This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Cyclocarya paliurus(Batal.) Iljinskaja polysaccharide on the proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The crude polysaccharide extract of C. paliurus was fractionated by using D301-R macroporous resin and DEAE-anion fiber resin, and a C. paliurus polysaccharide component(CPC) was obtained. Gel permeation chromatography(GPC) and multi-angle laser light scattering(MALLS) were then used to determine its molecular weight distribution. The proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes treated with different CPC concentrations were measured by MTT and oil red O staining, respectively. At the same time the glucose consumption and extracellular glycerol content were determined. Results showed that CPC consisted of three different components and their viscosity-average molecular weight( M η) was determined to be 50300, 3951 g/mol and 1406 g/mol, respectively. Within a certain concentration range, CPC affected the proliferation of preadipocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Compared with the control group, CPC could reduce the glucose consumption and extracellular glycerin content of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with inhibition ratios of as high as 9.61% and 30.8% respectively. These observations reveal that the C. paliurus polysaccharide is capable of promoting the proliferation of adipocytes in certain concentration range and reducing glucose consumption and extracellular glycerin content.


Processed products derived from mushrooms have been found and enjoyed by the community. One of the edible mushrooms used as traditional medicinal ingredients andalso, functional food is oyster mushrooms. Although oyster mushrooms have often been studied even using sophisticated instruments, some chemical laboratories that do not yet have sophisticated instruments still need literature data in the process of separation until pure isolates are obtained. This research was conducted to be the solution. The study uses descriptive methods by collecting data from the results of extraction, characterization, identification, and testing of antioxidant activity. Characterization includes retention factor (Rf) from elution of thin-layer chromatography (TLC), determination of melting point (to determine the purity of isolates), and solubility test (to determine the nature of polarity). The identification of isolates was done by analyzing the results of Infrared and UV-Vis spectra. Phytochemical studies of white oyster mushrooms can be done based on secondary metabolite screening, separation by extraction, and fractionation using organic solvents. Based on phytochemical screening, white oyster mushrooms are known to positively contain flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids. The crude extract had an absorbance of 0.669 at 274 nm, the chloroform fraction had an absorbance of 0.827 at 267 nm, and pure isolates had an absorbance of 0.628 at 282 nm. A spectrum with a maximum wavelength of> 210 nm indicates a conjugated system. The longer the conjugated system, the more inactive in the UV region of 200- 360 nm (UV) but more active in the 360-729 nm (Visible) region (Worsfold et al, 2019). UV-Vis spectrum of methanol extract, chloroform fraction, and pure isolate showed wave crests in the region> 210 nm so that all three were shown to have a conjugated system.


Toward the goal of developing degradable polycationic materials with tunable backbone charge densities and hydrophilicities, we report the optimized syntheses and polymerization activities of a series of N-Boc-protected amino acidO-vinyl ester (BAAVE) monomers derived from Boc-protected glycine, alanine, valine, and proline. The homopolymerization and copolymerization behaviors of these monomers under thermally initiated conventional free radical polymerization conditions are studied. By conducting copolymerizations of (N-tert-butoxycarbonyl)glycine vinyl ester (BGVE) with vinyl acetate (VAc) at various feed ratios and by analyzing the compositions of the resulting polymers produced at 88 °C using 1,1′-azobis(cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile) (V-40) initiation, we find that the reactivity ratios are rBGVE = 1.61 ± 0.12 and rVAc = 0.82 ± 0.07. Treatment of poly(VAc-co-BAAVE) with neat CF3COOH selectively unmasks the Boc-protected amine functionalities to furnish cationic poly(VAc-co-AAVE·CF3COOH) copolymers. Alternatively, treatment of these random copolymers with methanolic HCl results in the complete hydrolysis of both the Boc-protecting groups as well as the acetate esters, enabling access to well-defined, hydrophilic, polycationic amino acid ester-functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) materials.


In this paper an indirect adaptive controller for single-input single-output (SISO-) systems is presented. The design procedure uses the mathematical input-output model of the plant to find a controller output which minimizes a cost function for a given prediction horizon. Therefore this predictive controller is able to work both with linear and nonlinear plants (i.e., using linear and nonlinear models of the plant); it only needs the input-output description of the plant to be controlled. In this paper, for example, results with linear ARMAX-models, as well as with a neural network description of a nonlinear plant are presented. The controller output is found using an evident search strategy which avoids computation of partial derivatives.


In 1998, following the very wet EI Nino weather event, a devastating outbreak of rust disease severely damaged the garlic crop in California. The disease also occurred in 1999 and 2000, indicating that rust may have developed into an annual problem. We identified the pathogen as Puccinia allii. In our study, it infected allium crops such as garlic, onion and chives, but not leek, elephant garlic or shallot. Currently registered materials did not control the disease, but tebuconazole (Folicur) and azoxystrobin (Quadris) provided good protection against garlic rust. Based on our work, a Section 18 emergency exomption for tebuconazole was approved by state pesticide regulators. We tested 34 UC and industry garlic varieties and found that none were completely resistant to garlic rust.


Imagery, broadly defined as all that people may construe in cognitive models pertaining to vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, and feeling states, precedes and shapes human language. In this pathfinding book, Gary B. Palmer restores imagery to a central place in studies of language and culture by bringing together the insights of cognitive linguistics and anthropology to form a new theory of cultural linguistics. Palmer begins by showing how cognitive grammar complements the traditional anthropological approaches of Boasian linguistics, ethnosemantics, and the ethnography of speaking. He then applies his cultural theory to a wealth of case studies, including Bedouin lamentations, spatial organization in Coeur d'Alene place names and anatomical terms, Kuna narrative sequence, honorifics in Japanese sales language, the domain of ancestral spirits in Proto-Bantu noun-classifiers, Chinese counterfactuals, the non-arbitrariness of Spanish verb forms, and perspective schemas in English discourse. This pioneering approach suggests innovative solutions to old problems in anthropology and new directions for research. It will be important reading for everyone interested in anthropology, linguistics, cognitive science, and philosophy.


Clearing is an important process in histological preparations. The aim of the clearing process is to remove alcohol from the tissues upon dehydration. The most commonly used clearing agent is xylol, however it is known that there are negative effects from using xylol. This literature study purpose to study the potential of three vegetable oils, i.e., olive oil, coconut oil, and refined palm oil, as clearing agents to replace xylol. This literature study was conducted using search engines such as Semantic Scholar, NCBI, ICAMS, IJPRSE, JOMFP, PubMed, and ResearchGate with the keywords olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, xylol, clearing agent, and histological preparations. There is no year limitation of references in this literature study. Based on the literatures, it is known that the use of olive oil as a clearing agent produces similar histological preparation qualities to xylol. This can be seen from several criteria that were measured, including the level of tissue translucency and the ability to maintain the quality of the staining. Similar results were shown by purified coconut oil and palm oil, both of which can produce tissues with optimal levels of transparency. The conclusion from this literature study is that refined olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil can be used as clearing agents for xylol substitutes that are safer for researchers and the environment.


Stem cells often rely on glycolysis for energy production, and switching to oxidative phosphorylation is believed to be essential for their differentiation. To explore the link between mitochondrial respiration and stem cell differentiation, we genetically disrupted electron transport chain (ETC) complexes in the intestinal stem cells (ISCs) of Drosophila. We found that ISCs carrying impaired ETC proliferated much more slowly than normal, produced very few intestinal progenitors, or enteroblasts, and failed to differentiate into enterocytes or enteroendocrine cells. One of the main impediments to ISCs' differentiation appeared to be abnormally elevated forkhead box O (FOXO) signaling in the ETC-deficient ISCs, as genetically suppressing the signaling pathway partially rescued the differentiation defect. Contrary to common belief, neither reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation nor adenosine triphosphate (ATP) reduction appeared to mediate the ETC mutant phenotype. Our results demonstrate that ETC is essential for Drosophila ISC proliferation and differentiation in vivo, and acts at least partially by repressing endogenous FOXO signaling. They also raise the possibility that ETC complexes have a role in stem cell differentiation beyond electron transfer and ATP production.


We observe splitting of the modes in a coupled-fiber-ring resonator system. This splitting leads to a greatly enhanced transmission (cancellation of absorption) on resonance. We show the analogies between this effect and classical electromagnetically induced transparency.


The ESA Planck satellite has begun studying the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background radiation over the whole sky with unprecedented sensitivity and high angular resolution. The High Frequency Instrument, HFI, on Planck is observing simultaneously in six bands in the range 100 GHz to 857 GHz. The inclusion of non-CMB bands allows for robust removal of foreground sources from the data. This paper is concerned with the design, modeling and predicted performances of the two highest frequency channels centered on 545 GHz and 857 GHz, which use specialized multi-mode feedhorns, and are dedicated to observing these foregrounds. Multi-mode systems have the advantage of increasing the throughput, and thus sensitivity, of the detection assembly when diffraction limited resolution is not required. The horns are configured in a back-to-back setup which transmits the signal through filters to a detector horn. The modeling of the broadband beam patterns on the sky is shown to require careful analysis. Simulations of the complex interactions of the horns is computationally challenging when the detector horn in the relay system is included. The paper describes the approach to modeling these high frequency channels and discusses how the optical requirements on the horn designs are met in terms of spillover, edge taper, illumination of the telescope aperture and beam patterns on the sky.


