SUMMARY The fluorescent banding patterns of quinacrine-stained metaphase chromosomes have been studied in 2 related mouse cell lines, Ao. and a malignant derivative of A9, A9HT. In both cell lines virtually every chromosome has a distinctive banding pattern which permits its recognition. More than three quarters of the chromosomes have structural rearrangements, but the origin of nearly two thirds of the chromosomes could be determined by their banding patterns. The quinacrine fluorescence technique permits far more detailed characterization and comparison of heteroploid cell lines than any previous method. A9 and A9HT are karyologically quite similar, with many of the same marker chromosomes. There are, however, characteristic differences. A9HT, although it has a smaller average number of chromosomes per cell, appears to be more heterogeneous.


Metal-stabilized bilayers, prepared by the self-assembly of octadecyltrichorosilane on an oxidized silicon surface followed by the Langmuir-Blodgett deposition of a monolayer of octadecylphosphonic acid, have been used to generate 1.6 nanometer thick, highly uniform, zirconium oxide films following annealing. Patterning of the thin films on the nanometre scale was achieved using nanodisplacement methodology, by careful control of an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe, which allowed the selective removal of the upper leaflet of the bilayer.


Abstract We identified patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in a telemedicine clinic who requested ongoing follow-up calls 6 weeks after symptom onset. In this group, respiratory symptoms are the most common complaints, asthma and lung disease are frequent comorbidities, and patients often have not returned to work or usual activity.


Rapeseed meal is produced in large quantities as a by-product of vegetable oil production. To enhance the utility and pro fi tability of the rapeseed meal, it was treated with ethanol and used for concomitant preparation of two protein-rich ingredients, namely protein isolate (PI) and acid soluble protein (ASP). Their functional properties were evaluated in response to two boundary concentrations of NaCl (0.03 and 0.25 mol/L) in a wide pH range (2 to 10). The PI exhibited the lowest protein solubility at isolectric point (pH 4.5) which increased both at lower and higher pH. In contrast, ASP exhibited high protein solubility (>70%) which was negligibly in fl uenced by pH. The addition of 0.03 mol/L NaCl increased its protein solubility to almost 100% at acidic pH. The water holding capacity of PI was positively in fl uenced by the addition of 0.25 mol/L NaCl. The ASP did not exhibit any capacity to hold water but demonstrated higher ability to absorb oil compared to the PI. Both ingredients exhibited different thermal stability in response to salt addition at pH 7 and 8. PI and ASP exhibited completely different pattern of emulsion stability as in fl uenced by pH. While the stability of PI emulsions was close to 100% and only negligibly affected by pH, the ASP emulsion stability signi fi cantly varied in response to pH variation. The concomitant production of PI and ASP resulted in products with distinctive techno-functional properties, which makes them suitable for different applications as additives in the formulation of new food products.


2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968) speculates on humanities technological ascension through the exploration of space and the ultimate transcendence of humanity galvanised by the invention of AI. Every detail of this portrayal was an exercise in World Building, with careful considerations of then state-of-the-art technology and informed predictions. Kubrick's speculative vision is comparative to the practice of Design Fiction, by suspending disbelief and leveraging a technologies emergence to question the future's sociotechnical landscape and its ramifications critically. Discovery's AI system, Hal9000, is a convincing speculation of intelligence with Kubrick's vision showcasing current and long-term aims in AI research. To this end, Hal9000 uniquely portrays Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) underpinned by visualising 'narrow' AI subproblems; thereby, simultaneously highlighting then current research agendas within AI and manifesting them into the aspirational research agenda of human-computer symbiosis. As a result of Kubrick's mastery in suspending a viewer's disbelief despite portraying a particular reality for AI, and humanities fascination with artificial life, the term AI simultaneously refers to the grand vision of AGI as well as relating to the contemporary reality of narrow AI. This confusion, along with establishing AI's ontology, are current challenges that need addressing to create effective and acceptable realisations of AI. This paper responds to the ontological confusion by reviewing and comparing Kubrick's speculative methodology to the practice of Design Fiction by unpacking Hal9000 as a diegetic prototype while defining the active threads of 'AI's Definitional Dualism'. The paper will also present a Design Fiction submerged in the reality of narrow AI and the adoption of a More-Than Human Centred Design approach to address the complexity of AI's ontology in alternative ways. Finally, this paper will also define the importance of researching the semantics of AI technology and how film and Design Fiction offer a discursive space for design research to transpire.


Over-exploitation of natural resources and changing climatic conditions due to global warming are responsible for rapid loss of biological diversity. Creation of protected areas (PAs) across the globe which forms a critical component in global biodiversity conservation efforts are primarily designed for preventing further loss of species by restricting human use of natural resources. The Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) in the Indian State of Odisha is the sixth largest biosphere reserve in the country and forms a major part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. However, currently the reserve is under increasing pressure from growing human population that directly depends on the reserve for their livelihoods. The objectives of the present study are to develop a comprehensive understanding of the problems facing the SBR; and identify and analyse different factors that determine the extent of dependency of villages located in and around the reserve for extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The paper reviews the existing studies on the SBR by using the DPSIR framework for an in-depth understanding of interaction between local population and the biosphere reserve. Econometric techniques and descriptive statistics are applied to analyse the secondary data collected from 136 villages located in and around the reserve. The results show that economically poor villages and villages having more male members are likely to extract more NTFPs from the reserve. Villages located in transitional and buffer zones are likely to extract more NTFPs compared to villages that are in core zone. Designing appropriate and effective local institutions that would foster biodiversity conservation as well as livelihoods and structure the community behaviour are widely considered as the panacea for this problem.


There is a lot of confusion about the first use of randomization in an experiment and the first use of randomization in medicine. Some writers think that the great statistician R A Fisher carried out the first randomized trial (in agriculture)1 and published the results in 1923.2–5 Others think that the first medical trial was carried out by the British National Research Council in the 1940s.6,7 But there are earlier examples and we think we have found the oldest.

Readers of this series will know that controlled trials are as old as Biblical Daniel,8 the evaluation of smallpox inoculation in 1721,9 the evaluation of Mesmerism in 1784,10 and Semmelweiss's trials to reduce hospital infections.11 To resolve this debate we have to be precise in our definition of randomization in experiments.

The word "randomization" does not exist in the Oxford English Dictionary or its supplement.12,13 It has two frequent uses in social science and clinical research. The first is a "random sample" from a larger population. Here randomization is used to ensure that the sample is representative of the population as a whole. The second use of randomization in experimental design is our focus here. There is an experiment, purposefully and prospectively designed; there are control and experimental interventions on patients purposefully designed to eliminate every observable and unobservable difference between the two except for the experimental intervention; and there is a method of assignment which is out …


This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 15472 "Programming with "Big Code"". "Big Code" is a term used to refer to the increasing availability of the millions of programs found in open source repositories such as GitHub, BitBucket, and others.

With this availability, an opportunity appears in developing new kinds of statistical programming tools that learn and leverage the effort that went into building, debugging and testing the programs in "Big Code" in order to solve various important and interesting programming challenges.

Developing such statistical tools however requires deep expertise across multiple areas of computer science including machine learning, natural language processing, programming languages and software engineering. Because of its highly inter-disciplinary nature, the seminar involved top experts from these fields who have worked on or are interested in the area.

The seminar was successful in familiarizing the participants with recent developments in the area, bringing new understanding to different communities and outlining future research directions.


Superstring theories are very promising theoretically, but the enormous landscape of string vacua and the (likely) very large underlying string scale imply that they may never be tested directly. Nevertheless, concrete constructions consistent with the observed world frequently lead to observable remnants, i.e., new particles or features that are apparently accidental consequences of the ultraviolet theory and that are typically not motivated by specific shortcomings of the standard models of particle physics or cosmology. For example, moduli, axions, large extended gauge sectors, additional $Z'$ gauge bosons, extended Higgs/Higgsino sectors, and quasi-chiral exotics are extremely common. They motivate alternative cosmological paradigms and could lead to observable signatures at the LHC. Similar features can emerge in other standard model extensions, but in the stringy case they are more likely to occur in isolation and not as part of a more complete TeV-scale structure. Conversely, some common aspects of the infinite "landscape" of field theories, such as large representations, are expected to be very rare in the string landscape, and observation of features definitively in the swampland could lead to falsification. In this article, common stringy remnants and their phenomenology are surveyed, and implications for indirectly supporting or casting doubt on string theory are discussed.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare a human second reader with computer-aided detection (CAD) for the reduction of false-negative cases by a primary radiologist. We retrospectively reviewed our clinical practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We found that 6,381 consecutive screening mammograms were interpreted by a primary reader. This radiologist then reinterpreted the studies using CAD ("CAD reader"). A second human reader who was blinded to the CAD results but knowledgeable of the primary reader's findings reviewed the studies, looking for abnormalities not seen by the first reader.

RESULTS
Two cancers were called back by the second human reader that were not called back by the CAD reader; however, the CAD system had marked the findings, but they were dismissed by the primary reader. Because of the small numbers, the difference between the CAD and second human reader was not statistically significant. The CAD and human second readers increased the recall rates 6.4% and 7.2% (p = 0.70), respectively, and the biopsy rates 10% and 14.7%. The positive predictive value was 0% (0/3) for the CAD reader and was 40% (2/5) for the human second reader. The relative increases in the cancer detection rate compared with the primary reader's detection rate were 0% for the CAD reader and 15.4% (2/13) for the human second reader (p = 0.50).

