In this study, novel electrolyte mixtures for Li-ion cells are presented with highly improved safety features. The electrolyte formulations are composed of ethylene carbonate/dimethyl sulfone (80:20 wt/wt) as the solvent mixture and LiBF4 , lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)azanide, and lithium bis(oxalato)borate as the conducting salts. Initially, the electrolytes are characterized with regard to their physical properties, their lithium transport properties, and their electrochemical stability. The key advantages of the electrolytes are high flash points of >140 °C, which enhance significantly the intrinsic safety of Li-ion cells containing these electrolytes. This has been quantified by measurements in an accelerating rate calorimeter. By using the newly developed electrolytes, which are liquid down to T=-10 °C, it is possible to achieve C-rates of up to 1.5 C with >80 % of the initial specific capacity. During 100 cycles in cell tests (graphite||LiNi1/3 Co1/3 Mn1/3 O2 ), it is proven that the retention of the specific capacity is >98 % of the third discharge cycle with dependence on the conducting salt. The best electrolyte mixture yields a capacity retention of >96 % after 200 cycles in coin cells.


Purpose: To study the mechanism of miRNA-21 targeting ajuba/ Isl1 axis to affect BMSC differentiation to cardiac myoid cells. Methods: BMSC was cultured and miRNA-21 was constructed to infect BMSC. The miRNA-21 was directly regulated by luciferase reporter gene system. The expression of cTnI, ajuba and Isl1 was detected by RT-qPCR and WB. The expression of cTnI, ajuba and Isl1 was detected by RT-qPCR and WB, and miR-21 was detected by RT-qPCR; The differentiation ability of BMSC in all groups was detected by RT-qPCR and WB; To evaluate the effect of ajuba and Isl1 on the differentiation ability of BMSC. Results: BMSC was cultured successfully, BMSC was successfully constructed by mir-21-OE, mir-21-KD, ajuba-OE and ajuba KD slow virus; RT-qPCR and WB were used to detect the high expression of cTnI in mir-21-OE and ajuba KD groups, and the expression of miR-21 was increased, the expression of ajuba was inhibited and Isl1 expression was enhanced. Conclusion: The expression of ajuba was inhibited by up regulation of miRNA-21 target, and the expression of Isl1 enhanced to promote BMSC differentiation, that is, miRNA-21 regulated the axis of ajuba/ Isl1 to influence the differentiation of BMSC to cardiomyocyte-like cells.


Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is associated with an increased production of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by steroid-5α-reductase (5α-R). Crude extracts from Avicennia marina (AM) and its active constituent, avicequinone C (AC), can inhibit 5α-R. We have, herein, explored the potential use of the AM extract and of AC as anti-AGA agents. To this end, we employed human dermal papilla cells (DPCs) isolated from AGA patients' hair that express 5α-R type-1 as well as the androgenic receptor (AR) at high levels. Our in vitro experiments revealed that the AM extract (10 μg/mL) and the AC (10 μM) exhibit multiple actions that interfere with the mechanism that causes AGA. Beside acting as 5α-R inhibitors, both preparations were able to inhibit either the DHT-AR complex formation or its translocation from the cytoplasm into the nucleus (the site of DHT's action). The treatments also increased the gene expression of growth factors in DPCs; these factors play important roles in the angiogenesis associated with hair growth. Moreover, the AM extract suppressed the apoptotic pathway, thereby postponing the initiation of the catagen phase. Taken together, our findings suggest that the AM extract and the AC could serve as natural sources for hair growth promotion and AGA treatment.


This study aims to identify the role of extension agents in developing farmer groups in Sungai Binuang Village, Haur Gading District, as well as how the current authority and competence of extension agents to farmer groups. This research was conducted in Sungai Binuang Village, Haur Gading SubDistrict in March-May 2016. The samples taken in this study were all members of farmer groups in Sungai Binuang Village. The analysis method used in this study is descriptive analysis and Likert scale for measuring indicators. the role of extension agents as farmer supervisors is at an average number of 287 in the good interval category with a number of 76.5% classified as strong, as an organizer and dynamist the instructor is at an average rate of 306 in a very good area with 81.6% classified as very strong , as a technician the extension has an average number of 306 in the area is very good and 81.6% is classified as very strong, and the extension agent as a farmer consultant that is 306.5 in the area very well and continuum 81.7% at very strong intervals . From the results of the study, it was found that the role of agricultural extension agents in Sungai Binuang Village was already quite optimal. The authority and competence of agricultural extension agents cannot be done optimally because an agricultural instructor is only authorized to direct and provide input on all decisions taken in a group.


The cold-temperate kelp species Alaria esculenta, Saccharina latissima and Laminaria digitata co-occur at the same depth at a variety of locations. Due to their heteromorphic life cycle a large part of their development is only microscopically visible. We investigated the impact of sedimentation, temperature and light (as abiotic factors) and interspecific competition and grazing (as biotic factors) on early developmental stages in multi-factorial approaches. The germination success, speed of gametogenesis and survival of juvenile sporophytes were followed in laboratory and field experiments. Although germination is mostly an autonomous process it was negatively affected by unfavourable abiotic conditions, especially high sediment load. Speed of gametogenesis was temperature dependent with species-specific optima. The recruitment success of young sporophytes was dependent on all interacting abiotic factors which also influenced the resource competition between the different species. For example, juvenile A. esculenta sporophytes overgrew L. digitata at 5 °C, while they had no competitive chance at 15 °C. High sediment loads were most detrimental for sporophyte survival, but interestingly, moderate grazing could decrease the negative impact of intermediate sediment loads. It became evident that many factors influence the outcome of recruitment in kelps and that changing temperature or increased sedimentation lead to a species-specific reaction which may influence the outcome of competition and thereby community structure. More field experiments are required to get ecologically relevant data because survival rates in the field were much lower compared to controlled laboratory conditions despite density control of spores in comparative experiments.


In a series of essays and letters published in 2010, commentators in bioethics debated the ethics of two interventions that aim to prevent or treat a symptom of a genetic condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which can cause "virilization" in affected baby girls—the development of atypical, sometimes masculine-appearing, genitals. Surgeries are often performed to try to "normalize" both the appearance and the function of affected girls' genitals, and a drug thought to prevent virilization is sometimes prescribed to pregnant women who are likeliest to be carrying an affected fetus. The CAH debates suggest that there is profound disagreement in the field about whether preventing or treating virilization is an appropriate goal of medicine—or, indeed, parenting. Of course, that disagreement has its roots in ongoing debates about how to understand and react to a range of anatomical and behavioral differences, from short stature to deafness to hyperactivity, as well as ongoing debates about the limits of autonomy—in this case, parental autonomy, which is all the more complex. These issues are at the heart of bioethics. Yet it can be very difficult for us to talk and write respectfully and clearly about them.

Here, I recount the debates, show how they lost focus, and attempt to explain why the question about how parents and physicians should respond to atypical genitalia in children is so important and difficult. I argue that it is not a question that should be answered based on a single principle or philosophical commitment. No one principle can do all of the work. For each individual or family that faces it, the question is shaped by details about particular interventions aimed at altering a particular difference and offered in a particular social and family context. Scholars in bioethics who hold an especially strong commitment to any one principle should advocate for their views, but they must also make room for and respect the kind of pragmatic, particularized decision-making that parents sometimes engage in.


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

We have previously reported an association between prostate cancer (PrCa) risk and rs2242652 on 5p15. rs2242652 lies in intron 4 of TERT, which encodes telomerase reverse transcriptase, the catalytic subunit of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein complex. Telomerase catalyzes the de novo addition of telomere repeat sequences on to chromosome ends and thereby counterbalances telomere-dependent replicative senescence. Associations between SNPs in the TERT region and multiple cancer types have been reported; however no correlation has been observed thus far between the cancer-associated SNPs in TERT and gene expression or telomere length. To comprehensively evaluate the association between genetic variation across this region and PrCa we performed a fine-mapping analysis by direct genotyping using either a custom Illumina iSelect array (114 SNPs on iCOGS) or Sequenom MassArray iPlex (25 SNPs) followed by imputation of 1,094 SNPs in 22,301 PrCa cases and 22,320 controls in the PRACTICAL consortium. To determine independently associated variants in this region, we performed multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis; SNPs were included in the model if they were significant at P<10−4 after adjustment for other SNPs. Regression models identified multiple independent associations, reflecting the complexity of this region. These SNPs fall into four regions consisting of clusters of highly or moderately correlated variants, and there is only weak LD between SNPs in different regions. To investigate whether SNPs in any of these regions were associated with TERT gene expression, we performed qPCR assays on RNA from benign prostate tissue samples using the Fluidigm Biomark™ HD system. We found evidence that the risk reducing alleles of several variants in region one associated with elevated TERT expression, providing a plausible mechanism for the differential effect of SNPs on PrCa risk. Deep re-sequencing of these loci may help to further refine this region and facilitate selection of prospective causal variants for functional validation studies.

Citation Format: Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Edward Saunders, Daniel Leongamornlert, Malgorzata Tymrakiewicz, Tokhir Dadaev, Sarah Jugurnauth, Sara Benlloch, Ali Amin Al Olama, Helen Ross-Adams, David Neal, The UKGPCS Collaborators and The PRACTICAL Consortium, Douglas Easton, Rosalind Eeles. Fine-mapping identifies multiple prostate cancer risk loci at 5p15, one of which associates with TERT expression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2546. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2546


Generalized Chaplygin gas (whose equation of state is ) was proposed as a candidate for unification of dark energy and dark matter. We investigate constraints on this model with the latest observed data. We test the model with type-Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, X-ray gas mass fractions in clusters, and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We calibrate the GRB luminosity relations without assuming any cosmological models using SNe Ia. We show that GRBs can extend the Hubble diagram to higher redshifts (z > 6). The GRB Hubble diagram is well behaved and delineates the shape of the Hubble diagram well. We measure (where ρGCG,0 is the energy density today) and at the 1σ confidence level using all the datasets. Our results rule out the standard Chaplygin gas model (α = 1) at the 3σ confidence level. The ΛCDM is allowed at the 2σ confidence level. We find that acceleration could have started at a redshift of z ∼ 0.70. The concordance of the generalized Chaplygin gas model with the age estimate of an old high redshift quasar is found. In addition, we show that GRBs can break the degeneracy between the generalized Chaplygin gas model and the XCDM model.


