Background: Oil spill chemicals (OSCs) result not only from the crude oil components but also from dispersants used in the clean-up activities, where some may result in adverse health effects under certain exposure and dosage conditions. One of the main populations of concern for exposure to OSCs are children, who are frequent beach users. Activities such as ingestion of and digging in sand can increase dermal and ingestion exposure. Longer times spent at the beach can also increase exposures for all routes. Objectives: The Beach Exposure and Child Health Study (BEaCHeS) was initiated to evaluate the risk of exposure to children from oil contaminants. Reported here are results for surveys collected, as a part of the project, to address exposure-related behavior patterns and risk perception for parents or guardians who visit the beach. Methods: Over 400 parental surveys were collected at four beaches, two in Miami and two in Texas, to evaluate children's exposure related activities. Surveys consisted of three general sections: demographics, exposure, and risk perception. Surveys were analyzed in REDcap and Stata to evaluate demographic and regional differences on activities related to beach behavior and potential exposures to oil contaminants (e.g., how much time spent on beach, cleaning habits following beach activities). The statistical analysis included the mean and standard errors, along with regressions to evaluate associations between parameters. Results: Overall, the data showed high variability in how children play on the beach, influenced more by age and less by gender. Variations were also seen in certain variables by beach region (e.g., hygiene practices). By race, variations were seen in income, distance of travel to beach, and preferred method of communication for beach warning. Other important findings are reflected in the article. Discussion: The data presented here may prove useful for those evaluating children exposures to a variety of contaminants, chemical, or bacterial in origin. In addition, coastal managers may find the risk perception and general behaviors useful for planning and maintenance of beach areas.


We theoretically design and experimentally demonstrate a multilayered optical magnetic metamaterial working at multiple frequencies simultaneously. The metamaterial is constructed with tapered ellipsoidal metal-dielectric-metal particles (EMDMPs), which is obtained through alternately depositing multiple layers of Ag and SiO2 films on a dielectric template of ellipsoidal nanohole arrays created by holographic lithography and lift-off procedure. Transmission and reflection spectra measurements reveal that the metamaterial exhibits multiband magnetic resonances at near infrared due to the size variation of EMDMPs in depositing and lift-off procedures. Our results may prove a step towards the construction of realistic metamaterials for various photonics applications.


Image and video processing applications involve large multidimensional signals which have to be stored in memory modules. In application-specific architectures for real-time multidimensional signal processing, a significant cost in terms of chip area and power consumption is due to these background memory units. The multidimensional signals are usually modeled in behavioral descriptions with array variables. In the algorithmic specifications of our target applications, many of the array references cover large amounts of scalars. Therefore, the efficient handling of array references in the specifications for image and video processing is crucial for obtaining low cost memory allocation solutions. This paper addresses a central problem which arises when handling the array variables in behavioral specifications: the computation of the number of scalars covered by an array reference. This problem is closely related to the computation of dependences in data-flow analysis. The novel algorithms proposed in this paper are embedded in the ATOMIUM environment-a memory management system for multidimensional signal processing.


Objective The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the vaccines' acceptance level and to find the factors influencing pregnant women's vaccination decisions, with the goal of assisting in the development of interventions and promoting more research in this area. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and PubMed. Eligibility criteria Studies providing any kind of quantitative assessment of overall COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among pregnant women in any country or region across the globe. Data extraction and synthesis The pooled prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among pregnant women was calculated using the random-effects model. Subgroup (sensitivity) analysis was performed to determine the overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance level to understand the sources of substantial heterogeneity. Results Out of the 375 studies identified, 17 studies from four continents assessing 25 147 participants (pregnant women) were included in this study. Among the participants, only 49% (95% CI 42% to 56%, p<0.001) had COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. High-income countries (47%; 95% CI 38% to 55%, p<0.001), participants with fewer than 12 years of education (38%; 95% CI 19% to 58%, p<0.001) and multiparous women (48%; 95% CI 31% to 66%, p<0.001) had lower COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Overall heterogeneity was high (I2 ≥98%), and publication bias was present (p<0.001). A very weak positive correlation between COVID-19 knowledge and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was observed (r=0.164; 95% CI −0.946 to 0.972; p=0.8359). Conclusion Overall, COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among pregnant women was low across the studies and considerably low among some specific subgroups of participants. These research findings have implications for the development of effective interventions that could increase the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance level among pregnant women to attain herd immunity. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021277754.


Many challenges accompany new paraphyletic strategies for genome sequencing, where dense sets of closely related species and their strains are analyzed as a group. The data volumes are considerable, and quality of the data can also be less that what these labs have come to expect from genomes produced by traditional sequencing centers. But the principal problem is comparative annotation, which should exploit the comparative nature of the project, and use the comparison between the related species to improve the annotation process. Drawing on a number of large-scale comparative genomics projects we have developed over the past twelve years, we will illustrate these challenges, and extrapolate the needs of collaborative, robust, comparative methods for this kind of multi-genome project.


Broadcasted sport is one of the elements of the mediated culture which mobilizes extremely passionate masses. Thus, it can be considered as a mythical expression within current society, since contemporary era is witness to the revival of the sacred which manifests through rituals, myths and the divinization of certain products and celebrities. This article analyzes how media depictions exalt players as objects of worship and devotion. It will specifically focus on the most successful Spanish sportsmen such as the tennis player Rafael Nadal and the players of the national soccer team and how they are promoted as national heroes in advertising.


Non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT) defines a group of patients who do not require regular transfusions for survival, but are at significant risk of iron accumulation from underlying disease-related mechanisms distinct from transfusional iron overload. Management of iron overload in NTDT has received little attention compared with that of β-thalassemia major, despite evidence of significant iron-induced complications with advancing age. The efficacy and safety of the iron chelator deferasirox in NTDT has been evaluated in two pilot studies and the first prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study (THALASSA) of any chelator in NTDT. Treatment with deferasirox for up to 2 years yielded a sustained reduction in iron burden, with a clinically manageable safety profile. Following these trial data, deferasirox is the first iron chelator approved for use in NTDT patients, and with NTDT guidelines now available, physicians are better equipped to achieve effective monitoring and management of iron burden in NTDT.


Women are often stereotyped as poorly equipped to deal with money matters, compared to men, yet very little research has examined the underpinnings and consequences of such gender stereotypes. Drawing on descriptive and prescriptive elements of women's social roles, we empirically examined the gendered nature of money stereotypes. Specifically in the current work, we introduced and investigated the femininity–money incongruity hypothesis, which suggests that when the concepts of femininity and money are both cognitively activated, money will become a liability for women, causing decrements in cognitive functioning. We first probed the role of gender identity and benevolent sexism beliefs in women's endorsement of money–gender stereotypes. In two subsequent experiments, we tested the hypothesis that simultaneously activating money and femininity would lead to decrements in cognitive functioning. Converging results across studies suggest that money is incompatible with the stereotypic female gender identity, and this incongruity has detrimental cognitive costs for women as they navigate gender roles. Implications of societal challenges imposed on women by gender stereotypes regarding money matters at work and in relationship contexts and proposed interventions are discussed. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/0361684317718505


In the gasification process, one prominent factor that affects the quality of the resulting syngas is the moisture content of the biomass feedstock. Determining the moisture content of a feedstock is considered to be one of the challenges of the process. The information about moisture content of a feedstock is required to decide the need for further drying prior to the gasification process. In this study, a novel method was developed for the evaluation of the moisture content from density of oil palm fronds (OPF) in a sufficiently accurate manner for gasification process. A total of 147 samples from different sections of freshly pruned fronds were prepared. The density of each of the samples was determined from its weight and volume. A fine sand displacement method, using fine sand and a graduated cylinder, determined the volume of OPF. The moisture content of the OPF was determined from the weight difference of the samples before and after the drying process. The experiment implied a good correlation between moisture content and density of the biomass, in which the square of the correlation coefficient (R2) value was found to be satisfactory.


Three experiments were conducted to examine the relationship between systemic concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol-17 beta (E2) after withdrawal of progesterone in cycling ewes. In Exp. 1, ewes were assigned randomly to one of three treatments: laparotomy (C), removal of the luteal ovary (ULO), or ULO plus anesthesia with sodium pentobarbital for 6 h beginning 4 h after surgery. Anesthesia was used in an attempt to block the expected increase in tonic secretion of LH. Patterns of LH and E2 in these three groups did not differ during the 24-h experimental period. In Exp. 2, a longer period of anesthesia was utilized. Forty-eight ewes were assigned at random to one of four treatments: C, ULO, lutectomy or an intrafollicular injection of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha). One-half of the ewes in each group were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital from initiation of treatment (0 h) until 10 h after surgery. Sodium pentobarbital did not suppress the increases in LH and E2 after progesterone withdrawal. The regression of concentrations of E2 on concentration of LH was not significant. In Exp. 3, ewes were infused with either saline or dopamine after receiving an im injection of PGF2 alpha. Tonic secretion of LH increased after 4 h in ewes infused with saline, but not in ewes infused with dopamine. Despite the suppression of LH, concentrations of E2 increased in dopamine-treated ewes as in control ewes. Therefore, the initial increase in E2 after a decline of progesterone in cycling ewes is independent of increases in LH.


