Several complex mechanisms contribute to the maintenance of the intricate ramified morphology of glomerular podocytes and to interactions with neighboring cells and the underlying basement membrane. Recently, components of small molecule transporter families have been found in the podocyte membrane, but expression and function of membrane transporters in podocytes is largely unexplored. To investigate this complex field of investigation, we used two molecules which are known substrates of membrane transporters, namely Penicillin G and Puromycin Aminonucleoside (PA). We observed that Penicillin G pre-administration prevented both in vitro and in vivo podocyte damage caused by PA, suggesting the engagement of the same membrane transporters by the two molecules. Indeed, we found that podocytes express a series of transporters which are known to be used by Penicillin G, such as members of the Organic Anion Transporter Polypeptides (OATP/Oatp) family of influx transporters, and P-glycoprotein, a member of the MultiDrug Resistance (MDR) efflux transporter family. Expression of OATP/Oatp transporters was modified by PA treatment. Similarly, in vitro PA treatment increased mRNA and protein expression of P-glycoprotein, as well as its activity, confirming the engagement of the molecule upon PA administration. In summary, we have characterized some of the small molecule transporters present at the podocyte membrane, focusing on those used by PA to enter and exit the cell. Further investigation will be needed to understand precisely the role of these transporter families in maintaining podocyte homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of podocyte injury.


REVERIE (REal and Virtual Engagement in Realistic Immersive Environments [1]) targets novel research to address the demanding challenges involved with developing state-of-the-art technologies for online human interaction. The REVERIE framework enables users to meet, socialise and share experiences online by integrating cutting-edge technologies for 3D data acquisition and processing, networking, autonomy and real-time rendering. In this paper, we describe the innovative research that is showcased through the REVERIE integrated framework through richly defined use-cases which demonstrate the validity and potential for natural interaction in a virtual immersive and safe environment. Previews of the REVERIE demo and its key research components can be viewed at www.youtube.com/user/REVERIEFP7.


The recently developed single-molecule pulldown (SiMPull) assay by Jain and colleagues is a highly innovative technique but its wide application is hindered by the high technical barrier and time consumption. We report an innovative, agarose microbead-based approach for SiMPull. We used commercially available, pre-surface-functionalized agarose microbeads to capture the protein of interest together with its binding partners specifically from cell extracts and observed these interactions under a microscope at the single-molecule level. Relative to the original method, microbead-based SiMPull is considerably faster, easier to use, and more reproducible and yet provides similar sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio; specifically, with the new method, sample-preparation time is substantially decreased (from ∼10 to ∼3 h). These crucial features should facilitate wide application of powerful and versatile SiMPull in common biological and clinical laboratories. Notably, by exploiting the simplicity and ultrahigh sensitivity of microbead-based SiMPull, we used this method in the study of rare auditory hair cells for the first time.


This work aimed to analyze the differences in the image of the city of A Coruna (Spain), among people with less than a year living in the city, and those who took more than a year living in it. To this end, the questionnaire used by Boira (1992), with some modifications, was applied to a sample of 130 students from the Faculty of Education of the city. The Hercules Tower and the Pontevedra Square are representative elements for all of them. However, when participants with less stay in the city had to cite the first five things they remembered from the city, noted in a higher percentage beaches Riazor and Orzan than the Hercules Tower. Only in this group, one of the five places spontaneously remembered more often is the Marineda City shopping center.


The concrete–representational–abstract (CRA) sequence of instruction is an explicit methodology for teaching mathematics using multiple representations of concepts. Learning concepts through multiple representations fosters conceptual understanding and mathematical thinking. This article describes how a special education teacher used explicit CRA instruction with two elementary students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Its aims are to describe and provide a rationale for explicit CRA instruction. We describe lesson activities, methods, materials, and procedures. Finally, we offer suggestions for effective implementation.


This article explores Abbas Kiarostami's 1996 film Ta'm e guilass/Taste of Cherry and the critical responses it has received as arguably the most problematic of the director's films for dominant Western, particularly Anglophone, accounts of his cinema. It starts by framing the very particular challenges brought about by Kiaostami's filmic innovations. The central sections of the article then develop a focused analysis of Taste of Cherry , in particular the crucial and rarely addressed construction-site sequence at the heart of the film, homing in on its stretched and lacunae-enforcing temporality. Finally I address the much-discussed ending with reference to prominent critical readings, before offering an alternative description and emphasis that stresses the particular way the movement from 35-milemetre celluloid through blackness then into degraded analogue video violently affects our experience of an already, if thus far subtly, reflexive film. While critical responses have at times briefly approached the kind of analysis offeredhere, the qualities emphasized ahead are most often submerged or even ultimately disavowed in prominent readings of the film as offering a hopeful, religious, or utopian vision of social-political reconciliation and/or cinema's redemptive power. Rather than humanist, spiritualist, or merely formalist, this article offers Taste of Cherry as one of the most subtly and confronting negativity-engaging films that the last few decades of world cinema has produced.


This paper deals with hardware sensorization and control architectures for nautical applications. The goal is design a sensorization and control network for a new underwater autonomous vehicle (AUV). One of the main objectives is to obtain a network architecture which makes easy the integration of existing marine equipment, sonar, radar, etc. and also makes easy the adaptability to other marine environments.


Developmental Co-ordination Disorder will have an impact in the gross motor, and the fine motor co-ordination of daily living activities of children and the academic performance of children with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder is low due to handwriting difficulty. There are also deficits in reading skills, working memory skills and mathematical skills. There may be problems associated with psychosocial aspects in relationship with peers and socialisation, low self-esteem, anxiety and low mood. The DCD prevalence in the United States is 5-8%, 5.6% in Egypt, 5.7% in Greek and 1.8% in the United Kingdom and 5.9% in Canada, 30% in Brazil and India it is found to be 1.6% in West India, 21.6% in Karnataka. In Tamil Nadu at Kattupakkam, it was found to be 3.22%, and Kattankulathur had 1.37%. Since there is no evidence of DCD prevalence in Primary schools at Tamil Nadu, the current study aims at finding the prevalence of DCD among primary school children at Kancheepuram. This Survey, with a cross-sectional study, was initiated. Two hundred children participated in the study. The Developmental Co-ordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) was used to identify DCD in primary school children at Kancheepuram. Seventy children were identified as DCD, and it revealed that the prevalence rate was 120.20 in 1000 children. The prevalence estimate was high in boys than in girls. There is a prevailing estimate of 120.20 in 1000 children of Developmental co-ordination disorder between the age group of 5 and 11 years exists among primary schools at Kancheepuram. The study concluded the need for early identification and intervention to promote awareness among parents and teachers in a school setting about developmental co-ordination disorder.


AIM: To study clinical and epidemiological parameters of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and to follow them up for understanding the outcomes of the procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective data analysis of 862 patients who underwent PCI from January 2016 to November 2017 RESULTS: Out of 862 patients, 611 (70.88%) were male & 251 (29.12%) were female, with the mean age being 55. 243 (28.19%) were diabetic, 470 (54.52%) were hypertensive, 158 (18.32%) patients were tobacco chewer, 215 (24.92%) were smokers and 111 (12.87%) were alcoholic. 636 (73.78%) patients had STEMI, 153 (17.74%) had NSTE-ACS, 61 (7.07%) had CSA.578 (67.05%) were SVD, 262 (30.39%) were DVD and 19 (2.20%) were TVD. Out of SVD, 350 (60.55%) patients had LAD involvement and among DVD patients, LAD and RCA were most commonly involved in 107 (40.83%) patients. On follow-up of mean 604.42 days (minimum 236 days, maximum 909 days), 2 (0.23%) episodes of subacute stent thrombosis occurred and 11 (1.27%) patients had ISR but no mortality was reported. CONCLUSION: The study shows affection of young population predominately and genders inequality, suggesting primarily male disease. PCI is often sought in ACS and CSA is predominately treated medically. Thrombolysis remains the first treatment received by STEMI patients. SVD is the most common angiographic diagnosis with LAD predominately affected vessel. This real world-data on clopidogrel with aspirin as dual antiplatelet therapy and second-generation stent shows negligible event of stent thrombosis and ISR. LIMITATION: Due to non-invasive follow-up, the exact amount of stent restenosis cannot be calculated. IMPACT ON DAILY PRACTICE: This real world-data on clopidogrel with aspirin as dual antiplatelet therapy and second-generation stent shows negligible event of stent thrombosis and ISR. This can help reduce the cost burden on society and help better distribution of health budget.


Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Bunion Introduction/Purpose: Subjective radiographic findings are commonly used in Hallux Valgus (HV) to dictate deformity aspects and surgical treatment. Head roundness, distal metatarsal metaphyseal angle (DMMA) and sesamoid positioning are being employed as predictors of ray pronation, intrinsic deformities, and soft tissue imbalance despite the lack of these observations' reliability. Estimation of first metatarsal rotation based on different head shapes has been proposed, including classifications for its severity. The objective of this study was to demonstrate if first metatarsal rotation measured by the alpha angle in weight-bearing computerized tomography (WBCT) images correlates with its head shape. We hypothesized that alpha angle values would not reliably reflect an indirect classification for rotation, and other variables would contribute to miscalculation. Methods: In this IRB-approved, case-control retrospective study, we analyzed 26 hallux valgus feet (19 patients) and 20 control feet (16 patients) through conventional radiographs (XR) and WBCT images. Two blinded fellowship-trained orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon performed the measurements. Head format, roundness classifications (0, 1, 2 or 3), head plantar surface diameter, hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA), DDMA, sesamoid station, sesamoid rotation, sesamoid arthritis, and metatarsal rotation (alpha angle) were evaluated. Interclass Correlations Coefficients (ICC) were performed for interrater reliability. Normative data were analyzed by ANOVA and comparison among groups and methods by Student's T-test. A multivariate regression analysis was executed to evaluate which of the measurements influenced the rotation classification and a partition prediction model constructed to find how the variables contributed to the grading system. Statistical significancy was considered for p-values of less than 0.05. Results: All ICCs were found above 0.80 within both XR and WBCT readings. HV patients and controls were analogous regarding age and body mass index. Similarity was also found in WBCT and XR for traditional HV angles, considering both groups. Mean values were higher in HV patients than controls when evaluating alpha angle (11.51 [9.42-13.60] to 4.23 [1.84-6.62], 95%CI), head diameter (22.35 [21.52-23.18] to 21.01 [20.07-21.96]) and sesamoid rotation angle (26.72 [24.09-29.34] to 4.56 [1.63-7.50]). HVA and IMA were poorly correlated to alpha angles (values below 0.11). WBCT assessment downgraded the head roundness classification in comparison to XR. Changes in this classification were explained chiefly by the sesamoid station in the axial plane (R2: 0.37), where stations 4 to 7 were found to be strong predictors of roundness classification 2 and 3. The alpha angle had a low influence in head roundness classification (R2: 0.15). Conclusion: Metatarsal rotation cannot be reliably predicted through head roundness. Glenosesamoid arthritis and sesamoid subluxation alter the first metatarsal head format and diameter, blurring roundness evaluation. Sesamoid stations from 4 to 7 were strong predictors of higher roundness classifications. Measurements using different readers and methods (XR and WBCT) were reliable. First ray rotation (alpha angle) values did not influence head roundness classification strongly nor were correlated to HV severity.


As the scholarly communication landscape becomes increasingly volatile, it is essential for new academics to be familiar with relevant concepts and issues. Librarians at institutions worldwide have responded to this need by providing scholarly communication training to their graduate students. At Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), librarians have been aided in this task by an institutional mandate requiring all graduate students to receive such instruction. This paper traces the development of the efforts of HKBU librarians in this space, from an initial offering of traditional face-to-face workshops to the program's current incarnation as an online course incorporating a required assessment quiz. Before detailing the rationale behind this evolution, a brief literature review is presented that situates HKBU's offering in a broader context.


BACKGROUND Open-heart surgery is a stressful experience for the patients and their families. From the moment that patients are told they must undergo surgery until discharge, they experience different degrees of worry and nervousness. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying stress factors in heart surgery patients. METHODS This study was performed using a qualitative method on 21 participants (14 patients and 7 caregivers). The research environment was open-heart surgery wards of two educational hospitals in Ahwaz (south of Iran) in 2017. The participants were selected through purposive sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and then, analyzed using the qualitative approach of content analysis proposed by Graneheim and Lundmnan (2004). RESULTS The 5 themes of "physical stressors", "self-care stressors", "psychological stressors", "religious stressors", and "hospital stressors" were obtained. These themes were the result of the patients' experiences and dimensions of patients' perceptions regarding stressors in open-heart surgery. CONCLUSION Stress in patients undergoing open-heart surgery is a contextual and relative concept and a subjective experience, which is experienced as a sense of worry. Identifying and clarifying stressors in open-heart surgery patients for nurses is vital, like a key for improving care quality. Nursing managers in clinical practice can also benefit from these findings regarding heart surgery in improving the care quality and professional performance of nurses.


Abstract : Aerospace and defense during the next few years will be dominated by the active matrix liquid crystal display, which became the preferred avionics displays technology in 1992. The trend just begun to replace electromechanical and cathode ray tube technologies with newer flat panel displays will accelerate in the 2000-2010 period as the commercial market continues its move towards digital flat television. Beyond 2010 high definition displays will begin to have a significant impact on fielded air fleets, with ultrahigh definition and even true three-D displays beyond 2020. By 2050 fully immersive cockpits may be anticipated for air and space vehicles and their simulators.


This article identifies business opportunities in the Textile – Clothing industry, between Colombia and South Korea. To this end, we analyze the international flow of raw materials and finished goods between these economies. It is also considered the innovation output (expressed through their national and international patents) and includes several interviews with industry experts.


We argue that the pivotal role assigned by Northoff to the principle of top-down modulation in catatonia might successfully be applied to other symptoms of schizophrenia, for example, hallucinations. Second, we propose that Northoff's account would benefit from a more comprehensive analysis of the cognitive level of explanation. Finally, contrary to Northoff, we hypothesize that "top-down modulation" might play as important a role as "horizontal modulation" in affective-behavioral alterations.


Susceptibility to multiple sclerosis is higher in females than males. However, the underlying mechanism behind this gender difference is poorly understood. Because the presence of neuroantigen-primed T cells in the CNS is necessary to initiate the neuroinflammatory cascade of multiple sclerosis, we first investigated how these T cells interacted with astroglia, major resident glial cells of the CNS. Interestingly, we found that myelin basic protein (MBP)-primed T cells from female and castrated male mice, but not from male mice, produced proinflammatory molecules, such as NO, IL-1β, and IL-6 in astroglia, and these responses were purely via contact between T cells and astroglia. Because T cell:glia contact requires several integrin molecules, we examined the involvement of integrins in this process. Both α4 and β1, subunits of VLA-4 integrin, were found to be necessary for T cell contact-induced generation of proinflammatory molecules in astroglia. Interestingly, the expression of β1, but not α4, was absent in male MBP-primed T cells. In contrast, female and castrated male MBP-primed T cells expressed both α4 and β1. Similarly, we also detected β1 in spleen of normal young female, but not male, mice. Furthermore, we show that male sex hormones (testosterone and dihydrotestosterone), but not female sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone), were able to suppress the mRNA expression of β1 in female MBP-primed T cells. These studies suggest that β1, but not α4, integrin of VLA-4 is the sex-specific molecule on T cell surface, and that the presence or absence of β1 determines gender-specific T cell contact-mediated glial activation.


Three patients with symptoms and signs of hepatolenticular degeneration (HLD) who developed serious renal side effects of D-penicillamine (DP) had their therapeutic schedule changed to zinc. Patient 1, a 55 year-old man had been well until 12 years old, when skeletal changes (osteomalacia) due to tubular renal disturbance began. His diagnosis of HLD had first been established at age of 32 when he presented with "wing-beat" tremor. He was then begun on DP and his neurological symptoms resolved within one year of initiating therapy but skeletal abnormalities remained unchanged as a sequel. During the next 22 years the patient was continued on DP therapy but with poor compliance. Then the reappearance of his neurological manifestations occurred several times. By the age of 53, after one year without therapy, his neurological status has worse. DP was reinstituted but some weeks later his renal laboratory parameters became severely affected. DP was discontinued and zinc sulfate (220 mg three times daily) was introduced. On this therapeutic regimen his renal laboratory parameters returned to previous level after one month. Within one year on this therapeutic regimen neurological manifestations were resolved. After 31 months on zinc treatment he remains neurologically asymptomatic and his renal function is satisfactory. Patient 2, a 41 year old woman had been her diagnosis of HLD at age of 20, when following the diagnosis of the disease in her old brother, she was found to have the laboratory features of HLD and bilateral Kayser-Fleischer rings. DP treatment was recommended at that time but she quit the follow-up. When she was 23, an esophageal variceal bleeding occurred.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Abstract The aim of this study was to establish soluble serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) reference limits. sTfR was measured in 885 healthy subjects from 3 to 91 years old (433 men, 409 women), without hematological abnormalities, using an immunonephelometric assay. The sTfR median concentrations in our population decreased gradually from the group aged 3–10 years to the group aged 21–40 years, then there were no changes in the older groups except for the females >60 years of age. The interindividual variability ranged from 12.6% to 30.3% among different age groups, and the analytical variability was 5%. Biological factors and other factors associated with sTfR concentration variation were examined and accounted for 35% of the sTfR variability in men aged 20 years or less, and 18% in those older than 20 years. Also, they accounted for 45% of the variability in women aged 20 years or less and 14% in those older than 20 years. The main factors statistically associated with sTfR concentration in males were ferritin, orosomucoid, hemoglobin, and tobacco in all age groups and only mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in males less than 20 years old. In the females the main factors were age, orosomucoid, and hemoglobin in all age groups, MCV and tobacco in females less than 20 years old, and ferritin and physical activity in females more than 20 years old. These factors were used to define the exclusion and partition criteria for obtaining the reference samples. Medians for reference values were: 1.60 mg/l in the 3–10-year old group (males and females); 1.42 mg/l in males between 11 and 20 years of age, and 1.33 mg/l in females of the same age. In the other age groups, the median of the reference values was 1.16 mg/l, except in females over 60 years old, for whom it was 1.26 mg/l.


The heavy minerals found in diamictites and intrastratal sandstone and siltstone rhythmites of the Late Precambrian Gaskiers Formation of Newfoundland are dominated by altered pyroxenes and amphiboles with lesser amounts of garnet and zircon and trace amounts of tourmaline and rutile. The garnets are angular, fresh in appearance, and about 9% of the garnets have glacially derived chattermark trails. This observation, along with the presence of striated and facetted clasts, suggest that at some time prior to final deposition, the diamictites underwent transport in glaciers which were of ice cap or ice sheet dimensions.


