Objectives: Although pneumonia is easily diagnosed, determining the causative agent is difficult due to low pathogen detection rates. We performed a prospective observational study to evaluate the utility of measuring inflammatory cytokine levels to discriminate between pneumonia caused by typical bacteria, respiratory syncytial virus, or Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a pediatric population. Design: Serum inflammatory cytokine levels at early stages of the disease were evaluated for pneumonia caused by the three different pathogenic microorganisms. Setting: The Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China. Patients: One hundred sixty-six patients with bacterial pneumonia, 182 with M. pneumonia, and 167 with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia. Measurements and Main Results: The levels of interleukin-6 for pneumonia were significantly higher with typical bacteria than with either Mycoplasma pneumoniae or respiratory syncytial virus (p < 0.001). The area under the curve for serum concentrations of interleukin-6 was 0.997. A serum interleukin-6 level of greater than or equal to 93.0 pg/mL had 100.0% sensitivity and 99.14% specificity in discriminating bacterial pneumonia from respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia and Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia. The interleukin-6 levels were higher in patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia than in those with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia (p < 0.001). They also simultaneously had lower interleukin-10 levels than patients with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia who had interleukin-10 levels comparable to those of patients with bacterial pneumonia, indicating a significant difference in the interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio between patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia (median interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio, 2.5 vs 0.5; p < 0.001). At an optimal cut-off value of 0.8, the interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio showed 90.3% sensitivity and 88.0% specificity. Conclusions: These results suggest that interleukin-6 is a good biomarker for identifying bacterial pneumonia and that the interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio is an effective biomarker for discriminating Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia from respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia.


We present the second in a series of three academic essays which deal with the question of how to build a generalized player model. We begin with a proposition: a general model of players requires parameters for the subjective experience of play, including at least three areas: a) player psychology, b) game structure, and c) actions of play. Based on this proposition, we pose three linked research questions, which make incomplete progress toward a generalized player model: RQ1 what is a necessary and sufficient foundation to a general player model?; RQ2 can such a foundation improve performance of a computational intelligence-based player model?; and RQ3 can such a player model improve efficacy of adaptive artificial intelligence in games? We set out the arguments for each research question in each of the three essays, presented as three preprints. The second essay, in this preprint, illustrates how our 'Behavlets' method can improve the performance and accuracy of a predictive player model in the well-known Pac-Man game, by providing a simple foundation for areas a) to c) above. We then propose a plan for future work to address RQ2 by conclusively testing the Behavlets approach. This plan builds on the work proposed in the first preprint essay to address RQ1, and in turn provides support for work on RQ3. The Behavlets approach was described previously; therefore if citing this work please use the correct citation: Cowley B, Charles D. Behavlets: a Method for Practical Player Modelling using Psychology-Based Player Traits and Domain Specific Features. User Modelling and User-Adapted Interaction. 2016 Feb 8; online (Special Issue on Personality in Personalized Systems):1-50.


The article describes the experience of mutually beneficial cooperation of educational institutions in the framework of the interaction system "University – School" on the example of chemical education. The article describes in detail the stages of preparation and implementation of modern technological tools – elements of modeling and 3D printing in the educational process with the participation of schoolchildren and senior students of bachelor's and master's degrees. The considered model of interaction increases the effectiveness of the teacher's career guidance, so, in the process, the key tasks are implemented: a) introducing students to the skills of chemical modeling and practical application; b) improving teachers, reloading knowledge, skills and abilities in explaining basic concepts; c) practice-oriented training of senior students. It is established that the introduction of 3D printing technology in chemical education makes it possible to simplify the explanation of complex sections and eliminate the tension in the assimilation of new material. The article presents implemented examples of 3D-printed models created by schoolchildren under the guidance of students and teachers. The stages of preparation of materials, software, switching from 2D to 3D model of the object and direct printing on a 3D printer take up most of the time.


This article examines how a group of students with visual disabilities speak about becoming disabled and living with disability in relation to: material entities, practices, and their own expectations regarding the future in the Sultanate of Oman. It draws upon individual interviews among six adults with visual disabilities. The article outlines, from a material semiotics approach, how various forms of modes of ordering enact disability. An interdisciplinary approach, informed by disability studies and science and technology studies, is implemented to interpret: How do students with visual disabilities express the relationships between material entities (such as bodies and technologies) and practices? In what ways are these relationships enacting different modes of ordering disability? What kind of modes of ordering disability are the participants experiencing in their lives? How have they responded to the modes of ordering that they have encountered?


Motion estimation is an important component in video compression schemes, which impacts the encoder performance and the quality of the reconstructed video sequence. Block-based techniques are the most popular among the several motion estimation techniques used in practice due to their simplicity allowing efficient hardware implementations. The quality of motion predicted frame and the speed of motion vector computation are the primary measures of performance of motion estimation schemes. The video compression standards only specify the syntax of the bitstream and not any specifics of the motion estimation techniques. Thus, the knowledge of the workings and performance of commonly used motion estimation schemes would facilitate development of better schemes or choosing a particular one for a given application. We present the results of performance evaluation of combinations of several commonly used block-based motion estimation algorithms and distortion measures.


Hyponatremia is the most prevalent electrolyte disorder in hospitalized patients. Vasopressin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of this disorder through its action on the vasopressin type 2 receptor (V(2)R), leading to electrolyte-free water reabsorption. Multiple vasopressin receptor antagonists have recently been developed that differ in their specificity for V(2)R and V(1)R. These agents have applications in diseases that can result in hypervolemic and euvolemic hyponatremia, such as the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, congestive heart failure and cirrhosis. V(2)R antagonists have demonstrated promise in the short-term correction of hyponatremia, although the long-term survival benefits of these drugs are less clear. This review discusses the physiology of vasopressin in hyponatremia, the clinical implications of the disorder and examples of individual therapeutics used in treatment strategies.


SUMMARY

Quasi-shear wave polarizations typically twist along ray paths through gradient regions in anisotropic media, causing frequency dependent coupling between the qS-waves. This coupling is much stronger than the analogous coupling between P- and SV-waves in isotropic gradients because of the small difference between the qS-wave velocities. Geometrical ray theory is typically valid for qS-waves only at relatively high frequencies, and does not converge to the isotropic result in the limit of infinitely weak anisotropy. Using the plane-wave layered response, we show examples of this coupling and how it may cause frequency dependent shear-wave polarizations. We consider two special cases where the coupling is especially strong in hexagonally symmetric media: (i) intersection singularities where the slowness sheets cross, and (ii) kiss singularities where the slowness sheets touch at the symmetry axis. We show numerical and asymptotic solutions for the pulses generated in these situations. In some cases, far-field excitation of both quasi-shear waves (and shear-wave splitting) will result from an incident wave composed of only one of the quasi-shear waves.


Abstract 2106 Introduction: Anamorsin (AM, also called CIAPIN-1) is an anti-apoptotic factor, which we originally isolated as a molecule that confers factor-independent survival of hematopoietic cells (J.Exp.Med. 199:581–592, 2004). AM has no structural homology to any known anti-apoptosis molecules such as Bcl-2 and IAP family members. AM-deficient (AM−/−) mice are embryonic lethal at late gestation. Its embryos are anemic and the size of embryos is very small. It is thought that AM plays a crucial role in hematopoiesis, however the precise biological mechanisms of AM remain unclear. Recently, it was reported that the yeast AM homolog, Dre2, was implicated in cytosolic iron-sulfur (Fe/S) cluster assembly (Zhang Y., et al. Mol.Cell.Biol. 28:5569-5582, 2008). The AM carries conserved cysteine motifs (CX2CXC and twin CX2C) at its C termini, which may form iron binding sites. In this study, we have focused on the possibility that AM may be involved in the cellular iron regulation. Methods and Results: At first, in order to analyze molecular and cellular events, we established cell lines from wild-type or AM-deficient embryonic fetal liver (14.5dpc) by using SV40 large T antigen. We isolated 5 wild-type cell lines (AM WTs) and 2 AM-deficient cell lines (AM KOs) respectively. Next, we compared the cell growth and apoptosis in both cell lines and found that the growth rate of AM KOs were slightly lower than that of AM WTs although these cell lines were immortalized. AM KOs showed more significant apoptosis induced by oxidative stress; the percents of Annexin V positive fraction were 12 ± 4 and 36 ± 6 in AM WTs and AM KOs respectively under the condition of 0.1mM H2O2 for 16hr. In addition to oxidative stress, AM KOs were more sensitive to UV irradiation. These differences were cancelled by transduction of AM-expression retrovirus vector in AM KOs. It was reported that Dre2 functions in cytosolic Fe/S protein biogenesis. We examined whether AM might be involved in the maturation of cytosolic Fe/S proteins. Iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1) is a well-known cytosolic Fe/S protein with dual functions; in the presence of an [4Fe-4S] cluster it functions as a cytosolic aconitase, while IRP1 binds to mRNA stem-loop structures called iron responsive elements (IREs) and confer the mRNA stability when the [4Fe-4S] cluster is missing. In the iron-deficient cells, IRP1 binds to IREs located at the mRNA of iron transferrin receptor (TfR), ferritin and other iron metabolism transcripts, thereby enhancing iron uptake. In this way, it is thought that IRP1 plays important roles in iron homeostasis. We therefore compared the aconitase activity and IRE binding activities of IRP1 between AM WTs and AM KOs and found that AM deficiency resulted in the decrease of cytosolic aconitase activity (approximately 30% compared to AM WTs). In contrast to cytosolic aconitase activity, the mitochondrial aconitase activity showed little change regardless of AM deficiency. In order to analyze whether AM deficiency might increase IRE binding activity of IRP1, cytoplasmic extracts of AM WTs and AM KOs were compared by RNA precipitation assay. In AM KOs, the expression level of IRP1 decreased approximately one third compared to AM WTs. However, the binding activity of IRP1 to biotin-labeled IRE increased in the extract of AM KOs approximately three-fold in comparison to AM WTs. These differences was cancelled by transduction of AM-expression retrovirus vector to AM KOs. All these findings demonstrated the involvement of AM in the maturation of the cytosolic Fe/S protein, IRP1. Furthermore, we examined the expression of TfR, which is known to be modulated by IRP1-mediated posttranscriptional regulation. In the presence of iron chelator, desferrioxamine, the expression of TfR in AM WTs was markedly elevated. On the other hand, in AM KOs, the expression of TfR was hardly elevated. Thus, it was showed that AM deficiency impaired the iron homeostasis and conferred low sensitivity for iron concentration due to the decreased function of IRP1. Conclusion: Our current findings indicate that AM is essential for cytosolic Fe/S cluster biogenesis and iron homeostasis. Now the influence of the AM-mediated iron homeostasis on hematopoiesis is under investigation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