From 1/1991 to 1/1997 a total of 18 patients with major biliary lesions after laparoscopic cholecystectomy were treated. Besides 4 biliary strictures (Bismuth III, Siewert II), which were found between 20 and 180 days after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, large defects (Siewert III, IV) of the proximal parts of the hepatic duct (Bismuth III, IV) occurred in the majority of cases (n = 14). Except for 3 intraoperatively realized lesions, diagnosis was made during the first 3 weeks. Subsequent reinterventions resulted in a high morbidity rate and the need of further procedures to establish definitive biliary reconstruction. Selection criteria of the technique used for repair were the extension of the biliary lesion and the exposure of the distal stump of the common bile duct. A small defect was treated by direct suturing protected by a t-tube (n = 1). Large defects and biliary strictures were reconstructed using either a Roux-en-Y bilio-digestive anastomosis (n = 7) or jejunal interposition (n = 10). The results suggest, that early repair of biliary lesions after laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be achieved. Besides the standard procedure of bilio-digestive anastomosis, reconstruction of major biliary lesions should be performed by jejunal interposition in selected cases.


Global positioning systems (GPSs) and geographical information systems (GISs) have been widely used to collect and synthesize spatial data from a variety of sources. New advances in satellite imagery and remote sensing now permit scientists to access spatial data at several different resolutions. The Internet facilitates fast and easy data acquisition. In any one study, several different types of data may be collected at differing scales and resolutions, at different spatial locations, and in different dimensions. Many statistical issues are associated with combining such data for modeling and inference. This article gives an overview of these issues and the approaches for integrating such disparate data, drawing on work from geography, ecology, agriculture, geology, and statistics. Emphasis is on state-of-the-art statistical solutions to this complex and important problem.


Accelerators at the energy frontier have been the tool of choice for nearly a century for unraveling the structure of matter, space, and time. Today's accelerators are the most complex and expensive tools for scientific discovery built by humans. The capability of these accelerators has increased at an exponential rate due to the development of new accelerator concepts and technology. The capability of existing accelerator technology has plateaued, so that a future accelerator at the energy frontier will be so large and expensive that it is not clear it will be built. On the other hand, plasma based acceleration has emerged as a possible alternative technology with much recent progress in theory, simulation, and experiment. In plasma based acceleration intense short-pulse laser, or particle beam excites a plasma wave wakefield as it propagates through long regions of plasma. When a laser is used it is called laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), and when a particle beam is used it is called plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA). Simulations have contribute greatly to the recent progress by providing guidance and insight for existing experiments, and for permitting the study of parameters beyond the current reach of experiments. However, these simulations require much computing resources. Therefore, alternative numerical techniques are desired, and in some cases are needed. In this dissertation, we systematically explore the use of a simulation method for modeling LWFA using the particle-in-cell (PIC) method, called the Lorentz boosted frame technique. In the lab frame the plasma length is typically four orders of magnitude larger than the laser pulse length. Using this technique, simulations are performed in a Lorentz boosted frame in which the plasma length, which is Lorentz contracted, and the laser length, which is Lorentz expanded, are now comparable. This technique has the potential to reduce the computational needs of a LWFA simulation by more than four orders of magnitude, and is useful if there is no or negligible reflection of the laser in the lab frame. To realize the potential of Lorentz boosted frame simulations for LWFA, the first obstacle to overcome is a robust and violent numerical instability, called the Numerical Cerenkov Instability (NCI), that leads to unphysical energy exchange between relativistically drifting particles and their radiation. This leads to unphysical noise that dwarfs the real physical processes. In this dissertation, we first present a theoretical analysis of this instability, and show that the NCI comes from the unphysical coupling of the electromagnetic (EM) modes and Langmuir modes (both main and aliasing) of the relativistically drifting plasma. We then discuss the methods to eliminate them. In EM-PIC simulations of plasmas, Maxwell's equations are solved using a finite difference form for the derivatives in real space or using FFT's and solving the fields in wave number space. We show that the use of an FFT based solver has useful properties on the location and growth rate of the unstable NCI modes. We first show that the use of an FFT based solver permits the effective elimination of the NCI by both using a low pass filter in wave number space and by reducing the time step. We also show that because some NCI modes are very localized in wave number space, a modification of the numerical dispersion near these unstable modes can eliminate them. We next show that these strategies work just as well if the FFT is only used in the plasma drifting direction and propose a hybrid FFT/Finite Difference solver. This algorithm also includes a correction to the current from the standard charge conserving current deposit that ensures that Gauss's Law is satisfied for the FFT/Finite Difference divergence operator.However, the use of FFTs can lead to parallel scalability issues when there are many more cells along the drifting direction than in the transverse direction(s). We then describe an algorithm that has the potential to address this issue by using a higher order finite difference operator for the derivative in the plasma drifting direction, while using the standard second order operators in the transverse direction(s). The NCI for this algorithm is analyzed, and it is shown that the NCI can be eliminated using the same strategies that were used for the hybrid FFT/Finite Difference solver. This scheme also requires a current correction and filtering which require FFTs. However, we show that in this case the FFTs can be done locally on each parallel partition. We also describe how the use of the hybrid FFT/Finite Difference or the hybrid higher order finite difference/second order finite difference methods permit combining the Lorentz boosted frame simulation technique with another ``speed up'' technique, called the quasi-3D algorithm, to gain unprecedented speed up for the LWFA simulations. In the quasi-3D algorithm the fields and currents are defined on an $r-z$ PIC grid and expanded in azimuthal harmonics. The expansion is truncated with only a few modes so it has similar computational needs of a 2D $r-z$ PIC code. We show that NCI has similar properties in $r-z$ as in $z-x$ slab geometry and show that the same strategies for eliminating the NCI in Cartesian geometry can be effective for the quasi-3D algorithm leading to the possibility of unprecedented speed up.We also describe a new code called UPIC-EMMA that is based on fully spectral (FFT) solver. The new code includes implementation of a moving antenna that can launch lasers in the boosted frame. We also describe how the new hybrid algorithms were implemented into OSIRIS. Examples of LWFA using the boosted frame using both UPIC-EMMA and OSIRIS are given, including the comparisons against the lab frame results. We also describe how to efficiently obtain the boosted frame simulations data that are needed to generate the transformed lab frame data, as well as how to use a moving window in the boosted frame.The NCI is also a major issue for modeling relativistic shocks with PIC algorithm. In relativistic shock simulations two counter-propagating plasmas drifting at relativistic speeds are colliding against each other. We show that the strategies for eliminating the NCI developed in this dissertation are enabling such simulations being run for much longer simulation times, which should open a path for major advances in relativistic shock research.


BACKGROUND
Treatment with interferon-alpha (IFN) has been shown to be cost-effective in developed countries. However, cost-effectiveness In developing countries such as India has not been studied.

METHODS
Using the Markov transitional probability model, we studied two cohorts of young patients (30 years of age) with chronic hepatitis B, one untreated and the other treated with interferon (IFN), 5 million units daily for 16 weeks, with evidence of viral replication and chronic hepatitis, but not cirrhosis, and were followed up over a 30-year period. Rates of disease progression, efficacy of IFN and quality of life associated with various disease states were estimated from the available literature. Direct costs were estimated using Indian prices of IFN and from the usual costs of medical treatment in India based on expert opinion. Unrelated mortality rates were modelled on age-specific death rates of the general population. The efficacy of IFN was judged In terms of extra life-years and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) gained, and marginal cost-effectiveness and cost-utility. Several sensitivity analyses, both undiscounted and with discounted analyses, were done.

RESULTS
At the end of the 30-year period, fewer patients in the IFN-treated group developed cirrhosis or decompensated cirrhosis, or were dead. The average life span of the treated cohort was 25.14 years, a gain of 0.6 years over the untreated cohort (24.54years). The QALY lived bythetwocohortswere 23.69 and 22.75 years, respectively, representing a gain of 0.94 years for the IFN-treated group. The cost Incurred by the IFN-treated group was Rs 300,000, and that for the untreated cohort was Rs 40 700, a substantial difference. Using the baseline estimates, undiscounted costs per year of life gained and per QALY gained were Rs 432,500 and Rs 276,900, respectively; these estimates are 20.5 and 13.1 times the per capita gross national income of the Indian population. Sensitivity analyses showed that changes in various parameters led to only minor changes in these estimates. Use of discounting led to an increase in marginal cost per life-year or QALY gained.

CONCLUSION
In developing countries with a low per capita Income, IFN therapy for chronic hepatitis B may not be cost-effective. A careful consideration of cost-effectiveness is therefore essential before Instituting IFN therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B In such populations.


