The important thing to consider in the process of sending optical fiber network signals is theselection of line coding types. Line coding is a process of converting digital data into digital signals sothat they can be transmitted in optical fiber networks. Line codings commonly used are NRZ and RZ.Therefore, this research discussed the comparison of the performance of NRZ and RZ line codings infiber-optic networks in terms of Q-Factor, BER, and Eye Diagram. The result of this research was thecharacteristic form of the electric signal line coding NRZ with one data element using one signalelement, while in the RZ coding line, one data element used two signal elements. The maximum risetime variable using the RZ coding line is 0.3 bits, while the NRZ coding line is 0.7 bits. The bestrectangle shape model using line coding RZ is sine while line coding NRZ is exponential. Themaximum bit rate using the RZ coding line is 11.5 Gbps while using the NRZ coding line is 18 Gbps.The maximum transmission distance using the RZ and NRZ coding line is 75 km. Another output ofthis research is a practicum module that can be used by students of the Electrical Engineering StudyProgram to understand optical communication systems, especially line coding RZ and NRZ. Based onthe results of student assessments of 87.6% and the post-test score which is higher than the pre-testscore, the practicum module is feasible as teaching material.


Three europium complexes [Eu(FA)3 x 2H2O] x NO3 (4,4'-Hbpy), [Eu(FA)3 x phen]H2O and Eu(FA)2 x NO3 x phen have been synthesized (FA = alpha-furoate, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, 4,4'-Hbpy = 4,4'-bipyridine). The compositions and structures of these complexes were determined with elemental analysis, IR, UV and luminescence spectra. The luminescence spectra of the Eu complexes in solution show that the intensity of the ternary complex [Eu(FA)3 x phen]H2O is higher than that of the quaternary complex Eu(FA)2 x NO3 x phen, and much higher than that of [Eu(FA)3 x 2H2O] x NO3 (4,4'-Hbpy). The measured lifetime is 0.46 ms for complex [Eu(FA)3 x 2H2O] x NO3 (4,4'-Hbpy). These measured lifetimes are 1.13 and 1.20 ms for complexes [Eu(FA)3 x phen]H2O and Eu(FA)2 x NO3 x phen, respectively. This phenomenon correlates with antenna effect of phen and luminescence quenching of coordinated water.


The anterolateral thigh free flap is a cutaneous or fasciocutaneous flap vascularised by one or several perforating arteries arising from the descending branch of the lateral circonflex femoral artery. Venous drainage occurs via the perforators or a similar route to the deep femoral system or the femoral vein. This flap is commonly used in Asia (China, Japan) where for certain teams, it replaces the classical radial forearm flap or the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap for the reconstruction of head and neck defects after tumor ablation. We briefly describe the anatomy and vascularization of this flap and present the harvesting technique as well as the properties of the flap.


The presence of Lutzomyia (Helcocyrtomyia) hartmanni, as a vector of Leishmania colombiensis and L. columbiana (Verrucarum group), recently incriminated in the transmission of leishmaniasis, and L. pia (Verrucarum group) are reported for the first time in a periurban area of Medellín city. There is thus a risk of leishmaniasis transmission in this town.


We present a class of hexapod robots for which we are able to provide true closed-form (non-numerical) solutions. The class studied in the paper is close to being a general hexapod robot and its engineering implementation can be carried out without any problem. Our method has been implemented using Maple. The algorithm of our methods is very simple and therefore suitable for real time applications. We also proved mathematically that the number of distinct physically possible solutions for the class we considered is at most eight for a given set of leg lengths. This represents the first time such an assertion is proved in the literature.


Abstract The ship's pilot can obtain the ship auxiliary information through the navigation system, when berthing system can display the parameters such as traverse speed and distance of the ship. But most of the system data show that there are insufficient precision. Taking the CORS system to obtain the location information, data Calculation of Berthing System based on Polar Coordinate Algorithm, this paper puts forward a solution to the "dead point" of the berthing and aiding system, which has a certain reference value for the design of the ship berthing assistance system.


Abstract The maternity colony of Myotis formosus in Yun-lin County, southwestern Taiwan, began to form in late March, and the numbers peaked (about 200) in May. Most bats left the roost site between mid-August and early October for unknown hibernation sites. Females gave birth during May and June. Before parturition, females (n = 19) spent 563.9 min ± 47.28 SD outside the roost per night. Time away from the roost decreased significantly after they gave birth. Lactating females increased the total time that they spent outside the roost per night by 37.8% from early to late lactation. Females spent more time grooming young than self-grooming during the first 2 weeks of lactation. From the 3rd week on, more time was spent on self-grooming. Forearm length and body mass of newborns were 21.46 ± 1.90 mm (n = 13) and 3.71 ± 0.41 g (n = 12), about 42.8% and 24.1% of adult size, respectively. Young rarely moved during the 1st week after birth. They started to crawl at the 2nd week and to attempt short straight-line flight at the 3rd week. Females always rested next to their young while roosting in the first 2 weeks of lactation but separated from them from the 3rd week on. Behavioral changes in females coincided with the growth and development of their young.


The basic purpose of CAMAC is to provide a standardized method for transmitting data and control information between instrumentation modules and a digital controller. CAMAC encompasses both a hardware standard for housing the modular components of a system and an electrical and logical standard for the control "language" used in the transfer of digital information. The CAMAC specification contains the rules for both of these aspects of CAMAC. This paper describes the features and uses of the control language in a less formal way than must be used in the specification. Examples are given of the interplay of control and synchronization signals between the modules concerned. Other papers in this series consider other aspects of CAMAC, including its place in the context of instrumentation systems, hardware aspects, signal standards, the Branch Highway, and coupling to computers and control systems. Here, the scope is limited to the process of information interchange within the CAMAC crate. This paper is designed to supplement the CAMAC specification. The reader is advised to obtain a copy of that document, and to read it first. The reader's attention is also called to other references containing informal descriptions ot the CAMAC system.


Beneng taro (Xanthosoma undipes) has the highest fiber content among other taro, but its protein content is low. Processing of taro flour is still a cake product that does not last long. Cookies from beneng taro are expected to increase the added value. Moringa leaf flour is added to supplement the nutritional content of the cookies. The physical characteristics of composite flour taro beneng with Moringa oleifera leaves and the effect of adding moringa leaf flour to the physico-chemical characteristics of beneng taro cookies has been conducted. The ratio of beneng taro flour:moringa leaf flour in composite flour is 100:0; 99:1; 98:2; 97:3; 96:4; and 95:5. Water content of composite flour decreased with the addition of moringa leaf flour. The composite flour color L and a* decreased, while the colors b*, C, and 0h increased with increasing moringa leaves. The peak viscosity of composite flour paste tends to increase with the addition of moringa leaf flour up to 2%, whereas the addition of 3-5% decreases it. The viscosity breakdown, final viscosity, time reached the highest viscosity, and the temperature of the composite flour gelatinization had no effect with the addition of moringa leaf flour up to 5%. The degree of development and texture of the cookies did not affect the addition of moringa leaf flour to composite flour. The colors of L* and a* are smaller with increasing amounts of moringa leaf flour, which tends to be dark and brownish in color. The color of b*, C, and 0h of the cookies increased with the increasing number of moringa leaf flour. Cookie with 3% moringa leaf flour is most preferred and has a moisture content of 4.36%, 2.04% protein, 27.66% fat, 62.75% carbohydrate, 3.21% ash, 2.75% crude fiber, 14.9% dietary fiber, and 497.5 kcal/100 calories g.


Based on the presenc paradigm, the conventional viev{point is that humans cannot meaningfully interact, via their inccncion, with target experiments. Even more strongly one would state that human intention cannO[ possibly be captured in a simple electronic device and then have rhe device meaningfully interact with target experiments. Over the course of the past two years. the authors have conducted three very differcnc target experiments using Intention Imprinted Electronic Devices, (lIEDs) and found robust interaction between these simple devices and the target experiments in complete opposition to the view of the prevailing paradigm. On the experimental side, for each target experiment one starts with two identical physical devices, isolates one from the other, and "charges" one with tbe specific intention for the particular experiment. This charging process involved the services of four highly qualified meditators to imprint the device with the specific intcncion. The devices with the same imprint were then wrapped in AI-foil and stored in an electrically grounded Faraday cage until the next step in the process. Next, when needed, the AI-foil wrapped devices were separately shipped via Federal Express, to their laboratory destination about 2,000 miles away. On arriving there, they were immediately placed in separate, grounded Faraday cages until use in the actual target experiments conducted by others. For the three target experiments, the general intentions were (I) to decrease (increase) the pH of water by one pH unit, (2) to increase the ATP/ADP ratio in fruit fly larvae so as to significantly decrease the larval development time and (3) to signiHcanrly increase the thermodynamic activity of the specific liver enzyme, alkaline phosphatase (ALP). For rarget experiment (1) changes of about 0,5 to 1.0 pH units increase or decrease, with a measurement accuracy of:t: 0.01 pH units, was achieved. For target experiment (2), reductions of about 15% in larval development time for the imprinted vs. unimprinted device were observed (p < 0.001). For target experiment (3), increases in thermodynamic activity for ALP of about 10% to 20% were achieved (p < 0.001). In pure water containing small solid particles, pH oscillations of both shorr (about 1 hour) and long (about 20 hour) periods were observed. In multiple vessel studies with the TIED located only near one vessel, the following was observed: (a) a strong correlation in pH-oscillation behavior between the lIED-vessel and other simultaneously pH-monitored vessels located 115 feet to 155 feet distant, (b) a location-specific conditioning behavior associated with repeated running of the target experiment day after day, at that specific location, and (c) the presence of temperarure oscillations in-phase with the pH-oscillations in the vessels. Fourier transforms of the various realtime plots were utilized to quantifY the correlations. KEYWORDS: Imention, pH, temperature, Drosophila


The ultrastructural findings of two cases of choroid plexus carcinoma occurring in infants 11 and 24 months old are discussed. Both had a similar ultrastructural pattern which demonstrated a clear polygonal cytoplasm, cell polarity towards the lumina, junctional complexes and evidence of a basement membrane, all of which point to an epithelial origin for the proliferating cells. Abundant immature cellular characters such as polyribosomes, glycogen granules and hypertrophied rough endoplasmic reticulum were found. The importance of the differential dignosis from ependymoblastoma and benign choroid plexus papilloma is emphasized. In the former, the major differentiating features are the existence of abundant glial neuropil and cellular characters of glial differentiation, whilst in the latter, cytoplasmic features demonstrate cellular maturity.


