Lung adenocarcinoma (LA) often manifests as tumors with mainly lepidic growth (LG) pattern in which cancer cells replace alveolar cells, and is diagnosed, depending on the size of invasive foci, as in situ, minimally invasive, or invasive LA. This suggests that a subset of LAs undergoes malignant progression in this order. The present study examines how transcriptional aberrations during the early-stage of LA cells define the clinical phenotypes of advanced tumors. First, we comprehensively searched differentially expressed genes between preinvasive and invasive cancer cells in a single minimally invasive LA using laser capture microdissection and DNA microarrays, and successfully identified two transcription factors Notch2 and Six1 to be up-regulated in the invasive cancer cells from all of five minimally invasive LA tumors. These two molecules appeared to coordinately contribute to LA progression by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and nuclear atypia, because exogenous Notch2 in NCI-H441 lung epithelial cells caused nuclei to enlarge and transactivated Six1, vimentin, and the TGF-β signal transducers Smad3 and Smad4. We then immunohistochemically stained 64 advanced LA tumors, and found that a third of them were double positive for Notch2 and Six1 in the invasive, but not in the LG component. The invasive potential was higher and 2-year disease-free survival rates were lower in tumors that were double-positive, than double negative in both components. These results suggested that paired up-regulation of Notch2 and Six1 during early LA progression persists in a considerable subset of advanced LAs and confers a more malignant phenotype on the subset. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3661. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3661


Underwater vision-based detection plays an increasingly important role in underwater security, ocean exploration and other fields. Due to the absorption and scattering effects of water on light, as well as the movement of the carrier, underwater images generally have problems such as noise pollution, color cast and motion blur, which seriously affect the performance of underwater vision-based detection. To address these problems, this study proposes an end-to-end marine organism detection framework that can jointly optimize the image enhancement and object detection. The framework uses a two-stage detection network with dynamic intersection over union (IoU) threshold as the backbone and adds an underwater image enhancement module (UIEM) composed of denoising, color correction and deblurring sub-modules to greatly improve the framework's ability to deal with severely degraded underwater images. Meanwhile, a self-built dataset is introduced to pre-train the UIEM, so that the training of the entire framework can be performed end-to-end. The experimental results show that compared with the existing end-to-end models applied to marine organism detection, the detection precision of the proposed framework can improve by at least 6%, and the detection speed has not been significantly reduced, so that it can complete the high-precision real-time detection of marine organisms.


Learners, like everybody else, need support as they go through life, especially when going through the big challenge of attending a university. The main purpose of supporting learners is to provide an environment that improves students' commitment and motivation to learn. This is particularly relevant in South Africa, given the 2001 National Plan for Higher Education which states that higher education institutions must increase access to previously disadvantaged people in order to redress past inequalities. With increased demand for access to higher education, especially on the part of black students, institutions of higher learning are now increasingly challenged to improve their understanding of how people learn radically if they are to develop learning programmes that are supportive and responsive to learners' needs. For many years, learner support has been placed alongside the educational process. It has been regarded by higher education providers as a facility that provides safety nets for those who fall, rather than the process that enhances the quality of the learner's experience. This can only be improved if institutions such as the University of South Africa (Unisa) could critically assess students' needs. Information about potential learners is important to inform the policy and planning of development programmes, course design and materials development. This article focuses on socio-cultural and historical effects of institutions of socialisation on black learners, and how these factors influence learning; it then suggests ways in which black learners can be supported.


The fact that the state is secular no longer has the priority of indicating an attitude towards religion on the part of the state, but the ways and means with which the state tackles the problem of the cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversities that cut through its own population. These days, the debate about secularism cannot be limited any more to a question that turns exclusively on the dialectic between State and Church, without considering the ethical and cultural fragmentation nourished on the one hand by atomising individualism and on the other by society's division into partial communities. Two notions of secularism emerge in this new context.
The first refers to a set of principles and values (tolerance, democracy, freedom, equality etc.) around which citizenship should be constructed: in this sense, secularism sets itself up as the civil religion of the Europeans (as opposed to Christianity, which others believe should be fulfilling the same function).
The second sets itself up as a rule of social and religious pluralism. This second notion of secularism is partially asymmetric to the first: the terrain it occupies is not primarily that of contents, but that of means; it does not take the form of secularism as a programme, but of secularism as a method. These two notions of secularism deserve to be kept clearly distinct, as the one is substantial in nature, while the other is methodological. While Europe may tend more towards secularism or towards Christianity as its civil religion, European society cannot afford to do without this second dimension of secularism if it is to avoid betraying its identity. Such a step would in fact imply giving up the mediation of law, which is what stops any one system of values (even the one espoused by the majority) from taking over the institutions of the state and transforming them into a great sounding board, so as to homogenise the ultimate sense of belonging, the beliefs and preferences of its citizens.


An experimental study is reported of the retrieval by mock eyewitnesses of a scripted video crime event, comparing free recall against Change Temporal Order (CTO) recall, in which event retrieval is prompted in reverse order. Contrary to proponents of the technique who suggest that CTO allows greater discovery of script incidental information and increases the amount of information recalled, CTO was found to impair retrieval, leading to fewer script consistent events, reduced recall of correct information,increased confabulations, and lowered accuracy proportional to items retrieved. The disruptive effects of CTO are interpreted as providing further evidence for the role of temporal clustering highlighted in the CMR model of memory. Impairment induced by the CTO technique continued to influence retrieval negatively even during a secondary free recall phase. We suggest that CTO prevents the blocking of confabulations, and that these confabulations may subsequently contribute to forgetting by population dilution


Gene therapy shows promise as a means of improving the treatment of a number of rheumatic diseases, including adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We summarize these developments and discuss the merits of extending such approaches to the treatment of juvenile RA. The special issues that arise when treating children by experimental new procedures predicate a cautious approach using strategies first shown to be safe in adults. Patients with severe, erosive, nonremitting pauciarticular juvenile RA might be suitable first candidates for gene therapy.


Throughout the United States, public school districts serve increasing numbers of students with disabilities who are in the process of developing proficiency in English as a new or additional language. As a result, the need persists for special education teacher preparation programs to cultivate competencies for meeting the needs of emergent bilingual students with disabilities. In this study, researchers gathered special education teachers' perceptions of their current levels of competence for teaching emergent bilingual students with disabilities. Self-assessment ratings for 50 competencies within seven broad categories (i.e., language development, learner characteristics, assessment, instruction, environment, collaboration, and professional practices) were collected from 101 in-service and 19 preservice special education teachers in the Midwest. Overall, self-assessment ratings reflected emergent levels of competence across the seven broad categories, with similar scores reported by preservice and in-service special education teachers. Significant differences (i.e., generally higher ratings on the 4-point scale) were recorded by bi/multilingual special education teachers (with or without bilingual or English as a Second Language [ESL] credentials) as compared with monolingual special education teachers without ESL credentials. This finding reveals the need to reimagine ways to build essential competencies for special education teachers to meet students' intersectional needs. Specific suggestions are provided in relation to redesigning the content of coursework and reexamining the formats used to design and deliver coursework and field experiences in special education teacher preparation.


The aquachromyl ion, Cr(IV)aqO2+, reacts with the hydrides L(H2O)RhH2+ (L = L1 = [14]aneN4 and L2 = meso-Me6-[14]aneN4) in aqueous solutions in the presence of molecular oxygen to yield Cr(aq)3+ and the superoxo complexes L(H2O)RhOO2+. At 25 degrees C, the rate constants are approximately 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) (L = L1) and 1.12 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1) (L = L2). Both reactions exhibit a moderate deuterium isotope effect, kRhH/kRhD = approximately 3 (L1) and 3.3 (L2), but no solvent isotope effect, kH2O/kD2O = 1. The proposed mechanism involves hydrogen atom abstraction followed by the capture of LRh(H2O)2+ with molecular oxygen. There is no evidence for the formation of L(H2O)Rh2+ in the reaction between L(H2O)RhH2+ and (salen)CrVO+. The proposed hydride transfer is supported by the magnitude of the rate constants (L = L1, k = 8,800 M(-1) s(-1); (NH3)4, 2,500; L2, 1,000) and isotope effects (L = L1, kie = 5.4; L2, 6.2). The superoxo complex [L1(CH3CN)RhOO](CF3SO3)2.H2O crystallizes with discrete anions, cations, and solvate water molecules in the lattice. All moieties are linked by a network of hydrogen bonds of nine different types. The complex crystallized in the triclinic space group P1 with a = 9.4257(5) A, b = 13.4119(7) A, c = 13.6140(7) A, alpha = 72.842(1)degrees, beta = 82.082(1) degrees, gamma = 75.414(1) degrees, V = 1587.69(14) A3, and Z = 2.


BACKGROUND
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasing public health issue. Anemia, which is a complication of CKD, is associated with reduced quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality. Currently quite a few clinical studies have been conducted to compare roxadustat with epoetin alfa [all for dialysis-dependent (DD) patients] or placebo [all for nondialysis-dependent (NDD) patients]. Our meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of roxadustat for anemia in patients with CKD.

METHODS
We thoroughly searched eight electronic resource databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy and safety between roxadustat versus epoetin alfa or placebo for the treatment of anemia in patients with CKD.