| The research was aimed to find out caspase 3 intensity in Kacang goat oocyte post vitrification. The high caspase intensity will affect the viability of post thawing oocytes so that it will affect the oocyte quality and fertilization rate. The intensity of caspase 3 expression occurs because of the bond between caspase 3 with the Flou 3 probe so it will emit a fluorescent color, which is captured by the CLSM microscope device. The benefits of this research were to measure the intensity of caspase 3 quantitatively so as to determine the oocyte quality post thawing and determine the quality of frozen oocytes as a source of gametes for fertilization purposes. There were 2 groups in the research; Kacang goat fresh oocyte and kacang goat oocyte that was vitrified (each group consisted of 5 replications). The procedure of this study including oocyte collection, oocyte vitrification, frozen oocyte warming and Caspase 3 intensity examination were labeled with anti rabbit Fluorescein Isothiocyanate (FITC) secondary antibodies and measurement with Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). Caspase 3 intensity of both groups was observed using CLSM. The results showed that caspase 3 intensity in the oocyte group which had been frozen by vitrification was higher significant than fresh oocytes (P < 0.05). The research concluded that caspase 3 intensity of frozen oocyte post vitrification was higher than that of fresh oocyte.


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

Background:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a key process involved in both tumor metastasis and cancer stem cell development. Recent studies have indicated that regulation at the level of alternative splicing constitutes a critical mechanism that controls EMT and cancer progression (Warzecha CC et al. Mol Cell 33:591,2009). The aim of this study was to clarify the mRNA expression statuses of CD44 and hMena splice variants and colon cancer stemness markers in pT1 stage colorectal carcinoma (CRC).

Materials and methods:The mRNA expression of CD44 and hMena splice variants as well as colorectal cancer stemness markers, such as ALDH1, CD133 and CD26, were analyzed in 58 tumors of early CRC featuring submucosal invasion (pT1). The samples were obtained from endoscopically resected specimens between 2006 and 2010 at the Asahi General Hospital. The mRNAs were extracted from the mucosal lesion and invasive front of each CRC specimen using laser-captured microdissection then analyzed by semi-quantitative real-time PCR. The correlations between expression of these mRNAs and clinicopathological factors were also investigated. This study was approved by institutional review boards.

Results:Significantly higher CD44s mRNA levels were predominantly expressed in the samples from invasive fronts when compared with those measured from intramucosal lesion, while CD44v mRNA levels were significantly higher in the samples from intramucosal lesions than of those from invasive fronts (P=0.0004 and 0.001, respectively). The hMena+11a mRNA levels in the mucosal lesions were higher than those measured from the invasive front (p=0.006). The mRNA levels of hMenaINV, in contrast, showed the reversed expression pattern. Thus, cell-type specific expression of epithelial and mesenchmal isoforms of hMena is achieved through tight regulation of mutually exclusive exons hMena+11a and MenaINV, respectively. The mRNA levels of ALDH1, CD133 and CD26 were low and did not differ between samples from the intramucosal area and invasive front. However, ALDH1 transcript levels increased at the area of subserosal invasion of advanced CRCs. Notably, higher expression levels of hMenaINV mRNAs in samples extracted from invasive fronts were associated with tumor budding grade (P=0.008).

Discussion:Our study indicates that the expression of CD44s and MenaINV may reflect the EMT better than the cancer stem cell markers during the initial submucosal invasion of CRC. In summary, the expression of CD44 and hMena splice variants could be potentially useful biomarkers for evaluating the malignant potential of CRC.

Citation Format: Hiroshi Yoshida, Akihiro Toyoda, Noriyuki Tanaka, Wataru Masuda, Motoo Kitagawa, Yoshio Suzuki, Kenichi Harigaya. Switching of CD44 and hMena mRNA splice variants between the intramucosal lesion and invasive front of early stage human colorectal carcinoma (pT1), and their relationship to the expression of cancer stem cell markers and clinicopathological features. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 280. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-280


Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is a rare malignant parotid neoplasm arising from primary or recurrent benign pleomorphic adenoma. Histologically, it can be sub-classified by upwards of eight different variations (e.g., myoepithelial carcinoma, salivary duct carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma sarcomatoid carcinoma). We present the fourth case in the literature of sarcomatoid carcinoma arising from an underlying pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland. We present a case of a 47-year-old female who consulted for a left parotid mass of 15cm long axis. There was no facial paralysis. Fine needle aspiration cytology smears showed a pleomorphic adenoma. The parotid MRI showed a left parotid mass, with heterogeneous signal (hyposignal T1 and hypersignal T2 and in diffusion sequences). The patient underwent a total parotidectomy with a pleomorphic adenoma on extemporaneous examination. Histological examination of the part revealed a pleomorphic adenoma on which a sarcomatoid carcinoma developed. Therefore, a second operation occurred. We performed selective lymph node dissection carrying out the sectors I, II and III followed by radiotherapy. The evolution was favorable. In addition to its rarity, our case joins historical cases by its huge size.


Inland waters emit significant quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. On a global scale, these emissions are large enough that their contribution to climate change is now recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Much of the past focus on GHG emissions from inland waters has focused on lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, and the role of small, artificial waterbodies such as ponds has been overlooked. To investigate the spatial variation in GHG fluxes from artificial ponds, we conducted a synoptic survey of forty urban ponds in a Swedish city. We measured dissolved concentrations of CH4 and CO2, and made complementary measurements of water chemistry. We found that CH4 concentrations were greatest in high-nutrient ponds (measured as total phosphorus and total organic carbon). For CO2, higher concentrations were associated with silicon and calcium, suggesting that groundwater inputs lead to elevated CO2. When converted to diffusive GHG fluxes, mean emissions were 30.3 mg CH4.m-2 .d-1 and 752 mg CO2.m-2 .d-1 . Although these fluxes are moderately high on an areal basis, upscaling them to all Swedish urban ponds gives an emission of 8336 t CO2eq/yr (+/-1689) equivalent to 0.1% of Swedish agricultural GHG emissions. Artificial ponds could be important GHG sources in countries with larger proportions of urban land.


Data collected on Friesian Heifers were used in this research to estimate genetic and non-genetic parameters. The average age at first calving (AFC), gestation period (GP), number services per conception (S/C), calving interval (CI), total milk yield (TMY), daily milk yield (DMY) and lactation length (LL) ranges were 24.9±2.34 26.50±2.84 months, 274.21±55.57 273.3±4.03 days, 3.92±2.77-2.3±1.7, 468.90±116.32 445.4±92.81 days, 5533.14±1546.03 3748.2±1095.2 kg, 15.10±3.58 11.00±2.42 kg, and 376.74±15.89 349.0±86 days respectively. Results showed that parity number had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on (S/C). Also age at first calving had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on milk yield per lactation and daily milk yield (p < 0.01). Year of calving presented a significant (p < 0.05) effect on DMY, S/C and (CI) (p < 0.001). Whereas place of birth had a highly significant effect (p < 0.001) on TMY and significant (p < 0.01) effect on AFC. Repeatability estimates for GP, S/C, CI, TMY, DMY and LL were found to be 0.170±0.045, 0.090±0.044, 0.361±0.047, 0.420±0.061 and 0.094±0.044, respectively. While heritability estimates by paternal half-sib method ranged from 0.003±0.078 for LL and 0.190±0.140 for AFC. Whereas, estimates calculated by daughter-dam regression were found to be 0.710±0.456, 0.320±0.168, 0.106±0.120, 0.100±0.150, 0.174±0.136 and 0,055±0.224 for AFC, GP, S/C, TMY, DMY and LL, respectively. Regarding phenotypic correlations among parameters, age at first calving was negatively correlated with other traits except for S/C and DMY. Whereas S/C exhibited positive phenotypic correlation with all the traits studied. Total milk yield was found to have positive correlation with DMY and LL. Concerning genetic correlations among traits were either inestimable or overestimated.


