Compost based substrates for producing organic tomato seedlings (Lycopersicum esculentum L. cv. Rio Grande) were evaluated in a peat substitution experiment. Two composts made from olive pomace waste (OWC) and green waste (GWC) were produced and characterized, in comparison with a sphagnum peat moss, for the main physicochemical parameters and for their germination index. Both composts were used as growing media components at four rates (20%, 45%, 70%, 90% on a volume basis) and their performances were compared to peat based control growing media. During plant growth, nitrogen was added as blood meal. Plants were collected 36 days after sowing, plant performance parameters (stem length, leaves, stem and total fresh and dry biomass, leaves number and chlorophyll content values), and NPK shoot contents were measured. Treatments GWC 20%, 45% and OWC 20% showed the best performances, while 70% for green waste compost and 45% for olive pomace compost could be considered as upper limits for producing satisfactory organic tomato seedlings.


Background We investigated risk factors for fracture among young adults, particularly body mass index (BMI) and physical activity, which although associated with fracture in older populations have rarely been investigated in younger people. Methods In 2009, 4 years after initial recruitment, 58 204 Thais aged 19 to 49 years were asked to self-report fractures incident in the preceding 4 years. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for associations of fracture incidence with baseline BMI and physical activity. Results Very obese women had a 70% increase in fracture risk (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.21–2.46) as compared with women with a normal BMI. Fracture risk increased by 15% with every 5-kg/m2 increase in BMI. The effects were strongest for fractures of the lower limbs. Frequent purposeful physical activity was also associated with increased fracture risk among women (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.12–2.06 for 15 episodes/week vs none). Neither BMI nor physical activity was associated with fracture among men, although fracture risk decreased by 4% with every additional 2 hours of average sitting time per day (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.99). Conclusions The increase in obesity prevalence will likely increase fracture burden among young women but not young men. While active lifestyles have health benefits, our results highlight the importance of promoting injury prevention practices in conjunction with physical activity recommendations, particularly among women.


CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts

Abstract #3018

We present preclinical data on the potential mechanisms of the cytotoxic effect of the herbal extract BN108 towards cancer cells. Botanical medicine is one of the most popular complementary medical approaches, and herbal therapies are frequently sought and used by breast cancer patients. However, the molecular mechanisms through which certain herbal extracts exert growth inhibitory activity on breast cancer cells remain largely unknown. Treatment of a panel of breast cancer cell lines and normal mammary cells with BN108 induced cell death selectively in breast cancer lines. Normal mammary epithelial cells and fibroblasts were resistant to the cytotoxic effects of BN108. Breast cancer cells sensitive to BN108 underwent apoptotic death confirmed by Annexin V staining, caspase activation, cleavage of PARP and DNA fragmentation. In particular, caspases 4 and 9, whose activation is observed during apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress, were proteolytically activated. Inhibition of caspase 4 partially protected breast cancer cells from cell death induced by BN108. Expression array analysis of cells treated with BN108 showed induction of expression of several known pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative genes such as REDD1, p21CIP, cyclin G2, stratifin and more. BN108 induced rapid inactivation of AKT and mTOR kinases in breast cancer but not in non-transformed cells. Moreover, the well-defined targets of mTORC1, S6kinase and 4eBP1 were inactivated in BN108 treated cells. The expression array analysis also showed the induction by BN108 of numerous genes whose products code for enzymes within the cholesterol synthesis pathway. Interestingly, a transient increase in cholesterol synthesis was seen in breast cancer cells but not in normal cells following BN108 treatment. In general, cholesterol levels are higher in breast cancer cells compared to normal cells. Steroidal saponins are major components of BN108 extract, and they are known to deplete cell membrane cholesterol. Similar to BN108 extract, treatment with purified timosaponin AIII (a component of BN108 extract) also induced apoptosis and changes in cholesterol production in breast cancer cells but not in normal cells. It is possible that steroidal saponins induce a very transient depletion of cholesterol, followed by inactivation of AKT and mTOR, and negative feedback inhibition of the cholesterol synthesis pathway that is, in the end, is futile. None of these events are observed in normal cells. In conclusion, BN108 extract contains cytotoxic activity selective for transformed versus normal cells. These selective cytotoxic properties of BN108 could be related to its differential effects on cholesterol synthesis in breast cancer cells versus normal cells, as well as inhibition of major oncogenic pathways. Future studies will be aimed at understanding the molecular relationship between the BN1008 effect on cholesterol synthesis and induction of apoptosis, which may give rise to a unique pathway for targeting tumor cells.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3018.


ABSTRACT This paper proposes two dominance criteria for evaluating education systems described as joint distributions of the pupils' cognitive skill achievements and family backgrounds. The first criterion is the smallest transitive ranking of education systems compatible with three elementary principles. The first principle requires the favorable recording of any improvement in the cognitive skill of a child with a given family background . The second principle demands that any child's cognitive skill be all the more favourably appraised as the child is coming from an unfavourable background. The third principle states that when two different skills and family backgrounds are allocated between two children, it is preferable that the high skill be given to the low background child than the other way around. Our second criterion adds to the three principles the elitist requirement that a mean-preserving spread in the skills of two children with the same background be recorded favorably. We apply our criteria to the ranking of education systems of 43 countries, where we measure cognitive skills by PISA score in mathematics and famly background by the largest of the two parents'International Socio Economic Index. Our criteria conclusively compare about 19% of all the possible pairs of countries..


The paper presents four new sites where bright green Ulva thalli were found inhabiting freshwater (a river, a ditch, the Milet Canal) and marine (on the rocky shore of the Adriatic Sea) habitats in Montenegro. The aims of this study were to determine, for the first time, whether specimens of Ulva pilifera collected in Montenegro are phylogenetically and morphologically the same species as the one occurring in Europe. Using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) techniques it assessed the elemental composition of their thalli and its influence to colonise new habitats. Elements: Al, As, Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hf, I, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, S, Si, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn were determined. The highest elemental concentrations were found for Ca = 16.3% (using WDXRF) and for Sr = 292 ppm (using TXRF) in the Ulva thalli. Ulva pilifera analysed from Montenegro, based on classical morphological methods and molecular techniques, are closely related to the same species from inland and coastal waters throughout Europe. The analysis of trace elements showed that the metal content in Ulva thalli is correlated with the trace elements in water and sediments. Ulva pilifera fits numerous features that make it one of the bioindicators of marine pollution, thanks to its worldwide distribution and capacity to accumulate trace elements.


This paper studies the effects of heterogeneity in DO networks and proposes measures for reducing or removing them. In particular, two types of imbalance, i.e., f-Imbalance and OH-Imbalance are identified and methods for compensating them, i.e., RL padding and AT overhead (OH) channel boost, are proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is demonstrated through both, developing an analytic model and conducting comprehensive simulations. The main conclusion of the paper is that through a combination of methods such as partial RL padding of weaker cells and OH channel boost of AT's, it is possible to compensate for the potentially severe imbalance conditions that heterogeneity brings about to DO networks.


To achieve its legally binding 80% carbon emission reductions by 2050, in coincidence with its housebuilding targets, the UK government announced in 2007 environmental improvements of all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016. This project seeks to identify the barriers developers are faced with when building zero-carbon homes. The project then will examine the incentives provided to encourage developers to construct such homes in the lead up to 2016 in order establish if the target is achievable and realistic. Through questionnaires to a range of developers nationwide and interviews with key professional stakeholders, the research found that there are significant institutional, economic, cultural and technological barriers facing developers building zero-carbon homes. It was also revealed that there are inadequate government incentives available to encourage the supply of thousands of zero-carbon homes per year needed in the lead up to 2016. As a result many of the problems developers are facing now will still be present come 2016 and as such developers believe that the target is totally unachievable and unrealistic, especially in coincidence with the government's affordability and housebuilding targets. Due to the many barriers facing developers, a lack of desire was noticed from them to build zero-carbon homes. In addition developers attitudes towards the legislation was clear, they believe that the government should be more concerned about reducing emissions from its existing stock as opposed to new build. It was also fair to conclude that for successful implementation by 2016 there is a need to educate the public to increase awareness and understanding of zero-carbon.


To stain C. elegans with antibodies, the relatively impermeable cuticle must be bypassed by chemical or mechanical methods. "Freeze-cracking" is one method used to physically pull the cuticle from nematodes by compressing nematodes between two adherent slides, freezing them, and pulling the slides apart. Freeze-cracking provides a simple and rapid way to gain access to the tissues without chemical treatment and can be used with a variety of fixatives. However, it leads to the loss of many of the specimens and the required compression mechanically distorts the sample. Practice is required to maximize recovery of samples with good morphology. Freeze-cracking can be optimized for specific fixation conditions, recovery of samples, or low non-specific staining, but not for all parameters at once. For antibodies that require very hard fixation conditions and tolerate the chemical treatments needed to chemically permeabilize the cuticle, treatment of intact nematodes in solution may be preferred. If the antibody requires a lighter fix or if the optimum fixation conditions are unknown, freeze-cracking provides a very useful way to rapidly assay the antibody and can yield specific subcellular and cellular localization information for the antigen of interest.


