OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the possible role of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 in acne vulgaris (AV) pathogenesis through its immunohistochemical localization in acne skin biopsies and to investigate the relationship of its expression with body mass index (BMI), selected dietary factors, and acne severity.

STUDY DESIGN
Using the standard immunohistochemical techniques, we examined 60 acne cases and 40 gender- and age-matched, healthy subjects, representing the control group.

RESULTS
IGF-1 was overexpressed in AV lesions as compared to in normal skin, both in epidermis and pilo-sebaceous units (p < 0.0001 for both). There was significant association between strong intensity of IGF-1 and high BMI values (≥ 30) in AV cases as compared to controls, with high (≥ 30) and low (< 30) BMI values, both in epidermis (p < 0.0001 for both) and pilosebaceous units (p <0.0001 for both). Strong IGF-1 intensity was significantly associated with higher mean values of BMI (p = 0.01) and severe AV (p = 0.04). Significant associations between high BMI values and acne severity (p = 0.001) and acne aggravation by dairy products intake (p = 0.03) were demonstrated.

CONCLUSION
IGF-1 may play a role in AV pathogenesis through its role in keratinocyte proliferation, sebaceous lipogenesis, and androgen synthesis. The significant association between strong IGF-1, high BMI, and severe acne underscores the value of dietary intervention in the management of AV.


Periodontal diseases are a range of polymicrobial infectious disorders, such as gingivitis and periodontitis, which affect tooth-supporting tissues and are linked to playing a role in the exacerbation of several pulmonary diseases. Pulmonary diseases, such as pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and bronchiectasis, significantly contribute to poor quality of life and mortality. The association between periodontal disease and pulmonary outcomes is an important topic and requires further attention. Numerous resident microorganisms coexist in the oral cavity and lungs. However, changes in the normal microflora due to oral disease, old age, lifestyle habits, or dental intervention may contribute to altered aspiration of oral periodontopathic bacteria into the lungs and changing inflammatory responses. Equally, periodontal diseases are associated with the longitudinal decline in spirometry lung volume. Several studies suggest a possible beneficial effect of periodontal therapy in improving lung function with a decreased frequency of exacerbations and reduced risk of adverse respiratory events and morbidity. Here, we review the current literature outlining the link between the oral cavity and pulmonary outcomes and focus on the microflora of the oral cavity, environmental and genetic factors, and preexisting conditions that can impact oral and pulmonary outcomes.


Although there is a paucity of scientific support for the benefits of warm-up, athletes commonly warm up prior to activity with the intention of improving performance and reducing the incidence of injuries. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of warm-up intensity on both range of motion (ROM) and anaerobic performance. Nine males (age = 21.7 +/- 1.6 years, height = 1.77 +/- 0.04 m, weight = 80.2 +/- 6.8 kg, and VO2max = 60.4 +/- 5.4 ml/kg/min) completed four trials. Each trial consisted of hip, knee, and ankle ROM evaluation using an electronic inclinometer and an anaerobic capacity test on the treadmill (time to fatigue at 13 km/hr and 20% grade). Subjects underwent no warm-up or a warm-up of 15 minutes running at 60, 70 or 80% VO2max followed by a series of lower limb stretches. Intensity of warm-up had little effect on ROM, since ankle dorsiflexion and hip extension significantly increased in all warm-up conditions, hip flexion significantly increased only after the 80% VO2max warm-up, and knee flexion did not change after any warm-up. Heart rate and body temperature were significantly increased (p < 0.05) prior to anaerobic performance for each of the warm-up conditions, but anaerobic performance improved significantly only after warm-up at 60% VO2max (10%) and 70% VO2max (13%). A 15-minute warm-up at an intensity of 60-70% VO2max is therefore recommended to improve ROM and enhance subsequent anaerobic performance.


ABSTRACT A small percentage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals, termed elite controllers, are able to spontaneously control HIV replication in blood. As the gastrointestinal mucosa is an important site of HIV transmission and replication as well as CD4+ T-cell depletion, it is important to understand the nature of the immune responses occurring in this compartment. Although the role of the HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses in mucosal tissues has been described, few studies have investigated the role of mucosal HIV-specific CD4+ T cells. In this study, we assessed HIV-specific CD4+ T-cell responses in the rectal mucosa of 28 "controllers" (viral load [VL] of <2,000 copies/ml), 14 "noncontrollers" (VL of >10,000 copies/ml), and 10 individuals on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) (VL of <75 copies/ml). Controllers had higher-magnitude Gag-specific mucosal CD4+ T-cell responses than individuals on HAART (P < 0.05), as measured by their ability to produce gamma interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and macrophage inflammatory protein 1β (MIP-1β). The frequency of polyfunctional mucosal CD4+ T cells was also higher in controllers than in noncontrollers or individuals on HAART (P < 0.05). Controllers with the strongest HIV-specific CD4+ T-cell responses possessed class II HLA alleles, HLA-DRB1*13 and/or HLA-DQB1*06, previously associated with a nonprogression phenotype. Strikingly, individuals with both HLA-DRB1*13 and HLA-DQB1*06 had highly polyfunctional mucosal CD4+ T cells compared to individuals with HLA-DQB1*06 alone or other class II alleles. The frequency of polyfunctional CD4+ T cells in rectal mucosa positively correlated with the magnitude of the mucosal CD8+ T-cell response (Spearman's r = 0.43, P = 0.005), suggesting that increased CD4+ T-cell "help" may be important in maintaining strong CD8+ T-cell responses in the gut of HIV controllers.


Investigations on 114 glaucoma patients with the computerized perimeter 'Peritest' showed that treatment with Cosaldon A + E resulted in a decrease or elimination of visual field defects. Favourable results were also obtained with statistical significance for severe visual field defects of defect class greater than or equal to 2.0 log U. Treatment time was generally 4-5 months. During the first 6-10 weeks of treatment strong fluctuations were observed regarding individual sensitivity of light perception as well as number of defect positions.


In this paper we share our experience and examine some myths that exist among personnel (HR) professionals. In order to get an overview how deep is the gap be¬tween academic knowledge and everyday truths regarding personnel management we carried out the study in two phases. In the first phase we interviewed outstand¬ing Estonian personnel managers as an expert group, and the second phase inter¬viewed personnel professionals and non-HR professionals from different occupa¬tions (engineers, bookkeepers, lawyers, civil servants, and teachers). We explored issues of knowledge in the field by look¬ing at the levels of agreement regarding the quality of research evidence in Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP). The study revealed that the work done in many personnel management fields is based on similar myths that exist among non-personnel professionals.


Abstract : The Air Force will implement a new pilot candidate selection system. Scores from a multiple aptitude test (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test or AFOQT), a computer-based test (Basic Attributes Test or BAT), and biographical information will be used to compute a pilot candidate selection composite score derived from an equation designed to indicate probability of success in undergraduate pilot training (UPT). The purpose of this study was to equate the experimental and operational tests. The pre-implementation equating was necessary (a) to determine whether the tests measured the same psychological constructs, (b) to compare operational score distributions, and (c) to develop equating tables. Equating was required so that scores from operational tests could be used in proposed pilot candidate selection equations developed on the experimental tests of the BAT. Experimental and operational tests were administered to about 2,000 basic recruits. Analyses were performed at the test score and composite score level and several types of equatings were completed. Adjusted correlations between the experimental and operational BAT tests were acceptable and demonstrated measurement equivalence. Differences in the shapes of the distributions (i.e., skewness, kurtosis) were observed for several of the scores between the two forms. Severals types of equatings (linear, equipercentile, smoothed equipercentile) were performed to develop conversion tables for use during implementation of operational tests. Scores will be renormed to the operational test metric and a new pilot candidate selection composite will be developed after a sufficient number of applicants have been tested and have completed UPT


We use the general solution to the trace of the 4-dimensional Einstein equations for static, spherically symmetric configurations as a basis for finding a general class of black hole (BH) metrics, containing one arbitrary function $g_{tt} = A(r)$ which vanishes at some $r = r_h > 0$, the horizon radius. Under certain reasonable restrictions, BH metrics are found with or without matter and, depending on the boundary conditions, can be asymptotically flat or have any other prescribed large $r$ behaviour. It is shown that this procedure generically leads to families of solutions unifying non-extremal globally regular BHs with a Kerr-like global structure, extremal BHs and symmetric wormholes. Horizons in space-times with zero scalar curvature are shown to be either simple or double. The same is generically true for horizons inside a matter distribution, but in special cases there can be horizons of any order. A few simple examples are discussed. A natural application of the above results is the brane world concept, in which the trace of the 4D gravity equations is the only unambiguous equation for the 4D metric, and its solutions can be continued into the 5D bulk according to the embedding theorems.


The L-glutamate transporter GLAST-1 belongs to the newly discovered family of Na(+)-dependent, high-affinity glutamate transporters, which are involved in the regulation of synaptic excitatory neurotransmitter concentration in mammalian brain. The members of this family have a similar topological organisation with at least six transmembrane helices (TMHs) and two putative N-glycosylation sites located in the extracellular loop connecting TMH 3 and TMH 4. Besides these two conserved N-glycosylation motifs at Asn206 and Asn216, GLAST-1 possesses an additional one at Asn35. The putative N-glycosylation consensus motifs (Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr) were deleted by replacement of Asn206 and/or Asn216 by Thr using site-directed mutagenesis (mutants N206T, N216T and N206,216T). The cDNAs encoding wild-type GLAST-1 and the three glycosylation-defective transport proteins were expressed in the Xenopus laevis oocyte system. Immunoprecipitation of the [35S]methionine-labeled and glycopeptidase-F-treated transporter molecules indicates that GLAST-1 is glycosylated at Asn206 and Asn216, whereas Asn35 remains unglycosylated. To assess a possible functional role of the two glycosylation sites wild-type and glycosylation-deficient GLAST-1 were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and characterized functionally by using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. The results prove that N-glycosylation has no impact on the transport activity of GLAST-1.