CONCLUSION
A human second reader or the use of a CAD system can increase the cancer detection rate, but we found no statistical difference between the two because of the small sample size. A possible benefit from a human second reader is that CAD systems can only point to possible abnormalities, whereas a human must determine the significance of the finding. Having two humans review a study may increase detection rates due to interpreter--hence, perceptual--variability and not just increased detection.


Summary Vulnerability is an underexamined concept in social work. Scholarly activity principally concentrates on policy analysis and theoretical debate; less attention is given to lived experience of vulnerability from the perspectives of particular groups, impoverishing understanding of the phenomenon. This article presents findings from the first United Kingdom-based study of the lived experience of vulnerability from the perspectives of older deafblind adults. Adopting a qualitative design, data were collected via 18 semistructured interviews with eight participants (aged between 49 and 83), undertaken between October 2014 and July 2016. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings Participants interpret vulnerability as layered, describing what they feel vulnerable about, what they feel vulnerable to, and when they feel vulnerable. The latter layer is predominant: vulnerability experiences are time-limited, and situation and setting specific. Situational and pathogenic sources of vulnerability include the responses of other people, particularly the experience of being misunderstood or perceived as incapable. The layers of vulnerability are not discrete: they can be combined and avoidance of one vulnerability can exacerbate another. Applications Findings strengthen arguments against categorizing particular groups, including deafblind people, as permanently and immutably vulnerable. Such categorization, focused solely on impairment, provides an inadequate understanding of experience. Policymakers should consider adopting a layered approach to defining vulnerability. Assessment of these layers and how they interact may offer social workers an enhanced understanding of deafblind people's experiences and assist in determining what matters to them. Assessment should explore coping strategies, and assumptions of incapability based on impairment be rejected.


Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) cooperate according to indirect reciprocity, which implies the involvement of a reputation mechanism. Here, we test whether the rats employ such mechanism in repeated cooperative interactions. Focal subjects were first trained individually to pull food towards a social partner. During the experiment, the focal rats were confronted with two types of trained social partners: one always cooperated and the other one always defected, either in the presence or in the absence of an audience. Based on the hypotheses that the rats possess a reputation mechanism involving image scoring, we predicted them to be more helpful in the presence of an audience, independently of the partner's cooperative behaviour. If, in contrast, reputation involved a standing strategy, we predicted the rats to distinguish more between cooperators and defectors in the presence of an audience than in its absence. The rats helped cooperative partners more than defectors, but against both predictions the presence or absence of an audience did not influence their helping propensity. This indicates that either reputation is not included in the decision of rats to help an individual that has helped others, or that reputation is neither involving image scoring nor a standing strategy. Although the rats have been shown to modulate their decision to help a social partner based on its helpful behaviour towards others, they do not seem to adjust their behaviour strategically to the presence of an audience.


Genotyping of five CYP2D6 alleles (wt, A,B,D,E) has been performed in 218 lung cancer patients and 289 healthy controls. PCR-methods were used to determine the CYP2D6A and CYP2D6B alleles. Both patients and controls were of Caucasian Norwegian origin. In the lung cancer group all major histological types were represented. The frequency of the CYP2D6B allele which is associated with poor metabolizers (PM), was 0.235 in the lung cancer population and 0.200 in the control population. The frequencies of the CYP2D6A allele, another mutant allele associated with the PM-phenotype, were 0.007 and 0.013 in the lung cancer and control population respectively. RFLP analysis using the restriction enzyme Xba I to determine the D and E alleles, was also performed on 178 of the patients and on 118 of the controls. The frequency of the deletion variant CYP2D6D (13 kb) was 0.025 in the lung cancer group and 0.012 in the control group. None of these frequencies in the lung cancer patients were statistically significantly different from the frequencies of the control population. When combining the PCR-typing results (CYP2D6A, CYP2D6B) 20 individuals were found to carry two PM-associated alleles in the lung cancer group (n = 204) compared with only six among the controls (n = 117). This corresponds to a PM frequency of 9.8% in the lung cancer population compared with 5.1% in the control population which is, however, not significantly different from each other. These results are not in concordance with previous results which suggest that the EM-phenotype is a susceptibility marker for lung cancer.


A One-Party Scenario Romesh Thapar THE other day, a much experienced politician, now somewhat aloof from the current Opposition power games, launched a broadside on lawyer Lekhi for offering his services to the assassin Satwant Singh. Apart from the fact that the lawyers' profession is in a sense, older than the oldest, our politician, taking his cue from Rajiv Gandhi, accused Lekhi of being involved also in the Godse trial. He had swallowed the big lie, hook, line and sinker. If he had not been cautioned about accuracy, he would probably have proceeded to support Rajiv Gandhi's second big lie that the BJP was involved in the assassination of Indira Gandhi! This true story is an example of what is happening throughout this land as our courageous defenders of the sky, the IAF, carry our newly-elected Prime Minister from constituency to constituency with his bagful of blatant lies, half-truths, conscious concoctions, and those stupid promises to solve all the problems of India. All this ballyhoo is being projected in screaming headlines in the press every day. As for Doordarshan and Akashvani, they too have a field day, but they are worried about the lies getting them into trouble. Our editors, meanwhile, are beginning to show embarrassment in their never-read editorials, but the headlines (which they prefer not to note) are allowed to do the damage intended.


Objective

Fetoscopic laser surgery (FLS) is currently the standard treatment for twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). This study aims to improve the perinatal outcomes of TTTS patients by analyzing the risk factors associated with preterm delivery after FLS for TTTS.
Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted in 97 cases of patients with TTTS who underwent FLS at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2018 to December 2020. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the risk factors associated with preterm delivery. Finally, ROC curve was utilized to analyze the diagnostic value of related risk factors.
Results

A total of 90 TTTS patients were included in the study. There were 37 cases in group A and 53 cases in group B. Through multivariate logistic regression model analysis, three risk factors related to the gestational age of childbirth <32 weeks were identified: preoperative CL < 27.5 mm (OR, 10.9; P <0.001), PPROM (OR, 4.0; P=0.024), placental abruption (OR, 17.6; P=0.018). ROC curve analysis suggested that the AUC of the combined diagnosis of the three factors was 0.799 (P<0.001), which has a high value for predicting preterm delivery at low gestational age.
Conclusion

Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that CL < 27.5 mm, PPROM and placental abruption were connected with preterm delivery before 32 weeks of pregnancy. Identifying and intervening the corresponding risk factors can improve the pregnancy and neonatal outcomes after fetoscopic surgery, and promote the improvement of fetoscopic surgery techniques.


Sp1, a transcription factor that regulates expression of a wide array of essential genes, contains two SQ/TQ cluster domains, which are characteristic of ATM kinase substrates. ATM substrates are transducers and effectors of the DNA damage response, which involves sensing damage, checkpoint activation, DNA repair, and/or apoptosis. A role for Sp1 in the DNA damage response is supported by our findings: Activation of ATM induces Sp1 phosphorylation with kinetics similar to H2AX; inhibition of ATM activity blocks Sp1 phosphorylation; depletion of Sp1 sensitizes cells to DNA damage and increases the frequency of double strand breaks. We have identified serine 101 as a critical site phosphorylated by ATM; Sp1 with serine 101 mutated to alanine (S101A) is not significantly phosphorylated in response to damage and cannot restore increased sensitivity to DNA damage of cells depleted of Sp1. Together, these data show that Sp1 is a novel ATM substrate that plays a role in the cellular response to DNA damage. (Mol Cancer Res 2007;5(12):1319–30)


Starch digestion is mostly investigated with in vitro techniques, and time-course measurements are common. These yield digestograms that are modeled by theoretical, semitheoretical, and empirical kinetic equations, many of which are reviewed here. The Duggleby model has Michaelis-Menten functions, and its dependent variable is on both sides of the equation with no apparent parameter for maximum digestible starch (D∞ ). The Gaouar and Peleg models are equivalent. They predict both the initial digestible starch (D0 ) and D∞ , and an average digestion rate, but they can reveal "biratial" digestions. The first-order kinetic model exhibits diverse predictabilities and, when linearized, D∞ is sometimes equated to 100 g/100 g dry starch (100%), it yields an average rate of digestion and can predict negative D0 . The log of slope (LOS) model is unique in revealing the rapid-to-slow digestion rate phenomenon, but without guidelines to identify such. The LOS model does not sometimes use all the digestogram data, can predict D∞ greater than 100%, and returns zero digestion rate for some digestograms. However, some starchy materials exhibit a slow-to-rapid digestion rate phenomenon, as demonstrated with an example. The modified first-order kinetic model uses all the digestogram data with practical constraints (D0  ≥ 0 g/100 g dry starch; D∞  ≤ 100 g/100 g dry starch), describes all digestograms, and yields an average digestion rate, but it can also be used for "biratial" digestions. In addition, the logistic and Weibull models are discussed. Using some published data, the computational characteristics of these commonly used models are presented with objective parameters to guide choices.


