Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

(Background) In colorectal cancer (CRC), K-ras mutation is found in nearly 40% of the patients, and it is of prognostic significance (Onozato W et al, J Surg Oncol, 2010). Moreover, its knockdown in CRC cell lines with mutated K-ras gene results in robust reduction of ability of cell proliferation and anchorage independent growth (Shirasawa S, Science, 1993), both of which reflect metastatic ability. On the other hand, robust alterations of glycan structures have been reported in CRC promotion steps, accompanied by remarkable phenotypic changes, however there is no report that mentions the relationship of K-ras mutation and glycan change. (Materials and Methods) We examined glycan change of CRC cell lines (DLD1 and HCT116) somatically knocked out for K-ras gene by lectin array including 41 lectins to elucidate whether K-ras mutation-induced glycan changes play a critical role in CRC promotion. (Result) (1) In DLD1, we compared DLD1 wild type genotype cells (DLD1, DKS-5) with those that were knocked out for mutated K-ras gene (DKO-3, DKS-8), and the signals of MAL, MPA, UEA-I, and TJA-II were remarkably decreased in the knockdown cells. (2) In HCT116, we compared HCT116 wild type genotypic cells (HCT116, Hk2-10) with those that were knocked out for the mutated K-ras gene (Hke-3), and both MAL and MPA were remarkably declined. (3) In both cell lines, expression changes of glycans which can bind with MAL and MPA were consistent with the results of the lectin blotting, and both lectin signals were confirmed to be commonly altered by removing the mutated K-ras gene. (Conclusion) Mutated K-ras may be involved in critical phenotype change of CRC, accompanied by abnormal sialic acid recognition.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4155. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4155


Abstract The failed coup of July 15 has shocked the current state apparatus in Turkey. This shock has culminated in the public demand for administrative reform, which would make previous public designs and policy failures a matter of the past. The state crisis has transpired in the middle of a political transition process whereby the ruling party envisioned systemic change in the political system from the parliamentary to a presidential system. The constitutional amendments also imply changes in the administrative order, with further political hold on bureaucratic cadres. The coup attempt and the massive purges in its aftermath brought the state to its breaking point. In light of such deficits and challenges, this paper discusses the ways, means, and prospects for capacity development and institution-building to overcome the state crisis in Turkey. The reform and restructuring process entails cooperation and a level of understanding between the government, opposition, and bureaucracy. Polarization and disenfranchisement are recipes for further fragmentation in Turkish politics. A cooperative model based on a working relationship between the government, opposition, and bureaucracy would facilitate a return to normalcy.


The hypophosphatemic conditions that interfere in bone mineralization comprise many hereditary or acquired diseases, all of them sharing the same pathophysiologic mechanism: reduction in the phosphate reabsorption by the renal tubuli. This process leads to chronic hyperphosphaturia and hypophosphatemia, associated with inappropriately normal or low levels of calcitriol, causing osteomalacia or rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets, autosomal-dominant hypophosphatemic rickets, and tumor-induced osteomalacia are the main syndromes involved in the hypophosphatemic rickets. Although these conditions exhibit different etiologies, there is a common link among them: increased activity of a phosphaturic factor, being the fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) the most studied one and to which is attributed a central role in the pathophysiology of the hyperphosphaturic disturbances. Activating mutations of FGF-23 and inactivating mutations in the PHEX gene (a gene on the X chromosome that codes for a Zn-metaloendopeptidase proteolytic enzyme which regulates the phosphate) involved in the regulation of FGF-23 have been identified and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of these disturbances. Genetic studies tend to show that the phosphorus homeostasis depends on a complex osteo-renal metabolic axis, whose mechanisms of interaction have been poorly understood so far. This paper reviews the current knowledge status concerning the pathophysiology of phosphate metabolism regulation and the pathophysiologic basis of hypophosphatemic rickets. It also analyzes the clinical picture and the therapeutic aspects of these conditions as well.


Body colouration frequently possesses a communicative function, particularly in species with colour polymorphism and developed visual systems as odonates, and also affects the conspicuousness of animals in relation to the background. Therefore, these factors can influence colour evolution and its development. The ecology and ethology of Argia oculata (Hagen in Selys, 1865) were studied in three populations with different degrees of habitat alteration. Three different sources of colour variability were found: female polymorphism, female ontogenetic change and daily change in both sexes. All males observed presented the same blue thoracic colouration pattern, without ontogenetic changes. Some of them (6–48%, variable between populations) showed a darkening of the thorax colouration in the afternoon. The frequency of androchrome females (male-like thoracic colouration) showed a negative relationship with human habitat disturbance. These females changed their body colour from bluish to brownish at old ages. Gynochrome females started their adult life with sky-blue thorax, which turned to olive green and finally to brown with sexual maturation. One gynochrome female returned to the immature colouration in late hours of the day. Colour changes were apparently not associated to sunlight intensity or temperature. Behavioural observations suggest that colour variability in females might contribute to reduce or avoid male harassment. We contextualise our findings in the Argia literature and propose physiological and evolutionary mechanisms for their explanation.


Gregg shorthand is a form of stenography that was invented by John Robert Gregg in 1888. Like cursive longhand, it is completely based on elliptical figures and lines that bisect them. Gregg shorthand is the most popular form of pen stenography in the United States and its Spanish adaptation is fairly popular in Latin America. With the invention of dictation machines, shorthand machines, and the practice of executives writing their own letters on their personal computers, the use of shorthand has gradually declined in the business and reporting world. However, Gregg shorthand is still in use today. The need to process documents on paper by computer has led to an area of research that may be referred to as Document Image Understanding (DIU).The goal of DIU system is to convert a raster image representation of a document. For Example, A hand written Gregg shorthand character or word is converted into an appropriate Symbolic Character in a computer (It may be a scanned character or online written character).Thus it involves many disciplines of computer science including image processing, pattern recognition, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, neural networks and database system. The ultimate goal of this paper is to recognize hand written Gregg shorthand character and Gregg shorthand word.