Functional bladder disorders in children are a common condition and they are observed in 5-15% of pediatric population. Recent observations of bladder function of the healthy newborns have changed our viewpoint on its behaviour in older children. By the age of 4 years, many if not most children have matured their urinary tract function and developed an adult pattern of urinary control. They are generally dry during the day and the night. The adult pattern is characterized during bladder filling by an absence of unstable or uninhibited (involuntary) detrusor contractions. Urodynamic studies have confirmed that even at bladder capacity and when the desire to void is strong, detrusor contraction will not occur unless it is voluntarily initiated. The voiding symptoms and urinary incontinence or urinary infection and are thought to be caused by behavioral factors that affect toilet training and prevent successful transition from the infantile to the adult pattern of urinary control. These syndromes of dysfunctional elimination differ greatly in manifestation, prognosis, and pathophysiology and comprise a clinical spectrum that varies widely. At the severe end of the spectrum are a small group of patients with Hinman's syndrome, also termed the non-neurogenic neurogenic bladder, dysfunctional voiding, or occult neuropathic bladder. Less severe uropathology is observed in the large group of children who present with refractory and often severe symptoms that reflect incomplete toilet training with diminished urinary control. Their obstruction is caused by an incoordination between bladder and sphincter that occurs only during bladder filling in the presence of unstable bladder contractions and is, therefore, of less potential risk to the urinary tract. Unstable bladder, the most common pattern of urinary dysfunction in childhood, occurs in up to 57% of symptomatic children aged 3 to 14 years. Voluntary constriction of the urinary sphincter during unstable bladder contractions produces urinary obstruction with high intravesical pressures. The assessment of children with lower urinary tract disorders should consist of a detailed history, a frequency/volume chart and a physical examination. Uroflowmetry and ultrasound examination can be added. Treatment of functional bladder disorders in children can be divided in urotherapy, consisting of standard therapy and some specialized types of urotherapy like biofeedback, neuromodulation, pharmacotherapy and botulinum toxin injections.


Throughout the history of warfare, military leaders have recognized the potentially devastating consequences of ailing armies. Outbreaks of disease among the ranks have contributed to the collapse of empires and the falls of dynasties. Even today, we are just one mutation away from catastrophic consequences that would literally reshape the world as we know it. While it is true that the World Wars underscore the capacity of armed conflict among world powers to spread disease on a global scale, they also highlight the medical advances that often accompany modern warfare. Herein, we reflect upon the role of the World Wars in establishing a trajectory for modern medicine and posit an organizational role for our armed forces as a platform of cooperation in global public health.


Total radiated line power coefficients for ions of medium to heavy weight elements, called    coefficients in the atomic data and analysis structure, have been improved by algorithmically optimising the selection of configuration sets that underpin the calculation to include the most important radiating transitions driven by both the ground and metastable configurations and to establish and limit the error of truncation. The optimised calculations typically differ from Pütterich by 20%–30% with truncation error ≲ 5 % . Further appraisal of error due to atomic level bundling, atomic structure and collision strength calculation methods has been carried out. It is shown that bundling to configurations is accurate to ≲ 10 % for all ions except those with closed-shell ground configurations which give errors up to a factor 2–3. For near neutral, closed-shell ions, plane-wave Born collision strength calculations, which omit spin-change, give substantial error in comparison with distorted-wave calculations of    . For highly charged ions, spin-system breakdown reduces the error in the    markedly, typically ≲ 10 % . The error introduced by the atomic structure codes used here, autostructure and the Cowan code, is probably limited to ≲ 30 % .


Two experiments (one in the farm the other in the laboratory) were conducted at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, between February and April 2006 to determine the shooting potentials of three physiological ages (hardwood, semi-hardwood and softwood) of the stem cuttings of G. latifolia in relation to their chemical composition. The results showed that opening of first buds and first shooting occurred in softwood cuttings in 3 and 6 days, respectively. Softwood recorded the least days to buds and shoots initiation than either hardwood or semi-hardwood. Softwood cuttings on the average had 61% shooting of cuttings by the second week of planting and this was significantly (p<0.05) higher than values of semi-hardwood (21%) and hardwood (41%) during the study period. However, hardwood cuttings had vine lengths of 2.90cm by the second week of planting compared with 1.06cm recorded for softwood. Equally, softwood cuttings had 16.14 % protein, which was significantly (p<0.05) higher than either semihardwood or hardwood throughout the study period. The higher level of protein in the softwood and significant positive correlation between softwood and percentage shooting (r=0.43: n=24) at two weeks after planting support earlier development of shoot and opening of leaves in softwood cuttings. On the other hand, low carbohydrate level in the softwood cuttings could not sustain the initial rate of shoot development and growth. Hardwood cuttings eventually had significantly (p<0.05) higher shooting rate at the end of eight weeks. The positive and significant correlation (r=0.67:n=24) between carbohydrate level of parent cuttings and vine length suggest that carbohydrate has high influence on growth of vines and leaves. Also, the significant longer vines observed in the hardwood cuttings from second week after planting even though softwood cuttings started earlier showed the importance of carbohydrate level on growth of vines. The three physiological age groups of cuttings used in this study had showed varying levels of chemical composition. The internal chemical properties of the cuttings also had varying degrees of influence on the development of vines/shoots as well as growth potentials.


Rat testicular NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase was inactivated by treatment with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS) or with 2',3'-dialdehyde derivatives of 5'-ATP and NADP+. The inactivation rates were dependent on reaction time and followed pseudo-first order kinetics. The rate of inactivation of cytochrome c reducing activity by TNBS was faster than that of reducing activities for K3Fe(CN)6 and for dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP). Cytochrome c and DCPIP prevented NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase from inactivation by TNBS, but NADP(H) protected to a lesser extent. Stoichiometry indicated that two residues of amino acid modified with TNBS were essential for the enzyme activity. The 2',3'-dialdehyde derivatives of 5'-ATP and NADP+ were specific ligands for the modification of lysine residues, whereas TNBS would possibly modify residues of lysine and/or cysteine. By differential and sequential modification by 5,5'-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), TNBS and dithiothreitol, the residues of lysine and cysteine were identified in the active site of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase. These results suggest that lysyl and cysteinyl residues are located at or near the active region of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase from the rat testicular microsomal fraction.


The COVID-19 pandemic (SARS-CoV-2) is a global infectious disease with rapid spread. Some patients have severe symptoms and clinical signs caused by an excessive inflammatory response, which increases the risk of mortality. In this study, we reanalyzed scRNA-seq data of cells from bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of patients with COVID-19 with mild and severe symptoms, focusing on antibody-producing cells. In patients with severe disease, B cells seemed to be more activated and expressed more immunoglobulin genes compared with cells from patients with mild disease, and macrophages expressed higher levels of the TNF superfamily member B-cell activating factor but not of APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand). In addition, macrophages from patients with severe disease had increased pro-inflammatory features and pathways associated with Fc receptor-mediated signaling, compared with patients with mild disease. CCR2-positive plasma cells accumulated in patients with severe disease, probably because of increased CCL2 expression on macrophages from patients with severe disease. Together, these results support that different characteristics of B cells might affect the severity of COVID-19 infection.


BACKGROUND
The proper evaluation of new forms of technology depends on the results of clinical trials. However, the treatment of patients in grant-sponsored clinical trials of cancer therapy usually requires that the proposed treatment be approved in advance by an insurance carrier in a process called predetermination.

METHODS
We examined the consistency of predetermination decisions by insurance companies for 533 patients enrolled in grant-supported clinical trials of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) for breast cancer from 1989 through 1992. These decisions about coverage were compared with peer-reviewed decision making according to the study protocol and with clinical outcomes.

RESULTS
Requests for insurance coverage for ABMT were approved in 77 percent of the cases. Of these patients, 23 percent did not undergo bone marrow transplantation for protocol-based or medical reasons. Insurance coverage for ABMT was denied in response to the other requests, primarily because the therapy was considered experimental; of these patients, 51 percent eventually underwent bone marrow transplantation despite the denial of insurance. In some instances, the patient had to hire an attorney to gain coverage. The frequency of approval was not influenced by the pretreatment clinical characteristics of the patients, the design or phase of the study, the year in which the predetermination request was made, or the response to induction therapy. There was substantial inconsistency in the frequency of approval of coverage both among insurers and between decisions made by some individual insurers, even for patients in the same study protocol.

CONCLUSIONS
The predetermination process as applied to patients receiving care in clinical research trials of cancer therapy was arbitrary and capricious. Although most of the patients eventually received financial coverage for entry into clinical trials, the process of predetermination by insurers did not correlate with protocol-based medical decision making, and it was a barrier to obtaining treatment.


INTRODUCTION
Segmental instability of the spine caused by the decreased height of intervertebral discs is one of the major causes of chronic low back pain affecting 70-80% of the adult population. The decrease in height is due to degenerative lesions induced by vertical compression overload of the disc.

OBJECTIVE
A preliminary study was performed to determine if disc degeneration due to overload could be stopped. We hypothesized that disc distraction during fusion surgery from posterior approach could reduce the pressure on the discs, degeneration could be stopped, and perhaps the function could be restored.

METHODS
To characterize the condition of the discus, we used the determination glycosaminoglycan content, which is responsible for the disc-bound water content and thus for ensuring its elasticity. The use of gadolinium contrast agent in MRI (dGEMRIC) is an accepted method for determining the glycosaminoglycan content of the intervertebral disc, as the concentration of absorbed contrast agent is inversely proportional to the number of glycosaminoglycans in the intervertebral discs. In addition to pre- and postoperative dGEMRIC data, we examined disc height, lumbar lordosis, visual analog pain scale, and the Oswestry Disability Index.

RESULTS
All patients underwent monosegmental fusion following posterior distraction of the affected segment due to segmental instability. During the surgeries, lumbar lordosis did not decrease despite posterior distraction. The heights of the discus increased by an average of 3 mm, the pain decreased, and the Oswestry Disability Index improved. In the dGEMRIC studies, an average of 309.18 units/cm2 of gadolinium accumulated in the discs before surgery, which decreased postoperatively to 174.43 units/cm2. All changes were significant at the p = 0.05 significance level.

