We present a sample of 16 likely strong gravitational lenses identified in the VST Optical Imaging of the CDFS and ES1 fields (VOICE survey) using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). We train two different CNNs on composite images produced by superimposing simulated gravitational arcs on real Luminous Red Galaxies observed in VOICE. Specifically, the first CNN is trained on single-band images and more easily identifies systems with large Einstein radii, while the second one, trained on composite RGB images, is more accurate in retrieving systems with smaller Einstein radii. We apply both networks to real data from the VOICE survey, taking advantage of the high limiting magnitude (26.1 in the r-band) and low PSF FWHM (0.8" in the r-band) of this deep survey. We analyse ∼ 21, 200 images with magr < 21.5, identifying 257 lens candidates. To retrieve a high-confidence sample and to assess the accuracy of our technique, nine of the authors perform a visual inspection. Roughly 75% of the systems are classified as likely lenses by at least one of the authors. Finally, we assemble the LIVE sample (Lenses In VoicE) composed by the 16 systems passing the chosen grading threshold. Three of these candidates show likely lensing features when observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. This work represents a further confirmation of the ability of CNNs to inspect large samples of galaxies searching for gravitational lenses. These algorithms will be crucial to exploit the full scientific potential of forthcoming surveys with the Euclid satellite and the Vera Rubin Observatory.


Abstract. Land surface models such as the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) are increasingly used for hydrological assessments because of their state-of-the-art representation of physical processes and versatility. Unlike statistical models and AI models, the JULES model simulates the physical water flux under given meteorological conditions, allowing us to understand and investigate the cause and effect of environmental processes changes. Here we explore the possibility of this approach using a case study in the Atibaia river basin, which serves as a major water supply for metropolitan regions of Campinas and São Paulo, Brazil. The watershed is suffering increasing hydrological risks, which could be attributed to environmental changes, such as urbanization and agricultural activity. The increasing risks highlight the importance to evaluate the land surface processes of the watershed systematically. We explore the use of local precipitation collection complement with multiple sources of global reanalysis data to simulate the basin hydrology. Our results show that the coarse resolution of rainfall data is the main reason to reduce model performance. Despite this shortcoming, key hydrological fluxes in the basin can be represented by the JULES model simulations.


Background There is increased interest in the application of smartphone applications and wearable motion sensors among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Objective This study examined the accuracy and precision of common smartphone applications and motion sensors for measuring steps taken by MS patients while walking on a treadmill. Methods Forty-five MS patients (Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) = 1.0–5.0) underwent two 500-step walking trials at comfortable walking speed on a treadmill. Participants wore five motion sensors: the Digi-Walker SW-200 pedometer (Yamax), the UP2 and UP Move (Jawbone), and the Flex and One (Fitbit). The smartphone applications were Health (Apple), Health Mate (Withings), and Moves (ProtoGeo Oy). Results The Fitbit One had the best absolute (mean = 490.6 steps, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 485.6–495.5 steps) and relative accuracy (1.9% error), and absolute (SD = 16.4) and relative precision (coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.0), for the first 500-step walking trial; this was repeated with the second trial. Relative accuracy was correlated with slower walking speed for the first (rs = −.53) and second (rs = −.53) trials. Conclusion The results suggest that the waist-worn Fitbit One is the most precise and accurate sensor for measuring steps when walking on a treadmill, but future research is needed (testing the device across a broader range of disability, at different speeds, and in real-life walking conditions) before inclusion in clinical research and practice with MS patients.


The decay of the velocity autocorrelation function in a sheared granular flow is analyzed in the limit where the wavelength of fluctuations is larger than the "conduction length," so that energy is a nonconserved variable. The decay of the velocity autocorrelation function is much faster than that in a fluid at equilibrium for which energy is a conserved variable. Specifically, the autocorrelation function in a sheared granular flow decays proportional to t-3 in 2D and t-9/2 in 3D, in contrast with the decay proportional to t-1 in 2D and t-3/2 in 3D for a fluid at equilibrium. The renormalization of the viscosity due to mode coupling is evaluated using this form of the decay of the autocorrelation function. It is found that the logarithmic divergence in the viscosity in 2D, and the divergence of the Burnett coefficients in 3D, which is characteristic of a fluid of elastic particles at equilibrium, is absent in a sheared granular flow.


In Turkey, a politically autonomous and secular military is pitted against a popularly elected, Islamic-rooted government, which has acquired new energy for domestic and foreign policy agendas and political reform. The election of Barack Obama and the Democrats in the US, as well as reverberations from the ongoing Ergenekon revelations and attempts to address the Kurdish question have brought new influences and players into the game of domestic Turkish politics. This article analyses the possible impact of these changes domestically, as well as from the EU and US perspectives.


High-efficiency High-Voltage Integrated Voltage Regulators (HV-IVR) will allow the next generation of data centers and servers to operate with higher efficiency while delivering more computing power. High-density embedded inductors operating at frequencies over 10 MHz allows the miniaturization of power modules enabling their integration closer to the SoC. However, single stage 48V to 1V IVR present new challenges that are not seen in low voltage converter such as 3.3V or 1.7V to 1V. In this work, a novel expandable interleaved toroidal inductor cell with vias-in-slot thru magnetic sheet is presented. In addition, we present a new metric for magnetic material and inductor technologies to describe their efficiency under different duty cycle conditions. Using the analysis of two available magnetic sheets with permeability 50 and 150 at 10MHz, we present the magnetic properties of a magnetic sheet to obtain 95% of inductor efficiency, an inductance density of 113 nH/mm3 at 10 MHz, a saturation current over 2.5A, and DC resistance around 20 mΩ. These inductor requirements are given by the possible power stage topologies that can be used to achieve 48V to 1V, where some of them use single inductor while others use coupled or tapped inductors. The efficiency conditions for the inductor presented in this work must be matched by the power stage topology, leading to a co-design between power inductor and the power stage topology. In this work we present why the duty cycle must be extended by a factor of 4 in order to obtain a 95% efficiency in the inductor. We provide a process for the fabrication of these inductors. Finally, a test inductor is fabricated that shows an inductance density of 77 nH/mm3 and correlates well with the simulation model. This allows to predict with good accuracy the inductor performance with the proposed inductor design and magnetic sheet properties.


This study was conducted to investigate the effects of walking in the healing forests for short breaks on mood state, quality of life and stress reduction of hospital workers. For the study, 56 employees from Chungbuk University Hospital participated in the forest walks connected to the hospital using a short break three times a week for 20 minutes each for three weeks. The Korean Version of Profile of Mood States (K-POMS) and the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS-SF) were used as validated measurement tools to evaluate changes in mood state and job stress. A 5-point Likert scale was used for assessment of quality of life among employees. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed by paired t-test. As a result, tension, anger, confusion, and fatigue in mood state categories were decreased significantly and vigor was significantly increased after forest walks. Total mood disturbance was also decreased significantly. Quality of life for hospital workers was significantly improved after forest walks. In terms of job stress, average score of stress was significantly decreased after forest walks and especially stresses from the organizational system and improper reward were significantly decreased. The results of this study proved talking a short walk in the healing forests during breaks in daily work hours has a positive effect on mood state and life quality improvements and job stress reduction in hospital workers.


Modern decentralized and distributed environments, as typical from IoT or Industry 4.0 architectures, require a more advanced and granular security management than the currently available standard access control methodologies. Obligations, as defined by the Usage Control model, have been introduced to enhance the traditional access control security mechanisms by imposing the execution of policy-determined actions. This paper presents an extension of the architecture of the Usage Control system already existing in literature, which aims at formalizing the management of Obligations. Three additional components, naturally integrated within the Usage Control system, verify and/or ensure the correct enforcement of obligations also allowing their effect to be evaluated in the continuous access decision making process. The proposed extension thus allows to verify complex conditions when evaluating obligation- specific attributes extracted from the domain where obligations are enforced or observed.


When performing geometrical analysis of shapes, the thickness of the shape at a point is a fundamental quantity
both for theoretical and practical purposes. In this paper, we consider a thickness definition which associates a
value with each point of the shape (i.e. both on its boundary and interior). If we now consider a discrete shape
characterized by a sampling of a continuous shape boundary, such thickness function on interior points induces a
combinatorial structure which can be used to efficiently compute some relevant quantities for shape description.
The aim of the paper is thus to introduce and analyse the combinatorial structure, and to provide some convergence
results when the sampling gets denser since the thickness function is deeply linked to the medial axis of the shape.


With the rapid growth in virtual reality technologies, object interaction is becoming increasingly more immersive, elucidating human perception and leading to promising directions towards evaluating human performance under different settings. This spike in technological growth exponentially increased the need for a human performance metric in 3D space. Fitts' law is perhaps the most widely used human prediction model in HCI history attempting to capture human movement in lower dimensions. Despite the collective effort towards deriving an advanced extension of a 3D human performance model based on Fitts' law, a standardized metric is still missing. Moreover, most of the extensions to date assume or limit their findings to certain settings, effectively disregarding important variables that are fundamental to 3D object interaction. In this review, we investigate and analyze the most prominent extensions of Fitts' law and compare their characteristics pinpointing to potentially important aspects for deriving a higher-dimensional performance model. Lastly, we mention the complexities, frontiers as well as potential challenges that may lay ahead.


OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to assess the cure rate of stress urinary incontinence, long-term effects on other lower urinary tract symptoms, and quality of life in a cohort of patients who underwent pubovaginal sling procedures for treatment of incontinence related to intrinsic sphincteric deficiency and urethral hypermobility.

STUDY DESIGN
This was a retrospective analysis of 57 patients with 90% follow-up who underwent pubovaginal autologous fascial sling procedures for stress urinary incontinence related to urethral hypermobility and intrinsic sphincteric deficiency. Objective postoperative urodynamic evaluation was performed in 34 (60%) of the cases. Telephone interviews to assess quality-of-life parameters were performed in all cases.

