An investigation was carried out to ascertain the effect of drinking Fiuggi water on the microcrystalline structure of the calcium oxalate monohydrate present in urinary sediments provided from patients suffering from recurrent idiopathic oxalic calculosis. The experimental group was administered tap and Fiuggi water for ten days. The control group was administered tap and Fiuggi water according to the same procedure as for the experimental group. The comparative data show that drinking Fiuggi water leads to a strong reduction, and sometimes even to the elimination, of the calcium oxalate monohydrate present in the urinary sediment reducing the risk of oxalic calculosis. Fiuggi water contains organic molecules belonging to the fulvic acid family. These acids are capable of complexing the calcium ions and interact preferentially with the crystal lattice of the calcium oxalate monohydrate via the formation of a film and behave as pumping systems by linking the calcium ion, demolishing the crystal lattice and dissolving calcium and oxalate ions. Mineral water treatments must therefore be viewed as a function of the specific composition of the water administered. The ecosystem influences the composition of water, as a complex matrix containing a number of organic molecules which are potentially biologically active.


Micro-electrical-mechanical-systems (MEMS) deformable mirrors (DMs) are under study at the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics for inclusion in possible future adaptive optics systems, including open loop or extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) systems. MEMS DMs have several advantages in these areas because of low (to zero) hysterisis and high actuator counts. In this paper, we present work in the area of high-contrast adaptive optics systems, such as those needed to image extrasolar planets. These are known to require excellent wavefront control and diffraction suppression. On the ExAO testbed we have already demonstrated wavefront control of better than 1 nm rms within controllable spatial frequencies, however, corresponding contrast measurements are limited by amplitude variations, including variations introduced by the MEMS. Results from experimental measurements and wave optic simulations on the ExAO testbed will be presented. In particular the effect of small scale MEMS structures on amplitude variations and ultimately high-contrast far field measurements will be examined. Experimental results include interferometer measurements of phase and amplitude using the phase shifting diffraction interferometer, direct imaging of the pupil, and far-field imaging.


Background and aims Chronic pelvic pain is described as continuous or intermittent pain in lower abdomen with duration of 3 to 6 months. Pain leads to patients' functional disability and long-lasting treatment. Even careful examination does not help to find the cause of pain. Methods The retrospective study approved by the Ethics Committee of Riga 1st Hospital. 40 medical cards have been included in the study. All patients visit a pain specialist complaining about chronic pelvic pain. Results The study includes 40 patients' medical histories, 24 women (60%) and 16 men (40%) p=0.268. The average age was 38 years. The duration of pain varied from 3 to 240 months. Somatoform autonomic dysfunction was diagnosed more often in 12 patients (30%). 11 patients (27%) had the diagnose of low back pain, 7 (17.5%) irritable bowel syndrome, adenomyosis, diverticulosis, hemorrhoidal disease and chronic prostatitis. 6 patients (15%) suffered from depression. Pelvic surgery, endometriosis, unspecified colitis, interstitial cystitis was diagnosed in 5 patients (12.5%). 4 patients (10%) had ovarian dysfunction and adhesion disease, 3 (7.5%) pilonidal cyst, 2 (5%) prolapse or tumor of lesser pelvic organs, urogenital infection and chronic appendicitis. 1 (2.5%) patient had kidney leiomyoma, Chron's disease and pelvis congestion disease. Most patients 10 (25%) had one diagnosis. 9 (22.5%) patients had 3 diagnosis at once. 3 patients (7.5%) had 7 diagnosis that might cause chronic pelvic pain. Conclusions Chronic pelvic pain is a multidisciplinary problem; 75% of patients have diagnosed more than one disease that may cause chronic pelvic pain.


A descriptive correlation study was conducted to describe the differences between patient expectations and satisfaction with nursing care, and to determine the relationships among patient's satisfaction with nursing care and selected sociodemographic variables. A convenience sample of 250 patients with different medical, surgical and gynaecologic diagnoses was recruited to participate in the study, which was carried out at a private hospital in Amman. Two research instruments and a sociodemographic data form were used for data collection: The Patient Expectations Questionnaire and Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire. The results indicated that patients were more satisfied with technical and ethical aspects of nursing care whereas they were less satisfied with nursing care during the night shift as well as with professional information provided by the nurses. The difference between patients' expectations and satisfaction was statistically significant. Patients' opinions regarding their expectations and their satisfaction with nursing care can be considered as an important opportunity for nurses to plan and implement appropriate strategies that improve the quality of nursing care.


IP based telephony is rapidly gaining acceptance over traditional means of voice communication. Wireless LANs are also becoming ubiquitous due to their inherent ease of deployment and decreasing costs. In enterpriseWi-Fi environments, VoIP is a compelling application for devices such as smart phones with multiple wireless interfaces. However, the high energy consumption of Wi-Fi interfaces, especially when a device is idle,presents a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of VoIP over Wi-Fi.To address this issue, we present Cell2Notify, a practical and deployable energy management architecture that leverages the cellular radio on a smart phone to implement wakeup for the high-energy consumption Wi-Fi radio. We present detailed measurements of energy consumption on smart phone devices, and we show that Cell2Notify, can extend the battery lifetime of VoIPover Wi-Fi enabled smart phones by a factor of 1.7 to 6.4.


Iodine storage is an important thyroid function which has been difficult to estimate by simple means up to now. The introduction of the X-ray fluorescence technique makes this assessment possible on a large scale, with a minimum radiation burden and no more discomfort for the patient than classical imaging with radioisotopes. Its implementation has resulted in the better understanding of some aspects of thyroid physiopathology. This paper deals with the clinical utility of the method: the visualization of stable iodine and, most important, its quantification contribute significantly, sometimes fundamentally, to a better diagnosis with its therapeutic implications.


We asked undergraduate students (N=83) if they had seen non-existent video footage of the assassination of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, and whether they could remember details of this footage. Sixty-three percent of the participants indicated they had seen the footage, and 23% were able to provide details of this footage. Participants with 'memories' of the non-existent footage had higher fantasy proneness scores than those who could not remember this footage. Results underscore the malleability of our autobiographical memory.


The western United States is a region of open space which has profoundly shaped the American character. In "The Four-Cornered Falcon", Reg Saner explores places that can still transform the human spirit with almost sacred power - from a high country forest to the cliffs of southern Utah, from a ridgetop in the Rockies to trails deep within the Grand Canyon. Saner's essays describe journeys - both physical and spiritual - to areas of the interior West that are as remote as they are beautiful. He explores northern New Mexico's Pajarito Plateau, home to the ancient Anasazi culture and the weapons laboratories of Los Alamos. He recalls a long night spent in Chaco canyon, alone and frightened after sustaining a serious rock climbing injury. He tells of encounters with coyotes and magpies, botanists - and wildlife officials. And he looks down on the multiplying lights of Boulder and realizes that the West he has long known cannot escape being loved to death. Saner draws on a lifetime of hiking, climbing, and skiing in the backcountry of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona - but the themes and experiences he explores are the opposite of regional. Like the falcons of the title essay - like humans themselves - Saner's essays are "four-cornered", not simply for their connection to those famous intersecting borders but because they range so widely over space and time. Saner's concern is with "being there", and his witnessing is always more existential than local. Reg Saner, poet and essayist, is the author of "Climbing into the Roots", "Essays on Air", "Red Letters", and "So This is the Map", the last selected by Derek Walcott for publication in the National Poetry Series. His many awards include the first Whitman Prize and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.


Clinical transplantation requires cold storage of tissue for several hours. We have examined the elemental content in exocrine and endocrine cells in mouse pancreas after cold storage by X‐ray microanalysis, and in parallel carried out morphological studies. Tissue was stored at 4 °C for 4–12 h in Normal Krebs‐Ringer's (high Na+/K+ ratio), Modified Krebs‐Ringer's (low Na+/K+ ratio), Euro‐Collins, University of Wisconsin (UW) solution, and seven modified version of UW solution. Incubation in Normal Krebs‐Ringer's solution caused significantly increased Na and decreased K concentrations in contrast to incubation in other solutions. The cellular concentration of Na and Cl followed the concentration in the storage solution. Changes in the endocrine cells were similar to, but less pronounced than those in exocrine cells. Calcium was retained best in UW and some variants of UW, and least in Euro‐Collins. This may indicate differences in preservation of secretory granules. Also, morphological studies showed that endocrine cells were less affected than exocrine cells. In conclusion, the only factor determining the intracellular concentration of diffusible ions after cold tissue storage is the ionic composition of the extracellular medium. X‐ray microanalysis provides an objective method to assess whether the intracellular ionic composition of tissue is maintained during storage.


Given the fundamental group $\Gamma$ of a finite-volume complete hyperbolic $3$-manifold $M$, it is possible to associate to any representation $\rho:\Gamma \rightarrow \text{Isom}(\mathbb{H}^3)$ a numerical invariant called volume. This invariant is bounded by the hyperbolic volume of $M$ and satisfies a rigidity condition: if the volume of $\rho$ is maximal, then $\rho$ must be conjugated to the holonomy of the hyperbolic structure of $M$. This paper generalizes this rigidity result by showing that if a sequence of representations of $\Gamma$ into $\text{Isom}(\mathbb{H}^3)$ satisfies $\lim_{n \to \infty} \text{Vol}(\rho_n) = \text{Vol}(M)$, then there must exist a sequence of elements $g_n \in \text{Isom}(\mathbb{H}^3)$ such that the representations $g_n \circ \rho_n \circ g_n^{-1}$ converge to the holonomy of $M$. In particular if the sequence $\rho_n$ converges to an ideal point of the character variety, then the sequence of volumes must stay away from the maximum. We conclude by generalizing the result to the case of $k$-manifolds and representations in $\text{Isom}(\mathbb H^m)$, where $m\geq k$.


