Two experiments were performed to study the effects of age and repeated administration of alpha-phenyl-tert-butyl-nitrone (PBN), the free radical spin-trapping agent, upon spontaneous motor activity levels and radial arm maze performance in normal young (3 month old) and normal aged (15 month old) C57 B1/6 mice. In Experiment 1, the aged mice were found to show reduced locomotor and rearing behaviour in comparison with the young mice. In the radial eight-arm maze learning task, the aged mice performed at a comparable level to the young mice during the first learning trial (Day 1) but made significantly more errors and showed longer total latencies during the second trial presented 24 h later. In Experiment 2, the aged and young mice were subchronically administered either PBN at a dose of 50 mg/kg, s.c. over 12 days, or saline. Spontaneous motor activity was tested 72 h after the last injection. 36 h later the first test trial in the radial arm maze was presented; this was followed after a further 24 h by the second test trial. Subchronic treatment with PBN increased locomotion counts in the aged (15 month old) mice during the 60 min test period, but decreased rearing during the first 30 min of the test period. In the radial arm maze, the performance deficit shown during the second test trial by the aged mice was abolished by repeated PBN administration; both the number of errors and the latencies to all eight pellets were significantly reduced in the aged mice that received PBN. PBN did not exert any effects upon the performance of the young mice. These results, considered in conjunction with other studies using gerbils or rats, implicate the involvement of free radical species in the deterioration of function in the aged C57 B1/6 mouse.


Until now, Augmented Reality was mainly associated with visual augmentation which was often reduced to superimposing a virtual object on to a real world. We present in this document a vibro-tactile system called HaptiNav, which illustrates the concept of Haptic Augmented Reality. We use the haptic feedback method to send users information about their direction, thus enabling them to reach their destination. To do so, we use a turn by turn metaphor which consists of dividing the route into many reference points. In order to assess the performances of the HaptiNav system, we carry out an experimental study in which we compare it to both Google Maps Audio and Pocket Navigator systems. The results show that there is no significant difference between HaptiNav and Google Maps Audio in terms of performance, physical load and time. However, statistical analysis of the mental load, frustration and effort highlights the advantages of HaptiNav compared to two other systems. In the light of the results obtained, we present possible improvements for HaptiNav and describe its second prototype, at the end of this paper. Keywords; haptic navigation; augmented reality; mobile computing; human computer interaction.


In this paper, we design a robust output feedback controller for trajectory control of n-link robot manipulators with bounded parametric uncertainties. The state feedback controller with integral control improves tracking error due to limit of the robust feedback gains and use of continuous control input for chattering rejection. High-gain observer is used to estimate joint velocities. We show that the stability of the state feedback control system is asymptotically stable and the output feedback controller recovers the performance achieved under the state feedback controller. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by simulation on a 2-link robot manipulator.


THE ARTICLE PRESENTS the results of developing digital technology to optimize 'hot' oil pumping. Digital technology is used to model and optimize oil pumping practices in a pipeline section by integrating the SmartTran software and the SCADA system. The problem of selecting optimum pumping practices without heating the oil was solved by D.T.Jefferson who determined the optimum pumping practices in a pipeline section for a fixed oil flow rate, providing that the cost of electricity used by all pumps per unit time was minimal.
The problem of optimizing 'hot' pumping has been studied by V.S. Yablonsky. The optimality criterion has been formulated for a fixed oil flow rate. It is not fulfilled when the pipeline throughput and the temperature in a section with several pump stations and heating points is changed.
The algorithm for solving this problem has been constructed with a new approach using the dynamic programming method. The search task is divided into several overlapping subtasks in order to find the optimal substructure. The object of each subtask is the cost function of pumps and preheaters at the stations of the pipeline section. The combination of working pumps and preheaters which gives the minimum cost for energy consumed is being searched for a solution.
The discussion presents the results of 'hot' pumping calculations for the Kasymov-Bolshoy Chagan section of the Uzen-Atyrau-Samara trunk oil pipeline. The calculation algorithm was implemented in the SmartTran software for modelling and optimizing 'hot' pumping. The initial calculation parameters were loaded from the SCADA system. The SmartTran software calculation results (oil pressure and temperature, pumps power, pumping and heating costs and other parameters) for 'hot' pumping are in accordance with the experimental data of the SCADA system.
Energy savings when operating pumps and preheaters can be found provided that the oil temperature in the pipeline section does not fall below the pumping safety conditions. The optimal practice calculation results demonstrate the economic efficiency of 'hot' pumping. Thus, the integration of SmartTran software with the SCADA system creates the digital technology for optimizing the technological practices of 'hot' oil pumping.


Between 2006 and 2010 the World Bank sought to unmask the role of science, technology, and innovation in Ugandan industry. This report presents insights from this research based on case studies of six sectors: agriculture, health, energy, information and communication technology (ICT), transport, and logistics. Based on more than 80 interviews cutting across Uganda's small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, and government entities, the report's findings are intended to offer the government and its partners in industry increased clarity about how better to harness science, technology, and innovation to propel the economy. Enabling implementation of the recent Uganda national science, technology, and innovation policy is a parallel goal of the report. The policy articulates the government's intent to foster research and development that builds the human capital that Uganda requires for a knowledge-based economy. The case studies from which this report's recommendations are drawn depict a diverse range of experiences across industrial sectors in terms of generating, applying, and adapting science and technology to contribute to Uganda's development. Despite the relatively small size of the country's investments in science and technology, the past 20 years have seen considerable advances in building capacity in science and technology, developing related institutions and human resources, advancing collaboration and communication, and expanding the base of available knowledge. But given Uganda's limited investments in science and technology, policies should prioritize near-term investments that benefit key sectors. This report identifies those near-term investments as well as longer-term ones (three to five years in the future).


The authors have treated twelve traumatic dislocations of the knee. Three were treated conservatively with one satisfactory result. Nine were treated by early surgical repair with seven satisfactory results. The technique of ligamentous repair is described. The authors emphasise the frequency and severity of associated vessel and nerve damage. They found acute lesions of the popliteal artery in five cases, three of which had to be operated upon immediately with arterial suture or graft. In one case, ischaemia appeared four days after dislocation and the thrombosed artery was repaired by a venous graft. In one case a lesion of the lateral popliteal nerve which did not recover was treated by palliative surgery. In one case, secondary skin necrosis was treated by skin flap transplantation using micro-surgical technique with a satisfactory result. It is concluded that ligamentous and vascular repairs should be undertaken at the same procedure after arteriography.


This paper demonstrates the use of the deuterium excess parameter to distinguish between origin of precipitation in the Mediterranean basin. Isotope signatures in precipitation from the GNIP network around the Mediterranean basin and literature data are combined with isotopic data from aquifers in south east Spain to explain the typology of the precipitation events dominating recharge. Although precipitation from Atlantic origin (d-excess = 10‰) occurs more frequently in the western Mediterranean basin, the quantities in each event are generally moderate to low. Important rainfall events generally have Mediterranean origin (d-excess=15‰). The total precipitation in Gibraltar is a mixture between precipitation from both origins (d-excess in Gibraltar = 12.39‰). However, with increasing volume of the storms the Mediterranean character dominates. These heavier storms contribute mainly to recharge, as illustrated by the d-excess of 13.8‰ in deep groundwater of the Campo de Dalias (Almeria province). One of the challenges to meet ever-growing water demands is to increase recharge from events with a low return period yielding intermediate quantities per event, but forming the bulk of the annual precipitation.


Moving a crowd of robots or avatars from their current configurations to some destination area without causing collisions is a challenging motion-planning problem because the high degrees of freedom involved. Two approaches are often used for this type of problems: decoupled and centralized. The tradeoff of these two approaches is that the decoupled approach is considered faster while the centralized approach has the advantage of being complete. In this paper, we propose an efficient centralized planner that is much faster than the traditional randomized planning approaches. This planner uses a hierarchical sphere tree structure to group robots dynamically. By taking advantage of the problem characteristics on independently moving robots, we are able to design a practical planner with the centralized approach when the number of robots is rather large. We use several simulation examples to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the planner.


The convergence of information technology and operation technology and the associated paradigm shift toward Industry 4.0 in complex systems, such as railways has brought significant benefits in reliability, maintainability, operational efficiency, capacity, as well as improvements in passenger experience. However, with the adoption of information and communications technologies in railway maintenance, vulnerability to cyber threats has increased. It is essential that organizations move toward security analytics and automation to improve and prevent security breaches and to quickly identify and respond to security events. This paper provides a statistical review of cybersecurity incidents in the transportation sector with a focus on railways. It uses a web-based search for data collection in popular databases. The overall objective is to identify cybersecurity challenges in the railway sector.


Upon pathogen recognition, certain cytosolic nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat containing proteins (NLRs) form multi-protein complexes called inflammasomes, which activate CASPASE-1. CASPASE-1 initiates inflammation by processing IL-1beta and -18 into their active forms, and by inducing a rapid, lytic cell death called pyroptosis. The NLRC4 inflammasome responds to the cytosolic presence of specific bacterial proteins, such as flagellin, via NAIPs. A fundamental question is whether and how activation of innate immune responses triggers pathogen-specific adaptive immune responses. We seek to test the hypothesis that cell-type-specific activation of the inflammasome is sufficient to induce inflammation and adaptive immune responses in vivo. To test our hypothesis, we are using a novel 'knock-in' mouse strain. This mouse expresses a fusion protein, which selectively activates the NLRC4 inflammasome. Preliminary data indicate extensive NLRC4-dependent inflammatory disease in mice expressing the fusion protein in myeloid-derived cells.