The detrimental effects of the H on the mechanical properties of the metals are known for more than a century. One of the most important degradation mechanisms is H embrittlement (HE). In this thesis, we examined a few famous proposed mechanisms in the field by performing careful atomistic simulations. Moreover, novel mechanisms which can be responsible for HE process in metals are demonstrated in this work. First, we used atomistic simulations to investigate the effects of segregated H on the behavior of cracks along various symmetric tilt grain boundaries in fcc Nickel. Mode I fracture behavior is then studied, examining the influence of H in altering the competition between dislocation emission ("ductile" behavior) and cleavage fracture ("brittle" behavior) for intergranular cracks. Simulations revealed that the embrittling effects of H atoms are limited. We examined the effect of H atoms on the nucleation of intergranular cracks in Ni. The theoretical strengths are $\sim$ 25 GPa and the yield strengths are $\sim$ 10 GPa, so that (i) the theoretical strength is always well above the yield strength, with or without H, and (ii) both strengths are far above the bulk plastic flow stress, $\sigma_y^B$ of Ni and Ni alloys. So H does not significantly facilitate nucleation of intergranular cracks. We performed simulations of the interactions between dislocations, H atoms, and vacancies to assess the viability of a recently-proposed mechanism for the formation of nanoscale voids in Fe-based steels in the presence of H. The effectiveness of annihilation/reduction processes is not reduced by the presence of H in the vacancy clusters because typical V-H cluster binding energies are much lower than the vacancy formation energy, except at very high H content in the cluster. Experimental observations of nanovoids on the fracture surfaces of steels must be due to as-yet undetermined processes. The possible strengthening effects of H atoms in metals at low temperature is examined via the solute strengthening (SS) theory. The results of the SS theory can explain recent experimental observations of strengthening of H-charged polycrystalline nickel at low temperature. Moreover, the possible softening/hardening effects of H atoms due to their interaction with the pre-existing with solutes are demonstrated and for the first time, a softening process in nickel alloys is shown. The effect of the H atoms in increasing the precipitate hardening in $\alpha$-Iron is also shown in this thesis. The direct molecular dynamics simulations of the bow out of an edge dislocation in H-free and H-charged samples reveals that the presence of H atoms decreases the magnitude of the bow out of the dislocation. The hardening effect of H on the interaction of dislocations and grain boundaries in nickel is also investigated in this thesis. To this end, we simulated the interaction of mixed and screw dislocations with the grain boundaries that have access to the slip planes in nickel. The presence of H atoms along the grain boundaries induces stress in the neighborhood of the grain boundary. These stress fields can repel/attract mixed dislocations while the screw dislocations are not interacting with them. The simulation of the interaction of the mixed dislocations with the H-free and H-charged GBs shows hardening due to the presence of H atoms. The simulations of the screw dislocations do not show significant hardening due to the presence of this stress fi


Water scarcity is a growing global concern and the meager fraction of the remaining renewable water is further reduced by environmental pollution. At present, meeting the world's water demand entails efforts to protect the remaining fresh water sources from contamination or conserve water by reuse processes. Both actions necessitate advanced treatment techniques to remove hazardous substances and improve quality of wastewater effluent. Membrane filtration is one promising technology in the treatment of wastewater. However, the increasing use of membranes necessitates techniques to improve performance especially to control fouling the main burden to membrane operation. This paper investigates the integration of ultrasound irradiation and activated carbon adsorption to cross-flow membrane ultrafiltration of secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent in a novel hybrid USAMe process. Experiments employing membrane alone, membrane with ultrasound, and membrane with adsorption were also performed. Fouling is analyzed through the continuous monitoring of trans-membrane pressure in a constant flux operation and through the measurement of specific resistances obtained during a systematic cleaning process. The influence of ultrasonic frequency to performance and the eco-toxicity of the effluent to Daphnia magna were also studied. All amendment techniques have improved membrane performance and have contributed to the enhancement in the main hybrid process. Superior results were achieved in the USAMe process operated at lower ultrasonic frequency. USAMe permeates produced "no effect" in eco-toxicity tests, denoting the generation of safe effluents.


The entrainment of air by advancing contact lines is studied by plunging a solid plate into a very viscous liquid. Above a threshold velocity, we observe the formation of an extended air film, typically 10 microns thick, which subsequently decays into air bubbles. Exploring a large range of viscous liquids, we find an unexpectedly weak dependence of entrainment speed on liquid viscosity, pointing towards a crucial role of the flow inside the air film. This induces a striking asymmetry between wetting and dewetting: while the breakup of the air film strongly resembles the dewetting of a liquid film, the wetting speeds are larger by orders of magnitude.


Introduction Reduced funding to contraceptive services in the UK is resulting in restricted access for women. Pharmacists are already embedded in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care in the UK and could provide an alternative way for women to access contraception. The aim of this study was to determine the views of UK contraception providers about community pharmacist-led contraception provision. Methods An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to healthcare professionals at two UK SRH events, asking respondents about: (1) the use of patient group directions (PGDs) for pharmacist provision of oral contraception (OC); (2) the sale of OC as a pharmacy medicine or general sales list medicine; (3) the perceived impact of pharmacy provision of OC on broader SRH outcomes; and (4) if other contraceptive methods should be provided in pharmacies. Results Of 240 questionnaires distributed, 174 (72.5%) were returned. Respondents largely supported pharmacy-led provision of all non-uterine methods of contraception, excluding the contraceptive implant. Provision of the progestogen-only pill by PGD was most strongly supported (78% supported initiation). Respondents felt that the use of bridging (temporary) contraception would improve (103/144, 71.5%), use of effective contraception would increase (81/141, 57.4%), and unintended pregnancies would decline (71/130, 54.6%); but that use of long-acting reversible contraception would decrease (86/143, 60.1%). Perceived barriers included pharmacists' capacity and competency to provide a full contraception consultation, safeguarding concerns, and women having to pay for contraception. Conclusions UK SRH providers were largely supportive of community pharmacy-led provision of contraception, with training and referral pathways being required to support contraception delivery by pharmacists.


Background: The incidence density, the risk factors and the attributable mortality of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-AB) infections are rarely investigated. Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the risk factors for CR-AB infection and to investigate whether CR-AB infection significantly increases the 28-day ICU mortality rate. Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted at the Medical/Surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of "SOTIRIA" general hospital in Athens, Greece from January 2009 to March 2010. Out of 156 ICU-admitted patients, 50 case-control pairs were selected. Cases were patients who acquired microbiologically documented CR-AB infection, while control patients without A. baumannii infection and were matched to the cases on APACHE II score, age, and length of ICU stay. Results: The incidence density of CR-AB infections was 16.8 /1000 ICU days. Multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the previous exposure to more than three different antibiotic classes was the only independent risk factor for the development of CR-AB (OR=34.0, 95% CI=2.22-522, P=0.01). The 28-day ICU mortality rates for cases and controls were 54% and 52%, respectively. Thus, the crude attributable mortality for CR-AB infections was 0.02 (95% CI=-0.18-0.22, P=0.84). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CR-AB infection was not an independent predictor for 28-day ICU mortality rate (OR=1.40, 95% CI=0.46-4.22,P=0.55). Conclusions: Previous exposure to more than three different antibiotic classes was independently and significantly associated with the development of CR-AB. CR-AB infection was not associated with 28-day ICU mortality.


The present work demonstrates the impact of future airframe and propulsion technologies on the sustainability of potential future medium-range commercial jets with design specifications similar to the Airbus A320-200. Advanced airframe and engine technologies include laminar flow control (LFC), active load alleviation, new materials and structures, and ultra-high bypass ratio turbofan engines. Two aircraft configurations with various design options were compared to determine potentially the best option for the mission profile, which tends to minimize the environmental impact. Each configuration was designed to balance the equivalent CO2 emissions and Direct Operating Costs. Technology sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the significance of particular technology combinations and determine the ones that improve aircraft sustainability the most. All studies were performed at a conceptual design level using a multi-fidelity design approach to investigate the system-level effects of the technologies. The open-source aircraft design environment SUAVE was extended and integrated with other aircraft design and analysis tools to obtain all required correlations. The aircraft with advanced technologies showed an average reduction in equivalent CO2 emissions of 36% and a 23% reduction in DOC compared to the reference aircraft for a similar mission profile, although aircraft with future technologies may have a 43% higher production cost. The given results indicate that the application of technologies may be commercially successful if technologies achieve expected performance values, despite high development costs. Finally, the technology sensitivity analysis demonstrated the most significant influence of engine-related technologies and laminar flow control compared to other technologies considered in this research. Depending on design and integration complexities, engine technologies can be more achievable in the near future and can substantially reduce the overall emission level.


Graphs are natural representations of problems and data in many fields. For example, in computational biology, interaction networks model the functional relationships between genes in living organisms; in the social sciences, graphs are used to represent friendships and business relations among people; in chemoinformatics, graphs represent atoms and molecular bonds. Fields like these are often rich in data, to the extent that manual analysis is not feasible and machine learning algorithms are necessary to exploit the wealth of available information. Unfortunately, in machine learning research, there is a huge bias in favor of algorithms operating only on continuous vector valued data, algorithms that are not suitable for the combinatorial structure of graphs. In this thesis, we show how to leverage both the expressive power of graphs and the strength of established machine learning tools by introducing methods that combine geometric embeddings of graphs with standard learning algorithms. We demonstrate the generality of this idea by developing embedding algorithms for both simple and weighted graphs and applying them in both supervised and unsupervised learning problems such as classification and clustering. Our results provide both theoretical support for the usefulness of graph embeddings in machine learning and empirical evidence showing that this framework is often more flexible and better performing than competing machine learning algorithms for graphs.


In contrast to the increasing aquaculture production of mussels worldwide, pro-duction in the European Union (EU) has shown a decreasing trend over the last two decades. Aquaculture production of mussels in the EU peaked in the late1990s at more than 600 000 tonnes; by 2016, production volume had dropped by 20% to 480 000 tonnes. As mussel production represents more than ⅓ of EU aquaculture production, this decrease is an important contributor to the stagnation of EU aquaculture. Previous studies have suggested diseases, lack of mussel seed (spat), and low profitability as the main causes of the EU mussel production decrease. In this study, we investigate how economic and environmental factor shave contributed. Moreover, we examine if the different mussel production techniques (raft, longline, on-bottom, and 'bouchot') have been differently affected, by analysing the economic performance and cost structure evolution for the period 2010–2016. We complement these results with a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the EU mussel sector based on expert knowledge.