ABSTRACT Deaths at the nest caused by hailstorms are rarely reported in birds and are usually revealed based on ex post monitoring. As a result, it is often difficult to draw inferences on the behavioral responses of individuals to hailstorms. In this note, I report the death of a female Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) at its nest during the laying stage during a severe hail event in Poland. I inspected the nest soon after the storm and found traces that allowed me to reconstruct the nesting female's behavior. This observation contributes to the infrequent documentation that hailstorms may have lethal effects on shrubland birds, considered to be relatively resistant to hail-related mortality. It also shows evidence of partial incubation (nest attendance before clutch completion) during an extreme weather event. Finally, the female Lesser Whitethroat of this report lost all of her rectrices and other feathers that were found intact and spread out in the nest. Although feather loss due to hail trauma cannot be ruled out, the most likely explanation was their ejection (known as fright molt), possibly triggered by hail-associated stress. Should this be confirmed, this would be the first case of fright molt associated with a hailstorm reported in wild birds. My report adds further insights into bird responses to increasingly extreme meteorological events.


Colorectal Cancer Disease in Appalachia: Symptom Interpretation and Cancer Worry Predictors Master's Thesis Omar F.S. Attarabeen In the Appalachian region, many cultural, religious, and psychological factors have been identified to affect health. These factors are expected to play a role in health disparities, such as higher rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality. Appalachia-specific factors such as geographic isolationism, poverty, and Appalachian stereotypes have been reported to negatively affect preventive health care including CRC screening. Although previous research has investigating the impact of some of these Appalachia-specific factors on seeking health care, impact of symptom interpretation and psychological states of the Appalachian population on health care seeking behavior needs to be clarified. The objective of this study was to identify Appalachians' knowledge, health care seeking behavior, and emotions with regard to CRC. The focus in this study was on two main issues. First, the study investigated appraisal delay due to incorrect symptom interpretation (not inferring illness when experiencing symptoms) and thoughts and feelings about CRC. These points are discussed in manuscript # 1. Second, due to the heavy influence of psychological state on health behavior, manuscript # 2 examined of the impact of perceived health, fatalism, religiosity, access to health care, and other demographic, cultural, and psychological variables on CRC worry. A qualitative analysis [Manuscript #1] was conducted on a sample of Appalachian men to explore their thoughts and feelings about CRC, appraisal delay, and symptom interpretation. The investigation of men's perspective in this manuscript was due to the greater likelihood for men to undergo CRC screening as compared to women (Seeff et al., 2004). The investigation of these points enabled determining the uniqueness of the Appalachians' health seeking behavior. Using a cross-sectional pilot study design, fifteen men above the age of 50 were interviewed. Interviews included semi-structured audio-taped recordings. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed through utilizing constructionism as an epistemology. Further, due to the fact that women report CRC worry more frequently than men do (McQueen, Vernon, Meissner, & Rakowski, 2008), a sample of Appalachian women was surveyed in the second part of this study [Manuscript # 2] in order to collect demographic, cultural (e.g., fatalism and religiosity), and psychological (e.g., CRC worry and general mood) quantitative data. The purpose was to investigate factors that were associated with CRC worry. The sample for this manuscript included 137 women who were at least 18 years old at the time of the study. The study was based on a cross-sectional structured mail survey. The epistemology utilized in this manuscript was objectivism. Participants for both manuscripts had no personal history of CRC. The Self-regulation Model (Leventhal et al., 1997) was utilized in both manuscripts to guide analysis. Findings from the qualitative analysis [Manuscript # 1] on Appalachian-specific barriers to seeking healthcare showed that powerlessness was a common thought among many participants. Most participants indicated that the presence of barriers to seeking health care barriers that participants had no ability to control or fix was the reason for not adhering to recommended screening guidelines. Symptoms interpretation, and consequently referring an illness, was variable among participants. However, the presence of (1) Severe symptoms that negatively impact the functionality of the body or (2) persistent symptoms that last for a long period of time were the most two important symptom-related cues to seeking health care. Results from the analysis on CRC worry [Manuscript # 2] suggested that the following factors were associated with CRC worry: Higher education, greater magnitude of perceived absolute risk, tension/anxiety, and uncertainty about the access to health care. In conclusion, manuscript # 1 indicated that unawareness about health insurance programs, mistrust about health care providers and medical procedures, not having access to health care, and health illiteracy were some of the factors that influenced people's health care behavior. Some thoughts have not been reported in the literature. Example are letting symptoms "take care of themselves" and asking "old folks" instead of seeking care from health professionals, thinking about CRC as a stigma, and believing that it was socially inacceptable to talk about CRC-related issues. Manuscript # 2 confirmed what previous research has found about the effect of education and absolute perceived risk for developing CRC on CRC worry, and suggested two other factors (perceived easiness of access to gastroenterologists and increased scores on the tension-anxiety sub-scale of the Profile of Mood States instrument) that were associated with CRC worry among Appalachian residents. The use of mixed methods [qualitative and quantitative] in this study helped not only in identifying statistics regarding health beliefs, but also in clarifying the reasons for certain beliefs and behaviors among the Appalachian residents. The use of qualitative methodology helped in clarifying the uniqueness of the Appalachian population regarding health beliefs and health behavior. Results of this study will aid in designing more targeted interventions in the future, which will help Appalachian residents follow health care professionals' recommendations, and then, have better health care outcomes.


The effect of storage of cortical slices in modified Collins solution on the viability of rabbit proximal convoluted tubules (PCT) and pars recta (PR) was evaluated by microperfusion of isolated tubules in vitro. Cortical slices of rabbit kidney were stored for 1, 24, 48, 72 and 97 h at 4 degrees C in modified Collins solution. PCT and PR were dissected from these slices and perfused with a modified Krebs-Henseleit solution in vitro. Fluid absorption (JV) was 1.21 +/- 0.3 nl min-1 mm-1 (N = 8) and the transepithelial potential difference (PD) was -2.3 +/- 0.3 mV (N = 6) for PCT from cortical slices stored 0 to 3 h. JV was 1.01 +/- 0.09 nl min-1 mm-1 (N = 8) and PD was -1.9 +/- 0.6 mV (N = 5) for PCT from tissue stored 23 to 97 h. JV of PR from tissue stored 5 to 26 h was 0.75 +/- 0.1 nl min-1 mm-1 (N = 5) and PD was -1.5 +/- 0.3 mV (N = 5). JV was 0.76 +/- 0.1 nl min-1 mm-1 (N = 3) for PR stored 72 to 74 h, and PD was not measured. There was no correlation between storage time and JV or PD. Furthermore, the JV and PD values for these tubules were similar to those obtained for freshly dissected tubules. These results show that the isolated tubule preparation is useful for the direct assessment of the efficacy of different kidney preservation solutions on nephron function.


Purpose Tracheobronchial tuberculosis (TBTB) has been proposed to occur more commonly in female patients. However, to date, studies that systematically delineate differences between female and male patients with TB infection are lacking. We aimed to comprehensively assess the sex-specific differences in clinical manifestation, bronchoscopy performance, bacteriological examination, and imaging of TBTB in Shenzhen, China. Methods All patients with diagnosed TBTB from August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2021 at The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen were enrolled in the present study. Demographic information, clinical manifestations, blood tests, chest computed tomography, and bronchoscopic findings were collected, and assessed their sex-specific differences. Results Of these 331 patients, 238 patients (71.9%) were female, and 93 patients (28.1%) were male, with an overall average age of 37.3 years. The average age of male patients with TBTB was more than 5 years older than that of female patients. The prevalence of lymph fistula and diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in male patients than female patients (8.6% vs 1.7%, P = 0.005; 17.2% vs 2.1%, P < 0.001). The positive proportion of sputum smear was higher in male patients (27.9%) than in female patients (16.7%, P = 0.026). Moreover, the mean monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, serum CRP, and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in male patients than in female patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion In summary, in patients with TBTB diagnosis, male sex was associated with a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus, lymph fistula, and smear-positive ratio, as well as high inflammation levels. The management of young female and male patients with diabetes mellitus and high inflammation levels should be strengthened. Furthermore, to reduce the burden of TBTB, we must pay attention to the risk of TBTB in past tuberculosis patients, especially male patients under 45 years old and female patients over 45 years old.


The authors report the case of a patient who developed a serotonin syndrome after taking sertraline and metoclopramide. The symptoms included malaise, cardiac arrhythmia, sudation, hyperreflexia, sialosis, diarrhea and were improved by cyproheptadine. The authors review the physiological bases of the serotonin syndrome, its incidence, clinical manifestations and treatment.


The article presents the performance evaluation of the management agent (MA) containing the adaptive tabu search (ATS) as its search core. In particular, asymmetrical surface optimization problems have been considered. It has been found that symmetrical property of the problems has a significant effect on search performance of the ATS, but MA(ATS). On an average, the MA(ATS) is about 2 times faster than the ATS under both symmetrical and asymmetrical problems. The article also gives reviews on the ATS and the MA(ATS) algorithms.


Resting‐state functional connectivity profiles have been increasingly shown to be important endophenotypes that are tightly linked to human cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases, yet the genetic architecture of this multidimensional trait is barely understood. Using a unique sample of 1,704 unrelated, young and healthy Chinese Han individuals, we revealed a significant heritability of functional connectivity patterns in the whole brain and several subnetworks. We further proposed a partitioned heritability analysis for multidimensional functional connectivity patterns, which revealed the common and unique enrichment patterns of the genetic contributions to brain connectivity patterns for several gene sets linked to brain functions, including the genes expressed preferentially in the central nervous system and those associated with intelligence, educational attainment, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. These results for the first time reveal the genetic architecture of multidimensional brain connectivity patterns across different networks and advance our understanding of the complex relationship between gene sets, neural networks, and behaviors.