The use of Resource-based Theory (RBT) to explain the relationship between management practices and performance was questioned by Bromiley and Rau (2014), proposing the Practice-based View. Influential studies on management practices present several limitations such as the issue of the definition of practices and some methodological aspects. Aiming to contribute to this recent debate, this dissertation has two main objectives. First, it is to develop the argument that a new theory or view is not needed to explain the effect of practices on performance. The RBT can be effectively used, considering practices as capabilities. Secondly, it is to develop further empirical support for this argument that will cover some of the gaps in the literature on management practices and performance. This research advances the study of practices by identifying, in an empirically grounded way, a set of practices that potentially leads to superior performance and test the relationship between these management practices and performance in a specific context: the hotel industry in Brazil. Three research questions guide this dissertation RQ1 Which hotel management practices potentially lead to superior performance? RQ2 How can the degree of development of management practices be measured? RQ3 Can hotel management practices be a source of performance heterogeneity? This research was developed into four stages. Using a qualitative approach, the first stage incorporated both primary data and secondary data, with the aim of identifying the hotel management practices that could potentially lead to superior performance. From the practices identified, in stage 2 an instrument was developed to measure the degree of each practice and hypotheses applied to hotel industry were elaborated. In stage 3, the relationship between hotel management practice and performance was tested. And finally, in the stage 4, the factors that support or disturb the process of practice development were tested, in an exploratory way. The third and fourth stages have a quantitative approach, using multiple regression technique. Primary data and secondary data were used in these stages obtained from three different data sources. The sample was composed of 234 hotels affiliated to hotel chains and located in large urban cities of Brazil. The theoretical contribution of this research is the extension of the RBT by connecting the management practices concept with literature on capabilities, which states that the degree of capability development is related to performance heterogeneity. This research also provides contributions to empirical knowledge as well as to methodology. The regression results reinforced the importance of analyzing management practices, considered in a specific context. The regression results confirmed the importance of properly selecting the dependent variable to be tested. This research demonstrated a significant positive effect of management practices on performance, mainly on those indicators that were directly linked to the main objective of the practice. Regarding the management practices effect duration on performance, the research brought some insights that must be deeply explored in future studies. Some factors can influence the practice development, contributing to the existence of different degrees, as some of them factors seemed not to be as easily solved. Related to the methodological contribution, a reflexive scale of the management practices was developed and tested, covering a broad scope of practices from different areas Finally, this study also has practical implications, particularly for hotel managers, by providing a framework that supports them to establish priorities.


Post-traumatic stress disorder has a lifetime prevalence of almost 9% in the United States. The diagnosis is associated with increased rates of comorbid substance abuse and increased rates of depression. Providers are taught how to diagnose and treat PTSD, but little discussion is devoted to how to prevent the disorder. Behavioral research in animal studies has provided some evidence for the use of medications in decreasing the fear response and the reconsolidation of memories. A heightened fear response and the re-experience of traumatic memory are key components for diagnosis. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the evidence for pharmacotherapy as prophylactic treatment in acute stress/trauma in order to prevent the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. The body of the review includes discussions on medications, medications as adjunct to script-driven imagery, and special considerations for military, first responders, and women. This article concludes with implications for practice and recommendations for future research. The key words used for the literature search were "prophylactic treatment of PTSD," "pharmacotherapy and trauma," "pharmacological prevention of PTSD," "beta blockers and the prevention of PTSD," "acute stress and prevention of PTSD," "propranolol and PTSD," "secondary prevention of PTSD," and "medications used to prevent PTSD." Findings were categorized by medications and medications as adjunct to script-driven imagery. The literature suggests that hydrocortisone, propranolol, and morphine may decrease symptoms and diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.


Our cities are formed by several elements which are exposed to floods of a magnitude according to the importance of the rainfall event and the design of the urban drainage system. The most important components in the cities are the pedestrians who develop various activities during rain events. Focusing on pedestrians, the research on their stability when they are exposed to water flows provides the necessary knowledge to understand and manage the associated hazard for them. In this research, several experiments with humans were carried out in order to determine the stability limits to pedestrians crossing through a water flow in a real scale platform. The results obtained and by comparing those with human stability criteria proposed by other authors and guidelines provide a more restrictive criterion.


This paper presents the use of context sensitive grammars in order to outwit cryptanalysis based on language character frequency. The main goal is to take a plain text written in an idiom and transform it into a new text whose character frequency mimics a different idiom. Once created this new text, it can be submitted to any cryptographic algorithm. The proposed approach uses theory of computation techniques combined with linguistics appended to traditional encode and decode algorithms. Therefore, it was possible to obtain cryptograms more resistant to this kind of attack.


The debt crisis of developing countries led to the widespread adoption of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) during the 1980s. This article examines the hypothesis that heavy foreign debt causes a high rate of tropical deforestation mainly through the clearing of forestland for agricultural expansion. The article also reviews the possible causal links between debt, agricultural expansion and deforestation. Empirical evidence from tropical developing countries indicates that debt and deforestation are positively linked. The article concludes by suggesting that reducing the debt burden of developing countries can widen the opportunities for better environmental policies.


In line with the urgency of problems related to climate change, studies on the framing of this issue have flourished in recent years. However, as in framing research overall, a lack of definitions complicates the synthesis of theoretical/empirical insights. This systematic review contrasts trends of framing in climate change communication to those observed in reviews of communication research overall and harnesses framing's power to bridge perspectives by comparing frames across different frame locations (i.e., frame production, frame content, audience frames, and framing effects), as part of the wider cultural framing repository. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches of content analysis, this review draws on 25 years of peer-reviewed literature on the framing of climate change ( n = 275). Among the findings, we observe that research has not made use of framing's bridging potential. Hence, the conceptual (mis)fit between frame locations will be discussed, and directions for future research will be given.


Native arteriovenous fistula is the best vascular access for chronic hemodialysis. Primary and long‐term success depends, in part, on the state of arteries and veins at the time of the operation. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of intermittent compression of upper arm veins on forearm vessels in patients with terminal renal disease. The study group was composed of 16 chronic hemodialysis patients who performed daily intermittent compression of the upper arm without vascular access by elastic band (Eschmarch). Ten chronic hemodialysis patients were included in the control group, which performed no specific activity. Forearm measurements were obtained at the beginning of the study and 4 and 8 weeks later during the course of intermittent compression of the upper arm veins. The forearm circumference and maximal handgrip strength were measured. The artery measures, including endothelium‐dependent vasodilatation and forearm vein variables, were obtained by ultrasonography measurements. The forearm circumference, maximal handgrip strength, and artery variables, including endothelium‐dependent vasodilatation, remained unchanged. The basal venous diameters (2.29 ± 0.19 mm at the beginning, 2.46 ± 0.19 mm after 4 weeks, and 2.53 ± 0.18 mm after 8 weeks) were significantly increased in the study group. The distensibility of veins was preserved in the study group. There were no significant changes in the control group. Our study demonstrated that daily intermittent compression of the upper arm veins increases the forearm vein diameter and preserves the distensibility of veins in patients with end‐stage renal failure.


The latest advancements in Augmented Reality (AR) and Diminished Reality (DR) have allowed the development of many consumer-oriented applications (such as sales and driving aid, or education). To increase the realism in rendering, estimating the illumination in the scene is a key element. A lot of works tackle this problem but rarely discuss the color of the reconstructed illumination. The Dichromatic Model indicates that the specular component is not affected in color by the texture underneath and holds the light source's color. Though theoretically sound, in practice consumer cameras are subject to nonlinear behaviors which change RGB ratios and create inconsistencies when estimating the illumination. In this paper, we study the conditioning and limits of inverting local illumination models while relying on the Dichromatic Model. We show that the reconstructed specular component has an inconsistent color because it changes depending on the surface's colors.


The principles of the pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance method are briefly examined. A relation is demonstrated between the measured characteristics and the parameters describing molecular motion. The characteristic features of the derivation of information about molecules in the study of complex polymers–low-molecular-weight substance systems are considered. The principal results of investigations by the NMR method of solutions of polymers, plasticised polymers, polymer gels, and compositions consisting of low-molecular-weight substances adsorbed on polymers are presented. New possibilities in the application of the NMR method are indicated. The bibliography includes 122 references.


A method of estimating TCP flow-rates of sampled flows through packet sampling is described in this paper. We use sequence numbers of sampled packets, which make it possible to improve markedly the accuracy of estimating the flow rates. Using an analytical model, we investigate how to set parameters such as packet sampling probability used in this method of estimation. As a remarkable result, we show that the estimation accuracy improves as the sampling probability decreases. Using measured data, we also show that this method gives accurate estimations. We also show that this estimation method enables us to detect performance degradation at the TCP flow level.


BACKGROUND
Most data on the effect of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and its treatments on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes have not had non-IBD comparators. Hence, we aimed to describe COVID-19 outcomes in IBD compared to non-IBD patients.

METHODS
We conducted a prospective cohort study of registered IBD patients with confirmed COVID-19 from six provinces in Iran from February to April 2020. Proven COVID-19 patients were followed up at four weeks and the frequency of outcomes was assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between demographics, clinical characteristics and COVID-19 outcomes.

