Background: Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Prompt recognition and management are critical to improved outcomes. In 2019, the Lausanne University Hospital (LUH) launched a quality of care project aiming to improve sepsis management. As part of this effort, we aimed to assess sepsis awareness among nurses and physicians of the LUH and among the local paramedics. Methods: We conducted a survey on nurses and physicians at our institution and local paramedics between January and October 2020 representing over 1,000 professionals distributed over all hospital departments. The survey assessed professionals' knowledge of sepsis epidemiology, definition, recognition and initial evaluation (nurses and paramedics) or sepsis epidemiology, diagnosis, and management (physicians). Pediatrics and the neonatal unit were excluded. Results: A total of 1,116 of 1,216 contacted persons among the 4417 targeted population participated and completed the survey (participation rate 91.8%). This included 619 of 2,463 (25.1%) of hospital nurses, 348 of 1,664 (20.9 %) of physicians and 149 of 290 (51.4%) of canton paramedics. Our nurse and physician sample was slightly imbalanced for sex and age. Thirteen percent of participants (28.4% of physicians, 5.9% of nurses, 6.8% of paramedics) correctly identified the Sepsis-3 consensus definition. Similarly, 48.6% of physicians and 10.0% of nurses identified the SOFA (sequential organ failure assessment) score as a sepsis defining score for infected patients. Furthermore, 24% of participants identified the Quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score as a predictor of increased mortality; 6% identified correctly the components of the score. For a patient with suspected sepsis, 96.1%, 91.6% and 75.8% of physicians respectively identified blood cultures, broad-spectrum antibiotics and fluid resuscitation as required interventions; 76.4% and 18.2% of physicians requested these initial measures within 1 and 3 hours, respectively. For physicians, recent training correlated with awareness regarding definitions, SOFA score and qSOFA score use and components: ORs (95%CI) 2.2 (1.4-3.6), 4.3 (2.7-6.7), 3.4 (2.2-5.2), and 2.6 (1.5-4.6), respectively).Conclusions: We identify a deficit of awareness among physicians, nurses and paramedics at LUH correlating with a lack of sepsis-specific training. Enhanced sepsis-specific educational efforts could significantly improve early identification and treatment of affected patients.


In the presence of channel fluctuation, rate adaptation is one way to maintain the quality of the link at a desired level. This is especially important in ad hoc wireless networks, where temporary channel fluctuations might create frequent needs for rerouting that would result in severe overhead and adversely affect the performance. We study an unusual method of passive rate adaptation in which some bits are dropped at the receiver end of a link. The symbol-error probability decreases as some bits are dropped. In terms of the distortion for a realtime analog signal, the tradeoff is between more reliable detection of fewer bits and less reliable detection of more bits. Our scheme achieves smaller distortion for a certain region of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values when compared with the original scheme without rate adaptation. Two examples, uniformly spaced, uncoded pulse amplitude modulation and quadrature amplitude modulation, are studied and compared for both a Gaussian channel and a Rayleigh fading channel. We conclude that our scheme is more suitable to use in a fading channel than in a Gaussian channel. We also verify that our scheme has a larger applicable region of SNR values when a nonuniform constellation is used, since the important bits are given additional protection.


Diatoms are single cell microalgae with a silica shell (frustule), which possess a micro/nanoporous pattern of unparalleled diversity far beyond the possibilities of current micro- and nanofabrication techniques. To explore diatoms as natural three-dimensional nanostructured supports in sensing and biosensing devices, a simple, rapid and stable method to immobilize diatoms via gold electrodeposition is described. In this process, gold microstructures are formed, immobilizing diatoms by entrapment or crossing their nanopores. Varying the applied potential, time and HAuCl4 concentration, gold deposits of different morphologies and roughness are obtained, thereby determining the diatom immobilization process. Optical and scanning electron microscopy have been used to characterize diatom immobilization yields, the morphology of the gold microstructures, and the morphological integrity of diatoms. Cyclic voltammetry has been performed to characterize the gold deposits and to demonstrate the enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the gold-diatom electrodes. Electro-addressed immobilization of different diatoms on specific bands of interdigitated electrode arrays has been achieved, highlighting the potential application of diatoms for site-specific immobilization on microarrays. The feasibility to combine tailored immobilization with diatom biofunctionalization has also been demonstrated. Antibody-functionalized diatoms were immobilized on electrodes retaining their ability to detect its cognate antigen. The reported method exploits the natural three-dimensional nanostructures of diatoms together with their easy modification with biomolecules and the simplicity of gold electrodeposition to produce micro/nanostructured and highly electrocatalytic electrodes, providing low-cost and eco-friendly platforms and arrays with potential application in biosensing devices.


THE FACT that representatives of two specialties, obstetrics and pediatrics, are at this meeting indicates the interest of us all in every stage of the period that begins with an intrauterine fetus and ends with an extrauterine baby. Therefore, both the fetus and the newly born infant will be dealt with in this review of the fundamental principles of anoxia and cyanosis. In conclusion, an attempt will be made to describe briefly the beginning of extrauterine respiration. ANOXIA Although anoxia is the subject of a vast literature, the facts have not changed since Means in 1924 1 clarified them by the diagrams presented, in somewhat modified form, in figure 1. It will be noted from the scheme of each diagram that in passage through the capillaries blood gives up a certain amount of its oxygen and simultaneously undergoes a decline in its oxygen tension. The amount of oxygen is expressed


Background: Gogo rice is a type of rice that can be cultivated on dry land with a yield productivity level of 2.57 tons / Ha. So it is necessary to make efforts to increase the growth and productivity of gogo rice through seed bio-inviguration using PGPR. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of beni bioinviguration techniques using PGPR on the growth and productivity of gogo rice. Method: This study used a RAK consisting of 7 treatments and 5 replications. Data analysis used ANOVA at the 5% confidence level and continued with the BNT test. Result: The results showed that the use of biomatriconditioning medium integrated with PGPR could increase the stem height of upland rice by 104.2 cm, 117 cm, and 133.3, the number of tillers were 7, 13 and 15 at the age of 8, 10, and 12 MST. In addition, it can also increase the number of panicles, the length and weight of 100 grains of 14, 22.6 cm and 2.1 grams. Conclusion: the use of biomatriconditioning medium integrated with PGPR can increase the growth and productivity of gogo rice.


Background: major sporting and cultural events are a sensitive political and social issue. The aim of this study was to perform a critical review of the international literature regarding health impact assessment (HIA) studies of major events to identify all the health indicators available in the literature.
Methods: we drew up a review of available literature on HIAs pertaining to major sports and cultural events. The papers obtained were read and then assessed in relation to the inclusion criteria, and the health indicators used were listed and commented upon.
Results: we found three published HIA reports. One is a full report, and the other two are a screening report and a rapid HIA report. Through a detailed analysis, it has been possible to develop a set of indicators that can be used for future HIAs on major sporting and cultural events.
Conclusions: reports of HIAs for major events that are available online identify several health impacts. In the pre-event phase, negative effects are predominant; in the post-event period, positive impacts prevail. The characteristics of the different stakeholders involved in the events play an important role in the evaluation process.


In this paper, we propose an efficient solution for the privacy-preserving of a bipartite ranking algorithm. The bipartite ranking problem can be considered as finding a function that ranks positive instances (in a dataset) higher than the negative ones. However, one common concern for all the existing schemes is the privacy of individuals in the dataset. That is, one (e.g., a researcher) needs to access the records of all individuals in the dataset in order to run the algorithm. This privacy concern puts limitations on the use of sensitive personal data for such analysis. The RIMARC (Ranking Instances by Maximizing Area under the ROC Curve) algorithm solves the bipartite ranking problem by learning a model to rank instances. As part of the model, it learns weights for each feature by analyzing the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RIMARC algorithm is shown to be more accurate and efficient than its counterparts. Thus, we use this algorithm as a building-block and provide a privacy-preserving version of the RIMARC algorithm using homomorphic encryption and secure multi-party computation. Our proposed algorithm lets a data owner outsource the storage and processing of its encrypted dataset to a semi-trusted cloud. Then, a researcher can get the results of his/her queries (to learn the ranking function) on the dataset by interacting with the cloud. During this process, neither the researcher nor the cloud learns any information about the raw dataset. We prove the security of the proposed algorithm and show its efficiency via experiments on real data.


Recently, the transformation of standard dynamic range TV (SDRTV) to high dynamic range TV (HDRTV) is in high demand due to the scarcity of HDRTV content. However, the conversion of SDRTV to HDRTV often amplifies the existing coding artifacts in SDRTV which deteriorate the visual quality of the output. In this study, we propose a dual inverse degradation SDRTV-to-HDRTV network DIDNet to address the issue of coding artifact restoration in converted HDRTV, which has not been previously studied. Specifically, we propose a temporal-spatial feature alignment module and dual modulation convolution to remove coding artifacts and enhance color restoration ability. Furthermore, a wavelet attention module is proposed to improve SDRTV features in the frequency domain. An auxiliary loss is introduced to decouple the learning process for effectively restoring from dual degradation. The proposed method outperforms the current state-of-the-art method in terms of quantitative results, visual quality, and inference times, thus enhancing the performance of the SDRTV-to-HDRTV method in real-world scenarios.


To solve a real‐world planning problem with interfering subgoals, it is essential to perform early detection of subgoal dependencies and achieve the subgoals in the correct order. This is also the case for planning problems with forced goal‐ordering (FGO) constraints. In automated planning, forward search with FGO constraints has been proposed many times over the years, but there are still major difficulties in realizing these FGOs in plan generation. Many existing methods such as goal agenda manager and ordered landmarks cannot detect the FGOs accurately, and thus, the undiscovered ordering relationship may cause the forward search to suffer from deadlocks. In this article, we put forward an approach via an effective search heuristic to constrain a planner to satisfy the FGOs. We make use of an atomic goal‐achievement graph in a look‐ahead search under the FGO constraints. This allows a forward search strategy to plan forward efficiently in multiple steps toward a goal state along a search path. Experimental results illustrate that, by avoiding deadlocks, we can solve more benchmark planning problems more efficiently than previous approaches. We also prove several formal properties for search that are related to FGO detection.