UTRAN long term evolution is currently being standardized in 3GPP with the aim of more than twice the capacity over high-speed packet access. The chosen multiple access for uplink is single carrier FDMA, which avoids the intra-cell interference typical of CDMA systems, but it is still sensitive to inter-cell interference. As a result, the role of the power control becomes decisive to provide the required SINR, while controlling at the same time the interference caused to neighboring cells. This is the target of the fractional power control (FPC) algorithm lately approved in 3GPP. This paper evaluates in detail the impact of a FPC scheme on the SINR and interference distributions in order to provide a sub-optimal configuration tuned for both interference- and noise-limited scenarios.


Background Management of pain from open wounds is a growing unmet healthcare need. However, the models available to study pain from wounds or to develop analgesics for the patients suffering from them have primarily relied on incisional models. Here, we present the first characterized and validated model of open wound pain. Methods Unilateral full-skin excisional punch biopsy wounds on rat hind paws were evaluated for evoked pain using withdrawal responses to mechanical and thermal stimulation, and spontaneous pain was measured using hind paw weight distribution and guarding behavior. Evaluations were done before wounding (baseline) and 2-96 hours post-wounding. The model was validated by testing the effects of buprenorphine and carprofen. Results Pain responses to all tests increased within 2 hours post-wounding and were sustained for at least 4 days. Buprenorphine caused a reversal of all four pain responses at 1 and 4 hours post-treatment compared to 0.9% saline (P < 0.001). Carprofen decreased the pain response to thermal stimulation at 1 (P ≤ 0.049) and 4 hours (P < 0.011) post-treatment compared to 0.9% saline, but not to mechanical stimulation. Conclusions This is the first well-characterized and validated model of pain from open wounds and will allow study of the pathophysiology of pain in open wounds and the development of wound-specific analgesics.


The structure of undischarged and discharged trichocysts has been examined in Paramecium caudatum , and their light-microscopic appearance compared with their fine-structural organization. In living specimens undischarged trichocysts appear to be of a single type with a unimodal variation in length about a mean of 3.7 µm. When fixed for electron microscopy or compressed beneath a coverslip many of the trichocysts expand within the cell, giving rise to a variety of different forms of lower phase density.

Ultrastructurally the undischarged trichocyst consists of at least 10 different components: these include a mesh-like sheath surrounding the body of the organelle; an inner and an outer sheath enclosing the tip, the inner sheath being made up of 4 spiralling envelopes with a square net substructure, and the outer sheath being formed of a dense amorphous matrix containing longitudinal microtubules and scattered fine filaments; a boundary surface to the outer sheath; a membranous trichocyst sac the apical region of which is surrounded by a cylinder of microtubules joined to each other with dense material; and lastly, the crystalline matrix of the trichocyst body and tip. This crystalline appearance is apparently related to the presence of a loosely interwoven complex of fine filaments which form a highly regular pattern of unit structures repeating at 16-nm intervals.

In extended trichocysts the 60-nm banding pattern of the body is also composed of fine filaments arranged in a different, elongated manner in 2 distinct and alternating patterns which are taken to be 2 views of the same structure. Measurements indicate that when trichocysts extend they elongate by a factor of from 6 to 8. It is proposed that the crystalline pattern of the unextended trichocyst body transforms into the extended form by a simple rearrangement of the constituent filaments accompanied by their elongation. Possible models of the undischarged and discharged states of organization are suggested.


There have been numerous case studies and press reports of individuals committing acts of extreme violence while taking large doses of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS). However, research using psychometric measures of aggression has tended to use small numbers of subjects which makes generalizing results difficult. In the current study the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) was administered to 50 AAS users and 40 non AAS-using control subjects. Subjects also underwent a semi-structured interview focusing on AAS's effects on levels of aggression. Results showed that AAS users reported being significantly less in control of their aggression than controls. The semi-structured interview findings showed that elevations in aggression due to AAS use were reported by 60 per cent of AAS users. However, these elevations appeared more related to irritability and bad temper than acts of physical violence. The study also found that more AAS users than controls had worked as doormen/bouncers. This highlights the issue of whether AAS use causes aggression or whether aggressive individuals are attracted to AAS use. Future research should investigate this question.


Maintaining mutual understanding is one of the pillars of ELF communication, and even more so in the business context, where high-stakes interactions often take place. In order to achieve their communicative goals in and outside the professional context, ELF users engage in proactive, cooperative behavior to ensure that comprehension is achieved, employing a range of strategies to prevent or solve instances of miscommunication. This study aims at contributing to the investigation of workplace interactions by exploring BELF users' perceptions and practices through a questionnaire-based survey including close-ended and Likert-scale questions. The survey, aimed at non-native speakers who use English as a Lingua Franca for professional purposes, focuses on both oral and digital interaction, analyzing these contexts separately due to their inherently different nature. Respondents, recruited through network sampling, were asked to identify what they perceive to be the essential aspects of successful communication and those that on the contrary may lead to mis- or non-understanding. The survey also aims at shedding light on which Communication Strategies users employ when faced with potential challenges, and at comparing preferences of use in different oral and digital media of communication.


Identifying direct substrates targeted by protein kinases is important in understanding cellular physiology and intracellular signal transduction. Mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics provides a powerful tool for comprehensively characterizing the downstream substrates of protein kinases. This approach is efficiently applied to receptor kinases that can be precisely, directly, and rapidly activated by some agent, such as a growth factor. However, nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Abl lacks the experimental advantage of extracellular growth factors as immediate and direct stimuli. To circumvent this limitation, we combine a chemical rescue approach with quantitative phosphoproteomics to identify targets of Abl and their phosphorylation sites with enhanced temporal resolution. Both known and novel putative substrates are identified, presenting opportunities for studying unanticipated functions of Abl under physiological and pathological conditions.


The search for comfort in users is a priority objective in technical schools focused on spaces design. The use of spaces can be for residential, commercial or entertainment activities. It is a common mistake to consider that comfort is achieved exclusively through the analysis of the interior space, since it is also necessary to consider the relationship between the space and the surrounding environment, because it is affected by environmental variables such as radiation, wind, humidity, noise, etc. The change of these variables throughout the day influences the interior conditions of the spaces and in general, is needed to incorporate artificial systems to compensate the external climatological conditions (thermal machines, light sources, etc.). Grade students, in design schools acquire, throughout the curriculum, knowledge in relation to the limits of comfort required for interior spaces. In the last academic year of the degree in Architecture, students have sufficient capacity to be able to detect the fluctuations that occur in the variables of the external environment by measuring temperature and humidity with DATALOGGER, equipment capable of recording data over time or in relation to the location using its own sensors or externally connected, as well as the value of the light level with LUXOMETERS, which are instruments that measure the real and not subjective illuminance of an environment. On the other hand, students are also able to evaluate the quality of the indoor environment, detecting whether or not there is a difference with the outdoor environment and assessing, for each orientation, the need for protection against radiation, (possible incorporation of tree mass, etc.). The protocol for developing the work proposal is established with measurements at the beginning of the course (winter period), later in spring and at the end of the course (beginning of summer). For each space analyzed (indoor and outdoor), measurements are carried out three times a day (early in the morning, at noon and in the evening). With the data obtained in different moments of the day and stationary situations, students must be able to select the most suitable protection devices for the building under analysis (vegetation, canopies, etc.).


Large aperture and wideband phased array antennas use both phase shifters for each element and true time delay for each subarray to avoid squint. Thus both phase shifter calibration and true time delay calibration are required. In this paper, we focus on true time delay calibration, and propose a method that conducts measurements through space to estimate the delay difference between two subarrays. Our method is essential in systems for which wired measurements are impossible. Additionally, phase measurement is not required in our method because the delay difference is estimated from just the level variation. Experiments and their results are detailed. Delay difference could be estimated with error of 0.376 or better.


Wireless Sensor Networks acclaimed a wide popularity because of their low cost and their easiness to be deployed in remote areas where human intervention is very minimal. However, these deployments have constrained by the resources such as power, memory, processing power etc. In order to enhance the reliability and life-time of these networks, it is necessary to develop algorithms that minimize the resource usage. In sensor networks, the topology places a key role in optimizing the resources. If we design a proper topology, a large area can be covered with relatively less number of nodes compared to the normal flat/clustering techniques. This research work deals with creating optimum network topologies that minimizes delay and makes efficient use of available buffer size, lesser intermediate nodes and so on. This paper discusses a set of schemes that design suitable networks under the constraints such as varying data rate, varying packet size and so on. This work discusses schemes that find the optimal number of intermediate nodes for a given set of lower level nodes with varying data rates. This work also discusses a set of algorithms that chooses maximum number of lower level nodes for a given set of intermediate nodes with limited buffer.


