Radio Doppler data generated by the Deep Space Network (DSN) from four encounters of the Galileo spacecraft with Io, Jupiter's innermost Galilean satellite, are used to infer Io's gravitational quadrupole moments. By combining the four flybys into a single solution for the gravity field, the response of Io to the second degree tidal and rotational potentials is accurately determined. This is characterized by the value of the second degree potential Love number k 2 = 1.2924 ± 0.0027. We construct interior models that satisfy constraints imposed by the mean radius R = 1821.6 ± 0.5 km, the mean density p = 3527.8 ± 2.9 kg/m 3 , and the normalized axial moment of inertia C/M R 2 = 0.37685 ± 0.00035. The gravitationally derived figure of Io has principal axes (c < b < a) a = 1830.0 ± 0.5 km, b = 1819.2 ± 0.5 km, and c = 1815.6 ± 0.5 km, consistent with the shape determined by imaging. Gravitational and other data strongly suggest that Io is in hydrostatic equilibrium. In this case, models of Io's interior density show that Io almost certainly has a metallic core with a radius between 550 and 900 km for an Fe-FeS core or between 350 and 650 km for an Fe core. Io is also likely to have a crust and a partially molten asthenosphere, but their thicknesses cannot be separately or uniquely determined from the gravitational data.


Understanding how hormones and genes interact to coordinate plant growth is a major challenge in developmental biology. The activities of auxin, ethylene, and cytokinin depend on cellular context and exhibit either synergistic or antagonistic interactions. Here we use experimentation and network construction to elucidate the role of the interaction of the POLARIS peptide (PLS) and the auxin efflux carrier PIN proteins in the crosstalk of three hormones (auxin, ethylene, and cytokinin) in Arabidopsis root development. In ethylene hypersignaling mutants such as polaris (pls), we show experimentally that expression of both PIN1 and PIN2 significantly increases. This relationship is analyzed in the context of the crosstalk between auxin, ethylene, and cytokinin: in pls, endogenous auxin, ethylene and cytokinin concentration decreases, approximately remains unchanged and increases, respectively. Experimental data are integrated into a hormonal crosstalk network through combination with information in literature. Network construction reveals that the regulation of both PIN1 and PIN2 is predominantly via ethylene signaling. In addition, it is deduced that the relationship between cytokinin and PIN1 and PIN2 levels implies a regulatory role of cytokinin in addition to its regulation to auxin, ethylene, and PLS levels. We discuss how the network of hormones and genes coordinates plant growth by simultaneously regulating the activities of auxin, ethylene, and cytokinin signaling pathways.


A library is an assortment of materials, books or media that are effectively available for use
and not only for show purposes. It is liable for lodging refreshed data to address the
client's issues consistently. A Library gives physical (printed versions archives) or
computerized admittance (delicate duplicates) materials, and might be an actual area or a
virtual space, or both. A library's assortment can remember printed materials and other
actual assets for some arrangements like DVDs, Cds and Tape just as admittance to data,
music or other substance hung on bibliographic data sets. A library, which may fluctuate
broadly in size, might be coordinated for use and kept up by a public body like an
administration, organization/schools, a partnership, or a private person. As well as giving
materials, libraries likewise offer the types of assistance of administrators who are
prepared and specialists at finding, choosing, flowing and sorting out data and at
deciphering data needs, exploring and breaking down extremely a lot of data with an
assortment of assets. Consequently, custodians go an additional mile to address the client's
issue by guaranteeing that their clients are happy with the data provided.[citation needed]
A Curator is one individual who is relied upon to be exceptionally dynamic and inventive
particularly in this advanced world.


Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) are a powerful tool and are frequently used in many applications in VLSI CAD, like synthesis and veriication. Unfortunately, BDDs are very sensitive to the variable ordering and their size often becomes infea-sible. Recently, a new approach for BDD minimization based on linear transformations , i.e. a special type of spectral techniques, has been proposed. In this paper we study this minimization method in more detail. While so far only experimental results are known, we prove for a family of Boolean functions that by linear transformations an exponential blow up of the BDD size can be prevented. Furthermore, we present a heuristic method that allows to signiicantly reduce the BDD sizes. By experiments we give a comparison to the state-of-the-art method to demonstrate the advantages of our approach.


Looming large: One of the 22 exhibitions on show at the Royal College of Nursing Canterbury branch held as a finale to the College's 75th birthday celebrations.


The parametric equations of the surfaces on which highly resonant quasiperiodic motions develop (lower-dimensional tori) cannot be analytically continued, in general, in the perturbation parameter e, i.e., they are not analytic functions of e. However rather generally quasiperiodic motions whose frequencies satisfy only one rational relation ("resonances of order 1") admit formal perturbation expansions in terms of a fractional power of e depending on the degeneration of the resonance. We find conditions for this to happen, and in such a case we prove that the formal expansion is convergent after suitable resummation.


Background The LGBTQ+ communities face many difficulties and challenges in accessing health and social care. These barriers are magnified when trying to access support for palliative care, end of life care and bereavement support. Aim Since February 2019, we at Marie Curie Hospice West Midlands are ensuring that we are a LGBTQ+ friendly organisation for patients, carers, staff and volunteers. Method We recognised that our hospice services were not actively promoted as LGBTQ+ friendly. This led to initiatives at both regional and national level to address this. Results Development of a hospice LGBTQ+ working group for staff, volunteers and service users. Bi-monthly meetings with our aim to ensure promotion, inclusion and equity to all our services for patients and carers identifying within the LGBTQ+ community. Also ensuring our work environment is LGBTQ+ friendly for all staff and volunteers. Collaborative working with Birmingham LGBT and an ambassador visit from Ageing with Pride. Implementation of a LGBTQ+ awareness training programme for staff and volunteers. Initiated a #hospicepride float @BirminghamPride2019 working collaboratively with six regional hospices. Raising awareness of hospice services as well as promoting equality and celebrating diversity within our community. Hospice staff and service user LGBTQ+ education boards have been placed in well attended areas. A stakeholder event planned autumn 2019 to facilitate co-design of palliative care services with our local LGBTQ+ community. We are members of the national Marie Curie LGBTQ+ working group – working on national initiatives and organisational developments to ensure Marie Curie is a LGBTQ+ friendly care-provider and employer. Conclusion Everyone with a terminal illness should have access to high quality palliative care. LGBTQ+ people can feel excluded from palliative care services. It's important that we ascertain specific needs and assets to do everything we can to ensure equity of our services for our diverse community.


Carbon monoxide is produced by several biological reactions. It is proposed to act as an intracellular signaling molecule and can serve as the carbon and electon source for certain bacteria. Direct evidence for a new biological role for CO is presented here. The results strongly indicate that CO is produced as an obligatory intermediate during growth of the acetogenic bacterium Clostridium thermoaceticum on glucose, H2/CO2, or aromatic carboxylic acids. Our results are consistent with earlier hypotheses of the intermediacy of CO during growth of acetogenic bacteria on CO2 and hexoses [Diekert, G., & Ritter, M. (1983) FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 17, 299-302] and methanogenic Archaea on CO2 [Stupperich, E., Hammel, K. E., Fuchs, G., & Thauer, R. K. (1983) FEBS Lett. 152, 21-23]. Therefore, CO production is a key step in the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of acetyl-CoA synthesis. The carbonyl group of acetyl-CoA is shown to be formed from the carboxyl group of pyruvate by the following steps. (i) Pyruvate undergoes decarboxylation by pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase to form acetyl-CoA and CO2. (ii) CO2 is reduced to CO by the CODH site of the bifunctional enzyme CO dehydrogenase/acetyl-CoA synthase (CODH/ACS). (iii) CO generated in situ combines with the ACS active site to form a paramagnetic adduct that has been called the NiFeC species, and (iv) the bound carbonyl group combines with a bound methyl group and CoA to generate acetyl-CoA. To our knowledge, this paper represents the first demonstration of a pathway in which CO is produced and then used as a metabolic intermediate.


The D18 Field is located 56 miles north-west ofBintulu in sub-block 4Q-15 of the Balingian geological province, offshore Barawak. The productive reservoirs comprise Early Miocene (Cycle II) lower coastal plain and delta plain deposits. The field is a tectonically complex structure, bounded to the south by a series of en echelon reverse faults and is fault and dip closed to the north, west and east. The internal geometry is complicated by the presence of numerous cross cutting WBWIENE and NIB trending faults. The field was discovered in 1981 and following encoUraging appraisal of the eastern part, an eight-slot production platform was installed. Five development wells were drilled and the field came on stream in 1986. The field produced at an initial rate of 5300 BOPD, although a rapid production decline was observed in some of the wells. The poorer than expected results combined with the presence of several different fluid contacts and variable sand distribution raised questions about the lateral extent and degree of interconnected ness of the reservoir sands. A detailed reservoir geological study (including ten wells and approximately 1,400 ft of core) was therefore undertaken to develop a geological model for the Cycle II sediments which could be used to determine the characteristics (sand quality/heterogeneity) and architecture (geometry/lateral extent! connectedness) of the reservoir sands. This was integrated with the results of a 3D seismic study which was undertaken to determine the extent of reservoir level faulting. The Cycle II deposits have been sub-divided into an Upper, Middle and Lower interval. The main productive reservoirs occur in the Middle Cycle II. Four genetic sandbody types are identified, namely fluvial and distributary channel, crevasse, mouth bar and shallow marine sands. A geological model was proposed which envisages the north-west to north-easterly progradation and abandonment of small delta lobes in a river dominated lower delta plain setting. Detailed log correlation in the Middle Cycle II interval indicated the considerable lateral extent of both the shallow marine sands which occur field wide (> 22,000 ft), and the crevasse and mouthbar sands which can be correlated over distances of3,000 to 10,000 ft. These sands are thin (10 to 30 ft) and exhibit a wide range in reservoir quality depending upon their location relative to either the proximal or distal parts of the abandoned delta lobe margin <shallow marine sands) or the active distributary channel (crevasse and mouthbar sands). The thicker (30 to 50 ft) and better reservoir quality fluvial and distributary channel sands are of more restricted lateral extent (typically 800 - 2,500 ft) and can only occasionally be correlated between wells on the current well spacing. The geological model has provided an improved understanding of the distribution of the reservoir sands and recoverable reserves in the D18 Field. The study has indicated that different fluid contacts observed in laterally extensive sands are probably the result of offset by sealing faults. These faults compartmentalise the D18 Field into several fault bounded blocks each containing isolated reservoir sands capable of supporting their own