Background: High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is one of the most common causes of early death in symptom-free adults. About 75 to 80% of the world population use herbal medicines for primary health care because of their better acceptability with human body and lesser side effects. Celery or Apium graveolens is a plant from the family of Apiaceae that has been used to lower blood preasure. This study aimed to review systematically the effect of Apium graveolens on the reduction of blood pressure. Subjects and Method: This was a systematic review. The theme of this study was the benefits of non-pharmacological treatment of celery extract in hypertensive experimental animal. A total of 6 articles were obtained from Science Direct, CINAHL, Pub Med, Elsevier (SCOPUS), and Pro Quest databases. Articles were specified based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were articles published in English, time period around 2008 to 2018, quantitative study, non-duplicate articles published by Science direct, CINAHL, Pub Med, Elsevier (SCOPUS), and Pro Quest, and obligated to the objective of this study. Results: Celery extract had a significant effect to help lower the blood pressure in hypertension. The celery was extracted with ethanol, hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and pure water. All study were used laboratory experiments method with experimental animal. Most of them showed hypotensive effects through bradycardia and vasodilation from the administration of celery extract. Conclusion: Celery extract has a significant effect to help lower the blood pressure in experimental animal with hypertension.


A synthetic oligonucleotide probe was developed to identify the gene for the heat-stable enterotoxin (NAG-ST) of non-serovar O1 Vibrio cholerae. Of 103 non-O1 V. cholerae isolates from Thailand, 31 isolates from Mexico, and 47 isolates from patients in the United States, only 7 (all from Thailand) hybridized with the probe. Probe-positive strains produced significantly higher fluid accumulations in infant mice than probe-negative strains.


SUMMARY Although the number and form of metazoan organs are determined in the embryo, plants continuously form organs via pluripotent stem cells contained within the meristem. Flowering plants have an indeterminate meristem in their diploid generation, whereas the common ancestor of land plants is inferred to have formed an indeterminate meristem in its haploid generation, as observed in the extant basal land plants, bryophytes, including mosses. It is hypothesized that the underlying gene networks for the diploid meristem were initially present in the haploid generation of the basal land plants and were eventually co‐opted for expression in the diploid generation. In flowering plants, the class 1 KNOTTED1‐LIKE HOMEOBOX (KNOX) transcription factors are essential for the function of the indeterminate apical meristem. Here, we show that the class 1 KNOX orthologs function in the diploid organ, with determinate growth in the moss Physcomitrella patens, but do not function in the haploid indeterminate meristem. We propose that the genetic networks governing the indeterminate meristem in land plants are variable, and the networks governing the diploid indeterminate meristem with the class 1 KNOX genes likely evolved de novo in the flowering plant lineage.


Objective:To examine clinical outcome in a consecutive cohort of patients undergoing open necrosectomy for postinflammatory necrosis. Background Information:The last decade has witnessed major developments in the surgical management of pancreatic necrosis. Minimally invasive approaches have become established. However, there are limited data from contemporary open necrosectomy, in particular where multidisciplinary care and aggressive interventional radiology are used. This report provides data on outcome from open necrosectomy in a tertiary referral Hepatobiliary unit over the last decade. Methods:During the period January 1, 2000 to July 31, 2008, 1535 patients were admitted with a final discharge code of acute pancreatitis. Twenty-eight (1.8%) of all admissions underwent open surgical necrosectomy. Twenty-four (86%) were tertiary referral patients. Results:The median APACHE II score on admission was 10.5 (5–26). Median logistic organ dysfunction score on admission was 3 (0–10). Median LODS score after surgery was 2 (0–8). Twenty patients (71%) underwent radiologically guided drainage of collections before surgery. Thirty-day mortality occurred in 2 (7%), 4 further deaths occurred in patients after discharge from intensive care resulting in a total of 6 (22%) episode-related deaths. Conclusions:Modern open necrosectomy can be performed without the procedure-related deterioration in organ dysfunction associated with major debridement. Multidisciplinary care with an emphasis on aggressive radiologic intervention before and after surgery results in acceptable outcomes in this cohort of critically ill patients. Newer laparoscopic techniques must demonstrate similar outcomes in the setting of stage-matched severity before wider acceptance.


BACKGROUND
Liver regeneration enables repeat surgical procedures to achieve a potential cure in liver cancer patients. However, data regarding segmental regeneration and liver anatomy after liver resection are scarce. This study examined left liver regeneration after right hepatectomy and the impact of hepatic venous drainage on the regeneration of the paramedian sector (Couinaud's segment IV).

METHODS
Twenty patients in whom right hepatectomy with conservation of the middle hepatic vein (MHV) on healthy liver had been performed were analysed for segmental volumes and vascular anatomy. Volumetric analysis of left liver segments and three-dimensional MHV reconstruction were conducted using pre- and postoperative computed tomography. The volumetric proportions represented by each segment within the left liver were compared and MHV anatomy was analysed to determine its potential role in the regeneration of left liver segments.

RESULTS
After right hepatectomy, the proportion represented by segment IV within the left liver decreases by 13%, whereas the proportion represented by segments II and III increases by 15%. This heterogeneous regeneration is particularly observed in patients in whom a venous branch for segment IVb is sacrificed, leading to an altered outflow similar to that observed in MHV deprivation. The risk for venous branch deprivation in IVb is correlated to the depth of the bifurcation of the MHV in liver parenchyma.

CONCLUSIONS
It is crucial to conserve the MHV in its distal part if homogeneous left liver regeneration after right hepatectomy that will allow potential repeat liver resection is to be achieved.


Up to 50% of most mammalian genomes are made up of transposable elements (TEs) that have the potential to mobilize around the genome. Despite this prevalence, research on TEs is only beginning to gain traction within the field of neuroscience. While TEs have long been regarded as "junk" or parasitic DNA, it has become evident that they are adaptive DNA and RNA regulatory elements. In addition to their vital role in normal development, TEs can also interact with steroid receptors, which are key elements to sexual development. In this review, we provide an overview of the involvement of TEs in processes related to sexual development- from TE activity in the germline to TE accumulation in sex chromosomes. Moreover, we highlight sex differences in TE activity and their regulation of genes related to sexual development. Finally, we speculate on the epigenetic mechanisms that may govern TEs' role in sexual development. In this context, we emphasize the need to further the understanding of sexual development through the lens of TEs including in a variety of organs at different developmental stages, their molecular networks, and evolution.


Abstract. The paper considers a problem of analytic continuation of solutions of some nonlinear convolution partial differential equations which naturally appear in the summability theory of formal solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. Under a suitable assumption it is proved that any local holomorphic solution has an analytic extension to a certain sector and its extension has exponential growth when the variable goes to infinity in the sector.


Convergence between technologies can be regarded as an increasingly emerging trend, and has received particular attention in the coming-together of previously distinct products and solutions within the information and communication technologies (ICT) industry. In previous research, the overall impact of the convergence phenomenon remains ambiguous. Whereas some scholars suggest convergence to be associated with disintegration, entry and growth, others relate the phenomenon to opposite effects, such as consolidation and shakeouts. This inconsistency in managerial conceptions on convergence formulates a need for an integrated understanding. Within a multi-case study approach, the convergence within information and communication technologies (ICT) has been observed through studying the coevolution of actors in a converging environment, and patterns in innovation dynamics and managerial responses have been identified. In reflection with existing models of innovation cycles, a model for convergence innovation processes is elaborated and discussed. In particular, the reasoning within the ICT case set is transferred onto the currently emerging entrepreneurial activities in the intersection between nano- and bio-technologies (NBT), resulting in a comparison between ICT and NBT convergences, and deriving recommendations from a retrospective to a predictive context.


The area around Qinghai Lake is one of the most serious desertification areas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In this paper, combined with field investigation and indoor analysis, the classification and grading system of desertification around Qinghai Lake was established. On this basis, through remote sensing data processing and parameter inversion, the desertification monitoring index model was established. Based on the analysis of Landsat-5/TM remote sensing data from 1990 to 2020, the dynamic change characteristics of desertification land around Qinghai Lake in recent 30 years were obtained. The results show that the desertification area around Qinghai Lake was 1,359.62 km2, of which the light desertification land was the main one. The desertification spread in a belt around Qinghai Lake, concentrated in Ketu sandy area in the east, Ganzi River sandy area in the northeast, Bird Island sandy area in the northwest, and Langmashe sandy area in the southeast. From 1990 to 2000, the annual expansion rate of desertification around Qinghai Lake was 2.68%, the desertification spread rapidly, and light desertification land was the main part of desertification expansion. From 2000 to 2010, the annual expansion rate of desertification was only 0.83%, but severe desertification land and moderate desertification land developed more rapidly than in the previous period. From 2010 to 2020, the annual expansion rate of desertification was 2.66%, and the desertification was spreading rapidly, mainly with moderate desertification land and light desertification land. In the process of desertification land transfer around Qinghai Lake, the transfer of desertification land and non-desertification land was the main, accompanied by the mutual transformation of different levels of desertification land. The process of desertification around Qinghai Lake was essentially the result of natural and human factors. The special geographical location, climate changes, rodent damage, and human factors around Qinghai Lake were the main causes of desertification.


Little is known about the extent to which plant population growth is limited by seed production. We studied two non-sprouting Protea species, both entirely dependent on seeds for recruitment after fire, to determine how flower harvesting would affect the size of the next generation after burning. Five harvesting treatments (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% inflorescence removal) were applied, each replicated four times in 10 X 10 m plots. Seedbanks were censused before a late-summer burn for each species and each replicate. The mean proportion of seeds surviving the burn until germination the following spring was 0.46 for Protea repens and 0.57 for Protea neriifolia. Of the seedlings that emerged, 90% and 55%, respectively, survived the first summer drought. Flower production in the 9 year old stand was strongly related to population density. Optimal plant densities for maximum flower production were estimated as 150 for P. repens and 70 for P. neriifolia. These target densities were greatly exceeded by seedling populations surviving the first summer drought in unharvested stands. If future density-independent mortality is negligible, the excess represents that part of the seedbank that could have been harvested before the burn without influencing future flower production. We developed a simple static model for setting flower harvesting levels in these seed-saturated populations. The predicted harvesting levels (50% of inflorescences in P. repens and 85% in P. neriifolia) were validated against the experimental harvests. We discuss the sensitivity of harvesting levels to variation in fecundity/density relationships, seed survival through a burn and seedling survival until flowering, and the implications for flower harvesting.