RESULTS
Four Phase 2 and two Phase 3 studies with 1010 participants were included. Hemoglobin (Hb) and transferrin levels were increased significantly in the roxadustat group versus those in the placebo {standard mean difference [SMD] 1.57 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-1.98]; SMD 1.81 [95% CI 1.53-2.08]; respectively, both low-quality evidence} or epoetin alfa group [SMD 0.47 (95% CI 0.02-0.93), very low-quality evidence; SMD 1.05 (95% CI 0.81-1.29), low-quality evidence; respectively]. Hepcidin levels were reduced significantly in the roxadustat group versus those in the placebo [SMD -1.72 (95% CI -3.03 to -0.41), very low-quality evidence] or epoetin alfa group [SMD -0.23 (95% CI -0.43 to -0.02), low-quality evidence]. Ferritin and serum transferrin saturation (TSAT) levels were reduced significantly in the roxadustat group versus those in the placebo group [SMD -0.82 (95% CI -1.31 to -0.33); SMD -0.54 (95% CI -0.76 to -0.32), respectively; both low-quality evidence] and ferritin and TSAT levels in the roxadustat group were comparable to those in the epoetin alfa group [SMD 0.02 (95% CI -0.18-0.21); SMD 0.15 (95% CI -0.04-0.35), respectively, both low-quality evidence]. As for safety, the incidence of adverse events (AEs) in the roxadustat group was insignificantly different from that of the placebo group [risk ratio (RR) 0.99 (95% CI 0.83-1.18); P = 0.89, very low-quality evidence]. But the incidence of AEs in the roxadustat group was significantly higher than that in the epoetin alfa group [RR 1.25 (95% CI 1.01-1.54); P = 0.04, low-quality evidence]. There was no significant association between roxadustat and the incidence of serious AEs (SAEs) for both NDD and DD patients [RR 1.08 (95% CI 0.51-2.28) and RR 1.43 (95% CI 0.85-2.40), respectively, both very low-quality evidence].

CONCLUSION
In this meta-analysis of RCTs, we found evidence that after the oral administration of roxadustat, NDD patients' Hb levels were increased effectively and DD patients' Hb levels were maintained effectively. The risk of SAEs was not observed with the short-term use of roxadustat. These findings support roxadustat for the treatment of anemia in patients with CKD.


Backscattering cross sections of model ice crystal aggregates are computed at 35.6 GHz using the generalized multiparticle Mie (GMM) method and compared against a commonly used equivalent dielectric model (also referred to as the "soft sphere" or the "bulk" model). It is shown that the bulk model underestimates the backscattering cross sections by 7 to 20 dB over aggregate sizes from 3 to 19 mm. This raises concerns about using bulk models for the interpretation of millimeter wave radar measurements of ice clouds and snow.


Some workers bargain with prospective employers before accepting a job. Others could bargain, but find it undesirable, because their right to bargain has induced a sufficiently favorable offer, which they accept. Yet others perceive that they cannot bargain over pay; they regard the posted wage as a take-it-or-leave-it opportunity. Theories of wage formation point to substantial differences in labor-market equilibrium between bargained and posted wages. The fraction of workers hired away from existing jobs is another key determinant of equilibrium, because a worker with an existing job has a better outside option in bargaining than does an unemployed worker. Our survey measures the incidences of wage posting, bargaining, and on-the-job search. We find that about a third of workers had precise information about pay when they first met with their employers, a sign of wage posting. We find that another third bargained over pay before accepting their current jobs. And about 40 percent of workers could have remained on their earlier jobs at the time they accepted their current jobs.


We previously proposed a flicker visibility metric for bright displays, based on psychophysical data collected at a high mean luminance. Here we extend the metric to other mean luminances. This extension relies on a linear relation between log sensitivity and critical fusion frequency, and a linear relation between critical fusion frequency and log retina lilluminance. Consistent with our previous metric, the extended flicker visibility metric is measured in just-noticeable differences (JNDs).


This study aims to examine in more depth about how, why awareness and attitudes towards the implementation of IT governance is very important, so it can affect the performance of an organization or company. The methods used in this study began with literature review and interviews with some experts in their field, 4 from academics and 2 practitioners. To strengthen this research, we have distributed 100 questionnaires, but 96 respondents actively provided feedback, then analyzed and validated using a correlation test (r). To understand awareness and attitudes towards IT Governance, there are several factors that can be used. As for factors such as; Benefits, risks, opportunities and obstacles. These factors are very important and relate entirely with awareness and attitudes. By knowing these factors, all parties involved in IT Governance become easy to understand, then awareness and attitude will grow from itself, so as to improve performance and ultimately organizational goals can be achieved optimally as expected. The results obtained from this research indicate that the benefit factor and opportunity factor have more value, while the risk factor and constraint factor is smaller. In order for the implementation of IT Governance to run properly, it is necessary to be encouraged in understanding the knowledge and knowing the implementation of IT Governance that is being implemented.


Flood management is one of the most urgent problems in Southeast Asia. In this research, land use projection by GIS and statistical model, rainfall-runoff model and hydraulic model were integrated to analyze the impact of future urbanization and deforestation on flood vulnerability in a local scale. Based on land use scenarios, flood simulation was conducted. The results show that urbanization, deforestation and development of croplands will actually increase peak discharge during flood while reforestation will reduce it. Furthermore, the difference between the worst and best scenarios was estimated as 3.68km in inundated area and approximately 0.5m in flood depth in the study area. This result shows maximum difference in uncertain future. This integrated scheme would support land development plan or policy from the viewpoint of disaster risk reduction.


This is a research monograph rather than a practical book or, even less, a textbook. For the latter, your needs are better served by Ramsay and Silverman (2005a, b). In a sense, the present book is heavily biased toward statistical theory and is weak on practice and applications. For the theory aspect, the present book does bring something new and, indeed, some novel theoretical investigations into the kinds of functional data problems not addressed by Ramsay and Silverman (2005a). While Ramsay and Silverman's books focus on exploratory and data analytic techniques for sparsely observed functional data, and employ techniques for smoothing and extrapolation using smoothing spline methods, the present book focuses on issues that arise from analysis of high resolution functional data, which can be easily registered or made to balance (pp. 33–34). The present book applies kernel regression techniques to functional data problems such as functional regression or classification, where the predictor is a function. The use of "nonparametric" in the title, although appropriate, is not totally distinctive, because I consider most techniques used in Ramsay and Silverman (2005a) nonparametric as well. The book mentions several applications in chemometrics, speech recognition, and electricity consumption forecast. I would like to add more, such as climate data analysis, material sciences, and bioinformatics. As someone who works closely with scientists on various interdisciplinary investigations on a daily basis, I feel strongly that there is need for new statistics that can deal with increasingly high throughput and high resolution measurements. Modern data analysis can benefit greatly from the recent statistical advent in functional data analysis. I think there will be many developments in the area of high-dimensional statistics when there are more observed variables than the number of replicates or samples, and multivariate statistics should receive revived interest in statistical research. In a sense, rather than sticking strictly with the existing techniques, one should adopt a pioneering attitude toward functional data analysis, and professional statisticians should be prepared to develop on their own techniques appropriate for a given problem, because much new statistics remains to be developed for the emerging problems (Lu 2006). Nonparametric statisticians should feel very much at home with the approach taken in this book. The authors have defined a broad and interesting framework in Part I, such as functional statistics, semimetrics, and locally weighted regression for functional data. Theoretical results, mainly asymptotics, are provided in Part II. Part V also contains some relevant theory and should be read right after Part II. I should point out some very relevant early work on nonparametric regression with fractal design (Lu 1999). Part III of the book deals with classification problems of functional data. Part IV is unusual, in that it deals with time series and dependent data. Although time series is among my favorite subject, it does not appear obvious how this part fits into the functional data framework, although one may argue that for high frequency time series, functional statistics may be very relevant. Notwithstanding, I do think the present book is a worthy contribution to the literature. The authors have done a nice job of summarizing some of ongoing research, on which some of the papers exist only in proceedings or in the French literature. Researchers in the growing functional statistics community should be glad to have a copy of the book.


Abstract  The Junggar basin is located in the northern part of Xinjiang of China. It is part of the Kazakstan plate, surrounded by the Paleozoic folded mountains: the Halaart, Zayier and Chepaizi Mountains in the northwest, the Qingelidi and Karamaili Mountains in the northeast, and the Tianshan Mountains in the south. In different evolution stages, the basin's types are different, and the stratigraphy and deposition are also different. From the Carboniferous to Tertiary the basin has in turn gone through rift basin, collision foreland basin, intraplate depression basin and regenerated foreland basin. Based on an analysis of thermal evolution history and buried history of the source rocks, three major periods of oil generation are found in the basin. According to the characteristics of source rock distribution, evolution, oil‐source correlation, structure and multi‐phase and mixed pools, the Junggar basin could be divided into 4 composite petroleum systems. Due to the variation in sedimentary facies, difference in structural patterns and development histories, the petroleum pool‐forming conditions in different areas and horizons are greatly different, so are the petroleum pool types, the accumulation mechanisms in different areas and horizons.


A novel strategy for catalytic asymmetric epoxidation of a wide variety of olefins by a porphyrin-inspired chiral manganese complex using H2O2 as a terminal oxidant in excellent yield with up to greater than 99% ee has been successfully developed.


