BACKGROUND
Cancer is a global health problem and the continuous rise in incidence and mortality due to cancer carries a real economic burden to all countries. Accumulation of genetic mutation, exposure of environmental carcinogens and food habits due to change in lifestyles are the key reasons for cancer. Targeting cancer cells, we need a multitargeting molecule with low/no toxicity.

OBJECTIVE
To review the current update of the research status of chemopreventive/therapeutic molecule, Apigenin.

METHODS
Compare the results of the published articles and granted patents on this compound. We also discuss the pros and cons of the present research and future direction.

RESULTS
Cancer cells have characteristic alterations and dysregulation of various cell signaling pathways that control cell homeostasis, proliferation, motility and survival in normal cells. Natural flavonoids are the compounds well known for their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancerous properties. Apigenin, along with several other physiological effects, has a very low intrinsic toxicity and striking effects on the proliferation of cancer cells. Interestingly, this multitargeting molecule is getting wide acceptance among researchers. It is evident from the recent patents filed in this compound. At present, three patents have been granted only on the anticancer properties of Apigenin.

CONCLUSION
This mini-review will explain the present research status of Apigenin and will further throw some light on how Apigenin performs its anti-cancerous actions by interfering with the key cell-signaling pathways.


Summary
Mice are several orders of magnitude more resistant to diphtheria toxin than are guinea-pigs and man. Resistance is, however, relative rather than absolute, because 2000 guinea-pig lethal doses cause death of mice within 36 hr. Mice subjected to this quantity of toxin subsequently received an injection of tritiated leucine during the latter stages of the toxaemia in order to assess de novo protein synthesis in vivo. All tissues from toxin-treated mice, with the exception of skeletal muscle and kidney, incorporated 3H-leucine to the same extent as did comparable tissues of normal animals, or to a greater extent. In view of the fact that the biochemical action of diphtheria toxin on more susceptible animals is known to result in a cessation of protein synthesis, the implications of the unexpected results are discussed in terms of species resistance to toxin and the pathophysiology of diphtheritic toxaemia.


A key method of stabilizing Medicaid coverage is to provide beneficiaries with twelve months of continuous eligibility. Following the passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act in 2009, seven states adopted the continuous-eligibility option for children. That policy change led to a 1.8-percentage-point increase in the average length of child enrollment during fiscal year 2010 and increased annual costs for children by about 2.2 percent. The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission has recommended offering states the option of giving adults twelve-month continuous eligibility for Medicaid. Our findings suggest that continuous eligibility could promote more stable coverage for adults enrolled in Medicaid at a modest cost.


BACKGROUND
Measles, a virus borne droplet infection, is one of the leading causes of death among young children worldwide despite presence of a safe and cost-effective vaccine. Objective of our study was to identify the characteristics of measles patients admitted to Allied Hospitals, Rawalpindi.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study was conducted amongst patients admitted with measles in paediatric units of Rawalpindi Medical College Allied Hospitals, Rawalpindi. A standard pro forma was used to collect data from the respondents.

RESULTS
A total of 55 patients (mean age-29.36 months) with measles were included in the i study. 65.5% children were vaccinated while 34.5% were not vaccinated. Among those vaccinated 14 were male. Out of the vaccinated children 52.6% were residents of middle class areas, 31.6% lower middle class area, 10.5% upper middle class areas and 5.3% rural areas. In 55.0% of patients who were vaccinated with at least one dose of measles at nine month of age the estimated calendar months of vaccination was March to April while in 30% the overall climatic period of vaccination was of summer (May to September). Twenty one study subjects were exposed to a case of measles in the family and thirty five out of all developed at least one known complication of the disease. Pneumonia was the most common complication reported in patients (63.6%) followed by diarrhoea (27.3%).

CONCLUSION
Majority of the patients suffering from measles were not vaccinated and the most common reason for failure to immunize children was lack of awareness. Educated and well off fathers were more likely to get their children immunized. The vaccinated children who developed measles majority were vaccinated during months of March, April and May.


We evaluated left ventricular systolic function during exercise in patients with silent or symptomatic myocardial ischemia by radionuclide ventriculography (RNV). The subjects consisted of 61 patients who had evidence of myocardial ischemia during exercise RNV defined as positive exercise electrocardiographic changes and angiographically documented coronary artery disease. The patients without angina during exercise (SMI) had less exercise-induced left ventricular systolic dysfunction than patients with angina (CP) (change in ejection fraction during exercise: delta EF; -1 +/- 13 vs -6 +/- 10%, p less than 0.05, systolic blood pressure/end-systolic volume in exercise divided by systolic blood pressure/end-systolic volume in rest: SP/ESV (ex/rest); 1.1 +/- 0.6 vs 0.8 +/- 0.3, p less than 0.05). The 61 patients were divided into two groups, that is, those with and without old myocardial infarction (OMI), and we compared the degree of left ventricular systolic dysfunction during exercise between SMI and CP by RNV in each group. In patients without OMI, SMI had less exercise-induced left ventricular dysfunction than CP (delta EF; 1 +/- 12 vs -10 +/- 8%, p less than 0.01, SP/ESV (ex/rest); 1.1 +/- 0.6 vs 0.7 +/- 0.2, p less than 0.01). However, there were no differences between SMI and CP with OMI. In conclusion, it was thought that SMI without OMI was less degree of myocardial ischemia, and that SMI with OMI was potentially caused by some factors except for the degree of myocardial ischemia.


The relationship between young people and museums has been a topic of discussion since the late 1970s. Many developments have been observed in this respect, yet some museums still find it challenging to engage with young people. Furthermore, the debate surrounding this relationship is often underpinned by unhelpful generalisations about young people that impede thinking and practice; for example, that young people lack interest in museums or find them boring. Previous research has principally investigated the subject through an 'education and learning' lens and from a perspective that takes museums as the starting point. This thesis aims to enrich our understanding by taking a sociocultural perspective and by centring the focus on young people. The thesis, therefore, actively seeks to decentre the museum: theoretically, by using an interdisciplinary framework; and practically, by conducting fieldwork outside museums. Through a qualitative approach, this study places young people's experiences and perceptions of museums in a wider social and cultural context. Focus groups were conducted with young people aged 12–21 in youth clubs in Luxembourg. This thesis reveals the complex and nuanced ways in which the focus-group participants think about museums in relation to their everyday lives. It also highlights the tensions and ambivalence underlying their perceptions and experiences. Furthermore, the study shows that the power inequalities that young people face in social life are likely to be perpetuated in the museum. Indeed, the participants' experiences of museums are shaped, in large part, by lack of individual choice. Visits that are enforced by facilitators, such as the school and the family, can create barriers to engagement. This thesis makes the case that it is important for museums and facilitators to acknowledge the diversity of young people, hear and value their points of view, and respect their autonomy and freedom of choice.


In the recent years, several transport protocols have been proposed for very high bandwidth-delay product networks. However, little is known about the performance of these new mechanisms as well as the interaction with other elements of the network (such as the RED queue management). On the other hand, the control-theoretic approach has proved to be a very useful tool in order to get analytical insight into the performance of congestion control algorithms. In this paper, a control-theoretic research framework is designed and implemented for analyzing high speed transport protocol proposals in network environments with RED active queue management. As a case study, a comprehensive control-theoretic analysis of a promising proposal, namely the HighSpeed TCP is provided. The main contributions of this paper are the following. First, we provide a fluid-flow model for HighSpeed TCP/RED networks. Second, a comprehensive and systematic implementation methodology is described in detail, and a Simulink-based framework is designed for analyzing fluid-based models. Third, we derive a stability condition for HighSpeed TCP/RED networks. The flow-level results are validated by packet-level simulations conducted in Ns-2. Finally, an extension of the framework is presented that makes it capable of describing the interaction of different transport protocols.


Little information is available publicly on invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in elderly people in Australia. This study analysed IMD notifications data from New South Wales between 1993 and 2012 to determine the distribution of IMD among people aged 65 years and older and to describe the characteristics of IMD in this age group compared to younger age groups with respect to notification trends, serogroup distribution and mortality rates. Following introduction of a childhood vaccination programme against meningococcal type C in 2003, notification rates in all age groups decreased, but the proportion of IMD notifications in people aged 65 years and over rose significantly (from 4% to 6%, P = 0.01). Mortality rates from IMD in those aged 65 years and older were significantly higher than overall rates (32% compared to 5%, P < 0.01). Serogroup Y accounted for 23% of infections in the elderly compared to 3% in people aged under 65 years (P < 0.01). As the population ages, the elderly may account for a higher number of IMD cases in Australia. Protocols at the state and national level should be updated to provide guidance on the clinical and public health management of elderly people with IMD.


In language learning, mastery of vocabulary is crucial. However, in Indonesia, where English is taught as a foreign language, vocabulary is often taught incidentally and given little priority. Due to the importance of vocabulary, a comprehensive language learning strategy is needed. As an example, vocabulary-learning strategies (VLS) can facilitate the development of vocabulary. This study aims at investigating VLS used by junior high school students in learning English. The data were collected by using Schmitts vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 31 statements administered to 50 junior high school students in the 8th grade at SMP N I Salatiga. Interviews were also conducted to obtain more information from the participants. The results show that the students choose practical, simple and fast strategies in learning vocabulary. Strategies such as checking if the word is also an Indonesian word, guessing the words meaning from the context, asking the teacher to give the definition, studying the word with their classmates, remembering the word by studying and paying attention to the words spelling, underlining the word, and using English media were frequently chosen in this study.


Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) is the only virus known to integrate into a specific locus in the human genome. The locus, AAVS1, is on the q arm of chromosome 19 at position 13.4. AAV is currently a popular vector for human gene therapy. However, current vectors do not contain two important elements needed for site-specific integration, that is, the rep gene or the P5 promoter, although they do integrate with low frequency at random locations in the human genome. We have designed a bipartite vector that does insert the transgene into AAVS1. One component, rAAVSVAV2, contains the rep gene, driven by the simian virus 40 early promoter rather than the P5 promoter. Thus, the integration enhancer element (IEE) within P5, which greatly enhances site-specific integration, has been deleted. The other component, rAAVP5UF11, contains the P5 IEE plus the transgene with associated regulatory elements. We have created clones of transduced HeLa cells, most of which appear to have the transgene inserted in AAVS1. We have not detected any clones that have rep inserted anywhere. With the optimal multiplicity of infection and ratio of rAAVSVAV2 and rAAVP5UF11, the transgene integrated specifically at AAVS1 with high efficiency (>60%). Most importantly, the cloned cell lines with the AAVS1 site-specific integrated green fluorescent protein (GFP) were healthy and stably expressed GFP for 35 passages. An AAV vector that would integrate at a specific site with high frequency could offer significant advantage in the transduction of progenitor cells and stem cells ex vivo and engineered cells could be used for human gene therapy. AAV site-specific integration gene therapy could provide a novel approach for diseases that need long-term gene expression.


We use a multiresolution analysis based on a wavelet transform to upscale two-dimensional heterogeneous permeability fields. Results are compared with conventional averaging upscaling schemes using arithmetic, geometric and harmonic averaging. It is found that the wavelet analysis is able to preserve the fine scale heterogeneous features with the increase of the coarse scale size significantly better than the averaging methods, while preserving information required for downsizing the properties of the system.


Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide next to cardiovascular diseases. Conventional therapies for treatment of cancer including chemotherapy and radiation therapy usually pose serious side effects. Use of herbal medicine for cancer treatment is gaining importance in this regard. India is a rich source of medicinal plants and a number of plant extracts are used against diseases in various medicinal systems. Cynodon dactylon L., (Family: Poaceae) commonly known as 'durva' grass is employed in India as a rejuvenator and for wound healing. In the present study, anticancer efficacy of Cynodon dactylon L. was assessed in Swiss albino mice Mus musculus. Mice inoculated with Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) cells were administered with three doses of Cynodon dactylon extract viz., 100, 200 and 400mg/kg body weight per oral for ten consecutive days. Anticancer activity of the extract was assessed based on Mean Survival Time (MST) and increase in life span (ILS) of experimental animals. In addition, hematological parameters like hemoglobin content, RBC count, WBC count and differential count of extract treated mice were also studied. Extract treatment enhanced the life span and restored the hematological parameters in EAC inoculated mice in comparison with tumor control group. Thus, the present study revealed that Cynodon dactylon L. extract showed significant anticancer activities in the tested animal models.


This paper deals with all spanning tree generation of a simple, symmetric and connected graph. Since, number of spanning trees of a graph is asymptotically exponential it is our endeavor to generate, all trees in reasonable amount of time and space[1]. The method here is qualitatively and quantitatively better than existing methods. The reason behind the claim is minimum number of duplicate tree comparison and no circuit testing at all for its realization[1,6-11]. We are hopeful that betterment of the algorithm lies in the target of no duplicate tree generation.


We present millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength observations and near-infrared K-band imaging toward the bright gamma-ray burst GRB 010222. Over seven different epochs, a constant source was detected with an average flux density of 3.74 ± 0.53 mJy at 350 GHz and 1.05 ± 0.22 mJy at 250 GHz, giving a spectral index α = 3.78 ± 0.25 (where F ∝ να). We rule out the possibility that this emission originated from the burst or its afterglow, and we conclude that it is due to a dusty, high-redshift starburst galaxy (SMM J14522+4301). We argue that the host galaxy of GRB 010222 is the most plausible counterpart of SMM J14522+4301, based in part on the centimeter detection of the host at the expected level. The optical/near-IR properties of the host galaxy of GRB 010222 suggest that it is a blue sub-L* galaxy, similar to other GRB host galaxies. This contrasts with the enormous far-infrared luminosity of this galaxy based on our submillimeter detection (LBol ≈ 4 × 1012 L☉). We suggest that this GRB host galaxy has a very high star formation rate, SFR ≈ 600 M☉ yr-1, most of which is unseen at optical wavelengths.


Existing graph-based ranking methods for keyphrase extraction compute a single importance score for each word via a single random walk. Motivated by the fact that both documents and words can be represented by a mixture of semantic topics, we propose to decompose traditional random walk into multiple random walks specific to various topics. We thus build a Topical PageRank (TPR) on word graph to measure word importance with respect to different topics. After that, given the topic distribution of the document, we further calculate the ranking scores of words and extract the top ranked ones as keyphrases. Experimental results show that TPR outperforms state-of-the-art keyphrase extraction methods on two datasets under various evaluation metrics.


Abstract: The author examines 20 years of case law of the Court of Justice of the European Communities on part-time work. The 25 judgments are scrutinized on the basis of homogenous areas of the employment relationship such as pay, access to career advancement, access to vocational training, working conditions including conditions of dismissal, occupational pension schemes and statutory social security allowances. The Court has applied former Article 119 of the Treaty and provisions of Community Directives on equal treatment between men and women at work since it has consistently found that many more women than men are employed on a part-time basis. The overall picture which emerges from the cases brought before the Court of Justice appears to give rise to concern because discrimination relates to a wide range of working conditions, affecting mainly low-skilled workers, and derives from both national laws or regulations and collective agreements signed by trade unions representatives. As a result, detailed and enforceable Community rules appear to be indispensable to ensure adequate legal protection for part-time workers.


The beneficial effect of shock therapy in the treatment of the emotional mental disorders is now so firmly established that any possible contraindications should be critically examined before deciding to withhold treatment. Several conditions which were formerly considered to be a bar to shock treatment have sipce been found to involve very little risk. A consideration of the patient's age, for example, is not now regarded as important, and patients of 70 to 80 and children of 3 years have been successfully treated with induced convulsions (Hemphill and Walter, 1941). Provided they are well compensated, cardiovascular disorders are not serious obstacles, even in cases of auricular fibrillation (Good, 1940). In fact, both cardiazol and electric convulsions act as cardiac stimulants, with apparent benefit in cases of circulatory asthenia and low blood pressure. But so far as I am aware, little mention has been made in the literature regarding the use of shock therapy in the mental disorders arising during pregnancy. Although such disorders are relatively uncommon, it is possible that in some quarters the pregnant state is thought to be a contraindication to shock therapy. The result in the following case, however, suggests that in suitable patients the treatment is fully justified and entirely harmless. The stress of pregnancy may precipitate a mental breakdown in predisposed individuals, usually a state of depression, but as a rule the prognosis is good when mental disorders occur before the fourth month. If they appear later they tend to become increasingly severe until the birth of the child, when they usually disappear. In the late case shock therapy would be worth while if only to enable the child to be born at home instead of in a mental hospital, provided there are no risks to the mother or the child. The first consideration, however, is the possible risk of precipitating a miscarriage. But this appears unlikely when one thinks of the number of epileptic women who have fits during pregnancy with no untoward results. Goldstein et al. (1941) state that a review of the literature indicates that epilepsy does not influence pregnancy unfavourably other than by predisposing to injury from falls. (The spasms of epilepsy occur only in voluntary muscles.) Those workers also report the case of a schizophrenic, 34 months pregnant, who was given 13 cardiazol seizures and insulin shock treatment for 13 days with no harmful effects on the pregnancy. They conclude that convulsive or insulin treatment is justifiable in pregnant women because of the apparent harmlessness of convulsive seizures due to these drugs and to epilepsy. The following description of a similar case would seem to support the above conclusion.


Abstract: Irving and Carlyn Strauss Ungar in their 1984 interview recount student life at UW?Madison during the early 1930s. Both of them belonged to a Jewish only Greek organization throughout their time at the university. The Ungar?s participated in such social activities as proms, dances, card playing, hanging at Rathskeller, and going to speakeasies. The Ungar?s also offer their view about the effects of the depression and the day everybody ran out of money which was called, ?bank holiday.? This interview was conducted for inclusion into the UW?Madison Oral History Program.


Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat, with antibiotic resistance (ABR) increasing rapidly. In China, the high rate of antibiotic use is a key contributor to the country's ABR problems, and the paediatric use of antibiotics by healthcare providers and parents has been identified as a particular challenge. However, limited research has examined providers' and parents' antibiotic-related behaviour, with particularly few qualitative studies having been conducted, and none in urban China. This research examines influences on healthcare providers' and parents' behaviour regarding the use of antibiotics for children in urban China.
Methods: Informed by a review of English-language and Chinese-language studies, a qualitative study of healthcare providers and a multi-method study of parents were conducted in Chinese to explore factors influencing their antibiotic-related behaviour. The study site was Taiyuan city, a medium-sized city in central China. Qualitative data were transcribed verbatim, translated from Chinese to English, and analysed using framework analysis. Quantitative data were analysed using difference tests and regression analysis.
Results: The two key influences on the paediatric antibiotic-related behaviour of healthcare providers were: (i) parental influences, including public understandings of disease and treatment within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine, and maintaining trust and good relationships with parents, and (ii) the organisational context relating to China's healthcare system and national policies. The main influences on the paediatric antibiotic-related behaviour of parents related to their lack of antibiotic-related knowledge, their understandings of TCM and Western medicine, and their access to and interactions with healthcare providers.
Conclusions: Although it is a small-scale study located in one urban setting, this research highlights influences on healthcare providers' and parents' paediatric antibiotic-related behaviour operating from individual to organisational and cultural levels. Promoting more appropriate paediatric use of antibiotics in China will require better understanding of the provider-patient relationship and the wider cultural and healthcare contexts, especially in relation to the relative influence of TCM and Western medicine.