Abstract Hanna proposes a version of non-conceptualism he closely associates with Kant. This paper takes issue with his proposal on two fronts. First, there are reasons to dispute whether any version of non-conceptualism can be rightly attributed to Kant. In addition to pointing out passages that conflict with Hanna's interpretation, I also suggest ways in which the Kant of the opus postumum could integrate key insights of non-conceptualism into a basically conceptualist framework. In Part Two of the paper, I turn to a more systematically oriented critique of Hanna's nonconceptualism. Drawing on work by Gareth Evans, John McDowell, Sonia Sedivy, and Alva Noë, I argue that conceptualism is in a position to integrate the points which are taken by Hanna to speak most strongly in favor of non-conceptualism. In particular, I argue for the deep compatibility of conceptualism and direct realism. At the same time, I point to what I see as weaknesses in Hanna's defence of non-conceptualism.


We are facing the most devastating global epidemic in modern history. Over 60 million people have been infected. In the worst affected countries one in four adults are now living with HIV/AIDS a disproportionate number of younger women and girls. More than 80 percent are in their twenties. The result is a devastating hollowing out of communities leaving only the very young and the very old and thrusting millions of families deeper into poverty. Meeting this challenge means progress on three fronts: first preventing new infections and reversing the spread of the epidemic; second expanding equitable access to new HIV treatments; third alleviating the disastrous impact of AIDS on human development. Effectively responding to HIV/AIDS requires a wide range of initiatives under strong national political leadership including sex education in schools public awareness campaigns programmes in the workplace mobilization of religious and community leaders action to mitigate the impact on poverty and essential social services support for orphans and tough policy decisions in ministries of finance to ensure optimal allocation of resources to cope with the crisis. (excerpt)


Introduction: Herlyn–Werner–Wunderlich syndrome (HWWS) is a rare congenital abnormality of the urogenital tract characterized by uterus didelphys, obstructed hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis. It is usually diagnosed after menarche, with a clinical presentation of dysmenorrhea, recurrent abdominal pain, and irregular menses. However, it is rare to diagnose it during pregnancy, subsequently resulting in spontaneous abortion. Case presentation: A 22-year-old Chinese woman with HWWS whose left uterine pregnancy underwent spontaneous abortion presented with a right perforated obstructed hemivagina and right renal agenesis. The right vaginal septum was resected and the hematocolpos was drained, thereby relieving lower abdominal pain and preserving future fertility. Conclusion: Co-presentation of unilateral renal agenesis and uterus didelphys should encourage clinicians to rule out HWWS. Early diagnosis and subsequent treatment can avoid possible serious complications.


Purpose: The influence of place on health is beginning to be addressed in health research. Current understanding of rural places, however, remains in a state of disequilibrium, balancing between geographic and sociocultural positions. This article illuminates the significance of place for rural women's experiences of health promotion in the rural church. Design: This study used a novel approach to interpretive phenomenological methodology by including the photovoice method to elicit both individual and shared experiential meanings. Method: Twenty-two participants took pictures, wrote in logbooks, and participated in individual and group interviews to share their experiences of health promotion in the rural church. Findings: The church as a place was realized through three broad discourses: (a) an intersection of physical and geographic environments, (b) a gateway to experiential attachment and personal meaning, and (c) a connection to shared culture and beliefs. It is also suggested that place may best be interpreted with an experiential lens as it exhibits lived and felt spaces. Conclusions: Data analysis suggests that place consists of both physical and experiential realities, in addition to being a resource of culture and meaning. Implications for rural women's health promotion include fostering a deeper recognition of place-shaped experiences of health.


The reflective intensity modulated (RIM) fiber optic sensor is introduced for the measurement of superconducting sphere rotor spin-axis position in cryogenic instrument. A diffuse reflective rectangle pattern scribed on the circular flat surface at one end of the spin axis was used to modulate the reflective optical intensity on which the deviation value and direction of the spin-axis was determined. The relationship between the deviation of spin axis and the reflective optical intensity modulation is presented and some related factors are analyzed.


The non-linear characteristics of ZnO materials were measured under both DC and pulsed conditions as a model for the development of methods to measure electric field and temperature dependent dielectric properties of dielectric materials. The parameters calculated from the results of DC and pulse tests show good agreement with data published elsewhere. Measurement limits and the possibility of improving measurement methods are dis- cussed.


The practical teaching is a key to train students in practical ability and innovative consciousness. But, evaluation standards of practice teaching are still confusion. By analyzing the characteristics of practice teaching, we put forward the evaluation method of practical teaching on the core of Knowledge Transfer. In accordance with this method, the examination paper has been designed. Through the analysis of the test paper, some important characteristics of practical teaching can be revealed. It is not only able to correctly evaluate the students ability to master and apply knowledge, it also has some guidance for teachers how to improve practical teaching.


The recent proliferation of new artisanal cafes in the historic port city of George Town, Malaysia – recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage city since 2008 – is being negotiated amidst the long-standing popularity of traditional coffee houses (kopitiams) and international coffee chains like Starbucks Coffee. The consumption habits of coffee house-goers of George Town involve dynamic processes where spatial experiences frame and develop new forms of urban sociality. New forms of coffee consumption in George Town, in turn, have prompted a change in cultural perceptions of the city and to the landscape of eateries in the city.


Conditions for the compatibility of the exterior metric of a spherically symmetric object with the field equations for the empty space and equations of motion and of trajectories for test particles, written in polar Gaussian and Fermi coordinates, are obtained to show that, although their explicit exact solutions cannot be derived in these coordinates, the post-Newtonian limits of these solutions can, nevertheless, be obtained. With these limits, it is next shown that the cited post-Newtonian equations do not fit into the standard post-Newtonian approximation either. It is then shown that these coordinates can, nevertheless, be included in a more general formalism together with the usual post-Newtonian (standard, harmonic, Painleve and isotropic) coordinates so that their respective equations of motion may be compared to each other and, finally, it is demonstrated that the only non-linear term taken in the Christoffel symbols with these usual coordinates in the standard post-Newtonian equations of motion to explain some known perturbations is not needed when polar Gaussian or Fermi coordinates are used to explain also those perturbations. In fact, it is demonstrated that these are the only coordinates for which that term becomes zero.