Before 1946 the congressional role in public administration had been limited to authorization, funding, and review of federal administrative operations, which had grown rapidly as a result of the New Deal and the Second World War. But in passing the Administrative Procedure Act and the Legislative Reorganization Act that pivotal year, Congress self-consciously created for itself a comprehensive role in public administration. Reluctant to delegate legislative authority to federal agencies, Congress decided to treat the agencies as extensions of itself and established a framework for comprehensive regulation of the agencies' procedures. Additionally, Congress reorganized itself so it could provide continuous supervision of federal agencies. Rosenbloom shows how these 1946 changes in the congressional role in public administration laid the groundwork for future major legislative acts, including the Freedom of Information Act (1966), Privacy Act (1974), Government in the Sunshine Act (1976), Paperwork Reduction Acts (1980, 1995), Chief Financial Officers Act (1990), and Small Business Regulatory Fairness Enforcement Act (1996). Each of these acts, and many others, has contributed to the legislative-centered public administration that Congress has formed over the past 50 years. This first book-length study of the subject provides a comprehensive explanation of the institutional interests, values, and logic behind the contemporary role of Congress in federal administration and attempts to move the public administration field beyond condemning legislative "micromanagement" to understanding why Congress values it.


Background Previous work suggests that Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may respond more favorably to a DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitor than Caucasians. We aimed to compare the efficacy of the DPP-4 inhibitor vildagliptin (50 mg twice daily [bid]) between Japanese and Caucasian populations. Methods This analysis pooled data from 19 studies of drug-naïve patients with T2DM who were treated for 12 weeks with vildagliptin 50 mg bid as monotherapy. The pool comprised Japanese patients (n=338) who had been treated in Japan and Caucasian patients (n=1,275) who were treated elsewhere. Change from baseline (Δ) in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at 12 weeks (in millimoles per mole) versus baseline HbA1c (both in percentage National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program units [NGSP%] and millimoles per mole) for each population was reported. Universal HbA1c in millimoles per mole was calculated from either the Japanese Diabetes Society or the NGSP% HbA1c standards. Results At baseline, mean values for Japanese and Caucasian patients, respectively, were as follows: age, 59 years and 56 years; % male, 69% and 57%. The average HbA1c was reduced from 7.90% to 6.96% (Japanese Diabetes Society) and from 8.57% to 7.50% (United States National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program), while HbA1c was reduced from 63 mmol/mol to 53 mmol/mol and from 70 mmol/mol to 58 mmol/mol in Japanese and Caucasians, respectively. ΔHbA1c increased with increasing baseline in both populations. The slopes were the same (0.41, r2=0.36; and 0.41, r2=0.15), and the intercepts were 15.4 mmol/mol and 17.2 mmol/mol, respectively. In Japanese patients, mean ΔHbA1c was greater by 1.7 mmol/mol (0.2% NGSP HbA1c) at any given baseline HbA1c than in Caucasians (P=0.01). Conclusion The present pooled analysis suggests that Japanese patients respond better to vildagliptin treatment compared with Caucasians. However, when glycemic control was corrected by using the same glycemic standard, the difference in HbA1c reduction between these populations was not clinically meaningful.


Introduction: Embryonic heart formation is a finely orchestrated interplay between genetic and environmental factors, with rapid transformations that occur at the tissue, cell, and subcellular levels. Myofibrils play an essential role in cardiac tissue remodeling as hemodynamic load increases throughout development. Myofibrils mature by aligning in the direction of stretch and increasing the amount of contractile units [1]. Concurrently in early development, a portion of endocardial cells in the cushion bulges of extracellular matrix transform into mesenchymal cells that invade the cardiac jelly through the process of endothelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). As EMT progresses, the original plump and tightly organized endocardium disassembles and rearranges to form an intact flattened layer [2]. Endocardial and myocardial cell changes during development ultimately shape the heart.


Adenocarcinoma at the colostomy site rarely occurs after abdominopelvic resection (APR), only a handful of cases are reported in the literature. In absence of biopsy such growth may masquerade as hyperplasia or granulation tissue at stomal edges, leading to diagnostic dilemmas. We report an unusual case of a gentleman in his late 50s who underwent abdominoperineal resection for rectal cancer following which he presented with stomal site growth without distant metastasis 12 years later. In view of the absence of distant metastasis, segmental colonic resection with 2 cm skin margin and revision colostomy was performed with a plan of adjuvant therapy thereafter. Though carcinoma at the colostomy site is uncommon, careful stomal observation and examination for surveillance should be done during each follow-up and we suggest early biopsy and colonoscopy in case of suspicion. Segmental colonic resection with skin margin and adjuvant therapy is the preferred option in such presentations.


An examination of John Anderson's work in relation to other political theorists of his time would help to provide a more adequate assessment of one of the "greats" of Australian intellectual and cultural life. Comparisons between Anderson's libertarian strain and F.A. Hayek's have been noted but there has been no real attempt to draw out the real differences arising from their substantive theoretical positions. Anderson and Hayek rejected any notion of a single, complete ethical code; they despaired at the demoralising effects of a culture of dependence and irresponsibility; they rejected the ameliorative liberalism represented by T.H. Green and Bernard Bosanquet. But they disagreed centrally in their assessments of those practices and movements which act as sites of resistance to the levelling standards and values of commercial and consumerist institutions.


Background:Chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) is a rare chronic inflammatory disorder in the central nervous system (CNS), which is characterized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance with punctate and curvilinear gadolinium enhancement "peppering" the pons. Lesions of CLIPPERS mainly involve the pons and the cerebellum. Adjacent structures such as the medulla and the midbrain may also be involved. It is proposed that CLIPPERS is an immune-mediated inflammatory condition characteristic of T-cell-predominant infiltrates and good responsiveness to corticosteroids. Methods and Results:We report a 46-year-old woman who presented with horizontal eyeball akinesia and gait ataxia with characteristic MRI features of CLIPPERS. The possible pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, imaging features, treatment, and prognosis of this peculiar disorder are summarized. Conclusion:This report contributes to the clinical understanding of CLIPPERS which may present with horizontal eyeball akinesia as an initial manifestation. The characteristic presentation of a subacute cerebellar and brainstem syndrome and pepper-like gadolinium enhancement was confirmed in this report. Long-term immunosuppressive treatment seems to be mandatory to sustain improvement. Azathioprine alone may be capable of maintaining remission.


and to issues of redactional history is markedly conservative. Thus, very few textual emendations are accepted (a notable exception being 6.8: ~~-r~t for ~~~c), and V. attributes the entire content of the book to the historical Micah, though he does speak of an 'arranger' who brought the prophecies into their present order. V. is strongest when delineating the precise literary boundaries of the book's units (26 m all) and identifying the associative links between them. His treatment of 'militaristic' pronouncements in 5.4-5, 7-8 as the words of the prophet's adversaries is contorversial but throught-provoking. Recommended for Micah students. DAG


The results from an analysis of pollen, insect and plant macrofossil remains from the shallow wood peat fill of a palaeochannel associated with hummocky (deglacial) sediments infilling the valley of the River Irwell at Walmersley known locally as Burrs Countryside Park, Bury, Greater Manchester (NGR SD 796 127) are presented. Radiocarbon dates from the deposit provide an age range from 1310 to 1040 cal. BC to 920 to 800 cal. BC. The environmental record indicates that during the Middle and Late Bronze Age the valley floor was covered by carr woodland consisting mainly of alder and hazel, including areas of open water. Insect and pollen remains indicate that mixed deciduous woodland (birch, elm, beech and ash) was present on the surrounding slopes. Although non-arboreal pollen remains low and may merely indicate woodland edge grassland communities, increases in the percentage of oak and birch pollen over time may reflect small-scale clearance of the alder carr in the valley bottom. Alternatively, if the pollen diagram is merely recording a decline in alder pollen at the top of the profile, this could also explain the increase in the relative proportion of other arboreal taxa. There are no taxa present directly indicative of human activities associated with the nearby Castle Steads hillfort. The palaoenvironmental results from this site appear to match those for the Greater Manchester area and wider north-west region in general, suggesting that there was a mosaic of environments present in the Bronze Age, with some areas cleared of woodland earlier than others.


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

BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53 encode tumor suppressor proteins in humans that help repair damaged DNA and play critical roles in ensuring genome stability. Several inherited mutations in any of the above 3 genes substantially increase the risk of cancer. Together, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations account for about 20 to 25 percent of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. Germline mutations in TP53 are the most common cause of Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare disorder that increases the risk of developing multiple tumors such as breast, soft-tissue and leukemias, in children and young adults. In India, where the incidence of cancer has seen a steep rise in the last decade, there is a pressing need to develop cost-effective screening tests that can identify known and novel mutations in commonly associated genes.

We have developed and offer a 3-Gene panel (Strand® - 3 gene) covering all known HGMD/ClinVar mutations and all coding exons of BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53 genes. Current Sanger based methods query for restricted loci across these genes. Our test is based on an NGS enrichment protocol using xGen lockdown probes that allows parallel sequencing of upto 32 - 96 samples. The test would be offered at a tenth of the cost of current Sanger based tests anywhere in the world. In this study we present the technical and clinical validation data obtained from this assay. For technical validation, we included "gold standard" HAPMAP characterized as part of 1000 Genome Project, seven cell lines with known BRCA and TP53 mutations. For clinical validation, we enrolled thirty seven (37) patients who were consented on an IRB-approved study at HCG hospital for collecting saliva / blood. These patients were stratified / selected based on their family history, known risk of hereditary cancers and availability of previously characterized clinical samples. The overall sensitivity and specificity of this panel is 99.78% and 99.74% respectively with a reproducibility of 100%. On an average, 99.75% and 97% of the bases are covered at 0.2x and 0.5x mean coverage and the average gap (<20 reads per base) is 0.0056% in the validation study. We have identified 3 separate cases of Li-Fraumeni from the cohort of thirty seven patients. We further present clinical validation data from these 3 case studies in which we have identified both known and novel mutations. Further clinical validation of panel is ongoing.

In summary this panel will provide a cost effective screening method for early detection of pathogenic variants in pre-symptomatic individuals and in families with known risk of hereditary cancer.