A 61 year-old woman came to our hospital with dysphasia that had persisted for 2 months. Endoscopy and barium swallow showed a protruding tumor, about 6.0 cm long, in the midportion of the esophagus. A biopsy specimen showed squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed adventitial involvement and lymph node metastases beneath the carina. After 2 courses of chemotherapy with cisplatin (CDDP) 100 mg for 1 day, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) 800 mg for 5 days, and leucovorin 30 mg for 5 days, complete regression of the tumor was observed by endoscopy and barium esophagography. Transthoracic esophagectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Histologically, the muscle layers of the resected esophagus had been replaced by fibrous tissue; however, small foci of basaloid squamous carcinoma (BSC) were found in the submucosa. Six months after surgery, a CT scan revealed a metastatic lymph node around the right main bronchus. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy resulted in the disappearance of the metastasis. The patient has survived for more than 3 years since surgery with a good quality of life.


We have measured Fundamental Plane (FP) parameters in the 2MASS J, H and K passbands for 10,000 ellipticals, lenticulars and early-type spiral bulges in the 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) – a spectroscopic survey of the southern sky with |b| > 10° (Jones et al. 2009). 6dFGS provides a large near-infrared-selected sample of galaxies for accurately determining the NIR FP and investigating the trends in the FP with stellar population, morphology and environment.


This review deals with the deleterious effects of cigarette smoking on the microcirculation, both in terms of morphological (i.e., vessel wall injury, capillary loss) and functional aspects. The latter concerns predominantly changes in tissue perfusion and its regulatory mechanisms (i.e., reactive hyperemia, sequestration of blood cells in the microcirculation). The mechanisms of action of cigarette smoking on the microcirculation include compromised endothelial‐dependent vasorelaxation, platelet aggregation, endothelial cell dysfunction, and the activation of circulating leukocytes. Through these mechanisms, cigarette smoking elicits the aggregation and adhesion of leukocytes and/or platelets to the microvascular endothelium in venules and arterioles, as assessed by intravital fluorescence microscopy in the hamster skinfold chamber model. This model has allowed us to learn more about the participation of reactive oxygen species, inflammatory mediators, and adhesion molecules in the orchestration of microcirculatory dysfunction after cigarette smoking. In the final part of this review, the clinical consequences of microcirculatory dysfunction are discussed and an outlook is offered on potential prophylactic interventions (i.e., antioxidant vitamins) aimed at abrogating the deleterious action of cigarette smoking on the microcirculation. Microcirculation (2000) 7, 367–384.


This case describes the nursing care of a 66-year-old electively admitted patient who came to hospital for the treatment of a hepatic secondary neuroendocrine duodenum cancer. A typical liver resection with duodeno-pancreatectomy and sigmaresection was performed. Complications led to more than ten re-laparatomies with resection of the stomach and oesophagus. It was necessary to perform blind occlusion of the jejunum and the disposition of an oesophagus stoma. A diabetes mellitus was caused by the total resection of the pancreas. Mister B. got a percutaneous endoscope jejunostomy but it could not be used because of a new small intestine fistula into the abdominal cavity wherefore a port was implanted. The following different conceptions of the self-care deficit theory have been used to describe and analyse the patient situation as follows: Basic conditioning factors, self-care requisites, therapeutic self-care demands, self-care competence. The future self-management capabilities consist of the following: Care of the oesophagus stoma, care of the percutaneous endoscope jejunostomy, management of the diabetes mellitus, coping with the changed self-image, coping with the restriction of movement and with the needed prophylaxis. Support was given by the transfer of knowledge to the patient. Instructions were given during realisations of new activities and development of skills. It was evaluated if the patient is capable to reflect his actions and to assess if he is able to react on deviations from the normal standards in a correct and appropriate way. After dismissal it was secured by phone call that the patient successfully manages the new self-care demands independently.


Dieulafoy's ulcer often develops unmanageable severe gastrointestinal hemorrhage and sometimes takes a fatal course. In the past surgical operations were considered to be the only life-saving measure for this lesion. Since 1979, 46 lesions of Dieulafoy's ulcer in 45 cases with active bleeding from exposed blood vessels were treated during emergency endoscopy by the hemostatic method of pure ethanol injection. Transient hemostasis was obtained in all cases. Rebleeding occurred in 5 cases (11%) and pure ethanol injection was performed again. Hemostasis was obtained in all cases, but one case again had rebleeding due to an overlooked Dieulafoy's ulcer located in the gastric fundus. Emergent surgical operation was performed in this case. No case required elective surgery and no deaths were attributed to bleeding. Our method achieved complete hemostasis at a rate of 98% (44 cases) for Dieulafoy's ulcer. The pure ethanol injection method is one of the most effective hemostatic methods for the Dieulafoy's ulcer.


A quasi-Gray code of dimension $n$ and length $\ell$ over an alphabet $\Sigma$ is a sequence of distinct words $w_1,w_2,\dots,w_\ell$ from $\Sigma^n$ such that any two consecutive words differ in at most $c$ coordinates, for some fixed constant $c>0$. In this paper we are interested in the read and write complexity of quasi-Gray codes in the bit-probe model, where we measure the number of symbols read and written in order to transform any word $w_i$ into its successor $w_{i+1}$.
We present construction of quasi-Gray codes of dimension $n$ and length $3^n$ over the ternary alphabet $\{0,1,2\}$ with worst-case read complexity $O(\log n)$ and write complexity $2$. This generalizes to arbitrary odd-size alphabets. For the binary alphabet, we present quasi-Gray codes of dimension $n$ and length at least $2^n - 20n$ with worst-case read complexity $6+\log n$ and write complexity $2$. This complements a recent result by Raskin [Raskin '17] who shows that any quasi-Gray code over binary alphabet of length $2^n$ has read complexity $\Omega(n)$.
Our results significantly improve on previously known constructions and for the odd-size alphabets we break the $\Omega(n)$ worst-case barrier for space-optimal (non-redundant) quasi-Gray codes with constant number of writes. We obtain our results via a novel application of algebraic tools together with the principles of catalytic computation [Buhrman et al. '14, Ben-Or and Cleve '92, Barrington '89, Coppersmith and Grossman '75].


The objective of this research was to investigate the potential probiotic of Lactobacillus johnsonii LT171. It had aggregation (60 min) and antibacterial effects against Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O78:K80. It showed amylase and protease activity and high clear zone in culture medium containing calcium phytate; cell surface hydrophobicity, 85.21 ± 7.27%; resistance to acidic condition (pH 3 for 90 min) and bile salts (in culture medium containing 0.075% ox gall). Also it had resistance to nalidixic acid and neomycine. This research showed appropriate probiotic properties of L. johnsonii LT171 for chicken nutrition. Hence this strain can complement the characteristics of other strains in multistrain probiotics because of its high clear zone in culture medium containing calcium phytate.


The fabrication of a phototransistor via the bridging of two prefabricated electrodes with a laterally grown ZnO nanowire is reported. It was found that the fabricated device is an n-channel enhancement-mode phototransistor with a dark carrier concentration of 6.34 × 10(17) cm(-3) when the gate voltage is biased at 5 V. With an incident-light wavelength of 360 nm and a zero gate bias, it was found that the noise equivalent power and normalized detectivity (D*) of the fabricated ZnO phototransistor were 6.67 × 10(-17) W and 1.27 × 10(13) cm Hz(0.5) W(-1), respectively. It was also found that the current in the device can be modulated efficiently by tuning the wavelength of the excitation source.


ABSTRACT
There is a need to further develop telemedicine approaches due to the immediate and perhaps long-term consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019. Thus, a remote protocol for assessment of patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) was developed, and the agreement of this protocol was compared to the guidelines of the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (DC/TMD). A total of 16 individuals were first assessed by a reference standard examination (RSE) and three other examinations applied in a random order by three examiners: standard physical examination (standard examination), physical examination keeping 2 m distance (physical distanced examination) and examination done with the aid of video communication technology (video communication examination). The primary outcomes were the diagnoses of myalgia of the masseter and temporalis muscles, and arthralgia. The diagnoses of intra-articular joint disorders were considered secondary outcomes because of less impact on psychosocial functioning and quality of life when compared with the pain-related diagnoses. The Fleiss kappa coefficient and its 95% confidence interval were computed to determine the level of agreement in diagnoses between each examination protocol and the RSE. There was substantial to almost perfect agreement between the RSE and all the examination protocols for the diagnoses of myalgia (0.86 to 1.00) and arthralgia (0.86 to 0.87) (p<0.001). On the other hand, there was an overall poor agreement (0.30 to 0.58) between the RSE and all the protocols for the diagnosis of disc displacement with reduction. Remote assessment of patients with pain-related TMD is feasible and presents a high degree of accuracy.


Social development is the advancement of variables to help a person progress socially. There has been a progressive academic conversation into the idea of whether team sports, such as soccer, can help a player develop socially. This study seeks to further this academic conversation by seeing if a cooperative play, such as passing, in a traditional game of soccer can demonstrate social development within the game and to see if more soccer experience plays a role. A quantitative study was done by counting the number of passes between each team with differing levels of experience and seeing if more soccer experience explains the differing number of passes. To further investigate experience, a survey was conducted and completed by each player in the soccer matches to see if players were aware of their experience and social development skills. This study's findings were that in the soccer games, there seemed to be no significant difference in the amount of passing between the teams of different experience levels that was due to differences in social development but seemed to only be due to a difference in skill level. This study presented a different approach and finding to the academic conversation. Looking towards the future, it is recommended that further research should have a set strategy to determine experience to make the experiment clearer.


