The purpose of this study is to find the answer to the question of ecclesiastical administrative affiliation regarding the area between the Vistula and Wieprz Rivers. This relatively narrow aspect of the research was the subject of academic controversy over the possible influence of the organization of Methodian Christianity, not only on the designated area, but in general on Polish soil. The vast majority of authors – even if some of them allow for a wide geographic range of Methodian influence – firmly opposes the idea of the presence of any structure of the Methodian rite in the lands north of the Carpathian Mountains, regarding this idea as unsubstantiated. The form of territorial organization of the Church involving the land between the Vistula and Wieprz Rivers could only be in the Latin bishopric of Poznan, which was undoubtedly a permanent diocesan structure that depended directly on the Holy See from its earliest period. Theoretically, if the area between the Vistula and the Wieprz Rivers had been included in the territory that on the Czechs in the second half of the tenth century, it would have also belonged to the Diocese of Prague and the Metropolis of Mainz, or, a bit later, to the Diocese of Olomouc. The formal nature of that membership would have probably involved a lack of durable local structures of Christianity, which also had to be a characteristic of the first decades of their dependence on the Diocese of Poznan. It seems that it was only the entrance of the lands between the Vistula and Wieprz Rivers into an administrative relationship to the Bishops of Cracow and the Metropolitans of Gniezno in the late tenth and eleventh centuries, which proved to be a stable association that would be strengthened in material and spiritual significance in the coming decades and centuries.


Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) inducibility was studied in cultured lymphocytes from 21 healthy control subjects and from 15 lung cancer patients selected for radiation therapy. AHH inducibility of the patients was measured prior to, during and at the end of radiation therapy. Four of 15 patients had high AHH inducibility. The remaining 11 patients had values comparable to the healthy controls. Cellular DNA and protein measurements of cultured lymphocytes were the same for patients and healthy controls. There was no significant difference in the percentage of lymphoblast formation and percentage of cell survival between the two groups. Radiation therapy reduces the number of lymphocytes in vivo and the amount of lymphoblast formation in vitro. AHH inducibility is significantly lowered by radiation in the patients who had very high inducibility at pre‐treatment level. DNA and protein contents of cultured lymphocytes did not change during radiation therapy.


IntroductionIf we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance. - Orville WrightDouglas McGregor conceptualized Theory X and Theory Y over fifty years ago in his famous book entitled The Human Side of Enterprise. The conceptualization outlined in McGregor's book has since served as a benchmark for further theoretical development influenced by the human relations movement (Carson, 2005). Furthermore, it has attracted the attention of countless practicing managers who are motivated to analyze their managerial style and improve their effectiveness (Stewart, 2010). Theory X and Theory Y have provided valuable insight into how managerial behaviors are tied to managers' underlying beliefs regarding subordinates' natural predisposition towards work (Wren & Bedeian, 2009). These underlying beliefs, or tacit assumptions, are proposed to influence the manager's behavior toward the employees as well as the leadership style adopted by the manager.While Theory X and Theory Y have been the subject of numerous research investigations, the theories have yet to be combined into a typological framework to identify the leadership style resulting from the extent to which a manager is task-focused or people-focused, thereby constituting a gap in motivational leadership research. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to fill this gap by integrating these theories into a conceptual framework with theoretical and practical utility. This conceptualization draws from research conducted by Kurt Lewin, one of the first scholars to investigate the human motivational process, to explicate the quadrants of the proposed 2x2 typology. Lewin, Lippitt, & White (1939) were the first researchers to analyze the leadership process with a dyadic approach, and their findings are very informative for the current conceptualization. Lewin et al. (1939) identified three styles of leadership which they termed authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire leadership. The current conceptualization extends Lewin et al.'s (1939) work by explicating a fourth leadership style, called dynamic leadership, which is most applicable to today's dynamic business environment.This study utilizes a historical post-hoc approach to propose a theoretical conceptualization in the form of a typological framework by integrating McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y with Lewin's styles of leadership. DiMaggio (1995) promoted the use of historical, post-hoc approaches as a valuable form of theorizing in the advancement of management knowledge. Furthermore, this approach has recently been utilized to analyze various styles of leadership (e.g., Novicevic, Davis, Dom, Buckley, & Brown, 2005; Novicevic, Heames, Paolillo, and Buckley, 2009). The unique contributions of this research are that it (1) proposes a conceptual framework in the form of a typology to organize extant motivational leadership research on the foci of managerial control, and (2) adds a dimension to Lewin's conceptualization of leadership styles which enhances the applicability of this typological framework to the dynamic environment in which leaders now operate. The typological framework which integrates Theory X and Theory Y with Lewin's leadership styles and the current study's extension is depicted in Figure 1 .This study proceeds in the following order. First, the assumptions of Theory X and Theory Y are outlined to clarify the definitions of the concepts. Second, the rationale of the current study is explicated to identify the contribution this study offers to both conceptual research and managerial practice. Third, the origins of Theory X and Theory Y are examined to identify the foundation on which the theories were constructed. Fourth, the assumptions of Theory X and Theory Y are analyzed to elucidate the implications each perspective has on the leadership style adopted by managers to guide subordinate behavior. …


Spasmodic torticollis due to an identified focal brain stem lesion is uncommon and abrupt-onset spasmodic torticollis due to midbrain lesions in humans is rarely reported. A 9-year-old female child who had fallen off a bicycle and had lost consciousness for 10 min, vomiting 2–3 times, developed acute torticollis immediately after the injury. Examinations suggested hemorrhage in brain stem cavernoma. A search of the literature written in English revealed that this type of presentation has not been reported previously.


Abstract:Past research has devoted more attention to the consequences of populism for party politics and democratic governance than to its effects on public attitudes—and particularly, how populist claims interact with nationalism to exacerbate exclusionary beliefs among the public. Using online survey experiments, we examine whether exposure to populism increases out-group antipathy among Democrats and Republicans. In Study 1, we randomly assign respondents to three conditions featuring vignettes based on political speeches: a morally neutral argument, a populist critique of political elites and a morally framed anti-immigration appeal. The results demonstrate that the populist treatment generates lower feeling-thermometer ratings of minority groups than the control condition, but only among Republicans and Trump supporters. Study 2 uses a similar design to evaluate the link between left-wing economic populism and economic nationalism: the populist condition features a critique of economic elites, the nationalist condition blames China for the offshoring of US jobs and the outcome variable measures respondents' sentiments toward China. Economic nationalism generates increased anti-China sentiment among moderate and conservative Democrats but economic populism does not. Together, these findings suggest that the effects of populism on nationalist antipathies observed in Study 1 are driven by the discursive bundling of anti-elite talk with ethno-nationalism on the political right, which stands in contrast to the decoupling of economic populism from economic nationalism on the left. The former has effectively turned populism into a form of dog-whistle politics among Republicans, and Trump supporters in particular.


Brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas) are able to hybridize with mountain hares (L. timidus Linnaeus) and produce fertile offspring, which results in cross-species gene flow. However, not much is known about the functional significance of this genetic introgression. Using targeted sequencing of candidate loci combined with mtDNA genotyping, we found the ancestral genetic diversity in the brown hare to be small, likely due to founder effect and range expansion, while gene flow from mountain hares constitutes an important source of functional genetic variability. Some of this variability, such as the alleles of the mountain hare thermogenin (uncoupling protein 1, UCP1), is likely of adaptive advantage for brown hares, whereas immunity-related MHC alleles are reciprocally exchanged and maintained via balancing selection. Our study offers a rare example where an expanding species can ease its expansion load through hybridization and obtain beneficial alleles to shortcut evolutionary adaptation to the novel environmental conditions.


Carbon monoxide (CO) is firmly established as an important, physiological signalling molecule as well as a potent toxin. Through its ability to bind metal‐containing proteins, it is known to interfere with a number of intracellular signalling pathways, and such actions can account for its physiological and pathological effects. In particular, CO can modulate the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species, NO and cGMP levels, as well as regulate MAPK signalling. In this review, we consider ion channels as more recently discovered effectors of CO signalling. CO is now known to regulate a growing number of different ion channel types, and detailed studies of the underlying mechanisms of action are revealing unexpected findings. For example, there are clear areas of contention surrounding its ability to increase the activity of high conductance, Ca2+‐sensitive K+ channels. More recent studies have revealed the ability of CO to inhibit T‐type Ca2+ channels and have unveiled a novel signalling pathway underlying tonic regulation of this channel. It is clear that the investigation of ion channels as effectors of CO signalling is in its infancy, and much more work is required to fully understand both the physiological and the toxic actions of this gas. Only then can its emerging use as a therapeutic tool be fully and safely exploited.


COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS - CoV - 2 pathogen, is currently a pandemic. At the moment there is not an available vaccine, so, scientific community is looking for strategies and drugs to implement prevention and prophylaxis. Several compounds are examined for this purpose. Glycyrrhizin, an alkaloid extracted from licorice plant (glycyrriza glabra), is one of the most studied molecules, both for its peculiar biological functions and for its pharmacological effects. This brief review aims to highlight the characteristics of glycyrrhizin for topical use on the nasal and ocular surfaces. The anti-inflammatory activity, the ability to inhibit the accumulation of ROS, the antiviral property, but, above all, the ability to bind the ACE receptor and the SARS - CoV-2 protein S in the extracellular environment make Glycyrrhizzin for topical use a compound with a high prophylactic potential for SARS - CoV - 2 infection, also due to its low cost and the absence of significant side effects.


