Two samples of outpatients with the irritable bowel syndrome and 12 healthy controls were studied regarding abdominal symptoms and pre- and postprandial anorectal function. Symptoms were assessed using diary cards and anorectal function by manovolumetfY. Our aim was to study the temporal relationship between pain and eating or defecation, what patients mean by constipation and diarrhoea, symptom variation, the relation between symptoms and anorectal function, to identify symptom subgroups and to compare patients with healthy controls regarding symptoms and anorectal function.Sixty-three patients (Sample I) recorded their symptoms daily over a period of six weeks. At fortnightly follow-up visits they were asked to define their bowel habits as constipation, diarrhoea, normal or any combination of these the preceding fortnight. These statements were compared with the diary cards. According to the diary cards about 50% of each patient's pain episodes became worse after eating and about 10% were relieved by defecation. Constipation was defined as hard stools and diarrhoea as loose stools and urgency. Stool frequency was similar. Pain decreased slightly but other symptoms remained unchanged. Fifty-two patients (Sample II) and 12 healthy controls kept daily records of their symptoms over a period of one week. At the end of this week anorectal function was investigated before and after a standardised fatty meal.Cluster analysis of the diary cards detected similar subgroups in both samples. Two pain/bloating subgroups, one characterised by a considerable and the other by a low burden of pain and bloating. Three bowel habit subgroups, one characterised by hard stools, variable stool consistency and frequent straining and feeling of incomplete evacuation, the second by loose and urgent stools and the third by normal consistency stools and the least disturbed stool passage. There was no association between the degree of bloating and the type of bowel habit. Stool frequency was within the normal range in the subgroups of both samples.Thiny-seven of the 63 patients from Sample I repeated symptom recording over a period of two weeks seven years later. During the seven-year period and at follow up the majority of patients were symptomatic. According to the daily records pain and straining decreased while normal stools increased between study periods. Abdominal symptoms remained otherwise unchanged. The symptom subgroups (clusters) were similarly distinguished from each other in both study periods.Irrespective of subgroup placement the patients from Sample II recorded more pain, bloating and stools with straining and feeling of incomplete evacuation than the controls. About 50% of the patients had a lower baseline (preprandial) threshold for maximal tolerable distension than the controls. This rectal hypersensitivity was most prevalent in the bowel habit subgroup characterised by hard stools, variable stool consistency, straining and feeling of incomplete evacuation. Otherwise no relationship between abdominal symptoms and anorectal function was found. The threshold for maximal tolerable distension showed a significant and similar postprandial decrease in the patients and controls. Other manovolumetric variables remained unchanged.These studies show that pain is temporally related to eating but not to defecation. Patients define constipation and diarrhoea on the basis of stool consistency, not frequency, which is within the normal range in the majority of patients. Patients can be divided into subgroups and the symptoms remain fairly unchanged over time. Compared with controls the patients are distinguished by pain, bloating and stools with straining and feeling of incomplete evacuation. Baseline rectal hypersensitivity is associated with constipation-like bowel habits. Postprandial decrease in maximal tolerable distension is a normal phenomenon and seem to play no role in the genesis of symptoms.


The Renaissance was in many ways the beginning of modern and self-conscious authorship, a time when individual genius was celebrated and an author's name could become a book trade commodity. Why, then, did anonymous authorship flourish during the Renaissance rather than disappear? In addressing this puzzle, Marcy L. North reveals the rich history and popularity of anonymity during this period. The book trade, she argues, created many intriguing and paradoxical uses for anonymity, even as the authorial name became more marketable. Among ecclesiastical debaters, for instance, anonymity worked to conceal identity, but it could also be used to identify the moral character of the author being concealed. In court and coterie circles, meanwhile, authors turned name suppression into a tool for the preservation of social boundaries. Finally, in both print and manuscript, anonymity promised to liberate an authentic female voice, yet made it impossible to authenticate the gender of an author, in sum, the writers and book producers who helped to create England's literary culture viewed anonymity as a meaningful and useful practice. Written with precision and grace, "The Anonymous Renaissance" should fill a prominent gap in the study of authorship and English literary history.


The chemical stability of amitriptyline hydrochloride in two oral liquid dosage forms has been studied using a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic assay method that was developed in our laboratory. The concentrations of the drug were directly related to peak heights, with an R value of 0.999. The percent relative standard deviation based on five injections was 1.0. The products of decomposition and excipients present in the dosage forms did not interfere with the developed assay method. The formulation which contained edetate disodium was stable for at least 37 days when stored in amber-colored glass bottles at room temperature. However, the pH value of this formulation decreased from 5.0 to 4.0 after 37 days of storage. The formulation without edetate disodium was stable for only 21 days (borderline) under the same storage conditions. The pH value of this formulation remained constant at 5 after 37 days of storage at room temperature and the physical appearance of both formulations did not change.


Seismic energy is scattered in the form of seismic waves from the underground source to the surficial structures. These waves are known as body waves and will generate volumetric deformations by compressional waves or distortional deformations generated by rotational or shear wave. However, the body waves will generate other deformations at the interface of layers or the ground surface due to specific boundary conditions. Boundary conditions corresponding to the free surface allows additional answers to the equations of motion obtained. Since the earthquake engineering examines effects of seismic waves on the structures which are in or near ground surface and because surface waves are attenuated slower than body waves with distance, the surface waves are more important. Problem of wave propagation in saturated porous media was discussed first by Biot in the mid-twentieth century, after the formulation of the theory of saturated porous medium. Extension of the theory of elastic wave propagation in unsaturated soils which are made of a solid porous skeleton that the empty space is filled with water and air, founded the basis for solving the most complex problems of waves propagation in unsaturated soils. It was found that three compression waves (P1, P2 and P3) and a shear wave propagate in unsaturated porous media. Furthermore, Rayleigh wave are identified as the superposition of P and S-waves at the free surface. This results in propagation of three Rayleigh waves (R1, R2 and R3) at the free surface. The purpose of this research is to obtain the Rayleigh wave characteristics and the governing equations, according to the compression and shear waves. The theoretical results are demonstrated through examples at the end.


Background: Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn (SCFN) is a panniculitis characterized by the presence of violaceous subcutaneous nodules and indurated plaques on the back, buttocks, proximal extremities, or cheeks. It is a self-limiting benign condition sometimes associated with hypercalcemia that can lead to serious complications such as seizures, failure to thrive and renal failure. It usually develops in full term neonates who experienced some perinatal stress. The literature shows that hypercalcemia is found in nearly 51% of infants, with 95% of the infants developing it within 60 days of onset of skin  lesions.
Clinical Description: In this case, we describe a full-term female infant presented to us with failure to thrive at 2 months of age with a postnatal history of meconium aspiration syndrome. On further evaluation, child was found to have hypercalcemia, anemia and bilateral nephrocalcinosis.
Management & Outcome: The clinical findings and lab investigations were consistent with subcutaneous fat necrosis with hypercalcemia as its main complication. Child was successfully treated with oral corticosteroids.
Conclusion: Being a rare clinical condition, it is important to consider it as a differential diagnosis in infants with significant perinatal stress and hence this case report.


2011 BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging binary treatment for cancer. As most non-surgical cancer therapies are used in combination regimens, we have evaluated the combination of methotrexate (MTX) with PDT using aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in prostate cancer cells. Induction of differentiation enhances the efficacy of photodynamic treatment in several cell lines (Ortel et al., Brit J. Cancer 77:1744-1751, 1998). Because differentiation is associated with growth arrest, we have explored the use of chemotherapy-induced transitory growth arrest as a way to enhance ALA-PDT. Because the accumulation of photoactive porphyrins in cells after ALA administration occurs through upregulation of the coproporphyrinogen oxidase (CPO), we have also begun detailed studies on the regulation of this enzyme during binary treatments, such as MTX therapy. METHODS: MTX was used in combination with ALA-dependent PDT in the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP, and in mouse BALB/MK keratinocytes. Cells were exposed to 1mg/L MTX for 72 hours. MTX was removed and cells were incubated with ALA for 4 hours, followed immediately by irradiation with 514 nm light. Survival was assessed by MTT and clonogenic assays. To investigate changes in expression of the CPO gene, 1 kb of the mouse CPO promoter was cloned upstream of the luciferase (LUC) gene, and the CPO-LUC reporter construct was transfected into cells along with expression constructs for a number of different isoforms of the C/EBP gene family. Expression of the C/EBP proteins was confirmed by Western blot. RESULTS: MTX treatment of cells resulted in growth arrest, and in expression of GADD153 (a C/EBP family member associated with ER stress). Subsequent exposure to ALA for 4 hours resulted in a 4.3 ± 1.2-fold increase in the rate of PpIX formation in LNCaP cells. Consequently, cytotoxicity at 24 hours after light exposure was enhanced, and long-term survival as quantified by colony formation was reduced with MTX pretreatment. The interaction of MTX and ALA was sequence dependent, i.e., LNCaP cells exposed first to ALA-PDT and later to methotrexate, showed no reduction in long-term survival . Thus, enhancement of cytotoxicity by MTX in the combined regimen is due to the increase in PpIX formation. In studies using the CPO-LUC reporter, cotransfection with all C/EBPbeta isoforms (LAP*, LAP, and LIP) and with GADD153 led to CPO promoter activation, but the largest induction was seen consistently with GADD153. Interestingly, treatment of cells with MTX led to upregulation of GADD153 protein. GADD153 may thus play a role in the activation of CPO expression, elevation of PpIX levels, and enhancement of ALA-PDT efficacy. CONCLUSION: The combination of short-term chemotherapy and subsequent ALA-PDT may help reduce dose-related toxicity of either component and thus improve existing PDT regimens for cancer treatment.