CONCLUSION
The trend of our preliminary results suggests that increasing the height of the discs can reduce the hydrostatic pressure in the discs, resulting in an increase in the amount of glycosaminoglycans, which can stop the degeneration of the discs and also initiate regeneration processes. Orv Hetil. 2022; 163(20): 789-796.


Purpose: To develop a physics‐based model that characterizes the positions of lung and lungtumortissues as functions of tidal volume and airflow Method and Materials: A physics model was developed to describe the trajectory of lungtissue during free breathing. The motion is separated into two independent components. One is cause by the local air filling, described by the pressure gradient and Young's modulus. Another is the hysteresis, which comes from the unmatched motion of neighboring tissues, described by the shear stress and shear modulus. The differential changes in tidal volume and airflow were used as starting points to determine the tissue motion as functions of tidal volume and airflow, respectively. The physical interpretation of α was made by estimating its maximum using typical values of the Young's modulus and transmural pressure from the literature and compared against measured α and β distributions from 49 patients. Results: This analysis lead to an equation that could be related to the published lungtissue motion; x=x 0+αν+βf, where r is the position of a piece of tissue located at reference position x 0. ν is the tidal volume and f is airflow. α and β are each functions of x 0 and relate tissue motion with tidal volume and airflow. The model‐predicted maximum α magnitude was 41.7mm/l. Maximum measured patient α magnitudes ranged from 25.1mm/L to 76.9mm/L, encompassing the predicted value. Conclusion: Basic physics principals could be used to generate a motion model that could be rewritten as a published free‐breathing motion equation. The model was able to predict the magnitude of α, encompassing the measured values. This work supported in part by NIHR01CA096679 and NIHR01CA116712.


At present government entity information system is independent construction by entity, there are many differences in the using software, data formats, and other aspects, It lacks of unified planning and overall normative standards, resulting in difficulties of information sharing and interaction between various systems. Therefore, We should plan by emergency data sharing and exchange platform uniformly, Using the various emergency information resources integration for emergency decision-making portal, application and information resources provide basic services interface of data exchange, resource management, Realizing departments in the application of data communication, information sharing and interconnection, To achieve the level of policy-making data in the application of the interconnection, sharing of information. The paper is based on information resources situation of government entity, In the study of service-oriented architecture (SOA), based on the functions from the system, performance, scalability and security perspective, proposed SOA-based data sharing and exchange platform for the design and implementation.


We examined the patterns of mother–firstborn children interaction following the birth of a second child. We were particularly interested in the impact of the father's involvement in family activities. A total of 47 mothers with 6‐month‐old secondborn infants participated. Four types of mother–firstborn relationship transitions were identified, using a cluster analysis: cluster 1 (46.8%) was characterized by few changes in mother–firstborn interactions, cluster 2 (21.3%) by the firstborn's negative reactions, cluster 3 (25.5%) by an increase in scolding as well as a decrease in positive behaviour by the mother, and finally cluster 4 (6.4%) by a large increase in the firstborn's positive behaviours toward the mother. No associations were found between the classification and either the gender combination of the siblings or the firstborn's age. Frequent care of the father toward their firstborn children was found in cluster 4. These results suggest that the father's behaviour in the family may be a predictor of adaptation to the birth of a new infant.


Zoom lenses with a fixed distance between focal points are analyzed. Formulas are derived for the primary design of basic parameters of a four-component zoom lens. It is also demonstrated that a three-component zoom lens can be analyzed using derived formulas. Zoom lenses with such a design can be used in a 4-f system with variable magnification or as a part of a double side telecentric lenses with variable magnification.


Digital nomads (DNs) are hyper-mobile, location-independent workers whose practices blur traditional boundaries between labour, leisure, home and travel. They rely on digital tools to work and on computer-mediated communication to share knowledge and resources. Their resource-sharing culture is vital for self-efficacy and self-actualisation — two fundamental values that define the DN identity. Community identity is a constant social-semiotic construct mutually determined by (micro) interactions and the (macro) influence of collectively shared meanings and symbols. However, most of our understanding of community identity comes from structural and synchronic properties that often assume identity "exists" as an entity, separate from underlying collective dynamics. In this paper, we approach community identity diachronically, by introducing a quantitative typology that projects conversational timelines on two dimensions relevant to understanding the process of community identity construction: (a) the temporal orientation to the community core (or peripheral) conversation topics, and (b) interaction pattern anomalies. We cast three years of r/digitalnomad threads as a set of conversation topics, describing the interaction dynamics on these topics using the proposed typology. The central questions asked by this paper are whether there was a pre-pandemic stable community expression, and if so, how the COVID-19 pandemic may have perturbed it. Since lockdowns and travel restrictions impinged on fundamental DN values, the nature of the topics and interaction patterns that characterise the r/digitalnomad subreddit could have changed its character. We found a stable pre-pandemic balanced expression of core and peripheral conversation topics with regular interaction patterns. This identity expression was perturbed temporarily in the middle of the lockdown period when the community shifted focus to interactions about visa issues. As many countries began to re-open their borders around May 2021, a record-breaking number of interactions disrupted identity expression more profoundly. First, we observed constant interaction anomalies. Second, the community orientation revealed multi-factorial emergent issues, most of which revolved around conversations about what it means to be a DN, resource sharing and restrictions. We hypothesise that an influx of outsiders may have caused a clash of social norms and triggered a transformation of the DN identity that was still ongoing at the end of the studied period, in December 2021.


Facing the issue of sustainable mobility, the common idea is to promote a modal shift from road to rail transport. It was the main idea of the EU white paper (2001). In terms of infrastructure charges, the consequence was then to offer low fares to the train operators in order to reduce the relative cost of mobility by train, for passengers and for freight. According to the both threatens, that is to say climate change (because of CO2 emissions) and increasing price of oil, the issue of modal shift is more and more crucial. But if we consider the French case study, the hypothesis of more and more cross subsidisation, from road to rail, is not so obvious. Even if such a system is more or less in function to day, the sustainability of a growing transfer between the two modes is problematic. Two main reasons lead to this conclusion. The first one, presented in the first part of the paper, is linked to the forecasted traffic growth. Due to increasing constraints on road (and air ?) transport, rail traffic could reach a high level in 2050, at once for High Speed Trains (HST) and for local and especially urban trains. But this evolution raises a lot of difficulties because local trains are heavily subsidised and it is more and more the case fort he new High Speed Lines. So we probably have to change the French tradition to subsidise mobility. The second one, presented in the second part, is related to the impossibility of having such a level of rail traffic with a cross subsidisation logic. The main challenges faced by the French railroad charging system are best understood when looking at RFFs financial situation. The main difficulty when considering RFFs financial prospects relies in the noticeable increase forecasted in infrastructure charges. On which part of the network will it be imputed? Should present imbalances be maintained or even worsened? Or should tariffs be increased only on the lines which need the most important replacement expenses? The third part of the paper will try to give some solutions. To understand what could be the options, we can first have a look to the last ten years. The level of rail infrastructure charges have been progressively increased and a first objective is almost reached. The cost of maintenance will be soon equivalent to the sum of infrastructure charges. So a first challenge have been successfully faced. But the ministry of Transport, as a supervisor of the rail infrastructure charges, is now facing a new challenge. Shall we continue to increase the charges? In order to cover not only the cost of maintenance, but also the regeneration cost and the heavy financial cost of the former rail investments, especially to built new High Speed Lines (HSL)? From a theoretical and financial point of view, the answer is rather simple. When there is an important demand, with weak elasticity, it is possible to apply a Ramsey-Boiteux pricing scheme. For instance, infrastructure charges paid by the trains using the HSL between Paris and Lyon (opened in 1981 and largely paid off) are four times higher than the cost, this cost including maintenance, regeneration and some capacity investments. Due to the growing traffic on HSL, is there now an opportunity to cover, at a national level, all the rail infrastructure costs, that is to say to adopt, at the scale of the network, rather a long run marginal social cost (LRMC) than a short run marginal cost (SRMC) ? For the covering abstract see ITRD E137145.


It has been demonstrated through recent findings that chemotherapy treatments which utilize the combined Interleukin-12 (IL-12) and chemotherapy agent Oxaliplatin (OXP) effectively combat metastasized colorectal cancer in lab mice. To explore the effects of various treatment strategies on tumor control, we conducted simulation experiments based on a calibrated mathematical model using ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The experiments presented in this work focused on treatment effects of a group of non-responders and partial-responders who survived two treatment cycles of combined OXP and IL12 therapy and did not responded or partially responded to the third treatment cycle using the same treatment protocol, respectively. Impulses reflecting dose and frequency change of IL12 and/or OXP were specifically manipulated and results were analyzed for differences in effects of IL-12 strength, OXP dose size, OXP treatment cycles, and overall number of treatment cycles on tumor growth. The results of the 30 different parameter sets evaluated show that increases in the size of the dose of administered OXP and an increase in the frequency of OXP treatment cycles significantly lowered tumor volume in partial responders over the span of 720 days. For non-responders, on the other hand, the results tended to be miniscule. While increases in the frequency of OXP treatment cycles and the number of treatment cycles overall did step down the tumor volume on a median scale of the 30 parameter sets, these effects were small and sometimes insignificant. The project was supported by NIH Grant P20GM103434 to the West Virginia IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence and the Research Challenge Fund through a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Division of Science and Research.