H. K. Lewis & Co. 1939. Price 0ls. 6d. These three volumes form a series, the first two of which deal with the treatment of some major medical diseases and the last of which deals with anaesthesia and surgery. All the articles are written by men of standing and experience and represent the latest views on the treatment of the conditions they discuss. The articles are mostly well suited to the use of the general practitioner. For instance, that on the treatment of pleurisy gives clearly and simply the reasons for paracentesis and emphasises the fact that pleural effusions should not be aspirated as a routine measure but only for certain reasons which are clearly stated. In the same way, when discussing haemoptysis, the question of diagnosis is given full consideration. Although the general principle of giving the article on empyema to a surgeon would not meet with universal approval, nevertheless it has been written so well and fairly that it would be of enormous help to any doctor faced with this condition. The chapter on lung abscess is particularly interesting and the distinction made between those cases associated with a definite abscess cavity and those associated with diffuse pneumonitis is very necessary and is well brought out. It is only to be expected in a series of this size that some of the articles do not come up to the general high standard. The chapter on some forms of neuritis is good but it is really very much too short and more room should have been allowed for this. It is interesting to see that a chapter is devoted to the interpretation of radiographs of the alimentary tract and this is an unusual and useful feature. It is impossible to describe even the majority of the appearances seen, but the chapter represents a good start off for those doctors who have had little experience. Haemorrhagic diseases are dealt with in one chapter; and the chapter that follows deals with agranulocytosis. Chronic rheumatic arthritis is dealt with very shortly and spondylitis, both of the hypertrophic and atrophic varieties, is coupled with osteoarthritis. This is a little unfortunate for it might have been as well to have coupled infective spondylitis with infective arthritis. A special chapter deals with physical treatment. Anaesthesia is particularly well looked after. Local anaesthesia has a chapter and so has general anaesthesia in dentistry, spinal anaesthesia and endo-tracheal anesthesia. The part which deals with surgical conditions mentions most of the common conditions in general practice and gives a chapter on the eye, otitis media and tonsillectomy. The whole series represents the last word in treatment in general practice. DIET IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. The Practitioner's Handbooks. No. IV. Edited by SIR HUMPHRY ROLLESTON and ALAN MONCRIEFF. Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1939. Price 14s. Od. This is the fourth of a series of books issued by "The Practitioner." So many books on diet have been written recently that it is interesting to compare this one with some of the others. In this case, Professor Mottram opens with a chapter on practical dietetics, which gives a rough survey of the ground and is very useful. This is followed by two chapters on sick-room menus and dispensing of special diets by the Dietitians to two of the London Teaching Hospitals. The remainder of the book is devoted to diet in special conditions and deals as well with weaning and the effects of cooking. The book is really excellent in many ways and particularly to be encouraged is the chapter which deals with diet in connection with pregnancy and lactation. It has been the reviewer's privilege to read a great many of the recent books on diet and this book stands out if for one reason only that the medical editors have kept control of their subject by dividing it up suitably, by seeing that each contributor kept to his subject and was not diverse in his remarks, and by carrying out that work of co-ordination which is so important in books of this type. This series of practitioner's handbooks is well worth reading and it would be a good idea, and should be quite feasible, if other subjects besides diet were dealt with in the way shown in this book.


The present review deals with effects of vitamin C on lead intoxicated developing thymus in mice .In the world of environmental health and medicine, lead exposure remains one of the most important problems in terms of prevalence of exposure and public health impact. Previous research has shown that every level of lead exposure is dangerous to animals and humans. Thus lead toxicity continues to be a leading environmental issue. Little is known about the persistent Immunotoxic effect of Pb when administered during specific stages of embryonic development. A variety of toxic effects caused by lead exposure during gestation and lactation have been reported in human and animal studies. Our immune system is our most powerful weapon against disease. Fetal and early postnatal life represents critical periods in vertebrate immune system development. Disruption of such development by Immunotoxic chemical exposure has been widely described in experimental animal model. The available animal data suggest the potential immune function in humans exposed immunotoxicants during fetal and early postnatal life. Administration of vitamin C results in improvement in several components of human immune response. Vitamin C regulates the immune system because of its antioxidant properties and its role in collagen synthesis required for stabilization of epithelial barriers. It plays a role in phagocytic function and has an immunostimulatory effect on lymphocyte cells. Limited information is available regarding the possibility of inhibited postnatal immune capacity in humans as a result of pre and postnatal immunotoxicant exposure. To fulfill this lacuna an attempt has been taken to gather the significant information on deformities in immune system due to immunotoxicant exposure during pre and postnatal development.


Absorbance, capacitance, conductance, dielectric anisotropy and birefringence properties and splay elastic coefficient of 4'-Hexyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (6CB) and its mixture with 4'-Octyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (8CB) were investigated. The absorbance was studied using the UV-visible spectrophotometry. C apacitance, conduction and dielectric measurements for 6CB and its mixture were performed in  0-1000 kHz frequency range at the room temperature. C apacitance-voltage and capacitance- frequency changes were investigated for the mixture. Threshold voltage was determined as 2.1 V. It was seen that the capacitance suddenly damped at this voltage. Capacitance is large at lower frequencies and small at higher frequencies than 100 kHz. The conductance-voltage change was obtained for the mixture. The conduction suddenly rose at the threshold voltage. The conduction is small at lower frequencies and large at higher frequencies. Dielectric, birefringence index and splay elastic constant were investigated for 6CB/8CB mixture. The measured values of the mixture are bigger than 6CB values up to the certain frequency.


Car tracking algorithms are important for a number of applications, including self-driving cars and vehicle safety systems. The probabilistic data association (PDA) algorithm, in conjunction with Kalman Filter (KF), and interacting multiple model (IMM) are well studied, specifically in the aero-tracking applications. This paper studies single targets while performing maneuvers in the presence of clutter, which is a common scenario for road vehicle tracking applications. The relatively new smooth variable structure filter (SVSF) is demonstrated to be robust and stable filtering strategy under the presence of modeling uncertainties. In this paper, SVSF based PDA technique is combined with IMM method. The new method, referred to as IMM-PDA-SVSF is simulated under several possible car motion scenarios. Also, the algorithm is tested on a real experimental data acquired by GPS device.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


This paper presents an analysis of a newly developed draft agreement on the allocation of water and energy resources of the Syr Darya basin considering transboundary cooperation and benefits sharing. The method uses a river basin model and game theoretic concepts to assess the potential benefits to the four riparian countries, under various arrangements of cooperation, ranging from independent action to full cooperation as envisioned in the draft agreement. The analysis shows increased benefits to all countries in the basin if they follow the four-country cooperative arrangements outlined in the draft agreement. Different methods for allocating the benefits of cooperation are considered. The Shapely allocation provides each country with increased economic benefits and is stable in relation to each country's likelihood of treaty compliance. Other methods to allocate of the gains are considered, such as proportional shares, equal shares, the Nucleolus, and Nash-Harsayni, which all result in allocations that are more likely to be violated and are less stable than the Shapley allocation. The analysis indicates the upstream country of Kyrgyzstan can be encouraged to participate in and comply with the agreement through additional compensatory payments; however, if their conditions are not right, they may be prone to noncompliance and disruption of the treaty. The concepts illustrated in this paper can be used as the basis for analyzing benefits sharing and cooperation in other transboundary basins.


A Thesis submitted In Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts. The University Of Nairobi. 1997


Abstract Muons are short-lived species with an elementary positive or negative charge and a mass 207 times that of the electron. These recommendations concern positive muons, given the short lifetime of negative muons. A positive muon mimics a light hydrogen nucleus, and names are given in analogy to existing names for hydrogen-containing compounds. A particle consisting of a positive muon and an electron (µ+ e -) is named "muonium" and has the symbol Mu. Examples: "muonium chloride," MuCl, is the equivalent of deuterium chloride, 2 HCl or DCl; "muoniomethane", CH 3 Mu, is the product of the muoniation of methane;and NaMu is "sodium muonide."


Fungal epiphytes are a polyphyletic group found on the surface of plants, particularly on leaves, with a worldwide distribution. They belong in the phylum Ascomycota, which contains the largest known number of fungal genera. There has been little research dating the origins of the common ancestors of fungal epiphytes. This study uses a molecular clock to provide a rough time frame for the origins of fungal epiphytes in the orders Asterinales, Capnodiales, Meliolales, Microthyriales and Zeloasperisporiales. LSU, SSU, RPB1 and RPB2 sequence data from representative strains of the major classes of Ascomycota are used to represent internal calibration points in the phylogenetic tree, to estimate divergence times of fungal epiphyte lineages. The estimated date crowns of fungal epiphytes included in the orders Asterinales, Capnodiales, Meliolales occur in the middle or the end of Jurassic, with Meliolales and Zeloasperisporiales occurring in the Cretaceous. Foliar epiphytes placed in totally unrelated classes evolved as early as the Permian (298.9 to 252.17 Mya) based on sequence data from representative foliar epiphytes and fossil calibrations. The evolution of the most closely related groups of fungi and foliar epiphytes occurred during the Triassic to Jurassic. Phylogenetic relationships, evolution of morphological characters and nutritional mode of foliar epiphytes are discussed.