RESULTS
The mean follow-up period was 42 months and the median follow-up period was 34 months, with a range of 0.5 to 134 months. The age at the time of the sling procedure ranged from 18 to 84 years, with a median parity of 3.0 (range, 0-6). Preoperative body mass index ranged from 19.5 to 39.1 kg/m(2). Five percent of patients had detrusor instability before the operation. Forty-one percent (41%) of the patients who underwent postoperative urodynamic evaluation had voiding dysfunction. The postoperative objective cure rate for stress urinary incontinence was 97%. Of all patients 88% indicated that the sling had improved the quality of life, 84% indicated that the sling relieved the incontinence in the long-term, and 82% would choose to undergo the procedure again.

CONCLUSION
Construction of a pubovaginal sling is an effective technique for relief of severe stress urinary incontinence. Voiding dysfunction is a common side effect. Despite this problem, a significant number of patients would elect to undergo the procedure again.


Introduction Diabetic gastroparesis represents a significant health burden not only for patients and their families but also for health care systems.1Treatment guidelines for gastroparesis are limited2and evidence base for effectiveness of current treatment modalities is lacking. Method This study aims to evaluate patients with diabetic gastroparesis, assess disease burden and response to therapy. The diabetes database was used to identify patients, epidemiological and clinical data acquired from electronic pt records. A quality of life index3(QoLI) and Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index4(GPCSI) questionnaire was completed. Results 40 pts identified but 7 excluded due to moving away (5), not consenting for participation (1) or dying (1). Median age 48 yrs (21–85), 61% female. 73% had Type 1 diabetes mellitus, duration of diabetes 18 yrs (2–53). BMI = 26.7 (16.2–40) kg/m2. 39% nonsmokers, 21% current smokers. 82% of patients had one or more diabetes related complications. Median duration of diabetes before diagnosis 11.5 yrs (0–43). The cohort had 65 hospital admissions in the preceding 12 mths, median of 1 (0–15) per pt. 332 outpatient clinic visits were recorded. In those with T1DM, 33% had subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), while 67% of those with T2DM were receiving insulin. Diabetes was stable in 30% of pts. Nausea and vomiting were the most prominent symptoms in 97% of patients. Other symptoms included bloating (61%), early satiety (30%), constipation (33%) and diarrhoea (21%). Diagnosis was confirmed by scintigraphic single phase solid meal gastric emptying studies in 88%. 64% adopted life style modifications with 43% reporting sustained benefit. Prokinetic medications tried included: metoclopramide (58%), domperidone (76%), prochlorperazine (12%) and erythromycin (33%) with less than half of patients experiencing lasting benefit. Prucalopride was used in 11%. Pyloric injection with Botulinum toxin A was carried out in 15% with 20% reporting lasting benefit. Gastric electric stimulator was inserted in 8 (24%) patients 2 of whom had maintained benefit while rest of patients lost benefit within few month of device insertion. Surgical procedures were required in 3 (9%) pts. QoLi and GPCSI scores showed no correlation with glycaemic control or diabetes stability. Conclusion Diabetic patients with gastroparesis have increased health needs and multiple complications. Majority of treatments have only transient benefit, which tend to wane off. There was no correlation between duration of diabetes, diabetes control or diabetes stability and QoLI or GPCSI scores. A multi disciplinary appraoch is needed to manage these patients and new treatments need to be developed for long term benefits. Disclosure of interest A. Aldibbiat: None Declared, E. Nash: None Declared, C. Sinclair: None Declared, P. Praveen: None Declared, P. Peter: None Declared, A. Dhar Grant/ Research Support from: Carefusion UK, Consultant for: Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Speaker Bureau of: Falk Pharmaceuticals, Covidien.


Amorphous carbon nanotubes were synthesized by a reaction of benzene, ferrocene and Na mixture in a small autoclave at temperatures as low as . The resulting carbon nanotubes were short and straight, but their inner hole was filled with residual products. The addition of quartz to the reacting mixture considerably promoted the formation of carbon nanotubes. A careful examination of powder structure suggested that the nanotubes in this process were mainly formed by surface diffusion of carbon atoms at the surface of solid catalytic particles, not by VLS(vapor-liquid-solid) mechanism.


Genetic variability of 298 individuals from four indigenous goat types (Afar, Hararghe Highland, Western Highland and Western Lowland of Ethiopia), two exotic breeds (Toggenburg and Anglo-Nubian) and three crossbreed populations (crosses between the exotic breeds and Hararghe Highland and Somali goat types) were investigated. The red blood cell lysates and plasma proteins were analyzed by starch gel electrophoresis. From a total of five loci studied, two were found to be polymorphic. Two alleles were detected at each of Haemoglobin (Hb) and Transferrin (Tf) loci. Only one allele was detected at each of the loci Carbonic anhydrase (CA), Albumin (Al) and Post Transferrin (PTF) in all the populations of goats studied. In most cases, the observed genotypic frequencies were not significantly different from that expected under the Hardy-Weinburg equilibrium. The proportion of polymorphic loci (P%) varied between 20.0% and 40.0%, with mean number of alleles per locus between 1.2 and 1.4, and expected heterozygosities (HE) between 0.030 and 0.177 while mean observed heterozygosities (HO) were between 0.032 to 0.217. Among the three groups of goat populations, higher variability was found in crossbred populations. Afar goat type was more variable (HO=6.7%) among the indigenous goat types. Cluster analysis based on Nei's standard genetic distance and the unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA) revealed low level of genetic distance among populations. The results indicated a higher proportion of genetic variation between populations.  Keywords: Afar goat, Ethiopia, Hararghe goat, Western Highland goat, Western Lowland goat.


The use of model experimental systems and mathematical models is important to further understanding of infectious disease dynamics and strategize disease mitigation. Gyrodactylids are helminth ectoparasites of teleost fish which have many dynamical characteristics of microparasites but offer the advantage that they can be quantified and tracked over time, allowing further insight into within-host and epidemic dynamics. In this paper, we design a model to describe host-parasite dynamics of the well-studied guppy-Gyrodactylus turnbulli system, using experimental data to estimate parameters and validate it. We estimate the basic reproduction number (R_0), for this system. Sensitivity analysis reveals that parasite growth rate, and the rate at which the guppy mounts an immune response have the greatest impact on outbreak peak and timing both for initial outbreaks and on longer time scales. These findings highlight guppy population resistance and parasite virulence as key factors in disease control, and future work should focus on incorporating heterogeneity in host resistance into disease models and extrapolating to other host-parasite systems.


Workers' compensation programs provide protection to workers and their families. The programs compensate for lost wages and medical expenses incurred as a result of work-related injuries or illnesses. Survivor benefits are also provided when the disabilities result in death. In 1991, about $16.8 billion in medical benefits and $25.3 billion in wage-loss compensation was paid in settlement of claims filed for disabled or deceased workers. These benefits were paid by private carriers, by State funds, or by self-insuring companies as determined by laws in each State. The employer's cost of providing workers' compensation coverage generally varies according to risk, industrial classification, and experience rating. Nationally, such costs were approximately 2.4 percent of payroll or about $590 for each of the 93.6 million protected employees. This article examines the recent changes in coverage, in benefit levels, and in employer costs and the factors influencing such changes. Over the past decade, workers' compensation benefits have increased by 157 percent and employer costs by 143 percent. In the same period, the number of covered employees has risen 22 percent and the amount of covered wage and salary payroll, 77 percent.


IMPLANTATION EFFECT OF TITANIUM NITRIDE (TiN) ION ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF AISI 316L BIOMATERIALS . Mechanical properties analysis of AISI 316L stainless steel, implanted by Titanium Nitride (TiN) ion with varied implantation time of 60, 90 and 120 minutes have been carried out. To determine the maximum load for fatigue test, the tensile test first performed by using 3 pieces of the sample before implanted with TiN. The test results gave the maximum average value of tensile stress of 69.543 kgf/mm (695.43 MPa), while the average yield strength is 63.852 kgf/mm (638.52 MPa). Fatigue test was then performed to analyze the effect of TiN implantation to fatigue life of AISI 316L, using the method of rotating bending. Initial fatigue test, conducted using 460 MPa load, gave fatigue life of 15,567 cycles, 16,050 cycles, 21,950 cycles and 19,100 cycles for sample with implantation time of 0,60,90 and 120 minutes respectively. These data gave the highest fatigue life for 90 minutes sample. Fatigue test was then continued to perform on this sample with varied load of 420, 440 and 460 MPa which gave the fatigue lifetime value of 213,700 cycles, 83,433 cycles and 21,853 cycles respectively. Hardness test results as at outer point were 387 VHN, 440 VHN, 586 VHN and 674 VHN for sample with implantation time of 0, 60, 90, 120 minutes respectively. It can be concluded thatthe longer the time of implantation, the sample will be harder but the best fatigue life reach at 90 minutes time of implantation.


Protozoa play important roles in microbial communities, regulating populations via predation and contributing to nutrient cycling. While amoebae have been identified in acid rock drainage (ARD) systems, our understanding of their symbioses in these extreme environments is limited. Here, we report the first isolation of the amoeba Stemonitis from an ARD environment as well as the genome sequence and annotation of an associated bacterium, Dyella terrae strain Ely Copper Mine, from Ely Brook at the Ely Copper Mine Superfund site in Vershire, Vermont, United States. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis showed this bacterium colonizing cells of Stemonitis sp. in addition to being outside of amoebal cells. This amoeba-resistant bacterium is Gram-negative with a genome size of 5.36 Mbp and GC content of 62.5%. The genome of the D. terrae strain Ely Copper Mine encodes de novo biosynthetic pathways for amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and lipids. Genes involved in nitrate (1) and sulfate (7) reduction, metal (229) and antibiotic resistance (37), and secondary metabolite production (6) were identified. Notably, 26 hydrolases were identified by RAST as well as other biomass degradation genes, suggesting roles in carbon and energy cycling within the microbial community. The genome also contains type IV secretion system genes involved in amoebae resistance, revealing how this bacterium likely survives predation from Stemonitis sp. This genome analysis and the association of D. terrae strain Ely Copper Mine with Stemonitis sp. provide insight into the functional roles of amoebae and bacteria within ARD environments.