Professor Stinchcombe deals with the Jensen article from the point of view of an "environmentalist" but not from the simplistic stance that Professor Jensen attacked in his original article. Stinchcombe argues that deprivation does more than prevent children from learning simple skills at an early age—that cultures or social conditions must operate consistently and sequentially to produce successively higher levels of cognitive functioning. Environments, he argues, are cumulative, and until researchers can account for the complexity of environment, statements about the proportional effects of heredity and environment are premature. Thus extrapolations from twin studies limited to a single social group to estimates of the genetic capabilities of a different group are particularly suspect.


This study explored the association between war violence exposure during armed conflict and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, and the impact of positive community and family reintegration on IPV among a sample (N = 92) of war-affected male youth, post-conflict Sierra Leone. Trained Sierra Leonean researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with youth and their caregivers. Results indicate that exposure to violence during armed conflict as well as community and family reintegration were negatively associated with psychological IPV perpetration. Community reintegration was negatively associated with physical IPV. Sexual victimization was negatively associated with sexual IPV perpetration, whereas physical victimization had positive association. More research needs to be done on male war-affected youth as victims of physical, psychological, and sexual violence during conflict and the impact this has on the quality of their intimate relationships, occurrence of IPV in those relationships (as victims in addition to being perpetrators), and their community reintegration.


Objectives: To determine the frequency and factors leading to of portopulmonary hypertension among cirrhosis of liver patients Methodology : One hundred and eleven (111) patients previously diagnosed with cirrhosis of liver due to any cause were included in the study from 15 th June 2016 till 14 th July 2017. All of the patients had echocardiography done. Portopulmonary Hypertension (PoPH) was diagnosed by Echocardiographic signs as per recommendation of European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS): Tricuspid Regurgitation Velocity of >3.4 m/s Or Tricuspid Regurgitation Velocity of >2.9 m/s but 1, Pulmonary artery diameter > 25 mm, early diastolic pulmonary regurgitation velocity >2.2, m/s Inferior cava diameter >21mm with decreased inspiratory collapse (<50% with a sniff or <20% with quiet inspiration), Flattening of the interventricular septum. Results: Out of 111 patients, 70 (63%) were male and 41(37%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 51±8.7 years. The cause of cirrhosis noted in the documents at the time of diagnosis was chronic hepatitis C in 62/111 patients (55.85%), chronic hepatitis B in 34/111 (30.63%), alcoholic cirrhosis in 4/111 (3.6%), autoimmune hepatitis in 3/111 (2.7%) and cryptogenic cirrhosis in 1/111(1%). After echocardiography 08 (4 males and 4 females ) out of 111 patients (7.2%) were diagnosed as having Portopulomonary Hypertension (PoPH) and low hemoglobin level was linked autonomously with hazard of PoPH Conclusion: Viral related cirrhosis is the most common cause of cirrhosis in this part of the world. Echocardiographically confirmed Portopulomonary Hypertension (PoPH) is well reported cardiopulmonary complication of cirrhosis of liver. Among various risk factors for PoPH low haemoglobin (anaemia) was found to be a significant risk factor. Portopulmonary Hypertension (PoPH) is a very important contributing factor in morbidity and mortality in patients of cirrhosis which needs to be identified and confirmed before referring any patient of cirrhosis for Liver Transplant Keywords: portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH), cirrhosis of liver


Three theories have been mentioned so as to explain vitiligo: normal, autocytotoxic and autoimmune. In this work we study the cellular immune elements in normal vitiligo. Concerning the skin, there is an increase of Langerhans cells (p less than 0.001) en its activation (DR+) (p less than 0.001). Regarding the blood, there is an increase of T cytotoxic lymphocytes (p less than 0.001), T activated lymphocytes (DR+) (p less than 0.001) and B lymphocytes (p less than 0.01). Total T lymphocytes and T cooperators (CD4+) are not increased. These results suggest that immune mechanisms mediated by T cytotoxic lymphocytes may be the cause of the melanocytes destruction in normal vitiligo.


The objective of this study was to investigate the extent of total sugar and sodium in 129 different kinds of bakery products, breads and cookies, sold at bakeshops in Seoul metropolitan area. The bakery products produced by bakeshops on a small scale were not applied by clauses of mandatory nutrition label for children`s taste food. All types of free sugars -fructose, glucose, sucrose, lactose and maltose- were detected in breads, but only fructose and sucrose were detected in cookies. The average amount of sucrose per 100 g of breads was 6.24 g, of cookies was 30.03 g. Breads and cookies amounting to 100 g of sample contained total sugar of 11.19 g and 30.38 g, respectively. The average amounts of sodium in breads and cookies were 120.71 mg/100 g, 70.76 mg/100 g, respectively. When the contents of total sugar in breads and cookies per one serving size were compared to WHO guidelines, the percentages were 15.7% and 18.2% about recommended daily intake of total sugar of 50 g. When it come to sodium, the bakery products had range of 1.1~6.5% to 2000 mg of daily intake of sodium recommended by WHO.


BIONsTM are individually addressable, single channel electrical stimulators that can be injected into one or more muscles through a 12-gauge hypodermic needle. They receive power and command signals from an externally worn RF transmission coil. Two clinical trials are underway to determine their safety and efficacy for strengthening atrophic muscles associated with stroke (7 patients accrued; 6 implanted) and chronic osteoarthritis of the knee (5 patients accrued; 3 implanted). In both studies, BIONs have proven easy for the clinician to implant and for the patients to use. Thresholds for recruitment of muscle contractions have remained stable and no adverse effects have been reported. Patients generally like the stimulation and most have elected to continue stimulation after the prescribed study period. Stimulation at low frequencies for a total of about 1 hour/day has produced demonstrable reversals of muscle atrophy as measured by imaging. In patients with radiological subluxation of the shoulder, the subluxation has been reduced. Preliminary indications suggest also that chronic pain has been reduced and locomotor function has improved in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Extensions of these studies to broader categories of patients and clinical problems are underway.


Aim: In this study, we aimed to explore the toxic mechanisms of cardiovascular injuries induced by ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in atherosclerotic-susceptible ApoE−/− mice. An acute toxicological animal experiment was designed with PM2.5 exposure once a day, every other day, for three days. Methods: ApoE−/− and C57BL/6 mice were randomly categorized into four groups, respectively (n = 6): one control group, three groups exposed to PM2.5 alone at low-, mid-, and high-dose (3, 10, or 30 mg/kg b.w.). Heart rate (HR) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were monitored before instillation of PM2.5 and 24 h after the last instillation, respectively. Cardiac function was monitored by echocardiography (Echo) after the last instillation. Biomarkers of systemic oxidative injuries (MDA, SOD), heart oxidative stress (MDA, SOD), and NAD(P)H oxidase subunits (p22phox, p47phox) mRNA and protein expression were analyzed in mice. The results showed that PM2.5 exposure could trigger the significant increase of MDA, and induce the decrease of heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) function with a dose–response manner. Meanwhile, abnormal ECG types were monitored in mice after exposure to PM2.5. The expression of cytokines related with oxidative injuries, and mRNA and protein expression of NADPH, increased significantly in ApoE−/− mice in the high-dose group when compared with the dose-matched C57BL6 mice, but no significant difference was observed at Echo. In conclusion, PM2.5 exposure could cause oxidative and ANS injuries, and ApoE−/− mice displayed more severe oxidative effects induced by PM2.5.


Introduction. The purpose of this study is to reveal the specificity of the relationship between ethnogenesis and cultural Genesis in the philosophical works of L. N. ENU, which requires solving a number of interrelated tasks: to define the concept of "ethnogenesis and cultural Genesis", to establish their correlation, dependence and interdependence; to analyze the phenomenon of passionarity and its role in cultural Genesis; to characterize the specificity of ethnogeny two superethnoi (Kievan Rus and Muscovy) in the process of ethnic history.Materials and methods. The material of the research is the works of the outstanding thinker of the twentieth century L. N. Gumilev, including those devoted to the problems of ethno - and cultural Genesis. Traditional methods for historical and philosophical research are used: historical-logical, comparative, system-structural.Results. As a result of the study, it was found that "ethnogenesis" and "cultural Genesis" in The philosophical work of L. N. Gumilev are concepts lying in "different planes", so ethnic diversity only to a certain extent determines the diversity of cultures. At the same time, it is important that ethnogenesis is a necessary condition of cultural Genesis, because the ethnos is preserved and protected by the accumulated culture.According to Gumilev, the most important element of cultural Genesis is passionarity-a phenomenon that determines the intensity of cultural development at different stages of ethnogenesis: thus, the growth of passionarity generates an original culture, the decline allows the ethnic group to borrow from other ethnic groups in order to preserve and develop their own.The author reveals the features of studying the culture of ethnic groups indicated By L. N. Gumilev, which would allow to create an integral and consistent picture of the cultural achievements of a particular ethnic group: thus, the diachronic approach is the most preferable, while the synchronous analysis of culture can lead to errors in understanding and assessing the place and role of this ethnic group in history.Finally, the author characterizes the thinker's attitude to the contemporary history of Russia and his understanding of the further development of the Russian state, the main condition of which is the preservation of the ethnic and cultural identity of the Russian superethnos.Discussion and Conclusions. For L. N. Gumilev it is obvious that ethnogenesis is a necessary condition for the development of cultural Genesis. No crisis can completely destroy, destroy culture. The ethnos is protected and preserved by the accumulated culture. But the logic of ethnic history differs significantly from the logic of cultural history. Given the specifics of the ethnogenesis of the Russian superethnos, the thinker defines the stages of the ethnic history of Russia, which by the end of the twentieth century enters the "phase of quiet life", but, warns Gumilev, the events of the 90s have clearly shown that the main condition for further development is the preservation of our ethnic and cultural originality and identity.