Background and purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the learning culture for elite athletes who resided at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) from the perspective of the athletes themselves. As a government entity, the AIS is highly regulated by policies and strategies concerning allocation of funding, facilities, services, and resources. There is a substantial body of research examining government interest in elite sport and, in particular, national and state sporting institutes. These meso-level interactions within the AIS context no doubt have an impact on athlete learning. Learning in this context is political and economic as well as social. Thus, the cultural theory of learning is an important tool in considering the political agenda as an integral part of the learning process within the context of the AIS. Data collection and analysis: Participants for this study were purposefully selected from a larger project involving AIS scholarship holding athletes who were residents at the AIS. The final sample of six female athletes from four different sports participated in a single semi-structured interview aimed at gathering a holistic perspective of the current life experiences of the athletes. Thematic analysis involved the three steps of (1) initial coding of text in relation to the research questions, (2) the development of descriptive themes, and (3) the generation of analytical themes. The theoretical lens of the cultural theory of learning shaped the third step of the analysis. As such, the context within which practice took place including the language, social space and hierarchies, and symbolic message systems were foregrounded. Findings: The successful habitus in this field is one which was described by the athletes as organised with a plan, busy, and with multiple interests. Enhanced athletic performance and motivation to train were tied to being able to have time away from sport to relax and do other things. Being in residence at the AIS produced a commodity-driven orientation and encouraged athletes to diversify in order to increase performance, to gain further funding, to maintain their positions at the AIS which afforded the optimum balance for performance, forming a cycle of the interaction between habitus and field. Conclusion: What this investigation offers is an insight into how a set of meso- and macro-level structures around finance and performance are experienced by a sample of national sport institute residential athletes and may demonstrate conditions related to athlete satisfaction. For this group of athletes at least, 'living sport' was not conducive to maintaining elite performance and their place at the AIS. These findings are of relevance to coaches of young high-performance athletes and those involved in policy-making and athlete learning in sports institutes.


We described three different conditions that induce differentiation of dissociated neural stem cells derived from mouse embryonic CNS. In the first set of experiments, where the cell differentiation was triggered by cell adhesion, removal of growth factors and serum-supplemented medium, only sporadic neuronal and astroglial cells survived longer than two weeks and the latter formed a monolayer. When differentiation was induced in serum-free medium supplemented with retinoic acid, rapid and massive cell death occurred. A prolonged survival was observed in cultivation medium supplemented with serum and growth factors EGF plus FGF-2. One third of the cells did not express cell differentiation markers and were responsible for an increase in cell numbers. The remaining cells differentiated and formed the astrocytic monolayer on which occasional neuronal cells grew. One third of the differentiated phenotypes were represented by cells of oligodendroglial lineage. Differentiation of oligodendroglial cells occurred in a stepwise mechanism because the culture contained all successive developmental stages, including oligodendrocyte progenitors, preoligodendrocytes and immature and mature oligodendrocytes. Maturing oligodendrocytes displayed immunocytochemical and morphological features characteristic of cells that undergo physiological development. The cultivation conditions that supported growth and differentiation of neural stem cells were optimal for in vitro developmental studies and the production of oligodendroglial cells.


Objectives ‐ The prevalence of dementia has been estimated in several countries and a meta‐analysis has shown moderate and severe dementia in people aged 65 years and older to be between 4% and 6%. The Odense study is aiming to estimate the prevalence and incidence of dementia and to identify risk factors. Material and methods ‐ A total of 3346 persons, equivalent to 64.5% of a random sample of 5237 persons aged 65–84 years living in the municipality of Odense, Denmark, underwent a two phase diagnostic procedure including a screening with CAMCOG, the cognitive section of The Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly, seven neuropsychological tests, medical examination, and CT scan. The severity of dementia was assessed by the CDR (Clinical Dementia Rating). Results ‐ The prevalence rate was 7.1%, including the very mildly demented, defined as persons rated questionably demented according to the CDR scale. The prevalence rate of very mild dementia was 2.8%. The proportion of cases with very mild dementia decreased with increasing age while the prevalence rate increased. Conclusion ‐ Inclusion of very mild cases of dementia resulted in a higher prevalence rate than generally reported, and the prevalence rate increased exponentially with age which was mainly due to Alzheimer's disease.


The title compound (C25H24N4O3) has been prepared by the cyclocondensation of 5-amino-3-methyl-1-phenypyrazol, m-nitrobenaldehyde and dimedone in glycol under microwave irradiation without catalyst. The crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to be orthorhombic, space group Pbca with a = 16.3331(10), b = 13.8329(9), c = 19.4163(12) ?, V = 4386.8(5) ?3, Z = 8, Dc = 1.298 g/cm3, μ = 0.087 mm-1, F(000) = 1808, Mr = 428.48, the final R = 0.0519 and wR = 0.1019. X-ray analysis revealed that the pyridine ring is of boat conformation and the six-membered ring fused with it adopts twist boat conformation.② Corresponding author. Tu Shu-Jiang, born in 1957, professor, majoring in the synthesis
 of organic and heterocycle compounds. E-mail: laotu2001@ 263.net


2. The second metric emphasizes the first by reporting the log-competitive ratio between the standard and accelerated variants of the the algorithms. The competitive ratio is computed as log ⇣ hC,b μEMP μ⇤i hC,b μAccel-EMP μ⇤i ⌘ , where b μEMP and b μAccel-EMP are the projections due to Proj of the outputs of EMP and Accel-EMP, respectively, and μ⇤ is a minimizer over L2. The same is computed for SMP and Accel-SMP. Thus, positive values at a given time indicate that the accelerated variant has lower error on the original objective.


Necrotizing infections of deep neck spaces are a group of life-threatening infectious diseases acquired through trauma or as a descending infection from an odontogenic source. The isolation of pathogens is unusual because of the anaerobic nature of the infection; however, one way to achieve this is through the use of automated microbiological methods like matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) following standard microbiology protocols for analyzing samples from potential anaerobic infections. We present a case of a patient without risk factors for descending necrotizing mediastinitis with isolation of Streptococcus anginosus and Prevotella buccae managed at the intensive care unit with a multidisciplinary team. We present our approach and how we successfully treat this complicated infection.


Apoptosis or programmed cell death occurs in a wide variety of cell types when adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) is denied. Invasion and metastasis by tumor cells involve the loss of normal cell-ECM contacts and require independence from such control mechanisms. We studied whether the immortalized thyroid cell line TAD-2 is a model suitable to investigate thyroid cell-ECM interaction, and we analyzed the role of integrin-fibronectin (FN) interaction in apoptosis. Adhesion, spreading, and cytoskeleton organization in TAD-2 cultured cells were dependent upon integrin-FN interaction. Cell spreading and cytoskeletal organization were coupled to deposition of insoluble FN induced by serum. Expression of integrin-FN receptors was demonstrated by flow cytofluorometry with specific antibodies, and strong integrin-dependent adhesion was demonstrated by attachment assays to immobilized FN. Apoptosis, occurring in different culture conditions, was determined by cell morphology and DNA electrophoretic analysis and quantitated by flow cytometry in propidium iodide-stained cells. Thyroid cells underwent apoptosis in the presence of serum when adhesion was prevented by specific peptides that inhibit integrin binding to FN (RGD-containing peptides) or by coating the culture plates with agar. In serum-free cultures, apoptosis was prevented by insoluble FN immobilized on the plates, but not by soluble FN. These results suggest that the TAD-2 cell line is a good model to study thyroid cell-ECM interaction, that FN, assembled into insoluble matrix, is required for cytoskeletal organization and to prevent thyroid cell apoptosis, and that integrin-mediated adhesion is involved in this process.


Abstract : Our long-term research goals are to understand the physics of the high-latitude ocean mechanistically and quantitatively with respect to both its structure and circulation, as well as to understand the links between those physical mechanisms and the biology and chemistry of the high-latitude marine environment. The variability of that marine environment is a special focus and concern.


The Australian dollar's exchange rate (mainly in relation to the American dollar) has received a considerable attention in research and several models have been proposed to explain its trend and fluctuations. Thus, as a conclusion of this research we can say that this commodity currency very much depends on the terms of trade which in turn depend on commodity prices. The present paper is based on this conclusion and hence proposes the possibility that the Australian dollar's behavior is overwhelmingly explained by a handful of cycles of mainly harmonic frequencies. Using the principles of Fourier analysis, a simple regression provides considerable evidence about the existence of these cycles. In addition, and as important, a search into the commodity realm demonstrates that these cycles are for example related to various cycles of mining and producing minerals. If the proposition of the present paper is true, we have a very simple yet substantial explanation of the long term trend and fluctuations of the Australian dollar exchange rate and probably of exchange rates of many other commodity currencies.