Data Quality Objectives have been developed for a limited campaign of sampling K Basin canister sludge. Specifically, samples will be taken from the sealed K West Basin fuel canisters. Characterization of the sludge in these canisters will address the needs of fuel retrieval which are to collect and transport sludge which is currently in the canisters. Data will be gathered on physical properties (such as viscosity, particle size, density, etc.) as well as on chemical and radionuclide constituents and radiation levels of sludge. The primary emphasis will be on determining radionuclide concentrations to be deposited on Ion Exchange Modules (IXMS) during canister opening and fuel retrieval. The data will also be useful in determining whether K West Basin sludge meets the waste acceptance criteria for Hanford waste tanks as a backup disposal concept and these data will also supply information on the properties of sludge material which will1403 accompany fuel elements in the Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOS) as envisioned in the Integrated Process Strategy (IPS).


There are clear evidences that organizations are focusing on retaining motivated employees. Although motivation is a well-discussed topic in academic literature, motivation of employees in the Omani private banking sector is not fully discussed. The purpose of this exploratory study is to find some insights on the predictors of employees' motivation in the Omani private banking sector. A cross-sectional method was used to collect data from 105 employees from the Omani private banking sector. Furthermore, to collect the primary data, a questionnaire with 23 items was designed and distributed for that purpose. In order to analyze the gathered data, correlational methods were used. This exploratory study shed some light on the importance of the relationship that the employees have with their colleagues on their motivation and on the employees' salaries to their motivation. The study found these two variables as significant and positive predictors of employees' motivation.


In search of new possibilities for concretism, Cordeiro becomes interested in the "brutal realism" of the urban landscape, in which he detects a creative principle rooted in the dialectical process of the montage. Resulting of this new moment (1964-1965), the "popcretos" are often characterized by the use of photographic images, presented as rhetorical and ideological operations. Used also in later works, photography becomes an instrument to challenge traditional ideas about art, having the transformations arisen by the presence of mass media as horizon.


We report on the reconstruction of terahertz images from digitally recorded holograms. An off-axis lens-less configuration is explored using a test set-up at 0.1 THz. A backward propagation algorithm and Gaussian beam mode analysis are used to determine the transmission properties of transparent materials and scattering properties of rough surfaces.


With the emergence of Cloud-RAN as one of the dominant architectural solutions for the next-generation mobile networks, the reliability and latency on the fronthaul (FH) segment become critical performance metrics for applications such as the Tactile Internet. Ensuring FH performance is further complicated by the switch from point-to-point dedicated FH links to packet-based multi-hop FH networks. This change is largely justified by the fact that packet-based fronthauling allows the deployment of FH networks on the existing Ethernet infrastructure. This paper proposes to improve the reliability and latency of packet-based fronthauling by means of multi-path diversity and erasure coding of the MAC frames transported by the FH network. Under a probabilistic model that assumes a single service, the average latency required to obtain reliable FH transport and the reliability-latency tradeoff is first investigated. The analytical results are then validated and complemented by a numerical study that accounts for the coexistence of the enhanced mobile broadband and ultra-reliable low-latency services in fifth-generation networks by comparing orthogonal and non-orthogonal sharing of FH resources.


Amino acid ionic liquids are a special class of ionic liquids due to their unique acid-base behavior, biological significance, and applications in different fields such as templates in synthetic chemistry, stabilizers for biological macromolecules, etc. The physicochemical properties of these ionic liquids can easily be altered by making the different combinations of amino acids as anion along with possible cation modification which makes amino acid ionic liquids more suitable to understand the different kinds of molecular and ionic interactions with sufficient depth so that they can provide fruitful information for a molecular level understanding of more complicated biological processes. In this context, volumetric and osmotic coefficient measurements for aqueous solutions containing 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ([Emim]) based amino acid ionic liquids of glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine are reported at 298.15 K. From experimental osmotic coefficient data, mean molal activity coefficients of ionic liquids were estimated and analyzed using the Debye-Hückel and Pitzer models. The hydration numbers of ionic liquids in aqueous solutions were obtained using activity data. Pitzer ion interaction parameters are estimated and compared with other electrolytes reported in the literature. The nonelectrolyte contribution to the aqueous solutions containing ionic liquids was studied by calculating the osmotic second virial coefficient through an application of the McMillan-Mayer theory of solution. It has been found that the second osmotic virial coefficient which includes volume effects correlates linearly with the Pitzer ion interaction parameter estimated independently from osmotic data as well as the hydrophobicity of ionic liquids. The enthalpy-entropy compensation effect, explained using the Starikov-Nordén model of enthalpy-entropy compensation, and partial molar entropy analysis for aqueous [Emim][Gly] solutions are made by using experimental Gibb's free energy data and literature enthalpy data. This study highlights that the hydrophobic interaction persists even in the limit of infinite dilution where the hydration effects are usually dominant, implying importance of hydrophobic hydration. Analysis of the results further shows that the hydration of amino acid ionic liquids occurs through the cooperative H-bond formation with the kosmotropic effect in contrast to the usual inorganic salts or hydrophobic salts like tetraalkylammonium halides.


We compared the feasibility of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG) for the vitrification of immature porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC). Porcine COC collected from 3- to 6-mm follicles of slaughterhouse-derived ovaries were subjected to solid-surface vitrification (Somfai et al. 2010 Theriogenology 73, 147–156) either in 35% (v/v) EG or 35% (v/v) PG or in the mixture of 17.5% (v/v) EG and 17.5% (v/v) PG. After warming, the COC were subjected to in vitro maturation, IVF, and embryo culture according to Kikuchi et al. (2002 Biol. Reprod. 66, 1033–1041). Oocyte survival and maturation rates were assessed after in vitro maturation by evaluating membrane integrity and the extrusion of the first polar body. All live oocytes were subjected to IVF and in vitro culture. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were calculated from the total number of oocytes subjected to IVF on Day 2 (Day 0 = IVF) and Day 7, respectively. Total-cell (blastomeres) numbers in blastocysts were recorded on Day 7 after staining with Hoechst 33342. In Experiment 1, competence parameters of oocytes vitrified either in EG-based (EG group; n = 310) or a PG-based (PG group; n = 265) vitrification media were compared with those in the nonvitrified control (n = 160). The experiment was replicated 4 times. In Experiment 2, the competence parameters of oocytes vitrified with the combination of 17.5% EG and 17.5% PG (EG+PG group; n = 397) were compared with those in nonvitrified control (n = 245) and toxicity control (TC, exposed to cryoprotectants without cooling; n = 245) groups. Five replications were performed. Results were analyzed by ANOVA. Differences with P < 0.05 were considered significant. In Experiment 1, the mean survival rate of vitrified oocytes was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in 35% PG compared with that in 35% EG (73.3 and 25.9%, respectively). Maturation rates of surviving oocytes did not differ among vitrified (PG and EG) and nonvitrified control groups (71.1, 62.4, and 64.0%, respectively). After IVF of surviving oocytes, blastocyst formation rate in the group vitrified in EG was higher (P < 0.05) compared with that vitrified in PG but was lower (P < 0.05) compared with control (10.8, 2.0, and 25.0%, respectively). Mean cell numbers in blastocysts did not differ among EG, PG, and control groups (50.5, 47.7, and 48.7, respectively). In Experiment 2, survival of immature oocytes in the EG+PG group was 42.6%. After IVF, 10.7% of oocytes developed to the blastocyst stage in the EG+PG group, which was lower (P < 0.05) than those of the control (18.1%) and TC (23.3%) groups. Blastocyst rates in the control and TC groups were not statistically different. Mean cell numbers in blastocysts did not differ significantly among the EG+PG, control, and TC groups (61.6, 59.3, and 53.3, respectively). In conclusion, 35% PG provided a higher oocyte survival rate after vitrification compared with 35% EG. However, presumably due to toxic effects, 35% PG greatly reduced the development competence of oocytes. The combination of 17.5% EG and 17.5% PG yielded higher survival rates than did 35% EG, without any toxic effect on oocytes.


This is the fourth and final volume of the modern English translation of St. Birgitta of Sweden's Revelations into English. It contains the supplementary and liturgical materials relating to St. Birgitta's monastic foundation that came to have houses throughout Europe. There are also some personal revelations and prayers that shed light on her spiritual growth and thinking in the early years of her calling. The volume begins with Book VIII, "The Heavenly Emperor's Book to Kings" (Liber caelestis Imperatoris ad reges), a collection of revelations on political subjects. It is prefaced by Alfonso of Jaen's defense of Birgitta's writings, known as the "Hermit's Letter to Kings" (Epistola solitarii ad reges). The liturgical material include the Birgittine "Rule of the Holy Savior" (Regula Salvatoris), the Matins readings for the nuns known as the "Angel's Discourse" (Sermo angelicus), and four prayers (Quattuor orationes) composed by Birgitta. The last book contains the scattered revelations that make up the Revelationes extravagantes, a collection of 116 revelations that lie on the periphery of the main corpus and were omitted from the canonization edition.


This paper uses popular and academic literature to describe the distinguishing characteristics that differentiate Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y. The authors then further examine these differences by comparing the results of a survey of 5,057 members of these cohorts, using the Rokeach Value Survey, to the previously generated profiles. Both terminal and instrumental values of the respondents were analyzed. Results generally confirm the popular profiles and suggest that managers should take these profiles into consideration when leading, motivating, and communicating with employees belonging to these generations.