The present study makes a step further in Europeanization research by advancing a theoretical framework that examines the influence of the European integration process on domestic developments of different groups of non-member states. It includes the major variables highlighted in Europeanization literature and the works on democratic transition of EU outsiders, particularly from the post-communist space and addresses the questions of how and why the European integration process influences domestic changes outside its borders. It provides a classification of possible mechanisms and outcomes of the Europeanization process according to the potential variation of the type of EU involvement, depending on the extent and nature of EU pressure and the clearness of EU level policies, and the degree of domestic engagement in implementing European requirements. The work examines not only the cases of direct and indirect EU involvement, but also the potential theoretical instruments and outcomes of Europeanization in cases where the stimulus – European Union – is missing from the picture.


Background and Objective: Memory impairment is one of the common health problems in menopausal women. Due to the therapeutic efficiency limitation, the searching for the protective intervention for this condition is required. Based on the previous findings that the combined extract of Z. mays (purple color) and P. amaryllifolius based-drink (MP1) could attenuate memory impairment in animal model of menopause, we aimed to investigate the effect of MP1 functional drink on working memory, psychological fitness and the consumption safety in menopausal volunteers. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two participants including perimenopausal women and postmenopausal women were recruited and assigned to receive the functional drink "MP1" at the dose of 400 mg or placebo once daily for 8 weeks. All participants were evaluated for cognitive function and working memory using the auditory oddball paradigm of event-related potentials and computerized battery tests at 3 different periods including before the intervention, 4 weeks and 8 weeks of intervention. Emotion and groups of psychological disorders were used as the indices of psychological fitness and these parameters were also evaluated using Bond-Ladder test and Symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90) respectively while the safety evaluation of MP1 consumption was performed using the alteration of electrocardiogram (EKG), hematology and clinical chemistry changes together with the adverse events report as indices.  Result : It was found that the participants in MP1 treated group significantly decreased both P300 and N100 latencies and the reduction of P300 latency was still observed at 8 weeks of intervention period. The improved somatization was also observed at 8 weeks of intervention. No signs of toxicity and adverse event related to the effect of "MP1" were observed throughout the study period. Conclusion: The present study has demonstrated the positive modulation effect of MP1 drink on working memory and consumption safety in menopausal women. Therefore, MP1 is a potential cognitive enhancement product for menopausal women.


A modification of the ecometric method was developed for a rapid screening of bile resistance in lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. Validation of the MEM bile assay (modified ecometric method) was performed comparing the bile resistance index (RIbile) and the bile resistance ratio (R%). Most Bifidobacterium strains assayed were bile sensitive (83.3%), while only 62.1% of lactobacilli showed that behavior. Some bifidobacterial strains (55.6%) showed a crystalline precipitate when grown on solid medium supplemented with 0.5% ox bile. The crystalline structures produced by B. pseudolongum CIDCA 531 were isolated and analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, thin-layer chromatography, melting point, and specific cholesterol reactions. Those studies confirmed the presence of cholesterol in these crystalline structures. On the other hand, none of the lactobacilli and streptococci studied had the ability to produce crystalline precipitates.


The purpose of this study is to analyze the remote service freight forwarder as a key factor in the circuit of the charter. The methodology of the project was based on conducting research. Research was conducted through searching literature in books, articles in magazines, and on official websites about both the historical facts of crisis, the ways it treated and also current market conditions, recent developments in the cost of shipping services, recent trends and implications in the market and also how the whole industry was affected.
The main findings of the study showed that today shipping is on a decline due to industrial and consumer crisis. Moreover, the imbalance between demand and supply, which as the years go by shows more and more diferentiation, that increased supply and reduced demand justifies the industry crisis.


A N-carbamoyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase gene (hyuC) from Sinorhizobium morelens S-5 was cloned by LA PCR, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence encoded by the hyuC gene exhibited high homology to the amino acid sequences of D-carbamoylase from other sources. The gene could be highly expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant enzyme was purified 16.1-fold to homogeneity with a yield of 21.2% by heat treatment and three steps of column chromatography. The results of gel filtration on Superdex 200 HR and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis suggested that the enzyme was a tetramer protein of identical 38-kDa subunits. The recombinant enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of N-carbamoyl alpha-amino acid to the corresponding free amino acid, and it was strictly D-specific. The enzyme showed broad substrate specificity, and exhibited high activity in the hydrolysis of N-carbamoyl-D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine as substrate. The enzyme did not hydrolyze N-carbamoyl-beta-alanine. The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were pH 7.0 and 60 degrees C, respectively. Enzyme activity was slightly improved by Ca2+ and Fe2+, and nearly not affected by metal chelators and sulfhydryl reagents. The enzyme showed high thermal and oxidative stability. These results show that the enzyme has great potential for industrial application.


Purpose. Given the interest and momentum in medical education on psychological safety and the learning environment, we sought to evaluate whether there was an association between questioning style of attending physicians and their corresponding evaluations from learners.
Methods. Building on our prior study that developed a pimping scale to categorize the questioning styles of attending physicians on inpatient teaching services at two university-affiliated hospital internal medicine residency programs, this cross-sectional study examined the association between a physician's score on our scale and that physician's learner evaluations. For our primary outcome, we used the overall summative rating from teaching evaluations at both residencies, and for secondary outcomes we picked two questions from each residency's evaluation felt to be most characteristic of pimping behaviors.
Results. Including both residency programs, the range of evaluation values for the "overall attending rating" was 2-4 (potential range 1-4), and the mean for all faculty was 3.7. There was no correlation between attendings' pimping scores and their overall student rating (p = 0.65). At the Osler Residency, there was no correlation between attendings' pimping scores and student ratings for respectfulness (p = 0.87) or supportiveness (p = 0.67). At the Bayview Residency, there was no association between pimping scores and students rating of the attendings propensity to either ask questions in non-threatening way (p = 0.62) or explore complications and errors without intimidation (p = 0.78)
Conclusion. Pimping questioning behaviors do not appear to be correlated with teaching evaluations of attending physicians by house staff. This may be due to the limited scope and fidelity of current teacher evaluations. It is also possible that some residents have come to accept pimping-type questioning as a cultural norm in medical education.


In order to investigate the effect of the concentration of (NaPO3)6 on micro-arc oxidation coatings on magnesium alloys, the AZ91D magnesium alloy was processed with micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in alkaline solution containing (NaPO3)6. The result showed that ceramic oxide coatings containing the phases with high melting point and good corrosion resistance such as MgO, MgAlO4 and α-Al2O3 were obtained, and the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys was much improved. With the concentration of (NaPO3)6 increasing, the initial spark ignition voltages of MAO processes were reduced gradually, and the thickness and corrosion resistance of the coatings also progressively improved. There was, however, a critical value of (NaPO3)6 mass-concentration which would limit the improvement of the corrosion resistance of coatings. The appearance of net-shaped cracks on the coating surface could ruin the improvement of corrosion resistance of coatings due to improving the coating thickness and existence of excellent phases.


This study investigated the effect of tax reforms, economic growth and political environment on total tax, direct tax and indirect tax revenues using annual data for the period 1964-2016. Various techniques of analysis were employed: descriptive statistics, multi-segment regressions and non-linear regression. Results show that: all taxes responded positively to each of the tax reforms; changes in all taxes were affected by the reforms because GDP was also growing; economic growth has positive significant effect on all the categories of taxes; Government effectiveness has positive impact on indirect taxes; and that even though government control of corruption effect on tax revenues is statistically insignificant, it could promote the revenue generation more than economic growth. These findings have a number of policy implications: the government should put more emphasis on governance in order to promote revenue collection. Government effectiveness and control of corruption would go a long way to enhance tax compliance, reduce tax avoidance and evasion, eliminate illicit flows and reduce illegal collusion between tax payer and tax administrator that may deprive government of due revenues.  Secondly, government must work towards designing and implementing in the reforms that make the tax system more buoyant, and link it more to economic growth. Key Words: Tax Revenues; Tax Reforms; Economic Growth; Governance/political environment; Budget Deficit; Public Debt.


Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is one of the non-communicable disease which has become a major global health problem. A study done by the Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR) in 1970s reported a prevalence of 2.3% in urban areas (1,2) which has risen to 12-19% in 2000s. Although improving control of diabetes in India is important, the associated risks of tight control in high risk groups should also be kept in mind. Objectives: To study the prevalence of diabetes in urban population and to estimate the usefulness of the Indian diabetes risk score for detecting undiagnosed diabetes. Materials and Method: This is a community-based cross-sectional (descriptive) study carried out in the urban field practice area of Basaveswara Medical College and hospital which covers a population of 31186 from July to October 2019. Data was collected by using a validated questionnaire by house to house visit to find out the prevalence and the risk of diabetes mellitus in general population by using Indian diabetes risk score. Results: A total of 624 respondents were interviewed. Among them 298(24.35%) females and 326(26.63%) were males. Most 422(34.48%) had no family history of diabetes mellitus and 338 (27.61%) individuals were in the overweight category. Out of these overweight persons, 36.6% had high diabetic risk score.


This book has received the AESA (American Educational Studies Association) Critics Choice Award 2012. Community Service Learning (CSL) is, potentially, the most powerful and far-reaching educational reform movement in recent memory. Yet, that potential has yet to be realized. One major reason for CSL's limited success is found in its runaway conceptual confusion: in becoming everything to everyone, CSL has lost its philosophical bearings and, not surprisingly, its practical value. This study attempts to restore CSL's philosophical bearings, arguing that there are particular understandings of its components that imply particular kinds of educational practices. In this philosophical clarification lies the hope that CSL can meet its immense potential as a transformative school and community practice. This book is a must-have for teachers, school administrators, educational scholars, and students who have an interest in making schools a vital community resource.


Pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs, cooled in ice water to terminus, were found to have a 96% incidence of ventricular fibrillation. Plasma potassium levels were uniformly depressed at low body temperatures. Treatment with Intravenous potassium chloride, 150– 250 mg/kg, reduced the frequency of fibrillation to 57%. Administration of EDTA (ethylene diamine tetracetic acid), 75 mg/kg in divided doses, lowered serum calcium levels but affected the incidence of fibrillation only slightly. Combined therapy with potassium chloride and EDTA reduced the incidence of ventricular fibrillation to 50%. These results are interpreted as indicating that ionic imbalance observed with hypothermia produces a marked arrhythmic tendency and that proper alteration of plasma potassium levels reduces the danger of fibrillation.

Submitted on July 28, 1958


Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) primes reduced neutrophil nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity in response to formyl peptide but does not increase oxidase activity when used alone. Both oxidase activity and degranulation require phospholipase D (PLD) activation, and exogenous C(2)-ceramide inhibits both functions through inhibition of PLD activity. We extended these observations to investigate neutrophil responses to GCSF. GCSF at a dosage of 30 to 100 ng/mL, a concentration range that primes superoxide release, stimulated a 60% to 100% increase in gelatinase release from tertiary granules but did not stimulate lactoferrin release from secondary granules. A 75% to 100% dose-dependent increase in PLD activity in GCSF-treated neutrophils was also observed. Gelatinase release and PLD activity were inhibited by 10 micromol/L C(2)-ceramide. The increase in gelatinase release in response to priming concentrations of GCSF suggests that tertiary granules contribute a component of the NADPH oxidase to the plasma membrane. Neutrophils treated with 50 ng/mL GCSF were found to contain 20% more cytochrome b(558) in the plasma membrane fraction than unstimulated cells, consistent with degranulation of only tertiary granules. Correspondingly, in the presence of 10 micromol/L C(2)-ceramide, cytochrome b(558) content in the plasma membrane did not increase after neutrophil activation. In contrast, GCSF did not lead to p47phox translocation to the plasma membrane or phosphorylation. Because phosphorylation and translocation of p47phox are required for oxidase activity, these findings account for the inability of GCSF alone to generate the respiratory burst. We conclude that translocation of cytochrome b(558) was responsible for GCSF priming of NADPH oxidase in neutrophils.


Aim/Purpose Multiple emotional and cognitive resources are needed for graduate students to overcome stress associated with balancing studies and personal life. This research aimed to explore the difficulties, which graduate student-mothers face while balancing school and parenting, and describe mechanisms of the balancing process. Background Graduate student-mothers need to structure their time so that they can equally distribute their energy between their children and graduate school work. Mothers face challenges in balancing graduate school and parenting, making choices between school and family responsibilities. This paper addresses the perceptions and experiences of graduate student-mothers who navigate coping with multiple role responsibilities. Methodology Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with eight graduate studentmothers who studied at a research-intensive university. Thematic analysis was used to explore the process of balancing graduate school and mothering. Contribution In this paper we describe the mechanisms of the balancing process among graduate student-mothers and lay a foundation for the future research on coping strategies utilized by this population. Findings Student-mothers may perceive balancing graduate school and mothering as a challenge, feeling guilty for not spending enough time at school and with their children, and experiencing stress choosing between school and mothering responsibilities. The coping mechanisms for balancing graduate school and parenting roles are compartmentalization, changing behavior, and changing thoughts. Balancing Graduate School and Mothering 314 Recommendations for Practitioners Graduate student-mothers could benefit from specific psychotherapeutic services within their institutions, learning to deal with the stress of balancing graduate school and mothering. Compartmentalization is a balancing mechanism that mothers may learn to use in counseling, separating life experiences of school and family in their mind and preventing feelings from one area of life – graduate school – to intervene with emotions related to mothering. Impact on Society Current research highlights the necessity of counseling services tailored specifically for graduate student-mothers, who may have increased levels of stress due to multiple responsibilities. Future Research The research on the effectiveness of suggested counseling strategies should follow.


North American river otters (Lutra canadensis) were anesthetized with tiletamine-zolazepam or tiletamine-zolazepam-flumazenil combinations in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Otter Restoration Project for evaluation of physiologic changes during anesthesia. Sixteen otters received tiletamine-zolazepam (4 mg/kg combined, i.m.) in 1994. Induction and recovery times were recorded and physiologic data (heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, relative oxyhemoglobin saturation, and mean arterial blood pressure) were collected at 5-min intervals. Respiratory depression developed initially in all otters, and median relative oxyhemoglobin saturation remained below 90% for the first 15 min of anesthesia. Anesthetic induction with tiletamine-zolazepam was rapid and smooth, but recovery was prolonged (median = 89 min) and characterized by persistent head motion. In 1995, flumazenil was evaluated as a partial antagonist for tiletamine-zolazepam anesthesia in otters. Sixteen otters were anesthetized with tiletamine-zolazepam (4 mg/kg combined, i.m.) and given flumazenil (1 mg per 25 mg of zolazepam) after 20 min. Flumazenil markedly shortened recovery time in all otters anesthetized with tiletamine-zolazepam (median = 65 min) with no adverse effects.


Physics simulators are widely used in robotics fields, from mechanical design to dynamic simulation, and controller design. This paper presents an open-source MATLAB/Simulink simulator for rigid-body articulated systems, including manipulators and floating-base robots. Thanks to MATLAB/Simulink features like MATLAB system classes and Simulink function blocks, the presented simulator combines a programmatic and block-based approach, resulting in a flexible design in the sense that different parts, including its physics engine, robot-ground interaction model, and state evolution algorithm are simply accessible and editable. Moreover, through the use of Simulink dynamic mask blocks, the proposed simulation framework supports robot models integrating open-chain and closed-chain kinematics with any desired number of links interacting with the ground. The simulator can also integrate second-order actuator dynamics. Furthermore, the simulator benefits from a one-line installation and an easy-to-use Simulink interface.


We use the LOCal oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) method as a fabrication technique to define submicrometer photonic waveguides. We attempted fabricating the wire waveguides with two different masking processes, one with a stack of pad oxide and silicon nitride layers, and the other with a single silicon nitride layer. The smallest waveguide we achieved had a cross-section profile of 280 nm×650 nm. The propagation loss of the waveguides was measured by the cut-back method, and the bending loss was measured by employing the serpentine pattern. The minimum propagation loss achieved was 8.78 dB/cm and the bending loss was 0.0089 dB/90° bend for a 5 μm bending radius.


Expressions are derived for minimum propagation-delay time and DC operational conditions in the I/SUP 2/L circuit configuration, and are applied to several kinds of I/SUP 2/L limitations. 1) Ultimately achievable (roughly 0.34 ns, fan-out of 2) and reasonably expected minimum propagation-delay values (0.75-1.0 ns considering simple n-p-n limitations) are estimated. 2) Speed improvements of the standard I/SUP 2/L structure via doping level adjustment is shown to be minimal (it is primarily useful for ensurance of DC operation). 3) Requiring analog compatibility further constrains performance; a figure of merit of about 1 to 2 V/ns is derived and experimentally confirmed for the product of analog device BV/SUB CBO/ and I/SUP 2/L speed for standard epitaxial I/SUP 2/L processing. Radical techniques using dual buried layers, dual epitaxial layers, or Poly I/SUP 2/L offer considerably enhanced performance by attacking the parameter with primary leverage on these tradeoffs: base-to-buried layer spacing W/SUB epi/. Analysis of Poly I/SUP 2/L reveals specific advantages.


The theory of ferromagnetism, as it is usually formulated, suffers from certain inconsistencies, especially as regards the definition of spontaneous magnetization. In this paper the situation is discussed from an elementary point of view, that is, considering only the statistical aspect of the problem, and omitting the more fundamental physical treatment of the molecular fields. It is intended to show as simply as possible, first, the origin of some of the undesired results of the Weiss Equation; second, the type of solution which a correct theory would probably give for perfect crystals; and third, to give a derivation of equations similar to the Weiss Equation, but from which it becomes apparent without further assumptions that the results cannot be applied indiscriminately to the whole magnetization curve. Finally an attempt is made to correlate the predictions of the theory with experimental data on the magnetization of actual crystals. Fundamental to any discussion of ferromagnetism is the idea of spontaneous magnetization of Weiss, mathematically expressed in his famous equation, now slightly modified by the introduction of spacial quantization. Based on this we have the work of Akulov and Becker showing how various properties of crystals and elastically distorted materials may be described in terms of a few empirical constants, the number of these constants being limited by the structural symmetry of the material. Almost aII the applications of Weiss's spontaneous magnetization to actual problems require the assumption that the material is not spontaneously magnetized in its entirety, but that only small regions are so magnetized, the resultant observed magnetization being determined by the distribution of the direction of magnetization of these regions. This assumption, however, is a flat contradiction of Weiss's Equation, which states that spontaneous magnetization exists irrespective of the size of the sample under consideration. In spite of the very considerable progress that has been made in recent years in our understanding of ferromagnetic phenomena the situation is not altogether satisfactory, primarily because these regions of spontaneous magnetization are introduced into a theory which specifically denies their existence.


Short synthetic routes to a range of BEDT-TTF derivatives functionalised with two, four or eight hydroxyl groups are reported, of interest because of their potential for introducing hydrogen bonding between donor and anion into their radical cation salts. The cycloaddition of 1,3-dithiole-2,4,5-trithione with alkenes to construct 5,6-dihydro-1,3-dithiolo[4,5-b]1,4-dithiin-2-thiones is a key step, with homo- or hetero-coupling procedures and O-deprotection completing the syntheses. The first synthesis of a single diastereomer of tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)BEDT-TTF, the cis,trans product, was achieved by careful choice of O-protecting groups to facilitate separation of homo- and hetero-coupled products. Cyclisation of the trithione with enantiopure 1R,2R,5R,6R-bis(O,O-isopropylidene)hex-3-ene-1,2,5,6-tetrol (from D-mannitol) gave two separable diastereomeric thiones, which can be transformed to enantiomeric BEDT-TTF derivatives with four or eight hydroxyl groups.


Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are common after stroke and associated with poor outcomes in stroke survivors. Although prior traumatic event experience has been linked to elevated risk of PTSD from a subsequent event, few studies have examined the influence of prior stroke experience on mental health conditions following a subsequent stroke. We hypothesized that prior stroke/TIA experience would be associated with PTSD and depression independently of PTSD following stroke. As part of the Discharge Educational Strategies for Reduction of Vascular Events (DESERVE) trial, a multi-ethnic group of mild/moderate stroke/TIA patients were enrolled in a behavioral intervention to reduce vascular risk. Symptoms of partial or full PTSD and depression were assessed in a six month follow-up survey in 134 patients using the PTSD Checklist and Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression scale (CES-D), respectively. PTSD was defined as meeting any DSM-IV criterion B-D, and depression as those with CES-D scores ≥ 8. Patients were categorized as having: 1) no depression or PTSD, 2) depression only, or 3) PTSD (with or without depression). Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression were used to examine the association between prior stroke/TIA experience and depression/PTSD. One-third (33.1%) of patients had experienced a prior stroke or TIA. At follow-up, 9.0% and 34.3% of patients met criteria for PTSD and depression without PTSD, respectively. Patients with prior stroke/TIA had 3.6 times greater odds of developing PTSD from the index stroke (95% CI: 1.0-13.3) and 2.7 times the odds of depression only (95% CI: 1.2-6.3) after controlling for age and race/ethnicity. Stroke/TIA patients who had experienced a previous stroke/TIA had significantly greater odds of developing not only PTSD but also depression than those who had not had a previous stroke/TIA. Given the high rate of recurrent stroke and the negative mental health consequences highlighted in this study, interventions that focus on prevention of recurrent stroke are crucial for promoting both physical and psychological well-being among stroke survivors.


Exact expressions are derived for the performance of predetection maximal ratio combiner diversity reception with L correlated branches in Nakagami fading. Bit error rates are evaluated for both coherent and noncoherent binary phase-shift-keying and frequency-shift-keying signals, starting from the L-variate moment generating function of the random input power vector. The new formulation presented for the bit error rate, in which the covariance matrix of the fading at the L branches explicitly appears, allows arbitrary branch correlation to be taken into account for any diversity order in the case of identical fading severity on the branches. Results are presented for evaluation of the outage probability, for integer values of fading severity, as well as for the effect of the presence of unbalanced channels with arbitrary correlation.


Low-passage isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi induced arthritis when injected into the hind paws of irradiated hamsters, while high-passage isolates did not. To examine a possible mechanism for induction of arthritis, peritoneal exudate cells were coincubated with high- and low-passage isolates of B. burgdorferi, and the resultant conditioned medium was assayed for interleukin-1 (IL-1) activity. Comparable amounts of IL-1 activity were detected in culture supernatants generated by high- and low-passage spirochetes and were dependent on the number of spirochetes added. Live B. burgdorferi stimulated greater release of IL-1 activity than did heat-killed organisms. No evidence of release of IL-1 due to shedding of soluble components from spirochetes was obtained. A recombinant human IL-1 receptor antagonist blocked the proliferative activity of conditioned medium in a murine thymocyte assay for IL-1 activity. The greater ability of low-passage spirochetes to survive in vivo may be more important than the ability to induce IL-1 production in the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis.


Computer simulations are carried out for calculating the electromagnetic field distribution and frequency in either 2-D coordinates (by SUPERFISH) or 3-D coordinates (by MAFIA), by which the tunners, the end cells, the coupling cells and other components of the radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) are designed. The designing principle is that the E-field longitudinal distribution and the local quadrupole cut-off frequency should be kept as constant as possible.


As a representative of the Chinese classics, Lunyu was researched by numerous scholars. There are a lot of factors that influence the translation of Lunyu. In this paper, through analysis of their translated versions and their cultural identity, the author explored how a translator's cultural identity influences his translation. In conclusion, it leads to a final conclusion through the discussion: the translators' identity determines the translating purposes, and translating purposes determine selection of translating strategies; translators' cultural identity influences their translation of cultural messages.


Surface structures, particularly numerous body sculptures of the nematode M. laryngeus recovered from cattle in Cuba were studied by scanning electron microscopy. New morphological structures in form of "granulations" were found of the mouth capsule. The structure of cuticle in region of vulva opening and of bursa cuticle was described in detail. It was found that even older preserved material of helminths can be used for SEM studies.


Transhumanism is interrogated from critical race theoretical and decolonial perspectives with a view to establishing its 'algorithmic' relationship to historical processes of race formation (or racialization) within Euro-American historical experience. Although the Transhumanist project is overdetermined vis-a-vis its raison-d'etre, it is argued that a useful way of thinking about this project is in terms of its relationship to the shifting phenomenon of 'whiteness'. It is suggested that Transhumanism constitutes a techno-scientific response to the phenomenon of 'White Crisis' at least partly prompted by 'critical' posthumanist contestation of Eurocentrically-universal humanism.


Bambi Billman is a Ph.D. student at the University of Connecticut. Her research interests include the study of classical myth in modern and contemporary theatre, Francophone literatures, and pedagogy. She recently presented a paper entitled ''Staging Electra: O'Neill, Sartre, and Beyond.'' Mark Humphries is a Ph.D. student at the University of Connecticut. His interests include Francophone literature and the development of national mythologies. His recent publications include ''Assembled Symmetries, False Alterity: Orientalism and National Genesis in The Song of Roland.''


Thermoluminescence (TL) dating was applied for artefacts found near the small village of Michelstetten, Lower Austria. Settlements in this region can be traced hack a long time and, according to archaeologists, the discovered artefacts may be as old as 6000 years. A modified sample preparation technique based on the fine-grain method was developed. This technique results in a higher reproducibility and reduces the overall preparation time. For some artefacts the new information of the TL dating leads to an unforeseen re-interpretation of the archaeological age. Furthermore, an iron furnace from the period of the Roman Empire could be dated. For the first time, it was possible to estimate correctly the point of time of the burn-down of an ancient wooden house via an analysis of the house's clay plaster. The fire took place in the sixth century; this was confirmed by dating ceramic artefacts.


Dengue represents a serious public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. The number of dengue cases and its geographical expansion has increased in recent decades, driven mostly after by social and environmental factors. In Costa Rica, it has been endemic since it was first introduced in 1993. In this article, wavelet analyzes (wavelet power spectrum and wavelet coherence) were performed to detect and quantify dengue periodicity and describe patterns of synchrony between dengue incidence and climatic and environmental factors: Normalized Difference Water Index, Enhanced Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Tropical North Atlantic indices, Land Surface Temperature, and El Niño Southern Oscillation indices in 32 different cantons, using dengue surveillance from 2000 to 2019. Results showed that the dengue dominant cycles are in periods of 1, 2, and 3 years. The wavelet coherence analysis showed that the vegetation indices are correlated with dengue incidence in places located in the central and Northern Pacific of the country in the period of 1 year. Climatic variables such as El Niño 3, 3.4, 4, showed a strong correlation with dengue incidence in the period of 3 years and the Tropical North Atlantic is correlated with dengue incidence in the period of 1 year. Land Surface Temperature showed a strong correlation with dengue time series in the 32 cantons.


Systemic sclerosis is a fibrotic autoimmune disease in which aberrant remodeling of the extracellular matrix in organs disturbs their functionalities. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of gelatinases on systemic sclerosis. Consequently, a mouse model of systemic sclerosis was employed and the gelatinolytic activity of gelatinases was evaluated on the fibrotic tissues of this model. Two groups of ten mice were considered in this work: a group of systemic sclerosis model and control group. For the generation of systemic sclerosis model, mice received bleomycin, while the control group was subjected to phosphate buffered saline (PBS) reception. Mice were tested for fibrosis by using trichrome staining, hydroxyproline measurement and α-SMA detection in tissue sections. Additionally, the gelatinolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and matrix metalloproteinase 9 were measured using gelatin zymography in lungs and skin tissue homogenates. The obtained results indicated that subcutaneous injection of bleomycin-induced fibrosis in skin and lung tissues of mice. Pro and active forms of matrix methaloproteinase 9 were increased in fibrotic lung tissues (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively), while, the gelatinolytic activity of MMP2 was unaffected in these tissues. Additionally, in skin tissues of bleomycin-treated animals, both pro and active forms of MMP9 and MMP2 were increased (p<0.05). Pro and active forms of gelatinases increase differently in skin and lung tissues of bleomycin-induced scleroderma.


The preferred orientation of crystalline films in hybrid perovskite materials is known to influence the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Although the preferred growth along the (112) directions has been reported to promote charge transport within the Pb-based polycrystalline perovskite films, the preferred orientation growth of this facet is still difficult to be achieved due to the higher formation energy compared with the (110) plane. Herein, Sn-Pb binary perovskite films with a well-controlled orientation along the (224) plane were achieved by introducing a simple ultrasonic treatment (UST) into the additive engineering fabricated method. UST is used to process the perovskite precursor solutions of tartaric acid (TA) modified Sn-Pb binary polycrystalline perovskite films to regulate the interactions between PbI2/SnI2 and TA in the intermediate phases. Meanwhile, TA-modulated MA0.9Cs0.1Pb0.75Sn0.25I3-based perovskite films with a preferred orientation of (224) crystal plane were obtained by precisely controlling the UST time to 15 min. The highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.59% with less hysteresis and improved stability was achieved, while realizing 8.64 and 25.32% enhancements of PCE compared with that of TA-based and control counterparts with (110) preferred orientation, respectively. Our work provides a promising route to obtain preferred orientation growth of polycrystalline perovskite films. In particular, we have shown that this approach improves the performance of Sn-Pb binary PSCs, while such methodology is quite flexible and could also be applied to other low-/non-toxic PSCs.