Abstract This paper addresses the measurement and modelling of the damaged properties of asphalt mixtures including the fracture, healing and viscoplastic deformation of the asphalt mixtures in both tensile and compressive loading as being affected by their composition and conditioning with ageing and exposure to temperature and moisture. An energy-based mechanics is applied to obtain the material fundamental properties such as surface energies, bond energies, anisotropy, yield functions and plastic potential functions that are valid for actual asphalt mixtures, viscoelastic crack growth criteria under both tensile and compressive loading, a simple mechanics-based method of determining the fatigue endurance limit, and the measurement and prediction of healing in restoring the damage done by fracture. Healing is anti-fracture and cracking is the net result of the interplay of these two complimentary mechanisms. Because fracture in asphalt mixtures is not the growth of a single crack but the simultaneous growth of multiple cracks that start out as air voids, this fact leads to the use of the growth of damage density to characterise fracture in an asphalt mixture. It was discovered that the form of Paris' law applies to the growth of damage density of asphalt mixtures in both tensile and compressive loadings. The importance of this fact lies in many developments from this discovery, e.g. compressive monotonic loading of cylindrical test samples permits a direct determination of the Paris' Law coefficient and exponent. In all cases, measured material properties are presented as they vary with mixture composition and with conditioning such as moisture and ageing, both in the lab and in the field. The measurements of these properties are made simply, quickly and accurately by the use of mechanics so that an entire characterisation of the properties of an asphalt mixture in tension and compression can be completed in the space of one day. The net effect is to reduce the efforts expended in the lab and the systematic error due to the assumptions made by the existing models and simultaneously to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of materials testing and raise the reliability of the design of mixtures, pavement structures and specifications and the prediction of the life cycles in as-built pavements.


Social network services have become important and efficient platforms for users to share all kinds of information. The capability to monitor user-generated information and detect bursts from information diffusions in these social networks brings value to a wide range of real-life applications, such as viral marketing. However, in reality, as a third party, there is always a cost for gathering information from each user or so-called social network sensor. The question then arises how to select a budgeted set of social network sensors to form the data stream for burst detection without compromising the detection performance. In this article, we present a general sensor selection solution for different burst detection approaches. We formulate this problem as a constraint satisfaction problem that has high computational complexity. To reduce the computational cost, we first reduce most of the constraints by making use of the fact that bursty cascades are rare among the whole population. We then transform the problem into an Linear Programming (LP) problem. Furthermore, we use the sub-gradient method instead of the standard simplex method or interior-point method to solve the LP problem, which makes it possible for our solution to scale up to large social networks. Evaluating our solution on millions of real information cascades, we demonstrate both the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach.


Narino is a significant producer of lulo in Colombia, with the producers of the region found in the northern part of the department. The principal problems for the producers are the low levels of productivity and profit, which have led to increasing abandonment of this crop, losses of manual labor, and a reduction in the standard of living. The general objective of the present study focused on the application of multivariate analysis in order to reveal the characteristics of the production system, such as the elements of decisions. The results of surveys, interviews, and direct observations of the production units were analyzed through principal component and grouping analyses, using the Ward distance criterion. The studied lots were between 1,788 m a.s.l. in the La Florida District of the municipality of Colon and 2,480 m a.s.l. in the Botanilla District of the municipality of Cartago. Yields were low, although the majority of the producers in Colon obtained yields over 7.0 kg/ plant with a shared production system. The plantlets used for the establishment of the crops are produced by the farmers, few in number, and rarely bought. Chemical fertilization and phytosanitation predominate, although, in San Lorenzo, only organic fertilizers are applied during sowing; microelements are not applied in any of the municipalities. The harvest is commercialized by agrobusinesses with prices fixed by the venders. The analysis of the economic variables showed that those producers with a high number of plants were more efficient and obtained a profit of 488.4%, higher than the general average which was 202.5%.


We propose a family of Abelian quantum Hall states termed the non-diagonal states, which arise at filling factors $\nu=p/2q$ for bosonic systems and $\nu=p/(p+2q)$ for fermionic systems, with $p$ and $q$ being two coprime integers. Non-diagonal quantum Hall states are constructed in a coupled wire model, which shows an intimate relation to the non-diagonal conformal field theory and has a constrained pattern of motion for bulk quasiparticles, featuring a non-trivial interplay between charge symmetry and translation symmetry. The non-diagonal state is established as a distinctive symmetry-enriched topological order. Aside from the usual $U(1)$ charge sector, there is an additional symmetry-enriched neutral sector described by the quantum double model $\mathcal{D}(\mathbb{Z}_p)$, which relies on the presence of both the $U(1)$ charge symmetry and the $\mathbb{Z}$ translation symmetry of the wire model. Translation symmetry distinguishes non-diagonal states from Laughlin states, in a way similar to how it distinguishes weak topological insulators from trivial band insulators. Moreover, the translation symmetry in non-diagonal states can be associated to the $\mathbf{e}\leftrightarrow\mathbf{m}$ anyonic symmetry in $\mathcal{D}(\mathbb{Z}_p)$, implying the role of dislocations as two-fold twist-defects. The boundary theory of non-diagonal states is derived microscopically. For the edge perpendicular to the direction of wires, the effective Hamiltonian has two components: a chiral Luttinger liquid and a generalized $p$-state clock model. Importantly, translation symmetry in the bulk is realized as self-duality on the edge. The symmetric edge is thus either gapless or gapped with spontaneously broken symmetry. For $p=2,3$, the respective electron tunneling exponents are predicted for experimental probes.


The thesis deals with the relevant forms of management of innovation projects with a strong systemic, disruptive and digital component, which contribute to the structuring of an ecosystem. Indeed, these types of innovation are becoming more and more numerous given the growing connection of objects / services / companies / public authorities and the resulting new cross-business opportunities.The insights provided by existing literature enable managers to perform strategic decision making when rules of the game are set among known actors, but not when the actors and the environment are progressively defined. Nowadays, managers from private and public institutions need to get aligned with variable internal, external conditions, time perspectives, and ill-defined demand system; they miss guidance on how proceeding with it. The research questions emerging from empirical and theoretical investigations are the following: 1. How can an ecosystem project be managed? Is there a specific pattern, and which are the variables of project steering? 2.Which are the most strategically performing steering processes for the selection of innovation projects related to ecosystem structuring? Which are the organizational variables and the mediating variables toward eco-systemic structuring? 3. Which are the more adequate management artefacts to support the exploration process in a context of ecosystem project?In order to study the dynamics at work, and to instrumentalise their management, the research work focuses on the case of connected mobility, observed through the participation in three projects, according to the uses defined by the impetus of OEMs, and under the initiatives of users (autonomous vehicle, connected, electric, shared). The projects chosen concern the diffusion of the fast charging infrastructure of the electric vehicle, the creation of a prototype marketplace for the data collected by the vehicles, and the development of services enabled by the autonomous vehicle. All of them constitute a terrain particularly disrupted by the trend of connection, forcing a reconfiguration of actors, their partnership policies, their business model (ex: Uber, Google Car ...). Hence the current need to update existing tools and theories in innovation management. The analysis of the data collected provides elements to answer the research questions. Following the identification of management challenges specific to systemic and disruptive innovation projects, we have developed a framework of analysis and action integrating the three underlying theoretical logic (platform leadership / systemic innovation, disruptive innovation / design driven innovation, digital business model). We have identified and characterized a project typology, the Proto-ecosystem project, which enables stakeholders to create the knowledge, skills and connections that contribute to the structuring of an ecosystem. We have identified the typical process by stage finalized to the alignment of the partners of the observed projects and the more efficient artifacts in this alignment process. We have indicated the limitations of this research and the possible future evolutions.


In addition to the better-known roles of the erythrocyte in the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide, the concept that the red blood cell is involved in the transport and release of ATP has been evolving (J. Luthje, Blut 59, 367, 1989; G. R. Bergfeld and T. Forrester, Cardiovasc. Res. 26, 40, 1992; M. L. Ellsworth et al., Am. J. Physiol. 269, H2155, 1995; R. S. Sprague et al., Am. J. Physiol. 275, H1726, 1998). Membrane proteins involved in the release of ATP from erythrocytes now appear to include members of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) family (C. F. Higgins, Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 8, 67, 1992; C. F. Higgins, Cell 82, 693, 1995). In addition to defining physiologically the presence of ABC proteins in RBCs, accumulating gel electrophoretic evidence suggests that the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and the multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP1), respectively, constitute significant proteins in the red blood cell membrane. As such, this finding makes the mature erythrocyte compartment a major mammalian repository of these important ABC proteins. Because of its relative structural simplicity and ready accessibility, the erythrocyte offers an ideal system to explore details of the physiological functions of ABC proteins. Moreover, the presence of different ABC proteins in a single membrane implies that interaction among these proteins and with other membrane proteins may be the norm and not the exception in terms of modulation of their functions.


Abstract: The carrier-to-noise power ratio is a key parameter for determining the reliability of PVT (Position, Velocity, and Time) solutions which are obtained by a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver. It is also used for locking a tracking loop, deciding the re-acquisition process, and processing advanced navigation in the receiver subsystem. The representative carrier-to-noise power ratio estimation schemes are the narrowband-wideband power ratio method (NW), the MM (Moment Method), and Beaulieu's method (BL). The NW scheme is the most classical one for commercial GNSS receivers. It is often used as an authoritative benchmark for assessing carrier-to-noise power estimation schemes. The MM scheme is the least biased solution among them, and the BL scheme is a simpler scheme than the MM scheme. This paper focuses on the less biased estimation with low complexity when the residual phase noise remains, then proposes a novel carrier-to-noise power ratio estimation scheme with low complexity for GNSS receivers. The asymptotic bias of the proposed scheme is derived and compared with others, and the simulation results demonstrate that the complexity of the proposed scheme is lowest among them, while the estimation performance of the proposed scheme is similar to those of the BL and MM schemes in normal and high gained reception environments.Keywords: GNSS, carrier-to-noise power ratio estimator, complexity, residual phase error, asymptotic bias


Brown tumors are non-neoplastic bone lesions caused by an abnormal remodeling of the bone that may occur with primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism. Their radiological aspect: lytic and aggressive can easily be misdiagnosed for a malignant origin hence the importance of knowing that diagnosis is to be considered through both clinical context and radiological semiology, which will be detailed via this case of a 32-year-old female patient with an end-stage kidney disease, admitted for facial disfiguration and palpable masses corresponding to brown tumors affecting the maxilla and the mandibular bone.