Abstract. The majority of Northern California estuaries are small, flooded river valleys that are largely unstudied due to their small sizes. Yet these estuaries serve as important nursery areas for many marine fish species, including rock-fish, flatfish, smelt, and herring. In addition, they are vital to anadromous species such as Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss). Some of these small estuaries gained protection with the completion of California's Marine Protected Area (MPA) network in 2012. From June 2014 to June 2016, we sampled the summer and winter fish communities in 3 estuaries: the Big River estuarine MPA, the Ten Mile River estuarine MPA, and the Mad River Estuary, which served as a non-MPA reference site. Fish were sampled via beach seine or fyke net at 2 stations within each estuary biannually, in summer and winter. Additional sampling was conducted in the Mad River Estuary to examine the transition from summer to winter fish communities. The fish communities in all 3 estuaries were strongly seasonal. The summer community was abundant and diverse, while winter catches were low and dominated by sculpin. Additional sampling in the Mad River Estuary showed that fish communities were diverse from spring through fall, but that catch in spring and fall was highly variable. After accounting for season, variability in the estuarine fish communities was best explained by location. The Big River Estuary had the strongest ocean connection and the most diverse marine fish community. The Ten Mile River Estuary had the weakest ocean connectivity and lowest species diversity. The Mad River Estuary fish community shared more similarities with both MPAs than they did with each other. All estuaries had a more diverse marine fish community downstream than upstream. The establishment of designated estuarine MPAs and the research presented here are important first steps to increased protection, understanding, and appreciation of the small California estuaries that cumulatively provide habitat critical to the life cycles of anadromous and marine species.


The proposed contribution of this empirical study was the formulation of an exploratory human capital development model aligned to performance management for administrative employees at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The human capital development model comprised of elements that encapsulated the link between performance improvement aided with human capital development strategies and the positive outcomes that stems from improved performance. In the context of the study, there is no standardised human capital development model for administrative employee at DUT. Hence, the study seeks to develop a human capital development model for administrative employees. The objective of the study was to develop a model that integrates the procedures of managing institutional performance with the development of its employees. The research design adopted a quantitative paradigm, using a self- administered questionnaire that was mailed to a sample 254 administrative employees. A significant response rate of 68.1% was obtained as 173 respondents returned the questionnaire. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24 for Windows. There were some significant findings that emerged from this study. It was indicated that 99.4% of respondents were not subjected to a performance evaluation, while 74% of the respondents showed that human capital development improved performance. A further 87.7% of the respondents reported that human capital development influence promotional opportunities, while 74.5% of the respondents responded to human capital development being linked to succession planning. A further 61.85% of the respondents also indicated that management commitment was imperative for the effective implementation of performance management systems. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and the Barlett's Test of Sphercity indicated the factorability of the measuring instrument. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relation between the variables that formulated the human capital development model. Eight of the ten analysis showed that there was a relationship between the variables. The Pearsons Chi-Square test showed a significant correlation for the hypothesis that tested the variables of the study. One of the recommendations suggested is for top management to buy-in to performance management so that their leadership can encourage supervisors to commit to the process. Effective feedback, training, development, mentoring and coaching are recommended to improve the performance of administrative employee. Recommendations suggested the development of a succession planning and career advancement policy for the institution. The study concluded with suggestions for future research.


WEBSTER'S defines a geezer as an odd or eccentric man. We write about geezers because they have predictable and understandable problems when forced into the health care system. We hope to promote an appreciation for their rich life histories and idiosyncratic charm. Survivors of the dust bowl and the Great Depression endured hardships unimaginable to the young physician. The geezer is the rural or working-class man who emerged from these adverse circumstances with a fierce independence blazed from solving problems with his own hands. Like an old oak, he is strong and rigid but brittle. He may collapse suddenly when the storms of serious illness overwhelm his self-sufficiency. The geezer has limited formal education, and he is unimpressed by diplomas and certificates. He has his own idea of competence, dismissing house staff with uncanny accuracy as "whippersnappers." After cogitating our advice, he does what he damned well pleases. He is


Insects and other arthropods utilise external sensory structures for mechanosensory, olfactory and gustatory reception. These sense organs have characteristic shapes related to their function, and in many cases are distributed in a fixed pattern so that they are identifiable individually. In Drosophila melanogaster, the identity of sense organs is regulated by specific combinations of transcription factors. In other arthropods, however, sense organ subtypes cannot be linked to the same code of gene expression. This raises the questions of how sense organ diversity has evolved in arthropods, and if the D. melanogaster subtype identity principle is representative for insects. To address these questions, we analyse sense organ development in another insect, the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. We show that in contrast to D. melanogaster, T. castaneum sense organs cannot be categorised based on their requirement for individual or combinations of the conserved sense organ transcription factors such as cut and pox-neuro and members of the Achaete-Scute (Tc ASH, Tc asense) and Atonal family (Tc atonal, Tc cato, Tc amos). Rather, these genes are required for the specification of sense organ precursors and the development and differentiation of sensory cell types in diverse external sensilla. Based on our findings and past research, we present an evolutionary scenario suggesting that sensory organs have diversified from a default state through subsequent recruitment of sensory genes to the different sense organ specification processes. A specific role for genes in subtype identity has evolved as a secondary effect of the function of these genes in individual or subsets of sense organs, which can largely not be aligned with morphological or functional categories.


The baseline distribution of a structure represents the statistical distribution of dynamic response feature from the healthy state of the structure. Generally, damage-sensitive dynamic response feature of a structure manifest themselves near the tail of a baseline statistical distribution. In this regard, some researchers have paid attention to extreme value distribution for modeling the tail of a baseline distribution. However, few researches have been conducted to theoretically understand the extreme value distribution from a perspective of statistical damage assessment. This study investigates the asymptotic convergence of domain of attraction in extreme value distribution through parameter estimation, which is needed for reliable statistical damage assessment. In particular, the asymptotic convergence of a domain of attraction is quantified with respect to the sample size out of which each extreme value is extracted. The effect of the sample size on false positive alarms in statistical damage assessment is quantitatively investigated as well. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerically simulated acceleration data on a two span continuous truss bridge.


The experiment was conducted to evaluate the acute toxicity level of effluents from inlet and outlet of the biological lagoons of Hawassa Textile waste treatment plant using Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus as test organism. Data for 24hrs, 48hr, 72hrs and 96hrs were recorded, and were analysed to determine the effects of toxicants of the effluent on behavioural responses and survival rate of Oreochromis niloticus. The results revealed that normal swimming behaviours were observed on the fish stocked at lower effluent concentration, while erratic swimming, gasping and frequent surfacing behavioural responses were observed on the fish stocked at higher effluent concentration. There was no fish mortality in control and 10% (v/v) outlet effluent concentration. The highest percentage mortality was observed at 100% (v/v) inlet effluent concentration followed by 100% (v/v) outlet and 40% (v/v) inlet effluent concentrations. The 96hrs fifty present lethal concentration (LC50) and acute toxicity unit (ATU) values for inlet and outlet wastewater were 30.5% (v/v), 3.279, 71.5% (v/v) and 1.399, respectively. The safe effluent concentration for both inlet and outlet wastewater is set to be 3.05% and 7.15%, respectively. As a whole the present results revealed that the total efficiency level of the treatment plant to remove toxicants was 57.33% (v/v). However, efficiency of the treatment plant should be improved to use the water for irrigation and other domestic purposes; otherwise, the use of the wastewater at present condition is unsafe.


Introduction: Breast stimulation has been suggested as an effective means of inducing labour. It is both an inexpensive and non-medical intervention which allows women greater control over the induction process. The present study is carried out to evaluate the effect of this simple, inexpensive e technique of antenatal nipple stimulation after 37 weeks of gestation and its effect on milk outcome. Methodology : All women with 37 completed weeks of gestation and sure of their last menstrual periods were included in the study group.Patient was taught the maneuver; breast was stimulated/massaged, with palmer surface of the hand, between the index and fore fingers for about 5 minutes in downward direction. Results : In case group of 94% of patients had initiation of breast milk feeding/secretions within half an hour after delivery, where as in control group 84% of patients had breast milk feeding/secretions within half an hour after delivery. Initiation of breast milk feeding/secretions within half an hour after delivery was studied irrespective of vaginal delivery, forceps, LSCS or NICU admission of the baby. Conclusion: The present study outlines the importance of breast milk outcome positive response to breast stimulation exercise during prenatal period.


