the MDPP prototype.


"In today's story we hear from Postmans Ridge helicopter pilot, Brian Willmett, and how he and his neighbours worked together to rescue four people, including Kevin and Eileen Lees, from the inland tsunami which swept down the Lockyer Valley during last year's Queensland floods.

It was a ten metre high wave that swept through Postmans Ridge that day, ripping houses from their foundations and sweeping two people to their deaths. Brian Willmett was at home when he suddenly ran to rescue neighbours who were in danger.

To mark the anniversary of the floods in Queensland, ABC Open has compiled Aftermath, an extensive look at the Queensland floods as well as floods in NSW, Victoria and remote Western Australia, Cyclone Yasi and the 2009 Victorian 'Black Saturday' bushfires. Australia certainly has been hit by a few disasters in the past two or so years. The site has a timeline showing content from these six disasters, with links to about 40 people effected by these disasters. If you go to that site you will be able to choose a person to watch videos about them."