ABSTRACT Phoebe Waller-Bridge's series Fleabag (BBC/Amazon Prime, 2016-'19) has been praised for its revitalization of direct address. Whereas this device is often used to foster intimacy between character and audience, I argue that Fleabag problematizes this. I examine the nature of Fleabag's address through the lens of habits of constant connectivity in online attention economies in conjunction with gendered norms of self-representation on social media, and their impact on the nature and modes of human attention. Through a textual and cinematic analysis with attention to editing, camera, mode of address, and acting, I claim that Fleabag's attention-seeking performance enforces an intimacy that is gradually revealed to serve as a distraction, and that this is reinforced by the show's entire aesthetic. By foregrounding these issues, and through its aesthetic of distraction, Fleabag investigates the relational implications of multi-tasking lives and probes the boundaries of contemporary attention.


Summary Transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a tightly controlled process critical to normal cellular metabolism. Understanding how transcriptional regulation is orchestrated has mainly involved identifying and characterizing proteins that function as transcription factors. During the past decade, however, an increasing number of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as transcriptional regulators. This revelation has spurred new discoveries, novel techniques, and paradigm shifts, which together are redefining our understanding of transcriptional control and broadening our view of RNA function. Here we summarize recent discoveries concerning the role of lncRNAs as regulators of mammalian mRNA transcription, with a focus on key concepts that are guiding current research in the field.


The article aims to legitimate teaching the history and philosophy of science at contemporary Russian university. It assumes to contribute to the answering the questions of what and how should future researchers and science teachers be taught. It attempts to complement the relevant researches with one aspect connected with the communication of scientists as a subject of study and education. The author argues that the theory and practice of communication can be an important element of teaching the history and philosophy of science courses for future researchers. She explains this importance by two reasons. Firstly, the communication of scientists is problematic; secondly, it can be interpreted as a condition for innovative research. The author makes a distinction between professional communication in science and science communication of scientists with other public actors. The main problem of communication between scientists is an ambiguous connection between the goals of these two types of communication. The article answers the following issues: why and how future researchers should be taught the theory and practice of these two types of communication. In the last part of the article the author analyzes the method of teaching and describes three educational strategies: historical critique, philosophical assembling and experience of dialogue. All of them can be an integral part of teaching the history and philosophy of science for future researchers.


The Frankia sp. strain ACN14a superoxide dismutase SodF was previously shown to be induced in response to Alnus glutinosa root exudates, and its gene was sequenced. We report here the sequence of the 9-kb genomic segment surrounding the sodF gene and further characterize this gene and its product. Nine ORFs coding for various proteins, such as regulators, acetyl-CoA transferases, and a bacterioferritin A next to the sodF gene, were found. Northern blot analysis showed that the sodF gene was expressed as a major 1-kb transcript, which indicates that it has its own promoter. The sodF gene strongly complemented an Escherichia coli triple mutant (sodA sodB recA), restoring aerobic growth when the gene was expressed from the synthetic tac promoter but when expressed from its own promoter showed only slight rescue, suggesting that it was poorly recognized by the E. coli RNA polymerase. It is noteworthy that this is the first time that a Frankia gene has been reported to complement an E. coli mutant. The superoxide dismutase activity of the protein was inactivated by hydrogen peroxide, indicating that the metal ligand is iron, which is supported by analysis of the protein sequence. Thus, the SodF protein induced in Frankia by root exudates is an iron-containing enzyme similar to the one present in the nodules.


Advances in the understanding of neonatal pain have created interest in the use of medications during commonly performed procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit. A number of small studies have examined the role of sedatives, narcotics, miscellaneous anesthetics, and neuromuscular blockers in providing a more comfortable experience for the patient during nonemergent tracheal intubation. However, the most effective combination and doses of these medications is currently unknown. This review discusses the findings of selected studies that have been used to improve the intubating experience of patient and clinician.


The General Purpose Technology of Electricity (GPT-E) as a meta-technology has been a driving force of economic growth in the Second Industrial Revolution. Fuelled by inventions (eg the electric motor/dynamo, electric light, telegraph, and telephone), its micro-foundations were the General Purpose Engines (GPE). The GPEs were the basic innovations surrounded by their of Clusters of Innovations. These basic innovations, characterized by their social and economic impact, were the result of the work of single individuals. It was their respective Acts of Invention that created the artefacts that played such an essential role in the spawning of the GPT-E; and it were their Acts of Business that created their patent-based commercial monopolies. Based on extensive case studies, we investigated the individual contributions of Samuel Morse (telegraph), Alexander Bell (telephone) and Guglielmo Marconi (wireless), to find that they had much in common. Their Acts of Invention—the process from idea to prototype and product—and their Acts of Business—the process from prototype to commercial product—are presented and show remarkable similarities.


The aim of this work is to estimate morphological parameters of dune systems in West African Sahel from remote sensing images that will be utiiized in paleolandform studies. The Gample is taken from a MSS Landsat view of %he northern part of the Faguibine lake in Mali. In order to extract the very structure, sequences of morphological transformations are applied to this image and an estimation of its anisotropy is obtained by a Rose of directions method9


Molecular farming in plants provides an inexpensive and convenient way to produce biopharmaceutical molecules and other valuable proteins on a large scale. Proof of principle has been demonstrated for a large number of recombinant human proteins, subunit vaccines and antibodies, and detailed cost evaluations have been described for the production of technical proteins in maize. In terms of biosafety, plants have several advantages over traditional production systems, such as the absence of endotoxins, human pathogens and oncogenic DNA sequences. However, other biosafety concerns remain to be addressed. These not only reflect the quality and safety of the final product, but also the wider effects of molecular farming on health and the environment. In this review we discuss the technological basis of molecular farming in plants and identify potential biosafety risks: transgene spread in the environment, recombinant protein accumulation in the ecosystem, contamination of food and feed chains with transgenes and their products, and product quality and safety.


Red cell aggregation has been studied by photometry in 47 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The disease was associated with boosting of reversible red cell aggregation, which was most of all expressed during metabolic decompensation with ketoacidosis. When metabolic subcompensation was attained, this parameter did not completely normalize and still had to be corrected.


ABSTRACT Chtop binds competitively to the arginine methyltransferases PRMT1 and PRMT5, thereby promoting the asymmetric or symmetric methylation of arginine residues, respectively. In cooperation with PRMT1, Chtop activates transcription of certain gene groups, such as the estrogen-inducible genes in breast cancer cells, the 5-hydroxymethylcytosine-modified genes involved in glioblastomagenesis, or the Zbp-89-dependent genes in erythroleukemia cells. Chtop also represses expression of the fetal γ-globin gene. In addition, Chtop is a component of the TREX complex that links transcription elongation to mRNA export. The regulation of Chtop expression is, therefore, a key process during the expression of certain gene groups and pathogenesis of certain diseases. Our recent study revealed that cellular levels of Chtop are strictly autoregulated by a mechanism involving intron retention and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Here, we summarize roles of Chtop in gene-specific expression and highlight our recent findings concerning the autoregulation of Chtop.


Abstract Southern root-knot nematode and common cocklebur interfere with cotton growth and yield. A greater understanding of the interaction of these pests with cotton growth and yield is needed for effective integrated pest management (IPM). An additive design was used in outdoor microplots with five common cocklebur densities (0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 plants per plot) growing in competition with cotton, with and without the presence of southern root-knot nematode. Differences in cotton height could not be detected among common cocklebur densities or nematode presence at 3 wk after transplanting (WAT); however, differences in crop height were observed at 5 WAT between nematode treatments. In the absence of nematodes, the relationship between cotton yield loss and common cocklebur density was described by a rectangular hyperbolic regression model (P < 0.0001). Maximum yield loss from common cocklebur in the absence of nematodes exceeded 80%. In the presence of nematodes, there was a linear relationship between cotton yield loss and common cocklebur density (P = 0.0506). The presence of nematodes at each common cocklebur density increased cotton yield loss 15 to 35%. Common cocklebur plant biomass was 25% greater in nematode treatments, likely because of the reduced competitiveness of the cotton plants in these plots. This study demonstrates that multiple pests can interact to cause an additive reduction in crop yield. Nomenclature: Common cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium L. XANST cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita Kofoid & White (chitwood), host race 3.


This paper reports on some peculiarities associated with a recently published summation rule for scattering of electromagnetic waves. The summation rule states that the extinction cross section integrated over all frequencies is equal to the low-frequency response of the target. Although the summation rule is intriguing by itself, it becomes even more paradoxical when a static conductivity model or the PEC boundary condition is introduced. The paradoxical character lies in the fact that the extinction cross section integrated over all frequencies is independent of the static conductivity as long as it is non-zero. This puzzling result is explained by rejecting the static conductivity model at zero frequency as suggested by numerical simulations of a homogeneous and isotropic sphere. In addition, the low-frequency behavior of diamagnetic materials is investigated using Herglotz functions and arguments from the theory of special relativity. (Less)


Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone), a major constituent of rhubarb, has a wide range of therapeutic applications. Previous studies have established that emodin induces apoptosis in the inner cell mass and trophectoderm of mouse blastocysts and leads to decreased embryonic development and viability, indicating a role as an injury risk factor for normal embryonic development. However, the mechanisms underlying its hazardous effects have yet to be characterized. In the current study, we further investigated the effects of emodin on oocyte maturation and subsequent pre- and post-implantation development, both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, emodin induced a significant reduction in the rates of oocyte maturation, fertilization, and in vitro embryonic development. Treatment of oocytes with emodin during in vitro maturation (IVM) led to increased resorption of postimplantation embryos and decreased fetal weight. Experiments using an in vivo mouse model disclosed that consumption of drinking water containing 20–40 μM emodin led to decreased oocyte maturation and in vitro fertilization, as well as early embryonic developmental injury. Notably, pretreatment with a caspase-3-specific inhibitor effectively prevented emodin-triggered injury effects, suggesting that impairment of embryo development occurs via a caspase-dependent apoptotic process.