Summary The aim of this study was to demonstrate the total serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels for lipid peroxidation status, total serum sialic acid (SA) levels for cell destruction level, serum ceruloplasmin (CP), albumin and uric acid (UA) for the antioxidant capacity in foals with lower respiratory tract disease. The material of the study was consisted of 8 foals as the study group, with lower respiratory tract disease and 8 healthy foals as the control group, aged between 5.5±1.5 months. The results revealed a significant difference (P<0.05), between the groups for serum MDA, CP, SA and UA levels, but a difference had not been determined for serum albumin level. In conclusion, it was determined that serum MDA, SA, CP and UA levels may be useful parameters as an indicator of lipid peroxidation, cell destruction and antioxidant capacity in foals with lower respiratory tract disease.


1. THE ISSUE ................................................................................................................................................. 3 2. SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................. 3 3. THE NEEDS FOR BIODIVERSITY – THE GENERAL CASE ................................................................ 4


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This paper describes the two-dimensional unsteady low-Reynolds-number flow past an impulslvely started rotating and translating circular cylinder. Invoking the vorticity equation, we first derive a system of two coupled integral equations that govern the stream function and a modified vorticity function. This system, singular in the low-Reynolds-number, is then asymptotically solved by using a singular perturbation method and introducing five regions in the space-time domain. The first-order solutions are found to linearly depend on the translating and rotating motions within each region. Because of its importance for applications, a special attention is paid to the lift coefficient CL which results here from intricate interactions between rotation and translation. The obtained initial asymptotic behavior of CL actually exhibits a t-1/2 singularity and thereby differs from the prediction of Badr & Dennis(1) at moderate Reynolds numbers.


Polycomb-group RING finger proteins (Pcgf1-Pcgf6) are components of Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1)-related complexes that catalyze monoubiquitination of histone H2A at lysine 119 (H2AK119ub1), an epigenetic mark associated with repression of genes. Pcgf5 has been characterized as a component of PRC1.5, one of the non-canonical PRC1, consisting of Ring1a/b, Rybp/Yaf2 and Auts2. However, the biological functions of Pcgf5 have not yet been identified. Here we analyzed the impact of the deletion of Pcgf5 specifically in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Pcgf5 is expressed preferentially in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and multipotent progenitors (MPPs) compared with committed myeloid progenitors and differentiated cells. We transplanted bone marrow (BM) cells from Rosa::Cre-ERT control and Cre-ERT;Pcgf5fl/fl mice into lethally irradiated recipient mice. At 4 weeks post-transplantation, we deleted Pcgf5 by injecting tamoxifen, however, no obvious changes in hematopoiesis were detected including the number of HSPCs during a long-term observation period following the deletion. Competitive BM repopulating assays revealed normal repopulating capacity of Pcgf5-deficient HSCs. Nevertheless, Pcgf5-deficient HSPCs showed a significant reduction in H2AK119ub1 levels compared with the control. ChIP-sequence analysis confirmed the reduction in H2AK119ub1 levels, but revealed no significant association of changes in H2AK119ub1 levels with gene expression levels. Our findings demonstrate that Pcgf5-containing PRC1 functions as a histone modifier in vivo, but its role in HSPCs is limited and can be compensated by other PRC1-related complexes in HSPCs.


BACKGROUND
Cesarean section is one of the most commonly performed operations in most countries of the world including Nepal. Hence there is a load on the financial resources of healthcare system. The rational of this study was to utilize the remaining No '1' polyfilament after closing rectus sheath to stitch skin. So, the primary objective was to determine the wound complication rates for subcuticular suture with No'1' petcryl (polyfilamentpolyglycolic acid) Vs intermittent suture with nylon 2-0 for skin closure at cesarean delivery and secondary objective was to compare postoperative pain and patient satisfaction about the scar.

METHODS
One hundred and thirty eight women undergoing cesarean section at Chitwan Medical College was randomized to either intermittent skin suture with nylon 2-0 or subcuticular with polyfilament No '1' (remaining suture after closing rectus sheath). Evidence of wound infection, pain and overall satisfaction were assessed postoperatively.

RESULTS
The overall wound complications rate in subcuticular stitch with No'1' polyfilament suture were similar as in intermittent mattress stitch with nylon 2-0 (15.9% vs. 14.49%). Pain on postoperative third day and six weeks and overall satisfaction about wound were similar in both groups. Only prolong rupture of membrane >18 hours was found to be a significant risk factor of wound infection (OR: 3.4; p=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS
The remaining no '1' polyfilament suture (petcryl) after suturing rectus sheath can be safely used to close skin suture in cesarean section.


This paper outlines the approach taken by a UK, non-profit, rural small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME), to develop an environmental management system (EMS). A discussion of the problems encountered and solutions employed is presented along with the tangible and intangible benefits.
The paper also reviews the salient knowledge management literature and outlines the approach taken to understand the knowledge generating capabilities of the process of developing an EMS. It finds that organisational relationships are the most prominent inhibitors to knowledge generating activities yet rely upon social events that lie beyond the locus of control of the organisation.


The invariance of wave equations in lossless media allows the time reversal (TR) technique to spatiotemporally refocus back-propagated signals in a given ultrawideband imaging scenario. However, the existence of dispersion and loss in the propagation medium breaks this invariance and the resultant TR focusing exhibits frequency and propagation duration dependent degradation. We propose an algorithm based on the continuous wavelet transform that tackles this degradation to improve focusing resolution under such conditions. The developed algorithm has been successfully applied to the scenario for localization of lung cancer.


Mark–recapture data are used to investigate the impact of an exceptional winter flood on the population dynamics of an isolated bearded tit Panurus biarmicus population in north‐west England. Adult numbers increased threefold (from 60 to 180 individuals) between 1992 and 2000, but declined by 94% during 2000/2001. This large reduction in numbers was caused by severe over‐winter mortality associated with a prolonged flood of the Phragmites litter layer, the main winter foraging habitat of bearded tits, followed immediately by cold weather. At the end of the flood, bearded tits were 20% lighter than during previous winters. Population changes in other years were accurately predicted by annual variation in recruitment, and there was evidence that recruitment was higher following the introduction of artificial nest boxes and was density dependent. This study highlights the potential threat to bearded tits in Europe of predicted increases in the frequency and extent of winter flooding, and the potential utility of measures like artificial nest boxes that aim to promote recruitment. Recent extensions of methodology now permit a detailed exploration of animal population dynamics from mark–recapture data alone.


The antifungal activity of methanolic, ethanolic and boiling water extracts of Barringtonia racemosa leaves, sticks and barks were investigate against Fusarium sp., Tricoderma koningii, Penicillium sp., Ganoderma tropicum, Ganoderma lucidum, Aspergillus sp. and Rhizopus sp. at concentration of 50 mg/ml. Better antifungal activity was observed with the methanolic extracts in all aerial parts of B. racemosa that showed excellent inhibitory activity against all the fungi tested. The strongest inhibitory activity effect was observed with the methanolic extract of leaf against Fusarium sp. (53.45%), G. lucidum (34.57%), Aspergillus sp. (32.27%) and T. koningii (20.99%). Remarkable are also the specific effects of the boiling water extract of leaf against Fusarium sp. (51.72%) and with the ethanolic extract of bark against Rhizopus sp. (37.50%). None of the boiling water extracts of leaf, stick and bark showed inhibitory activity effect against G. tropicum and T. koningii. Among different fungi tested, Fusarium sp. was found to be more sensitive to B. racemosa extracts when compared to others. The increase in the production of phenolics in the extracts can be correlated with the induction of resistance in treated plant against phytopathogenic fungi. HPLC analysis of the extract of B. racemosa (leaves, sticks and barks) showed two different phenolic acids (gallic acid and ferrulic acid) and four different flavonoids (naringin, rutin, luteolin and kaempferol). The results of present study provide scientific basis for the use of the plant extract in the future development as antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant and antiinflammatory agent.


Primary goal of an emotional voice conversion (EVC) system is to convert the emotion of a given speech signal from one style to another style without modifying the linguistic content of the signal. Most of the state-of-the-art approaches convert emotions for seen speaker-emotion combinations only. In this paper, we tackle the problem of converting the emotion of speakers whose only neutral data are present during the time of training and testing (i.e., unseen speaker-emotion combinations). To this end, we extend a recently proposed StartGANv2-VC architecture by utilizing dual encoders for learning the speaker and emotion style embeddings separately along with dual domain source classifiers. For achieving the conversion to unseen speaker-emotion combinations, we propose a Virtual Domain Pairing (VDP) training strategy, which virtually incorporates the speaker-emotion pairs that are not present in the real data without compromising the min-max game of a discriminator and generator in adversarial training. We evaluate the proposed method using a Hindi emotional database.


Most of hardware-assisted solutions for software security, program monitoring, and event-checking approaches require instrumentation of the target software, an operation which can be performed using an SBI (Static Binary Instrumentation) or a DBI (Dynamic Binary Instrumentation) framework. Hardware-assisted instrumentation can use one of these two solutions to instrument data to a memory-mapped register. Both these approaches require an in-depth knowledge of frameworks and an important amount of software modifications in order to instrument a whole application. This work proposes a novel way to instrument an application with minor modifications, at the source code level, taking advantage of underlying hardware debug components such as CS (CoreSight) components available on Xilinx Zynq SoCs. As an example, the instrumentation approach proposed in this work is used to detect a double free security attack. Furthermore, it is evaluated in terms of runtime and area overhead. Results show that the proposed solution takes 30 μs on average to instrument an instruction while the optimized version only takes 0.014 μs which is ten times better than usual memory-mapped register solutions used in existing works [1], [2].