We investigated a possible correlation between Hoffmann's reflex (H-reflex) and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) in children with spasticity. H-reflex latencies, amplitudes (H amplitude), Hmax/Mmax amplitude, and MAS were simultaneously measured in 30 children who had bilateral spasticity on the lower extremities. Children with MAS scores of 1 and +1 composed Group I (n=11), and children with MAS scores of 2 and 3 composed Group II (n=26) and Group III (n=23), respectively. The H-reflex latencies were significantly shorter and Hmax/Mmax ratios were significantly higher in patients with cerebral palsy than controls irrespective of the degree of the MAS. The H-reflex latencies in patients with MAS of 1 or +1 were significantly longer than in patients with MAS of 2. Other than between these two groups for H-reflex latencies, no significant differences were revealed among the three different MAS groups for either H-reflex latencies or Hmax/Mmax ratios. There is a positive correlation between spasticity assessed by MAS and H-reflex. We concluded that the H-reflex is a reliable electrophysiologic test for assessment of spasticity in children.


LRF (Leukemia/Lymphoma Related Factor, also known as Pokemon, FBI-1, OCZF and ZBTB7a) was originally identified as an interaction partner of the oncoprotein BCL6. LRF can act as a proto-oncogene by repressing the tumor suppressor ARF and cooperates with BCL6 in MEF (mouse embryonic fibroblasts) immortalization. It is highly expressed in human Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) cases, in the pathogenesis of which BCL6 is known to be involved (Maeda et al. Nature 2005). Inducible inactivation of the LRF gene in mouse Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) results in complete block of early B cell development at the HSC/progenitor stages and concomitant development of double positive (DP) T cells in the bone marrow (BM) (Maeda et al. Science 2007). While these findings clearly illustrate key roles of LRF in normal and malignant B cell development, it is not fully identified as to which B cell stages LRF is required during normal B cell development. To elucidate the role of LRF in B cells in vivo, we established and characterized B cell-specific LRF conditional knockout (KO) mice. We took advantage of mb-1 Cre knock-in mice, in which Cre expression is restricted to the B cells after the ProB cell stage. B cell compartments in the BM (PreProB, ProB, PreB and immatureB) are grossly normal in LRFF/ Fmb1-Cre mice. The LRF gene was efficiently eliminated in BM CD19+ B cells revealed by quantitative real-time PCR assay. Furthermore, LRF protein was not detected in purified CD19+ B cells, but seen in CD19-non-B cells, confirming the specific inactivation of the LRF gene in B cells. Thus, despite its critical role at the HSC/progenitor stages, LRF was found to be dispensable for the survival of normal BM B cells. These findings are consistent with the fact that GSI treatment (Maeda et al. Science 2007) or Notch1 loss (Lee and Maeda, unpublished) rescues the defects in early B cell development seen in LRFF/FMx1-Cre+ mice. Notch signaling is necessary for the transitional B cells to commit to the marginal zone B cells (MZB). Inactivation of the component of the Notch pathways in mice results in no MZB development. On the contrary, deletion of the MINT/SHARP gene, a suppressor of Notch signaling, leads to increase of MZB cells and concomitant reduction of follicular B (FOB) cells, indicating that Notch induces MZB cell fate at the transitional B cell stage. Given that LRF is a potent Notch suppressor at the HSC/progenitor stages, we hypothesized that LRF opposes Notch pathway in mature B cells as well. To test this hypothesis, we characterized mature B cell development in LRFF/Fmb1-Cre mice. While transitional B cells were largely unaffected in LRFF/Fmb1-Cre mice, we observed a slight but statistically significant reduction of follicular (FO) B cells (B220+CD19+AA4.1-CD1d-CD23+) and concomitant increase of MZB cells (B220+CD19+AA4.1-CD1d+CD23-) as seen in MINT/SHARP knockout mice. Thus, LRF may also oppose Notch pathways at the branching point for the FOB vs. MZB fate decision. Finally, to determine the role of LRF in Germinal Center (GC) formation in vivo, we characterized secondary lymphoid organs of LRFF/Fmb1-Cre mice after antigen stimulation. Both spleen and Peyer's Patches were analyzed two weeks after immunization with Chicken Gamma Globulin (NP-CGG). While a GC reaction was robustly induced in control mice upon immunization, GC formation was significantly impaired in LRFF/Fmb1-Cre mice as revealed by immuno-histochemical analysis (IHC) and FACS. Only few GC cells (B220+CD19+FAS+CD38-PNA+) were observed in spleens, and the absolute numbers of GC cells were drastically reduced in LRFF/Fmb1-Cre mice. Residual LRF-deficient GC B cells were mostly negative for CXCR4, which is predominantly expressed in proliferating centroblasts within GCs, suggesting that LRF-deficient GC B cells may have defects in cellular proliferation in response to antigen stimuli. Our data indicates that LRF plays key roles in mature B cell development in the secondary lymphoid organs, but dispensable for the maintenance of early BM B cells.


Prior research with youth experiencing homelessness suggests that community experiences can play an important role in their resilience and well-being. This literature suggests that a sense of community (SOC) and social support may be two key interpersonal factors related to the well-being of this population. However, quantitative research exploring these relationships has resulted in inconsistent findings, which may be due to a lack of understanding regarding youth's definitions of and experiences with community. This study utilized semistructured qualitative interviews with 24 youth experiencing homelessness to explore their definitions of community, how it is important to them, what communities they are a part of, and how these communities contribute to their well-being. Overall, findings suggest that (a) youth generally define community in ways that align with current theory on SOC, (b) youth view community as important, and (c) their experiences within community settings promote their overall well-being in various ways. However, the findings also suggest that community is not always a positive experience for these youth. This study has implications for how to promote the well-being of youth experiencing homelessness, as well as how SOC and social support may relate to the well-being of this population.


Learning from positive and unlabeled data (PU learning) is prevalent in practical applications where only a couple of examples are positively labeled. Previous PU learning studies typically rely on existing samples such that the data distribution is not extensively explored. In this work, we propose a simple yet effective data augmentation method, coined~\algo, based on \emph{consistency regularization} which provides a new perspective of using PU data. In particular, the proposed~\algo~incorporates supervised and unsupervised consistency training to generate augmented data. To facilitate supervised consistency, reliable negative examples are mined from unlabeled data due to the absence of negative samples. Unsupervised consistency is further encouraged between unlabeled datapoints. In addition,~\algo~reduces margin loss between positive and unlabeled pairs, which explicitly optimizes AUC and yields faster convergence. Finally, we conduct a series of studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of consistency regularization. We examined three kinds of reliable negative mining methods. We show that~\algo~achieves an averaged improvement of classification error from 16.49 to 13.09 on the CIFAR-10 dataset across different positive data amount.


Abstract Evolutionary Multi-agent System introduced by late Krzysztof Cetnarowicz and developed further at the AGH University of Science and Technology became a reliable optimization system, both proven experimentally and theoretically. This paper follows a work of Byrski further testing and analyzing the efficacy of this metaheuristic based on popular, high-dimensional benchmark functions. The contents of this paper will be useful for anybody willing to apply this computing algorithm to continuous and not only optimization.


To improve the thermodynamic efficiency of aircraft engine and other gas turbine engines, higher and higher pressure ratios are desired in conjunction with more refined engine cycles. In the high pressure compressor, higher pressure ratios result in lower aspect blades and enhanced sensitivity of the engine design to radial clearance effects.The tip clearance in the axial flow compressor of modern commercial civil aero-engines is of critical importance in terms of both mechanical integrity and performance. Typically as the clearance between the compressor blade tips and the casing increases, the aerodynamic efficiency will decrease and therefore the specific fuel consumption and operating costs will increase, and the clearance is therefore of critical importance to civil airline operators and their customers alike. A design exercise was performed and a series of conceptual solutions were developed using the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) process and their potential viability in clearance control was investigated with thermal modelling. TRIZ was selected as an appropriate tool as the issue was long-standing having been the focus of previous projects, and robust design solutions were being sought.In order to validate the concepts, use was made of a test facility developed at the University of Sussex, incorporating a rotor and an inner shaft scaled down from a Rolls Royce Trent aeroengine to a ratio of 0.7:1. The mechanical design of the test facility allows the simulation of flow conditions in the HP compressor cavity equivalent to the Trent 1000 aero-engine, with a rotational speed of up to 10000 rpm. The idle and maximum take-off conditions in the square cycle correspond to in-cavity rotational Reynolds numbers of 3.1×106 ≤ Reφ ≤ 1.0×107. The finite element thermomechanical model has been built to validate the engine measurements. This paper describes the use of TRIZ and the development of a selected concept and the detailed evaluation for reduction and control of tip clearance in HP compressors. This was achieved through the reduction in the compressor disc heat expansion time constant by improving drum heat transfer using bleed air from the compressor core flow. This paper explores the trade-offs between clearance and efficiency and develops and explores concepts to control the compressor tip clearance throughout the engine operating cycle. The project involved modelling of potential solutions and use of experimental facilities, a rotating compressor cavity rig, in order to explore the physical principles and demonstrate proof of concept for controlling tip clearance in HP compressors of gas turbine engines.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Graphite, an ordered layered structure, has been the dominant choice as a stable electrode material since the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which could bring about a significant increase in demand for the material owing to its usage in forthcoming graphite-based energy storage devices. In this work, we propose an efficient route to reutilize recovered graphite (RG) from spent LIBs as an anode material for the fabrication of lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) after the required treatment. It was found that RG displayed a first excellent performance in a half-cell configuration, which further encouraged us to assemble a full cell using activated carbon as the cathode. Prior to the fabrication of the LIC, the RG was pre-lithiated (LiC6) to form a graphite intercalation compound to supply Li ions. The resultant dual-carbon LIC in an aprotic organic solvent delivered a maximum energy density of 185.54 W h kg−1 at a power density of 0.319 kW kg−1 at ambient conditions. Furthermore, different temperature performance analysis revealed that the assembled LIC presented a good cycling performance for a continuous 2000 cycles with ∼75% capacity retention at 10 °C and 25 °C. The developed dual carbon-based LIC using recovered RG from spent LIBs offers several promising features, such as low cost and good applicability in a wide range of temperature operations as well as providing a real solution to recycle the upcoming massive quantity of spent LIBs generated by different electronic appliances.