Objectives We assessed the association between work-related stress and asthma in a cross-sectional workforce survey in New Zealand. Methods Men and women randomly selected from the Electoral Roll were invited to take part in a telephone interview, which collected information on current workplace exposures and respiratory symptoms. Participants rated how stressful they found their current job on a 5-point scale. We conducted unconditional logistic regression to calculate prevalence ORs and 95% CI for job stress and both current and adult-onset asthma, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and deprivation. Analyses were also stratified by sex, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI). Results Results were based on 2903 interviews. Participants with very or extremely stressful jobs were twice as likely to have current asthma (OR=1.98; 95% CI 1.52 to 2.58) and 50% more likely to have adult-onset asthma (OR=1.50; 95% CI 1.05 to 2.15) compared to those with not at all or mildly stressful jobs. This association was evident for both sexes and was not explained by either occupation, BMI or smoking, although the results did differ by smoking status. Conclusions Our study adds to the sparse evidence on the relationship between work-related stress and asthma in adult working populations.


Abstract We present a comprehensive study of the massless scalar field perturbation in the Reissner-Nordström Anti-de Sitter (RNAdS) spacetime and compute its quasinormal modes (QNM). For the lowest lying mode, we confirm and extend the dependence of the QNM frequencies on the black hole charge got in previous works. In near extreme limit, under the scalar perturbation we find that the imaginary part of the frequency tends to zero, which is consistent with the previous conjecture based on electromagnetic and axial gravitational perturbations. For the extreme value of the charge, the asymptotic field decay is dominated by a power-law tail, which shows that the extreme black hole can still be stable to scalar perturbations. We also study the higher overtones for the RNAdS black hole and find large variations of QNM frequencies with the overtone number and black hole charge. The nontrivial dependence of frequencies on the angular index l is also discussed.


We propose a joint analysis of a surface-wave and a micro-gravity survey for estimating both S-wave velocity and density of the subsurface. The surface-wave method and micro-gravity surveys were performed to delineate a buried channel filled with soft alluvium sediments. A CMP cross-correlation analysis of surface-waves was applied to multi-shot and multi-channel surface-wave data and an S-wave velocity model was estimated. A micro-gravity survey was performed on the same survey line and a clear Bouguer anomaly low was detected. The S-wave velocity model was converted into a density model by a transform developed by combining density from laboratory soil tests and the S-wave model. The theoretical gravity anomaly was calculated, and compared well with the observed data, supporting the accuracy of the assumed transform. This density model was used as the initial model in a least squares inversion and a clear low-density area was obtained, which agrees with a low S-wave velocity area obtained from the surface-wave method. The two images are combined to estimate the shear modulus, and the lateral extent of the buried channel is clearly delineated.


Central venous catheters (CVCs) are fundamental in the management of hemodialysis. Despite major efforts to provide arteriovenous access, their use is increasing in dialysis units worldwide. The presence of a catheter inside a vein increases the risk of thrombosis, both within the catheter and in the vein. Thrombosis is a serious complication because it can lead to inefficient dialysis, alter the venous circulation, and facilitate infections. In this article, questions regarding anticoagulant treatment in dialysis patients with CVCs are explored and specific suggestions offered for clinical practice, based on the evidence available and the personal experience of the authors. Should CVC-induced thrombosis be treated? The duration, site and extension of the thrombotic complication should be assessed. If thrombosis is recent and symptomatic, heparin treatment followed by oral anticoagulant therapy is suggested. Is oral anticoagulant therapy useful for primary prevention of thrombosis, both within the CVC and the vein where the catheter is inserted? The available evidence favoring the use of oral anticoagulant therapy is not entirely convincing. At any rate, before such treatment is started the balance between the antithrombotic efficacy and the possible side effects should be carefully weighed. Is oral anticoagulant therapy useful for secondary prevention of CVC thrombosis? If a permanent CVC is in place and its position is correct and the blood flow < 250 mL/min, we recommend - before replacing the CVC - thrombolytic treatment followed by oral anticoagulants, aiming at an INR target between 2 and 3. Are the side effects of oral anticoagulant therapy an issue? The use of anticoagulants in renal failure carries an increased risk of complications, in particular bleeding and vascular calcifications, which could annul the advantages derived from reduced thrombotic events. Before starting oral anticoagulant therapy we suggest to carefully evaluate if there are potential overall benefits and to pay attention to concomitant antiplatelet therapy.


Density functional theory based on the PW91 and PBE exchange-correlation functionals was used to study processes that are expected to play a key role in single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) growth and continued growth. It is shown that Ni clusters adapt their shape to the shape of the SWNT end to which they are attached. The results also show that the presence of SWNTs affects Ostwald ripening of the catalyst metal clusters and that, under certain conditions, the net diffusion may be from larger to smaller clusters. Also, Ostwald ripening may affect the chiral distribution of the SWNTs.


We discuss a Bayesian model selection approach to high-dimensional data in the deep under-sampling regime. The data is based on a representation of the possible discrete states s, as defined by the observer, and it consists of M observations of the state. This approach shows that, for a given sample size M, not all states observed in the sample can be distinguished. Rather, only a partition of the sampled states s can be resolved. Such a partition defines an emergent classification qs of the states that becomes finer and finer as the sample size increases, through a process of symmetry breaking between states. This allows us to distinguish between the resolution of a given representation of the observer defined states s, which is given by the entropy of s, and its relevance, which is defined by the entropy of the partition qs. Relevance has a nonmonotonic dependence on resolution, for a given sample size. In addition, we characterise most relevant samples and we show that they exhibit power law frequency distributions, generally taken as signatures of 'criticality'. This suggests that 'criticality' reflects the relevance of a given representation of the states of a complex system, and does not necessarily require a specific mechanism of self-organisation to a critical point.


Evidence suggests that sex differences in response to cocaine administration may be regulated by activation of progesterone and estrogen receptors. To test this hypothesis, rats were pretreated with either RU 486 (progesterone antagonist; 0, 3, or 25 mg/kg), tamoxifen (estrogen antagonist; 0, 1, or 3 mg/kg), or vehicle followed by saline or cocaine administration (15 mg/kg). Although RU 486 did not affect cocaine-induced locomotor activity in female rats, it dose-dependently decreased such activity in males (3 mg/kg significantly attenuated locomotor responses in cocaine-treated rats as compared with vehicle treatment or 25 mg/kg of RU 486). RU 486 also affected baseline serum levels of corticosterone. Males treated with 3 mg/kg of RU 486 plus cocaine had higher progesterone and corticosterone serum levels than vehicle-treated groups. In females, both doses (3 and 25 mg/kg) of RU 486 significantly attenuated corticosterone serum levels compared with vehicle treatment. For both sexes overall, tamoxifen neither significantly influenced cocaine-induced ambulatory and rearing responses nor altered cocaine-induced progesterone and corticosterone serum levels. Taken together, our results suggest that progesterone receptors have a sexually dimorphic role in cocaine-induced effects, but estrogen receptors have only a limited role. Moreover, both receptor antagonists modulate neurochemical responses differentially.


We present the design, development, and evaluation of a personalised, privacy-aware and multi-modal wearable-only system to model interruptibility. Our system runs as a background service of a wearable OS and operates on two key techniques: i) online learning to recognise interruptible situation at a personal scale and ii) runtime inference of opportune moments for an interruption. The former is realised by a set of fast and efficient algorithms to automatically discover and learn interruptible situations as a function of meaningful places, and physical and conversational activities with active user engagement. The latter is substantiated with a multi-phased context sensing mechanics to identify moments which are then utilised to delivery notifications and interactive contents at the right moment. Early experimental evaluation of our system shows a sharp 46% increase in the response rate of notifications in wearable settings at the expense of negligible 6.3% resource cost.


The threshold error in electro-optical devices represents a serious problem in many applications and should be kept as low as possible for optimal system performance. In the past the authors have investigated the possibility of improving the performances of bistable systems by using Stochastic Resonance (SR) theory. In particular, the possibility of extending the threshold error reduction approach from bistable systems to a wider class of systems has been investigated for a significant improvement of the performances of several measurement devices such as optical sensors, environmental sensors, and proximity sensors. In this paper the reduction of threshold error in an optical transducer is taken into account. A methodology based on noise modulation of the input signal is presented. Experimental results are reported in order to emphasise the suitability of the proposed methodology.


before Abstract, after The power of business models lies in their ability to visualize and clarify how firms' may configure their value creation processes. Among the key aspects of business model thinking are a focus on what the customer values, how this value is best delivered to the customer and how strategic partners are leveraged in this value creation, delivery and realization exercise. Central to the mainstream understanding of business models is the value proposition towards the customer and the hypothesis generated is that if the firm delivers to the customer what he/she requires, then there is a good foundation for a long-term profitable business. However, the message conveyed in this article is that while providing a good value proposition may help the firm 'get by', the really successful businesses of today are those able to reach the sweet-spot of business model scalability. This article introduces and discusses the term scalability from a company-level perspective. It illustrates how managers should be using this term for the benefit of their business by focusing on business models capable of achieving exponentially increasing returns to scale. Scalability – How to get a truly successful business? Scalability is a term used to describe when a change in size is achievable. This paper discusses the term scalability from a company-level perspective. It illustrates how managers should be using this term for the benefit of their business. The paper concludes that businesses may 'get by' by providing good value, but that the truly successful businesses are those where the business models allow for scalability. Table 8.3. Applying experience dimensions to titles and annotations DISSEMINATING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES


In this study we investigated the effect of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) on dynamic changes in the release of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) of freely moving rats using radioimmunoassay-microdialysis procedure. NPY concentrations in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) dialysate rapidly decreased to the lowest point, 47% of basal level (P<0.01), in 30 minutes after intracerebroventricular injection 5 mug CNTF, and then increased slowly to 58%, 78% and 85% of basal level respectively at 60, 90 and 120 min (P<0.05). It became no significant difference with basal level at 150 and 180 min. These results suggested CNTF administration could directly down-regulate NPY release from hypothalamic PVN to reduce food intake and PVN was a target of CNTF's anorectic effect


Fibrous sepiolite crystals derive much of their commercial value from their molecular size channels and grooves. The crystals fold upon drying and these channels and grooves are lost. A model for the folding and unfolding of the crystals is presented. Extensive i.r., X-ray and thermogravimetric evidence shows that folding occurs when approximately half of the water of hydration, which is coordinated to the edge magnesium atoms inside of the channels, is removed. This occurs near 175°C under vacuum and near 300°C in air. When the crystals fold, all remaining water molecules enter a new environment, that of the hexagonal holes of the neighboring silica surface. A true anhydride is produced at about 500°C under vacuum when the final water is lost, but this final dehydration produces no important structural change. Rehydration of the anhydride to the normal hydrated sepiolite does not occur at room temperatures in 100% r.h. However, above, 60°C rehydration does occur.


Offshore platforms have become increasingly important to the oil and gas industry. As part of normal operating activities they are repeatedly visited by heavy vessels. This makes the rig vulnerable to collisions from these vessels. Estimating the possible ship collision damage is important in the safety and integrity assessment of a platform and also for its repair and maintenance. This book deals with the structural behaviour of tubular members of offshore structures subjected to ship collision. It covers both quasi-static and dynamic impact loadings and considers different approaches such as closed form analytical solutions. A relatively sophisticated dynamic experimental modelling and numerical simulation of the impact have also been employed to address the problem. The interaction of the existing axial load in the tubular member and the lateral impact has been thoroughly reviewed. Response of large-scale tubular frames to lateral impacts and the phenomenon of 'dynamic shakedown and response adaptation' have also been addressed. The book is aimed at the practicing professional, but can also serve as a graduate level text for inelastic design of tubular structures.


Hierarchical networks are attracting a renewal interest for modeling the organization of a number of biological systems and for tackling the complexity of statistical mechanical models beyond mean-field limitations. Here we consider the Dyson hierarchical construction for ferromagnets, neural networks, and spin glasses, recently analyzed from a statistical-mechanics perspective, and we focus on the topological properties of the underlying structures. In particular, we find that such structures are weighted graphs that exhibit a high degree of clustering and of modularity, with a small spectral gap; the robustness of such features with respect to the presence of thermal noise is also studied. These outcomes are then discussed and related to the statistical-mechanics scenario in full consistency. Last, we look at these weighted graphs as Markov chains and we show that in the limit of infinite size, the emergence of ergodicity breakdown for the stochastic process mirrors the emergence of metastabilities in the corresponding statistical mechanical analysis.


The main aim of this study is to assess the impact of Investment made on Accounting Information System and its effect on Banks performance in the case of private commercial Banks in Ethiopia. In order to fulfill the stated objective an exploratory research design with a quantitative panel data was used. To this end, the researcher relied on consecutive ten years Annual Audited Financial Report of selected seven Private Commercial Banks in Ethiopia using a purposive sampling method for the period 2005 – 2014. The study employed a multivariate regression model using Return on Asset (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Productivity (PROD) as a dependent variable for measuring the financial performance of the selected Banks and three independent explanatory variables used as a component of Accounting Information Systems; Infrastructure, software and Services. The researcher also controlled for the effects of size (measured by log of total assets). Based on a balanced panel constructed ordinary least squares (OLS) and random effects, the study finds that Investment on AIS's services provided by IT personnel payroll, hiring, training, evaluating and related costs has a significant and positive impact followed by investment on AIS's software which was consistent with the researcher's expectation. While Investment on AIS's infrastructure was found to have a negative but insignificant impact. The remaining variable, SIZE had positive but insignificant effect on their performance. The overall results revealed that Investment on AIS have a significant impact on the financial performance of Private commercial Banks in Ethiopia. Hence, based on the findings of the study the researcher conclude that, performance of infrastructure was not productive as expected and should have to consistent with the quality of AIS's service and appropriate implementation of AIS's software. Finally, as was indicated in the scope and limitation section this study was only confined to the Private commercial Banks in Ethiopia. Hence, the study could be further enhanced by including the State owned banks. The study could also developed by including more independent and control variables to the regression model. Moreover, if further studies should supplemented with qualitative data, the findings would be more informative.


The inactivation dynamics of rabies virus (PV strain) by binary ethylenimine, and the immunogenic properites and the stability of the vaccines prepared using this agent, were studied. Binary ethylenimine at a final concentration of 0.01 M was prepared wtih 2-bromoethylamine hydrobromide in alkaline solutions, either separately from or in suspensions of rabies virus propagated in BHK cells. The infectivity of virus suspensions containing more than 108 plaque-forming units per 0.1 ml was inactivated in 2 h when the inactivating agent was prepared before its addition to the suspensions, and in3 h when prepared directly in the suspensions. Liquid vaccines prepared in this manner and stored at different temperatures maintained potency for 1 month at 37 degrees C and for 6 months at 4 degrees C and 22 to 25 degrees C. Lyophilized vaccine maintained its potency for 6 months at the three temperatures. The inactivated vaccine mixed with aluminum or oil adjuvant at high dilutions protected guinea pigs against challenge. This safer procedure for rabies virus inactivation offers promise for the production of effective vaccines for the immunization of dogs and cattle.


With advent of new technologies in communication and security in IoT and advantages of Cloud computing, have multiplied, the opportunities in Smart homes, Offices and Equipments. Augmented Reality (AR) adds another dimension to the experience. The proposed system makes use of all these concepts including Edge computing to design a Smart Boutique. A boutique is a unique store that sells stylish, luxury and fashion clothing, jewelry, or other exquisite goods. Considering the richness to be experienced by the Customers, the usage of these techniques would amply complement their senses. VEoT or Virtual Environment of Things is a framework for combining all these technologies to mix both real world objects and Virtual Reality. It is very important to cater to the needs of customer in a unique way, giving personal touch to the business. This would create repeat orders and would attract more customer footfalls. The base paper gives a concrete architecture for combining IoT and AR with the help of Edge server. We have tried to make the system robust, including a kiosk touch screen to enable the customer to have more information on Boutique and its articles. The goal of the system is to produce renewed customer experience and create a Smart Boutique with technology.


The Cognitive Multiple Access Z-Interference Channel consists of a MAC channel that receives interference from an external transmitter. In a previous work we studied this model where both MAC users are cognitive and showed that an encoding scheme based on Dirty Paper coding attains the capacity region for the Gaussian case. In this work we assume that only one MAC user is cognitive and show that the non-cognitive MAC user can still benefit from the cognition of the other MAC user compared to the case where none of the MAC users are cognitive. We compare the achievable rate region obtained for our model with those for the cases where interference is treated as noise and where part of the primary user's message is decodable at the MAC receiver.


Cancer immunotherapy treatments may show low response rates due to an anti-apoptotic tumor environment. We hypothesized a treatment of immunotherapy and histone deacetylase inhibitor, LBH589, could induce tumor cell expression of pro-apoptotic molecules and sensitize these cells to immune mediated cell death.
 Treatment with adoptive transfer immunotherapy and LBH589 resulted in synergistically reduced s.c. tumor burden, and prolonged survival in an intracranial tumor model. In vivo studies in non-tumor bearing mice treated with this combination therapy showed a 2-fold increase in the number of adoptively transferred cells in comparison to an immunotherapy alone treatment group. Furthermore, combination treatment also showed a 2-fold increase in ex vivo interferon-γ secretion with and without stimulation of hgp100 peptide in comparison to an immunotherapy alone group. However, overall levels of histone 3 lysine acetylation in these adoptively transferred CD8+ T-cells do not change between treatment groups.
 Our results suggest LBH589 enhances immunotherapy treatment by decreasing tumor burden and increasing survival in a murine melanoma brain tumor model. Furthermore, treatment with LBH589 increases CD8+ T-cell secretion of interferon-γ in the absence and presence of peptide, and this does not appear to be caused by a change in overall histone 3 lysine acetylation levels.


Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs), which occur in about 40% of normal-hearing humans, do not have a firm explanation in auditory theory nor are their distributional properties well understood. To enhance our understanding of SOAEs, we have pooled data from three reports (Hammel, 1983; Strickland, Burns, & Tubis, 1985; Zurek, 1981) to assemble a large enough sample to assess the relevant hypotheses about the effects of ear and gender on their presence. The results, based on loglinear analyses of the pooled sample of 131 normal-hearing subjects, indicated that (a) the prevalence of SOAEs for female subjects [P(S/F) = .533] was significantly higher than that for male subjects [P(S/M) = .268]; (b) the percentage of right ears with SOAEs (36.6%) was significantly greater than that of left ears (25.2%); and (c) right and left ears were not independent with respect to the presence of SOAEs. These results can be explained by assuming that the (a) tendency to exhibit emissions is inherited, perhaps as a sex-linked trait and (b) ears are asymmetric with respect to the anatomical anomalies of the apical portion of the organ of Corti that may precipitate SOAEs.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of JAK/STAT signaling pathway activation on the transdifferentiation and secretion of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) induced by high glucose in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells.