In the past decade, education has undergone fundamental changes, such as the simultaneous implementation of Outcomes-based Education and Inclusive Education. A study of different sources has led me to realise that many teachers lack the skills needed to cope with a diversity of learners in their classrooms, which results directly and indirectly in a drop in teacher morale, which in turn causes emotional problems like stress and a lack of motivation. This has a spill-over effect on the learners in their classes, who have no role model for their emotional development and often have weak results. I argued that proof exists that music can alleviate stress, while creative skills can help teachers to better cope with their emotions and develop more effective problem-solving skills, which will help them to attain emotional stability and better academic results in the inclusive classroom. The purpose of the study was to determine how to design an effective
continuous learning programme for distance education. The purpose of the programme is to train teachers to use music creatively to support learners experiencing learning difficulties. The information obtained by means of a literature study was used to develop the first draft of the programme, Music for All. After the first draft of the programme had been developed, the skills of experts in the fields of creativity, music and materials development in open and distance learning were utilised to evaluate the programme. This was done by applying the principles of the Delphi Method to ensure a sound theoretical and practical base for the course. A summary of the aspects that should be considered when developing such a programme (as identified during the literature study and through the evaluation by experts) was put forward and it was concluded that the knowledge and experience of the experts greatly enhanced the practical value of the programme.


The paper first presents the nature of the foreign language reading comprehension teaching and then gives a detailed analysis of the two central elements in teaching: teaching strategies and learning strategies. Finally , the application of the two types of strategies in the classroom teaching is discussed.


high-quality care o ff ered to patients improves health outcomes. Racial and ethnic minority IBD patients, as well as individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds have been increasingly recognized to be a ff ected by health disparities in chronic disease management. Thus, the aim of this study is to better understand disparities in care between Black and White IBD patients, with a focus on preventative health measures, while also integrating the patient ' s perspective of their care. Methods: A 34-question web-based patient survey that included demographic, diagnostic, treatment, and quality of life-related questions was conducted. The survey was made available through a database of IBD patients previously identi fi ed as potential clinical trial participants. The survey included 22 questions with closed answers, 10 questions with the opportunity to select "other" and provide additional information, and 2 open-ended questions. Results: Approximately 2000 patients accessed the survey email. The survey respondent rate was nearly 25%, with data from 455 patients who completed the survey included in this analysis. Of those who completedthesurvey, 415 (91.2%)were White and 40(8.8%) were Black (Figure1). In termsof preventive screenings,skin cancerscreening wasdiscussed with26.8%of allIBD patients, and wasdiscussed with 28.2% of White patients, compared to only 12.5% of Black patients (P 5 0.047). The least frequently discussed topic amongst all IBD patients were pap smears (13.7% for White respondents, 12.5% for Black respondents). There was no statistically signi fi cant di ff erence by race in discussions around pap smears, mental health, vaccinations, bone heath, nutrition, or cancer prevention between Black and White IBD Patients. Conclusion: We found that health care providers infrequently discuss preventative care for IBD with their patients. In our study, the least commonly discussed health care measure by providers were pap smears.Fromthepatient ' s perspective, toimprovetherelationshipbetweenBlackpatients andtheir providers,a trusting,empowering,and respectfulenvironmentshouldbeestablished.Providerself-awareness including understanding their communication style is crucial when cultivating these interactions. Patients want to be able to take an active role in their


Dhaka Water Supply System Management (i.e.; Dhaka WASA) is the main service provider in drainage system maintenance in Dhaka city. In the mega-city of Dhaka the capital of Bangladesh, with over 10 million people facing acute problems in increasing urban flooding, storm sewrage and sanitation which affecting millions of inhabitants and businesses every year. To remedy these urban flooding problems the responsible authority, (DWASA) has started the Urban Dredging Demonstration Project (UDDP) under the existing partnership with Vitens Evides International from the Netherlands. Once Dhaka city has 49 canals which served as the natural drainage system but with the course of time most of canals are illegally occupied and disappeared and rest of them have become narrower, silted up, and blocked. To overcome this problems adoption of new dredging tecnology and longterm dredging plan with WIT (sediment information system) offers a solution. WIT is a dynamic web-based GIS application for planning and maintenance operations of drainage system. It offers a unique combination of tools which makes it possible to process data and prepare long-term dredging plans. Practical modules allow for the optimisation of maintenance dredging by calculating quantities dredged material, the testing of data quality and planning of maintenance dredging. The data can be visualized in tables, diagrams, charts for invsetgating the following questions: location of dredged waterways, volume of sediment (material) to be dredged, quality (chemical and physical) of the dredged materials, total costs of the dredging operations and maintenance, available sites for disposal.


Studies the Killingbeck (1979) s-d perturbation series for the (ground state) quadratic Zeeman effect for field strengths gamma >1 au, where the convergence of the series becomes extremely slow. The authors propose a solution which (i) calculates the low orders individually and (ii) uses a model series of correct asymptotic behaviour to sum the large orders in closed form. The authors give accurate variation-perturbation energies for the order k<or=5. The model series is based upon the series of the anisotropic oscillator and the known 'adiabatic approximation'.


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

Recent progress in dendritic cell (DC) and T cell therapies has offered a new avenue in treating multiple myeloma (MM). We have reported that MM patients' DCs cannot effectively present MM antigens and, instead, preferrentially activate T regulatory cells (Tregs). Furthermore, the MM cells actively suppress patients' DC and T cell functions (Han et al. 2008 Mol Ther. 16, 269–279). Therefore, an effective immunotherapy must overcome immune tolerance to the cancer cells and effectively expand functional MM-specific effector cells. To obtain critical data about MM patient's immune status, a longitudinal study of Treg cells before and after treatments of twenty MM patients was conducted. Patients' bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) specimens were collected in the first visit and the follow up visits during treatment. Treg cell populations were examined using antibodies against CD4, CD25, CD127 and Foxp3. At the same time, naive versus memory phenotype was assessed using antibodies against CD45RA, CCR7 and CD27. Besides the above markers, the surface molecule KLRG1 reflecting T cell senescence and longivity was also detected by flow cytometry. Analysis of Tregs at different time points showed a clear trend of gradual increase in Treg population both in the BM and PB of the MM patients; compared with healthy donors, MM patients' Tregs expand more than two to three folds. Surface marker analysis suggests that the expanded Tregs are mostly memory effector cells, which coincides with a decrease in the ratio of naive Tregs. Analysis of MM-specific T cell responses by examining effector cytokines and cytolytic activities against autologous tumor cells revealed that BM contained more cytotoxic T cells than did PB. Increased expansion of MM-specific immune effector cells in culture was observed when Treg activities were suppressed using various immune modulators. Further understanding of Treg-mediated cancer tolerance will be essential to develop clinically more effective immunotherapy towards improved survival of MM patients.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-157. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-157


Dolci, F, Kilding, AE, Chivers, P, Piggott, B, and Hart, NH. High-intensity interval training shock microcycle for enhancing sport performance: A brief review. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a powerful strategy to develop athletes' fitness and enhance endurance performance. Traditional HIIT interventions involve multiple microcycles (7-10 days long) of 2-3 HIIT sessions each, which have been commonly supported to improve athletic performance after a minimum period of 6 weeks training. Regardless of the efficacy of such an approach, in recent years, a higher frequency of HIIT sessions within a unique microcycle, commonly referred to as an HIIT shock microcycle, has been proposed as an alternative HIIT periodization strategy to induce greater and more efficient endurance adaptation in athletes. This review article provides an insight into this new HIIT periodization strategy by discussing (1) HIIT shock microcycle format and design; (2) the sustainability of this training strategy; (3) effects on performance and physiological parameters of endurance; and (4) potential mechanisms for improvements. Evidence advocates the sustainability and effectiveness of HIIT shock microcycle in different athletes to improve intermittent and continuous running/cycling performance and suggests mitochondria biogenesis as the main acute physiological adaptation following this intervention.


This paper studies the geometric design of spatial two degrees of freedom, open loop robot manipulators with revolute joints that perform tasks, which require the positioning of the end-effector in three spatial locations. This research is important in situations where a robotic manipulator or mechanism with a small number of joint degrees of freedom is designed to perform higher degree of freedom end-effector tasks. The loop-closure geometric equations provide eighteen design equations in eighteen unknowns. Polynomial Elimination techniques are used to solve these equations and obtain the manipulator Denavit and Hartenberg parameters. A sixth order polynomial is obtained in one of the design parameters. Only two of the six roots of the polynomial are real and they correspond to two different robot manipulators that can reach the desired end-effector poses.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze which factors were related to the development of pleural thickening in pleural tuberculosis (PT).

METHODS
We reported 99 patients diagnosed as having PT separated into two different groups according to the presence of radiographic pleural thickening after completing the treatment: normal chest roentgenogram (group 1) or pleural thickening (group 2). We compared: clinical history, chest radiography, pleural fluid analysis, microbiological studies and effects of the treatment.

RESULTS
35 cases in group 1 (35.35%) and 64 in group 2 (64.45%). All the compared results did not differ between the two groups, excluding a higher incidence of febrile cases, increased white cell count and decreased relative percentage of pleural lymphocytes in group 1, and increased number of cases with hemoptysis, positive sputum cultures in patients with parenchymal infiltrates, relative percentage of pleural lymphocytes and decreased white cell count in group 2.

CONCLUSIONS
We reported an elevated incidence of residual pleural thickening, but it is unlikely that all the cases could have any clinical significance. We didn't confirm a characteristic pattern. Our findings suggested that a different reaction related or not to the hypersensitivity, rather than the inflammatory response to infection was the responsible for the fibrosis.