Intercontinental and intracontinental biogeography— patterns and methods 1Jun WEN∗ 2Qiu-Yun (Jenny) XIANG 3Hong QIAN 4Jianhua LI 5Xiao-Quan WANG 6Stefanie M. ICKERT-BOND 1(Department of Botany, MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, Washington DC 20013-7012, USA) 2(Department of Plant Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7612, USA) 3(Research and Collections Center, Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL 62703, USA) 4(Biology Department, Hope College, Holland, MI 49423, USA) 5(State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China) 6(UA Museum of the North Herbarium and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960, USA)


Antimicrobial resistance is becoming one of the most important human health issues. Accordingly, the research focused on finding new antibiotherapeutic strategies is again becoming a priority for governments and major funding bodies. The development of treatments based on the generation of oxidative stress with the aim to disrupt the redox defenses of bacterial pathogens is an important strategy that has gained interest in recent years. This approach is allowing the identification of antimicrobials with repurposing potential that could be part of combinatorial chemotherapies designed to treat infections caused by recalcitrant bacterial pathogens. In addition, there have been important advances in the identification of novel plant and bacterial secondary metabolites that may generate oxidative stress as part of their antibacterial mechanism of action. Here, we revised the current status of this emerging field, focusing in particular on novel oxidative stress-generating compounds with the potential to treat infections caused by intracellular bacterial pathogens.


Introduction and Background: Familial medullary thyroid cancer (FMTC) is caused by gain of function mutations in the proto-oncogene RET (rearranged during transfection). Missense mutations within exon 14 including p.Val804Met are known to cause FMTC and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2a/b. The clinical significance of other novel missense variants within this hotspot region of exon 14 is not delineated. Case Description: A three-generation pedigree of FMTC is presented with the co-occurrence of two missense variants within exon 14 of the RET gene, the known variant p.Val804Met and the novel variant p.Val826Met. The female index patient developed medullary thyroid cancer at the age of 42 years and was heterozygous for both missense variants. Her younger sister was also tested to be compound heterozygous for both mutations, and five further relatives were heterozygous for only one of both sequence variants. Prophylactic thyroidectomy was recommended for the two carriers of the RET mutation p.Val804Met, revealing a C-cell hyperplasia for one of them at the age of 19 years. Medical surveillance of 6 heterozygous carriers including repeated neck ultrasound examination as well as basal and calcium (pentagastrin)-stimulated calcitonin levels were recommended. Conclusion: Our data emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to assess the functional and clinical significance of novel RET variants. In the absence of functional studies, the plausibility of the pathologic significance of a detected endocrine genetic variant can be estimated by in silico methods such as computational analysis of protein structure and biophysical differences or comparative database search for evolutionary conservation.


Aisha Bint Talha Bin Ubaid Allah Al-Taymiyyah, the daughter of the sister of the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may God be pleased with her) , her mother Umm Kulthumbint Al-Siddiq Abu Bakr (may God be pleased with him). A respected subordinate daughter of a house of great destiny in the era of prophecy growing up in the arms of prophet hood under the auspices of Aisha bint Al-Siddiq (may God be pleased with him). Her father Talha bin Ubaid Allah al-Tamimi al-Qurashi, one of the ten missionaries in Paradise, was called by the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) with the aspiration of goodness and the living martyr. Aisha was similar to her maternal aunt Aisha, the mother of the believers, and she loved here and imprinted on her knowledge and literature.  As the number of Hadiths, she narrated in the nine books of hadith is (53) hadiths with repeated, eleven hadiths without repetition, and most of them are produced in the Sahih distributed in the various chapters of jurisprudence. Aisha bint Talha remained one of the rarest women of her era, in terms of knowledge, literature, chastity, beauty, until she passed away and may God bless her with His mercy in the year 110 AH.


OBJECTIVES
Expressed emotion (EE), or the presence of criticism/hostility/emotional overinvolvement in a family relationship, predicts poorer outcomes in bipolar disorder; however, the mechanism of this is unclear. The present study investigated whether, in a sample of young adults (aged 18-40 years) with bipolar disorder, parental criticism was associated with Behavioral Approach System (BAS) dysregulation, including emotional reactivity to negative feedback and cognitive schemas of self-criticism/perfectionism.

METHOD
Twenty-two young adults with bipolar I disorder and 22 matched control participants completed an interview, questionnaires, and a computer-based task with false negative feedback; emotional reactivity to this feedback was assessed.

RESULTS
Compared to control participants, clinical participants exhibited higher levels (p = 0.001) of self-criticism, and a trend towards a greater decrease in positive affect after negative feedback (p = 0.053), even when controlling for mood symptoms. Among clinical participants, perceived criticism from paternal caregivers was associated with self-criticism and perfectionism, and low perceived paternal care was associated with decrease in positive affect.

CONCLUSION
Strain in parental relationships may be associated with BAS dysregulation for individuals with bipolar disorder.


Emerging zoonotic diseases have assumed an increasing importance as a result of its negative impacts on the local, national and international human and economic policies in public and animal health care delivery services. Rapid detection of emerging diseases as well as precise effective actions against these diseases is slow in many developing countries. Morbidity and mortality due to zoonosis are mostly recorded due to deficiencies in the veterinary infrastructure, expertise, diagnostic laboratories and in surveillance capabilities. This review discusses updates on global impact of zoonosis, an evaluation of major zoonotic agents with particular reference to situation in Nigeria considering the effects of the farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the attitudes and activities of the people as reported in the literature were also discussed. This review was carried out using internet search machines to evaluate the current situation through a review of data and publications devoted to the global control of zoonosis. Contributing factors that continue to affect emerging and re-emerging zoonosis in Nigeria include social, political and economic factors. Since zoonotic diseases are peculiar, the preparedness and response capability of a country towards an emerging disease largely depend on the availability of such facilities, therefore, their prevention and control will require unique strategies, based more on fundamental research than on traditional approaches thus necessitating a collaborative approach of local, national and international agencies working in human, animal health, food and other health practitioner communities are warranted, along with improved education of the general public and policy makers. Key words : Emerging, zoonoses, factors, Nigeria, public health


Microorganisms responsible for genitourinary infections increasingly include species other than conventional etiological agents that are of clinical and pathogenic relevance and therapeutic interest. This cross-sectional descriptive study selected samples from clinical genitourinary episodes between January 2016 and December 2019 in which emerging microbiological agents were detected. The patients' epidemiological characteristics, clinical presentation, antibiotic treatment, and outcome were studied to identify their pathogenic role. The emerging microorganisms most frequently detected in urinary tract infections were Streptococcus bovis (58.5%) and Gardnerella spp. (23.6%) in females and S. bovis (32.3%), Aerococcus urinae (18.6%), and Corynebacterium spp. (16.9%) in males, while the most frequently detected in genital infections were S. viridans (36.4%) in females and C. glucuronolyticum (32.2%) and Gardnerella spp. (35.6%) in males. All cases in female children were produced by S. bovis. Symptomatic episodes were more frequent with Aerococcus spp. and S. bovis and the presence of leukocytosis more frequent with Aerococcus spp. Quinolones and doxycycline were most often prescribed antibiotics for genital infections and quinolones and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for urinary infections. Urinary infection by Aerococcus spp. was more frequent in males of advanced age, Corynebacterium spp. was more frequent in permanent vesical catheter carriers, and episodes of asymptomatic bacteriuria by Gardnerella spp. were more frequent in patients with kidney transplant and chronic consumers of corticosteroid therapy. Lactobacillus spp. should be considered in urinary infections of patients of advanced age and with a previous antibiotic load. Genital infection by Gardnerella spp. was significantly associated with a history of risky sexual relations.


We present the full experimental reconstruction of Gaussian entangled states generated by a type-II optical parametric oscillator below threshold. Our scheme provides the entire covariance matrix using a single homodyne detector and allows for the complete characterization of bipartite Gaussian states, including the evaluation of purity, entanglement, and nonclassical photon correlations, without a priori assumptions on the state under investigation. Our results show that single homodyne schemes are convenient and robust setups for the full characterization of optical parametric oscillator signals and represent a tool for quantum technology based on continuous variable entanglement.


BackgroundThe ability of Helicobacter pylori to manipulate host autophagy is an important pathogenic mechanism.ResultsWe found a negative correlation between the expression of ILK and the autophagy marker protein LC3B in H. pylori-positive human samples and in H. pylori-infected GES-1 cell lines. There was a significant accumulation of autophagosomes in ILK-knockdown GES-1 cells, and the expression levels of both LC3B and p62 were also increased. Here, we showed the activities of Rac1 and RhoA were decreased in H. pylori-infected GES-1 cells and ILK-knockdown GES-1 cells. Inhibition of Rac1 and RhoA increased LC3B levels and autophagosome formation in GES-1 cells after H. pylori infection. Simultaneously, H. pylori infection activated downstream signal molecules of Rac1 (PAK1, LIMK1 and cofilin) and RhoA (ROCK1, ROCK2 and LIMK1 and cofilin).ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that H. pylori regulated autophagy through ILK/Rac1 and ILK/RhoA signaling pathways in gastric epithelial cells.


Michael O'Connor, Retired Professional Civil Engineer (Maryland and California), M.ASCE, is a member of the ASCE Committee on Developing Leaders, History and Heritage, Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBoK), and Engineering Grades. Michael has been a practicing Civil Engineer with over 50 years of engineering, construction, and project management experience split equally between the public and private sectors. Programs ranged from the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit district's 1990's expansions in the East Bay and SFO Airport at three billion to the New Starts program for the Federal Transit Administration with over a hundred projects and $85 billion in construction value. At the latter, he also acted as source selection board chairman and program COTR for $200 plus million in task order contracts for engineering services. Working for the third-largest transit agency in the United States, the Los Angeles County MTA, Michael managed bus vehicle engineering for $1 billion in new acquisitions and post-delivery maintenance support for 2300 vehicles with some of the most complex technology (natural gas engines and embedded systems) in the US transit industry in the 1990s. Michael also has extensive experience as an instructor at New York University (five years), Howard University (four years), and California State UniversitySan Francisco (ten years).