METHODS
Human kidney cells (HKC) were cultured and then divided into four groups: low glucose (LG) group, high glucose (HG) group, high mannitol (LG + M) group, and HG + AG490 group. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis were used to determine the expression of tryosine phosphorylated Janus kinase 2 ( p-JAK2). The protein expressions of STAT1, STAT3, p-STAT1, and p-STAT3 and the expressions of alpha-SMA and E-Cadherin were observed by Western blot. The contents of TGF-B1, fibronectin and type I collagen in the supernatants of the cultured HKC were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of TGF-beta1 mRNA was measured by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTS
Compared with LG group, the expressions of JAK2, p-STAT1, p-STAT3, and TGF-beta1, mRNA were significantly increased in HG group from 6 to 72 hours. Meanwhile, the contents of TGF-beta1 and collagen I in the supernatants and the expression of alpha-SMA increased and the expression of E-Cadherin decreased. The expressions of JAK2, p-STAT1, p-STAT3, and TGF-beta mRNA as well as the levels of TGF-beta1 and collagen I in the supernatant s in HG + AG490 group were significantly lower than in the HG group. The expressions of alpha-SMA and E-Cadherin were also decreased in HG + AG490 group.

CONCLUSION
Activation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway may be involved in the high glucose-induced transdifferentiation and overproduction of TGF-beta1, and ECM proteins in HKCs.


Earlier studies have shown that physicians' use of stationary computers in patient consultations often have negative impacts on the doctor-patient communication. As mobile devices are replacing paper based medical charts in hospitals, there is a need to investigate the impact of bedside mobile devices on the dialogue between the clinician and the patient. It is further necessary to develop design guidelines for mobile clinical systems to reduce this impact. These guidelines can inform designers how to create GUIs and devices that require less attention and better support awareness between the clinician and patient.


Computer models of relays can play a major role in evaluating the performance of protection systems during system faults and other disturbances. The purpose for which utility engineers and manufacturers can use relay models is outlined in this paper. The various components of relays that should be included in the models are then identified. The reasons for modelling each component are reviewed. The issue of modelling transducers is discussed as well. Procedures for modelling signal conditioning filters and analog to digital converters are outlined. Techniques for computing phasors are briefly discussed. Procedures for developing phasor and transient models and their possible applications for protection studies are described. Before these issues are addressed, the types of models and the circumstances in which they could be used are reviewed.


A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) is the heavy-ion detector designed to study the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Since its successful start-up in 2010, the LHC has been performing outstandingly, providing to the experiments long periods of stable collisions and an integrated luminosity that greatly exceeds the planned targets. To fully explore these privileged conditions, we aim at maximizing the experiment's data taking productivity during stable collisions. We present in this paper the evolution of the online systems towards helping us understand reasons of inefficiency and address new requirements. This paper describes the features added to the ALICE Electronic Logbook (eLogbook) to allow the Run Coordination team to identify, prioritize, fix and follow causes of inefficiency in the experiment. Thorough monitoring of the data taking efficiency provides reports for the collaboration to portray its evolution and evaluate the measures (fixes and new features) taken to increase it. In particular, the eLogbook helps decision making by providing quantitative input, which can be used to better balance risks of changes in the production environment against potential gains in quantity and quality of physics data. It will also present the evolution of the Experiment Control System (ECS) to allow on-the-fly error recovery actions of the detector apparatus while limiting as much as possible the loss of integrated luminosity. The paper will conclude with a review of the ALICE efficiency so far and the future plans to improve its monitoring.


A comparative density functional theory (DFT) study exploring the structural and spectroscopic properties of the complete set of halosubstituted anilines with the halogens being F, Cl and Br was carried out. This study aims at understanding the effect of the type, number and positions of halogen substituents on the inversion barrier, geometrical properties and vibrational frequencies. The compounds were exclusively predicted to exist in the near-planar pyramidal form. While the order of stability is noted to be independent of the type of halogen substituents, the size of the inversion barrier is predicted to be sensitive to their number and positions, in accordance with former theoretical and experimental reports. The higher number of halogens leads to a more pronounced planarity character of the amino group. The deactivating nature of halogen atoms is believed to enhance the lone-pair electron delocalization in the order of bromo- > chloro- > fluoroanilines. An unusually strong electron delocalization nature is predicted to exist in the case of tetra- and penta-substituted haloanilines.


We present infrared interferometric angular size measurements for the A7IV-V star Altair that indicate a noncircular projected disk brightness distribution. Given the known rapid rotation of this star, we model the data as arising from an elongated rigid atmosphere. To first order, an ellipse may be fitted to our interferometric diameter measurements, with major and minor axes of 2a = 3.461 ± 0.038 mas and 2b = 3.037 ± 0.069 mas, respectively, for a difference of 424 ± 79 μas between 2a and 2b, and with an axial ratio of a/b = 1.140 ± 0.029. Assuming that the apparent oblateness of the photosphere is due to the star's rapid rotation, a more rigorous evaluation of the observation data in the context of a rigidly rotating Roche model shows that an estimate of v sin i = 210 ± 13 km s-1 can be derived that is independent of spectroscopic techniques. Also derived are values for the mean effective temperature and the mean linear radius, and an observational constraint upon the relationship between rotation velocity and stellar inclination is established. Altair is the first main-sequence star for which direct observations of an oblate photosphere have been reported and the first star for which v sin i has been established from observations of the star's photospheric geometry.


The United States has no national requirement that employers provide paid sick leave (PSL) to their employees, despite the many established public health benefits of PSL access. Many states, and some localities, have passed laws requiring PSL within their jurisdictions. Past studies have shown that these PSL mandates are effective in promoting increased PSL access. However, past studies have not considered two other commonly-used state policy initiatives—PSL preemption and right-to-work laws—that could hypothetically influence employers' decisions to provide PSL. During the past few decades, all possible combinations of these policy interventions can be found in one or more U.S. states. This study estimates the combined associations of these 3 policies with PSL access. The estimates support recent research on the positive effects of PSL mandates, but also suggest that PSL preemption and right-to-work laws may have offsetting effects. Failure to take account of these additional policies may lead to an over-estimate of the effectiveness of PSL mandates.


While relational capabilities are the cornerstone of modern marketing practice and theory, there are conflicting claims about their value for breakthrough or radical innovations. To address this problem, we distinguish two market relating capabilities—channel management and customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities. We explore their role in technological and market breakthroughs. The results show that channel management capabilities reduce while CRM capabilities foster the technological radicalness of new products. We also find that channel management capabilities have no impact on market radicalness of new products while CRM capabilities foster it.


BACKGROUND
Blood pressure is severely reduced in patients in cardiac arrest receiving standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Although active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR improves acute hemodynamic parameters, arterial pressures remain suboptimal with this technique. We performed ACD CPR in patients with a new inspiratory threshold valve (ITV) to determine whether lowering intrathoracic pressures during the "relaxation" phase of ACD CPR would enhance venous blood return and overall CPR efficiency.

METHODS AND RESULTS
This prospective, randomized, blinded trial was performed in prehospital mobile intensive care units in Paris, France. Patients in nontraumatic cardiac arrest received ACD CPR plus the ITV or ACD CPR alone for 30 minutes during advanced cardiac life support. End tidal CO(2) (ETCO(2)), diastolic blood pressure (DAP) and coronary perfusion pressure, and time to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were measured. Groups were similar with respect to age, gender, and initial rhythm. Mean maximal ETCO(2), coronary perfusion pressure, and DAP values, respectively (in mm Hg), were 13.1+/-0.9, 25.0+/-1.4, and 36.5+/-1.5 with ACD CPR alone versus 19.1+/-1.0, 43.3+/-1.6, and 56.4+/-1.7 with ACD plus valve (P<0.001 between groups). ROSC was observed in 2 of 10 patients with ACD CPR alone after 26.5+/-0.7 minutes versus 4 of 11 patients with ACD CPR plus ITV after 19.8+/-2.8 minutes (P<0.05 for time from intubation to ROSC). Conclusions-Use of an inspiratory resistance valve in patients in cardiac arrest receiving ACD CPR increases the efficiency of CPR, leading to diastolic arterial pressures of >50 mm Hg. The long-term benefits of this new CPR technology are under investigation.


Residential buildings in communities are the fundamental spaces and environments for human dwelling. However, natural and human-made disasters can threaten the safety of these buildings, and thus communities. This study integrated the current concepts and practices of different types of communities into the concept of safety communities. In addition, it used the collapse of seven complex buildings. Weiguan Jinlong residential complex in Tainan, caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on February 6, 2016 as an example to systematically examine and analyze the current concepts and practices of the aforementioned community types. In addition, by focusing on how natural environments are relevant to buildings in communities, this study proposed suggestions for the following policies and initiatives related to site planning: environmental measures on safety from geographic features, guidelines for national land use, architectural management for communities in cities, initiatives on national land conservation managed by specific institutions, and the Disaster Prevention and Response Act.


We demonstrate the synthesis of the first anionic aluminum metal-organic framework (MOFs) constructed from tetrahedral AlO4 sites. Al-Td-MOF-1 was obtained in a simple two-step synthesis by condensation of 1,4-dihydroxybenzene and lithium aluminum hydride into an amorphous aluminate framework before applying a solvothermal treatment under basic conditions to obtain the crystalline Al-Td-MOF-1 with a chemical composition of Li[Al(C6 H4 O2 )2 ]. The overall Al-Td-MOF-1 structure consists of one-dimensional chains of alternating edge-sharing AlO4 and LiO4 tetrahedral sites describing unidirectional pore channels with a square window aperture of ≈5×5 Å2 , best described topologically as a uninodal 6-coordinated snp rod net. Al-Td-MOF-1 features the highest Li+ loading reported to date for a MOF (2.50 wt %) and proved to be an effective single-ion solid electrolyte. An ionic conductivity of 5.7×10-5  S cm-1 was measured for Al-Td-MOF-1 and the beneficial contribution of crystallinity was evidenced by an 8-fold increase in conductivity between the disordered and crystalline material.