Multiplicative complexity is the minimum number of AND-gates required to implement a given Boolean function in (AND, XOR) algebra. It is a good measure of a hardware complexity of an S-box, but an S-box cannot have too low multiplicative complexity due to security constraints. In this article we focus on generic constructions that can be used to find good n×n S-boxes with low multiplicative complexity. We tested these constructions in the specific case when n = 8. We were able to find 8 × 8 S-boxes with multiplicative complexity at most 16 (which is half of the known bound on multiplicative complexity of the AES S-box), while providing a reasonable resistance against linear and differential cryptanalysis.


The article regards the techniques currently used to monitor power transformers insulation. It demonstrates typical drawbacks common for all methods: the existing methods detect only defects distributed throughout the power transformer and do not reveal the concentrated (local) defects that symbolize the beginning of degradation of the «solid dielectric - oil» in- sulation system. Most of the employed methods are sensitive to the state of oil poured into the transformer, making it difficult to detect defects in solid insulation. Monitoring insula- tion on working electric installations by existing methods is hindered by the influence of ex- ternal electromagnetic fields generated by operating high-voltage equipment located near the transformer being monitored. A new method is proposed to monitor insulation, which is based on high-frequency sensing. In terms of insulation control, the circuit of the power transformer winding varies corresponding to applied voltage frequency change from 0 to ∞ taking into account active resistance, inductivity and capacity. We designed a device for monitoring the state of insulation which allows to evaluate the distributed defects of the coil as well as the defects concentrated in the coils layers.


Aqueous extracts from Eucalyptus globulus leaves contain a wide variety of specialized metabolites, mainly polyphenols and appreciable amounts of volatile compounds, which are responsible for their diverse biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and allelopathic features. For this reason, several studies have been conducted to explore the composition of E. globulus leaf extracts for multiple therapeutic and commercial applications. However, so far, the available bibliographic reports only refer to the chemical composition of extracts prepared with leaves from mature trees, leaving much to clarify about the composition of juvenile eucalyptus leaf extracts. Furthermore, there is no consensus regarding the type of leaves, fresh or dried ones, to be used in the extraction procedure, considering the highest recovery of biologically active compounds. In this sense, this study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of aqueous extracts prepared with fresh and dried leaves from young and mature E. globulus trees. For this, leaf biomass from young and mature E. globulus trees was collected in three distinct places from a forest area, and after oven-drying a portion of the leaves, an extraction in hot water was carried out, followed by GC-MS and HPLC-MS/MS analyses. The results revealed that the maturity of eucalyptus trees and biomass drying significantly influenced the volatile and non-volatile composition of the aqueous extracts. Accordingly, while fresh leaf extracts of young trees had great levels of hydrolysable tannins, extracts prepared with fresh leaves from mature trees presented a wide range of terpenes. When dried leaf material was used, extracts had notorious contents of amino acids derivatives, C13 norisoprenoids, fatty and other organic acids. Overall, this study showed, for the first time, that plant maturity (young vs mature) and pre-processing (fresh vs dried) of foliar biomass of E. globulus trees need to be considered in the preparation of leaf aqueous extracts depending on the desired purposes, since major changes in what regards biologically active compounds were found.


Increasing evidence shows that seminal plasma is among the most important immunoregulatory factors in female reproductive function. We suggest that the favorable effect of the partner's seminal plasma (SP) upon pregnancy occurence in women during the cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be provided by the balanced content of Th1/Th2-dependent seminal cytokines. Otherwise, in case of pathologic changes in SP composition, it may negatively affect the IVF efficiency. Our aim was to determine whether the levels of seminal IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-18, IFNγ, TNFα, TNFβ and TGF-β1 are associated with pregnancy establishment in female patients exposed to seminal plasma during IVF/ICSI cycle.Twenty-eight female patients were exposed to seminal plasma via sexual intercourse before the day of oocyte retrieval, and also underwent intravaginal application of seminal plasma just after transvaginal puncture and oocyte retrieval. Quantitative measurement of seminal cytokines was performed by FlowCytomix™ technology. IL-1, IL-18 and TNFβ concentrations were significantly higher in non-pregnant group (p = 0.011; p = 0.030 and p = 0.008, respectively). The contents of IL-2, IL-6, IL-18 and TNFβ per ejaculate were also significantly higher in non-pregnant group (p = 0.020; р = 0.042; р = 0.030 and р = 0.004, respectively). We conclude that elevated concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines in seminal plasma, as well as their total excessive content per ejaculate may have an adverse effect on implantation and pregnancy establishment.


BACKGROUND
This article explores the views of general practitioners on their referral of colorectal cancer patients following diagnosis to specialist surgeons.

METHODS
Sampling was purposive. Nineteen GPs representing urban and rural areas participated in four focus groups.

RESULTS
General practitioners viewed their relationship with surgeons to be of prime importance in the decision about whom to refer. This relationship allowed faster referrals and improved feedback from the specialist to the GP. General practitioners preferred referral to the private health services because they perceived delays in the public system and that referral and communication was easier with private specialists. Neither the volume of colorectal cancer work nor the availability of a multidisciplinary team influenced their decision making.

DISCUSSION
The relationship and communication between GP and surgeon are important in facilitating the referral pathway and the continuing role that many GPs would like to have in the care of their patients.


We report a 28‐year‐old woman with a 5‐year history of cervicogenic headache following a whiplash injury, Her unilateral neck pain, if aggravated by exertion, would create a predictable sequence of events leading to a hemicephalgia. She proved medically refractory to usual therapies, but had a striking response to a single botulinum toxin injection in her symptomatic rapezius muscle. Repeated injections every 3 months have been required to maintain this benefit. The implications of this observation are discussed.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text ABSTRACT Introduction: The impact of albumin resuscitation on sepsis outcomes is debated, particularly in the initial phase of resuscitation. We aimed to investigate the association between albumin use in the initial 6 h of resuscitation and subsequent outcomes in adult septic patients. Methods: This single-center, retrospective, propensity score-matched cohort study included adult patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) with sepsis or septic shock from January 1, 2006, to May 4, 2018, at a tertiary referral hospital. We compared two groups based on albumin receipt within the initial six resuscitation hours (albumin group vs. non-albumin group). We performed a 1:2 propensity score matching to assess shock-free time in ICU as the primary outcome. Results: Of 2,732 patients with medical sepsis, 286 cases in the albumin group were matched with 549 individuals in the non-albumin group. Compared to the non-albumin group, the albumin group required more intravenous fluids and had higher net fluid balance, lower mean arterial pressure, and lower serum base excess level in the initial 6 and 24 h of resuscitation. Shock-free time, ICU and hospital length of stay, and 28-day mortality were not different between albumin and non-albumin groups (56 vs. 66 h, P = 0.18; 3.5 days vs. 3.7 days, P = 0.61; 9.1 days vs. 9.5 days, P = 0.27; 36% vs. 32%, P = 0.25, respectively). Conclusions: Using albumin during the initial 6 h of resuscitation was not associated with benefits in clinical outcomes of patients with medical sepsis.


Combining classical molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations, we find that cations block water flow through narrow (6,6)-type carbon nanotubes (CNTs) because of interactions between cations and aromatic rings in CNTs. In wide CNTs, these interactions trap the cations in the interior of the CNT, inducing unexpected open or closed state switching of ion transfer under a strong electric field, which is consistent with experiments. These findings will help to develop new methods to facilitate water and ion transport across CNTs.


Cardiotoxicity is an important lethal complication of several cancer therapeutic agents. Clearly, DNA damaging chemotherapy treatments may cause damage to both cancer and healthy cells to generate toxic side-effects. We aimed to demonstrate and to compare the possible therapeutic effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, their Exosomes and Vitamin E on induced cardio toxicity in adult male albino rats.This work was performed on 60 adult male albino rats subdivided into 5 groups Group I (-ve control) Group III (CP plus BM-MSCs) Group IV (CP plus Exosomes group) Group V (CP plus Vitamin E) Ten rats were used to isolate the BM-MSCs and their Exosomes. Tissue sections were prepared for light microscope examination by staining with Hematoxyline & Eosin and Masson's Trichrome, and for immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).The use of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) after administration of Cyclophosphamide (CP) showed marked reduction in the cardiac toxic effect which appeared in improvement of CP induced pathological changes on the cardiac muscle fibers detected by light microscopic examination whilethe use of their exosomes and vit. E after administration of CP, showed moderate and mild improvement of CP induced pathological changes on the cardiac muscle fibers, respectively.Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, their exosomes and vit.E have beneficial effect in CP induced cardiotoxicity while statistical analysis revealed that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was superior to exosomes and vit. E as a potent therapeutic agent against Cyclophosphamide cardiac toxicity. We speculate that the beneficial effect cannot be explained only by antioxidant effect but also by the immunogenic and pleiotropic effects of MSCs.