The integration of energetic materials with chip-scale MEMS fabrication processes, and in particular the development of nanoporous energetic silicon (NES), is a promising path to provide significant quantities of energy for certain microscale applications. Here we demonstrate the low-power wireless initiation of an on-chip energetic reaction, by absorbing optical energy, transmitting mechanical energy, and releasing a large amount of chemical energy, without the use of any external wires or batteries. A novel actuator powered by residual thin film stress absorbed 25 W/cm2 of optical power from a 532 nm visible laser, heated, and released up to 22 nJ of mechanical energy. The mechanical energy was sufficient to initiate 6.7 mg of NES and release up to 66 J of chemical energy.


Annealing of individual bands of electron-beam-induced absorption (IA) in the region of 150 — 400 nm in KS-4V, KU-1, and Corning 7980 (ArF Grade) quartz glasses by ArF laser radiation is studied. It is shown that the phototransformation of the IA spectra occurs mainly due to a significant decrease in the amplitudes of bands at λ = 183.5, 213, and 260 nm. The role played by interstitial oxygen, hydrogen, and chlorine in the formation and relaxation of glass defects is considered.


The 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Aerobic Count (RAC) Plate is a sample-ready culture medium system containing dual-sensor indicator technology for the rapid quantification of aerobic bacteria in food products. The 3M Petrifilm RAC Plate was compared to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual (FDA BAM) Chapter 3 (Aerobic Plate Count) for the enumeration of aerobic bacteria in raw easy-peel shrimp and the Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products (SMEDP) Chapter 6 (Standard Plate Count Method) for the enumeration of aerobic bacteria in pasteurized skim milk and instant nonfat dry milk (instant NFDM). The 3M Petrifilm RAC Plate was evaluated using a paired study design in a multilaboratory collaborative study following current AOAC validation guidelines. Three target contamination levels (low, 10-100 CFU/g; medium, 100-1000 CFU/g; and high 1000-10 000 CFU/g) were evaluated for naturally occurring aerobic microflora for each matrix. For raw easy-peel shrimp, duplicate 3M Petrifilm RAC Plates were enumerated after 24 ± 2 h incubation at both 32 and 35°C. Pasteurized skim milk 3M Petrifilm RAC Plates were enumerated after 24 ± 2 h incubation at 32°C, and instant NFDM 3M Petrifilm RAC Plates were enumerated after 48 ± 3 h incubation at 32°C. No statistical difference was observed between 3M Petrifilm RAC Plate and FDA BAM or SMEDP reference methods for each contamination level.


Apasmara (epilepsy) is defined as the apagama (deterioration) of smriti (memory) associated with bibhasta cheshta (seizures) due to derangement of dhi and satwa, mainly related to vata and rajo dosha vitiation, which effects both Sharira (body) and Mana (mind). The present antiepileptic drugs control the seizure attack, but long-term use generates adverse effect at cognitive level and leads to behavioral disorders, hence there is need of safe and effective treatment which not only controls seizure attack but helps to cure the disease. A 44-year-old man approached Kayachikitsa OPD with the complaints of frequent seizure attacks, since from at the age of one and half year with regular oral antiepileptic drugs medications (allopathic), the dose of medications increasing yearly and he was not satisfied with treatment, so he was advised with Panchakarma treatment starting from Deepana, Pachana, Vamana (medicated emesis), Virechana (medicated purgation), Basti (medicated enema), Shirodhara along with palliative treatment. After each treatment it was observed that the patient was satisfied with treatment and the complaints of seizure attack reduced in frequency and duration with improved quality of life. Palliative treatment was advised to continue along with modern medications.


The central problem in advanced monopoly capitalism is not one of scarce resources clashing against innate, insatiable wants. Rather, it is one of an abundance of production clashing against saturated consumption and investment markets. In order to absorb potential economic output and forestall excess capacity, business interests must continuously search for new markets to exploit or entice existing customers who stand ready to buy the latest product, iteration, or service, and to induce new investment. The key to business survival in a capitalist economy is continual expansion of market share and reach: grow or die.… The efforts applied to this relentless drive undermine the conventional wisdom of market-determined pricing—for were a competitive price system in place, the funds for these expenditures would not exist. As I will show, the resources and funds expended in this quixotic endeavor to grow can be broadly referred to as the "economic surplus."Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


Prevalence and determinants for human immunodeficiency (HIV) virus infection was assessed in 581 heterosexual intravenous drug users, recruited from public drug assistance centers in the northeast of Italy between 1984 and 1988. The overall seroprevalence rate for HIV antibody was 39% (95% confidence interval-CI-35-43%). HIV prevalence had risen from 32% in 1984-85 to 47% in 1986-88. Age was not associated with HIV infection risk, whereas gender was, women being at lower risk of infection than men (odds ratio-OR- = 0.7, 95% CI: 0,5-1.0). Seropositivity rates showed a strong east-west geographical gradient: intravenous drug users living in the western part of the study area had a nearly sevenfold higher risk of infection (95% CI = 4.4-13.9) than those living in the eastern part. Sharing of drug injection equipment was by far the most important risk factor. IVDUs who reported to always share injection equipment had a fourfold higher risk of HIV infection, as compared with those who never did (95% CI = 1.6-12.7). The duration of drug addiction (odds ratio = 2.6), the use of heroin in high-incidence cities (odds ratio = 2.3) and of cocaine in addition to heroin (odds ratio = 1.5) and the practice of prostitution (odds ratio = 2.3) were also important determinants of HIV infection. Over the study period, the odds ratios associated with area of residence decreased, whereas those associated with the use of heroin in high-incidence cities and with prostitution increased.


An assay method for 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1alpha-hydroxylase [calcidiol, NADPH: oxygen oxidoreductase (1-hydroxylating), EC 1.14. 13.13] in rat kidney is described. The mitochondrial and nuclear fraction was solubilized effectively with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate(Chaps). By subsequent ultracentrifugation of the solubilized suspension the effect of inhibitory factor(s) in mammals was removed. The enzyme was then assayed by the reconstitution method using saturated amounts of adrenodoxin and NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase. Products were analyzed by HPLC, monitoring absorbance at 265 nm. The enzyme activity depended on not only pH of the medium but also the kind of buffers. N,N-Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine was the best buffer. At 30 degrees C, the reaction velocity was linear at least up to 10 min, by which time enough amounts of the product needed for analysis were formed. The enzyme activity was linear to a protein concentration up to 0.8 mg of protein/ml. Under the best assay conditions established, the maximal velocity of enzyme in the rachitic rat was 12.9 pmol of product/min/mg of protein, which was 30- to 1000-fold higher than those reported by other authors with the enzyme of rachitic rat. Michaelis constant was 1.8 microM. Specific activity with the enzyme of normal rat was 0.25 pmol of product/min/mg.


This study examines the impact of participatory forest management (PFM) on forest-adjacent household livelihoods in the Arabuko-Sokoke forest in Kenya. It compares the impacts on households near PFM forests (PFM zones) with those near forests with no participatory management (non-PFM zones). The study questions were: does conservation of the Arabuko-Sokoke forest result in net household incomes?; does PFM increase net household benefits?; and are household benefits uniformly distributed within the 5 km PFM intervention zone? The hypotheses tested were: forest conservation benefits exceed forest conservation costs; PFM zones have higher household benefits than non-PFM zones; and benefits and costs reduce with distance from forest edge. In the year 2009, we collected data on household benefits and costs in PFM and non-PFM zones. Data were collected along 10 km transects at 1 km intervals, sampling 600 households up to 5 km away from the forest. The results show varied household dependence on the Arabuko-Sokoke forest. The forest benefits exceed costs in PFM zones but the forest is a cost in non-PFM zones, and costs and benefits reduce with distance from forest edge. The study concludes that, though not cheap, PFM is a tool that can help the Arabuko-Sokoke forest win the support of the adjacent local communities.


Abstract The bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract represent a significant medical but also socio-economic problem.A special group of patients et increased risk consists of critically ill patients in intensive care units. Particularly significant cause of bleeding in intensive care unit patients is bleeding resulting from the stress ulcers caused by damage of themucosa of the stomach and duodenum. The purpose of this review is to present current experience in prevention of upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding using proton pump inhibitors in intensive care units. Combination of endoscopic hemostatic methods and proton pump inhibitors represents golden standard in most cases. Despite some adverse effects treatment with proton pump blockers is essential when upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding appears in critically ill patients in intensive care units. Proton pump inhibitors are more effective in acid suppression, as well as in the prevention of recurrent bleeding after endoscopic hemostasis than histamine 2 receptor blockers. The efficacy of proton pump blockers is higher in the case of a continuous intravenous infusion than in the intermittent mode of administration of the drug. The need for highly elaborate strategy for the prophylaxis of bleeding from the upper parts of gastrointestinal tract in intensive care units is essential, because when it occurs in intensive care units, mortality is high, and therapeutic options become narrow.