T ools of network analysis have recently been applied to many complex systems, to both simplify and highlight their underlying structure and the relationships that they represent. The results obtained from network-based approaches provide not only insight into interactions between online users, but also new clues about how to improve our understanding of biological systems. Network medicine in particular, a network-based approach to studying human disease, has proven effective in studying interdependence between molecular components in cells, and in identifying disease modules and biological pathways [1]. The data we consider is usually in the form of a set of records, each of which describes one object in the system. These objects may be physical entities such as planets, stars, or people, for example customers; or may be abstract entities such as diseases. Given a social or a biological system, many kinds of data can be collected. For example, a star might be described by the strength of its spectral emissions at particular wavelengths; a customer may be profiled using his or her demographic data; and a disease might be described with a set of genes whose mutations are implicated in this disease. Data about these systems are often represented in the form of networks. Network abstractions often turn out to be practical, but remain highly complex and are hence an active area of research.[2, 3, 4, 5]. In this column, we explore the human disease network [2] and demonstrate how network-based tools can help us understand relations between diseases at a higher level of organismal organization without considering any prior biomedical knowledge. The Anatomy of a Human Disease Network


Enzymes that utilize the cofactor pyridoxal 5′-phosphate play essential roles in amino acid metabolism in all organisms. The cofactor is used by proteins that adopt at least five different folds, which raises questions about the evolutionary processes that might explain the observed distribution of functions among folds. In this study, we show that a representative of fold type III, the Escherichia coli alanine racemase (ALR), is a promiscuous cystathionine β-lyase (CBL). Furthermore, E. coli CBL (fold type I) is a promiscuous alanine racemase. A single round of error-prone PCR and selection yielded variant ALR(Y274F), which catalyzes cystathionine β-elimination with a near-native Michaelis constant (Km = 3.3 mm) but a poor turnover number (kcat ≈10 h−1). In contrast, directed evolution also yielded CBL(P113S), which catalyzes l-alanine racemization with a poor Km (58 mm) but a high kcat (22 s−1). The structures of both variants were solved in the presence and absence of the l-alanine analogue, (R)-1-aminoethylphosphonic acid. As expected, the ALR active site was enlarged by the Y274F substitution, allowing better access for cystathionine. More surprisingly, the favorable kinetic parameters of CBL(P113S) appear to result from optimizing the pKa of Tyr-111, which acts as the catalytic acid during l-alanine racemization. Our data emphasize the short mutational routes between the functions of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent enzymes, regardless of whether or not they share the same fold. Thus, they confound the prevailing model of enzyme evolution, which predicts that overlapping patterns of promiscuity result from sharing a common multifunctional ancestor.


Web phishing remains a serious cyber threat responsible for most data breaches. Machine Learning (ML)-based anti-phishing detectors are seen as an effective countermeasure, and are increasingly adopted by web-browsers and software products. However, with an average of 10K phishing links reported per hour to platforms such as PhishTank and VirusTotal (VT), the deficiencies of such ML-based solutions are laid bare. We first explore how phishing sites bypass ML-based detection with a deep dive into 13K phishing pages targeting major brands such as Facebook. Results show successful evasion is caused by: (1) use of benign services to obscure phishing URLs; (2) high similarity between the HTML structures of phishing and benign pages; (3) hiding the ultimate phishing content within Javascript and running such scripts only on the client; (4) looking beyond typical credentials and credit cards for new content such as IDs and documents; (5) hiding phishing content until after human interaction. We attribute the root cause to the dependency of ML-based models on the vertical feature space (webpage content). These solutions rely only on what phishers present within the page itself. Thus, we propose Anti-SubtlePhish, a more resilient model based on logistic regression. The key augmentation is the inclusion of a horizontal feature space, which examines correlation variables between the final render of suspicious pages against what trusted services have recorded (e.g., PageRank). To defeat (1) and (2), we correlate information between WHOIS, PageRank, and page analytics. To combat (3), (4) and (5), we correlate features after rendering the page. Experiments with 100K phishing/benign sites show promising accuracy (98.8%). We also obtained 100% accuracy against 0-day phishing pages that were manually crafted, comparing well to the 0% recorded by VT vendors over the first four days.


"This document has been created in the context of the ITEC project. All information is provided "as is" and no guarantee or warranty is given that the information is fit for any particular purpose. The user thereof uses the information at its sole risk and liability. The document reflects solely the views of its authors. The European Commission is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein."


Nanoindenter has been used to directly indent on the cantilever beam to measure Young's modulus such that the substrate effects can be avoided. However, the deflections of cantilever beam are indirectly extracted from the displacement of nanoindenter and therefore their measurement results are easily influenced by local behaviors around the indentation. In this paper, to the authors' best knowledge, this is the first time that the nanoindenter is integrated with an optical system to measure Young's modulus of cantilever beam. The deflection of cantilever beam is directly measured from a specially designed optical system. The influences of substrate effects and local behaviors around indentation are simultaneously avoided from the proposed methodology.


Ecological and evolutionary studies traditionally assume that species are comparable units of biodiversity. However, not only this assumption is rarely tested, but also there have been few attempts even to assess variation in most emergent, species-level traits and their corresponding underlying mechanisms. One such trait is species age, here defined as the time since the most recent common ancestor between a given species and its sister lineage. In this study, we demonstrate that different terrestrial vertebrate clades vary considerably in the age of their constituent species. In particular, species ages were youngest in mammals and birds as opposed to squamates and amphibians, although considerable variation was found within those clades as well. Sensitivity analyses showed that these results are unaffected by phylogenetic uncertainty or incomplete taxonomic sampling. Interestingly, there was little geographical correspondence in mean species age across taxa, as well as with temperature and precipitation stability over the past 21,000 years. We discuss candidate mechanisms that might explain differences in species ages among clades, and explore the implications of these findings in relation to recent advances in age-dependent speciation and extinction models of diversification.


AIMS
To examine the long-term impact of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) on mortality, re-incarceration and hepatitis C seroconversion in imprisoned male heroin users.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
The study cohort comprised 382 imprisoned male heroin users who had participated in a randomized controlled trial of prison-based MMT in 1997/98. Subjects were followed-up between 1998 and 2002 either in the general community or in prison.

MEASUREMENTS
All-cause mortality, re-incarceration, hepatitis C and HIV serostatus and MMT retention.

FINDINGS
There were no deaths recorded while subjects were enrolled in MMT. Seventeen subjects died while out of MMT, representing an untreated mortality rate of 2.0 per 100 person-years (95% CI, 1.2-3.2). Re-incarceration risk was lowest during MMT episodes of 8 months or longer (adjusted hazard ratio 0.3 (95% CI, 0.2-0.5; P < 0.001), although MMT periods 2 months or less were associated with greatest risk of re-incarceration (P < 0.001). Increased risk of hepatitis C seroconversion was significantly associated with prison sentences of less than 2 months [adjusted hazard ratio 20 (95% CI, 5-76; < P = 0.001)] and MMT episodes less than 5 months [adjusted hazard ratio 4.2 (95% CI, 1.4-12.6; P = 0.01)]. Subjects were at greatest risk of MMT dropout during short prison sentences of 1 month or less (adjusted hazard ratio 10.4 (95% CI, 7.0-15.7; P < 0.001). HIV incidence was 0.3 per 100 person-years (95% CI, 0.03-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS
Retention in MMT was associated with reduced mortality, re-incarceration rates and hepatitis C infection. Prison-based MMT programmes are integral to the continuity of treatment needed to ensure optimal outcomes for individual and public health.


A lumped-element equivalent circuit model is presented that describes the near-resonance electrical characteristics of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) simultaneously loaded by a surface mass layer and a contacting liquid. The model was derived by solving the boundary-value problem for coupled mechanical displacement and electrical potential; this results in circuit elements that are explicitly related to physical properties of the quartz, the perturbing mass layer, and the contacting liquid. The effects of mass and/or liquid loading on the admittance-vs.-frequency behavior are predicted from the model and compared with experimental impedance analyzer measurements. Surface mass accumulation causes a simple translation in frequency of the resonance peak, while increasing the density-viscosity product of the contacting solution causes both a translation and a damping of the resonance peak. Using the model, changes in surface mass can be differentiated from changes in solution properties.<<ETX>>


Patient safety programs have been developed in many hospitals to reduce the risk of harm to patients. Proactive, real-time, and retrospective risk-reduction strategies should be implemented in hospitals, but patient safety leaders should also be cognizant of the risks associated with thousands of products that enter the hospital through the supply chain. A growing number of recalls and alerts related to these products are received by health care facilities each year, through a recall process that is fraught with challenges. Despite the best efforts of health care providers, weaknesses and gaps in the process lead to delays, fragmentation, and disruptions, thus extending the number of days patients may be at risk from potentially faulty or misused products. To address these concerns, Duke Medicine, which comprises an academic medical center, two community hospitals, outlying clinics, physicians' offices, and home health and hospice, implemented a Web-based recall management system. Within three months, the time required to receive, deliver, and close alerts decreased from 43 days to 2.74 days. To maximize the effectiveness of the recall management process, a team of senior Duke Medicine leaders was established to evaluate the impact of product recalls and alerts on patient safety, to evaluate response action plans, and to provide oversight of patient and provider communication strategies. Alerts are now communicated more effectively and responded to in a more consistent and global manner. This comprehensive approach to product recalls is a critical component of a broader Duke Medicine strategy to improve patient safety.


Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of death in the developed countries (Murray and Lopez, 1996; Koitabashi and Kass, 2012). Adverse cardiac remodeling that precedes heart muscle dysfunction is characterized by a myriad of molecular changes affecting the cardiomyocyte. Among these, alterations in protein kinase pathways play often an important mediator role since they link upstream pathologic stress signaling with downstream regulatory programs and thus affect both the structural and functional integrity of the heart muscle. In the context of cardiac disease, a profound understanding for the overriding mechanisms that regulate protein kinase activity (protein-protein interactions, post-translational modifications, or targeting via anchoring proteins) is crucial for the development of specific and effective pharmacological treatment strategies targeting the failing myocardium. In this review, we focus on several mechanisms of upstream regulation of Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II that play a relevant pathophysiological role in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease; precise targeting of these mechanisms might therefore represent novel and promising tools for prevention and treatment of HF.


Development has been defined by both social scientists and developers in a way that seeks to incorporate and centralise the ideas of people it is meant to benefit. It has invariably been redefined as something that must be a 'people driven process' and involve a 'maximisation of people's options' in social life. Attempts have been made to emphasise the participatory nature of development, that it should involve all the people it caters for. In this paper I will examine the understanding of development by the people of Msinga and their leaders. I will discuss what development means for Msinga people and their leaders, what they believe the structures that facilitate development for them are, and where those structures are located in relation to structures of leadership. I will also look at the process of taking initiative in the name of development and to what extent that initiative is top-down or bottom-up.


The oral cavity consists of the lips, teeth, gums, oral mucous membrane, palate, tongue and oral lymphoid system. The oral cavity plays an essential role in many key bodily functions, including nutrition (mastication and swallowing), respiration and communication. Various specialists may be called upon to diagnose and treat diseases of the oral cavity, including general practitioners, oral surgeons, otolaryngologists and others. The most important diagnostic tools for the examination of the mouth are the examiner's eyes aided by source of illumination, a tongue depressor and the use of palpation by the examiner's glove covered ngers. Whilst most diseases of oral cavity can be diagnosed by visual inspection, some disorders may be perplexing and their diagnoses may be elusive. Many disease processes, benign or malignant, localized or systemic, may present as an ulcerative lesion in the oral cavity. The list of possible diseases that may present as an ulcerative lesion in the oral cavity is quite extensive. The focus here will be on the most common causes of these lesions. Included are acute and chronic processes, benign and malignant diseases, generalized and systemic manifestations of ulcerative lesions in the oral cavity. The study is an attempt to enumerate the aetiopathological factors contributing to oral and oropharyngeal lesions.


Hemoglobin-concentration (Hb) and hematocrit (Ht) were determined in 622 Angolean children between ages of 3 months and 13 years. The children were divided into two groups: group I (n = 530) of low social and economic state, group II (n = 92) children enjoyed good living conditions. 38.9% of all children had a Hb below 6.8mmol/l. 218 of which were part of group I, only 18 were out of group II. An extensive anemia (less than Hb 4.3mmol/l) existed in only 3% of all children. 51.7% of children were below 3 years. Between age groups of 3 months to over 10 years there was a continual rise in Hb of 17.6 +/- 6.6% (boys) and 9.5 +/- 3% (girls). Using the Ht values the percentage of anemic children was only 16.4%. It existed a relationship, especially, clearly observed in group I, between physical development and aemia frequency. Children of group I were more anemic than children of group II.


: Nowadays Personal identification is one of the major problems in our society. The most common form of personal identification is usually involves a Personal Identification Number (PIN), password, and an ID card etc. Consequently there is a problem faced by people by loosing, stealing and sharing or even for getting the codes and cards. Biometric authentication has been widely accepted, safest and popular technique. The people prove their identity with unique biological characteristics such as fingerprint, iris, voice, face, gesture and hand geometry. Our approach is to design effective and secure contact less palm vein. Contact less design is more preferred as it offers more hygienic one. Our palm vein authentication system uses the vascular vein patterns as a personal identification factor which provides contact less and a very high level of accuracy. The proposed technology uses user's palm vein pattern to ensure security and authentication of user information.


Religious coping plays an important role to rehabilitate victims affected by traumatic life events. Islamic teachings emphasizes al-ibtila' (trial) concept that serves in understanding the concept of qada' (fate) and qadar (destiny). This study explored al-ibtila' in coping with traumatic events by achieving  sense of personal control in situations that produce distress and torment, as exhibited by 2014 flood victims in Temerloh, Pahang. This study analyzed their understanding, genuine acceptance, and relationship between understanding of al-ibtila' and personality development in overcoming trauma. A mixed-method approach was applied, comprising methods of documentation, interviews (five interview subjects selected by sequential sampling), and survey questionnaires (300 flood victims as respondents). Data from documentation and interviews were analyzed using the inductive approach (qualitative) in a descriptive study, while survey data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests (quantitative). The findings gave evidence of significant positive effects in dealing with flood disaster stress from three aspects: the understanding, acceptance, and relationship between understanding of al-ibtila' with good personality development. These results emphasized the need to include understanding and acceptance of al-ibtila' as part of God's plan in the face of traumatic events, indicating that highly optimistic flood victims can positively deal with traumatic events. Keywords: Al-Ibtila' , personality development, flood, flood trauma JEL Classifications : I30, Q00, Z00


The analysis of structural reforms that took place in the 1990s in India reveals interesting insights in the context of the actual debate for further liberalization of the services sector. Trade liberalization and the reform of the banking sector have improved aggregate productivity of the manufacturing sector in India. The effects seem to be different across firms: it has mostly benefitted the ones which were initially efficient. This might have led to a reallocation of ressources from the least to the most productive firms.


Background CT can classify plaque based on its x-ray attenuation. However, identifying vulnerable plaque is limited by overlap between the attenuation of necrotic core and fibrous plaque. Changes in attenuation of plaque components to x-rays of differing energies may allow better discrimination. We tested whether Dual Energy CT (DECT) (simultaneous image acquisition at two energies) improved identification of necrotic core, both in-vivo and ex-vivo. Methods 20 patients underwent DECT and 3-vessel Virtual Histology-IVUS (VH-IVUS). Attenuation was sampled in 1088 plaque areas co-registered with VH-IVUS and used to define dual energy indices (changes in attenuation of plaque components at 100 kV and 140kV). 42 plaques were analysed by DECT to determine whether DECT increased sensitivity to detect VH-IVUS defined necrotic core. 10 post-mortem coronary arteries were also examined with DECT prior to histological analysis to determine whether DECT increased sensitivity to detect histologically proven necrotic core. Results Dual energy indices of necrotic core and fibrous plaque were significantly different (mean: 0.0071 vs. 0.0283, p<0.05). Utilising these increased diagnostic accuracy for DECT to detect necrotic core in 87 segments of post-mortem arteries (sensitivity-64%, specificity-96%) compared with single energy CT (sensitivity-54%, specificity-92%). Sensitivity to detect necrotic core was lower in plaques analysed in-vivo due to the impact of temporal resolution on moving coronaries. However, DECT still provided marginal improvements in sensitivity (45%) compared with single energy CT (39%). Conclusions Dual Energy CT has the potential to improve the differentiation of necrotic core and fibrous plaque allowing more accurate non-invasive identification of vulnerable plaque.


String theory is spacetimes with boundaries is shown to be equivalent, in some instances, to string theory or orbifolds. This equivalence is used to calculate the Casimir energy of the string between two infinite parallel plates in spacetime. The calculation mimics some features of string theory in Rindler and Schwarzschild spacetimes and supports the conjecture that string theories avoid the singularity problem by giving particle production rates that diverge in the presence of large, but finite, fields.


Guide to U.S. Environmental Policy provides the analytical connections showing readers how issues and actions are translated into public policies and persistent institutions for resolving or managing environmental conflict in the U.S. The guide highlights a complex decision-making cycle that requires the cooperation of government, business, and an informed citizenry to achieve a comprehensive approach to environmental protection. The book's topical, operational, and relational essays address development of U.S. environmental policies, the federal agencies and public and private organizations that frame and administer environmental policies, and the challenges of balancing conservation and preservation against economic development, the ongoing debates related to turning environmental concerns into environmental management, and the role of the U.S. in international organizations that facilitate global environmental governance. Key Features: *30


In common models of cognitive radio networks (CRNs), priority in spectrum access of primary users (PUs) must be guaranteed, but the quality of service (QoS) for secondary users (SUs) is mostly ignored. Subject to meeting PUs' blocking probability objective, this paper proposes a channel reservation scheme to enhance QoS for SUs. The proposed scheme employs a centralized control manager (CCM) to coordinate the dynamic spectrum access among PUs and SUs by dividing the spectrum into two parts: the normal access channels (NACs) that may be taken back anytime by PUs, and the reserved secondary channels (RSCs) that are locked by occupied SUs until their call sessions are complete. A Markov chain model is developed to analyze the proposed spectrum access scheme and compare its performance to that of a CRN without reserved channels. Furthermore, the number of reserved channels is optimized based on SUs' utility functions. Numerical results show that by optimally selecting the number of reserved channels to adapt to various traffic loads, the proposed scheme can significantly improve SUs' QoS while meeting PUs' QoS objectives.


BACKGROUND
Antimicrobial resistance is an important public health issue globally and in Canada. To understand the current state of antimicrobial stewardship programs in Ontario health care facilities, Public Health Ontario conducted a voluntary survey of hospitals in the province.

METHODS
The Ontario Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Landscape Survey was distributed online to hospitals, targeting front-line antimicrobial stewardship clinicians. The survey was open for 5 weeks in fall 2016. We used email and telephone reminders to encourage response. We performed descriptive and inferential statistical analyses at an aggregate level and by hospital type. Mental health and ambulatory sites were excluded.