Scaffold design parameters including porosity, pore size, interconnectivity, and mechanical properties have a significant influence on osteogenic signal expression and differentiation. This review evaluates the influence of each of these parameters and then discusses the ability of stereolithography (SLA) to be used to tailor scaffold design to optimize these parameters. Scaffold porosity and pore size affect osteogenic cell signaling and ultimately in vivo bone tissue growth. Alternatively, scaffold interconnectivity has a great influence on in vivo bone growth but little work has been done to determine if interconnectivity causes changes in signaling levels. Osteogenic cell signaling could be also influenced by scaffold mechanical properties such as scaffold rigidity and dynamic relationships between the cells and their extracellular matrix. With knowledge of the effects of these parameters on cellular functions, an optimal tissue engineering scaffold can be designed, but a proper technology must exist to produce this design to specification in a repeatable manner. SLA has been shown to be capable of fabricating scaffolds with controlled architecture and micrometer-level resolution. Surgical implantation of these scaffolds is a promising clinical treatment for successful bone regeneration. By applying knowledge of how scaffold parameters influence osteogenic cell signaling to scaffold manufacturing using SLA, tissue engineers may move closer to creating the optimal tissue engineering scaffold.


The Large Neighborhood Search metaheuristic for solving Constrained Optimization Problems has been proved to be effective on a wide range of problems. This Local Search heuristic has the particu- larity of using a complete search (such as Constraint Programming) to explore the large neighborhoods obtained by relaxing a fragment of the variables of the current solution. Large Neighborhood Search has three parameters that must be specified (size of the fragment, search limit and fragment selection procedure). Its performances greatly depend on those parameters. Despite the success of the metaheuristic, no generic principle has emerged yet on how to choose the parameters. They are currently set either with domain dependent heuristics or chosen randomly. The ob- jective of this ongoing work is to develop generic heuristics for adaptive selection of the parameters of Large Neighborhood Search. This paper proposes to use a Reinforcement Learning framework in order to adapt the heuristics during the search. Two heuristics are proposed to deal with the first two parameters of the metaheuristic. Three are proposed to adapt the last parameter. Preliminary computational results on the Car Sequencing problem are given. On this problem, only the adaptive selection of the first two parameters is effective.


"Chickens and beer: a recipe for growth" looks at small and medium commercial farming in Mozambique, as an alternative to both large land grabs by foreign investors and speculators, and small 1 ha peasant farms. No new plantation, either state or private, has been successful in Mozambique since independence in 1975, while 1 ha farmers are doomed to poverty. Soya beans for chicken feed, the chickens themselves, and cassava for the new Impala beer are all being produced by new commercial farmers, often on contract. They are creating jobs and raising their own living standards, and could be a more plausible model for rural development.


OBJECTIVES
This study examined the effects of familiarity with and social distance from persons who have serious mental illness on stigmatizing attitudes about mental illness.

METHODS
A total of 208 community college students completed three written measures about familiarity, perception of dangerousness, fear, and social distance. Path analysis with manifest-variable structural modeling techniques was used to test a version of a model in which familiarity influences the perception of dangerousness, which in turn influences fear, which influences social distance from persons with serious mental illness.

RESULTS
Most of the participants reported experience with mental illness. Scores on the three written measures largely supported the path model. Correlations between the perception of dangerousness and fear as well as between fear and social distance were particularly strong.

CONCLUSIONS
Approaches to social change that increase the public's familiarity with serious mental illness will decrease stigma. Further studies are warranted that focus on how contact between members of the general public and persons who have serious mental illness may be facilitated.


Formal caregivers often play an important role in leading activities programs and arranging appropriate therapeutic activities in institutions. Studies have shown that, when elderly patients with dementia have participated in more structured activities, agitated behaviors have been significantly decreased. Also, structured activities have helped in the performance of ADL, as well as improved quality of sleep, decreased anxiety, improved self-expression and social interaction, enhanced caregiver's morale, and resulted in a more positive caring attitude on the part of caregivers. This article will discuss the categories and contents of activities programs for elderly patients with dementia and can be applied as a reference to assist formal caregivers in their efforts to arrange appropriate activities programs in institutions.


From the bioactive ethyl acetate extract of leaves of Miconia ioneura Griseb (Melastomataceae) we isolated a flavone as a microcrystalline solid. This substance was identified as 4H-1-Benzopyran-4-one,5-hydroxy-2-(4hydroxyphenyl)-7-methoxy-6,8-dimethyl (sideroxylin) by melting point and IR of the solid and by NMR and UV spectroscopic techniques in solution. Furthermore, we succeeded in growing single crystals adequate for structural studies. The molecular structure of sideroxylin, C18H16O5, has been determined by X-ray diffraction methods at 150K. The substance crystallizes as a monohydrate in the monoclinic P21/c space group with a=7.322(1), b=17.014(2), c=12.210(1) A, =93.73(1), and Z=4 molecules per unit cell. The fused phenyl and hetero-cycle rings are coplanar to each other and the phenyl group which is -bonded to the latter ring belongs closely to that plane. Observed intra-molecular distances and angles complain with the bonding structure expected from the Organic Chemistry rules. The molecule presents a strong intra-molecular O-H…O bond. As a result of antimicrobial tests with ethyl acetate extracts and sideroxylin we found antifungal activity of both substances against several Candida strains.


Fetal bradycardia of 60 beats per minute was diagnosed in the 22nd week of a normal pregnancy. Echocardiography showed a complete fetal atrioventricular heart block. The fetal heart was without structural abnormalities. Auto-antibodies (Ro/SS-A and antinuclear antibodies) could be demonstrated in both mother and child. The mother, however, showed no signs or symptoms of a connective tissue disease. We describe neonatal lupus erythematosus as an important cause of congenital heart block.


396 Background: The X-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis protein (XIAP) is associated with cell survival by blocking caspase-mediated apoptosis. We have reported the expression and prognostic value of XIAP in human prostate cancer using prostate tissue microarrays (Clin Cancer Res 2007). The expression and prognostic significance of XIAP in renal cell cancer (RCC) has been rarely studied. To our knowledge, no report on the serum XIAP levels from RCC patients has been published. In this study, we examined serum XIAP levels of RCC patients and normal individuals and evaluated its utility as biomarker.

METHODS
Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 99 patients (68 men and 31 women, median age; 60.7 years [36-85]) with RCC before surgery. All the patients underwent radical or partial nephrectomy. Blood samples were also collected from 52 healthy controls. The histological grade was as follows: Grade1; n= 5, Grade2; n=72, Grade3; n= 22. The serum XIAP levels were measured by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cut off value was calculated by ROC analysis.

RESULTS
The serum XIAP levels in patients with RCC were higher than those of normal control individuals (328.3 pg/ml vs 156.2 pg/ml, P<0.001). At a median follow up of 33 months (1-105M), tumor with low serum XIAP showed significantly longer progression free survival (PFS) than those with high serum XIAP in Grade 1-2 group (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Serum XIAP level is associated with recurrence and prognosis. These results suggest that it may be used as a novel prognosticator and a potential target for renal cell cancer diagnosis and therapy.


Female genital tuberculosis (FGTB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (rarely Mycobacterium bovis and/or atypical mycobacteria) being usually secondary to TB of the lungs or other organs with infection reaching through haematogenous, lymphatic route or direct spread from abdominal TB. In FGTB, fallopian tubes are affected in 90 per cent women, whereas uterine endometrium is affected in 70 per cent and ovaries in about 25 per cent women. It causes menstrual dysfunction and infertility through the damage of genital organs. Some cases may be asymptomatic. Diagnosis is often made from proper history taking, meticulous clinical examination and judicious use of investigations, especially endometrial aspirate (or biopsy) and endoscopy. Treatment is through multi-drug antitubercular treatment for adequate time period (rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, ethambutol daily for 60 days followed by rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol daily for 120 days). Treatment is given for 18-24 months using the second-line drugs for drug-resistant (DR) cases. With the advent of increased access to rapid diagnostics and newer drugs, the management protocol is moving towards achieving universal drug sensitivity testing and treatment with injection-free regimens containing newer drugs, especially for new and previously treated DR cases.


The unique characteristics of the arctic atmosphere make for very interesting effects that cannot be seen anywhere else in the planet. The extremely cold temperatures, along with the existence of inversion layers in the temperature gradients, make the medium highly inhomogeneous. Its properties, including the index of refraction that rules the behavior of light, are no longer constant. As a consequence, light rays get bent while traversing the atmosphere, and the result is some spectacular phenomena; several examples are the arctic mirages (that have probably given rise to numerous ghost ship legends), the Fata Morgana or the Novaya-Zemlya effect. We present here an implementation of a ray tracer that can render all these effects, thus depicting phenomena never ray-traced before, as far as the authors know. We first build an accurate temperature profile for the arctic atmosphere, based on experimental data, then calculate the curved paths of the light rays as the index of refraction changes as a function of temperature, by solving the physically-based differential equation that describes their trajectory. The scenes are modelled using real data for the Earth and Sun dimensions and relative distance, thus maintaining accuracy in the results obtained.


Kortweg-de Vries (KdV)-typed equations have been used to describe certain nonlinear phenomena in fluids and plasmas. Generalized complex coupled KdV (GCCKdV) equations are investigated in this paper. Through the dependent variable transformations and symbolic computation, GCCKdV equations are transformed into their bilinear forms, based on which the one- and two-soliton solutions are obtained. Through the interactions of two solitons, the regular elastic collision are shown. When the wave numbers are complex, three kinds of solitonic collisions are presented: (i) two solitons merge and separate from each other periodically; (ii) two solitons exhibit the attraction and repulsion nearly twice, and finally separate from each other after such type of interaction; (iii) two solitons are fluctuant in the central region of the collision. Propagation features of solitons are investigated with the effects of the coefficients in the GCCKdV equations considered. Velocity of soliton increase with the α increasing. Amplitude of v increase with the α increasing and decrease with the β increasing.