The main drawback of conceptual hydrological models is the number of parameters that need to be estimated by calibration. Application of such models to predict ungauged catchments is not feasible without substantial improvements to the modelling framework. In this paper, we present the results of improvements to the LASCAM model (a large-scale conceptual catchment model of streamflow, salinity, sediments and nutrients), which are realised by a step-by-step approach based on the explicit inclusion of subcatchment variability of landscape attributes, especially topography and soil depths. The description of the soil hydrology of the surface soil layer follows a VIC-type approach based on measurable soil depths. Due to the importance of the unsaturated zone delay, the description of the unsaturated zone has also been improved. Finally a conceptual physical description of the deeper groundwater system has been implemented. The paper presents the results of the application of the revised model to a first order catchment within Collie catchment (Western Australia) and assesses the exportability of the set of parameters thus obtained to the whole Collie catchment.


Graves' disease is a common condition and is known to have a wide range of effects on a variety of organs. Hepatic dysfunction ranging from mild to severe due to direct effect of high circulating thyroid hormones as well as a deleterious effect of antithyroid medications (methimazole and propylthiouracil) has been well - documented in literature. However, severe autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) associated with Graves' disease is rare and limited to few case reports only. A 38-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain and yellowish discolouration of conjunctivae. On investigation, she was found to have Graves' disease and AIH. The liver histopathology showed typical features of AIH. She responded excellently to glucocorticoid therapy with normalisation of thyroid function and liver histology. The case is discussed with relevant literature review.


The data presented in the review confirm the earlier results concerning a structural similarity between the two-carbon skeleton of the thiiran ring and the double bond of alkenes. The available data on the syntheses and structures of thiirans and alkene episulphoxides and episulphones are treated systematically. The methods for the formation of the thiiran ring are classified and synthetic procedures based on homolytic, anionotropic, and cationotropic closure of thiiran rings and on thiiran reactions occurring without the opening of the ring are discussed. The bibliography includes 236 references.


Background: Effects of hypobaric hypoxia at altitude on exercise performance of lowlanders with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have not been studied in detail. Objectives: To quantify changes in exercise performance and associated physiologic responses in lowlanders with COPD travelling to moderate altitude. Methods: A total of 31 COPD patients with a median age (quartiles) of 66 years (59; 69) and FEV1 of 56% predicted (49; 69) living below 800 m performed a constant-load bicycle exercise to exhaustion at 60% of the maximal work rate at 490 m (Zurich) and at an identical work rate at 2,590 m (Davos) in randomized order. Pulmonary gas exchange, pulse oximetry (SpO2), cerebral tissue oxygenation (CTO; near-infrared spectroscopy), and middle cerebral artery peak blood flow velocity (MCAv) by Doppler ultrasound during 30 s at end exercise were compared between altitudes. Results: With ascent from 490 to 2,590 m, the median endurance time (quartiles) was reduced from 500 s (256; 795) to 205 s (139; 297) by a median (95% CI) of 303 s (150–420) (p < 0.001). End exercise SpO2 decreased from 92% (89; 94) to 81% (77; 84) and CTO from 62% (56; 66) to 55% (50; 60); end exercise minute ventilation increased from 40.6 L/min (35.5; 47.8) to 47.2 L/min (39.6; 58.7) (p < 0.05; all comparisons 2,590 vs. 490 m). MCAv increased similarly from rest to end exercise at 490 m (+25% [17; 36]) and at 2,590 m (+21% [14; 30]). However, the ratio of MCAv increase to SpO2 drop during exercise decreased from +6%/% (3; 12) at 490 m to +3%/% (2; 5) at 2,590 m (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In lowlanders with COPD travelling to 2,590 m, exercise endurance is reduced by more than half compared to 490 m in association with reductions in systemic and cerebral oxygen availability.


Traditional research in artificial intelligence and machine learning has viewed the brain as a specially adapted information-processing system. More recently the field of social robotics has been advanced to capture the important dynamics of human cognition and interaction. An overarching societal goal of this research is to incorporate the resultant knowledge about intelligence into technology for prosthetic, assistive, security, and decision support applications. However, despite many decades of investment in learning and classification systems, this paradigm has yet to yield truly "intelligent" systems. For this reason, many investigators are now attempting to incorporate more realistic neuromorphic properties into machine learning systems, encouraged by over two decades of neuroscience research that has provided parameters that characterize the brain's interdependent genomic, proteomic, metabolomic, anatomic, and electrophysiological networks. Given the complexity of neural systems, developing tenable models to capture the essence of natural intelligence for real-time application requires that we discriminate features underlying information processing and intrinsic motivation from those reflecting biological constraints (such as maintaining structural integrity and transporting metabolic products). We propose herein a conceptual framework and an iterative method of virtual neurorobotics (VNR) intended to rapidly forward-engineer and test progressively more complex putative neuromorphic brain prototypes for their ability to support intrinsically intelligent, intentional interaction with humans. The VNR system is based on the viewpoint that a truly intelligent system must be driven by emotion rather than programmed tasking, incorporating intrinsic motivation and intentionality. We report pilot results of a closed-loop, real-time interactive VNR system with a spiking neural brain, and provide a video demonstration as online supplemental material.


A 38 year-old female with no significant past medical history was brought to the emergency department following a motor vehicle rollover and submersion into swampy waters alongside a Louisiana interstate. In addition to multiple blunt force injuries, she suffered a laceration injury over the right lower extremity, which initially required irrigation and sterile dressing. On hospital day two, the wound became grossly infected. The wound was swabbed for culture and Gram stain, and the patient was empirically started on intravenous Piperacillin/tazobactam. Results from the Gram stain showed few white blood cells and numerous Gram negative rods. The following day, the wound continued to drain purulent material but with a stable zone of erythema. The wound was drained and debrided. On hospital day four, the blood agar plate, previously inoculated with the wound culture, grew the colonies shown in the below photograph.