The management of the lifestyle of patients with nephrotic syndrome is important to prevent progression to end stage renal failure. In spite of various kinds of medication, the daily lifestyle and diet modification should be taken into consideration from the early stage. The strict restriction of exercise is disagreeable. However, when exercises have bad influence on the renal function, we need to restrict exercise suitably. Optimal dietary protein intake is 1.0-1.1 g/kg/day in minimal change nephrotic syndrome and 0.8 g/kg/day in other types of nephrotic syndrome. Additional protein restriction should be required for patients with renal dysfunction. Energy requirements are basically more than 35 kcal/kg/day. Salt should not be rigidly restricted and 5-7 g/day of salt may be permitted in the steady state. Moreover, the nutrition state should be evaluated by physical measurements and laboratory data, and workmanship of diet therapy should be guided.


In 10-30% of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy kindreds, the disease is caused by > 29 missense mutations in the cardiac beta-myosin heavy chain (MYH7) gene. The amino acid sequence similarity between chicken skeletal muscle and human beta-cardiac myosin and the three-dimensional structure of the chicken skeletal muscle myosin head have provided the opportunity to examine the structural consequences of these naturally occurring mutations in human beta-cardiac myosin. This study demonstrates that the mutations are related to distinct structural and functional domains. Twenty-four are clustered around four specific locations in the myosin head that are (i) associated with the actin binding interface, (ii) around the nucleotide binding site, (iii) adjacent to the region that connects the two reactive cysteine residues, and (iv) in close proximity to the interface of the heavy chain with the essential light chain. The remaining five mutations are in the myosin rod. The locations of these mutations provide insight into the way they impair the functioning of this molecular motor and also into the mechanism of energy transduction.


Tracing Prophet Mohammed's (peace be upon him) treatment with his wives visa-vis would find it striking to our minds. If truly one is keen he would follow suit the master of creation. As our prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is a school where we can learn from him everything in all matters, in times of earnest, play, pleasure, anger, forbidden and travel among others. Tracing the long life of women in jahiliya (i.e. pre –Islamic era) would find that women were unprivileged and not given due attention and care. Theywere degraded and disrespected. Community would consider women as sex objects. Man did not give them their own rights. Islam is a turning point to women where she was transferred from Jahiliya (pre-Islamic era) to the dawn of Islamic freedom. Women, inJahiliya, would avoid mentioning the real name of a woman. Rather she was called "sheep" As Islam respected women and illuminated their path of life and transcended them from backwardness, one can notice that recently the former status of women shows up as it is evident in daily practices that men rarely go together with their wives. Neither men nor women mention the name of one another as this degrades their status in society. We can see that the Man, or the husband, would call or name his wife by the sons' names as saying "sons left", "sons" came. I went with the kids even though the wife has no sons. These are true instances of man's restraining his wife to fruitless customs and traditions. If one looks into the treatment of couples in our Islamic society would come up with inherited habits and customs far away from Islam. Marriage is a sacred bond if all values and the optimal treatment stem from the holy shrines. Marriage life would undoubtedly become boring which transfers joy and happiness to replace it with hardship and sadness which in turn would affect children's life. Thus, we would have lost the essence of marriage as it is intimate, merciful and secure as stated in the holy Koran "And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect ". (1)


No Child Left Behind legislation has required public schools to increase efforts to measure and track student performance through school, district, state and nation-wide assessments. Researchers argue that it is essential for all students, including special education students, to be included in accountability assessments in order to help measure and track educational progress and compare the performance of schools, districts and states in terms of achieving educational goals. One method for including more special needs students in accountability assessments is to use accommodations during testing. Assistive technology is an accommodation that is approved for use on accountability assessments in many states and has the potential to significantly impact the performance of special education students. The primary purpose of this research was to gather and analyze data from special service providers (staff of a special education cooperative) and educators and administrators (employees of the school districts the cooperative serves) on the subject of using assistive technology as an accommodation on Colorado State Assessment Project (CSAP) testing. The researcher conducted a survey to measure the attitudes and knowledge of educators and special service providers on this subject. The survey was a five point Likert scale comprised of ten items designed to measure "attitudes" and ten items designed to measure "knowledge". Data was analyzed using backward regression analysis to compare scores between groups and consider the impact that years of work experience had on survey scores. The researcher used responses from survey data to select ten survey respondents to participate in in-depth interviews. Interview data was analyzed using pentadic analysis, a method of rhetorical analysis designed by Kenneth Burke (1945). Survey results indicated that the knowledge and attitudes scores between the two groups were similar, however regression analysis identified a significant increase the attitude scores of employees of the special education cooperative as they gained work experience. Scores of district employees did not increase on either scale as participants gained work experience. Analysis of interview data provided rich description of participants' knowledge and attitudes concerning the use of assistive technology as an accommodation and enabled the researcher to identify significant similarities and differences between groups of employees and the state standards intended to guide their decision making on this subject. Results of this research suggest a need for improving education on the subject of assistive technology, related state regulations and improving resources to foster the use of assistive technology as an accommodation on accountability assessments. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AS AN ACCOMMODATION ON ACCOUNTABILITY ASSESSMENTS: AN ANALYSIS OF ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS


In this paper I present my reflections on the ethics of science as described by Merton and as actually practiced by scientists and technologists. This ethics was the subject of Kuipers' paper "'Default norms' in Research Ethics" (Kuipers 2001). There is an implicit assumption in this ethics, notably in Merton's norm of communism, that knowledge is always, or unconditionally good, and hence that scientific research, and the dissemination of its results, is unconditionally good. I will give here reasons why scientists are not permitted to proceed, as they actually do, on the basis of this assumption. There is no factual or other binding justification for this assumption, and the activities it gives rise to frequently conflict with the broadly accepted ethical principle of restricted liberty. A recent discussion on the risks and hazards of science and on the issue of relinquishment is presented. What is shown in this paper is that the scientists and technologists participating in this discussion frequently violate core values of science relating to logical and empirical scrutiny and systematic criticism, as mentioned in Merton's norms of universalism, organized skepticism, and disinterestedness. It is concluded that, in order to live up to these values and in order to operate in agreement with broader ethical principles, science should stimulate open and critical discussion on the hazards and negative effects of science and technology, and on the present failure on the part of law and politics to control those hazards and negative effects. Science should also take the possibility of relinquishing certain themes of research seriously as long as such flaws in the systems of law and political decision-making persist.


is now being increasingly realized that instead of targeting the individuals in the process of development, it would be more useful to adopt the approach make available the collective wisdom and combined resources for any task. Though SHGs have gained access to all government officials, they have not become bold enough to speak out as demonstrated at some forums in the country. The present study carried out in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan state during 2013-2014, revealed that members of the rural women's SHGs have been benefited in many ways such as exposure to different development programmes of the Government, exposure to the banks as well as transactions, their confidence level has been increased because of their own savings and easy access to loan from SHG. There was a good impact on economic aspects of the members in their financial position, family income and improvement in the employment generation through different income generation activities. Major reasons for group formation by the rural women were to take advantage of group action (85%), followed by improved employment activities (79.17%), meeting for collective decisions (75%), overcoming exploitation of money lenders (75%), internal lending (66.67%), improved social participation (66.67%), saving money regularly (62.50%) and general income (54.17%). The social impacts of SHGs on rural women were exposure to different development departments and participations in meetings, decision making and exposure to banks as well as to transactions. The most influential change was observed in loan borrowing pattern of the SHG members as most of them had developed their own funds, were able to transact with the banks and the borrowing of loans from the money lenders had reduced to considerable extent. The major impacts like improvement in the economic status of the family (80.83%),avoiding exploitation by money lenders (77.33%), easy to get money in emergency situation and facilitates savings (73.33%) have been witnessed for the empowerment of women. The reduced rate of bank interest, simple procedure to be followed for releasing the loan, marketing and transport facilities to be improved, training on skill improvement, increase in the duration of the training, enhanced repayment period were the other suggestions highlighted the strengthening of rural women SHGs in order to provide more opportunity for empowerment of farm women.


Objectives:Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies of schizophrenia, thus far, have mainly focused on white matter abnormalities reflected in anisotropy indices such as fractional anisotropy (FA), but recently, new implications of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) have been proposed. This is, to our knowledge, the first study to analyze ADC maps of schizophrenic patients using statistical parametric anatomical mapping (SPAM). Methods:DTI was performed in 20 schizophrenic patients and an equal number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. ADC maps were then generated, from which 98 volumes of interest were extracted using SPAM. Probability-weighted mean values of ADC were calculated from each volume of interest and compared between the two groups. Results:Significantly higher mean ADC values were observed in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls in the following volumes of interest: bilateral hippocampal formation, bilateral uncus, right thalamus, right temporal lobe white matter, right superior temporal gyrus, bilateral insula and right lateral ventricle. Conclusion:The results support the recently proposed assertion that regionally increased ADC may reflect cortical brain atrophy. In addition, a new possibility is raised that a neuropathological event involving both the gray and the white matter may also play a role. (J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2006;45(4):316-323)


Summary Many primary care laboratories use point-of-care (POC) instruments to monitor patients on anticoagulant treatment. The internal analytical quality control of these instruments is often assessed by analysing lyophilised control materials and/or by sending patient samples to a local hospital laboratory for comparison (split sample).The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of these two models of prothrombin time quality control. The models were evaluated by power functions created by computer simulations based on empirical data from 18 primary care laboratories using the POC instruments Thrombotrack, CoaguChek S, or Hemochron Jr. Signature. The control rules 12S, 13S, exponential weighted moving average, and the deviation limits of ± 10% and ± 20% were evaluated by their probability of error detection and false rejections. The total within-lab coefficient of variation was 3.8% and 6.9% for Thrombotrack, 8.9% and 10.5% for CoaguChek S, and 9.4% and 14.8% for Hemochron Jr. Signature for the control sample measurements and the split sample measurements, respectively. The probability of error detection was higher using a lyophilised control material than a patient split sample for all three instruments, whereas the probability of false rejection was similar. A higher probability of error detection occurred when lyophilised control material was used compared with the patient split samples; therefore, lyophilised control material should be used for internal analytical quality control of prothrombin time in primary health care.