Different concentrations of H. rhodopensis total extract (HRE; 0.03, 0.06 and 0.12 g/kg body weight) were injected im, into rabbits 2 h before collecting the blood samples. The whole blood samples were exposed in vitro to 2.0 Gy 60Co gamma-radiation. The radiation-induced changes were estimated by using the chromosome aberration test (CA) and cytokinesis blocked micronucleus assay (CBMN) in peripheral lymphocytes, and by determining the malondialdehyde levels (MDA) in blood plasma and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in erythrocytes. Radiation significantly increased the chromosome aberration and micronuclei frequencies as well as MDA levels and decreased the antioxidant enzyme activity. On the other hand, the HRE pretreatment significantly decreased the CA, MN frequencies and MDA levels and increased the SOD and CAT activity in a concentration dependent manner. The most effective was the highest concentration of HRE (0.12 g/kg body weight). The results suggest that HRE as a natural product with a nantioxidant capacity could play a modulatory role against the cellular damage induced by gamma-irradiation. The possible mechanism involved in the radioprotective potential of HRE is discussed.


The Malaysian palmoilmanufacturing is composed of related parts which produce different kinds of products for their customers. Due to the growth of knowledge on sustainability issues in supply chain management, all of components of the chain must have affinity with sustainability paradigm; this includes the suppliers. So, efficient supply chain by sustainable suppliers is inevitable for palmoil industry to meet the rising global demand. Since, the nature of supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision making problem, this paper applies data envelopments analysis (DEA) to select appropriate suppliers. Sustainable supplier selection criteria which derived frominterviews are considered as inputs and outputs forDEAmodel.


SIRS, We read with interest Mikhailova et al.'s publication regarding the efficacy of propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) in ulcerative colitis (UC). This multi-centre, doubleblind trial concluded that PLC was a potential treatment for the management of UC, based on an improved clinical ⁄ endoscopic response (disease activity index improvement of three or more), compared with placebo. There are, however, some limitations of the trial that warrant further discussion. First, subjects within the study underwent colonoscopy and biopsies at baseline and again after 4 weeks of treatment. Histological grading revealed that 23 (19%) patients had no significant active inflammation at baseline, which was reported as a ''minor protocol violation''. This seems rather concerning, given that close to a fifth of the participant's within the trial may not have had active UC. Secondly, the power calculation for the study was based on a placebo response rate of 10%, whereas meta-analyses of treatment trials in UC reveal placebo remission rates of 13–21%, and response rates of up to 40%. 3 Presumably as a result of this, the study was not powered to detect statistically significant differences in many of the endpoints the authors reported, and therefore no reliable conclusions can be drawn. Thirdly, the trial reported a significant clinical ⁄ endoscopic response in those participants who received PLC 1 g ⁄ day compared with placebo; but there was no statistical improvement in patients given PLC 2 g ⁄ day. It was suggested that this was a result of saturation at the point of uptake. If this were the case, participants on 2 g ⁄ day would have a response equal to those on 1 g ⁄ day. Fourthly, it was of interest that the investigators had to extend the recruitment to centres outside of Italy. This may be a consequence of their decision to perform repeat colonoscopy as the endoscopic test of choice at baseline and week 4, when perhaps sigmoidoscopy would have been more acceptable to patients and of equal diagnostic benefit. In summary, whilst the data were interesting, we believe that the efficacy of this compound in inducing remission in mildly to moderately active UC remains unclear.


The concept of environmental interface is defined and analyzed from the point of view of the possible source of non-standard behaviour. The energy balance equation is written for the interface where all kinds of energy transfer occur. It is shown that under certain conditions, the discrete version of the equation for the temperature time rate turns in to the well-known logistic equation and the conditions for chaotic behaviour are studied. They are determined by the Lyapunov exponent. The realistic situation when the coefficients of the equation vary with time, is studied for the Earth-environment general system.


The article considers the relevance of the dynamometers use by machine-building enterprises and educational institutions for the determination of the cutting forces during machining. There are mentioned technical and operational requirements of the modern measurement dynamometer systems. The characteristics of the dynamometer Dyna-Z for measuring the tangential component of the cutting force during turning were shown. There is also mentioned the experimental data for definition the increase of cutting force Pz, caused by the deterioration of the tool during long operations.


Continuous positive-pressure ventilation (CPPV) decreases cardiac output by decreasing right and left ventricular end-diastolic volumes. To investigate the mechanism(s), we measured cardio-vascular responses to CPPV before and after opening the chest and holding the lungs away from the heart. Expiratory pressure was adjusted to achieve similar lung volumes when the chest was open and closed (12 cm H2O). Increasing expiratory pressure, when the chest was closed and evacuated, decreased cardiac output, ventricular end-diastolic volumes, and transmural ventricular end-diastolic pressures measured relative to lateral and posterior epicardial surface pressure (P< 0.05). Transmural ventricular end-diastolic pressures measured relative to lateral pleural surface pressure did not change signifi-cantly, indicating that the increase in thoracic pressure was greater at the lateral and posterior epicardial surfaces than at the lateral pleural surface. Opening the chest and holding the lungs away from the heart eliminated the decrease in cardiac output and ventricular end-diastolic volumes during increased expiratory pressure. Pericardectomy did not affect the cardiovascular responses to increased expiratory pressure. We, therefore, conclude that decreased cardiac output and ventricular end-diastolic volumes during CPPV result from the effects of increased thoracic pressure on cardiac filling. Circ Res 47: 467-472, 1980


Air quality monitoring in urban areas is indispensable in understanding the environment and how anthropogenic factors contribute to the increasing volume of pollutants in the atmosphere. Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) is a useful technique in identifying and quantifying trace amounts of air pollutants over a wide region. In this paper, a low-cost DOAS set-up was developed and was used to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration and aerosol optical thickness (AOT) in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. The temporal variation of NO2 concentration from the DOAS measurement was found to agree with the relative NO2 integrated absorbance from 430-450 nm. A calibration curve was then constructed with calculated sensitivity of 4.467 per mg•mm-3 (8.540 per ppm). The concentration range of the low-cost set-up * Corresponding Author Science Diliman (July-December 2020) 32:2, 25-41 Design of a Low-cost Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy 26 is also able to detect unhealthy NO2 levels in the Philippines. Aerosol optical thickness was then retrieved and showed similar temporal variation with NO2 throughout the duration of the experiment. The correlation was attributed to the photochemical reaction of NO2 to NO3 -, which then forms into aerosol. Average daily AOT at different wavelengths was then determined and was compared to AERONET's data. The results were in agreement with each other and both displayed decreasing AOT at increasing wavelength, which is an expected behavior for a Mie-scattered light due to aerosol. More importantly, proof-ofconcept demonstration of low-cost DOAS set-up, capable of measuring trace amounts of NO2 and AOT, was successfully performed. Results show that the lowcost design can provide an alternative, cheaper and portable atmospheric NO2 and aerosol measurement technique with reliable sensitivity for environmental monitoring applications.


Hypsizigus marmoreus is a wild mushroom commonly consumed in South Korea due to its beneficial effects on health. In the present study, the general chemical and inorganic-element composition, the total amino acid contents, and the volatile-flavor compounds of H. marmoreus were investigated for food uses. The proximate compositions consisted of 60.1% carbohydrate, 32.0% crude protein, 8.98% moisture, 5.0% ash, and 2.0% crude lipid. The minerals in H. marmoreus were found to be as follows; potassium (429.5 mg), phosphorus (101.9 mg), sodium (20.3 mg), magnesium (54.86 mg), calcium (2.7 mg), zinc (0.8 mg), iron (0.7 mg), manganese (0.2 mg), and copper (0.1 mg), based on 100 g of mushroom dry weight. Seventeen kinds of total amino acids were found in H. marmoreus, with the glutamine acid content being the highest (2,340 mg/100 g), followed by the asparagine, serine, arginine, and leucine contents. The volatile-flavor components of H. marmoreus were collected via simultaneous steam distillation extraction (SDE), and were analyzed via gas chromatography-massspectrophotometry (GC-MS). A total of 17 volatile-flavor compounds were identified, including eight aldehydes, seven alcohols, one acids, and one other compounds. The most abundant compound was 2,3,6-trimethy1 pyridine, which accounted for more than 40% of the total volatiles; other important compounds were 1-octen-3-o1, buty1hydroxytoluene (BHT), isoocty1 phthalate, 3-octanal, 1-undecanol, and 2-amylfuran. These results provide preliminary data for the development of H. marmoreus as an edible food material.


The addition of cytozol to isolated nuclei of the liver is accompanied by a rise in the amount of a new synthetizing RNA and changes in its nucleotide composition. An increase in the intensity of [3H] ATP incorporation at the end of incubation evidences for polyadenylation of the reaction product. Under the effect of cytozol 30-32% of RNA synthetized de novo is released. Heating of cytozol (50 degrees C, 15 min) leads to a loss of its ability to activate RNA synthesis by isolated nuclei.