Long duration gamma-ray bursts are powerful sources that can accelerate particles to ultra-high energies. Acceleration of protons in the forward shock of the highly relativistic GRB blastwave allows PeV--EeV neutrino production by photopion interactions of ultra-high energy protons with X-ray to optical photons of the GRB afterglow emission. Four different blastwave evolution scenarios are considered: adiabatic and fully radiative blastwaves in a constant density circumburst medium and in a wind environment with the particle density in the wind decreasing inversley proportional to the square of the radius from the center of the burst. The duration of the neutrino flux depends on the evolution of the blastwave, and can last up to a day in the case of an adibatic blastwave in a constant density medium. Neutrino fluxes from the three other blastwave evolution scenarios are also calculated. Diffuse neutrino fluxes calculated using the observed rate of long-duration GRBs are consistent with the recent IceCube upper limit on the prompt GRB neutrino flux below PeV. The diffuse neutrino flux needed to explain the two neutrino events at PeV energies recently detected by IceCube can partially come from the presented GRB blastwave diffuse fluxes. Future observations by IceCube and upcoming huge radio Askaryan experiments will be able to probe the flux models presented here or constrain the GRB blastwave properties.


This article will present an overview of the debate about the connections between psychoanalysis and neuroscience. In the psychoanalytic camp, the three main groups are identified as: (1) hybridisation, (2) isolation and (3) interlocution. The first group understands the need for creating a hybrid field, as neurosciences can provide psychoanalysis with underpinnings, methodological techniques and firmer concepts of mental function. This idea is developing as the foundation of Neuropsychoanalysis. The second group, marked strongly by the lacanian discourse, rejects any linkage, thinking them epistemologically incompatible, and predicting an inevitable subjugation of psychoanalysis to scientific dictums. Finally the third group understands interlocution, without hierarchification of the models in play, as a fertile ground for the formulation of new hypotheses and the renovation of the conceptual edifice of psychoanalysis.


Thermal energy generated by radio-frequency current or other means may be employed in treating liver tumors by means of thermal coagulation when conventional resection is impossible. Currently, these thermal energy-based therapeutic procedures suffer from the lack of an adequate feedback control system, making it difficult to determine the optimal therapeutic endpoint. In this study, the potential of optical spectroscopy to provide such an objective endpoint for these procedures is presented. Freshly harvested canine liver samples were exposed to 50/spl deg/C, 60/spl deg/C, and 70/spl deg/C water baths for times ranging from 0 to 60 min. Transmission and reflectance were measured from each sample using an integrating sphere and the optical properties of each sample were accordingly derived. Excitation-emission matrices were recorded from the samples using a spectrofluorometer to identify the intrinsic fluorescence characteristics of native and thermally coagulated liver tissues. In addition, fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectra were separately obtained from the samples prepared using a portable spectroscopic system. Results of this study show that fluorescence and optical properties of liver tissues exhibit clear and consistent changes through the thermal coagulation process. Specifically, the primary peak in the fluorescence spectra from liver tissues shifts from 480 nm in the native state to 510 nm in the fully coagulated state. In addition, a three- to fourfold increase in the absolute intensity of the diffuse reflectance spectra is observed upon complete coagulation of liver tissues. These dynamic spectral features indicate that fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy may provide a direct measure of the biochemical and structural changes associated with tissue thermal damage in the liver.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and highly conserved noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level by binding to the 3′-UTR of target mRNAs. Recently, increasing evidence has highlighted their profound roles in various pathological processes, including human cancers. Deregulated miRNAs function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in multiple cancer types. Among them, miR-195 has been reported to significantly impact oncogenicity in various neoplasms by binding to critical genes and signaling pathways, enhancing or inhibiting the progression of cancers. In this review, we focus on the expression of miR-195 in regulatory mechanisms and tumor biological processes and discuss the future potential therapeutic implications of diverse types of human malignancies.


A new type of homoclinic and heteroclinic solutions, i.e. homoclinic and heteroclinic breather solutions, for Zakharov system are obtained using extended homoclinic test and two-soliton methods, respectively. Moreover, the homoclinic and heteroclinic structure with local oscillation and mechanical feature different from homoclinic and heterocliunic solutions are investigated. Result shows complexity of dynamics for complex nonlinear evolution system. Moreover, the similarities and differences between homoclinic (heteroclinic) breather and homoclinic (heteroclinic) tube are exhibited. These results show that the diversity of the structures of homoclinic and heteroclinic solutions.


The article discusses the modern stage of international relations as a transition from the US-centric to another, polycentric world order. America has many opportunities to infl uence the formation of the future world order, which it uses for maintaining a dominant role in the world. However, America also has severe weaknesses for making the global transition; the main one considers the psychological unpreparedness of the country's establishment for a change in the global role of the United States. The country's transitional situation gives rise to an identity crisis, accompanied by the most heated debates in the political class regarding the development of foreign policy and strategy. In the variety of positions and narratives of the American strategy, one can distinguish (1) proponents of the liberal globalization and maintaining America's dominant position, (2) advocates of superpower status and resource dominance by coercion and (3) realists or those who call for building a new global balance of power and coordinating the US interests with other powers. This identity crisis is associated with the globally changing position of the country that has been at the center of the international system for the past 75 years. The American political class was never monolithic before and even during the Cold War, representing a range of diff erent foreign policy ideas and positions. However, foreign policy disagreements previously did not question the national identity and fundamental value of the country. For America, these values were associated with a global role in promoting the ideals of freedom and liberal democracy, previously underpinned by confrontation with the USSR. The disappearance of the Soviet power strengthened the position of liberal globalists and enhanced the strategic narrative of the global promotion of American values. The diff erence of the contemporary period is that nationalists and realists no longer accept the arguments of liberal globalists, resulting in a deepening of ideological polarization in the political class and society. The domestic ideational and political crisis splits the elites, delays the transition to a new world order, and makes it impossible to pursue a sound international strategy. Such a strategy will be the result of both an internal political struggle and a response of the country's leadership to the processes of pluralization and polycentrism developing in the world.


The purpose of this comparative overview is to provide an analysis of recent trends, issues and challenges in tripartism and industrial relations in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. One major difficulty in preparing such an overview has resulted from the great differences which exist in the various countries in the region. Changes in industrial relations which are affecting countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia and Poland do not seem to have much in common with each other, while problems in Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are quite different from those in Slovakia or in Lithuania. In spite of such differences, however, there is indeed a certain degree of comparability which makes the exchange of views and experiences within this group of Central and Eastern European countries possible and useful. In order to make such a discussion meaningful, it is necessary in this report to concentrate on certain major problems and questions. Therefore, we will present in a succinct manner the issues which are characterising tripartism and labour management relations in the region.


Abstract The importance of mineral nutrition to the various plant species has been recognized for many years. Since nutrients are directly linked to physiological and metabolic processes, they promote the growth of rootstocks and seedlings, contributing to the formation of more productive orchards. As a consequence of the lack of technical information for most fruit trees, fertilization in nurseries has still been carried out empirically, sometimes underestimating or overestimating nutritional requirements and compromising the quality of plants produced. Given the importance of mineral nutrition in the formation of high-quality seedlings and the lack of scientific information on the topic, the aim of the present review was to raise interest in further research, and contribute to produce nutritionally balanced fruit seedlings.


MALT1 plays critical role in antigen receptor-mediated lymphocyte activation and lymphomagenesis. MALT1 acts both as a scaffold protein to recruit upstream signal transducers and as an intracellular cysteine protease with proteolytic activity that cleaves substrate proteins involved in NF-kB induction. Dysregulation of MALT1 activity occurs in lymphoma as a result of chromosomal translocations that fuse the catalytic domain of MALT1 with portions of BirC3 (c-IAP2). Previous studies have shown that MALT1's proteolytic activity is required for its participation in NF-kB induction and for promoting cell viability of certain types of lymphomas, particularly the activated B-cell (ABC) type of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. To lay a foundation for discovery of drug-like chemical inhibitors of MALT1, we developed a fluorescence-based, biochemical assay for measuring protease activity of MALT1 in vitro in 384 and 1,536 well formats. The assay components included recombinant purified full-length MALT1 protein, the MALT1-binding protein, Bcl-10, and the fluorigenic substrate Ac-LRSR-AMC (Ac-Leu-Arg-Ser-Arg-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin). Experiments showed that addition of Bcl-10 increases MALT1's protease activity up to 20-40 fold. The high throughput screening (HTS) assay was validated with excellent Z' factors (>0.7) in both 384 and 1,536 well formats, with performance remaining robust for more than 6 hours, and thus suitable for screening of large chemical libraries. The HTS assay was validated by performing pilot screens with two small collections of compounds enriched in bioactive molecules (n = 1280 for LopacTM and 2000 for SpectrumTM library), yielding confirmed hit rates of 0.2 % and 0.7%, respectively. Counter-screening assays were also generated using other types of intracellular cysteine proteases, specifically Caspase-3 and Autophagin-1 (ATG4B), for eliminating non-specific inhibitors. Various supporting cell-based assays have also been generated to support hit characterization. In conclusion, we have generated a robust biochemical HTS assays for detection of chemical inhibitors of the MALT1 protease. We plan to utilize the HTS assay for screening large compound libraries as a starting point for discovery of novel therapeutics for treatment of lymphoma, autoimmunity, and allograft rejection. Citation Format: Dayong Zhai, Chih-Wen Shu, Paul Diaz, John C. Reed. Development of a biochemical High Throughput Screening (HTS) assay for chemical inhibitors of MALT1, a target for lymphoma therapeutics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4540. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4540


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate agreement of 3 models of portable blood glucose meters (PBGMs; 2 designed for use with human samples and 1 designed for veterinary use) with a laboratory analyzer for measurement of blood glucose concentrations in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo).

DESIGN
Evaluation study.