Aims: To determine the effect of intestinal parasites on the haemoglobin concentration and eosinophil levels among the patients treated at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Nigeria. Study Design: This was cross sectional study. Ethical approval and patients' informed consent were sought and obtained before collection and processing of samples. Place and Duration of Study: Outpatient clinic, UCTH, Calabar between July, 2013 and May, 2014. Methodology: We included 300 patients (114 males, 186 females). Intestinal parasites were detected by direct stool microscopy and formol ether concentration technique. Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration was determined by Cyanmethaemoglobin method while eosinophil levels were determined by differential eosinophil count. Original Research Article Otu-Bassey et al.; IBRR, 7(2): 1-8, 2017; Article no.IBRR.31861 2 Results: Overall, 30% of the studied subjects were positive for intestinal parasites, 23% had low Hb concentration (below 110.0 g/L) while 27% had high eosinophil count (≥ 7%). Parasite positive subjects had lower Hb concentration and higher eosinophil levels compared to their parasite negative counterpart (56.7% versus 8.6%) and (70% versus 8.6%), respectively (P< 0.001). Multiple infections was more related to Hb reduction and high eosinophil levels than single infections (80% versus 45%) and (90% versus 60%), respectively (P< 0.001). Hook worm showed the highest occurrence (26.7%) followed by Ascaris lumbricoides 23.3%, Trichuris trichiura 10%, and Entamoeba histolytica 6.7%. In single infections, Hook worm infected subjects recorded more reduction in Hb and increased eosinophil count (99.0 g/L and 15%, respectively) while in multiple infections, hookworm/Entamoeba histolytica co-infected subjects took the lead (70.0 g/L and 19%, respectively). There was no association between intestinal parasites prevalence by gender of subjects (P = 0.2128). Conclusions: Intestinal parasitosis may result in anaemia and eosinophilia and the decrease in haemoglobin concentration and increase in eosinophil count is directly related to the degree of parasitosis. It is recommended that stool microscopy, haemoglobin estimation and eosinophil counts be routinely performed for all patients visiting the hospital.


Emerging researches in humans, pigs and mice, highlighted that estrogen plays a pivotal role in self-renewal and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The present study aimed at evaluating effects of 17 beta-estradiol (E2) on proliferation and apop-tosis of canine-derived bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (cBMSCs) in vitro. The results showed that E2 supplementation at the concentration of 10-11 M promoted the proliferation of cBMSCs by CCK-8 assay and RT-qPCR analysis for the proliferation-related genes, with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin-D1 (CCND1) being up-regulated and cyclin--dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B) being down-regulated. Contrarily, analysis of fluores-cence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and RT-qPCR demonstrated that E2 supplementation above 10-11 M had inhibitory effects on the proliferation of cBMSCs and induced apoptosis. Intriguingly,cBMSCs still possessed the capability to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes with 10-11 M E2 addition. Taken together, this study determined the optimal culture condition of cBMSCs in vitro, and has important implications for further understanding the regulatory effect of E2 on the self-renewal of cBMSCs, which are helpful for the clinical application of BMSCs.


Anomalous diffusion in the presence or absence of an external force field is often modelled in terms of the fractional evolution equations, which can involve the hyper-singular source term. For this case, conventional time stepping methods may exhibit a severe order reduction. Although a second-order numerical algorithm is provided for the subdiffusion model with a simple hyper-singular source term $t^{\mu}$, $-2<\mu<-1$ in [arXiv:2207.08447], the convergence analysis remain to be proved. To fill in these gaps, we present a simple and robust smoothing method for the hyper-singular source term, where the Hadamard finite-part integral is introduced. This method is based on the smoothing/ID$m$-BDF$k$ method proposed by the authors [Shi and Chen, SIAM J. Numer. Anal., to appear] for subdiffusion equation with a weakly singular source term. We prove that the $k$th-order convergence rate can be restored for the diffusion-wave case $\gamma \in (1,2)$ and sketch the proof for the subdiffusion case $\gamma \in (0,1)$, even if the source term is hyper-singular and the initial data is not compatible. Numerical experiments are provided to confirm the theoretical results.


Abstract. A dataset of microphysical cloud parameters from optically thin clouds, retrieved from infrared spectral radiances measured in summer 2017 in the Arctic, is presented. Measurements were conducted using a mobile Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer which was carried by the RV Polarstern. This dataset contains retrieved optical depths and effective radii of ice and water, from which the liquid water path and ice water path are calculated. These water paths and the effective radii are compared with derived quantities from a combined cloud radar, lidar and microwave radiometer measurement synergy retrieval, called Cloudnet. Comparing the liquid water paths from the infrared retrieval and Cloudnet shows significant correlations with a standard deviation of 8.60 g · m−2. Although liquid water path retrievals from microwave radiometer data come with a uncertainty of at least 20 g · m−2, a significant correlation and a standard deviation of 5.32 g · m−2 between the results of clouds with a liquid water path of at most 20 g · m−2 retrieved from infrared spectra and results from Cloudnet can be seen. Therefore, despite its large uncertainty, the comparison with data retrieved from infrared spectra shows that optically thin clouds of the measurement campaign in summer 2017 can be observed well using microwave radiometers within the Cloudnet framework. Apart from this, the dataset of microphysical cloud properties presented here allows to perform calculations of the cloud radiative effects, when the Cloudnet data from the campaign are not available, which was from the 22nd July 2017 until the 19th August 2017. The dataset is published at Pangaea (Richter et al., 2021).


Phytochemical investigation of a methanolic extract of the stem of Guatteriopsis friesiana afforded two new 7,7-dimethylaporphine alkaloids, 6,6a-dihydrodemethoxyguadiscine (1) and guatteriopsiscine (3), together with demethoxyguadiscine (2), liriodenine (4), corypalmine (5), and coreximine (6). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods (UV, IR, EIMS, HRESIMS, 1D/2D NMR). The absolute configurations of 1 and 3 were determined from the circular dichroism curves. The presence of 7,7-dimethylaporphine alkaloids in this species is important for the chemotaxonomy of Guatteriopsis. Antimicrobial activity of compounds 1-5 was investigated, and 4 showed activity against Rhodococcus equi, with a MIC value of 10 microg x mL(-1).


Introduction Clonidine has been considered an alternative treatment (usually after other treatments have failed) for refractory diarrhoea. The evidence is scarce in the literature and not conclusive. The purpose of the present paper is to gather available evidence and provide a systematic and more complete answer with regards to the effectiveness of clonidine for diarrhoea irrespective of clinical background. Method We performed a systematic review of clonidine and its effect on diarrhoea or intestinal transit. Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched including key words of diarrhoea, bowel and clonidine. Twenty two papers were found describing the treatment of diarrhoea (15 trials and 7 case reports). The data were categorised into tables. Meta-analysis was performed on the 15 papers. Meta-analysis was performed with a random effects model of the standardised mean difference and heterogeneity was quantified with I-square and publication bias was assessed with Egger's test. All test were performed in Stata 12.0 and RevMan 5.3. Results The meta-analysis included 15 studies with total sample size 386 subjects (82 Males; sample size range 2–88, median sample size 13; mean age of subjects 40.3). Clonidine (median dose per day 300 mcg, usually divided into 2 or three doses orally or full dose transdermal) has been used for treatment of diarrhoea in irritable bowel syndrome, ileostomy diarrhoea, short bowel syndrome, diabetic diarrhoea, withdrawal associated diarrhoea, faecal inctoninence and cholera. Studies were also performed on healthy volunteers. Results indicate an impressive effect of clonidine on diarrhoea with a significant decrease of stool volume to intestinal transit or stool frequency (SMD = –1.78 [–2.46, –1.10]. There is however significant heterogeneity (I-square = 87%) and publication bias ash hown by the funnel plot and Egger's test (p = 0.05).Abstract OC-068 Figure 1 Conclusion Clonidine is effective for treatment of diarrhoea and should be considered as an alternative when all other medications have failed. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a zinc-dependent peptidyldipeptide hydrolase found in blood and in the endothelium of many tissues. This study was designed to determine the effects of dietary zinc deprivation in rats and guinea pigs on ACE activity in serum. Rats were fed zinc-deficient (less than 1 mg/kg) or zinc-adequate (25 mg/kg) diets for 3 d. Guinea pigs were fed zinc-deficient (less than 1 mg/kg) or zinc-adequate (100 mg/kg) diets for 3 wk. The plasma zinc concentration in the zinc-deprived rats was 26% and that of the deprived guinea pigs 35% of the control values. When serum was diluted by one-half in the assay medium, the respective ACE activities were 42 and 59% of controls. In spite of decreased ACE activity there were no differences in plasma angiotensin II levels in either species or in bradykinin levels in the rat. To determine the effect of zinc on the kinetics of serum ACE, rat serum was treated to remove low-molecular-weight components and diluted 30-fold in an assay medium that contained a final zinc concentration of 0.68 microM. Supplemental zinc (total, 24 microM) increased both Vmax and Km. EDTA inhibited the enzyme activity, and the inhibition was totally reversible by zinc. Copper at 30 microM had no effect on ACE activity. The results of this study show that ACE activity in serum of rats and guinea pigs is highly sensitive to the dietary intake of zinc and suggest that metabolism of the vasoactive hormones, angiotensin II and bradykinin, might be affected in vivo.


In this paper, the main challenges in developing a magnetic DNA microarray include: 1) The spin valve sensors must be sensitive to as few as 1-10 nanobeads to be useful for applications such as biological pathogen detection; to achieve this, the distance between the sensor and magnetic labels must be minimized. 2) The nanobeads must be monodisperse, water soluble, chemically and magnetically stable, and functionalized to attach to a DNA fragment; the nanobeads should also be superparamagnetic so that they will not agglomerate in the absence of applied fields. 3) The bio-magnetic DNA microarrays need to be designed to maximise the active sensing surface area.


Background : The optimal management of complicated parapneumonic effusions (CPE) remains controversial. Objectives : To assess the safety and efficacy of iterative therapeutic thoracocentesis (ITTC), the first line treatment of CPE in our institution. Methods : Patients with CPE were identified through our computerized database. We retrospectively studied all cases of CPE initially managed with ITTC in our institution during years 2001-2010. ITTC failure was defined by the need for additional strategy for cure (i.e. surgery or percutaneous drainage), persistence of clinical or radiological signs of CPE or death. Results : Seventy-nine consecutive patients were evaluated. The one year survival rate was 88%. The success rate was 81% (n=64). Only 3 patients (4%) were referred to thoracic surgery. On multivariate analysis, identification of gram-positive bacteria in pleural fluid and the first thoracentesis ≥450 mL were associated with ITTC failure with adjusted odds-ratios of 7.65 [CI95%=1.44-40.67] and 6.97 [1.86-26.07], respectively. The main complications of ITTC were blank thoracentesis (n=23, 29%), iatrogenic pneumothorax (n=5, 6%) and vasovagal reactions (n=3, 4%). No pneumothorax required chest tube drainage. No hemothorax or re-expansion pulmonary edema was observed. Conclusions : Although not indicated in international recommendations, ITTC is safe and effective as the first-line treatment of CPE, with limited invasiveness as compared to current alternatives.