The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports in 1999, To Err is Human – Building a Safer Health System and 2001, Crossing the Quality Chasm sought to transform the culture of American hospitals. The culture of blame needed to become a culture of safety if we were ever to reduce and prevent errors and create a system of care organized around patient not provider needs. Abington Memorial Hospital began its journey to create a culture of safety in December 1999 and today in 2010 we continue that journey. Much has been done and our organization has truly advanced in our transparency and focus on systems improvement. This paper describes our journey over the past decade and our strength of commitment to continuous improvement in search of perfect care for our patients. Comments Submitted to the Program of Organizational Dynamics in the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania Advisor: This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/od_theses_mp/7 ONE HOSPITAL'S JOURNEY TO CREATE A CULTURE OF SAFETY


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Total arthroplasty of the first metatarsophalangeal joint is one of the surgical treatment options for patients with advanced hallux rigidus. This study evaluates the pressure changes in the propulsion phase of the gait cycle using dynamic pedobarography after the total arthroplasty of the first metatarsophalangeal joint by Medin PH-Flex and their comparison with the control groups of patients with hallux rigidus and with asymptomatic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Dynamic pedobarograph was used to evaluate 15 first MTP joint replacements by Medin PH-Flex implants in 12 female patients, the average time since joint replacement was 3.5 years (1.5 to 5.5 years). The control group consisted of 13 forefeet in 12 patients with hallux rigidus of Grade 3 and Grade 4 according to the Coughlin classification and 17 healthy patients with no clear foot deformity, i.e. of a total of 34 forefeet. A zone for each metatarsal (M1-M5) and the big toe area (T1) were defined with the use of an integrated software. The difference between the pressure under the big toe area and the first metatarsal bone - hallux stiffness (T1-M1) and the forefoot balance parameter, i.e. the difference between the pressures under the medial and lateral half of the forefoot ((M1+M2)-(M3+M4+M5)), was obtained. The parameters were evaluated for each group during the propulsion phase of the gait, i.e. from 55% to 100% of the stance phase and from 75% to 100% of the stance phase, i.e. that part of propulsion when the greatest pressure is exerted on the big toe. RESULTS For the HS parameter (T1-M1) in 55% to 100% of the stance phase, the median value was -0.66 ± 1.22 (-1.90 to 1.45) in the control group, -0.85 ± 1.94 (-1.40 to 3.80) in patients with hallux rigidus, and -0.10 ± 1.48 (-1.30 to 2.40) in patients after the first MTP joint replacement. The median forefoot balance parameter from 55% of the stance phase was -3.48 ± 2.45 (-6.90 to 0.68) in healthy patients and -4.43 ± 2.72 (-6.98 to 0.23) in hallux rigidus patients. In patients after the joint replacement, the value was -3.00 ± 2.46 (-6.20 to 0.40). The data were statistically analysed by the Dunnett's and Tukey's multiple comparison tests. The hallux stiffness parameter showed a significant improvement after the joint replacement compared to patients with hallux rigidus (p<0.0001). No statistical significance was confirmed when comparing the joint replacement cases and the healthy patients from the control group (p=0.0007 and p=0.0010, respectively). As concerns the forefoot balance parameter, a significant difference was reported in patients with joint replacement compared to healthy patients from the control group and patients with hallux rigidus (p <0.0001). DISCUSSION The published pedobarographic studies differ in terms of the methodology used, the patient population and the parameters examined. The pedobarographic studies after the replacement of the first MTP joint or after its arthrodesis present inconclusive outcomes. According to the available literature, the joint replacement has the potential to improve mediolateral forefoot loading and to partially restore the weight-bearing function of the first ray. Our analysis of the HS parameter suggests that the MTP joint replacement can improve the big toe function compared to patients with hallux rigidus but fails to achieve the functional outcomes of healthy patients. When evaluating the forefoot balance (FB) parameter, we can observe less loading on the lateral half of the forefoot in the propulsion phase compared to hallux rigidus. Nonetheless, the joint replacement is unable to restore the physiological loading of the foot. CONCLUSIONS The first MTP joint replacement has the potential to improve forefoot function and to bring it closer to that of a healthy person, even though achieving physiological loading of the forefoot is unrealistic. Additional studies will be needed to confirm that the indication for the first MTP joint replacement is justified in hallux rigidus in terms of the effect on forefoot biomechanics. Key words: hallux rigidus, total replacement of the first MTP joint, dynamic pedobarography, footscan.


Attribute extraction is a task to identify the attribute and the corresponding attribute value from unstructured text, which is important for extensive applications like web information retrieval and the recommended system. The traditional relation extraction-based methods or joint extraction-based systems are often perform attribute classify based on subject and attribute-value pairs, and extract the attribute triples in the scope of ontology schema categories, which is in the assumption of the close-world and cannot satisfy the diversity of attributes. In this work, we propose a semi-open information extraction system for attribute extraction in a multi-component framework. With the proposed semi-open attribute extraction system (SOAE), more attribute-value pairs can be discovered by extracting literal triples without the limitation of pre-defined ontology. An additional co-trained ontology-based attribute extraction model is appended as a component following the assumption of the partial-closed world (PCWA), remission the performance degradation of SOAE caused by missing of the literal predicate in raw text and contribute to extract richer attribute triples and construct more dense knowledge graph. For evaluating the performance of the attribute extraction system, we construct a Chinese functional description text dataset CNShipNet and conduct experiments on it. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed approach outperforms several state-of-the-art baselines with a large margin.


The Gulf of Mexico currently spans the transition from tropical to temperate coastal ecosystems but this is changing as the northern Gulf undergoes tropicalization and the entire Gulf will become tropical in this century. The objective of this paper was to review information on climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems with high freshwater input for the Gulf of Mexico and review mitigation measures for dealing with climate change. There are two high freshwater discharge areas, one surrounding the Mississippi River in the north central Gulf and one in the southern Gulf, which is associated with the Grijalva-Usumacinta River and adjacent rivers and ground water discharge from the Yucatan Peninsula. Both of these areas are characterized by extensive coastal wetlands, and in the southern Gulf, submerged aquatic vegetation. These coastal ecosystems support important natural resources, have high petroleum production, and important maritime trade. Climate change will impact both of these areas strongly. Sea level is projected to increase by a meter or more by 2100 and there will be more strong hurricanes that will be larger, have more intense rainfall, will move slower, and the rate of intensification will increase. In the north, peak Mississippi River discharge is projected to increase by 10 to 60%. In the southern Gulf, it is projected that precipitation and freshwater discharge will decrease associated with the Mesoamerican climate hotspot. Coastal management to accommodate climate change should mimic ecosystem functioning. Specific actions include protection of natural areas, full use of freshwater and sediment resources, maintain con-nections between freshwater input and coastal systems, allow inland migration of coastal wetlands, and careful management of land use changes.
Keywords: Gulf of Mexico, climate change impacts, coastal ecossytems.


The development of technology has made all forms of life easy for humans. One of the technological advances is the existence of internet technology. The presence of e-commerce provides convenience that is very, very useful for consumers. In connection with the economic problems that resulted in the decline in the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, in this case, it gave rise to new crimes and the level of criminalization in society was increasing. Fraud cases in electronic transactions are one of the crimes commonly committed on social media or e-commerce. The purpose of this paper is to find out the legal protection for consumers regarding violations of electronic transactions during the covid-19 pandemic. Legal protection for consumers due to violations including fraud through electronic transactions during the covid-19 pandemic is regulated through the provisions in the Indonesian Criminal Code, which is contained in Article 378 concerning Fraud and its provisions in the ITE Law as these regulations have regulated relating to an electronic transaction that is in Indonesia, this clause is part of positive law in Indonesia that can be used as an effort to protect the law


BACKGROUND: Vulvectomy is a disfiguring operation detrimental to self-esteem and female identity, but surgical techniques for anatomical reconstruction are not routinely performed. CASES: Anatomical reconstruction of the vulva is illustrated in 1) a patient with superficial vulvectomy, 2) a patient with deep anterior vulvectomy, and 3) a patient with extended radical vulvectomy. Random skin flaps and axial-pattern skin flaps based on the deep external and the internal pudendal arteries were used. All patients had good postoperative results. CONCLUSION: Established reconstructive procedures can be used to restore the labial folds, vestibulum, posterior commissure, and perineum. We advocate reconstruction of the anterior commissure with clitoral protrusion after superficial and deep vulvectomy.


The use of video in the language learning classroom has long been seen as a way to enrich the student experience and to increase student engagement. This case study presents a good practice example of student-led video production tasks. The project which is analysed here was conducted with undergraduate students of German at Aston University in Birmingham, UK. It examined student responses and student achievement in relation to a number of different video-based learning activities and explored the potential of student-led digital video production in a language for business context. Results of the study highlighted the various benefits of using video production tasks with language learners. In particular, the data demonstrated how video-based tasks embedded in a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach and supported by adequate scaffolding, such as task-based learning structures, provide collaborative learning opportunities and increase students' confidence.


Partnering with patients and staff to develop and evaluate falls prevention education could better enable patient learning and engagement. This study aimed to create a revised version of the Safe Recovery falls prevention education programme in partnership with older patients and hospital staff, to improve patient engagement in undertaking falls preventive strategies in hospital. Two-phase sequential mixed methods participatory design. Hospital rehabilitation wards in Western Australia. Phase 1: older patients ( n = 10) and staff ( n = 10) were surveyed before and after original programme delivery to ascertain their reaction and learning. Consumer-focused discussions were undertaken with staff and patients online to inform programme revision. A patient video and workbook were co-produced, and staff were trained to deliver the revised programme. Phase 2: older patients ( n = 10) and staff ( n = 10) were surveyed before and after receiving the revised programme to gain reactions and learning. Deductive content analysis and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data. Patients and staff perceived the original programme to be outdated and expressed low levels of satisfaction with the original resources. In contrast, both patients and staff were highly satisfied with the revised programme. Both original and revised Safe Recovery programme patient groups demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge and awareness to reduce their risk of falling after receiving the education ( p = .008, p = .005, respectively). However, patients receiving the revised programme were significantly more likely to intend to take action ( p = .024) and have a clear action plan ( p = .010). Staff perceived that the revised resources showed significant improvements in aesthetic appeal ( p = .007) and ability to engage patients in learning ( p = .007). Patients and staff contributed to successfully revising the Safe Recovery programme with positive reactions to the co-produced resources. Participating in falls education significantly improved older patients' knowledge and attitudes regarding falls prevention.