The musculature of the fore limbs and the innervation pattern of the muscles in the praying mantid Hierodula membranacea (Burm.) are described. There are three antagonistic pairs of muscles (promotors-remotors, abductors-adductors, anterior rotator-posterior rotators) operating the prothoracic-coxal joint around three different axes. At the coxo-trochanteral, femoro-tibial and tibio-tarsal joints there are flexor and extensor muscles, but at the tarsal-pretarsal joint only flexors are present. The trochanteral extensor is a complex muscle, with both parallel-fibred and pennate parts. The trochanteral-femoral joint is operated by a single muscle, the femoral reductor. There are six pairs of prothoracic nerves, the first of which innervates the musculature of the neck and pro-mesothoracic joints. The other five nerves are all concerned with the innervation of the muscles and sense organs of the prothoracic legs. Some of the motor neuron somata in the prothorathic ganglion have been identified by using the cobalt chloride backstaining technique. The leg musculature, its innervation pattern and the location of the motor neuron somata are compared with those of other orthopteroid insects.


Introduction/Objective. Tarsal dislocations are rare injuries. Usually, they are caused by high-energy trauma. Depending on the type of dislocation, surgical treatment or closed reduction is used. In this study, 13 patients are presented with the aim to analyze the type of feet dislocations, their treatment, and outcome. Methods. Tarsal dislocation cases treated in the University Hospital in Foca were analyzed during the period 2009?2016. All the cases were clinically and radiographically examined and monitored on control examinations at least three years. The mobility of joints was measured and pain existence was estimated by visual analogue scale. Results. All 13 patients with tarsal dislocation were male. Four patients were treated surgically (two patients with tarsometatarsal and one with cuboid and navicular dislocation) and other patients had non-surgical treatment. In 10 patients, an excellent functional result has been achieved and in two patients with tarsometatarsal dislocation a good functional result. In one patient with cuboidal dislocation satisfactory functional result has been achieved. Conclusion. Out of the 13 reviewed patients with tarsal dislocations, functional results were rated as excellent in 10 dislocations, good in two, and satisfactory in one. Diagnosis and treatment of foot dislocations are demanding, but a favorable functional outcome can be expected with an adequate treatment of these injuries.


Purpose: To evaluate the frequency and severity of iris posterior synechiae after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and to investigate possible causes of iris posterior synechiae. Methods: Twenty-three eyes were investigated in 20 Asian patients who underwent DMEK 1 month after phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation surgery. A preexisting iris damage score was defined by iris damage and classified into 5 grades. Six months after DMEK, the iris posterior synechiae severity score was evaluated based on the extent of posterior synechiae, according to every 45 degrees of the pupillary rim (posterior synechiae score, 0–8). Correlations were analyzed between the posterior synechiae score and preexisting factors (preexisting iris damage score, axial length [AXL], anterior chamber depth, and anterior chamber volume, both before and after cataract surgery). Results: Iris posterior synechiae appeared in 20 of 23 eyes (87.0%). Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity significantly improved at 6 months after DMEK (P < 0.001). Endothelial cell density was 1596 ± 530 cells/mm2 (P < 0.001); loss of cell density was 37.8 ± 19.9% at 6 months. Single regression analysis showed that the onset of iris posterior synechiae was correlated with the preexisting iris damage score (P = 0.006, r = 0.55), AXL (P < 0.001, r = −0.71), anterior chamber depth (P < 0.001, r = −0.70), and anterior chamber volume before cataract surgery (P < 0.001, r = −0.79). Conclusions: Iris posterior synechiae after DMEK frequently appeared in Asian eyes with shorter AXLs or a damaged iris.


We present a scheme for conserving energy across routes in multi-hop and ad-hoc wireless networks using the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF) networks. The scheme is cross-layer in nature and achieves energy conservation by controlling the radio transmission power level and the rebroadcast times of route-request (RREQ) packets during path discovery. In the network layer an estimation of the end-to-end energy consumption is used to adaptively control the RREQ rebroadcast time, and the scheme incorporates a mechanism for estimating the end-to-end energy consumption of a multi-hop network without the introduction of additional control packets. In the Mac layer a variable power-data rate control algorithm changes the transmission power level between RTS-CTS and DATA-ACK packets. The maximum transmission power level and lowest data rate is used for RTS-CTS to prevent the hidden node problem, and the minimum transmission power level and highest data rate is used for DATA-ACK packets in order to save energy


In biological systems, prolonged conflict is costly, whereas contained conflict permits strategic innovation and refinement. Causes of variation in conflict size and duration are not well understood. We use a well-studied primate society model system to study how conflicts grow. We find conflict duration is a 'first to fight' growth process that scales superlinearly, with the number of possible pairwise interactions. This is in contrast with a 'first to fail' process that characterizes peaceful durations. Rescaling conflict distributions reveals a universal curve, showing that the typical time scale of correlated interactions exceeds nearly all individual fights. This temporal correlation implies collective memory across pairwise interactions beyond those assumed in standard models of contagion growth or iterated evolutionary games. By accounting for memory, we make quantitative predictions for interventions that mitigate or enhance the spread of conflict. Managing conflict involves balancing the efficient use of limited resources with an intervention strategy that allows for conflict while keeping it contained and controlled.


Abstract We update past work on the democratic deficit, defined as incongruence between majority public preference and public policy in the American states. We reconsider public opinion and state policy on seven issues related to immigration and health questions. Using original data from the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Survey as well as new data on state policy and other predictors, we show that these seven issues have distinct qualities from Lax and Phillips's larger basket of 39 policy questions in different issue areas. From 2008 to 2014, the democratic deficit on these issues diminished somewhat in the presence of a heightened level of issue salience.


The effects of two chemotactic factors, endotoxin activated serm (EAS) and casein and a number of drugs known to affect intracellular cyclic nucleotide levels and various froms of neutrophil movement, on neutrophil anaerobic glycolysis and hexose monophosphate shunt (HMPS) activity were assessed. EAS caused stimulation of glycolysis. HMPS activity and NBT reduction, but casein was without effect on glycolysis and NBT reduction and inhibited HMPS activity. Drug known to increase intracellular cAMP levels caused a depression of HMPS activity whereas those reported to elevate cGMP had a variety of effects. Glycolysis was not affected by any of these agents. These results indicate a lack of relationship between cyclic nucleotide effect on cell motility and neutrophil glycolysis and HMPS activity.


We describe the implementation of a transport simulation in a parallel environment. The implementation is based on a graphical parallel programming environment called P-GRADE. The transport simulator, called MadCity, simulates a specific road network of a city and shows cars moving on the roads. To achieve scalability of the traffic simulation, the use of templates is necessary. This helps to control the number of participating processes required for the simulation without making modifications to the simulator's source code. Performance results are collected from four, eight and sixteen nodes of the Parsifal cluster and compared with the sequential execution results of the simulator. The implementation of the transport simulator is extended further to support the simulation of multiple cities within the same cluster and on the Grid.


Graphite is the loop transformation framework that was introduced in GCC 4.4. This paper gives a detailed description of the design and future directions of this infrastructure. Graphite uses the polyhedral model as the internal representation (GPOLY). The plan is to create a polyhedral compilation package (PCP) that will provide loop optimization and analysis capabilities to GCC. This package will be separated from GIMPLE via an interface language that is restricted to express only what GPOLY can represent. The interface language is a set of data structures that encodes the control flow and memory accesses of a code region. A syntax for the language is also defined to facilitate debugging and testing.


Dark matter in the center of the Sun would affect its internal structure and lead to a distinctive neutrino emission pattern. After being gravitationally captured, low-mass cold dark-matter particles (mass range from 5 to ~50 × 109 electron volts) are thought to drift to the center of the Sun and affect its internal structure. Solar neutrinos provide a way to probe the physical processes occurring in the Sun's core. Solar neutrino spectroscopy, in particular, is expected to measure the neutrino fluxes produced in nuclear reactions in the Sun. Here, we show how the presence of dark-matter particles inside the Sun will produce unique neutrino flux distributions in 7Be-ν and 8B-ν, as well as 13N-ν, 15O-ν, and 17F-ν.


Macrophages have been shown to have pleiotropic functions in various pathophysiologies, especially in terms of anti-inflammatory and regenerative activity. Recently, the novel functions of bone marrow resident macrophages (called osteal macrophages) were intensively studied in bone development, remodeling and tissue repair processes. This review discusses the current evidence for a role of osteal macrophages in bone modeling, remodeling, and fracture healing processes.


Many linear structured genetic programming are proposed in the past years. Gene expression programming, as a classic linear represented genetic programming, is powerful in solving problems of data mining and knowledge discovery. Constrains of gene expression programming like head-tail mechanism do contribution to the legality of chromosome. however, they impair the flexibility and adaptability of chromosome to some extend. Inspired by the diversity of chromosome arrangements in biology, an unconstrained encoded gene expression programming is proposed to overcome above constraints. In this way, the search space is enlarged; meanwhile the parallelism and the adaptability are enhanced. A group of regression and classification experiments also show that unconstrained gene expression programming performs better than classic gene expression programming.


In this paper, we propose a neural network approach to forecast AM/PM Jordan electric power load curves based on several parameters (temperature, date and the status of the day). The proposed method has an advantage of dealing with not only the nonlinear part of load curve but also with rapid temperature change of forecasted day, weekend and special day features. The proposed neural network is used to modify the load curve of a similar day by using the previous information. The suitability of the proposed approach is illustrated through an application to actual load data of Electric Power Company in Jordan. The results show an acceptable prediction for Short-Term Electrical Load Forecasting (STELF), with maximum regression factor 90%.