Public administration continues to face an identity crisis that turns on the question of whether the animating principles of the discipline are to be discovered in the political foundations of a given regime, or whether they are to be found in more universal and transcendent principles of scientific management. Herbert J. Storing reframed the identity crisis as a problem arising from America's constitutional system of governance. In doing so, he created an important role for public administration in democratic governance. This role took the form of "closet statesmanship" and, in practice, requires the exercise of prudential judgment that looks more like judicial decision making than scientific management. In summarizing Storing's writings, the authors convincingly argue that he has much to teach us about the ongoing debate regarding the role of the bureaucracy within America's 87,576 systems of government.


Mitigation of non-CO2 climate forcing agents must complement the mitigation of CO2 to achieve long-term temperature and climate policy goals. A large share of global non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions is attributed to agriculture, with a significant contribution related to dairy production. As demonstrated by the results of a recent USDA coordinated project, Dairy-CAP, dairy farmers can significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by implementing beneficial management practices (BMPs). This study assesses the potential mitigation of projected climate change if greenhouse gases associated with the dairy subsector were reduced. To compare the performance of several mitigation measures under future climate change, we employ a fully coupled Earth system model of intermediate complexity, the MIT Earth System Model. With an interactive carbon-cycle, the model is capable of addressing important feedbacks between the climate and terrestrial biosphere impacting greenhouse gas concentrations. We illustrate the importance of ongoing mitigation efforts in the agricultural sector to reduce non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions towards established climate goals. If BMPs are implemented globally within the next three decades, projected warming by the end of the century can be reduced by 0.21 °C on average or 6% of total warming, with dairy farm mitigation contributing to 0.03 °C of the temperature reduction.


Abstract:The city of Bombay emerged as an emblematic space of India's postcolonial modernity in Hindi cinema during the 1950s, India's first decade of independence. This article focuses on the mise-en-scène of musical sequences—from popular Hindi films such as C.I.D. (dir. Raj Khosla, 1956), Awara (The Vagabond, dir. Raj Kapoor, 1951), Shree 420 (The Gentleman Cheat, dir. Raj Kapoor, 1955), Aar paar (This Way or That, dir. Guru Dutt, 1954), and Pocket maar (Pickpocket, dir. H. S. Rawail, 1956), as well as less commercially successful films such as Phir subah hogi (Dawn Will Come Again, dir. Ramesh Saigal, 1958)—that featured Bombay in a prominent role and delivered it to the Indian public as an iconic space oscillating between exuberance and disenchantment. The author analyzes how these musical sequences use performance, music, and set design to reimagine the metropolis as a site of social critique and utopian fantasy. The urban landscape created through these musical performances and the often highly stylized studio sets is not meant to be read as an authentic representation of real-life locales. Instead, the set as artifice insistently draws attention to its constructed nature and, in fact, relies, for its legibility and evocative power, on this "unreality effect." The author's aim is to show how this unreal city emerges, in part, out of popular cinema's encounter with the Indian left cultural movement and leftist street theater of the 1940s, and how it functions as a "cinetopia," a heterogeneous space of utopian longings and dystopian disenchantment.


Lima bean is a legume produced and consumed in various countries. To reduce post harvest losses and to enable the storage for long periods, an alternative is to dry the product. To describe the drying process, a mathematical model is usually required. In this article, four empirical equations available in the literature were used to simulate thin layer drying kinetics of lima bean at temperatures of 40, 50 and 60°C. The four empirical equations were chosen based on their simplicity, involving only one or two fitting parameters. The statistical indicators showed that the Page and Silva et al. models were the best ones to describe the process. These two empirical equations has helped to deduce an analytical expression for the drying rate and these expressions produce results which can be considered equivalent.

 Key words: Drying rate, mathematical model, grain, storage.


To properly respond to changes in fluency conditions, Nature has developed a variety of photosensors that modulate gene expression, enzyme activity and/or motility. Dedicated types have evolved, which can be classified in six families: rhodopsins, phytochromes, xanthopsins, cryptochromes, phototropins and BLUF-proteins. The photochemistry of the first three families is based on cis / trans isomerization of an ethylene bond. Surprisingly, the latter three all use flavin as their chromophore, but each with very different photochemistry. In this contribution we will discuss the molecular basis of signal generation in a xanthopsin (Photoactive Yellow Protein (PYP) from Halorhodospira halophila ), a photoreceptor for negative phototaxis, and in a BLUF protein (AppA from Rhodobacter sphaeroides ), a transcriptional anti-repressor. PYP is activated through trans / cis isomerization of the 7,8-vinyl bond of its 4-hydroxycinnamic acid chromophore. This initiates a photocycle with multiple intermediates, like pB, which is formed after intramolecular proton transfer. The negative charge thus formed in the interior of the protein triggers formation of a partially unfolded signaling state. For AppA much less is known about the underlying photochemistry. Available evidence suggests that it is based on a light-induced change in the hydrogen-bonding of its flavin chromophore and/or a change in hydrophobic stacking between the flavin and/or nearby aromatic amino acids like Y21. A signaling state is formed within microseconds, which recovers with a rate of ~10^-3 s^-1. The change in conformation between receptor- and signaling-state in AppA, however, appear to be minute as compared to those in PYP. Here we review the underlying chemistry in the various steps of the photocycle of these two photoreceptor proteins and provide new data on their mechanism and function.


This paper presents the findings of original research which applied the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale Extension (ECERS/E) four Curricular Subscales in 26 pre-schools throughout Ireland to measure and assess the provision of literacy, maths, science and environment, and diversity as follows: inadequate, minimal, good or excellent. The rating instrument was chosen as it relates closely to the Relational Pedagogical (RP) approach in the Irish curriculum Aistear; the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. The approach uses four interconnected themes well-being, identity and belonging, communicating and exploring and thinking. The results are analysed using quantitative ECERS/E findings and offer evidence-based empirical results on pre-school quality using international standards of best practice. The study reveals a minimal standard in the provision of literacy and maths. Provision in science and environment and diversity are inadequate. The findings have implications concerning the capacity of pre-school services to implement quality and curriculum frameworks Síolta and Aistear and question the appropriateness of the current pre-school inspection systems in improving standards.


SUMMARY The generic name Colloides is illegitimate because the organisms belong to known taxa within the Enterobacteriaceae. The name Herellea is a nomen dubium and therefore illegitimate, and the name Mima polymorpha var. oxydans is a later synonym. An Opinion of the Judicial Commission is requested on the question of whether the specific epithet lwoffi Audureau 1940 should be conserved against the epithet polymorpha DeBord 1939. If this is decided the tribe Mimeae ceases to exist.


ABSTRACT In a previous longitudinal study, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis survived for 55 weeks in fecal material in the shade, but for much shorter periods in exposed locations. In this experiment, the survival of the organism was studied in 250 liters of dam water and sediment in large water troughs that were placed in either a semiexposed location or in a shaded location and compared to survival in fecal material and soil in the shaded location. Survival in water and/or sediment in the shade was for up to 48 weeks compared to 36 weeks in the semiexposed location. Survival in sediment was 12 to 26 weeks longer than survival in the water column. Survival in soil and fecal material in the terrestrial environment in the shaded location was only 12 weeks. Although disturbance to sediment could not be ruled out as a factor, there was evidence of dormancy in both the water column and the sediment, since the organism could not be recovered for several months before again becoming detectable. The results suggest that water may be a significant reservoir of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection. Further research on the biology of the organism in aquatic environments is warranted. Animal health authorities will need to provide appropriate advice to farmers to minimize exposure of livestock to potentially infected water sources. Survival of the organism in water destined for human consumption will need to be addressed if the organism is found to be involved in the etiology of Crohn's disease.


Digital signal processing (DSP) plays several important roles in modern radio astronomy, such as processing data to create highresolution radio images, isolating weak emissions from celestial sources, and reducing distortions in incoming signals. DSP can also manage beamforming, a complex process that allows radio signals to be received from across the sky from any direction, and even multiple directions simultaneously. Many astronomy projects are now relying on advanced signal processing techniques to probe the edges of the universe to extend humanity's understanding of its origins, scan the skies to image exoplanets-worlds outside our solar system-and investigate many of the major outstanding questions in astronomy. Here's a look at two of them.


RGB-D 6D pose estimation has recently drawn great research attention thanks to the complementary depth information. Whereas, the depth and the color image are often noisy in real industrial scenarios. Therefore, it becomes challenging for many existing methods that fuse equally RGB and depth features. In this paper, we present a novel fusion design to adaptively merge RGB-D cues. Specifically, we created a Quality-assessment block that estimates the global quality of the input modalities. This quality represented as an α parameter is then used to reinforce the fusion. We have thus found a simple and effective way to improve the robustness to low-quality inputs in terms of Depth and RGB. Extensive experiments on 6D pose estimation demonstrate the efficiency of our method, especially when noise is present in the input.