The purpose of this study was to compare muscular activity of the posterior deltoid muscle during three typical aquatic physical conditioning activities. This interpretative case study involved a 23-year-old elite swimmer and athlete. Muscular activity was measured with surface electromyography during swimming crawl at maximum speed, and also while performing horizontal shoulder abduction using elastic band and Hydro-Tone Bells resistance. During the maximum voluntary contraction, we observed what appeared to be meaningful differences between the percentage of muscular activation during the swimming activity and that observed during the elastic band and aquatic resistance exercises (18.72% vs. 74.84% and 65.46%, respectively). No meaningful differences were observed between the percentage of muscular activation for the elastic band and aquatic resistance exercises. Resistance exercises, both in and out of the water, produce more muscle activation and may be more efficient for improving muscular strength than sprint crawl swimming. Prescribing physical exercise for health reasons is the process by which a medical professional recommends that an individual undertake a personal exercise


Introduction: Herbal-based medicines are widely used for the prevention and treatments of diverse diseases especially in growing countries as well as many developed countries. Although some of herbal-based medicines have promising therapeutic properties, many of them remain untested and their safety and efficacy were not scientifically assessed. Based on knowledge from traditional Greco-Arab herbal medicine, this in vitro study aims to evaluate cytotoxic and cytostatic effects of three traditionally used anti-diabetic and anti-cancer medicinal plants. Out of the traditional medicinal plants, Asparagus aphyllus, Crataegus aronia, and Ephedra alata are widely used in many Mediterranean countries as natural remedies. Methods: Human THP-1- derived macrophages, HepG2 cells and their co-cultures were used in this in vitro study. Cells were treated for 24h (cytotoxic effects) and 72h (cytostatic effects) with increasing concentrations (0-1000 μg/ml) of water/ethanol extracts from Asparagus aphyllous (AA-extract), Crataegus aronia (CA-extract) and Ephedra alata (EA-extract). Cytotoxic and cytostatic effects were assessed using MTT assay and LDH assay. Results: No significant cytotoxic effects were seen with the three extracts up to concentration of 500 μg/ml. A slight cytotoxic effect was observed with CA-extractin HepG2 monocultures at concentrations higher than 500 μg/ml. Significant cytostatic effects were measured with CA-extract and EA-extract in monocultures and cocultures. The cytostatic activity of the extracts was more potent in co-cultures reaching IC50 of 178 μg/mL and 380 μg/mL for CA-extract and EA-extract, respectively. Conclusion: These results indicate that the traditionally known anti-cancer effects of CA-extract and EA-extract might be mediated in part through cytostatic effects.


Photoelectron microscopy developed as part of the general advance in electron optics and conventional electron microscopy. The recent emphasis on energy analysis through photoelectron spectroscopy has led to several related developments in which the possibility of obtaining photoelectron spectra from very small object areas has emerged. Either chemical analysis, and especially molecular chemical analysis, becomes possible from areas less than a square micrometre, or magnified images may be obtained by using closely selected electron energies. Both of these possibilities are realized in the Oxford photoelectron spectromicroscope, which is described. Other means of producing electron images include the use of metastable or fast atoms. The use of a magnetic field, which is an essential part of the Oxford instrument, introduces the opportunity for a number of novel techniques, which are also described.


The current study examined the impact of parental style on early childhood learning, as well as the role of parental self-efficacy (PSE) as a mediating factor. In the domains of education and psychology, it is increasingly recognized that parents have a considerable impact on their children's learning and development. Purposive sampling was used and data was gathered over 3 months from school children's parents. Hypotheses were tested using smart partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM v3.2.8) software. The findings of the present study reveal that an authoritative parenting style is positively associated with learning outcomes among Chinese students. Moreover, the mediating role of parental self-efficacy has been tested and proved to be a potential mediator between parental style and children's learning outcomes. High PSE is linked to parents' adoption of a variety of optimum parenting practices throughout childhood, including maternal sensitivity and responsiveness to children's needs, warm and affectionate parental behavior, and monitoring. Hence, low PSE has been linked to coercive or harsh parenting as well as a proclivity to give up easily when faced with parental difficulties. In China, further study is needed on the relationship between parenting style, parental self-efficacy, and learning outcome. Future parenting programs could also focus on raising parents' understanding of the need for both parents' involvement in expressive activities and mentoring. This could help them boost their parenting self-efficacy even more. Lastly, the implications for parents, children, and teachers are discussed.


Context: Swietenia mahagoni L. Jacq. (Meliaceae) is a medium to large evergreen tree native to Southern Florida, Cuba, The Bahamas, Hispaniola, and Jamaica. Objective: To evaluate the antidiabetic and antioxidant potential of S. mahagoni bark. Materials and methods: In the present study, the antidiabetic activity of the methanol extract of S. mahagoni (MESM) bark in streptozotocin (STZ; 65 mg/kg body weight)-induced diabetic rats was evaluated. Glibenclamide (0.5 mg/kg; orally) was taken as the reference drug. The blood glucose levels and body weights were measured every 5th day over a period of 15 days. Antioxidant effects were assayed in diabetic rats by estimating thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), and catalase (CAT) levels. Results and discussion: Oral administration of MESM at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg b.w. resulted in a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. Body weights were significantly (p < 0.001) reduced in STZ-induced diabetic rats when compared to normal rats, while the extract significantly restored body weight. The present study was further undertaken to evaluate the antioxidant activity of MESM in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Decreased levels of TBARS and increased levels of GSH and CAT activity indicated a reduction in free radical formation in tissues such as the liver and kidney of diabetic rats. Conclusion: These findings showed the significant hypoglycemic and antioxidant activity of the extract (MESM) in diabetic rats.


Floriculture has become one of Sri Lanka's major foreign exchange ventures and it has grown substantially during the last few years. Currently, we can find three major types of growers in floriculture. They are Large Commercial Ventures, Middle Level growers and Village Level growers. Both Middle Level and Village level growers usually go for low cost cultivation with minimum advanced techniques, sticking to conventional methods. Orchid cultivation is more pleasurable and profitable than any other floriculture ventures. As the orchid cultivation is so pleasurable we can introduce another group of growers who cultivate orchid in their home gardens for making their home gardens beautiful. But the problem is that most of these growers may not have the knowledge to identify the specie of the plants as there are a number of similar looking plants which are in different species. And also they may not have the knowledge about the orchid diseases. Because of that they may not be able to get the maximum outcome from their cultivations. So the aim of our project is to address the above mentioned issues by introducing a system which can identify orchid species & diseases and predict the healthiness of the orchid plants. The only input to this system is an image of an orchid leaf and the system will provide the orchid specie name, diseases if there any, healthiness of the orchid plant and suggestions to overcome the issues associated with the orchid plant as the output. We identify the orchid species and diseases by extracting the features of orchid plant leaf in the input image using image processing technics and with the use of data mining technics we predict the healthiness of the orchid plant. So, this system will be a great help for the people who love to grow orchids but don't have knowledge about the orchid species and diseases. And also they will be able to find the healthiness of their orchid plants. ————————————————————


Anodic Behaviors of Iron-Silicon Alloys Fundamental Studies on Corrosion Behaviors of Iron-Silicon Alloys (Part 1) Hiroyasu MITANI* and Masami ONISHI* Fe-Si alloys having various Si contents of 0-14%% were prepared by sinter siliconizing and subsequent diffusion treatment according to the procedure described in the author's previous report. Anodic polarization behaviors of the prepared specimens in 2N H2SO4 were investigated by the potentiostatic method. For the specimens having Si contents up to 6%, both of the maximum current density at the active state and the corresponding potential indicated each constant value, independent of Si content. At above 6% of Si content, however, the maximum current density decreased with the increase of Si content and the corresponding potential shifted to be less noble. Effects of Si content on the passive current density were quite different from those of abovementioned. That is, the passive current density increased with the increase of Si content up to 6%, but decreased with the increase of Si content above 6%. The anodic polarization was measured in 1 and 0.5N H2SO4 by using specimens having Si contents of 6 and 14%. The polarization for 6% Si specimen was only affected by concentration of H2SO4 and the potential range of the active state was extremely extended. In other words, 6% specimen was much less to be passive than other specimens when H2SO4 solution was diluted to 1 or 0.5N from 2N. It was confirmed by the author's another experiment that the above results mainly depended upon SO4 concentration in H2SO4 solution.


We consider a system of two identical, but possibly detuned, spatially separated semiconductor lasers that are mutually coupled via their optical fields. In a rate equation approach this system can be modeled by a set of delay differential equations, where the delay takes into account the propagation time of the light from one laser to the other. The delay introduces a complicated structure the compound laser modes (CLMs) whose interaction may lead to complicated dynamics. In this paper we present a bifurcation study of the CLM structure for the relevant system parameters, including the pump current and the detuning. Initially stable CLMs can destabilizes in Hopf bifurcations that lead to complicated dynamics on different time scales. In particular, we concentrate on the dynamics near the boundary of locked dynamics of the two lasers. Depending on the pump current we find different scenarios for the route to locking as a function of the detuning between the two lasers.


Using the first-principles spin density functional approach, we have studied magnetism of a type of all-carbon nanomaterials, i.e., the carbon nanowires inserted into the single-walled carbon nanotubes. It is found that if the one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanowire density is not too higher, the ferromagnetic ground state will be more stable than the antiferromagnetic one, which is caused by weak coupling between the 1D carbon nanowire and the single-walled carbon nanotube. Also, both dimerization of the carbon nanowire and carbon vacancy on the tube wall are found to enhance the magnetic moment of the composite.