When an element is bombarded by high-energy particles, orbital electrons may be ejected creating inner orbital atomic vacancies. These vacancies may be filled by transition of outer level electrons giving rise to characteristic X-radiation. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry provides the means of the identification of an element by measurement of its characteristic X-ray emission wavelength of energy. The method allows the quantization of a given element by first measuring the emitted characteristic line intensity and then relating this intensity of element concentration. While the roots of the method go back to the early part of this century, where electron excitation systems were employed, it is only during the last 30 years or so that the technique has gained major significance as a routine means of elemental analysis. Wavelength-dispersive spectrometers employ diffraction by a single crystal to separate characteristic wavelengths emitted by the sample. Today, nearly all commercially available X-ray spectrometers use the fluorescence excitation method and employ a sealed X-ray tube as the primary excitation source. The first commercial X-ray spectrometer became available in the early 1950s and although these earlier spectrometers operated only with an air path, they were able to provide qualitative and quantitative information on all elements above atomic number 22 (titanium). Later versions allowed use of helium or vacuum paths that extended the lower atomic number cut-off to around atomic number 9 (fluorine). X-ray detectors used include the flow counter, the scintillation counter and the Si(Li) detector.

The X-ray method has good overall performance characteristics. In particular, the speed, accuracy and versatility of X-ray fluorescence are the most important features among the many that have made it the method of choice in over 30 000 laboratories all over the world. Most wavelength-dispersive spectrometers fall into two broad categories – single channel and multichannel. Single channel spectrometers are typically employed for both routine and nonroutine analysis of a wide range of products, including ferrous and nonferrous alloys, oils, slags and sinters, ores and minerals, thin films, and so on. These systems are very flexible but relative to multichannel spectrometers are somewhat slow. The multichannel wavelength-dispersive instruments are used almost exclusively for routine, high-throughout analysis where the great need is for fast accurate analysis, but where flexibility is of no importance.

Interelement (matrix) effects often complicate quantitative analysis by X-ray fluorescence. However, a wide selection of methods is now available for minimizing these effects, allowing excellent accuracy to be obtained in many cases. Detection limits are achievable down to the low parts per million (ppm) range and it is possible to obtain reasonable responses from as little as a few milligrams of material.


The Clara-cell secretory protein (CCSP) is a cell-specific differentiation marker for the bronchiolar Clara cell. Isolated rat Clara and alveolar type 2 cells kept in primary culture proliferate and dedifferentiate, providing the opportunity to study differentiation-dependent mechanisms. In freshly isolated Clara cells, high levels of CCSP and the corresponding mRNA were detected. During culture in vitro, these levels decreased. In the type 2 cell fraction, low levels of CCSP were detected, which decreased further during culture. A promoter fragment of the rat CCSP gene encompassing the sequence from -188 to +53 was able to drive high-level expression of reporter genes in transfected Clara cells. Reporter gene expression in transfected type 2 cells was markedly lower, and no expression could be detected in alveolar macrophages. Expression of transcription factors previously described to stimulate CCSP expression appeared not to parallel CCSP levels in the primary Clara cells. However, expression of the transcription factor C/EBP alpha correlated with the CCSP expression pattern. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we were able to demonstrate binding of C/EBP alpha from rat Clara cell nuclear extracts to an element located 85 bp upstream of the start site of transcription. Overexpression of C/EBP alpha increased expression from the CCSP -188 promoter fragment up to fivefold in NCI-H441-cells and 30-fold in A549-cells, establishing the functional importance of C/EBP alpha. Our results show that primary cultures of Clara cells constitute a useful model for investigating terminal airway differentiation and suggest a role for C/EBP-factor(s) in this process.


Despite the established importance of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of solid tumours, there is still no consensus on how this is best measured or which method is the most appropriate in the determination of prognosis. Here we review the pros and cons of current methods of assessing angiogenesis, both clinical and in the laboratory, and discuss with respect to breast cancer.


Bitcoin in particular and so-called cryptocurrencies in general have shaken up the financial world and seem to be claiming an increasing size of the market share. These new virtual assets present investors with significant opportunities, but also with significant risks. This paper analyzes the connection between one such crypto, bitcoin, and other traditional assets (e.g. metals) in times of financial turbulence. Our impulse-response function and variance decomposition analyses indicate that, as of late, bitcoin has become increasingly interdependent with gold, and seems just as suitable to hedge against market uncertainty—we believe this is a very timely conclusion given the pervasive uncertainty that dominates post-pandemic life.


Continuum topology of continuous, monolithic compliant mechanisms is designed for finite elastic deformation such that an output port moves in a desired direction when a specified force is applied through an input port. The pseudo-rigid body equivalent of compliant mechanisms (CMs) has been the conventional approach used by earlier researchers to synthesize and analyze compliant mechanisms. Attempts at direct analysis from existing literature are predicted on such assumptions as static linearity or a few times geometric nonlinear conditions. These are justifiable in several situations where compliant systems have been successful in replacing materials with several moving parts. However, the application domain of compliant mechanisms is widening to dynamic environment where the deformations are relatively large. It is therefore necessary to consider nonlinearities resulting from geometry and hyperelasticity. In this paper, methods of continuum mechanics and nonlinear finite element method were deployed to develop model that could capture the behaviour of compliant mechanisms. A hybrid system of symbolic algebra (AceGEN) and a compiled back end (AceFEM) were employed, leveraging both ease of use and computational efficiency. Numerical results using published laboratory investigated compliant mechanisms reveal the deviation that exists with linear and only geometric nonlinear assumptions.


Ischemic myocardium avidly incorporates fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) in the fasting state, in contrast to the relative absence of F-18 FDG uptake in normal myocardium with sufficient blood flow in the fasting state. Although many studies have attempted to use F-18 FDG uptake to discriminate ischemic but viable myocardium from scarred myocardium, little is known clinically about the correlation between blood flow and F-18 FDG uptake in ischemic myocardium. We studied the critical level of blood flow that causes avid F-18 FDG uptake in myocardium in 9 patients. All patients had angiographically proven ischemic heart disease but no diabetes. Regional myocardial blood flow (RMBF) was measured quantitatively by positron emission tomography (PET) using nitrogen-13 ammonia in the resting state, in which the normal value was 80.2 +/- 13.0 ml/min/100 cm3. The F-18 FDG uptake in myocardium was assessed with the differential uptake ratio (DUR) scale. We constructed circumferential profiles of radioactivity uptake in myocardium for each study, and chose 780 sections of myocardium in which the relation between the two factors could be analyzed. In moderately ischemic to normal myocardium with RMBF of 50 to 90 ml/min/100 cm3, RMBF and F-18 FDG uptake were negatively correlated (r = -0.44, p < 0.01). When RMBF was 50 to 60 ml/min/100 cm3 (n = 121), the peak DUR value of F-18 FDG uptake was 4.0 +/- 2.0. The two factors were not correlated when RMBF was less than 50 ml/min/100 cm3 or 90 ml/min/100 cm3 or higher. Our results suggest that RMBF and F-18 FDG uptake values as measured with PET may provide valuable information on the possible benefit of intervention in ischemic heart disease.


ABSTRACT Understanding epigenetic mechanisms is crucial to our comprehension of gene regulation in development and disease. In the past decades, different studies have shown the role of epigenetic modifications and modifiers in renal disease, especially during its progression towards chronic and end-stage renal disease. Thus, the identification of genetic variation associated with chronic kidney disease has resulted in better clinical management of patients. Despite the importance of these findings, the translation of genotype–phenotype data into gene-based medicine in chronic kidney disease populations still lacks faithful cellular or animal models that recapitulate the key aspects of the human kidney. The latest advances in the field of stem cells have shown that it is possible to emulate kidney development and function with organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells. These have successfully recapitulated not only kidney differentiation, but also the specific phenotypical traits related to kidney function. The combination of this methodology with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has already helped researchers to model different genetic kidney disorders. Nowadays, CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches also allow epigenetic modifications, and thus represent an unprecedented tool for the screening of genetic variants, epigenetic modifications or even changes in chromatin structure that are altered in renal disease. In this Review, we discuss these technical advances in kidney modeling, and offer an overview of the role of epigenetic regulation in kidney development and disease. Summary: In this Review, we provide an overview on how epigenetic processes are altered in kidney development and disease, and discuss how CRISPR-modified kidney organoids can help us to understand the function of epigenetic marks.


Irritant contact dermatitis is a frequent problem in dermatology. It compromises the majority of all occupational skin diseases in most countries. It develops as a result of the environmental or work-related exposure to irritants. Cutaneous reaction depends on the intrinsic properties of the irritant, individual skin susceptibility and environmental conditions. A great morphological variety of irritant contact dermatitis and difficulties in diagnosis may lead to misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment. The prognosis is variable. Preventive measures, including education, individual skin protection and proper skin care may contribute to the reduced incidence of occupational irritant contact dermatitis.


In this paper we discuss the construction of information systems ontologies. We summarize and discuss Barry Smith's review (2003a) of the field in the paper, "Ontology." In that essay Smith concludes with a plea for ontologies that reflect the categories of current scientific theories because they represent our best knowledge of the world. In this context, we develop an argument for a hermeneutic approach to ontologies—one compatible with the orientation introduced into information science by Winograd and Flores (1986) and later developed by many others. To do this, we argue that the literature in the philosophy and history of science supports a hermeneutic interpretation of the nature and growth of science. This, given Smith's argument, shows the relevance of hermeneutics to the creation of information system ontologies. The problems associated with understanding and creating information systems ontologies are addressed fruitfully only if one begins by acknowledging that databases are mechanisms for communication involving judgments and interpretations by intelligent and knowledgeable users. The main contributions of this paper are our conclusions that (a) information system ontologies should take into consideration a perspective of the philosophy and history of science, and (b) hermeneutics as construed by Gadamer (1975, 1979) constitutes a place from which we can understand the tasks of information ontologists and database users.