RESULTS
Overall, 2159 IBD patients and 4721 household members were enrolled, with 84 (3.9%) and 49 (1.1%) participants having confirmed COVID-19, respectively. Household spread of COVID-19 was not common in this cohort (1.2%). While hospitalization was significantly more frequent in IBD patients compared with non-IBD household members (27.1% vs. 6.0%, P=0.002), there was no significant difference in the frequency of severe cases. Age and presence of IBD were positively associated with hospitalization in IBD compared with non-IBD household members (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03-1.10; OR: 5.7, 95% CI: 2.02- 16.07, respectively). Age, presence of new gastrointestinal symptoms, and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) use were associated with higher hospitalization rate in IBD patients (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05-1.23; OR: 6.49, 95% CI: 1.87-22.54; OR: 6.22, 95% CI: 1.90-20.36, respectively). Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was not associated with more severe outcomes.

CONCLUSION
Age, presence of new gastrointestinal symptoms and use of 5-ASA were associated with increased hospitalization rate among IBD patients, while anti-TNF therapy had no statistical association.


Hydatid disease is a parasitic infestation that is caused by the cestode Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) that has a higher prevalence in South American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and East Asian countries. Humans are incidental intermediate hosts because of the ingestion of embryonated eggs in food contaminated with dog feces. In humans, the liver and the lungs are the most commonly affected sites of the body; the other sites include the peritoneum, spleen, kidney, uterus, and pancreas [1]. A solitary subcutaneous hydatid cyst is extremely rare. In a different series, the frequency of subcutaneous tissue involvement was approximately 2%; however, primary lesions without secondary damage to any organs have been very rarely reported [2]. We herein present an unexpected and uncommon etiology of a subcutaneous cyst diagnosed as a hydatid cyst, which might be of interest to surgeons.

A 66-year-old man was admitted to our department with a subcutaneous mass on the right side of the thoracic region. He had no complaints but the mass with palpation. On the ultrasonography (USG), a complex, cystic lesion (44×21 mm) with septate in the subcutaneous adipose tissue was detected. Upon the clinical diagnosis of the subcutaneous cyst, the patient underwent surgery under local anesthesia. Multiple small cysts in a larger cyst wall were observed intraoperatively; this suggested the presence of a hydatid cyst (Fig. 1). Total cystectomy was performed (Fig. 2), and the cyst was cleaned with hypertonic saline. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of the hydatid cyst. Serological tests were negative for the Echinococcal antigens. No abdominal pathology was seen on the USG. The patient was started on an oral albendazole treatment for 3 months. On follow-up, no recurrence was observed.

Fig. 1

Intraoperative view of the mother cyst, including the daughter cyst, in a subcutaneous tissue.

Fig. 2

Totally excised mother cyst is seen with the cyst membrane and multiple daughter cysts.

Hydatid disease is a zoonosis caused by the larval stages of E. granulosus; this disease is often underdiagnosed because of its silence; it usually develops over the years and does not become symptomatic until a compression of the internal organs occurs. A hydatid cyst can be found anywhere in the human body, particularly in the liver and the lung and rarely on the other sites. A subcutaneous location is extremely rare when the cyst is primarily diagnosed without any involvement of the liver or any of the abdominal organs, which causes its route to remain unknown.

Goyal et al. [3], in their retrospective study from India, an endemic country, reported the fine-needle aspiration records of their 5,954 patients who had superficial palpable nodules. They found that 41 cases (0.68%) were diagnosed as parasitic lesions on cytology, and among these, one case of hydatid cyst was observed [3]. In their study, all cases had lesions measuring from 0.5 cm to 4.5 cm except the hydatid cyst, which was 11 cm in size [3]. This may be due to the asymptomatic and slow growth characteristics of the hydatid disease unless the cysts have a pressure effect on the surrounding tissue. It was reported that the annual growth rate of the cyst is about 1-3 cm in diameter [1].

Ultrasonography is useful in the diagnosis, showing the size, localization, and type of cyst with a sensitivity of 95%, and if vesicular fibrils are present, the sensitivity increases up to 100% [4]. Serological tests can also be useful in the diagnosis; however, most of the subcutaneous hydatid cysts give negative results [4].

The best treatment option is complete surgical excision without any leakage of the cyst content to the surrounding tissue as such a leakage can cause anaphylaxis and local recurrence; however, in our case, the cyst rupture occurred without any anaphylaxis, which may mostly occur at the time of peritoneal contiguity. Further, the cyst pouch should be irrigated with antiscolicidal solutions.

In conclusion, parasitic etiology should be considered an important differential diagnosis of soft-tissue nodules, particularly in endemic regions, and the surgeon should be aware of hydatid cysts in the case of a diffuse, cystic, slow-growing mass.


The Sirikit field is a mature reservoir located in the Phitsanulok Basin in north-central Thailand. The field produced first oil in late 1981. Typical logging programs include a complete set of openhole (OH) logging suites such as a triple combo, including gamma ray-neutron-density-resistivity, or quad combo including gamma ray-neutron-density-sonic-resistivity. The reservoir production and injection are carried out with commingled completion. Therefore, wireline formation testing, and sampling tools are usually included for acquisition.
 Development wells with highly deviated trajectories pose challenges to conventional wireline logging (WL) operations, especially in deep wells exceeding 3,000m. In sections with high dogleg severity, the tools are prone to sticking, and the cable can become key-seated due to hole conditions, deviation, washouts or caving.
 Log data is a vital component for studying geological complexity, completion and production planning. Therefore, there is a need for an alternative method to convey WL tools to reach the bottom of the hole. In 2015, an alternative conveyance method called "through drillpipe logging" (TDL) was proposed to mitigate the risk of WL tools sticking or hanging up in an openhole environment. This method uses a slim-chassis, 2.25 in. outer diameter (OD), WL logging suite that enables the tool to be run through the drillpipe. The first TDL job was trialed in Thailand in May, 2016 as the second run after the WL run hung up. This TDL run hosted a full triple-combo suite and WL formation testing tools, which reached total depth (TD) while overcoming hole-condition issues that had been experienced during the first run. Following this successful log run, the TDL has become the preferred contingency planning option to support WL operations in challenging wells. To date, a total of 64 jobs, including triple combo (TC), quad combo (QC), formation testing & sampling (FTS) and cross-dipole sonic (CDS) have been executed successfully with less operating time than conventional contingency processes involving wiper trips, tool pushing, or pipe conveyed logging. This track record confirms that TDL provides a fit-for-purpose solution for logging in challenging conditions.


The ventilation of unanesthetized tracheostomized chickens was measured using a whole-body plethysmograph. The inspired CO2 fraction was quickly manipulated between 0.05 and 0.0 in such a way as to limit the fresh air inspired to a fixed duration pulse preceded and followed by 5% CO2. As was previously shown with this experimental protocol [Tallman et al., Am. J. Physiol. 237 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 6): R260-R265, 1979], the duration of inspiration and expiration (TI and TE, respectively) was dependent on the timing, relative to inspiration, that the pulse of air arrived at the lung. To study the possible involvement of arterial chemoreceptors in this reflex, a method of denervating the carotid chemoreceptors in this reflex, a method of denervating the carotid bodies was developed. After denervation, the hyperpneic response to intravenous NaCN and 2-3 breaths of N2 was eliminated, indicating the complete removal of arterial chemoreflexes. When tested with the same protocol of CO2 inhalation following carotid body denervation, TI and TE were still dependent on the delay of the fresh air pulse. These experiments support the conclusion that intrapulmonary CO2 receptors (IPC) mediate the reflexes studied and provide evidence that IPC affect the phase-switching mechanisms on a breath-to-breath basis.


The work builds on Martin Jane's text "Skopic Regimes of Modernity" and follows the set rhythm. Text has a fund of physical, physiological, psychological, artistic, and artistic knowledge as a broad culturalgnoseological network of information tendentiously put into the notes; it produces a resource for constantly correlating meaningfully and referring to it focuses on their own visual research issues. In this way, it can bring the vision of a dominant sense to perception in no way as conception, presentation, understanding of reality, and the way this visual perception is expressed in the Italian Renaissance painting and in the Flemish one from the 17th century.


AIM
To explore the hotspots and frontiers of genetic research on pediatric cataracts.

METHODS
Global publications from 2013 to 2022 related to genes in pediatric cataracts were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection, and were analyzed in terms of the publication counts, countries, journals, authors, keywords, cited references, subject categories, and the underlying hotspots and frontiers.

RESULTS
Totally 699 publications were included in the final analysis. The predominant actors were identified, with China (n=240) and PLoS One (n=33) being the most productive country and journal respectively. The research hotspots extracted from keywords were crystallin gene mutations, pathogenicity evaluation, phenotypes of ocular and neurodevelopmental abnormalities, genes encoding membrane proteins, and diagnosis of multisystemic disorders. The co-cited articles formed 10 clusters of research topics, including FYCO1 (56 items), mutation screening (43 items), gap junction (29 items), the Warburg Micro syndrome (29 items), ephrin-A5 (28 items), novel mutation (24 items), eye development and function (22 items), cholestanol (7 items), OCRL (6 items), and pathogenicity prediction (3 items). The research frontiers were FYCO1, ephrin-A5, and cholestanol. Cell biology showed the strongest bridging effects among different disciplines in the field (betweenness centrality=0.44).