The ACM Committee on Curriculum in Computer Science has spent two years investigating master's degree programs in Computer Science. This report contains the conclusions of that effort. Recommendations are made concerning the form, entrance requirements, possible courses, staffing levels, intent, library resources, and computing resources required for an academic, professional, or specialized master's degree. These recommendations specify minimum requirements which should be met by any master's programs. The Committee believes that the details of a particular master's program should be determined and continually updated by the faculty involved. A single or a small number of model programs are not as appropriate at the graduate level as at the bachelor's level.


Light transmission in the reflection fiber system, located in external optical media, has been investigated for application as sensors. The system was simulated by different models, including external cavity parameters such as the distance between light emitting and receiving fibers and mirror positioning distance. The sensitivity to a linear displacement of the sensors was studied as a function of the distance between the tips of the light emitting fiber and the center of the pair reflected light collecting fibers, by positioning a mirror. Physical fundamentals and operating principles of the advanced fiber optical sensors were revealed.


Aims: The relationship between ecstasy and affective psychological symptoms are still subject to debate. We aimed to examine the relationship between Ecstasy use and self-report depression, anxiety and schizotypy. Design: Data were collected via structured remote self-report questionnaires. Participants: Participants were split into three groups: a control group with no ecstasy use, a light ecstasy user group (50 times). Measurements: Amount and patterns of ecstasy use were recorded, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) measured depression and anxiety respectively, and schizotypal traits were measured using the schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Findings: It was found that ecstasy use was associated with depression, anxiety and schizotypal trait scores. There was no relationship between these measures and the level of ecstasy use. Conclusions: Ecstasy use per se was associated with self-report depression and anxiety, replicating previous literature. Furthermore, ecstasy users reported more schizotypal traits, something which had not been investigated in any previous research.


Thin films form a fair share in the ever growing solar cell research and also in the market. One of the most versatile materials grown as thin films today are from derivatives of pure and doped Zinc Oxide. A combination of dip coating and electrodeposition is a powerful tool in order to achieve good quality thin films. The main advantage is that the basic precursor which is Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) can be safely avoided since its procurement enhances the cost and the availability if selective nowadays. The initial run is made by dip coating process where a supersaturated solution of the material to be coated is taken in a beaker. A glass substrate is dipped into the supersaturated solution and dried for an optimal amount of time. Multi layered thin film coatings are formed and dried consequently before each individual dipping to enhance uniformity. Pure thin films of Zinc Oxide are initially grown with thickness varying so as to reach the optimal solar cell quality. Zinc Oxide is doped with dopants like Chromium, Cadmium, Magnesium and Manganese with dopant levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.10 per wt% in order to investigate an appreciation in the quality of the solar cells. These pure and doped substrates of ZnO thin films are investigated for their structural and optical properties [1-3].


The ACCENT Project (FP7-AAT-2007-RTD-1) will allow the European Aero Engine manufacturers to improve their competitiveness by applying adaptive control techniques to the manufacturing of their components. For the critical rotating parts of aircraft engines, the surface integrity generated after machining is a key factor on the life cycle. In this context, one particular attention has to be carried out on tool condition. The aim of this paper is to define a monitoring approach able to detect the tool condition and machining disturbances. The main failure modes characterizing this particular Nickel base drilling and the apparition of embedded chips over the machined surface were identified. By experimental techniques, cartography of failure modes was performed. The results show that flank wear and notch are the main failure modes limiting the tool life. For some cutting conditions, the tool failure occurs after the first hole due to the important cutting forces. Some interesting combinations are made between the spindle current/accelerometers/ thrust force and flank wear, tool breakage and notch. Before these correlations, a detailed signal analysis was performed, considering different disturbing phenomena, such as chips evacuation problem. Finally, a "synopsis" for process monitoring is proposed, considering the analyzed phenomena.


The mutations cld (combined lipase deficiency) and lec23 disrupt in a similar manner the expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Whereas cld affects an unknown gene, lec23 abolishes the activity of alpha-glucosidase I, an enzyme essential for proper folding and assembly of nascent glycoproteins. The hypothesis that cld, like lec23, affects the folding/assembly of nascent LPL was confirmed by showing that in cell lines homozygous for these mutations (Cld and Lec23, respectively), the majority of LPL was inactive, displayed heterogeneous aggregation, and had a decreased affinity for heparin. While inactive LPL was retained in the ER, a small amount of LPL that had attained a native conformation was transported through the Golgi and secreted. Thus, Cld and Lec23 cells recognized and retained the majority of LPL as misfolded, maintaining the standard of quality control. Examination of candidate factors affecting protein maturation, such as glucose addition and trimming, proteins involved in lectin chaperone cycling, and other abundant ER chaperones, revealed that calnexin levels were dramatically reduced in livers from cld/cld mice; this finding was also confirmed in Cld cells. We conclude that cld may affect components in the ER, such as calnexin, that play a role in protein maturation. Whether the reduced calnexin levels per se contribute to the LPL deficiency awaits confirmation.


It is well known that the magnitude of sky glow on a clear night depends upon the aerosol content in the atmosphere and the spectral power distribution (amount and spectrum). Sources with a greater proportion of short-wavelength radiation produce more backscattered radiation, but as aerosol density increases, the differential effect of spectrum becomes smaller. Sky glow magnitude also depends upon the operating characteristics of the detector and will be greater when the spectrum of the backscattered radiation is tuned to the spectral band-pass characteristics of the detector. The human visual system is most often used to assess sky glow magnitude, but its spectral response is not limited to a single, univariate detector. Rather, the retina is composed of many neural channels, each with its own spectral and absolute sensitivities to optical radiation. Since we can use a different neural channel to see an individual star than we do to gain an overall impression of sky brightness, changes to the spectral power distribution of backscattered radiation differentially, and simultaneously, affect one's ability to see a single star and to assess sky brightness. A general method for assessing sky glow based upon aerosol content, spectral power distribution and the specific operating characteristics of a detector, human or otherwise, is offered.


The solubilities of rare earth(Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er, and Yb) oxalates were measured in nitric acid and oxalic acid media. The concentration of rare earth in the filtrate obtained after oxalate precipitation was determined by ICP-AES. The experiment revealed that the solubilities decreased as the oxalic acid concentration increased and the nitric acid concentration decreased. Based on the assumption that rare earth ions can react with oxalate ion to form RE(C₂O₄)_n^(3-2n)(n =1,2,3) complex, we have proposed a solubility model of rare earth oxalate. The oxalic acid concentration, the hydrogen ion concentration, and the ionic strength were calculated from the stoichiometric material balances of chemicals in the precipitation reaction. The activity coefficients of ions were also calculated by the modified Debye-Hu〃ckel equation. Within the experimental range of oxalate ion activity 1 × 10^(-8) M to 1 ×10^(-5) M, solubility products K_SP and equilibrium constants β₁ , for rare earth oxalates were obtained.


1. In order to study the acute effects of blood volume changes on the vascular resistance of portal-systemic collaterals (collateral vascular resistance), a model of total portal vein occlusion with 100% portal-systemic shunts was developed in the rat. In this model, we determined the haemodynamic effects of haemorrhage (1.8 ml/100 g body weight) or intravenous infusion of a volume expander (1.8 ml/100 g body weight). Cardiac output and regional blood flows were measured by the radioactive microsphere method. 2. Haemorrhage significantly reduced arterial pressure from 108 +/- 4 to 92 +/- 4 mmHg (mean +/- SEM), cardiac output from 56 +/- 4 to 24 +/- 2 ml min-1 100 g-1 body weight, portal pressure from 15.1 +/- 1.5 to 10.0 +/- 1.4 mmHg and portal tributary blood flow from 19.9 +/- 2.3 to 8.3 +/- 1.4 ml/min. Consequently, collateral vascular resistance significantly increased from 6.6 +/- 0.9 x 10(3) to 11.1 +/- 2.0 x 10(3) kPa 1(-1) s. 3. Volume expansion reduced arterial pressure from 98 +/- 3 to 90 +/- 3 mmHg, and significantly increased cardiac output from 43 +/- 3 to 55 +/- 3 ml min-1 100 g-1 body weight, portal pressure from 13.9 +/- 0.7 to 16.5 +/- 0.8 mmHg and portal tributary blood flow from 16.4 +/- 1.3 to 28.2 +/- 3.2 ml/min. Consequently, collateral vascular resistance significantly decreased from 7.0 +/- 0.5 x 10(3) to 4.9 +/- 0.4 x 10(3) kPa l-1 s. 4. This study shows that in rats with portal hypertension, portal-systemic collateral vascular resistance is modified by alterations in blood volume.


As educational leaders focus on strategies for improving student learning, new initiatives are being implemented that reorganize the structure of schools. This study evaluated a school district-wide Strategic Staffing Initiative (SSI) that paid school personnel to transfer to low-performing schools. Three different stakeholder groups, including principals who transferred to low-performing schools (N = 9), staff who received bonuses for working in the low-performing schools (N = 32), and other staff members in the school who did not receive additional pay (N = 91) responded to a survey about the effectiveness of the SSI. The findings suggest that the SSI had inconsistent outcomes. SSI had a positive impact on student achievement and increased the number of effective teachers in the schools, but principals reported that more high quality staff was needed to make a long-term impact on student achievement. Implications and reform policies for educational leaders are discussed.


In discrete contexts such as the degree distribution for a graph, scale-free has traditionally been defined to be power-law. We propose a reasonable interpretation of scale-free, namely, invariance under the  transformation of $p$-thinning, followed by conditioning on being positive. For each $\beta \in (1,2)$, we show that there is a unique distribution which is a fixed point of this transformation; the distribution is power-law-$\beta$, and different from the usual Yule-Simon power law-$\beta$ that arises in preferential attachment models. In addition to characterizing these fixed points, we prove convergence results for iterates of the transformation.