Brain tumors are nonlinear and present with variations in their size, form, and textural variation; this might make it difficult to diagnose them and perform surgical excision using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The procedures that are currently available are conducted by radiologists, brain surgeons, and clinical specialists. Studying brain MRIs is laborious, error-prone, and time-consuming, but they nonetheless show high positional accuracy in the case of brain cells. The proposed convolutional neural network model, an existing blockchain-based method, is used to secure the network for the precise prediction of brain tumors, such as pituitary tumors, meningioma tumors, and glioma tumors. MRI scans of the brain are first put into pre-trained deep models after being normalized in a fixed dimension. These structures are altered at each layer, increasing their security and safety. To guard against potential layer deletions, modification attacks, and tempering, each layer has an additional block that stores specific information. Multiple blocks are used to store information, including blocks related to each layer, cloud ledger blocks kept in cloud storage, and ledger blocks connected to the network. Later, the features are retrieved, merged, and optimized utilizing a Genetic Algorithm and have attained a competitive performance compared with the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods using different ML classifiers.


Purpose: To assess the Medmont C100 test as a colour vision screening tool. Methods: One hundred and seventeen young male adults were screened with the Medmont C100, Ishihara plates, and the screening mode of the Oculus Anomaloscope tests. All subjects were tested under constant room illumination, namely that of a day light fluorescent lamp at 200 lux. Inclusion criteria were visual acuities (VA) of 20/20 or better with or without correction and absence of known ocular pathologies.Aided and unaided visual acuities were measured with the Snellen VA chart. Results: Five out of the117 subjects, were found to have red-green colour vision deficiency (CVD) with Ishihara and anomaloscope tests indicating a 4.7% CVD prevalence, while the Medmont C100 test yielded 33 cases of red-green deficiency indicating CVD prevalence of 28%.  With the Ishihara test, all five subjects were identified as deutans, while the anomaloscope revealed three as deutans and two as protans, and the Medmont C100 test identified all 33 cases as protans. Conclusion:  The Medmont C100 test yielded significantly higher prevalence of protan CVD compared with the Ishihara platesand Anomaloscope tests. These findings suggest that caution should be taken when using Medmont C100 test for colour vision screening as it tends togive more false positive results with bias for protans.  (S Afr Optom 2011 70(1) 14-20)


This paper is concerned with experimental analyses on the vibration behaviors of a horizontal pipe containing gas-liquid two-phase flow with different flow patterns. The effects of flow patterns and superficial velocities on pressure fluctuations and structural responses are evaluated in detail. Numerical simulations on the fluid-structure interactions within the pipe are carried out using the volume of fluid method and the finite element method. A strongly partitioned coupling method is adopted to ensure the compatibility and equilibrium interface conditions between the fluid and the elastic pipe. The accuracy of the numerical solutions is confirmed by comparing with experimental results. It is found that the fluctuation frequency of the pressure fluctuations of the two-phase flow ranges from 0Hz to 5Hz. The standard deviation value of the pressure fluctuation of the two-phase flow increases with an increase in the superficial liquid velocity, and the maximum magnitude appears in slug flows. The vibration responses of the pipe exhibit strong dependence on the momentum flux of the two-phase flow, which mainly excites the fundamental flexural vibration mode of the pipe. The magnitude of vertical vibration response of the pipe is equal to that of the lateral vibration response, and the vibration response measured at the middle of the pipe does not contain the second-order operating mode. Moreover, the STD value of the structural responses of the pipe increases proportionally with an increase in the gas flow rate, while the predominant vibration frequency of the pipe slightly increases.


The foundational theory of differentiation was developed as part of the original release of ACL2(r). In work reported at the last ACL2 Workshop, we presented theorems justifying the usual differentiation rules, including the chain rule and the derivative of inverse functions. However, the process of applying these theorems to formalize the derivative of a particular function is completely manual. More recently, we developed a macro and supporting functions that can automate this process. This macro uses the ACL2 table facility to keep track of functions and their derivatives, and it also interacts with the macro that introduces inverse functions in ACL2(r), so that their derivatives can also be automated. In this paper, we present the implementation of this macro and related functions.


Correction for 'Clinical correlation between serum cytokines and the susceptibility to Polygonum multiflorum-induced liver injury and an experimental study' by Le Zhang et al., Food Funct., 2022, 13, 825-833, https://doi.org/10.1039/D1FO03489H.


INTRODUCTION
The continued poorer health status of rural and remote Australians when compared with their urban counterparts is cause for concern. The use of advanced technology to improve access to health care has the potential to assist in addressing this problem. Telemedicine is one example of such technology which has advanced rapidly in its capacity to increase access to healthcare services or provide previously unavailable services. The important anticipated benefits of greater access to healthcare services are improved health outcomes and more cost-effective delivery.

METHODS
A national study was conducted to investigate the current perceived use and usefulness of telemedicine from the perspective of users and providers, and their views on how telemedicine could be expanded in Australia. In one component of this national study, the expert opinion of experienced providers of telemedicine services was elicited using a Grounded Theory approach and using semi-structured interviews which were analysed thematically. This article reports on the barriers to the up-take of telemedicine identified by this sub-sample.

RESULTS
The primary barriers identified were: funding; time; infrastructure; equipment; skills; and preference for the traditional approach. While funding is a well-known barrier to the up-take of telemedicine, the extra time required for a telemedicine consultation has particular implications for the workload of rural doctors. The comparatively poor internet access available in rural Australia combines with difficulties accessing some items such as a computer, to make equipment an issue. Even though lack of equipment skills was identified as a barrier, the providers in this study reported that rural doctors are adept at using the telephone/teleconferencing and facsimile. A preference for a traditional approach can reflect a lack of interest in learning computer skills or difficulty acquiring this skill set.

CONCLUSIONS
These results raise issues in the domains of policy, funding priorities, and education and training. This indicates an inter-related set of challenges that would require a targeted multifaceted approach to address. The results suggest that not using telemedicine is, in the current climate, a rational response--it is quicker, easier and more cost-effective not to use telemedicine.