RP-118

Objective: To catalog protein markers and develop quantitative expression signatures for functional and metabolic glucose responsiveness of insulin-producing beta cells. Methods: Data independent, alternate scanning LC-MS was used to quantitatively profile and calculate within-sample protein amounts of the proteomes of FACS-purified rat pancreatic beta and alpha cells, compared to liver and brain, with focus on beta cell-specific expressions. The proteomes of beta cell subpopulations with different metabolic and functional responsiveness were compared following their FACS-separation on basis of absence or presence of a rapid rise in cellular NAD(P)H-fluorescence at 7.5 mM glucose. Results: For quantitative tissue comparison, 6 stably-expressed reference proteins (PPIA, HSPA8, TUBB5, PFN1, YWHAE, RAB1B) were selected for geometric normalization of abundances. All tissues combined, 943 proteins were reliably quantified. 93 out of 467 proteins detected in beta cells were unique to this cell type. Several other proteins showed beta cell selectivity in terms of relatively high molar abundance after normalization. The proteome of beta cell subpopulations with higher glucose responsiveness reflected their functional properties: (i) higher glucose-induced insulin synthesis correlated with 50% higher expression of the protein biosynthetic machinery: a concerted up-regulation of 40s and 60s ribosomal constituents, NADPH-dependent protein folding and translation elongation; (ii) higher rates of glucose utilization were associated with 50% higher levels of glycolytic enzymes, and of the cytosolic arm of the malate/aspartate-shuttle, which transports glycolysis-derived NADH into mitochondria. Their higher glucose oxidation rates are, however, not associated with a higher expression of mitochondrial catabolic enzymes (Krebs cycle, β-oxidation, respiratory chain) which thus appear not rate-limiting for oxidative flux. Conclusion: Label-free LC-MS analysis using data-independent, alternate scanning discloses molecular differences between functionally different beta cell subpopulations, providing quantitative and stoichiometric data within a single experiment. Insulin-producing beta cells with higher glucose responsiveness exhibited a higher expression of glycolytic enzymes but not of mitochondrial enzymes.


Glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase, is one of the most investigated housekeeping genes and widely used as an internal control in analysis of gene expression levels. The present study was designed to assess whether GAPDH is associated with cancer cell growth and progression and, therefore may not be a good internal control in cancer research. Our results from clinical tissue studies showed that the levels of GAPDH protein were significantly up‐regulated in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues, compared with the adjacent normal lung tissues, and this was confirmed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. GAPDH knockdown by siRNA resulted in significant reductions in proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung squamous carcinoma cells in vitro. In a nude mouse cancer xenograft model, GAPDH knockdown significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and migration/invasion in vivo. In summary, GAPDH may not be an appropriate internal control for gene expression studies, especially in cancer research. The role of GAPDH in cancer development and progression should be further examined in pre‐clinical and clinical studies.


and , 0.75 3 within-patient variability for minimum per-formance.‡Thebiasof a method is , 0.125 3 combination of within-patientandbetween-patientvariabilityforop-timumperformance, , 0.25 3 combinationofwithin- patient and between-patient variability for desirable performance, and , 0.375 3 combination of within- patient and between-patient variability for minimum performance.


Despite an occasional temporal relationship between abdominal pain and menstruation, the clinical features of endometriosis are often nonspecific. Diagnostic tests are usually unrewarding, and diagnosis is most often made at surgery. Endometriosis is a progressive disease, and recurrence is common despite therapy. In the case described, a woman with symptoms mimicking acute appendicitis was found at exploratory laparotomy to have ileal endometriosis. Her symptoms coincided with menses.


The General Medical Council has issued a call for an increase in community‐based medical education, and many medical schools are enhancing the community component of their curricula. This paper uses the experience of a community‐based junior medical firm to explore the potential costs, and highlight some of the unresolved problems, which a major transfer of education to the community might engender. Community‐based medical education is not a cheap option. The cost of this programme for the academic year 1992–93 was £266494, or £60 per student session. This compares with the Service Increment for Teaching and Research (SIFTR) provision of £41140 per student per annum, or (excluding the 25% of SIFTR which is supposed to cover research costs), £64 per student session. There are a number of possible ways of funding community‐based education, including a diversion of SIFTR toward departments of primary health care. As this would have serious implications for the financial viability of some medical schools, an urgent discussion about the future funding of medical education is required.


We describe our experience with two cases of acute gastric dilation after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for supraventricular arrhythmia. After the RFCA procedure, patients experienced epigastric pain, abdominal distension, and vomiting. Computed tomography showed marked dilation of their stomachs, but without apparent obstruction of the gastric antrum or the duodenum. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and upper gastrointestinal series revealed significant gastroparesis. We considered that gastric hypomotility had been induced by vagus nerve injury after RFCA. Peristaltic stimulants effectively improved the patients' symptoms by improving gastric motility. There have been few reports of acute gastric dilation after RFCA in Japan to date, but the possibility of encountering this condition is expected to increase in parallel with the recent increased use of RFCA. Therefore, gastroenterologists should be alert to this rare complication.


Background : Few promising molecular targets exist for chemoresistant triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that a subset of TNBCs express high glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels. In breast epithelial cells, GR transcriptional activity directly upregulates the expression of several anti-apoptotic target genes including serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) . High GR and/or SGK1 expression are both associated with decreased chemotherapy-induced cell death in TNBC models. A meta-analysis of patients with early-stage TNBC found that high primary tumor GR (NR3C1) expression significantly associates with earlier relapse compared to GR-non expressing TNBC. Inhibiting GR/SGK1 activity is therefore a testable strategy for improving TNBC responsiveness to chemotherapy.

Both GR and SGK1 require Hsp90 for their activity; therefore, Hsp90 inhibition is predicted to disrupt both GR and SGK1 cell survival signaling in TNBC. Employing a second-generation Hsp90 inhibitor, ganetespib (Synta Pharmaceuticals), we determined the effectiveness of Hsp90 inhibition on GR/SGK1 activity and chemotherapy sensitivity using in vitro and in vivo TNBC models.

Hypothesis : Hsp90 inhibition will decrease GR and SGK1 activity in TNBC in association with improved chemotherapy effectiveness.

Results : Using TNBC cell lines treated with ganetespib at clinically relevant concentrations, we found that total GR and the relative proportion of phosphorylated Ser211 GR were significantly reduced beginning 2 hours following treatment. Reduced glucocorticoid-induced (SGK1) mRNA expression was also seen when cells were pre-treated with ganetespib. We next used fluorescent microscopy and live cell imaging to measure TNBC cell death over a 96 hour time course following chemotherapy +/- ganetespib therapy. Addition of ganetespib to paclitaxel treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells led to significant in vitro cytotoxic synergy; as hypothesized, this synergy was diminished in GR-depleted MDA-MB-231 cells. Cytotoxic synergy following ganetespib and chemotherapy treatment was also seen in vivo in MDA-MB-231 xenografts. Interestingly, tumor GR expression following Hsp90 inhibitor and paclitaxel treatment was significantly reduced compared to tumors from mice treated with paclitaxel alone. Using GR-depleted or control MDA-MB-231 xenografts, studies are currently underway to further characterize the role of GR/SGK1 activity as a target of Hsp90 inhibition to reverse TNBC chemoresistance.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P4-16-05.


The response of a defocused aberration-free optical system to line-frequencies in the object is studied analytically. Curves are given showing the response as a function of line-frequency for a range of values of defect of focus. A comparison is made with the results to be expected from geometrical optics. A tolerance for defect of focus is obtained, which accords well with published experimental results. Both circular and rectangular apertures are considered.


This paper gives a new proof for the approximation theorem and the characterisation of normalisability using intersection types. The technique applied is to define reduction on derivations and to show a strong normalisation result for this reduction. From this result, the characterisation of strong normalisation and the approximation result will follow easily; the latter, in its turn, will lead to the characterisation of (head-)normalisability.


This paper introduces a Grid software architecture offering fault tolerance, dynamic and aggressive load balancing and two complementary parallel programming paradigms. Experiments with financial applications on a real multi-site Grid assess this solution. This architecture has been designed to run industrial and financial applications, that are frequently time constrained and CPU consuming, feature both tightly and loosely coupled parallelism requiring generic programming paradigm, and adopt client-server business architecture.


Avocados covered in a shelf-life-extending coating from Apeel are starting to show up in Costco and Harp stores in the Midwest. Apeel, founded in 2012 by materials scientist James Rogers, creates its coating from plant-derived lipids and glycerolipids. By slowing water loss and oxidation, the coating can keep produce fresh two to three times as long as produce without the coating, the firm says.


Dance has always occupied a central place in human culture. Why humans dance, however, and the role of dance in health, are questions that have yet to be fully addressed. Research to this point has been challenged by limitations in study design, differences in qualitative/quantitative evaluations, and dualistic perceptions of body and mind. This study proposes a shift in explanatory framework and research methods for the examination of dance in therapeutic contexts. Incorporating methods and views from neurobiology, dance/movement therapy, embodied cognition, and somatic education, this interdisciplinary project presents an innovative study design and novel perspective on the role of dance as a treatment for conditions that may be understood as mental/physical or both. It concludes that the practice of dance is essential to human flourishing, and may best be understood as a behaviour that nurtures our human capacity to adapt and thrive.


This paper presents new evidence on the behavior of saving in the world, by extending previous empirical research in five dimensions. First, it is based on a very large and recent database, covering 165 countries from 1981 to 2012. Second, it conducts a robustness analysis across different estimation techniques. Third, the empirical search is expanded by including potential saving determinants identified by theory but not previously considered in the empirical literature. Fourth, the paper explores differences in saving behavior nesting the 2008-10 crisis period and four different country groups. Finally, it also searches for commonalities and differences in behavior across national, private, household, and corporate saving rates. The results confirm in part existing research, shed light on some ambiguous or contradictory findings, and highlight the role of neglected determinants. Compared to the literature, we find a larger number of significant determinants of saving rates, using different estimators, for different periods and country groups, and for different saving aggregates.


ABSTRACTSince the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Jihadist organizations such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have focused increasingly on motivating unaffiliated individuals in the United States and Western countries to carry out lone-wolf attacks in their home countries. To this end, many Jihadist organizations produce what is known as tactical technical communication. Jihadist tactical technical communication persuades individuals to act by creating identification between individuals and audiences, and by associating terrorist tactics with everyday practices such as cooking.