BACKGROUND
A school- and laboratory-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to find out the burden of inapparent dengue virus (DENV) infection in Mandalay where DENV is endemic and there is circulation of all four DENV serotypes.

METHODS
A total of 420 students who had no history of fever and visited the hospital within 6 months were recruited from three monastic schools. Serum samples were collected and the DENV genome was checked by conventional one-step RT-PCR and anti-DENV IgM and IgG antibodies were determined. Inapparent dengue (DEN) infection is defined as individuals who were either RT-PCR-positive or anti-DENV IgM-positive with no clinical manifestations or mild symptoms, and which are not linked to a visit to a healthcare provider.

RESULTS
Among 420 students, 38 students (9.0%, 95% CI, 6.4 to 12.2) were confirmed as recent inapparent DEN infection. The DENV serotype-1 was detected in six students. Thirty-one out of 38 (81.6%) laboratory-confirmed inapparent DEN-infected students had primary infections and seven (18.4%) had secondary infections.

CONCLUSION
This study explored the prevalence of inapparent DEN infection rate in urban monastic schools in Mandalay and showed that the rate of primary infection among inapparent DENV-infected children was high.


This paper presents a formal method of detecting emerging and changing interests that appear in document streams arriving continuously over time. Examples of such document streams include email, news articles, and Web logs (or blogs). We utilize the temporal information associated with documents in the streams and discover emerging issues and topics of interest and their change by detecting buzzwords in the documents. Buzzwords are terms that occur with strong momentum for a relatively short period of time. Our approach for buzz detection is based on the notion of "burst of activities" proposed by Kleinberg [2002]. The burst of activities is modeled using a weighted automaton. We propose an algorithm to discover buzzwords of high intensity measured by their momentum and relative duration of the bursts. The method is applied and validated on a stream of blog postings and we report the experiment results.


SUMMARY We examine the problem of obtaining the thermal structure and bulk chemical composition of the lower mantle from its seismologically determined velocity and density profiles, and the most recent results on the elastic properties of the relevant phases (including, of particular importance, shear moduli). A novel aspect of this paper is the application of an iterative technique solving generalized non-linear inverse problem, which allows us to simultaneously consider a complex chemical system (the MgO‐FeO‐SiO2‐Al2O3‐CaO system, which includes all major components in the lower mantle), and to rigorously evaluate the full covariance and resolution matrices. The effects of experimental uncertainties in the shear moduli are carefully accounted for. We show that although the a posteriori uncertainties in the results for lower-mantle compositions are relatively large, the averaged lower-mantle Mg/Si ratio should be lower than 1.3 in order to satisfactorily fit the 1-D seismic profiles. Two distinct families of best-fitting models are determined. The first is based upon a value for the pressure derivative of the perovskite shear modulus that is representative of various existing experimental measurements (µ � = 1.8). Under this assumption, it is not possible to match the lower mantle seismic properties with an adiabatic geotherm and uniform chemical composition. Instead, this family of solutions is characterized by a geotherm with large temperature gradients (dT/dz increases from 0.5 to 0.9 K km −1 between 800 and 2700 km and the temperature reaches 3400 K at the depth of 2700 km), and a depth dependent bulk composition with an Mg/Si ratio decreasing from 1.18 ± 0.14 to 1.03 ± 0.16 between 800 and 2700 km. The second family of solutions is obtained when we attempt to fit the lower mantle with a simpler compositional and thermal structure. This can only be done when the pressure derivative of the shear modulus for perovskite is close to the most recent values obtained by Brillouin spectroscopy, that is, with a µ � close to 1.6 instead of 1.8. The resulting temperature gradient is 0.25 K km −1 in the upper part of the lower mantle and 0.5 K km −1 below 1700 km depth; the geotherm reaches 2800 K at a depth of 2700 km. Corresponding Mg/Si ratio remains rather constant and close to 1.16 throughout the lower mantle. We show that the temperature gradient is strongly correlated with the pressure derivative µ � of the shear modulus of perovskite: lower values of µ � imply lower thermal gradients. We also discuss the importance of the Bullen parameter as an additional constraint. In order to refine conclusions on the lower-mantle structure, additional independent observables, such as accurate observations on electrical conductivity and 1-D Q profiles, are necessary.


Achieving T cell tolerance ensures superior clinical outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, the in vivo T cell tolerance profiles in physiological state need to be further delineated. Here, we characterized the gene expression profile in tolerant T cells which was induced in healthy donors by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, a stem cell mobilizer extensively used in HSCT. We identified suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) as an essential immune checkpoint for T cell tolerance in the mouse models and primary T cells in the HSCT context. Further spatial multiomics analysis characterized the distinct three-dimensional genome architecture and the gene regulatory network in tolerant T cells. We found STAT3 competes with CTCF and mediates the formation of a new chromatin loop between the SOCS1 promoter and upstream super enhancers during the induction of T cell tolerance. This study identifies SOCS1 as a key immune checkpoint and potential immune target for improving outcome of patients with HSCT.


Clinical decision making is a cornerstone of high-quality care in emergency medicine. The density of decision making is unusually high in this unique milieu, and a combination of strategies has necessarily evolved to manage the load. In addition to the traditional hypothetico-deductive method, emergency physicians use several other approaches, principal among which are heuristics. These cognitive short-cutting strategies are especially adaptive under the time and resource limitations that prevail in many emergency departments (EDs), but occasionally they fail. When they do, we refer to them as cognitive errors. They are costly but highly preventable. It is important that emergency physicians be aware of the nature and extent of these heuristics and biases, or cognitive dispositions to respond (CDRs). Thirty are catalogued in this article, together with descriptions of their properties as well as the impact they have on clinical decision making in the ED. Strategies are delineated in each case, to minimize their occurrence. Detection and recognition of these cognitive phenomena are a first step in achieving cognitive de-biasing to improve clinical decision making in the ED.


Various types of cooperative relaying (CR) schemes exhibit different levels of throughput and outage performance because of their inherent trade-off between diversity gain and opportunity cost; in other words, the overhead that is associated with cooperation. This article attempts to answer whether cooperative communication is beneficial or not from the system-level viewpoint and furthermore, if it is, how its average throughput can be maximized while maintaining the target outage rate. In order to improve throughput at the required outage performance, we propose a unified selection criterion to deal with different levels of combining gain and opportunity cost associated with each scheme, which allows for the employment of different CR schemes for various positions of the mobile station. Our system-level simulation results for an IEEE 802.16j multi-hop relay confirm the varying levels of trade-offs among different CR schemes and furthermore, show that CR will be a useful means of maximizing the average throughput for a multi-hop relay system as long as each type of the cooperating scheme is carefully selected, depending on the position of the mobile stations.


The West African Ebola outbreak presented unprecedented political, epidemiological, logistical, social and clinical challenges. Environmental conditions, personal protective equipment, limited clinical equipment and therapeutics, and staff shortages made caring for critically ill Ebola virus disease (EVD) patients difficult. We reflect on our clinical experiences in caring for EVD patients, as well as the strategies employed to try and optimize clinical care in a resource-limited setting. Novel technologies and systems are required for the delivery of patient care.


Total phenolic content was the highest in 60% ethanol extracts at 21.91 mg/g, and inhibitory activity against tyrosinase of 60% ethanol extracts was higher than ethanol extracts of other concentration. The inhibitory compounds against tyrosinase from Persimmon leaves were purified using Sephadex LH-20, MCI-gel CHP-20 column chromatography with gradient elution. Two purified compounds were isolated as a result. The chemical structures of each compound were determined and identified using -NMR and -NMR, FAB-Mass. The compounds were confirmed as (+)-gallocatechin and prodelphinidin B-3. The tyrosinase inhibitory activities of purified (+)-gallocatechin and prodelphinidin B-3 were 29.5 and 40.2%, respectively. The inhibitory activities of (+)-gallocatechin and prodelphinidin B-3 against melanin biosynthesis in melanoma cell were 32.5 and 46.7%. The safety of essence with tyrosinase inhibitory compounds from persimmon leaves was also assessed by various safety profiles. First, changes in pH (4.90~4.95) and viscosity (23,000~26,000 cP) was not detected for 60 days. Essence also showed stability against temperature and light for 60 days. All these findings suggest that extracts from persimmon leaves have a great potential as a cosmetical ingredient with a potent whitening effect.


In a review of cases of intestinal atresia or stenosis in the newborn at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles it was noted that in approximately 10 per cent there was clinical or anatomic evidence of fibrocystic disease of the pancreas. Histologic sections of the bowel in all these cases showed the alterations of the mucosa commonly found in fibrocystic disease. Extensive ulceration, foreign body reaction and calcium deposition in the bowel wall were observed in five cases. Sections through the site of obstruction in one patient showed narrowing of the diameter of the bowel with preservation of muscular layers, but replacement of the central portion by a vascular, fibrous diaphragm in which giant cells, hemosiderin and calcium were prominent. This suggested that in certain instances obstruction of the intestine may be caused by fibrosis secondary to injury of the mucosa by abnormal meconium. Awareness of the common association of intestinal obstruction and fibrocystic disease of the pancreas and recognition of the histologic change in the bowel in fibrocystic disease may lead to early diagnosis of this disorder in some infants with intestinal obstruction.


Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant tumor mainly occurring in children and adolescents. Methotrexate (MTX), a chemotherapy agent, is widely used in treating OS. However, treatment failures are common due to acquired chemoresistance, for which the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we report that overexpression of estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα), an orphan nuclear receptor, promoted cell survival and blocked MTX-induced cell death in U2OS cells. We showed that MTX induced ROS production in MTX-sensitive U2OS cells while ERRα effectively blocked the ROS production and ROS associated cell apoptosis. Our further studies demonstrated that ERRα suppressed ROS induction of tumor suppressor P53 and its target genes NOXA and XAF1 which are mediators of P53-dependent apoptosis. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that ERRα plays an important role in the development of MTX resistance through blocking MTX-induced ROS production and attenuating the activation of p53 mediated apoptosis signaling pathway, and points to ERRα as a novel target for improving osteosarcoma therapy.


We describe the architecture and some aspects of System R/X, a native XML database engine that is built on the same mature infrastructure for a relational database and integrated with the relational engine. We describe what parts of the infrastructure can be reused, what need to be extended, and what are totally new to the XML database and their techniques. Our overall strategy is to base XML storage and search on the scalable relational technology with substantial extensions. Many techniques are novel to our knowledge. We also provide perspectives along the discussion and point out some open research issues.


Indigenous social movements have become influential political actors in Latin America over the past three decades. Indigenous peoples continue to experience higher than average political, social and economic marginalization throughout the region. The powerful organizations created by Indigenous groups and the positive outcomes they have achieved despite these barriers have produced a body of research that examines how these social movements emerged, why some have succeeded in influencing policy, the construction of collective identity, and the strategies and tactics used. Indigenous movements have made claims based on their status as pre-colonial peoples; their demands include land rights, control over natural resources, cultural recognition, and political autonomy. Indigenous movements in countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, and Mexico have used disruptive tactics such as marches and roadblocks to demand the attention of governments, the public and media. They have also strategically participated in building alliances across borders, supporting political parties, and undertaking legal action against powerful actors including the state and extractive industries. The high-profile Indigenous protest cycle that marked the 1990s and early 2000s across Latin America began to wind down during the first decade of the 21st century, but Indigenous movements continue to engage in both politics and protest. In the digital age, they have adapted their tactics to include social media and other technologies.


Access to a wind turbine is a major issue, currently there is a 1.5m significant wave height (Hs) limit for the standard "step over" method for transferring personnel to an offshore wind turbine. According to the Carbon Trust being able to access, wind turbines at a wave height of 3m would be worth ₤3 billion to the offshore wind industry. The current research addresses this issue by examining a novel multihull design concept for an Offshore Wind Farm Service Vessel. The objective of this work is to carry out a feasibility study of the proposed design as previous research indicated that the design reduces the heave and pitch motions by dampening its response to the wave motion. The proposed design is analysed with both hydrostatic and hydrodynamic analysis using the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) package ANSYS CFX. Also to be undertaken is physical model testing of the analysed design in the Nationa l Ocean Test Facility's wave basin to determine the accuracy of the computational analysis.


The electronic structure of derivatives of VO(acac)(2) is probed using gas-phase UV-photoelectron spectroscopy [acac = 2,4-pentanedione]. The effect on the metal center of electron-donating and -withdrawing groups on the acac ligands is examined. Ionizations from metal-based, acac-based, and V=O-based orbitals are clearly observed. We find that changes at the ligand periphery lead to equivalent changes in the energies of the metal-based and ligand-based ionizations. Additionally, we find that a linear correlation exists between the ionization energies of the metalated complexes and the pK(a) values of the free ligands, indicating that the pK(a) is a good indication of the overall electron-donating abilities of acac ligands.


Urbanization and industrial growth have deteriorated air quality and are major cause to air pollution. Air pollution through fine and ultra-fine particles is a serious threat to human health. The source of air pollution must be known quantitatively by elemental characterization, in order to design the appropriate air quality management. The suitable methods for analysis the airborne particulate matter such as nuclear analytical techniques are hardly needed to solve the air pollution problem. The objectives of this study are to apply the nuclear analytical techniques to airborne particulate samples collected in Bandung, to assess the accuracy and to ensure the reliable of analytical results through the comparison of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and particles induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Particle samples in the PM 2.5 and PM 2.5-10 ranges have been collected in Bandung twice a week for 24 hours using a Gent stacked filter unit. The result showed that generally there was a systematic difference between INAA and PIXE results, which the values obtained by PIXE were lower than values determined by INAA. INAA is generally more sensitive and reliable than PIXE for Na, Al, Cl, V, Mn, Fe, Br and I, therefore INAA data are preffered, while PIXE usually gives better precision than INAA for Mg, K, Ca, Ti and Zn. Nevertheless, both techniques provide reliable results and complement to each other. INAA is still a prospective method, while PIXE with the special capabilities is a promising tool that could contribute and complement the lack of NAA in determination of lead, sulphur and silicon. The combination of INAA and PIXE can advantageously be used in air pollution studies to extend the number of important elements measured as key elements in source apportionment.  Received: 20 November 2010; Revised: 09 August 2011; Accepted: 15 August 2011


It has been a good and productive process by many measures. There has been a lot of work done in between COP-2 and COP-3, and the progress in terms of developing and approving guidelines has been fantastic. Many parties' delegations have been following the process of FCTC negotiations from the onset and this is helpful—the feeling of "this is impossible" or "no idea where are we heading", …


An optical study of the basic epitaxial structure for the fabrication of strain-induced sub-two-dimensional quantum systems was performed by comparing photoreflectance measurements with calculations of the energy positions and the relative intensities of the interband transitions originating in the different regions of the sample. It is shown that by taking advantage of the explicit calculation of the overlap integrals associated with the asymmetric well transitions, the complicated optical response of the whole heterostructure can easily be interpreted. This, in turn, enables the development of the optical investigation of the inner GaAs well (the active region of the device) by means of photoreflectance even at room temperature, as an alternative to the most commonly used low-temperature luminescence techniques.


This paper presents SFES: a scalable, fault-tolerant, efficient search scheme in a peer-to-peer network. The idea is based on the fact that data distribution in an information society has structured features. We designed an algorithm to cluster peers that have similar interests. When receiving a query request, a peer will preferentially forward it to another peer which belongs to the same cluster and shares more similar interests. By this method, search efficiency will be remarkably improved and at the same time good resistance against peer failure (the ability to withstand peer failure) is reserved. Keyword partial-match is supported, too.


The properties of viable mutants of bacteriophage T5 that lack, singly, each of the four major sites at which single-chain interruptions normally occur in T5 DNA are described. The mutations responsible for loss of each interruption were mapped by analysis with HhaI, a restriction endonuclease with a cleavage site (pGCGC) that occurs at the 5' termini of the major interruptions (B. P. Nichols and J. E. Donelson, J. Virol. 22:520-526, 1977). For each mutant tested, loss of a specific interruption resulted in loss of a specific HhaI cleavage site. Multiple single-site mutants were constructed to determine the effect of loss of more than one interruption on phage viability. These recombinants, including a phage that lacks the four major interruptible sites, were fully viable and did not exhibit a compensating increase in the frequency of minor interruptions. The effect of loss of a specific interruption on genetic recombination was tested in two-factor crosses with markers that occur close to, but on opposite sites of, the interruption. Loss of the interruptible site did not affect recombination frequency.


The aim of this paper is to provide a clinical account of a male hysteric, Don Juan‐type, taken from the early stages of treatment. The patient presented with a relationship problem but there soon emerged a form of compulsive sexuality or hypersexuality in his love relations that became a central feature of the clinical picture. This hypersexuality expressed itself in a compulsive need to stage, or to stage‐manage, interpersonal scenaria of a sexual or sexualised nature. These scenaria, which were repeated in different variations and with different personnel, are seen by the author as a dramatisation of the primal scene with the patient taking up the position of the oedipal father. Explanations for the disappearance of male hysteria are given, including a new theory which claims that an imbalance in psychoanalytic theory itself led to the feminisation of hysteria. This critique allows certain forms of hypersexuality in men to be promoted as a form of hysteria, the most common example being Don Juanism‐a form of compulsive sexuality that encompasses normative, conversion and character features. The paper also examines the male hysteric's developmental agenda. What the patient's compulsive sexual tableaux exposed was that he had never faced a separation that was not a triangular experience. This meant that his separations were experienced as two developmental agonies telescoped into one‐separation (pre‐oedipal) and exclusion (early oedipal). This combination, the author suggests, is so frightening in a particular group of men as to explain the choice of hysteria as opposed to some other choice of neurosis.


Landformations have not historically been the purview of design production or intervention. Whether it is the spatial extensions in which they emerge, the temporal extensions in which they operate, the complexities of their generative and sustaining processes, or a cultural and institutional deference to a notion of natural processes, designers as individuals or design as a discipline has not treated landformation as an area of design inquiry. But the inability to grasp nature fully has not stopped geological-scale manipulation by humans. In fact, anthropogenic activity is responsible for the re-formation of more of the Earth's surface than all other agents combined. And yet as designers we often disregard this transformation as a design problem, precisely because it eludes the artifices of information visualization employed by designers. This paper examines ongoing research into the generation of speculative landformations through an analysis of underlying geological and anthropogenic processes as the quantitative basis for creating generative computational models (figure 1). The Speculative Landformations Project posits human geological-scale activity as a design problem by expanding the operability and agency of environmental design practice through hybrid human/digital computations.