RESULTS
The response rate was 74.0% (97/131 organizations). Of the 97, 90 (93%) reported having a formal antimicrobial stewardship program or were in the process of implementing a formal program. Just over half (50 [56%]) identified appropriate antibiotic use as part of the organization's quality-improvement plan, strategic goal or priority. Half (45 [50%]) of programs did not have designated resources; those that did are underresourced with respect to physician and pharmacist staffing. The scope of implementation of program strategies was variable. Fifty hospitals (56%) reported tracking antimicrobial expenditures, 47 (52%) reported tracking defined daily dose, and 35 (39%) reported tracking days of therapy.

INTERPRETATION
Most Ontario hospitals have a formal antimicrobial stewardship program, but there are opportunities for improvement. Future efforts should increase the priority of and improve resource allocation for antimicrobial stewardship programs so that programs can continue to grow in scope and impact.


An optimal design method for magnets with double-layered coaxial coils to generate a uniform central magnetic field and a small stray magnetic field has been proposed. To find the optimal current density distribution, we used linear programming with constraints on the multipole field strengths, computed with analytical formulae, of the central and stray fields. The final coil positions were optimized with a quasi-Newton method, again taking into account the inner and outer multipole field strengths.


Trans-acting factors such as RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs (miRNA) have recently been recognized as prime regulators of gene expression during tumorigenesis. Nucleolin (NCL) is the most abundant nucleolar RNA-binding protein, controlling critical cellular processes such as chromatin remodeling, ribosome biogenesis and miRNA biogenesis. In the cytoplasm, NCL regulates gene expression post-transcriptionally by controlling mRNA stability and/or translation via ARE- and miRNA-mediated pathways. In contrast, NCL at the cell surface plays pivotal roles in cancer progression and metastasis in many types of tumors. Therefore, surface-NCL is an appealing target for cancer therapy. Earlier our group described 4LB5, a human-derived single chain fragment variable (scFv) that specifically targets surface-NCL exerting cytotoxic effects, both in vitro and in vivo. We have identified the central RNA-binding domains (RBD1-4) of NCL as 4LB5-interacting sites. 4LB5-mediated blocking of NCL-RBDs significantly impairs the biogenesis of a subset of oncogenic miRNAs, such as miR-21, -221 and -222, and their binding to the microprocessor complex. The structural fold of all the 4 RBDs is highly conserved, but there are significant differences in their sequences. RBD1-2 have been well studied in their mechanism and capability to form high-affinity RNA-binding complexes, but RBD 3-4 have not been explored to the same extent. We hypothesize that consecutive or selective combinations of RBDs in NCL might have distinct roles in RNA biology. NCL RBD1-2 domains are well documented in the literature for their high affinity for mRNAs and rRNAs. However, RNA-specificity on NCL-RBDs has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we used protein-antibody and protein-RNA docking analyses to identify potential differential binding affinities between multiple NCL modules (RDB1-2, RBD3-4 and RBD1-4) and either 4LB5 or miRNAs. In silico results were also evaluated by multiple biochemical assays (ELISA, Surface Plasmon Resonance, Pull-Down and Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays) using NCL Modules, 4LB5 and RNA molecules. Finally, competition assays were performed to assess ability of our scFv to impair miRNA binding to NCL. Our results indicate the importance of the NCL region targeted by 4LB5 in microRNA maturation. Functional studies will help us to better elucidate the biologic role of NCL RBDs, and their involvement in cancer pathogenesis. Citation Format: Valerio Embrione, Michael Scarpati, Zachary D. Uzzel, Rahimah Ahmad, Fortuna A. De Sury, Tyler J. Sheetz, Vincenzo Coppola, Shaneen M. Singh, Anjana D. Saxena, Carlo M. Croce, Dario Palmieri. A human scFv as a tool to understand the biogenesis of a subset of oncogenic microRNAs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 476.


This report details the implementation of a 7-stage processor pipeline using VHDL. The report excludes discussion on instruction and data caches. The pipeline stages are balanced with respect to timing. The pipeline design is verified using embedded microprocessor benchmarks. The synthesized pipeline design is evaluated in terms of
timing, area, and power. Implementation and evaluation of the branch predictors are emphasized, as they are vital part of a processor pipeline. Prior to branch predictor
implementation, several branch predictor configurations have been evaluated, for their performance, through simulations using SimpleScalar tool. Based on the simulation results,
few best performing predictors have been implemented and verified by integrating them into a processor pipeline.
The pipeline design is synthesized using Cadence Encounter RTL compiler in order to extract area and power estimates. Based on the synthesis results, evaluation of the pipeline
and its function units has been carried out. The multiplier and the branch predictor unit are identified as the most critical with respect timing. Solutions have been suggested
to improve the timing balance between the pipeline stages. It has also been evaluated that even though the branch predictors contribute for a significant improvement in the
performance of a pipeline, they also account for 45% of total area and 65% of total power of the pipeline. The effect of caches on the pipeline timing, area, and power is
not considered for evaluations.


Software security techniques rely on correct execution by the hardware. Securing hardware components has been challenging due to their complexity and the proportionate attack surface they present during their design, manufacture, deployment, and operation. Recognizing that external communication represents one of the greatest threats to a system's security, this paper introduces the TrustGuard containment architecture. TrustGuard contains malicious and erroneous behavior using a relatively simple and pluggable gatekeeping hardware component called the Sentry. The Sentry bridges a physical gap between the untrusted system and its external interfaces. TrustGuard allows only communication that results from the correct execution of trusted software, thereby preventing the ill effects of actions by malicious hardware or software from leaving the system. The simplicity and pluggability of the Sentry, which is implemented in less than half the lines of code of a simple in-order processor, enables additional measures to secure this root of trust, including formal verification, supervised manufacture, and supply chain diversification with less than a 15% impact on performance.


In a crossed-beam experiment, the authors have studied vibrationally elastic and inelastic scattering of electrons by CF4 in the energy range 0.3-20 eV. The angular range covered by the measurements is from 10' to 105'. In the present paper, they report their results for elastic scattering. Absolute values of the differential cross section (DCS) are determined with reference to the total cross section measured by Jones (1986). For energies above 10 eV, the experimental results are well described by the 'static-exchange' multichannel Schwinger variational principle (SMC) calculations of Huo (1988). At lower energies, the measurements show strong deviations from the calculated results which are attributed to neglect of the polarization effects in the calculations. The elastic e-CF4 scattering shows a Ramsauer-Townsend effect below E=0.5 eV. The data have been evaluated by means of a modified effective range theory (MERT) analysis, and the resulting integral cross sections are compared with results from swarm experiments.


Abstract In his monograph On Numbers and Games, J. H. Conway introduced a real-closed field containing the reals and the ordinals as well as a great many less familiar numbers including −ω, ω/2, 1/ω, and ω − π to name only a few. Indeed, this particular real-closed field, which Conway calls No, is so remarkably inclusive that, subject to the proviso that numbers—construed here as members of ordered fields—be individually definable in terms of sets of NBG (von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory with global choice), it may be said to contain "All Numbers Great and Small." In this respect, No bears much the same relation to ordered fields that the system ℝ of real numbers bears to Archimedean ordered fields. In Part I of the present paper, we suggest that whereas ℝ should merely be regarded as constituting an arithmetic continuum (modulo the Archimedean axiom), No may be regarded as a sort of absolute arithmetic continuum (modulo NBG), and in Part II we draw attention to the unifying framework No provides not only for the reals and the ordinals but also for an array of non-Archimedean ordered number systems that have arisen in connection with the theories of non-Archimedean ordered algebraic and geometric systems, the theory of the rate of growth of real functions and nonstandard analysis. In addition to its inclusive structure as an ordered field, the system No of surreal numbers has a rich algebraico-tree-theoretic structure—a simplicity hierarchical structure—that emerges from the recursive clauses in terms of which it is defined. In the development of No outlined in the present paper, in which the surreals emerge vis-à-vis a generalization of the von Neumann ordinal construction, the simplicity hierarchical features of No are brought to the fore and play central roles in the aforementioned unification of systems of numbers great and small and in some of the more revealing characterizations of No as an absolute continuum.


Sampling from high-dimensional systems often suffers from the curse of dimensionality. In this paper, we explored the use of sequential structures in sampling from high-dimensional systems with an aim at eliminating the curse of dimensionality, and proposed an algorithm, so-called sequential parallel tempering as an extension of parallel tempering. The algorithm was tested with the witch's hat distribution and Ising model. Numerical results suggest that it is a promising tool for sampling from high-dimensional systems. The efficiency of the algorithm was argued theoretically based on the Rao-Blackwellization theorem.


Up to 10% of patients following Total Hip Replacement (THR) are symptomatic for a Leg Length Inequality (LLI), commonly being up to 20mm longer on the operated side. With 100,000 patients undergoing THR in 2015, 8.7% of all errors in the NHS being attributed to an LLI and malpractice claims being frequent, understanding why certain patients are symptomatic whilst others remain asymptomatic is of great importance.

Anthropometric and demographic measurements together with gait analysis results were compared between a group of 26 symptomatic LLI patients following THR, 14 asymptomatic THR patients and 38 healthy individuals using Plug-in-Gait. Statistically significant results were found for height, with LLI patients generally being 6% shorter than their THR counterparts. Gait analysis results using Visual3D and AnyBody found LLI patients demonstrated reductions in peak joint forces, ground reaction forces, moments and knee flexion relative to the THR and healthy group. This was linked to LLI patients walking 20% and 59% slower than their THR and healthy counterparts respectively. Wear analysis found that LLI patients had 9% greater sliding distances than THR patients per stride together with more unidirectional motion paths.