ANIMALS
52 ferrets.

PROCEDURES
Samples were analyzed with 4 PBGMs (whole blood) and a laboratory analyzer (plasma). Two PBGMs of the model designed for veterinary use were tested; each was set to a code corresponding to canine or feline sample analysis throughout the study. Agreement and bias between measurements obtained with the PBGMs and the laboratory analyzer were assessed with Bland-Altman plots. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate associations with venipuncture site by comparison of central (jugular) and peripheral (lateral saphenous or cephalic) venous blood samples.

RESULTS
Plasma glucose concentrations measured with the laboratory analyzer ranged from 41 to 160 mg/dL. Results from the PBGM for veterinary use coded to test a canine blood sample had the greatest agreement with the laboratory analyzer (mean bias, 1.9 mg/dL); all other PBGMs significantly underestimated blood glucose concentrations. A PBGM designed for use with human samples had the least agreement with the laboratory analyzer (mean bias, -34.0 mg/dL). Blood glucose concentration was not significantly different between central and peripheral venous blood samples for any analyzer used.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Significant underestimation of blood glucose concentrations as detected for 3 of the 4 PBGMs used in the study could have a substantial impact on clinical decision making. Verification of blood glucose concentrations in ferrets with a laboratory analyzer is highly recommended.


Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) related pulmonary hypertension (PH) carries a high mortality and patients with SSc-PH related to restrictive lung disease (RLD) having an even worse prognosis. Speculation regarding the potential of MMF to exert anti-fibrotic and anti-remodeling effects on parenchymal lung and vascular intimal fibrosis, led us to query the possible differences in outcomes and survival between 4 groups based on forced vital capacity (FVC) and MMF use in SSc PH. Methods PHAROS is a prospective registry designed to provide substantive data to recognize aspects of PH unique to SSc. For this analysis patients were stratified by an FVC of >70% or ≤70% predicted on spirometry at the time of PH diagnosis by right heart catheterization (RHC) and then by MMF duration of ≥6 months from PH diagnosis. MMF<6 months or cyclophosphamide use was exclusionary to all groups. Calculations are derived from one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post test or Kruskal Wallis with Dunn's post-test. Categorical variables were compared with Chi square. These analyses were followed by Cox and stepwise backward regression analysis to assess baseline characteristics associated with risk of death (variables with p<0.1 included) and Kaplan-Meyer analysis. Results 256 cases from the PHAROS database matched criteria and had baseline spirometry results coincident with diagnostic RHC, of those 173 had a baseline FVC>70% with 23 on MMF and 150 without; and 83 had a baseline FVC≤70% with 26 on MMF and 57 without. Across groups, no differences were found in age, disease duration, race nor surprisingly in skin score, 6 minute walk test (6MWD) or NYHA Class. WHO Group I, female sex and lcSSc classification were higher in the FVC>70 MMF- group; with FVC≤70%/RLD groups having significantly more lung fibrosis, lower FVC:DLCO ratio, and more WHO Group III classifications supporting our RLD definition. There was no significant interval change in baseline FVC and follow-up FVC 6-18 month later. Of interest, baseline mPAP and PVR were lower in both MMF+ groups regardless of FVC. Survival was statistically worse with FVC≤70 without MMF at 3 years (p=0.04). Male sex, mPAP, DLCO were significant independent predictors of death in all groups (p=0.001, p<0.0001, p<0.0001) especially when FVC was ≤70% (p=0.007, p=0.003, p=0.005). Conclusions Statistically significant improved survival in patients with PH with FVC≤70 treated with MMF even in the absence of improvement of FVC is intriguing. MMF effects on pulmonary artery remodeling should be considered. These findings warrant prospective controlled investigations and examination of larger combined international databases of MMF in SScPH particularly in those with restrictive lung disease. Acknowledgements PHAROS is supported by an investigator initiated grant from Gilead Science. Disclosure of Interest L. A. Saketkoo Grant/research support from: ACR/EULAR Exchange Awardee; Gilead, M. Lammi: None declared, A. Fischer: None declared, J. Molitor: None declared, V. Steen Grant/research support from: Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Bayer CSL Berhing Intermune Roche Pharmaceuticals Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceutical UCB United Therapeutics


Newborn rats were rendered hypothyroid during the first post-natal week and then studied as adults. At 80 days of age, groups of control and neonatally treated animals were sacrificed at the peak (13.00 h) and trough (07.00 h) of the serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) circadian rhythm. Both control and treated animals showed the normal peak and trough fluctuation of serum TSH, although the animals made hypothyroid neonatally had serum TSH levels which were less than those of the control animals. Serum thyroxine (T4) levels of control and treated animals were similar at the trough of the serum TSH rhythm (07.00 h), but the (T4) levels of the neonatally hypothyroid animals were significantly lower than those found in the control animals at the peak of the TSH rhythm (13.00 h). The results of this experiment indicate that the central nervous system (CNS) regulation of the circadian pattern of serum TSH is maintained in adult animals made hypothyroid neonatally, and supports the results of previous studies which indicate an enhanced sensitivity of TSH secretion to feedback suppression by thyroid hormones.


Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a very large part in most cellular processes. Although a great deal of research has been devoted to detecting PPIs through high-throughput technologies, these methods are clearly expensive and cumbersome. Compared with the traditional experimental methods, computational methods have attracted much attention because of their good performance in detecting PPIs. In our work, a novel computational method named as PCVM-LM is proposed which combines the probabilistic classification vector machine (PCVM) model and Legendre moments (LMs) to predict PPIs from amino acid sequences. The improvement mainly comes from using the LMs to extract discriminatory information embedded in the position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM) combined with the PCVM classifier to implement prediction. The proposed method was evaluated on Yeast and Helicobacter pylori datasets with five-fold cross-validation experiments. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves high average accuracies of 96.37% and 93.48%, respectively, which are much better than other well-known methods. To further evaluate the proposed method, we also compared the proposed method with the state-of-the-art support vector machine (SVM) classifier and other existing methods on the same datasets. The comparison results clearly show that our method is better than the SVM-based method and other existing methods. The promising experimental results show the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed method, which can be a useful decision support tool for protein research.


In this study, pulsatile and nonpulsatile assisted circulation were compared to evaluate renal circulation under complete artificial circulation. In addition, differences were also compared between animals supported by high (assist rate 80%)- and low (assist rate 60%)-level artificial circulation. Using 20 pigs, ventricular fibrillation was induced after cardiogenic shock, assist by mechanical support by pulsatile and nonpulsatile artificial circulation. Hemodynamics and renal circulation were evaluated by measuring renal arterial blood flow, renal cortical blood flow, renal medullar blood flow, cortical/medullar flow ratio, serum urea nitrogen levels, blood creatinine levels, urinary beta(2)-microglobulin (MG) levels, and serum beta(2)-MG levels. Tissue metabolism was evaluated by comparing arterial ketone body ratios and lactic acid/pyruvic acid ratios. During the acute stage of cardiogenic shock, redistribution of renal blood flow and tissue metabolism were improved in the pigs with pulsatile artificial circulation, suggesting the usefulness of pulse pressure. In nonpulsatile artificial circulation, the possibility of irreversible renal dysfunction was suggested. Although changes in renal blood flow were smaller in high-level artificial circulation than in low-level artificial circulation, physiological maintenance of renal circulation was better in pulsatile artificial circulation than in nonpulsatile artificial circulation. These results suggest that this effect of pulsatile assisted circulation may become more marked when evaluated in the early state after cardiogenic shock.


We argue that in an economy with downward nominal wage rigidity, the output gap is negative on average. Because it is more difficult to cut wages than to increase them, firms reduce employment more during downturns than they increase employment during expansions. This is demonstrated in a simple New Keynesian model with asymmetric wage adjustment costs. Using the model's output gap as a benchmark, we further show that common output gap estimation methods exhibit a systematic bias because they assume a zero mean. The bias is especially large in deep recessions when potential output tends to be most severely underestimated. JEL Classification Numbers: E32, E61


Cognitive maps are thought to enable model-based inferences from limited experience that can guide novel decisions–a hallmark of goal-directed behavior. We tested whether the hippocampus (HC), entorhinal cortex (EC), and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)/medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) organize abstract and discrete relational information into a cognitive map to guide novel choices. Subjects learned the status of people in two separate unseen 2-D social hierarchies defined by competence and popularity piecemeal from binary comparisons. Although only one dimension was ever behaviorally relevant, multivariate activity patterns in HC, EC and mOFC were linearly related to the Euclidian distance between people in the mentally reconstructed 2-D space. Hubs created unique comparisons between the two hierarchies, enabling inferences between novel pairs of people. We found that both behavior and neural activity in EC and vmPFC/mOFC reflected the Euclidian distance to the retrieved hub, which was reinstated in HC. These findings reveal how abstract and discrete relational structures are represented, combined, and navigated in the human brain.


HMPE fibers show an elongation and creep behavior that is substantially different from e.g. polyester fibers. Both fibers have a reversible elastic elongation however for polyester it is much higher than for HMPE. Both fibers also show primary creep behavior; for polyester this is the main creep contribution. A very important difference is that only HMPE shows a pronounced secondary creep. This component is irreversible and not only dependent on load but also on temperature. This secondary creep component results in much higher achievable elongations for HMPE based ropes without substantial loss in strength. In this paper a model for the creep of Dyneema HMPE on fiber level will be introduced and it is shown that the adaptation of the model for calculations on ropes is possible, regardless of the rope construction. The calculation model for creep of Dyneema ropes can be used as design tool for long-term conditions that are present in offshore operations.