Current technologies have enabled us to track and quantify our physical state and behavior. Self-tracking aims to achieve increased awareness to decrease undesired behaviors and lead to a healthier lifestyle. However, inappropriately communicated self-tracking results might cause the opposite effect. In this work, we propose a subtle self-tracking feedback by mirroring the self's state into an artificial agent. By eliciting empathy towards the artificial agent and fostering helping behaviors, users would help themselves as well. Finally, we reflected on the implications of this design framework, and the methodology to design and implement it. A series of interviews to expert designers pointed out to the importance of having multidisciplinary teams working in parallel. Moreover, an agile methodology with a sprint zero for the initial design, and shifted user research, design, and implementation sprints were proposed. Similar systems with data flow and hardware dependencies would also benefit from the proposed agile design process.


Using input decomposition as a starting point, a variety of new types of systems and signal processors, which mix together domains traditionally kept separate, are derived, and their properties are examined. In one of these systems, digital signals are processed in continuous time, thus avoiding sampling and consequent aliasing, while maintaining the advantages of digital implementations in terms of programmability and noise immunity. In another approach, digital bit waveforms are processed directly by conventional analog filters. In a third approach, a nonlinear input decomposition results in systems in which signals are processed with a compressed dynamic range; this is done in a way that avoids output transients that characterize other approaches to compression, and also avoids the need for precise nonlinearity control. Several other possibilities are discussed. In all cases, the resulting systems can be input-output linear


The urbanized mankind is faced with vulnerability of urban systems, migration and concentration of population, low quality of habitat, loss of fertile land, and necessity of waste disposal. In large cities, a significant contribution to atmospheric pollution with sulphur dioxide, nitrogen and carbon oxides, and industrial dust comes from the motor transport. The motor traffic growth inevitably affects the human health by causing road and transport traumatism, respiratory diseases and diseases caused by physical inactivity. The proposed solution is based on optimization of a city transport system parameters. This was achieved by via simulation modelling taking into account a large number of parameters, both within and outside the system, many of the latter being stochastic. The recommendations include rearranging of the public transport routes and changing over to vehicles running on gas motor fuel.


The construction industry has been facing a paradigm shift to increase productivity, efficiency, infrastructure value, quality and sustainability to reduce lifecycle costs, lead times and duplications by effective collaboration and communication between project team in construction projects. This paradigm shift is becoming more serious and critical with remote construction projects which reveals unique and even more complicated challenging problem in relation to communication and management due to the remoteness of the construction sites. On the other hands. Building Information Modeling (B1M) is offered something that addresses the interdisciplinary inefficiencies in construction projects. Although in many cases the adoption of the B1M has numerous potential benefits, it also raises interesting challenges with regards to how BIM integrates the business process of individual practices. The objectives of the study include identifying the awareness and utilization of BIM system in construction industry; identify the barriers for the implementation of BIM and potential factors in accelerating the BIM adoption in local construction industry. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a technology that currently were gaining momentum as interoperability issues become more important in relative the quality and its productivity. Although there is bound of benefits that gained from the BIM application, the local construction industry still reluctant to deploy the system in delivery its services.


Early identification of children who are at risk of developing specific reading disability has long been regarded as being crucial for successful remediation (Snow, Burns and Griffin, 1998). However, such identification must lead to immediate intervention if there is to be any benefit for the child. In addition, the intervention should be directly related to the weaknesses identified, well-grounded in theory, effective and easy to administer.

The focus of the current study is on identifying children at-risk before the first years of formal schooling. The reasoning behind this is that such children are very capable of overcoming their disadvantages before formal schooling, with the assistance of their families (Fielding-Barnsley, 2000; Jordan, Snow and Porche, 2000).

The intervention in this study was based on a method developed by Arnold and Whitehurst (1994), and Whitehurst, Arnold, Epstein, Angell, Smith and Fischel (1994) known as dialogic reading. Dialogic reading involves families reading with their children rather than to their children.


The characteristics and derivation of corneal wound healing fibroblasts (myofibroblasts) were evaluated by studying the temporal changes in the cellular actin distribution of corneal fibrocytes following full thickness 3-mm diameter central corneal wounds in the rabbit. Under certain conditions these wounds heal without neovascularization, allowing for the detailed analysis of invading fibroblasts with minimal contamination by other cell types. The authors employed transmission electron microscopy to localize microfilaments, fluorescent microscopy using NBD-phallacidin, a mushroom toxin which binds specifically to f-actin and oligomeres of g-actin, to localize actin filaments, and isoelectric focusing gels to characterize actin isotypes. During the early stages of wound healing (1-7 days) there is a gradual change in the corneal fibrocytes adjacent to the wound margin characterized by the development of extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum, microtubules, a prominent Golgi apparatus, and a cortical microfilament network. This is in contrast to the normal fibrocyte, which, for the most part, lacks these structures. The development of microfilaments correlated with increased NBD-phallacidin fluorescence of fibrocytes adjacent to the wound as compared with fibrocytes farther removed from the site of injury. Fibroblasts appearing within the wound from 7 days to 2 months after injury had ultrastructural characteristics similar to those of myofibroblasts, including parallel arrays of microfilaments, stress fibers and cell-cell, cell-matrix attachments. Furthermore, these cells stained intensely with NBD-phallacidin, supporting the ultrastructural findings. At 1 month after injury, cells contained within the wound possessed predominantly nonmuscle isoactins (gamma) as seen by silver staining of isoelectric focusing gels, but little or no (smooth muscle) isoactins could be detected. Moreover, no significant differences could be detected between electrophoretic profiles obtained from wounded versus normal corneas. These morphologic and biochemical data suggest that the corneal fibrocyte may develop into a fibroblastlike cell similar to the myofibroblast, and is characterized by a marked increase in filamentous actin.


Papanicolaou screening is the standard of care for detection of abnormal cervical cell. Cervical cells are susceptible to change as a result of hormonal exposure and this has the potential to affect cytologic interpretation. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of cervical cytology finding in women using progesterone only contraceptio n as compared to women who used no contraception. Material and methods - A total of 162 women were screened over a period of 3 years. Cytology and histology were done to find out sensitivity and specificity. Result - With no contraception user cervical smear sensitivity was 10% higher than with patient who use progesterone only contraception.


Abstract. Rhodoliths are free-living calcifying red algae that form
extensive beds in shallow marine benthic environments (<250 m),
which provide important habitats and nurseries for marine organisms and
contribute to carbonate sediment accumulation. There is growing concern that
these organisms are sensitive to global climate change, yet little is known
about their physiology. Considering their broad distribution along most
continental coastlines, their potential sensitivity to global change could
have important consequences for the productivity and diversity of benthic
coastal environments. The goal of this study was to determine the plasticity
of carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) of rhodoliths along a latitudinal
gradient in the northeast Atlantic using natural stable isotope
signatures. The δ13C signature of macroalgae can be used to
provide an indication of the preferred inorganic carbon source (CO2 vs.
HCO3-). Here we present the total (δ13CT) and
organic (δ13Corg) δ13C signatures of
northeast
Atlantic rhodoliths with respect to changing environmental conditions along
a latitudinal gradient from the Canary Islands to Spitsbergen. The δ13CT signatures (−11.9 to −0.89) of rhodoliths analyzed in this
study were generally higher than the δ13Corg signatures,
which ranged from −25.7 to −2.8. We observed a decreasing trend in δ13CT signatures with increasing latitude and temperature, while
δ13Corg signatures were only significantly correlated to
dissolved inorganic carbon. These data suggest that high-latitude rhodoliths rely more on CO2
as an inorganic carbon source, while low-latitude rhodoliths likely take up
HCO3- directly, but none of our specimens had ∂13Corg signatures less than −30, suggesting that none of them
relied solely on diffusive CO2 uptake. However, depth also has a
significant effect on both skeletal and organic δ13C
signatures, suggesting that both local and latitudinal trends influence the
plasticity of rhodolith inorganic carbon acquisition and assimilation. Our
results show that many species, particularly those at lower latitudes, have
CCMs that facilitate HCO3- use for
photosynthesis. This is an important adaptation for marine macroalgae,
because HCO3- is available at higher concentrations than CO2
in seawater, and this becomes even more extreme with increasing temperature.
The flexibility of CCMs in northeast Atlantic rhodoliths observed in our
study may provide a key physiological mechanism for potential adaptation of
rhodoliths to future global climate change.


The paper describes challenges and obstacleswhen developing a cloud extension for a computationally expensive desktop application to perform computation tasks in a public cloud. In a case study we highlight thisstep by step with a real-world data mining application and present solutions to realize this scenario. Amazon'sS3, EC2, RDS, SES, IAM and STS services are utilized in a complex setup in order to realize a completely dynamic cloud layer architecture which is needed to implement the extension. This includes the creation of the infrastructure and the task execution in the cloud aswell as its extermination afterwards, which is described besides the data mining application itself. Today's major challenges regarding cloud computing as data security and privacy are taken into account. Additionally, a multicriteria-optimization across different cloud setups is considered in order to guarantee transparency concerning a runtime-cost tradeoff and to rule out suboptimal setups.The approach is based on benchmarks that have to beperformed. The effectiveness of this setup is illustrated by example application instances. The results show, under which circumstances it is beneficial to use the cloud to perform computing tasks.