Following established tradition, software engineering today is rooted in a conceptually centralized way of thinking. The primary SE artifact is a specification of a machine -- a computational artifact -- that would meet the (elicited and) stated requirements. Therein lies a fundamental mismatch with (open) sociotechnical systems, which involve multiple autonomous social participants or principals who interact with each other to further their individual goals. No central machine governs the behaviors of the various principals.
We introduce Interaction-Oriented Software Engineering (IOSE) as an approach expressly suited to the needs of open sociotechnical systems. In IOSE, specifying a system amounts to specifying the interactions among the principals as protocols. IOSE reinterprets the classical software engineering principles of modularity, abstraction, separation of concerns, and encapsulation in a manner that accords with the realities of sociotechnical systems. To highlight the novelty of IOSE, we show where well-known SE methodologies, especially those that explicitly aim to address either sociotechnical systems or the modeling of interactions among autonomous principals, fail to satisfy the IOSE principles.


The presence of Mytilus galloprovincialis, widely known as the Mediterranean mussel, have been genetically certified from Coliumo Bay to the Magellan Strait, in central and southern Chile, respectively. To correlate the geographic distribution of this species along the Chilean coast with its physiological tolerance to upper temperatures, experiments were carried out with adults and larval stages. Trochophore, umbonate veliger, and pre-metamorphic larvae were submitted to experimental temperatures from 17-33°C, during 24 h to determine the upper temperature limit. Meanwhile, adult experiments were carried with specimens having different previous physiological background: spring-summer acclimation (November-January), and fall-winter acclimation (August-October) and exposed to temperature range of 17-33°C for period of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, to verify mortality and byssus formation. Results showed that at larvae stages, the 50% of mortality occurred at 27°C, with 100% mortality at 30°C. Adult stages reached the 55% mortality exposed for 48 h at 30°C and 100% mortality in 72 h at the same temperature. The byssus secretion become failing at 27°C and ceased at 30°C.


Background/Aim: Seizures impair patients' quality of life. The prognostic role of pre-treatment seizures in patients with 1-3 cerebral metastases receiving local therapies plus whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) was investigated. Patients and Methods: In 249 patients, prevalence, risk factors and associations of pre-treatment seizures with survival were retrospectively evaluated. Age, gender, performance score, tumor type, number of lesions, extra-cerebral metastases, and time from tumor diagnosis to treatment of cerebral metastasis were analyzed for associations with seizures. These characteristics and pre-treatment seizures were also analyzed for associations with survival. Results: The prevalence of pre-treatment seizures was 24.1%. Trends for associations were found between seizures and gender or performance score. On multivariate analysis, age (p=0.008), performance score (p=0.004), tumor type (p<0.001) and extra-cerebral metastasis (p<0.001) were significantly associated with survival. Conclusion: Seizures were comparably common prior to local therapies plus WBRT for cerebral metastases. No factor was found to be significantly associated with seizures, and seizures were not associated with survival.


OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between methylation status of the Dact1 gene and MTHFR a1298c polymorphic forms in transitional cell carcinoma tissues in a Chinese population.

METHODS
Polymorphisms of folate metabolism enzyme gene MTHFR were assessed by restrictive fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods and PCR-based DNA methylation analysis was used to determine the CpG island methylation status of the Dact1 gene. Associations between the methylation status of the Dact1 gene and clinical characteristics, as well as MTHFR a1298c polymorphisms, were analyzed.

RESULTS
aberrant methylation of the Dact1 gene was found in 68.3% of cancer tissues and 12.4% of normal tissues,. The methylation rate of the Dact1 gene in cancer tissues was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (46.3% vs. 17.2%, P = 0.018). No association was found between aberrant DNA methylation and selected factors including sex, age, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and green tea consumption. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, variant allele of MTHFR a1298c was found to be associated with methylation of the Dact1 gene. Compared with wild type CC, the odds ratio was 4.33 (95% CI: 1.06-10.59) for AC and 4.95 (95% CI: 1.18-12.74) for AA. The N stage in TNM staging and the occurrence of lymph node metastasis were associated with an MTHFR 1298 AAμAC genotype (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
MTHFR 1298 AC and AA genotypes might help maintain a normal methylation status of the Dact1 gene, aberrant CpG island methylation of which is closely related to the genesis and progression of transitional cell carcinoma.


Photoelectron spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation (SRPES), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and ion-scattering spectroscopy (ISS) were used in order to study the MgCl(2)/Ti(0001) interface. A clear hexagonal LEED pattern confirmed the presence of a quite large grain of Ti(0001) on the substrate while no new superstructure was formed after deposition of MgCl(2) either at room or at elevated temperatures. A series of high resolution spectra after step by step MgCl(2) deposition and gradual annealing indicated strong interaction between MgCl(2) and the substrate while ISS measurements showed that there is no migration of Ti atoms into the deposit layers. Additional quantities of deposited MgCl(2) grew stoichimetrically on top of the chemically active interface. Annealing at approximately 350 degrees C caused clustering of the MgCl(2) multilayer and TPD results showed that they desorbed stoichimetrically at temperatures between 360 and 380 degrees C. The interfacial TiCl(x)Mg(y) species dissociated by the disruption of the Cl-Mg bonds at temperatures higher than 400 degrees C and metallic Mg evaporated. The Cl atoms remained attached on the Ti surface but they did not form any ordered structure even after annealing at 730 degrees C. The present results indicate the occurrence of charge transfer at the Ti/MgCl(2) interface through the Cl ligands and provide valuable information for catalyst design.


The organization peculiarities of APUD-system in the lungs of rabbits, rats and guinea pigs has been studied. The endocrine system in the lungs of rabbits in pre- and postnatal ontogenesis is presented by the adipocytes and neuroepithelial bodies (NEB) containing a considerable number of monoamines. The number of argyrophil adipocytes and NEBs in the lungs of 21 and more day-old adult rats seem to be less than in fetuses and newborns. Monoamines are not revealed in the endocrine rat lung structures by means of the glyoxylic acid. In the lungs of guinea pigs the single argyrophil adipocytes and NEBs are determined in the gestation period.


Purpose
This paper aims to develop conceptual arguments questioning the efficacy of administration by the transaction cost economics (TCE) approach in an organization undergoing a major change.

Design/methodology/approach
The focus is on three distinct dimensions of organizational life where, as per prior research, TCE is likely to be inadequate: interdependence across transactions, high reliance on managerial foresight and inseparability of administrative decisions made at different points in time.

Findings
The climate of coercion and surveillance engendered by administration based on TCE approaches – that punishes deviation from goals, even when they are framed on inadequate knowledge – forestalls creative problem-solving that is necessary to address unforeseen developments that arise during change implementation. Fiat accomplishes within-group compliance in the change project sub-teams, but between-group interdependencies tend to be neglected, hampering organizational effectiveness. Moreover, attempts to create independent spheres of accountability for concurrent fiats regarding pre-existing and new commitments breed inefficiency and wastage.

Research limitations/implications
The malevolent aspects of TCE-based administration contribute to organizational dysfunctions like escalation of commitment and developing of silos in organizations.

Practical implications
To succeed in effecting a major organizational change, meaningful relaxation of demands for delivering on prior goals is required, along with forbearance of errors made during trial-and-error learning.

Originality/value
TCE-based administration is deleterious to an organization attempting a major change. Supremacy accorded to resolution of conflicts in distinct hierarchical relationships by the mechanism of fiat fails to address the needs of an organizational reality where multiple groups are engaged in a set of interdependent activities and where multiple, interdependent organizational imperatives need to be concurrently served.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Dysregulated mineral metabolism is a common and potentially maladaptive feature of critical illness, especially in patients with AKI, but its association with death has not been comprehensively investigated. We sought to determine whether elevated plasma levels of the osteocyte-derived, vitamin D-regulating hormone, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), are prospectively associated with death in critically ill patients with AKI requiring RRT, and in a general cohort of critically ill patients with and without AKI.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS
We measured plasma FGF23 and other mineral metabolite levels in two cohorts of critically ill patients (n=1527). We included 817 patients with AKI requiring RRT who enrolled in the ARF Trial Network (ATN) study, and 710 patients with and without AKI who enrolled in the Validating Acute Lung Injury biomarkers for Diagnosis (VALID) study. We hypothesized that higher FGF23 levels at enrollment are independently associated with higher 60-day mortality.

RESULTS
In the ATN study, patients in the highest compared with lowest quartiles of C-terminal (cFGF23) and intact FGF23 (iFGF23) had 3.84 (95% confidence interval, 2.31 to 6.41) and 2.08 (95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 4.21) fold higher odds of death, respectively, after adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, and severity of illness. In contrast, plasma/serum levels of parathyroid hormone, vitamin D metabolites, calcium, and phosphate were not associated with 60-day mortality. In the VALID study, patients in the highest compared with lowest quartiles of cFGF23 and iFGF23 had 3.52 (95% confidence interval, 1.96 to 6.33) and 1.93 (95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 3.33) fold higher adjusted odds of death.

CONCLUSIONS
Higher FGF23 levels are independently associated with greater mortality in critically ill patients.


Hoarseness is a cardinal symptom of laryngeal disease. It is a disturbance of the normal voice pitch that can be evaluated acoustically using the 'RBH scale' [R for roughness, B for breathiness, H for hoarseness]. Hoarseness lasting longer than three weeks or recurring must be evaluated by an ENT specialist or a phoniatrist. Causes of hoarseness include functional disorders of the voice, inflammation of the larynx, secondary changes of the vocal folds, polyps, cysts, edema, papillomas, tumors, trauma, or palsies of the vocal cords due to different reasons. Early diagnosis of malignant laryngeal tumors is a prerequisite for preserving voice quality. Functional disorders and unilateral palsies of the vocal folds are treated by logopedists. The therapy of choice for inflammations is relief of symptoms, and surgery is employed for organic lesions.