Some melanocortin receptors and the accessory protein MRAP1 have been found to interact in novel ways when co-expressed in the same cells following stimulation with either ACTH(1-24) or αMSH. These interactions have been seen for mammalian, bird, and some bony fish melancorotin receptors. To date this type of analysis has not been done on the amphibian melanocortin receptors, MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R. To this end, this study was done on the effects on ligand sensitivity for ACTH(1-24) and αMSH, when the MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R paralogs of the amphibian, Xenopus tropicalis were expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells either in the presence of absence of Gallus gallus (c) MRAP1. Based on previous studies on human MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R, the expectation was that the sensitivity to stimulation by αMSH would be lower for all the X. tropicalis receptors. However, for every X. tropicalis receptor tested, co-expression with cMRAP1 had no negative or positive effect on sensitivity to stimulation by xtαMSH. In a similar manner co-expression of xtMC1R, MC3R, or MC5R with cMRAP1 had no effect, positive or negative, on stimulation with xtACTH(1-24). However, co-expression of xtMC4R with cMRAP1 did lower sensitivity to stimulation by xtACTH(1-24) in a statistically significant manner. To date this type of negative interaction between an MC4R ortholog and an MRAP1 ortholog has not been reported for other vertebrates.


This study aims to determine the understanding of religious aqeedah material of Magelang Muhammadiyah Vocational High School students, the religious behavior of Magelang Muhammadiyah Vocational High School students, and the influence of the understanding of religious aqidah material on religious grade XI students of SMK Muhammadiyah Magelang. The study was conducted at SMK Muhammadiyah Magelang by taking respondents from class XI as many as 45 students from 130 students there. The methods used are quantitative methods, questionnaire methods and simple linear regression data analysis. The results of the study, the influence of understanding of religious aqeedah of students of SMK Muhammadiyah by 100% categorized in high level, behavior of Students of Muhammadiyah Vocational School Magelang which is 84.4% categorized in moderate level, and there are differences in understanding of religious aqidah worship material on the religious behavior of class XI students in Vocational High Schools (SMK) Muhammadiyah Magelang, obtained an F value of 34.4 and sig. of 0.020 which means that there is a significant influence between the variables "understanding of the material of religious beliefs" on the variable "Student religiosity" because of the value of sig. <0.05. The coefficient of determination (R Square) was obtained at 0.800, which means that the magnitude of the influence of the variable understanding of religious worship material on student religiosity was 80.0%, the rest 20.0% influenced by other variables outside the study.


Sudden loss of vision in one eye due to massive hemorrhage into the vitreous presents an interesting problem in differential diagnosis. In the absence of diabetes, hypertension, or other systemic disease, a most important consideration is the spontaneous development of a retinal tear, with or without detachment. Another less frequent cause of this clinical picture is exemplified by the patient's history in this case. Report of Case A 52-year-old Caucasian woman was apparently well when she suddenly "was able to see only half an object out of the right eye." The following morning her vision in this eye had decreased to bare light perception, and at this time she was examined by an ophthalmologist, who obtained only a dark funduscopic reflex. She was referred to another ophthalmologist for a retinal reattachment operation. Examination on the second day after the onset of visual loss revealed light perception with faulty projection in


In this paper, we present a unified view of three non-stationary sinusoidal parameter estimation methods which are based on taking linear transforms of a signal and its derivatives. These methods, the Distribution Derivative Method (DDM), the Generalized Derivative Method (GDM), and the Generalized Reassignment Method (GRM), are shown to be subcases of a more general method which results in a system of linear equations from which we can solve for the parameter estimators. While the GDM and GRM are known to be theoretically equivalent, we show that they are also equivalent to the DDM in one special case. Matrix formulations are established for the GDM and GRM with a polynomial log-amplitude, polynomial phase sinusoidal signal model, and a bias in previous frequency slope estimators is explicitly demonstrated.


In 3D societies based in responding, the undifferentiated cells Lgr5 of different organs epithelial structure in constant extension organoids that recall their tissue character. Authors point out founding of tumor organoid societies in 28 patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) back to back. For most of these patients, organoids were also created from typical fabric. Our current research was conducted at Mayo Hospital, Lahore from October 2018 to September 2019. The organoids intensely reaffirm some properties of first tumor. The range hereditary changes within the "living biobank". is consistent with the large-scale mutations that have taken place in the past. CRC exams. The quality articulation review demonstrates that we talk to CRC's major atomic subtypes. Tumour organoids are pleasant to the sedation screens to recognize quality drug affiliations. For example, a loner organoid culture was wonderfully sensitive to Wnt (porcupine) and made a change in negative review Wnt controller RNF43, as opposed to APC. Innovation in organoids can fill the gap between the hereditary qualities of malignant growth and the preliminaries of patience, complementing medicinal products based on cell lines and xenografts examines, and allows for a personalized treatment plan.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of the relationship between a scholar's research performance (using weighted journal-impact factor average) and their degree centrality; the impact of author-homophily (in terms of gender, institutional sector, academic age, academic ranks, province and city) on this relationship is investigated as well.

Design/methodology/approach

Using scientific publishing data and journal-impact factors from Thomson Reuters' ISI Web of Science (SCI) and Journal Citation Reports, respectively, the domestic co-authorship network of chemistry researchers in Pakistan during 2002-2009 was constructed then modeled via ordinary least squares regression.

Findings

Results show that the personal characteristics of a researcher do not necessarily lead to high degree centrality, i.e. attributes may not be causal to co-author relationships. Instead, high degree centrality is more so a function of the forerunning research performance of the researcher: those whom publish more in terms of impact factor, attract more co-authors (high degree centrality). Moreover, the relationship between research performance and degree centrality is positively moderated by age and province homophily and negatively moderated by city homophily.

Research limitations/implications

Data are sourced wholly from the Pakistani chemistry research community; results many not be generalizable to other sub-populations or the wider research community.

Practical implications

The findings provide insights to performance-seeking authors: knowing that their research performance enhances their centrality, which in-turn may lead to increased research performance and various other desirable professional outcomes. In addition, researchers can look toward establishing similar (homophilous) or dissimilar (heterophilous) ties knowing that the relationship between research performance and centrality will likely be stronger when similarity or dissimilarity exists.

Social implications

This study supports the idea that high research performance attracts more potential co-authors, which in-turn may lead to ever greater research performance, which suggests that the research community will be fragmented between high- and low-performing researchers. Also researcher will have similar or dissimilar ties in terms of various characteristics which in turn moderate the research performance centrality relationship.

Originality/value

This paper counteracts the empirical belief that researchers are attractive as potential co-authors according to their personal and professional characteristics. It is actually their research performance and homophily or heterophily of their ties which matters.


Many applications of sensor networks require the base station to collect all the data generated by sensor nodes. As a consequence many-to-one communication pattern, referred to as convergecast, is prevalent in sensor networks. In this paper, we address the challenge of fast and reliable convergecast on top of the collision-prone CSMA MAC layer. More specifically, we extend previous work by considering the following two situations: (1) the length of the packets generated by nodes is much smaller than the maximum length of a data frame that can be transmitted in one time slot and (2) not every node in the network has data to transmit and for those that have, may have lots of data that require more than one packet. The first situation leads to the possibility of improvement by data piggybacking/aggregation; the second scenario arises in networks where nodes locally store the data and serves query request on-demand. We present distributed minimal time scheduling algorithms for both the cases. Simulation results have shown significant performance improvements of our new approaches over existing solutions.


Superconducting wire-networks are paradigms to study Cooper pairing issues, vortex dynamics and arrangements. Recently, emergent low-dimensional crystalline superconductors are reported in the minimal-disorder limit, providing novel platforms to reveal vortices-related physics. Study on superconducting loops with high-crystallinity is thus currently demanded. Here, we report fabrication and transport measurement of finite square-network based on two-dimensional crystalline superconductor Mo2C. We observe oscillations in the resistance as a function of the magnetic flux through the loops. Resistance dips at both matching field and fractional fillings are revealed. Temperature and current evolutions are carried out in magnetoresistance to study vortex dynamics. The amplitude of oscillation is enhanced due to the interaction between thermally activated vortices and the currents induced in the loops. The driving current reduces effective activation energy for vortex, giving rise to stronger vortex interaction. Moreover, by thermally activated vortex creep model, we derive effective potential barrier for vortex dissipation, which shows well-defined correspondence with structures in magnetoresistance. Our work shows that low-dimensional crystalline superconducting network based on Mo2C possesses pronounced potential in studying the modulation of vortex arrangements and dynamics, paving the way for further investigations on crystalline superconducting network with various configurations.


Recognizing that the 'prison' and the 'street' are increasingly understood to be enmeshed sites of exclusion and confinement, this introduction proposes an analytical orientation towards relations and practices across these sites, which attends specifically to the ways in which they are mutually constitutive. Utilizing notions of traversal and porosity, we push debates on confinement beyond their prison-centric impulse. This decentring of the prison goes beyond reading one site in terms of the other (the street as just another carceral space; the prison as another site of exclusion). We challenge the divisiveness of prison/street binaries and the domination of boundary-making by emphasizing the importance of polyvalent experiences and by drawing attention to the practices of people who traverse the prison/street threshold. On the basis of the fine-grained ethnographic contributions making up this collection, the introduction points towards novel avenues for a (grounded) theorization of confinement in terms of overlap, traversal and porosity.


Over 20 missense mutations and Y108X nonsense mutation in INS are dominant and induce synthesis of chimeric proteins that may interfere with folding and processing of all insulin molecules. In heterozygous state they cause insulin deficiency and PND. Over 10 recessive mutations and the p.Q62X nonsense mutation of INS do not induce synthesis of anomalous protein, being associated with PND only in homozygous state. Most of significant mutations that induce insulin resistance, lipodystrophy, and other pathology were found in INSR gene. Lipodistrophy suggests an important role of insulin in stimulating fat accumulation and controlling lipid consumption in energy metabolosm.