Nature-based coastal defence approaches are increasingly being explored to protect shorelines from erosion and climate change-related threats such as sea level rise, storms and coastal flooding. At Mubarraz, near Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf, mass plantings of >500000 nursery-reared seedlings of the mangrove Avicennia marina were conducted over 30 years in response to erosion of an artificially created, 17-km-long causeway of dredged material. Planting efforts resulted in successfully established mangrove vegetation along 6.7km of shoreline, covering an area of 16.5ha. Survival rates of planted mangrove seedlings to healthy saplings or trees were in the order of 26% averaged over all years, with best results obtained at planting sites established in artificial tidal channels excavated parallel to the causeway, ensuring appropriate tidal hydrological conditions. The mangroves and causeway have attracted a high diversity of birds (48 species), some of which breed on the island, and there are significant densities of crabs and gastropod snails in the mangroves. These results demonstrate that planting mangroves on dredged material is feasible (even under extreme climatic conditions) and may offer a cost-effective alternative for shoreline protection, with added benefits for biodiversity through the creation of new habitats.


Abstract A continuously increasing number of research groups are adopting elastic geobarometry for retrieving pressures and temperatures of entrapment of inclusions into a host from both natural and experimental samples. However, a few misconceptions of some of the general concepts underlying elastic geobarometry are still widespread. One is the difference between various approaches to retrieve the residual pressures and residual strains from Raman measurements of inclusions. In this paper, the estimation of uncertainties and the validity of some general assumptions behind these methods are discussed in detail, and we provide general guidelines on how to deal with inclusion strain, measurements, inclusion pressure, and their uncertainties.


Abstract The term 'social innovation' has come to gather all manner of meanings from policymakers and politicians across the political spectrum. But while actors may unproblematically unite around a broad perspective of social innovation as bringing about (positive) social change, we rarely see evidence of a shared vision for the kind of social change that social innovation ought to bring about. Taking inspiration from methods that recognise the utopian thinking inherent in the social innovation concept, we draw upon Erik Olin Wright's concept of 'real utopias' to investigate the moral underpinnings inherent in the public statements of Ashoka, one of the most prominent social innovation actors operating in the world today. We seek to animate discussion on the moral principles that guide social innovation discourse through examining the problems that Ashoka is trying to solve through social innovation, the world they are striving to create, and the strategies they propose to realise their vision.


Providing effective telecommunication services over interplanetary networks poses a number of open challenges because of severe impairments exhibited in such environment. In this perspective, this work proposes a coding framework, integrated within the delay tolerant network (DTN) architecture, implementing adaptive erasure coding schemes that rely upon partial observation of the transmission channel dynamics. Three main protocol solutions based upon partial observable Markov decision process (POMDP) and incremental redundancy adaptation (IRA) have been devised and analysed under different scenario configurations. The performance analysis showed promising results and the superiority of the proposed solutions with respect to approaches based upon fixed- rate coding strategies.


The study set out to investigate the prospects of women participation in local governance as well as factors enhancing election and appointment of women in local governance in the Sissala East District of Ghana. Fifty-six (56) respondents made up of 11 assembly members, 30 Unit Committee members, six women group leaders, three female candidates in the 2015 District Level Election and six Non-Governmental Organization gender desk officers. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the respondents.  The main instrument used to gather data was semi-structured questionnaire using interview approach. The study revealed that the majority (76.8%) of the respondents were in favor of more women participation in local governance. Also, the majority (71.4%) of the respondents reported that female candidates had lower chances of getting elected as assembly members than their male counterparts. Factors that could enhance the election of female candidates were adequate financial resources for embarking on electoral campaign, party affiliation, experience and competence, active campaign and strong campaign message and educational qualification level. Similarly, the factors that appointing authority take in consideration when appointing female assembly members included party affiliation, experience and capability,  educational qualification, choice by local chiefs and elders, gender balance and ethnicity. Keywords: decentralisation, district assembly, women participation


This article is intended to analyze forced vibrations of a piezoelectric-piezomagnetic ceramic nanoplate by a new refined shear deformation plate theory in conjunction with higher-order nonlocal strain gradient theory. As both stress nonlocality and strain gradient size-dependent effects are taken into account using the higher-order nonlocal strain gradient theory, the governing equations of the composite nanoplate are formulated. When the nanoplate is subjected to a transverse harmonic loading and all the edges are considered as simple boundaries, the governing equations can be solved with a closed-form solution, from which the maximum dynamic deflections are obtained. To validate the results of the new proposed plate theory, the comparisons between ours and the well-known papers in the literature are presented. The influences of different nonlocal parameters and material properties on the nanoplate's dynamic responses are also studied.


An introduction to systems engineering and ongoing work in research are presented in this paper. The systems engineering discipline is an emerging discipline in academia and large scale industry. Systems engineering considers both the business and the technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality product that meets the user needs. The paper focuses on the concepts underlying such disciplines and strengthens the processes issue for engineering systems. The paper surveys the ongoing work and research and shows the importance of systems view in systems development independently of systems nature: information systems, physical product, mechanical or electrical, organisational issues and relating to project and quality management. A great deal is given to build systems engineering framework for application


In this paper, we propose a robust high-dimensional data reduction method. The model assumes that the pixel reflec-tance results from linear combinations of pure component spectra contaminated by an additive noise. The abundance parameters appearing in this model satisfy positivity and additive constraints. These constraints are naturally expressed in a Bayesian literature by using appropriate abundance prior distributions. The posterior distributions of the unknown model parameters are then derived. The proposed algorithm consists of Bayesian inductive cognition part and hierarchical reduction algorithm model part. The pro-posed reduction algorithm based on Bayesian inductive cognitive model is used to decide which dimensions are advantageous and to output the recommended dimensions of the hyperspectral image. The algorithm can be interpreted as a robust reduction inference method for a Bayesian inductive cognitive model. Experimental results on high-dimensional data demonstrate useful properties of the proposed reduction algorithm.


A minimally invasive approach for urolithiasis patients with complex anatomic abnormalities occasionally necessitates the use of laparoscopic techniques, either alone or in combination with endourologic techniques. The management of these patients is best accomplished in centers with the facilities to provide a spectrum of endourologic and laparoscopic techniques. Two illustrative cases are described.


Abstract Fluoroprene, the first fluorine-containing elastomer, was developed by E. I. du Pont de Nemours … Company and reported by Mochel and others in 1948. However, intensive research to develop specialty rubbers from fluorocarbons was not started until the early 1950's. At the time, there was an urgent military need for fuel and chemical resistant rubbers for service under extremely low temperatures. Consequently, most of the fluorine-containing elastomers were the result of research conducted or sponsored by the Department of Defense. Army experiences in the Aleutians during World War II and in several task force operations in the Arctic regions showed, among others, that fuel hoses became brittle and cracked. Gaskets failed to function. On shipboard, the Navy was experiencing similar difficulties with rubber items. The Air Force, on the other hand, was being plagued with an epidemic of fuel leakage on many of its aircraft. The extraction of the plasticizers from the nitrile rubber compounds and the l...


In recent years, China has produced a wealth of hominid fossils that shed new light on the course of human evolution. This book--the first comprehensive treatment of these fossil finds--offers a brief description of Chinese paleoanthropology and documents all major Chinese sites. Original translations of Chinese-language materials and new analyses of numerous fossils are included. Each fossil description includes the fossil name and location of site; how, when, and by whom it was found; a detailed description; archaeological remains at the site; and floral and faunal content of the site. Students and researchers in human evolution, evolutionary biology, evolutionary anatomy, and archaeology will welcome this much-needed guide to a remarkable treasure trove of fossil remains.


Holding time is used for optimizing the bond diffusion between aluminum Al and Carbon steel SS400. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of holding time on the interface reactions of diffusion welding between aluminum and carbon steel. Holding time variations of 10, 15, 30 and 45 minutes were applied at 950°C using mixture of Cu and Fe powder as elements promoter. Single lap joint configuration was performed in vacum furnace to join the dissimilar materials which allowed bonding diffusion. Microstructure was examined on the same test piece. It was found that during diffusion process at 950°C, the interfacial zone between aluminum and carbon steel substrate features intermetallic layers. The intermetallic thickness increased with increasing the holding time. Crack or incomplete bonding appeared on the specimens with holding time up to 30 minutes and didn't appear on the specimens with holding time of 45 minutes. Cu rich-element promoter made diffusion penetrated deeper than Fe rich-element promoter in the same holding time. Macrostructure, microstructure and SEM examinations revealed that Al-steel joint had the best result with element promoter content of 60/40 % at 45 minutes holding time. There was no interlayer gap at this specimen. Additionally, from mapping view it can be suggested that in terms of poor interface bonding, Cu molecules were located just around the interface area, on the other hand, in case of strong interface bonding, Cu molecules are scattered throughout the specimen. In fact, the position of Cu molecules can be used as a promising marker for the detection of quality of diffusion joint.