We have previously demonstrated that reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT) is a genuinely time-efficient exercise strategy for improving cardiometabolic health. Here, we examined the affective and perceptual responses to REHIT. Eight young men and women (age 21 ± 1 y, BMI 24.9 ± 2.1 m/kg2, V̇O2max 39 ± 10 ml/kg/min) and 11 men with type 2 diabetes (T2D; age 52 ± 6 y, BMI 29.7 ± 3.1 m/kg2, V̇O2max 29 ± 5 ml/kg/min) took part in three-arm crossover trials with RPE and affective valence measured during, and enjoyment and exercise preferences measured following either: 1) REHIT (2 × 20-s sprints in a 10-min exercise session), 2) HIIT (10 × 1-min efforts) and 3) 30 min MICT. Furthermore, 19 young men and women (age 25 ± 6 y, BMI 24 ± 4 m/kg2, V̇O2max 34 ± 8 ml/kg/min) completed a 6-week REHIT intervention with affective valence during an acute REHIT session measured before and after training. Affect decreases (briefly) during REHIT, but recovers rapidly, and the decline is not significantly different when compared to MICT or HIIT in either healthy participants or T2D patients. Young sedentary participants reported similar levels of enjoyment for REHIT, MICT and HIIT, but 7 out of 8 had a preference for REHIT. Conversely, T2D patients tended to report lower levels of enjoyment with REHIT compared with MICT. The decrease in affective valence observed during an acute REHIT session was significantly attenuated following training. We conclude that affective and perceptual responses to REHIT are no more negative compared to those associated with MICT or HIIT, refuting claims that supramaximal sprint interval training protocols are associated with inherent negative responses.


This paper examined the function of library as an organ of information dissemination and utilisation in Nigeria's economic development process. It emphasised the fact that adequate information that can facilitate rapid economic development in Nigeria can only be provided through the establishment and adequate funding of the library system. It delved into the importance of information in attaining a sustainable economic development capable of making life better for the Nigerian citizens. African Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology and Sport Facilitation Vol. 6 2004: 106-108


A novel algorithm has been developed for a multi-biomarker urine test, as a clinical tool to provide a quantitative measurement for the noninvasive detection of renal transplant rejection. The analytical performance of the six urinary biomarkers (Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA), Methylated cfDNA (m-cfDNA), Clusterin, CXCL10, Creatinine, and Total Protein) was assessed for sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility as per Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) recommended guidelines. The characterization analysis indicated robust analytical performance across all six biomarkers contributing to the composite renal transplant rejection Q-score. This test was designed be used as a surveillance tool to accurately and reliably assess the rejection status of kidney transplant patients. The potential clinical utility of the test includes early detection, proactive management of graft rejection, and ultimately controlling subclinical intragraft inflammation thereby prolonging graft survival.


[1] Radio Occultation (RO) has been proven a powerful technique on profiling ionospheric electron density profile. The currently used Abel inversion in RO electron density profile retrieval has degraded performance in regions with large horizontal gradients because of an assumption of spherical symmetry as indicated by many studies. Due to the success of COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3, the Joint U.S.-Taiwan Executive Steering Committee has decided to move forward with a follow-on RO mission (called COSMIC-2/FORMOSAT-7), which implies that the number of RO observations will increase rapidly in the near future. It is thus worthwhile continuing retrieval method improvements. In this study, a global ionospheric data assimilation model is constructed. A series of simulation tasks are conducted to study the feasibility of RO electron density profile retrieval aided by a global ionospheric data assimilation model based on the planned COSMIC-2/FORMOSAT-7 orbits and existing GPS, GLONASS and ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations configuration. We find that the data assimilation aided retrieval can significantly improve upon the Abel inversion and offers an optimal electron density profile retrieval approach if sufficient RO and ground GNSS observations are available. The retrieval error is affected by the data quantity, ionospheric variability, and accuracy of the data assimilation background. It is found that ∼700 globally distributed occultations per hour are sufficient to get better performance than the Abel inversion with the resolution of 2.5° in latitude, 5° in longitude, and 20 km in altitude in the data assimilation model.


The study evaluated off-farm work and household income among small-scale farmers in North Central Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 180 farm households from 12 Local Government Areas spread across Benue, Kogi and Niger States. Primary data for the study were obtained with the aid of structured and pretested questionnaire. The data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that majority (42.78%) of the respondents were in self-employment of off-farm work. Similarly, households where only the husband (40.00%), combination of husband and wife (71.40%), matured children (71.40%), and the combination of husband, wife and matured children (45.80%) participated in off-farm work were predominantly in self-employment category. Households, where only the wife worked off-farm, were dominant in agricultural wage employment (51.60%). In addition, full-time participants in off-farm work were mainly (38.50%) in agricultural wage employment, while part-time participants were mainly (44.00%) in self-employment. Furthermore, while younger farmers were in self-employment, older farmers were in agricultural wage employment. Average household income and off-farm income's share of farm household income were N648,774.91 and N231,394.00, respectively. It was concluded that self-employment was the dominant off-farm work type in the study area. This denotes gradual drift from the core farm production sector. Also, since off-farm income accounted for significant portion (50.28%) of household income among the respondents, increasing reliance on off-farm work and consequently, further drift from farm work is anticipated. Therefore, farmer education by extension agents and IFAD's rural finance capacity building should focus on the need to reinvest off-farm income in farm production so that off-farm work does not endanger food production.


The report explored the problem of digital testing of a robotic agricultural vehicle. The approach to representing the robotic chassis as a cyber-physical system is to build a complex of digital models of units and built-in measuring tools for monitoring physical processes. Based on a model-oriented approach, a digital twin of a robotic chassis for diagnostics and forecasting was built. Information from the vehicle's on-board measurement system is used to continuously correct model parameters. Models of a car driver, chassis, individual units, and subsystems have been developed. A car model with fifteen degrees of freedom is described. The simulation results for various scenarios of the movement of a robotic vehicle are presented. The simulation results were used in the design of the KAMAZ unmanned vehicle for agricultural purposes.