The Nation of Islam (NOI) is an African American religious movement that originated in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1930s based on a rather heterodox form of the Muslim religion. Founded by the enigmatic Wallace D. Fard and taken over by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad upon Fard's disappearance in 1934, the NOI came to exert important economic, political, and cultural influence in the African American community with its program of economic independence and charismatic high profile members such as Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Advocating the complete separation of Black people from the White race of "blue-eyed devils", the NOI was a lightning rod for controversy. With Elijah Muhammad's death in 1975, leadership of the organization passed into the hands of Warith Deen Mohammed, who dropped the name "Nation of Islam" and radically reorganized the group along quasi-Sunni Islamic lines. However, in 1977, long time NOI member Minister Louis Farrakhan reestablished the Nation of Islam according to Elijah Muhammad's doctrine, and subsequently propelled it back into America's national consciousness with his controversial involvement in Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign and the 1995 Million Man March in Washington D.C. Although the NOI has done much to popularize Islam in the U.S., the Nation's religious beliefs bear little resemblance to traditional Islamic theology. While the Nation shares a common vocabulary with Muslims around the world, the NOI's teachings concerning God, cosmology, Prophet Muhammad and the afterlife can be deemed heterodox, or even heretical, by Islamic standards. But despite its vast ideological differences from the international Muslim community, the NOI has come to be seen like a partner, even an ally, by many in the Arab and Muslim worlds. This paper explores the NOI's trajectory and ideology, together with the reasons behind that apparent paradox, and shows it to be built on common interest rather than a common faith.


A Note from the Editors DERMATOLOGY + PSYCHOSOMATICS is a journal dedicated to a high scientific standard. Therefore, a review process is a prerequisite for publication of manuscripts. Nevertheless, the editors of the journal feel the need to offer a platform for comments which can be printed without the demand for corrections and adaptation to rather formalistic criteria. To provide the opportunity for the presentation of 'methodologically unstandardized' spontaneous observations in clinical practice / of clinical experience or comments concerning previously published articles we maintain the section 'Letters to the Editors' to hereby encourage the interaction among psychodermatology researchers and clinical practitioners. We would be pleased to promote a discussion within the context of psychodermatological issues in a broad sense and to contribute to interdisciplinary discussions. Furthermore, the section 'Letters to the Editors' can be used to give feedback on articles published in the latest issues of the journal. We are grateful for comments with respect to methodological aspects of the treatises as well as to the results or conclusions drawn by the authors. We hope that the new section will be taken up by interest and will contribute to a lively and interesting discussion. Background: Preoccupation with hair loss and fear of getting bald is a frequent finding among patients referred to dermatological clinics. Objective: Identification of depression and anxieties that may be the underlying psychopathology of a patient with this preoccupation. Patients and Methods: 50 patients with the preoccupation of pathological hair loss who were referred to our clinic within a period of 2 months. The Beck, Taylor and Maudsley inventories were performed on all patients to determine the presence and level of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Results: 45 out of 50 patients, i.e. 90%, were found to have affective disorder such as depression, anxiety, OCD, OCPD or a combination of these. Different levels of depression could be identified in 33 cases, OCD in 32, OCPD in 19, and anxiety in 29 patients. Most patients suffered from more than one psychological disorder: 21 patients suffered from 3, and 14 patients from 2 disorders. 10 patients suffered from only one co-existing disorder: 4 from mild depression, 4 from OCD, and 2 from OCPD. The remaining 5 patients showed no psychological problem according to the inventories used. Conclusion: Many patients with normal looking hair but the preoccupation of losing too much hair and the fear of getting bald may actually suffer from hair loss dysmorphic disorder. These people may have one or more psychopathologies, which should be identified and treated properly.


Background Homocysteine (Hcy) is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Objective To explore the long-term prognostic value of Hcy in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) in the era of statins. Methods A total of 876 consecutive patients with stable CAD were recruited and followed up for a median of 6.1 years. Lipids and Hcy levels were measured at baseline. Primary endpoints were cardiac death and secondary endpoints were hospitalizations for acute coronary syndrome, myocardial revascularization, arrhythmic event or ischemic stroke. Results Follow-up data were obtained from 842 patients of whom 70 had a cardiac death (8.3%), while 258 (30.6%) met the secondary endpoints. Seven hundred four patients (83.6%) were on statins. In univariate Cox regression analysis Hcy predicted the occurrence of cardiac death [hazard ratio: 1.030; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.018–1.042, P < 0.001] but not the occurrence of secondary endpoints (hazard ratio: 1.010; 95% CI: 0.999–1.020, P = 0.081). Hcy remained an independent predictor of cardiac death after adjustment for conventional risk factors, ejection fraction and statin use (hazard ratio: 1.030; 95% CI: 1.017–1.044, P < 0.001). Patients in the highest tertile of Hcy levels (>14.1 μmol/L) had three times higher risk of cardiac death compared with patients in the lowest tertile (<10.3 μmol/L) (hazard ratio = 3.036, CI: 1.983–4.649, P < 0.001). Conclusion Hcy is an independent predictor of cardiac death in patients with stable CAD in the era of statins.


High levels of test anxiety can be damaging for academic achievement, wellbeing, and mental health. It is important, therefore, to consider those psychological attributes that may offer protection against the development of test anxiety and its negative consequences, thereby contributing to a potential positive future life trajectory. Academic buoyancy, the ability to respond effectively to academic pressures and setbacks, is one such attribute that offers protection from high test anxiety. We begin by defining test anxiety and a brief review of the literature to consider the harmful nature of test anxiety. This is followed by a definition of academic buoyancy and brief review of the literature to consider the beneficial character of academic buoyancy. Next, we describe the Self-Regulatory Executive Function model of test anxiety and consider the mechanisms and processes by which academic buoyancy exerts beneficial effects on test anxiety. The paper concludes with a consideration of critical issues for the conceptualisation and measurement of academic buoyancy, arising from the synergies, connections, and relations, theorised with test anxiety, and how these may inform future studies.


The crowd increasingly plays a key role in facilitating innovations in a variety of sectors, spurred on by IT-developments and the concomitant increase in connectivity. Initiatives in this direction, captured under the umbrella-term 'crowd-based innovations' (CBI), offer novel opportunities in all domains of society by increasing the access, reach and speed of services and goods. At the same time, they signify important challenges because these innovations occur in a context of traditional, well-established institutionalarrangements. CBI create an 'institutional void': existing rules, standards and practices are challenged and renegotiated. This raises questions about the safeguarding of public values such as quality, legitimacy, efficiency and governance of crowd-based innovations. The objective of this perspective piece is to presentan interdisciplinary research agenda to address normative challenges for governing CBI. We will argue that such an agenda needs an integrated empirical-normative approach. We will detail three lines of empirical-normative research that together build up towards an interdisciplinary agenda.


The paper examines the influence of information attacks on the dynamics of automatic control systems. Comparison of abnormal dynamics of control objects during attacks and device failures is carried out. The similarity of the consequences of information attacks and failures of the control system is analyzed, a method for identifying attacks based on the methods developed for detecting failures is developed. Computer modeling of the influence of information attacks and failures on the control system of a DC motor has been carried out. The simulation results allow making a conclusion about the applicability of the failure detection algorithms for detecting attacks.


Greenspaces play an important role in the urban landscape, with prior research suggesting that they are associated with numerous health and social benefits for residents. Despite this, research conflicts regarding the relationship between greenspaces and crime, with some studies finding these locations to be criminogenic and others finding them to be protective against local crime. This study examines this relationship in Portland, Oregon, considering different greenspace types as well as different crime types. Further, this study presents a novel methodological adaption to measure crime concentration and specialization around discrete location types by integrating a street network buffer into the standard Location Quotient (LQ) metric. Results suggest that Portland's greenspaces as a whole do not experience a concentration of crime; however, varying patterns emerge when examining different greenspace and crime types. This study identifies diverse crime concentrations in proximity to small parks, while finding other greenspace categories to be associated with crime-specific concentrations nearby. Others, still, have lower than expected counts of crime concentrating nearby, potentially demonstrating protective trends. These results highlight the importance of disaggregating both crime and location types to better understand the complex relationship between greenspaces and crime.


This article describes current practises, regulations and costs related to ground deicing. Some
considerations have been made about the environmental impact of using glycol and natural
gas, the future of deicing techniques and how these new techniques could change the current
system and its procedures.
The installation of a new deicing system is complex particularly with the expansion of new
technologies and environmental regulations.


Bladder cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed tumors and is results from the accumulation of somatic mutations in the DNA. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) has been associated with cancer immunotherapeutic response. In this study, we attempted to explore the correlation between TMB and cancer prognosis. Identify the different expressed genes and immune cell infiltration signatures between low and high TMB group. Mutation data, gene expression profiles and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Patients were divided into high and low TMB groups, allowing differentially expressed genes (DEGs) to be identified. Functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were used to identify the functions of the DEGs. And immune cell infiltration signatures were evaluated by CIBERSORT algorithm. These results shown that high TMB was significantly associated with prognosis. We obtained a list of TMB related genes which may influence the infiltrations of immune cells. We also found a higher proportion of CD8 T cells, CD4 T cells and NK cells in the high TMB group. Our data suggest that higher TMB tends to promote the infiltrations of T cells and NK cells and patients with higher TMB may achieve a more favorable prognosis in bladder cancer.


Respondent selection procedures are utilized to choose a particular respondent in surveys. In the 2013 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (2013 Turkey DHS), all women who meet the eligibility criteria were interviewed according to standard regulations of the International DHS Program. Simulating the application of different methods, this study mainly asks "How would main indicators produced in 2013 Turkey DHS differ with the implementation of various respondent choice strategies?". The selection procedures include two probabilistic methods, two quasi-probabilistic methods, and four non-probabilistic methods. This study advanced that although interviewing all eligible women in 2013 Turkey DHS appears to be reasonable, providing estimates that are close to survey results, is also conceivable through the execution of selection methods. When the mean of total deviations is considered with their confidence intervals, probabilistic and quasi-probabilistic selection techniques have produced much better estimates with minimal deviations from the confidence intervals of the population values.