We briefly discuss the algorithm given in [Bates, Bundy, Perkins, Rowley, J. Algebra, 316(2):849-868, 2007] for determining the distance between two vertices in a commuting involution graph of a symmetric group.We develop the algorithm in [Bates, Rowley, Arch. Math. (Basel), 85(6):485-489, 2005] for computing a subgroup of the normalizer of a 2-subgroup X in a finite group G, examining in particular the issue of when to terminate the randomized procedure. The resultant algorithm is capable of handling subgroups X of order up to 512 and is suitable, for example, for matrix groups of large degree (an example calculation is given using 112x112 matrices over GF(2)).We also determine the suborbits of conjugacy classes of involutions in several of the sporadic simple groups?namely Janko's group J4, the Fischer sporadic groups, and the Thompson and Harada-Norton groups. We use our results to determine the structure of some graphs related to this data.We include implementations of the algorithms discussed in the computer algebra package MAGMA, as well as representative elements for the involution suborbits.


ABSTRACT In this paper, we complicate and bring a new perspective to debates on the democratic limitations of filter bubbles, by exploring the case study of feminist filter bubbles. We extend understandings of the filter bubble to examine the highly reflexive, everyday ways in which filtering is adopted as a practical response to the information saturation and the politicised vulnerability engendered by digital environments. In doing so, we make a case for the necessity of filtering practices to create 'safe spaces' for feminist deliberation, at the same time as questioning whether absolute 'safety' is possible in feminist politics. Drawing on two separate studies of young feminist women who regularly engage with feminist private groups on Facebook, we document significant ambivalence regarding these closed spaces. While feminist filter bubbles were essential for surviving the risks of more open online environments, participants reported complicated feelings of guilt in not moving beyond these bubbles. Maintaining the 'safety' of these spaces also involved significant, ongoing labour in the requirement for participants to customise content within these bubbles, involving vigilant practices of moderation of content and the consistent application of trigger warnings. As such, we question whether the model of the feminist filter bubble is sustainable in the labour it requires already exhausted feminists to perform, and politically capacious enough to allow sustained difficult conversations. We suggest further critical engagement is required to connect filter bubbles to the everyday, affective politics of deliberation on social media platforms.


Hemipelagic muddy sediments (hemipelagite) are mainly deposited by the interplay of continuous vertical settling, and advection of fine-grained clastic and biogenic particles superimposed by turbidity currents and some other deep-water currents. The effects of turbidity currents in the hemipelagic sedimentation processes, however, have not yet clearly investigated. In the present study, we conducted organic geochemical analyses, such as total organic carbon content (TOC), bulk organic carbon isotope ratios (δ 13Corg), and biomarker compositions in some age-equivalent hemipelagic siltstone beds, which are locally intercalated with turbidite sandstone beds, to evaluate the effect of turbidity currents in hemipelagic sedimentation. Samples were collected from two series of the age-equivalent hemipelagites in the Kiwada Formation, Boso Peninsula, Japan. This formation is mainly composed of siltstones intercalated with turbidite sandstones and volcanic ash beds, and is interpreted to have deposited in slope to basin-plain settings in the Kazusa forearc basin. In the studied succession, turbiditic sandstones and siltstones gradational fine-upward to bioturbated hemipelagic siltstones and is intercalated with a volcanic ash bed named Kd8 (ca. 1.2 Ma), which consists of three volcanic ash beds, tentatively named herein as Kd8A to Kd8C in descending. These ash beds can be mapped for over 30 km from the proximal (SW) to distal (NE) environments. The samples were obtained from upper (U) and lower (L) parts of the two siltstone beds named Kd8a and Kd8b, which are encased between Kd8A–B and KdB–C, respectively. A turbiditic sandstone and siltstone bed is developed just beneath the Kd8b in the most distal area, indicating that hemipelagic sedimentation for Kd8b-L may have been affected by turbidity currents. The TOC contents of the siltstones just above the turbidite bed (Kd8b-L) are lower (TOC = 0.23 %), and the δ13Corg values of these siltstones are lighter (-23.3 ‰) than those in the overlying siltstones (-21.3 ‰). These variations likely indicate inefficient deposition of organic matter in association with higher contribution of terrigenous organic matter.Concentrations of friedelin, which is a plant triterpenoid and derived mainly from tree bark, in the TOC are also remarkably higher in the same siltstone samples. These results suggest that turbidity currents may have contributed to the deposition of terrigenous organic matter during hemipelagic sedimentation and the lower TOC content are considered to have been resulted from preferential deposition of siliciclastic clastic particles.The lower δ13Corg values and higher concentrations of friedelin observed in the Kd8b-L in several sites are also likely a result of fine-grained sediment supply from turbidity currents. On the other hand, the Kd8b-L are obviously lower TOC contents in the all study sites. In addition, the long-chain n-alkanol (> C20) distribution maximizing at C26 and C28 are found in all siltstone sampled from the Kd8b-L, while that in siltstone samples from the other beds show abundant C22 and C24 n-alkanols as well as C26 and C28 homologues. Although long-chain n-alkanols in marine sediments are generally considered to be derived from higher plant wax, several zooplankton species such as copepod also contain the C22 and C24 n-alkanols. Thus, the distinctive distribution of the long-chain n-alkanol in the Kd8b-L can be attributed to selective deposition of plant leaves by the fractionation of organic matter from turbidity currents. The present study indicates that the combination of biomarkers can be used for the evaluation of contribution of turbidity currents to hemipelagic SCG65-03 JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017


In this paper, an adaptive type fuzzy neural-network (FNN) backstepping controller is proposed for the position tracking of a mechanical system driven by an induction motor. The primary concept for integration of the control strategies is described and derived. The demonstration mechanical system is set up as a single link structure fixed on the shaft of the induction motor to form a variant load system based on robotic application. The backstepping methodology provides a simple design procedure for an adaptive control scheme and can be integrated into the approach for defining the sliding surface based on the sliding-mode control related to the robustness criterions. Hence, the backstepping control can be extended further to be an adaptive sliding-mode controller easily. A four-layer FNN is also applied for enhancement of the perfect lumping of uncertainties. The verification results show that position control performance of this induction motor drive is stable and robust under parameter variations and external disturbances by FNN learning capability as well as adaptive features from the overall control scheme.


A compound containing the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ginseng, a herb belonging to the Araliaceae family, with potential antioxidant, chemopreventive, anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic activities. Upon administration of the ginseng compound, the active ingredients, mainly ginsenosides, inhibit various signal transduction pathways that play key roles in carcinogenesis and inflammation. This leads to the induction of apoptosis in and inhibits proliferation of tumor cells. In addition, ginsenosides enhance the activity of various antioxidant enzymes, induce nitric oxide (NO) formation, inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protect against free radical-induced DNA damage. Ginseng also modulates various components of the immune system, including the activation of dendritic cells (DCs).


A methodology based on the Wiener path integral (WPI) technique is developed for stochastic response determination and reliability-based design optimization of a class of nonlinear electromechanical energy harvesters endowed with fractional derivative elements. In this regard, first, the WPI technique is appropriately adapted and enhanced to account both for the singular diffusion matrix and for the fractional derivative modeling of the capacitance in the coupled electromechanical governing equations. Next, a reliability-based design optimization problem is formulated and solved, in conjunction with the WPI technique, for determining the optimal parameters of the harvester. It is noted that the herein proposed definition of the failure probability constraint is particularly suitable for harvester configurations subject to space limitations. Several numerical examples are included, while comparisons with pertinent Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) data demonstrate the satisfactory performance of the methodology.


Chemical composition and mineralogy of a large number of samples of molluscan shell material from limy concretions in the Fox Hills Formation (Cretaceous) of South Dakota were determined. The results show an extremely wide range of concentrations for the minor elements Mg, Fe, Mn, Sr, and Ba and of calcite-aragonite ratios. Detailed studies of an ammonite, Sphenodiscus, a characteristic faunal element of this formation, showed that the range of minor-element concentrations could best be interpreted as the consequence of at least two separate alteration processes, involving contamination and recrystallization, probably during diagenesis. Neither visual nor mineralogic criteria can be used to predict the degree of alteration of the original shell composition. Since the alteration processes may have both added and subtracted material, one must be cautious in accepting any fossil-shell-composition data as representative of the originally deposited test.


Finger prints of a series of 48 Japanese patients with Klinefelter's syndrome (47, XXY) were studied as to frequencies of patterns and ridge counts. The patients displayed frequencies of the finger patterns on all digits similar to those of normal female controls. The finger patterns on individual digits of the patients, nevertheless, showed frequencies distinguishable from those of both normal male and female controls; arch pattern on digit I was significantly higher in incidence in Klinefelter's syndrome, whereas on digit II, ulnar loops were significantly more frequent and whorls less frequent in the patients. The patients were also noted to show significantly lower ridge counts for loops and whorls as compared with the normal controls. In Klinefelter's syndrome, significant diminution of the total finger ridge counts was demonstrable and this has been attributed not so much to the increased incidence of arches as to the frequent occurence of patterns with low ridge counts. The frequencies of finger patterns on all digits similar to those of normal females, the increased occurrence of patterns with low ridge counts as compared with the normal females, noted in the present series, are the characteristic features that are in common with those reported on white patients with this syndrome.