This paper analyzes the heroic narrative in the graphic novel for children and youth I Kill Giants. Since the central theme of the novel is the heroine's dealing with the loss of a parent, the analysis relies on recent research on the topic of death in children's and adolescent literature that emphasizes a close connection between this topic and gender representation/construction. Dealing with the death of loved ones and the awareness of the inevitability of one's own death in children's literature is often presented as part of the growing-up process in which heroines acquire knowledge about their position within social power structures. The paper focuses on the main structural elements of the heroic narrative, such as overcoming obstacles through action, triumphing over the enemy, perseverance, and commitment to the goal as the main features of the hero's character. From the point of view of feminist literary criticism, the paper aims to show that progressiveness in terms of gender construction, apart from the inclusion of a female character in the position of a hero, requires redefining most of the main structural elements of this predominantly male genre. These changes in the graphic novel I Kill Giants have undermined clear boundaries within the binary oppositions: male-female, private-public, civilized-wild, realistic-fantastic, rational-emotional, adult-child, showing significant possibilities for these types of interventions within the genre framework of the heroic narrative.


Sports are some of the most difficult areas for the illustrator or artist to tackle as very few sports involve participants in static poses for any length of time. This work solves that problem by showing over 1000 images of sporting action. The choice is comprehensive both in the range of sports covered and the variety of action depicted from the measured pace of bowls to the frenzied action of ice hockey or wrestling. The main stages are shown, from tennis players tensing before the serve to the moment of victory or defeat. Sports covered include: tennis, squash, badminton, table tennis, handball, baseball, cricket, hockey, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, football, Australian rules football, American football, rugby, athletics (track and field), karate, boxing, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, aerobics, gymnastics, trampolining, diving, swimming, water polo, canoeing, rowing, sailing, windsurfing, surfing, water-skiing, skiing, ski-jumping, tobogganing, luge, bobsleigh, skating, ice hockey, curling, bowls, tenpin, pentanque, billiards, snooker, golf, fishing, shooting, fencing, archery, rock climbing, hang gliding, parachuting, polo, rodeo, riding, showjumping, cycling, mountain biking.


Engineering design search and optimisation is the process whereby engineering modelling and analysis are exploited to yield improved designs. It is a computationally and data intensive process - an application domain well-suited to Grid technology. Many on-going activities focus on utilising computing resources on the grid. However, it is equally important to manage efficiently the vast and varied amount of data produced by grid applications. In this paper we describe the tools we have implemented in the Geodise project to transparently integrate database technologies into engineering applications. The toolkit has been incorporated into Matlab which is popular in the engineering community for its ease of use and rich functionality. We adopt open standards and a service oriented approach to leverage existing database technologies. Databases are accessed through web services and Globus is used for file transfer and authentication. The Geodise data management architecture consists of flexible, modular components which can be utilized by higher level applications for managing data on the Grid. We demonstrate our toolkit in the context of an industrially relevant exemplar problem.


Information extraction from the social media : a linguistically motivated approach We propose a flexible method for extracting traffic information from social media. The abundance of microposts on Twitter make it possible to tap into what is going on as users are reporting on what they are actually observing. This information is highly relevant as it can help traffic security organizations and drivers to be better prepared and take appropriate action. Distinguishing 22 information categories deemed relevant to the traffic domain, we achieve a success rate of 74% when individual tweets are considered. This performance we judge to be satisfactory, seeing that there are usually multiple tweets about a given event so that we will pick up what relevant information is out there. MOTS-CLÉS : fouille de réseaux sociaux, extraction d'information, information sur le trafic, sécurité routière.


Background Understanding between physician and patient with rheumatoid arthritis as a tool for effective therapy (T2T connect implementation). Objectives To identify the most significant problems for patient in disease understanding in order to create a system of effective physician-patient with RA interaction in future. Methods 40 patients with confirmed RA, (mean duration of the disease 4,6 years, the average age of patients - 56.8 years) responded to 10 questions of the questionnaire concerning their relationship to the disease and the impact on the daily life with the need to evaluate the importance of each question on a scale from 1 to 10. Doctors rheumatologists (n=10) and physicians (n=30) answered the same questions from the position what they think is important for patients. Responses were ranked and compared. Results The most important issues for patients were - constant need for prolonged therapy and side effects of therapy, third place - future prognosis and understanding the causes of disease. Next important question for patients was to determine the fear of constant pain. Doctors believed that patients are more concerned about the restriction in daily life because of the disease (patients raised this issue only in 6 out of 10). Further, according to the doctors opinion, patients worried about understanding of the causes of the disease (2) and predictions for the future (3). Next important question for patients, as doctors believed, was prolonged therapy (4), problems in personal and family life (5) and then persistant pain (6). Conclusions Understanding the patients view to their disease will allow to restructure the communication with the patient, to improve educational programs for them. In conversation with patient doctors must pay more attention to explanation of the need of long-term therapy and its safety. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.5525


Background: Caffeine boosts metabolism and the neurological system. When extreme weakness or sleepiness occurs, it is used recreationally and medicinally to reduce physical and mental fatigue. Caffeine initially stimulates the central nervous system, increasing intellect, speed, accuracy, focus, and coordination. Objective: To evaluate how caffeine nanoparticles affect potassium, calcium, zinc, and magnesium levels, in addition, the anti-bacterial activity of the samples has been employed. Methods: Eighteen male albino rats were divided into three separate groups. The first group (G1) was made up of six animals that served as a control group. The second group (G2) was made up of six animals that were given caffeine, and the third group (G3) was made up of six animals that were given silver nanoparticles from a caffeine solution. The particle size and structural morphology of Caffeine and silver nanoparticles were analyzed using Brookhaven Instruments Corp., XRD and SEM respectively. Results: The structural results showed after addition, caffeine was tube-shaped and silver was spherical granular. Caffeine has more silver nanoparticles than caffeine solution. Caffeine solution affects potassium, calcium, zinc, and magnesium levels. Additionally, the solution has antibacterial activity against the following bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus (Gram +ve), E. coli (Gram –ve), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-ve), but it has no effect against yeast (Candida albicans). Conclusions: To determine the biological effects of caffeine-synthesized Ag NPs on zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium levels in male albino mice's serum, this is antibacterial against staphylococcus.