This study carries out an examination of the potential non-linear cointegration between the lending and deposit rates of eight Eastern European countries using the non-parametric rank tests proposed by Breitung (2001). Based upon our adoption in this study of the threshold error-correction model (TECM), we find solid evidence of an asymmetric price transmission effect, in both the short term and the long term, between lending and deposit rates. Thus, our results reveal that there are indeed such long-run non-linear cointegration relationships between the lending and deposit rates in these Eastern European countries. Furthermore, we go on to successfully capture the dynamic adjustment of the spread.


This book analyzes the dynamics of institutional change in Japan during the 1990s and the early 2000s. In doing so, it presents a coevolutionary model of institutional change, and it argues that the characteristics of institutional change -- especially speed -- in Japan and other advanced industrialized countries are mediated by societal coordination (aka "strategic coordination"), a construct from the varieties of capitalism literature. The book further contains a detailed exploration of social networks in Japan, which are a key enabler of coordination. In particular, it offers the first empirical survey of a ubiquitous, but previously unexplored, type of social networks in business, intra-industry loops.


Objective: To assess whether the 'LEMON' method, devised by the developers of the US National Emergency Airway Management Course, is an easily applied airway assessment tool in patients undergoing treatment in the emergency department resuscitation room. Methods: One hundred patients treated in the resuscitation room of a UK teaching hospital between June 2002 and January 2003 were assessed on criteria based on the 'LEMON' method. Results: All seven criteria of the 'Look' section of the method could be adequately assessed. Data for the 'Evaluate' section could not be obtained in 10 patients, with inter-incisor distance being the most problematical item. The 'Mallampatti' score was unavailable in 43 patients, and had to be assessed in the supine position in 32 of the remaining 57 patients. Assessment for airway 'Obstruction' and 'Neck mobility' could be performed in all patients. Conclusion: The 'Look', 'Obstruction' and 'Neck mobility' components of the 'LEMON' method are the easiest to assess in patients undergoing treatment in the emergency department resuscitation room. The 'Evaluate' and 'Mallampatti' components are less easily applied to the population that present to the resuscitation room, and assessment of these is more problematical and prone to inaccuracy. We suggest that the 'LEMON' airway assessment method may not be easily applied in its entirety to unselected resuscitation room patients, and that information on the 'Evaluate' and 'Mallampatti' parameters may not always be available.


ABSTRACT The sweeping political transition from the Soviet Union to independence in Tajikistan was accompanied by a devastating civil war. Social, economic, and demographic change followed. This research examines a critical indicator of human welfare and stability at the micro- and macro-levels: educational attainment and mobility. Using the 2007 Tajik Living Standards Survey, I compare cohorts educated before, during, and after the civil war. I examine the impact of the war and the political transition on educational attainment and mobility. The findings suggest that the consequences of civil war and political transition in Tajikistan were gendered: boys' attainment was disrupted when they lived in a conflict-affected area and were 16-to-17 years old when the war began; girls' attainment decline was more widespread. This research contributes to our understanding of the long-term consequences of political events on human capital accumulation over the life course.


Abstract : The current targeting cycle used by the services relies heavily upon the use of space assets. The Global Positioning System (GPS) and satellite communications are just a few of these assets accessed thousands of times a day. With technology growing by leaps and bounds, it is a challenge for tactical and operational commanders to keep up with the growing capabilities offered by space-borne platforms. Having this in-depth knowledge can assist in all facets of combat, from the best time to attack, to acquiring and relaying battle damage assessment (BDA) and combat assessment (CA). One of the most vital roles for the warfighter is targeting. Effective targeting, with the right munitions on the right target at the right time, can make a difference in the battle and the overall war. Just as one misplaced or inaccurate bomb can fall on a peaceful village resulting in unwanted collateral damage and bad publicity immediately fed back to the U.S. impacting public opinion. Properly placed effects can shorten the span of a conflict, save lives, and satisfy strategic requirements. Space is a critical link in this process and is not being effectively used to its utmost capability. This thesis will discuss methods and databases through which space capabilities can be better integrated into the current targeting cycle.


CHKB encodes one of two mammalian choline kinase enzymes that catalyze the first step in the synthesis of the major membrane phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine (PC). In humans, inactivation of the CHKB gene causes a recessive form of a rostral-to-caudal congenital muscular dystrophy. Using Chkb knockout mice, we reveal that at no stage of the disease is PC level significantly altered. Instead, at early stages of the disease the level of mitochondrial specific lipids acylcarnitine (AcCa) and cardiolipin (CL) increase 15-fold and 10-fold, respectively. Importantly, these changes are only observed in affected muscle and contribute to the decrease in the skeletal muscle functional output in these mice. As the disease progresses, AcCa and CL levels normalize and there is a 12-fold increase in the neutral storage lipid triacylgycerol and a 3-fold increase in its upstream lipid diacylglycerol. Our findings indicate that the major changes in lipid metabolism upon loss of function of Chkb is not a change in PC level, but instead is an initial inability to utilize fatty acids for energy resulting in shunting of fatty acids into triacyglycerol.


The post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 have been described1, but whether breakthrough COVID-19 (that is the disease that ensues following vaccine breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection) results in post-acute sequelae is not yet clear. Here we use the national healthcare databases of the US Department of Veterans Affairs to characterize 6-month risks of incident post-acute sequelae in people with breakthrough COVID-19 who survived for at least 30 days after diagnosis. We show that compared to people with no evidence of COVID-19, beyond the first 30 days of illness, people with breakthrough COVID-19 exhibit a higher risk of death and broad array of incident post-acute sequelae in the pulmonary system, as well as extrapulmonary sequelae that include cardiovascular disorders, coagulation disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, general disorders (e.g., fatigue), kidney disorders, mental health disorders, metabolic disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, and neurologic disorders. Our analyses by care setting of the acute phase of the disease show that people who were not hospitalized during the first 30 days after diagnosis with breakthrough COVID-19 exhibit a small but not insignificant increase in risk of death and post-acute sequelae; the risks are further increased in people who were hospitalized during the acute phase of the disease. Our comparative approach shows that people with breakthrough COVID-19 exhibit lower risks of death and post-acute sequelae than people with COVID-19 who were not previously vaccinated for it; and in analyses among individuals who were hospitalized during the acute phase of the disease, people with breakthrough COVID-19 exhibit higher risks of death and post-acute sequelae than people with seasonal influenza. Altogether, our findings show increased risks of death and post-acute sequalae in people with breakthrough COVID-19; the risks are evident among those who were not hospitalized during the acute phase of the disease. Our comparative approach provides context for understanding the risks in relation to COVID-19 without prior vaccination and seasonal influenza. The findings will inform the ongoing effort to optimize strategies for prevention of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections and will guide development and optimization of post-acute care pathways for people with breakthrough COVID-19.


The legal Patagonian toothfi sh (Dissostichus eleginoides) longline fi shery operating in the French Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Crozet and Kerguelen Islands (Subarea 58.6 and Division 58.5.1 respectively) killed 26 668 seabirds between September 2001 and August 2003. Overall, the white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) was the most frequently killed species, with males being more frequently caught than females. Grey petrels (Procellaria cinerea) were caught accidentally in large numbers over this same period. Giant petrels (Macronectes spp.), black-browed albatrosses (Diomedea melanophrys) and grey-headed albatrosses (D. chrysostoma) were also caught over this period. A multivariate analysis suggests that a combination of factors (environmental and relating to fitechniques) have an effect on the observed numbers of seabirds caught incidentally. The results of this study suggest that a signifi cant part of the mortality of white-chinned petrels and grey petrels is explained by the time of year, geographical area and type of longliner (manual versus automatic baiting). Almost all of the incidental mortality occurred exclusively during the breeding season, except for giant petrels. The highest mortality of white-chinned petrels, grey petrels, black-browed albatrosses and grey-headed albatrosses corresponded to the chick-rearing period. In addition, the vessels using automatic baited longlines caught many more birds than those using manual baited longlines. Based on the results of this analysis, several recommendations are made with the aim of reducing the incidental mortality of the various species concerned in the French EEZs of Crozet and Kerguelen Islands (Subarea 58.6 and Division 58.5.1 respectively).


An optical bench setup for quantum efficiency (QE) measurements across the 350 nm to 1100 nm range has been developed at the Open University's Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI). Here we use it to measure the performance of a monolithic silicon CMOS image sensor (CIS), the CIS115. This sensor was selected for the JANUS camera, due to launch on board ESA's JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft in 2022. The CIS115 sensors tested here have high quantum efficiency (QE) over the optical band, due to their backside illumination and multi-layer anti-reflective coating. Here we validate the QE measurements against manufacturer reported performance and compare the QE for unirradiated (beginning of life) and gamma-irradiated devices, indicating that no significant change in performance should be expected after a total ionizing dose (TID) of 200 krad(Si). This is important for the JANUS application, where the sensor is predicted to accumulate up to 44 krad(Si) TID. We also demonstrate that the measurement setup has excellent repeatability. We conclude by discussing the limitations of the setup, including the key systematic error sources that have been understood and investigated. Optional improvement to the setup for reducing these errors are presented and will be considered for follow-on activities.


Rhetorical tropes like metaphors and irony are widely used in print advertising. Current advertising literature assumes that these different tropes (metaphor, irony) are persuasive when they are sufficiently novel and complex to increase advertising elaboration. However, we propose that, in some cases, tropes can also be persuasive when they present conventional and concrete images of abstract product qualities. To test if conventionality can explain the persuasiveness of various tropes (metaphor, irony), we conducted a 2 (conventional metaphor vs. no metaphor) × 2 (conventional irony vs. no irony) multiple-message experiment. Results demonstrate that conventional metaphors are persuasive by reducing complexity and increasing creativity and ad appreciation. Conventional irony, in contrast, has little effect on persuasiveness. Thus, differentiating between various tropes (metaphor, irony) is important in predicting persuasion effects: advertisers should refrain from using conventional irony, but including conventional metaphors about abstract product qualities in print advertising is advisable.