CONCLUSION
With the progress in next-generation sequencing and multidisciplinary collaboration, genetic research on pediatric cataracts broadens the knowledge scope of the crystalline lens, as well as other organs and systems, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of systemic diseases. Cell biology may integrate multidisciplinary content to address cutting-edge issues in the field.


Geological modelling is widely used to predict resource potential in subsurface reservoirs. However, modelling is often slow, requires use of mathematical methods that are unfamiliar to many geoscientists, and is implemented in expert software. We demonstrate here an alternative approach using sketch-based interface and modelling, which allows rapid creation of complex three-dimensional (3D) models from 2D sketches. Sketches, either on vertical cross-sections or in map-view, are converted to 3D surfaces that outline geological interpretations. We propose a suite of geological operators that handle interactions between the surfaces to form a geologically realistic 3D model. These operators deliver the flexibility to sketch a geological model in any order and provide an intuitive framework for geoscientists to rapidly create 3D models. Two case studies are presented, demonstrating scenarios in which different approaches to model sketching are used depending on the geological setting and available data. These case studies show the strengths of sketching with geological operators. Sketched 3D models can be queried visually or quantitatively to provide insights into heterogeneity distribution, facies connectivity or dynamic model behaviour; this information cannot be obtained by sketching in 2D or on paper. Supplementary material: Rapid Reservoir Modelling prototype (executable and source code) is available at: https://bitbucket.org/rapidreservoirmodelling/rrm. Supplementary screen recordings for the different case studies showing sketch-based modelling in action are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5084141 and supplementary figure S1-S4 are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5303043


We use the effective field theory of dark energy (EFT of DE) formalism to constrain dark energy models belonging to the Horndeski class with the recent Planck 2015 CMB data. The space of theories is spanned by a certain number of parameters determining the linear cosmological perturbations, while the expansion history is set to that of a standard ΛCDM model. We always demand that the theories be free of fatal instabilities. Additionally, we consider two optional conditions, namely that scalar and tensor perturbations propagate with subliminal speed. Such criteria severely restrict the allowed parameter space and are thus very effective in shaping the posteriors. As a result, we confirm that no theory performs better than ΛCDM when CMB data alone are analysed. Indeed, the healthy dark energy models considered here are not able to reproduce those phenomenological behaviours of the effective Newton constant and gravitational slip parameters that, according to previous studies, best fit the data.


Joint models analyse the effects of longitudinal covariates on the risk of one or more events. The models are composed of two sub-models: a longitudinal model and a survival model. The longitudinal sub-model is typically a multivariate mixed model that considers fixed and random effects. The survival sub-model is usually a Cox proportional-hazards model that jointly considers the influence of more than one longitudinal covariate on the risk of the event. This study extends the estimation method based on a joint-likelihood formulation used in the univariate case to a multivariate longitudinal sub-model. The parameters are estimated by maximising the likelihood function using an expectation-maximisation algorithm. Here, the M-step employs a one-step Newton–Raphson update because it is not possible to obtain a closed-form expression for some of the parameter estimators. In addition, a Gauss–Hermite approximation is applied for some of the integrals.


HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) is a trimer of non-covalently linked heterodimer of gp120 and gp41 subunits. Gp120 is composed of five conserved regions (C1-5) that are interspersed with 5 variable regions (V1-5). Despite less conserved nature of the sequences, variable loops may be functionally important for virus entry and constitute neutralization determinants. To investigate the importance of loops for Env biology, we generated a series of loop deletion mutants and investigated the effect of each loop deletion on Env structural integrity, and on Env expression, cell surface display, virus packaging and entry into permissive cells. We found that loop V4 and V5 were important for envelope structural integrity. Replacement of V4 or V5 with a flexible linker led to loss of the binding of CD4 binding site antibodies and CD4-induced antibodies to the Env, but enhanced the exposure of the membrane-proximal external region. Although replacement of V4 or V5 with the flexible linker did not affect Env expression in cells, it significantly affected Env display on cell surface, leading to the failure in virus packaging and subsequent entry into permissive cells. HIV-1 Env variable loop V4 and V5 are indispensable for Env structural integrity. Deletion of V4 and V5 significantly affected Env cell surface display, virus packaging and subsequent virus entry into the cells.


Implementation shortfall, originally proposed by Perold and later expanded by Wagner and Edwards and Kissell, can adversely affect portfolio performance if it is not properly managed through implementation strategy as a result of price impact, timing cost, and inability to complete total transactions. The authors further classify implementation shortfall to give traders a better understanding of opportunity cost and a method to control any or all of these costs while executing trades. They suggest that after thorough back testing, market price trend analysis, and pretrade analysis, setting price limits efficiently will ensure that the first trading–related and residual trading–related opportunity cost will be as low as possible for the trader, thus lowering overall implementation shortfall.


Drawing on European Union data, this paper assesses the long-standing mainstream view that financialisation improves growth. We measure financialisation with private credit to GDP and capture characteristics of banking sector fragility with the ratio of credit to deposits and the ratio of bank capital to assets. We test the impact of these variables on four measures of economic performance: the growth rates of GDP per capita, consumption per capita, investment and inequality. We observe that credit has no effect on economic performance. However, the potential riskiness of the banking sector measured by the ratio of credit to deposits decreases GDP per capita and contributes to increasing inequality whereas the ratio of capital to assets has a negative impact on GDP per capita growth through its negative effect on investment. This effect is driven by countries with low GDP per capita. We also find that the potential side effects of excessive financialisation have a negative effect on growth.


The authors contend that families of schizophrenics have received too little help from mental health professionals, even though in many cases families are the real primary care agents for long-term patients released from mental hospitals. They discuss some of the problems that occur in living with a long-term patient and describe mutual-support and advocacy groups that relatives have formed. They emphasize that mental health professionals can help families of schizophrenics by providing practical, realistic advice on how to deal with the illness, by offering empathy and support rather than placing blame, and by working to ensure that there are adequate treatment and rehabilitation services available.


Background: Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with a goal of achieving a pathologic complete response (pCR) and a better outcome. Given the role of breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) overexpression and PI 3-kinase (PI3K) activation in the resistance to DNA damaging agents, we hypothesize that BRCA1 protein expression and activating PI3K mutations are potential tumor biomarkers for chemotherapy response in LABC. Methods: For this exploratory study, informed consent was requested from 136 eligible patients identified between 2006 and 2008. Participants had demographic and response data collected and the pathologic characteristics of the tumor specimens before and after chemotherapy were evaluated. BRCA1 protein expression levels were assessed by immunohistochemistry of archival tissue. Specimens were evaluated by two separate pathologists for both staining intensity and distribution. BRCA1 protein levels were then tested for correlation with pCR and a partial response or better using a Chi Square Test and logistic regression analysis. PI3KA mutation status was assessed by isolating DNA from pathology sample sections followed by nested PCR amplification and DNA sequencing. PI3KA mutation status was then tested for correlation with pCR and a partial response or better using a Fisher Exact Test and a logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 136 eligible participants, 65 agreed to participate, with analyzable samples available in 59. Of these 59 patients, the median age was 51.6 years, 20.3% had inflammatory disease, 72.8% were ER positive, 61.0% were PR positive, 28.8% were HER2 positive and the median tumor grade was 2/3. All participants received 4 cycles of doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide and 4 cycles of docetaxel followed by 1 year of trastuzumab initiated with docetaxel if HER2 positive, except for one participant who received 6 cycles of carboplatin/taxotere due to a pre-existing cardiac dysfunction. 78.3% of participants had ≥30% response to therapy, with 23.7% achieving a pCR. BRCA1 protein expression was scored between 0–9. A minimal p-value approach established that samples scored ≤4 have relatively low levels of protein expression, while samples scored >4 have high levels. Low levels of BRCA1 protein had an Odds ratio (OR) = 1.74 of achieving a pCR compared to high levels, although this was not statistically significant (p-value=0.437). PI3KA mutations were not statistically associated with a likelihood of pCR (OR=0.977; p=0.971). Neither BRCA1 protein levels (OR=1.18; p=0.818) nor PI3KA mutations (OR=1.03; p=0.971) appeared to be associated with the likelihood of achieving a partial response or better to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A mutation in PI3KA showed a trend towards an increased likelihood of not presenting with inflammatory disease (OR=5.34), although this result did not reach statistical significance (p=0.101). Conclusions: In this exploratory study in LABC, neither BRCA1 protein expression levels nor the presence of PI3KA mutations appear to be associated with chemotherapy response. However, the relatively small sample size limits the overall interpretation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C1.


Rapid damage assessment after natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes) and violent conflicts (e.g., war-related destruction) is crucial for initiating effective emergency response actions. Remote-sensing satellites equipped with very high spatial resolution (VHR) multispectral and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging sensors can provide vital information due to their ability to map the affected areas with high geometric precision and in an uncensored manner. In this paper, we present a novel method that detects buildings destroyed in an earthquake using pre-event VHR optical and post-event detected VHR SAR imagery. The method operates at the level of individual buildings and assumes that they have a rectangular footprint and are isolated. First, the 3-D parameters of a building are estimated from the pre-event optical imagery. Second, the building information and the acquisition parameters of the VHR SAR scene are used to predict the expected signature of the building in the post-event SAR scene assuming that it is not affected by the event. Third, the similarity between the predicted image and the actual SAR image is analyzed. If the similarity is high, the building is likely to be still intact, whereas a low similarity indicates that the building is destroyed. A similarity threshold is used to classify the buildings. We demonstrate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the method for a subset of the town of Yingxiu, China, which was heavily damaged in the Sichuan earthquake of May 12, 2008. For the experiment, we use QuickBird and WorldView-1 optical imagery, and TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed SAR data.