Citation Format: Manimala Sen, Pooja Agrawal, Vikram Vittal P, Mithua Ghosh, M.L Sheela, Divya Vishwanath, Kiran Kumari, Swetha N.S.N, Vaibhavi Pathak, Gouri Deshpande, Ashraf Mannan, Rupali Gadkari, Suman Kapoor, Jamuna Yadhav, Mohammed Yousuff, Satish Sankaran, Ramesh Hariharan, Preveen Ramamoorthy, Kalyanasundaram Subramanian, Vaijayanti Gupta. Analytical and technical validation of a cost-effective diagnostic test for BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53. [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 4878. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4878


In Reply.— Dackis 1 and we 2,3 have previously noted clinical impressions like those that we systematically observed in our sample of 30 cocaine abusers. The same impressions were first described by Lewin 99 years ago and elaborated by Maier over 50 years ago. 4 Connell and Ellinwood have described similar impressions in chronic amphetamine abuse. However, no previous reports of cocaine or amphetamine abuse reports fully elaborated the nature or importance of phase 2 symptoms. Our article's 4 clinical focus did not warrant detailed discussion of neurophysiology, so the comments of Dackis et al provide a welcome opportunity to clarify current issues and hypotheses. The importance of dopamine in stimulant euphoria and addiction was first established for amphetamine in the early 1970s in a series of studies by Wise and coworkers, as well as several other groups. 5 This was also substantiated for cocaine by DeWit and Wise in


We report a case of a 27-year-old Omani lady having a 3-year history of progressive skeletal muscle weakness with clinical and skeletal muscle changes of ALS, who during the course of investigations for ALS was found to have SLE. This association is not a simple coincidence but perhaps a causal relationship, opening vistas to explain the autoimmune pathogenesis and justification for immunosuppressive therapy in ALS. SLE presenting as ALS has not been reported earlier.


Successful entrepreneurs employ a variety of assets with the objective of seeking unusually high returns on invested financial capital. Intellectual entrepreneurs effectively use some intangible factors, like intellectual capital, to reach impressive results. Each asset employed by entrepreneurs involves a category of capital. Capital, in its sense of being used to do something is analogous to a property in physical science that is labelled as 'energy'. Energy is often defined as the capacity to do work. And thermodynamics is a field in which the applications of energy and heat are thoroughly studied. Thermodynamics provides a useful analogy for understanding intellectual capital. Intellectual capital is best described as a low entropic component involving both the human mind and human spirit in will-directed actions that forms a special quality of intellectual entrepreneurship. The second law of thermodynamics is a key to understanding the properties of energy and is used as a prime analogy for understanding capital and its theories.


The phenomenon of negative refraction in a Metamaterial wedge is known to be relatively narrowband. Here, we first experimentally estimate the negative refraction bandwidth of a Metamaterial wedge using a slab and a series of CW measurements. We subsequently measure the RF bandwidth of the Metamaterial wedge using a series of simple QPSK modulated signals. The measured RF bandwidth correlates well with the bandwidth estimate made using the slab and CW measurements.


Artificial Intelligence applications in large-scale industry, such as fossil power plants, require the ability to manage uncertainty and time.
In this paper, we present an intelligent system to assist an operator of a power plant. This system, called SEDRET, is based on a novel
knowledge representation of uncertainty and time, called Temporal Nodes Bayesian Networks (TNBN), a type of Probabilistic Temporal
Network. A set of temporal nodes and a set of edge define a TNBN, each temporal node is defined by a value of a variable and a time interval
associate to the change of variable value. A TNBN generates a formal and systematic structure for modeling the temporal evolution of a
process under uncertainty. The inference mechanism is based on probabilistic reasoning. A TNBN can be used to recognize events and state
variables with respect to current plant conditions and predict the future propagation of disturbances. SEDRET was validated with the
diagnosis and prediction of events in a steam generator with a power plant training simulator. The results performed in this work indicate that
SEDRET can potentially improve plant availability through early diagnosis and prediction of disturbances that could lead to plant shutdown.


This item was submitted to Loughborough University's Institutional Repository by the/an author. Citation: LIM, Y.Y., GOH, Y.M. and LIU, C., 2013. Fine pitch printing on a non-woven fabric for high frequency applications. Second International Conference in Advanced Manufacturing for Multifunctional Miniaturised Devices, (M6 Conference), 15th-16th July 2013, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Zweibr ucken, Germany.


The benefits from doing this analytical study in order to be able to measure and predict the frictional forces affecting a drill string and wellbore (Torque and drag) by construct model of well plan software, hence; the high deviated and directional wells must be planned to keep the torque and drag forces at a minimum and allowable limit.
Also, knowledge of the drill string phenomena can give us an opportunity to choose drill string components that consider these extra forces involved in the operations "high torque and drag values" in directional sections.
In addition to knowledge of influence torque and drag on planned well trajectory can give us a good idea and lesson learned to consider this challenges in the next planned well profile. As a result of well path design one of the best ways to reduce torque and drag forces.
One deviated well in Zubair oil field named, ZB-348 have been selected for analyses torque and drag problems and study the effect of (friction factor, well profile and drill string design) on the mentioned problem.
Well data include hole section size, fluid properties, well profile survey, rig specification, drill string details and drilling parameters were used in well plan software from landmark worldwide programming group to make a comparison between actual and planning status.
The results show a difference between planning and actual case when drilling 12.25" hole and found the root causes for this difference are high flow rate, tortuosity, well bore instability and complete losses.
The maximum torque about (20 klb-ft) and drag value approximately (30 klb).


I am probably typical of most seismologists in that I don't usually pay attention to social science research on earthquakes. I have been to conferences where social scientists have given presentations on earthquakes, and I have read a couple of articles about the effects of earthquakes on society. However, recently a book entitled Promoting Risk: Constructing the Earthquake Threat came across my desk, and I decided to take a look at it. After reading a few pages I became absorbed by the topic, and soon I had read through the entire book. By the time I was finished, the editor in me said that I should get someone to review this for SRL. Various discussions between my right brain and left brain followed, and in the end I convinced myself that I should write the review of this book.

Promoting Risk was written by Robert A. Stallings, an associate professor...


In two previous nation-wide surveys in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Japanese indoor radon concentrations increased in homes built after the mid 1970s. In order to ascertain whether this trend continued, a nation-wide survey was conducted from 2007 to 2010. In total 3,900 houses were allocated to 47 prefectures by the Neyman allocation method and 3,461 radon measurements were performed (88.7% success). The fraction of reinforced concrete / concrete block buildings was 32.4%, similar to the value from national statistics. Arithmetic mean (standard deviation, SD) and geometric mean (geometric SD) of radon concentration after adjusting for seasonal fluctuation were 14.3 (14.7) and 10.8 (2.1) Bq/m(3). The corresponding population-weighted values were 13.7 (12.3) and 10.4 (2.0) Bq/m(3), respectively. It was estimated that only 0.1% of dwellings exceed 100 Bq/m(3), a new WHO reference level for indoor radon. Radon concentrations were highest in houses constructed in the mid 1980s and decreased thereafter. In conclusion, arithmetic mean indoor radon in the present survey was slightly lower than in previous surveys and significant reductions in indoor radon concentrations in both wooden and concrete houses can be attributed to alterations in Japanese housing styles in recent decades.


OBJECTIVE
The objective is to provide guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of adults with GH deficiency (GHD).

PARTICIPANTS
The chair of the Task Force was selected by the Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee of The Endocrine Society (TES). The chair selected five other endocrinologists and a medical writer, who were approved by the Council. One closed meeting of the group was held. There was no corporate funding, and members of the group received no remuneration.

EVIDENCE
Only fully published, peer-reviewed literature was reviewed. The Grades of Evidence used are outlined in the Appendix.

CONSENSUS PROCESS
Consensus was achieved through one group meeting and e-mailing of drafts that were written by the group with grammatical/style help from the medical writer. Drafts were reviewed successively by the Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee, the Clinical Affairs Committee, and TES Council, and a version was placed on the TES web site for comments. At each level, the writing group incorporated needed changes.

CONCLUSIONS
GHD can persist from childhood or be newly acquired. Confirmation through stimulation testing is usually required unless there is a proven genetic/structural lesion persistent from childhood. GH therapy offers benefits in body composition, exercise capacity, skeletal integrity, and quality of life measures and is most likely to benefit those patients who have more severe GHD. The risks of GH treatment are low. GH dosing regimens should be individualized. The final decision to treat adults with GHD requires thoughtful clinical judgment with a careful evaluation of the benefits and risks specific to the individual.


This experiment was conducted to compare the dry matter yields and feed values of summer forage crops such as two cultivars of Maize, two cultivars of Sorghum hybrid and one Japanese millet at the Dae-Ho reclaimed tideland, Korea from 2002 to 2003. Seasonal changes of soil salt content maintained somewhat low at early stage and increased at growing stage and then decreased at harvest time. The dry matter yield was 6,102, 4,557 and 2,928 kg/ha, respectively, for Japanese millet Sorghum hybrid and Maize. The highest Crude protein(CP) content was recorded in sorghum hybrid. Neutral detergent fiber.(NDF) and acid detergent fiber(ADF) contents were highest in Japanese millet following Sorghum hybrid and Maize in turn. The highest sodium content in plant tissue was recorded in Japanese millet. These results suggest that Japanese millet is the most suitable summer forage crops for cultivation on reclaimed tideland in view of the good emergence and forage production.