The polarization process which takes place during electric poling of poly(vinylidene fluoride) is investigated by measuring the time dependence of currents in poling circuits with varying RC time constants. For applied voltages between 3 and 8 kV (average field strengths 1.2–3.2 MV/cm) and RC values between 10 and 10−3 s, the current‐time behavior, normalized by the corresponding RC time constants and initial current values, can be described by a single curve (quasi‐steady state). Such a representation indicates that the switching of polarization is simply a voltage‐ or field‐induced effect. A phenomenological description of the poling process is presented which allows one to determine the dependence of polarization with respect to the voltage across the sample. The corresponding density function shows a steep rise in polarization at about 2400 V (average electric field strength 1 MV/cm) followed by an exponentially decaying tail toward higher voltages. Implication of such a distribution is discussed briefly.


The manganese hydride dimer, [(2,6-iPr2PhBDI)Mn(μ-H)]2, was found to mediate nitrile dihydroboration, rendering it the first manganese catalyst for this transformation. Stoichiometric experiments revealed that benzonitrile insertion affords [(2,6-iPr2PhBDI)Mn(μ-NCHC6H5)]2 en route to N,N-diborylamine formation. Density functional theory calculations reveal the precise mechanism and demonstrate that catalysis is promoted by monomeric species.


Based on the basis of the constructed Lie super algebra, the super-isospectral problem of KN hierarchy is considered. Under the frame of the zero curvature equation, the super-KN hierarchy is obtained. Furthermore, its super-Hamiltonian structure is presented by using super-trace identity and it has super-bi-Hamiltonian structure.


Osipov, V., & Skryl, T. (2019). Monitoring of potato production and its forecast by 2020. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 25(3), 448–453 The article attempts to make a forecast of potato production in the period until 2020 using economic and statistical tools. The problem of food security is revealed through the achievement of threshold values for the production and self-suffi ciency of individual products. For the production of potatoes, the threshold value of food security is set at 95%. It is important to understand the prospects and opportunities to achieve the established threshold values. The conducted economic and statistical analysis showed that by 2020 gross potato harvest in Western Europe, especially in Russia, will be at the level of 30.2-35.5 mln t, and its yield, while maintaining current production conditions in the range of 164.4 to 177.4 centner/ha. The analysis showed that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the former Soviet republics completely underwent a process of adaptation to market conditions. Thus, the Baltic countries drastically reduced the volumes of potato production in connection with the harmonization of their agrarian policy with the pan-European one.


AIM
Rectal cancer shows a high incidence in older patients, however, only few reports focused exclusively on rectal cancer with the exclusion of the surgery of the colon. This retrospective study aims to compare short-term and long-term outcomes for rectal cancer in patients more than 75 years old with that observed in younger patients.

MATERIAL OF STUDY
Four hundred consecutive patients operated on for primary rectal adenocarcinoma were collected in a prospective institutional database and divided into two groups: group 1 (≥ 75 years, n =98); group 2 (<75 years, n= 302). Sphincter-saving restaurative proctectomy was the only procedure considered. Main clinical and pathological data, morbidity, clinical anastomotic leakage, reoperation rate, 30-day mortality, overall survival, and cancer-related survival were assessed and compared.

RESULTS
In our experience, advanced age itself is not a contraindication for surgical sphincter-saving proctetomy in rectal cancer patients, although it is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Overall survival is lower in patients over 75 age, but cancer-related survival is not different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS
In our experience, advanced age itself is not a contraindication for surgical sphincter-saving proctetomy in rectal cancer patients, although it is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Overall survival is lower in patients over 75 age, but cancer-related survival is not different between the two groups.

KEY WORDS
Outcomes, Rectal Cancer, Elderly, Sphincter-saving, Surgery.


In protoplast culture of the Louisiana iris species, Iris fulva (2n 42), N6 medium supplemented with 1 mg/l 2,4-D, 1 mg/l kinetin, 200 mg/l casein hydrolysate, 250 mg/l proline, 0.3 M glucose and 2.5 g/l gellan gum was suitable for cell division and colony formation. When colonies formed were transferred to plant growth regulator free MS medium, 61 plant lines were regenerated via somatic embryogenesis. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that leaf tissue of I. fulva consisted of 2C, 4C and 6C cells. Consequently, we identified this species as polysomatic in the genus Iris. Such polysomaty was also recognized in the suspension calli. Sixty one plant lines obtained by protoplast culture consisted of 25 diploid (41.0%), 1 triploid (1.6%), 29 tetraploid (47.5%) and 6 hexaploid lines (9.9%). In addition, chromosome analysis showed that somatic chromosome numbers of the diploid, hypertriploid and tetraploid lines were 2n 42, 67 and 84, respectively. On the other hand, all lines regenerated from suspension culture of I. fulva were diploid lines in contrast to the results from protoplast culture. Thus, it can be concluded that protoplast culture of this species is an efficient technique for production of polyploid plants.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficacy of High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) in low back pain (LBP).

METHODS
Forty patients aged between 18 to 60 were included in this study. The patients were randomized into two groups as TENS (Group I) and HILT (Group II). The severity of pain was measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the range of motion (ROM) of the joint was measured by goniometer. The Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODQ) was used to assess the effect of LBP on daily living activities, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess depression. All patients were taken into physical therapy program for 5 days a week for a total of 20 sessions. Patients in Group I received ultrasound, hot pack and HILT, while the patients in Group II received ultrasound, hot pack and TENS.

RESULTS
In the comparison of post-treatment improvements, among all parameters only VAS score had a significant difference in favor of Group I.

CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrated that HILT is more effective than TENS in terms of pain reduction and that HILT can be used as an alternative to TENS.


Cities, as economic and cultural centres in our society, are major consumers of resources. They not only contribute to problems such as climate change, but also experience the risks and consequences thereof. Technological solutions to these problems are difficult to implement. They require larger-scale system changes, or encounter resistance. Making cities sustainable not only requires technical solutions, but also institutional innovation. A socio-technical-ecological system approach to cities shows the coherence and complexity of issues. Issues play on multiple scales, are cross-sectoral, and require an interaction of citizens, companies, and governments. Moreover, the playing field between these groups of actors is changing rapidly, technological empowerment in particular has made the citizen a much more equal player alongside the government and business. Existing instruments and approaches are not sufficient to approach sustainability issues. To identify and address these issues, cooperation between science and society is necessary. Multi- and transdisciplinary learning environments enable researchers and students to identify issues, to answer questions and to try out solutions together with stakeholders. Such environments are indispensable for the development of sustainable cities.


Accurate measurements of the transmittance of large optical elements are essential to improve the energy density in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The required complex transmittance of such optical elements used in ICF is obtained by computing the phase difference between the illuminating and transmitting fields using modulation coherent imaging (MCI). A phase plate designed as a modulator has a known transmission function in this technique. It presents a simple and quick method to measure the transmittance of large optical elements with irregular surface profiles by retrieving it from only two diffraction patterns recorded by a CCD camera. The complex transmittance of a continuous phase plate (CPP) with a large aperture used in ICF is measured experimentally, and the results are found to agree with the designed value.


Extremely large-scale array (XL-array) communications correspond to systems whose antenna sizes are so large that the scatterers and/or users may no longer be located in the far-field region. By discarding the conventional far-field uniform plane wave (UPW) assumption, this letter studies the near-field spatial correlation of XL-array communications, by taking into account the more generic non-uniform spherical wave (NUSW) characteristics. It is revealed that different from the far-field channel spatial correlation which only depends on the power angular spectrum (PAS), the near-field spatial correlation depends on the scattered power distribution not just characterized by their arriving angles, but also by the scatterers' distances, which is termed as power location spectrum (PLS). A novel integral expression is derived for the near-field spatial correlation in terms of the scatterers' location distribution, which includes the far-field spatial correlation as a special case. The result shows that different from the far-field case, the near-field spatial correlation no longer exhibits spatial stationarity in general, since the correlation coefficient for each pair of antennas depends on their specific positions, rather than their relative distance only. To gain further insights, we consider a generalized one-ring model for scatterer distribution, where the ring center may be flexibly located. Numerical results are provided to show the necessity of the near-field spatial correlation modelling for XL-array communications.


Z-360 is a novel cholecystokinin (CCK)-2/gastrin receptor antagonist that is being developed for the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in combination with gemcitabine. A previous study shows that the co-administration of Z-360 with gemcitabine significantly prolonged the survival of mice with orthotopically implanted human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines. To clarify the therapeutic effects of Z-360 in combined with gemcitabine, we analyzed gene expression. When gemcitabine was administered, CCK-2/gastrin receptor expression was induced in an orthotropic xenograft model; the result indicating that Z-360 could act on gemcitabine-sensitive cells. Both in vitro and in vivo studies showed that gemcitabine increased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), a prognostic factor for survival in pancreatic cancer, while Z-360 suppressed this induction of VEGFA gene expression. These results help to explain how Z-360 prolongs survival when used in combination with gemcitabine.