Objectives To detect the early subclinical myocardial injury during and shortly after epirubicin exposure in asymptomatic patients with large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging and high sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and to investigate whether alterations of myocardial strains and high sensitive cardiac troponin T could predict future cardiac dysfunction in patients after epirubicin exposure. Methods Seventy-five patients aged 53.9 ± 13.8 years with newly-diagnosed large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with anthracycline were studied. Blood collection and echocardiography were performed at baseline, 1 day after the third cycle, and 1 day after chemotherapy completion. After 4–6 months of chemotherapy, echocardiography was followed up. Levels of cTnT were detected with a highly sensitive assay. Longitudinal (LS), circumferential (CS) and radial strain (RS) were calculated using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was analysed by real-time 3D echocardiography. Cardiotoxicity was defined according to the guidelines (Cardiac Review and Evaluation Committee of Trastuzumab-associated cardiotoxicity, CREC) as a reduction of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of ≥5% to <55% with symptoms of heart failure or an asymptomatic reduction of the LVEF of ≥10% to <55%. Results LVEF remained stable and within normal limits in the whole course of chemotherapy. However it was decreased from 65.0 ± 3.8% at baseline to 60.8 ± 4.9% during follow-up (p = 0.000). Fourteen patients (18.67%) developed cardiotoxicity 4–6 months after treatment. Global LS (-18.5 ± 1.7% vs -16.5 ± 1.9%), CS (-20.9 ± 2.9% vs -19.3 ± 3.5%), RS (39.2 ± 6.4% vs 35.3 ± 5.2%) were markedly reduced and cTnT was elevated from 0.0010 ± 0.0020 ng/ml to 0.0063 ± 0.0089 ng/ml (p all<0.01) at the completion of the third cycle of chemotherapy compared with baseline values. The correlation between the increment of cTnT levels and percentage of global LS deduction was good (rho = 0.60, p < 0.01), and percentage of CS and RS decrease was modest (rho = 0.31, -0.29, respectively, p all <0.01). A >15.9% decrease in longitudinal strain ( sensitivity: 86%, specificity: 75%, AUC = 0.815, P = 0.001) and a >0.004ng/ml elevation in cTnT levels (sensitivity: 79%, specificity: 64%, AUC = 0.757, P = 0.005) from baseline to the third cycle of chemotherapy predicted later cardiotoxicity. The decrease of longitudinal strain between baseline and the third cycle of chemotherapy remained the only independent predictor of cardiotoxicity (p = 0.000). Conclusions Two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging combined with high sensitive cTnT may provide a reliable and accurate non-invasive method to detect subtle myocardial injury and to predict cardiac dysfunction in patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy. The decrease of longitudinal strain is the only independent predictor of cardiotoxicity.


The underlying motivations for envy or related social preferences and their impact on agricultural innovations are examined by combining data from money burning experimental game and household survey from Ethiopia. In the first stage of the money burning experimental game, income inequality is induced by providing different endowments and playing a lottery. In the second, people are allowed to decrease ('burn') other players' money at their own expense. Conditional on individual behaviour, experimentally measured envious preferences from others have a negative effect on real life agricultural innovation. JEL classification codes C93, D03, O12, O55


It is time-consuming to calculate the transmission parameter (S21) of the rectangle defected ground structure (RDGS), if the conventional serial finite difference time domain method (FDTD) is adopted. In order to make the conventional FDTD more efficient, a parallel FDTD using the parallel virtual machine (PVM) technique and the region segmentation scheme is presented to calculate the transmission parameter of the RDGS. The numerical result shows that the ratio of the acceleration of the parallel FDTD for two and four computers is 1.36 and 2.26 respectively. The results using the parallel FDTD reach an excellent agreement with the ones with the serial FDTD approach. The proposed parallel FDTD approach can be served as a powerful tool to analyze a large scale RDGS.


Evidence suggests that the human respiratory tract, as with the gastrointestinal tract, has evolved to its current state in association with commensal microbes. However, little is known about how the airway microbiome affects the development of airway immune system. Here, we uncover a previously unidentified mode of interaction between host airway immunity and a unique strain (AIT01) of Staphylococcus epidermidis, a predominant species of the nasal microbiome. Intranasal administration of AIT01 increased the population of neutrophils and monocytes in mouse lungs. The recruitment of these immune cells resulted in the protection of the murine host against infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogenic bacterium. Interestingly, an AIT01-secreted protein identified as GAPDH, a well-known bacterial moonlighting protein, mediated this protective effect. Intranasal delivery of the purified GAPDH conferred significant resistance against other Gram-negative pathogens (Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii) and influenza A virus. Our findings demonstrate the potential of a native nasal microbe and its secretory protein to enhance innate immune defense against airway infections. These results offer a promising preventive measure, particularly relevant in the context of global pandemics.


This study used a pretest-posttest pre-experimental design to examine the effect of a 10-week behavioral medicine support group intervention in a sample of persons with HIV Using Solomon's psychoneuroimmunologic framework, the 10-week behavioral medicine program focused on the mind/body interaction, the relaxation response, coping with illness, hardiness, and nutrition. Pearson correlation coefficients and t tests were performed on the pre- and postintervention measures of hardiness, social support, immune function, and perceived health status. Results of the study indicated that hardiness (preintervention) and CD4 counts (pre- and postintervention) were significantly correlated with health status; however, CD4 counts decreased over the course of the behavioral medicine program. Implications for nursing and recommendations for further research are discussed.


A retrospective analysis of 20 water systems from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Arsenic Demonstration Program demonstrated three patterns of arsenic levels at the tap after arsenic treatment of the source well water. Following an initial destabilization period, Pattern A systems (6/20 with low iron/manganese in source water and plastic piping) had arsenic concentrations that did not change as water traveled to consumer taps (conservative contaminant behavior). Pattern B systems (8/20 with high iron/manganese in source water and iron piping) had consistently higher arsenic concentrations at consumer taps, above the arsenic content of incoming treated water, for months to more than a year after arsenic treatment (nonconservative behavior). Pattern C systems (6/20 with additional occasional arsenic treatment complications) experienced multiple arsenic spikes at consumer taps (nonconservative and unpredictable behavior). These field observations suggest that, in some water distribution systems, arsenic may linger long after it has been removed at its source.


Introduction: Nintedanib is a potent inhibitor of intracellular receptors tirosinkinasas exerts its effect on the PDGF, VEGF and FGF. Nintedanib was recently approved by the EMA on January 15, 2015, for the treatment of IPF. We present the initial experience of 20 patients treated with nintedanib. Aims and Objectives: To describe the initial experience of 20 patients with IPF treated with Nintedanib in different hospitals in Spain. Methods: The diagnosis of IPF was established according to the criteria of the guidelines of 2011.Clinical, radiological, pulmonary function test(PFT) data were collected .Side effects related to nintedanib treatment, interruption and/or discontinuation. Results: 20 patients were included. Most were male. At diagnosis HRCT shows UIP patternt in 60%of patients. For the diagnosis of IPF 35% underwent a surgical lung biopsy. Treatments were started between august 2011 and december 2014, 7 patients(35%) had participate in INPULSIS trials. The started dose was 150 mg every 12 hours. Only 1 patient discontinued treatment due to side effects, there were dose reduction to 100 mg every 12 hours in 7 patients. Regarding side effects 9 patients had diarrhea, 2 had nausea and 8 showed weight loss. None had elevated transaminases No acute exacerbations were recorded. One patient died. Conclusion: Nintedanib is a new antifibrotic agent recently approved by the EMA and pending marketing in Spain, for the treatment of IPF The side effect profile in these 20 patients appears consistent with the data published so far in the clinical trial of the drug More patients and further monitoring is required to establish the efficacy and safety in clinical practice.


Counting dense crowds through computer vision technology has attracted widespread attention. Most crowd counting datasets use point annotations. In this paper, we formulate crowd counting as a measure regression problem to minimize the distance between two measures with different supports and unequal total mass. Specifically, we adopt the unbalanced optimal transport distance, which remains stable under spatial perturbations, to quantify the discrepancy between predicted density maps and point annotations. An efficient optimization algorithm based on the regularized semi-dual formulation of UOT is introduced, which alternatively learns the optimal transportation and optimizes the density regressor. The quantitative and qualitative results illustrate that our method achieves state-of-the-art counting and localization performance.


This study describes the catalytic formation of alternating and regioregular copolymers from carbonyl sulfide (COS) and epoxides along with eugenol-based glycidyl ether (EGE) and guaiacol-based glycidyl ether (GGE), derived from eugenol and guaiacol, respectively. The (salen)CrCl [salen = N,N′-bis(salicylidene) cyclohexanediimine] complex, accompanied with various organic bases, was highly active towards the EGE/COS, GGE/COS copolymerization and EGE/GGE/COS terpolymerization. The turnover of frequency (TOF) of the (salen)CrCl complex for the EGE/COS copolymerization was up to 12 000 h−1. The number-average molecular weight (Mn) of the resultant EGE/COS copolymer was up to 62.2 kg mol−1. In the presence of 0.5–1.5 mol% chlorohydrin, which was a by-product of the synthetic process of EGE, α-Cl, ω-OH EGE/COS copolymers were obtained. This result suggests that chlorohydrin could act as a very efficient chain transfer agent for the copolymerization. The EGE/COS, GGE/COS, and EGE/GGE/COS copolymers were soluble in most of the common solvents and exhibited a high refractive index of more than 1.58 with high Abbe numbers of up to 40.4. This study provides an unprecedented and sustainable synthetic route for making soluble sulfur-rich polymers with high optical properties.