Iodine deficiency disorders are among the most significant public health problems in the world at the present time, especially among children and pregnant women, considered the highest risk population. These disorders hinder socio-economic development in the affected areas. IDD are a permanent natural occurrence that affects the entire planet, which means that the people living in iodine-deficient areas will always be exposed to the consequences of that deficiency, in particular increased perinatal mortality, mental retardation and brain developmental delay. Consequently, it is the major cause of preventable brain damage in childhood, and its elimination is one of the biggest challenges in public health. Iodine is present in small amounts in the body and its main role is to act as the substrate for thyroid hormone synthesis. When dietary requirements are not met, the frequency of IDD increases. In general, these disorders are underdiagnosed and, in many countries, there is no awareness of the associated problems or of the iodine status in the population.
Methods: Accurate methodological review of the medical literature included in the MEDLINE database using the MeSH terms "iodine", "disorders", "iodide", "deficiency", combined with the logical operators "AND", "OR" and "NOT" and the "also try" characteristic of data published in "any date", limiting the search to results including the link with abstracts and full text, exclusively in humans and regardless of gender. For the preliminary evaluation, the following types of studies were selected: clinical trials, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical practice guidelines, and review articles. The search was limited to papers published in English, and related to the population between 0 and 18, and adults 19 and over, from January 1974 to November 2014.


If all the supersymmetry particles (sparticles) except a light Higgs boson are too heavy to be directly produced at the Large Hadron Collider and Tevatron, a possible way to reveal evidence for supersymmetry is through their virtual effects in other processes. We examine such supersymmetric QCD effects in bottom pair production associated with a light Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider and Tevatron. We find that if the relevant sparticles (gluinos and squarks) are well above the TeV scale, too heavy to be directly produced, they can still have sizable virtual effects in this process. For large tan beta, such residual effects can alter the production rate by as much as 40%, which should be observable in future measurements of this process.


The hypothesis that ~-mesons may be composite particles formed by the association of a nucleon with an anti-nucleon is discussed. From an extremely crude discussion of the model it appears that such a meson would have in most respects properties similar to those of the meson of the Yukawa theory.


A live, attenuated Yersinia pestis vaccine, designated EV76 (Paris) F, was pathogenic in Cercopithecus aethiops when administered parenterally. Although an oral dose of 10(9) colone-forming units of the vaccine was nonfatal to vervets, a transient but severe gastrointestinal disturbance resulted in four of 12 animals. Seven immunized vervets were protected against intradermal challenge. The remaining five vervets without serologic reactions and five untreated controls died from typical bubonic (septicemic) plague within seven days. General reactions after vaccination were not predictive of later-developing immunity, which appeared to correlate with the production of Fraction I-specific antibodies. Marked differences in immunity were noted with two methods of vaccine administration (incorporation into bananas and dropping into the mouth). This finding supported the prior observation that the oral mucosa is the major portal of entry for this strain of vaccine. Local reactions in the buccal cavity after feeding were negligible. Thus this strain of Y. pestis is a nonlethal, effective weapon against bubonic plague in a susceptible species.


This book is written for the learner's point of view, with the purpose of helping readers understand the principles of flow. The theory is explained using ordinary and accessible language, where fluid mechanics is presented in analogy to solid mechanics to emphasize that they are all the application of Newtonian mechanics and thermodynamics. All the informative and helpful illustrations are drawn by the author, uniting the science and the art with figures that complement the text and provide clear understanding. Another unique feature is that one of the chapters is wholly dedicated to providing 25 selected interesting and controversial flow examples, with the purpose of linking theory with practice. The book will be useful to both beginners in the field and experts in other fields, and is ideal for college students, graduate students, engineers, and technicians.


In this article, a methodological proposal for the analysis of the state's actions on care is developed. We consider care as a way of inhabiting the world, and from this conception, we further argue it is a way of governing. Then, we elaborate on some considerations on the state's field of action in care matters. Next, we propose a methodology to identify and classify those state actions that can be considered care actions. Finally, we exemplify its use with the Mexican federal budget of 2022. We find that care policies receive only 0.4 per cent of the total budget.


The Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS) is being utilized in numerous applications. The research for autonomous guided vehicles(AGVs) using precise positioning of GNSS is in progress. GNSS based AGVs is useful for setting driving path. This AGV system is more efficient than the previous one. Escipecially, the obstacle is positioned the driving path. Previcious AGVs which follow marker or wires laid out on the road have to stop the front of obstacle. But GNSS based AGVS can continuously drive using obstacle avoidance. In this paper, we developed collision avoidance system for GNSS based AGV using laser scanner and collision avoidance path setting algorithm. And we analyzed the developed system.


Background: Health care organizations are under immense pressure to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery. To date little research into how health organizations in resource-limited settings take up, support, and embed these changes is available on which other services can draw to inform implementation. In this paper, we examine the processes and practices in the organizational context, and showcase how Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is embraced in a large health care program.
Methods: Amref Health Africa engaged consultants to support implementation of CQI in all its programs and support services. A total of 35 Trainer of Trainers (TOTs) were drawn from different programs and trained on a learning approach focusing on specific knowledge needed to systematically identify and solve problems through case-based reasoning and root cause analysis. Developed action plans were used to provide continuous mentorship and peer-to-peer exchange. The TOTs cascaded the training to the entire organization. CQI teams were formed and quality of service standard indicators were developed for monitoring
Results: CQI teams at different service levels were formed and able to follow through the stages of growth and successfully complete a full improvement cycles in 3-9 months. Proportion of TB/HIV co infected clients on HAART increased by 78%. Active HIV female patients screening for cervical increased by 141%. Proportion of MPesa payment increased by 102% and 82% for 1st and 2ndMPesa payments approved within time respectively. Use of partograph improved from 8% to 30% and lost to follow up rates reduced from 56% to 24%. Linkage of HIV positive patients into care improved by 45%
Recommendations: Adopting CQI involved engaging diverse teams in new relationships that could support services to construct shared meaning and purpose, operationalize key concepts and tools, and develop and embed new practices into service systems and routines. Promoting CQI requires a systemic approach and organization-wide commitment in order to improve processes within an institution.


Adult rats were examined for the time course of inactivation of antigenic determinants of tritium-labeled bovine serum albumin (BSA) or chicken ovalbumin administered intragastrically. Immunoreactive protein in the perfusates was determined according to the amount of the radioactive label retained by the immunosorbent. Antigenic determinants of protein disintegrated very rapidly after protein penetrated the gastrointestinal tract. Within 20 minutes after administration their amount did not exceed 12% of the dose administered. BSA disintegrated more rapidly than ovalbumin. At the same time after 20, 60 and 180 min an insignificant amount (about 1%) of immunoreactive protein penetrated the distal part of the small and large intestines. The amount of high-molecular fragments in all the parts of the gastrointestinal tract exceeded the discovered amount of immunoreactive protein. The data obtained indicate that a small amount of foreign food antigens is capable of overcoming the barrier of the cavitary proteolysis and of reaching those parts of the intestine where they can be absorbed in the intact form.


Evidence since the 1980s suggests that the level and structure of executive compensation in U.S. public corporations are largely unresponsive to tax incentives. However, the relative tax advantage of different forms of pay has been relatively small during this period. Using a sample of top executives in large firms from 1946 to 2005, we find little response of salaries, qualified stock options, long-term incentive pay, or bonuses paid after retirement to changes in tax rates on labor income—even though tax rates were significantly higher and more heterogeneous across individuals in the first several decades following WWII. To explain this lack of response, we find suggestive evidence that concerns about within-firm equality may have limited firms' ability to differentiate top executives' compensation packages based on their marginal income tax rates.


The hydrophilic and hydrophobic components of the surface of the hydrothermal kaolinite has been characterized using adsorption of passively and negatively charged surfactants in aqueous solution. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface areas are inferred from the amount of probe molecule adsorbed and the structure of the adsorbed layer. The hydrophilic structure area of kaolinite is estimated from the adsorption of cationic surfactant: benzyl-demethyl-dodecyl-ammonium bromide (BDDAB). The adsorption of anionic surfactant; sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) onto kaolinite surface particles has been performed to assess their hydrophobic surface area. The area of the hydrophobic parts of kaolinite was found to be 37 m 2 .g -1 . The sum of the hydrophilic (1.42 m 2 .g -1 ) and the hydrophobic surface gives 38.42 m 2 .g -1 , a value which is only 21 % smaller than BET surface area ( 48,7m 2 .g -1 ).


Abstract Evaluation of seismic signals is one of the most important research topics on Volcanology. Volcanoes have daily activity; therefore, high speed evaluation of recorded signals is a challenge for improving the study of the natural phenomena occurring inside these natural formations. The aim of this paper is the evaluation (denoising, localization and classification) and analysis of Llaima volcano activities, one of the most actives volcanoes in South America. Different already proposed methods, such as, Butterworth, Spectral Subtraction (SS) and Wiener Filter (WF) are compared to the proposed Modified Spectral Subtraction (MSS) and Modified Wiener Filter (MWF) to find the best method for denoising the volcano signals. Then, event localization based on received signals of volcano is performed. In this step, Time Delay Estimation (TDE)-based method is used on data acquired from 3 mechanical sensors located in the volcano area. The proposed method is used to estimate the area for event location. The proposed denoising methods make the starting point for the event more evident to increase the localization accuracy for events where the starting point is difficult to find. In the last step, a method based on the novel DNN technique is proposed to classify the three main events occurring in the Llaima volcano (TR (Tremor), LP (Long Period) and VT (Volcano Tectonic)).