As computational tools for X-ray computed tomography (CT) become more quantitatively accurate, knowledge of the source-detector spectral response is critical for quantitative system-independent reconstruction and material characterization capabilities. Directly measuring the spectral response of a CT system is hard, which motivates spectral estimation using transmission data obtained from a collection of known homogeneous objects. However, the associated inverse problem is ill-conditioned, making accurate estimation of the spectrum challenging, particularly in the absence of a close initial guess. In this paper, we describe a dictionary-based spectral estimation method that yields accurate results without the need for any initial estimate of the spectral response. Our method utilizes a MAP estimation framework that combines a physics-based forward model along with an $L_0$ sparsity constraint and a simplex constraint on the dictionary coefficients. Our method uses a greedy support selection method and a new pair-wise iterated coordinate descent method to compute the above estimate. We demonstrate that our dictionary-based method outperforms a state-of-the-art method as shown in a cross-validation experiment on four real datasets collected at beamline 8.3.2 of the Advanced Light Source (ALS).


: Parameters of elasticity of an arterial wall and its water-salt structure were investigated. Authentic age changes of parameters of elasticity of arteries wall and absence of age dependence of changes of its water-salt structure are revealed. In result perspectivity of use of parameters of elasticity of an arterial wall for development of a method of definition of age and the decision of a question on an belonging of parts of a body has been shown one individual on an age parameter at medicolegal examination of dismembered corpses.


The electrical conduction mechanism of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) films which contain an antistatic agent (AS-1) is discussed through a numerical method. The simulations were carried out on a model in which charge carriers were assumed to be electrons injected from the cathode by the Schottky effect and dissociated from donor sites by the Poole-Frenkel effect, and the ionized donor sites were immobile. The calculated currents agreed well with the experimental current-voltage and current-time characteristics. The numerical simulation also showed the anomalous discharge current and the formation of hetero space charge which was found in thermal-pulse-current experiments. This model explained the high-field conduction of HDPE doped with AS-1.


Multi-tenant applications are usually cloud based software services which can serve different users at the same time. This is done using single instance of applications by sharing hardware, infrastructure, data storage and virtualization. To achieve multi tenancy different approaches are there at every layer (Application, Data, hardware). Software-as-as-Service (SaaS) is a new approach for developing software, and it is characterized by its multi-tenancy architecture and its ability to provide flexible customization to individual tenant. SaaS (Software as a Service) is a modern approach to deliver large scalable enterprise software as a service on Internet. Cloud computing platform provides the scalability, availability and utility computing for services on Internet. There are many technical challenges involved in SaaS development. One of them is multi-tenancy, which allows single instance of software to serve multiple organizations by accommodating their unique requirements through configuration at the same time. The target SaaS platform is composed of the key components that supports SaaS Application execution environment that serves multiple tenant using a single service instance. An example scenario of SaaS software lifecycle is also described to explain how the target platform would be operated from development and deployment of SaaS application to configuration by tenants.


This article presents the application of mobile inverted pendulum systems to design Boxingbots for robot boxing games. Intelligent control algorithms are applied to the Boxingbot whose structure is the mobile inverted pendulum robot with arms. The Boxingbot has the combined structure of a mobile robot and an inverted pendulum system. The reference compensation technique scheme is used for not only balancing the pendulum but also tracking the movement by compensating for uncertainties. Two Boxingbots are designed and controlled remotely through wireless communication. Real boxing games between Boxingbots are demonstrated to show the feasibility of boxing games. Experimental studies confirm the possibility of performing boxing games by the Boxingbots.


This article examines the potential threat of terrorism toward the Nevada Nuclear Test Site and the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository by domestic protest groups, particularly anti-nuclear activists. The analysis is based on the history of direct action anti-nuclear campaigns against the facilities, particularly the Nevada Test Site, and suggests that violence as a form of protest, particularly the type of violence that is aimed at jeopardizing human safety (as opposed to violent destruction of property), is very unlikely. It is argued that the normalized relations between authorities and protesters that occurred at the peak of direct actions is critical to maintaining the nonviolence that has characterized activism at the facilities. But, the current climate of heightened government scrutiny and repression toward various types of perceived terrorist threats may affect future forms of protest and engender violent responses on both sides.


Objective To investigate the regulatory effect of miR-451a on macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its effect on the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Methods Real-time quantitative PCR was utilized to detect the expression of miR-451a and MIF mRNA in clinical liver cancer tissues. The luciferase reporter system was used to validate the regulatory relationship between miR-451a and MIF. The lentivirus overexpression vector of miR-451a was packaged to infect HepG2 cells. The expression of miR-451a and MIF mRNA was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. MIF protein level was detected by Western blotting. Cell proliferation was examined by MTT assay. Cell colony formation rate was tested by flat-plate colony formation experiment. Results The level of miR-451a was low and MIF mRNA was higher in liver cancer tissues. The luciferase reporter system showed that the intensity of the fluorescent signal was clearly weaker in MIF 3'UTR wild-type co-transfected cells with miR-451a mimics as compared with the other transfection groups. When HepG2 cells were infected with the lentivirus over-expressing miR-451a, the expression of miR-451a significantly increased; the expression of MIF significantly decreased; the cell proliferation and colony formation ability were weakened. Conclusion Overexpression of miR-451a can inhibit cell proliferation and colony formation by inhibiting MIF expression in HepG2 cells.


The phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) is a small phenolic compound that regulates diverse physiological processes, in particular plant resistance against pathogens. Understanding SA-mediated signaling has been a major focus of plant research. Pathogen-induced SA is mainly synthesized via the isochorismate pathway in chloroplasts, with ICS1 (ISOCHORISMATE SYNTHASE 1) being a critical enzyme. Calcium signaling regulates activities of a subset of transcription factors thereby activating nuclear ICS1 expression. The produced SA triggers extensive transcriptional reprogramming in which NPR1 (NON-EXPRESSOR of PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1) functions as the central coactivator of TGA transcription factors. Recently, two alternative but not exclusive models for SA perception mechanisms were proposed. The first model is that NPR1 homologs, NPR3 and NPR4, perceive SA thereby regulating NPR1 protein accumulation. The second model describes that NPR1 itself perceives SA, triggering an NPR1 conformational change thereby activating SA-mediated transcription. Besides the direct SA binding, NPR1 is also regulated by SA-mediated redox changes and phosphorylation. Emerging evidence show that pathogen virulence effectors target SA signaling, further strengthening the importance of SA-mediated immunity.


THE AUSTRALIA antigen was studied by the use of a reversed passive latex agglutination test in the sera of 250 cases, mostly bilharzial. The results were analysed in relation to age, clinical presentation, bilharzial infestation, antibilharzial treatment, jaundice and serum bilirubin. It was found that, the test was significantly more positive in hepatosplenic cases, in those with past history of bilharziasis, in those with jaundice and in those with higher serum bilirubin level. While no significant difference was found in relation to age, and to history of antibilharzial treatment.


Biological activity has changed the Earth environment on a global scale. One metabolism - oxygenic photosynthesis - is responsible for changing the face of the Earth by converting 0.1% of the solar flux received at the surface into chemical energy. Most of the biosphere depends on this primary production of organic matter. Alternative primary biological production by chemo-autotrophic life relying on the internal heat flux has a negligible impact on the global geochemical cycles. Considering life as we know it, global-scale biosignatures are thus expected to be linked with the possibility for life to use starlight. As a consequence, the surface liquid water "Habitable Zone" - while narrower than the region where life can exist - corresponds to the region where remote spatially-unresolved characterization could reveal signs of biological activity. Knowing where to search does not, however, mean that we know what to look for. The most general way to search for signs of life may be to search for a strong thermodynamical disequilibrium in the atmosphere, which cannot be maintained by non-biological processes only. This being said, measuring this disequilibrium requires the knowledge of the elemental atmospheric composition, pressure and temperature. Detecting, or even measuring the amount of one or a few atmospheric species is in general insu!cient to quantify this disequilibrium. Therefore, we emphasize that a detailed characterization of a planetary environment must precede any attempt to identify biosignatures. The fact that spectral features are known to be of biological origin on Earth (e.g. O3/O2 bands) should not interfere with the choice of future instruments for characterizing exoplanets. An in-depth exploration of the existing diversity of planetary environments/atmospheres should be seen as a prerequisite for the search for biosignatures.


The current study has practical applicability in politic al domain and theoretical involvement at political marketing communication level. The type of the research is a qualitative one, using as survey methods scientific observation and documentary search. The aim of the research is to prove the applicability ofcommunication concept integrated in political marketing and global marketing communication. There are also exceptions, just analyzing the industry– politics, in which integrated communication can't be considered global communication. The subject of integrated marketing communication is relatively a new one in marketing (two decades), but its applicability in political domain and the specifications that assumes this application represents o new vision at European and worldwide level. This study clearly presents the differences between the integrated marketing communication and global marketing communication. In documentary research, the author used studies belonging to Anglo – Saxons theoreticians and practitioners (Americans, Canadians, British) but also Europeans (French, Belgians, Romanians). The main reason is the fact that in marketing domain on extremely narrow scientific sections the visions belonging to these two main orientations aren't always equable. Also, in scientific observation, tresearch analyses political events from United States of America, France and Romania. Due to this reason, we can affirm that the current study has not only a regional applicability but also a global one.