Background In daily practice, cytological diagnosis of serous effusion on conventional preparation can be challenging due to many drawbacks. SurePath liquid-based cytology (LBC) can improve diagnostic accuracy. The aim of the current study was to compare seven cytomorphological criteria, sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy between the conventional and BD SurePath LBC preparations in serous effusion samples. Materials and methods This retrospective study included 104 serous effusion samples. All materials were processed using both conventional cytological preparation and BD SurePath LBC technique. Clinicoradiological findings and previous histopathological or cytological reports were used as gold standards for final confirmed diagnosis. Results LBC preparation was more helpful in presenting a clear background, single cells, and loosely cohesive small monolayer sheets, better staining quality and less inflammatory cells (P<0.001). No significant difference was reported with regard to cellularity, cell distribution, and cellular details. Both techniques demonstrated similar diagnoses in 90 of 104 (84.1%) cases. The kappa statistics for the two methods was 0.087. The exact match of conventional cytology to the reference diagnosis was detected in 50 positive cases and 43 negative cases. SurePath LBC properly classified 56 positive and 40 negative cases. The diagnostic accuracy was 89.4 and 92.3% for conventional and LBC, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy for the combined techniques was 95.2%. Conclusion BD SurePath technique has better staining quality, clean background with eliminated inflammatory cells, and predominance of single cells and monolayer sheets. SurePath LBC technique was associated with better sensitivity and overall diagnostic accuracy than conventional preparation. The combined preparations increased sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy compared with those with either method on its own.


This article tries to contribute evidences related to the significant and determinant actions of the process of territorial formation and of touristification of the area of San Carlos de Bariloche that began at least two decades before the hegemonic role that the historiography usually assigns to Bustillo and the creation of the Nahuel Huapi National Park. By means of historical analysis of scientific and technical reports, management reports and official projects of the period, can be concluded that the representations and senses that controlled the tourist restructuring of the image of the "Argentine Switzerland", as well as the actions to enhance its attractiveness, investment in equipment and tourist infrastructure, would be more related to an endogenous development and therefore, to a project of tourist development substantially different from the one that established itself in the middle of the decade of 1930.


From May 13 through May 23, 1998, a total of 30 patients in three states developed hemolysis with or without chest pains, shortness of breath, nausea, or abdominal pain while undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Two patients died. This report summarizes the preliminary findings of investigations in Nebraska and Maryland and implicated lot number 04015309 of Cobe Centrysystem 3 Blood Tubing sets (Gambro Healthcare, Lakewood, Colorado) as the cause of these reactions.


Many biological vision systems are efficiently equipped for detection and analysis of the essential perceptual primitive of motion. As technology advances, the ambitions of including this ability in computer vision systems appear more and more realistic. However, to become of practical use, real time performance (in some sense) is required, and the current possibilities for this are still limited. Many different approaches to motion analysis, and in particular to its prerequisite motion detection, have been proposed in the literature. Motion information may be derived from image analysis systems at different levels of the general scheme of image processing and interpretation. However, to achieve a result in terms of motion descriptions, most of these methods depend extensively on image preprocessing (and interpretation) or on integration into an image postprocessing (and interpretation) system. A number of methods are reviewed and evaluated with regard to dependency on supplementary processing and with regard to current potential for real time application. Also we discuss their weaknesses due to problems of ambiguity and noise. However, one can take into account that real time operation also means continuous operation and thereby that a temporal context is provided. This allows concentration on changes most of which are predictable, and savings in computing as well as improved robustness to noise and ambiguities can be achieved. In conclusion we find that high level token matching currently is one of the most promising approaches, and an experimental implementation is used to demonstrate a possible approach to motion analysis in real time.


We study risk premiums in Slovak government bonds. We focus on the country-specific part of yields which we associate with the spread to overnight-indexed swaps. In the period 2009-2015, we decompose the term structure of spreads to credit risk premium, liquidity premium, safety/convenience demand, and segmentation effects. While the level of the term structure of spreads is mostly related to sovereign credit risk, non-default components are related to the second principal component of spreads. We also identify a siezable effect of public sector purchase programme conducted by the European Central Bank with a magnitude in excess of 60 basis points for the ten-year bond. To study determinants of spreads in a longer sample 2000-2015, we construct credit spreads from international euro-denominated bonds. We find that debt-to-GDP ratio together with global financial variables explain a substantial fraction of spread variation.


A new carbazole-fluorenyl hybrid compound, 3,3'(2,7-di(naphthaline-2-yl)-9H-fluorene-9,9-diyl)bis(9-phenyl-9H-carbazole) (NFBC) was synthesized and characterized. The compound exhibits blue-violet emission both in solution and in film, with peaks centered at 404 and 420 nm. In addition to the application as a blue emitter, NFBC is demonstrated to be a good host for phosphorescent dopants. By doping Ir(2-phq)3 in NFBC, a highly efficient orange organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a maximum efficiency of 32 cd A(-1) (26.5 Lm W(-1)) was obtained. Unlike most phosphorescent OLEDs, the device prepared in our study shows little efficiency roll-off at high brightness and maintains current efficiencies of 31.9 and 26.8 cd A(-1) at a luminance of 1000 and 10,000 cd m(-2), respectively. By using NFBC simultaneously as a blue fluorescence emitter and as a host for a phosphorescent dopant, a warm white OLED with a maximum efficiency of 22.9 Lm W(-1) (21.9 cd A(-1)) was also obtained.


Objectives: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Serological test is conducted to discriminate prior infection of SARS-CoV-2. The influence of auto-antibodies on the results of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was investigated in a few studies. Here, we investigated whether the results of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies would be modified in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Patients with RA were recruited at Sagamihara National Hospital from July 2014 to October 2015 (n=38, 2014 cohort) and at Tokyo National Hospital from June to October 2020 (n=93, 2020 cohort). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were measured in collected sera from these RA patients by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) or immunochromatographic assay (ICA). Results: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were not detected in all the samples form RA patients in both cohorts by the ECLIA. However, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in the serum samples from three (7.9%) in 2014 cohort by the ICA and fifteen (16.1%) in 2020 cohort. The IgM rheumatoid factor levels were increased in RA patients with IgM anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by ICA compared with RA without any anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (mean ± standard deviation [IU/ml], 1223.0 ± 1308.7 vs. 503.6 ± 1947.2, P=0.0101). The levels of IgG rheumatoid factor were also upregulated in RA patients with IgM anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by ICA (4.0 ± 0.7 vs. 2.4 ± 0.9, P=0.0013). Conclusion: The results of IgM anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody by the ICA would be modified by IgM or IgG rheumatoid factors in RA patients.


Electrophoresis of the beta-glucosidase isozymes from various normal human sources revealed that cultured fibroblasts expressed only the acid beta-glucosidase isozyme. Therefore, selected physical and kinetic properties of the residual acid beta-glucosidase activities in fibroblasts from Gaucher Type 1 homozygotes of various ethnic backgrounds were compared. The findings of different specific activities, thermostabilities, apparent Km values, and electrophoretic migrations of the residual activities from the ethnic variants provided the first biochemical evidence of genetic heterogeneity in Type 1 Gaucher disease.


Previous study indicated that inclusion of an algae-based antioxidant as an antioxidative agent [EconomasE, Alltech, Nicholasville, KY; EcoE] significantly reduced the amount of vitamin E (VE) required in broiler diets without compromising performance and meat quality. To assess the mechanisms related to the VE-saving activity of EcoE, as well as other potential functions related to EcoE and VE supplementation, we analyzed gene expression profiles of breast muscle from broilers fed a control diet, the control diet + 50 IU of VE/kg, the control diet + 100 IU of VE/kg, or the control diet + 200 g of EcoE/ton. Evaluation of the serum antioxidant capacity indicated that dietary supplementation of either a high level of VE (50 or 100 IU of VE/kg) or EcoE significantly improved bird antioxidant status. Analysis of gene expression profiles indicated that expression of 542 genes of the breast muscle were altered (P < 0.05, fold change >1.2) by dietary treatments, of which a significant part were commonly regulated by EcoE and VE (especially the control diet + 50 IU of VE/kg). In addition to the process of cellular oxidation, gene ontology analysis indicated the involvement of EcoE and VE on cell morphology, skeletal and muscular system development and function, immune response, and multiple metabolic processes, including lipid, carbohydrate, and drug metabolism. Results of this experiment indicate that the biological roles of high VE, including its activity as an antioxidant, can be greatly mimicked at the transcriptional level by EcoE, and they suggest a relationship of functional redundancy between VE and EcoE in the broiler diets.


Objective To observe the effects of early internal iliac artery embolization to systemic inflammatory response syndrome in simulated-pelvic-fracture dog combined with massive bleeding canine. Methods 20 adult dogs were randomly divided into the Embolization Group (EG) and Control Group (CG). Such indicators of the 2 groups as heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature and others were collected then, and IL-6, TNF-α and arterial blood gas were monitored. The indicators of CG targets were collected every 30 min till death after modelling, experimental dogs in EG underwent arterial angiography after 60 min of modelling, and embolized the internal iliac artery of the injured side. Results The average time of SIRS in CG was 3.56 hr, with the occurring rate of 90% (9/10) within 24 h, and mortality rate of 50% (5/10); the average time of SIRS in EG was 5.33 hr, with the occcuring rate of 30% (3/10) within 24 h, and mortality rate of 10% (1/10). When SIRS of EG happened, the mean plasma IL-6 levels was 52.66 ± 7.38 pg/ml and TNF-α level was 11.45 ± 2.72 ng/ml showing significant difference with those of CG (p < 0.05). Conclusion Through on-spot interventional treatment cabin, the early internal iliac artery embolization could control pelvic fracture bleeding, delay the occurring of SIRS, and improve the success rate of the treatment of pelvic fracture combined with bleeding.