IT IS estimated that approximately 18 million prescriptions for thyroid preparations are filled annually in the United States. Based on recent data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, it has also been estimated that some 5,600 cases of thyroid overdose occur annually in this country.1Despite these figures, the reported cases of symptomatic patients after thyroid overdose have been few, presumably because of the generally benign nature of the subsequent clinical course. We recently were consulted on an unusual case of levothyroxine sodium poisoning in which clinical hyperthyroidism and convulsions occurred seven days after ingestion of the drug. Report of a Case A 30-month-old, previously healthy boy was thought to have ingested up to one hundred eighty 0.1-mg tablets of levothyroxine sodium (Synthroid) sometime between 9 and 11 AM, when his mother discovered that her pill bottle was open and that 180 tablets were missing. At 12:30


BACKGROUND
Several translational animal models have been described assessing intra-arterial (IA) treatments for malignant gliomas. We describe the first endovascular animal model that allows testing of IA drug delivery as a first-line treatment, which is difficult to do in actual patients. We report a unique protocol for vascular access and IA delivery in the rat model that, unlike prior reports, does not require direct puncture and opening of proximal cerebrovasculature which carries risk of ischemia in the animal brain post-delivery.

METHODS
Wistar rats underwent left femoral artery catherization with a Balt Magic 1.2F catheter or Marathon Flow directed 1.5F Microcatheter with an Asahi Chikai 0.008 micro-guidewire which was navigated to the left internal carotid artery under x-ray. 25% mannitol was administered to test blood brain barrier breakdown (BBBB). Additional rats were implanted with C6 glioma cells in the left frontal lobe. C6 Glioma-Implanted Rats (C6GRs) were monitored for overall survival and tumor growth. Tumor volumes from MRI images were calculated utilizing 3D slicer. Additional rats underwent femoral artery catheterization with Bevacizumab, carboplatin, or irinotecan injected into the left internal carotid artery to test feasibility and safety.

RESULTS
A successful endovascular access and BBBB protocol was established. BBBB was confirmed with positive Evans blue staining. 10 rats were successfully implanted with C6 gliomas with confirmed growths on MRI. Overall survival was 19.75 ± 2.21 days. 5 rats were utilized for the development of our femoral catheterization protocol and BBBB testing. With regards to IA chemotherapy dosage testing, control rats tolerated targeted 10 mg/kg of bevascizumab, 2.4 mg/kg of carboplatin, and 15 mg/kg of irinotecan IA ICA injections without any complications.

CONCLUSIONS
We present the first endovascular IA rat glioma model that allows selective catheterization of the intracranial vasculature and assessment of IA therapies for gliomas without need for access and sacrifice of proximal cerebrovasculature.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
LRP16 is a human novel gene linked to leukemia identified recently. However, its biological function is not fully clarified so far. This study was to investigate the biological function of human LRP16 gene by database-aided bioinformatics analysis.

METHODS
The structures and functions of LRP16 gene promoter and its coding protein were analyzed using bioinformatics prediction, and further experimental testing was performed. The recombinants of pGL3-basic and LRP16 promoter subclones were constructed for luciferase activity analysis. The recombinant of LRP16 open reading frame coding sequence and pcDNA3.1 eukaryotic expression vector was established and transfected into HL-60 and K562 cell lines. DNA damage of HL-60 cells after ultraviolet irradiation was evaluated using single cell gel electrophoresis. Cell cycle of K562 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry.

RESULTS
LRP16 promoter was a typical class II eukaryotic promoter and its core regulation sequence was located within upstream -600 bp of transcriptional start site. In addition, seven cis-acting elements, which may be implicated in cell cycle, hematopoiesis regulation, cell proliferation and repair of DNA damage, were identified. Long type LRP16 coding protein contained homologous sequences of hismacro, COG2110, and A1pp with human histone H2A1C between 148 and 315 amino acid residue. The number of comet cells and the length of comet tail in HL-60 cells irradiated were significantly decreased and the number of living cell was significantly increased in LRP16-overexpression group compared with empty plasmid control group. The proliferation rate and ratio or quantity of G2/M and S phases were significantly increased in LRP16-overexpression K562 group compared with empty plasmid control group. LRP16-overexpression in K562 cells promoted the transition of G1 to S phase and plateau phase of cell proliferation was advanced.

CONCLUSIONS
Promoter regulation prediction and protein domain analysis based on bioinformatics contribute to the study of gene function. LRP16 may play an important role in leukemia progression by promoting cell proliferation, regulating cell cycle, and antagonizing radiation-induced DNA damage.


The first nucleophilic addition of an inorganic nucleophile (cyanide) to the activated, rigid, α-diazomethine groups of a 1,2,5-thiadiazole 1,1-dioxide is reported here. An α-amino nitrile and a bis α-amino nitrile derivatives were obtained in good yields (62 and 98%, respectively) and characterized by spectroscopic, analytical, and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The course of the reaction, followed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), showed that cyanide adds to only one of the two CN double bonds of the thiadiazole, forming an anion from which an N-methyl derivative was obtained. Adequate concentrations of cyanide and methyl iodide (MeI) produced directly the bis α-amino nitrile derivative. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Approximately 10%-15% of patients with AIDS but without ocular opportunistic infections will have a presumed neuroretinal disorder (HIV-NRD), manifested by reduced contrast sensitivity and abnormal visual fields. The loss of contrast sensitivity often is sufficient to impair reading speed. To evaluate the effect of host genetics on HIV-NRD, we explored validated AIDS restriction gene variants CCR5Δ32, CCR2-64I, CCR5 P1, SDF-3'A, IL-10-5'A, RANTES -403A, RANTES -28G, RANTES-In1.1C, CX3CR1-249I, CX3CR1-280M, IFNG-179T, MDR1-3435T, and MCP-1364G, each of which has been implicated previously to influence HIV-1 infection, AIDS progression, therapy response, and antiviral drug metabolism, and an IL-10 receptor gene, IL-10R1, in the Longitudinal Study of the Ocular Complications of AIDS cohort. In European Americans (cases = 55, controls = 290), IL-10-5'A variant and its promoter haplotype (hazard ratio = 2.09, confidence interval. 1.19 to 3.67, P = 0.01), in African Americans (cases = 54, controls = 180), RANTES-In1.1C and the associated haplotype (hazard ratio = 2.72, confidence interval.: 1.48 to 5.00, P = 0.001), showed increased HIV-NRD susceptibility. Although sample sizes are small and P values do not pass a strict Bonferroni correction, our results suggest that, in European Americans, an IL-10-related pathway, and, in African Americans, chemokine receptor ligand polymorphisms in RANTES are risk factors for HIV-NRD development. Clearly, further studies are warrented.


Deposited films were prepared by ablation of disk-like targets of 3,4,9,10- perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and mixed targets of PTCDA with cobalt (PTCDA-Co) and copper powders (PTCDA-Cu) using the third harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser (355 nm) at fluences ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 Jcm−2pulse−1. FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy showed that ablation of PTCDA-Cu at more than 500 mJcm−2pulse−1 led to an effective elimination reaction of the anhydride groups of PTCDA as well as PTCDA-Co at more than 700 mJcm−2pulse−1. In ablation of PTCDA-Co and PTCDA-Cu, plasma emission was observed around 500 nm. With increasing fluence, addition to the plasma emission, peaks at 437, 469, 513 and 550 nm coming from C2 radicals were observed, suggesting that PTCDA was partially decomposed into C2. TOF mass spectra in ablation of PTCDA-Co showed fragments of PTCDA without one or two anhydride groups as well as CoCn+ (n = 0-5) and Co (CO)2+.


We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of galaxies hosting Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed by the Nearby Supernova Factory. Combining Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) UV data with optical and near-infrared photometry, we employ stellar population synthesis techniques to measure SN Ia host galaxy stellar masses, star formation rates (SFRs), and reddening due to dust. We reinforce the key role of GALEX UV data in deriving accurate estimates of galaxy SFRs and dust extinction. Optical spectra of SN Ia host galaxies are fitted simultaneously for their stellar continua and emission lines fluxes, from which we derive high-precision redshifts, gas-phase metallicities, and Hα-based SFRs. With these data we show that SN Ia host galaxies present tight agreement with the fiducial galaxy mass–metallicity relation from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) for stellar masses log(M*/M☉) > 8.5 where the relation is well defined. The star formation activity of SN Ia host galaxies is consistent with a sample of comparable SDSS field galaxies, though this comparison is limited by systematic uncertainties in SFR measurements. Our analysis indicates that SN Ia host galaxies are, on average, typical representatives of normal field galaxies.


This paper presents the development of a small legged robot that can both walk and jump. The robot is designed to four legs that are actuated by two servo motors per leg. Each leg has a jumping part that consists of a gear part and a spring part. We also report the forward kinematics of robot for motion analysis. In addition, computer simulation was executed for evaluating the performance of jumping and walking. The simulation results show that the jumping part can jump as high as 140 mm and the robot can move forward 76 mm during one cycle.


The development of effective and accurate models to predict forest growth and products is essential for forest managers and planners. Decision-makers need information on the present yield of the forest for the purpose of monitoring growth. Despite the importance of growth and yield models in the determination of appropriate forest management strategies, no study has been undertaken in IITA's Forest Reserve. Volume equations for predicting tree volume were developed for tree species in IITA's Forest Reserve. Complete enumeration of trees larger than 5 cm was carried out in fifteen permanent sample plots of size 20 m × 20 m. The data assessed were diameter at base, diameter at middle, diameter at top, diameter at breast height and total height for 1214 tree species. All trees encountered in each plot were identified with their botanical names. The results revealed that there were 34 important tree species distributed among 23 families in the reserve. The most abundant tree species is Newbouldia laevis while the family with the highest number of species is Moraceae with six species. The number of observations per species ranged from 1 to 255 while the diameter at breast height ranged from 5.00 cm to 201.20 cm and highest percentage of the trees belong to the least diameter class (5-9 cm). The volume equations were fitted for individual species greater than or equal to five and all species combined. The assessment criteria coefficient of determination (R2), Standard error of estimate (SEE) with the validation results (using simple linear regression equation, percentage bias and probability plots of residuals) show that the model of logarithm transformed diameter at base and logarithm transformed total height was of good fit. Very high R2 values, small SEE and percentage biases were obtained. The model was discovered to be very adequate for tree volume estimation in the study area. It is therefore recommended for further use in this ecosystem and in any other forest ecosystem with similar site condition.