COPDisone of acommonprogressive diseasecharacterized by persistent airflow limitations in the lungs with symptoms of breathlessness, excessive sputum production and chronic cough. This was a prospective, observational study carried out among patients of COPD in a tertiary care hospital to evaluate demographic, etiologicandco-morbidity status.Study was carried out by reviewing prescription of 120 COPD patients,out of which 67.5% were malesand 32.5% were females. The majority of the patients were in age group of 56-60 years (34.16%). Among 120 patients, 65.83% were smokersand48.33% were alcoholics. Etiologic assessment reflected that 68.33% patientbelongs to low socioeconomic status followed by exposure to biomass smoker 8.33%. Out of 120 patients, 53.33% were not havingany other co-morbid condition and the most common co-morbidity found in remaining patients was hypertension 17.5%. This study was concluded to state that such studies were found helpful for existing patient population, publicsand also for scientific researchers.


In Considerations on Representative Government, John Stuart Mill concedes that secrecy in voting is sometimes justified but, nonetheless, maintains that it should be the exception rather than the rule. This article critically examines Mill's arguments. It shows that Mill's idea of voting depends on a sharp public/private distinction which is difficult to square with democratic ideas about the different powers and responsibilities of voters and their representatives, or with legitimate differences of belief and interest amongst voters themselves. Hence, it concludes, we should reject the assumption, which many of us share with Mill, that the secret ballot is justified only on prudential grounds and recognize how central privacy is to any democratic conception of citizenship and politics.


Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs), official databases created by a national hydrographic office and included in Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), supply, among essential indications for safe navigation, data about sea-bottom morphology in terms of depth points and isolines. Those data are very useful to build bathymetric 3D models: applying interpolation methods, it is possible to produce a continuous representation of the seafloor for supporting studies concerning different aspects of a marine area, such as directions and intensity of currents, sensitivity of habitats and species, etc. Many interpolation methods are available in literature for bathymetric data modelling: among them kriging ones are extremely performing, but require deep analysis to define input parameters, i.e. semi-variogram models. This paper aims to analyze kriging approaches for depth data concerning the Bay of Pozzuoli. The attention is focused on the role of semi-variogram models for Ordinary and Universal kriging. Depth data included in two ENCs, namely IT400129 and IT400130, are processed using Geostatistical Analyst, an extension of ArcGIS 10.3.1 (ESRI). The results testify the relevance of the choice of the mathematical functions of the semi-variogram: Stable Model supplies, for this case study, the best performance in terms of depth accuracy for both Ordinary and Universal kriging.


The purpose of present study was to examine the casual relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress with mediating role of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and personality traits among university students. The population in this study was all of the university students in Islamic Azad University of Zanjan, Iran. Who are studying in 2015-2016 academic year. From this population 250 students were selected using random stratified sampling method. The research instruments were Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Scherrer's self-efficacy questionnaire, The Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), NEO Personality Inventory- Short Form (NEO-FFI), and The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The proposed model of the relationships between variables was tested using structural equation modeling. According to results, proposed model had an acceptable fitness regarding fitness indices. Results revealed that there is relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress, with mediating role of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and personality traits among university students.


The influence of fatty acids and corresponding triglycerides on the intestinal absorption of cholesterol has been studied in lymph-fistula rats. Butyric and lauric acids, given with bile salt and cholesterol as the free acids or the triglycerides, had little effect on total lymph lipids or on absorption of exogenous cholesterol. Palmitic acid gave a marked increase in lymph lipids which was due entirely to a rise in neutral fat, and a simultaneous depression of cholesterol absorption. The administration of stearic, oleic or linoleic acids produced large increases in the lymph levels of neutral fat and phospholipids. Oleic acid was most efficient, with linoleic and stearic acids somewhat less effective, in promoting cholesterol absorption. The increases in total lymph lipids after tristearin or triolein were less marked than with the free fatty acids, while in the case of trilinolein, total lipids, neutral fat, and phospholipid levels were comparable to the levels after linoleic acid. Of the triglycerides studied, only trilinolein caused a significant elevation of total lymph cholesterol.


Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major problem in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis (HD) and several risk factors are recognized. A major problem may be the autonomic dysfunction which is observed in more than 50 % of ESRD patients. Autonomic dysfunction, and in particular cardiac autonomic dysfunction, is associated with a high risk of ventricular arrhythmias which may eventually lead to SCD. A non-invasive method for measuring cardiac autonomic function is by assessing heart rate variability (HRV) and this review will focus on HRV in HD patients. ESRD patients have an impaired HRV which may partly explain their high risk of SCD. Some intervention studies in HD patients using HRV as a surrogate parameter have been published and are also discussed in this review.


Empirical energy function calculations were used to evaluate the effects of minimization on the structure of a gramicidin A channel and to analyze the energies of interaction between three cations (guanidinium, acetamidinium, formamidinium) and the channel as a function of position along the channel axis. The energy minimized model of the gramicidin channel, which was based on the results of Venkatachalam and Urry (1983), has a constriction at the channel entrance. If the channel is not allowed to relax in the presence of the ions (rigid model), there is a large potential energy barrier for all three cations. The barrier varies with cation size and is due to high van der Waals and ion deformation energies. If the channel is minimized in the presence of the ions, the potential energy barrier to formamidinium entry is almost eliminated, but a residual barrier remains for guanidinium and acetamidinium. The residual barrier is primarily due, not to the expansion of the helix, but, to the disruption of hydrogen bonds between the terminal ethanoloamine and the next turn of the helix which occurs when the carbonyls of the outer turn of the helix librate inward toward the ion as it enters the channel. The residual potential energy barriers could be a possible explanation for the measured selectivity of gramicidin for formamidinium over guanidinium. The results of this full-atomic model address the applicability of the size-exclusion concept for the selectivity of the gramicidin channel.


Primary peritonitis is very rare in healthy children without predisposing factors. In the absence of unique factors and signs, the clinical picture does not differ from secondary peritonitis. Therefore, the diagnosis is almost always an intraoperative diagnosis. Case report: We admitted a previously healthy 15-year-old boy with symptoms of acute enteritis. Within 24 hours, he developed acute abdomen and signs of septic shock. Computer tomography of the abdomen revealed air bubbles in the middle of the abdomen and near the terminal ileum. Suspecting perforation, we performed an emergency laparotomy. However, there was no perforation to be found in the background of the purulent peritonitis. We initiated empirical broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy which we later adjusted. Septic shock and complications were treated successfully. We could not find the source of the primary peritonitis. Since hospital discharge, the child has been asymptomatic. In primary peritonitis, due to the nonspecific, rapidly progressing symptoms, an emergency surgery can not be avoided. With proper antibiotics and supportive therapy, the prognosis is favourable. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(23): 977-979.


Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), which uses a mosquito primary vector and swine as a reservoir host, poses a significant risk to human and animal health. JEV can be detected in cattle, goats and dogs. A molecular epidemiological survey of JEV was conducted in 3105 mammals from five species, swine, fox, racoon dog, yak and goat, and 17,300 mosquitoes from 11 Chinese provinces. JEV was detected in pigs from Heilongjiang (12/328, 3.66%), Jilin (17/642, 2.65%), Shandong (14/832, 1.68%), Guangxi (8/278, 2.88%) and Inner Mongolia (9/952, 0.94%); in goats (1/51, 1.96%) from Tibet; and mosquitoes (6/131, 4.58%) from Yunnan. A total of 13 JEV envelope (E) gene sequences were amplified in pigs from Heilongjiang (5/13), Jilin (2/13) and Guangxi (6/13). Swine had the highest JEV infection rate of any animal species, and the highest infection rates were found in Heilongjiang. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the predominant strain in Northern China was genotype I. Mutations were found at residues 76, 95, 123, 138, 244, 474 and 475 of E protein but all sequences had predicted glycosylation sites at ′N154. Three strains lacked the threonine 76 phosphorylation site from non-specific (unsp) and protein kinase G (PKG) site predictions; one lacked the threonine 186 phosphorylation site from protein kinase II (CKII) prediction; and one lacked the tyrosine 90 phosphorylation site from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) prediction. The aim of the current study was to contribute to JEV prevention and control through the characterization of its molecular epidemiology and prediction of functional changes due to E-protein mutations.


The automatic gain control (AGC) of a conical scan tracking radar IF amplifier is designed using H/sub /spl infin// synthesis. It is shown that this technique is particularly suited for this problem because of its loop shaping capabilities and because it can tackle particular frequencies effectively, providing a correct balance among closed-loop stability, fast response to echo changes, and rejection of frequencies other than the echo modulation. Two controllers are implemented and compared with a standard controller, showing significant improvement in system tracking.


Conflicts of interest are inherent in the practice of medicine, particularly in the conduct of clinical research. Such conflicts can often be identified and even resolved by the application of ethical principles as an integral part of such research. The opportunity to participate in a series of controlled clinical trials of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in diverse neurologic disease provided an insight into some of the ethical dilemmas posed by such conflicts of interest. Chief among these was the recognition that informed consent is a precious though fragile and multidimensional concept. In the last analysis, ethics is the "business of being human"; respect for its guidance helps to ensure the success of clinical research.