Objective: To evaluate the predictors of remnant tumor regrowth and need for salvage therapy after less than gross total resection (GTR) of vestibular schwannoma (VS). Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Tertiary neurotologic referral center. Patients: Patients who underwent VS resection between 2008 and 2019 either with GTR, near total resection (NTR), and subtotal resection (STR). Interventions: Microsurgical resection, salvage radiosurgery. Main Outcome Measures: Regrowth free interval, salvage free interval, tumor doubling rate. Results: Three hundred eighty five cases (GTR = 236, NTR = 77, and STR = 71) from 2008 to 2019 were included. STR cohort had much larger and complex tumors with significant differences in tumor volume, ventral extension and brainstem compression (p < 0.001). On single predictor analysis, tumor volume, ventral extension, brainstem compression as well as STR strategy was associated with significant increased risk of regrowth and need for salvage therapy. Multivariate analysis revealed STR strategy as significant predictor of regrowth (hazard ratio 3.79, p < 0.0005). Absolute remnant volume and extent of resection (EOR) did not predict regrowth. A small proportion of cases (NTR = 4%, STR = 15%) eventually needed salvage radiosurgery with excellent ultimate local tumor control with no known recurrence to date. Conclusions: Conservative surgical strategy employing NTR or STR can be employed safely in large and complex VS. While there is increased risk of regrowth in the STR cohort, excellent local control can be achieved with appropriate use of salvage radiosurgery. No disceret radiologic or operative predictors of regrowth were identified.


Mobile cloud computing (MCC) is emerging concept it combined two main computing techniques one is mobile computing and another is cloud computing. In smart phone it is a potential technology. Combination of mobile and cloud computing is able to overcome obstacles related to the mobile performance, environment and security and provide better quality of multimedia data in smart phone. Multimedia data bases such as text, audio, video data bases need security. Security, privacy and integrity of data are demanded in every operation performed on internet. In mobile platforms video sharing and streaming is done in successful way. The cloud computing paradigm is used for fast and intelligent processing in near-real time data transmission such as audio, video, text and games. Mobile cloud computing is bridging the widening gap between the mobile multimedia demand and the capability of various mobile devices. This paper studies a various video streaming technique and analyzes the better method for increase quality of services.


Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were examined for the presence of membrane-associated immunoglobulin (Ig) by using direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and the mixed antiglobulin-rosetting reaction (MARR); to compare the two tests identical fluorescein-conjugated antiglobulin reagents were used both for fluorescent staining and for the rosetting reaction. The MARR was unaffected by incubation of lymphocytes in serum-free medium at 37°C or in acetate buffer (pH 4.0) before the actual rosetting procedure, whereas these conditions of preincubation reduced the number of fluorescent staining lymphocytes. Further, the MARR (in contrast to DIF) gave essentially the same results whether the fluorescent polyvalent antiglobulin reagent was IgG or a derived F(ab′)2 preparation. Evidence is presented that indicates that unlike DIF, the MARR demonstrates only membrane-incorporated Ig.
 With fluorescein-conjugated anti-µ, anti-κ, anti-λ, and polyvalent antiglobulin reagents, the MARR was found to be more sensitive than DIF under the present test conditions, and approximately 20% of all peripheral lymphocytes were found to be Ig-bearing with the MARR. It should be stressed, however, that although the MARR appears to have been performed optimally, DIF was performed by using methodology that is widely available but may be suboptimal.
 Of potential importance is the finding that summation of the number of sheep erythrocyte- (E) rosetting and mixed antiglobulin-rosetting lymphocytes approximated 100%, yet only 3% of lymphocytes in T-enriched preparations formed mixed antiglobulin rosettes. These findings suggest that E rosette-negative, DIF-negative null cells are B cells that have membrane-incorporated Ig that is not easily detectable by DIF. This interpretation is discussed with regard to possible technical difficulties with the MARR and with respect to other data that indicate the presence of a third lymphocyte population distinct from T and B lymphocytes.


Super-resolution imaging technique can improve resolution of ISAR image. Traditional methods based on spectrum estimation need to know the number of scattering centers in advance, and match two-dimensional poles in two-dimensional imaging. This paper researches sparsity of ISAR frequency signal and two-dimensional signal, and make super-resolution imaging equal to signal sparse representation. By Basic Pursuit algorithm, a clearer image is obtained without the number of scattering centers estimation and match processing.


Small perturbations may dramatically influence the physical properties of a single non-Hermitian cavity. However, how these small perturbations interplay with bulk-edge properties is still to be demonstrated by experimentation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate edge states in coupled non-Hermitian resonators, based on a chain of all-dielectric coupled resonators where each resonator consists of two target particles. The evanescent coupling between the cavity and the target particles leads to tunable asymmetric backscattering, which plays a key role in the appearance of edge states in the bulk bandgap. We also demonstrate that these observed edge states are robust against weak disorders introduced to the system. Our study may inspire further explorations of the non-Hermitian bulk-edge properties.


We searched our chemical collection to identify non-N-acetylneuraminate (NeuAC) inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase (NA). Of the 62 acyl derivatives tested, several acyl amino acids, but not acyl alkanolamine derivatives, were effective and inhibited the NA activity in a dose-dependent manner. N-3-Hydroxymyristoyl D-cysteine and N-myristoyl-O-caproyl-D-serine were the more potent compounds and inhibited the enzyme in a noncompetitive manner (Ki = 102 and 125 microM, respectively) without respect to the substrate. An important consideration for the choice of inhibitor is the selectivity of the inhibition. These compounds were selective inhibitors of viral NA and effective for any variant enzyme, but the enzymes from V. cholerae and human placenta were insensitive. Accordingly, the acyl amino acid derivatives may be expected to be inhibitors without cellular toxicity and may serve as lead compounds for anti-influenza agents.


This is the first of our reports from the King's Fund Development Centre, highlighting units which have developed experience in a particular aspect of nursing care and are keen to disseminate their work. This report reviews work being done in nursing units to improve the links between primary and secondary care, and is based on a Nursing Development Network day held last year.


OBJECTIVES To investigate the relation between anterograde amnesia and atrophy of brain structures involved in memory processing in alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome. METHODS The volume of brain structures involved in memory processing was measured with MRI from 13 subjects with Korsakoff's syndrome, 13 subjects with chronic alcoholism without Korsakoff's syndrome, and 13 control subjects. The brain structures analysed were the hippocampus, the parahippocampal gyrus, the mamillary bodies, the third ventricle, and the thalamus. Brain volumes were correlated with the delayed recall of a verbal learning test. RESULTS Compared with subjects with chronic alcoholism and control subjects, subjects with Korsakoff's syndrome had a reduced volume of the hippocampus, the mamillary bodies, and the thalamus, and enlargement of the third ventricle. The impairment of delayed recall correlated with the volume of the third ventricle (r=−0.55, p=0.05) in the Korsakoff group. CONCLUSIONS Anterograde amnesia in alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome is associated with atrophy of the nuclei in the midline of the thalamus, but not with atrophy of the mamillary bodies, the hippocampus, or the parahippocampal gyrus.


Pneumocystis carinii remains an important pathogen in organ transplantation. New therapeutic options have been developed for the prevention and treatment of P. carinii pneumonia. Parasitic infections are recognized more frequently in potential organ donors or recipients as travel and technology for transplantation extend into endemic regions. Parasites important to transplantation are largely those that can replicate in humans and that cause infection, the intensity of which is regulated by immune mechanisms in the normal host. The spectrum of parasitic infections is likely to increase with improved diagnostic methods, expansion of intestinal transplantation, and xenotransplantation.


Dysfunction of primary cilia is related to dyshomeostasis, leading to a wide range of disorders. The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is known to regulate several homeostatic processes, but those modulated specifically by VMH-primary cilia are not yet known. In this study, we identify VMH-primary cilia as an important organelle that maintains energy and skeletal homeostasis by modulating the autonomic nervous system. We established loss-of-function models of primary cilia in the VMH by either targeting IFT88 (IFT88 KOSF-1) using steroidogenic factor 1-Cre (SF1-Cre) or injecting an adeno-associated virus Cre (AAV-Cre) directly into the VMH. Functional impairments of VMH-primary cilia were linked to decreased sympathetic activation and central leptin resistance, which led to marked obesity and bone density accrual. Obesity was caused by hyperphagia, decreased energy expenditure, and blunted brown fat function, as well as associated with insulin and leptin resistance. The effect of bone density accrual was independent from obesity, as it was caused by the decreased sympathetic tone resulting in increased osteoblastic and decreased osteoclastic activities in the IFT88 KOSF-1 and VMH-primary cilia knock-down mice. Overall, our current study identifies VMH-primary cilia as a critical hypothalamic organelle that maintains energy and skeletal homeostasis.


Characterizing the performance of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for the in-ditch detection and characterization of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and other damage types has proven challenging for several reasons. Firstly, the availability of pipeline samples with real damage is limited. Compounding this issue, real samples often need to be destructively evaluated to establish the true damage characteristics such that the performance of the NDE methods can be properly understood. Destructive testing is both costly and results in the loss of valuable test samples. Secondly, the actual application of NDE methods to real samples has been shown to have significant human performance variations, which are difficult to separate from technology performance. To address these challenges, this work reviews advanced ultrasonic NDE modeling tools that have been developed to assist in benchmark studies for characterizing crack-like defects, such as SCC, and for establishing best practices. Specifically, explicit/dynamic finite element modeling techniques are utilized to model and compare traditional phasedarray ultrasonic testing (PAUT) and the newer full-matrix capture (FMC) PAUT techniques, such as the total focusing method (TFM). Insights into performance levels of the different modeled approaches are reviewed and guidance on the optimal application of these approaches is discussed.