Sexual communication within marriage has been a long-neglected topic in Vietnam. The research described in this paper explored how educated husbands and wives communicate about sexuality in urban settings in contemporary Vietnam. Twenty married individuals living in Hanoi were recruited to participate through snowball sampling. Data were collected through unstructured interviews. Thematic analysis showed that respondents were able to talk with each other relatively openly about sexuality. While the issues raised were various, sexual communication decreased in quantity and quality with the length of marriage. The ambiguity of discourses of sexuality was reportedly both the main catalyst and barrier to conversation.


The import-export trade of nickel Indonesia until 2013 was always in a less prestigous position. It is due to the entire production of nickel is exported in raw materials, while nickel is continued to be imported to meet the industrial needs of stainless steel, nickel alloys, batteries and nickel metal alloys in the country. This study aims to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of export and import of nickel with a terms of trade analysis in net barter, which measures the ratio of the nickel export price with imports price, and gross barter measures the ratio of the nickel export volume to the import volume. Net barter of the analysis results shows that in 2007, the nickel export price was only 0.0121 times than the nickel import price, while gross barter indicates that the export volume was 11044.87 times compared to the import volume. Volume and value of the exports are in nickel ore), while imports in nickel oxide sinters, product of nickel metallurgy, nickel alloys, nickel waste and scrap and nickel powders and flakes. The analysis overview of nickel gives an indication that international trade (export-import) of nickel has not provided an optimal impact on the national and regional economy.


The NAD(NADP) dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase was isolated from the thermophylic strain of Chlorella pyrenoidosa Pringsheim 82T. The isolation and purification procedures included fractionation of the proteins with (NH4)2SO4, column chromatography on Bio-Gel A-1,5 m and rechromatography on hydroxyapatite. The enzyme was homogeneous during electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The molecular weight of the oligomeric enzyme is 160 000, that of the subunits is 40 000. The amino acid composition and total number of SH-groups were determined.


Lorentz symmetry has been tested at low energy with great accuracy, but its extrapolation to very high-energy phenomena is much less well established. We expect a possible breaking of Lorentz symmetry to be a very high energy and very short distance phenomenon, compatible with existing data. If textbook special relativity is only an approximate property of the equations describing a sector of matter above some critical distance scale, superluminal sectors of matter may exist related to new degrees of freedom not yet discovered experimentally. The new superluminal particles ("superbradyons") would have positive mass and energy, and behave kinematically like "ordinary" particles (those with critical speed in vacuum equal to c , the speed of light) apart from the difference in critical speed (we expect c_i >> c , where c_i is the critical speed of a superluminal sector of matter). At speed v > c , they are expected to release "Cherenkov" radiation ("ordinary" particles) in vacuum. If superluminal particles exist, they could provide most of the cosmic (dark) matter and produce very high-energy cosmic rays compatible with unexplained discoveries reported in the literature. We discuss: a) the possible relevance of superluminal matter to the composition, sources and spectra of high-energy cosmic rays; b) signatures and experiments allowing to possibly explore such effects.


Polysialylation is a unique posttranslational modification of NCAM. In this report, we investigated the kinetics and localization of NCAM polysialylation in AtT-20 cells. We show that this cell line expresses both the 180 kDa and 140 kDa isoforms of NCAM, in agreement with the proposal that it belongs to a neuroendocrine lineage. The two NCAM chains bear polysialic acid (PSA) and migrate in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gels as a diffuse, high Mr component, as has been observed in fetal brain. Polysialylation of neosynthesized NCAM was found to be a rapid event, occurring within 8 to 13 min after the beginning of the pulse and appeared to be essentially complete as soon as it was detected. Treatment with endosialidase specific for PSA led to the appearance of two components of 200 and 160 kDa which still bear short sialosyl oligomers. Neither this treatment nor the slowing down of synthesis by lowering the temperature revealed any intermediate bearing oligomers of polysialic acid in the process of elongation suggesting the possibility that polysialylation may involve the transfer to NCAM of preassembled completed PSA chains. Endo H resistance preceded polysialylation, which was totally blocked by monensin and swainsonine which inhibit transport of plasma membrane or secreted proteins within the Golgi complex and the maturation of complex-type oligosaccharide chains, respectively. Depletion of cell-surface NCAM with proteinase K did not prevent the appearance of polysialylated molecules in similar amounts as in untreated cells suggesting that NCAM polysialylation occurs either in a late Golgi or in a post-Golgi compartment but before the molecules reach the plasma membrane.


The small hydrophobic (SH) protein of mumps virus has been reported to interfere with innate immunity by inhibiting tumour necrosis factor alpha-mediated apoptosis. In a yeast two-hybrid screen we have identified the ataxin-1 ubiquitin-like interacting protein (A1Up) as a cellular target of the SH protein. A1Up contains an amino-terminal ubiquitin-like (UbL) domain, a carboxy-terminal ubiquitin-associated (UbA) domain and two stress-inducible heat shock chaperonin-binding (Sti1) motifs. This places it within the ubiquitin-like protein family that is involved in proteasome-mediated activities. Co-immunoprecipitation confirmed the binding of SH and A1Up and demonstrates that a truncated protein fragment corresponding to aa 136-270 of A1Up, which represents the first Sti1-like repeat and an adjacent hydrophobic region, was sufficient for interaction, whereas neither the UbL nor the UbA domains were required for interaction. The ectopic expression of A1Up leads to a redistribution of SH to punctate structures that co-localize with the 20S proteasome in transfected or infected mammalian cells.


In the lead up to the 10th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) agreement, pillar II (which refers to international assistance with state consent) was heralded by the United Nations Special Advisor on R2P as the most promising aspect of the Responsibility to Protect. With so little written on pillar II, however, it is difficult to evaluate this judgement. Addressing this lacuna, this article scrutinizes the promise of pillar II to highlight two key strengths. First, the consensual support for pillar II among UN member states reveals that even those that were critical of the R2P in the aftermath of Libya in 2011 still favour the idea of international assistance. At the same time, there remain concerns over the use of force within pillar II as illustrated by events in Cote d'Ivoire in 2011. Second, the utility of pillar II lies in its potential for addressing the threat posed by non-state armed groups. This is particularly important when one considers that in thirteen of the fourteen years since 2000, rebel groups (rather than governments) have been the primary perpetrators of one-sided mass killing against civilians. Accordingly, pillar II can be seen to hold considerable promise for tackling the threat of mass violence by non-state armed groups in the twenty-first century. However, the article also raises concerns over unintentionally legitimizing illegitimate governments through assistance. To illustrate these points it draws on the assistance provided in Mali (2013–15) and Iraq (2014–15).


Background: It is reported that cancer patients are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection due to immunocompromised immunity. To understand the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 in HNSC cancer, the current study is designed to assess the status of two vital host molecules (ACE2 & TMPRSS2) for the entry of virus in HNSC patients using computational methods. Methodology We used public databases such as TIMER, UALCAN, and GEPIA2 to assess the mRNA expression and association of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in HNSC. cBioPortal was used to assess the genetic alterations in the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 protein sequences that are involved in HNSC development. The CTD database was also used to identify the genes associated with COVID-19 and HNSC. Finally, the PANTHER online platform was used to investigate the protein-protein interaction between COVID-19 and HNSC progression genes collected from the CTD database. Results A differential expression of ACE2 (downregulated) and TMPRSS2 (upregulated) was noted in HNSC those with human papilloma viral infections. A strong genetic alteration in the protein sequence of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 supports their significant role in HNSC disease progression. In addition, the protein-protein interaction network revealed that genes associated with COVID-19 and HNSC are strongly involved in binding activity, catalytic activity, and various cancer signaling pathways. Conclusion From our in silico analysis, we would like to conclude that ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are strongly associated with disease progression in both pathological conditions (HNSC and COVID-19). So, it could serve as potential biomarkers for the early prediction of disease outcomes in cancer patients with COVID-19 disease. Thus, further investigation is needed to evaluate the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on HNSC patients.


Abstract Food-related diseases are a topic of concern for the population and institutions; therefore, regulations have been envisaged to improve consumer knowledge about food properties and to guide them towards healthy food consumption. Europe has addressed the use of claims on labels with two important regulations in 2006 and 2012. The use of claims allows for the differentiation of food products, particularly functional foods, i.e., those that can provide health benefits as part of a standard diet. The study aims to describe the interest of researchers on the topic of functional foods and health claims by observing the trend of publications and highlighting the role of the country on the topic through a network analysis. Another objective is to evaluate the role of lifestyle, psychological and socio-demographic predictors in the choice of functional foods bearing label claims or not, using a systematic literature review. To this aims, a bibliometric and a network analysis were assessed. The results reveal a positive trend in publications and a growing interest in the topic, thus showing that socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle variables partially influence consumer behaviour. In particular, it emerges that educated people and women are more interested in functional foods, showing a higher willingness to pay for them. In addition, physical activity and beliefs regarding the nutritional quality of functional foods are positively correlated with WTP. However, several contradictory results were observed for some variables in the collected studies. For these reasons and considering the high number of functional foods and claims yet to be evaluated, further investigations are recommended.


In the Fe-Nb system, amorphous alloy, metastable crystalline fcc and hexagonal phases were formed in Nb-rich multilayered films by room temperature 200 keV xenon ion mixing. A heat of formation diagram of the system was constructed based on Miedema's model and Alonso's calculation method, and the diagram gave a relevant interpretation for the observed phase formation. The formation of fcc metastable phase can be interpreted by a reverse martensitic transition of bcc-fcc. The amorphous and hexagonal phases are thought to form through a traditional nucleation and growth mechanism with an additional consideration of the irradiation effect, which kinetically hindered the formation of a complicated intermediate compound.