Abstract. Varved lake sediments are exceptional archives of paleoclimatic information due to their precise chronological control and annual resolution. However, quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions based on the biogeochemical composition of biochemical varves are extremely rare mainly because the climate-proxy relationships are complex, and obtaining biogeochemical proxy data at very high (annual) resolution is difficult. Recent developments in high-resolution hyperspectral imaging (HSI) of sedimentary pigment biomarkers combined with micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) elemental mapping make it possible to measure the structure and composition of varves at unprecedented resolution. This provides opportunities to explore (seasonal) climate signals preserved in biochemical varves and, thus, assess the potential for annual resolution climate reconstruction from biochemical varves. Here, we present a geochemical dataset including HSI-inferred sedimentary pigments and uXRF-inferred elements at very high spatial resolution (60 μm, i.e. > 100 data points per varve year) in varved sediments of Lake Żabińskie, Poland over the period 1966–2019 CE. We compare this data with local meteorological observations to explore and quantify how changing seasonal meteorological conditions influenced sediment composition and varve formation processes. Based on the dissimilarity of within-varve multivariate geochemical time series, we classified varves into four types. Multivariate analysis of variance shows that these four varve types were formed in years with significantly different seasonal meteorological conditions. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to infer seasonal climate conditions based on sedimentary variables. Spring and summer (MAMJJA) temperature were predicted using Ti and total C (R2adj = 0.55; cross-validated root mean square error (CV-RMSE) = 0.7 °C, 14.4%). Windy days from March to December (mean daily wind speed > 7 m/s) were predicted using mass accumulation rate (MAR) and Si (R2adj = 0.48; CV-RMSE = 19.0%). This study demonstrates that high-resolution scanning techniques are promising tools to improve our understanding of varve formation processes and climate-proxy relationships in biochemical varves. This knowledge is the basis for quantitative high-resolution paleoclimate reconstructions, and here we provide examples of calibration and validation of annual resolution seasonal weather inference from varve biogeochemical data.


This paper evaluates a novel receiver design concept that implements photovoltaic (PV) cells on heat shields and bellows shields to capture optical spillage from central receiver and parabolic trough concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, generating electricity from concentrated light that would otherwise be wasted. A combination of conventional silicon and multi-junction concentrating PV (CPV) cells were evaluated to accommodate regions of both high and low solar fluxes on the shields. Estimates from existing CSP plants indicate that the irradiance on central-receiver heat shields can be well over 100 kW/m near the receiver tubes, but lower fluxes can occur in distant regions or in parabolic trough applications. A technoeconomic study was performed to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for these systems as a function of several cost and performance factors, such as irradiance, PV cell type, and cooling conditions.


Pollination-constant and nonastringent (PCNA) is one of the most desirable traits in persimmons as this type of cultivar loses its astringency while still on the tree before harvest. Among Japanese PCNA cultivars, the trait is qualitatively inherited and recessive to pollination-constant, astringent (PCA), pollination-variant, nonastringent (PVNA), and pollination-variant, astringent (PVA) types. However, in a previous trial, both astringent and nonastringent types segregated in the F 1 population that resulted from a cross between a Chinese PCNA 'Luo Tian Tian Shi' and a Japanese PCNA cultivar. Because of the unusual segregation, in this study, we crossed another Japanese PCNA 'Okugosho' with 'Luo Tian Tian Shi' to confi rm the segregation of astringent types by measuring the tannin cell size and tannin concentration at harvest. Previously, we found that astringent types have larger tannin cells than PCNA-type. The F 1 hybrid progenies from the cross segregated into both PCNA and astringent-type individuals in approximately 1:1 ratio. Likewise, the F 1 population from the astringent-type 'Yotsumizo' and 'Iwasedo' × 'Luo Tian Tian Shi' were ascertained to contain both PCNA and astringent types, which indicates that the PCNA trait of 'Luo Tian Tian Shi' was dominant. Thus, this Chinese cultivar has the potential to become an important parental material for future breeding of PCNA persimmons. Persimmon (Diosypyros kaki Persimmon (Diosypyros kaki


Background The assessments of joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are mainly restricted to small joints in the hands and feet. However, the development of arthritis in RA patients often involves the large joints, such as the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle. Few previous reports have studied the predictive value of radiographic findings for destruction of the large joints in RA patients. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) precisely visualizes the disease activity in large joints affected by RA. Furthermore, the response on FDG-PET correlates with the clinical response to biologic treatment. However, it is not thoroughly understood whether FDG-PET/CT findings correlate with the severity of destruction in the large joints of the RA patients. Objectives To investigate the associations between destruction of the large joints and FDG-PET/CT findings, the disease activity and laboratory parameters after the administration of biological therapy in patients with RA. Methods 23 RA patients (six males and 17 females; mean age of 66.9±7.9 years) were assessed in this study. FDG-PET/CT was performed before the initiation of biological therapy and six months after the therapy. The extent of FDG uptake in large joints (shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee and ankle) was analyzed using the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). Radiographs of the 12 large joints per patient, for a total of 276 joints, were obtained at baseline and after two years. Twelve joints had previously been treated with joint replacement surgery at baseline and were excluded from this analysis. A total of 264 large joints were assessed according to Larsen's method. The disease activity and laboratory parameters were evaluated at baseline and six, 12 and 24 months after the therapy. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors most significantly contributing to the progression of joint destruction within two years. Results Among the 264 joints, radiographic progression of joint destruction was detected in 33 joints. The SUVmax at baseline and six months and the disease activity score (DAS) 28 – erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at six, 12 and 24 months were significantly higher in the group with progressive joint destruction. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the SUVmax at baseline and DAS28-ESR at six months were found to be factors associated with joint destruction at two years (p<0.05). Conclusions The FDG uptake was significantly higher in the large joints demonstrating radiographic progression of destruction at two years after the initiation of biological therapy. The SUV max at baseline and the DAS28–ESR at six months after the biological treatment were identified to be significant factors predicting destruction of the large joints at two years. Disclosure of Interest None declared


During the school year leading up to summer 2015, summer leaders in three cities made concerted efforts to integrate their summer learning programs into the core priorities and operations of the larger school district as a strategy to increase sustainability. This report examines these efforts and their impacts. The recommendations we provide should be useful to leaders of district-led summer programs and others who support sustaining them.


School anxiety and psychopathological symptoms tend to co-occur across development and persist in adulthood. The present study aimed to determine school anxiety profiles based on Lang's model of the triple response system (cognitive anxiety, psychophysiological anxiety, and behavioral anxiety) and to identify possible differences between these profiles in psychopathological symptoms (depression, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, somatization, anxiety, psychoticism, obsessive-compulsive, phobic anxiety, and paranoid ideation). The School Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and the Symptom Assessment-45 Questionnaire (SA-45) were administered to 1525 Spanish students (49% girls) between 15 and 18 years old (M = 16.36, SD = 1.04). Latent Profile Analysis identified four school anxiety profiles: Low School Anxiety, Average School Anxiety, High School Anxiety, and Excessive School Anxiety. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences among the school anxiety profiles in all the psychopathological symptoms examined. Specifically, adolescents with Excessive School Anxiety showed significantly higher levels of the nine psychopathological symptoms than their peers with Average School Anxiety and Low School Anxiety. In addition, the Excessive School Anxiety profile scored significantly higher in phobic anxiety than the High School Anxiety group. These findings allow to conclude that it is necessary enhance well-being and reduce psychopathology of those adolescents who manifest high and very high reactivity in cognitive, psychophysiological, and behavioral anxiety.


This research paper aims to examine the effect of employee motivation on organizational citizenship behaviour among administrative staff of state universities in Sri Lanka. It had been previously reported that motivation had a significant relationship with the organizational citizenship behaviour of employees in various business sectors and industries. In view of the importance of the state university sector as large public sector organizations in Sri Lanka, the focus of this study is to analyze the effect of motivation on organizational citizenship behaviour of administrative staff of 15 state universities in Sri Lanka. An established questionnaires with suitable modification was used to collect data. A total of 178 questionnaires were distributed among the respondents and 168 usable questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 71%. The data was analyzed by SPSS package. The findings shows that both intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation have a significant positive effect on organizational citizenship behaviour. Further the study reveled that extrinsic motivation has a positive relationship with organizational citizenship behaviour and which is stronger than the relationship between intrinsic motivation and organizational citizenship relationship among the administrative staff of state universities in Sri Lanka. Keywords: Administrative staff, employee motivation, organizational citizenship behaviour, state universitie


In Islamic jurisprudence ( fiqh ), the right to choose a partner for a woman is set by families. This then becomes the spotlight of many circles who argue that fiqh is discriminatory against women. Muslim men have the right to decide with whom to marry. In contrary, Muslim women do not have such a right. Women right is taken over by parents in the name of Islamic law. In the World Conference on Population and Women in Cairo-Egypt in 1994, however, women were proclaimed to have their own reproductive rights that must be protected and maintained. One form of the demands of the reproductive rights is the right of women to determine their own life partner. This paper wants to examine the right to choose a husband for women from the perspective of Islamic law and international law on human rights. Keywords: the right to choose, women, Islamic law, human rights.


The article provides an overview of world literature data on existing techniques to improve the results of distal reconstructions by applying arteriovenous fistulas in the formation of the distal anastomosis in patients with obliterating diseases of the lower extremities. The data on the benefits of worldwide research of a method depending on the type, shape and location of venous cuffs or patches. Examined the immediate and long-term outcomes with the use of these techniques, data analysis, comparative application autovenous grafts, shunts combined with the use of arteriovenous fistulas in the formation of distal anastomosis and PTFE prostheses in position below the gap of the knee.


Polymorphism of blood groups ABO, MN, Rh and serum proteins Hp, Tf, Gc, C3 was studied in Buryat populations of Zabaikalie, Pribaikalie, Olkhon island. No indication of significant heterogeneity was observed. Gene frequencies varied in different systems within the ranges: ABO (p-0.142-0.183; q-0.205-0.324; r-0.567-0.630); MN (m-0.531-0.624), Rh(d) (0-0.214), Hp (Hp 1-0.268-0.339), C3 (C3F-0.023-0.090), Tf (TfC-0.971-1.0), Gc (Gc1-0.728-0.840). Genetic distances between main Buryat groups were estimated.


We focus the security and privacy threats in radio interface between evolved node B (eNB, "base station") and user equipment (UE). We identify new threats including several user tracking attacks by various information in MAC and RRC signalling messages, and an active attack with false buffer status reports. Finally, we propose a solution including confidentiality of RRC layer messages, periodic C-RNTI reallocation on one cell; discontinuous sequence number in RRC message, and one time access token for MAC buffer status report.