Rheumatoid meningitis (RM) is a rare complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RM mimics many other conditions such as subdural empyema, unsteady gait, focal brain dysfunction, stroke, relapsing-remitting motor signs, headache, neuropsychiatric disorders, seizures, parkinsonism, and meningeal tumors. RM is considered a disease with poor prognosis. However, cases reported in the last decade show a good outcome. We report two cases with a favorable outcome. A 48-year-old man with a three-year history of RA admitted for headache, sensory disturbances, and speech difficulties. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a left parietal subdural laminar lesion with restricted diffusion and a small left superior frontal acute infarction. A subdural empyema was originally suspected, and antimicrobials were prescribed. A follow-up MRI did not show progression of the subdural lesion and the patient was discharged 14 days after admission without focal deficits. A 44-year-old female patient with two years of seronegative RA was admitted for severe headache, confusion, nausea and vomiting. Brain MRI showed subtle supra and infratentorial leptomeningeal involvement and a left cerebellar acute infarct. A meningoencephalitis due to etanercept was initially thought and treated with dexamethasone. The patient was discharged but had to be admitted again and a new MRI showed a progression of the leptomeningeal involvement. She worsened and required endotracheal intubation. Cyclophosphamide was started and the patient became asymptomatic three months later. We propose that treatment should not be delayed waiting a biopsy when a diagnosis of RM is made and after a cerebrospinal fluid infection has been ruled out.


During the "response-to-injury" process after a mechanical insult to the porcine coronary arteries, the adventitial cells acquire the structural characteristics of myofibroblasts before being incorporated into smooth muscle (SM) layer. We assessed whether the SM-specific SM22 protein can be used as a tracer of adventitial cell-myofibroblast differentiation in the mild balloon injury of rabbit carotid artery. To achieve this goal, we used 2 monoclonal anti-SM22 antibodies (E-11 and 1-B8) and a molecular probe for the SM22alpha mRNA isoform in immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization experiments. The differentiation profile and the migratory and proliferative ability of activated adventitial cells were evaluated by a panel of antibodies to some SM and nonmuscle antigens and pulse- and end-labeling with bromo-deoxyuridine, respectively. In adventitial cells, SM22 antigenicity and SM22alpha mRNA were detectable at days 2 and 4 and, to a lesser extent, at days 7 and 21 after injury, particularly near the adventitia-media interface and mostly colocalizing with bromo-deoxyuridine-positive cells. The pulse-labeling experiments showed that the large majority of these cells penetrated the outermost layer of the tunica media without migrating to the subendothelial region. The phenotypic features of activated migrating and nonmigrating adventitial cells resembled those of vimentin-actin myofibroblast subtype and fetal-type SM cells. These findings indicate that a direct exposure of adventitia to the lumen is not required for phenotypic changes and proliferation/migration of these cells. After comparison of the SM22 expression in arterial vessels during early stages of development, we hypothesize that in the injured carotid artery the mural incorporation of adventitial cells and the spatiotemporal activation of SM22 expression are reminiscent of the vascular morphogenetic process and suggest the existence of a stem cell-like reservoir in adventitia. The early adventitial upregulation of SM22 expression in the injured vessel might be related to a multistep transition process in which nonmuscle cells are converted to myofibroblasts and, possibly, to SM cells.


Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is an idiopathic proliferation of histiocytes that affects the lymph nodes. Central nervous system involvement in the absence of nodal disease is extremely rare. On neuroimaging studies, intracranial RDD appears as solitary or multiple well-circumscribed, dura-based lesions. The authors report on two cases of RDD with locally aggressive features including dural sinus invasion, which to their knowledge has never before been described. A 60-year-old woman presented with progressive dizziness and vertigo that had lasted for 1 week. Cranial computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an extraaxial homogeneous lobulated enhancing mass involving the right occipital lobe and the right cerebellar hemisphere. Invasion of the right transverse sinus was identified on a cerebral digital subtraction angiogram. A 59-year-old man with no prior medical illness experienced progressive weakness of both upper extremities and a partial complex seizure. Magnetic resonance imaging of his brain revealed a well-circumscribed enhancing mass in the left frontal lobe with extension to the right frontal lobe and invasion of the superior sagittal sinus. Both patients underwent resection of their brain masses. Pathological studies identified the disease as RDD in both patients.


A questionnaire containing 37 questions concerning oral surgery and oral medicine was mailed to a systematic random sample of 500 Norwegian general dental practitioners in October 1989. A 60% return rate was obtained. From the 20 questions included in this paper the following conclusions were drawn: Norwegian general practitioners perform a substantial number and diversity of procedures in the field of oral surgery and oral medicine. The predictor variables sex, age, geographic location, and type of practice (private/public) showed by multiple classification analysis only limited correlation with the amount and diversity of procedures. On average, 12.3 patients were referred per practitioner per year to specialists in oral surgery. The indicated need for orthognathic consultations was 0.75 patient per year per practitioner. Serious emergencies demanding referral seldom occurred. Each month 6.6 medically compromised patients were seen in general practice, among which cardiovascular disorders dominated.


Abstract Delayed post-hypoxic leucoencephalopathy is a demyelinating syndrome characterized by acute onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms including parkinsonism or akinetic mutism that occurs days to weeks after recovery from cerebral hypo-oxygenation. We encountered a patient who presented with an akinetic mute state late after cervical cord injury without a definite hypoxic event.


The growth of e-commerce has changed the way people shop. The changing business environment is a strain on state governments due to their inability to collect sales and use tax on most internet-based transactions. While the U.S. Supreme Court, for the first time in almost 30 years, is reviewing a state's ability to collect sales and use tax from out-of-state sellers in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., a potential solution to increase sales and use tax collection may already exist. In 2016, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Colorado notification law that could provide a blueprint for states to capture tax revenue from online companies and out-of-state retailers. In this paper, we review the constitutional complexities of the taxation of online sales. We also analyze state requirements for informational reporting of sales and use tax and recommend policy to increase potential sales and use tax collection.


Web-based information access suffers tremendously in low-bandwidth wireless data networks due to the non-correlation between the content transferred across the wireless links and the actual data that is used to serve the user requests. As a result, the current web-access mechanisms face such problems as unnecessary bandwidth consumption, large response times, no service for partial disconnections, and low system utilization in wireless networks. In order to solve these problems with web-transfer in wireless networks, we present a new middleware for wireless web-access called Cut-Load, which performs application unaware content-partitioning in the graphical domain residing at both the mobile client and the proxy server that the mobile client communicates with. Cut-Load uses dynamic mode selection, opportunistic hoarding, transparent mode transfer, and display caching for efficient wireless web-access. Through simulations, we compare the performance of Cut-Load with that of the current web-access mechanisms and show that the proposed middleware brings significant performance benefits both in terms of bandwidth consumption and user-perceived response times.


This article considers a WDM slotted-ring network architecture. Used as a metropolitan access network, it is shown through simulation results how a simple MAC protocol can be implemented to achieve fairness between access nodes. Excellent queuing delay and packet dropping probability results are obtained assuming that a maximum load threshold is not exceeded. Further developments are proposed to improve the efficiency, introduce congestion avoidance mechanisms and add QoS capabilities by implementing intelligence within the network access nodes.


The structural architecture of large volcanoes is governed substantially by gravity-driven deformation that is manifest as distinct processes such as basement flexure or volcanic spreading. Temporal effects and the mutual interplay of these processes have been investigated only to a limited extent, and so we present novel numerical models of the time-dependent deformation associated with them. The models simulate the combined effects of lithospheric flexure and volcanic spreading during growth increments of an elastoplastic volcanic cone. Different spreading scenarios are considered by a variable coupling decoupling behavior at the interface between volcano and basement. We apply our models to Olympus Mons on Mars, which is characterized by upper to middle flank terraces on the shield, is encircled by a basal scarp that has an average slope of 30∘ and is surrounded by distant deposits that resemble large-scale slumping features on Earth. Our results are consistent with the interpretation that terraces on Olympus Mons' flanks form by thrust faulting that results from lithospheric flexure. The presence and expression of terraces depend on the coupling of volcano and basement, on the time of volcano growth relative to mantle relaxation, and on the cohesion of the edifice. The encircling scarp may be related to a very low friction detachment at the edifice base, which leads to a normal fault regime on the lowermost flanks. With time and volcano growth, predicted stress and faulting regimes migrate only slightly, indicating that the structural architecture of volcanoes is largely set in the very early stages of formation.


In the last 5 years, the intersection between psychology and human rights has become more evident, with influential international, national and local human rights institutions, including the American Psychological Association, issuing reports and resolutions on the topic. Within jurisprudence, human rights are less of a legalistic regulatory enactment and more of what social psychologists refer to as injunctive norms. We argue that conceptualising human rights as the social-psychological process of both creating and aligning injunctive and descriptive norms clarifies human rights and makes them more accessible to groups and individuals in society engaged in rights claiming. Rights claiming is a term we use to describe the moral cognitive process of people engaged in individual and/or collective behaviour aimed at securing their social identity within the public sphere where that identity is marginalised or the subject of discrimination. We argue that placing rights claiming at the centre of human rights psychology advances human rights. Focusing psychological research on social identity, the alignment of injunctive norms, deontic moral cognitions, human dignity, social dominance orientations and collective and individual behaviours forms part of securing a clear specialty in psychological science dedicated to human rights and advancing the American Psychological Association (APA)'s human rights mandate.