A series of experiments was conducted to examine modulation detection interference (MDI) under two general conditions: one where the processing was likely to be across channel (2.0-kHz signal, 4.0-kHz masker), and the other where the possibility of within-channel processing was much more likely (2.0-kHz signal, 1.8-kHz masker). In the first experiment, MDI was measured as the modulation frequency of the signal and masker was increased from 5 to 100 Hz. The amount of MDI decreased as modulation frequency increased from 5 to 20 Hz, beyond which it remained approximately constant. This effect of common modulation frequency was somewhat smaller for the 1.8-kHz masker. The second experiment examined the effects of relative modulator phase between the masker and signal for modulation frequencies of 10 or 100 Hz. In general, there was not a consistent effect of phase. However, when the signal and masker modulators were in-phase, there was a tendency, on average, for the amount of MDI to be at a maximum when the masker frequency was 1.8 kHz and at a minimum when it was 4.0 kHz. In the third experiment, increases in masker modulation depth usually resulted in nearly proportional increases in signal modulation depth at threshold; this was true for both masker carriers, although the increase was slightly greater for the 1.8-kHz masker. The final experiment examined the effects of level for conditions where the signal and masker carriers were either equal or unequal in level. When they were equal in level, the amount of MDI increased somewhat with increases in level for both masker carriers. Comparing the amount of MDI in these conditions with those where the carriers were unequal in level revealed that the amount of MDI was considerably less when the signal was more intense than the masker. This occurred almost exclusively for the 1.8-kHz masker, however, suggesting that it may reflect a within-channel effect. Taken together, the results from the four experiments suggest that the processing underlying MDI was generally the same in the presence of both the 1.8- and 4.0-kHz masker carriers, although within-channel processing via spread of excitation probably influenced some of the results with the 1.8-kHz masker.


Abstract. In the present study, we measured and quantified changes in leukocyte behavior in the subcutaneous microcirculation in vivo and examined serum cytokine levels in vitro while mice were exposed to continuous 50 Hz electromagnetic fields for 17 days. Mice were exposed to 50 Hz sinusoidal electromagnetic fields at magnetic densities of 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 mT. The intramicrovascular behavior of leukocytes was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy using a dorsal skinfold chamber technique. Significantly increased endothelial-adhering leukocytes were observed only in the 3.0 mT exposure group, but no changes were detected in serum TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels. Subsequently, long-term continuous whole body exposure to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields elicited leukocyte-endothelium interactions, however, this effect does not appear to be controlled by cytokine levels.


This paper identifies breakpoints for various power and propulsion technologies, with a special focus on fission-based sources in support of NASA's Mars exploration program. Transportation, orbital, and surface missions are addressed through an assessment architecture developed for this study. This architecture is based on three key considerations; decomposition of generic Mars missions into phases, a lumped parameter approach, and a bounding case analysis. With these simplifications breakpoints are identified beyond which new technologies, such as nuclear fission power, are required to achieve mission objectives. It is found that in-space propulsion and power generation are sized by launch vehicle delivery limits and trajectory options. Similarly, power levels for surface-based reactors are affected by transportation system and EDL limits imposed by current technologies. After summarizing the breakpoints for today's state of the art, development targets are identified to enable space-based nuclear power and propulsion systems to perform at their full potential.


The effect of an intramammary infection (IMI) at calving on the milk yield of heifers during their first 200 d in milk (DIM) was estimated by comparing monozygotic twins, where one member had a naturally occurring IMI detected at the first milking after calving and the other twin did not. Data collected weekly over a full lactation for 29 twin pairs were used to estimate the effects of a peri-calving Streptococcus uberis IMI on milk yield and composition. Data for 19 twin pairs were used to estimate the effects of pericalving coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) IMI. A heifer with a Strep. uberis IMI produced 200 kg (7%) less milk during the first 200 d of lactation compared with her uninfected twin, with significant differences evident throughout the 200-d period. Similar milk losses were recorded for heifers that developed CM or remained subclinical. An elevated milk SCC for infected heifers was only apparent for the first month (d 2-30), although SCC tended to remain high during the second (d 31-60) and third (d 61-90) months. Milk protein concentrations were greater in the Strep. uberis-infected twin over the 200-d period, whereas fat and lactose concentrations showed little change. An IMI caused by Strep. uberis was associated with a lower milk yield, whereas an IMI by CNS was not, despite CNS-infected twins having a higher SCC than their uninfected twin for the first 30 d of lactation.


Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are often reported to have reduced verbal short-term memory capacity, typically attributed to their attention/executive deficits. However, these individuals also tend to show progressive impairment of semantic, lexical, and phonological processing which may underlie their low short-term memory capacity. The goals of this study were to assess the contribution of each level of representation (phonological, lexical, and semantic) to immediate serial recall performance in 18 individuals with AD, and to examine how these linguistic effects on short-term memory were modulated by their reduced capacity to manipulate information in short-term memory associated with executive dysfunction. Results showed that individuals with AD had difficulty recalling items that relied on phonological representations, which led to increased lexicality effects relative to the control group. This finding suggests that patients have a greater reliance on lexical/semantic information than controls, possibly to make up for deficits in retention and processing of phonological material. This lexical/semantic effect was not found to be significantly correlated with patients' capacity to manipulate verbal material in short-term memory, indicating that language processing and executive deficits may independently contribute to reducing verbal short-term memory capacity in AD.


The arboreal ant Temnothorax convexus (Forel, 1894) is reported for the first time in Portugal. A single colony was found nesting inside an abandoned gall near Lisbon. A full morphometric evaluation of the specimens is provided, including a small sample from the recently discovered population in South Iberia. High-definition photographs of the worker caste are given, together with a comparison with the most similar species in Iberia and an update of the Portuguese ant checklist.


BACKGROUND
Previous work has demonstrated that intestinal ischemia increases plasma amylin concentration. This study examined the relationship between the degree of intestinal ischemia injury and plasma amylin in an experimental rat model.

METHODS
Wistar rats were divided into a control group (n = 6); a sham-operated group (n = 9); and 3 intestinal ischemia-reperfusion groups (n = 8 in each), which underwent clamping of the superior mesenteric artery for either 15, 30, or 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes of reperfusion. Samples were then collected for intestinal histology and measurement of amylin, insulin, and glucose.

RESULTS
There was a positive correlation between the histologic score of the intestinal injury and the measured plasma amylin concentration (R = 0.48, P =.007). The median plasma concentration of amylin was 62 pmol/L (range, 42-97 pmol/L) in the 30-minute intestinal ischemia group and 58 pmol/L (42-86 pmol/L) in the 45-minute intestinal ischemia group. Both these groups were increased compared with the sham-operated group (29 pmol/L; range, 22-57 pmol/L; P <.001 and P <.005, respectively) and the control group (28 pmol/L; range, 26-42 pmol/L; P <.001 and P <.0005, respectively). The median plasma concentration of insulin in the 30-minute intestinal ischemia group was 4230 pmol/L (range, 1360-5770 pmol/L), which was increased compared with both the control group (950 pmol/L; range, 550-1510 pmol/L; P <.005) and the sham-operated group (720 pmol/L; range, 280-4180 pmol/L; P<.005). There were no differences between any of the other groups either for glucose, insulin, or amylin.

CONCLUSIONS
Plasma amylin concentration is related to the severity of intestinal ischemic injury.


In recent decades, the influence of microbes living in the human intestine has become the focus of intensive research. Before these studies, it was always assumed that the role of microorganisms in
humans was rather insignificant. But the opposite turned out to be the case. Nowadays, the microbiome is regarded as an important factor in human health and disease. Much of the research on the
human microbiome is focused on the types of microorganisms that are particularly important for their hosts, and one class of organisms that is the subject of intense research are Segmented Filamentous
Bacteria (SFB). SFB are commensal gram-positive bacteria that were first discovered in mice, and are known for their tight adhesion to epithelial cells in the short intestine of these organisms. Their presence has since been detected in various organisms, including humans. The presence of SFB is known to affect the immune system of mice, and is commonly associated with the promotion of T helper 17 (Th17) cells in these organisms. The current knowledge about SFB was investigated in this study, with a focus on the effects of their metabolism, and the impact of recent discoveries regarding these organisms, especially in human hosts. Whole-genome sequencing studies have revealed a reduced metabolic capacity of SFB, and therefore a negligible influence of their metabolites on host health. The role of SFB in the mouse immune system appears to be well accepted, but discoveries on these organisms seem to be not directly applicable to humans. Also, studies on SFB (both humans and other species) appear to be inconclusive, and sometimes contradictory. Therefore, many questions about the role of SFB remain unanswered, and further research on these organisms is needed to make a final conclusion about their effects.


Simplicial neural networks (SNNs) were proposed to generate higher-order simplicial complex representations as vectors that encode not only pairwise relationships but also higher-order interactions between nodes. Although these vectors allowing us to consider richer data representations compared to typical graph convolution, most real-world graphs associated with molecule or human-related activities are often sensitive and might contain confidential information, e.g., molecular geometry or friend lists. However, little works investigate the potential threats for these simplicial complexes (higher-order interactions between nodes). We name this threat by Simplicial Complexes Reconstruction Attack (SCRA) and conduct this attack by studying whether the vectors can be inverted to (approximately) recover the simplicial complexes who used to generate them. Specifically, we first generate the vectors via a k-simplex2vec approach that extends the node2vec algorithm to simplices of higher dimensions to associate Euclidean vectors to simplicial complexes. We then present a Simplex2vec Backward algorithm to perform the SCRA on k-simplex2vec vectors by pointwise mutual information (PMI) matrix reconstruction.