Samples were collected from 16 base-flow events and a minimum of 10 stormflow events between July 1998 and October 2000 to characterize the effects of wastewater and combined sewer overflows on water quality in the Blue River Basin, Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas. Waterquality effects were determined by analysis of nutrients, chloride, chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, and suspended sediment samples from three streams (Blue River, Brush Creek, and Indian Creek) in the basin as well as the determination of a suite of compounds known to be indicative of wastewater including antioxidants, caffeine, detergent metabolites, antimicrobials, and selected over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals. Constituent loads were determined for both hydrologic regimes and a measure of the relative water-quality impact of selected stream reaches on the Blue River and Brush Creek was developed. Genetic fingerprint patterns of Escherichia coli bacteria from selected stream samples were compared to a data base of knownsource patterns to determine possible sources of bacteria. Water quality in the basin was affected by wastewater during both base flows and stormflows; however, there were two distinct sources that contributed to these effects. In the Blue River and Indian Creek, the nearly continuous discharge of treated wastewater effluent was the primary source of nutrients, wastewater indicator compounds, and pharmaceutical compounds detected in stream samples. Wastewater inputs into Brush Creek were largely the result of intermittent stormflow events that triggered the overflow of combined storm and sanitary sewers, and the subsequent discharge of untreated wastewater into the creek. A portion of the sediment, organic matter, and associated constituents from these events were trapped by a series of impoundments constructed along Brush Creek where they likely continued to affect water quality during base flow. Concentrations and loads of most wastewater constituents in the Blue River and Indian Creek were significantly greater than in Brush Creek, especially during base flow. However, wastewater indicator compound concentrations were sometimes greater in some Brush Creek stormflow samples. Selected stream reaches along the mid-portion of Brush Creek showed higher effects relative to other sites, primarily because these sites were in impounded reaches with the greatest density of wastewater inputs, or had relatively small drainage areas.


This paper presents a comprehensive review of methods covering significant subjective and objective human stress detection techniques available in the literature. The methods for measuring human stress responses could include subjective questionnaires (developed by psychologists) and objective markers observed using data from wearable and non-wearable sensors. In particular, wearable sensor-based methods commonly use data from electroencephalography, electrocardiogram, galvanic skin response, electromyography, electrodermal activity, heart rate, heart rate variability, and photoplethysmography both individually and in multimodal fusion strategies. Whereas, methods based on non-wearable sensors include strategies such as analyzing pupil dilation and speech, smartphone data, eye movement, body posture, and thermal imaging. Whenever a stressful situation is encountered by an individual, physiological, physical, or behavioral change is induced which help in coping with the challenge at hand. A wide range of studies has attempted to establish a relationship between these stressful situations and the response of human beings by using different kinds of psychological, physiological, physical, and behavioral measures. Inspired by the lack of availability of a definitive verdict about the relationship of human stress with these different kinds of markers, a detailed survey about human stress detection methods is conducted in this paper. In particular, we explore how stress detection methods can benefit from artificial intelligence utilizing relevant data from various sources. This review will prove to be a reference document that would provide guidelines for future research enabling effective detection of human stress conditions.


In the last two decades, the three‐beam pump–push–probe (PPP) technique has become a well‐established tool for investigating the multidimensional configurational space of a molecule, as it permits disclosure of precious information about the multiple and often complex deactivation pathways of the excited molecule. From the spectroscopic point of view, such a tool has revealed details about the efficiency of charge pair generation and conformational relaxation in π‐conjugated molecules and macromolecules. In addition, PPP is effectively utilized for modulating the gain signal in conjugated materials by taking advantage of the spectral overlap between stimulated emission and charge absorption in those systems. However, the relatively low stability of conjugated polymers under intense photoexcitation is a crucial limitation for their real employment in plastic optical fibers (POFs) and for signal control applications. Herein, the role of PPP for achieving ultrafast all‐optical switching in π‐conjugated systems is highlighted. Furthermore, new experimental data on optical switching of a newly synthesized nanographene molecule, namely dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene (DBOV), is reported. The superior environmental and photostability of DBOV and, in general, of graphene nanostructures can represent a great advantage for their effective applications in POFs and information and communications technology.


Previous research suggests that most of the applications of marketing information systems (MkIS) appear to support marketing routine function rather than marketing strategic function. By conducting a survey of 55 UK marketing managers in computer and financial industries, this study examines the current practice of the strategic function of marketing, and the application of information systems in supporting the strategic function. Reveals that the strategic function of marketing has been perceived important by marketing managers, and many companies perform some of the strategic functions, such as market segmentation/targeting, competition and market analysis. Yet, the application of MkIS does not keep abreast with the current practice of marketing strategic function. Suggests that a knowledge‐enriched, strategic oriented MkIS with an emphasis on environmental scanning, competition mapping, market positioning, and SWOT analysis needs to be developed through advanced computing technology.


X-ray crystallographic data to 1.9-A resolution were collected on sperm whale metmyoglobin equilibrated with 7 atm of xenon gas. The results indicate four xenon sites of occupancy from 0.45 to 1.0. These sites are located in interior spaces or packing defects of the myoglobin molecule. The effects of the bound xenon on the protein structure are minor, and we observe a small overall reduction in refined isotropic atomic protein temperature factors. We interpret the results as a confirmation that, on a time-averaged basis, cavities exist within the myoglobin molecule and suggest that the binding of small ligands in these cavities affects the internal motions and conformational substrates of the protein.


OBJECTIVES
The extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) PER-1 initially disseminated among Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains in Turkey. Despite reports from other European countries, such strains have not been detected in Greece until now. We describe the first bla(PER-1)-positive P. aeruginosa isolates from Greece and their genetic environment.

METHODS
From January 2008 to December 2009, 287 consecutive non-duplicate P. aeruginosa isolates with reduced susceptibility or resistance to ceftazidime (MIC >8 mg/L) were screened for ESBL production with a modified boronic acid-based double-disc synergy test. Phenotypically ESBL-positive isolates were subjected to agar dilution, PFGE and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Broad-spectrum bla genes were identified by PCR and sequencing. Plasmid analysis and conjugation experiments were performed. The location of the bla(PER-1) gene was detected by Southern blotting and its genetic environment was characterized using inverse PCR.

RESULTS
Five isolates were phenotypically positive for ESBL production, exhibited resistance to cefepime, ceftazidime, aztreonam and meropenem, and carried the bla(PER-1) gene. MLST showed that they belonged to sequence type (ST) 235, which belongs to the international clonal complex 11. Four isolates had the same PFGE pattern. Southern blotting revealed the chromosomal location of the bla(PER-1) gene. Analysis of the bla(PER-1) flanking regions showed identity to transposon Tn1213 downstream and 1406 bp upstream of bla(PER-1). Further upstream, an orfA gene and ISPa12 were identified; both were truncated by the insertion of IS6100.

CONCLUSIONS
This study confirmed the presence of PER-1-producing P. aeruginosa strains in Greece. The chromosomal location of bla(PER-1), as part of a truncated transposon, suggests clonal expansion rather than horizontal gene transfer.


Patients living with HIV (PLWH) with previous pulmonary tuberculosis, presenting with disproportionate ascites to peripheral congestion, should alert the clinician to consider constrictive pericarditis and Budd–Chiari syndrome (BCS). Constrictive pericarditis is the scarring and loss of the pericardial sac elasticity. The aetiology of constrictive pericarditis varies between developed and developing countries, with infective causes like tuberculosis being significant in South Africa. Budd–Chiari syndrome is a group of disorders characterised by hepatic venous outflow obstruction. The level of obstruction in Budd–Chiari syndrome varies globally. In Asia, South Africa, India, and China, obstruction is predominantly found in the inferior vena cava while in Western countries, hepatic vein obstruction occurs. Patients living with HIV are at increased risk of arterial and venous thromboembolism. The clinician must consider Budd–Chiari syndrome in patients living with HIV presenting with ascites. In patients living with HIV, tuberculosis co-infection has been associated with a higher risk of pericarditis. Both constrictive pericarditis and Budd–Chiari syndrome share a remarkably similar clinical presentation, with ascites and hepatomegaly. There is a dearth of literature on co-existent constrictive pericarditis and Budd–Chiari syndrome. We describe a 31-year-old HIV-infected female, on anti-retroviral therapy (CD4 count 208 cells/uL, undetected viral load), with previous pulmonary tuberculosis, who presented with a 2-month history of abdominal swelling, peripheral oedema, and New York Heart Association grade 4 dyspnoea. Examination revealed an elevated jugular venous pulsation with CV waves, atrial fibrillation, right-sided S3 gallop, pansystolic murmur (3/6) at the left sternal border, tender hepatomegaly, and massive ascites with minimal peripheral oedema. The discordant size of ascites prompted investigations, namely, ultrasound abdomen, echocardiogram, and computed tomography (chest and abdomen). These revealed constrictive pericarditis and Budd–Chiari syndrome with thrombus formation in the right atrium, hepatic vein, and inferior vena cava. She was initiated onto anti-coagulation, anti-tuberculosis therapy and referred for pericardiectomy. Clinicians must maintain a suspicion for constrictive pericarditis and Budd–Chiari syndrome in HIV-infected patients, especially in those with a previous tuberculosis, presenting with features of right heart failure.


ABSTRACT Verbal and visual recognition tasks were administered to 40 patients with schizophrenia and 40 healthy comparison subjects. The verbal recognition task consisted of discriminating between 16 target words and 16 new words. The visual recognition task consisted of discriminating between 16 target pictures (8 black-and-white and 8 color) and 16 new pictures (8 black-and-white and 8 color). Visual recognition was followed by a spatial context discrimination task in which subjects were required to remember the spatial location of the target pictures at encoding. Results showed that recognition deficit in patients was similar for verbal and visual material. In both schizophrenic and healthy groups, men, but not women, obtained better recognition scores for the colored than for the black-and-white pictures. However, men and women similarly benefited from color to reduce spatial context discrimination errors. Patients showed a significant deficit in remembering the spatial location of the pictures, independently of accuracy in remembering the pictures themselves. These data suggest that patients are impaired in the amount of visual information that they can encode. With regards to the perceptual attributes of the stimuli, memory for spatial information appears to be affected, but not processing of color information.