Intro: The 2018 ASCO/CAP HER2 guidelines eliminated the equivocal category for in situ hybridization (ISH). Additional workup is recommended for definitive classification of tumors that are sorted into ISH groups 2, 3 or 4. Evaluation of HER2 IHC using sections from the same tissue sample used for ISH is recommended to guide the selection of areas to score by ISH. Here we seek to evaluate the utility of selecting the area for ISH testing in IHC equivocal (2+) cases based on the staining intensity of the IHC staining. Methods: A total of 66 cases with equivocal HER2 IHC (2+) and reflexed to FISH were prospectively collected from 8/22/18 to 6/26/2019. The areas of most and least intense HER2 IHC staining were separately identified and scored by FISH. The mean HER2:CEP17 ratio and mean HER2 signals/tumor cell were calculated for both populations and statistical significance was evaluated using the Wilcoxon Ranked Sum test. Results: The distribution of the high intensity area was 58 ISH group 5, 4 ISH group 4, and 8 ISH group 1. The distribution of the low intensity area was 51 ISH group 5, 9 ISH group 4, 2 ISH group 2, and 5 ISH group 5. In the high and low intensity areas, 59 of 66 (95.5%) cases sorted into the same ISH group and 7 (10.6%) sorted into different ISH groups. Of these 7, 3 (4.5%) had different final FISH categorizations. All 3 cases were ISH Group 1 (amplified) in the high intensity area and ISH group 2, 4 or 5 (not amplified in the absence of 3+ IHC) in the low intensity area. The other 4 cases with different ISH groups did not have different final HER2 categorizations. The mean HER2/CEP17 ratios for the high and low intensity areas were 1.50 and 1.39 (p = 0.075). There was no statistically significant difference in mean HER2 copy number for the high and low intensity areas (p = 0.92). Discussion: When areas with high and low HER2 IHC intensity were compared, there was a small difference in the mean HER2:CEP17 ratio with a trend toward statistical significance. However, the absolute difference in the means was small (0.11) and only a minority of cases (4.5%) showed discordant final HER2 categorization between the two groups. All of the cases with discordant HER2 categorization were amplified (ISH Group 1) in the IHC high intensity area and not amplified (ISH Groups 2, 4 and 5) in the low intensity area. The data suggests that using HER2 IHC to guide selection of areas for ISH testing may identify amplified tumors (or clones) in a minority of cases (4.5%). Additional analysis of a larger number of cases is required to validate these findings. Citation Format: Johann D Hertel, Kathleen A Kaiser-Rogers, Siobhan O9Connor, Benjamin Calhoun. Utility of HER2 IHC intensity in selecting areas for FISH testing in equivocal (2+) cases [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-10-21.


In China, College English is a required basic course for undergraduate students, and the objective of College English teaching is to improve students' ability to use English in an all-round way. The author maintains that in order for students to exchange information effectively, they must be first of all equipped with the right tools for communication—vocabulary. The author observes that vocabulary is the biggest obstacle for most college students, who have learned the basic patterns and structures of English in their middle school, but their vocabulary size is very limited. It follows that greater importance should be attached to vocabulary in College English teaching.The author believes that, in the current Chinese EFL teaching context, adopting the Lexical Approach to College English teaching is a practicable and effective way to improve students' ability in using English. In order to verify this idea, the author conducted an empirical study, which lasted 16 weeks. The findings support the author's hypotheses that college students do need explicit and systematic instructions on vocabulary learning, and that adopting the Lexical Approach to College English teaching is effective in enhancing students' lexical knowledge and improving their ability in using English. It is hoped that the study will shed some light on the question of how to teach College English effectively to meet the previously mentioned objective.


The friction material for automobile is manufactured by mixing several composites to stop the running vehicles. Friction characteristics are changed significantly according to the relative amount of the base materials. However, difference of friction coefficient is sometimes measured at the test for the same friction material. Nevertheless, the study for solving these problems is insufficient. In this paper, the friction tests were carried out by changing the external environment and processing condition when the main ingredients are fixed and also evaluated how the friction coefficient changes. The variables are cooling air speed, humidity (Relative humidity and Absolute humidity), scorching time, soaking time and pad area. And it is analytically considered which environmental factor mainly affects the characteristic of friction coefficient variation by experiment. It is expected that the results from this study can be very useful as a database for development of the friction material.


A study of the morphology and innervation of muscle-spindles from the quadriceps of the rabbit and cat has shown that: 1. The intrafusal muscle-fibres do not subdivide in their course through the spindle, as is maintained in some descriptions, but retain their individuality from pole to pole. 2. There is no constant feature which is characteristic of one pole of a spindle and not the other. A distinction can be made between the proximal and distal ends only when it is possible to orientate the spindle according to the proximal and distal ends of the muscle. The extreme ends of the spindle are attached indifferently to extrafusal endomysium, tendon, or perimysial connective tissue. 3. In the equatorial region each muscle-fibre of the spindle contains a dense aggregation of spherical central nuclei ('nuclear bag'). On either side of this aggregation oval nuclei are disposed in the form of a chain within a central core of protoplasm ('myotube region'). The nuclear bag is devoid of cross-striations and presumably non-contractile. The two polar portions of the muscle-fibre on either side of the bag are striated and each receives a motor innervation; hence they are presumed to function as independent contractile units. 4. The number of end-plates possessed by a spindle is approximately double its number of intrafusal muscle-fibres, with half the total number of end-plates situated at each pole. The ratio is rarely exact, since one polar half of an intrafusal fibre frequently bears two end-plates; these are innervated by nerve-fibres which retain their individuality as far as they can be traced back from the spindle. Both small nerve-fibres (3-4 µ in gold chloride preparations) and relatively large nerve-fibres (6-7 µ in gold chloride preparations) take part in the motor innervation of muscle-spindles, as was deduced on physiological grounds by Leksell (1945). 5. An analysis of the sensory innervation has confirmed many of Ruffini9s (1898) observations. Primary or 'annulo-spiral' and secondary or 'flowerspray' endings occur and they are innervated by independent nerve-fibres; it is suggested that Ruffini9s terms 'primary' and 'secondary' be adopted since the descriptive terms cannot always be applied. In the rabbit the secondary ending is 'annulo-spiral' in form and differs little from the primary ending; in the cat it is more irregular and could be termed 'flower-spray'. The primary ending is always present and is associated with the nuclear bags of the intrafusal muscle-fibres; in some instances its ramifications are more extensive and also entwine the myotube regions. The primary ending may be the only sensory termination present, or it may be accompanied by one or by two secondary endings. These are borne by the myotube regions of the musclefibres. In the rabbit9s quadriceps and interossei, spindles with one primary and one secondary ending were the most frequent in the samples taken; in the cat9s quadriceps spindles with one primary and two secondary endings were the most numerous. Both the primary and secondary nerve-fibres invariably ramify so as to innervate each intrafusal fibre in the muscle-bundle. The two sensory terminations are often closely intercalated but do not overlap with one another to any great extent. As estimated from measurements made on fresh, silver, and gold chloride preparations the total diameter of the primary fibre lies between 8 and 12 µ, that of the secondary fibre between 6 and 9 µ. 6. Apart from small sympathetic fibres innervating the vascular supply of the spindle, other finer fibres may occasionally be seen ramifying within the walls of the capsule and over the polar regions. It is possible that they are somatic sensory fibres subserving the sensation of pain. 7. The nature of the reflex effects of the afferent impulses discharged by the muscle-spindle and tendon-organ is considered, and it is concluded that the balance of evidence indicates that the afferent discharge from the spindle is excitatory and that from the tendon-organ inhibitory to the motor neurones of the same muscle. However, the identification of the spindle as the receptor which excites the stretch reflex is found to rest largely upon equivocal evidence, its acceptance depending ultimately upon Matthews9s finding (1933) of a considerable difference-in threshold between the spindle and tendon-organ in response to stretch. It is suggested that the large primary fibre innervating the spindle should be identified as the 'stretch afferent' rather than the smaller secondary fibre specified by Matthews, for the rapid con duction rate of the afferent discharge exciting the stretch reflex (Lloyd, 1943) indicates that sensory fibres of the largest diameter are employed. The functional significance of the secondary fibres is obscure and the specific reflex functions of the sensory fibres innervating both the spindle and the tendon organ clearly require further elucidation.


Clustering is one of the fundamental operations in data mining that cluster set of heterogeneous data objects into smaller homogeneous classes. Using clustering attribute (decision attribute) is one of the data clustering techniques. Soft set theory is a new mathematical tool applying in clustering applications in databases circumstances. Hence,the research aim is to find the practical technique of soft set theory for decision attribute selection in soft set theory. The test is been done by using two UCI benchmark datasets to determine the speed of execution time for soft set approach with rough set techniques, that are Total Roughness (TR), Min-Min Roughness (MMR) and Maximum Dependency of Attributes (MDA). The results show that the proposed technique provides faster decision for selecting a clustering attribute


Six-gap resistive plate chamber (MRPC) prototypes with semiconductive glass electrodes (bulk resistivity ~ 1010 Ωcm) were studied for suitability in time-of-flight (TOF) applications at high rates. These studies were performed using a continuous electron beam of 800 MeV at IHEP and an X-ray machine. Time resolutions of about 100 ps and efficiencies larger than 90% were obtained for flux densities up to 28 kHz/cm2.


Abstract Background: By joining different regional economic trade agreements, countries achieve preferential trade liberalisation. There are four main types of regional economic agreements in the world today: free trade area, customs union, common market, and economic and monetary union. Objectives: The goal of this paper is the measurement of the export market concentration for the largest European regional economic integrations in the period between 1995 and 2016. Methods/Approach: Various concentration measures have been used in the measurement of export market concentration, but the emphasis is placed on the standardized Herfindahl-Hirschman index as the basic measure of trade concentration. Results: Results of the analysis have shown that the highest concentration level of trade with countries worldwide is among the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, whereas the EU-15 countries seem to have the lowest concentration level. On the other side, the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) countries have the highest concentration level of trade with countries from the same group, and again the EU-15 countries have the lowest concentration level, which indicates that the CEFTA countries implemented deeper integration processes related to mutual intra-regional trade. Conclusions: Deep integration processes led to lower values of export market concentration indices for intra-regional trade among countries of the same regional economic integration in comparison to trading with countries worldwide.


Based on inter views with young persons in two national Muslim youth organizations in Europe, this article examines how young Muslims negotiate between the cultural customs of their societies of origin, their everyday experiences in Europe, and the global Muslim public sphere. In seeking a universal "true" core of Islam, these young persons create their own version of Islam, a "fourth space" in which they reinterpret the authoritative source texts of Islam in light of personal diasporic experiences in Europe. This reinterpretation becomes particularly pertinent in the context of plan ning for future marriage, where they jointly construct new understandings of Islam to argue for in ter-ethnic marriages and later age at marriage, to argue against coercion in arranged marriages, to oppose polyg yny and to portray the stigmatization of divorce as counter to the true spirit of Islam.