Isolated noncompaction of the left ventricular myocardium is a rare cardiac disorder due to an arrest in myocardial morphogenesis. It is characterized by prominent and excessive trabeculation in a ventricular wall segment, with deep intertrabecular spaces perfused from the ventricular cavity. Echocardiographic findings are important clues for the diagnosis. Clinical symptoms include signs of left ventricular systolic dysfunction even to the point of heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias, and embolic events. We describe an adult case in whom the only clinical symptoms were life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Transthoracic echocardiography did not contribute to the diagnosis, which was made thanks to left ventricular contrast angiography. Electrophysiological testing induced a fast monomorphic sustained ventricular tachycardia, with hemodynamic impairment, that was refractory to pharmacological treatment, and for this reason a permanent cardioverter-defibrillator was implanted. A subsequently performed transesophageal echocardiographic examination showed a localized, regional increase in left ventricular wall thickness and degree of trabeculation. The causes and electrophysiological mechanisms of arrhythmias in noncompaction are still unknown: grossly irregular branching and connecting of myocardial fascicles in the noncompacted segments, isometric contraction with increased wall stress, and localized coronary perfusion impairment can all induce disorganized or delayed activation and increase the potential for arrhythmias. This is the first reported case of noncompaction in which an implantable defibrillator was used to control life-threatening arrhythmias.


In 2 cases of chronic intestinal intussusception in horses, one involved jejunum and the other, ileum. The only clinical signs observed were intermittent colic. Surgery was performed on both horses, with successful outcomes.


Recent animal feed crises caused substantial damage throughout food supply chains and, consequently, initiated debates on the liability insurance cover of animal feed companies. In this framework, a quantitative risk analysis for wet feed producers in the Netherlands is presented. The simulation model developed is parameterised by among others data from three Dutch wet feed companies reflecting about 45% of the wet feed market in the Netherlands. The model addresses direct damage up to farm level. Default outcomes per crisis show that the number of contaminated farms is expected to be 117, with a variation from 19 farms in the 5% percentile to 331 farms in the 95% percentile. Projected direct damage per crisis is on average Euro 0.9 million, ranging from Euro 0.09 million (5%) to Euro 2.8 million (95%). The expected number of 117 farms consists of 15 sow farms, 31 hog farms, 49 dairy farms and 22 beef farms. Sensitivity analyses illustrate that the size of farms supplied with wet feed and the number of days in which contaminated wet feed is delivered are key variables in determining the eventual size of damage. Outcomes show the expected situation for the entire wet feed sector in the Netherlands— under the assumption that all wet feed companies have about the same risk profile as the sample companies whose data have been used to parameterise variables such as mixing rates and number of farms supplied each day. As the sample companies cover 45% of the total volume of wet feed in the Netherlands, their "share" in total damage is expected to be about the same, i.e. 45%. Similar conclusions hold for other wet feed companies whose risk profile is comparable to that of the sample companies. Outcomes are used in supply chain and insurance discussions on reviewing liability insurance covers of animal feed producers.


Allergist-immunologists say a U.S. Pharmacopeia proposal will mess with an allergy treatment system that's worked for more than a century. The revised standards, if adopted, would remove a key exemption separating allergen extract preparations from the stricter requirements of other compounds. Immunologists say the exemption has allowed them to compound allergen extracts in their own offices, and they've done so safely and effectively millions of times a year.


A number of methods have been developed to estimate reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo), but most of the reliable methods are complex and parameter rich models and therefore difficult to apply in data scarce regions. This study was conducted to determine suitable simple ETo methods in Cape Coast by comparing estimated ETo values of three indirect-measurement methods: Hamon, Hargreaves, Blaney Criddle; and two direct-measurement methods: Class A pan and Piche evaporimeter with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Penman-Monteith equation (FAO56-PM) estimated ETo values. All the methods underestimated ETo values obtained by the FAO56-PM method. However, the estimated ETo values by the Hamon, Hargreaves, and Blaney-Criddle are strongly correlated (R = 0.89, 0.87 and 0.81 respectively), while the Class A pan and Piche evaporimeter methods are weakly correlated (R= 0.37 and 0.31, respectively) with the FAO56-PM method. All but the Piche evaporimeter methods appeared suitable for estimating ETo in the study area. The Class A pan, though weakly correlated with the FAO56-PM method, was also suitable because it had the least mean absolute error (MAE; 0.26 mm day-1) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE; 6.5%) among the other methods and its ETo curve was closer to the FAO56-PM's.

 Key words: Reference crop evapotranspiration, Cape Coast, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Penman-Monteith equation, direct-measurement method.


We measured the chest flow 0.1 s after the onset of the inspiratory phase (V0.1) in patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema (CPE: n = 5), interstitial pneumonitis (IP: n = 5) and normal subjects (Nor: n = 5). The subjects sat in a body box and breathed air from outside of the body box. V0.1 was measured during rest and during maximal breathing (V0.1-rest, V0.1-max) and then these results were compared with P0.1 (P0.1 rest, P0.1-max) values. V0.1-rest was not significantly different between the three groups (Nor: 0.25 +/- 0.10, CPE: 0.27 +/- 0.06, IP: 0.26 +/- 0.06, l/s), whereas the P0.1-rest in IP patients was significantly greater than in normal subjects (Nor: 1.98 +/- 0.61, CPE: 3.00 +/- 0.80, IP: 3.60 +/- 0.68 hPa; P < 0.05 compared with normal). The V0.1-max in CPE and IP patients was significantly lower than in normal subjects (Nor: 3.66 +/- 1.16, CPE: 0.82 +/- 0.25, IP: 1.02 +/- 0.21 l/s, P < 0.05 compared with normal subjects (Nor: 3.66 +/- 1.16, CPE: 0.82 +/- 0.25, IP: 1.02 +/- 0.21 l/s, P < 0.05 compared with normal), whereas P0.1-max in IP patients was not significantly different with in normal subjects (Nor: 33.2 +/- 10.2, CPE: 9.8 +/- 3.7, IP: 19.5 +/- 3.4 hPa, P < 0.05 compared with normal, P < 0.05 compared with CPE). A simulation of the influence of the mechanical properties of the respiratory system on V0.1 and P0.1 using the Runge-Kutta method suggested that V0.1 was negatively affected by airway resistance but positively affected by chest wall and lung compliance. In contrast, the influence of respiratory mechanics on P0.1 was much less than on the V0.1, except for highly decreased lung compliance. In CPE patients, it was suspected that mechanical disorders might not simply be the determining factors of V0.1-max, but that limitations of the neuro-muscular drive due to chest wall deformity may also play a definitive role in the smaller V0.1-max. In contrast, it may be inferred that IP patients had to exert greater inspiratory effort as compared with the other two groups in order to maintain a similar V0.1-rest because of the increased airway resistance and decreased tissue compliance; thus these abnormal mechanical properties suppress the increase in the V0.1-max. It may be concluded that V0.1 is a good index of chest wall acceleration, which is determined by both the neuro-muscular drive and the mechanics of the respiratory system.


Ivan de Burgh Daly will be remembered as the first Director and creator of the Agricultural Research Council's Institute of Animal Physiology at Babraham, near Cambridge. He was a leading authority on the pulmonary and bronchial vascular systems. Ivan Daly's ancestor, Dermot O'Daly, received a grant of the Manor of Larah in Galway from Queen Elizabeth I; from him descended the Dalys of Castle Daly, of Dunsandle and of Raford, landed gentry in Galway. In 1735, Denis Daly of Raford married Lady Anne Bourke, elder daughter of Michael Bourke the tenth Earl of Clanricarde. Lady Anne's father was Governor of Galway in 1712; her mother is buried in Westminster Abbey and commemorated there by a monument on the north wall of the nave near the grave of the Unknown Warrior. Lady Anne's brother, the eleventh Earl, F.R.S. in 1753, resumed by sign manual in 1752 the former Norman surname of de Burgh in lieu of Bourke. Six generations after Lady Anne's marriage to Denis Daly of Raford, a descendant, the subject of this memoir, was named Ivan de Burgh Daly. Daly's father, James Thomas Daly (1853-1928), entered the Royal Navy in the late 1860s and sailed three times round the world. He was wrecked on St Paul's Island in the South Indian Ocean while serving in H.M.S. Megaera in 1871, and the crew during the 81 days' sojourn until they were saved lived mainly by fishing and eating penguins' eggs. Thomas Daly's log books, which were written up in great detail during his travels, are housed in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. He retired young from the Navy, with the rank of First Lieutenant, to take up engineering. He was Director of the Horseley Bridge and Engineering Company for 42 years and Managing Director for 37 years. He was also a Director of the Littleton Colliery, Staffs. He married first, Elizabeth Anne Dempsey, but they had no children; and secondly, Amy, daughter of the Rev. C. W. Pritchard; they had five children: Thomas Denis, Doris, Ivan de Burgh, Anne Vera, and Kathleen Hyacinthe.


An idealized porcelain jacket and porcelain-fused-to-metal crown model was prepared, loaded, and analyzed to establish the trends and distributions of the internal and external stresses. Loads at 30 degrees to the vertical axis created adverse tensile stresses at the level of the gingiva and specifically at the gold-dentin-cement interface.


For the purpose of detecting fetal pulmonary maturity with real-time convenience but reliable accuracy, infrared spectrophotometry of amniotic fluid lipids was introduced using our newly developed optical device. The peak areas at the wave number of 1740 cm-1 on the infrared spectra (called "PA1740") were measured in 29 specimens sampled from 29 pregnant women, and compared with the Lecithin/Sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio of the same samples. Statistical analysis revealed that the PA1740 was almost as reliable as the L/S ratio, and these indices illustrated pulmonary immaturity in cases with a PA1740 less than 0.9 and an L/S ratio less than 2.0. PA1740 is absolutely independent of the effect on the concentration of lecithin in the amniotic fluid because of a combination of the vacuum-drying process and the absorbance correction, and can be completed in less than 20 minutes from sampling of the amniotic fluid by a very simple manipulation. In conclusion, the new index, PA1740, will be a more practical method for prediction of the fetal pulmonary maturity than methods such as the well known L/S ratio.