Background: To estimate the magnitude and determinants of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among persons with diabetes registered at the employee health department of King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH). Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted in 2013–14 at KKESH. The case record review extracted demographic, profile of diabetes, diabetic complications, and different blood indices to determine the status of potential risk factors. Ocular profile, especially DR was also noted. Results: Our cohort had 94 staff with diabetes. Eye examination was carried out in 51 (54.8%) of them. The rate of DR was 52% (95% confidence interval (CI) 28–66). Sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) (proliferative DR and/or diabetic macular edema) was present in 40% of those examined. Good glycemic control was noted in 42% of participants. Duration of diabetes was associated with DR (P = 0.04). Good glycemic control was negatively associated to DR (odds ratio = 0.2 [95% CI 0.04–0.6]). The coverage of eye screening was 55% only. Laser treatment was given to 80% of STDR cases. The lens opacity and glaucoma rate was 15% and 8.3%, respectively. Conclusions: Low coverage for eye screening and laser treatment to diabetics among the staff of an eye hospital is a matter of concern. The underlying causes of low coverage of screening, digital fundus photography as a screening tool and management should be addressed.


All human needs are compromised by everyday stressful conditions, which may be objectively devastating or subjectively augmented due to idiosyncratic way of thinking. Unmanaged acute stress can affect emotions, thinking and behavior and chronic stress can result in several severe health problems. Philosophy may provide a frame of thinking that may help in managing everyday stress. There are personal dimensions in the philosophical management of stress based on examples of Aristotle's eudaimonia consisted of morality and pleasure, Plato's transcendence aiming to join with the supreme good, Pyrrho's serenity through suspension of judgement and the Stoics' rational attachment to virtue. Furthermore, there are social dimensions of philosophical management of stress, since there is abundant scientific evidence that stress affects moral decision-making and therefore an ethical theory of life may not be sufficient in stressful conditions. In this context, such social aspects include the relationship of eudaimonia with community life, the artistic practice and the virtual eroticism in the contemporary world of digital media as a stress relief from physical confrontation with other persons in real life, the empathy and care as a crucial quality for stress relief and social change, as well as the Epicurean approach of stress management that may have both personal and social utility. Intervention programs of stress management combining many lifestyle techniques have been shown to enhance resilience and decrease stress for a period of time, based on systematic behavioral change. Two successful novel empirical pilot studies of pure philosophical management of stress based on cognitive psychotherapy and modification of mentality have been presented, both of them realized in the COVID-19 pandemic period: a three-month positive psychology intervention combined with Epicurean and Stoic concepts was provided to adolescent students and a month-long philosophical management of stress program based on Science and Epicurean Philosophy was offered to public sector professionals.


Abstract Medical simulation is used in a growing number of medical education institutions all over the world. Since 2013, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureş has introduced a number of simulation methods into the curriculum of certain subjects, the number of which is expanding. This article sums up some of the knowledge available in the literature regarding medical simulation and presents the general framework under which it is used in medical learning in our University.


Neonatal sepsis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among term and preterm infants worldwide.assessment of the changes in cerebral blood flow velocity [CBFV] in cases of the neonatal sepsis.This study including 100 infants. 60neonates are diagnosed with neonatal sepsis [Sepsis group].while the other 40 neonates with no signs of neonatal sepsis [Control group]. Trans-cranial Doppler [TCD] was carried out for assessment of blood flow velocity in the anterior [ACA] and middle cerebral arteries [MCA] Peak systolic velocity [PSV], end diastolic velocity [EDV], and resistive index [RI] were measured.RI and PI were significantly decreased, with mean RI 0.56in MCA & Median RI in ACA 0.59 & Median PI 0.98; 0.98 in MCA & ACA respectively in the case group, while with a mean RI 0.75 in MCA & Median RI 0.72 in ACA respectively & Median PI1.35; 1.27 in MCA & ACA respectively .Whereas the Peak systolic velocity was increased with a mean of 69.07 in MCA & Median of 66.4 in ACA respectively in case group & mean of 50.22; in MCA & Median of 44.0 in ACA in control group with p value <0.001 in MCA & ACA respectively. neonatal sepsis causes increase in Peak systolic velocity & decrease in the Resistive & Pulsatility index thus causing increase in the cerebral blood flow, which in turn showed increased incidence in Intraventricular hemorrhage .


Operator angle-action variables are studied in the frame of the SU(2) algebra, and their eigenstates and coherent states are discussed. The quantum mechanical addition of actionangle variables is shown to lead to a novel non commutative Hopf algebra. The group contraction is used to make the connection with the harmonic oscillator.


Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is the second most common cause of viral meningitis and the most common cause of recurrent meningitis. Although the incidence of HSV-2 meningitis is high, its clinical characteristics are not well known. The purpose of this study was to review the clinical characteristics and prognosis of HSV-2 meningitis. Methods: We analyzed patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurology at Severance Hospital with a final diagnosis of HSV-2 meningitis, as confirmed by applying the polymerase chain reaction to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients. Results: The study involved 998 patients with aseptic meningitis and 60 patients diagnosed with HSV-2 meningitis. The mean age at meningitis presentation was 32.5 years (range 18-54 years), and 72% of the patients were female. Common clinical symptoms were headache (100%), nausea and/or vomiting (83%), meningismus (57%), and fever (55%). Six patients had a history of genital herpes infection, and 11 had a past history of recurrent meningitis. The CSF study was notable for elevated protein (111.0±53.5 mg/dL, mean±standard deviation) and white cell count (332.0±211.3 cells/μL). The CSF/ serum glucose ratio was 0.52±0.90. Various treatments were applied, including conservative care, antiviral agents, empirical antibiotics, and combined treatments. All patients recovered without serious neurologic sequelae. Conclusions: HSV-2 meningitis is relatively common, as are recurrent episodes. The clinical characteristics of HSV-2 meningitis are similar to those of other types of aseptic meningitis. HSV-2 meningitis is treated using antiviral therapy, and the prognosis is favorable even with conservative treatment. J Korean Neurol Assoc 34(2):112-115, 2016


This thesis is composed of two studies. The principal aim of the first study, the Sites of Atheroma Study, was to determine whether plasma fibrinogen, fibrin D-dimer and other haemostatic factors (von Willebrand Factor and plasminogen activator inhibitor - type I) were related to the angiographic site and severity of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the lower limb. The principal aim of the second study, the Prognostic Study of Intermittent Claudication, was to determine whether plasma fibrinogen, fibrin D-dimer and other haemostatic factors (von Willebrand Factor and tissue plasminogen activator), were related to the future incidence of atherothrombotic events, and deterioration of peripheral arterial disease in subjects with intermittent claudication. The study samples in both studies consisted of men and women with ischaemic symptoms in the lower limb referred to the Peripheral Vascular Clinic, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. In the Sites of Atheroma Study, 192 patients referred for angiography were categorised by site and severity of peripheral atherosclerosis using the Bollinger angiographic scoring system. A clinical examination was conducted on each patient including the administration of a questionnaire and taking of a blood sample for the measurement of haemostatic factors. In the Prognostic Study, 607 patients with intermittent claudication who had had a comprehensive examination at baseline, including measurement of haemostatic factors, were followed up over six years to determine the incidence of fatal and non-fatal ischaemic heart disease and stroke and deterioration of peripheral arterial disease. Follow-up data were obtained from hospital records, general practitioners, self-administered questionnaires, the Information and Statistics division of the Common Services Agency and the Scottish National Health Service Central Registry. Results from the Sites of Atheroma Study indicated that 34 (17.7%) patients had predominantly aorto-iliac disease, 85 (44.3%) had femoro-popliteal disease and 73 (38.0%) had dual-site disease. There were no significant differences in the mean levels of the haemostatic factors between patients with disease affecting different sites. An independent relationship was found between nephelometric fibrinogen and between fibrin D-dimer and disease severity only in the femoro-popliteal arteries. On multiple regression, fibrinogen remained independently associated with disease severity in the femoro-popliteal arteries, when life-time smoking or current smoking were taken into account. There was no influence of current smoking on the association between fibrin D-dimer and disease severity but, on inclusion of life-time smoking, the association became non-significant. In the Prognostic Study of Intermittent Claudication, a total of 210 (34.6%) patients died during the six year follow-up period. Of these 90 (42.9%) died from ischaemic heart disease, 29 (13.8%) from stroke and 27 (12.9%) from other vascular causes, including cardiac arrhythmias and ruptured aneurysm. Ninety three (15.3%) patients had a non-fatal myocardial infarction and 79 (13.0%) had a fatal or non-fatal stroke. Forty five (7.4%) patients underwent investigations for peripheral arterial disease and 64 (10.5%) patients progressed to severe chronic leg ischaemia. A total of 203 (33.4%) patients did not have a vascular event or show any deterioration of limb ischaemia. Baseline median levels of plasma fibrinogen, fibrin D-dimer and von Willebrand Factor were significantly higher in patients who died from ischaemic heart disease compared to those who had no vascular events. Tissue plasminogen activator antigen levels were significantly elevated in patients who suffered a stroke. All the relationships between the haemostatic factors and vascular events became weaker and statistically non-significant in analysis adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and baseline ischaemic heart disease. von Willebrand Factor levels were significantly raised in claudicants who developed severe chronic leg ischaemia (rest pain, ulceration and gangrene). In multivariate analyses adjusting for life-time smoking, fibrinogen became significantly associated with the risk of vascular intervention, and von Willebrand Factor was associated with the risk of severe chronic leg ischaemia. In conclusion, these results indicate that there may be a stronger relationship between chronic smoking and increased fibrin turnover than coagulation in symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. Increased coagulation and fibrinolytic activity may also contribute to thrombosis or progression of atherosclerosis in the coronary and cerebral arteries in claudicants. The effect that fibrinogen, fibrin D-dimer and other haemostatic factors may have on the progression of peripheral arterial disease was mostly independent of cigarette smoking.