ABSTRACT Neurofactors released from neurosecretory cells associated with the ganglia of the central nervous system are known to participate in the endocrine mediation of osmotic and ionic regulation in decapod Crustacea. The present study examines the effects of differential exposure (3, 6, 12, or 24 h) to high salinity media (HSM, sea water of 14, 21, or 28‰ salinity) on the ultrastructure of the anteromedial cells located within the protocerebral region of the supraesophagcal ganglion of Macrobrachium olfersii (Wiegmann), a euryhaline, fresh-water shrimp. Analysis of thin sections and freeze-fracture replicas reveals that the cells of the anteromedial group are typically neurosecretory in nature, exhibiting a large nucleus, a prominent, single nucleolus, well-developed, rough endoplasmic reticulum, numerous, large Golgi complexes, abundant mitochondria, and free and polyribosomes. In shrimps maintained in river water (0‰ salinity), this cellular machinery, specific for the production and packaging of polypeptides, does not appear to be activated, as indicated by the virtual absence of neurosecretory granules. After exposure of the shrimps to HSM, particularly to 21‰ salinity, for up to 6 h, there is a conspicuous increase in the number of dense-cored, neurosecretory granules of 72.4 ± 6.7 nm diameter, both in the cytoplasm and around the Golgi complexes of these cells. Multivesicular and multilamellar bodies also increase in number, indicating membrane recycling. In shrimps exposed to HSM for longer periods (12 h or more), the ultrastructure of the anteromedial cells is essentially similar to that of control shrimps maintained in fresh water. These data demonstrate that exposure to high salinity media activates a neurosecretory process in the anteromedial cells of the protocerebrum of M. olfersii. The release of these neurosecretory products may be involved in osmotic and ionic regulation in this fresh-water shrimp.


A carcinogenesis bioassay of 2,6-dichloro-p-phenylenediamine, a chemical intermediate, was conducted in groups of 50 F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice of either sex. Male rats were fed diets containing 1,000 or 2,000 ppm 2,6-dichloro-p-phenylenediamine and female rats were fed 2,000 or 6,000 ppm for 103 weeks. Mice were fed 1,000 or 3,000 ppm of the test chemical for 103 weeks and observed for an additional 8 weeks. Controls consisted of 50 untreated rats and 50 untreated mice of each sex. Throughout the study, mean body weights of dosed rats and mice of either sex were lower than those of the corresponding controls. A dose-related weight gain depression was particularly pronounced for rats. Ectopic hepatocytes were observed at an increased incidence in the pancreas and nephrosis was observed in increased severity in dosed rats of either sex when compared with the corresponding controls. No increase in any tumor type was observed in treated male or female rats when compared to controls. Increased incidences of liver tumors were observed in mice of both sexes. In male mice, the incidence of hepatocellular adenomas exhibited a significant positive dose-related trend (P=0.002), and the increased incidence of hepatocellular adenomas was statistically significant in the high-dose group(4/50, 7/50, 15/50: P=0.005). The combined incidence of hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas showed a significant positive dose-related trend (P=0.004) and was statistically significant in the high-dose group (16/50, 19/50, 29/50: P=0.008). In female mice, hepatocellular carcinomas exhibited a significant positive dose-related trend (P=0.025), but no single dose group had a statistically significant increased incidence of either adenomas (4/50, 4/50, 9/50; high-dose effect: P=0.12) or carcinomas (2/50, 2/50, 7/50; high-dose effect: P=0.08) alone. When the incidences of hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas were combined (6/50, 6/50, 16/50), these data gave a positive dose-related trend (P=0.004) and were statistically significant in the high-dose group (P=0.014). Under the conditions of this bioassay, 2,6-dichloro-p-phenylenediamine was carcinogenic for male and female B6C3F1 mice, causing increased incidences of combined hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas, and for male B6C3F1 mice, causing an increased incidence of hepatocellular adenomas alone. 2,6-Dichloro-p-phenylenediamine was not carcinogenic for male or female F344 rats. Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenicity: Male Rats: Negative Female Rats: Negative Male Mice: Positive Female Mice: Positive


A collapsible portable stand, comprising a mast and a foldable support legs to the housing, to form a single integrated unit which may be provided to storage and stabilizing apparatus mounted on the supporting mast. Such a mast foot and operable connected to the housing, and preferably having a length extending. Such a mast foot and connected to the housing through a hinge, and which may allow the foot of the mast to rotate relative to the housing. The housing preferably has wheels and a handle can be extended, and at the foot of the mast when such folding can facilitate conveyance into the housing. Internal storage housing having a movable lid, the actuating means may comprise a storage housing in the interior of the storage and / or connecting member. Specific examples include alternative embodiment portable stand larger, having a component outside the housing and / or independently of the housing.


Hysteresis-induced drift is a major issue in the detection of force induced during grinding and cutting operations. In this paper, we propose an external force estimation method based on the Mel spectrogram of the force obtained from a force sensor. We focus on the frequent strong correlation between the vibration frequency and the external force in operations with periodic vibrations. The frequency information is found to be more effective for an accurate force estimation than the amplitude in cases with large noise caused by vibration. We experimentally demonstrate that the force estimation method that combines the Mel spectrogram with a neural network is robust against drift.


MMP (mixed-member proportional representation) in 1993 would have been interesting. The authors note that there is 'little evidence' (p. 78) that the new system lived up to expectations, yet voters opted to retain the system in 2011. However, these are minor criticisms, and overall this book is an impressive account of electoral reform and its limits, and is highly recommended to students of electoral politics and politicians looking to advocate reform in the future.


BACKGROUND
This study evaluates implant-borne prosthetic rehabilitation of 10 totally edentulous atrophic maxillae after bone reconstruction with a titanium-mesh technique and particulate bone graft.

METHODS
Ten atrophic maxillae were reconstructed with 19 titanium meshes and particulate autologous-heterologous bone. Maxillae were rehabilitated at least 5 months, with placement of 67 implants connected to the prostheses after an additional 4 months of rehabilitation. Cases were evaluated retrospectively in terms of complication rates, particularly on the amount of mesh exposure, implant survival, and success rates at the end of follow-up.

RESULTS
In seven cases, two meshes were prematurely exposed (within 4 to 6 weeks), and five were exposed later (after 4 to 6 weeks). Only two of the later exposures extended >1 cm(2). Nevertheless, reconstructions allowed implant placement and prosthetic rehabilitation in all cases. Two implants were lost before loading. After mean follow-up at 39.3 (20 to 56) months since prosthetic loading, all 65 implants were functional (100% implant survival), but 15 implants demonstrated a peri-implant mean bone resorption of 2.96 mm increased bone loss, yielding a cumulative implant success rate of 76.9%. No prosthetic problem was observed.

CONCLUSIONS
Use of titanium mesh with particulate bone can be considered a valid option in reconstructing atrophic maxillae to allow for implant-borne prosthetic rehabilitation. A high level of dehiscence did not compromise final outcome.


The reaction between liquid mercury and Ag3Sn was studied at room temperature using a new type of specimen; i.e. bulk Ag3Sn electroplated with mercury. The surface morphology of the specimen and the phases formed on the Ag3Sn substrate were investigated by various techniques including optical microscopy, electron (scanning) microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, and electron diffraction. It was found that the mode of formation and type of crystalline phase appearing on the Ag3Sn specimen depended on the amount of mercury available. When the amount of mercury exceeded a certain quantity (about 1 mg/cm2) only the gamma1 and gamma2 phases were formed. On the other hand, when the amount of mercury was reduced below a certain low value (less than 0.3 mg/cm2), another silver-mercury phase, beta1, formed as tiny "liquid-like" drops. The experimental technique employed in the present investigation has proved to be an excellent method for studying the reaction between liquid mercury and metal specimens. This new procedure may be employed to evaluate the amalgamation ability of potential new alloy systems.


We rely on accurate and relatively simple models of the magnetic recording process so that signal processing algorithms that operate with different system parameters can be compared fairly. The microtrack model of thin-film recording, posed by researchers to mimic the random, zig-zag transition boundaries, satisfies our requirements for an accurate and simple model. This paper summarizes analysis of the microtrack model done by Caroselli and Wolf (1995, 96) and presents additional results including simulations of detectors. Parallels are drawn between the microtrack model and other models including a stationary additive noise model, a model of partial erasure, and a model of transition jitter, amplitude reduction, and pulse width jitter. The parameters used by the microtrack model can be derived from physical media; we derive parameters for these other models from those of the microtrack model.


Problem questions of borrowing criminal law concepts of environmental are considered. Requirements to consolidate these concepts in terms of criminal law are determined.


Introduction By quantifying the measurement uncertainty (MU), both the laboratory and the physician can have an objective estimate of the results' quality. There is significant flexibility on how to determine the MU in laboratory medicine and different approaches have been proposed by Nordtest, Eurolab and Cofrac to obtain the data and apply them in formulas. The purpose of this study is to compare three different top-down approaches for the estimation of the MU and to suggest which of these approaches could be the most suitable choice for routine use in clinical laboratories. Materials and methods Imprecision and bias of the methods were considered as components of the MU. The bias was obtained from certified reference calibrators (CRC), proficiency tests (PT), and inter-laboratory internal quality control scheme (IQCS) programs. The bias uncertainty, the combined and the expanded uncertainty were estimated using the Nordtest, Eurolab and Cofrac approaches. Results Using different approaches, the expanded uncertainty estimates ranged from 18.9-40.4%, 18.2-22.8%, 9.3-20.9%, and 7.1-18.6% for cancer antigen (CA) 19-9, testosterone, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and creatinine, respectively. Permissible values for MU and total error ranged from 16.0-46.1%, 13.1-21.6%, 10.7-26.2%, and 7.5-17.3%, respectively. Conclusion The bias was highest using PT, followed by CRC and IQCS data, which were similar. The Cofrac approach showed the highest uncertainties, followed by Eurolab and Nordtest. However, the Eurolab approach requires additional measurements to obtain uncertainty data. In summary, the Nordtest approach using IQCS data was therefore found to be the most practical formula.