BACKGROUND
Adolescence is when an individual undergoes development and growth. Many studies suggest variations in the number and size of blood cells during this period in various individuals. The full blood count (FBC) is often the starting point of medical investigations, which help diagnose a wide range of illnesses, infections, and diseases. This study aimed to report the mean FBC values and compare them by gender and ethnicity, using blood results from the thalassemia screening programme in Seremban District, Malaysia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the thalassemia screening programme on Form 4 students aged 15-16 years from January 2018 to October 2018 by the Seremban District Health Office, Malaysia. These students participated in the thalassemia screening programme in which their blood samples were taken for FBC analysis. The data were extracted for this study.

RESULTS
There were statistically significant gender-based differences for total white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophils, lymphocytes, mixed WBC, and platelets. It was also observed that ethnic-specific differences were statistically significant for RBC count, platelets, platelet distribution width and mean platelet volume.

CONCLUSION
This study was able to report the mean FBC values among Malaysian adolescents with respect to their gender and ethnicity, of which there is a lack of published data.


The dominant isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from the red pepper anthracnose(both of the diseased plants and debris) was more pathogenic than the isolates of Colletotrichum acutatum of minorly isolated from Gyeong-buk, Korea. There were both of the G and R strains of cultural variants of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, the G strain was more pathogenic than R strain. The cultivars of red-pepper, cv. ``Kumsegi`` was the most susceptible and cv. ``papet`` was the least susceptible in the pathogenicity test. The isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from other host plant such on sesame, safflower, yam, strawberry could infect to the red pepper plant also.


The DSM and psychodynamic approaches provide different perspectives on child psychiatric diagnoses. Taking advantage of the recent publication of a psychodynamically oriented classification of child disorders, correspondences between these approaches were studied in a sample of outpatient clinic children. Clinician judges and a psychiatric interview schedule provided for diagnoses. Classifications of child psychopathology are still imperfect to a large extent. As a result, statistical comparisons can only yield limited relationships and caution is necessary when using classification tools. Methodological difficulties notwithstanding, various associations showed that DSM and psychodynamic constructs, while different, are not entirely independent.


We present the case of a 29 man complaining of intractable diplopia during the last 5 years. He had undergone several surgical procedures for the treatment of his infantile strabismus since age 6 years. After surgery, the patient had been treated on 4 occasions with Botox. He also performed antisuppression exercises to encourage binocular vision. On our examination, the patient showed a 20/20 visual acuity in both eyes and a strabismic dysfunction with slight alphabet pattern, which induced a disturbing constant diplopia. Several treatment options were considered as occlusion therapy or cosmetic contact lenses, but they were not used because they were not acceptable esthetically or not tolerated. Finally, an optical penalization was induced by means of a black corneal tattooing placed at the centre of the cornea. The patient was followed for a period of 18 months, showing a complete elimination of diploia with esthetical acceptance and no inflammatory signs.


Lophopyrum elongatum is a highly salt-tolerant relative of wheat. A previous study showed that the abundance of a number of mRNA species is enhanced or reduced in the roots of the L. elongatum x Triticum aestivum amphiploid by salt stress. Eleven genes with enhanced expression in the roots of salt-stressed L. elongatum plants have been cloned as cDNAs. The clones were used as probes to characterize temporal expression of these genes in roots after initiation of salt (250 mm NaCl) stress. All 11 genes are induced within 2 h after exposure to 250 mm NaCl and reached peak expression after 6 h. The decline of gene expression distinguished two groups, one in which mRNA concentrations returned to basal levels by 24 h and the other in which this occurred between 3 and 7 d. One of the 11 clones was found to be homologous to a multigene family of abscisic acid-induced genes, rab and dhn, identified in other species. We suggest that the coordinate expression of this large number of genes reflects the existence of a highly specific early response to salt stress. We refer to this response as the "early salt stress response."


Increasing duration and amount of postoperative fluid formation after axillary lymphadenectomy delays final healing. We postulated that multiple drains (instead of a single drain) might decrease postoperative fluid accumulation by their greater proximity to points of leakage. We randomized 65 women with clinical stage I or II carcinoma of the breast to single or multiple drains. They were stratified for axillary dissection or modified radical mastectomy. For axillary dissection, randomization to multiple drains meant placement of four catheters in the axilla, and randomized to the single drain, one catheter in the axilla. For modified radical mastectomy, the patients randomized to multiple drains received four catheters in the axilla and one catheter under the inferior flap; the patients randomized to single drains had one catheter in the axilla and one catheter under the inferior flap. All catheters exited separately. The two arms (single versus multiple drains) were determined to be homogeneous in other variables that may affect postoperative fluid formation--age, size of the breast, weight, height, obesity, presence of previous surgical biopsy, excision of pectoralis minor muscle, excision of thoracodorsal complex, level of axillary dissection, number of lymph nodes, number and proportion of positive lymph nodes and whether or not the dominant hand was on the side operated upon. Single versus multiple drains had no clinically significant effect on the amount or duration of drainage, as an inpatient or outpatient, or total. We recommend a single drain to the axilla after lymphadenectomy.


Elasmobranchs have an electric sense that is sensitive enough to detect electric fields as weak as those induced through their bodies as they swim through the earth's magnetic field. Because the intensity and direction of these fields are related to the speed and direction of the movements that cause them, elasmobranchs could use their electric sense in navigation. There is evidence that they do. According to a current theory, elasmobranchs can determine their direction of motion in an Earth-fixed frame using a computation involving electroreceptor voltages, swimming speed and the local geomagnetic field vector. However, this theory is inconsistent with physical and biological constraints, notably that elasmobranch electroreceptors can not measure d.c. voltages, and that a voltage due to water flow in the ocean is not uniquely interpretable in terms of the speed and direction of flow at the point where the electrical measurement is made. This paper presents a new theory that explains how an elasmobranch could use its electric sense to determine a compass bearing as it swims. According to this theory, the direction cue is the directional asymmetry of the change in induced electroreceptor voltage during turns. A neural network could use this cue to determine swimming direction by comparing vestibular and electrosensory signals.


This work describes a flexible technique for the analysis of protein sequences as a source of motifs affecting bodily functions. The BIOPEP database, along with the Pôle Bioinformatique Lyonnais (PBIL) server, were applied to define which activities of peptides dominated in their protein precursors and which structure of the protein contained the most of the revealed activities. Such an approach could be helpful in finding some structural requirements for peptide(s) to be regarded as biologically active (bioactive). It was found that apart from the activities of peptides that commonly occur in the majority of proteins (e.g. ACE inhibitors), all analyzed proteins can be a source of motifs involved in e.g. activation of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. This could be important in designing diets for patients who suffer from neural diseases. The structure and bioactivity analyses revealed that if peptides were to be 'bioactive', it is essential that they assume the position of a coil (or combination of coil and a-helix) in the sequence of their protein precursors. However, it is recommended to consider the factors such as the length of peptide chains, the number of peptides in the database as well as the repeatability of the occurrence of characteristic amino acids, both in the peptide and in the protein when studying the bioactivity and structure of biomolecules.


The synthesis of a conformal three-dimensional nanostructure based on porous anodic alumina with transversal nanopores on wires is herein presented. The resulting three-dimensional network exhibits the same nanostructure as that obtained on planar geometries, but with a macroscopic cylindrical geometry. The morphological analysis of the nanostructure revealed the effects of the initial defects on the aluminum surface and the mechanical strains on the integrity of the three-dimensional network. The results evidence the feasibility of obtaining 3D porous anodic alumina on non-planar aluminum substrates.


"Rules for forensic medical determination of the severity of bodily injures" currently used in practical expertise are at some variance with the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. Their analysis taking into account the available clinical reports and the results of our original studies of archive materials made it possible to propose and substantiate additional criteria for the assessment of harm to the human health from thermal injuries.


The present invention provides a compact excimer laser system, which comprises a compact arrangement argon fluoride laser gas, laser head and the electronic device, so that the patient over the operating table can be rotated in all these components. So that the patient can rotate the operating table, the operating table and out of the patient to facilitate, without the patient's head struck excimer laser incident on the optical guide on the patient's eye extending portion. Further automated lamellar keratoplasty system is incorporated into an electronic device and components of the laser system, to enable easy laser in situ treatment of corneal fungal disease.


The map units and lineations of Europa are detailed, and the geologic processes, and history, and thick and thin ice models of the satellite are discussed. It is concluded that Europa lacks evidence of a horizontally stratified crust; the geology appears characterized by disruption of the crust and intrusions into an icy shell. The surface consists of plains and mottled terrain, the former being older. Numerous straight and curved lineations, streaks, stripes, and bands cross EuropA's surface on a global and surface scale. Most lineations appear related to fractures in the crust. Five fresh craters in the 10 to 30 km diameter range are visible. The dark spots, stripes, and bands that appear to have replaced sections of the crust suggest that material was transported to the surface from the subjacent silicate lithosphere. The apparent low density of craters superposed on Europa's surface suggests that the surface is about 100 million years old.