ABSTRACT Analyzing Candida albicans isolates from different human and animal individuals by Ca3 fingerprinting, we obtained no evidence for host-specific genotypes and for the existence of species-specific lineages, even though a certain degree of separation between human and animal isolates was found. Therefore, animals could potentially serve as reservoirs for human Candida infection.


We have used a new approach to test the possible participation of lysosomes in the degradation of long-lived proteins. Rat liver lysosomal proteins were introduced, via multilamellar liposomes, into L-132 cells. Viability and protein synthesis were not impaired by this treatment. The liposomal content was released into the lysosomes of the cultured cells, as revealed by ferritin uptake and electron microscopy. Degradation rates of long-lived proteins increased with the uptake of lysosomal proteases. However, the increased protein degradation of chloroquine and leupeptin, in contrast to the inhibition by these reagents of the increased protein degradation of cells 'starved' of serum (step-down conditions). This approach opens a new way of investigating the degradation of intracellular proteins in cultured cells.


X-ray imaging coupled with recently emerged energy-resolved photon counting detectors provides the ability to differentiate material components and to estimate their respective thicknesses. However, such techniques require highly accurate images. The presence of scattered radiation leads to a loss of spatial contrast and, more importantly, a bias in radiographic material imaging and artefacts in computed tomography (CT). The aim of the present study was to introduce and evaluate a partial attenuation spectral scatter separation approach (PASSSA) adapted for multi-energy imaging. This evaluation was carried out with the aid of numerical simulations provided by an internal simulation tool, Sindbad-SFFD. A simplified numerical thorax phantom placed in a CT geometry was used. The attenuation images and CT slices obtained from corrected data showed a remarkable increase in local contrast and internal structure detectability when compared to uncorrected images. Scatter induced bias was also substantially decreased. In terms of quantitative performance, the developed approach proved to be quite accurate as well. The average normalized root-mean-square error between the uncorrected projections and the reference primary projections was around 23%. The application of PASSSA reduced this error to around 5%. Finally, in terms of voxel value accuracy, an increase by a factor  >10 was observed for most inspected volumes-of-interest, when comparing the corrected and uncorrected total volumes.


Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains the most common nosocomial infection in ICUs. VAP occurs in 10-20% of patients who are mechanically ventilated for more than 48 h. The interval between diagnosis and the availability of microbiological results is the period when clinicians would most benefit from a reliable biomarker that could provide an early indication of poor response. Serum-soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) belongs to the immunoglobin superfamily, and it has the advantage of being increased during infectious processes but not in noninfectious inflammatory conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the value of serum level of sTREM-1 as a diagnostic biomarker for VAP in comparison with commonly used indicators, including procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP). This study was carried out on 60 participants. They were divided into two groups: group I included 30 adult patients with clinically suspected VAP, and group II included 30 ICU ventilated patients of the same age group without VAP and free of other infectious diseases who served as the control group. They were selected from the ICUs of Chest and other Departments, Tanta University Hospitals, during the period from January 2014 until September 2014. The present study revealed that serum level of sTREM-1 was significantly higher in patients with VAP in comparison with the control group. It was also concluded that serum level of sTREM-1 was significantly higher in VAP patients with bacterial growth culture results than in VAP patients with no growth culture results. A diagnostic cutoff value greater than 110 pg/ml with a sensitivity of 87.5%, specificity of 83.3%, positive predictive value of 95.5%, and negative predictive value of 62.5% of serum sTREM-1 level could discriminate positive culture results from negative culture results in VAP patients, which were higher than that of serum levels of PCT and CRP. It was concluded that serum level of sTREM-1 was significantly higher in VAP patients in comparison with non-VAP patients and it showed the highest sensitivity and specificity (87.5 and 83.3%, respectively) in differentiating between VAP patients with bacterial growth culture results and VAP patients with no growth culture results compared with PCT and CRP levels, thus rendering serum level of sTREM-1 a novel diagnostic marker for VAP.


Reforestation programs should be supported by adequate forest nursery techniques. Seedlings used for reforestation programs in Indonesia were based on the height of seedlings ready to be planted in the field without basic knowledge of seedling morphology. White jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba [Roxb.] Miq.), a potentially fast-growing multipurpose tree species, has been extensively planted for land rehabilitation and reforestation programs. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of seed viability and initial morphology (diameter and height classes) of A. cadamba seedlings on field survival and growth after planting at Parungpanjang Research Station, Bogor, Indonesia. Correlations were found between seedling characteristics at initial stages and survival or growth in the field: seed viability and seedling height; seedling diameter or survival rate in the field; and seedling height growth in both the nursery and field. Thus, more viable seeds may predict better seedling height growth, seedling diameter growth, and higher survival in the field after planting. The morphology class of H2D4 (height 20–< 30 cm, diameter > 4.5 mm) was a good diameter and height class because of good sturdiness quotient of 5.47 and also high total dry weight of 3.05 g.


The temperature dependence of the far-infrared reflectivity spectra of the potassium ammonium dihydrogenphosphate mixed crystal system, K1-x(NH4)xH2PO4, is reported for three selected ammonium concentrations, x=0.01, 0.3 and 0.97, over a wide temperature range, 7-250 K. A phase transition is observed in mixed crystals for x=0.01 and 0.97. The occurrence of a glassy state in the mixed crystal for x=0.3 is shown by the spectroscopic study, no ferro- or antiferroelectric order appears upon cooling to liquid helium temperature, and the onset of freezing at about 120 K is manifested by the low-frequency dielectric dispersion observed below 10 cm-1.


Understanding the relationship between reading fluency and comprehension is important. Reading fluency strategies can be used to help increase overall reading comprehension in students. Five students and one parent participated in the study of how repeated readings impact overall reading comprehension. Students were exposed to a set of reading passages that were read each week, and data was collected. At the end of the school year, students were given a reading comprehension post assessment to compare the results from September. When analyzing the data, it was clear that the repeated reading strategy was successful in increasing reading comprehension among the students. These findings suggest that fluency strategies such as repeated reading should be a major focus of instruction for students. Document Type Thesis Degree Name MS in Literacy Education Department Education Subject Categories Education This thesis is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters/224 Understanding the Relationship between Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension: Fluency Strategies as a Focus for Instruction


Objective: To prove microtubule associated serine/threonine kinase 3 (MAST3) gene is associated with neurodevelopmental diseases (NDD) and the genotype-phenotype correlation. Methods: Trio exome sequencing (trio ES) was performed on four NDD trios. Bioinformatic analysis was conducted based on large-scale genome sequencing data and human brain transcriptomic data. Further in vivo zebrafish studies were performed. Results: In our study, we identified four de novo MAST3 variants (NM_015016.1: c.302C > T:p.Ser101Phe; c.311C > T:p.Ser104Leu; c.1543G > A:p.Gly515Ser; and c.1547T > C:p.Leu516Pro) in four patients with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) separately. Clinical heterogeneities were observed in patients carrying variants in domain of unknown function (DUF) and serine-threonine kinase (STK) domain separately. Using the published large-scale exome sequencing data, higher CADD scores of missense variants in DUF domain were found in NDD cohort compared with gnomAD database. In addition, we obtained an excess of missense variants in DUF domain when compared autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) cohort with gnomAD database, similarly an excess of missense variants in STK domain when compared DEE cohort with gnomAD database. Based on Brainspan datasets, we showed that MAST3 expression was significantly upregulated in ASD and DEE-related brain regions and was functionally linked with DEE genes. In zebrafish model, abnormal morphology of central nervous system was observed in mast3a/b crispants. Conclusion: Our results support the possibility that MAST3 is a novel gene associated with NDD which could expand the genetic spectrum for NDD. The genotype-phenotype correlation may contribute to future genetic counseling.


We compare the ability of state and federal regulators to deter misconduct by investment advisers. Dodd-Frank shifted oversight responsibility for mid-size firms ($25M-$100M in assets) from the SEC to state-securities regulators for exogenous reasons. We find that client complaints increased 60% for mid-size advisers, relative to similar advisers continuing under SEC oversight. Complaints increased more in states with less-staff-per-adviser. Advisers with histories of misconduct, serving older and less-educated clients, and located farther from regulators misbehaved more. Severity increased as awarded damages doubled and denial rates dropped 10%. The results suggest state regulators deter less misconduct, especially against less-sophisticated clients. JEL: G24, G28, D14, D18


Apoptosis is an essential defensive mechanism against tumorigenesis. Proteins of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family regulates programmed cell death by the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. In response to intracellular stresses, the apoptotic balance is governed by interactions of three distinct subgroups of proteins; the activator/sensitizer BH3 (Bcl-2 homology 3)-only proteins, the pro-survival, and the pro-apoptotic executioner proteins. Changes in expression levels, stability, and functional impairment of pro-survival proteins can lead to an imbalance in tissue homeostasis. Their overexpression or hyperactivation can result in oncogenic effects. Pro-survival Bcl-2 family members carry out their function by binding the BH3 short linear motif of pro-apoptotic proteins in a modular way, creating a complex network of protein-protein interactions. Their dysfunction enables cancer cells to evade cell death. The critical role in homeostasis and tumorigenesis coupled with progress in their structural elucidation, has led to consider pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins as therapeutic targets. A better understanding of the transcriptomic level, mutational status and molecular mechanism underlying pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins in different cancer types, could help to clarify their role in cancer development and may guide advancement in drug discovery, targeting these proteins. Here, we shed light on pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins in breast cancer by proposing a 'multiscale' bioinformatic approach. We analyzed the changes in expression of the Bcl-2 proteins and their BH3-containing interactors, in breast cancer samples. We then studied, at the structural level, a selection of interactions, also accounting for effects induced by mutations found in the breast cancer samples. We identified the complexes between the up-regulated BCL2A1 and two down-regulated BH3-only candidates (HRK and NR4A1) as targets associated with reduced apoptosis in breast cancer samples, which could deserve future experimental validation. We predicted as damaging mutations altering protein stability L99R, M75R, along with Y120C as a possible allosteric mutation from an exposed surface to the BH3-binding site.