A thorough critique of Plug-in-Gait found the clinical results were generally reliable. Further sensitivity analyses however highlighted the weaknesses of the model if used improperly, with a 45mm error in lateral thigh marker positioning leading to a 10% change in hip flexion angle. The choice of hip joint centre regression equation, errors in joint width measurement and the use of CAST over PiG were also found to have a profound effect on kinematic results. It was concluded that LLI patients were symptomatic due to a combination of a greater LLI magnitude to height ratio, leading to greater pelvic obliquity in smaller individuals, and weakened muscles/soft tissues at the hip causing an asymmetric gait.


Mammalian molybdo-flavoenzymes are oxidases requiring FAD and molybdopterin (molybdenum cofactor) for their catalytic activity. This family of proteins was thought to consist of four members, xanthine oxidoreductase, aldehyde oxidase 1 (AOX1), and the aldehyde oxidase homologues 1 and 2 (AOH1 and AOH2, respectively). Whereas the first two enzymes are present in humans and various other mammalian species, the last two proteins have been described only in mice. Here, we report on the identification, in both mice and rats, of a novel molybdo-flavoenzyme, AOH3. In addition, we have cloned the cDNAs coding for rat AOH1 and AOH2, demonstrating that this animal species has the same complement of molybdo-flavoproteins as the mouse. The AOH3 cDNA is characterized by remarkable similarity to AOX1, AOH1, AOH2, and xanthine oxidoreductase cDNAs. Mouse AOH3 is selectively expressed in Bowman's glands of the olfactory mucosa, although small amounts of the corresponding mRNA are present also in the skin. In the former location, two alternatively spliced forms of the AOH3 transcript with different 3′-untranslated regions were identified. The general properties of AOH3 were determined by purification of mouse AOH3 from the olfactory mucosa. The enzyme possesses aldehyde oxidase activity and oxidizes, albeit with low efficiency, exogenous substrates that are recognized by AOH1 and AOX1. The Aoh3 gene maps to mouse chromosome 1 band c1 and rat chromosome 7 in close proximity to the Aox1, Aoh1, and Aoh2 loci and has an exon/intron structure almost identical to that of the other molybdo-flavoenzyme genes in the two species.


The authors present results of a prospective clinical study with 150 foldable acrylic intraocular lenses AcrySof (Alcon Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.). There were 70 women and 63 men, altogether 133 patients (150 eyes). All lenses were implanted in the bag through 3.5 mm corneal self sealing tunnel incision. Best corrected visual acuity was 6/9 or better in 119 eyes (79.3%) on the first postoperative day and in 128 eyes (85.3%) one year after surgery. Induced astigmatism was up to 0.5 D in 91 eyes (60.7%) on the first postoperative day and in 125 eyes (83.3%) six months after surgery. Posterior capsule fibrosis occurred only in 4 eyes one year after surgery and in 2 eyes Nd:YAG kapsulotomy was done. We have not seen any serious complications. Assessment of the results with AcrySof implantation has shown excellent results, especially very low rate of secondary cataract.


We consider control questions for finite automata viewed as input/output systems. In particular, we find estimates of the minimal number of states of an automaton able to control a given automaton. We prove that, on average, feedback closed-loop control automata do not have fewer states than open-loop control automata when the control objective is to steer the controlled automaton to a target state. We compare our approach to other ways of formalizing of formalizing analogous control objectives.


Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition causing a litany of health problems especially in the pediatric population. However, this chronic condition can be treated if diagnosis is possible. The gold standard for diagnosis is an overnight sleep study, which is often unobtainable by many potentially suffering from this condition. Hence, we attempt to develop a fast non-invasive diagnostic tool by training a classifier on 2D and 3D facial images of a patient to recognize facial features associated with obstructive sleep apnea. In this comparative study, we consider both persistent homology and geometric shape analysis from the field of computational topology as well as convolutional neural networks, a powerful method from deep learning whose success in image and specifically facial recognition has already been demonstrated by computer scientists.


The discipline of psychology is moving beyond the myth of detached neutrality to discover virtue and to recognize politics as forces which determine ethical behaviour. Humankind has struggled over the centuries to discover the nature of good and evil and to define the rightness and wrongness of human behaviour. Psychology has a short history in formalizing codes of ethics and codes of conduct. Current and historical events, concepts and values, including those based on philosophy and religion, have influenced the development of psychology's scientific and professional codes. The ethical behaviour of psychologists may be inspired by values, regulated by rules, determined by external pressures, or any combination of these. Emerging issues and challenges in today's changing and turbulent society require an incorporation of moral principles in finding acceptable strategies to achieve acceptable goals. May virtue and politics go hand in hand in creating a better world.


This letter discusses an extension of the famous PD regulator implementing point to point motions with prescribed exponential rates of convergence. This is achieved by deriving a novel global exponential stability result, dealing with mechanical systems evolving on uni-dimensional invariant manifolds of the configuration space. The construction of closed loop controllers enforcing the existence of such manifolds is then discussed. Explicit upper and lower bounds of convergence are provided, and connected to the gains of the closed loop controller. Simulations are carried out, assessing the effectiveness of the controller and the tightness of the exponential bounds.


We review the new theory of modified supergravity, dubbed the supergravity, and some of its recent applications to inflation and reheating in the early universe cosmology. The supergravity is the N = 1 locally supersymmetric extension of the f(R) gravity in four space–time dimensions. A manifestly supersymmetric formulation of the supergravity exist in terms of N = 1 superfields, by using the (old) minimal Poincare supergravity in curved superspace. We find the conditions for stability, the absence of ghosts and tachyons. Three models of the supergravity are studied. The first example is devoted to a recovery of the standard (pure) N = 1 supergravity with a negative cosmological constant from the supergravity. As the second example, a generic supergravity is investigated, and the existence of the AdS bound on the scalar curvature is found. As the third (and most important) example, a simple viable realization of chaotic inflation in supergravity is found. Our approach is minimalistic since it does not introduce new exotic fields or new interactions, beyond those already present in (super)gravity. The universal reheating mechanism is automatic. We establish the consistency of our approach and also apply it to preheating and reheating after inflation. The Higgs inflation and its correspondence to the Starobinsky inflation are established in the context of supergravity. We briefly review other relevant issues such as non-Gaussianity, CP-violation, origin of baryonic asymmetry, lepto- and baryo-genesis. The supergravity has promise for possible solutions to those outstanding problems too.


We propose and analyze a simple method to squeeze dynamically and unconditionally the collective spin of a dilute atomic ensemble by interaction with a driven mode of an optical resonator, as recently demonstrated [I. D. Leroux, M. H. Schleier-Smith, and V. Vuletic, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 073602 (2010)]. We show that substantial squeezing can be achieved in the regime of strong collective ensemble-resonator coupling. The squeezing is ultimately limited either by photon emission into free space or by the curvature of the Bloch sphere. We derive both limits and show where each prevails.


Now a day's rescue operation in coal mine was treated as a dangerous task. Even if any explosion occurs it can't be easily known to the inside laborers. After explosion occur when rescue workers get into the mine without knowing the environmental condition. The environmental parameters such as toxic gases, high temperature, methane leakage, oxygen are sensed by using sensors and the sensed data are transmitted to the control room through Wi-Fi. Hence this paper aims to design a coal mine detect and rescue robot using raspberry pi3 model. The robot has a camera that transmits live video signal to the control room. If the temperature exceeds a threshold value then it provides a cooling fan is automatically ON and if any gas leakage is detected the workers are given an alert through a Buzzer. The robot is controlled using navigation buttons in the webpage and it consists of sensor data, live video and buzzer alert. With the help of this robot, it is possible to reduce the loss due to coal mine disaster and efficient rescue operation can be carried out.


Prostaglandins are known to play a key role in the initiation of labor in humans, but the mechanisms governing their synthesis in amnion are largely unknown. In this study, we have examined the regulatory pathways for prostaglandin E2(PGE2) production during protein kinase C-dependent activation of human WISH cells. In these cells, PGE2 synthesis appears to be limited not by free arachidonic acid availability but by the expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Concomitant with the cells being able to synthesize and secrete PGE2, we detected significant elevations of both COX-2 protein and mRNA levels. Specific inhibition of COX-2 by NS-398 totally ablated PGE2synthesis. All of these responses were found to be strikingly dependent on an active phosphatidate phosphohydrolase 1 (PAP-1). Inhibition of PAP-1 activity by three different strategies (i.e. use of bromoenol lactone, propranolol, and ethanol) resulted in inhibition of COX-2 expression and hence of PGE2 production. These data unveil a novel signaling mechanism for the regulation of PGE2 production via regulation of COX-2 expression and implicate phosphatidate phosphohydrolase 1 as a key regulatory component of eicosanoid metabolic pathways in the amnion.


Light microscopic examination of transplantable hepatomas with a wide spectrum of growth rates and analysis of structure based on the criteria of Elias reveal rough correlations between structure and growth rate. Fast-growing hepatomas are formed by multicellular laminae, have small cells and abundant mitoses, and lack glycogen and follicles. Hepatomas with intermediate growth rates contain tubular and follicular structures. Slowly growing hepatomas contain single-cell laminae. However exceptions are many, particularly among the slowly growing hepatomas.