Introduction: Introduction: Gonadogenesis is a complex developmental process which is regulated by molecular interactions such as cell surface and extracellular matrix (ECM) Glycoconjugates terminal sugars. The aim of this study was to determine Glycoconjugates terminal sugars expressions and changes during Gonadogenesis in Rat using Lectin histochemical technique. Methods: To determine of glycoconjugate terminal sugers by Lectin histochemistry method, thirty Wistar Rat embryos at different stages from days 12 to 16 of gestation were fixed in formalin, embedded in paraffin and cut in to 5μm thickness sections serially. The sections were incubated with different HRPlectins from Lotus tetragonolobus (LTA), Maclura pomifera(MPA) and Arachis hypogaea or Peanut (PNA), that are specific for terminal sugars L-Fuc (α2-4)GlcNAc, Gal(β1-3)GalNAc and D-Gal(β13)DGalNAc respectively. On the basis of colorimetery data that was determined by blind's method, sections were graded and SPSS statistic soft ware and kruscal Wallis tests were used for comparing different embryonic stages. Results: Our finding showed that LTA did not react with developing gonads at gestational day 12(E12). LTA reactivity was found in extracellular matrix (ECM) of developing gonads from E14 through E16 (P<0.05) and PGCS as well as surface epithelium at E16 (P<0.05). Surface epithelium were reacted with MPA from E12 to E14 and increased LTA reactivity at E16 (P<0.05). ECM was reacted with MPA at E14 and diminished at E16 (P<0.05). LTA reactivity was found in PGCS at E16. PNA did not react with developing gonads at gestational day 12(E12) but its reaction was started with PGCS from E14 and increased to E16 (P<0.05). In addition, PNA reactivity was started with ECM and surface epithelium from E14 and increased at E16 significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to our result, it is concluded that the expression and changes of glycoconjugates with terminal sugars L-Fuc (α2-4) GlcNAC, and D-Gal (β1-3) DGalNAC are regulated developmentally during rat gonadogenesis.


—Every human has unique biological features, which can be used for the person authentication. More than one biological feature can be used for authentication to achieve a higher degree of security. The proposed system uses fingerprint and iris biometric features for authentication purpose with Gabor and Canny filtering method. Gabor filters are linear filters applied in multiple directions to compensate for orientation effect. The proposed system uses Gabor filter with eight direction rotation. The canny filter is the multilevel algorithm that detects a wide range of edges with a low error rate in iris images. Fingerprint and iris both, when combined give the higher degree of security. The proposed system achieved 96% accuracy with 100 samples tested. Also, authentication approval error rate was almost zero, thus proposed system can be used in banks, secure government documents and military operations etc.


The authors examine the low-lying quasi-particle states of a chain of vortices contained within a thin slab of superconductor and demonstrate that bound states of individual vortices hybridize to form bands of extended states. As a consequence of the phase gradient around a vortex, one such band is centred on zero energy and will therefore contribute to quasi-particle transport at energies far below the superconducting transition temperature.


This study was supported in part by the School of Health Related Professions Research and Development Fund, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA A common complaint of competitive swimmers is shoulder pain. The purposes of this study were to: 1) provide normative data on shoulder flexibility in swimmers, 2) determine if a correlation exists between flexibility and shoulder pain, and 3) determine the correlation between strength and endurance ratios to shoulder pain. The subjects were 28 Division I collegiate swimmers and four club swimmers. Shoulder flexibility measurements were obtained bilaterally using a universal goniometer. Strength and endurance ratios were obtained bilaterally using the Cybex II(R) isokinetic dynamometer and the Upper Body Exercise Table(R). The swimmers completed a questionnaire that included a shoulder pain performance scale. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and multiple regression (R) analysis were the applied statistics. The results demonstrated that no significant correlation (p > 0.001) existed between shoulder flexibility, strength ratios, and shoulder pain. There was a significant (p </= 0.001) negative Pearson's correlation between endurance ratios of external rotation, abduction, and shoulder pain in competitive swimmers. A multiple R of 0.78 was obtained for the combination of external rotation and abduction endurance ratios to shoulder pain, which was significant (p </= 0.001). Clinical implications suggest that when evaluating swimmers, clinicians need to be aware of the importance of assessing the endurance ratios of the shoulder abductors and the external rotators at faster speeds. With decreased endurance ratios, competitive swimmers may be more likely to develop shoulder pain. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1992;16(6):262-268.


Cancer is one of the most prevalent age-associated diseases in elderly populations and is largely attributed to accumulation of genetic mutations secondary to the loss of tumor suppressive functions. p53 is a potent tumor suppressor that is implicated in organismal aging in vivo and replicative senescence in vitro; however, its transcriptional regulation during replicative senescence in cells remain unclear. The current study was undertaken to examine the epigenetic regulation of p53 transcription during replicative senescence in normal human keratinocytes. Normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOKs) undergoing senescence upon serial subcultures exhibited a decrease in p53 gene expression. Methylation status of two CpG islands in the p53 promoter was evaluated by treating with 5-aza-CdR, a demethylating agent, and by using bisulfite methylation sequencing analysis. Status of histone modification was evaluated using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay with anti-H3K27me3, a repressive mark, and anti-H3Ac, an active mark at the 5 different sites of the p53 promoter regions. In the presence of 5-aza-CdR, there was no increase in p53 expression in senescent NHOK at both mRNA and protein level. Bisulfite-sequencing analysis revealed no methylation changes at the CpG islands in the p53 promoters from young and senescent NHOK. However, during replicative senescence in NHOK, there were notable enrichment of anti-H3K27me3 occupancy and significant decrease in anti-H3Ac occupancy in the p53 promoter regions, indicating that chromatin at the p53 locus undergo compaction during replicative senescence. Our study demonstrates that the diminution of p53 during replicative senescence is epigenetically regulated in human keratinocytes. Citation Format: Reuben H. Kim, Mo K. Kang, Terresa Kim, Paul Yang, Christine Hong, Ki-Hyuk Shin, No-Hee Park. p53 gene expression is epigenetically regulated during replicative senescence in keratinocytes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2256. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2256


In the late 1960s, an attempt was made to implement throughout Australia an innovative scheme to develop and standardise management accounting in the agricultural sector. Despite enthusiastic support for the proposed scheme, it was not implemented, although elements of it can be found in farm consultancy practice today. The story of the "Blue Book" (Accounting and Planning for Farm Management) and the Australian Committee for the Coding of Rural Accounts (ACCRA) is analysed in the context of diffusion of innovation frameworks. However, as these frameworks do not adequately capture the visions of the future and the related emotional investment in innovations, the concept of future making is introduced from the work of Barbara Adam on future time in social studies, as a further layer of analysis in this case study. In particular, the problems of embedding management accounting innovations in new software in a time when information technology is changing rapidly affected significantly the diffusion of the innovation in Australia.


Stress distribution of blast furnace shell is important to the security of structural system. According to real loads of blast furnace and temperature loads, this paper carries on the analysis of elastic finite element to a blast furnaces utilizing the software ANSYS. The result shows that most areas of the blast furnace are in elastic state, and only a few around holes are in plasticity state as the result of stress concentration; temperature loads have great influence over the structure stress and displacement. We obtain the stress distribution of blast furnace that is useful in the design of subsequent blast furnace.


A human cDNA encoding a protein homologous to the Escherichia coli DNA topoisomerase I subfamily of enzymes has been identified through cloning and sequencing. Expressing the cloned human cDNA in yeast (delta)top1 cells lacking endogenous DNA topoisomerase I yielded an activity in cell extracts that specifically reduces the number of supercoils in a highly negatively supercoiled DNA. On the basis of these results, the human gene containing the cDNA sequence has been denoted TOP3, and the protein it encodes has been denoted DNA topoisomerase III. Screening of a panel of human-rodent somatic hybrids and fluorescence in situ hybridization of cloned TOP3 genomic DNA to metaphase chromosomes indicate that human TOP3 is a single-copy gene located at chromosome 17p11.2-12.


Abstract A list of the Carpathian species of the tribe Ephialtini associated with spider hosts is provided. Totally, 33 species are present in the region, 27 of them in the Ukrainian part and 22 in Romania. Acrodactyla quadrisculpta (Gravenhorst, 1820), Clistopyga canadensis Provancher, 1880, Schizopyga frigida Cresson, 1870, the genus Sinarachna Townes, 1960, with two species, S. nigricornis (Holmgren, 1860) and S. pallipes (Holmgren, 1860), Tromatobia lineatoria (Villers, 1789), and Zatypota discolor (Holmgren, 1860) are recorded for Ukraine for the fi rst time. Clistopyga sziladyi Kiss, 1959 and Polysphincta vexator Fitton, Shaw & Gauld, 1988 are new Romanian records. Polysphincta longa Kasparyan, 1976 is a new record for Ukraine and Romania. A redescription of Schizopyga coxator Constantineanu, 1973 and illustrated comparative notes about S. coxator and S. circulator (Panzer, 1800) are provided. Th e paper also contains an illustrated key to European species of the genus Clistopyga Gravenhorst, 1829.


In the realm of semiconductor nanomaterials, a crystal lattice heavily doped with cation/anion vacancies or ionized atomic impurities is considered to be a general prerequisite to accommodating excess free carriers that can support localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Here, we demonstrate a surfactant-assisted nonaqueous route to anisotropic copper sulfide nanocrystals, selectively trapped in the covellite phase, which can exhibit intense, size-tunable LSPR at near-infrared wavelengths despite their stoichiometric, undoped structure. Experimental extinction spectra are satisfactorily reproduced by theoretical calculations performed by the discrete dipole approximation method within the framework of the Drude-Sommerfeld model. The LSPR response of the nanocrystals and its geometry dependence are interpreted as arising from the inherent metallic-like character of covellite, allowed by a significant density of lattice-constitutional valence-band free holes. As a consequence of the unique electronic properties of the nanocrystals and of their monodispersity, coherent excitation of symmetric radial breathing modes is observed for the first time in transient absorption experiments at LSPR wavelengths.