Information processing in real biological neuronal networks differs in many aspects from information processing in electronic circuits. Though information is represented in both systems by electrical signals, charge carriers on the biological side are ions while electrons transmit electrical current in the silicon-based microelectronic world. In order to bridge this fundamental gap, several methods has been used during the last decades that provide electrical access to neuronal tissue. This talk first discuss the properties of the most prominent methods such as long-term stability, temporal and spatial resolution as well as the number of contacts. Technical limitations of these techniques still prevent deeper insight into biological neuronal networks. It is explained how typical properties of CMOS fabrication like surface planarity or large scale integration can improve common contact techniques. Presenting the most recent chip development in this field, it is demonstrated how CMOS chips can be used as a substrate for neuronal cell cultures while sensing the electrical activity in a non-invasive mode. CMOS processing allows electronic circuits to be integrated under the sensor surface. These active sensor pixels are the basis for dense, large sensor arrays which allow electrical imaging of complex neural networks with sub-cellular resolution. The emerging applications of these sensor devices deliver insight into biological information processing thus providing a basis for future man-machine interfaces like implants or prostheses. Summary form only given.


The study on power capacity increase of superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is one of the most important researches to apply a SFCL in the power system. To achieve this, we thought that the unbalanced quenching problem generated in series connection of superconducting units should be solved. In this paper, we investigated the quenching characteristics of superconducting units in the transformer-type SFCL with or without the neutral line between secondary windings and superconducting units. In case of transformer-type SFCL without neutral line, the connection structure of superconducting units is identical to that of the resistive-type SFCL connected in series. Therefore, the unbalanced quenching was occurred by difference of critical current between superconducting units. However, in case of transformer-type SFCL with neutral line, the superconducting units with different critical current were simultaneously quenched. It was because the currents induced by secondary winding were separately flowed through the superconducting units. By these results, we confirmed that the resistances and consumption powers of the superconducting units were equally generated.


To examine if gender and airway resistance (nasal and pulmonary) influence the loudness and intensity of snoring, we prospectively studied 370 unselected patients referred to our sleep clinic because of heavy snoring and a possibility of sleep apnea. All patients had full nocturnal polysomnography, including measurements of snoring using a calibrated microphone-sound meter system, and determination of pulmonary (Raw) and nasal resistance (Rna). Snoring was quantified by reporting the number of snores per hour of sleep (snoring index--SI) and the maximum nocturnal sound intensity (dBmax). The patient population comprised 77 females and 293 males, ranging in age from 12 to 80 years. Based on the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) we separated all patients into the apneic and non-apneic groups. There were 201 non-apneic snorers (AHI less than or equal to 10) and 160 apneic snorers (AHI greater than 10). There was no significant difference in snoring frequency, maximum nocturnal sound intensity, nasal and pulmonary resistance between men and women or between apneic and non-apneic snorers. Stepwise, forward, multiple linear regression analysis showed that body mass index and nasal resistance correlate significantly with the snoring index (R2 = 0.29, p less than 0.005), while age and body mass index correlate only weakly, but significantly, with the maximum nocturnal sound intensity. We conclude that (1) men snore similarly to women, and (2) obesity and nasal resistance are important determinants of the frequency of snoring. It follows that measures taken to reduce weight and decrease nasal resistance may be of benefit in reducing snoring.


This investigation was aimed at comparison of calcium content and calcium dispersion in allogenic aortic valve leaflets removed due to dysfunction, to establish the influence of both parameters on graft durability. Calcification was assessed histochemically (von Kossa) as well as physicochemically using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The morpho-metric data (leaflet area involved in the calcification process) were obtained by computer-assisted image analysis system. The dry weight content of leaflet calcium and phosphorus were assessed by atomic absorptive spectroscopy (AAS) and Ca/P ratio was calculated. Calcium dispersion coefficient (Dc) was established according to the formula: Dc = 1/Ca(c)/Ap, where Ca(c) = calcium dry weight concentration; Ap = percent of leaflet area involved in calcification. We found biphasic correlation between calcium concentration and area involved in calcification. The first one was characterized by rising dispersion of calcium deposits while for the second one saturation with hydroxyapatite of formerly calcified areas was predominant, negatively influencing graft durability. Allograft durability was correlated with calcium dispersion (Dc) (p<0.001), while no significant correlation was found with calcium concentration. Decreased Dc was characteristic for 93.8% of low durability grafts (<11.6 years). Our results suggest that lowered calcium dispersion decreasing allograft lifetime and is a better predictor of allograft durability than the total calcium content.


ABSTRACT The B-lymphocyte-immunodominant antigen involved in naturally ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV)-infected mature sheep remains unknown. Therefore, the amount of antibody in sera from 10 naturally OPPV-infected sheep was evaluated by immunoprecipitation (IP) of the major viral proteins in [35S]methionine/cysteine-labeled OPPV (whole virus) lysate. Using an excess of OPPV proteins in whole-virus lysate, 8 out of 10 sheep had the highest serum antibody IP endpoint titers to the gp135 surface envelope glycoprotein (SU). Also, 2 out of 10 sheep had equivalent serum antibody IP endpoint titers to the transmembrane glycoprotein oligomer (TM90) and SU. Since these data indicate that SU is the immunodominant protein in most mature sheep persistently infected with OPPV, SU-specific diagnostic serological assays can be utilized for OPPV diagnosis.


Osteosarcoma is still quite common in african countries. The disease which involves mostly poorer members of the community presents late. Treatment has been by amputation, chemotherapy and radiotherapy where amputation is impractical. Patients are now reluctant to have amputation hence exploration of limb saving
procedures, find and overcome impedents to this kind of surgery. What do we need to do in future to make this kind of surgery available and affordable?


We develop a thorough analytical study of the O(1/N) correction to the spectrum of regular random graphs with N→∞ nodes. The finite-size fluctuations of the resolvent are given in terms of a weighted series over the contributions coming from loops of all possible lengths, from which we obtain the isolated eigenvalue as well as an analytical expression for the O(1/N) correction to the continuous part of the spectrum. The comparison between this analytical formula and direct diagonalization results exhibits an excellent agreement, confirming the correctness of our expression.


Two methods were developed for measuring the pressure of shock wave pulses generated by lithotriptors: with a piezoelectric foil transducer and a capacitance one. In the study, the properties of a PVDF type foil transducer working in water were analysed. Its sensitivity was determined as a function of frequency. Compliance was gained between measurements and theory. The impacts of fixed metal electrodes, an additional back plastic load and an electric load on the frequency responses were shown. The principle and various design alternatives of a capacitance transducer designed for measuring the extremely high pressure of shock wave pulses in water were presented. A transducer of this type makes it possible to perform absolute measurements. After implementation, the two transducer types were applied for measuring purposes. Their advantages and disadvantages were shown. The pressure of shock wave pulses measured on this basis in a domestic and a foreign lithotriptors were found to be very close to each other. The pulse rise times were approximately the same for the two devices compared.


We analyze the shortest remaining processing time (SRPT) algorithm with respect to the problem of scheduling n jobs with release times on m identical machines to minimize total flow time. It is known that SRPT is optimal if m = 1 but that SRPT has a worstcase approximation ratio of Θ(min(log n/m, log Δ)) for this problem, where Δ is the ratio of the length of the longest job divided by the length of the shortest job. It has previously been shown that SRPT is able to use faster machines to produce a schedule as good as an optimal algorithm using slower machines. We now show that SRPT optimally uses these faster machines with respect to the worst-case approximation ratio. That is, if SRPT is given machines that are s ≥ 2 - 1/m times as fast as those used by an optimal algorithm, SRPT's flow time is at least s times smaller than the flow time incurred by the optimal algorithm. Clearly no algorithm can offer a better worst-case guarantee, and we show that existing algorithms with similar performance guarantees to SRPT without resource augmentation do not optimally use extra resources.


The ability to maintain a proper posture is becoming a more interesting topic as it is necessary to understand the behavior of the human body to be able to apply this knowledge to robotics and mechanics. In this project the design and study of a balance postural control system has been developed, by following a frontal modeling approach. An extensive research on biomechanical parameters has been necessary to find realistic anthropometric values to be implemented. A simplified model, based on the double pendulum, has been chosen because it allowed focusing on the basis of the balance movement. Regarding the control system, two different methods have been used. On the one hand, the Linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) has been used as it allowed to decide how much weight the controller could have, while on the other hand, a non linear controller has been studied. Moreover, a second model that included an elastic element to simulate the hip joint has been designed;to do so, a wide research on different approximations of the human body's joints has been performed. Finally, the simulation of the different models and the numerous scenarios considered has allowed an extensive comparison determining which parameters could be neglected and which ones havea strong influence on the system dynamics.


This simulation study explores how the integration of interprofessional components into health care curriculum may impact professional stereotyping and collaborative behavior in care delivery teams comprised of a physician, a registered nurse, a physician's assistant, a physical therapist, and a radiation therapist. As part of the agent-based modeling simulation, 500 students completed a curriculum with no IPE component and another 500 completed the same curriculum in which 25% of the courses being offered had IPE components embedded. The 500 students completing the non-IPE curriculum were asked to randomly form 100 health care delivery teams consisting of a member from each of the five professions examined in the study (i.e., MD, RN, PA, PT, and RT). The same was asked of the 500 students completing the IPE curriculum. The 100 teams in each group (constituting a total of 200 teams) were then asked to treat a patient over the course of a week. Findings indicate that the tendency for stereotyping was significantly lower (p<.001) for students attending curriculum containing IPE components, as compared to students attending curriculum without an IPE component. The individual and team mean scores for collaborative behavior – as represented by the number of links formed between team members throughout the seven-day period, during which the teams provided care to their patients - were significantly higher (p<.001).