Mean-field Bloch bands of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a honeycomb optical lattice are computed. We find that the topological structure of the Bloch bands at the Dirac point is changed completely by atomic interaction of arbitrary small strength: the Dirac point is extended into a closed curve and an intersecting tube structure arises around the original Dirac point. These tubed Bloch bands are caused by the superfluidity of the system. Furthermore, they imply the inadequacy of the tight-binding model to describe an interacting Boson system around the Dirac point and the breakdown of adiabaticity by interaction of arbitrary small strength.


Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an mRNA-binding protein that can induce mRNA degradation. It controls cell growth and factors related to tumor development by binding AU-rich elements located in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA, leading to rapid mRNA decay. Resveratrol, which is a natural flavonoid polyphenolic compound, has been shown to exert biological activities on various human cancers. However, there are no studies assessing its effects with TTP regulation on human gastric cancer. The present novel study demonstrated that the tumor suppressing effects of resveratrol were mediated via the induction of TTP expression in gastric cancer. We found that resveratrol induced TTP mRNA and protein expression in the gastric cancer cell lines SNU484 and SNU638. Treatment with resveratrol enhanced the decaying activity of TTP on luciferase mRNA containing cIAP2, LATS2, Lin28, and E2F1 in their 3' UTR. We also confirmed that TTP was upregulated. Target genes of TTP (E2F1, LATS2, and Lin28) were downregulated by resveratrol treatment in SNU484 cells as observed in a microarray experiment. Furthermore, we observed that resveratrol affects cell proliferation, metastasis, and tumor formation in SNU484 and SNU638 cells. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that resveratrol induced the mRNA and protein levels of TTP by regulating the decay of cIAP2, LATS2, Lin28, and E2F1 mRNA. It can thus be concluded that resveratrol can be utilized as a potential therapeutic anticancer agent for treating human gastric cancer.


Antibody-dependent, phytohaemagglutinin-induced, and spontaneous cytotoxicity was studied in 44 term and 60 preterm newborn babies, all of whom were healthy and of normal weight for gestational age. Twenty-seven adults were used as controls. Antibody-dependent cytotoxicity was low in term babies particularly in the preterm ones during the first 4 days of life, but soon rose to adult levels. Phytohaemagglutinin-induced cytotoxicity was low both in term and preterm babies compared with adult levels, and remained lower throughout the neonatal period although it began to rise. Spontaneous cytotoxicity was lower in preterm babies than in term ones during the first 2 weeks of life, and lower too than in adults. These findings indicate decreased cytotoxic ability of neonatal leucocytes especially during the first 4 days of postnatal life particularly in preterm babies, suggesting either lack of effector cells or that the cells are functionally immature.


The NHS in England underspent its budget by £1.7bn (€2.1bn; $2.6bn) in 2011-12, and most of the money saved can't be carried over to 2012-13 but must be returned to the Treasury. Only £0.3bn (18%) of the underspend was surrendered through "budget exchange," the mechanism that allows money to be carried through to the next financial year.

The NHS underspend was the largest in cash terms across Whitehall departments, which collectively spent £5.3bn less than had been budgeted a year ago. A further £1.4bn was saved because the Treasury did not have to distribute funding held in reserve. As a result, while the budgets set a year ago envisaged a fall in public spending of 3.5% in real terms, the outcome was a fall of 5.2%.

The figures, published in Public Spending Statistics on 6 July,1 suggest that departments decided to anticipate the …


The proteome of quiescent human platelets was analyzed by a shotgun proteomics approach consisting of enzymatic digestion, peptide separation based on isoelectric point by the use of OFFgel fractionation and, finally, RP nanoscale chromatography coupled to MS/MS detection (nano‐LC‐MS/MS). OFFgel fractionation in the first dimension was effective in providing an additional dimension of separation, orthogonal to RP nano‐LC, thus generating an off‐line multidimensional separation platform that proved to be robust and easy to set up. The analysis identified 1373 proteins with high confidence (false discovery rate<0.25%). The core set of 1373 human platelet proteins was investigated by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software from which ten canonical pathways and eight networks have been validated, to suggest that platelets behave either as inflammatory or immune cells, and plasma membrane and cytoskeleton proteins play a fundamental role in their function. Moreover, toxicity pathway in agreement with network analysis, supports the concept that platelet life span is governed by an apoptotic mechanism.


This article evaluated the efficacy status of religious and spiritual (R/S) therapies for mental health problems, including treatments for depression, anxiety, unforgiveness, eating disorders, schizophrenia, alcoholism, anger, and marital issues. Religions represented included Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism. Some studies incorporated a generic spirituality. Several R/S therapies were found to be helpful for clients, supporting the further use and research on these therapies. There was limited evidence that R/S therapies outperformed established secular therapies, thus the decision to use an R/S therapy may be an issue of client preference and therapist comfort.


ABSTRACT Mismatch repair is a highly conserved pathway responsible for correcting DNA polymerase errors incorporated during genome replication. MutL is a mismatch repair protein known to coordinate several steps in repair that ultimately results in strand removal following mismatch identification by MutS. MutL homologs from bacteria to humans contain well-conserved N-terminal and C-terminal domains. To understand the contribution of the MutL N-terminal domain to mismatch repair, we analyzed 14 different missense mutations in Bacillus subtilis MutL that were conserved with missense mutations identified in the human MutL homolog MLH1 from patients with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). We characterized missense mutations in or near motifs important for ATP binding, ATPase activity, and DNA binding. We found that 13 of the 14 missense mutations conferred a substantial defect to mismatch repair in vivo, while three mutant alleles showed a dominant negative increase in mutation frequency to wild-type mutL. We performed immunoblot analysis to determine the relative stability of each mutant protein in vivo and found that, although most accumulated, several mutant proteins failed to maintain wild-type levels, suggesting defects in protein stability. The remaining missense mutations located in areas of the protein important for DNA binding, ATP binding, and ATPase activities of MutL compromised repair in vivo. Our results define functional residues in the N-terminal domain of B. subtilis MutL that are critical for mismatch repair in vivo.


This report evaluates critical points in the management of 30 consecutive blunt traumatic popliteal vascular injuries. All arterial injuries were diagnosed both clinically and by Doppler and PVR examinations. Twenty-eight of the 30 arterial reconstructions required interposition bypass grafts, nine of which were PTFE and the remainder were autogenous saphenous veins. In 19 patients the distal anastomosis was made to the distal popliteal artery and in nine patients to the tibial-peroneal arteries. In ten patients in whom limb survival was threatened, the ischemic time was shortened by the use of temporary Silastic shunt for rapid restoration of arterial flow. Nine patients had associated venous injuries which were repaired. Nine of the first 14 patients required fasciotomy but the last 16 patients were treated with hypertonic mannitol and only two of them required fasciotomy. There were no amputations, but in four limbs there were functional losses. In spite of the more extensive damage of blunt trauma, prompt and aggressive management aided by vascular laboratory tests, indwelling shunt, and hypertonic mannitol is rewarded with preservation of limbs following acute popliteal vascular injuries.


Humans are genetically diverse and possess a rich immunological history. It is logical to consider that these factors may lead to differences in individual immunological responses to therapy when diagnosed with cancer. The successful implementation of immune-based therapies against cancer has brought the need to develop strategies to create meaningful profiles that faithfully depict the patient's immunological status. We report an in-depth immunological interrogation methodology, termed ATLAS. This system was designed to generate an accurate representation of the patient's immunological landscape that can be used during various time points during immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy.We selected data from our prospective registry trial at Loyola University Medical Center to design individual immunological profiles of patients diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors planning to receive ICI. Only metastatic melanoma patients samples pre-ICI therapy are included in this first analysis. Twenty mL of peripheral blood were collected. Giving consideration to scientific rigor and limited sample availability, the assays were designed in miniaturized forms. ATLAS includes classical peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) composition and T cell phenotypic and transcriptional analysis. To depict T cell functionality, we examined multiple parameters such as T cell receptor (TCR) signaling threshold, cell proliferation and NF-kB activation, at steady-state and in response to cell activation. To obtain both a broad and T cell-specific view, we quantified circulating chemokines and cytokines in plasma and from activated T cells.For this first methodologic demonstration, patient characteristics are depicted in table 1. Data from different ATLAS assays were used to create individual immunological profiles presented as a dashboard for each patient. Distributional plots and measures of center (mean, median) and spread (range, variance) were used to eliminate low-information parameters from the figures. Data visualizations compared individual patients to the sample median for continuous parameters and compared patients' percentages to sample average relative abundance. Two patients, P011 shown in figure 1 and P021 shown in figure 2, are depicted using this approach.Abstract 52 Table 1Patient characteristicsAbstract 52 Figure 1Patient 011 dashboardAbstract 52 Figure 2Patient 021 dashboardATLAS can be used in real-world conditions to generate comprehensive immunological profiles of cancer patients. Individual profiles indicate that immunological constitution is heterogeneous among patients, even with the same tumor type. We propose that the addition of ATLAS to our clinical and immunological toolbox may help stratify patients to articulate truly personalized oncologic therapies.The study was approved by Loyola University Medical Center and Loyola University Chicago Ethics Board and Institutional Review Board, approval number 209364.


About 80% of nosocomial infections are caused by aerobic bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the Pseudomonadaceae family; P. aeruginosa is responsible for 6-22% of all hospital infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy (2 atm abs x 55 min.day-1) alone for 8 days and combined with antibiotic chemotherapy (amikacin 15 mg.kg-1.day-1 for 8 days by intraperitoneal route) in rats infected subcutaneously and via the pulmonary route. In the rats infected by P. aeruginosa, HBO2 induced a reduction in mortality and morbidity with bacteria eradication in blood culture, bronchial aspirate, and skin biopsies when compared to control. These effects were increased by the use of amikacin, an antibiotic used for the treatment of sensitive Gram-negative bacteria.