Many vasoactive agents produce qualitatively similar effects on blood flow in the renal cortex and medulla, evoking reductions or increases in blood flow in both regions. We demonstrated previously that endothelin-1 (ET-1) is an exception because it evoked an increase in medullary perfusion despite a potent cortical vasoconstriction ( Hercule and Oyekan 2000). We report here that U46619 (11,9 epoxymethano-prostaglandin H2), a selective agonist of prostaglandin H2 (PGH2)/thromboxane A2 (TxA2) (TP) receptor, evokes similar effects as ET-1. In the pentobarbital-anesthetized (60 mg/kg) rat, 1, 3, and 5 microg/kg U46619 dose dependently reduced mean arterial blood pressure by -2 +/- 4, -8 +/- 10, and -31 +/- 10 mm Hg, respectively; renal cortical blood flow (CBF) by -50 +/- 11, -174 +/- 45, and -349 +/- 43 perfusion units (PU), respectively; but increased medullary blood flow (MBF) by 42 +/- 16, 51 +/- 18, and 61 +/- 21 PU, respectively. Prostaglandin F2alpha, a TxA2 mimetic, produced similar effects as U46619. SQ29548 ([1S-[1alpha,2alpha(Z), 3alpha,4alpha]]-7-[3[[2-[(phenylamino)carbonyl[hydrazino] methyl]-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl]-5-heptenoic acid) (0.1 mg/kg), an antagonist of PGH2/TxA2 (TP), blunted U46619-induced hemodynamic changes without affecting that produced by phenylephrine. BMS182874 [5-(dimethylamino)-N-(3,4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyd)-1-naphthalene sulfonamide] (40 mg/kg), an ET(A)-selective antagonist, blunted U46619-induced reduction in CBF by 54 +/- 9% (p < 0.05) and the increase in MBF by 59 +/- 18% (p < 0.05). Similarly, BQ788 (N-cis 2,6-dimethylpiperidinocarbonyl-L-gamma-methylleucyl-D-1-methoxycarbonyltryptophanyl-D-norleucine) (1 mg/kg), an ET(B)-selective antagonist, blunted the effects of U46619 on CBF and MBF by 19 +/- 3% (p < 0.05) and 48 +/- 19% (p < 0.05), respectively. Combined administration of BMS182874 and BQ788 further attenuated U46619-induced reduction in CBF by 67 +/- 8% (p < 0.05) and that on MBF by 61 +/- 18% (p < 0.05). Phosphoramidon (10 mg/kg), an endothelin converting enzyme inhibitor, markedly blunted U46619-induced changes on CBF and MBF (p < 0.05). These findings are the first to demonstrate that U46619, through activation of ET(A) and ET(B) receptors, elicits renal cortical vasoconstriction and medullary vasodilation in the rat.


Precise interpretation of the transcriptome sequences in the several species showed that the major part of genome has been transcribed; however, jus t a few amounts of the transcription sequences have open-reading frames which are conversed during the evolution. So, it is unlikely that many of the transcribed sequences code the proteins. Among the all human non-coding transcripts, at leas t 10000 are approximated to be less 200 nucleotides and are considered as long non-coding RNAs. Overall analysis of the mammalian transcriptome shows that long non-coding RNAs may form the large part of the cellular transcripts. In recent years, there had been an increase in researches for determining the role of lnRNAs at the development and disease. Studies have showed that lncRNAs play an important role in controlling the development of the central nervous sys tem (CNS). Brain development of higher vertebrates is associated to the increase in the levels and complexity of lncRNAs in the developing nervous sys tem. It is known that limited rates of expressed lncRNAs in CNS are important for the neuronal differentiation. Conclusion: LncRNAs contribute in creating neurological disorders by playing a role in mRNA splicing. Advancement in the sequencing technologies and promotion of the useful non-coder elements lead to the rapid detection of the expressed lncRNAs in the vertebrates and invertebrates. Sys tematic interpretations of the time and spatial pattern of expression in the developing nervous sys tem provide a background for the hypotheses which are related to the lncRNA function.


Polarization-resolved second harmonic generation (P-SHG) microscopy is commonly used to analyze the second-order susceptibility, χ(2), tensor, which enables the calculation of the molecular structure of harmonophores. However, despite extensive research on type I collagen, the measured χ(2) ratios vary considerably among published values, which raises the question of whether P-SHG imaging is universally applicable to all tissues containing harmonophores. In this work, we propose that the deviation of χ(2) ratios is primarily due to ignoring the molecular tilt angle and chirality in image analysis. To confirm our hypothesis, we present an analytical model based on C6 symmetry that takes into account these two factors. We also introduce an imaging scheme that splits SHG into X- and Y-polarized image components for χ(2) tensor analysis. Our approach effectively improves the precision of determining χ(2) ratios, depending on how much the two factors affect the P-SHG signals.


Public health research, as a function of the public health organization, has a special field, the practical application of existing knowledge to health problems. It is "applied science" rather than "pure science." Its logical scope includes the medical sciences; epidemiology; dental hygiene, control of milk, water and foods; sanitation; vital statistics, and public health education. The most pressing demands on the public health laboratory for research work come, not from the medical branches which are already served by many well equipped agencies of investigation, but rather from the newer and rapidly developing fields which at present are not well provided for. ORGANIZATION Past experience indicates that the successful method of creating a research unit in a health department is to build it in the laboratory and extend it to other branches from the laboratory as a nucleus. Unfortunately, most health departments are inadequately equipped for research. Under these conditions, the


A bis-pyrene derivative m-Py-BP was designed and synthesized, where two pyrenes units were connected by pyridine-2,6-dicarbonyl linkers, displaying multi-responsive fluorescence switching behaviors. In solution, the quenched fluorescence emission of m-Py-BP by HCl was recovered with the addition of NH3·H2O. In the solid state, m-Py-BP exhibited vapor, mechano and thermo-induced fluorescence variations. The as-prepared sample showed green fluorescence (G form) with emission maxima at 483 nm. Upon mechanical shearing, the fluorescence of G form was transformed into a yellow color (Y form) by disrupting the crystalline structures. Vapor or heating induced the transformation from Y to G form. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) supported the corresponding changes in supramolecular structures and morphologies. Interestingly, m-Py-BP showed acid–base responsive fluorescence switching behavior. The HCl could quench the fluorescence of Y form to DY (dark yellow) form, which could be recovered to Y form in the presence of NH3·H2O or converted to DG (dark green) form upon treatment with CHCl3 solvent vapor. Furthermore, the DG form could become DY form by mechanical shearing or convert to G form upon treatment with NH3·H2O vapor. The halochromic fluorescence should be related to the protonation of m-Py-BP molecules by acid treatment. The protonated pyridine became a strong electron acceptor, resulting in fluorescence quenching. m-Py-BP could construct a multi-responsive and recyclable fluorescence switching system.


Gum arabic, a tree exudate, is essentially used for its binding and emulsifying properties. This natural product is a complex mixture of covalently linked proteins and charged polysaccharides moieties, differing in their molecular mass and hydrophobicity. A large body of literature now exists on the structure and interfacial properties of gum Arabic but a comprehensive description of the relationship between interfacial composition, interfacial structuration and emulsion metastability remains elusive. In the literature, gum Arabic is described as a mixture of three fractions: an arabinogalactan rich polysaccharide fraction, a polysaccharide-protein conjugates fraction and a fraction of glycoproteins. The conjugate fraction is thought to be responsible for the emulsifying and stabilizing properties of the gum, with the protein part adsorbing at oil droplets surface and the carbohydrate moieties providing steric repulsion between droplets. In this work, we have investigated the microscopic behavior of the gum species in solution and at oil/water interfaces. The first step was to characterize the structure of gum Arabic species in solution. A twodimensional separation of the gum molecules was performed using size exclusion chromatography followed with by hydrophobic interaction separation, which confirmed the highly heterogeneous composition of the gum. Small angle X-ray and neutron scattering measurements on the gum and its fractions led us to propose a structural representation of the gum conjugated moieties. Then the composition of adsorbed gum Arabic films as compared to gum Arabic solutions has been investigated. An increase in the protein rate of the interfacial film showed the crucial role of the polypeptide moieties on the adsorption. The composition of the adsorbed film was shown to differ from the bulk but remained heterogeneous in size and hydrophobicity. A mass balance revealed a strong dependence between the emulsion formulation (gum concentration and physico-chemical parameters) and the surface concentration, while the composition of the interface was only slightly changed. These results suggest that gum Arabic adsorbing species must adopt conformational changes depending on emulsification conditions. In a third stage, we have addressed the stabilization mechanisms resulting from the adsorption of gum Arabic amphiphilic species. For that purpose, we have developed a method to recover the adsorbed species within an oil-in-water emulsion. This method allowed us to unveil a structuration of the adsorbed film. Species recovered from the interface displayed aggregation, the magnitude of which directly depended on the coverage density and protein rate of the adsorbed film. The metastability of emulsions, stabilized with gum Arabic, increased upon promoting interfacial structuration, i.e. when the aggregation rate of adsorbed species was enhanced. Such behavior has not been reported so far in the literature and we believe that it is a key mechanism of gum Arabic-based on emulsions. Finally, small angle neutron scattering experiments (contrast match between the continuous and dispersed phases) disclosed differences of structuration between two regimes of interface coverage. These observations were discussed in the light of the comparison with the scattering spectra of gum Arabic solutions. To conclude, this thesis revolves around the composition/structuration relationship in gum Arabic-stabilized emulsion stabilized and demonstrates that an original mechanism is at play in this complex system.


Limestones are among the most frequently used building stones worldwide. Their frost susceptibility has been assessed in many ways, but due to the large amount of existing limestone types and the natural stone heterogeneity, laboratory testing of the freeze-thaw resistance remains a necessary testing method to predict their behavior when used as a building stone. In this research, the frost susceptibility of some frequently used French building stones from the Oolithe Blanche Formation is assessed indirectly and directly in several ways by laboratory testing. The selected stones have similar components (ooids and bioclasts) but differ in dolomite content and thus porosity distribution, resulting in dissimilar water transport properties. The results of experimental freeze-thaw cycles are coupled to the water absorption by capillarity and the saturation coefficient through water imbibition. Mechanical properties as flexural strength provide additional information. Experiments with neutron radiography and Xray microtomography allow to visualize the water absorption pathways inside the stones. X-ray allows to visualize and quantify the changes in pore structure and the damage propagation.