Calcium signals act as a second messenger in plant responses to various abiotic stresses, which regulate a range of physiological processes. Calcium-binding proteins, like calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins, belong to a unique group of calcium sensors that play a role in calcium signalling. However, their identities and functions are unknown in Chinese cabbage. In this study, 17 CBL genes were identified from the Brassica rapa L. (Chinese cabbage) database and Br135K microarray datasets. They were used to construct a phylogenetic tree with known CBL proteins of other species. Analysis of genomic distribution and evolution revealed different gene duplication in Chinese cabbage compared to Arabidopsis. The microarray expression analysis showed differential expression of BrCBL genes at various temperatures. Organ-specific expression was observed by RT-PCR, and qRT-PCR analyses revealed responsiveness of BrCBL genes to cold, drought and salt stresses. Our findings confirm that CBL genes are involved in calcium signalling and regulate responses to environmental stimuli, suggesting this family gene have crucial role to play in plant responses to abiotic stresses. The results facilitate selection of candidate genes for further functional characterisation. In addition, abiotic stress-responsive genes reported in this study might be exploited for marker-aided backcrossing of Chinese cabbage.


Viral infections are a common cause of encephalitis. This study investigated the relationship between the incidence of encephalitis and that of respiratory and enteric viral infections in all age groups from 2015 to 2019, using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) Open Access Big Data Platform. We identified monthly incidence patterns and seasonal trends using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA). The Granger causality test was used to analyze correlations between encephalitis incidence and the positive detection rate (PDR) at 1-month intervals. A total of 42,775 patients were diagnosed with encephalitis during the study period. The incidence of encephalitis was highest in the winter (26.8%). The PDRs for respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) and coronavirus (HCoV) were associated with the trend in encephalitis diagnosis in all age groups, with a 1-month lag period. In addition, an association with norovirus was observed in patients aged over 20 years, and with influenza virus (IFV) in patients aged over 60 years. This study found that HRSV, HCoV, IFV, and norovirus tended to precede encephalitis by 1 month. Further research is required to confirm the association between these viruses and encephalitis.


ABSTRACT
Indonesia has abundant natural resources of oil and gas energy. Domestic fuel supply is not entirely fulfilled by domestic oil refineries, almost 20% -30% of domestic oil demand must be imported from abroad. This has an impact on the Navy. Steps to address this problem through switching to the use of alternative energy fuels for the Indonesian warship class Patrol Craft 36. The selection of appropriate alternatives requires analysis of information and identification of alternative fuel requirements to be selected. The approach in this study uses Life Cycle Cost method to see the life cycle cost of alternative and combined TOPSIS (Technique For Order Preference By Similarity To Ideal Solution) approach to other than cost factor, and Benefit Cost Ratio. The result of data processing of alternative energy sources selected is gas, CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) with the value of Benefit Cost Ratio 53,7051 Life Cycle Cost IDR 14,168,302,864.
 Keywords: Alternative Energy, Life Cycle Cost, TOPSIS.


In this paper, I argue that Greek poetry is a living tradition characterized by a diversity of voices and styles and that Greek poetry is a vital part of contemporary World Literature. The diversity of voices in contemporary Greek poetry gives it both aesthetic value and political relevance. Greek poetry, as it survives translation into a number of languages, including English, gives us a model for the successful translation of texts in both World literature and Comparative literature. A thematic analysis of some poems is presented in this paper. The aim is not to chronicle the contemporary Greek poetic production but to show how Greek poetic tradition continues to expand beyond national boundaries.


The Lord of the Rings can be read as an interior journey through the psyche as Jung describes it. There are Jungian concepts like individuation, archetypes like the shadow, the devouring mother, the anima, the hero and the wise old man. The reader also recognizes concepts from Jungian psychoanalysis and several of Jung´s symbols. Evidently Tolkien and Jung have much in common as they both deal with matters that many people can relate to.


We have already proposed a fuzzy classifier system for efficiently generating fuzzy if-then rules from numerical data for high dimensional pattern classification problems with many continuous attributes (H. Ishibuchi et al., 1995; 1996). We examine the performance of various variants of our fuzzy classifier systems by computer simulations on commonly used real world test problems. Those variants are implemented in the following manners: (i) using a different coding method; (ii) combining a learning procedure of each fuzzy if-then rule with the fuzzy classifier system; (iii) introducing a heuristic procedure for generating an initial population of fuzzy if-then rules; (iv) introducing a heuristic procedure for generating new fuzzy if-then rules that are used for replacing the worst rules in the current population; (v) extending the constant population size to an adjustable parameter; (vi) introducing the concept of voting for combining multiple fuzzy rule bases.


Ocular hypotensive actions of N-demethylated carbachol hydrochloride (DMC) were studied in patients with open angle glaucoma; 1% pilocarpine hydrochloride solution was used as a reference. Although 1% pilocarpine seemed to be slightly more potent that 6% and 9% DMC solutions, DMC solutions were devoid of the noticeable side effects produced by pilocarpine. In all cases, maximum ocular hypotensive actions were observed six hours after the single-drop medication and were determined as 4.2, 4.6, and 4.8 mm Hg with 6% DMC, 9% DMC, and 1% pilocarpine, respectively.


Objectives: The objective of this study is to compare the neutralization effect of various antioxidant agents on the bond strength of composite resins on stainless steel and ceramic brackets immediately bonded to previously bleached teeth. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty human maxillary premolars were used for the study. Teeth were divided into four groups (n = 40): Group 1 (control), Group 2 (bleached), Group 3 (sodium ascorbate), and Group 4 (tocopherol acetate). Each group was divided into two subgroups, one was bonded with stainless steel and other with ceramic brackets using 3M Transbond XT. Universal testing machine was used to determine the shear bond strength (SBS). Results: Among the metal brackets, Group 1A had the highest SBS (12.18 + 1.41 MPa) and Group 2A had the least SBS (6.18 + 1.49 MPa). Weibull analysis indicated that bond strength for a 90% probability of failure was highest for Group 1A (13.99 MPa) and lowest for Group 2A (8.49 MPa). For ceramic brackets, Group 1B had the highest SBS (13.80 + 1.69 MPa) and Group 2B had the least SBS (8.05 + 1.85 MPa). Weibull analysis indicated that bond strength for a 90% probability of failure was highest for Group 1B (14.61 MPa) and lowest for Group 2B (8.85MPa). Conclusion: The in vitro study showed that bleaching reduced the SBS significantly, and this could be effectively reversed by the application of antioxidants in both metal and ceramic brackets.


Family negative attitudes and family rejection against family members with mental illness increased the incidence of recurrence in patients with a mental disorder. The study aimed to determine the effect of supportive therapy on family attitudes and family rejection of family members with mental disorder schizophrenia. This study used a prepost design quasi-experiment with a control group with sampling using cluster sampling. The numbers of the sample in this study were 51 families with mental illness family member for the intervention group and 45 families with mental illness family member to the control group. This research used the instrument family attitude scale and acceptance and rejection scale. The results showed there were significant changes in attitudes and rejection after being given supportive therapy group (p-value < = 0.05). There is a significant difference in the change in the intervention group and the control (p-value < = 0.05). The suggestion of this research is to apply supportive group therapy and family communities. Keywords— family attitude, family rejection, family with mental illness, and Supportive Therapy


One of the potential outcomes of the Human Genome Project will be the ability to identify individuals who are at increased risk of adverse health effects following exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace because of genetic hypersusceptibility. The ability to identify such individuals is likely to lead to the inclusion of genetic screening in worker protection programs. This technology and its applications will have a number of potential ethical, legal, and social implications. In this commentary, the authors examine five broad topics relating to the use of screening for genetic hypersusceptibility in the workplace: (1) issues of risk; (2) the rationale and legal basis for screening; (3) the privacy concerns of workers; (4) the confidentiality of test results; and (5) potential discrimination. The authors close by suggesting some guidelines for developing policies regarding genetic screening.


As there is no evidence of previous studies on evaluating the level of job satisfaction and the major causes of dissatisfaction among the pharmacists in Iran, this study was designed. This study is a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of pharmacists practicing in Tehran private-sector pharmacies. We selected a stratified random sampling using number of prescriptions as a variable for stratification. The questionnaire was divided into three sections containing the demographic characteristics, general health perception and job satisfaction. Of all the participants, 62% were the owners of pharmacies and 38% were pharmacists in charge (non-owner). Seventy-eight percent of respondents reported satisfaction about their psychological and physical state. Just 11% of pharmacists were financially satisfied and 49% felt relaxed at the workplace. There was no correlation between the satisfaction and owning the pharmacy or sex of respondents. Spearman›s correlation showed that the income satisfaction correlated negatively with age (p ≤ 0.001) and years of experience (p < 0.05). Moreover, the average working hours was significantly higher among men compared to women (p < 0.01) and among owners relative to non-owners (p < 0.05). Overall, general health perception and quality of life among the respondents were at satisfactory level. However, work-related satisfaction was not high enough and most interviewed pharmacists were financially dissatisfied.


Background

MSM has a high risk of HIV infection. Previous studies showed that the cell cycle regulation played an important role in HIV-1 infection, especially in G2/M checkpoint. The ATR, Chk1, Cdc25C and CDK1 are key genes in G2/M checkpoint. However, the association between the SNPs of these genes and susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and AIDS progression remains unknown.
Results

42 tSNPs of G2/M checkpoint genes were genotyped to analyze the association between these tSNPs and susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and AIDS progression among MSM (529 HIV − 1 seropositive men and 529 HIV-1 seronegative men) in northern China. The results showed that rs34660854-A and rs75368165-A in ATR gene and rs3756766-A in Cdc25C gene could increase the risk of HIV-1 infection (P = 0.049, P = 0.020 and P = 0.010, respectively), and ATR rs75069062 and Chk1 rs10893405 were significantly associated with AIDS progression (P = 0.026 and P = 0.029, respectively). Besides, rs34660854 and rs75368165 in ATR gene, rs12576279 and rs540436 in Chk1 gene, rs3756766 in Cdc25C gene and rs139245206 in CDK1 gene were significantly associated with HIV-1 infection under different models (P < 0.05).
Conclusions

The genetic variants of G2/M checkpoint genes had a molecular impact on the genesis of HIV-1 infection and AIDS progression in northern Chinese MSM population.