The relationship between population growth and agricultural! change has been much debated in the academic literature. The existence of seasonal, rural labor shortages as well as untilled land in the densely populated, southern African nation of Malawi is somewhat of a paradox given neo-klalthusian and Boserupian expectations in such a situation. The objective of this paper is to explore the population and agricultural change dynamics of ~he Malawian small-hold farming sector in relation to the theoretical discourse. The current agrarian situation in Malawi is explained in terms of agricultural and labor policies of colonial and post-colonial governments, local labor dynamics, and the country's geographical characteristics. The neo-Marxist or poiitical econotny perspective best explains the population and agricultural change interactions in Malawi. This framework's attention to the colonial legacy, international capitalism and class-based national policies is highly appropriate 10 the Malawian case.


The human insulin-like-growth-factor-2 (IGF-2) gene generates mRNAs with four different leader sequences, but with identical coding and trailing regions. Previous research has revealed that the leader-2-containing and leader-4-containing mRNAs are completely polysomal, whereas mRNAs possessing leader-3 are predominantly present in the untranslated free messenger ribonucleoprotein particle (mRNP), both in cell lines and in foetal liver tissue. To investigate the influence of the IGF-2 leader sequences on expression of the gene, IGF-2 leader-luciferase and leader-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fusion constructs were transfected transiently into different cell lines. In these experiments, the levels of expression obtained by constructs with leader-1, leader-2 and leader-4 were very similar, both at the level of mRNA and protein. Leader-3, however, strongly repressed the expression of the fusion mRNA via an unknown mechanism. This repression appeared to be confined to nucleotides at positions 328-906 of the leader sequence. The remaining 5' part of the leader sequence was efficient both in RNA expression and in translation, but the 3' part of the leader (nucleotides 906-1180) again moderately repressed luciferase expression, possibly due to endonucleolytic cleavage in this region of the RNA. To evaluate the effect of the IGF-2 leaders on in vitro translation, leader-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fusion mRNAs were synthesized and translated in reticulocyte lysates. Compared to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase control RNA, leader-1-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase mRNA translated over 20-fold less efficiently, whereas leader-2 repressed translation of its chloramphenicol acetyltransferase mRNA moderately (3-5 fold). Despite a general improvement of the translation efficiency upon translation in HeLa lysate, these discrepancies with the transfection data persisted. Translation of leader-3-containing mRNAs in reticulocyte lysates was barely detectable. The whole 5' region of leader-3, up to nucleotide 614, could be shown to be repressive. Only leader-4 directed translation of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase open reading frame efficiently. As with leader-1 and leader-2, this L4-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase mRNA translated in a cap-dependent manner under the conditions of our experiments; translation of this mRNA was relatively resistant to addition of cap analogue. We conclude that all four IGF-2 leader sequences differ in their translational properties. This makes it likely that changes in the translational machinery will affect the expression of the various IGF-2 mRNAs differentially.


Objectives This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of ECT as a treatment for postnatal depression compared with a matched non-postnatal population. A secondary aim is to compare the number of ECT treatments needed to treat in both groups. As the numbers in this study are small, this would act as a pilot study, allowing a power calculation to determine the numbers needed for a more definitive study. Methods Cases were identified from the local Scottish ECT Accreditation Network (SEAN) database. 12 patients had received ECT and had complete data from all those admitted to the Glasgow Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) since its opening. Each case was matched to two controls who had also received ECT, and who were matched for age, sex, and severity of depressive symptoms. It was not possible to find two controls for each case and 23 controls were allocated. Severity was matched using the Montgomery-Asperg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), which is completed for all patients receiving ECT in Scotland, at the beginning and end of their course. As all controls were matched for initial severity of symptoms using MADRS, the change in MADRS score between both groups was compared. Results When comparing the mean change in MADRS score between both groups, it was seen that the perinatal patients score dropped by a mean of 10.09 points more than the controls (95% CI for difference -0.54, 20.73, P-Value 0.062). No difference was seen between the groups when comparing number of treatments (7.8 v 8). Conclusions Further research is required.


Human tubercle bacillus protein MA-100 was isolated by Masucci and McAlpine (1) in November, 1929, from the filtrate of cultures of the human tubercle bacillus H-37, grown on Long's synthetic culture medium. This medium contains no protein, but contains asparagin as a source of organic nitrogen. All proteins present with various other substances, not medium constituents, therefore, in the filtrate must have been synthesized by the tubercle bacillus.
 One of the most important of these substances is a specific polysaccharide, closely associated with the proteins. However, Masucci and McAlpine have been able to isolate not only a protein MA-100 free from the polysaccharide, but to obtain the poly-saccharide free from the protein. The designation MA-100 is given the protein to classify the material with the chart published by Johnson (2).
 Only one phase of these investigations; namely, the skin sensitivity of man to this particular human tubercle bacillus protein MA-100, when the protein is introduced intradermally, is dealt with in this communication.


Introduction: About 15% of couples are infertile, with the male factor being responsible for about 50% of these cases of infertility. Idiopathic oligospermia (IO) is a dilemma that faces every andrologist and yet is one of the most common causes of male infertility. Although studies have shed some light on multiple treatment modalities and their effectiveness, one of the most fascinating ones is follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Methodology: This is a single tertiary center retrospective study; all patients with severe IO (sperm count of <5 million/ml) from January 2016 till January 2018 were included in the study. We divided our retrospective population into 2 groups, Group 1 who received FSH 75 IU (Menogon®) twice a week and Group 2 who received FSH 150 IU (Menogon®) twice a week. Semen parameters were recorded pretreatment and posttreatment. Results: Number of the patients included in the study was 32. Group 1 included 16 patients who received FSH 75 IU. Group 2 included 16 patients who received FSH 150 IU. After 4 months of treatment, the mean sperm count in Group 1 increased to 4.745 million/ml (pretreatment was 1.235 million/ml), while in Group 2, it was 1.516 million/ml (pretreatment was 0.578 million/ml). The mean total motility in Group 1 was 20.3%, while Group 2 mean total motility was 27.5%. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study elicited that a dose of FSH as low as 75 IU can improve sperm count significantly in patients with severe IO.


The mineral beyerite (CaBi2O2(CO3)2), a member of the "sillen" family possessing a layer sequence, (Bi2O2)2+–CO32−–Ca2+–CO32−–(Bi2O2)2+ has successfully been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions in a single step for the first time. Uniform rectangular plates of beyerite crystallites with a surface area of 33 m2 g−1 were obtained by heating a solution containing bismuth nitrate and calcium carbonate in ethylene glycol along with the addition of a saturated solution of sodium carbonate at 140 °C. The sample was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction combined with Rietveld refinement, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectra and diffuse reflectance measurements. The band gap estimated for beyerite was found to be 3.97 eV and was utilized subsequently to form heterostructure with BiOI (band gap of 1.76 eV), another member belonging to the sillen family. The formation of the composite BiOI/CaBi2O2(CO3)2 has been confirmed by a variety of techniques and its photocatalytic properties as a UV-visible photocatalyst has been demonstrated for the degradation of aqueous solutions of rhodamine B and phenol. Photocatalytic experiments in presence of scavengers suggested the possible mechanism occurring through holes and peroxide radicals rather than the hydroxyl radicals.


Through analyses of the new data of the glacier variation in Bujiagangri Section of the East Tanggula Range since the Little Ice Age (LIA), it was found that the area and volume of the glaciers during the maximum of the LIA, the 15th Century, were 241 46 km 2 and 19 6282 km 3 respectively in the section,which indicates that the glacier area and volume have decreased by 23.7% and 15.1% respectively since then. 184 glaciers with a length of about 0.6 km have been molten away since the LIA. The absolute variation in area and volume of each glacier since the LIA increased and the relative variation decreased with size. The mean area shrinkage, the mean retreat and the mean terminus height rise of the glaciers on the south slopes were larger than that on the north slopes, which implies that the glaciers on the south slopes were more sensitive to climate change than that on the north slopes. Since the LIA, the snow line in this section has risen about 90 m, equivalent to a temperature rise of about 0 6 ℃.


The objective of this paper is to present the development and assessment of finite element (FE) models used for analyzing projectile penetration depth in targets made from conventional (23 MPa) to very-high strength concretes (157 MPa). Results from the FE models were compared with experimental values. The effects of varying concrete compressive strength, projectile diameter, nose shape, and striking velocity on the penetration depth of the targets were captured. Two concrete constitutive material models, the Holmquist-Johnson-Cook and the Advanced Fundamental Concrete models, were implemented in the FE analyses for determining their suitability in predicting penetration mechanics with reasonable accuracy. In most cases, the finite element results were able to predict penetration depth experimental values within a total root mean square of 10% or less considering a wide-range of projectile striking velocities. Both concrete constitutive models were shown to be suitable for penetration mechanics problems. However, based on the findings of this paper, caution should be exercised in applying the material models for targets made from harder aggregates such as quartz. 