We discuss conservation laws for gravity theories invariant under general coordinate and local Lorentz transformations. We demonstrate the possibility to formulate these conservation laws in many covariant and noncovariant(ly looking) ways. An interesting mathematical fact underlies such a diversity: there is a certain ambiguity in a definition of the (Lorentz-) covariant generalization of the usual Lie derivative. Using this freedom, we develop a general approach to the construction of invariant conserved currents generated by an arbitrary vector field on the spacetime. This is done in any dimension, for any Lagrangian of the gravitational field and of a (minimally or nonminimally) coupled matter field. A development of the ''regularization via relocalization'' scheme is used to obtain finite conserved quantities for asymptotically nonflat solutions. We illustrate how our formalism works by some explicit examples.


Duoethnography is a collaborative research methodology that invites researchers to serve as sites of inquiry. Through juxtaposition, the voices of each researcher are made explicit, working in tandem to untangle and disrupt meanings about a particular social phenomenon. We gravitate to duoethnography for its evocative power and the opportunity this methodology provides to engage in meaningful self-study in the presence of another. Yet, we grapple with methodological issues related to the unseen and unspoken enactments of the methodology. This article makes transparent the process of engaging in duoethnography by modeling its polyvocal dialogic nature while simultaneously addressing five essential questions about this collaborative research methodology. In this article, we retrace our collective journey engaging in duoethnography over the past 10 years, reflecting upon how our understanding and engagement with the methodology has shifted and expanded with each new inquiry. We make visible what is often invisible in the process of doing duoethnography, explicitly discussing our process for beginning and concluding a duoethnography, addressing what constitutes duoethnographic data, and the importance of cultivating a trustworthy and safe dialogical space. This article contributes to the existing methodological literature on duoethnography and further substantiates and generates transparency and teachability of this collaborative research approach.


We report on a new and simple approach for continuous wave supercontinuum generation in optical fibers. Our new approach uses the effect of stimulated Stokes Raman scattering in a low loss fiber ring laser. By continuously pumping this ring laser with up to 19 W optical power we excited up to six Stokes orders and covered a wavelength range of 500 nm. Due to the feedback mechanism of the ring layout additional nonlinear effects occurred next to the plain generation of individual Stokes peaks. Eventually, these effects broaden and merge the separated Stokes peaks and create a single, connected continuous supercontinuum. By using the effect of stimulated Stokes Raman scattering, we do not rely on anomalous dispersion and modulation instability as typically required for continuous wave supercontinuum generation.


The human neutrophil probably requires a very high intracellular concentration of cryoprotectant to avoid cellular injury during cryopreservation. Accordingly, new techniques were developed so that high concentrations of protectant could be safely used. To accomplish that, it was necessary to overcome the osmotic limitations of the neutrophil as well as problems with cytotoxicity and membrane permeability. To reduce complications from toxicity, glycerol was selected as the protective agent. To minimize osmotic stress, the protectant concentration was changed slowly and gently by a system combining cross-flow filtration and exponential gradient glycerolization. With that system, it was possible to introduce and remove high concentrations of glycerol with little loss of neutrophil viability. For both ascending and descending gradients, calculations were used to follow the changes in intracellular glycerol concentration. Similar calculations were used to determine the relationship between cell volume, gradient slope, and medium osmolality. From those data, guidelines were formulated for the glycerolization and deglycerolization of the human neutrophil.


Inter-cell interference (ICI) is responsible for user throughput degradation and especially for users found near cell border which additionally experience serious path-losses. Efficient methods for ICI mitigation are ICI coordination (ICIC) schemes which allocate certain resources among users in different cells. In this paper we propose a decentralized ICIC scheme in order to mitigate the ICI and enhance the capacity of the users found near the cell-edge area of a wireless multi-cell OFDMA system. Key features of the proposed scheme are the subchannel the allocation in a user selective manner considering instantaneous channel conditions and subchannel reuse minimization. The multi-cell subchannel allocation problem is decomposed into a distributed single-cell optimization problem with inter-cell coordination facilitaded by interfaces similar to X2 in 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. We prove through simulation that the proposed scheme yields better performance than existing conventional schemes.


AbstractJairus Banaji's collection of essays is a stimulating and provocative assessment of recent Marxist history-writing on issues of social theory and historical development in both ancient as well as modern societies. It challenges the overly simplistic application of Marx's categories of analysis, arguing for both complexity and a clearer theorisation of fundamental terminology and analytical tropes, including labour-process and mode of production. This review article suggests that, while the basic arguments represent a welcome corrective to some Marxist historical work, and at the same time address in an accessible way non-Marxist historians, there remain some problematic issues, in particular in respect of the criteria for differentiating between different types of mode of production, the level at which this concept has heuristic application, and the distinction between the political/institutional and the modal instances of theorisations of social-economic relations. Some of these issues are exemplified by reference to particular historical cases.


By using both language C and MATLAB, this article introduced the five-order Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method's application in resolving a negative resistance oscillator circuit. Both of the two methods had gotten correct results. Simultaneously, it introduced how to transfer the results which were calculated by language C program to MATLAB. After comparing, it was concluded that both of the two ways had their strong points, but MATLAB had more advantage in displaying figures.


The architecture of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam during the historically significant period of the 16th through 20th centuries reveals many similarities and differences. Particularly important are the architectural languages each employed to materialize, facilitate, and communicate their religion, and how they changed over time. Additionally, the ontological and symbolic roles of architecture and the key theoretical approaches to the subject are relevant contexts. These include typological taxonomies of organizations, path sequences, and historical, conceptual, or symbolic characteristics. Lastly, seven primary roles of religious architecture—historical, authoritative, commemorative, theocentric, cosmological, prestige, and community places–can effectively situate and contextualize particular examples.
 During the pivotal 16th century, popes remade St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican and transformed Rome into the ecclesiastical and political center of Christianity; Jews built substantial synagogues that reflected their status during the Golden Age of Jews in Poland; and the Ottoman Empire built some of its most significant mosque complexes that expressed the hegemony of the theocratic state. Subsequent periods of the architecture of the Abrahamic religions illustrate particular themes, and explicate the variety of roles, and relative importance, of the architecture at particular periods. Modernism, in particular, produced significant changes in the architecture, where complexity, ambiguity, inventiveness, and oscillations between tradition and innovation reflected the impacts of new technologies, liturgical reforms, and global architectural cultures. Throughout, the capacity of architecture to materialize and communicate ontological, historical, religious, and sociopolitical content and accommodate communal rituals cannot be overstated.


: Experiments on rats were made to study the effect of cholinolytics and cholinomimetics on 33Na neuronal incorporation in different regions of the brain. Amizyl and glipin increased 22Na incorporation into the neurones of the hypothalamus and striatum and lowered membrane permeability of brain cortex neurones. Diphacil (trasentine) and tropacin inhibited 22Na neuronal incorporation in the brain cortex and did not change membrane permeability of the nerve cells of other structures. Arecoline increased membrane permeability of the neurones of all the brain regions studied. It is suggested that the neurotropic substances have selective action on membrane permeability of neurones in different regions of the rat brain.


This work considers cooperative advertising decisions in a manufacturerdistributor-retailer supply chain, where the manufacturer is taken as the Stackelberg leader, using differential game theory. The distributor and retailer are the first and the second followers, respectively. We introduce the distributor into the traditional manufacturer-retailer channel through his direct involvement in advertising as being incorporated into the non-stochastic Sethi's sales-advertising dynamics. This is used to model the awareness share dynamics in which the distributor and the retailer directly engage in advertising, while the manufacturer bypasses the distributor to subsidise only the retail advertising effort. We consider a subsidised and unsubsidised channel structures, where each structure results in a system of three nonlinear equations, which cannot be solved analytically, but only numerically. However, we show that the unique solution to each of the systems exists, provided certain conditions are satisfied. The distributor and the retailer's advertising strategies are developed for both when subsidy is provided and when it is not provided. We also obtain the manufacturer's subsidy rate and the market awareness share for both when retail advertising is subsidised and when it is not subsidised. We observe that with the provision of subsidy, the distributor reduces his advertising effort. However, the resulting increase in the retail advertising effort is larger than the reduction in the distributor's advertising commitment, thus making the channel advertising effort larger with subsidy. It further shows that to avoid being shortchanged, each player should adopt only his optimal strategy or strategies as the case may be.


Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is expressed in germinal centers of lymphoid organs during immunoglobulin diversification, in bone marrow B cells after infection with Abelson murine leukemia retrovirus (Ab-MLV), and in human B cells after infection by hepatitis C virus. To understand how viruses signal AID induction in the host we asked whether the AID response was abrogated in cells deficient in the interferon pathway or in signaling via the Toll-like receptors. Here we show that AID is not an interferon responsive gene and abrogation of Toll-like receptor signaling does not diminish the AID response. However, we found that NF-κB was required for expression of virally induced AID. Since NF-κB binds and activates the AID promoter, these results mechanistically link viral infection with AID transcription. Thus, induction of AID by viruses could be the result of several signaling pathways that culminate in NF-κB activation, underscoring the versatility of this host defense program.