Digital resources have a significant role in the contemporary world, in many fields of urban
and cultural heritage studies, being an efficient and quick tool for documentation, processing and
interpretation of data. The researches carried out by the Laboratorio de Estudos do Patrimonio
(EAU/UFF) aim for the enlargement of the analysis in preservation and conservation of the built
heritage, through practical experimentation in the interpretation of data and production of digital
reconstruction models. In this paper we present the approach of lost and transformed urban realities in
Brazil, accentuating the impact of the digital technology in this problematic, under biases of theoretical
and practical contributions.


The effect of uremia on the binding of diazoxide to plasma proteins was studied. An equilibrium dialysis technique, using diazoxide‐14C at approximately 30 and 300 µg/ml in the plasma phase, was used to measure diazoxide binding to plasma. Serum albumin concentration (Alb) and serum creatinine (Cr) or blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were negatively correlated. By single regression analysis, per cent free diazoxide (%FD) correlated negatively with Alb and positively with Cr or BUN. When %FD was regressed simultaneously against Alb and Cr or BUN, Alb emerged as the sole determinant of %FD (p < 0.001), indicating that creatinine or BUN correlated with %FD by their inverse correlation to Alb rather than by an effect on drug protein binding. At the levels of Alb studied, %FD varied over a 2‐fold range. In a retrospective study of the influence of uremia on diazoxide effect in hypertensive patients, a relatively low correlation (r, 0.59) was found between BUN and hypotensive effect. Prospective studies involving correlations of drug effect with renal function and %FD are required to assess the clinical importance of decreased binding of diazoxide to uremic plasma.


A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is considered, located on a geosynchronous receiver, and illuminated by the backscattered energy of satellite broadcast digital audio or television signals. The principal application of such a passive system could be differential interferometry, since even low spatial resolution coupled to zero baseline would be useful; however, other imaging applications could be envisaged and even some topographic capabilities if a baseline is created by ellipticizing the receiver's orbit. Spatial resolution, link budget, and possible focusing techniques are evaluated.


There are two major categories of drug-resistant bacteria that can cause severe and intractable infections. The first includes multi drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MDRMT), penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae(PRSP), and beta-lactamase positive or negative ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus influenzae, which used to be isolated from the patients with community-acquired infection. However, these pathogens have been often isolated in recent years from patients with hospital/chronic care facilities/nursing-home mass infection. The second major category includes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species(VRE), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacteriaceae including extended-spectrum beta-lactamases(ESBLs) producing strain, which are mainly isolated from compromised patients with nosocomial infections. The pathogenicity of these pathogens, almost all of which are found in the normal flora of humans, is weak, but often cause nosocomial infections in compromised patients. We need, therefore, surveillance system for these pathogens, and carefully determine whether these pathogens, if isolated, are causative pathogens.


Introduction Post translational modification of proteins plays a significant role in immune recognition. In particular the modification of arginine to citrulline which is mediated by PAD enzymes is increased during cellular stress (autophagy) which permits the presentation of modified epitopes upon MHC class II molecules for recognition by CD4 T cells. Citrullination also occurs in tumour cells as a result of continuous environmental stresses and increased autophagy. We have shown in animal models the efficient stimulation of citrullinated epitope specific CD4 T cells resulting in dramatic elimination/regression of tumours. The ER chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is known to also be required for stress-induced autophagy and is directly linked to autophagosome formation. GRP78 is known to be highly expressed by many tumour types. In this study we investigate the potential of targeting citrullinated GRP78 for cancer therapy. Methods A citrullinated GRP78 specific antibody was used to assess citrullinated GRP78 expression in murine and human tumour cells by flow cytometry. Five peptides were selected and used to vaccinate HLA transgenic mice and immune responses were characterised by ex vivo cytokine ELISpot assay. T cell repertoire in humans was assessed through proliferation assays and cytokine ELISpot assay. Citrullinated peptide was identified in murine B16 melanoma by mass spectrometry and the peptide vaccine was assessed for tumour therapy in a mouse melanoma model. Results We show the identification CD4 T cell responses to one citrullinated GRP78 epitope that are restricted through HLA DP*0401 and HLA-DR*0101 alleles. This peptide is detected by mass spectrometry in B16 melanoma grown in vivo and citrulline specific CD4 responses to two peptides spanning this epitope mediate efficient therapy of established B16 melanoma tumours in HHDII/DP4 (p<0.0001) transgenic mouse model. Finally, we demonstrate the existence of a repertoire of responses to the citrullinated GRP78 peptide in healthy individuals (p=0.0023) with 13/17 (76%) individuals showing a response to this peptide. Conclusion We propose that citrullinated GRP78 is a candidate tumour antigen and vaccination against citrullinated GRP78 may provide a promising tumour therapy approach.


The modelling of the pressure-strain correlation of turbulence is examined from a basic theoretical standpoint with a view toward developing improved second-order closure models. Invariance considerations along with elementary dynamical systems theory are used in the analysis of the standard hierarchy of closure models. In these commonly used models, the pressurestrain correlation is assumed to be a linear function of the mean velocity gradients with coefficients that depend algebraically on the anisotropy tensor. It is proven that for plane homogeneous turbulent flows the equilibrium structure of this hierarchy of models is encapsulated by a relatively simple model which is only quadratically nonlinear in the anisotropy tensor. This new quadratic model the SSG model appears to yield improved results over the Launder, Reece & Rodi model (as well as more recent models that have a considerably more complex nonlinear structure) in five independent homogeneous turbulent flows. However, some deficiencies still remain for the description of rotating turbulent shear flows that are intrinsic to this general hierarchy of models and, hence, cannot be overcome by the mere introduction of more complex nonlinearities. It is thus argued that the recent trend of adding substantially more complex nonlinear terms containing the anisotropy tensor may be of questionable value in the modelling of the pressurestrain correlation. Possible alternative approaches are discussed briefly.


Eye blink detection is useful in many applications, such as human-computer interface, driver awareness detection, and so on. Here we consider eye blink as an evidence of liveness to exclude using some fakes, mainly 2D photographs, to spoof face recognition systems. The detection of eye blink is done by signal analysis of multi-scale and multi-orientation Gabor responses of eye images. First, based on Gabor decomposition, we derive multiple Gabor response waves (GRW) and show some of them are homo-responsive to the behavior of eye blink. Second, probable blinking signals contained in GRWs are segmented out and reshaped into pulses. Third, the ratio of the union to the intersection (RUI) of the reshaped pulses is proposed as the indicator of the extent of eye blink. Our method has successfully detected eye blink under various conditions and can be applied to liveness detection in video-based face recognition system.


Monitoring the integrity of well casings is vital for oil and gas well management, which can help maintain production levels, reduce maintenance cost, and protect surrounding environment. An electromagnetic pipe inspection tool with multiple transmitter and receiver arrays operating at multiples frequencies was designed to accurately estimate the individual wall thicknesses of up to five nested pipes. Data acquired from this tool was originally processed based on an axis-symmetric forward model to invert for wall thicknesses of individual pipes. Such processing workflow is only applicable to a typical well completion with a single production tubing inside multiple nested casings. However, in a scenario with dual completions, two production tubings are generally installed to produce from more than one production zone. The presence of more than one tubing breaks the axial-symmetry of the completion structure. In this paper, we propose a new workflow to process data from electromagnetic tools for the application of integrity inspection of non-nested tubulars. A yard test with full-scale mockup demonstrates the performance of the tool. The proposed workflow, including data calibration and model-based inversion, can estimate the magnetic permeability and electrical conductivity of the pipes, along with wall thicknesses, and eccentricity of the tubings with respect to the innermost casing. An in-situ calibration method is applied to mitigate interference from one tubing when the tool is logged inside the other tubing. Model-based inversion enables an accurate estimation of the thickness of outer casings along with the eccentricity of the tubings. In addition, a two-dimensional inversion algorithm is shown to provide more accurate assessment of small corrosion spots. In the yard test, a 150 ft-long mockup includes two strings of 2⅞-in. tubings and two outer casings with four machined defects with different sizes. Logging inside each of the tubing strings was performed, and the two logs are processed to obtain the thicknesses of the tubings, outer casings as well as the eccentricity of the tubings. The inversion results reveal that the tool can accurately detect various kinds of defects on outer casings from one single log, even in the presence of a second tubing. The measurements show that the interference from the adjacent tubing is minimal and its impact on the inversion result can be well mitigated by employing the in-situ calibration. The consistent results from two logs run in each tubing string suggests that it is sufficient to run the tool in only one of the tubing strings, if the goal is solely to inspect corrosion in the outer casings. The techniques presented enable pipe integrity monitoring with a single run inside any one of the tubings and without pulling out any pipes. The data processing workflow based on two-dimensional inversion yields more accurate estimation, which provides critical information to significantly improve the efficiency of well intervention operations, therefore minimizing non-productive time and cost.