The ability to engineer adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for targeted infection of specific cell types is critically important to fully harness its potential of human gene therapy. A promising approach to achieve this objective involves chemically attaching retargeting ligands onto the virus capsid. Site-specific incorporation of a bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) into the AAV capsid proteins provides a particularly attractive strategy to introduce such modifications with exquisite precision. In this study, we show that using ncAA mutagenesis, it is possible to systematically alter the attachment site of a retargeting ligand (cyclic-RGD) on the AAV capsid to create diverse conjugate architectures, and that the site of attachment heavily impacts the retargeting efficiency. We further demonstrate that the performance of these AAV conjugates is highly sensitive to the stoichiometry of capsid labeling (labels per capsid), with an intermediate labeling density (∼12 per capsid) providing optimal activity. Finally, we developed technology to precisely control the number of attachment sites per AAV capsid, by selectively incorporating a ncAA into the minor capsid proteins with high fidelity and efficiency, such that AAV-conjugates with varying stoichiometry can be synthesized in a homogeneous manner. Together, this platform provides unparalleled control over site and stoichiometry of capsid modification, which will enable the development of next-generation AAV vectors tailored with desirable attributes.


In recent years, in order to save line corridors and reduce the scope of demolition, some new transmission modes for high voltage AC and DC power transmission line are proposed. According to the characteristics of the parallel transmission line, this paper studies the distribution characteristics of the electric field intensity of multi circuit parallel transmission lines and the single circuit transmission line. Comparing and analysing the simulation results of the electric field strength, the safety measures for live working of 1000kV AC transmission line with multi circuit parallel transmission lines is put forward. That is the electric field protective equipment and measures used in the live line work of the 1000kV UHV AC single circuit line can meet the requirements of the live operation of the 1000kV UHV AC double circuit line.


The lack of adequate stereo coverage and where available, lengthy processing time, various artefacts, and unsatisfactory quality and complexity of automating the selection of the best set of processing parameters, have long been big barriers for large-area planetary 3D mapping. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based solution, called MADNet (Multi-scale generative Adversarial u-net with Dense convolutional and up-projection blocks), that avoids or resolves all of the above issues. We demonstrate the wide applicability of this technique with the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) 4.6 m/pixel images on Mars. Only a single input image and a coarse global 3D reference are required, without knowing any camera models or imaging parameters, to produce high-quality and high-resolution full-strip Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) in a few seconds. In this paper, we discuss technical details of the MADNet system and provide detailed comparisons and assessments of the results. The resultant MADNet 8 m/pixel CaSSIS DTMs are qualitatively very similar to the 1 m/pixel HiRISE DTMs. The resultant MADNet CaSSIS DTMs display excellent agreement with nested Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), Mars Express's High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) DTMs at large-scale, and meanwhile, show fairly good correlation with the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) DTMs for fine-scale details. In addition, we show how MADNet outperforms traditional photogrammetric methods, both on speed and quality, for other datasets like HRSC, CTX, and HiRISE, without any parameter tuning or re-training of the model. We demonstrate the results for Oxia Planum (the landing site of the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover 2023) and a couple of sites of high scientific interest.


Oral delivery of protein drugs based on nanoparticulate delivery system requires permeation of the nanoparticles through the mucus layer and subsequent absorption via epithelial cells. However, overcoming these two barriers requires very different or even contradictory surface properties of the nanocarriers, which greatly limits the oral bioavailability of macromolecular drugs. Here we report a simple zwitterions-based nanoparticle (NP) delivery platform, which showed a great potency in simultaneously overcoming both the mucus and epithelium barriers. The dense and hydrophilic coating of zwitterions endows the NPs with excellent mucus penetrating ability. Moreover, the zwitterions-based NPs also possessed excellent affinity with epithelial cells, which significantly improved (4.5-fold) the cellular uptake of DLPC NPs, compared to PEGylated NPs. Our results also indicated that this affinity was due to the interaction between zwitterions and the cell surface transporter PEPT1. Moreover, the developed NPs loaded with insulin could induce a prominent hypoglycemic response in diabetic rats following oral administration. These results suggest that zwitterions-based NPs might provide a new perspective for oral delivery of protein therapeutics.


A rigorous study of a new technique for Ultrasonic B-Scan imaging was performed. This technique made use of a Frequency Modulated (FM) pulse as opposed to the conventional Short pulse for imaging. The simulation studies offered sufficient support for this method, which was then implemented in the laboratory. Experiments were performed on phantoms which mimicked the attenuating medium. Due to the more flexible nature of this FM pulse, changes in the point spread function were studied as a function of bandwidth and depth of the scatterer. The backscattered signal was digitized post processed, and then displayed as a gray-scale B-scan image. The beam profile and the propagation of the pulse in the attenuating medium was carefully studied. Applications for tissue characterizations were explored through simulation studies.


Several pulse crops are grown around the world and approximately 62 million tons are produced on over 82 million hectares. Their relative importance differs from country to country and region to region. It is impossible to discuss research being carried out internationally
on all these crops and therefore for the purpose of this
article we have selected three pulse crops; namely, pigeonpea, chickpea, and lentil. The main reason for
selecting these crops is their importance in the diet of the people as well as their widespread cultivation
in the Indian subcontinent.


The pharmacological effects of the ethereal extract and aqueous extract of Pericarpium Zanthoxyli on warming the middle-jiao to alleviate pain have been studied. It is suggested that the effects of Pericarpium Zanthoxyli on antagonizing ulcer, and inflammatory and functional diarrheas, protecting liver, and correcting gastrointestinal disorder are the connotation of its warming the middle-jiao to alleviate pain, its analgesic effect helps to relieve various abdominal pains.


Abstract. Information systems are organizations in which signs are created, processed and consumed. In order to fulfil the organizational goals and objectives, its members must understand their responsibilities and authorities, and must act co‐operatively. The key to this organization and co‐ordination lies in norms, which define responsibilities and authorities for each human agent, and establish regularities of behaviour. In the context of co‐operative work, where 'intelligent' software agents are involved, to understand the norms of behaviour of various human agents becomes critical. Software agents can perform some tasks autonomously on the user's behalf. Such delegation involves a set of complicated philosophical and legal issues. After discussion on delineation of various boundaries of responsibility and authorities, this paper addresses norms and normative behaviour of human agents within an organization. It discusses the taxonomies of norms and a method of norm specification, with examples. Finally it presents an approach of norm‐based agency for designing collaborative information systems and a case study of an insurance claim for illustration.


Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of breast size on upper extremity flexibility, back extensors strength, back extensors endurance, body image and physical activity level. Method: A total of 80 female students (n=20 in each group; A, B, C, D bra cup size) between the ages of 18-25 years participated in this study. The physical fitness assessment was done by; Shoulder Reach Test (SRT) for upper extremity flexibility, back and leg dynamometer for back extensors strength, Sorensen Test (ST) for back extensors endurance and 3 Minute Step Test (3 MST) for cardiorespiratory fitness. The Body Image Scale (BIS) for assessing the body image and the International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ) for evaluating the physical activity level was also used. Results: The right upper extremity flexibility of woman with B cup size were significantly less flexible than the A cup size (p=0.004). The cardiorespiratory fitness of the woman with A and B cup sizes were significantly different than the woman with D cup size (p=0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). The activity level of the woman with D cup size was significantly less than those with C cup size (p=0.007). The other parameters of physical fitness (i.e. back extensors strength, back extensors endurance) and body image were not significantly different when comparing woman with different cup sizes. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity levels of the woman with D cup size were different when comparing to the woman's with smaller cup sizes. With the light of this study we could suggest for the woman with bigger cup sizes to increase their activity levels in order to prevent possible problems like reduced physical fitness and disturbed body image in the future.


This greatly expanded edition of 101 Careers in Nursing (2006) offers an almost exhaustive array of potential careers in nursing education and practice for nurses at all levels. This new edition doubles the number of potential nursing careers and updates previous entries. Twenty informative interviews with nurses working in a variety of roles and settings will bring to life the breadth of opportunities available to nurses today. As the only volume to provide an extensive list of nursing careers and descriptions, 201 Careers in Nursing will be of value to nurses considering a change in career direction, nurses who facilitate career choices, and students entering the field. Key Features: Adds 100 careers to earlier edition and updates previous entries Reformatted for ease of use, including basic career descriptions, educational requirements, core competencies, and requisite skills Features 13 interviews with nurses in different careers in academia and practice settings Sample Careers: Addictions Counselor Armed Service Nurse Childbirth Educator Clinical Trial Nurse Consultant Cruise Ship/Resort Nurse Disaster/Bioterrorism Nurse Fraud and Abuse Investigator Genetic Counselor Health Policy Analyst Media Consultant Space Nurse/Astronaut Telehealth Nurse


Poor health-care system of Ukraine was the impetus for radical reform of the industry through the introduction of family medicine as a primary care for population. This led to the necessity for rapid training of the specialists and the development of special training programs in medical universities. Teachers have a problem to form a work model of general practitioners in severe diagnostic cases, which is especially important in the case of septic lesions of the nervous system.