Objective The objective of the study was to clarify the role of a palliative pancreaticoduodenectomy in both pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinomas. Methods Survival outcomes were compared between resections and bypass operations, and between curative (R0) and palliative resections, with a microscopically (R1) and a grossly (R2) positive resection margin. Results There were 595 surgical patients, including 207 undergoing bypass operations and 388 undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomies, with 47.4% curative resections (R0) and 17.8% palliative resections (R1 + R2). The overall positive margin rate after a pancreaticoduodenectomy was 27.3% (R1 = 8.0%, R2 = 19.3%). For periampullary adenocarcinomas, there was a significant survival difference between the R0, palliative, and no resection groups. However, there was no significant survival difference between the R0 and palliative resection for pancreatic head adenocarcinoma. Note that the survival outcome after either a curative or a palliative pancreaticoduodenectomy was still better than the survival outcome of a bypass operation. Conclusions There was a survival benefit after a pancreaticoduodenectomy regardless of the resection margin or primary origin of the periampullary adenocarcinoma, as compared with a bypass operation. The resection margin after a pancreaticoduodenectomy did not play a role in the survival outcome in pancreatic head adenocarcinoma. Therefore, we recommend that pancreaticoduodenectomies should be attempted whenever possible.


The synthesis of two new phosphoramidite building blocks for the incorporation of 5‐(pyren‐1‐yl)uracilyl unlocked nucleic acid (UNA) monomers into oligonucleotides has been developed. Monomers containing a pyrene‐modified nucleobase component were found to destabilize an i‐motif structure at pH 5.2, both under molecular crowding and noncrowding conditions. The presence of the pyrene‐modified UNA monomers in DNA strands led to decreases in the thermal stabilities of DNA*/DNA and DNA*/RNA duplexes, but these duplexes' thermal stabilities were better than those of duplexes containing unmodified UNA monomers. Pyrene‐modified UNA monomers incorporated in bulges were able to stabilize DNA*/DNA duplexes due to intercalation of the pyrene moiety into the duplexes. Steady‐state fluorescence emission studies of oligonucleotides containing pyrene‐modified UNA monomers revealed decreases in fluorescence intensities upon hybridization to DNA or RNA. Efficient quenching of fluorescence of pyrene‐modified UNA monomers was observed after formation of i‐motif structures at pH 5.2. The stabilizing/destabilizing effect of pyrene‐modified nucleic acids might be useful for designing antisense oligonucleotides and hybridization probes.


Introduction: Most patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia [AML] die of their disease and the average age of patients at diagnosis is 72 years. For this reason, new therapeutic strategies with tolerability in the fragile, less fit population is necessary for reducing the mortality rate associated with this disease. The tumor microenvironment is an emerging target in the search for less cytotoxic therapies. We have previously shown that the adipocyte component of the bone marrow (BM) is a key player in blast survival, proliferation and chemotherapy evasion. In this study, we draw focus onto the status of an adipocyte rich environment in the context of leukemia and highlight the key players in regulating leukemic cell metabolism through transport and metabolism of fatty acids. Objective: We hypothesize that the presence of adipocytes within the proximity of AML blasts creates a FA rich environment for increased β - oxidation within the blasts. Methods: We used primary AML blasts and normal CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) following informed consent (LRCEref07/H0310/146). Adipocytes were derived from bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). Differential expression analysis of RNA sequencing data (GEO ID: GSE49642, GSE48846) was used to compare respiratory gene signatures of BM AML blasts, peripheral blood obtained AML and normal CD34+ HSC. Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) were identified as one of the key genes involved in the lipolysis and oxidation signature differential expression. Oxygen consumption rate (OCR) of adipocyte co-cultured blasts and normal CD34+ were analyzed using Seahorse technology. Lentiviral-knockdown of FABP4 and CPT1A were performed on blasts prior to in vivo xenograft mouse model injection. Results: Leukemic blasts showed increased adipocyte lipolysis stimulation compared with normal CD34+ cells. Moreover, adipocytes increased transcriptional activation of FABP4 and CPT1A in malignant blasts compared to CD34+ HSC. FABP4 inhibitor reduced AML blast survival when cells were cultured with adipocytes which is in contrast to normal CD34+ HSC. Moreover, AML had increased oxygen consumption rate when grown on adipocytes which was inhibited by etomoxir (β - oxidation inhibitor). Finally in-vivo lentiviral mediated knockdown of FABP4 and CPT1A reveled an increased survival of AML xenografts. Conclusion: Our results show that the stimulation of lipolysis and fatty acid oxidative genes that contribute to the genetic signatures of these processes are a malignant blast exclusive profile. Interventions at a molecular level reveal survival favorable outcomes in xenograft models suggesting the need for enhancing strategies which include targeting the FABP4 and CPT1A axis. Our data provide a biologic rationale for exploring future therapies that target the adipocyte/AML interactions. Citation Format: Manar Shafat, Thomas Oellerich, Sebastian Mohr, Stephen Robinson, Dylan Edwards, Rachel Piddock, Amina Abdul-Aziz, Christopher Marlein, Matthew Fenech, Jeremy Turner, Matthew Lawes, Lyubov Zaitseva, Johnathan Watkins, Kristian Bowles, Stuart Rushworth. Bone marrow adipocytes drive transcriptional changes in leukemic blasts to enhance their capacity to derive energy from free fatty acid metabolism [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4327. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4327


Image post-processing is defined as the process of integrating a series of axial images into a form that is often easier to interpret than the sections themselves. The source transverse section is a fundamental image for interpretation. However, because of the complexity of coronary anatomy, interpreters must review coronary CT angiography interactively on workstations capable of 3-dimensional (3D) displays. The 3D data set can be reformatted according to the needs of the investigator using several types of post-processing algorithms. Coronary artery interpretation includes assessment of calcium scoring on non-contrast image and coronary angiography on enhanced image. Non-coronary cardiovascular findings and extra-cardiac findings should be reviewed in addition to recognize primary and secondary comorbid pathology and to identify findings that lead to alternative non-cardiovascular diagnoses. The ultimate objective of post-processing and interpretation is to convey diagnostic information to the treating physician with as much clarity and accuracy as possible. Interpretation times vary, usually depending on the image quality and the user's experience and knowledge of cardiac CT and the individual workstation. Normally, experienced users usually spend no more than 10 minutes segmenting and interpreting cardiac CT studies.


Background Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory-tract infection in infants. Based on reactions with monoclonal antibodies against glycoproteins G, RSV has been classified into subtypes A and B. Aim In this study, RSV-A positive cases were genotyped to evaluate the genetic variability which can modify RSV epidemic and clinical severity. Methods During 3 epidemic seasons children presenting with respiratory symptoms at the Pediatric Emergency, "Sapienza" University of Rome (RM), and at the Pediatric Department of Marche Polytechnic University (AN)were enrolled and tested for RSV with PCR on nasal washings. RSV positive samples were randomly selected for genomic characterization. Demographic and clinical data were taken from patients9 medical files. Results 515 RSV-positive infants were detected: 165 in RM (median age 2.75m; range 0.2-29m) and 350 in AN (median age 3.0m; range 0.1-163m). 161/360 RSV-A positive samples were sequenced. 15 in RM and 51 in AN strains grouped with the novel genotype ON1 which is characterized by a 72-nt insertion in G resulting in 24 extra aa. ON1 was not detected in RM neither in AN samples during 2010-11 season; it accounted for 14/61 strains (22.9%) analyzed in 2011-12 and for 52/59 strains (88.1%) in 2012-13. Clinical data showed that ON1 infection was more frequent in younger infants and caused less frequently a severe disease. Conclusion We document the presence of ON1 genotype in Italy in the 2011-12 epidemic season and its rapid spread in 2012-13. The novel genotype does not seem to possess special severity determinants compared with previously circulating RSV-A strains.


We present here a catalog of the Trichodactylidae (Crustacea, Brachyura) deposited in the Crustacean Collection of Museo de La Plata, Argentina. Eighty lots were studied, comprising eight species. Among these lots, many had been characterized by R. Ringuelet and by C. Magalhães; several lots from different regions of Argentina were identified. For each lot the following information is provided: georeferenced locality of collection, collector and collecting date, collection number, labelling data (a precise transcription of the original wording), remarks, and map of the locations.


Abstract The recognition that drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) poses a major threat to global tuberculosis (TB) control efforts has catalysed the development of new and urgently needed TB diagnostics. The full beneficial impact of the subsequent flood of new TB diagnostic tests into the market can only be realised if these diagnostic tests are readily accessible to TB programs and contribute to improved patient outcomes. Although phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing remains the gold standard, an improved understanding of the relationship between mutations and different levels of drug resistance coupled with the advantages of molecular diagnostics could result in rapid molecular diagnostic tests replacing phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing. Successful diagnostics need to diagnose all forms of drug-resistant TB prevalent in each geographic region. Given the finite number and often limited availability of effective drugs for DR-TB, the diagnostic test must be able to detect all clinically important types of resistance to available anti-TB drugs. However, less comprehensive resistance profiling may be sufficient in settings where extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and pre-XDR are absent. Rapid molecular diagnostic tests for DR-TB detection suitable for DR-TB endemic settings should be accurate, inexpensive, suitable to be performed on an easily accessible sample, detect prevalent circulating drug-resistant strains, and provide results within a short turnaround time to enable timely treatment initiation. In this review, we appraise the wide range of molecular diagnostics for DR-TB endorsed by the World Health Organisation, discuss the challenges in the development and rollout of rapid molecular DR-TB tests in low- and middle-income countries, and highlight user perspectives and cost-effectiveness factors that influence their utility.