Leadership continues to be an energetically debated and contentious concept. In many contexts it elicits heated and robust discussion and illustrates a degree of disenchantment with the enactment of leadership by corporate moguls, politicians and others in positions of leadership responsibility (Wheatley, M. 2005. Finding Our Way: Leadership for Uncertain Times. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Inc; Sinclair, A. 2007. Leadership for the Disillusioned: Moving Beyond Myths and Heroes to Leading that Liberates. Sydney: Allen and Unwin; Preskill, S., and D. Brookfield. 2009. Learning as a Way of Leading: Lessons from the Struggle for Social Justice. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons). This was clearly illustrated in the 2008 Icelandic economic context where the community was turned upside down due to adventurous 'entrepreneurs', who, within a defective surveillance system, caused the collapse of the bank and financial system. In contrast leadership in the field of early childhood education could be expected to reflect aspects connected to the stereotypically feminine leadership style and demonstrate a collaborative or team approach, participation and power sharing (Shakeshaft, C. 1989. Women in Educational Administration. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE; Strachan, J. 1993. "Including the Personal and the Professional: Researching Women in Educational Leadership." Gender and Education 5 (1): 71–80). However, this article explores two studies of leadership in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC), one conducted in Iceland and the other in Australia and findings illustrate aspects such as micro-politics and horizontal violence which emerge as powerful influences on leadership aspirations and enactment.


The human brain is a complex dynamic system. Understanding the functional difference of the brain between the resting state and performing tasks helps to decipher the functional brain architecture. In this work, we trained an autoencoder to optimally reconstruct the resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data of 50 subjects, and this model was subsequently used to reconstruct the movie watching fMRI (mw-fMRI) data of the same subjects. We have compared the reconstruction error between movie watching and resting state, and significant regional functional differences were found.


Gene expression profiling (GEP) is a powerful technology for the molecular analysis of leukemia and it groups biologically defined disease entities into distinct sub-classes that can provide diagnosis, guide therapy, and even correlate with disease prognosis. The experimental procedures of micorarray analysis are often cumbersome and provide ample opportunity for variability in gene expression data. We previously reported on our efforts to standardize micorarray analysis across 11 participating laboratories within the international MILE study (Microarray Innovations in LEukemia) where a large dataset of over 4,000 leukemia patient samples is being generated using both Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 and custom format microarrays. For a better applicability in a routine laboratory workflow and in order to improve the robustness of the micorarray analysis we now have modified the original micorarray sample preparation protocols as originally published by the manufacturer. Here we report the final results of this effort to minimize the complexity of the sample preparation protocol and to reduce the time that is necessary to run the assay. We designed pre-assembled kits for total RNA preparation, nucleic acid cleanup, cDNA synthesis, in vitro transcription, hybridization and staining, and wash buffers guiding the operator through the whole process of sample preparation to microarray result generation. To further improve the ease of use of this assay we minimized to a large extent the overall complexity of sample amplification and labeling, as well as target hybridization and detection procedures. For example, for the RNA amplification, cRNA labeling, and signal detection process, the number of individual reagent vials was reduced from 32 to 13 vials. This was achieved by combining individual components to ready-to-use master mixes. Furthermore, starting from total RNA, the time required for generation of labeled and fragmented cRNA has been reduced to a convenient eight hour work-shift. Overall, compared to the original 48 hour protocol as recommended by the manufacturer the new workflow generates microarray data in 26 hours. In total, this development program included n=900 whole genome microarray tests. By comparison testing of the original and the final modified protocols on we further can demonstrate by squared correlation coefficients both high inter-assay (R 2 > 0.9) and intra-assay (R 2 > 0.9) reproducibility and precision of gene expression data of this new sample preparation method. Data from cell lines, normal bone marrow, as well as leukemia samples representing the subclasses AML with normal karyotype or other abnormalities, AML with complex aberrant karyotype, CML, and CLL indicate that reproducible subclassification of leukemias is feasible as all samples were predicted by a classification algorithm as the same class as when the samples were prepared according to the the original method. In conclusion, we developed a robust sample processing methodology for microarray analysis of leukemia samples that allows to generate standardized and reproducible microarray results in multiple laboratories.


The parody relation between two outstanding works by J. S. Bach has not been satisfyingly explained: the Funeral Music for Leonhard of Sachsen-Anhalt for Köthen (BWV 244a) and the St Matthew Passion (BWV 244). The scanty documented evidence does not allow us to decide unequivocally the precise year of the first performance of the St Matthew Passion (1727 or 1729). However, a detailed comparison of the text-music relationship makes it possible to discern which of Picander's texts of those ten movements which are potentially related as parodies, either those of 244a or 244, were originally first composed for the music of the early Passion version (BWV 244b). In five movements the music was almost certainly composed to Passion texts, in four movements the Funeral texts seem to have generated the music of BWV 244b. In one movement the choir part was very likely composed to the Funeral text, the soloist part to the Passion text. Therefore it seems likely that the St Matthew Passion was composed and performed in 1728/29 simultaneously with the Funeral Music, a unique instance in Bach's parody technique which merits further investigation.


The eastern barred bandicoot, Perameles gunnii, formerly widespread on the volcanic plains of western Victoria, has been reduced to a single, rapidly-declining, remnant population at Hamilton. Recovery of this critically endangered species has included local management, in an attempt to stabilise the wild population, captive breeding and reintroduction to selected sites. Veterinary advice and assistance have been an integral part of the investigation, planning and implementation phases of the program. The development of appropriate, standardised techniques has enabled successful treatment of problems in the captive colony. Husbandry, including the hand-rearing of pouch young has been refined. Parasitism, identified as a contributor to poor health or death, has been investigated. Experimental development of techniques for the attachment of radio-transmitters to bandicoots has enabled improved field research to take place. Fox predation, a major limiting factor in the recovery program, has been studied in detail, in order to refine control protocols.


In a recent work, Jarzynski and Wójcik (2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 230602) have shown by using the properties of Hamiltonian dynamics and a statistical mechanical consideration that heat exchange through contact between two systems initially prepared at different temperatures obeys a fluctuation theorem. Here, another proof is presented, in which only macroscopic thermodynamic quantities are employed. The detailed balance condition is found to play an essential role. As a result, the theorem is found to hold under very general conditions.


Drilling mud plays a significant role in the drilling operation because it is influential in the quality of the drilled well and the efficiency of the drilling operation. In this paper, we aim to identify the methods to improve the effectiveness of drilling operations by analyzing and evaluating the impact of adding polyacrylamide and a barite/polyacrylamide nanocomposite, synthesized through the solution polymerization method, on the properties of drilling mud. The study added the synthesized nanocomposite to the water-based drilling mud (350 cm3 water with 10 g bentonite) and examined the properties of the drilling mud, including viscosity, fluid loss, and mudcake thickness. Overall, the results indicated that the addition of the synthesized nanocomposite caused a decrease in fluid loss and the thickness of the mudcake, while it increased the drilling mud's viscosity.


Dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors do not effectively radiosensitize glioblastoma multiforme stem cells (GBM-SCs), but p53-proficient GBM-SCs are more responsive than p53-deficient ones. Here, we found that p53-proficient, but not p53-deficient, GBM-SCs lost stemness and differentiated after γ-irradiation combined with PI3K/mTOR inhibition; expression of FoxO proteins was also lost. FoxO overexpression inhibited the loss of stem cell markers under these conditions. Combined, but not single, FoxO1/3 deletion or pharmacological inhibition of FoxO transcriptional activity strongly reduced stem and progenitor marker expression, particularly that of Sox2. Binding of FoxO1 and FoxO3 to the sox2 regulatory regions was also found. However, combined FoxO1/3 knockdown strongly reduced self-renewal and post-treatment survival only in p53-proficient GBM-SCs. This suggests that FoxO1 and FoxO3 are crucial for functional stemness and post-treatment survival mainly in p53-proficient but not in p53-deficient GBM-SCs, and that these functions can be maintained through the loss of DNA damage-responsive p53 instead.


Vanishing lung syndrome is characterised by giant bullae that compress the underlying lung. Differentiating between bullous emphysema and pneumothorax and choosing the right treatment modality can be challenging. The present report describes a case of a giant pulmonary bulla in a young male patient. A 20-year-old male was admitted with complaints of shortness of breath, chest pain, sweating, and tachycardia. Chest X-ray and chest CT images revealed the presence of giant bullae occupying the left hemithorax and pneumothorax. A chest tube was inserted percutaneously under local anesthesia into the pleural cavity and then we performed bullectomy using thoracoscopic surgery. Residual lung re-expansion yielded good postoperative results without complications. It can be very difficult to distinguish a pneumothorax from a giant bulla and preoperative assessment of the extent and distribution of the bullae is vital for the following procedures. Keyword: Giant Bulla; Pulmonary Emphysema; Pneumothorax.


Food security and nutrition concerns are putting an ancient, climate-smart grain back on our plates; Farm to fork, there has been a revival of interest in millet. Foxtail millet, as a multi-purpose product, has nutritious and medicinal potentials. This research is aimed at identifying combined markers as well as stable associations between such markers and the investigated agronomic traits in a wide range of foxtail millet germplasms under normal and salinity-stress conditions. In this context, association analysis has been conducted among 14 agronomic traits and 331 polymorphic AFLP markers generated by 12 primer combinations in 134 foxtail millet genotypes. Based on the analysis of population structure, the foxtail millet genotypes were divided into six subpopulations. The results showed that a number of markers had stable and significant associations under both normal and salinity-stress conditions with agronomic traits. The primer combinations had high polymorphic percentage, diversity indices were highly reliable and revealed significant genetic variability among the genotypes. Their PIC, MI and Shannon's indices were also highly reliable and revealed significant genetic variability among the genotypes. Since the markers introduced in this research have stable and strong associations with the investigated traits under normal and salinity stress conditions, they can be suitable candidates' in future marker-assisted breeding to improve salinity- resistance genotypes of foxtail millet in arid and semiarid areas.