This document introduces a class of linear codes, derived from Random Linear Codes (RLC), mixing binary and non binary coefficients, as well as a particular structure. The goal is to define highly efficient erasure codes to be used in both sliding/elastic encoding window mode and block code mode.


It is predicted from a simple analytic theory of quantum transport, coupled to the mean-field theory for dilute magnetic semiconductor ferromagnetism, that a resonant-tunneling diode with a ferromagnetic semiconductor well can be engineered to function as a two-level magnetic switch with a large magnetization swing controlled by the applied bias across the device. Self-consistent transport and electrostatics simulations, together with the aforementioned mean-field theory, are used to illustrate a single, sharp transition of the Curie temperature of the system from its equilibrium value to nearly zero for a suitable choice of device parameters.


This paper presents a new method for calculating the folding-unfolding rates of globular proteins. The method is based on solution of kinetic equations for a network of folding-unfolding pathways of the proteins. The rates are calculated in the point of thermodynamic equilibrium between the native and completely unfolded states. The method has been applied to all the proteins listed by Jackson [Jackson, S. E. (1998) Folding Des. 3, R81-R91] and some peptides. Although the studied protein chains differ by more than 1 order of magnitude in size and exhibit two- as well as three-state kinetics in water, and their folding rates cover more than 11 orders of magnitude, the theoretical estimates are reasonable close to the experimentally measured folding rates in midtransition (the correlation coefficient being as high as 0.78). This means that the presented theory (having no adjustable parameters at all) is consistent with the experimental observations.


BACKGROUND: Management of spleen injuries has undergone evolution over the past few decades. OBJECTIVE: To assess the challenges of managing splenic injuries in Nigeria. METHODS: The medical records of all adult trauma patients with documented injury of the spleen over a two-year period (2006-2008) were reviewed. Data collected included patient demographics, mechanism of injur y, injur y-arrival time, Revised Trauma Score, abdominocente sis, abdominal ultrasound and CT findings. Treatment received, outcome and length of hospital stay were also documented. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were managed for splenic injuries during the period under review. These consisted of 21 (91.3%) males and two (8.7%) females. The age range was 16–58 years (mean of 29.6±12.2 years). The mechanism of injury was blunt in 21 cases and penetrating in two cases with motor vehicle accident being the most common cause of injury. The mean injury-arrival time was 25.2±26.5 hours. Eight patients successfully underwent non-operative management, while 15 had operative intervention. Splenectomy was the most frequently performed procedure. Challenges identified in the management of patients with splenic injuries in Nigeria include delayed presentation, underutilization of CT, unavailability of interventional radiology, inadequate ICUs, limited vaccination, discharge against medical advice and poor follow up. CONCLUSION: Non-operative management of injuries to the spleen in adults appears promising. The challenges identified need to be addressed in order to deliver optimal care for the victims of spleen trauma. WAJM 2009; 28(5): 308–312.


Growth and multiplication of three algae, Isochrysis galbana, Tetraselmis chiiii and Nitzschia dosteritim, belonging to three different algal classes, was studied in the laboratory, using four culture media. The algae yielding different differential growth rates in the media, the experiment proved that no available culture medium is uniformly effective in all the cases, unless supplemented with either trace elements or vitamins, according to the specific requirement of the alga.


Active efflux of antibiotics mediated by multidrug transporters is a mechanistic basis of multidrug resistance in bacteria. The most versatile multidrug transporters are those found in Gram-negative bacteria. They have a high level of constitutive expression and provide an immediate response to structurally diverse antimicrobial agents including clinically important antibiotics. The versatility and efficiency of multidrug transporters in Gram-negative bacteria heavily depend on coupling of drug efflux with the transport across the outer membrane. The coupling is achieved through the assembly of multi-component protein complexes that span both the inner and the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. In this review we discuss the mechanistic and structural features of multidrug efflux complexes with the major focus on the tight coupling of drug efflux with transport across the outer membrane.


The Liverpool Interview Protocol (LIP) is a brief memory facilitation procedure designed for use in forensic investigative interviews. However, as the LIP techniques were derived from hypnotic investigative interviewing techniques, concern has been expressed by some senior
police officers about a possible negative association with hypnosis. The aim of the present study was to address this concern by investigating not only the accuracy of the LIP in facilitating memory but whether witnesses receiving the LIP judged themselves, and observers judged the witnesses, to be hypnotized using the Long Stanford Scale of Hypnotic Depth. The results showed that the LIP increased correct memory for details of a crime incident, without increasing errors or inflating confidence, whilst being no more associated by witnesses or observers with the label of 'hypnosis' than a standard interview or a rapport condition. It is concluded that a negative association with hypnosis does not appear to be a particular issue with the LIP. It is also noted that the Cognitive Interview has yet to receive similar scrutiny.


In recent years, the fine arts, architecture, music and literature have increasingly been examined from the vantage point of human ethology and evolutionary psychology. In 2011 the authors formed the research group 'Ethology of the Arts' concentrating on the evolution and biology of perception and behaviour. These novel approaches aim at a better understanding of the various facets represented by the arts by taking into focus possible phylogenetic adaptations, which have shaped the artistic capacities of our ancestors. Rather than culture specificity, which is stressed e.g. by cultural anthropology and numerous other disciplines, universal human tendencies to perceive, feel, think and behave are postulated. Artistic expressive behaviour is understood as an integral part of the human condition, whether expressed in ritual, visual, verbal or musical art. The Ethology of the Arts-group's research focuses on visual and verbal art, music and built environment/architecture and is designed to contribute to the incipient interdisciplinarity in the field of evolutionary art research.


A T4 lysozyme-coding DNA sequence of 495 bp was chemically synthesized and cloned by ligation of 26 deoxyribooligonucleotide fragments in two steps with a linearized plasmid followed by transformation. On selection by colony hybridization and DNA sequence analysis, clone pTLY.10 was identified to contain a complete T4 lysozyme synthetic DNA. On expression under lac-promoter, unfused T4 lysozyme was obtained in approximately 4-6% yield. The design and synthesis of two putative folding mutants, flexible (Gly-Gly-Gly) and rigid (Asn-Asp-Gly) at position 73-74-75, were based on hierarchical principles. Both mutants lost enzymatic activity of the wildtype. These results are readily understandable if the hierarchical organization of the structure is taken into account. A possible explanation is that the catalytic sites are blocked in both mutants.


Induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cell line by various retinoids was measured by cytofluorimetry and DNA fragmentation assay. Retinoids with marked or high selectivity for RAR alpha, RAR beta, RAR gamma or RXR alpha were tested. All these retinoids were capable of inducing apoptosis, in a dose- and time-dependent way. MCF-7 cell line expressed RAR alpha, RAR gamma and RXRs, but not RAR beta. Compared to untreated MCF-7 cells, after 2 days of incubation with each of the selective retinoids, a substantial increase in apoptotic cells was observed, even at the lowest concentration of 10(-8) M. Among the various analysed selective retinoids only slight differences were observed. All-trans retinoic acid and 13-cis retinoic acid induced apoptosis only after 6 days and 9-cis-retinoic acid after 4 days of incubation. Since all receptor selective retinoids substantially inducedapoptosis, it may be concluded that RAR alpha, RAR gamma and RXR alpha are able to mediate programmed cell death in the tested tumor cell line. Highly selective retinoid receptor agonists and antagonists may be useful for clarifying the function of retinoid receptors and for further progress in the field of cancer prevention and therapy by retinoids.


Grid technology enables to share and use of various heterogeneous resources. However, it is very difficult to satisfy user requirements and benefits of resource providers. This paper proposes an ontology-based resource management model (ORMM). The model builds an ontology of ORMM for computational grid. As using the ontology and the inference based on some rules, we can reflect requirements of resource users, conclude more transactions, and reduce resting resources. To evaluate performances, the number of transactions, transaction period, and cumulative profits are measured. In experiments, ORMM increases about 32% of greater transactions, reduces about 40% of transaction period. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model can improve the efficiency of resource management in the computational grid environment.


ABSTRACT Immunomodulation by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is potentially important for maintaining peripheral tolerance. Preeclampsia may be due to maternal immune rejection of the genetically foreign fetus. This study aimed to investigate the biological function of human umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells (HU-MSCs) for the treatment of angiotensin receptor agonistic autoantibody (AT1-AA)-induced hypertension during pregnancy. HU-MSCs were isolated, cultured, and labeled in vitro. AT1-AA and HU-MSCs were administered to pregnant rats. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)–positive HU-MSCs infused in vivo were identified by immunofluorescence. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was evaluated. The effects of HU-MSCs on fetal weight, kidney burden, and spiral artery remodeling, as well as on the expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 10 (IL-10), and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), were investigated. The SBP levels in the HU-MSC-treated pregnant hypertension rats decreased by gestational day 19. The reduction in fetal weight was largely ameliorated after HU-MSC treatment. Lesion burden in the kidney was attenuated and spiral artery remodeling was improved in HU-MSC-treated pregnant hypertension rats. However, green fluorescent protein (GFP)–labeled cells were sparingly observed in the kidney and placenta. Intravenous infusion of HU-MSCs into AT1-AA-induced rats significantly downregulated serum TNF-α levels and upregulated IL-10 levels, concomitant with increased placenta and mesometrial triangle (MT) HO-1 expression. Taken together, intravenous infusion of HU-MSCs ameliorates AT1-AA-induced pregnancy hypertension, intrauterine growth retardation, kidney impairment, and spiral artery remodeling impairment. Moreover, the potential benefits of HU-MSCs may be attributable to both an interference with the pathogenic immune response and a paracrine cytoprotective action.