Many studies by researchers and accounting educators explore various factors associated with the success or failure of accounting majors in college level accounting courses. This paper identifies and summarizes the main obstacles associated with low student academic achievement in introductory courses in the College of Accounting at Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi University, Libya. The research empirically investigates student perceptions of the difficulties of academic achievement in principles of accounting courses. The research method was a survey that involved classifying students as either accounting majors or non-accounting majors. Data was collected through a questionnaire with 28 items related to five primary groups: an instructor's teaching style, exams and quizzes, students, accounting textbooks, and general groups plus one open-ended question. Findings show that the major obstacles of learning and source of negative perceptions students have toward accounting courses are: lack of teaching assistants, lack of computer laboratories and computer applications, crowded dormitories, lack of interaction between students and faculty, a gap between what is taught and practical applications, irrelevant textbooks and exams, and lack of proficiency in English. Solutions offered include: greater emphasis on teaching computer accounting technology, improving effectiveness of accounting instructors and textbooks, and offering pre-college accounting courses. This study focuses on one public university, which limits its generalisability. For future research, the author suggests interviews with students upon collecting their questionnaires to elicit more complete responses, and greater attention to perspectives based on gender in order to discover and understand any differences among male and female attitudes toward accounting courses.


Abstract Micronutrients, especially zinc, have an important role in normal metabolism and growth of broilers. Using novel technologies helps to synthesise novel zinc complexes to deliver this micronutrient more efficiently. In the present study, the effects of different zinc complexes and nano complexes on broiler performance were compared. Broilers in 6 groups were given basal diet (without zinc) and basal diet supplemented with zinc-sulphate, zinc-methionine, zinc-nano-sulphate, zinc-nano-methionine and zinc-nano-max (that was synthesised based on nanochelating technology) at a concentration of 80 mg/kg of diet. At 1–42 d of age, dietary zinc-nano-sulphate supplementation decreased weight gain and feed intake. However, feed conversion ratio was not influenced by treatments. Carcass yield (%) of birds in the zinc-nano-sulphate and control groups were dramatically reduced at 42 d of age and abdominal fat (%) increased in these groups. Relative to the control group, the antibody titre, spleen and bursa of Fabricius (%) were significantly higher in groups supplemented with zinc. Heterophil (%) was also significantly higher in the zinc-nano-methionine group in blood on d 42 compared to the control, zinc-sulphate and zinc-nano-sulphate. Compared to the controls, the mean malondialdehyde content in thigh tissue was significantly reduced in groups supplemented with zinc at the time 0, 50, 100 and 150 min after oxidation. Tibia zinc concentration in nanoparticle zinc samples was significantly higher relative to the control and zinc-sulphate groups. Taken together, our data indicate that delivery of zinc in the structure of zinc-nano-methionine and zinc-nano-max at concentrations of 80 mg/kg of diet improves growth performance. However, dietary zinc-nano-sulphate decreased growth performance in broilers.


Diarrhea is the most common digestive disease next to influenza especially in chidren. The most important spleen function is that of transporting and transforming food and fluids. Any spleen disharmomny will therefore always influence the digestive process, with such symptom as abdominal distention, lack of appetite and loose stools. The results were as follows: 1. The most common causes of diarrhea were cold(寒) Fire(熱) Dampness(濕) and the other causes of diarrhea were Fear(驚) 담(Phlegm) spleen-Qi defiency(脾氣虛), injury diet(傷食). 2.Treatment of oriental medicine consist of herb-medicine Cause of cold is Bujaejungtang(附子理中湯) Cause of fire is Sungbisan(醒脾散) Cause of dampness is Oryungsan(五笭散)


Nowadays, as cybercrime has become more complex and pervasive, organizations must constantly defend themselves against threats. As a result, cybersecurity training is in high demand to protect platforms from potential breaks. Currently, many colleges, universities, trade schools, independent training organizations, and companies themselves are investing in cybersecurity training.Cybersecurity labs are an important part of such a training program designed to provide security experts with the required skills to fight the most sophisticated cybercriminals. The laboratory consists in a controlled environment for testing and evaluating cybersecurity solutions in real-life conditions. This paper is a foundation base for universities as well as for industries, having as a goal the ability to simulate in a safe environment multiple cyberattacks patterns.


Bone development have been shown to play an important role in regulating hematopoiesis as one major component of bone marrow microenvironment. Recent studies support the notion that there is an intricate relationship between hematopoiesis and bone homeostasis, however, little is known about the alterations in the hematopoietic lineages in pathologic conditions. Using various osteoporotic mouse models, we show here that bone microarchitecture abnormalities alter parameters of peripheral blood cells. The level of white blood cells is dynamics and negatively correlated with bone mineral density during the progression of osteoporosis. Furthermore, our clinical data confirm that osteoporosis is associated with abnormal circulating blood cell counts. These results demonstrated a causal link that osteoporosis is accompanied by the altered circulating blood cells, supporting the idea of a close interplay between hematopoiesis and bone homeostasis. Our study would propose that routine complete blood count might be applied as a potential diagnostic and putative marker for osteoporosis.


Join Arthur and celebrate trips away from home with two favourite Arthur Adventures! In Arthur Goes To Camp, Arthur has had enough of Camp Meadowbrook's rotten food, poison ivy and barking counselors, but picks the wrong night for an easy escape. In Arthur's Family Vacation, Arthur's vacation with his family starts out as a real disaster, but soon turn into a lot more fun than he could have imagined. Now with a full page of special edition stickers featuring Arthur, D.W., and all their pals, Arthur fans can collect them, share with friends, or create their own Arthur Adventures.


This article examines the effective application of modernist aesthetics to mass commerce in the advertising designs promoting Kaō soap in 1930s Japan. I demonstrate how the company aestheticized and distinguished its brand-name products, keying the deployment of modernist styles to the democratization of soap. Together with the state, advertisers played a central role in the molding of modern consumer subjects and in the creation of a national society. Kaō soap advertising reveals the processes by which the mobilization of women in the construction of new concepts and practices of modern living in Japan intertwined aesthetics, domestic hygiene, and national identity.


Mining sector in Indonesia faces many challenges including needed
to support national economy, compliance to central and local government
regulations, local community empowerment and environmental impact management.
Mining companies are mandatory to perform the environmental management efforts
to minimize the negative impact to the environment and pursue sustainability of
post-mining land use and as much as possible to restore land to the initial
conditions. There are many challenges on management multi parameter and multi
temporal spatial data of environmental management. The aim of this research is
to design the GIS database template for environmental management in Indonesia's
mining operation. This GIS database is designed using ArcCatalog ArcGIS 9.3
software, through following steps: inventory and assessment government
regulations, inventory and assessment environmental quality standards, sorting
and grouping parameters, design feature class and attribute, create GIS
database, create GIS database dictionary. According to research result, GIS
database template has many advantages for environmental management include integrated
into a single database, avoid redundancy data, reduce volume data, uniformity
data, easy to find and track data, integrated spatial and attribute data, can
be used as an input for GIS analysis for decision-making and development strategies.


Received for publication 1 June 1973. 726 hydrogen ion concentration, [H+], and hydrogen ion activity exponent, pH. For the biological range, a reading on the L scale plus 7, as pH, is opposite a reading on the CI scale multiplied by 10, as [H+] in nanomoles per litre; in the figure the cursor connects a pH of 7d13 with the hydrogen ion concentration of 74 nmol/l. Similarly L + 6 -CI x 100, and L + 8 _ Cl x 1. The same calculation is used for other ions, such as sodium, that may be expressed either as concentration or as activity exponent. JT P 'f' 1 TtIIlIlI~ I' I-'UIflhI'W''! s l !l IpIfIlI lI li |


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

The V-ATPases are a family of ATP-driven proton pumps that have been implicated in breast cancer cell invasion. V-ATPases are found both intracellularly and on the plasma membrane of specialized acid-secreted cells and invasive cancer cells. As available inhibitors of the V-ATPase are membrane-permeable, it has not yet been examined whether intracellular or plasma membrane pumps are critical for invasiveness. It has been proposed that V-ATPases promote invasiveness by localizing to the plasma membrane. To test this hypothesis, we utilized two approaches to specifically inhibit the V-ATPases at the plasma membrane. First, we stably transfected invasive MB231 breast cancer cells with a V5-tagged construct of the membrane-embedded subunit c. This allows for extracellular expression of the V5 epitope. We then found that addition of an anti-V5 antibody specifically inhibited plasma membrane V-ATPase activity as well as in vitro invasion and migration of MB231 cells. Second, we utilized a biotin-conjugated form of the specific V-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin to inhibit plasma membrane pumps. When bound to streptavidin, this compound is membrane impermeable. Addition of streptavidin-bound biotin-bafilomycin also inhibited in vitro invasion and migration of MB231 cells. These studies suggest that V-ATPases at the plasma membrane play a critical role in breast cancer cell invasion. We hypothesize that plasma membrane V-ATPases participate in invasion by creating an acidic microenvironment that promotes the activity of pH-dependent proteases. Overall, these results have significant implications for targeting the pump to prevent breast cancer metastasis.

Citation Format: Kristina Cotter, Joseph Capecci, Souad Sennoune, Markus Huss, Martin Maier, Raul Martinez-Zaguilan, Michael Forgac. The activity of plasma membrane V-ATPases is critical for the invasion of breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1437. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1437


Depredation in longline fisheries by odontocete whales is a worldwide growing issue, having substantial socioeconomic consequences for fishers as well as conservation implications for both fish resources and the depredating odontocete populations. An example of this is the demersal longline fishery operating around the Crozet Archipelago and Kerguelen Island, southern Indian Ocean, where killer whales (Orcinus orca) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) depredate hooked Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides). It is of great interest to better understand relationships of this modern fishery with its environment. Thus, we examined the factors influencing the decision-making process of fishers facing such competition while operating on a patch. Using optimal foraging theory as the underlying hypothesis, we determined that the probability captains left an area decreases with increasing fishing success, whereas in presence of competition from odontocete whales, it increases. Our study provides strong support that fishers behave as optimal foragers in this specific fishery. Considering that captains are optimal foragers and thus aim at maximizing the exploitation of the resources, we highlight possible risks for the long-term sustainability of the local ecosystems.