The downwards co-current gas-liquid annular flows inside a vertically oriented pipe have been experimentally investigated. The measurements and characterisation were performed using advanced optical non-intrusive laser-based techniques, namely Laser Induced Fluorescence, and Particle Image/Tracking Velocimetry. The investigated conditions were in the range of ReL = 306 – 1,532 and ReG = 0 – 84,600. Temporal film thickness time traces were constructed using the Laser Induced Fluorescence images. Based on these, the wave frequency was evaluated using direct wave counting approach and power spectral density analysis. Additionally, qualitative PIV observations revealed the presence of recirculation zones within a wave front of disturbance waves.


We present the design of a remotely deployable distributed wireless antenna system formed from wireless sensor network nodes. Specifically, the focus is on enhancing the detection range of a distributed wireless antenna system. The primary objective is to create a methodology to steer the beam in the desired direction to enhance radio frequency (RF) direction finding and follow-on signal reception. The distributed wireless antenna system uses a combination of time difference of arrival (TDOA) and adaptive beamforming to localize the target and enhance the reception in the target direction. The TDOA lines-of-bearing are calculated using a combination of the Cross- Ambiguity Function to calculate the actual time difference and the Newton-Raphson technique to focus the beamforming efforts. A Least Mean Squares (LMS) adaptive beamforming algorithm is then used to localize the target for further prosecution.


The results of a quality control of the assistance, given through a programme of pregnancy in 12 health centres in Area number 1 of Toledo are shown here. To do so, an auditory was performed at a public hospital level and in the participating health centres, unifying explicit and normative criteria, which were the base to check a sample of 484 clinic records. In the results found, the high percentage of observance of the criteria referring to the early captation and the puerperal visit (90.3% and 94.6% respectively) is outstanding and the adequate treatment of the ferropenic anemia is the most frequently unobserved criteria (53.3%). Correction measures are established and standards for the re-evaluation are fixed. We emphasize the need to involve the second assistance level as well as the respective Management in the performance of health programmes in its aims, assuming the improvement of results as a responsibility of all of them.


This paper identifies and considers issues of perspective taking and communicative agency in applying Jürgen Habermas's discourse theory to policymaking in educational settings. The central question is whether Habermas provides an epistemic framework that supports reciprocal and sincere expressions of the views and interests of individuals in a heterogeneous society. Examining this question leads to a discussion of "practical discourse" in light of a willingness of participants to reach mutual understanding and agreement, and the centrality of perspective taking and communicative agency in such discourses. Also examined is a conceptualization of "application discourses," the implications of such discourses for perspective taking and communicative agency, and the role these discourses might play in further assuring the overall inclusivity and context sensitivity of applying education policies in specific circumstances. The paper then gives a brief re-analysis of an empirical study that used Habermas's concept of the "ideal speech situation" as a normative framework for interpreting data. The re-analysis means to illustrate the practical value of practical discourse for guiding and assessing educational policymaking. The paper ends with a short justification of the necessity of attending to perspective taking and communicative agency when viewing education as a basic human right.


Catalytic oxidation of NO to NO2 is a significant research interest for improving the quality of air through exhaust gas purification systems. In this paper, the authors studied this reaction on pure Pt and Pt overlayer on 3d transition metals using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations coupled with density functional theory based first principles calculations. The authors found that on the Pt(111) surface, NO oxidation proceeds via the Eley–Rideal mechanism, with O2 dissociative adsorption as the rate-determining step. The oxidation path via the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism is very slow and does not significantly contribute to the overall reaction. However, in the Pt overlayer systems, the oxidation of NO on the surface is more thermodynamically and kinetically favorable compared to pure Pt. These findings are attributed to the weaker binding of O and NO on the Pt overlayer systems and the binding configuration of NO2 that promotes easier N-O bond formation. These results present insights for designing affor...


The combined effect of selenium (Se) foliar spraying and drought was studied for 3 months in two cultivars of potato; Bard and Adora in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Four combinations of treatments were conducted: well-watered plants with and without Se foliar spraying, and drought exposed plants with and without Se foliar spraying. Net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), and respiration potential measured by electron transport system activity were monitored throughout the period. After three months of treatment, leaf water potential, the number and size of leaf stomata, and tuber yield were determined. Several impacts of drought and Se application and their combinations were established, and the responses shown to be cultivar-specific. Net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, effective quantum yield of PSII, and respiratory potential were lower in drought exposed plants. Se lowered respiratory potential in the leaves in cv. Bard. The mass of the tubers in cv. Adora, and photosynthesis in cvs. Bard and Adora were lower in Se treated plants. Se treatment did not significantly affect the number and size of leaf stomata in the cultivars.


Cross-Domain Recommendation (CDR) has been popularly studied to utilize different domain knowledge to solve the cold-start problem in recommender systems. Most of the existing CDR models assume that both the source and target domains share the same overlapped user set for knowledge transfer. However, only few proportion of users simultaneously activate on both the source and target domains in practical CDR tasks. In this paper, we focus on the Partially Overlapped Cross-Domain Recommendation (POCDR) problem, that is, how to leverage the information of both the overlapped and non-overlapped users to improve recommendation performance. Existing approaches cannot fully utilize the useful knowledge behind the non-overlapped users across domains, which limits the model performance when the majority of users turn out to be non-overlapped. To address this issue, we propose an end-to-end Dual-autoencoder with Variational Domain-invariant Embedding Alignment (VDEA) model, a cross-domain recommendation framework for the POCDR problem, which utilizes dual variational autoencoders with both local and global embedding alignment for exploiting domain-invariant user embedding. VDEA first adopts variational inference to capture collaborative user preferences, and then utilizes Gromov-Wasserstein distribution co-clustering optimal transport to cluster the users with similar rating interaction behaviors. Our empirical studies on Douban and Amazon datasets demonstrate that VDEA significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art models, especially under the POCDR setting.


Realistic tool-tissue interactive modeling has been recognized as an essential requirement in the training of virtual surgery. A virtual basic surgical training framework integrated with real-time force rendering has been recognized as one of the most immersive implementations in medical education. Yet, compared to the original intraoperative data, there has always been an argument that these data are represented by lower fidelity in virtual surgical training. In this paper, a dynamic biomechanics experimental framework is designed to achieve a highly immersive haptic sensation during the biopsy therapy with human respiratory motion; it is the first time to introduce the idea of periodic extension idea into the dynamic percutaneous force modeling. Clinical evaluation is conducted and performed in the Yunnan First People's Hospital, which not only demonstrated a higher fitting degree (AVG: 99.36%) with the intraoperation data than previous algorithms (AVG: 87.83%, 72.07%, and 66.70%) but also shows a universal fitting range with multilayer tissue. 27 urologists comprising 18 novices and 9 professors were invited to the VR-based training evaluation based on the proposed haptic rendering solution. Subjective and objective results demonstrated higher performance than the existing benchmark training simulator. Combining these in a systematic approach, tuned with specific fidelity requirements, haptically enabled medical simulation systems would be able to provide a more immersive and effective training environment.


A method yielding precisely controlled thickness profiles in thin-film growth is necessary for continuous compositional spread techniques. While multiple approaches have been introduced and successfully tested, some specific applications require the use of very thin "wedge"type profiles (~10 A at the thickest point), while at the same time yielding lateral sample sizes of several centimeters. Here we introduce the basic principles of a pulsed-laser deposition based approach utilizing the translation of the substrate behind a slit-shaped aperture and demonstrate by simple calculations that this method can satisfy these requirements.


Abstract Over the past decade, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) seems more and more inclined to use foreign sources of law, that is to say, law that does not originate in the Convention itself or in one of the Member States of the Council of Europe. Unlike in the US, there is little discussion in Europe about this form of judicial dialogue in the case-law of the ECtHR. This paper seeks both to clarify transnational dialogue by the ECtHR and find ways to justify this practice, against the backdrop of the American debate on this topic. First, the concept of transnational judicial dialogue is analysed (Part II). Then judicial dialogue as it presents itself in the judgments of the ECtHR is assessed, especially when non-Convention or foreign law is being used in a substantive way (Part III). Subsequently, an attempt is made to define when and why the use of foreign law by the ECtHR can be considered a justifiable approach in judicial decision-making (Part IV). The paper rounds off with some concluding remarks (Part V).


The diversity of reflective practices in Continuing Professional Development across different professions offers a potentially fertile ground to explore the complexities involved in both teaching and practicing reflection with the aim of maintaining and enhancing an individual's professionalism. This paper considers the challenges facing the case of a 'learning professional' who enjoys a dual identity as a professional with a specialism, whilst at the same time being a professional teacher. This double professionalism raises a number of questions: how can professional teachers use reflective practice for CPD? How can they foster a commitment to CPD in the classroom? What ethical issues might arise? This paper draws on specific theoretical insights from the land use planning and educational literature concerned with the changing concepts of professionalism, and the practical requirements for CPD. Associated issues and challenges are then illustrated and discussed through experiential insights derived throu...