Silicon is investigated as one of the most prospective anode materials for next generation lithium ion batteries due to its superior theoretical capacity (3580 mAh g−1), but its commercial application is hindered by its inferior dynamic property and poor cyclic performance. Herein, we presented a facile method for preparing silicon/tin@graphite-amorphous carbon (Si/Sn@G–C) composite through hydrolyzing of SnCl2 on etched Fe–Si alloys, followed by ball milling mixture and carbon pyrolysis reduction processes. Structural characterization indicates that the nano-Sn decorated porous Si particles are coated by graphite and amorphous carbon. The addition of nano-Sn and carbonaceous materials can effectively improve the dynamic performance and the structure stability of the composite. As a result, it exhibits an initial columbic efficiency of 79% and a stable specific capacity of 825.5 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles at a current density of 1 A g−1. Besides, the Si/Sn@G–C composite exerts enhanced rate performance with 445 mAh g−1 retention at 5 A g−1. This work provides an approach to improve the electrochemical performance of Si anode materials through reasonable compositing with elements from the same family.


Climatic conditions modeling the landscape of the Chilean northern region are examined, along with how they could model different strategies to be inhabited by various demo graphic contingents in time. These experiences have persisted in the different geographic spaces of Atacama Desert, from the Andes at an elevation higher than 2000 m.a.s.l., going through the intermediate depression between 2000 and 500 m.a.s.l., to the coastline pan - orama. In the various shades of the desert climate and the experiences of several popula -tions, life styles and spatial conceptions were posed in terms of their cosmic dimension from a deterministic view and pragmatic apprehension to a contemplation-like view. These conceptions between man and the landscape have assumed different relations of technology use, natural and energy resources, and a constructive-architectonic design in Atacama Desert, which have remained as monuments in the Chilean southern space. are impressed by the Incas imposed their religion of high peaks, showing that, along with the administration of Ata-cameña zone, they were concerned about establishing their own religion. We believe that only priests up to the summits by a few to offer ceremonies to the burials of offerings (…) ([


EDITOR: Significant advances in the prevention of kernicterus and its long trail of neurological sequelae have followed a better understanding of the mechanisms of hemolytic disease and hemoglobin pigment disposal in the newborn. Some of the pertinent information and its implications is still to reach many pediatricians and hematologists facing these problems in their practice. A specific course of preventive action cannot, of course, be outlined to apply to all circumstances. It has been felt, however, that within certain limits, a good zone of agreement probably exists as to procedures to be employed, given a fairly well defined set of conditions. This discussion is designed chiefly to bring out: a) the choice and timing for the application of the knowledge and tools available; h) the degree of agreement on the issues involved among those most skilled and experienced in this field. The opinions here recorded were given independently by the participants. We are indebted to Dr. Thomas Boggs for help in the choice and framing of the questions. We shall begin by asking: What, in your /udgment, are the main weapons available today to prevent kernicterus in the newborn?


Two patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP) associated with burns are described. The case with BP lesions that were localized is the first to be described in the literature and generalized BP has been described on only one occasion previously. Both cases exhibited the clinical features of BP and settled with the use of oral prednisolone. Many extrinsic precipitants of BP have been described; however, the precise trigger of the autoimmune process is not yet understood. The authors discuss the hypothesis that as burns expose BP antigen, the association of BP with advancing years arises through exposure of BP antigen during the process of involution of the basement membrane zone seen in the normal process of ageing. BP should be considered in cases of burns associated blistering, particularly blisters occurring at distant sites, but also involving affected skin.


Abstract. Back-arc extension superimposed on mountain belts leads to distributed normal faults and shear zones, interacting with magma emplacement in the crust. The composition of granitic magmas emplaced at this stage often involves a component of crustal melting. The Miocene Aegean granitoids were emplaced in metamorphic core complexes (MCC) below crustal-scale low-angle extensional shear zones and normal faults. Intrusion in such contexts interacts with extension and shear along detachments, from the hot magmatic flow within the pluton root zone to the colder ductile and brittle deformation along the detachment. A comparison of the Aegean plutons with the Elba Island MCC in the back-arc region of the Apennines subduction shows that these processes are characteristic of pluton-detachment interactions in general and we discuss a conceptual emplacement scenario, tested by numerical models. Mafic injections within the partially molten lower crust above the hot asthenosphere trigger the ascent within the core of the MCC of felsic magmas, controlled by the strain localization on persistent crustal scale shear zones at the top that guide the ascent until the brittle ductile transition is reached during exhumation. Once the system definitely enters the brittle regime, the detachment and the upper crust are intruded while new detachments migrate upward and in the direction of shearing. Numerical models reproduce the geometry and the kinematic evolution deduced from field observations.


Background: Traditional medicinal herbs have remained as a component of disease treatment system of many societies in the world. Today, many scientists have paid attention to the use of medicinal herbs in the treatment of epileptic seizures, because epilepsy is one of the most common neuropsychological disorders in the world that have many serious physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Chelidonium Majus extract in the treatment of seizure. Materials and Methods: In this study 40 mice have been randomly chosen and divided into 5 groups including a control group that received only pentylenetetrazol, sham group that received distilled water and 3 experimental groups received aqueous extract of Chelidonium Majus in doses of 50,100 and 150 mg/kg for 4 weeks. 30 minutes after gavage with different doses of the extract or distilled water, pentylenetetrazol was injected to experimental and sham groups. Animals immediately were transferred to a special cage and the seizure behaviors and parameters were recorded by a camera. Then, the different phases of seizure, latency time for onset of seizure and seizure duration were evaluated. Results: Data analysis indicated that the aqueous extract of Chelidonium Majus had a significant effect on PTZ-induced seizure. Therapy by this extract increases latency time for onset of seizure and prevents progress of seizure phases. Conclusion: The attained results showed that Chelidonium Majus extract has anticonvulsant effect on PTZ-induced seizure. Thus, it may be used in seizure treatment.


From 1989 to 1996, 322 patients with colonic obstruction due to tumors underwent surgery in Surgical clinic No 1 of the Ural National Medical Academy. Specimens of 283 tumors removed at surgery (n = 213) or autopsy (n = 70) were examined in 322 patients. Complications were observed after 144 operations (44.7%); in 82 cases they were fatal (25.5% postoperative mortality). Postmortem examination was performed in 70 cases of 82 (85.37%). Histological examination of the 283 specimens of the resected prestenotic colon wall provided a histological classification of colonic wall insufficiency by identifying its compensation, subcompensation and decompensation stages. For possible prediction of a high risk for death in each specific case, a correlation analysis of 23 factors presumably influencing on outcomes was carried out. A decisive rule of prediction was formulated.


Nitrogen is added to porous carbon, in both the bulk network as heteroatoms and coated on the surface of the pores, to increase the capacitance of electrodes for supercapacitor applications. Surface modification increases the amount of nitrogen by four times when compared to unmodified carbon that only contains nitrogen in the bulk. Pyrolysis of the modified carbon at a lower temperature also retains up to three times more nitrogen than high temperature pyrolysis. The surface modification dramatically improves the wetting behavior of the porous carbon and produces a capacitance that is nearly twice that of the unmodified carbon through a combination of double-layer formation and pseudocapacitive reactions.


The year 2000 problem posed a difficult problem for many IT shops world wide. The most difficult part of the problem was not the actual changes to ensure compliance, but finding and classifying the data fields that represent dates. This is a problem well suited to design recovery. The paper presents an overview of LS/2000, a system that used design recovery to analyze source code for year 2000 risks and guide a source transformation that was able to automatically remediate over 99% of the year 2000 risks in over three billion lines of production IT source.


BACKGROUND
Semisynthetic tetracyclines used in the adjunctive treatment of inflammatory periodontal disease enhance collagen expression in induced periodontal lesions of rats. Polypeptide growth factors regulate key cellular events in tissue repair. The physiologically active androgen 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) stimulates bone and connective tissue turnover. It was relevant to study the effects of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)/platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and minocycline alone and in combination on the formation of biologically effective androgens which can influence repair.

METHODS
Confluent monolayer cultures of human gingival fibroblasts of the fifth through the ninth passage were incubated in Eagle's minimum essential medium, with 14C-testosterone/14C-4-androstenedione in the presence or absence of optimal concentrations of TGF-beta/PDGF/minocycline (M), alone and in combination. At the end of a 24-hour incubation period, the medium was analyzed for steroid metabolites and quantified using a radioisotope scanner.

RESULTS
The androgen substrates 14C-testosterone (14C-T) and 14C-4-androstenedione (14C-4-A) were metabolized to DHT and 4-androstenedione/testosterone respectively. There were significant increases in the formation of DHT from 14C-T in response to M, TGF-beta, and PDGF, alone and in combination (13 to 48%), compared with controls (n = 4; P<0.01). The yields of 4-androstenedione were also greater in response to these agents (31%; 3-fold). When 14C-4-A was used as substrate, there were 21 to 80% increases in the formation of DHT in response to these agents alone and in combination (n = 4; P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
The biologically effective androgen metabolites formed in response to minocycline, TGF-beta, and PDGF can contribute to reparatory events in the inflamed periodontium. Judicious, adjunctive usage of the chemically-modified tetracyclines in the treatment of periodontal diseases can obviate the risk of microbial resistance, with potential applications of their anti-inflammatory and proanabolic effects in regenerative technology.