Humic acids are responsible for the heavy metal movement in the environment. In order to diminish soil pollution with heavy metals the treatment of groundwater with metallic iron has been proposed. Investigations with model solutions containing humic acids and Cu(II) have shown that metallic iron is an effective decontaminant for humic acids containing solutions. The application of the mechanical brush-up of the passive layers from surface using rotating systems loaded with iron pieces gives satisfactory results. The decontamination rate depends mainly on solution pH and the iron surface renewal rate. The presence of Cu(II) ions in the solution or metallic copper in the load increase the decontamination rate.


From experience in six cases the anabolic steroid hormones, especially long-acting testosterone and estrogen preparations, are the treatment of choice in Paget's disease, as in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Details of the management of three patients over a period of four years are presented. Roughly 4 per cent of the population, mostly persons over 40, show some evidence of Paget's disease. Only a small number of them, however, have severe manifestations requiring treatment, such as pain, howing or fracture of the bones, pressure on nerves or heart failure. In rare cases malignant changes occur in the involved bone. Since the cause of Paget's disease is not known, treatment in the past has been largely empirical. Reifenstein and Albright had advocated the therapeutic use of calcium, vitamin D and ascorbic acid, and, in postmenopausal women, administration of estrogens; but with fractures or immobilization, intake of calcium-containing foods, such as milk, must be restricted to avoid dangerous piling up of calcium and kidney stones, and fluids must be forced. In recent years anabolic steroid hormones, principally oral androgens and estrogens, have been employed by Gordan and others to promote bone repair, lessen bone pain and decrease urinary excretion of calcium. While these hormones probably do not arrest the disease, they seem to stabilize it and bring relief of symptoms. More recently, Albright and Henneman demonstrated that very large doses of corticotropin (ACTH) or cortisone resulted in immediate cessation of bone pain, decrease in urinary excretion of calcium and histologic evidence of regression of the disease process. The large doses required, however, also produce dangerous side effects, such as psychosis and osteoporosis, indicating that such treatment probably should not be continued over long periods.


We describe and theoretically analyze the self-imaging Talbot effect of entangled photon pairs in the time domain. Rich phenomena are observed in coherence propagation along dispersive media of mode-locked two-photon states with frequency entanglement exhibiting a comblike correlation function. The observed effect suggests a straightforward and implementable way to transfer remotely frequency standards embedded on ultracompact quantum light sources.


A novel Lagrangian "individual-based" isotropic continuous time exponential type stochastic swarming model in an n-dimensional Euclidean space with a family of attraction/repulsion function is proposed in this article. The stability of aggregating behavior of the swarms system are verified by stability theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Stability analysis and numerical simulations results further indicate that the individual members living in group during the course of coordinative motion can realize the mutual aggregating behavior, the motion of each individual member is a combination of the inter-individual interactions, meanwhile, which are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our model. The attraction/repulsion function is odd, so the attractive force and repulsion force taking effect in opposite direction that leads to aggregation behavior. Moreover, numerical simulation results of globally asymptotically stability analysis also verify the capability of the proposed relevant theories.


ABSTRACT Surface display of the active proteins on living cells has enormous potential in the degradation of numerous toxic compounds. Here, we report the codisplay of organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) on the cell surface of Escherichia coli by use of the truncated ice nucleation protein (INPNC) and Lpp-OmpA fusion systems. The surface localization of both INPNC-OPH and Lpp-OmpA-GFP was demonstrated by Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence microscopy, and a protease accessibility experiment. Anchorage of GFP and OPH on the outer membrane neither inhibits cell growth nor affects cell viability, as shown by growth kinetics of cells and stability of resting cultures. The engineered E. coli can be applied in the form of a whole-cell biocatalyst and can be tracked by fluorescence during bioremediation. This strategy of codisplay should open a new dimension for the display of multiple functional moieties on the surface of a bacterial cell. Furthermore, a coculture comprised of the engineered E. coli and a natural p-nitrophenol (PNP) degrader, Ochrobactrum sp. strain LL-1, was assembled for complete mineralization of organophosphates (OPs) with a PNP substitution. The coculture degraded OPs as well as PNP rapidly. Therefore, the coculture with autofluorescent and mineralizing activities can potentially be applied for bioremediation of OP-contaminated sites.


Establishing appropriate physical activity and sedentary behaviours during early childhood is important to ensure children accrue the many associated health benefits. While physical activity levels have been reported as low within early learning programs, little research has explored the physical activity and sedentary time of Canadian preschoolers classified as overweight within these facilities. The purpose of this study was to compare objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time among preschoolers classified as overweight and nonoverweight in early learning programs. Direct assessment of physical activity and sedentary time of 216 preschool-aged children was collected via Actical accelerometers during early learning hours, while body mass index percentile was calculated based on preschoolers' objectively measured height and weight. Results of three 3-way ANOVAs suggest that rates of moderate to vigorous physical activity, total physical activity, and sedentary time (p > 0.05) did not significantly differ based on weight status, sex, and type of early learning facility. This study is one of few that has examined differences in overweight and nonoverweight preschoolers' sedentary time, and adds to the limited research exploring physical activity levels among overweight and nonoverweight preschoolers during early learning hours. Given the high rates of sedentary time reported, programming within early learning facilities is necessary to support preschoolers, regardless of weight status, to achieve increased physical activity levels and decreased sedentary time.


Distributed systems are characterized by heterogeneity and also by multiple applications often interdependent whose programming is done by separate teams with no communications between them. Dysfunctions and problems that occur in these systems have multiple and important consequences. Difficulties encountered during discovering origins and causes of these problems are proportional with user information quality demand. In this paper a method to manage incidents in information systems using decision analysis is proposed.