Abstract Introduction. This paper (a) discusses the theoretical and methodological evidence for the equivalence of computerized and conventional versions of psychological tests, (b) analyzes the studies investigating psychometric parameters of computerized versions of conventional tests, and (c) examines contradictions in approaches to assessing the equivalence of the two test forms. This paper represents a first effort in structuring the main problems in establishing the equivalence of paper-and-pencil and computer-based testing, as well as in finding ways and means to overcome them. Much attention is devoted to minimal and sufficient mathematical and statistical tools for assessing the equivalence of the two test forms. Theoretical Basis. The main problems associated with assessing the equivalence of computerized and conventional tests include the following: (a) the level of cultural and informational competence of respondents, (b) anxiety, (c) social environment, (d) motivation for testing, (e) difficulties in creating the same conditions for paper-and-pencil and computer-based testing (L. N. Babanin, Y. P. Chua, M. Russell, P. Květon et al.). Researchers most often choose the following procedures for assessing the equivalence of the two versions of psychological tests: (a) comparison of the main statistical parameters (mean values, variances, etc.) and (b) assessment of construct validity and reliability of the computer-based versions of psychological tests. Results and Discussion. The analysis of research methodology for assessing the equivalence of computerized and conventional versions of psychological tests focuses on a variety of approaches to (a) the use of mathematical and statistical methods for assessing psychometric parameters of computer-based versions of conventional tests, (b) the choice of research design, (c) considering specific characteristics of the situation of computer-based testing. It is necessary to formulate specific and structured requirements for the procedure for assessing the equivalence of computerized and conventional versions of psychological tests. The author suggests recommendations for the main sections of such requirements related to (a) the procedure for conducting empirical research, (b) mathematical and statistical methods, and (c) control of the factors specific to computer-based testing that may have impact on the results of equivalence assessment.


This paper studies to design of the two beams interferometer and analyzes single lens performance. The reference beam and the test beam were established by multi-configuration mode of ZEMAX optical software to analyze interference fringe of concave lens, concave lens and optical plate. In general, the manufacturing process of the lens is the measurement of the lens after making it. Although there is only one design example for the concave lens, concave lens and optical plate respectively, the technique can still be applied to the general concave lens and concave lens. We have firstly created to do in the reverse way, that is, after the simulation of the lens's measurement, and then make it. So, it can lower the cost of the product and also decrease the time of research and development. This technique will provide practical experience in evaluating optical product performance quickly before mass production and good yield rate for the optical engineers.


This study contains the acquisition of lands for the construction of flyovers
Jombor , the purpose of this study was to determine how the implementation and
obstacles that occur in the procurement of land by the local government of Yogyakarta in
the construction of fly over Jombor in Sleman . The research method is empirical and
data collection by interview . These results indicate that the government has done the
procedure of land acquisition in accordance with the procedure set out in Undang-
Undang Number 2 of 2012. There are several obstacles that arise during the process of
land acquisition such as the incompatibility issue of compensation , land measurement
problems that are not appropriate , and there some parties that could not be present at
the deliberation stage . But overall the DIY government has done the procedure of land
acquisition in accordance with applicable regulations .


Purpose:To evaluate the cause of nasolacrimal duct obstruction through confirmation by nasal endoscopic findings of Hasner's valve and to report the success rate of monocanalicular silicone intubation (MCI) for the management of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO). Methods:Seventy-seven eyes of 56 patients with CNLDO underwent MCI under nasal endoscopic visualization of the terminal end of the obstructed nasolacrimal duct at the Korea University Ansan Hospital and Guro Hospital from October 2008 to March 2013. The following demographic information was analyzed: age, sex, endoscopic findings of Hasner's valve during operation, complications, and outcomes. The main outcome measures were disappearance of epiphora symptoms beginning the first 2 months after removal of the silicone tube. The silicone tube was removed under topical anesthesia in the office between 2 and 3 months, postoperatively. Results:The mean (±SD) age of the study population was 29.8 (±26.9) months (range: 6 months to 12 years). Under nasal endoscopic view, 45 ducts (58.4%) had a thin membranous obstruction or had a simple stenotic opening of Hasner's valve. Seven ducts (9.1%) had thick obstructing membranes with probe passage under the lateral nasal mucosa. Twenty-three ducts (29.9%) showed the probe tip protruding through balloon-like nasal mucosa. Two ducts (2.6%) appeared to have probe protrusion through a stretchable valve. The overall success rate was 89.6% (69/77). The incidence of tube prolapse and tube loss was 18.2% (14 eyes) and 13.0% (10 eyes), respectively. No other complications were observed. Conclusions:Monocanalicular silicone intubation under nasal endoscopic visualization of the terminal end of the obstructed nasolacrimal duct can be an effective procedure for the management of CNLDO.


Abstract Zinc (Zn) nutrition and plant genotype are two factors that may affect the tolerance of wheat to root-rot diseases. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Zn on shoot yield, root permeability and infection by Fusarium solani in six wheat genotypes with different Zn efficiency. A greenhouse (solution culture) experiment was carried out in which five bread wheat genotypes (Triticum aestivum L. cvs Rushan, Kavir, Cross, Pishtaz and Falat) and one durum wheat genotype (Triticum durum L. cv. Yav79), which are common in Zn-deficient soils of Iran and were exposed to two levels of Zn (0 and 1 μmol L–1 Zn kg−1, as ZnSO4.7H2O) and two F. solani infection levels (0 and 106 spore mL−1). Zinc deficiency significantly decreased shoot dry matter in five of the genotypes (Yav79, Kavir, Rushan, Cross and Falat), but had no effect on shoot growth in Pishtaz. Infection with F. solani significantly decreased the shoot dry matter in Yav79, but did not affect the shoot dry weight of the other wheat genotypes. Root membrane permeability was lower in the Zn treatments than in the Zn-free treatments. Zinc deficiency caused a decrease in root reactive sulfhydryl (SH) groups, particularly in the Cross genotype. Root sulfhydryl groups decreased with Fusarium infection. Zinc application sharply increased the Zn content and decreased the Mn content of the shoots. Application of Zn had a positive effect on the tolerance of wheat to F. solani root rot. The relationship between Zn nutrition and disease tolerance suggests that Zn deficiency should be treated before evaluating the cost-effectiveness of fungicides. No correlation was found between the Zn efficiency of the wheat genotypes and Fusarium root-rot disease severity in this solution culture experiment.


The electrocardiographic QT interval reflects ventricular depolarization (QRS complex) and repolarization (ST segment and T wave). It varies inversely with heart rate and is usually less than or equal to one-half the RR duration (1). The heart rate corrected interval (QTc) is normally less than or equal to 440 ms, and a QTc of over 500 ms characterizes an increased risk for developing dangerous cardiac dysrhythmias (for example, torsades de pointes) (2,3). This interval exhibits additional variability with sex, age, circadian variation, metabolic abnormalities, and exposure to selected pharmaceuticals. Antipsychotic agents are among the many medicines that can cause QTc prolongations: chlorpromazine, thioridazine, olanzapine, quetiapine, and ziprasidone can create this cardiac concern (3–7). Olanzapine is associated with such change in higher dosages but is generally better tolerated at conventional quantities (4,5). The following case report documents QTc prolongation in an elderly woman receiving chlorpromazine and quetiapine, which improved when she was taken off these drugs. Later, however, prolongation reoccurred while on high-dosage olanzapine, which was not evident on a lesser olanzapine dosage.


Until now, car ownership has been a symbol of wealth and personal freedom. The high value of the car in society has been enforced by the powerful automotive industry with their well-funded marketing budgets. Currently, there are one billion cars worldwide, possibly increasing to 2,8 billion by 2050. However, the awareness of the negative consequences of car ownership on the environment, cities, and individuals in terms of reduced personal and financial freedom is increasing. The trend towards collaborative consumption involving activities like sharing and trading is leading to a shift from ownership to the access of goods and services. In this context, carsharing is receiving more and more attention and the number of users for B2C carsharing models is increasing exponentially. The least-developed business model with the biggest opportunities in terms of environmental benefits is peer-to-peer carsharing (P2P carsharing). Providers face daunting problems in reaching critical mass, due to a lack of consumer acceptance. Academic contributions on the topic are rare. The goal of this dissertation is to capture the acceptance factors, barriers and success factors for P2P carsharing. Additionally, the phenomenon is explored within the perspective of disruptive technologies, including the connected car and autonomous vehicles. A comprehensive literature review including collaborative consumption, carsharing, and in particular P2P carsharing, has been conducted. A mixed-method approach has been used. Qualitative interviews with leading academic and industry experts in the field of collaborative consumption and shared mobility, as well as a focus group discussion, have been executed. In the quantitative survey, the identified factors have been integrated into the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM), the theoretical foundation of the work. A representative survey was conducted in Austria with 801 respondents. The results were generated by applying a partial least squares analysis. Results show that the TAM model, including the extensions, appeared to be applicable. In particular, people with an innovative mindset are open to the usage of the business model. The main motivational factors for participating are economic, utility and enjoyment. The personal attachment towards one's own car remains one of the main barriers, next to fear of sharing and loss of convenience. Success factors in increasing acceptance are - among others - trust, value-added services and keyless car exchange. The preferred usage model for autonomous vehicles tends to be ownership. Even though the awareness of P2P carsharing is rather low among the Austrian population, 13,6% state that they would use the service. Sharing one's privately owned autonomous vehicle with others met with even higher levels of approval from the respondents. The extension of the TAM, as well as its application to a new field outside information system (IS) research, can be viewed as the major academic contribution of this work. Practical implications for P2P carsharing providers and the automotive industry include strategic recommendations regarding the current disruptive trends within the automotive industry. In particular, concrete measures have been identified to scale the business model by addressing new customers and reducing the identified barriers by providing extensive knowledge of relevant success factors.