Extracellular cathepsin D has been observed by various cytochemical methods at sites of tissue injury. However, the role of this enzyme in connective tissue matrix degradation is uncertain because there are no histochemical methods for determining whether or not the cathepsin D is active at such sites in living tissues. We considered that the combined use of a labelled tight-binding inhibitor with immunoprecipitation of the enzymes might overcome this problem. We have explored the application of derivatives of the inhibitor pepstatin, as only active cathepsin D binds pepstatin tightly. A series of N-pepstatinyl-N'-dinitrophenyl-alpha, omega-diaminoalkanes were synthesized with alkyl-chain lengths of two, four and six carbon atoms. These compounds were tight-binding inhibitors of human cathepsin D. In fluorescence-quenching titrations the dinitrophenyl groups were also fully available to bind high-affinity anti-dinitrophenyl antibody. It was shown by immunodiffusion in gels and by gel permeation chromatography that N-pepstatinyl-N'-dinitrophenyl-1,6-diaminohexane was a bifunction inhibitor able to bind cathepsin D and anti-dinitrophenyl antibody at the same time.


Abstract Ab initio SCF calculations were performed in the unit cell environment, making use of the periodic behaviour to compute a wave-function for the bulk material. Electric field gradient (EFG) calculations were performed on the resulting wave-functions, and these are compared with experimental quadrupole coupling parameters. Examples of inorganic molecular and ionic crystals (nitrogen, chlorine and lithium nitride) and minerals or partially covalent lattice structures (alumina, petalite, α-quartz, boron oxide, boron nitride and sulphur nitride) are described. The effects of the basis set in these calculations are considered, and the limitations imposed by the nature of the calculation are described.


Those responsible for the education of nurses are well aware of the need to reconcile the art and science of nursing so that future practitioners can be prepared to offer a humanistic and professional service to society. One way to assist students in this integration is to provide them with opportunities for role modelling as a means of discovering the knowledge embedded in clinical practice. A study of first-year undergraduate students undertaking a course which provides such opportunities in a number of practice settings was carried out to determine whether the observation of clinical role models does lead to knowledge discovery. The study, which used a grounded theory approach, indicated that the major aspect of nursing uncovered by the students through observation of clinical role models was that of provision of direct care. They articulated their values in relation to 'good' and 'bad' care and identified those attributes of nurses which they considered contributed to these care positions. In addition, they were able to recognize creativity and flexibility in practitioners and to relate these attributes to the ability to provide individualized, context-specific care. There was some uncovering of aspects of the nurse's role in maintaining their own professional competence, socializing neophytes into the profession and collaborating with the members of the multi-disciplinary health care team.


A 22-year-old hairdresser developed eczema localized to the back of the second and third fingers of her right hand. She was patch tested (Leukotest, Beiersdorf) with the European Standard and hairdressing tray (Trolle-Lassen), and with several products she handled in her job. At 72 h there was a + + reaction to nickel. She told us that when doing permanent waving, she held clips with the first three fingers of her right hand in such a way that permanent wave liquid drained between the second and third fingers where eczema lesions were seen. Irritant contact dermatitis by permanent wave liquid could be a possibility. However, with a little modification of the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) stick test (Shore & Binnick 1977), we could show release of nickel from the clips by the permanent wave liquid. A cotton tipped applicator was dipped in permanent wave liquid and rubbed against the clip. Then a few drops of DMG 1 % in alcohol were added and a characteristic rose color appeared in the cotton tip. Recently, Dahlquist et a!. (1979) demonstrated by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry that nickel was released in considerable amounts when nickel-plated utensils were soaked in permanent wave liquids. With a simpler method, we could prove that our patient's eczema was almost certainly nickel related.


This paper presents a real-time battery management unit designed by applying the Coulomb counting method and intended for use in an integrated renewable energy system for PV-Hybrid power supply. Battery management is required to stabilize hybrid systems and extend battery lifetimes. The battery management unit is divided into three main stages. First, analysis of the basic components of the battery type used in the system is considered. Second, the State of charge (SOC) estimation method and the deterioration factor of the battery are analyzed. Finally, the overall battery management system, including a computer-based measurement and control unit, is constructed. The control system displays real-time information through LabVIEW 8.5 by estimating the state of charge through various measurements. The system will issue alerts when malfunctions are detected, and the operator can analyze and react to the system in real-time to stabilize the system and extend the battery lifetime.


The temperature dependence of the efficiency of oxidative refolding was examined for hen lysozyme three-disulfide derivatives produced in Escherichia coli. Each derivative was designed to lack one of the four disulfide bridges in authentic lysozyme: delta 1 (Cys6-->Ser, Cys127-->Ser), delta 2 (Cys30-->Ser, Cys115-->Ser), delta 3 (Cys64-->Ser, Cys80-->Ser), delta 4 (Cys76-->Ser, Cys94-->Ser), delta 2Ala (Cys30-->Ala, Cys115-->Ala), and delta 4Ala (Cys76-->Ala, Cys94-->Ala). The optimal refolding temperature was lowest for delta 1 (19 degrees C) and highest for delta 4Ala (30 degrees C). The chromatographically purified, completely refolded three-disulfide species were not stable above the optimal refolding temperature in the presence of glutathione. The stability of each of them was determined from the far-UV CD thermal denaturation measurement at pH 3.9 in the absence of glutathione, where the denaturation was reversible. The transition temperature was lowest for delta 1 and highest for delta 4Ala. Precise values of difference in the transition temperature among the three-disulfide derivatives were found to correlate with those in the optimal refolding temperature. Next, the effect of glycerol, which has been shown to increase the refolding efficiency [Sawano et al. (1992) FEBS Lett. 303, 11-14], was examined for delta 1 in detail. The optimal temperature for refolding increased by 3-4 degrees C with the increase in glycerol concentration by 10%. The amount of increase in the optimal refolding temperature was nearly equal to the amount of the increase in thermal stability in the presence of glycerol of refolded and purified delta 1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The results of treatment of echinococcosis of the left hepatic lobe in 15 patients have been analysed. Resection of the left hepatic lobe is considered an operation of choice in presence of a large cyst.


ABSTRACT We investigate the mean first passage time of an active Brownian particle in one dimension using numerical simulations. The activity in one dimension is modelled as a two state model; the particle moves with a constant propulsion strength but its orientation switches from one state to other as in a random telegraphic process. We study the influence of a finite resetting rate r on the mean first passage time to a fixed target of a single free active Brownian particle and map this result using an effective diffusion process. As in the case of a passive Brownian particle, we can find an optimal resetting rate r* for an active Brownian particle for which the target is found with the minimum average time. In the case of the presence of an external potential, we find good agreement between the theory and numerical simulations using an effective potential approach.


Colocasia esculenta (C. esculenta) is said to be widely cultivated plant species of Araceae family, used for consumption as food and also used in medicine. of both leaves and tubers. Commonly called as Taro, and contains a vast range of bioactive compounds like flavanoids, terpenoids and alkaloids. Corms of this plant is said to processes pharmacological activities to treat several diseases. The present study is aimed to study the possible immunomodulatory and apoptotic potential of this sample to treat and cure against the
Mycobacteria species. The corms dried and extracted with methanol, hexane, acetone and dichloromethane and used to study the antimycobacterial activity by MIC activity and total activity. Its potent antiinflammatory activity was studied by the cytokine assay targeting the IL-6, TNF and Il-10 and apoptotic inducing potential by Annexin assay. The methanol extract showed maximum MIC values as compared to the positive control rifampicin. In accordance to the above result, methanol extract also showed an inducing apoptotic potential of 73±0.92 at 290μg/ml (Rifampicin 89±2.12). Methanol extract also significantly reduced the IL-6 and TNF levels to 11.23 ± 0.23pg/ml and 9.29± 0.41 respectively at 290μg/ml. It also enhanced the levels of IL-10 from 12.11± 0.71 (0.29μg/ml) to
48.76± 0.81 (290μg/ml); P < 0. 005.The present study confirmed the positive effect of the methanol extract as immunomodulatory and antiinflamatory by showing an inhibition in the expression of IL-6 and TNF. Thus in conclusion C.esculenta could be used as the best antiinflammatory candidate and immunomodulatory supplement due to its containing many bioactive compounds.


The adaptation to chronic illness framework, an elaboration of the Roy adaptation model for chronic illness, provided direction for a program of nursing research. The purposes of investigations within the program were (a) to identify predictors of adaptation to chronic illnesses and (b) to determine whether the relationships between the variables differed by diagnostic group. A total of 597 adults, representing various chronic illness groups, participated in longitudinal studies during a seven-year period. Health-related hardiness and engagement in health promotion activities consistently predicted both physiological and psychosocial adaptation in all chronic illness groups. In addition, the individual's perception of the degree of disability caused by the illness was related to psychosocial functioning. Comparison of adaptive responses between the groups revealed significant differences in physiological adaptation but no significant differences in psychosocial adaptation. Results clarify relationships posited using the theoretical framework and support the value of using nursing models to guide nursing research.


Style of Text The President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo . The purpose of this study, is to describe the type of language style based on the structure of sentences and the direct meaning of meaning by using the theory of Gorys Keraf language style. This research uses a qualitative descriptive method. The data in this study are the text of the speech of the President's Elected Joko Widodo victory. Data sources in this study, namely the online news Tribunnews.com Sunday edition, July 14, 2019. The results of this study are: (1) Joko Widodo is more likely to use the climax language style. Other findings of language style, anticlimax, parallelism, antithesis, and repetition; (2) Joko Widodo also uses the style of asindeton and polindeton. The language style that is found is hyperbolic.