The formation and early evolution of circumstellar discs often occurs within dense, newborn stellar clusters. For the first time, we apply the moving-mesh code AREPO, to circumstellar discs in 3-D, focusing on disc-disc interactions that result from stellar fly-bys. Although a small fraction of stars are expected to undergo close approaches, the outcomes of the most violent encounters might leave an imprint on the discs and host stars that will influence both their orbits and their ability to form planets. We first construct well-behaved 3-D models of self-gravitating discs, and then create a suite of numerical experiments of parabolic encounters, exploring the effects of pericenter separation r_p, disc orientation and disc-star mass ratio (M_d/M_*) on the orbital evolution of the host stars. Close encounters (2r_p<~ disc radius) can truncate discs on very short time scales. If discs are massive, close encounters facilitate enough orbital angular momentum extraction to induce stellar capture. We find that for realistic primordial disc masses M_d<~0.1M_*, non-colliding encounters induce minor orbital changes, which is consistent with analytic calculations of encounters in the linear regime. The same disc masses produce entirely different results for grazing/colliding encounters. In the latter case, rapidly cooling discs lose orbital energy by radiating away the energy excess of the shock-heated gas, thus causing capture of the host stars into a bound orbit. In rare cases, a tight binary with a circumbinary disc forms as a result of this encounter.


PROTACs® are expected to strongly impact the future of drug discovery. Therefore, in this work we firstly performed a statistical study to highlight the distribution of E3 ligases and POIs collected in PROTAC-DB, the main online database focused on degraders. Moreover, since the emerging technology of protein degradation deals with large and complex chemical structures, the second part of the paper focuses on how to set up a property-based design strategy to obtain oral degraders. For this purpose, we calculated a pool of seven previously ad hoc selected 2D descriptors for the 2258 publicly available degraders in PROTAC-DB (average values: MW= 972.9 Da, nC= 49.5, NAR= 4.5, PHI= 17.3, nHDon= 4.5, nHAcc= 17.7 and TPSA= 240 Å2) and compared them to a dataset of 50 bRo5 orally approved drugs. Then, a chemical space based on nC, PHI and TPSA was built and subregions with optimal permeability and bioavailability were identified. Bioavailable degraders (ARV-110 and ARV-471) tend to be closer to the Ro5 region, using mainly semi-rigid linkers. Permeable degraders, on the other hand, are placed in an average central region of the chemical space but chameleonicity could allow them to be located closer to the two Arvinas compounds.


Tweenaged Max, who has accompanied her professor father to Hamelin, is mostly unimpressed with the place. Her younger brother Carter, however, is fascinated by the city and especially the legend of the Pied Piper. A rat infestation at their rented house leads their father to call an exterminator who transports the siblings to the magical Summer Isle, where they meet most of the 130 children who were led away by the piper some seven hundred years ago. The children haven't aged a bit and have created New Hamelin, where they've led a near-idyllic existence. Yet most of the kids yearn to return home, and their hope lies with Carter, who might be able to fulfill a prophecy that would lead him, Max, and the children back to where—and possibly when—they came from. While the legend of the Pied Piper is the obvious inspiration here, Cody also pulls in creatures and themes from elsewhere, including Baba Yaga and Peter Pan, creating a fascinating, dangerous, and sometimes perplexing world. The narrative shifts focus among Carter, Max, and various other residents of Summer Isle, offering insight into the characters and the setting. A final confrontation with the clever piper sets up future installments, and readers will happily fall in line to be led further into this story. KQG


SUMMARY Although image-based visual servoing (IBVS) provides good performance in many dual-arm manipulation applications, it reveals some fatal limitations when dealing with a large position and orientation uncertainty. The object features may leave the camera's field of view, and the dual-arm robot may not converge to their goal configurations. In this paper, a novel vision-based control strategy is presented to resolve these limitations. A visual path planning method for dual-arm end-effector features is proposed to regulate the large initial poses to the pre-alignment poses. Then, the visual constraints between the position and orientation of two objects are established, and the sequenced subtasks are performed to attain the pose alignment of two objects by using a multi-tasks IBVS method. The proposed strategy has been implemented on a MOTOMAN robot to perform the alignment tasks of plug–socket and cup–lid, and results indicate that the plug and socket with the large initial pose errors 145.4 mm, 43.8○ (the average errors of three axes) are successfully aligned with the allowed pose alignment errors 3.1 mm, 1.1○, and the cup and lid with the large initial pose errors 131.7 mm, 20.4○ are aligned with the allowed pose alignment errors −2.7 mm, −0.8○.


The aims of the research are to increase the activity of learning and
learning achievement physics of XI IPA 2 Batik 1 Surakarta Senior High School's
student in the school year of 2009/2010 on the subject matter Fluid Static with the
application of ICT based learning.
The method of this research was Classroom Action Research that was held
in two cycles. The cycles are started by preparation phase and execution phase
that consist of action planning, action, observation, evaluation, and reflection. The
research subject is XI IPA 2 Batik 1 senior High School student in the school year
of 2009/2010, which consist of 43 students in the subject matter Fluid Static.
Techniques of collecting data were observation, interview with teacher, test,
questionnaire and documentation. Descriptive qualitative technique was used to
analyze the data.
Based on research results, can be concluded that by implementing ICT-
based learning in subject matter Fluid Static can increase the activity of learning
and student achievement of XI IPA 2 students SMA Batik 1 Surakarta Academic
Year 2009/2010. By showing the animations through Macromedia Flash program
made the abstract concepts into concrete so it is easy to understand by students.
The use of group discussion method in solving problems of LKS also makes
students engage actively to the opinion, convey ideas / thoughts, and then jointly
conclude the actual answer. From the results of observation can be seen that in the
first cycle average attainment aspects of student learning activities reached 50%,
which later increased to 67% in cycle II. From the results of the test cycle I and II
can be seen that in the first cycle students' mastery of 41.86%, which then
increased to 72.09% in cycle II. While the average student's ability in answering
questions increased from 60.4% commit tocycle to 69.6% in cycle II


The model driven architecture (MDA) offers a more efficient software engineering process by raising the level of abstraction. Tool support for the MDA is usually limited to generating code from UML diagrams. Most MDA examples in scientific papers are limited to relatively simple use cases that help the understanding of the MDA, but are not suited to demonstrate the powers and flexibility of the MDA. In this paper we show an MDA approach to cross-compile byte code instructions from Microsoft's Common Language Runtime (CLR) to Sun Microsystem's Java Virtual Machine (JVM). We introduce an XML-based representation of byte code we call XMLVM. Based on XMLVM we define XSL stylesheet transformations which can map certain features from the CLR to the JVM. Besides providing a specific cross-compilation approach between the byte code of two different virtual machines, we also show how XML technologies can be used within the context of the MDA.


OBJECTIVES
Collection of physical measurements and biospecimens in the home may be an efficient way to obtain objective health measurements. This study assesses differences between collection in the home and a standardized setting.

METHODS
Participants had physical measurements and biospecimens taken in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey mobile examination center (MEC). Then, they had height and weight measured in the MEC using portable equipment. In the home, participants had height, weight, and blood pressure measured and dried blood spots collected using portable equipment. Two complete examinations were done in the home: one by a health technician and one by a field interviewer.

RESULTS
Home environments were less standardized and presented more challenges to examiners. Correlations between all four height measurements and all four weight measurements were higher than 99%. Mean differences in height (0.3 cm) and weight (0.4 kg) were small but statistically significant. The home measurements perfectly or near-perfectly classified participants as obese relative to the standardized MEC examination.

CONCLUSIONS
The selected physical measurements can be collected in the home by field interviewers using portable equipment. Before adding home collection of physical measurements to household interview surveys, further research should be done to examine the impact of these changes on interviewer training, participant recruitment, and participant response rates.


Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have enabled millions of learners across the globe to increase their levels of expertise in a wide variety of subjects. Research efforts surrounding MOOCs are typically focused on improving the learning experience, as the current retention rates (less than 7% of registered learners complete a MOOC) show a large gap between vision and reality in MOOC learning. Current data-driven approaches to MOOC adaptations rely on data traces learners generate within a MOOC platform such as edX or Coursera. As a MOOC typically lasts between five and eight weeks and with many MOOC learners being rather passive consumers of the learning material, this exclusive use of MOOC platform data traces limits the insights that can be gained from them. The Social Web potentially offers a rich source of data to supplement the MOOC platform data traces, as many learners are also likely to be active on one or more Social Web platforms. In this work, we present a first exploratory analysis of the Social Web platforms MOOC learners are active on --- we consider more than 320,000 learners that registered for 18 MOOCs on the edX platform and explore their user profiles and activities on StackExchange, GitHub, Twitter and LinkedIn.


Adult male rats were injected with TSAA-291 (16 beta-ethyl-17 beta-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one), a steroidal antiandrogen, daily for 30 days at two doses, viz., 10.0 and 25.0 mg/kg. The treatment caused a dose-dependent reduction in the weights of testis, epididymis, and other accessory sex glands. In the animals that received the high dose, 50% of the rats showed spermatogenic arrest in about 20% of the seminiferous tubules and Leydig cell morphology was normal. The levels of glycerylphosphorylcholine and sialic acid were significantly reduced in the cauda epididymis of all the treated rats. There was a reduction in the number of motile spermatozoa in the cauda epididymis of rats treated with high dose of the antiandrogen. This was accompanied by a reduced number of females exhibiting spermatozoa in their vaginal smears. A combination treatment of the antiandrogen and androgen appears to be a promising approach for fertility regulation in the male.