Coastal erosion and its management cause significant economic, social, and environmental impacts on Australia. Current methods of controlling coastal erosion are expensive and are frequently damaged during severe weather events. However, recent studies have identified the potential for Wave Energy Converters (WECs) to provide a solution to this problem. WECs can extract energy from ocean waves and attenuate the wave field propagating towards the shore. The aim of this project is to determine whether arrays of WECs can not only reduce the magnitude of the propagated wave but also change its direction, thereby creating more favourable nearshore conditions.
 The study is conducted using small-scale experiments in a wave flume using an array of ten oscillating water columns (OWC). The OWCs are placed perpendicular to the incoming wave and equally spaced across the width of the wave flume. The OWCs are constructed using L-shaped pipes of 60-mm diameter, and the natural frequency of each OWC is tuned using different horizontal pipe extensions, which ultimately change the mass of water within the OWC. The damping is tuned using end-caps with different orifice diameters. Each OWC is equipped with a pressure sensor to measure the differential air pressure inside the OWC air chamber. The downstream wave field is characterised using a row of 6 resistive wave gauges located at a distance of 2 m from the wave array. The study is conducted using regular waves with a wave frequency of 1 Hz. The preliminary results demonstrate that the array of OWCs can change the direction of the incoming wave by several degrees.


A well-recognized natural ligand of PPARγ, 15-deoxy-δ(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)) possesses immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether 15d-PGJ(2) was able to attenuate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, which are involved in ocular immune responses. In addition, we examined whether the platelet activating factor (PAF) is associated with the anti-inflammatory activity of 15d-PGJ(2). ARPE19 cells treated with varying concentrations of 15d-PGJ(2) and a PAF antagonist (CV3988) were used in this study. The activity of PAF-acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) was assayed by treatment with 15d-PGJ(2) and CV3988 in the presence of LPS. 15d-PGJ(2) and CV3988 inhibited the LPS-induced mRNA expression and protein production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in ARPE19 cells. These effects resulting from 15d-PGJ(2) were not abrogated by the PPARγ antagonist, indicating that the actions were PPARγ-independent. Furthermore, 15d-PGJ(2) and CV3988 enhanced the PAF-AH activity. Additionally, 15d-PGJ(2) inhibited the phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and the activation of nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB). These results demonstrated that 15d-PGJ(2) reduced LPS-stimulated inflammatory responses in ARPE19 cells by enhancing the PAH-AH activity. These results suggest that 15d-PGJ(2) may have potent anti-inflammatory activity against ocular inflammation.


Allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (Allo-PBSCT) has been performed as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Here we report poor mobilization with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and engraftment kinetics in Allo-PBSCT. Sixteen patients (aged 6-61 yr, median 34 yr) received allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells from related donors (aged 15-68 yr, median 37 yr) after myeloablative therapy. Nine of the patients had standard-risk disease and 7 had high-risk disease. The donors received G-CSF at a dose of 10 micrograms/kg/day by subcutaneous injection for 4 to 6 days. Peripheral blood stem cells were subsequently collected in 1 to 3 aphereses and infused immediately. All patients received G-CSF after transplantation. Fifteen patients underwent Allo-PBSCT and one underwent Allo-PBSCT plus BMT. The mean number of CD34+ cells infused in the 15 Allo-PBSCT patients was 6.32 x 10(6)/kg (range 1.28-14.20). The outcomes were compared with 9 identically treated patients who underwent Allo-BMT. The median times until engraftment for neutrophils > 500/microliter and platelets > 20,000/microliter were 14 (range 10-17) and 15 (range 11-50) days in the Allo-PBSCT group and 17 (range 13-29) and 20 (range 16-160) days in the Allo-BMT group, respectively (p = 0.0177 and p = 0.003). Three donors were considered to have poor mobilization (< 2 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg of the recipient); two of them yielded 1.28 and 1.78 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg in 3 apheresis procedures. The patients who received cells from these donors showed prompt neutrophil engraftment, but one showed delayed platelet engraftment and another died of grade IV acute GVHD before reaching 20,000 platelets/microliter. An additional bone marrow harvest was necessary from one donor because of poor mobilization(0.17 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg). Thus, Allo-PBSCT results in more rapid engraftment. It will be necessary to clarify the minimum CD34+ cell dose for complete engraftment in a larger series of trials.


Terraces are an important cultivated land resource. Terrace abandonment affects the soil quality, soil and water conservation benefits, and biodiversity of terraces. Therefore, it is important to quantify the number and spatial distribution of abandoned terraces to protect cultivated land and food security. However, the traditional remote sensing method cannot identify small plots and make accurate assessment of abandoned farmland quickly in mountainous areas. To accurately identifying abandoned terraces, this study used semantic segmentation based on deep learning and change detection to identify abandoned terraces and their spatial distribution in a small watershed on the Loess Plateau in 2021. A comparative analysis of the accuracy of three deep learning models revealed that RefineNet is superior to DeepLabv3+ and DeepLabv3 for identifying abandoned terraces. The user's accuracy, producer's accuracy, overall accuracy, and appa values for RefineNet were 0.817, 0.894, 0.800, and 0.539, respectively. For change detection, the corresponding values were 0.821, 0.753, 0.731, and 0.426, respectively. In addition, semantic segmentation produced better recognition results than change detection in complex terrain and geomorphological areas. The abandoned terraces in the study area were mainly distributed in mountainous areas far from residential areas and more likely at high elevations with large slopes. This study provides a new method for recognizing abandoned terraces and spatial distribution information for managing and utilizing abandoned terraces.


Summary Australian troops travelling to South Africa in 1899 to join Britain in fighting the Boers left behind communities consumed with the conflict. The colonies that would form the Australian nation in 1901 organised parades, concerts and eagerly awaited news from the battlefield. This article analyses these cultural responses to the South African War alongside the experiences of institutionalised delusional men. It traces ways the conflict penetrated the walls of Australian asylums, and the minds of the insane within them, as well as the sane existing in society. Delusions based on the conflict appeared not only in the words of men who had travelled to South Africa, but also those who were evidently deeply affected by Australian involvement in the war, following the fervour within the societies from which they came. The resulting analysis of the words and experiences of the insane expands the historiography of the conflict in new ways.


Collective responses to HIV have been important to the establishment of safer sex practices and successful HIV prevention among gay men. However, some have noted the changing role of gay communities in HIV prevention, where a 'loss of community' may have implications for future HIV prevention (Davis, 2008). This paper explores the 'hidden solidarities' articulated by young gay and bisexual men through their accounts of their personal, social relationships with friends within their 'personal communities' (Holt, 2011; Spencer & Pahl, 2006). Based on analysis of data drawn from interviews with 30 gay and bisexual men, aged 18-29 years and living in various regions of Scotland,
I explore the ways in which affective ties between the young men and their friends, and shared understandings of sexual risk, shape and inform their responses to both the concept, and practice, of 'safer sex'. By extending conceptions of 'safer sex' beyond well-rehearsed ideas of condom use, I provide insight into the men's accounts of the social practices of HIV testing. I suggest that some young men actively challenge and resist the idea of HIV testing as a wholly individual event, at times harnessing digital media to 'collectivise' HIV testing, bringing together groups of friends to 'test together'. This serves to emphasise the continuing importance of solidarity and support among young gay men, a perspective I will take into discussion of 'gay community' and, the less visible, 'personal communities'.


Sideritis species have been used in folk medicine for their antimicrobial, antiulcerogenic, digestive and anti-inflammatory properties. Over the years, the phytochemistry of the genus Sideritis has been studied, and various terpenoids, sterols, coumarins and especially flavonoid aglycones and glycosides have been identified. In particular, species from the Balkan Peninsula have been studied and were found to be rich in flavonoids, with valuable antioxidant activity. In the folk medicine of the Balkan countries, Sideritis raeseri is used as a herbal tea in the treatment of inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders and coughs, and also as a tonic, whereas extracts are used as a component of dietary supplements for anaemia. Its dried inflorescences are used to prepare a beverage called 'mountain tea'. In light of the considerable interest generated in the chemistry, pharmacological properties and commercial value of S. raeseri Boiss. & Heldr., we review and summarise the available literature on these plants. The review details the chemical composition of the essential oil, its mineral and polyphenol contents, the naming of these plants and their physicochemical characterisation, and the nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data and biological properties associated with the plant extracts, with a focus on their potential chemotherapeutic applications. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.


The aim with the study has been to get an overview of how students perceive their learning in group projects. The survey has been implemented with a quantitative questionnaire with qualitative elements during guidance. Students in grade 9 in a secondary school answered a survey study where they should take side to several proposals about learning and group work. The result shows that students in general do not find learning in group as the best learning method, but instead prefer individual learning methods when to learn new things. On the contrary, students claim that they learn best when group members not think as they but think in another direction. Several students claim that they have experienced not being welcomed in a group work and that these experiences have affected upon them. Nevertheless, this study is not profound enough to answer how that comes, to find a more adequate answer to how this affect their motivation for learning would need further studies and depth interviews.


Pseudotepuibasis gen. nov. is erected for P. garrisoni sp. nov. from the Colombian Amazon (December 2015, Caquetá Department, Solano Municipality, Araracuara, Guacamayo Guard, -72.2497, -0.6308, L. Pérez leg.). Male and female of this new genus are described and illustrated, cerci of male with a ventrobasal spur for which it is considered in the tribe Teinobasini, close to Tepuibasis De Marmels, 2007 and Austrotepuibasis Machado Lencioni, 2011, by its color pattern and cerci morphology; and close to Leptobasis Selys, 1877 and Mesoleptobasis Sjöstedt, 1918, by its genital ligula. Some notable characters of Pseudotepuibasis are a chitinized spine-like process directed posteriorly on the genital ligula, male cerci with chitinized median tooth, and thoracic color pattern.