Many manufacturing companies are now using Lean Manufacturing (LM) as a corporate strategy to increase their global competitiveness. Lean tools such as Kaizen, 5S, Total Productive Maintenance, Kanban, Total Quality Management, Visual Stream Mapping and others are implemented as projects aimed at creating processes that give the company a competitive advantage over its competitors by reducing waste. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of lean manufacturing implementation in the Kenyan manufacturing sector. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population consisted of 653 manufacturing companies that were current members of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers in 2013. Stratified sampling was applied to the sampling frame in order to achieve equitable representation of respondents from different categories of the manufacturing companies. A total of 84 respondents, one from each selected company, were selected to participate in the study. A questionnaire was sent to each respondent. A total of 37 questionnaires were returned representing a 44.0% response rate. An agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis technique was used to uncover three lean manufacturing clusters that existed in the Kenyan manufacturing sector. Lean drivers and lean barriers were analyzed based on these lean clusters. The results showed that focus on customers is the main driving force that causes companies in the Kenyan manufacturing sector to implement lean manufacturing irrespective of their lean status. Increased flexibility and being part of the company's continuous improvement programs had the least influence on lean implementation. Lean barriers that had the greatest influence of hindering lean manufacturing implementation were lack of understanding on Lean Manufacturing concepts followed closely by cost of implementation. It was concluded that a lot of education and training on lean manufacturing and implementation is required within the Kenyan manufacturing sector.


The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of short-term exposure to concentrated ambient particles (CAPs*) on lung function and on inflammatory parameters in blood and airways of healthy human subjects. Particles were concentrated from the ambient air in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, using a Harvard/EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) ambient fine particle concentrator (HAPC). Each of 38 subjects was exposed either to filtered air (n = 8) or to CAPs (n = 30) for two hours, during which all subjects intermittently exercised. Blood was obtained immediately before and 18 hours after exposure. Also at 18 hours after exposure, viable bronchial biopsy tissues and lavage samples were obtained from 10 CAPs-exposed and 7 control subjects by fiberoptic bronchoscopy. To balance these two groups, additional biopsy tissues were obtained from 4 control subjects participating in an identical protocol for another study. For the CAPs-exposed group, the concentration of particulate matter measuring 2.5 microm or less in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) in the exposure aerosols varied from 23.1 to 311.1 microg/m3; for the filtered air group, mean particle concentration was 2.9 microg/m3. For comparative analyses, the CAPs-exposed subjects were separated into three tertiles on the basis of the final concentration of particles to which they were exposed. Lung function, assessed by spirometry and plethysmography before and immediately after exposure, was unaffected by CAPs. Of the inflammatory parameters studied in blood, subjects exposed to CAPs showed mean increases in fibrinogen of 40 to 48 mg/dL with no obvious differentiation by dose, whereas subjects exposed to filtered air showed no change; red and white blood cell counts were unaffected by CAPs exposure. In bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from CAPs-exposed subjects, neutrophils showed a dose-dependent increase both when analyzed as an absolute cell count and as a percentage of total lavaged cells. Bronchial biopsy tissues from 10 CAPs-exposed subjects and 11 control subjects did not show any consistent effect of CAPs exposure on cell counts or adhesion molecule expression. We conclude that CAPs induced a modest degree of airway inflammation as judged by lavage, but this effect was not reflected in biopsy tissues from proximal airways. This discrepant finding may mean that the inflammatory effect of CAPs occurs in more distal airways or that the health effects of PM are driven by processes other than those investigated in this study.


In this paper, two fingerprint verification methods based on the discrete and continuous hidden markov model(HMM) are proposed, and those performances are evaluated. First, the optimal number of state for the continuous HMM is investigated. In case of x direction analysis, the number of state is less than the number of state which are necessary in case of y direction analysis, because there is a blank area in the upper part of fingerprint image. Next, the verification abilities of the discrete and continuous HMM are compared. When the HMM for one finger was built from 10 fingerprint images for a fingerprint registration, 100 [%] and 99.9[%] verification rates were obtained respectively using the discrete and continuous HMM (Type II error 0 [%]). However the memory capacity which is needed for a fingerprint registration is fewer in the continuous HMM, and it is shown that about 6 k bytes are necessary.


The study aims to analyze the posts related to death on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Thus, the study examines the gravity of death among the social media users and the impact of digital narcissism on the aesthetics of death. The theoretical framework for this study is based on Christopher Lasch's book The Culture of Narcissism, which provides insights into the influence of web 2.0, particularly the digital platforms that are used to post death related contents. The study utilizes a summative content analysis approach, focusing on selected statuses and corresponding comments on Facebook and Twitter that pertain to death. The findings of the summative content analysis suggest that Facebook and Twitter have been poorly managed, leading to mistreatment of human values and attitudes towards death. For instance, insensitive comments on the death-related posts indicate a form of abuse within these digital platforms. Additionally, the study highlights the growing use of emojis in expressing grief and mourning on the Web 2.0 platforms. The study concludes that the rise of Web 2.0 such as social media platforms has led to a shallow and often disrespectful portrayal of death, ultimately diminishing its intrinsic beauty and significance.


SEIR (Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered) is a general and widely-used diffusion model that can model the diffusion in different contexts such as idea spreading and disease propagation. Here, we tackle the problem of inferring graph edges if we can only observe a SEIR diffusion process spreading over the nodes of a graph. This problem is of importance in the common case where node states can be estimated with less cost than the edges can be found. Some applications include inferring a contact network from disease spread data, inferring a reference network from idea spreading, or estimating influenza diffusion rates between U.S. states. We improve upon the existing approaches for this problem in three ways: (1) we assume we are provided only with the probabilistic information about the state of each node which may also be undersampled or incomplete; (2) we present a more general framework that better uses trace data to model edge non-existence under SEIR model; (3) we can infer the network at both micro and macro scales. Experiments on both real and synthetic data show that our method is accurate under these challenging cases at multiple scales, and it performs consistently better than the existing methods. For instance, we can infer a high school human contact network at microscale by tracking influenza diffusion almost 10% better than the existing methods as well as the estimated networks closely mimick the full range of properties of the true network. We also estimated the strength of the influenza diffusion between and inside the U.S. states from Google Flu Trends data at macroscale. Estimated rates are correlated with the human transportation rates between the states to a certain degree, and we gain interesting insight into the influenza diffusion in U.S. such as the importance of the less populous states in epidemics as well as the asymmetric influenza diffusion between U.S. states.


Abstract Burnout is an occupationally based syndrome that develops as a result of prolonged and cumulative stress. The experience of burnout has been documented in detail in a variety of human service professions. The purpose of this article is two-fold: to provide an alternative theoretical perspective on the development of burnout, which suggests it is not stressors per se that are responsible for burnout development; and, to use this alternative perspective as an explanation for burnout in the context of another human service profession — humanitarian work. Using the passion for activities notion conceptualised by Vallerand and colleagues (2003), it is explained how a lack of self-determination and autonomy leads to the development of an obsessive passion for an activity. Obsessive passion is linked to a variety of adverse cognitive and affective outcomes. This is then applied to the domain of humanitarian work, and it is suggested individuals with an obsessive passion are more likely to suffer adverse outcomes and consequently develop burnout when working in humanitarian crises. Some suggestions for future theoretical and empirical investigations regarding the relationship between obsessive passion and burnout are provided.