In this study, the resource blocks (RB) are allocated to user equipment (UE) according to the evolutional algorithms for long term evolution (LTE) systems. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is one of the evolutionary algorithms, based on the imitation of a flock of birds foraging behavior through learning and grouping the best experience. In previous work, the Simple Particle Swarm Optimization (SPSO) algorithm was proposed for RB allocation to enhance the throughput of Device-to-Device (D2D) communications and improve the system capacity performance. In simulation results, with less population size of M = 10, the SPSO can perform quickly convergence to sub-optimal solution in the 100th generation and obtained sub-optimum performance with more 2 UEs than the Rand method. Genetic algorithm (GA) is one of the evolutionary algorithms, based on Darwinian models of natural selection and evolution. Therefore, we further proposed a Refined PSO (RPSO) and a novel GA to enhance the throughput of UEs and to improve the system capacity performance. Simulation results show that the proposed GA with 100 populations, in 200 generations can converge to suboptimal solutions. Therefore, with comparing with the SPSO algorithm the proposed GA and RPSO can improve system capacity performance with 1.8 and 0.4 UEs, respectively.


To assess the possibility of pre-operative differentiation of strangulated and non-strangulated intestinal obstruction based on clinical; radiological and laboratory features without CT scan, 66 patients with acute bowel obstruction were studied prospectively. Forty-nine (74%) were male, 17 (26%) female with a wide age distribution. In 56 (85%) the small bowel was obstructed, in ten (15%) the large bowel. Adhesions were the most common cause of obstruction (36%), followed by hernias (20%), volvulus (12%), intussusception (11%), malignancies (11%) and other causes (10%). At surgery strangulation, defined as compromise of the blood supply and necessitating resection of gangrenous bowel, was found in 18 (27%) of the patients. Ten patients (15%) developed complications after surgery and ten patients died, mostly from age and cardiovascular conditions. Persistent abdominal pain, rebound tenderness, elevated temperature, leukocytosis, and air-fluid levels were considered as possible predictive factors for the pre-operative diagnosis of strangulation but it was concluded that such factors were not sufficiently reliable and early surgery was imperative to detect reversible ischemic bowel in strangulated obstruction.


Motion planning is a necessary step before automation in road construction. This paper deals with motion planning for compactors. The compactor is an articulated frame steering vehicle used in road construction. Generally, motion planning uses the kinematic model of the robot. In the case of the compactor, this model is far away from reality because it does not take into account compactor masses and particular drum-soil contact forces. A motion planning which uses both the kinematic and the dynamic model of the compactor is presented in this paper. The advantages of this motion planning are: • To generate feasible motion for the robot which implies a smoother control law for mechanics, • Limited slips.


The gravitational component of water potential and frictional resistance during transpiration lead to substantial reductions in leaf water potential (Psi(l)) near the tops of tall trees, which can influence both leaf growth and physiology. We examined the relationships between morphological features and gas exchange in foliage collected near the tops of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees of different height classes ranging from 5 to 55 m. This sampling allowed us to investigate the effects of tree height on leaf structural characteristics in the absence of potentially confounding factors such as irradiance, temperature, relative humidity and branch length. The use of cut foliage for measurement of intrinsic gas-exchange characteristics allowed identification of height-related trends without the immediate influences of path length and gravity. Stomatal density, needle length, needle width and needle area declined with increasing tree height by 0.70 mm(-2) m(-1), 0.20 mm m(-1), 5.9 x 10(-3) mm m(-1) and 0.012 mm(2) m(-1), respectively. Needle thickness and mesophyll thickness increased with tree height by 4.8 x 10(-2) mm m(-1) and 0.74 microm m(-1), respectively. Mesophyll conductance (g(m)) and CO(2) assimilation in ambient [CO(2)] (A(amb)) decreased by 1.1 mmol m(-2) s(-1) per m and 0.082 micromol m(-2) s(-1) per m increase in height, respectively. Mean reductions in g(m) and A(amb) of foliage from 5 to 55 m were 47% and 42%, respectively. The observed trend in A(amb) was associated with g(m) and several leaf anatomic characteristics that are likely to be determined by the prevailing vertical tension gradient during foliar development. A linear increase in foliar delta(13)C values with height (0.042 per thousand m(-1)) implied that relative stomatal and mesophyll limitations of photosynthesis in intact shoots increased with height. These data suggest that increasing height leads to both fixed structural constraints on leaf gas exchange and dynamic constraints related to prevailing stomatal behavior.


Increasing attention has been paid to fabricate multifunctional stabilizers of liquid marbles for expanding their application. Here, a kind of hydrophobic cyclomatrix polyphosphazene particles (PZAF) were facilely prepared using a one-step precipitation polycondensation of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol, and their ability to stabilize liquid marbles was first investigated. The Ag nanoparticle-decorated PZAF particles (Ag/PZAF) were then fabricated by an in situ reduction of silver nitrate onto PZAF particles and used to construct catalytic liquid marbles. The results revealed that the reduction of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution by sodium borohydride could be highly efficiently catalyzed in the catalytic liquid marbles, even with a large volume. An excellent cycle use performance of the catalytic liquid marbles without losing catalytic efficiency was also present. The high catalytic activity is mainly attributed to the uniform immobilization of Ag nanoparticles onto PZAF particles and the adsorption behavior of PZAF particles toward MB, which may play an effect on allowing high catalytic surface area and effective accelerating the mass transfer of MB to the Ag catalytic active sites, respectively. Therefore, the combination of Ag nanoparticles with PZAF particles has been demonstrated clearly to be a facile and effective strategy to obtain the functional stabilizer for preparing the catalytic liquid marbles as promising miniature reactors used in heterogeneous catalytic reactions.


Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cells directed against CD19 have induced high rates of response in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell malignancies. Two CD19-targeting constructs have been approved by the FDA and EMA (Yescarta ®, Kymriah ®) for B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and aggressive lymphoma. Despite deep remissions, there are still major challenges and disparate data are reported about the immunogenicity induced by CART-cell therapy. On May/2017, the Spanish Agency of Medicines approved our first clinical trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT03144583) with a fully academic CART-19.Eligibility criteria included R/R B-ALL (adult and pediatric), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) who failed standard therapy. The primary objective of the study was safety and secondary objectives were response rate and its duration. The humoral anti-CART response was assessed by a (cell-based) fluorescence assay to detect human anti-murine antibodies (HAMA) in patients sera. Assessment was conducted at different time points: 1) at baseline (pre-dose), 2) on day 14 after the administration of ARI-0001 cells, 3) on day 28, 4) on day 100, and 5) every 3 months thereafter.Forty-seven patients (37 adults/10 pediatrics) received ARI-0001 cells. Thirty-eight patients had a diagnosis of R/R B-ALL (28 adults and 10 children); all but 5 had relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT). Seven patients had a diagnosis of NHL, four of them (57%) had relapsed after HCT, and 2 patients had a diagnosis of CLL (2). Median age was 27 years (3–68). After conditioning with fludarabine (90 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (900 mg/m2), a total dose of 0.5–5 x106 ARI-0001 cells/kg was infused. Autologous T-cells from peripheral blood were expanded and transduced with a lentivirus to express a CAR with a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) with anti-CD19 specificity, conjugated with the co-stimulatory regions 4-1BB and CD3z. The scFv was originated from a mouse monoclonal antibody A3B1. Twenty-five per cent of the patients tested positive for the presence of anti-CAR antibodies, all of them post-dose, in contrast to previous data reported on Kymriah® with a significant presence of pre-dose anti-murine CAR19 antibody. Of these 12 patients, 8 patients presented with a weak, and 4 patients with a strong presence of HAMA. The last 4 patients had lost the effectiveness of the CART- therapy at that time point, reflected by simultaneous B-cell recovery in the periphery. Moreover, three of them received a second dose of CART-19, which did not revert the relapse.To conclude, these data suggest the importance of the immunogenicity induced by CART-cell therapies. Immune monitoring should include the assessment of humoral response, especially before considering a second dose after relapse.N. Klein-González: None. E.A. González-Navarro: None. A. Bartoló-Ibars: None. V. Ortiz-Maldonado: None. M. Torrebadell: None. M. Castellà: None. D. Benítez: None. M. Caballero-Baños: None. R. Cabezón: None. M. Español: None. T. Baumann: None. E. Giné: None. P. Castro: None. J. Esteve: None. J. Yagüe: None. S. Rives: None. Á. Álvaro Urbano-Ispizua: None. J. Delgado: None. M. Juan: None.


The need for bitumen modification allowing lower asphalt production temperatures is a direct result of economic and environmental issues. Compared with the traditional Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) technology, foamed bitumen used in the Warm and Half Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA, HWMA) processes provides an approximately 30–40 °C reduction in operating temperatures. This paper analyses the effect of the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) wax modifier on foamed bitumen parameters. The evaluation is focused on the basic properties of the binder and the parameters of the bituminous foam. The tests were performed on 35/50 and 50/70 penetration grade binders for road construction, modified with 0.5% to 2.5% FT wax, added with an increment of 0.5% relative to the bitumen mass. The following basic parameters were evaluated (before the foaming process): penetration, Fraass breaking point and softening point. The bitumen foam parameters were measured at the foaming water content (FWC) in the range from 1.5% to 4.0% with an increment of 0.5%. The tests allowed determining optimal application ranges for the FT and the FWC to produce asphalt at lower temperatures.


Recent advances in time series, where deterministic and stochastic modelings as well as the storage and analysis of big data are useless, permit a new approach to short-term traffic flow forecasting and to its reliability, i.e., to the traffic volatility. Several convincing computer simulations, which utilize concrete data, are presented and discussed.


Mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis is a hazardous clinical disease in dairy animals. In this study, the role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and TLR-mediated signaling pathways in mastitis caused by S. uberis was investigated using mouse models and mammary epithelial cells (MECs). We used S. uberis to infect mammary glands of wild type, TLR2−/− and TLR4−/− mice and quantified the adaptor molecules in TLR signaling pathways, proinflammatory cytokines, tissue damage and bacterial count in mammary glands. When compared with TLR4 deficiency, TLR2 deficiency induced more severe pathological changes through myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88)-mediated signaling pathways during S. uberis infection. In MECs, TLR2 detected S. uberis infection and induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) to assist host control of secretion of inflammatory factors and elimination of intracellular S. uberis. Our results demonstrate that TLR2-mediated mROS have a significant effect on S. uberis-induced host defense responses in mammary glands as well as MECs. Author summary S. uberis contributes significantly to global mastitis and remains a major obstacle for inflammation elimination due to its ability to form persistent infection in mammary tissue. The Toll-like receptor (TLR) family plays a significant role in identifying infections of intracellular bacteria and further triggering inflammatory reactions in immune cells. However, the detailed molecular mechanism by which TLR is regulated, and whether MECs, as the main cells in mammary gland, are tightly involved in these processes is poorly understood. Here, we used S. uberis to infect mammary glands of wild type, TLR2−/−, TLR4−/− mice and MECs to assess pathogenesis, proinflammatory cytokines, ROS as well as mROS levels during infection. We found that during S.uberis infection, it is TLR2 deficiency that induced more severe pathological changes through MyD88-mediated signaling pathways. In addition, our work demonstrates that mROS mediated by TLR2 has an important role in host defense response to combat S. uberis infection in mammary glands as well as MECs.


Define the weight of a matrix to be the number of non-zero entries. One would like to count $m$ by $n$ matrices over a finite field by their weight and rank. This is equivalent to determining the probability distribution of the weight while conditioning on the rank. The complete answer to this question is far from finished. As a step in that direction this paper finds a closed form for the average weight of an $m$ by $n$ matrix of rank $k$ over the finite field with $q$ elements. The formula is a simple algebraic expression in $m$, $n$, $k$, and $q$. For rank one matrices a complete description of the weight distribution is given and a central limit theorem is proved.


Malaria is an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium, which is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes as vectors. Malaria transmission begins when an infected mosquito takes blood meal from healthy human. Mosquitoes will release parasite and components of saliva into the host's body. Saliva contains components (proteins) that affect the host's hemostasis and immune respose, such as vasomodulator and immunomodulators. Imunomudulator could act as immunosuppressive factors that can suppress nonspecific immune system of the host and modulate the change of T helper 1 (Th1) toward T helper 2 (Th2) response, which is advantageous for malaria parasite to infect human host. This research wanted to evaluate human immune respons in endemic area against salivary gland protein extract (SGPE) from its major malaria vector i.e. Anopheles sundaicus (An. sundaicus). Analysis of human immune response was conducted quantitatively by ELISA (Enzyme Link Immunosorbend Assay) towards IgG from human sera samples after cross reacted with SGPE. The results showed that exposures to An. sundaicus were able to induce high levels of IgG. IgG anti salivary proteins of An. sundaicus is higher than the levels of IgG anti salivary proteins of Ae. aegypti. Furthermore, the age group 11-40 years with the highest bites probability, had the highest IgG levels compared to other age groups.


The enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) Tir protein becomes tyrosine phosphorylated in host cells and displays an increase in apparent molecular mass. The interaction of Tir with the EPEC outer membrane protein, intimin, triggers actin nucleation beneath the adherent bacteria. The enterohaemorrhagic E. coli 0157:H7 (EHEC) Tir molecule is not tyrosine phosphorylated. In this paper, Tir tyrosine phosphorylation is shown to be essential for actin nucleation activity, but not for the increase in apparent molecular mass observed in target cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation had no role in Tir molecular mass shift, indicating additional host modifications. Analysis of Tir intermediates indicates that tyrosine‐independent modification functions to direct Tir's correct insertion from the cytoplasm into the host membrane. Deletion analysis identified Tir domains participating in translocation, association with the host membrane, modification and antibody recognition. Intimin was found to bind a 55‐amino‐acid region (TIBA) within Tir that topological and sequence analysis suggests is located in an extracellular loop. Homologous TIBA sequences exist in integrins, which also bind intimin. Collectively, this study provides definitive evidence for the importance of tyrosine phosphorylation for EPEC Tir function and reveals differences in the pathogenicity of EPEC and EHEC. The data also suggest a mechanism for Tir insertion into the host membrane, as well as providing clues to the mode of intimin–integrin interaction.


A new method for selection of the most effective controls to prevent voltage instability in electrical power systems is developed in this paper. The proposed method is fast and suitable for real time operation. It is based on a sensitivity analysis of both a maximum loadability estimate (which is obtained via Look-Ahead method) and the load flow solution with respect to the selected controls. These sensitivities are calculated without computing the maximum loadability points, which significantly speeds-up the analysis. The method was successfully tested in a reduced model of the south-southeast Brazilian system composed of 107 buses.


In the majority of diarrheal diseases no causative bacterial organism can be identified. Enteropathogenic E.-Coli-Strains were incriminated as causative agents in gastroenteritis on a epidemiologic basis, no pathogenetic mechanisms could be attributed. Cholera research initiated a new understanding of the pathogenesis of E. coli diarrheas: An enterotoxin was found which stimulated fluid and electrolyte secretion in the intestine. We were able to grow E.-Coli-Strains with hemolysis in a number of infants with severe, longstanding diarrheas. As the plasmids for hemolysis, enterotoxin production and adhesiveness of organisms on the intestinal mucosa is frequently transmitted simultaneously, we expected to find the majority of enterotoxic strains in the group of E. coli with hemolysis. 12 out of 100 strains E. coli with hemolysis isolated from diarrheal stools were enterotoxin producing strains. Enterotoxic strains were found almost exclusively in infants under one year of age with intractable diarrhea. We conclude therefore that enterotoxic E.-Coli-Strains are real causes of diarrhea also in our region and not as usually assumed only in the tropics. Furthermore, enterotoxic E.-Coli-Strains are found predominantly in the group of E. coli with hemolysis. Other biochemical and serological tests offer no additional possibilities for identification. Possibly also other pathogenetic mechanisms for E. coli with hemolysis might exist for acute diarrheas, however they are not sufficiently investigated yet.


Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged to cause pandemic respiratory disease in the past 2 years, leading to significant worldwide morbidity and mortality. At the beginning of the pandemic, only nonspecific treatments were available, but recently two oral antivirals have received emergency use authorization from the U.S. ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged to cause pandemic respiratory disease in the past 2 years, leading to significant worldwide morbidity and mortality. At the beginning of the pandemic, only nonspecific treatments were available, but recently two oral antivirals have received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Molnupiravir targets the viral polymerase and causes lethal mutations within the virus during replication. Nirmatrelvir targets SARS-CoV-2's main protease, and it is combined with ritonavir to delay its metabolism and allow nirmatrelvir to inhibit proteolytic cleavage of viral polyproteins during replication, preventing efficient virus production. Both drugs inhibit in vitro viral replication of all variants tested to date. Each is taken orally twice daily for 5 days. When started in the first 5 days of illness in persons at risk for complications due to COVID-19, molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir significantly decreased severe outcomes (hospitalizations and death) with adjusted relative risk reductions of 30% and 88%, respectively, for the two treatments. Molnupiravir should not be used in children or pregnant persons due to concerns about potential toxicity, and reliable contraception should be used in persons of childbearing potential. Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir may cause significant drug-to-drug interactions that limit its use in persons taking certain medications metabolized by certain cytochrome P450 enzymes. Both treatment regimens are important additions to the management of early COVID-19 in at-risk patients in the outpatient setting.


Being a minority European language, Polish has not attracted the attention of second language research (SLA) very much. Most studies in the area focus on English and other major languages describing variables and process observed in learners' interlanguage development. This article looks at the language performance of elementary learners of Polish as a foreign language with a view to diagnosing areas of difficulty at the initial stages of language instruction. It is a case study of five learners' written production after a year of intensive language instruction in the controlled conditions of a classroom. The objective of the study presented here is: 1. to determine the types of error produced in a short translation task at different levels of language (morphosyntactic, lexical) 2. to observe manifestations of crosslinguistic influences between languages the subjects know (interlingual transfer) as well as those related to the language learnt itself (intralingual transfer). The small sample of texts produced does not allow for any generalized observations and conclusions, however, at the level of elementary competence in any foreign language, as other research shows, the amount of individual variation is not the most significant factor. Thus the incorrect forms produced may testify to some more universally error-prone areas of language. The value of this kind of analysis lies in this direct application to the teaching of Polish as a synthetic language. The study also demonstrates the fact that communicative teaching has a limited contribution to make in the case of this family of languages. It suggests that overt and explicit teaching of a synthetic language will give a sounder basis for further development of language competence in its communicative dimension.


An electrostatic discharge (ESD) event typically occurs when a charged floating body approaches another body which can be either floating or grounded. In this work, a methodology is described which can be employed to study the change in potentials of two bodies in an approach state. The calculated or measured capacitance coefficients for the system conductors are used in the analysis to determine the contribution to the total change in potential difference due to each coefficient. The technique can be extended to study the change in body potentials as a function of the speed of approach. Results are presented for a series of experiments performed with two cylindrical conductors with different electrode geometries. The experimental results are compared with estimates obtained using the analytical solution to a two sphere model of the system conductors.


Myossitis ossificans (MO) is a benign disorder characterized by heterotopic bone formation in skeletal muscle. It is divided in three types, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP), myositis ossificans circumscripta or traumatica (MOT) and myositis ossificans without a history of trauma (non traumatic or pseudomalignant MO). Myositis ossificans is extremely rare in children younger than 10 years. We present the clinical and radiological findings of two 5-year-old children with pseudomalignant MO due to prolonged immobilization. Plain x-ray films and CT scan with their characteristic findings of mature bone in the periphery of the lesion with smooth contour and well separated from the bone, enabled us to diagnose the lesion. To the best of our knowledge, no such cases have been reported in the literature.