The present paper prepresents an attempt to summarize the different data needs in the context of interstellar space. The availability of future high spectral and angular resolution instruments reinforces the requirement of skilled data bases in a variety od domains. In addition to spectroscopic databases, chemical kinetics data involving ion‐molecule, neutral‐neutral reaction, dissociative recombination, photodissociation and photoionization cross sections are mentioned. We also refer to inelastic collision rate coefficients where atomic and molecular Hydrogen, Helium stand as perturbers. Finally we put forward the involvement of atomic and molecular databases into the efforts addressed by the perspective of International Virtual Observatories.


The sensitivity of a fluorescence labeling method ((1979). J. Biochem. 85, 989--994; 995--1002) for structure analyses of asparagine-linked sugar moieties of glycoproteins was increased by using HPLC with a fluorescence detector. Sugar moieties were separated from polypeptide portions by hydrazinolysis. Free amino groups thus exposed were acetylated and the reducing ends of sugar chains were reductively aminated with a fluorescent reagent, 2-aminopyridine, by the use of sodium cyanoborohydride. The pyridylamino derivatives were purified on a Dowex 1 column to eliminate undesired substances. The separation and identification of the pyridylamino derivatives were carried out by HPLC with a column of C18 reversed phase or gel permeation phase. As little as 0.1 pmol of pyridylamino derivatives can be detected. Ten microgram of Taka-amylase A was easily detected by this system. The method was also applied to some other glycoproteins.


We calculate the gravitational wave (GW) background spectrum from kink-kink collisions on infinite cosmic strings by taking into account the effect of Y-junctions. A kink going through a Y-junction transforms into three daughter kinks. In this way, the existence of Y-junctions also increases the number of kinks on cosmic strings with Y-junctions. However, at the same time, it smooths out the sharpness of kinks rapidly and reduces the number of sharp kinks, which are responsible for the emissions of strong GW bursts. We compute the number distribution of kinks as a function of the sharpness by taking into account the effect of Y-junctions and translate it to the amplitude of the GW background spectra. We first investigate the case of the string network with equal string tensions and find that the effect of Y-junctions to smooth out kink sharpness dominates that of the enhancement of the kink number by a small reconnection probability, and the GW amplitude turns out to be smaller than the ordinary cosmic string case. On the other hand, for non-equal string tensions, we find that the GW spectrum does not change significantly compared to the equal-tension case.


Jieduan-Niwan (JDNW) formula is a traditional Chinese medicine compound created by the famous Chinese medicine expert Professor Qian Ying, and has been used clinically for decades to treat acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and exhibits remarkable efficacy. However, the exact mechanism remains to be discovered. As an important hepatocyte damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP) factor, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a potential therapeutic target as an accelerator of ACLF in the pathogenesis. Therefore, the present study investigated whether JDNW inhibits the overexpression and cytoplasmic translocation of HMGB1 in ACLF liver tissue and alleviates its mediated oxidative stress and apoptosis. In vivo, an immune-induced ACLF rat model was established, and then treated with JDNW for 5, 10, and 15 d. The results showed that a large number of cytoplasmic translocations of HMGB1 occurred in the ACLF group. And there was an increase in the expression of HMGB1 in the M-5 d group. After the intervention of JDNW, the overexpression and translocation of HMGB1 were inhibited. In vitro, D-GaLN caused an increase in the expression and translocation of HMGB1 in L02 cells. Similar to the inhibitor of HMGB1, JDNW serum alleviated this kind of increase. Further tests showed that JDNW attenuated ACLF-related oxidative stress and apoptosis, and the inhibition was associated with the regulation of TLR-4/NF-κB signaling pathway. In conclusion, our present findings suggest that the therapeutic effect of JDNW on ACLF was associated with the inhibition of high expression and cytoplasmic translocation of HMGB1 during the acute injury phase, thus, attenuating oxidative stress injury and apoptosis induced by HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB pathway.


In this article, we describe a highly efficient and reproducible method of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for several gene transformations (cry1Ab, rolB, and PhMV) in tomatoes. Tomato fruit is rich in minerals, essential amino acids, sugar, vitamin B, iron, phosphorus, and dietary fiber. Tomato Crop production has some major problem which includes early ripening, reduction in fruit shelf life and devastating diseases that caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and nematodes, etc. The study aims to use the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method to improve the tomato shelf life and make tomato plants resistant to such types of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi, etc. Tomato was transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harbouring Cry1Ab synthetic gene for toxin proteins. And same strain was inserted with another CP of PhMV that cloned into the binary vector pBI 121 for resistance to PhMV infection, and strain GV3101 harbouring the binary vector pICBV19 for reducing the expression of vis1 gene. Tomato seed culture on MS media after sterilization with 75% ethanol and distilled water. Plantlet root formation was on different kanamycin MS mediums. Constricted plasmid vectors with a gene if interest allowed to be transferred into Agrobacterium tumefaciens using the freeze-thaw method. The engineered strain suspension was centrifuged and re-suspended with MS media. Tomato seeds were obtained, then 0.5 cm per cotyledon, and put into the Agrobacterium suspension and co-cultivated and incubated and a transgenic plant, analysis was carried out using PCR, real-time Reanalysis, Northern blot analysis, and statistical analysis. For tomato varieties, the protocol developed showed very high transformation efficiency. The optimized transformation process is simple, effective and no need for tobacco, Petunia, tomato suspension feeder layer, or acetosyringone as chemical transduction.


Nonsteroid antiinflammatory agents (NAIA) such as antipyrine, butadion, acetylsalicylic acid, sodium salicylate, stampyrine and 4-iodantipyrine are not interferonogenic. Still, they stimulated interferonogenic action of poly(G).poly(C) in studies on animals. Relation between the interferon-stimulating action of the NAIA and their effect on activity of prostaglandin and the influence on the immune system was suggested.


Human water use and anthropogenic water pollution and ecosystem deterioration have increased so much that it is now a strategic challenge to maximize benefits from various possible water uses, while ensuring that basic human needs are met and the environment is protected. We propose and develop a novel use of input-output flow analysis as a relatively simple, compact and powerful tool for quantification of coupled natural and cross-sectoral flows of water, nutrients, and pollutants in catchments. The tool quantifies implications of various environmental regulation and management scenarios for both natural water systems and engineered-economic systems and sectors that use and impact natural waters for meeting human needs. Specific case study application to water and nitrogen flows in the Swedish Norrström drainage basin indicates considerable nitrogen load contributions to surface and coastal waters from slow groundwater flow paths and legacies of accumulated nitrogen in subsurface and immobile water pools. This implies that effective nitrogen load abatement cannot focus only on active sources but must also include downstream measures, which can capture and abate nitrogen/pollutant loading from different types of known and yet unknown point and diffuse sources within associated catchments.


Philosophers, psychologists, and religious teachers have suggested that imagining yourself in another's place will stimulate moral action. The authors tested this idea in two different situations. In Experiment 1, participants had the opportunity to assign themselves and another research participant to tasks, with one task clearly more desirable than the other. Imagining oneself in the other's place did little to increase the morality (fair-ness) of the decision. A different form of perspective taking, imagining the other's feelings, increased direct assignment of the other to the desirable task, apparently due to increased empathy. In Experiment 2, participants confronted a different decision: either accept an initial task assignment that would give them highly positive consequences and the other participant nothing or change the assignment so they and the other would each receive moderately positive consequences. In this situation, imagining oneself in the other's place did significantly increase moral action.


The so-called Garnir relations are very important in the representation theory of the symmetric groups. In this paper, we give a possible extension of Garnir relations for Weyl groups in general.


Introduction
A retrospective study (2011 to 2018) was conducted to evaluate the management of cholesteatomas with labyrinthine fistulae (LFs), clinical characteristics and postoperative hearing outcomes in a hospital.

Methods
Demographic data of patients with primary middle ear mastoidectomies for cholesteatoma were extracted. Preoperative high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) temporal bone and intraoperative findings, and hearing levels preoperatively and postoperatively were evaluated.

Results
Of the middle ear cholesteatomas, 15.6% (n = 14) of ears were complicated by LF. HRCT scans showed 92.9% sensitivity and 94.7% specificity in the identification of LFs. Intraoperative findings of LFs include stapes erosion (78.6%), malleus erosion (78.6%), incus erosion (92.9%), dehiscence of tegmen tympani (28.6%) and tympanic facial canal (64.3%). Compared to the non-LF group, the LF group showed significantly higher incidence of stapes erosion (P < 0.001), tegmen tympani dehiscence (P = 0.016) and semicircular canal dehiscence (P < 0.001). Matrix was removed completely in 85.7% (n = 12) and was left behind in 14.3% (n = 2) of ears. Also, 21.5% (n = 3) had preoperative dead ears. Postoperative hearing results had a mean follow-up time of 2.1 (standard deviation 1.5, range 0.14-4.84) years. In the matrix removal group (n = 9), 77.9% had unchanged hearing levels, 11.1% showed improvement and 11.1% showed decrease in hearing levels. The matrix preservation group (n = 2) had deteriorated hearing levels.

Conclusion
Preservation of hearing in LFs is possible with cautious matrix removal. Despite matrix preservation to preserve hearing in large LFs, our patients' hearing deteriorated postoperatively. Longer follow-up of hearing with matrix preservation may show poorer hearing outcomes.


Obesity is considered a risk factor for breast cancer. Modifying life styles that reduce obesity offers the potential for prevention and improved outcomes from cancer. The effects of obesity and breast cancer among African‐American women and Hispanic women have been explored in a limited number of studies. The objective of the current study was to investigate the association of obesity with breast cancer in a minority cohort.