MDS and MPD are rare in children, however, they are important because the diagnosis is difficult and the prognosis is generally very poor. We conducted a prospective registration of patients suspected of having MDS employing pathological central review through the MDS Committee of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Hematology. Of total, 222 children were enrolled between 1999 and 2006: 96 cases of primary MDS (RA 52, RAEB 25, RAEB-T 19, by FAB classification; RA 28, RCMD 24, RAEB-1 11, RAEB-2 28, AML 5 by WHO classification), 71 cases of JMML (excluding patients with Noonan syndrome and NF1), 1 case of CMML, 19 cases of therapy-related MDS (t-MDS), and 35 cases with constitutional predisposition to MDS. There were128 male and 94 female. The median age at diagnosis was 4.5 years (range, 0.0–19.2 years): primary MDS, 6.8y (0.3–17.4); JMML, 1.5y (0.1–7.1); t-MDS, 11.9y (2.8–19.2); Constitutional MDS, 2.1y (0.0–14.7).The median follow up for 144 surviving patients was 39 months (range 1 to 118 months) after diagnosis. The 3-year overall survival (OS) estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, for primary MDS, JMML, t-MDS and constitutional MDS was 73.8%, 62.4%, 69.7% and 65.1% respectively. In primary MDS classified by FAB, OS for RA, RAEB and RAEB-T was 95.9%, 44.7% and 39.5% respectively, while in primary MDS classified by WHO, OS for RA, RCMD, RAEB-1 and RAEB-2 was 100%, 91.0%, 61.4% and 35.0%. Thus, the WHO system could also be employed in children. The data of karyotype were available in 214 of 222 patients (96%). Cytogenetic abnormality was noticed in 55% of primary MDS (40% RA, 72% RAEB, 72% RAEB-T), 27% of JMML and 83% of t-MDS cases. Totally-7/7q-was the most frequent aberration, followed by complex (more than 3 aberrations) and trisomy 8. The del(5q), del(20q), and –Y, which were frequent chromosomal aberrations in adult MDS were rare in children. −7/7q-were observed in primary MDS (27% of abnormal karyotypes) and in JMML (53%). In primary MDS, OS for −7/7q-, complex, others and normal were 50.0%, 25.0%, 79.9% and 86.0%. Thus, the cytogenetic classification defined by the IPSS was useful to predict outcome in childhood primary MDS, however, it was not the case in patients with JMML. Regarding treatment, patients with RA or RCMD were divided into 3 categories: HSCT in 25 (including HSCT after the immunosuppressive therapy [IST] in 6), IST in 15 and no treatment in 10. OS for these categories were 91.6%, 100% and 100%. There were 8 cases of RA with −7/7q-. Six of the 8 cases underwent HSCT but 4 died. The other two received IST and they are long term survivors. The IST therapy could be an option for those with −7/7q-. Patients with RAEB/RAEB-T were divided into 3 categories: HSCT in 12, the AML-type chemotherapy followed by HSCT in 22, and the AML-type chemotherapy in 4. OS for these categories were 53.6%, 28.7% and 37.5%. In HSCT group (n=12), 4 had −7/7q- or complex karyotype. Regarding the donor type, related donors were used in 7 cases. In AML/HSCT group (n=22), 5 had −7/7q- or complex karyotype. Related donors were used only in 6 cases. Chemotherapy induced complete remission (CR) in 11 patients in this group. OS for the patients who attained CR was 40.5% while OS for the others was only 16.0%. Thus, AML-type chemotherapy seemed essential to cure a subset of patients with RAEB/RAEB-T although HSCT without AML-type chemotherapy maybe justified when related donors are available. Regarding JMML, OS (62.4%) was as good as that in Europe. Although we obtained important information, we could not define an optimal management for patients in each subtype of the diseases. Since MDS and MPD in childhood are very rare, an international cooperation is urgently needed to improve treatment outcome.


Abstract Poly(ether sulfone)s from 4,4'-difluorodiphenylsulfone (DFDPhS), 4,4'-bis-trimethylsiloxy-diphenylsulfone, and 2,5-bis-trimethylsiloxy-biphenyl were obtained by melt polycondensation with high molecular weights (ηinh > 0.4 dl/g). The nonsulfonated samples showed a single glass-transition temperature (Tg) in the range from 180 to 230 °C depending on the monomer composition in the polymer backbone. The Tg of sulfonated samples could not be detected by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Membranes with a theoretical ion-exchange capacity (IEC) ranging from 0 to 2.08 mmol/g should be obtained, assuming only a sulfonation of the pendant phenyl ring. However, the sulfonation with concentrated sulfuric acid always led to the introduction of two sulfonic acid groups into the phenylhydroquinone (PhHQ) moieties in the polymer backbone; one at the desired position at the pendant phenyl ring and one at the phenyl ring in the polymer backbone. Membranes prepared from N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solutions of nonsulfonated and sulfonated samples were transparent and soft to slightly brittle. The water uptake at room temperature increased with increasing IEC from 4 to 50 % (IEC ~ 1.50 mmol/g). On further increase of the IEC, a strong water uptake until dissolution was observed. Methanol diffusion coefficients for samples with an IEC up to 1.10 mmol/g were one order of magnitude lower than that reported for Nafion®.


Background and Objective(s): The hamstrings surgical lengthening has been frequently used for the correction of knee flexion deformity in cerebral palsy (CP). However, many authors described an increase of anterior pelvic tilt post-operatively. The purpose of this study was to analyze if the increase of anterior pelvic tilt also occurs after distal femur extension osteotomy (DFEO) and patellar tendon shortening (PTS) during the treatment of crouch gait in CP. Study Design: Retrospective comparative study. Study Participants & Setting: Ninety-five patients were included for the study after selection in a hospital and rehabilitation center gait laboratory database according inclusion criteria. Materials/Methods: The inclusion criteria were: (1) diagnosis of spastic diplegic CP, (2) GMFCS levels I-III, (3) patients who underwent DFEO and/or PTS and with (4) complete documentation in the gait laboratory before and after intervention. The included patients were divided into 3 groups, according to the procedures performed for crouch gait treatment: PTS (19 patients/34 lower limbs), DFEO (54 patients/88 lower limbs) and PTS + DFEO (22 patients/42 lower limbs). Demographic data, knee flexion deformity at clinical examination, minimum knee flexion during stance phase and mean anterior pelvic tilt at kinematics were analyzed before and after intervention, and the results compared among groups. Results: Patients from DFEO group (12.8y) were younger (p=0.004) at the time of surgery than those from the PTS group (15.7y). The mean follow-up time was similar among groups, ranging from 28.8 to 34.3 months. GMFCS level III patients were more prevalent in all groups. The mean knee flexion deformity on physical examination was reduced from 5.60° to 0.30° in the PTS group (p<0.001), from 15.50° to 7.00° in the DFEO group (p<0.001) and from 15.10° to 6.40° in the PTS + DFEO group (p=0.002). During stance phase, knee flexion decreased from 41.60° to 13.60° in the PTS group (p<0.001), from 46.00° to 30.70° in the DFEO group (p<0.001) and from 52.30° to 29.50° in the PTS + DFEO group (p<0.001). Anterior pelvic tilt increased 14.0° in the PTS group, 6.60° in the DFEO group and 7.10° in the PTS + DFEO group after surgical intervention. The increase of anterior pelvic tilt was similar between DFEO and PTS + DFEO groups (p=0.956). The PTS group presented more significant deterioration of pelvic tilt than the DFEO (p=0.002) and PTS + DFEO (p=0.001) groups. Conclusions/Significance: The increase of anterior pelvic tilt was observed in all groups of patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for crouch gait treatment and it was more significant for those who received a PTS. The increase of anterior pelvic tilt seems to be a consequence of crouch knee gait treatment despite the approach used.


SiGe-on-insulator (SGOI) structures were thermally oxidized to form Ge quantum dots (QDs) that are embedded in a SiO2 matrix, to systematically investigate possible structural factors that affect the properties of Ge QDs, such as size, density and even position. The properties of Ge QDs depend strongly on the layer thickness and the geometric pattern of SGOI structures, as well as on the thermal oxidation conditions and the Ge content of the SiGe alloy. Tiny dense (3 nm/2.8 × 1012 cm−2) Ge QDs are formed by oxidizing a Si0.95Ge0.05/Si-on-insulator 'plane' at 900 °C, which is highly promising for nanocrystal nonvolatile memory device applications. A single Ge QD (∼10 nm) forms and is self-aligned with electrodes via SiO2 when a SGOI nanowire with a length of less than 150 nm is thermally oxidized. This meets the stringent criteria for a successful single-electron device. The growth kinetics of Ge QDs formed by the oxidation of SGOI planes and nanowires is discussed. Cathodoluminescence spectra were employed to investigate the origins of photoemission from the Ge QDs/SiO2 system. Ge QD resonant tunnelling diodes are also fabricated to elucidate the transport of electrons through such a system.


President Trump has been on another winning streak, and the Democrats are desperate for attention. Their problem? All the attention they get is also a win for the president, as it reminds us why he won in 2016 and why winning again in the midterm is so important.


What is radicalization, and what drives individuals to become radicalized? Many individuals who hold radical beliefs will never become violent, yet others are compelled to enforce their ideology through violence. Drawing from existing literature, radicalization is defined as a transformation rooted in grievances, networks, enabling environments, and ideology that brings an individual to hold radical beliefs and support the use of violence. Conversely, deradicalization is defined as both a cognitive departure from radical ideology and a behavioral shift away from radical activities and group membership. Competing theories of radicalization and deradicalization have created a debate about whether or not these phenomena must be experienced in a linear fashion, and several scholars posit that strains caused by society can lead to both cognitive and behavioral forms of radicalization. The evidence supporting these theories is demonstrated in the counter-radicalization policies of several Western countries, which use localized policing and community members to address the social and political issues that breed radicalization.
 Moreover, radicalization and deradicalization are not "one size fits all" phenomena; instead, they are experiences that can differ between ideologies as well as within ideologies. For example, sociopolitical factors specific to one's nationality can impact the radicalization and deradicalization of individuals and organizations belonging to the same ideology. Despite all this, there are still significant gaps in the study of radicalization and deradicalization that need to be addressed. In academia, two debates must be settled: how should radicalization be defined, and should radicalization be understood as occurring in a linear or nonlinear fashion? In the policy realm, professionals must understand and address the grievances that increase the risk for radicalization to occur through social programs and education initiatives. Finally, policymakers and academics must communicate with each other regarding the research needs for enacting sound policies that will reduce the occurrence of radicalization.