OBJECTIVE
To assess self-reported stress during the performance of different procedures in pediatric dentistry, according to the professional experience of the dentists.

STUDY DESIGN
During the years 2010 to 2011, an anonymous survey was administered by means of an internet link, and by distribution at professional meetings of dentists .

RESULTS
No statistically significant differences in stress were reported for maxilla and mandibular procedures. Placement of a rubber dam was rated as the most stressful procedure among dental students. For general practitioners and specialists, injection of local anesthesia to an anxious child was the most stressful procedure, regardless of age, sex, or years of professional experience. A negative correlation was found between years of experience and level of stress for all the procedures surveyed, but not for the use of nitrous oxide. No differences were found between male and female dentists in stress scores for any of the procedures.

CONCLUSION
Higher rates of stress during operative procedures were reported among dental students than among experienced dentists. Anxiety of the pediatric patients, but not the location of the procedure: maxillary or mandibular, affected the dentists' reported level of stress.


Abstract Background Fungal disease is frequent in India, but its incidence and prevalence are unclear. This review aims at defining the frequency or burden of various fungal infections in India. Methods A systematic review of the literature on the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (WOS) databases was conducted using appropriate search strings. Deterministic modeling determined annual incidence and prevalence estimates for multiple life- and sight-threatening infections with significant morbidity. Results Literature searches yielded >2900 papers; 434 papers with incidence/prevalence/proportion data were analyzed. An estimated 57 251 328 of the 1 393 400 000 people in India (4.1%) suffer from a serious fungal disease. The prevalence (in millions) of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis is 24.3, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is 2.0, tinea capitis in school-age children is 25, severe asthma with fungal sensitization is 1.36, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is 1.74, and chronic fungal rhinosinusitis is 1.52. The annual incidence rates of Pneumocystis pneumonia (58 400), invasive aspergillosis (250 900), mucormycosis (195 000), esophageal candidiasis in HIV (266 600), candidemia (188 000), fungal keratitis (1 017 100), and cryptococcal meningitis (11 500) were also determined. Histoplasmosis, talaromycosis, mycetoma, and chromoblastomycosis were less frequent. Conclusions India's fungal burden is high and underappreciated in clinical practice.


ABSTRACT Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare multisystemic disorder of non-Langerhans histiocytic cells with a pleomorphic clinical presentation. It affects bones, skin, central nervous system, pituitary gland, ocular tissue, kidneys and perirenal tissue and lungs. Cardiac involvement presents usually with pericardial effusion and right atrial masses, but rarely with conduction system infiltration and subsequent arrhythmic events. Following the discovery of mutations of activating signaling kinase proteins (BRAF, MEK, ALK), the therapeutic landscape has changed to a more precise targeted treatment. Currently vemurafenib is approved for patient with end-organ dysfunction and BRAF-V600E mutation and the prognosis has dramatically improved. Here we present a case of ECD with electrical instability as main clinically relevant manifestation of cardiac involvement.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Aggressive natural killer cell leukemia is an acute neoplastic proliferation of natural killer cells, resulting in progressive disease and a poor prognosis. Establishing an effective treatment plan for aggressive natural killer cell leukemia has not been successful. Current clinical treatment plans rely on chemotherapeutic drug combinations; however, many patients do not respond well and often relapse or develop drug resistance leading to death within several months. Uncontrolled cell growth coupled to pathology caused by the natural killer cytotoxicity of the leukemia cells produces the mortality. New therapeutic approaches to this aggressive leukemia are needed. In recent years statin drugs, known for their cholesterol lowering ability, have been shown to have certain anti-tumor effects. In this study, the effect of combination chemotherapy and statin treatment on proliferation, cell cycle time and cytotoxicity was investigated using the aggressive natural killer cell line known at YT-INDY. In terms of anti-proliferative effect, combination treatment of YT-INDY with doxorubicin (1 nM and 0.1 nM) with 10 uM atorvastatin, fluvastatin or simvastatin resulted in significant (p<0.05) inhibition of tumor cell proliferation compared to either agent alone. Paclitaxel, at a concentration of 1 nM, in combination with 10 uM atorvastatin, fluvastatin or simvastatin resulted in significant (p<0.05) inhibition of proliferation. Lovastatin, when used with doxorubicin or paclitaxel provided no significant inhibition compared to controls. Atorvastatin (10 uM), in combination with teniposide (100 pM or 10 pM) or topotecan (1 nM or 100 pM), inhibited YT-INDY proliferation at a statistically significant level (p<0.05). Teniposide (1 nM) or topotecan (1 nM), in combination with fluvastatin (10 uM), provided significant (p<0.05) reduction of proliferation compared to any single agent. Consistent with the effects on proliferation, compared to untreated cells, statin alone or chemo alone controls, combination therapy with atorvastatin (10 uM) and doxorubicin, paclitaxel, teniposide or topotecan increased the cell cycle time of YT-INDY at nearly every chemo concentration tested. Finally, in addition to the anti-proliferative effect of chemotherapy and statin together, combination treatment with paclitaxel (10 nM) and fluvastatin (0.5 uM) or lovastatin (0.5 uM) resulted in significant (p<0.05) inhibition of natural killer cell cytotoxicity compared to any single agent. These results suggest that statins in combination with certain chemotherapeutic agents could provide a better anti-tumor response and improved patient outcomes, compared to chemotherapy alone, in those individuals with aggressive natural killer cell leukemias.

Citation Format: Timothy A. Steele, Austin Henslee. Combination statin and chemotherapy treatment inhibits proliferation and cytotoxicity of an aggressive natural killer cell leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2061. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2061


In this paper, we provide a conceptual model of the knowledge gaps that design science researchers should attend to in order to ensure that their use of justificatory knowledge is made in an appropriate way. We identify nine knowledge gaps between descriptive (cause-effect) relations in kernel theories, prescriptive (means-ends) relations in prescriptive and design theories, and the instantiated relations (instantiated design features and design requirements). The development of the conceptual model of the knowledge gaps was informed by and illustrated with the case of the longitudinal design science research project on team coordination called Coopilot. An initial set of strategies to ensure the appropriateness of justificatory knowledge is identified.


The City of Mexico, one of the largest and most crowded megalopolises in the world, is struggling to provide enough water to an ever-increasing population. Although cuts have been common for a number of years, the crisis has lately extended, affecting well over 5 million inhabitants. The problem is only expected to get worse, compounded by the following factors: (1) Main supply relies on overexploited aquifers and distant external sources. (2) As the ancient city was constructed on top of a lake, parts of the metropolis are gradually sinking. In consequence, wastewater discharges have to be pumped out. (3) About 40% of all the incoming liquid is lost in leaks, due to an old piping system and seismic activity. In light of this complex crisis, the authorities have failed to find an adequate solution, since the aim has traditionally been to find new external sources, that is, a supply-side strategy. This article analyses a different approach, focused on demand-side management, and discusses alternatives from a quantitative and qualitative point of view, using the retrofitting of sanitary facilities as an example. Successful experiences in other cities are presented, along with a discussion of the main obstacles to overcome. It is concluded that the potential for such strategies are considerable in Mexico City, but adequate financial stimulus for conservation are urgently needed, along with a change of perspective on behalf of government authorities, to focus on demand reduction rather than on costly, and in most cases impractical, augmentation of supply.


Accounting represents the inevitable activity in performing of all business forms. Cognition the accounting role stems from the 15th century by Benedict Kotruljevic which was indicated on accounting importance in business managing. Through history accounting evolved from passive business role which was oriented exclusively on recording and presentation business events to the active business role in business management. The active role in business management accounting primarily owed to the accounting choice, which offers possibility that with chosen accounting procedure and method affects the company business. Accounting choices are refer to the accounting policies which are defined as specific principles, rules and practices of financial reporting adopted by company. Nowadays company business is marked by the dynamic and turbulent market trends within which the emphasis is on the availability of financial resources, respectively on the managing and obtaining the required financial funds and ensuring company liquidity and solvency. Exactly in the context of financial policies companies trying to provide financial funds necessary for undisturbed business process. Terms of obtaining the financial resources are negotiate on the basis of published accounting information in the company financial statements. Starting from the fact, that companies with accounting policies choices affect the financial statement, which represent its business on financial markets and financial institutions with the aim of obtaining necessary financial resources, we put in relation the company accounting policies and costs of financial resources which arising from company financial policies. Therefore it may be assumed that companies which have a higher level of financial costs will try to present better business result by selecting accounting policies, which mitigates the negative impact of financial costs and improves the current business performance. Thereby, company will ensure the attractive perception and better condition of obtaining financial resources. This assumption was confirmed by conducted research on a sample of trading companies, applying logistic regression within statistical software SPSS.


We describe a high-density storage system for physical goods in which identical conveyor modules can be plugged together to store and retrieve unit-loads or small containers. Material movement conforms to the "puzzle architecture" found in popular board games such as the 15-puzzle and Rush Hour. Control of the system is decentralized, meaning that each module contains identical operating logic that directs its behavior based on local conditions and message passing. We prove the system deadlock-free and show its performance under a wide variety of operating configurations.