Shodan is a search engine for exploring the Internet and thus finding connected devices. Its main use is to provide a tool for cybersecurity researchers and developers to detect vulnerable Internet-connected devices without scanning them directly. Due to its features, Shodan can be used for performing cybersecurity audits on Internet of Things (IoT) systems and devices used in applications that require to be connected to the Internet. The tool allows for detecting IoT device vulnerabilities that are related to two common cybersecurity problems in IoT: the implementation of weak security mechanisms and the lack of a proper security configuration. To tackle these issues, this article describes how Shodan can be used to perform audits and thus detect potential IoT-device vulnerabilities. For such a purpose, a use case-based methodology is proposed to teach students and users to carry out such audits and then make more secure the detected exploitable IoT devices. Moreover, this work details how to automate IoT-device vulnerability assessments through Shodan scripts. Thus, this article provides an introductory practical guide to IoT cybersecurity assessment and exploitation with Shodan.


Storage systems are built by taking the basic capability of a storage device, such as the hard disk drive, and adding layers of hardware and software to obtain a highly reliable, high-performance, and easily managed system. We explain in this paper how storage systems have evolved over five decades to meet changing customer needs. First, we briefly trace the development of the control unit, RAID (redundant array of independent disks) technologies, copy services, and basic storage management technologies. Then, we describe how the emergence of low-cost local area data networking has allowed the development of network-attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN) technologies, and we explain how block virtualization and SAN file systems are necessary to fully reap the benefits of these technologies. We also discuss how the recent trend in storage systems toward managing complexity, ease-of-use, and lowering the total cost of ownership has led to the development of autonomic storage. We conclude with our assessment of the current state-of-the-art by presenting a set of challenges driving research and development efforts in storage systems.


Abstract Background: Medical education in Kazakhstan has been literally transformed in the past 10 years. Kazakhstan inherited the Soviet-time discipline-based teacher-centered system of education when no decisions could be made independently. The curriculum was mostly governed in a traditional way, with lectures being the core, little use of e-learning tools, and assessment through oral exams and multiple-choice questions. Most of the universities still preserve the subject-based curriculum with elements of integrated learning. Methods: Being the most active member of International Space Education, Karaganda State Medical University (KSMU) took the initiative to adapt the full integrated curriculum mostly based on problem-based, team-based learning, and use of virtual patient cases. The given approach was chosen because of active involvement of our University in nine Tempus and Erasmus+projects including reforming of Public Health and Nursing curriculum, human resources development, active learning, credit mobility, and move towards autonomy of medical schools. Results: KSMU became the coordinator of two of these projects, taking its active position in internationalization of medical education. We actively use technology-based medical education, pro-actively adapting deliberate practice in acquiring essential practical skills, for which KSMU was recognized by an ASPIRE-to-Excellence Award in simulation. Conclusions: Kazakhstan hopes to become the leader in medical education in Central Asia and suggests other Universities in the area to adopt its approach to internationalization of medical education.


Goat farming in Benin is traditional. In this system, animals harbor parasites that cause economic losses related to growth and reproduction performance, which strongly affect farm productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gastrointestinal parasite burden of goats in Benin. Thus, feces were sampled from 572 and 497 goats in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, in southern, central and northern Benin. The parasite inventory was performed using the Mini-FLOTAC technique for the quantitative study and the Baermann method for the qualitative research. The results showed an overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of 96.82%. Furthermore, goats were mainly infected with Coccidia (92.24%); strongyles (83.91%), of which the critical genera were Haemonchus spp, Trichostrongylus spp, and Oesophagostomum spp; Strongyloides spp (73.25%) followed by Moniezia spp (21.8%). Other gastrointestinal parasites retrieved were Trichuris spp (0.94%) and Toxocara spp (0.28%). Infestation rates and the number of Eggs Per Gram of feces (EPG) were higher in the wet season than in the dry season. During the wet season, infestations were severe for strongyles, Moniezia spp, coccidian, and moderate for Strongyloides spp and light during the dry season except for Coccidia, where they were intense. Infestation rates and egg excretion of gastrointestinal parasites were shaped by age, sex, breed, and study areas. This knowledge of gastrointestinal parasites will help guide the surveillance of goat parasitosis in Benin.


Highly relativistic runaway electrons are of great concern in the area of fusion energy research, since their presence in tokamak plasmas have the potential to hinder the successful and stable operation of the device, and potentially cause severe structural damage. In this thesis, runaway electron generation dynamics is investigated using the newly developed efficient computational tool CODE. A particular emphasis is given to the synchrotron radiation emitted by the runaways, as this is an important source of information about their properties. The synchrotron emission spectrum is studied, as well as the effects of radiation back-reaction on the electron distribution and the runaway electron dynamics. Synchrotron emission back-reaction is found to have a significant impact on the runaway distribution, leading to an increase in the critical electric field for runaway generation, as well as the appearance of non-monotonic features in the runaway tail for electric-field strengths above a certain threshold, potentially acting as a source of bump-on-tail instabilities. Both of these effects may contribute to reduce the severity of the runaway problem, although their importance is largest at high temperatures and low densities, likely making the impact in a tokamak disruption scenario limited. It is also found that the previously used approximation of considering only the emission from the most strongly emitting particles when modeling the synchrotron spectrum from runaway distributions can produce highly inaccurate results, and that the use of the full runaway distribution in this context is necessary.


Surface electrodes in EIT phantoms usually reduce the SNR of the boundary data due to their design and development errors. A novel gold electrode array with high geometric precision is developed for 2D electrical impedance tomography to increase the SNR of boundary data. Gold thin films are deposited on a flexible FR4 sheet using electro-deposition process to make a sixteen electrode array with electrodes of identical geometry. Boundary data are collected using a USB based high speed data acquisition system in a LabVIEW platform and the data are compared. Results show that the SNR of the boundary potentials obtained with gold electrode array is higher than that of a stainless steel array. Resistivity images reconstructed using EIDORS showed that the image quality is improved with gold electrode array.


This article describes the features of the motion, the channels of recruitment and aspirations of the elites in the North Caucasus. It is important to keep track of the role of political elites to control the interaction in the region, to identify their interests, resources, influence, positive and destructive factors in their activities. The article analyzes the ethnic composition (proportional representation of titular nations, the principles of parity) in representative government in the North Caucasus (Dagestan, Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia), mechanisms of occurrence of ethnoelites to the state and municipal authorities. During the formation of public authorities in the region, the political leadership of the country since the Soviet era adhered to "ethnicity", "national quotas". But at the present stage of development of the political system in Russia, the federal center began to use democratic mechanisms of local authorities, which makes regional political elites to seek new approaches in the political struggle.


Background: Malaria is one of the most common diseased conditions across most developing countries caused by one of four species of Plasmodium. Electrolyte imbalance and mineral disturbances are majorly identified clinical symptoms in various infectious diseases including malaria. Malaria infection has also been shown to be associated with abnormalities in fluids, electrolytes and acid base balances which are capable of enhancing disease severity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of malaria infection on electrolytes parameters. Methods: Finger prick blood samples were collected from Two-Hundred (200) malaria-suspected subjects representing all age groups and gender. The Giemsa-stained blood smears were carefully examined according to standard procedure. Demographic information was obtained using structured questionnaires. Results: Pearson's Correlation Coefficient technique was used to investigate the relationship, and the strength of association between the variables. The mean bound of patients' sodium level was observed to fall within the specified normal limits of 125mmol/L – 145mmol/L; except for positive malaria patients belonging to the MP-(++) which will fall below the 125mmol/L (i.e. 126.25mmol/L – 1.77mmol/L = 124.48mmol/L). Conclusion: In our study we found that Plasmodium falciparum showed more alteration in electrolytes parameters than Plasmodium vivax. This study discovered a significant linear relationship based on the Pearson product-moment correlation between creatinine and urea, potassium and chloride, potassium and creatinine, potassium and urea. The mean sodium and chloride level of positive malaria [MP-(++)] patients were observed to fall outside the normal limit.


A 68-year-old man presented to the emergency department with haematemesis and shock. Upper endoscopy and selective angiography could not identify the source of bleeding. He underwent selective embolisation of the gastroduodenal artery. The patient then had a period of about 24 hours with relative haemodynamic stability before having another episode of massive upper gastrointestinal bleed. A second attempt to embolise the common hepatic artery and distal coeliac axis was unsuccessful. Hence, he was urgently taken to the operating room for exploratory laparotomy. The source of bleeding could not be identified in the operating room. The patient went into cardiac arrest and expired. Autopsy revealed a fistula between proximal jejunum and a previously unknown abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We present an entity that has only been described a few times in the literature while highlighting the importance of having a broad differential with upper gastrointestinal bleeding, especially when the source is not clearly evident.