ABSTRACT The endorheic basin of Zayandehrud in Iran suffers from environmental problems, social tensions, and economic instability. Lack of understanding how the water system and the socio-economic system interact may explain these challenges. A system dynamics model, being a holistic simulation tool, was developed for the Zayandehrud basin and used to evaluate several policy scenarios. The indices of employment, gross regional product, the volume of groundwater and surface water stored, flow into the basin's end lake, and the water flow in the river were used to evaluate the scenarios. The findings demonstrate that focusing on supply-based activities or water demand management cannot solely improve the condition of the Zayandehrud basin. It is required to reconsider the development policies of the region in a broader context. Reducing the irrigated area by 15% and developing new industries up to a certain limit may make the combined water and socio-economic system sustainable.


Applied linguistics embodies a kaleidoscope of disciplines, theoretical approaches, research paradigms, and beliefs about practice. Its diversity is reflected in this festschrift honoring Henry Widdowson. The volume contains the contributions of 27 authors from five continents and, like the honoree's own body of work, represents a wide range of topics. In their introductory chapter, the editors outline the disciplines they have chosen to include: assessment, corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, language teaching, literature, second language acquisition, and the relationship among theory, research, and practice. As this list reveals, other areas of applied linguistics are notably absent: first language literacy, language planning and policy, and translation, among others. Omissions are no doubt necessary in order to compile a volume of manageable size; in spite of these omissions, readers will find the contributions absorbing and take pleasure in tracing thematic threads throughout. A sampling of major themes is outlined here.


Background The Internet is an important way of delivering medical information to assist in improving patient's self-management of their disease. Objectives We have established an Arthritis education website ('Arthritis Help') and investigated its use over two years. Methods Computer generated log file analysis and online questionnaire were used to create usage profiles of our web site. Results An average of 288 people visited our site each day predominantly, but not exclusively, from America and the UK (49% of users). The typical questionnaire respondent (n = 770) was a 30+ year old American female with arthritis, accessing the Internet from home. They had previously obtained information from medical staff or in written form but were now more likely to use the Internet. 167 out of 585 respondents found our site to be useful prompting them to seek more information (29%), change their behaviour or engage in more effective discussions with their physician (15%). 427 people responded to our comments section of the questionnaire of which 333 made clear suggestions. 21% of these respondents were enquiring about a specific medical condition or requesting more information on that condition. 20% wanted more detailed information about rheumatoid conditions, treatments or drug information. 9% wished to see more information on 'alternative treatments' whilst diet, exercise, new treatments, a questions and answers section, a section to air shared experiences and links to other information formed 5–6% of respondents suggestions. Conclusion This data indicates that it is possible to use the internet to deliver medical information to it's target audience and that this process can have some impact on the way disease is self-managed. This information may aid more focused web-site design to maximise use and the potential benefits from such a resource.


To estimate the role of dietary fiber (DF) and fat in the striking growth of colon cancer mortality in Japan after World War II, we analyzed relations between the above variables in comparison with those in the United States. In the United States, fat intake grew by only one-third over the past 70 years (from 124 g in 1909-1913 to 166 g in 1984), whereas colon cancer mortality increased fourfold (from 5 to 20 per 100,000). In Japan, although fat intake roughly doubled during the 40 years after World War II (from 20 to 38 g), colon cancer mortality grew 5.5-fold (from 2 to 11 per 100,000). It is difficult to give a consistent explanation for the growth patterns of colon cancer mortality in both countries on the basis of fat consumption as a cancer promoter. In the United States, DF intake continuously dwindled at a level always less than in Japan throughout this century. DF intake in Japan also declined rather steadily, except for war time, over the past 80 years. However, with regard to the growth pattern of colon cancer mortality, it began rising steeply around the period when the daily DF intake diminished below 20 g, suggesting the presence of a threshold level in this neighborhood in preventing the development of colon cancer.


The steepest-descent method is a well-known and effective single-objective descent algorithm when the gradient of the objective function is known. Here, we propose a particular generalization of this method to multi-objective optimization by considering the concurrent minimization of n smooth criteria {J_i} (i = 1, . . . , n). The novel algorithm is based on the following observation: consider a finite set of vectors {u_i} (u_i ∈ R^N, n ≤ N); in the convex hull of this family, there exists a unique element of minimal norm, say ω ∈ R^N; then, the scalar product of ω with any vector in the convex hull, and in particular, with any u_i, is at least equal to ||ω||^2 ≥ 0. Applying this to the objective-function gradients (u_i = ∇J_i), we conclude that either ω = 0, and the current design point belongs to the Pareto set, or −ω is a descent direction common to all objective functions. We propose to construct a fixed-point iteration in which updates of the element ω are used as successive directions of search. This method converges to a point on the Pareto set. This result applies to both finite-dimensional and functional design spaces. Numerical illustrations have been provided in both cases using either analytical objective functions, or (discretized) functionals in [9] [5]. Here, following [6], a domain-decomposition framework is used to illustrate the necessity, in a (discretized) functional setting, to scale the gradients appropriately.


BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Chronic or intermittent hyperglycemia is associated with the development of diabetic complications. Oxidative stress and inflammation can be altered by hyperglycemia in diverse tissues, including kidneys and eyes, and play a pivotal role in diabetic complications. Our previous studies showed that the water-insoluble 5,7-dihydroxyflvone chrysin effectively combats diabetic damages incurred in diabetic kidneys and retinas. The current study employed the newly-synthesized 5.7-di-O-acetylchrysin, having higher solubility than chrysin, to compare the effects on diabetes-associated renal fibrosis and abnormal retinal neovascularization. MATERIALS/METHODS In the in vivo study, db/db mice as animal models of type 2 diabetes were orally administrated 10 mg/kg BW diacetylchrysin, daily for 10 weeks. RESULTS Unlike chrysin, oral administration of 10 mg/kg diacetylchrysin did not lower the blood glucose level and 24 h urine volume in db/db mice. Nevertheless, the urinary albumin excretion was markedly reduced. The administration of diacetylchrysin also diminished the deposition of collagen fibers in diabetic glomeruli and tubules by suppressing the induction of connective tissue growth factor and collagen IV in diabetic kidneys. Supplying diacetylchrysin enhanced the membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression reduced in diabetic kidneys, while the tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 induction was attenuated in diacetylchrysin-challenged diabetic kidneys. In addition, supplementing diacetylchrysin to diabetic mice ameliorated renal injury due to glomerulosclerosis and tubular interstitial fibrosis. Furthermore, the reduced retinal inductions of Zonula occludens-1 and vascular endothelial cadherin in db/db mice were elevated in the retinal tissues of diacetylchrysin-treated animals. Oral administration of diacetylchrysin curtailed the induction of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 in db/db mice, ultimately retarding diabetes-associated retinal neovascularization. Additionally, the retinal formation of acellular capillaries with leaky vessels was reduced in diacetylchrysin-treated db/db mice. CONCLUSION Diacetylchrysin may act as a potent pro-health agent for treating renal fibrosis-associated diabetic nephropathy and retinal neovascularization-associated diabetic retinopathy.


Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) is an important modulator of cell growth and differentiation and a neurotrophic factor. FGF-2 occurs in isoforms, at a low molecular weight of 18,000 and at least two high molecular weight forms (21,000 and 23,000), representing alternative translation products from a single mRNA. In addition to its role as an extracellular ligand, FGF-2 localizes to the nuclei of cells. Here we show differential localization of the 18- and 23-kDa isoforms in the nuclei of rat Schwann cells. Whereas the 18-kDa isoform was found in the nucleoli, nucleoplasm, and Cajal bodies, the 23-kDa isoform localized in a punctuate pattern and associates with mitotic chromosomes suggesting different functional roles of the isoforms. Moreover, we show here that the 23-kDa FGF-2 isoform co-immunoprecipitates specifically with the survival of motor neuron protein (SMN). SMN is an assembly and recycling factor of the splicing machinery and locates to the cytoplasm, the nucleoplasm, and nuclear gems, where it co-localizes with 23-kDa FGF-2. Patients with spinal muscular atrophy suffer from fatal degeneration of motoneurons because of mutations and deletions of the gene for the SMN protein.


Traffic state estimation is an important element in traffic management systems. In this research a freeway traffic state estimation methodology is proposed which allows to incorporate the information and uncertainties of heterogeneous data-types, namely loop-detector data and floating car data. The loop-detector data provides estimation of speed, flow and indirectly density, while the floating car data only provides a speed estimate. An Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is used to combine the observations (data) with a traffic flow model. This traffic flow model, the information in the floating car data is able to affect the estimation for speed, flow and density. The EKF is able to incorporate the uncertainties in the traffic flow model and data-based estimations. This is especially important, as the estimations based on floating car data are shown to be dependent on the traffic conditions and the fraction of vehicles which are observed (penetration rate). Therefore, in the proposed methodology the uncertainties assigned to the floating car data-based estimation are dependent on the estimated traffic conditions and penetration rate.


We disclose a palladium and urea ligand-mediated heteroannulation of 2-bromophenols and 1,3-dienes. This method addresses synthetic challenges present in the palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation of bifunctional reagents and olefins by engaging a diverse scope of coupling partners under a unified set of reaction conditions. Our recently developed urea ligand platform outperforms phosphine ligands to generate the dihydrobenzofuran motif in a convergent manner.