The authors provided an empirical overview of the African regional and national socioeconomic influences on safety management and the leading causes of non-natural fatalities and injuries: Motor vehicle accidents and work accidents in both the formal and informal sectors. The authors point to three different theoretical approaches to African safety management that address the fact that the rate of motor vehicle deaths, for instance, was about 18 times higher than in the U.S. Recommendations for improving African safety management were also provided.


Planar near-field measurements were carried out on a single panel of the engineering model (EM) of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) antenna of the European Remote Sensing satellite ERS-1. The radiation behaviour was determined before and after exposure of the panel to a number of thermal cycles in vacuum. Transformation of measured near-field data back to the aperture plane has been exploited for antenna diagnostics to study anomalies found in the aperture distribution.


Adrenocortical response to exogenous acetylcholine (Ach) was investigated, under anesthetized conditions, in intact, hypophysectomized and head X-irradiated dogs. Intravenous injection of Ach (1 mg/kg b.w.) to intact dogs resulted in marked increases in the secretion of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS) by the adrenal gland. The maximum response was seen at 10 min after the injection and a return to preinjection levels tended to occur by 60 min. This effect was abolished completely by hypophysectomy. In dogs whose heads had been irradiated with 200 and 1,000 R of X-rays 1 day previously, a considerably lower response to Ach was found; 17-OHCS output at the time when the secretion had been maximum was 44--53% less than that in non-irradiated dogs.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the effects of tanshinone and JAK2/STAT1 signaling pathway related mechanism in CVB3-induced myocarditis in murine.

METHODS
A total of 110 inbred male Balb/c mice which were 4 to 6 weeks-old were randomly divided into five groups: normal control (N, n = 10), myocarditis control (C, n = 25), tanshinone group (T, 15 mg · kg⁻¹ · d⁻¹, i.p., n = 25), janus kinase 2 inhibitor AG490 group (A, 10 mg · kg⁻¹ · d⁻¹, i.p., n = 25), T+A group (H, n = 25). Myocarditis was induced by 0.5 ml 10(-9.51) TCID50/ml CVB3 i.p. injection for 10 days in group C, T and H. Myocardial histopathologic changes were observed and phospho-STAT1 expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. The levels of serum cardiac troponin I were detected with chemiluminescence immunoassay.

RESULTS
(1) Compared with group C, the histopathologic scores were significantly higher in group A and H (3.35 ± 0.57 and 3.34 ± 0.54 vs. 2.12 ± 0.39, P < 0.01), but lower in group T (1.40 ± 0.34 vs.2.12 ± 0.39, P < 0.01). (2) The expression of p-STAT1 protein was similar in group A and H compared to group N (P > 0.05), but was significantly lower than that in group C (0.017 ± 0.010 and 0.020 ± 0.010 vs. 0.246 ± 0.010, P < 0.01). The expression of p-STAT1 protein was significantly higher in group T than in group C (P < 0.01). (3) The levels of serum cardiac troponin I in group C, A, T and H were significantly higher than in group N ((0.42 ± 0.06), (1.17 ± 0.25), (0.23 ± 0.05) and (1.04 ± 0.19) µg/L vs. (0.02 ± 0.01) µg/L, all P < 0.01). The levels of serum cardiac troponin I were significantly higher in group A and H compared with group C ((1.17 ± 0.25) and (1.04 ± 0.19) µg/L vs. (0.42 ± 0.06) µg/L, P < 0.01), but were significantly lower in group T than in group C ((0.23 ± 0.05) µg/L vs. (0.42 ± 0.06) µg/L, P < 0.01). (4) There was a negative correlation between the expression level of p-STAT1 and the histopathologic scores (y = -4.503 x + 3.371, R² = 0.738, P < 0.01), but a positive correlation between the levels of serum cardiac troponin I and the histopathologic scores (y = 1.935x + 1.165, R² = 0.766, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
Tanshinone could attenuate myocardial injury via upregulating the JAK2/STAT1 signaling pathway in this murine viral myocarditis model.


The H1N1 subtype of Influenza A virus is the causative agent of swine flu. The 2009 outbreak caused by subtype H1N1 in humans is due to transfer of Swine Influenza Virus from pig to human. Thus to analyze the origin of this novel virus we compared the 42 nucleocapsid sequences of H1N1 viruses of different origins. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences was carried out along with bootstrap analysis of 100 replicates. The phylogenetic tree constructed revealed that Indian H1N1 strain showed the highest homology with Iowa H1N1 strain and also with Wisconsin H1N1 strain. Further the H1N1 strains analyzed using NP sequences of different Indian origins showed highly close sequence similarity. Hence, in future this study will be helpful for knowing the taxonomy and evolution of influenza viruses.


Bacterial motility in response to chemicals, also called bacterial chemotaxis, is a critical ability to search for the optimal environment to ensure the survival of bacterial species. Recent advances in microbiology have allowed the engineering of bacterial chemotactic properties. Conventional methods for characterizing bacterial motility are not able to fully monitor chemotactic behavior. Developments in microfluidic technology have enabled the designing of new experimental protocols in which spatiotemporal control of the cellular microenvironment can be achieved, and in which bacterial motility can be precisely and quantitatively measured and compared. This review provides an overview of recent developments of and new insights into microfluidic systems for chemotaxis assay.


Background Linezolid is classed as oxazolidinone antibiotics which can be used to treat severe infections caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus, complicated skin, and uncomplicated skin structure infections (SSSIs) caused by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes, and community-acquired pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, many studies have suggested it can also cause thrombocytopenia and pancytopenia. Patients and Methods We report on three patients with linezolid-pancytopenia. Patients in cases 1 and 2 were diagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and were both administered with dapagliflozin, one of the sodium-dependent glucose transporters 2 inhibitors (SHLT-2i). Results Two patients were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, pneumonia, and hyponatremia. Severe myelosuppression occurred in both patients, with a severe decrease in leukocytes and platelets and a moderate decrease in hemoglobin, who eventually passed away despite the discontinuation of linezolid and adopting appropriate treatment measures. The patient in case 3 was diagnosed with pneumonia, type 2 diabetes, and sequelae of cerebral thrombosis. After twelve days of treatment, the patient developed moderate thrombocytopenia and anemia. She recovered without any additional treatment after the discontinuation of linezolid. Conclusion In this case series, two patients with irreversible myelosuppression were treated with both linezolid and SGLT-2i, and one diabetic patient with single linezolid use presented with reversible pancytopenia, suggesting that SGLT-2i may exacerbate myelosuppression of linezolid. Linezolid should be used with caution in infectious patients with a history of SGLT-2i. We will conduct relevant animal experiments to clarify the interaction between the two drugs.


Background Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is a heterogeneous disease, which assessment and severity can't be defined by one particular instrument but using a multidimensional score. Thus, in additional to traditional methods, alternative tools have been developed to assist these patients' evaluation. Objective To correlate functional and morphological indexes with severity and dyspnea in NCFB patients, focusing on the correlation between the impulse oscillometry system (IOS) and the quantitative analysis of computed tomography (CT). Methods Clinically stable NCFB patients, between 18 and 80 years old were submitted to clinical, functional and morphological evaluations assessed by Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI) and Medical Research Council (MRC) scale; spirometry and IOS; and subjective and quantitative Chest CT scans analysis, respectively. Results This study included 38 patients. The best correlations obtained between functional and morphological airway indexes were: resistance at 5 Hz—R5 and the normalized thickness of bronchial walls—Pi10 (r = 0.57), and the mean forced expiratory flow (FEF25-75%) and CT score (r = -0.39). BSI as well as MRC showed higher correlations with the quantitative automated analysis of CT (BSI and Pi10: r = 0.41; MRC and Pi10: r = 0.35) than with subjective CT score (BSI and CT score: r = 0.41; MRC and CT score: r = 0.15); and moderate and weak correlations were obtained on both functional airway indexes (BSI and peripheral airways resistance - R5-R20: r = 0.53; BSI and forced expiratory volume at the first second—FEV1: R = -0,64; MRC and R5-R20: r = 0.42; and MRC and VEF1: r = -0.45). Conclusion In NCFB patients, compartmentalized methods for assessing the respiratory system (IOS and the automated quantitative CT analysis) have a good correlation with severity and dyspnea.


Using a family of compact and creviced shapes, the authors have calculated the deformation energy of the liquid-drop model and included the nuclear proximity energy. This family of shapes covers the whole deformation range from the sphere to three equal tangential spherical fragments. Simple analytical formulae are given. Double-humped ternary fission barriers are predicted for heavy nuclei: the inner barrier has essentially a microscopic origin while the outer one is a scission barrier governed mostly by the balance between Coulomb and nuclear forces. For Z>or approximately=102, the ternary scission barrier is lower than the binary scission barrier but it is positioned further out. For Z>or approximately=110-115, ternary fission seems as likely as binary fission. Therefore, there appears to be another exit channel for superheavy nuclei, which further reduces the probability of existence of such superheavy elements. The ternary and binary fission barriers become almost identical for the heaviest nuclear systems, as for example in the reaction 238U+238U. The translational kinetic energy of the three fragments agrees well with the experimental data for the U+Ne and U+Ar reactions.