Introduction: Axillary lymph node biopsy in an irradiated or previously operated axilla can be technically challenging. Radio-labeled seed localized (RSL) biopsy is an emerging modality for localizing tissue of interest that is not amenable to wire localization.
Case Report: A 60 year old female with history of breast cancer presented ten months after her initial resection with a new chest wall mass and an enlarged right axillary lymph node situated posterior and superior to the axillary vein. Given its location, wire localization was not possible and on the other hand operating without localization was too risky. We elected to place a 125I labeled titanium seed in the lymph node which greatly facilitated this otherwise difficult dissection and safely delivered the specimen needed for diagnostic purposes.
Discussion: With the advancement of imaging technology, surgeons are able to safely and accurately recover diagnostic tissue specimen from extremely challenging anatomic spaces. Radio-labeled seed localization is another step in furthering surgical capabilities in this regard. RSL provides several advantages over wire localization: placement in lesions located deep in body cavities, seed placement can be scheduled a day prior to surgery thus making it more easier on patients, and no risk of cutting or dislodging the wire.
Clinical practice points: The use of radio-labeled seed localized (RSL) breast biopsy is growing in popularity and is replacing wire localized breast biopsy.
We present a case of a radioactive seed localized axillary lymph node resection that was not amenable to wire localization. Radioactive seed allowed precise localization of the node in a difficult anatomic location, thus facilitating successful resection of the node.
Seed localization is a versatile approach for localizing lesions of interest and holds promise for not only breast surgery, but also for marking nodes or lesions of interest that are located deep in the abdominal or thoracic cavity.


We have developed an approach integrating statistical rock physics with pressure and thermal history modeling for quantitative seismic interpretation (QSI). Extending the training data for lithofacies classification and deriving distributions for scenarios not available in the original training require knowledge about geologic processes affecting the elastic properties in the subsurface. We model pressure and thermal history and corresponding smectite to illite diagenesis with a basin model across Thunder Horse minibasin in the Gulf of Mexico. By comparing the mapped lithofacies with and without basin-modeling extrapolations against the results of a reference workflow, we found the value of integrating basin modeling results and statistical rock physics with QSI workflows. The reference workflow uses all available data from two wells in the QSI. The first workflow performs the same lithofacies classification with data from only a single well and does not account for spatial trends away from the well. In the second workflow, we use data from only a single well, the same well as in the first workflow, and bring in extrapolation from the basin and petroleum system modeling at the location of the second well. Results for the first workflow indicate significant differences with the reference workflow in the training data, the quality of the inverted impedance volumes, and the classified reservoir lithofacies. In the second workflow, the guided extrapolation of the training data accounts for spatial trends away from the well and the quality of the impedance inversion significantly improves. The predicted lithofacies map in this scenario shows only minor differences from the reference workflow, and the posterior probabilities of lithofacies show less uncertainty compared with the first workflow. The superiority of the second workflow demonstrates the added value of the integration workflow to QSI in cases of spatially limited well control.


This paper proposes a new fault detection and isolation method for the spacecraft attitude sensors by integrating the dedicated observer scheme (DOS) and extended Kalman filter (EKF). In this paper, the attitude sensors are arranged into several groups and then a bank of EKFs are designed to estimate the attitude. Using the attitude estimates provided by the EKFs, a fault detection and isolation strategy is constructed based on the methodology of DOS. The main contribution of this paper lies in that the proposed method not only considers the faults in the gyroscopes but also can deal with those in the star sensor. Moreover, the biases in the gyroscopes are considered in the design of EKF so as to ensure the accuracy of the proposed method. Finally, simulation results are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.


In the present study, 124 enterococcal strains, isolated from traditional Italian cow, goat and buffalo cheeses, were characterized using phenotypic features and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD–PCR). The RAPD–PCR profiles obtained with four primers and five different amplification conditions were compared by numerical analysis and allowed an inter- and intraspecific differentiation of the isolates. Whole-cell protein analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) was used as a reference method for species identification. The strains were identified as Enterococcus faecalis (82 strains), E. faecium (27 strains), E. durans (nine strains), E. gallinarum (four strains) and E. hirae (two strains). Species recognition by means of RAPD–PCR was in agreement with the SDS–PAGE results except for eight strains of E. faecium that clustered in separated groups. On the other hand, phenotypic identification based on carbohydrate fermentation profiles, using the rapid ID 32 STREP galleries, gave different results from SDS–PAGE in 12·1% of the cases. The majority of the strains had weak acidifying and proteolytic activities in milk. One E. faecium strain showed vanA (vancomycin resistance) genotype while four strains showed a β-haemolytic reaction on human blood. Several strains showed antagonistic activity towards indicator strains of Listeria innocua, Clostridium tyrobutyricum and Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii.


The objective of the study is to analyze the factors affecting employee job satisfaction in restaurants in Butwal, Nepal. The independent variables under study are: working conditions, remuneration, employees' relationship with supervisors, and co-worker relations, while the dependent variable is employees' job satisfaction. The structured questionnaire survey was conducted by taking a sample of 92 respondents from the grade 'A' level restaurant of Butwal area. The descriptive research design using correlation and regression was used to analyze the data. Primary data was collected from sampled staff of Restaurant industry of Butwal. The summarized data is presented using percentages and presented using tables and pie charts. Research ethics were observed before, during and after carrying out the research. Study results indicate that two factors remuneration plan and relationship with co-workers had a significant relationship with dependent variable. The findings also indicate that factors attributes to working conditions and relationship with supervisors were the most statistically significant independently with employee' job satisfaction.


TURNER'S SYNDROME in its most common form is a congenital disorder appearing in phenotypic females. It is characterized clinically by short stature, gonadal dysgenesis, sexual infantilism, and various somatic anomalies. A counterpart of this disorder in phenotypic males has been reported much less frequently and is not universally considered to be related to the female entity. In an effort to further define this syndrome in the male and its relationship to Turner's syndrome in the female, the present case is reported with a current review and summary of the literature. Report of Case A 13-year-old white boy was admitted to Ohio State University Hospital on Sept 6, 1964 for evaluation of growth retardation. The patient had had undescended testicles since birth. At age 11 an operation was performed and a 1 cm gonad was found high in each inguinal canal. These were brought into the scrotum at that time.


This article addresses the issues of human compassion and the capacity for dialogue in clinical and socio-political contexts. Taking its cue from Martha Nussbaum's recent explorations of compassion, this work argues against the classical psychoanalytic account of human nature that is rooted in the ideas of Hobbes, Nietzsche, and Freud. Instead, a view of human sociality and analytic interaction that expands on the works of Kohut and continental philosophers and analysts, particularly Martin Buber, Ludwig Binswanger, and Emmanuel Levinas, is developed. This work is interested in demonstrating the relevance of a "dialogical stance" that accounts for the Other as a unique person, not a generalized Other. It is suggested that compassion and dialogue are both grounded in our fundamental situatedness with the Other. Compassion is the attitude, and dialogue is the capacity, that we bring to human engagement, whether in the clinical domain or beyond.


A 28-year-old woman developed allergic contact dermatitis within 6 to 24 hours exclusively after using carmine-containing eyeshadows and lipsticks. She had both a positive patch test result and a positive antecubital repeated open application test result with carmine 2.5% in petrolatum. Thirty other patients had negative patch test results. Carmine is a widely used pigment derived from gravid cochineal insects. Carminic acid is the source of its color. Only two previous publications describing allergic contact dermatitis from carmine could be found. The ingredient in carmine causing these delayed hypersensitivity reactions has not been studied. In contrast, there are numerous reports of immediate hypersensitivity reactions from carmine, mostly from its use in foods and beverages but also from cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. These are immunoglobulin E-mediated reactions directed against cochineal proteins.


Dickeya and Pectobacterium species cause blackleg / soft rot disease complex on potato in Zimbabwe. The disease is seedborne and difficult to control. This research focused on ways of increasing the inherent  resistance of potato plants and tubers to blackleg and soft rot. Two field experiments were conducted at the University of Zimbabwe campus plots in 2008/9 and 2009/10 seasons in order to determine reproducibility of the results. Sprouted tubers of cv. BP1 were inoculated with a mixture of Pectobacterium atrosepticum, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense and Dickeya dadantii. The inoculated tubers were planted in plots treated with different fertilizer combinations. The treatments were: 1) compound S (7N: 21P: 8K) + ammonium nitrate (34 %N); 2) compound D (7N: 14P: 7K) + calcium nitrate (19 Ca: 15.5N); 3) compound S + calcium nitrate and 4) compound D + ammonium nitrate. Blackleg disease incidence and severity were recorded fortnightly starting from 2 weeks after crop emergence (WACE) while soft rot disease was assessed at physiological maturity. Blackleg incidences and severity were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the plots where calcium nitrate was applied for both experiments. Blackleg disease incidence was reduced by more than 20% in both experiments 1 and 2. Soft rot incidence in the progeny tubers was also significantly reduced by the calcium treatment. In addition, calcium amendment significantly reduced (P < 0.05) soft rot losses of tubers in storage. Calcium nitrate was effective in reducing blackleg and soft rot diseases in combination with either compound D or compound S. The yield was significantly higher in plots where compound S was applied as a basal fertilizer than that recorded in plots treated with compound D fertilizer. This study shows that calcium soil amendments reduce blackleg and soft rot diseases under Zimbabwe's growing seasons in red fersiallitic soils. Compound S produces better results in potato production than compound D and farmers should be encouraged to use compound S when growing potatoes. Key words : potato, disease resistance, blackleg, soft rot, storage losses, calcium: potato, disease resistance, blackleg, soft rot, storage losses,  calcium