Seeds of Polemonium reptans var. reptans, a perennial herb of mesic deciduous forests in eastern North America, mature in late May-early June, and a high percentage of them are dormant. Seeds afterripened (came out of dormancy) during summer when kept in a nylon bag under leaves in a nonheated greenhouse or on wet soil in a 30/15°C incubator. The optimum temperature for germination of nondormant seeds was a simulated October (20/10°C) regime. In germination phenology studies in the nonheated greenhouse, 20–30% of the seeds that eventually germinated did so in October, and the remainder germinated the following February and March. Since low (5°C) winter temperatures promote some afterripening (ca. 50%) and do not cause nondormant seeds to re-enter dormancy, seeds that fail to germinate in autumn may germinate in spring. Thus, the taxon has very little potential to form a persistent seed bank. The large spatulate embryos and ability of seeds to afterripen at high temperatures means that seeds of P. reptans var. reptans have nondeep physiological dormancy, unlike many herbaceous woodland species, which have morphophysiological dormancy.


Background Accumulating evidence shows that the novel anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-35 can efficiently suppress effector T cell activity and alter the progression of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The two subunits of IL-35, EBI3 and p35, are strongly expressed in human advanced plaque, suggesting a potential role of IL-35 in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the plasma levels of IL-35 in patients with CAD have yet to be investigated. Methods Plasma IL-35, IL-10, TGF-β1, IL-12 and IL-27 levels were measured using an ELISA in 43 stable angina pectoris (SAP) patients, 62 unstable angina pectoris (UAP) patients, 56 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and 47 chest pain syndrome patients as a control group. Results The results showed that plasma IL-35 levels were significantly decreased in the SAP group (90.74±34.22 pg/ml), the UAP group (72.20±26.63 pg/ml), and the AMI group (50.21±24.69 pg/ml) compared with chest pain syndrome group (115.06±32.27 pg/ml). Similar results were also demonstrated with IL-10 and TGF-β1. Plasma IL-12 and IL-27 levels were significantly increased in the UAP group (349.72±85.22 pg/ml, 101.75±51.42 pg/ml, respectively) and the AMI group (318.05±86.82 pg/ml, 148.88±68.45 pg/ml, respectively) compared with chest pain syndrome group (138.68±34.37 pg/ml, 63.60±22.75 pg/ml, respectively) and the SAP group (153.84±53.86 pg/ml, 70.84±38.77 pg/ml, respectively). Furthermore, lower IL-35 levels were moderately positively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in CAD patients (R = 0.416, P<0.01), whereas higher IL-27 levels were weakly negatively correlated with LVEF in CAD patients(R = −0.205, P<0.01). Conclusions The results of the present study show that circulating IL-35 is a potentially novel biomarker for coronary artery disease. Regulating the expression of IL-35 also provides a new possible target for the treatment of atherosclerosis and CAD.


Replication protein A (RPA) is a heterotrimeric (70, 32 and 14 kDa subunits), single-stranded DNA-binding protein required for cellular DNA metabolism. All subunits of RPA are essential for life, but the specific functions of the 32 and 14 kDa subunits remains unknown. The 32 kDa subunit (RPA2) has multiple domains, but only the central DNA-binding domain (called DBD D) is essential for life in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To define the essential function(s) of RPA2 in S. cerevisiae, a series of site-directed mutant forms of DBD D were generated. These mutant constructs were then characterized in vitro and in vivo. The mutations had minimal effects on the overall structure and activity of the RPA complex. However, several mutants were shown to disrupt crosslinking of RPA2 to DNA and to dramatically lower the DNA-binding affinity of a RPA2-containing subcomplex. When introduced into S. cerevisiae, all DBD D mutants were viable and supported normal growth rates and DNA replication. These findings indicate that RPA2–DNA interactions are not essential for viability and growth in S. cerevisiae. We conclude that DNA-binding activity of RPA2 is dispensable in yeast and that the essential function of DBD D is intra- and/or inter-protein interactions.


Prolonged activation of adenosine A1 receptor likely leads to damage of dopaminergic neurons and subsequent development of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the pathogenesis underlying long-term adenosine A1 receptor activation-induced neurodegeneration remains unclear. In this study, rats were intraperitoneally injected with 5 mg/kg of the adenosine A1 receptor agonist N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) for five weeks. The mobility of rats was evaluated by forced swimming test, while their cognitive capabilities were evaluated by Y-maze test. Expression of sortilin, α-synuclein, p-JUN, and c-JUN proteins in the substantia nigra were detected by western blot analysis. In addition, immunofluorescence staining of sortilin and α-synuclein was performed to detect expression in the substantia nigra. The results showed that, compared with adenosine A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (5 mg/kg) + CPA co-treated rats, motor and memory abilities were reduced, surface expression of sortin and α-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons was reduced, and total sortilin and total α-synuclein were increased in CPA-treated rats. MN9D cells were incubated with 500 nM CPA alone or in combination with 10 μM SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) for 48 hours. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of sortilin and α-synuclein mRNA levels in MN9D cells revealed upregulated sortilin expression in MN9D cells cultured with CPA alone, but the combination of CPA and SP600125 could inhibit this expression. Predictions made using Jasper, PROMO, and Alibaba online databases identified a highly conserved sequence in the sortilin promoter that was predicted to bind JUN in both humans and rodents. A luciferase reporter assay of sortilin promoter plasmid-transfected HEK293T cells confirmed this prediction. After sortilin expression was inhibited by sh-SORT1, expression of p-JUN and c-JUN was detected by western blot analysis. Long-term adenosine A1 receptor activation levels upregulated α-synuclein expression at the post-transcriptional level by affecting sortilin expression. The online tool Raptor-X-Binding and Discovery Studio 4.5 prediction software predicted that sortilin can bind to α-synuclein. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed an interaction between sortilin and α-synuclein in MN9D cells. Our findings indicate that suppression of prolonged adenosine A1 receptor activation potently inhibited sortilin expression and α-synuclein accumulation, and dramatically improved host cognition and kineticism. This study was approved by the University Committee of Animal Care and Supply at the University of Saskatchewan (approval No. AUP#20070090) in March 2007 and the Animals Ethics Committee of University of South China (approval No. LL0387-USC) in June 2017.


Government agencies, industrial landowners, and private landowners often strive to maintain soil quality after site management activities in order to maintain site productivity, hydrologic function, and ecosystem health. Soil disturbance resulting from timber harvesting, prescribed fire, or site preparation activities can cause declines, improvements, or have no effect on site productivity and hydrologic function. In many cases, detailed soil resource data can be used to determine the stress level and ecosystem health of stands and may be one method used to determine the risk of disease or insect outbreak. Currently, organic matter accumulations in many forests exceed historical levels. Fire suppression or fire exclusion has produced numerous overstocked stands. When this condition is combined with increased climatic variation, drought, and type conversion, these stands have a high risk for catastrophic wildfire. The resulting large, high-intensity, and high-severity fires could contribute to changes in soil quality and lead to outbreaks of insects and diseases in many ecosystems. Changes in ecosystem processes can also be associated with changes in overstory properties that alter forest stand resilience. For example, loss of western white pine to blister rust infection in the Northwestern United States has caused a type conversion to forest species that are not tolerant of root diseases, are not fire resistant, and sequester nutrients in the surface mineral soil and tree crown that can later be lost through logging or fire. These relationships, and others, can be used in conjunction with soil resource data bases to assess susceptibility to threats and to help develop management strategies to mitigate disturbances. Development of monitoring strategies that use common methods that can be utilized by a variety of land management agencies and specialists is a key component for relating forest health to soil changes after fire or other land management activities.


Background The effect of dietary macronutrient composition on the rate of gestational weight gain among women in sub-Saharan Africa is unclear. Objective To examine the effect of macronutrient intake on the rate of gestational weight gain among HIV-negative women in Tanzania. Methods The weights of 8,428 women were measured monthly from 12 weeks of gestation to term. Prenatal dietary intake was estimated as the cumulative average of multiple 24-hour dietary recalls. The association between energy intake and percentage of energy from carbohydrate, protein, and total fat and rate of weight gain (grams per month) was estimated from generalized estimating equation models. Macronutrient effects were adjusted for total energy using the nutrient density model and maternal age, maternal height, maternal mid-upper-arm circumference, parity, marital status, maternal occupation, maternal education, household wealth, season, and treatment regimen assignment. Body mass index (BMI) was considered as a confounder and a potential modifier of the effect of macronutrient intake on gestational weight gain. Results A 6 g/month increase in rate of weight gain was associated with every 100-kcal increment in daily total energy intake (95% CI, 1 to 12; p = .03). Analyses substituting 5% of energy from fat by protein showed that weight gain would decrease by 72 g/month (95% CI, 6 to 140; p = .03); substituting 5% of energy from carbohydrate by protein decreased gain by 70 g/month (95% CI, 15 to 124; p = .01). Baseline BMI did not modify these associations. Conclusions Further research on the effects of macronutrient composition on gestational weight gain is needed to inform the design of supplementation programs for women in developing countries.