This thesis reviews the major trends regarding the place of phonics in reading instruction since the 1950's and attempts to integrate current perspectives on phonics in regard to both classroom and individualized instruction. In the 1950's, instruction in the regular classroom tended to emphasize sight-words at the expense of word analysis or phonic skills. The mid-1960 's classic study by Chall, Learning to Read: The Great Debate, documented the value of phonic instruction in beginning reading and led to later refinements regarding the place of phonics in beginning reading instruction. The attempt to match individual children's pref erred modality for learning to instructional method received widespread attention in the early 1970's following growing interest in the new field of learning disabilities and assumed that many children prefer the visual or auditory modality. Although intuitively logical, this either phonics (for children preferring the auditory modality) or sight-words (for children preferring visual modality) approach to instruction was not supported by research. More recent work with processing style preference, in which suggestions are made for teaching reading via methods geared to the child's most efficient mode of processing information, have limited research support. A few recent studies suggest that some children with extreme processing preferences may benefit from differing instructional approaches. However, the content of instruction needs to include phonic analysis skills for all children. Current views of phonics and reading instruction no longer suggest an either phonics or sight-words approach, but generally accept the importance of phonics instruction in beginning reading for all children. This issue is not the phonics or sight-words dichotomy of earlier decades, but rather the new question of how to most effectively teach word analysis skills and how to incorporate phonic instruction into meaningful reading instruction. The field of emergent literacy, which has developed since the 1970's, describes the range of early reading skills many children acquire informally before entering school. This body of research is pertinent to issues regarding phonics in beginning reading instruction since those children who enter school with several years of informal introduction to print at home or preschool are the most successful with beginning reading instruction. Several effective programs are described which suggest that attention to emergent literacy skills, such as the ability to hear individual sounds in words, is a useful task for explaining why many children continue to have difficulty with beginning reading instruction. Reading Recovery is presented as a model approach to reading instruction. This program targets children not succeeding with first grade instruction and provides daily individualized instruction incorporating word analysis skills in meaningful reading and writing. Reading Recovery is a program which shows educators how to adapt instruction to best meet the needs of children getting off to a slow start in learning to read and integrate the development of phonic skills into meaningful reading.


In this paper, we explore about Korean early childhood mathematics education history. Actually, mathematics education history is mathematics education curriculum`s history. Korean education curriculum has been influenced by the US and European prominent educators: Montessori, Piaget, Bruno, and Dewey, etc. We investigate how those philosophy and thoughts were adopted in Korean early childhood mathematics education curriculums from 1st to 2015 amended curriculum. Also, we can see that NCTM`s content standards and Korean Nuri curriculum are the same in the basic concepts: number and operations, space and shapes, measurement, understanding of patterns and data collection.


Purpose Endogenous and exogenous stressors, including nutritional challenges, may alter circadian rhythms in the cornea. This study aimed to determine the effects of high fructose intake (HFI) on circadian homeostasis in murine cornea. Methods Corneas of male C57BL/6J mice subjected to 10 days of HFI (15% fructose in drinking water) were collected at 3-hour intervals over a 24-hour circadian cycle. Total extracted RNA was subjected to high-throughput RNA sequencing. Rhythmic transcriptional data were analyzed to determine the phase, rhythmicity, unique signature, metabolic pathways, and cell signaling pathways of transcripts with temporally coordinated expression. Corneas of HFI mice were collected for whole-mounted techniques after immunofluorescent staining to quantify mitotic cell number in the epithelium and trafficking of neutrophils and γδ-T cells to the limbal region over a circadian cycle. Results HFI significantly reprogrammed the circadian transcriptomic profiles of the normal cornea and reorganized unique temporal and clustering enrichment pathways, but did not affect core-clock machinery. HFI altered the distribution pattern and number of corneal epithelial mitotic cells and enhanced recruitment of neutrophils and γδ-T cell immune cells to the limbus across a circadian cycle. Cell cycle, immune function, metabolic processes, and neuronal-related transcription and associated pathways were altered in the corneas of HFI mice. Conclusions HFI significantly reprograms diurnal oscillations in the cornea based on temporal and spatial distributions of epithelial mitosis, immune cell trafficking, and cell signaling pathways. Our findings reveal novel molecular targets for treating pathologic alterations in the cornea after HFI.


Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758) belongs to the Veneridae family is given as nutrients to rats. R. decussatus was collected from three different locations from the Çanakkale Strait. Twenty-four male Wistar Albino rats (270-310 g) were used in the study. There were six rats for each experimental group. The first group fed with standard rat feed, the second group fed with 80% R. decussatus + 20% standard rat feed daily; the third group fed with 80% R. decussatus + 20% standard rat feed every other day, the fourth group fed with 80% R. decussatus + 80% standard rat feed every three days. After routine histopathological follow-up, gastric tissue samples of all subjects were stained and examined under the light microscope. There were no histopathological findings in the gastric tissues of rats in the control group of hematoxylin-eosin staining. In gastric tissues of rats fed with R. decussatus, chronic gastritis caused by mononuclear inflammation between lamina propria and occasional gastric glands was noted. It was observed that inflammation severity and distribution were high especially in tissues of rats fed with R. decussatus every day. It was observed that the most commonly consumed shellfish may cause pathological picture on the digestive system of rats. As a result, increasing environmental pollution threatens the life of water as well as land life, and the consumption of living organisms exposed to polluted environments continues to threaten and affect human life. It is important to pay attention to the conditions under which the consumed products are collected and how they are collected. Please cite this paper as follows: İrkin, L. C., Öztürk, Ş. (2021). Adverse effects of Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758) diet on stomach tissues in rats. Marine Science and Technology Bulletin, 10(2): 201-206. * Corresponding author E-mail address: firstname.lastname@example.com (L. C. İrkin) İrkin and Öztürk (2021) Marine Science and Technology Bulletin 10(2): 201-206


It is well established that exposure of cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) to heat stress during the first 12 h of maturation reduces blastocyst development by 42 to 65%. Previous research supports the notion that some of the effects of heat stress on oocyte competence may be cumulus-mediated. To determine the extent to which this may occur, COC were matured at 38.5°C for 24 h (control) or 41°C for the first 12 h of maturation followed by 38.5°C for remaining 12 h (heat stress). A subset of COC underwent IVF with Percoll-prepared sperm and then was cultured in KSOM containing 0.5% BSA to assess developmental competence. Remaining oocytes were denuded. Cumulus cells, kept separate by treatment, were stored in lysis buffer at –80°C until RNA extraction. Total RNA from cumulus was amplified prior to hybridization to bovine Affymetrix GeneChips (Affymetrix Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA; n = 8 pools per treatment collected on 8 different occasions; n = 16 chips). Following pre-processing using the MAS5.0 algorithm, microarray data were subjected to linear modeling and empirical Bayes analyses (Bioconductor, Limma package). False discovery rate was controlled using the Benjamini and Hochberg method, and differentially expressed genes were selected by an adjusted P-value (P < 0.05). Functional annotation of selected genes was performed using NetAffx (Affymetrix Inc.) and Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID; NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA). Heat stress of COC reduced blastocyst development (27.2 v. 16.1% for control v. heat stress, respectively; SEM = 1.6; P < 0.002). Approximately 66 and 65% of 24 000 possible genes were called present (i.e. expressed) in RNA from cumulus of competent (control) v. challenged (heat-stressed) oocytes, respectively. In cumulus from developmentally challenged COC, increased abundance of 42 genes (36 currently annotated) was noted. Use of DAVID demonstrated enrichment of genes important for electron transport and energy generation (NOS2A, MAOB, CYP11A1, HSD11B1L, LTB4DH). Further examination of gene ontology identified genes associated with mitochondrial function (SLC25A10, MAOB, CYP11A1), cell signaling (similar to JAK-3, FSHR, CYP11A1, WNT2B), cytoskeleton (ACTA1), antioxidant activity (GSTA1), and extracellular region (FMOD). In contrast, cumulus from developmentally competent COC had increased expression of 22 genes (20 currently annotated), of which 15% were related to protein binding (CAV1, MMP9, TGFB2) according to DAVID. Further analysis using gene ontology revealed genes associated with extracellular matrix formation (MMP9, MMP19, PCOLCE2) and neural tissue (METRNL). In summary, alterations in cumulus gene expression were associated with differences in developmental competence of oocytes. Additional research is necessary to examine the extent to which identified genes account for functional differences in oocyte competence. This research was supported in part by National Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2004-35203-14772 from the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.


The excited states of a series of semiconducting zigzag (n, 0) tubes are studied using the GW method and the Bethe-Salpeter equation within the ab initio many-body perturbation theory. The optical variation rule of the excitation energy with the tube diameter exhibits a family pattern, which arises from the electronic structure of the pristine tube and depends on the value of n mod 3. The introduction of single vacancy and Stone-Wales defects with different orientations affords an effective route for modulating the band structures and optical spectra, resulting in the variation of the selection rules of the excitons and turning dipole-forbidden excitons into dipole-allowed ones. The new localized impurity states in defected tubes will provide additional optically allowed transitions and give rise to pronounced satellite red-shifted peaks. These findings provide inspiration for the tune of optical properties of carbon nanotubes in the future for applications in optoelectronics.


Thioltransferase was partially purified from bovine leukocyte using sonication, heat treatment at pH 5.1, Sephadex G-50 gel filtration and isoelectric focusing techniques. Isoelectric point (pI) of 8.3 for leukocyte thioltransferase was quite different from pI of 6.5 for erythrocyte enzyme. Bovine leukocyte thioltransferase was employed in a study on the influence of 12 anti-inflammatory drugs and 7 anti-histaminic drugs. Piroxicam which is a well-known anti-inflammatory drug demonstrated the most powerful inhibitory effect on enzyme activity. Inhibition of piroxicam was noncompetitive, and the Ki value measured 55.0 microM in the experiment involving bovine leukocyte enzyme. Tranilast which is a typical anti-histaminic drug most strongly inhibited the enzyme activity and the Ki value of the medicine was 20.3 microM (noncompetitive). Bovine liver and erythrocyte thioltransferases also were effectively inhibited by both medicines similar to leukocyte enzyme.


A coherent policy response to the tough social questions raised by compulsory land acquisition in India is long overdue. Conflicts have escalated, while successive governments failed to enact a law protecting the livelihoods of affected people. The proposed Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011 is a major step forward in this regard. However, a number of loopholes in the bill need to be addressed. Otherwise, it will not respond adequately to the sensitive nature of India's land situation and instead, make the conflict more intractable by covering unchanged practices under a new law.