Ultrasonic technology has developed rapidly in decades. However, few ultrasonic technologies have been proposed for tubes' internal inspection. In this paper, 6 types of ultrasonic endoscopic transducers are brought to detect volumetric and planar flaws in tubes. Steam generator tube is application target. Beam simulations are implemented and compared using an open source acoustic simulation toolbox to illustrate beneficial effects of the different transducers. The results show the proposed endoscopic array transducers can form focused ultrasonic beams in tube wall, which do helps when detecting complex defects, such as crevice with uncertain direction. A prototype circular array transducer with 64 elements is fabricated to demonstrate the design. A straight tube (Φ19 × 3mm) made of carbon-steel with 8 longitudinal grooves and 8 ring grooves of no more than 0.5mm width on both inner and outer tube wall are applied in endoscopy experiments. The results demonstrate the detection sensitivity of the circular array transducer reaches 0.2mm in both circumferential direction and axial direction. The combination of the above proposed transducers and advanced imaging algorithms such as total focusing method may build an integrated array ultrasonic endoscopic inspection scheme for the internal inspection of tubes.


Optical traditional techniques, such as diffusive reflectance spectroscopy, are used to confirm absorption behavior modification after anion doping process. However, the doping process in some materials as a SrTiO3 semiconductor was not clearly proved in different anions doping cases through traditional techniques. In this case, supporting technique as electrochemical measurements could prove a great help in elucidating the doping process modifications in the semiconductor material. In this paper, the electrochemical characterization was applied to analyze changes in energy bands produced by N-doping in SrTiO3@SrCO3 composite thin film electrodes. SrTiO3@SrCO3 and N-doped SrTiO3@SrCO3 nanoparticles were first characterized by X-ray diffraction to confirm a perovskite crystalline structure in both materials, whereas diffusive reflectance spectroscopy was used to demonstrate that no modification in the absorption spectrum is evident after doping. The thin films were observed by FESEM/SEM, and its deposition parameters were electrochemically evaluated. The electrochemical profiles of SrTiO3@SrCO3 and N doped SrTiO3@SrCO3 thin film electrodes were compared in dark and under UV-C light to determine the photocurrent. These measurements presented distinct results for the undoped and the doped materials, such as modification in photocurrent under UV-C illumination. SrTiO3@ SrCO3 composite electrodes show important characteristics which could be classified as a potential candidate in varistor uses, especially in the low-voltage protection system. The presented results confirm that electrochemical methods are useful to analyze the synthesis efficiency to produce N-doped structures.


. A method for the quantitative analysis of the spatial relations of minerals is described. Dispersed distributions are formed by annealing and destroyed in post-tectonic migmatization. Aggregate distributions characterize solid-state differentiation, whereas leucosomes formed in systems of high fluid:rock ratio (in the examples studied, anatectic melts) show random distributions.

Quantitative textural analysis can be used to indicate whether migmatization was post-tectonic or earlier, though caution is necessary if post-migmatite cooling is slow or if there is some minor deformation. More importantly, it can be used to discriminate melt-present from melt-absent leucosomes; this is exemplified by a suite of metamorphic and anatectic migmatites from the Scottish Caledonides.

The textural evolution of anatexites with increasing melt percentage is traced. Initial feldspar porphyroblastesis occurs by Ostwald ripening via grain boundary melts; subsequently ophthalmites develop with fabrics and chemistry inherited from the palaeosome. At greater than 30% melt these inherited fabrics are wholly destroyed. Deformation prompts segregation into melanosome and leucosome; resultant leucosomes contain no inherited crystals. The scale of anatectic systems is fixed at the point at which segregation begins; ophthalmites provide evidence for melt and crystal transfer beyond original palaeosome boundaries. In contrast, metamorphic migmatites are necessarily small-scale systems because of diffusive constraints, and melanosomes are invariably produced.


In the SetDisjointness problem, a collection of $m$ sets $S_1,S_2,...,S_m$ from some universe $U$ is preprocessed in order to answer queries on the emptiness of the intersection of some two query sets from the collection. In the SetIntersection variant, all the elements in the intersection of the query sets are required to be reported. These are two fundamental problems that were considered in several papers from both the upper bound and lower bound perspective.
Several conditional lower bounds for these problems were proven for the tradeoff between preprocessing and query time or the tradeoff between space and query time. Moreover, there are several unconditional hardness results for these problems in some specific computational models. The fundamental nature of the SetDisjointness and SetIntersection problems makes them useful for proving the conditional hardness of other problems from various areas. However, the universe of the elements in the sets may be very large, which may cause the reduction to some other problems to be inefficient and therefore it is not useful for proving their conditional hardness.
In this paper, we prove the conditional hardness of SetDisjointness and SetIntersection with bounded universe. This conditional hardness is shown for both the interplay between preprocessing and query time and the interplay between space and query time. Moreover, we present several applications of these new conditional lower bounds. These applications demonstrates the strength of our new conditional lower bounds as they exploit the limited universe size. We believe that this new framework of conditional lower bounds with bounded universe can be useful for further significant applications.


Abstract The formation and cytodifferentiation of egg envelopes were studied at the ultrastructural level in blastozooids of Botryllus schlosseri. The process was divided into five recognized stages of oogenesis. First, the small young oocytes (stage 1) are contacted by scattered cells (primary follicle cells—PFC) which adhere to the oolemma at several junctional spots. PFC extend all around the growing oocyte, acquire polarity, and form a layer covered externally by a thin basal membrane (stage 2). At stage 3 isolated cells are recognizable between the PFC layer and oocyte. They never form junctions with the oocyte and represent prospective inner follicle cells (IFC) and test cells (TC), the latter being progressively received in superficial depressions in the oocyte. The layer of PFC, which maintains junctions with the oolemma, represents prospective outer follicle cells (OFC). PFC are considered to be the source of the three cellular envelopes because a contribution from mesenchymatous elements was not observed. At the beginning of vitellogenesis (stage 4), the vitelline coat (VC) becomes recognizable as a loose net covering the oocyte and TC. It is crossed by the oocyte microvilli and OFC projections which meet and form numerous small junctional plaques, some of them resembling gap junctions. IFC, VC and TC show marked signs of differentiation with approaching ovulation. OFC differentiate completely before ovulation (stage 5) and are engaged in intense synthesis of proteins which may be transferred and taken by endocytosis into the oocyte for yolk formation. Experiments with injected horseradish peroxidase also revealed that proteins present in the blood may reach the oocyte via the intercellular pathway, overcoming OFC and IFC. The possible roles of all the egg envelopes are discussed.


The domestic simple payment service was not activated yet compared to foreign countries and there are many things to complement in the legal, institutional, and technical aspects. The future image of the domestic electronic payment propulsion was considered by the scenario planning focusing on the simple payment. Total 6 future scenarios were drawn through the scenario planning, and 3 major strategy directions for attaining the preferred future scenario were drawn. This study drew a meaningful scenario through various analyses and industry specialist questionnaire about the future of the simple payment service which will be a crucial change of the domestic electronic payment under the uncertain future situation, and suggested an implication for the government and every interested party who provides the industrial service to prepare for the future.


Dimensionality reduction of microarray data is a very challenging task due to high computational time and the large amount of memory required to train and test a model. Genetic programming (GP) is a stochastic approach to solving a problem. For high dimensional datasets, GP does not perform as well as other machine learning algorithms. To explore the inherent property of GP to generalize models from low dimensional data, we need to consider dimensionality reduction approaches. Random projections (RPs) have gained attention for reducing the dimensionality of data with reduced computational cost, compared to other dimensionality reduction approaches. We report that the features constructed from RPs perform extremely well when combined with a GP approach. We used eight datasets out of which seven have not been reported as being used in any machine learning research before. We have also compared our results by using the same full and constructed features for decision trees, random forest, naive Bayes, support vector machines and k-nearest neighbor methods.


In our previous work of Ref. [5] we studied the stability of the RS2-model with a nonminimally coupled bulk scalar field φ, and we found that in appropriate regions of ξ the standard RS2-vacuum becomes unstable. The question that arises is whether there exist other new static stable solutions where the system can relax. In this work, by solving numerically the Einstein equations with the appropriate boundary conditions on the brane, we find that depending on the value of the nonminimal coupling ξ, this model possesses three classes of new static solutions with different characteristics. We also examine what happens when the fine tuning of the RS2-model is violated, and we obtain that these three classes of solutions are preserved in appropriate regions of the parameter space of the problem. The stability properties and possible physical implications of these new solutions are discussed in the main part of this paper. Especially in the case where ξ = ξ c (ξ c is the five dimensional conformal coupling) and the fine tuning is violated, we obtain a physically interesting static stable solution.


Purpose - Purpose of the article is to investigate the effect of marriage on male wages in Russia. The paper provides insight about contribution of observed and unobserved factors to wages of Russian men regarding their marital status. Design/methodology/approach - Database is the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) for 2016. We add to the literature by introducing Generalized Oaxaca–Blinder Decomposition of the difference in mean wages of married and unmarried men. This generalization is free of conditional mean independence assumption. Findings - We reveal negative observed price effect and substantial positive effect of changes in unobserved characteristics of married and unmarried men in Russia. Originality/value - To our knowledge, our study is the first one that gives estimation of the volume and structure of the male marriage wage premium in Russia. The proposed approach is applicable for estimating labor market premiums and penalties for various individual characteristics.


Twenty-six Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from poultry were analyzed by genotypic typing including ITS-profiling, REP- and ERIC-PCR. ITS-profiling revealed the presence of 8 different genotypes. Amplification of REP sequences by PCR gave similar results with 10 different genotypes. ERIC-PCR was found to be the most discriminatory for typing C. jejuni. As many as 13 different DNA patterns were obtained with this technique. Based on data obtained it was found that C. jejuni isolates recovered from broilers at the slaughterhouses in southwest Poland are characterized by a high degree of genetic heterogeneity.


Recent changes to our health care system are affecting priorities in the design of hospital facilities. Architects are now more often consulted to renovate or retrofit facilities than to design and build new ones. Using case studies, this article outlines the principal points to consider when renovating or retrofitting a health care facility.