An existing mechanistic model for prediction of the hydrodynamic flow behavior in a Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC) separator has been enhanced. The main enhancement incorporated is a flow pattern dependent nozzle analysis for the GLCC inlet for the prediction of the gas and liquid tangential velocities at the GLCC entrance. A state-ofthe-art computer simulator, with appropriate graphical user interface, has been developed based on the enhanced model. The code, in an Excel-Visual Basic platform, can be used as a design tool. Four typical field GLCC systems have been designed for actual industrial applications. These include multiphase metering loop with both single-phase and multiphase flow meters, and pre-separation and full separation configurations. The field applications demonstrate the GLCC capabilities and its potential impact in the petroleum industry.


To document the scope of recent trends in performing pretrial mental health evaluations, telephone interviews were conducted with 157 authorities in 50 states and the District of Columbia. These authorities included forensic mental health program directors and forensic clinical professionals. In all states, evaluations were made on an outpatient basis to some extent, and 45 states used inpatient evaluations. However, only ten states relied primarily on inpatient pretrial evaluations, generally in facilities with statewide catchment areas. A total of 32 states relied primarily on outpatient evaluations, generally conducted by providers with regional or local catchment areas.


Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a heterogeneous group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders that occurs in autosomal dominant manner. The disease shares the similar molecular mechanism as other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease in which mutant protein form due to defective/ mutant DNA, these proteins accumulate inside neuronal cells and cause Neurodegeneration. The disorders affect mainly cerebellar regions, cerebellar connections, and its associated pathways in addition to other brain regions. The general characteristics of SCAs are cognitive impairment, depression, and motor deficits. The most prominent symptom observed in SCAs patients is ataxia with other varying non-ataxia symptoms in the majority of phenotypes. The modern classification strategies of the disorder is based upon expanding genotype. Due to overlap in clinical manifestation of many SCAs types, Genetic test, and various screening tools, for instance, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Electromyography used to confirm the accumulation of mutant protein and aberrant neuronal mechanism responsible for the causation of particular phenotype. Nucleotides repeat expansion which is the basis of genetic disorder of SCAs can be determine by sequencing procedure. Similarly, techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis with other molecular techniques and appliances used for the screening of patients in large number. The aim of this study was to explore the methods available for the screening of SCAs which form the basis of differential genetic diagnosis and list all the distinguishable clinical features and treatments available for SCAs.


The paper attempts to explore the aspect system in Mugali Rai, spoken in Dhankuta district of Nepal by a very few people firstly and compares and contrasts Mugali Rai aspect system with that of English aspect system secondly. There are only two aspects in Mugali Rai, namely perfect and progressive. Perfect aspect can be categorised into past perfect and present perfect in terms of time dimensions. Similarly, progressive aspect is also categorised into past progressive and present progressive from time dimensions. All types of aspects in Mugali Rai are morphologicall marked. On the contrary, aspect system in English is not only morphologicall marked. There are several complex construction using have+past participle, be+present participle and have+been+present participle for perfect, progressive and perfect progressive respectively. Mugali Rai has only four structures for aspect whereas English has 17 different types of aspectual strutures describe in examples 24 to 40. They are really challenging job for Mugali Rai learners to conceptualise these different structures. Finally, this paper finds out EFL problems and suggests some pedagogical strategies while teaching and learning English aspect system as a foreign langauge to Mugali Rai learners.


Surgical treatment of posteromedial talar dome lesions is frequently necessary for Berndt and Harty grade IV osteochondral defects and nondisplaced osteochondral fragments resistant to conservative modalities. When operative intervention is indicated, the approach and management can be complicated by the location and extent of the injury. The operative technique we advocate allows direct exposure of the lesion and minimizes damage to healthy articular cartilage and surrounding soft tissue. Use of a drill guide assists the surgeon in precisely placing a transmalleolar portal through the tibia for subchondral drilling of osteochondral defects when the lesions are inaccessible through traditional arthroscopic portals.


A natural serum autoantibody specific for the Thy-1 glycoprotein (anti–Thy-1 autoantibody [ATA]) is produced by B-1 cells that are positively selected by self-antigen. Here, using ATAμκ transgenic mice we show that cells with this B cell receptor are negatively selected during bone marrow (BM) development. In a Thy-1 null environment, BM ATA B cells progress to a normal follicular stage in spleen. However, in a self-antigen–positive environment, development is arrested at an immature stage in the spleen, concomitant with induction of CD5. Such cells are tolerant and short-lived, different from B-1. Nonetheless, ATA-positive selection was evident by self-antigen–dependent high serum ATA production, comprising ∼90% of serum immunoglobulin M in ATAμκ mice. Splenectomy did not eliminate ATA production and transfer of tolerant splenic B cells did not induce it. These findings demonstrate that B-1 positive selection, resulting in the production of natural serum ATA, arises independently from the major pathway of BM B cell development and selection.


Doctors often have difficulties in clinical diagnosis and clinical stage of thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO). Immunolesion was important in the initiation and progression of various kinds of vasculitis diseases, including TAO. Several kinds of immune complexes were developed by immunolesion, including anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA). Our aim was to determine if it is an effective way for clinical diagnosis and clinical stage of TAO by detection of the presence of ANCA and ACA in blood serum of patients with TAO and the relationship among the presence of ANCA, ACA and patients with different grades of TAO. Blood samples and clinical characteristics were collected from 38 patients with Rutherford grade I TAO, 30 patients with Rutherford grade II–III TAO, 75 patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) and 65 healthy volunteers. Their serum samples were investigated for ANCA by indirect immunofluorescent (IIF), and for ACA and ANCA specificity antigens including reactivity to proteinase 3(PR3), myeloperoxidase (MPO), cathepsin G (CG), bactericidal/permesbility-increasing protein (BPI), elastase (HLE) and lactoferrin (LF) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). (1) ANCA positive rate and titre were much higher in cases with Rutherford grade I TAO (52.6%, 20/38, 0.386 ± 0.458) and Rutherford grade II–III TAO (73.3%, 22/30, 0.847 ± 0.658) than those in cases with ASO (4%, 3/75, 0.011 ± 0.002) and healthy volunteers (0%,0/65, 0.010 ± 0.002) (P < 0.01). ANCA positive rate and titre were higher in cases with Rutherford grade II–III TAO (73.3%, 22/30, 0.847 ± 0.658) than those in cases with Rutherford grade I TAO (52.6%, 20/38, 0.386 ± 0.458) (P < 0.05). (2) ACA concentration was much higher in cases with Rutherford grade I TAO (270.13 ± 13.05 IU/mL) and Rutherford grade II–III TAO (279.33 ± 19.98 IU/mL) than that in cases with ASO (236.85 ± 17.32 IU/mL) and healthy volunteers (229.16 ± 15.55 IU/mL) (P < 0.05) respectively. (3) In 42 cases of ANCA-positive samples, there were 20 cases reacted with MPO, 14 cases reacted with LF, five cases reacted with HLE, five cases reacted with BPI and no one reacted with PR3 and CG. All cases were Rutherford grade II–III TAO. Our results indicate that ANCA, ANCA specificity antigens and ACA were detected susceptibly and availably in patients with TAO. Thus, detection of ANCA, ANCA specificity antigens and ACA was helpful for clinical diagnosis of TAO and detection of ANCA and ANCA specificity antigens was helpful for clinical staging of TAO. They are important assistance for clinical diagnosis and stage of TAO.


The present invention discloses a thin film transistor and a manufacturing method for the LCD. Forming the gate wiring extending in a first direction on a substrate having a display region and a buffer outside. A gate insulating film on the gate wiring and the substrate forming an active composition. Data wiring is formed extending in a vertical direction to a second direction on the first gate wiring. Formed on the data wirings and the gate insulating film and patterning the organic passivation film, so that it extends to the edge of the through-hole is formed to be inclined smaller and smaller. The organic passivation film as a mask, etching the gate insulating film, forming a first through hole and the wiring exposure data revealed a second gate wiring through hole. Removing recess below the organic passivation film is patterned. A buffer connected to the gate electrode wiring through the first through hole connecting the pixel electrode and the data wiring via the second through-hole is patterned on the organic passivation film. The gate insulating film at the bottom edge of the second through-hole projecting inwardly relative to the organic passivation film is patterned.


The early noninvasive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease targeted β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques or Tau tangles is a major challenge because of the coshared β-sheet structure of the target. In contrast to tailoring probes to specific amyloids, here, we showed that near-infrared (NIR) environment-sensitive probe 18 could fluorescently discriminate Aβ and Tau from artificial aggregates to pathological change in the brain tissue. The biological evaluation demonstrated that the substantial fluorescence enhancement, large blueshift in the emission upon interactions with the aggregates, and the high binding affinity significantly contributed to the fluorescent discrimination. A simplified Ooshika-Lippert-Mataga equation provided an effective means of correlating 18 with the static relative permittivity (ε0) of proteins, elucidating the origin of the distinction capabilities, and quantitatively estimating the dielectric properties of proteins. Moreover, 18 possessed high bioavailability, including sufficient blood-brain barrier penetration, in vivo NIR imaging, and ex vivo histology in living mice.


We have studied the electron-transfer photochromism of the crystalline adducts of 4,4′-bipyridine (Bpy) and carboxylic acids and revealed the key structural parameters that decide whether the photochromism can happen for the first time. Experimental and theoretical analyses on nine known examples showed that the hydrogen bonds, instead of π–π stacking interactions, are the defining factor to the photochromism. Only the presence of N–H···O hydrogen bonds can fulfill the electron transfer from the carboxylate group to the Bpy part, although both the N···O separations of O–H···N and N–H···O hydrogen bonds are suitable for the so-called through-space electron transfer. These results can not only help to screen out the photochromic species from the known hundreds of Bpy–carboxylic acid adducts deposited in the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) database but also guide the design and syntheses of new adducts using diverse N-heterocyclic aromatic molecules and carboxylic acids.