Provided with mobile edge computing (MEC) services, wireless devices (WDs) no longer have to experience long latency in running their desired programs locally, but can pay to offload computation tasks to the edge server. Given its limited storage space, it is important for the edge server at the base station (BS) to determine which service programs to cache by meeting and guiding WDs' offloading decisions. In this article, we propose an MEC service pricing scheme to coordinate with the service caching decisions and control WDs' task offloading behavior in a cellular network. We propose a two-stage dynamic game of incomplete information to model and analyze the two-stage interaction between the BS and multiple associated WDs. Specifically, in Stage I, the BS determines the MEC service caching and announces the service program prices to the WDs, with the objective to maximize its expected profit under both storage and computation resource constraints. In Stage II, given the prices of different service programs, each WD selfishly decides its offloading decision to minimize individual service delay and cost, without knowing the other WDs' desired program types or local execution delays. Despite the lack of WD's information and the coupling of all the WDs' offloading decisions, we derive the optimal threshold-based offloading policy that can be easily adopted by the WDs in Stage II at the Bayesian equilibrium. In particular, a WD is more likely to offload when there are fewer WDs competing for the edge server's computation resource, or when it perceives a good channel condition or low MEC service price. Then, by predicting the WDs' offloading equilibrium, we jointly optimize the BS' pricing and service caching in Stage I via a low-complexity algorithm. In particular, we first study the differentiated pricing scheme and prove that the same price should be charged to the cached programs of the same workload. Motivated by this analysis, we further propose a low-complexity uniform pricing heuristics.


The potential stabilization of output shocks through official assistance flows is investigated is this paper. It contributes to the current debate on aid instability and argues that official assistance might cope with exogenous output shocks in recipient countries and stabilize resources available for national expenditure, including consumption and investment. High aid dependency and vulnerability to output shocks positively affect the stabilization property of aid. Contrasting with the current literature, the paper documents that aid volatility is not a significant determinant of the stabilizing or destabilizing impact of aid.


The characteristics and health risk assessment for heavy metal pollutants in PM2.5 discharged from the open burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) in different functional areas were studied using a flue gas diluted sampling system. The two common open burning modes of barrel and natural pile-up burning were considered. The results show that the concentration of zinc (Zn) was the highest among the heavy metals produced by five different components of waste incineration, ranging from 1324.03 to 3703.12 mg·kg-1. The concentration of cadmium (Cd) was the lowest, ranging from 20.25 to 63.68 mg·kg-1. According to the geo-accumulation index, lead (Pb), Zn, arsenic (As), and Cd were highly polluted in the measured MSW samples, and all four of these metals reached moderate or higher levels of pollution under natural pile-up burning methods. The geo-accumulation index of Cd was much higher than 5. The results of the human health risk assessment showed that non-carcinogenic risk values for 8 heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, As, Cd, Cr, and Ni) by respiratory exposure were less than 1, which is within the safe range. For natural pile-up burning, the total non-carcinogenic risk values for As and Pb for children were higher than 1, indicating a non-carcinogenic risk. The carcinogenic risk values for four carcinogenic elements (As, Cd, Cr, and Ni) were less than 1.0×10-4, but still represented a low potential carcinogenic risk under exposure for long periods of time.


It is shown that given any finite system of monoid identities, it is decidable if the class of locally finite monoids that satisfy the system is a variety. This answers an open problem of Mark V. Sapir.


The pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin (OFLX) was investigated after intravenous administration of 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg of body weight in pigs. Plasma OFLX concentration-time course collected from the highest dosage showed a convex decline, indicating a capacity-limited process in drug elimination (Michaelis-Menten elimination). Dose-normalized area under curve (AUC/Dose) and mean resident time (MRT) were dose-dependent, indicating a classical pattern of non-linear elimination pharmacokinetics. Based on simultaneous curve fitting from three doses, non-linear pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows: 0.87 mg/h/kg for maximum velocity, 2.20 microg/mL in Michaelis-Menten constant and 2.06 L/kg for apparent volume of distribution. Based on a model-independent analysis, the apparent volume of distribution at steady-state (Vdss) was dose-independent whereas total body clearance (CLtot) was dose-dependent, mainly contributed by renal clearance (CLr) with the regression line of CLtot=1.14xCLr+0.09 (r=0.92). The intercept of the regression line indicates non-renal clearance (CLnr), corresponding to the value of observed CLnr without dose-dependency. Because of a higher CLr compared with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in spite of drug reabsorption, the CLr must contain the renal active tubular secretion. With increasing dosage, the level of saturation of tubular secretion of OFLX decreased the CLr, resulting in the decrease in CLtot. The plasma protein binding to OFLX was dose-independent: mean free fraction (fp)=0.73, with probably no influential effect on OFLX disposition. In conclusion, the degree of saturation in the renal active tubular secretion of OFLX could be a major causal factor in the alteration of CLr in an increasing dosage of OFLX. Accordingly, the alteration of CLr could directly induce the non-linear pharmacokinetics of OFLX in pigs, an important consideration in clinical therapeutics.


The adhesive force (AF) and the electron work function (EWF) of different crystallographic planes of Cu were determined, with the aim of exploring the potential application of the Kelvin method in characterizing the adhesion of solid surfaces especially those in nano/microdevices. It was demonstrated that there was a close correlation between the EWF and AF, and both the parameters were dependent on the surface atomic arrangement. This study indicates that the EWF is a parameter that could be used to characterize the adhesion behavior of a surface.


A Pilot assistance system is an integrated and on-board system, where all required functions under a single
human machine interface take place.
Since now, the assistance systems have been designed to solve individual tasks, but this approach is reaching
its limits, because of the continuous growth of civil air traffic as well as the new air traffic management
procedures which put new demands on the services of the aircrews.
Pilot assistance systems help the cabin crew to maintain a high level of safety in air traffic. To facilitate
the required increase of capacity in the following years, these kind of systems in manned vehicles will be
introduced and are analised in this project.
The other main objective of the project is to focus on the decision making process of the actions.
It is crucial for aviation safety, especially in critical situations (when the aircrew is facing technical problems)
then the logic, the priority and the principles of the processes will be also studied.
Finally, a practical demonstration for a display for one scenario will be given as an example.
In the cockpit display, the information will allow the pilot to easily monitor and get a better vision of the aerial
traffic surroundings, improving the security and the efficiency of the flight operations.


OBJECTIVES
(1) To iteratively design a web/phone-based intervention to support caregivers of adults acutely following traumatic brain injury (TBI), Caregiver Wellness (CG-Well), and (2) to obtain qualitative and quantitative feedback on CG-Well from experts and caregivers to refine the intervention.

SETTING
A level I trauma and tertiary medical center.

PARTICIPANTS
Convenience sample of a total of 19 caregivers and 25 experts.

DESIGN
Multistep prospective study with iterative changes to CG-Well: (1) developed intervention content based on qualitative feedback from a prior study and literature review; (2) obtained qualitative feedback from 10 experts; (3) refined content using a modified Delphi approach involving 4 caregivers and 6 experts followed by qualitative interviews with 9 caregivers; (4) designed CG-Well website and videos; and (5) obtained feedback on program acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility from 6 caregivers and 9 experts.

INTERVENTIONS
CG-Well included content on TBI, self-care and support, and skill-building strategies delivered through a website and telephone calls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Caregivers and experts completed Likert-type scales to rate module relevance, clarity, accuracy, utility and website acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Means and standard deviations (SD) characterized ratings.

RESULTS
Qualitative findings were instrumental in designing and refining CG-Well. Ratings were positive for modules (means and SD for relevant [4.9, 0.33], clear [4.6, 0.53], accurate [4.9, 0.33], and useful [5, 0]) and the website (means and SD for acceptable [4.8, 0.36], appropriate [4.8, 0.35], and feasible [4.8, 0.36]).

CONCLUSIONS
The iterative design process for CG-Well resulted in a highly acceptable program. An early-stage randomized controlled trial is underway to estimate treatment effects for a future well-powered clinical trial.


Adding small molecular plasticizers is the most common route to tailor the stretchability of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). However, how the plasticization along with the nature of the plasticizer govern the structural homogeneity during stretching remains an open question to answer. Herein, two representative plasticizers, glycerol (GLY) and water, were chosen to endow the PVA films with ductility. We found that large strain cavitations caused obvious stress whitening in the PVA/H2 O films; on the contrary, most of the PVA/GLY films maintained transparent undergoing tensile deformation. Through a combination of experimental inspections and molecular dynamic simulation, it is revealed that partial water molecules that behave as free water will aggregate into microdomains, which serve as mechanical defects responsible for yielding voids. Whereas, the GLY plasticizer homogeneously disperses at a molecular level and interacts with PVA chains through strong hydrogen bonds. More interestingly, we illustrate the dispersion and bound states of plasticizers are closely related to the mechanical character of the plasticized PVA films. These findings offer new insight into the working mechanism of plasticization on the structural stability during stretching, and guide the design of PVA/plasticizer system to obtain excellent comprehensive mechanics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Diaryliodonium salts are demonstrated as efficient arylating agents of aliphatic alcohols under metal-free conditions. The reaction proceeds at room temperature within 90 min to give alkyl aryl ethers in good to excellent yields. Aryl groups with electron-withdrawing substituents are transferred most efficiently, and unsymmetric iodonium salts give chemoselective arylations. The methodology has been applied to the formal synthesis of butoxycaine.


A new method for the construction of (aryloxy)phosphoramidate nucleoside prodrugs is presented. An (aryloxy)phosphoramidate ribose derivative as key building block was used for coupling with a number of nucleobases under Vorbrüggen reaction conditions yielding the protected ProTides in excellent yields. Selective hydrolysis of the acetoxy groups on the sugar moiety afforded a series of the desired ProTides. The advantage of this approach, when compared to classical procedures, is the greater flexibility for achieving structural variety of the nucleobase moiety.