Due to increasing demand and widespread application of Fibre reinforced polymer (FRPs) composites, they have been used in a variety of application like aerospace, automotive, sports, ships and constructional work. Because of their several advantages such as relatively low cost of production light weight, easy to fabricate and superior strength to weight ratio. In the present work E-glass fibre is used as reinforcing agent with and without alumina filler. The objective of the present research work is to study the mechanical and abrasive wear behaviour of coated and uncoated E-glass fibre reinforced epoxy based composites. The effect of fibre loading and filler content on mechanical properties like hardness, tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength of composites are studied. A robust design technique called Taguchi method is also used to determine the optimal condition for specific wear rate of the composites by considering different parameters. ANOVA study is also performed to study the effect of various factors on the sliding wear behaviour of the composites.


Neuronal high-voltage-activated (HVA) Ca2+ channels are rapidly inactivated by a mechanism that is termed Ca2+-dependent inactivation (CDI). In this study we have shown that β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) stimulation inhibits CDI in rat thalamocortical (TC) relay neurons. This effect can be blocked by inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) with a cell-permeable inhibitor (myristoylated protein kinase inhibitor-(14–22)-amide) or A-kinase anchor protein (AKAP) St-Ht31 inhibitory peptide, suggesting a critical role of these molecules downstream of the receptor. Moreover, inhibition of protein phosphatases (PP) with okadaic acid revealed the involvement of phosphorylation events in modulation of CDI after βAR stimulation. Double fluorescence immunocytochemistry and pull down experiments further support the idea that modulation of CDI in TC neurons via βAR stimulation requires a protein complex consisting of CaV1.2, PKA and proteins from the AKAP family. All together our data suggest that AKAPs mediate targeting of PKA to L-type Ca2+ channels allowing their phosphorylation and thereby modulation of CDI.


In 150 consecutive knee arthrotomies, 105 cases showed injury only to the menisci, ligaments, or fat pad. Eighty-six torn medial menisci and fifteen torn lateral menisci were removed. Two cases showed tearing of both menisci. Fifty-four bucket-handle, twenty anterior, ten posterior, and three minimal tears (loose anterior attachments) are recorded. In the remaining cases, no accurate description of the portion of the meniscus injured is recorded. In this group of patients, ninety-seven returned to some type of duty.

In twenty-four cases, disorders of the bone and articular cartilage were shown. of nine patients with osteochondritis dissecans, eight are believed at duty, while of eleven patients with chondromalacia of the patella, eight are probably still in Service.

Only five patients with severe arthritis were operated upon, and none of them are believed to be in the Army at present.

Nine patients with recent or old fractures involving the patella, tibial spine, or tibial Plateau were operated upon. Five of these men have been returned to duty. Three men with fractures of the tibial plateau have been discharged for disability. The last man of the group was discharged for an ankle disability.

Of the remaining patients in the series, those operated upon primarily for diagnosis have shown poor results, the final diagnosis in most cases being psychoneurosis. Three unusual cases were found, and have been described in detail.


Aquaculture sector provides Food, Employment and Prosperity to the people. The vast area of water resources available in the country provides huge scope for expansion of aquaculture for the production of finfish and shellfish. In order to enhance farmers' income, there is a need to increase farm productivity through technological interventions, improve market access, and also to develop the industrial and service sectors to support various farmer activities in terms of marketing and processing of their produce and other requirements in terms of self-employment/employment in farming sector. The farmers can realize the doubling of their income within a contemplated period of five years by implementing recommended technologies in the farming system and reap the consequent social and ecological benefits.


In this paper the industrial characteristics of the bifunctional Pt-Re reforming catalysts were studied with mathematical model. The results of the main control parameters influencing catalyst activity during operation cycle, such as the temperature, organochlorine compounds, and water amount were given. The calculation methodology development of the optimal water and chlorine supply into the reforming reactor by means of the physical and chemical nature research of this phenomenon in order to increase the industrial unit resource efficiency was proposed. The authors calculated and showed how to control the chlorine supply into the reactor for maintaining the optimum molar ratio of these components on the catalyst depending on the process temperature and varying flow rates. It was proved that the optimum organochlorine supply depends on the process temperature, system humidity, and recycled raw material volume. The methodology allows decreasing process financial costs by increasing installation work cycle.


A detailed bioinformatics analysis of six glycopeptide biosynthetic gene clusters isolated from soil environmental DNA (eDNA) megalibraries indicates that a subset of these gene clusters contains collections of tailoring enzymes that are predicted to result in the production of new glycopeptide congeners. In particular, sulfotransferases appear in eDNA-derived gene clusters at a much higher frequency than would be predicted from the characterization of glycopeptides from cultured Actinomycetes . Enzymes found on tailoring-enzyme-rich eDNA clones associated with these six gene clusters were used to produce a series of new sulfated glycopeptide derivatives in both in vitro and in vivo derivatization studies. The derivatization of known natural products with eDNA-derived tailoring enzymes is likely to be a broadly applicable strategy for generating libraries of new natural product variants.


Abstract Invasion by nonnative plants may have ecosystem-wide effects, altering the decomposition rate of plant material via changes in litter quality or altered environment (abiotic conditions, associated biotic community), or both. Yet, the relative importance of these factors for decomposition rates is not clear. We studied decomposition using the leaves of related shrub species (nonnative Sorbaria sorbifolia and Rosa rugosa, native Rubus idaeus) with comparable physiognomy but different leaf characteristics and origin (alien vs. native) in patches formed by S. sorbifolia and Rubus idaeus in southwestern Finland. Decomposition of cellulose in the topsoils of the patches was also studied. Using litter bags, we found that S. sorbifolia leaf litter decomposed slowest and Rosa rugosa leaves fastest irrespective of patch type. Topsoils in S. sorbifolia patches were richer in carbon, nitrogen, and calcium than those of Rubus idaeus, but these differences did not affect decomposition rates. Very little decomposition appeared to happen during the winter but during the summer, microclimate had minor but significant effects on decomposition rates. Our results highlight the key role of litter source in the decomposition of plant material. Between-patch differences in abiotic conditions appear to play a minor role relative to litter quality. Nomenclature: False spirea; Sorbaria sorbifolia (L.) A. Braun; rugosa rose; Rosa rugosa Thunb.; red raspberry; Rubus idaeus L. Management Implications: Decomposition of plant material is crucial for nutrient cycling. Invasive woody species may alter decomposition rates by altering litter quality and by altering the environmental conditions below the plants. We compared the leaf decomposition of a native and two nonnative shrubs in environments created by the native and one of the nonnative shrubs to estimate the relative importance of leaf source (species identity) and environment (microclimatic conditions, soil nutrient levels) for leaf decomposition rates. All shrubs belonged to the same family (Rosaceae) and had comparable physiognomy and leaf biomass production, which helped to minimize the influence of confounding factors. Our results demonstrate how the decomposition rate of leaves depends on species-specific differences in the quality of leaves rather than on the minor differences in the environments created by the patch-forming shrubs. The predominant importance of leaf source has been stressed also in some previous studies, suggesting that our conclusions can be generalized to a wider group of woody species. Although our conclusions can be regarded as preliminary rather than conclusive due to the small number of studied species, our results suggest that evaluations based solely on changes in leaf litter quality (and quantity) may capture the essential changes in leaf decomposition rates after an invasion of a nonindigenous plant. However, our results also indicate that species-specific differences in leaf quality prevent generalizations across all species, so the consequences of plant invasions for decomposition rates should be evaluated at the level of plant species.


We report the first observation of InSb with the wurtzite structure by X-ray diffraction for a small particle prepared by evaporation of InSb in Ar gas. The ratio of c/a=1.642 is slightly larger than that of the ideal hcp lattice. The density of the crystal with the wurtzite structure is almost equal to that of the zincblende-type crystal. The value of c/a is consistent with that for compounds which exhibit the wurtzite and zincblende structures.


The presence of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance genes erm(B), erm(C) and erm(F), the macrolide resistance mef(A) gene, and the DNA sequence of a 13 bp repeat in the promoter region of the mtrR gene, were determined in 62 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates collected between 1992 and 1999 in Seattle, Washington, USA. Eleven isolates with erythromycin and azithromycin MICs of < or =0.06 mg/L, had no acquired genes or deletions in the 13 bp repeat region. Among 44 isolates with erythromycin MICs 1.0-16.0 mg/L, and azithromycin MICs 0.06-4.0 mg/L, 16 carried the 1 bp deletion in the mtrR promoter region alone, nine carried one or more of the four acquired macrolide resistance genes alone, and 14 carried both acquired macrolide resistance genes plus the 1 bp deletion in the mtrR promoter region. Three isolates with erythromycin MICs > or = 8 mg/L, and azithromycin MICs of 4.0 mg/L, carried only erm genes. Five isolates with MICs of 1-2 mg/L did not carry the 1 bp deletion, or any of the acquired resistance genes examined. Our data suggest that the 1 bp deletion in the mtrR promoter region is not found in all erythromycin-resistant (MIC > or = 1.0 mg/L) N. gonorrhoeae.