Chalcogenide glasses form an important class of materials among amorphous semiconductors and have attracted much attention in recent past. The physical properties of chalcogenide glasses also make them ideal for incorporation into lasers and other active devices. In the present work, the effect on the physical properties of Ge12BixSe78-xTe10 (x = 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 at. %) chalcogenide glasses with the variation in bismuth content has been studied theoretically. All the parameters, studied here, have been found to vary linearly with increase in Bi content which indicates this system suitable for phase change optical recording and find applications in rewritable optical recording. © 2013 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved


Objectives: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States and worldwide, and Wnt signaling pathway abnormalities have been implicated in its development. We planned to study the expression of Naked cuticle 2 (Nkd2), a Wnt signaling pathway antagonist, in lung adenocarcinoma tissue specimens. Methods: Two hundred patients with lung adenocarcinoma underwent surgical resection. Tumor and adjacent normal specimens were collected at the time of the procedure and stored in liquid nitrogen until analysis. Clinical data, including patient age, sex, vital status, smoking status, as well as tumor histology and stage, were obtained by review of electronic medical records. RNA was extracted using the Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit, and cDNA was synthesized using the Bio-Rad iScript Kit. Nkd2 expression was measured using a microarray in 110 patients and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in 90 patients. We looked for differences in Nkd2 expression between patients of different sex, histologic subtype, or vital status; and among patients with different smoking status or stage. We described the distribution of Nkd2 expression in both the microarray and qPCR cohorts. We analyzed the relation between Nkd2 expression and survival using the Kaplan-Meier method and a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: There was no difference in Nkd2 expression between patients of different sex, histologic subtype, or vital status; nor among patients with different smoking status or stage. Nkd2 expression in the tumor was upregulated in the microarray cohort, but downregulated in the qpCR cohort, compared to the adjacent normal. In the microarray cohort, Nkd2 expression was not significantly related to survival (p=0.71). In the qPCR cohort, after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, bronchoalveolar carcinoma status, and stage, lower Nkd2 expression was significantly associated with longer survival (p=0.03). Stage was the only other significant predictor of survival (Wald test, p = 0.0002). Conclusion: In one cohort in our study, lower Nkd2 expression was significantly associated with longer survival. It is unclear why lower expression of Wnt signaling pathway antagonist would be associated with longer survival, when higher Wnt signaling has been associated with carcinogenesis. One hypothesis is that there is a negative feedback mechanism, in which upregulation of Wnt signaling leads to upregulation of Nkd2. Molecular markers have a growing role in cancer research, and further studies on Nkd2 may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B183.


We propose and axiomatize probability adjusted rank-discounted critical-level generalized utilitarianism (PARDCLU). We thus generalize rank-discounted utilitarianism (RDU) (proposed by Zuber and Asheim, 2012) to variable population and risky situations and thereby take important steps towards preparing RDU for practical use, e.g. for evaluation of climate policies and other policy issues with long-run consequences. We illustrate how PARDCLU yields rank-dependent expected utilitarianism - but with additional structure - in a special case, and show how PARDCLU can handle a situation with positive probability of human extinction.


Objective: This study examined the relationship between the use of the Internet and the mental health status of older care-givers in Australia. Methods: It utilized data obtained from a national health survey of a stratified random sample from the total population of people with disability, aged 60 years or older and carers of people with chronic health problems or disabilities who lived in a household. Internet usage was assessed by responses to a direct question during a personal structured interview. General mental health of caregivers was assessed using the SF-12v2 Health Survey to obtain the mental health summary scores. Data were analysed using logistic regression analyses with bootstrapping resampling and estimation statistical technique. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders there was a significant association between use of the Internet and better mental health among older care-givers. There was an approximately 60% increase in the odds of better mental health (OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.04–2.35) for care-givers who used the Internet in the past 12 months when compared with those who did not. Conclusions: The use of Internet has a beneficial effect on the mental health of care-giver aged 60 years or above. The results have direct implications on the provision of support and care of care-givers.


This study focuses on one of the groups of royal women in the OT who were considered the spouses of the king: the group of the royal pilagshim, who had a kind of secondary status in the household.Having pilagshim was not a privilege reserved to the kings, but was also practiced by other leaders, like the forefathers and the judges. One may assume continuity in the existence of this phenomenon in Ancient Israel. It encompasses several hundreds of women. In this work we studied the narrator's descriptions of a phenomenon through his story telling and not necessarily a certain reality.The aim of this study is to shed light on the secondary status of royal women, especially one of the groups to which they belonged, the group called "royal pilagshim". Although this group occupied a somewhat secondary place in the hierarchy in the house of royal women, it constituted one of the big groups of royal women in the palace, if not the biggest one, and some of the women belonging to this group had great importance both to the life in the palace and to the political events in the different kingdoms. By examining the different functions of these women in the palaces as they are described in the OT, some aspects of the life of royal women, not only those belonging to this particular group and not only those of secondary status, are revealed, and the hierarchy of women in the royal house is emphasised. Furthermore, reasons why some men became king while others did not; emerge from the results of the discussion about these women's children. Thus, we can better understand the powers that controlled the kingdoms described in the OT both in the darkness of the night and in broad daylight.In this work we further study the possibilities of the existence of a special position among royal pilagshim, the "chief of pilagshim". Our main interest is not in a particular text of the OT as such but rather in the phenomenon of a certain status of royal women who appear in the OT. Therefore, using only one method is not sufficient to accomplish our mission. Instead, a few approaches in combination are needed. The following methods have been chosen in order to complete this study:Philological analysis: Linguistic approach; literary approach; narrative analysis; and intertextuality.


Free trade agreements (FTAs) have been proliferating in Asia since the late '90s and show no sign of abating. The ASEAN +3 model should ideally serve as the starting point because of existing linkages in the real and monetary sectors. Nevertheless, what have emerged are six ASEAN +1 initiatives. Each of these initiatives covers similar areas of liberalization but progresses at different paces. The +6 countries have independently concluded FTAs with Singapore, which have built on their WTO commitments and moved on to difficult areas of liberalization. From 2004 onward, the +6 countries have started concluding bilateral FTA with each other and with the United States and the European Union.


This essay examines African American artists' and writers' engagement with the visual aesthetics of panoramas. Panoramas traditionally relied on an imperialist and pedagogical methodology. Yet panoramas have played a key role in African American political and artistic projects from the nineteenth century to today. The counteraesthetic strategies employed by J. P. Ball's 1855 abolitionist panorama as well as contemporary artist Kara Walker's panoramic silhouettes provide an important context for reconsidering the spatial and temporal revisions in Frederick Douglass's second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom. This essay engages with the pressing scholarly project of charting a nineteenth-century African American aesthetic.


Immunosenescence is a public health concern. This study was to characterize the peripheral immune system in rhesus macaques of varying ages. Flow cytometry and multiplex cytokine levels were evaluated in blood from 35 monkeys (3.2-20 years old). Linear regression was used to define statistically significant changes (i.e. P<0.05) with age. Significant declines were observed in numbers of neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and lymphocytes in blood with increasing age. No changes in numbers of monocytes, dendritic cells (DC), RBCs, or platelets were noted. Among lymphocytes, B cell numbers declined while NK cells and T cells were unchanged with increasing age. Within the T cell population, however, significant declines in naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and γδ+T cells were seen with increasing age, whereas the number of CD8+ effector-memory T cells increased with age. Numbers of DCs did not change with advancing age, but the turnover rate of pDCs was higher in the 18-20 year-old group compared to younger groups. Of the cytokines tested in plasma using the Milliplex non-human primate cytokine (23-mer) kit, TNF-α, IL-2, MCP-1, sCD40L, TGF-α, VEGF, and IL-18 levels significantly increased with increasing age whereas IL-5 was the only cytokine tested that decreased with increasing age. These early results provide a basis to further characterize immunosenescence in a non-human primate model.


A homophilic peptide from the T15 plasmacytoma inhibits growth of murine and human B cell tumors. This finding confirms the hypothesis that B cell malignancies are driven by a self-binding epitope in the B cell receoptor (BCR) proposed as the pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).


Recently it has been demonstrated that rate-transient analysis (RTA) performed on flowback data frommulti-fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs) can provide timely estimates of hydraulic fracture properties. This information can be used to inform stimulation treatment design on upcoming wells as well as other important operational and development decisions. However, RTA of flowback data may be complicated by rapidly changing operating conditions, dynamic hydraulic fracture properties and multi-phase flow in the fractures, complex fracture geometry, and variable fracture and reservoir properties along the MFHW, among other factors. While some constraints on RTA model assumptions may be applied through a carefully-designed surveillance and testing program in the field (e.g. to constrain fracture geometry), still others require laboratory measurements.
 In this work, an integrated flowback RTA workflow, designed to reduce uncertainty in derived hydraulic fracture properties, is demonstrated using flowback data from MFHWs producing black oil from low-permeability reservoirs in the Montney and Duvernay formations. The workflow includes rigorous flow-regime identification used for RTA model selection, straight-line analysis (SLA) to provide initial estimates of hydraulic fracture properties, and model history matching of flowback data to refine hydraulic fracture property estimates. The model history matching is performed using a recently-introduced semi-analytical, dual-porosity, dynamic drainage area (DP-DDA) model that incorporates primary (propped) hydraulic fractures (PHF) as well as a dual-porosity enhanced fracture region (EFR) with an unpropped (secondary) fracture network. Inclusion of both the PHF and EFR components addresses the need to incorporate both propped and unpropped fractures and fracture complexity in the modeling. The DP-DDA model is constrained using estimates of propped fracture conductivity and unpropped fracture permeability (measured as a function of stress), and unpropped fracture compressibility values, obtained in the laboratory for Montney and Duvernay core samples. Use of these critical laboratory data serves to improve the confidencein the modeling results.
 The case studies provided herein demonstrate a rigorous workflow for obtaining more confident hydraulic fracture property estimates from flowback data through the application of RTA techniques constrained by both field and laboratory data.


Fossil resources are no longer regarded as sustainable sources of energy and chemical commodities. The quest for sustainable and environmentally benign sources of energy has become crucial in recent years. Biofuels produced from biomass feedstock derived from plants, such as wood, from by-products of food production and from grasses have been considered to be valuable alternatives as energy sources. However, lignocellulosic feedstock conversion processes are challenging due to their recalcitrant nature to enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis. Pre-treatment of the biomass feedstock is necessary to allow for enzyme digestibility of the cellulosic material present in the plant cell walls. This chapter describes the pre-treatment of biomass based on ionic liquids (ILs). Several parameters that affect biomass pre-treatment using ILs, such as the influence of biomass type, loading and particle size and experimental conditions, and ILs physical properties are disclosed.