The development of an in vitro 3D model for the growth of the nasal mucosa cells can improve the therapy and the study of pathological states for subjects with chronic airway conditions. We have previously characterized a system consisting of a scaffold with an internal channel and a perfusion bioreactor with two independent flows provided by an external and an internal circuit, respectively. In this paper, this system was designed as a model of the nasal cavity, in which cells, grown on the inner surface of the scaffold channel, would be in contact at the same time with both culture medium, supplied by the external circuit, and air, provided with the internal flow. To ensure adequate nutrient supply to the cells in the scaffold channel, the radial diffusion of the culture medium through the porous matrix was evaluated first in qualitative and, then, in quantitative terms, demonstrating the capability of the system to control the value and direction of this flux. As a preliminary study, the culture of epithelial cells in the scaffold channel is also discussed in static, maintaining the air–liquid interface condition for up to 3 weeks. Despite minor abnormalities, such as a gap between cell layers and some detachments from the scaffold, the scaffold ensured cell survival and growth during the experimental time.


The complexation of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) with cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was investigated using molecular docking and M062X/6-31G(d,p) calculations. The calculations suggested two possible complex formations of 1:1 and 2:1 host-guest molecular ratio of β-CD with CBD and THC. The preferred orientation of all complexes in this study exhibited the hydrogen bonding between hydroxy-substituted benzene ring of CBD and THC with the β-CD's secondary hydroxy groups at the wide rim. The calculated complexation energies indicate that formation of the 2:1 complexes (−83.53 to −135.36 kcal/mol) was more energetically favorable and chemically stable than the 1:1 complexes (−30.00 to −34.92 kcal/mol). However, the deformation energies of the host and the guest components in the 2:1 complexes (37.47–96.91 kcal/mol) are much higher than those in the 1:1 complexes (3.49–8.69 kcal/mol), which means the formation processes of the 2:1 complexes are more difficult due to the rigidity of the dimeric β-CDs. Therefore, the inclusion complexes of β-CD with CBD and THC are more likely to be in 1:1 host-guest ratio than in 2:1 molecular ratio. The results of this study supported the experimental results that the complexation constant of 1:1 β-CD/CBD (Ks = 300 M−1) is greater than that of 2:1 β-CDs/CBD (Kss = 0.833 M−1). Altogether, this study introduced the fitting parameters that could indicate the stability of the molecular fits in complex formation of each stoichiometry host-guest ratio, which are important for the assessment of the inclusion mechanisms as well as the relationships of reactants and products in chemical reactions.


Solder bridge is a serious defect of solder joints in ultrafine pitch electronic device assemblies. Generation of the solder bridge is closely related to forming process of the solder joints. A three-dimensional model to simulate the formation of the solder bridge of QFP256 (quad flat packaging with 256 leads) is established and numerically calculated to predict the formation shape of the solder joints using surface evolver program. Based on the model, influence of structure of pads printed on circuit board on solder bridging is investigated. The results show that there is a critical solder volume Vc for solder joints to avoid solder bridging, and parameters of the pad size influence the critical solder volume.


A novel fast method for evaluating the Hough transform is proposed, which can be used to accelerate detection of prevalent linear formations in binary images. An image is decomposed using rectangular blocks and the contribution of each whole block to the Hough transform space is evaluated, rather than the contribution of each image point. The resulting acceleration in the calculation of the Hough transform field is demonstrated in two image processing experiments related to object axis identification and skew detection of digitised documents.


Over the last two decades a substantial, empirical literature has explored the links between bilateral migration and bilateral trade. Limitations on migration data have meant that the bulk of this evidence pertains only to immigrants into and trade with the OECD countries. Even within this category there is little consensus in the prior findings. This chapter adopts the recently available Global Bilateral Migration Database to explore the trade links, both with immigration and emigration, between 192 countries from 1960 to 2000, with a particular emphasis on the developing countries. Findings include positive emigrant and immigrant links with trade in all four pairings of lower-income and higher-income countries, including south-south trade. In contrast to prior findings it is estimated that the elasticity of this association increases with the level of migration over substantial ranges. The elasticity is also shown to be highest for the highly educated (at least among OECD immigrants), higher for females than males and positive for refugees who have fled from one lower-income country to another. The links prove weaker where the trade partners share a common language or colonial heritage, suggesting a role for migrants in over-coming lack of familiarity and associated incomplete information. Reduction in such barriers promotes openness to trade with a gain in efficiency, but the two-way effects offset, such that the balance of trade for lower-income countries may actually deteriorate. Network effects of third-country nationals is also explored and extended to include mutual emigration to third countries, which is estimated to result in trade diversion.


Household-centered technologies such as urine source separation (NoMix technology) could induce a paradigm change in urban wastewater management, hereby improving water pollution control and resource management. Technological innovations need real-world application for further development. The Swiss research project Novaquatis accompanied five pilot projects from 1997 on. We give a systematic overview of our experience, summarizing various important aspects, a fundamental one being a clearly defined goal. Early stakeholder involvement is crucial, because the still imperfect NoMix technology depends on people's goodwill. We reference data sheets, legal documents, etc. and make suggestions for installation, maintenance, and technology improvement. We identify areas for future research necessitating pilot projects and discuss their requirements to optimize the cost-benefit factor. This paper is intended as support to wastewater professionals to avoid the most serious pitfalls when conducting NoMix pilot projects. It contributes to increased interaction between research and real-world application of urban European household innovations.


It is shown, that in case of electro mechanical handling (EMH) of the blade instrument shaping of the cutting edge consisting of high dispersible martensite (a white stratum) is taking place, which is distinguished by heightened durability and endurance. Energy requirement of white stratum's forming in case of the restricted heat sink are established. The features of white stratum forma-tion by the width commensurable with the sizes of the hardened instrument are discussed.


Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers are precisely engineered multilayer semiconductor/dielectric structures that provide new functionality for advanced Si devices. After more than three decades of materials research and device studies, SOI wafers have entered into the mainstream of semiconductor electronics. SOI technology offers significant advantages in design, fabrication, and performance of many semiconductor circuits. It also improves prospects for extending Si devices into the nanometer region (<10 nm channel length). In this article, we discuss methods of forming SOI wafers, their physical properties, and the latest improvements in controlling the structure parameters. We also describe devices that take advantage of SOI, and consider their electrical characteristics.


[Objective] The aim was to determine the difference in sucrose content of different tartary buckwheat sources,so as to screen low-sucrose buckwheat materials.[Method] The sucrose contents of 35 tartary buckwheat materials from different regions were measured.[Result] The sucrose content of the 35 tartary buckwheat materials varied from 0.007 7% to 0.208 9% with an average of 0.051 8%.There was some difference among the tartary buckwheat materials from different regions.The seeds from Hezhang in Guizhou had higher sucrose content,while the seeds from Nayong in Guizhou had lower sucrose content.[Conclusion] The content of sucrose was significantly low in tartary buckwheat,which could be popularized as a kind of low-sugar crop.


Yeast surface display is an appealing technique for constructing multienzyme cascades. This technique is commonly achieved using a scaffold for the ordered arrangement of various enzymes. However, this method is typically complicated because scaffold use may engender extra metabolic burden on the cell host. Here, we established a direct yeast surface codisplay strategy by employing two complementary anchor motifs, Agα1 and Pir1. These motifs allow for the codisplay of sequential uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferase (UGT) and sucrose synthase (SUS) on the surface of Pichia pastoris (syn. Komagataella phaffii) for the glycosylation of natural products. We manipulated the displayed stoichiometry, amount, and assembly order of UGT and SUS by coupling them with anchor motifs. Furthermore, their effect on enzyme activity was thoroughly investigated. The surface-codisplayed strain UGT-Pir-SUS-Agα exhibited greater thermostability than the single-displayed strains and their free counterparts. Moreover, the strain UGT-Pir-SUS-Agα was successfully applied to glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) glycosylation to produce GA-3-O-Glc, with sucrose being the sugar donor in this process. This generated 7.5- to 20- and 5.3-fold higher GA-3-O-Glc concentration compared with the free counterparts (enzyme mass loading of 20-fold in excess) and mixed single-displayed strains of UGT-Agα and SUS-Pir, respectively. This increase was due to the improved biochemical properties and substrate channeling effect of strain UGT-Pir-SUS-Agα. This controllable direct surface codisplay strategy, based on complementary anchor motifs, is readily extendable to other enzyme cascades.


Case No. 1 A 5-ft-8-in tall, 172-lb, 65-year-old woman has a total cholesterol level of 289 mg/dL; triglycerides, 108 mg/dL; LDL, 205 mg/dL; and HDL, 62 mg/dL. She does not smoke and has blood pressure of 122/70. There is no family history of premature coronary artery disease, but both her parents died in their 80s from massive strokes. Her older brother also had a stroke at age 60. She has tried 4 different statin drugs in the past 2 years and states that with each drug, she develops the insidious onset of lethargy, fatigue, and achiness, which resolve within 1 week of stopping the drug. She is highly motivated and is requesting dietary recommendations to reduce her LDL cholesterol.


The Ced-9/Bcl-like family of genes codes for proteins that have antiapoptotic and proapoptotic activity. Several Bax isoproteins have been detected by 2-D gel electrophoresis, and a novel human member, designated as Bax-sigma, has been identified and cloned from human cancer promyelocytic cells. Bax-sigma contains BH-3, BH-1, and BH-2 domains, putative alpha-5 and alpha-6 helices, and the carboxy-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane domain but lacks amino acids 159 to 171 compared to Bax-alpha. mRNA expression analysis by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and RNase protection assays have revealed that Bax-sigma is expressed in a variety of human cancer cell lines and normal tissues. To investigate the potential role of Bax-sigma in apoptosis, first its effects were compared to those of Bax-alpha by transient expression in human B lymphoma Namalwa cells. Both Bax-sigma and Bax-alpha promoted apoptosis, as detected by DNA fragmentation and morphological analysis by electron microscopy. The apoptosis induced by Bax-sigma and Bax-alpha was correlated with their expression, cytochrome c release, and caspase activation. In a yeast two-hybrid system, Bax-sigma interacted with several Ced-9/Bcl family members but had no affinity for the human Egl-1 homologs Bik and Bad and the Ced-4 homolog Apaf-1. In human cells, Bax-sigma function was counteracted by Bcl-xL overexpression, and co-immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that Bax-sigma was associated with Bcl-xL. Furthermore, Bax-sigma overexpression increased cell death induced by various concentrations of genotoxic agents with the most pronounced effect occurring at low camptothecin and vinblastine dose levels. Our results suggest that Bax-sigma, a novel variant of Bax, encodes a protein with a proapoptotic effect and mode of action similar to those of Bax-alpha.