In the traditional medicine of the East, a prescription to cure diseases consisted of plural sorts of active natural products. Every article of those products has native features respectively, but each article was supposed to carry out fixed roles in the prescription. An article contains generally some sorts of active compounds, therefore it could be able to divide the role from the chemical, medicinal natures of those compounds. For example two groups of articles could be able to list up, each of which was supposed to carry out the proper role in various prescriptions. G. I. Articles were expected to adjust the whole of a prescription, to aid other articles on the induction of them in the inner part and on the removal of waste materials, with their mild, innocuous (or fragrant) natures GUI, JIAO, JIANG, GANCAO, RENCAN, GEGEN, YUANZHI. G. II. Articles were expected to carry out the leading role for cure even on serious diseases, to act on the cause of illness actively, and to remove the harmful product due to diseases, with their strong physical operations WUTOU , LANGDANG, DAHUANG, BADOU, SHEXIANG, SHAOYAO, MAHUANG. The conclusion - many compounds in those articles have physiological and medicinal effects for human body originated in their molecular structures, and these facts could endorse above expectations.


Tattooing became a popular phenomenon during the late twentieth century. Because the act of tattooing involves repeated injection of ink through the skin, a risk of contracting infections from contaminated tattooing equipment and ink and the surrounding environment exists. Progress has been made in infection control strategies; however, contraction of bacterial and viral infections from tattooing continues to occur. The risk of acquiring a tattoo-related infection largely depends on the hygiene conditions under which the tattoo is applied. Nevertheless, even when adequate hygiene and sanitation measures are taken, the inks themselves may contain infectious microorganisms that are able to survive under hostile conditions, such as in inks. The results of the few studies on the microbiological quality of unopened and opened tattoo inks are reported. Some authors' conclusions demonstrated that the current ink sterilisation systems show a low capability to inactivate microbial contamination in tattoo inks. At the moment, European Resolution ResAP2008-1 recommends that the ink be sterile and supplied in containers that maintain the sterility of the product until application. In light of the outcomes of published studies, at the moment, preservation of the microbial quality and safety of ink seems challenging and still difficult to reach.


This paper presents an activity-based mission planning and plan management framework that has been developed at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. The main contributions of this paper are definition of this activity-based implementation and comparison with other planning implementation approaches (e.g., behavior-based); and explanation of how planning, execution, monitoring, and replanning are implemented within this activity-based approach. One of the main benefits of this approach is the ability to separate the mission planning and plan management algorithms from activity specific algorithms and from mission and vehicle specific information. This separation results in an implementation that is highly portable both between missions and vehicles. This framework has been implemented and demonstrated in high-fidelity autonomous land and underwater vehicle simulations, is planned to be implemented on ARPA's UUV in the near future, and is being considered for applications involving other underwater vehicles, autonomous land rovers, and the space shuttle.


The purpose of this MBA Project is to explore the risks of corruption throughout the defense procurement cycle, and provide an overview of existing anti-corruption conventions and tools. This report includes background information and corruption focused analysis about defense offset agreements and single-source selection methods. The findings related to these corruption risks are supported with the analysis of three informative defense procurement cases. Additionally, the effectiveness of anti-corruption conventions is evaluated through ten countries' score changes in major corruption indices. Finally, several recommendations are offered to improve the integrity, transparency, and accountability of defense purchases.


Background: Continuous intra-duodenal infusion of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) is a well-established therapy for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) suffering from motor complications despite optimized treatment with oral dopaminomimetics. However, time to discontinuation of treatment with LCIG varies considerably between patients, ranging from a few months to more than ten years. To improve the selection of candidates for LCIG, knowledge of prognostic factors is of paramount importance. Objective: To explore baseline predictors of time to discontinuation of LCIG. Methods: In this two-center retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the medical files of 98 PD patients treated with LCIG between April 2006 and December 2015 (53% male; mean age: 66.2 years; mean disease duration: 12.3 years). Baseline patient characteristics were used as covariates in Cox regression models. Results: During follow-up (mean observation time: 2.6 years; range: 0.1–9.3) eighteen patients discontinued treatment (18.4%), while seven patients died (7.1%). Median duration of treatment with LCIG, estimated with Kaplan-Meier analysis, was 7.8 years (95% CI: 6.7–9.0). Disease duration (in years) at baseline was a statistically significant predictor of time to discontinuation of LCIG (HR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.75–0.96, p = 0.006). All other characteristics studied, e.g. age >70 years, did not show statistically significant associations with the total duration of treatment with LCIG. Conclusion: Our findings show a low overall rate of discontinuation of LCIG infusion, with a median duration of treatment of 7.8 years. Shorter disease duration at baseline appeared to be a predictor of earlier discontinuation of LCIG.


The purpose of this paper was to develop a statistical methodology to optimize tablet manufacturing considering drug chemical and physical properties applying a crossed experimental design. The assessed model drug was dried ferrous sulphate and the variables were the hardness and the relative proportions of three excipients, binder, filler and disintegrant. Granule properties were modeled as a function of excipient proportions and tablet parameters were defined by the excipient proportion and hardness. The desirability function was applied to achieve optimal values for excipient proportions and hardness. In conclusion, crossed experimental design using hardness as the only process variable is an efficient strategy to quickly determine the optimal design process for tablet manufacturing. This method can be applied for any tablet manufacturing method.


This paper discusses the restructuring of the social protection system in the changing labor market by comparing and critically reviewing policy ideas of Universal Basic Income (UBI), Universal Basic Voucher (UBV), and Universal Basic Service (UBS) with a focus on how the Social and Ecological Transition (SET) can be achieved. UBS is a concept often paired with UBI, and UBV is considered a middle way between UBI (cash) and UBS (in-kind). This study first analyzes Korea's basic income, basic service, and basic voucher cases, according to Bohnenberger's nine types of social benefits through Standing's policy evaluation principles. Additionally, we evaluated how each of the benefits included in basic income, basic service, and basic voucher can contribute to social and ecological sustainability in the Korean context. Through this evaluation, to pursue SET in the future, what kind of policy efforts should be accompanied with basic income through a Korean case analysis was discussed. The paper focuses on Korea in particular, as all three policies have been initiated here.


The Colombian National Bilingual Education Program is intended to improve the learning of English as a foreign language at the various levels of schooling. Yet, very few systematic studies have been done within schools to reveal their true circumstances with respect to that program. Our study, conducted in the city of Santiago de Cali, used surveys, interviews and an international test to ascertain what academic directors have done from an administrative standpoint and to identify the level of teachers' proficiency in English, among other aspects designed to reveal the profile of the faculty involved in the program. The sample was comprised of 56 schools that represent the 22 municipal districts into which the city is divided administratively. They are located in low and middle-income neighborhoods. The management of resources and human talent was found to be insufficient to support the processes devised to implement this educational policy. Furthermore, the levels of language proficiency on the part of the teachers generally fall short of the GDP targets, which call for professionally active teachers to have a vantage or upper intermediate level of proficiency (B2) by 2019, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Moreover, there is a gap between English teaching in private and public schools, which goes against the spirit of the policy on education. These findings point to the need for an urgent review of the conditions in which a foreign language is taught, so action for improvement can be taken if the goal is for students to become more proficient in English.


For most basic cryptographic tasks, such as public-key encryption, digital signatures, authentication, key exchange, and many other more sophisticated tasks, ideal functionalities have been formulated in the simulation-based security approach, along with their realizations. Surprisingly, however, no such functionality exists for symmetric encryption, except for a more abstract Dolev-Yao style functionality. In this paper, we fill this gap. We propose two functionalities for symmetric encryption, an unauthenticated and an authenticated version, and show that they can be implemented based on standard cryptographic assumptions for symmetric encryption schemes, namely IND-CCA security and authenticated encryption, respectively, provided that the environment does not create key cycles or cause these-called commitment problem. We also illustrate the usefulness of our functionalities in applications, both in simulation-based and game-based security settings.


If justice requires that certain goods, such as education, health and emergency services, be provided, how should the resources needed to provide these goods be collected: by taxation or donation? This is a crucial question. In many countries, including the US and the UK, donation plays an important role in funding basic services. We need to know whether this practice is to be welcomed and extended or whether governments should replace donor funding with taxation. This article seeks to answer this question on the basis of two values. The first, 'justice amongst contributors', is the value of justly distributing the costs of providing a good amongst those obligated to contribute to its provision. The second, 'non-domination for recipients', is the value of ensuring that recipients are secured against arbitrary interference in the receipt of the goods they are owed. It may seem that donation ensures justice amongst contributors since it allows each contributor to contribute exactly the amount that they wish to contribute. Any contributor who feels that they contribute too much is free to contribute less. However, this article demonstrates that voluntariness is insufficient to ensure justice amongst contributors. A contributor who contributes more than their fair share, out of concern that recipients receive the goods they are owed, suffers distributive injustice. The article goes on to argue that taxation does a better job than donation in realising both justice amongst contributors and non-domination for recipients.


An implementationoriented algorithmfor lazy code motion is presentedthat minimizesthe number of computations in programs while suppressing any unnecessary code motion in order to avoid superruous register pressure. In particular, this variant of the original algorithm for lazy code motion works on owgraphs whose nodes are basic blocks rather than single statements, as this format is standard in optimizing compilers. The theoretical foundations of the modiied algorithm are given in the rst part, where t-reened owgraphs are introduced for simplifying the treatment of owgraphs whose nodes are basic blocks. The second part presents thèbasic block' algorithm in standard notation, and gives directions for its implementation in standard compiler environments.