Objective: Our objective in this study was to evaluate the indications and the vertebral level at which unilateral percutaneous vertrobroplasty was applied and to analyze the efficiency of our application. Material-Method: Our study was conducted in XXX on 80 patients who were applied unilateral percutaneous vertebroplasty between January 2015 and August 2019 and documented the scores of visual analog scale (VAS) applied for preoperative and postoperative early stage pains, the scores, ages and sexes of the patients, operated vertebra level and count, etiological cause and the presence of chronic disease and osteoporosis. Results: Operation was made on a total of 89 vertebras of 80 patients included in the study. 24 of the operated vertebras were thoracic and 65 were localized in the lumbar. Maximum operation level was L1. No change was detected in the preoperative and postoperative neurological findings of the patients. Cement leakage was observed during the operation. This showed that our complication rate was 5%. A significant difference was detected between preoperative VAS value and postoperative VAS values (P<0.001).Conclusion: Unilateral percutaneous vertebroplasty is an advantageous technique due to low exposed radiation rate, short operation duration and low complication rates.


We are only just beginning to catalog the vast diversity of cell types in the cerebral cortex. Such categorization is a first step toward understanding how diversification relates to function. All cortical projection neurons arise from a uniform pool of progenitor cells that lines the ventricles of the forebrain. It is still unclear how these progenitor cells generate the more than fifty unique types of mature cortical projection neurons defined by their distinct gene expression profiles. Here we compare gene expression and chromatin accessibility of two subclasses of projection neurons with divergent morphological and functional features as they develop in the mouse brain between embryonic day 13 and postnatal day 5 in order to identify transcriptional networks that diversity neuron cell fate. We find groups of transcription factors whose expression is correlated with chromatin accessibility, transcription factor binding motifs, and lncRNAs that define each subclass and validate the function of a family of novel candidate genes in vitro. Our multidimensional approach reveals that subclass-specific chromatin accessibility is significantly correlated with gene expression, providing a resource for generating new specific genetic drivers and revealing regions of the genome that are particularly susceptible to harmful genetic mutations by virtue of their correlation with important developmental genes.


CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts

Abstract #5021

Background: Detection of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in bone marrow (BM) has prognostic value in primary breast cancer (BC) and is currently under investigation for therapy stratification and monitoring. Anti-cytokeratin (CK) antibodies (Abs) have been established as markers for detection of such DTC in patients with BC. Here we present a direct comparison of the two Abs most frequently used for DTC detection over the past 10 years. Material and Methods: We screened BM samples from 391 BC patients of which 64 were node-positive (N+). All patients were free of any signs of overt metastases (stage M0, pT1-3, pN0-3). Tumor cells in BM were enriched by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient and the mononuclear cell (MNC) fraction was spun on slides. For each patient 2*106 MNC were analyzed per Ab, using A45-B/B3 (A45) and AE1/AE3 (AE) Abs in parallel. A45 staining was, however, performed a couple of years later than AE staining, on cytospins stored at -80°C. All samples were screened automatically for the presence of CK-positive cells. By morphological evaluation only TC-compatible cells were scored positive. Median follow-up times ranged from 5 to 118 months. Results: For both Abs, the number of DTC revealed was 5 or less. Of the 391 patients, 24 patients (6.1%) were positive for A45, and 41 patients (10.5%) for AE, respectively. Concordance obtained by cross-analysis for the two Abs was 84.4%, whereas the overlap in positive cases was only 3.2%. Regarding immunohistopathological characteristics AE- and A45-positive BM were found significantly more frequent in tumors of higher nodal status (p=0.003 and p=0.026), and for AE also in hormone receptor negative (HR-) compared to HR+ patients (p=0.006). Positivity for AE and/or A45 staining in BM correlated with high nodal status and large tumor size (p=0.001 and p= 0.016, respectively). Survival analyses revealed shorter relapse-free survival for A45-positive patients (p=0.026). In node-positive patients, a significantly worse prognosis regarding overall and BC specific survival was observed for AE-positive (p=0.0245 and p=0.0125) and for AE- and/or A45-positive patients (p=0.035 and p=0.044, respectively). In node-negative patients, A45-positivity was correlated to a significantly shorter relapse-free survival (p=0.032). Immunocytochemical double staining of BM samples from 26 patients (M+ and M0) revealed subpopulations of DTC labeled with both Abs (in 8/26 cases) and other DTC exclusively stained for either A45 or AE (4/26). Discussion: Our results indicate that the two anti-cytokeratin Abs most frequently used for DTC detection in BM do not give identical results. They appear to identify at least partially different subpopulations of DTC in BC patients. This implies a possible advantage of the combined use of these Abs in future trials using DTC diagnostics.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 5021.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the current status of integrated physical education (PE) in general PE classes at elementary schools in Hong Kong. A questionnaire and cover letter were sent to 115 participants. A follow-up was made to contact nonrespondents two weeks after the initial dissemination of questionnaires. Of those that were surveyed, 72.17% (N=83) responded. The results indicated that there were 12 different types of students with disabilities integrated into general setting. Most inclusive classrooms integrated 1-3 students with disabilities and class sizes varying widely from school to school. Teachers received limited personnel support, faced more serious barriers for integration in the future, and possessed the need for professional development. Seven valuable implications of the results were discussed.


Introduction Delayed access to antenatal care ("late booking") is linked to increased mortality/morbidity for mother and baby: 17% of recent maternal deaths were women who booked after 22 weeks; had missed >4 antenatal visits or did not seek care at all. To address the paucity of explanatory research, we explored the barriers to antenatal care, as perceived by maternity stakeholders. Method Purposive and snowball sampling of maternity care stakeholders from community/hospital settings: midwives, doctors, social and link workers. Interviews employed a semi-structured format, were taped, data transcribed, coded and organised using NVivo software. An inductive, self-conscious iterative, thematic analysis was undertaken, with independent verification. Results 42 practitioners were interviewed: 4 focus group, 4 small group and individual interviews were conducted. Main themes that emerged were: stereotypical view of sociocultural and educational status of women who book late; patient factors: lack of pregnancy planning/knowledge; ambivalence re:pregnancy/antenatal care; socio-cultural influences on service utilisation (chaotic lives, substance misuse, immigration and housing issues); vulnerability and support (influence of family, peers and community); fear, denial and avoidance (concealment, relationships with professionals, expectations for care; child safeguarding issues), alongside organisational barriers eg staff shortages, lack of care continuity, communication issues. Conclusion This study of multiprofessional maternity stakeholders has identified perceived barriers to early booking, and highlights the need for: a multiagency approach to pre-conception and antenatal health promotion, reproductive education; increased practitioner awareness of risk factors and consequences of late booking; a flexible care ethos of continuity for women who book late.


Background and Goals: Although nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it is unclear whether NAFLD additionally increases the risk of HCC among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. This study evaluated the association between NAFLD and the risk of HCC in patients whose hepatitis B virus (HBV) was well controlled. Study: This study included consecutive CHB patients whose serum HBV DNA levels were continuously suppressed <2000 IU/mL with antiviral treatment. Fatty liver was radiologically diagnosed. Patients with concomitant hepatitis C infection, autoimmune hepatitis, or excessive alcohol use were excluded. Results: Among 826 patients, 86 patients (10.4%) developed HCC during the study period (median, 43.1 mo). The patients with NAFLD (N=260) had a significantly higher risk for HCC compared with patients without NAFLD (N=566) (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-2.63; P=0.03) after adjustment for age, the presence of cirrhosis, hepatitis B envelop antigen positivity, low-level viremia and hypertension. There was significant association between incomplete biochemical response (IBR) (alanine aminotransferase levels ≥40 IU/L) and the presence of NAFLD (P<0.001 by χ2 test). IBR at the time of virological response was associated with a significantly higher risk of HCC development (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.54; P=0.03). Conclusions: NAFLD increases the risk of HCC in patients with CHB in whom HBV is effectively suppressed by antivirals. Patients with IBR should be suspected of concurrent NAFLD. Further study is warranted to evaluate whether improvement of NAFLD might decrease the risk of HCC development.


ABSTRACT The evaluation of undrained shear strength of soils is necessary in determining the possibility of occurrence of flow deformation during earthquakes. The present study is aimed at examining the evaluation of undrained shear strength of silty sands from field with Swedish weight sounding tests and cone penetration tests. Based on the outcome of the previous studies on laboratory triaxial tests, the undrained shear strength ratio is defined as the undrained shear strength divided by the initial effective major principal stress. The undrained shear strength ratio is then formulated with respect to the relative density. The penetration resistances of Swedish weight sounding and cone penetration tests are then formulated with respect to the effective overburden stress and relative density, based on laboratory calibration chamber tests. By combining these formulations, the correlations of the undrained shear strength with Swedish penetration resistance and cone tip resistance are established. The range of values of penetration resistances indicative of soil layers susceptible to flow deformation is discussed. The correlations of the undrained shear strength with field penetration resistances thus derived are then examined from case history studies. Two case history studies are carried out with Swedish weight sounding tests at the sites of flow failures induced during the recent earthquakes. A series of case history studies are reexamined, which were carried out with Dutch cone penetration tests in the past studies.


common sleep disorder. It is characterized by repeated occlusion of upper airway and discontinuation of sleep. The breathing pauses and starts again with a loud snort. There may even be an abrupt interruption of sleep to maintain the patency of the airway. The pressure drop along the pharyngeal pathway should be a good indicator to show the severity of the pathological airways. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become an important tool in investigating the internal flow dynamics of the respiratory system, especially for the upper airway. It provides a non–invasive environment for the analysis of the biological flow. Employing such technology, this study will provide insight for a male patient with severe OSAS. This patient also underwent surgical procedures to improve the size of the airway. The pre–operative and post–operative CT scans were reconstructed and converted to two patient–specific, three– dimensional models suitable for numerical simulations. The inhalation process was simulated using a constant volume flow rate, 0.3 liter per second (L s-1), at the nostrils for both cases. An index, the 'resistance of the airway', was defined as the pressure drop per unit flow rate to estimate the tendency of airway collapse. The pressure distribution from the velopharynx to hypopharynx was investigated. The pressure drops were 12.1 Pascal (Pa) and 7.3 Pascal before and after surgical treatment respectively. The resistance of airway changed from 40 Pa s L-1 to 24 Pa s L-1 , a 40% reduction. The results showed that the pressure drop along the upper airway was reduced significantly after the surgical procedure. This decreased the collapsibility of the airway and consequently improved the sleep quality.


The mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are still inconclusive from an epidemiological standpoint. An epidemiological approach in a large sample group over an appropriate period of years will be necessary to enhance the current knowledge of the ACL injury mechanism. The objective of the study was to investigate the ACL injury occurrence in a large sample over twenty years and demonstrate the relationships between the ACL injury occurrence and the dynamic knee alignment at the time of the injury. We investigated the activity, the injury mechanism, and the dynamic knee alignment at the time of the injury in 1,718 patients diagnosed as having the ACL injuries. Regarding the activity at the time of the injury, "competition "was the most common, accounting for about half of all the injuries. The current result also showed that the noncontact injury was the most common, which was observed especially in many female athletes. Finally, the dynamic alignment of "Knee-in & Toe- out "(i.e. dynamic knee valgus) was the most common, accounting for about half. These results enhance our understanding of the ACL injury mechanism and may be used to guide future injury prevention strategies. Key pointsWe investigated the situation of ACL injury occurrence, especially dynamic alignments at the time of injury, in 1,718 patients who had visited our institution for surgery and physical therapy for twenty years.Our epidemiological study of the large patient group revealed that "knee-in & toe-out "alignment was the most frequently seen at the time of the ACL injury.From an epidemiological standpoint, we need to pay much attention to avoiding "Knee-in & Toe-out "alignment during sports activities.


In this study, efficacies of mined gypsum and phosphogypsum (PG), when applied at equivalent doses, were compared for sodic soil reclamation and productivity of rice–wheat system. Application of PG, followed by karnal grass as first crop, resulted in the greatest reduction of soil pH and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) followed by PG applied at 10 Mg ha−1 alone. Application of PG at 10 Mg ha−1 resulted in greater yields of both rice and wheat than other treatments. Ditheylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)–extractable micronutrients of PG-treated soil were greater than in mined gypsum–treated soil. A greater portion of applied P entered the calcium (Ca)–phosphorus (P) fraction in PG-treated soil, which also resulted in more soluble P than the mined gypsum–treated soil. Phosphogypsum effected greater increase in aggregation, soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, and aggregate associated carbon and decrease in zeta potential, leading to increased hydraulic conductivity and moisture retention capacity in soil over mined gypsum–treated soil.


In 1991 the Sisters of Charity Healthcare Systems (SCHCS), Cincinnati, established an ethics study group for its long-term care facilities. The group was originally organized to address end-of-life treatment decisions, but it soon found that the daily lives of people by and for whom such decisions would be made were worthy of attention in their own right. Autonomy had been a topic of group discussions early on. Once reinterpreted in the context of long-term care, it became the pivotal value for the group. One key to the group's progress was identifying intrinsic and extrinsic factors that distract care givers' attention from issues of concern to residents. Members found that state and federal regulations, as well as constraints on medical treatment by payers such as Medicare and Medicaid, often ignore the human dimension in terms of which the elderly's needs and preferences can be framed. Rigidly defined roles and routines also blunt care givers' sensitivity to residents' concerns. The group is currently developing a program of in-service ethics education and training. Designed in four modules, the program will focus on the following topics: protecting and enhancing resident rights, staff issues and professionalism, talking about death and dying, and staff-physician issues.


Cyclooxygenase (COX), an enzyme essential for prostaglandin biosynthesis, has two isoforms, COX-1 and -2. We investigated temporal and spatial changes in localization of these two COX proteins and mRNAs after excisional injury in rat skin. We also quantified the expression of these proteins and studied the effects of a specific COX-2 inhibitor on healing. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization respectively indicated that the COX-2 protein and mRNA were expressed mainly within the basal layer of the epidermis, peripheral cells in the outer root sheath of hair follicles, and fibroblast-like cells and capillaries near epidermal wound edges. Much less intense expression was observed in normal skin than in injured skin. Western analysis demonstrated marked induction of COX-2 protein beginning within 12 hours and peaking 3 days after injury. In contrast, localization of COX-1 protein and mRNA, as well as the amount of protein expression, showed no significant change during wound healing. Administration of the COX-2 inhibitor delayed re-epithelialization in the early phase of wound healing and also inhibited angiogenesis. Thus, COX-2 induction may be important in cutaneous wound healing.


Abstract In order to be acceptable and able to "camouflage" into their physio-social context in the long run, robots need to be not just functional, but autonomously psycho-affective as well. This motivates a long term necessity of introducing behavioral autonomy in robots, so they can autonomously communicate with humans without the need of "wizard" intervention. This paper proposes a technique to learn robot speech models from human-robot dialog exchanges. It views the entire exchange in the Automated Planning (AP) paradigm, representing the dialog sequences (speech acts) in the form of action sequences that modify the state of the world upon execution, gradually propelling the state to a desired goal. We then exploit intra-action and inter-action dependencies, encoding them in the form of constraints. We attempt to satisfy these constraints using aweighted maximum satisfiability model known as MAX-SAT, and convert the solution into a speech model. This model could have many uses, such as planning of fresh dialogs. In this study, the learnt model is used to predict speech acts in the dialog sequences using the sequence labeling (predicting future acts based on previously seen ones) capabilities of the LSTM (Long Short Term Memory) class of recurrent neural networks. Encouraging empirical results demonstrate the utility of this learnt model and its long term potential to facilitate autonomous behavioral planning of robots, an aspect to be explored in future works.


Abstract Increased platelet aggregation contributes to vascular risk. D-003, a mixture of high molecular weight sugarcane wax acids, has shown antiplatelet effects in experimental models and healthy volunteers. This randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study investigated the effects of titrated doses of D-003 (5-20 mg/d) on platelet aggregation in hypercholesterolemic patients. After a 4-week baseline phase, 56 patients were randomised to D-003 5 mg/d or placebo. The doses were doubled every 15 days if arachidonic acid (AA)-induced platelet aggregation was not inhibited at least by 15%.AA (0.75 and 1.5 mmol/L) and collagen (1 µg/mL)-induced platelet aggregation, laboratory and physical safety indicators were assessed at baseline and every 15 days thereafter, when adverse events (AE) were also reported. No significant change of platelet aggregation was found in the placebo group. After 15, 30 and 45 on therapy, D-003 reduced platelet aggregation induced with both AA 0.75 mmol/L (18.1%, 19.0% and 30.3%, respectively) and AA 1.5 mmol/L (17.0%, 16.3% and 22.5%, respectively), and also collagen-induced platelet aggregation (26.6%, 20.8% and 29.4%) (p < 0.01 at days 15 and 30 versus placebo, p < 0.0001 at study completion). The mean inhibition of platelet aggregation with D-003 at day 15, at which all patients had received the lowest dose, was over 15%. Nineteen out of 28 D-003 randomised patients (67.9%) required dose titration to achieve such goal. At trial completion, the mean estimated dose was 11.6 mg/d. D-003 lowered low-density lipoprotein (22.0%), total cholesterol (14.7%) and raised high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (10.9%) (p < 0.0001 versus placebo). Six patients (2 placebo, 4 D-003) withdrew from the trial, none due to AE. D-003 did not modify the safety indicators with respect to placebo. Four patients (2 placebo, 2 D-003-treated) reported AE: pruritus and increased blood pressure (2 placebo) and rash and polyphagia (2 D-003). In conclusion, D-003 (5-20 mg/d) given as doses titrated every 15 days (5-20 mg/d) inhibited AA- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation in hypercholesterolemic patients and was well tolerated.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility of optimized multi-voxel MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) at 3T using rapid symmetric echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) spatial encoding in patients with brain tumors. We performed the optimized MRSI at 3T using semi-localization by adiabatic selective refocusing pulses (semi-LASER), fast spatial encoding using symmetric EPSI, and robust water suppression with variable power and optimized relaxation delays. A radiologist with extensive experience in neuroimaging and spectroscopy assessed the overall spectral quality. This study is an attempt to integrate high-resolution MRSI in clinical practice for the assessment of brain cancer patients.


We extend the theory of distributional kernel operators to a framework of generalized functions, in which they are replaced by integral kernel operators. Moreover, in contrast to the distributional case, we show that these generalized integral operators can be composed unrestrictedly. This leads to the definition of the exponential, and more generally entire functions, of a subclass of such operators.


This prospective, longitudinal study investigated the moderating role of pubertal timing on reciprocal links between adolescent appraisals of parent-child relationship quality and girls' (N=1335) and boys' (N=1203) cigarette and alcohol use across a twelve-month period. Reciprocal effects were found between parent-child relations and on-time maturing boys and girls' cigarette and alcohol use, after estimating stability in these constructs across time. Parent-child relationship quality was associated with increased alcohol use twelve months later for early maturing girls. Cigarette and alcohol use were associated with increased problems in the parent-child relationship for late maturing girls. No off-time effects were observed for off-time maturing boys in the pathways between parent-child relationship quality and substance use. Pubertal timing moderated the pathway linking parent-child relationship quality with cigarette use one year later such that the association was stronger for late maturing girls compared to early and on-time maturing girls. The findings indicate interplay between the psychosocial aspects of maturation, family relationships and adolescent substance use and highlight possible gender-specific influences.