A Prototype of a New Class of Oversampling ADC. (May 2005) Jun He, B.S., Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; M.S., Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Takis Zourntos Analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters are important blocks in signal processing system because they provide the link between the analog world and digital systems. Compared with Nyquist-rate data converters, oversampling data converters are more desirable for modern submicron technologies with low voltage supplies. Today, all existing oversampling modulators in popular use are derived from sigma-delta modulation. Stability is the most significant problem in the sigma-delta modulator, because the ultimate accuracy is limited by stability. As the aggressiveness of the design increases, the margin of stability diminishes rapidly. This thesis presents the design and experimental results of the first prototype circuit implementation of the novel oversampling modulation scheme proposed by Dr. Takis Zourntos. This new class of oversampling modulators are theoretically stable. With less stability limitation, the new class of modulators can potentially achieve higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or less power by designing the modulator more aggressively. This thesis describes the methods and procedures of how the new oversampling modulation theory is implemented into a circuit. Some novel circuit architectures are proposed in this modulator, such as a filter which can provide status outputs for the controller and realize arbitrary zeros and poles, comparators with synchronization latches to eliminate the effect of metastability, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with current calibration circuits for high linearity. A third-order continuous-time oversampling modulator employing 4-bit quantization is implemented in a 0.35-ƒEm double-poly complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, with a chip area of 2150 ~ 2150 ƒEm2. Simulation results show it achieves 83.7-dB peak SQNR, 90-dB dynamic range over a 500kHz input signal bandwidth, and 60 mW power consumption.


Vesicle biogenesis, trafficking and signaling via the ER-Golgi network support essential processes during development and their disruption can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration. We report that de novo missense variants in ARF3, encoding a small GTPase regulating Golgi structure and function, cause a neurodevelopmental disease showing microcephaly and progressive cortical atrophy, with microsomia and rib anomalies in severely affected subjects, suggesting a pleiotropic effect. All microcephaly-associated variants clustered in the guanine nucleotide binding pocket and perturbed the biochemical behavior of the protein by stabilizing it in a GTP-bound state. Functional analysis proved the disruptive consequences of the variants on Golgi integrity, and brain and body plan formation. In-depth analysis in zebrafish embryos expressing ARF3 mutants traced back the developmental alterations to defective gastrulation cell movements as the earliest detectable effect. Our findings document a role of ARF3 in Golgi homeostasis and demonstrate an obligate dependence for early development.


The mountain soils of Cross River State, Oban hills and Obudu mountains have the following properties. The sand contents in Oban hills ranged from 34 to 82% while in Obudu plateau from 40 to 78 %. The silt contents of the soils in both Oban hills and Obudu plateau fluctuated with depth. At Oban hills the range was between 6 and 36 %, and 10 and 26 % at Obudu plateau. Clay contents at Oban hills ranged from 6 to 42 % while it ranged from 10 to 44 % at Obudu plateau. The bulk density values for both study sites increased with soil depth. The range of values at Oban hills top soils was 0.67 to 1.87 g/cm3, with the mean of 1.38 g/cm3 while values for subsoil horizon ranged from 1.64 to 2.33 g/cm3 with mean of 2.02 g/cm3.The range of bulk density values from the Obudu mountains was from 0.74 to 2.16 g/cm3. The soil surface values ranged from 0.74 to 1.75 g/cm3, with the mean of 1.2 g/cm. The total porosity values of Oban hills for top soil horizons ranged from 29.43 to 74.72%, with the mean of 47.93%. The subsurface horizon values ranged from 12.08 to 40.38%, with a mean of 22.54%. The surface soil horizon values at the Obudu mountains ranged between 33.96 and 70.08%, giving a mean of 50.63% while the subsurface values ranged from 19.62 to 55.47%, with the mean of 29.08%. Oban hills and Obudu mountain soils are rated good soils based on their total porosity values. The hydraulic conductivity values in the Oban hills ranged from 0.74 to 103.87 cm/hr. At the surface horizons, the conductivity values ranged from 7.56 to 103.87 cm/hr with the mean of 34.42 cm/hr. The subsurface horizon values ranged from 0.74 to 42.83 cm/hr, with the mean of 10.13 cm/hr. Hydraulic conductivity values at the Obudu mountains ranged from 0.05 to 78.99 cm/hr. The surface values ranged between 0.52 and 78.99 cm/hr, with the mean of 31.16 cm/hr. The subsurface horizon values range was from 0.05 to 42.13 cm/hr with the mean of 14.94 cm/hr. The conductivity values were high. Keywords: Texture, hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, porosity.


Major advances have been made in the ever-expanding field of magnetic resonance imaging and related technologies, such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy, haemodynamic and functional imaging. Although these magnetic resonance modalities are of great research interest, it is still questionable as to how useful these investigations are in the clinical setting. All of these modalities strive to define a few variables that might dominate the heterogeneous but common aetiopathology of traumatic brain injury. Recent studies have found that the use of various magnetic resonance imaging techniques at early and delayed time points can provide useful information with regard to the severity and clinical outcome of patients following traumatic brain injury. These new observations offer opportunities for improved clinical management in such patients.


In streamlined flow past a flat plate aligned with a uniform stream, it is shown that (a) the Goldstein near-wake and (b) the Blasius boundary layer are non-unique solutions locally for the classical boundary layer equations, whereas (c) the Rott-Hakkinen very-near-wake appears to be unique. In each of (a) and (b) an alternative solution exists, which has reversed flow and which apparently cannot be discounted on immediate grounds. So, depending mainly on how the alternatives for (a), (b) develop downstream, the symmetric flow at high Reynolds numbers could have two, four or more steady forms. Concerning non-streamlined flow, for example past a bluff obstacle, new similarity forms are described for the pressure-free viscous symmetric closure of a predominantly slender long wake beyond a large-scale separation. Features arising include non-uniqueness, singularities and algebraic behaviour, consistent with non-entraining shear layers with algebraic decay. Non-uniqueness also seems possible in reattachment onto a solid surface and for non-symmetric or pressure-controlled flows including the wake of a symmetric cascade.


Embarking on and sustaining professional change is often a challenging process for educators. This is particularly so within a broader context of rapid (r)evolution in curriculum, pedagogical and assessment-related developments in the compulsory school sector in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past decade. Teachers' and school leaders' accounts of professional learning and change in recent issues of this journal have suggested it can be both risky and rewarding, with a range of impacts and outcomes for all involved. In this paper I pick up on the notion of the possible rewards of professional change, drawing on the experiences of two generalist primary school teachers engaging in curriculum and pedagogical change in outdoor education within the Health and Physical Education learning area. Specifically, the contributions of outdoor-based learning in a local bush reserve to teachers' own sense of personal wellbeing and rejuvenated sense of professional identity are explored. Here I speculate about the potentially renewing components of professional change in outdoor education in HPE for teachers themselves.


Transposons, a type of repetitive DNA elements, can contribute cis-regulatory sequences and regulate the expression of human genes. L1PA2 is a hominoid-specific subfamily of LINE1 transposons, with approximately 4,940 copies in the human genome. Individual transposons have been demonstrated to contribute specific biological functions, such as cancer-specific alternate promoter activity for the MET oncogene, which is correlated with enhanced malignancy and poor prognosis in cancer. Given the sequence similarity between L1PA2 elements, we hypothesise that transposons within the L1PA2 subfamily likely have a common regulatory potential and may provide a mechanism for global genome regulation. Here we show that in breast cancer, the regulatory potential of L1PA2 is not limited to single transposons, but is common within the subfamily. We demonstrate that the L1PA2 subfamily is an abundant reservoir of transcription factor binding sites, the majority of which cluster in the LINE1 5'UTR. In MCF7 breast cancer cells, over 27% of L1PA2 transposons harbour binding sites of functionally interacting, cancer-associated transcription factors. The ubiquitous and replicative nature of L1PA2 makes them an exemplary vector to disperse co-localised transcription factor binding sites, facilitating the co-ordinated regulation of genes. In MCF7 cells, L1PA2 transposons also supply transcription start sites to up-regulated transcripts. These transcriptionally active L1PA2 transposons display a cancer-specific active epigenetic profile, and likely play an oncogenic role in breast cancer aetiology. Overall, we show that the L1PA2 subfamily contributes abundant regulatory sequences in breast cancer cells, and likely plays a global role in modulating the tumorigenic state in breast cancer.


Analysis of language data from the 2001 Census reveals an increasing shift to the sole use of English in the home for most, but not all, of Australia's community language groups. The ageing of post-war language communities is having an escalating effect on language-shift rates for these groups; and language shift rates are significantly higher for communities and families outside the capital cities. Intra-group diversity is highlighted by the differential in language shift according to religious affiliation among those born in Lebanon, Egypt, India and Sri Lanka. While the reintroduction in the 2001 census of an ancestry question has enabled the closer identification of groups such as the Viet Nam-born (of both Chinese and Vietnamese ancestry), the removal of a question eliciting the birthplace of parents has made it impossible to provide an estimate of language shift in the second generation that is comparable to the first generation data or that is comparable to work on previous censuses.


Data acquisition in dialectology is typically a tedious task, as dialect samples of spoken language have to be collected via questionnaires or interviews. In this article, we suggest to use the "web as a corpus" approach for dialectology. We present a case study that demonstrates how authentic language data for the Bavarian dialect (ISO 639-3:bar) can be collected automatically from the social network Facebook. We also show that Facebook can be used effectively as a crowdsourcing platform, where users are willing to translate dialect words collaboratively in order to create a common lexicon of their Bavarian dialect. Key insights from the case study are summarized as "lessons learned", together with suggestions for future enhancements of the lexicon creation approach.