In this paper, we consider an optimal control problem governed by Stokes equations with H-norm state constraint. The control problem is approximated by spectral method, which provides very accurate approximation with a relatively small number of unknowns. Choosing appropriate basis functions leads to discrete system with sparse matrices. We first present the optimality conditions of the exact and the discrete optimal control systems, then derive both a priori and a posteriori error estimates. Finally, an illustrative numerical experiment indicates that the proposed method is competitive, and the estimator can indicate the errors very well. AMS subject classifications: 49J20, 65K15, 65M12, 65M70


Unlike peripheral lower extremity vascular disease, upper extremity vascular disease is relatively uncommon. While atherosclerosis and embolic disease are the most common causes of upper extremity ischemia, a wide variety of systemic diseases and anatomic abnormalities can affect the upper extremity. Upper extremity ischemia poses a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for both clinicians and radiologists. Although history and physical examination remain the mainstays of diagnosis, imaging can be vital in confirming suspected disease and guiding treatment planning. Digital subtraction angiography is often the preferred method for detection of upper extremity vascular disease, particularly for characterization of complex arteriovenous anatomy such as in vascular malformations and for evaluation of dialysis fistulas and grafts. However, this modality is invasive, requires iodinated contrast agents and radiation, and may fail to demonstrate significant extraluminal disease. More recently, magnetic resonance (MR) angiography techniques have made important advances, permitting higher temporal and spatial resolution that is preferable for diagnosing upper extremity vascular disorders. In this review, the authors present an overview of upper extremity MR angiography techniques and protocols, revisit the often variable vascular anatomy of the arm and hand, and offer examples of various pathologic entities diagnosed with MR angiography. Finally, several imaging pitfalls that one must be aware of for accurate diagnosis are illustrated and reviewed.


Although human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers are preventable and treatable at early stages, health disparities in HPV-associated cancer outcomes continue to exist among Hispanic populations. Hispanics residing along the U.S.–Mexico border face barriers distinct from other geographically dispersed populations within the United States. The current research aimed to explore perspectives and lived experiences of survivors and caregivers of HPV-associated cancers in El Paso, Texas, to inform intervention development and health practices to increase preventive services among populations residing on the U.S.–Mexico border region. A mixed-method approach was employed using a semi-structured interview guide with Quality of Life (QOL) scales with (N = 29) survivors and caregivers of HPV-associated cancers. Content analysis was used to extract themes and descriptive statistics were reported for quality of life. Five major themes were identified: (1) barriers to preventive services and treatment; (2) role of health care providers in diagnosis and care; (3) treatment challenges, support systems, and challenges associated with caregiving; and (4) HPV prevention and health recommendations from survivors and caregivers. Finally, given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional theme was explored on accessibility to health and human services. QOL scales suggested better overall physical health and spiritual well-being in survivors and fear of reoccurrence among caregivers and survivors. The current research highlights the role of health care providers and human service professionals in the promotion of health practices of at-risk populations by increasing health literacy among cancer patients and caregivers, and exploring experiences, challenges, and messages caregivers and survivors had regarding HPV prevention.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Renal cysts are the most common form of renal mass with a prevalence of 35% in people older than 50 years. Several techniques are used to manage symptomatics cysts, from sclerotherapy to open surgery. We present a safe and minimally invasive therapeutic alternative: Percutaneous endocystolysis (PE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Between 1995 and 2008, 32 patients were treated for large symptomatic Bosniak type I and II renal cysts with the PE technique. Percutaneous access was obtained by direct puncture guided by fluoroscopy or ultrasonography, percutaneous dilation, and placement of a 28F Amplatz sheath; then a 26F resectoscope with a rollerball electrode was introduced into the interior of the cyst and the whole internal surface was inspected and cauterized. After cauterization, a 20F Foley catheter was placed inside the cyst. Patients were discharged the next day, and the catheter was removed in the outpatient facility after 7 to 10 postoperative days. The variables of age, cyst volume, operative time, and length of hospital stay were statistically analyzed using the Pearson linear correlation coefficient.

RESULTS
Clinical follow-up ranged from 4 to 162 months (mean 76 mos). Percutaneous access to the cyst was obtained by blind puncture in 7 (21.8%) patients, aided by fluoroscopy in 12 (37.5%) patients, and guided by ultrasonography in 13 (40.7%) patients. Clinical improvement was observed in all patients with a success rate of 100%. The length of hospital stay was 21.7 ± 8.5 hours (range 9-48 h). The operative time was 41.8 ± 19.7 minutes (range 12-94 min). There was a low complication rate associated with the transparenchymatous PE procedure.

CONCLUSION
PE is a safe, minimally invasive, and effective technique for the management of large symptomatic renal cysts and is associated with high success rates and low complication rates in long-term follow-up.


In this tutorial review, recent developments in modeling and experimental studies on nanofludics were reported. Nanofluidic studies were categorized into two groups depending on the characteristic length scale. When the size of the nanochannels and pores is 5-100 nm, electrostatic interactions are dominant, and ion and fluid flow can be analyzed by continuum dynamics. Various nanofluidic devices were proposed to manipulate aqueous solutions and biomolecules at the nanoscale. The successful development of such systems has major implications for technologies focusing on water purification and processing of complex biological solutions. When the size is less than 5 nm, steric interactions and hydration affect ion and fluid flow, which is analyzed by stochastic and/or molecular dynamics.


Solar magnetic activity produces extreme solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which pose grave threats to electronic infrastructure and can significantly disrupt economic activity. It is therefore important to appreciate the triggers of explosive solar activity and develop reliable space weather forecasting. Photospheric vector magnetic field data capture sunspot magnetic field complexity and can therefore improve the quality of space weather prediction. However, state-of-the-art vector field observations are consistently only available from Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) since 2010, with most other current and past missions and observational facilities, such as Global Oscillations Network Group (GONG), only recording line-of-sight (LOS) fields. Here, using an inception-based convolutional neural network (CNN), we reconstruct HMI sunspot vector field features from LOS magnetograms of HMI and GONG with high fidelity (∼90% correlation) and sustained flare forecasting accuracy. We rebuild vector field features during the 2003 Halloween storms, for which only LOS field observations are available, and the CNN-estimated electric current helicity accurately captures the observed rotation of the associated sunspot prior to the extreme flares, showing a striking increase. Our study thus paves the way for reconstructing three solar cycles worth of vector field data from past LOS measurements, which are of great utility in improving space weather forecasting models and gaining new insights about solar activity.


Abstract Translating existing internet-based cognitive-behavioural therapy (iCBT), along with the use of transdiagnostic and self-guided formats, may prove to be a cost-effective option of disseminating iCBT. Only recently have encouraging findings been reported for a self-guided delivery. This study assessed the feasibility of a French and self-guided version of an existing English iCBT course, called the Wellbeing Course, for the treatment of anxiety and depression. Existing ICBT programs have not yet been delivered in French, although this language is spoken worldwide. Thirty-one participants were included in a single group pre-post open trial with a 3-month follow-up. Feasibility outcomes were attrition, treatment adherence, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy. Primary outcome measures were the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7). Nearly 75% of the participants completed the program. Over 80% of the participants provided posttreatment and follow-up data. All study completers reported that they would recommend the Wellbeing Course to a friend having similar problems. Significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety and depression were found following treatment, consistent with earlier studies. These preliminary findings support the use of the assessed strategies to facilitate the cross-cultural dissemination of iCBT for a more universal access to quality psychological care.


The signaling within and between cells in biology is governed by molecular recognition between natural or synthetic ligands and proteins. This thesis project aimed to investigate the thermodynamic properties of specific interaction between synthetic ligands and galectin proteins. The choice of galectins as model proteins resides in the availability of applicability in a full range of complementary experimental and theoretical methods, such as X-ray crystallography and neutron diffraction, NMR, ITC and computational simulations accompanied by design and synthesis of ligands and a rapid method to establish binding specificity and affinity (competitive fluorescent polarization assay). Furthermore, galectins are key biological mediators in numerousbiological activities playing important roles in inflammation, immunity and cancer progression, which also makes galectins interesting as a pharmaceutical target. The thermodynamic properties of binding are sensitive to minute changes in the ligandscaffold, hence we identified small modifications in the ligand design and analyzed effects of these through a multidisciplinary approach. We analyzed the importance of hydrogen bond contribution by comparing a pair of diastereomers with galectin-3Cderived by the removal of non-interacting atoms from a known potent ligand. Solvation effect and conformational entropy favored the diastereomer S over R in complex with galectin-3, even though both ligands showed similar free energy of binding.However, the affinity of the S diastereomer was higher than that of R when one of the galectin-3 arginine residues that hydrogen bound to the ligand hydroxyl group was mutated. A similar effect was observed for the closely related galectin-1: affinity for the S was higher than for R diastereomer. The same hydrogen bond between the ligand and galectin-3 was weaker when the diastereomeric hydroxylated ligands were oxidized to the corresponding ketone. Furthermore, we investigated if the ligandbinding to galectins can be achieved is only parts of the galactopyranose ring of known high-affinity ligand are kept and noninteracting atoms are removed. Indeed, replacing the galactopyranose ring with an acyclic threitol moiety with a-D-galactosemimicking stereoconfiguration and combining it with an affinity-enhancing trifluorophenyltriazole moiety reached a remarkably good affinity towards galectin-1 and 3 terminal domains. This evidenced that ligand binding to the galactoside-recognizing galectin protein family does not need the D-galactopyranose per se, only ideally positioned ligand key hydrogen-bonding groups.Finally, we turned our attention from hydrogen bonds to the close related halogen bond. The change of single ligand halogen resulted in significant differences in the thermodynamic characteristics of galectin-3 binding. The halogen atom strongly affected the solvation and the chemical shifts of the residuals involved in the binding pocket. Furthermore, the enthalpy of binding correlated with the halogen σ-hole size and showed and increasing contribution to the free energy of binding going from fluorine to iodine. However, the steric restraints imposed by the larger iodine atom resulted in a decrease of entropy, thus counterbalancing the strong enthalpy contribution by iodine. Altogether, our in-depth thermodynamic studies on ligandgalectin molecular interactions have advanced our fundamental understanding of ligand and protein dynamics, effects of hydrogen bond geometries and of ligand-protein halogen bonds. We expect that this knowledge advancement will be of interestand value for drug design not only against galectin proteins, but also for drug design in general.