Objective: Normative data were established for newly developed speech materials for nasalance assessment in Brazilian Portuguese. Materials and Methods: Nasalance scores of preexisting passages (oral ZOO-BR, low-pressure oral ZOO-BR2 and NASAL-BR), new nasalance passages (oral Dudu no zoológico, oral Dudu no bosque, oral-nasal O cãozinho Totó and nasal O nenê) and Brasilcleft articulation screening sentences were collected from 245 speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, including 121 males and 124 females, divided into 4 groups: children (5-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), young adults (20-24 years) and adults (25-35 years). Results: Across all nasalance passages, adult females scored on average 2 percentage points higher than males. Children scored 2-4 percentage points lower than older groups for the preexisting nasalance passages ZOO-BR and ZOO-BR2. Nasalance scores for the new nasalance passages were not significantly different from the preexisting passages. Scores for high-pressure sentences did not differ significantly from the oral nasalance passage Dudu no bosque. Conclusion: The nasalance scores for the new nasalance passages were equivalent to the preexisting materials. The new shortened and simplified nasalance passages will be useful for assessing young children. Normative scores for the Brasilcleft high-pressure sentences were equivalent to the new oral passage Dudu no bosque.


Stochastic methods for minimizing a convex integral functional, as initiated by Robbins and Monro in the early 1950s, rely on the evaluation of a gradient (or subgradient if the function is not smooth) and moving in the corresponding direction. In contrast, we use a variational technique resulting in an implicit stochastic minimization method, which has recently appeared in several diverse contexts. Such an approach is desirable whenever the underlying space does not have a differentiable structure and moreover it exhibits better stability properties which makes it preferable even in linear spaces. Our results are formulated in locally compact Hadamard spaces, but they are new even in Euclidean space, the main novelty being more general growth conditions on the functional. We verify that the assumptions of our convergence theorem are satisfied in a few classical minimization problems.


SUMMARY: The established seventy-one Escherichia coli polysaccharide capsular K antigenic test strains were examined for the development of the K antigen after growth at 37 °C and 18 °C. Twentyeight K antigens were not detectable after growth of bacteria at 18 °C, while the remaining 43 antigens were developed at both temperatures. Most of the temperature-dependent antigens belonged to electrophoretically fast-moving K polysaccharides of rather low molecular weight, characteristically found among the common K antigens from extraintestinal disease isolates. Lipopolysaccharide O antigens were developed at both growth temperatures.


Western media represents Th ird World destinations and communities as stagnant and primitive. Scholars have argued that these representations are fundamentally related to the practices of colonization. Except for a few valuable exceptions research on tourism representations of the Th ird World is scarce. In tourism research, previous investigations have been mainly limited to analyses of visual images and texts of tourist brochures, newspaper articles, postcards and travel magazines. However, researchers have paid little attention to conduct a historical study of Western tourism representations of the Th ird World taking a larger sample of data. Th us, this study explored if there is any diff erence between the way India and Indians are represented in the nineteenth century Western travel writing, and contemporary Western travel writing. Th e results revealed that much like in the nineteenth century, contemporary Western travel writing also emphasizes the romantic image of India and Indians – timeless, poverty-stricken, exotic women and eff eminate men. Th erefore, it can be argued that colonialism is still pervasive in contemporary Western tourism representations.


* Corresponding author. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com To shed some light on the cytoxicity of anthracyclines, we developed muscle-derived myogenic stem cell lines (Myo) from different rabbits and examined their susceptibility to various doses of daunorubicin in vitro. We have found that myogenic cells after daunorubicin treatment die by apoptosis, a programmed cell death. Stem cells residing in the tissue, after various damages might be protected and even regenerate the damaged organs. With this in mind, we have tested the involvement of MAPKs – ERK, JNK and p38 – in determination of Myo cell fate. We ascertained the gradual and sustained phosphorylation of JNK and p38 by daunorubicin in Myo cells. To evaluate their role in stem cell survival after daunorubicin treatment, we targeted MAP kinases with specific inhibitors. As a result, the JNK inhibitor SP600125 significantly increased cell viability, showing its proapoptotic mode of action. The other MAP kinase, p38, exhibited an antiapoptotic action, while ERK did not show a significant effect on regulating the fate of cells. Therefore, we propose that JNK inhibitors might be used in combination with the chemotherapeutic drug daunorubicin as a complex treatment increasing stem cell survival and preventing the cardiotoxicity of daunorubicin in cancer patients.


Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with the ability to proliferate and convert to different types of differentiated cells that make up the various tissues and organs in the body. They exist both in embryos as pluripotent stem cells that can differentiate into the three germ layers and as multipotent or unipotent stem cells in adult tissues to aid in repair and homeostasis. Perturbations in these cells' normal functions can give rise to a wide variety of diseases. In this review, we discuss the origin of different stem cell types, their properties and characteristics, their role in tissue homeostasis, current research, and their potential applications in various life-threatening diseases. We focus on neural stem cells, their role in neurogenesis and how they can be exploited to treat diseases of the brain including neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Next, we explore current research in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) techniques and their clinical applications in regenerative and personalized medicine. Lastly, we tackle a special type of stem cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs) and how they can be responsible for therapy resistance and tumor recurrence and explore ways to target them.


There is wide variation in the governance and organization of academic health centers (AHCs), often prompted by or associated with changes in leadership. Changes at AHCs are influenced by institutional priorities, economic factors, competing needs, and the personality and performance of leaders. No organizational model has uniform applicability, and it is important for each AHC to learn what works or does not on the basis of its experiences. This case study of the Stanford University School of Medicine and its teaching hospitals— which constitute Stanford's AHC, the Stanford University Medical Center— reflects responses to the consequences of a failed merger of the teaching hospitals and related clinical enterprises with those of the University of California– San Francisco School of Medicine that required a new definition of institutional priorities and directions. These were shaped by a strategic plan that helped define goals and objectives in education, research, patient care, and the necessary financial and administrative underpinnings needed. A governance model was created that made the medical school and its two major affiliated teaching hospitals partners; this arrangement requires collaboration and coordination that is highly dependent on the shared objectives of the institutional leaders involved. The case study provides the background factors and issues that led to these changes, how they were envisioned and implemented, the current status and challenges, and some lessons learned. Although the current model is working, future changes may be needed to respond to internal and external forces and changes in leadership. Acad Med. 2008; 83:867–872. In providing a case study about Stanford's academic health center, the Stanford University Medical Center (hereafter, "Stanford Medicine"), composed of the Stanford University School of Medicine and its major teaching hospitals and clinics, let me first describe some of the common features that underpin academic health centers (AHCs) in general in tandem with the ones that characterized and distinguished Stanford Medicine in the early part of the 21st century. The face of academic medicine in the United States has evolved significantly since its inception in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the substantive shifts have been changes in the internal organization and configuration of AHCs. These have sometimes been guided by responses to institutional planning and initiatives, but perhaps more frequently they have been the result of accommodations and adjustments to various controllable as well as uncontrollable external changes, pressures, and other phenomena. One of the most notable external factors in recent history was the creation of Medicare, Medicaid, and other entitlement programs in the mid1960s that fueled the size of clinical faculty at AHCs. Another was the series of investments by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in biomedical research that drove the engine of discovery and innovation; that, in turn, brought enormous strength and quality to AHCs. These changes have been significantly influenced and modulated by local institutional goals and cultures and have led to a spectrum of AHCs that vary in depth and emphasis, such as "research intensive" or "primary care," sometimes with overlap among these or other areas


A total of 203 patients with neuronal intestinal malformations were analyzed. A retrospective study was performed on 122 patients who had been treated from 1963-1988 and 119 (97.5%) of these patients underwent follow-up examination after a mean of 11.5 years. Subsequently 81 patients treated from 1989-1993 were included in a prospective trial. These patients were investigated preoperatively by standardized questionnaires, x-ray examination, electromanometry, transit time studies, and underwent follow-up after a mean of 3.2 years. All biopsy specimens of the prospective trial were analyzed by the Institute for Pathology of the University of Basel. Before 1989 the incidence of neuronal intestinal malformations was 4.9 per year as compared to 18 per year from 1989-1993. The percentage of classical aganglionosis decreased from 77.9% to 35.8% and aganglionosis associated with NID B was increased from 9% to 29.6% (p < 0.001). The prospective trial showed that only 54.7% of 53 children with aganglionosis had classical Hirschsprung's disease, 45.3% were combined with NID B. Out of 37 patients with NID 64.9% had associated aganglionosis. Preoperative symptoms showed no pathognomonic criteria for any specific neuronal intestinal disorder. However, 75% of the patients with aganglionosis combined with NID suffered from ileus as compared to 41.1% of the patients with classical aganglionosis and 23.1% of patients with isolated NID (p < 0.05). This indicates an additive effect of both lesions. X-ray examinations, electromanometry, and transit time studies did not show pathognomonic criteria for specific neuronal intestinal malformations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Abstract 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) resistance is an urgent problem of colorectal cancer (CRC) chemotherapy that needs to be resolved. To investigate 5-FU-associated lncRNAs for CRC might be of great significant. LncRNA ENSG00000254615 was detected by RNA-sequencing. ENSG00000254615 were detected highly expressed in 5-FU-sensitive CRC cells and tissue specimens, and inhibited cell proliferation and attenuated 5-FU resistance in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ENSG00000254615 participated in the regulation of p21 and Cyclin D1. Taken together, we proposed that ENSG00000254615 inhibits proliferation and attenuates 5-FU resistance of CRC by regulating p21 and Cyclin D1 expression.