On the basis of intravital radiogrammes of the colon in 100 persons aged from 20 to 69 without colon pathology, the range of the individual colon differences has been determined as well as two extreme forms and 7 intermediate variants of its position and external structure. The range of differences in skeletotopy of the right and left colic flexurae [correction of flections], in the number and the width of colon haustra has been shown.


Christina Pribichovich-Zoric's English translation of Zlata's Filipovic's diary, Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo (1994), is a work that describes eleven-year-old Bosnian-Croat Filipovic's experience of the war in Bosnia from 1991-1993. Originally published in Croat by UNICEF (1993), Anglo-American readership primarily interprets the English translation as continuing the tradition of Anne Frank, and as such the text is pedagogically appropriated to exemplify the universality inherent in the literary translation. This paper is critical of the proposed "universal spirit" of a translated text (Venuti 177); reference to Rebecca Walkowitz' idea of "writing for translation" (219), substantiates the claim that what has been interpreted as universal in Zlata's Diary is rather the influence of western structures of language and culture. I examine two case studies concerning the American classroom and its employment of the text, comparing the ways in which Zlata's Diary is domesticated in order to reconcile American cultural and linguistic difference, in contrast to a foreignizing approach to the text as a cultural document and historical source. This paper seeks to establish the extent to which a foreign translation, in its global circulation and context, takes on new meaning and loses its significance in the local context in which it was produced.


Gradual introduction of solid foods in early childhood takes part in the maturation of mastication. The impact of any oral state alteration on food oral processing development is poorly documented for this age group. This study investigated the masticatory behavior in 3 to 6 year-old children with or without early childhood caries (ECC) for three solid foods of different textures. Twenty-one children with healthy oral state and 23 children with severe ECC were observed during complete mastication of calibrated samples of raw carrot, cheese and breakfast cereals. Food refusals and kinematic parameters (Ti: chewing time, Nc: number of cycles and Fq: chewing frequency) were used to assess children masticatory behavior. Oral Health-related Quality of Life and orofacial dysfunctions were evaluated using, respectively the early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS) and the Nordic orofacial dysfunction test screening (NOT-S). Children suffering from ECC exhibited significantly higher ECOHIS and NOT-S scores, in particular for the mastication domain. Accordingly, lower chewing frequencies values were recorded in children with ECC (i.e., carrot Fq: 1.21 ± 0.20 vs 1.35 ± 0.22, p ≤ 0.01), as well as more frequent refusals for carrots. Kinematic parameters were shown to be repeatable in all children for successive samples of the same food, and tended to vary depending on the proposed food. Some masticatory behavior regulation according to food properties could already be present in preschool children. Children with ECC developed alternative behavioral strategies to overcome feeding difficulties. Further studies should investigate food bolus properties according to oral health, as well as nutritional issues. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: During childhood, the way solid foods are processed in the oral cavity to be safely swallowed and then digested in available nutrients, is poorly documented. In this study, preschool children have been shown to repeatedly adapt their masticatory behavior to a given food. The collection of various food boli as recorded at the moment of swallowing could then be considered in further food bolus properties research investigations. Moreover, this study suggested that children with altered dentition modified their masticatory kinematic parameters and developed alternative strategies, including food or texture selection, to overcome their feeding difficulties. The development of a mastication evaluation protocol could help medical professionals to detect children masticatory deficiencies and then propose diet adaptations. Considering the importance of food diversity in mastication development and maturation, food industries may consider to develop a range of texture adapted foods for young children, especially designed to gradually rehabilitate the masticatory function.


OBJECTIVE:N-Acetylation polymorphism is a representative genetic trait related to an individual's susceptibility to several cancers. However, there remains a controversy and no consensus concerning whether there is a true association between esophageal cancer and N-acetylation polymorphism.METHODS:To analyze the distribution of N-acetyltransferase 2 polymorphism in Japanese patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer, a molecular genotyping method using a polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism was used.RESULTS:Based on an analysis of 71 Japanese patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer and 329 healthy control subjects, the distribution of the slow acetylator phenotype was significantly higher in esophageal cancer patients than in the controls (19.7% and 9.4%, respectively, p = 0.040). The odds ratio of esophageal cancer for the slow phenotype was 2.55 (95% CI = 1.15–5.65, p = 0.023) compared with the rapid type. Furthermore, a significant difference between the distribution of acetylator phenotype and the incidence of lymph node metastasis and lymphatic involvement was found based on the clinicopathological features of these cancers. Esophageal cancer patients with a higher smoking exposure history tended to have the rapid acetylator phenotype.CONCLUSION:These results suggest that N-acetylation polymorphism may be implicated as a genetic trait affecting an individual's susceptibility and biological behavior of esophageal squamous cell cancer.


Background:Diabetes quality of care standards promote uniform goals and are used routinely for performance measurement and reimbursement. Diabetes health disparities have been characterized using these universal goals. However, guidelines emphasize individualized goals. Objectives:To assess diabetes care disparities using individualized goals to (1) determine their racial/ethnic distribution and (2) compare disparities using individualized versus uniform goals. Research Design, Subjects, and Measures:A nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic adults with self-reported diabetes aged 20 years or more in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2010. Individualized glycemic goals (A1C<6.5%, <7.0%, or <8.0%) assigned based on age, duration, complications, and comorbidity, and cholesterol goals [low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) <70 or <100 mg/dL] assigned based on cardiovascular history. Results:More Hispanics were recommended an individualized A1C<7.0% compared with whites (54% vs. 42%, P=0.008). Fewer blacks and Hispanics were recommended an individualized LDL<70 mg/dL than whites (21% and 19% vs. 28%, P=0.02 and 0.001). Fewer Hispanics had adequate individualized A1C control (56% vs. 68%, P<0.001), and fewer blacks and Hispanics had adequate individualized LDL control (31% and 36% vs. 51%, P⩽0.001 and P=0.004). A uniform A1C<7% goal did not reveal disparities in glycemic control; individualized A1C and LDL, blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg, and nonsmoking was achieved by few adults (18%), and fewer blacks and Hispanics than whites (6% and 11% vs. 22%, P<0.001 and P=0.005). Conclusions:Individualized goals for diabetes care may unearth greater racial/ethnic disparities in clinical performance compared with uniform goals. Diabetes performance measures should include individualized goals to prevent worsening disparities in diabetes outcomes.


Background: Tumoral calcinosis (TC) is a disease of unknown etiology characterized by the presence of calcified masses in the juxta-articular regions of the extremities. Involvement of the cervical spine is very rare. In this report, the characteristics of TC of the cervical spine, including the clinical presentation, radiographic features, and surgical management are discussed. Case Description: A 90-year-old healthy female suffering from numbness of the upper extremities for 3 months presented with a 2-week history of progressive weakness of the lower extremities. A neurological examination revealed mild weakness and sensory impairment of the bilateral upper and lower extremities. Computed tomography (CT) scans demonstrated amorphous calcified masses posterior to the spinous process that extended into the interlaminar spaces of C3/4 and C4/5. The masses involved the posterior elements of C3-C4. Interestingly, CT scans performed 4 years earlier showed subtle calcification of a yellow ligament at C3/4 and C4/5. However, neither calcified masses nor bone erosion were observed. On magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the mass showed hypointensity on T1- and T2-weighted images. The lesion was compressing the spinal cord and was resected surgically. The pathological findings were consistent with those of TC. The natural history of TC is not understood. However, this case suggests that calcified masses may progress within several years and that the bone around the mass may be involved. Postoperatively, residual masses may disappear spontaneously, while new bone is formed in the erosive lamina and facet. Conclusion: The treatment of choice for TC, if the lesion causes progressive symptoms, is surgical resection.


Responsive materials have received much attention due to modulated properties under stimuli such as light, heat, and electricity. A photoresponsive porous molecular crystal (1) has been assembled from a racemic dithienylethene-cage (L) by multiple C-F···H-C hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces according to crystallographic investigation. Electronic absorption spectroscopy reveals reversible photochromic behaviors of the solution and film forms of enantiomeric L upon UV and visible light irradiation due to photoisomerization of dithienylethene units. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), in combination with NMR, discloses the quantitative photoisomerization of photochromic dithienylethene moieties. Moreover, the porosity of 1 is modulated by UV irradiation based on gas sorption data. Interestingly, heating the irradiated sample of 1 in 1,4-dioxane leads to recovered porosity due to the recovered cage molecular structure and maintained periodic frameworks.


This paper introduces a dual-arm robot painter system which is capable of sketching a camera-captured image with short line segments. To express various curved edges in the image by combining line segments, we first apply edge detection algorithm to the entire image, split the edged image into small boxed pieces, and then apply Hough Transformation to each piece so that the edges inside the piece can be approximated with short line segments. To draw the picture within a reasonable time, we designed a simple dual-arm robot system and controlled both arms concurrently according to linear interpolation algorithm. From the experiments, we could verify that simple linear motions can describe various images effectively with a unique brush style.


Man's first attempt to immunize susceptibles against smallpox infection was by variolation, a practice which could be traced back several thousand years. The attempt obviously failed to control the disease until Jenner discovered the effectiveness of cowpox vaccine during the late 18th century. However, it took an additional 180 years until the current smallpox vaccine--a modification of Jenner's vaccine--became fully effective, in terms of quality and usage during the global smallpox eradication campaign. The campaign appears to be on the threshold of success, which could well mean extinction of one of the most dangerous pathogens from the natural environment. If this is verified, we may say farewell to routine smallpox vaccination. The paper discusses different measures taken to ensure the quality and the use of smallpox vaccine in the best possible manner during the eradication campaign and, on its completion, the fate of smallpox vaccination.