Pavel Layus Usability of the submerged arc welding (SAW) process for thick high strength steel plates for Arctic shipbuilding applications Lappeenranta 2017 112 pages Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 742 Diss. Lappeenranta University of Technology ISBN 978-952-335-072-4, ISBN 978-952-335-073-1 (PDF), ISSN-L 1456-4491, ISSN 1456-4491 Construction of reliable, economically feasible and ice-capable vessels and structures for the Arctic has been a subject of great interest in recent years, in spite of the concerns that the undertaking clearly faces profound technical difficulties. One of the technical challenges for modern Arctic shipbuilding is to produce high-quality welds, due to the fact that a weld is usually the weakest part of any structure. Welding is especially difficult for the high strength steels (HSS), which are used in shipbuilding for weight-reduction purposes. The submerged arc welding (SAW) process is one of the most commonly applied welding processes in shipbuilding, because of its high productivity and the outstanding quality of the resultant welds. The objective of the thesis is to explore the usability, development possibilities and parameters of high deposition rate SAW processes and their modifications for welding of thick cold-resistant HSS plates typically used in Arctic shipbuilding applications. Meeting this objective required in-depth understanding of the welding and material science background, which includes the quality requirements of welded joints intended for Arctic service as described in various standards (ISO 19906; ASME 31.3; Norsok M001 and Russian Maritime Register of Shipping), properties of cold-resistant HSS and description of testing methods used to validate welding joints for low temperature conditions. The thesis is based on two research methods: literature review and experimental work. The SAW process and welding requirements, cold-resistant HSS and the Arctic operating conditions and challenges from the engineering perspective are first studied. A literature review of materials and welding requirements for Arctic applications according to various standards, experimental testing of advanced SAW processes and assessment of their suitability for application to Arctic conditions, examination of the effects of the SAW process on HSS for Arctic service, and a proposed suitable range of parameters for welding HSS for Arctic conditions was carried out. Based on this analysis, it became possible to design and conduct experiments to present new experimental data that improve understanding of SAW process and its modifications to weld thick quenched and tempered (QT) and thermo-mechanically processed (TMCP) HSS plates. Experiments were conducted to develop high deposition rate SAW welding procedures of modified SAW (conventional single wire, tandem wire welding, and threewire and four-wire arrangements) to weld several thick (12–35 mm) high strength (580– 650 MPa tensile strength) cold-resistant (intended operational temperature -40°C 60°C) steel grades, i.e. E500, F500W, X70 and AB2. The welds were evaluated by a wide range of industrial tests: analyses of chemical, microstructural and mechanical properties; hardness tests; and cold resistance evaluation tests: the Charpy V-notch impact test, the Nil-ductility transition temperature (NDT) test, the three-point bending (Tkb) test and the Crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) test. Acceptable welding parameters and recommendations were developed, and the results of the experiments show that highquality welds can be obtained using heat input up to 3.5 kJ/mm. This thesis provides a practical approach and clarifies the difficulties to SAW process parameter selection for welding thick HSS plates intended for Arctic shipbuilding applications. The experimental results can be directly adapted to industrial applications, and the theoretical observations can be used to gain deeper understanding of state-of-theart of SAW processes and its novel developments.


Preface. Prologue. 1. Midnight to Morning. 2. Patchwork Plans. 3. March, Countermarch. 4. On Warfield Ridge. 5. A Wild Rush. 6. Up Comes Vincent. 7. Through the Valley of Death. 8. Shouting the Battle Cry. 9. Down This Way, Boys. 10. A Sorry Place. 11. Everywhere Men Torn and Broken. 12. Twilight. 13. Night of the Dead. 14. Waiting for Tomorrow. Epilogue. Notes. Bibliography. Index.


There has been a flurry of interest in programs for collection development through patron-initiated requests. However, some librarians have been concerned that such methods run the risk of producing idiosyncratic collections with poor usage and poor use value. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries have operated such a program through the Interlibrary Loan Department over a five-year period. The following study assesses the relative performance of the program's interlibrary loan–acquired monographs in terms of prices paid per rates of annual circulation, relative use at the topical level, and annual rates of circulation.


The purpose of this study is to improve the learning outcomes of students in science mupel in grade V elementary schools with a power point-assisted Problem Based Learning (PBL) learning model. The research conducted is Class Action Research (PTK) as many as two cycles, with each cycle consisting of two meetings. The stages of each cycle are planning, implementation, observation and reflection. Each meeting is conducted pre test and post test to know the development of students. In cycle I students who completed after carrying out the post test by 82%. In cycle II students completed after carrying out post tests by 93%. These results show that the Problem Based Learning (PBL) learning model can improve the learning outcomes of students, especially the Grade V science teacher at SDN 2 Pabuwaran.


In this paper we explore what would happen to the Earth if the Sun were replaced by one of the largest stars ever discovered, VY Canis Majoris, such that it has the same angular diameter in the sky as our current Sun does. We find the Earth would orbit the star at 1420 ± 120 AU, with an orbital period of 13,000 ± 3, 500 years. Earth would have an effective temperature of −120 ± 8.7°C, but factoring in the greenhouse effect the real temperature would be −35 ± 2.3 °C, thus we would most likely expect Earth, in this system, to be non-habitable.


For critical vehicular communication services, such as traffic safety and traffic efficiency, it is advisable to design systems with robustness as the main criteria, possibly at the price of reduced peak performance and efficiency. We describe a simple, low-cost method for combining the output of L nonideal (i.e., nonisotropic) antennas to the input signal to a single-port receiver with the aim to guarantee robustness, i.e., to minimize the probability that K consecutive packets arriving from the worst-case angle-of-arrival are decoded incorrectly. To minimize complexity, the combining network does not estimate or use channel state information (complex channel gains, noise levels, etc.). The combining network consists of L −1 analog phase shifters whose phases are affine functions of time. For a general L and the case when the packet error probability decays exponentially with the received SNR, the optimum slopes of the affine functions can be computed by solving an optimization problem that depends on the antenna far field functions. We provide an analytical solution for the special case of L $=2$ antennas, which turns out to be independent of the antenna patterns. In an experimental setup consisting of two monopole antennas mounted on the roof of a Volvo XC90, the proposed combining method is shown to give significant performance gains compared to using just one of the antennas.


Cross‐fostering experiments are widely used by quantitative geneticists to study genetics and by behavioral ecologists to study the effects of prenatal investment. Generally, the effects of genes and prenatal investment are confounded and the interpretation given to such experiments is largely dependent on the interests of the researcher. Using a large‐scale well‐controlled experiment on a wild population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), we are able to partition variation in body mass across ontogeny into the effects of genes and the effects of between‐clutch variation in egg characteristics. We show that although egg effects are important early in ontogeny they quickly dissipate, suggesting that the genetic interpretation of cross‐fostering experiments may be preferable for many types of trait. However, the heritability of body mass is smaller than has previously been reported. Our results suggest that this is due to a combination of controlling postnatal environmental effects more carefully and accounting for viability selection operating early in ontogeny.


Trials on nutritional supplements for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) have only evaluated the effects of supplementation with specific nutrients. Additionally, nutrition education has not been a systematic part of these studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a nutrient-dense formula combined with nutrition education on wound healing in DFU patients. Twenty-nine patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 15) receiving two servings of supplements daily plus nutrition education or control group (n = 14) that received the standard of care but no additional nutritional or educational intervention. Both groups were followed for a maximum of 12 weeks. Wound healing, as measured by planimetry, was examined at baseline and every four weeks until complete wound closure or up to 12 weeks. There were no significant differences between groups for BMI, age, duration of diabetes, wound age estimation, or wound area at baseline. The treatment group experienced a faster wound healing rate (6.43 mm2/week more reduction in the wound area) than the control group. The mean reduction in the wound area during the first four weeks of the study was almost 13-fold greater in the treatment group compared to the control group (18.0 mm2/week vs. 1.4 mm2/week, respectively). Our findings showed that nutrition supplementation plus nutrition education significantly accelerated wound healing in DFU patients compared to those who just received a standard-of-care regimen.


We propose and experimentally realize spectral photonic lattices with pump-induced frequency couplings, which can emulate multi-dimensional dynamics with synthetic gauge fields and enable single-shot measurement of the signal phase and coherence.


Kalyatin Vitaly - Senior Researcher, Information Law Laboratory, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Professor of the Russian School of Private Law, Candidate of Juridical Sciences. Address: 20 Myasnitskaya Str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com article is devoted to "fair use"/ "fair dealing" doctrine, which in US/UK legal systems permits borrowing of portions of a work and its further use without necessity to obtain consent of the copyright owner. This mechanism provides flexibility in the legal systems and exists to correct "market failures". However, it is extremely complicated and causes different practical problems. However, these models are unstable and experience serious changes relevant not only to practice but evaluating the general trend of the further development of copyright. US legal system is at the stage of changing paradigm - transfer from interpreting copyright as a special model codifying a compromise for the sake of special public purposes to recognizing the right to entire control of the copyright holder for using a work. In turn, the UK seeking to remove the threat caused by fair use as to business of copyright created the situation in which obstacles for the circulation of information hinder economic development and modernization of the doctrine has got evident drawbacks. However, the attention drawn by the UK cabinet to various narrow aspects of fair dealing has shown recently that widening the doctrine in the UK will not be significant, which would be if the changes were taken only to the extent of which inevitability is recognized by the business community which is conservative. Each of the countries moves its own way but both strive for concretization of terms and conditions of fair use which means a brand-new stage in the development of these doctrines.


In the context of the increasing lactation problems among breastfeeding women, the development of a healthy lifestyle is needed. Different variants of pork, turkey, and beef meatballs, with added lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) aqueous extract (6%), were obtained. These herbs were selected and used due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and lactogenic potential. Two thermal treatments, hot air convection (180 °C) and steam convection (94 °C), were applied for meatballs processing. The obtained meatballs were further subjected to a complex characterization. The functionality of the plant extracts was proved by the values of total content of polyphenols (2.69 ± 0.02 mg AG/g dw) and flavonoids (3.03 ± 0.24 mg EQ/g dw). FT-IR analysis confirmed the presence of trans-anethole and estragole at 1507–1508 cm−1 and 1635–1638 cm−1, respectively. Costumers' overall acceptance had a score above 5.5 for all samples, on a scale of 1 to 9. Further analysis and human trials should be considered regarding the use of lactogenic herbs, given their health benefits and availability.