Chemotherapy drugs are toxic for tissues which have high growth and proliferation. Bone marrow toxicity is one of the major side effects of cyclophosphamide [1]. Brassicaceae vegetables are rich sources of glucosinolates [2] which their anticancer effects have been reported [3]. Watercress (Nasturtium officinale W.T. Aiton) is used as an edible vegetable in various parts of the world including Iran. The present study investigated the protective effects of methanolic and aqueous extracts of N. officinale against cyclophosphamide-induced genetic damage in mice bone marrow cells using micronucleus assay. The mice were divided into 14 groups with five mice per group. Group 1 (negative control) received 10 ml/kg body weight (bw) of saline solution and Group 2 (positive control) received cyclophosphamide 40 mg/kg bw intra-peritoneally (IP). The other groups were treated IP with the methanolic and aqueous extracts at doses of 20, 50 and 100 mg/kg bw for 15 days (sub acute) and 2h (acute) before injection of cyclophosphamide. The aqueous extract significantly (P < 0.001) reduced micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes count at all doses administrated compared to the control which was more effective than the methanolic extract. There was no significant difference between the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in aqueous and methanolic extracts. As a result, it seems glucosinolates in aqueous extract may be responsible for these considerable protective effects. Our results suggest that watercress can be used in the diet of people who receive chemotherapy drugs. References: [1] Haubitz M. Acute and long-term toxicity of cyclophosphamide. Tx Med 2007; 19: 26 – 31 [2] Bohinc T, Ban SG, Ban D, Trdan S. Glucosinolates in plant protection strategies: a review. Arch Biol Sci 2012; 64: 821 – 828 [3] Park NI, Kim JK, Park WT, Cho JW, Lim YP, Park SU. An efficient protocol for genetic transformation of watercress (Nasturtium officinale) using Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Mol Biol Rep 2011; 38: 4947 – 4953


Adriamycin is toxic to humans and animals and causes cardiac lesions involving myocytes and the interstitial tissue. The present study used a single injection of adriamycin in rats. Focal loss of myocardial interstitial collagen occurred 2 weeks after a single injection of adriamycin. These foci become larger and more frequent through 6 weeks. Individual variation in response is evident after periods longer than 6 weeks. Concomitant with the focal loss is deposition of collagen in an abnormal distribution. Rather than the normal matrix being present, scars appear. The number and size of these scars is subject to variation from animal to animal. The collagen matrix loss is evident in some animals at 15 weeks after injection. These observations, coupled with the results of other studies on the myocardial collagen matrix, support the hypothesis that adriamycin cardiotoxicity is mediated in part by an affect on the collagen matrix.


The Global Tiger Recovery Program has identified enhancing prey populations as a crucial component in achieving its target of doubling wild tiger (Panthera tigris) numbers, as prey density is a key determinant of tiger density. We estimate prey abundance and ecological carrying capacity (ECC) of tigers in the 1579 km2 Chitwan–Parsa source site complex within a globally significant tiger conservation landscape in south‐central Nepal. Surveying 605.1 km of line transects in the Terai plains and Chure hills of Chitwan–Parsa, we estimated an overall density of 55.43 (36.98–83.45) ungulates/km2, and a biomass of 244,630 (151,520–334,270) kg/100 km2 of five abundant ungulates. Chitwan supports 71.58 (49.02–104.71) and Parsa 30.91 (18.70–51.19) ungulates/km2. The prey base can support 177 (119–263) adult tigers based on energetic requirement models. The tiger ECC was ~3.5× higher in Chitwan than in Parsa at a park level. Although opportunities for further recovery of tiger and prey through targeted habitat management exist, the current population of 170 tigers indicates that this population has likely reached its current ECC. We recommend that policymakers and park managers change focus from increasing tiger numbers to developing pre‐emptive conflict mitigation strategies to allow the site to retain the successes it has realized.


Abstract : This report describes the design and implementation of a database to store zooplankton net tow data and the applications programming done to update and access the database using the Sigma 7 Extended Database Management System. The database contains information about each tow (cruise name, tow number, type of tow, year, month, day, longitude, latitude, area of tow, day-night code); each sample (depth code; minimum and maximum depth; minimum, maximum and average values of temperature, salinity, oxygen, light and chlorophyll; total biomass, aliquot size, and volume of water filtered); each species (family, genus, species names, and catch per 1000 cu m). Information can be retrieved by user-written applications programs or with the Sigma 7 Interactive Database Processor, which can either print a report of the retrieved data or store it in a file for further processing. As presently formulated, the database can store up to 500 tows or samples, 10 families, 100 genera, 500 species and 50,000 catch records. (Author)


Abstract This article reports on a study that explored how school-based teachers fulfilled their roles as mentors in response to challenges faced by pre-service teachers while learning to teach accounting. Pre-service teachers in their final year at a University of Technology in South Africa and practising teachers from six high schools participated in the study. Pre-service teachers e-mailed reflection journals on a weekly basis over a period of four months to the first author who is a teacher educator. Unstructured interviews were carried out with each pre-service teacher and their respective mentors. The results indicated that not all mentors assisted the pre-service teachers according to the expectations of their roles. Despite mentoring having the potential to enhance the preparation of pre-service teachers, in the cases studied it did not always yield positive results. It became clear that the cumulative nature of the accounting discipline requires a different type of mentoring from other disciplines. In fact, numerous factors revealed in the study influenced the failure and success of mentoring pre-service teachers. Many of these factors are ones over which the university has no control.


Tropomyosin-related kinase(TRK)fusion proteins are oncogenic drivers in multiple tumors in adults and children.Larotrectinib, an orally administered selective TRK inhibitor approved in the US, exhibits inhibitory activity against tumors harboring TRK fusions and is well tolerated.Here, we report the case of an 8-year-old female child with recurrence of an NTRK fusion low-grade sarcoma treated with larotrectinib monotherapy.The patient previously underwent resection of low-grade sarcoma in the right brachialis at 6 years of age, but local recurrence occurred after 16 months.As re-operation likely required amputation, larotrectinib was commenced at a dose of 100 mg BID.Complete radiographic remission was achieved after 3 months.There were no adverse events attributed to larotrectinib treatment.After dosing for 6 months, we performed local resection, confirming pathological complete remission.The drug was stopped, and the patient showed no evidence of relapse at 4 months after resection.In this case, larotrectinib was obtained using Single Patient Expanded Access under the FDA.In this paper, we also discuss the issues faced while accessing unapproved drugs in the precision medicine era in Japan.


: This study investigated the fracture load and deflection of acrylic resin specimens with different types of metal inserts. A metal adhesive denture resin (Meta Dent) and a conventional denture resin (Meliodent) were used with round metal, braided wires and mesh as inserts. There were eight groups and each group contained ten specimens. Each specimen was broken on a Monsanto testing machine using a three point load after storage in water at 37 degrees C for 48 hours. The results indicated that metal inserts enhanced the fracture resistance of both denture resins. No significant differences were found between the metal adhesive and conventional denture resin.


This paper revives the original, early nineteenth-century French usage of the term Oceania which encompasses New Holland, Van Diemen's Land, and the Malay or Indian Archipelago together with the Pacific Islands, New Guinea, and New Zealand. The paper correlates the history of mapping with the history of ideas about human difference and alludes to the imprints on both of encounters with specific places and people during scientific voyages. Focussing on English and especially French materials, I investigate how Europeans' exploration, mapping, and naming of Oceania and its regions eventually became entangled with racial classifications of the inhabitants as Malay, Papuan, Oceanic Negro, Melanesian, Polynesian, or Micronesian. I then consider cartographic manifestations of the ultimate subsumption of contests over geography and race within the politics of colonial rivalry. By decentring Europe, the approach adopted extends the production zone of geographical, cartographic, anthropological, and colonial knowledge beyond the metropoles and into Oceania itself.


doi: 10.1093/af/vfaa056 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact email@example.com © Obese, Osei-Amponsah, Timpong-Jones, Bekoe Perspective Impact of COVID-19 on animal production in Ghana


Objective

To evaluated the outcomes of the teeth avulsed from alveolar bone in accidents for a 1 year follow up when endodontic root canal therapy was performed at different time points.

Materials and Methods

According to the inclusion criteria, 109 patients diagnosed with teeth avulsion due to accidents were enrolled at base-line and 103 patients finally completed follow-up in this trial. 115 teeth were firstly assigned to two groups according to storage condition. Then they were randomly assigned to one of two groups respectively. The teeth were treated with root canal therapy at different stages. All of patients were recalled at baseline, in the first, third month, sixth month and first year (end of follow-up) for clinical and radiological evaluation.

Results

103 patients finally completed follow-up in this trial. As for periodontal healing, cases with before-replantation treatment were significantly more than post-replantation treatment in dry storage. On the contrary, more periodontal healing cases were obtained in ideal storage. In the first year after treatment, there was no difference of success rate between G21 and G22 (P < 0.05). Significant difference was found between G11 and G12 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

In clinical practice, root canal therapy should be performed prior to replantation in dry storage condition for more than 60 minutes. In contrast, if not, root canal therapy could be postponed.


Introduction: Obesity is a complex status with important psychological and social dimensions. This is seen in all ages and in all economic and social groups. Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for many chronic diseases. Using body mass index (BMI) is a simple and common approach to evaluating overweight and obesity. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between some demographic factors and BMI in women referring to health centers in Ahwaz. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. Using cluster random sampling, 899 women referring to health centers in Ahwaz in 1387 were studied. The relationship between BMI and level of education, marital status, occupation and age was studied through multiple linear regression method. Results: Age and marital status had a relationship with BMI that was statistically significant (P=0.0001). Level of education also showed a statistically significant but inverse relationship with mean of BMI (P=0.005). The relationship between BMI and occupation was not significant in the regression model (P=0.14). Conclusion: Older age, being married, and low level of education are among the factors influencing BMI.


The article discusses the new demands imposed on a set of initiatives linked to the formation of both the worker and the citizen, as a result of the transformations that have been occurring in the present world. Therefore, one observes a shift of conceptions: - from knowledge to competence, in the sphere of education; - from qualification to competence, in the sphere of work. The approach of such categories of analysis is based on recent studies and research on formation, construction of competence and possible articulations of these phenomena with the enhancement of citizenship


Given increasing calls for higher education to promote students' civic and political engagement, the Consortium for Inter-Campus SoTL Research (CISR) was established to facilitate cross-campus data collection for civic engagement and pedagogy research.  CISR's inaugural project, the National Survey of Student Leaders (NSSL), is the first effort to rely on scholarly insights about the role of voluntary associations play in political socialization to systematically assess the quality of the learning experiences provided by student clubs and organizations. The NSSL provides higher education institutions with the means to regularly assess whether civil society on campus promotes the priorities of the civic engagement movement. This article relays findings from the first wave of the NSSL, while increasing familiarity with the type of campus-level data available from this new assessment tool.