Extended dissection of regional lymph nodes, omentobursectomy, splenectomy and thoracotomy, which are performed on cases with advanced gastric cancer, are not necessary in radical operation for early gastric cancer, for the early cancer was revealed to have the metastasis to lymph node of slight degree and no metastasis to the peritoneum. This modified operation can provide us a decrease of either intraoperative blood loss or operation time, which seems to contribute to diminish the operative death and to improve the quality of postoperative life. The result was satisfactory: 5-year relative survival rate after the operation was 100.0%. Diagnostic accuracy for early cancer was also sufficient.


In this article we propose to use the information about the actual rate of discharge on the plumbing network areas for the flow distribution control in real time. The main purpose of research is to develop the algorithm for determining the actual rate of discharge based on pressures measured in separate control nodes. Using of telecommunication modern facilities allows the dispatcher of a communal enterprise to collect and analyze information about the pressures on the network, which comes from the sensors installed in its separate nodes. The article presents a mathematical model that describes the distribution of the flows on the network in real time, the algorithm of software module created on its basis, the results of using of this module for leaks determining on a simplified scheme of the network of one of the residential estates of Zaporizhzhya. The developed algorithm allows to determine the rate of discharge and water leaks locations in real time of pressure measurements in separate nodes. The research results can be used by the controller's services of communal enterprises. We suggest to use information about the actual rate of discharge for the operative redistribution of the flows, finding out the leaks locations and determining of the control nodes locations.


Thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland located in the front of the neck just below the Adams apple. Thyroid is one of the endocrine gland, which produces hormones that help the body to control metabolism. A different thyroid disorder includes Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, and thyroid nodules (benign/malignant). Ultrasound imaging is most commonly used to detect and classify abnormalities of the thyroid gland. Segmentation method is a tool that used widely in many applications including medical image processing. One of the common applications of segmentation is in medical image analysis for clinical diagnosis that has an important role in terms of quality and quantity. The main objective of this research is to use the Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) algorithms to help the early detection of thyroid tumors. Thyroid ultrasound images may contain speckle noise which leads to obtain incorrect result. In order to obtain good accuracy; the noise must be removed from the input image. Those propose method is started with pre-processing of the thyroid ultrasound image to enhance its contrast and removing the undesired noise in order to make the image suitable for further processing. In our proposed work, we are using bilateral filter and unsharp filter to remove speckle noise to perform the pre-processing operations on the thyroid ultrasound images. The segmentation process is performed by using Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) algorithm to detect and segment thyroid ultrasound images for the thyroid region extracted image to 6 classes for two sample normal and abnormal images. The resulted segmented ultrasound images, and then used to extract the tumor region from thyroid's image.


The Knowledge Base Question Answering (KBQA) task aims to answer natural language questions based on a given knowledge base. As a kind of common method for this task, semantic parsing-based ones first convert natural language questions to logical forms (e.g., SPARQL queries) and then execute them on knowledge bases to get answers. Recently, Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown strong abilities in language understanding and may be adopted as semantic parsers in such kinds of methods. However, in doing so, a great challenge for LLMs is to understand the schema of knowledge bases. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an In-Context Schema Understanding (ICSU) method for facilitating LLMs to be used as a semantic parser in KBQA. Specifically, ICSU adopts the In-context Learning mechanism to instruct LLMs to generate SPARQL queries with examples. In order to retrieve appropriate examples from annotated question-query pairs, which contain comprehensive schema information related to questions, ICSU explores four different retrieval strategies. Experimental results on the largest KBQA benchmark, KQA Pro, show that ICSU with all these strategies outperforms that with a random retrieval strategy significantly (from 12\% to 78.76\% in accuracy).


As a popular registry for Web services, UDDI provides a mature mechanism for service registration and search, but it does not support semantic operations on Web services, so its service discovery capability is not satisfactory. OWL-S overcomes UDDI's shortcomings. Using OWL-S, service advertisements and requests based on capability description could be built in a uniform way, and the semantic matching between them could also be achieved. By means of these two technologies, a system was developed which is compatible with UDDI and supports the publication and discovery of semantic Web services. The matching performed by the system is divided into two parts: prematching and post-matching. The pre-matching is generally performed only in the course of service publication, so the time for service discovery is reduced. Experimental results show that the performance of the system is reliable. Furthermore, the system can produce query results ordered by priority according to the requester's expectations.


Animals produce vocalizations that range in complexity from a single repeated call to hundreds of unique vocal elements patterned in sequences unfolding over hours. Characterizing complex vocalizations can require considerable effort and a deep intuition about each species' vocal behavior. Even with a great deal of experience, human characterizations of animal communication can be affected by human perceptual biases. We present here a set of computational methods that center around projecting animal vocalizations into low dimensional latent representational spaces that are directly learned from data. We apply these methods to diverse datasets from over 20 species, including humans, bats, songbirds, mice, cetaceans, and nonhuman primates, enabling high-powered comparative analyses of unbiased acoustic features in the communicative repertoires across species. Latent projections uncover complex features of data in visually intuitive and quantifiable ways. We introduce methods for analyzing vocalizations as both discrete sequences and as continuous latent variables. Each method can be used to disentangle complex spectro-temporal structure and observe long-timescale organization in communication. Finally, we show how systematic sampling from latent representational spaces of vocalizations enables comprehensive investigations of perceptual and neural representations of complex and ecologically relevant acoustic feature spaces.


Although the authors do not indicate their intended audience, it seems to be undergraduates and the general public. Their book is brief (only 110 pages of text); it moves very rapidly from one major topic to the next, and it is based mainly on secondary sources, supplemented by Jane Degras's collection of Soviet documents. The bibliography contains only works in English; its section on documentary collections does not even list Dokumenty vneshnei politiki SSSR. The bibliography also seems rather dated, lacking many relevant works from the 1970s and 1980s by such scholars as Richard Debo, Alfred Senn, and Gabriel Gorodetsky. In spite of its title, this book is not really a study of Soviet policy toward the League of Nations. While there is some discussion of evolving Soviet attitudes toward, and use of, the league, the real focus is on the broader topic of the Kremlin's changing view of its relationship with the western powers. This book is part of a wider study, still in progress, on the origins of the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Two other volumes in the series have also been published: German-Soviet Relations in the Weimar Era (1985) and The Years of Triumph? German Diplomatic and Military Policy, 1933-41 (1986). Readers seeking a more detailed treatment of the role of the league in Soviet diplomacy should consult Donald I. Buzinkai's 1961 University of Chicago dissertation, "Soviet-League Relations, 1919-1939." The authors believe that there never was much chance of cooperation between the USSR and the western democracies. The Soviets, they contend, had an "isolationist mentality" that "effectively precluded any real understanding between the Soviet Union and the outside world" (p. 66). The authors doubt the sincerity of Moscow's belated participation in the league because it was "merely" a response to the threat of German and Japanese aggression. They conclude that Stalin abandoned the collective security strategy, not after the debacle of Munich or the breakdown of military talks between the Soviet Union and western powers in August 1939, but rather after Britain's unilateral guarantee of Poland. This event, they contend, made Soviet neutrality in a war pitting Germany against Britain and France the preferred alternative. The authors do not explain why Stalin could be so sure that the western powers that failed to support Czechoslovakia would not do the same to Poland. Scholars as well as students will find Jonathan Haslam's The Soviet Union and the Struggle for Collective Security in Europe (1984) or Geoffrey Roberts's The Unholy Alliance (forthcoming) surer guides to the intricacies of Soviet foreign policy in the 1930s than this slim volume.


Membrane vesicles and the F1-ATPase from Clostridium thermoaceticum were examined by electron microscopy. F1-ATPase particles projecting from the vesicles have a diameter of 10 to 12 nm. The F1-ATPase has an alpha 3 beta 3 gamma delta structure. The alpha and beta subunits are most likely arranged in an alternating sequence around a central protein mass consisting of the gamma and delta subunits.


A ureteral hernia that occurs through the sciatic foramen is very rare. We present a case of a ureteral sciatic hernia with hydronephrosis. Intravenous urography (IVU) showed the presence of a curved, laterally displaced ureter, and computed tomography (CT) clearly depicted the herniated ureter through the sciatic foramen. The patient was treated transiently with a double J catheter.


Endometriosis is the proliferation of endometrial tissue outside the normal confines of the myometrium or uterine cavity. Endometriosis involving the urinary tract occurs in approximately 1% to 2% of cases. The bladder is affected in 80% of these patients. The diagnosis of vesical endometriosis is difficult, and it should be confirmed by cystoscopy with biopsy. Laparoscopic examination represents the gold standard for the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis. Urinary bladder endometriosis may be treated surgically or medically with hormone-suppressive therapy. However, medical treatments usually are only palliative, and symptoms generally recur on discontinuation. We report our experience in two patients with vesical endometriosis who were managed successfully with cystoscopy-assisted laparoscopic partial cystectomy.