EXAMINING THE FACTORS REALTED TO BISEXUAL INDIVIDUALS' PREFERENCE FOR FUTURE PARENTING PARTNER Laurin B. Roberts Old Dominion University, 2015 Director: Dr. James F. Paulson Although a notable amount of research has examined sexual minority parents and their families over the last decade, very little literature has focused on bisexual parents. Most of the research emphasis has been placed on parenting by lesbian women and gay men, with parenting by bisexual individuals often being subsumed by these categories. There is currently a lack of understanding of what factors contribute to bisexual individuals' preference for gender of their future parenting partner. Because of this, the current study examined the factors related to parenting partner preferences of bisexual students. Forty-seven bisexual individuals completed a series of questionnaires examining variables such as general religiosity, the desire to have children, sexual attractions and behaviors, experiences of anti-bisexual prejudice, and internalized biphobia. Preferences for opposite-sex and same-sex future parenting partners were assessed among all participants. Findings indicated that various components of bisexual participants' identities were related to parenting partner preferences. Specifically, higher levels of opposite-sex attractions predicted higher preferences for opposite-sex partners, whereas higher levels of same-sex attractions predicted lower preferences for oppositesex partners. Further, higher amounts of sexual contact with the opposite-sex predicted higher preferences for opposite-sex partners. In contrast, higher amounts of sexual contact with the same-sex predicted higher preferences for same-sex partners. Lastly, participants' desire to have children was predictive of both opposite-sex and same-sex partner preferences, where parenting desire demonstrated linear and quadratic predictive relationships with opposite-sex and same-sex partner preferences, respectively.


In this paper, a particle-in-cell simulation of ion and neutral-beam extraction through a grid with high-aspect-ratio holes in contact with plasma was developed. Particular emphasis was placed on plasma molding over the holes, ion neutralization along the sidewall of the holes, and the energy and angular distributions of the residual ions and fast neutrals in the beam downstream of the holes. The target application was the generation of fast neutral beams for future charge-free microelectronics manufacturing. The energy and angular distributions of ions at different locations along the hole sidewall showed that ions which neutralize on the top section of the surface of the hole are "bad," in the sense that these ions yield divergent neutral beams of relatively low energy. Ions that neutralize along the bottom section of the hole sidewall are "good," in the sense that these ions yield neutral beams that are less divergent and retain more of the energy of the parent ions. A three-grid ion-extraction/neutralization system is proposed to increase the fraction of good ions and produce a higher quality neutral beam.


Language engagement is defined as "a dynamic, multidimensional construct compromising situated notions of cognition, affect and behaviors including social interactions in which action is a requisite component" (p.3). It is thus a highly complex construct that defines meaningful language learning outcomes, resulting in the growing interest regarding the field of second language acquisition (SLA) over the past two decades (Hiver et al., 2021). As a joint effort of internationally-recognized SLA experts, this edited volume covers language engagement in its all complexity, including measures of its factor structures, related environmental, technological and emotional factors, which provides valuable sources of reference for the scholarship and practice among researchers, instructors and learners alike.


Metal matrix composite coatings are developed to protect parts made from materials susceptible to wear, like nickel alloys or stainless steel. The industry-established deposition method is presently an atmospheric plasma spraying method since it allows the production of both well-adhering and thick coatings. Alternatively, similar coatings could be produced by co-milling of ceramic and alloyed powders together with metallic plates serving as substrates. It results in mechanical embedding of the powder particles into exposed metallic surfaces required coatings. The present experiment was aimed at the analysis of microstructure of such coatings obtained using NiAl and CrB2 powders. They were loaded together with nickel and stainless steel platelets into ball mill vials and rotated at 350 rpm for up to 32 h. This helped to produce coatings of a thickness up to ~40 µm. The optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy observations of the coatings led to conclusion that the higher the rotation speed of vials, the wider the intermixing zone between the coating and the substrate. Simultaneously, it was established that the total thickness of the coating deposited at specified conditions is limited by the brittleness of its nanocrystalline matrix. An increase in the hardness of the substrate results in a decrease of the intermixing zone. The above results indicate that even as the method based on mechanical embedding could so far produce thinner coatings than the plasma spraying, in the former case they are characterized by a more uniform nanocrystalline matrix with homogenously distributed fine ceramic particles.


Research about parent experiences with the special education system is largely dominated from mothers' perspectives. This article will present a qualitative interview study of the overlooked voice: fathers of children with disabilities. Twenty fathers were interviewed about their experiences navigating the system for their child. Three key experiences surfaced during data analysis: Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting, collaboration with educators, and conflict. The fathers reported that IEP meetings exemplify an overwhelming and insufficient process in need of restructuring. Findings indicated that effective collaboration with educators require building relationships, establishing communication, and listening to the parent voice. The fathers also discussed addressing conflict with educators through two strategies: fighting the battle and/or coming together for a resolution. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.


Abstract The time evolution of an estuary plume and its coastal front over a continental shelf is numerically calculated here using a three-dimensional model with eddy mixing based on the turbulence kinetic energy closure. The plume and front system is found to be unsteady with a natural period of about 5–10 days, during which the plume pulsates and intermittent coastal currents propagate down the coast.


The study was aimed to develop Balanced Diet Index (BDI) for Indonesian adult males. The spesific purposes of this study were to assess food consumption pattern of Indonesian adult males, to develop several alternatives of BDIs and to select the most appropriate BDI for Indonesian adult males. The design of the study was crosssectional, using the food consumption data from Basic Health Research 2010 collected using 24-hours recall method. The data covered 64 448 subjects, and 61 129 of them were analyzed in this study. There were 10 alternatives of BDIs developed based on the food group and their intake, and also their scoring systems. The gold standard used to validate the BDI is the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) measured by mean nutrient adequacy of 16 nutrients. The result showed the pearson correlation coefficient of the BDI and MAR range from 0.46 to 0.64. The most appropriate BDI to determine MAR is BDI3-60 (r=0.64). BDI3-60 consists of six food and implementing 3-level of scoring system.


The shale beds of the Khabour and Akkas Formations (Ordovician–Silurian) in Akkas field of western Iraq have been studied to determine their hydrocarbon-generation potential. The total organic carbon (TOC) values of the Khabour Formation were generally low and associated with low S2 and hydrogen index (HI) values indicating that this formation is not a hydrocarbon source, although this could reflect advanced thermal maturity. The gray-green shales of the upper part of the Akkas Formation also have low TOC and S2 values. On the other hand, the TOC, S2, and HI values of the black shales of the lower part of the Akkas Formation were high. The values indicate that the gray-green shales of the upper part of the Akkas Formation are not petroleum sources, whereas the black shales of the lower part can be regarded as potential hydrocarbon source rocks. Organic petrology studies reveal that marine amorphous organic matter is predominant, and no significant differences were observed between Khabour and Akkas samples in terms of organic-matter type. Molecular geochemical data also indicate that the kerogen of the two formations is of similar origin. The normal alkane distribution is unimodal, with a maximum at , indicating marine algal organic matter. Rock-Eval and biomarker data indicate that the organic matter of the black shales of the lower part of the Akkas Formation is early mature, whereas the Khabour Formation is highly mature in the Akkas field.


PurposeForests are negatively affected from rapid world population increase and industrialization that create intense pressures on natural resources and the possibility of an achieving circular economy. Forests can be considered as essential resources for providing sustainable society and meeting the requirements of future generations and circular economy. Therefore sustainable production tools as part of circular economy can be handled as one of the basic indicators for achieving circular economy. Accordingly the main purpose of this study is developing a novel rough – fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making model (MCDM) for evaluation sustainable production for forestry firms in Eastern Black Sea Region.Design/methodology/approachFor determining 18 criteria weights a novel Rough PIPRECIA (PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment) method is developed. Eight decision-makers (DMs) participated in the research, and to obtain group rough decision matrix, rough Dombi weighted geometric averaging (RNDWGA) operator has been applied. For evaluation forestry firms fuzzy MARCOS (Measurement of alternatives and ranking according to COmpromise solution) method was utilized.FindingsAfter application developed model the fourth alternative was found as the best. Sensitivity analysis and comparison were made to present the applicability of this method.Originality/valueDevelopment of novel integrated Rough PIPRECIA-Fuzzy MARCOS model with emphasis on developing new Rough PIPRECIA method.


Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions in the universe. Alt-hough the exact mechanism behind these explosions remains elusive, GRBs hold great promise as cosmological probes for two main reasons: they have been observed up to very high redshift (z > 9), and their gamma-ray emission is unencumbered by any intervening dust. Several GRB energy and luminosity indicators have been discovered. These indicators correlate an observable quantity, like the intrinsic peak energy, Ep,i, in the spectrum of a burst to an unobservable parameter like the equivalent isotropic energy, Eiso, or the isotropic peak luminosity, Lp,iso. This paper provides a brief review of one of these energy and luminosity indicators, the Amati relation, and discusses its potential use as a cosmological probe.


A comparative study of the corrosion behaviour of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel joined by two different welding methods, namely, electric arc and tungsten inert gas welding, has been carried out in boiling commercial nitric acid. The welded austenitic stainless steel specimens were boiled in commercial nitric acid with a concentration of 55% for 44, 96, and 144 hours. Aftewards, the influence of the exposure time on the corrosion behavior of welded austenitic stainless steels was determined.


ABSTRACT Understanding of chemical bonding is a fundamentally important topic. Given the importance of bonding studies, we performed quantum calculations on plutonium chloro complexes (PuClx(III) and PuClx(IV)) that are believed to form as molten chloride salts during nuclear waste treatment. The result of these calculations was verified by comparing them to experimental data on a similar actinide chloro complex. Charge and bond order analyses of the complexes provide insight into the electronic properties, bonding, and nuclear magnetic resonance characteristics of the plutonium chloro complexes. The chemical shift of the Pu(III) complexes are found to be negative while those of Pu(IV) are positive.