A lightweight, web based with near to real-time speed algorithm is proposed in this work. It is able to retrieve main parts (menu, main text, header and footer) of a randomly selected web page entirely using CSS, JavaScript, frames, layers, images, etc. for retrieval. Moreover shortcomings of well-known modern algorithms for content retrieval from web pages are discussed in this proposal. The algorithm is useful for the improvement of existing: searching, content matching, summaries making, web graph calculation, and etc. engines. Moreover it is practical as a data provider for classification and data mining. The experimental results of a PHP realization of the algorithm showed near to real-time speed, 20-25% error rate for the multipurpose mode and less than 1% error rate for the specific mode.


Intake data obtained from 55 refugee torture survivors accessing trauma treatment services at a centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, paints a picture of suffering beyond the torture experience. The intake forms part of a more comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system developed for the work done with torture survivors accessing psychosocial services. The diverse sample with different nationalities highlights that torture occurs in many countries on the African continent. It also highlights South Africa's role as a major destination for refugee and asylum seekers. However, "the land of milk and honey" and the process of arriving here, often poses additional challenges for survivors of torture. This is reflected in the high levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (69%), anxiety (91%), and depression (74%) for our sample, all of which were significantly correlated. The loss of employment status from before the torture experience until the time of intake was great for this sample, impacting on their recovery. In addition the presence of medical conditions (44%), disabilities (19%), and pain (74%) raise serious questions regarding interventions that focus mainly on psychosocial needs. No significant gender differences were found. The paper begins to paint a clearer picture of the bio-psycho-social state of torture survivors accessing services in South Africa, as well as highlighting many of the contextual challenges which impact on recovery.


The elites of the United States are deeply polarized. Polarization of the Democratic and Republican Parties is higher than at any time since the late 19th Century. How could this be true given the obvious economic success of the United States? This essay describes how the modern polarization trend emerged. To understand the historical forces producing modern polarization it is necessary to understand the British colonial origins of the U. S. political-economic system. Representative democracy, plurality elections, geographic-based representation (the tradition of the representative living with those he represented), and private property rights were established from the beginning of the British colonies and shaped everything that was to follow. How these factors shaped the evolution of political parties over time gives us insight into why the current party system is so polarized and why there may be no simple solution to the serious polarization of the elites in the United States.


The question of how exactly the universe began is the motivation for this work. Based on the discoveries of the cosmic expansion and of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, humans have learned of the Big Bang origin of the universe. However, what exactly happened in the first moments of the Big Bang? A scenario of initial exponential expansion called inflation was proposed in the 1980s, explaining several important mysteries about the universe. Inflation would have generated gravitational waves that would have left a unique imprint in the polarization of the CMB. To search for this evidence for inflation, a team gathered in 2002 to design a telescope experiment called BICEP. Sited at the South Pole, BICEP was a novel 25-cm aperture refractor with 49 pairs of polarization-sensitive bolometers. We completed 3 years of successful observations from February 2006 to December 2008. To constrain the amplitude of polarization resulting from inflation, expected to be at least 7 orders of magnitude fainter than the 3 K CMB intensity, precise control of systematic effects is essential. A crucial challenge is preventing systematic errors from introducing false polarization anisotropy signal at the level corresponding to ~0.1 mK in amplitude. One main focus of this thesis is the characterization of systematic effects for BICEP. We developed a simulation framework for propagating instrumental systematic effects to the final polarization results. Based on these simulations, we established benchmarks for the characterization of critical instrumental properties including bolometer relative gains, beam mismatch, polarization orientation, telescope pointing, sidelobes, thermal stability, and timestream noise model. Guided by these benchmarks, we carefully measured these properties and have shown that we have characterized the instrument adequately to ensure that systematic errors do not limit BICEP's current cosmology results. We have analyzed the first 2 years of data, lowering the upper limits on the gravitational-wave induced polarization by an order of magnitude over all previous experiments. The systematic error analysis has identified what future refinements are likely necessary to probe CMB polarization down to levels corresponding to inflationary energy scales below 2 t 10 16 GeV.


The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of aging prior to deboning and deep-freezing on the tenderness of cooked broiler breast fillets. Broilers (Ross-208) that were 37 and 38 d old were slaughtered in a licensed poultry meat plant. After spray chilling, carcasses with BW between 1,080 and 1,300 g were selected for the study and transported to a chilling room (2 to 4 degrees C). The whole carcasses were aged for up to 24 h. During the aging process, continuous measurements were made of pH values, electric conductivity, and firmness of the raw fillets. After the aging process, the carcasses were deboned, and the breast fillets were immediately frozen to an internal temperature of -20 degrees C. Tenderness was measured both mechanically with a Warner-Bratzler shear force device and by sensory testing. The ultimate pH values in the fillets were reached during the first 5 h of aging. Electric conductivity increased during the whole aging period. During the first hours of aging, firmness increased significantly, corresponding with the onset of rigor mortis. After between 8 and 9 h of aging, firmness decreased significantly. Shear force values of aged fillets also changed significantly; the highest values were found at the beginning of aging, which then decreased from the sixth hour. The results of the instrumental tenderness measurements were confirmed by the sensory evaluations. Implementation of in-plant measurements of firmness, thus, seemed to be useful in predicting the sensory quality of poultry meat.


Introduction: Probiotic yoghurt is considered a functional food, containing beneficial probiotic microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria. Both hypo and hyperthyroidism are associated with weight change, and since much attention is currently being given to the effects of probiotics on weight, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of consuming probiotic yoghurt on weight change and thyroid hormones in male Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 10 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, fed with a probiotic yoghurt diet and a normal food one. At end of each week, after gavage, blood samples were collected for 32 days. Body weight was measured and thyroid hormones were detected using the Radio Immuno Assay method. Results: Mean weight and T4 did not differ significantly between two groups throughout the 32 day study. In the probiotic yoghurt group, mean T3 (ng/dl) increased significantly on day 24 compared day 16 (P: 0.04) but no significant difference in mean weight and T4 (mg/dl) was observed between days of sampling. Conclusions: Results showed that consuming probiotic yoghurt was only associated with the active form of thyroid hormones (T3), whereas weight changes were not related to probiotic compounds.


1708 Colon cancer (CC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and the mortality disparity between non-Hispanic whites (NHW) and African-Americans (AA) continues to increase. This study tested the hypothesis that genetic variations in multiple DNA repair pathways contribute to racial differences in CC risk. Using the samples/data collected in The North Carolina Colon Cancer Study (NCCCS), a population-based case-control study (40% AA) with 555 cases and 875 controls, we tested 17 non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) in four DNA repair pathways. Logistic regression and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS)-logit methods were used to explore gene-gene interactions in CC risk in NHW and AA. In univariate analyses, a nucleotide excision repair SNP ( XPC 939 KK/KQ ) and two mismatch repair SNPs ( MSH3 940 QQ and MSH3 1036 AA ) were associated with increased CC risk among AA and NHW, respectively. In AA, XPC 939 KK/KQ genotypes were associated with higher CC risk (odds ratio [OR]=2.5, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=1.3-5.0; QQ as referent). Among NHW, CC risk was significantly associated with MSH3 940 QQ genotype (OR=2.4, 95%CI=1.1-4.9; RR/RQ as referent), and MSH3 1036 AA genotype (OR=2.1, 95%CI=1.3-3.4; TT/TA as referent). Using the MARS-Logic model, CC risk in NHW was associated with the combination of MSH3 940 RQ/QQ , XRCC1 399 RQ/QQ , and MSH6 39 GE/EE (OR=3.3, 95%CI=1.4-7.7), or the combination of MSH3 940 RQ/QQ , ERCC2 312 NN , and MLH1 219 IV/VV (OR=6.1, 95%CI=2.13-17.43). In AA, higher CC risk was associated with XPC 939 KK/KQ genotypes (OR=3.3, 95% CI=1.3-8.7; QQ as referent). The data from a previous study showed that AA consumed higher levels of white meat, pan-fried meat, and well-/very well done red meat and had higher meat-derived heterocyclic amine exposures. Therefore, our data suggest that gene-gene interactions of DNA-Repair nsSNPs in multiple repair pathways contributed to CC risk differently in AA and NHW, which may be related to racial/ethnic differences in the exposure to meat-derived heterocyclic amine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. In conclusion, future studies should consider gene-gene and gene-environment interactions to explain racial/ethnic differences in CC risk (supported by NCI CA90898 and CA66635).


The problem of portfolio optimization is one of the most important issues in asset management. We here propose a new dynamic portfolio strategy based on the time-varying structures of MST networks in Chinese stock markets, where the market condition is further considered when using the optimal portfolios for investment. A portfolio strategy comprises two stages: First, select the portfolios by choosing central and peripheral stocks in the selection horizon using five topological parameters, namely degree, betweenness centrality, distance on degree criterion, distance on correlation criterion and distance on distance criterion. Second, use the portfolios for investment in the investment horizon. The optimal portfolio is chosen by comparing central and peripheral portfolios under different combinations of market conditions in the selection and investment horizons. Market conditions in our paper are identified by the ratios of the number of trading days with rising index to the total number of trading days, or the sum of the amplitudes of the trading days with rising index to the sum of the amplitudes of the total trading days. We find that central portfolios outperform peripheral portfolios when the market is under a drawup condition, or when the market is stable or drawup in the selection horizon and is under a stable condition in the investment horizon. We also find that peripheral portfolios gain more than central portfolios when the market is stable in the selection horizon and is drawdown in the investment horizon. Empirical tests are carried out based on the optimal portfolio strategy. Among all possible optimal portfolio strategies based on different parameters to select portfolios and different criteria to identify market conditions, 65% of our optimal portfolio strategies outperform the random strategy for the Shanghai A-Share market while the proportion is 70% for the Shenzhen A-Share market.