OBJECTIVES
Clinical and radiological results of complete subtalar release operations on idiopathic congenital clubfoot patients were compared for the Cincinati and the posteomedial incisions.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Twenty-six patients (40 feet) that underwent complete subtalar release using the Cincinnati incision (group 1; 18 patients, 27 feet [12 boys, 6 girls; mean age 7.4 +/-3.8 month; range 5-24 months]) and posteromedial incision (group 2; 8 patients, 13 feet [6 boys, 2 girls; mean age 10.1 +/- 4.3 month; range 4-16 months]) for idiopathic congenital clubfoot with at least one year followup were assessed. Tarsal bone problems, intraoperative and postoperative complications were analyzed separately.

RESULTS
According to the Simon's criteria, the clinical results were successful in 27 feet (100%) in group 1 and in 11 feet (85%) in group 2 (p > 0.05). Radiological results were successful in 16 feet (59%) in group 1 and in two feet (15%) in group 2 (p< 0.05). Superficial skin necrosis occurred in five feet (18.5%) in group 1 at the early postoperative period and all resolved with conservative treatment. Skin necrosis did not occur in group 2 (p > 0.05). The cast was bivalved and opened due to soft tissue swelling at the early postoperative period in 21 feet (77.8%) in group 1 and only in one foot (7.6%) in group 2 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Posteromedial incision is a suitable and safety incision for complete subtalar release.


Targeted alpha-particle emitting radionuclides have great potential for the treatment of a broad range of cancers at different stages of progression. A platform that accurately measures cancer cellular sensitivity to alpha-particle irradiation could guide and accelerate clinical translation. Herein, we performed high-content profiling of cellular survival following exposure to alpha-particles emitted from radium-223 (223Ra) using 28 genetically diverse human tumor cell lines. Significant variation in cellular sensitivity across tumor cells was observed. 223Ra was significantly more potent than sparsely ionizing irradiation, with a median relative biologic effectiveness of 10.4 (IQR: 8.4-14.3). Cells that are the most resistant to alpha radiation, such as Nrf2 gain-of-function mutant cells, were sensitive to alpha-particles. Combining these profiling results with genetic features we identified several somatic copy number alterations, gene mutations, and the basal expression of gene sets that correlated with radiation survival. Activating mutations in PIK3CA, a frequent event in cancer, decreased sensitivity to 223Ra. The identification of cellular and genetic determinants of sensitivity to 223Ra may guide the clinical incorporation of targeted alpha-particle emitters in the treatment of several cancer types.


The study investigated the process of information channel selection of Jewish studies scholars in Israel according to two theoretical frameworks, the 'cost—benefit ratio' that focused on the quality of the information provided by the channel and the 'least effort principle' that focused on the accessibility of the channel. The study sought to identify which of the two parameters, quality of information or accessibility of the channel, was the decisive one when selecting an information channel. In order to further understand the underlying principle behind scholars' choice of information channels participants were asked about the obstacles they face when searching for information. Four obstacles were stipulated in the structured questionnaire: (1) cost; (2) distance, when the item can only be found at a distant location; (3) unfriendly interface; and (4) time that it takes to get hold of a copy of the desired item. Findings showed that, in general, participants' information channel use was not affected by the obstacles encountered in the information seeking process and that the quality of the information was the decisive factor in choosing an information channel.


The Upper Cretaceous Chatsworth Formation is a sand-rich deep-sea fan deposit consisting of thick channelized sequences and interchannel deposits typical of middle fan facies. It has poorly developed outer fan lobes and slope facies. Petrographic and x-ray diffraction (XRD) data indicate the arkosic deposits of the Chatsworth Formation were derived from an uplifted granitic terrane. Paleocurrent studies indicate northward sediment transport and an east-trending slope. Regional comparisons of the Simi Hills with the Santa Monica and Santa Ana Mountains suggest these terranes were once contiguous and covered part of a deep-sea fan system that comprised much of the southern California area. Subsequently, these terranes have been offset along the Malibu-Cucamonga and Elsinore faults, and rotated in response to the opening of the Los Angeles basin and to other adjustments in the tectonic framework of the area. The Chatsworth Formation is thought to be part of a forearc-basin deposit similar to the Great Valley sequence and not part of the Salinian borderland block. The original geographic position of the forearc basin was to the south of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Great Valley sequence.


BACKGROUND
Orofacial granulomatosis is a clinical entity presenting with swelling of the facial and/or oral tissues in association with histologic evidence of noncaseating granulomatous inflammation. Labial swelling is the most common finding. Compromise of the gingival and periodontal tissues may occur but has rarely been described in the literature. Our objective was to characterize granulomatous gingivitis in patients with orofacial granulomatosis.

OBSERVATIONS
The study included 29 cases of orofacial granulomatosis seen in our clinic between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2006. Of these 29, 5 had clinical evidence of gingival tumefaction and underwent gingival biopsy. Histologic examination of all the gingival biopsy specimens showed noncaseating granulomas, edema of the superficial lamina propria, and a chronic inflammatory infiltrate consisting predominantly of lymphocytes and multinucleated giant cells. Treatment options included anti-inflammatory therapy associated with periodontal care. Conclusion Gingival tumefaction with histologic evidence of granulomatous inflammation may occur in orofacial granulomatosis and might be more common than reported in the literature.


This study is an investigation of the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) on film substrates with different surface properties. Films of noncharged polymers with several water wettabilities; cell culture plates coated with collagen type I or IV, gelatin, or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF); and glass were used. BMSCs isolated from rat bone marrow were cultured on the various substrates in medium with dexamethasone [Dex(+)] or without dexamethasone [Dex(-)] to assess cell proliferation and differentiation. The number of proliferated BMSCs depended on the water wettability of substrates, although the cell number was greater in Dex(-) medium than in Dex(+) medium. Protein-coated substrates exhibited a high proliferation rate compared with noncoated substrates. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity increased with increasing cell number, whereas ALP activity per cell correlated well with cell number. When cultured in Dex(+) medium containing bFGF or on culture plates coated with bFGF, BMSC proliferation tended toward enhancement with an increase in the amount of bFGF added in solution form, whereas it did not depend on the amount of bFGF in coated form. On the other hand, ALP activity and calcium content of BMSCs became maximal with bFGF coated at about 1 x 10(3) to 2 x 10(3) ng, in contrast to bFGF in solution form. Irrespective of the amount of bFGF, ALP activity and calcium content levels for bFGF in coated form were higher than for bFGF in solution form. It is concluded that the type of culture substrate and the manner of addition of bFGF affect the proliferation and differentiation of BMSCs.


Resilient response of granular aggregate is a key input parameter in all three hierarchical levels of the new Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), which requires a comprehensive evaluation of resilient modulus (M sub r) database(s) for local conditions. To this end, M sub r data and other routine properties (gradation, LA Abrasion loss, standard Proctor, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS)) of 105 samples of two different types of aggregate (limestone and sandstone) were analyzed in this study. A total of four stress-based regression models were evaluated using a statistical software package ("SPSS", Version 17), and material constants (k1, k2, and k3) for these aggregates were determined. The octahedral model was found to outperform the other models and is recommended for use in Level 1 analysis. Correlation equations for material constants, required for Level 2, were developed using routine aggregate properties, and the universal model was found to be the "best fit" model with a R² value of 0.57. Default (Level 3) M sub r values for these aggregates were also estimated using the average material constants. The estimated M sub r values obtained from different models were in agreement with each other, and the variations of M sub r values were within 4%. However, all of these models would result in conservative designs compared to the MEPDG recommended typical values. The findings of this study are expected to be helpful in the implementation of the MEPDG in Oklahoma and elsewhere.


Biomimetic materials with biomechanical properties resembling those of native tissues while providing an environment for cell growth and tissue formation, are vital for tissue engineering (TE). Mechanical anisotropy is an important property of native cardiovascular tissues and directly influences tissue function. This study reports fabrication of anisotropic cell‐seeded constructs while retaining control over the construct's architecture and distribution of cells. Newly synthesized poly‐4‐hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) is fabricated with a dry spinning technique to create anelastomeric fibrous scaffold that allows control of fiber diameter, porosity, and rate ofdegradation. To allow cell and tissue ingrowth, hybrid scaffolds with mesenchymalstem cells (MSCs) encapsulated in a photocrosslinkable hydrogel were developed. Culturing the cellularized scaffolds in a cyclic stretch/flexure bioreactor resulted in tissue formation and confirmed the scaffold's performance under mechanical stimulation. In vivo experiments showed that the hybrid scaffold is capable of withstanding physiological pressures when implanted as a patch in the pulmonary artery. Aligned tissue formation occurred on the scaffold luminal surface without macroscopic thrombus formation. This combination of a novel, anisotropic fibrous scaffold and a tunable native‐like hydrogel for cellular encapsulation promoted formation of 3D tissue and provides a biologically functional composite scaffold for soft‐tissue engineering applications.


Abstract We investigated the kinematic rupture along a complicated fault system during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Assuming a slip distribution estimated using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data by Hao et al. (2009), we tried to fit two near‐fault station seismograms, one of which was located between two subparallel dipping faults. Forward numerical simulation results suggest that two subparallel dipping faults ruptured coseismically during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. This result provides a constraint on the dynamic fault interaction of reverse‐fault earthquake, which is different from the branched strike‐slip faults where the free surface does not affect the rupture branching.


In this paper, we introduce a new one-step iterative scheme to approximate a common fixed point of three multivalued nonexpansive mappings in a uniformly convex real Banach space and establish strong and weak convergence theorems for the proposed process. Our results extend important results.