This study investigated the perception of respondents towards the prevalence of molesting behavior among male coaches in respect of female athletes in different games at public sector universities in Sindh province. The study was mixed-method (survey and semi-structured interview) The Purposive sampling method was employed for the collection of the required data. Female athletes who competed at the intercollegiate, intervarsity, provincial and national level of public universities of Sindh province were subject of this study. The self-inventory and adapted questionnaire on sports-specific touch and behavior versus unwanted intimacy from coaches developed by Vanden Auweele (2006) Vanden Auweele et al (2008) was administrated for data collection. There were 85 female athletes from 20 public universities who participated in the survey. The result of the study revealed that there is a significant prevalence of molesting behavior among male coaches towards female athletes in different sports at public universities of Sindh province due to the coach's power, authority, decision making position, the threat of rejection on the refusal of sexual cooperation, the ready availability of inexperienced female athletes and lack of implication of policies regarding sexual misconducts in public sector universities.


In modern internet-scale computing, interaction between a large number of parties that are not known a-priori is predominant, with each party functioning both as a provider and consumer of services and information. In such an environment, traditional access control mechanisms face considerable limitations, since granting appropriate authorizations to each distinct party is infeasible both due to the high number of grantees and the dynamic nature of interactions. Trust management has emerged as a solution to this issue, offering aids towards the automated verification of actions against security policies. In this paper, we present a trust- and risk-based approach to security, which considers status, behavior and associated risk aspects in the trust computation process, while additionally it captures user-to-user trust relationships which are propagated to the device level, through user-to-device ownership links.


Introduction: Congenital coronary artery anomalies are quite uncommon with estimates ranging from 0.2% to 1.3% on coronary angiography. The rarity of these anomalies makes their diagnosis a formidable challenge. Variable arterial courses have been described. In this report, we present a case with unique arterial course, which starts as a hyperacute take-off of the right coronary artery (RCA) from the left main coronary artery (LMCA), with subsequent coursing, without external compression, between the right ventricular outflow tract and aorta. Our case is relevant to the concept of whether we should keep a reasonable index of suspicion for coronary artery anomalies during cardiac evaluations of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgeries. Clinical case: This is an asymptomatic 47-year-old African American female who presented for cardiac clearance for renal transplantation. She had a past medical history of hypertension, bronchial asthma, and former smoking of 10 years (quitting 15 years prior to presentation). She also has end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Cardiac workup revealed left ventricular hypertrophy on EKG, multi-chamber dilation seen on echo, and anomalous RCA course seen on CT coronary angiography. Cardiac catheterization revealed non-obstructive coronary artery disease of the LCX and RCA. After consulting with cardiothoracic surgery, conservative medical management was decided based on the patient's risk stratification. She was advised to have close monitoring of her condition. Discussion: Coronary artery anomalies represent the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. At this time, the prevalence of right coronary artery (RCA) take off from the left coronary sinus occurs at a percentage of 0.019% to 0.49%. The RCA origination from the left main coronary artery (LMCA) accounts for only 0.65% of these anomalies. Our patient had high-risk anatomy consisting of a hyper-angulated take-off of the RCA from the LMCA as well as course between the pulmonary artery and right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). CT coronary angiography is the most useful imaging modality that characterizes coronary artery anomalies. Although this patient exhibited no signs or symptoms of cardiorespiratory compromise, she warranted a full cardiac workup preoperatively that incidentally revealed a coronary anomaly. Recognition of this disease is critical for timely prevention of potential complications as well as discussion of goals of care. Guidelines for medical versus surgical management are available, but the management strategy should be individualized, with the highest consideration given to risk-benefit analysis.


The report deals with 8 cases of reticular (retiform) perineuroma, a rare soft-tissue variant of the latter. It presents as a lace-like pattern of long cytoplasmic outgrowths of tumor cell clusters in myxoid or tender collagenized stroma. Despite its potential for infiltrative growth, perineuroma has a benign clinical course.


Latin America appeared to make substantial progress in handling its macro economy in the 1990s. Following the emerging-market textbook for economic development, the region's major countries brought down inflation and public deficits, at least initially. Yet these efforts turned Out to be superficial; sustained economic growth remained elusive. Mexico, Brazil, and now Argentina have lurched from one financial crisis to another. There is little doubt that Argentina's collapse into economic chaos at the end of 2001 was caused in part by mismanagement of public finances. Less debated is the role of microeconomic factors, yet microlevel barriers were responsible for a failure to improve productivity and thus contributed to the country's eventual inability to sustain the peso peg against the dollar. Good macroeconomic management is critical if an economy is to achieve a sustained increase in productivity-the key determinant of growth and wealth. Fiscal and monetary stability eases interest rates, makes investors more confident, and thereby helps companies raise their productivity. But stability isn't enough. Our microlevel analysis of several Latin American countries shows that sectors and companies within them perform very differently even under the same macroeconomic conditions. Productivity problems are rife in Latin America. In Brazil, for example, the dairy industry's productivity stands at a mere 10 percent of the US level but the poultry industry at 80 percent, while individual institutions in the commercial-banking industry are 20 to 120 percent as productive as the industry's US counterpart. In Argentina, the residential-construction sector achieves only 26 percent of the US sector's productivity, though some individual companies boast as much as 52 percent. In meat processing, the average is 39 percent, with some producers at 69 percent. Such differences in productivity among industries in the same country, and even the same industry, strongly suggest that nonmacroeconomic factors prevent inefficient companies from raising their productivity and productive companies from gobbling up inefficient ones. Argentina is a good example of the inadequacy of pure macroeconomics. Besides pegging the peso to the US dollar at parity in 1991, the country lifted price controls and regulations on the movement of capital and embarked on a sweeping program of privatization, including mining, oil, telecommunications, transport, and utilities. In the beginning, these bold moves virtually eradicated inflation and pushed down interest rates; the fiscal deficit was brought under control, and interest payments on foreign debt became manageable. From 1990 to 1995, the country's GDP grew by 5.9 percent a year and labor productivity by 4.5 percent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) hailed Argentina as the role model for reform in emerging markets. Then things started to go wrong. In the second half of the decade, the growth of labor productivity slowed to 0.4 percent, contributing to the slide into recession in 1998. Tax revenues slumped while public spending continued to boom, debt obligations became increasingly hard to meet, and the currency peg came under pressure. By January 2002, Argentina had abandoned it and defaulted on government debt. Barriers to productivity growth What happened to Argentina's nascent productivity miracle--if there ever was one? A detailed look shows that the productivity gains of the early 1990s were confined to newly privatized sectors. These gains, moreover, were largely one-off occurrences: multinational companies bought former state monopolies, drastically cut their inflated workforces, and brought in updated business practices and technology. Other sectors, accounting for more than 80 percent of the country's GDP, achieved only slight productivity growth throughout the past decade despite vastly improved macroeconomic conditions (Exhibit 1). …


ABSTRACT In libraries and archives, efforts to document underrepresented communities and diversify collections can be fraught with political tension. We explore an interdepartmental collaboration to create and preserve a digital collection documenting the Urban Native Relocation Program of the mid- to late-twentieth century in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Involving the Grand Valley State University Libraries, the Kutsche Office of Local History, and the university's Native American Advisory Board, the project serves as a model not just for collaborative collection development but also for community engagement and outreach. We find that process is as important as product in developing collaborative digital collections.


This paper intervenes in the recent movement in religious geographies to produce more nuanced understandings of the religious subject. By introducing the concept of theography, this paper explores a religious reflexivity that directs subjects towards struggles over the content of theology, its effects on their spatial imagination, and their praxis. Theography advances conversations about praxis in the geography of religion by tying together poststructural scholarship regarding the religious subject's potential to subvert abstract categorization, geographies concerning the subject's reframing of theology, and philosophical contributions vis-à-vis praxes that stem from particular understandings of transcendence.


In 1995, neurosurgery in the United States is facing challenges and threats never before imagined. In its attempts to respond as a relatively small specialty, the neurosurgical community can no longer afford to remain a house divided. Neurosurgical unit has now become a critical matter. In particular, our neurosurgical leadership must minimize duplication of efforts and efficiently allocate its resources. Most importantly, it must unify its energies in directing the numerous joint American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons activities, as well as serving as a direct liaison with the emerging representative assembly under the Joint Council of State Neurosurgical Societies. The unification of the neurosurgical leadership will clearly enhance our ability to deal with all of our present challenges and future changes, but more importantly it will permit our specialty to truly speak with one voice.


We study dynamics of cosmological models with diffusion effects modeling dark matter and dark energy interactions. We show the simple model with diffusion between the cosmological constant sector and dark matter, where the canonical scaling law of dark matter $(\rho_{dm,0}a^{-3}(t))$ is modified by an additive $\epsilon(t)=\gamma t a^{-3}(t)$ to the form $\rho_{dm}=\rho_{dm,0}a^{-3}(t)+\epsilon(t)$. We reduced this model to the autonomous dynamical system and investigate it using dynamical system methods. This system possesses a two-dimensional invariant submanifold on which the DM-DE interaction can be analyzed on the phase plane. The state variables are density parameter for matter (dark and visible) and parameter $\delta$ characterizing the rate of growth of energy transfer between the dark sectors. A corresponding dynamical system belongs to a general class of jungle type of cosmologies represented by coupled cosmological models in a Lotka-Volterra framework. We demonstrate that the de Sitter solution is a global attractor for all trajectories in the phase space and there are two repellers: the Einstein-de Sitter universe and the de Sitter universe state dominating by the diffusion effects. We distinguish in the phase space trajectories, which become in good agreement with the data. They should intersect a rectangle with sides of $\Omega_{m,0}\in [0.2724, 0.3624]$, $\delta \in [0.0000, 0.0364]$ at the 95\% CL. Our model could solve some of the puzzles of the $\Lambda$CDM model, such as the coincidence and fine-tuning problems. In the context of the coincidence problem, our model can explain the present ratio of $\rho_{m}$ to $\rho_{de}$, which is equal $0.4576^{+0.1109}_{-0.0831}$ at a 2$\sigma$ confidence level.