Abstract Probiotics, which are micro-organisms or their products with health benefit to the host, have found use in aquaculture as a means of disease control, supplementing or even in some cases replacing the use of antimicrobial compounds. A wide range of microalgae (Tetraselmis), yeasts (Debaryomyces, Phaffia and Saccharomyces) and Gram-positive (Bacillus, Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus and Weissella) and Gram-negative bacteria (Aeromonas, Alteromonas, Photorhodobacterium, Pseudomonas and Vibrio) has been evaluated. However, the mode of action of the probiotics is rarely investigated, but possibilities include competitive exclusion, i.e. the probiotics actively inhibit the colonization of potential pathogens in the digestive tract by antibiosis or by competition for nutrients and/or space, alteration of microbial metabolism, and/or by the stimulation of host immunity. Probiotics may stimulate appetite and improve nutrition by the production of vitamins, detoxification of compounds in the diet, and by the breakdown of indigestible components. There is accumulating evidence that probiotics are effective at inhibiting a wide range of fish pathogens, but the reasons for the inhibitions are often unstated.


Background: Bevacizumab is a new humanised monoclonal antibody which targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thereby the neoangiogenic process in cancer. Bevacizumab has shown promising anti-tumour effect when given concurrently with taxane-based chemotherapy in breast cancer. However two neoadjuvant breast cancer trials have produced conflicting results. The NSABP-B40 study showed significant benefit for bevacizumab only in the ER+ve patients (pathological complete response (pCR) in ER+ve population 15.2% vs 23.3%, p=0.008). Whereas the GEPARQUINTO trial reported significant benefit only in the triple negative patients (pCR 27.8% vs 36.4% p=0.021). Methods: ARTemis is a phase III randomised trial to determine whether the addition to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of bevacizumab is more effective than standard chemotherapy alone in patients with HER2-negative early breast cancer. A total of 400 patients will be randomised into each of the two treatment arms which will allow an absolute difference in the pCR rates in excess of 10% to be detected at the 5% (2-sided) level of significance with an 85% power. Primary outcome is pathological complete response rates after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, i.e. no residual invasive carcinoma in the breast, and no evidence of metastatic disease within the lymph nodes. Secondary outcomes are disease free survival, overall survival, complete pathological response rates in breast alone, radiological response after 3 and 6 cycles of chemotherapy and rate of breast conservation and toxicities. Results: Recruitment into ARTemis began in April 2009 and as of January 2012 had recruited 469 (59%). ARTemis is due to complete recruitment by Dec 2012 and the first planned interim analysis of the primary outcome will be Dec 2013. Conclusion: The IDSMC reviewed the trial in June 2011 and recommended continuation of recruitment to this important trial given there were no safety concerns, and results from the other neoadjuvant studies (NSABP-B40 and GEPARQUINTO) are conflicting.


A phase II clinical trial of maytansine, a stathmokinetic ansa macrolide, was undertaken in 70 patients. The maximally tolerated dose was 2.0 mg/m2 repeated at 21-day intervals. Gastrointestinal and central neurologic toxicity were dose limiting. No myelosuppression was noted. Two patients demonstrated transient responses. Therapeutic results from four other clinical trials were reviewed. Although additional clinical trials may be warranted in patients with bladder and small cell carcinoma, at the dose schedule reported, maytansine does not appear to possess a broad spectrum of antitumor activity. Additional clinical trials should be limited.


Conventional adaptive array antenna processing must observe signals on all of the array antenna elements. However, because the low-cost electronically steerable parasitic array radiator (ESPAR) antenna has only a single-port output, it is not possible to observe all of the signals on the antenna elements. A direct application of most of the algorithms for the conventional adaptive array antenna is impractical. In this paper, we propose a new technique of estimation for direction-of-arrivals (DoAs) for the ESPAR antenna. This technique is based on a modification of the MUSIC (multiple signal classification) algorithm. An M-dimension vector y of the output of the antenna is obtained by using the angular diversity provided by the ESPAR antenna reactances. Then the M by M correlation matrix of the y vector is employed to estimate the MUSIC spectrum. Simulation results show that DoAs can be estimated by the reactance domain MUSIC algorithm for ESPAR antennas.


Children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) are the high-risk group of accelerated atherosclerosis. Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) provides possibilities for the detection of glycaemic variability, newly recognized cardiovascular risk factor. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of RT-CGM as an educational tool to find and reduce glycaemic variability in order to improve endothelial function in T1DM adolescents. Forty patients aged 14.6 years were recruited. The study was based on one-month CGM sensors use. Parameters of glycaemic variability were analyzed during first and last sensor use, together with brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) to assess endothelial function. In the whole group, FMD improvement was found (10.9% to 16.6%, p < 0.005), together with decrease in all studied glycaemic variability parameters. In patients with HbA1c improvement compared to the group without HbA1c improvement, we found greater increase of FMD (12% to 19%, p < 0.005 versus 8.2% to 11.3%, p = 0.080) and greater improvement of glucose variability. RT-CGM can be considered as an additional tool that offers T1DM adolescents the quick reaction to decrease glycaemic variability in short time observation. Whether such approach might influence improvement in endothelial function and reduction of the risk of future cardiovascular disease remains to be elucidated.


Banded vegetation is a characteristic feature of semiarid environments, comprising stripes of vegetation running parallel to the contours on hillsides, separated by stripes of bare ground. Mathematical modelling plays an important role in the study of this phenomenon, and the Klausmeier model is one of the oldest and most established, consisting of coupled reaction-diffusion-advection equations for plant biomass and water density. In this model the dimensionless parameter corresponding to slope gradient is much larger than the other parameters, and this paper is part of a series investigating the asymptotic form of pattern solutions for large values of the slope parameter. The pattern solutions move uphill with a constant speed, $c$ say, and the focus of this paper is $c=O(1)$. I begin by deriving the leading order form of the patterns, and the region of parameter space in which they occur, for $c=o(1)$. Using this, I show that all patterns with $c=o(1)$ are unstable as model solutions for sufficiently la...


Heparanase activity is implicated in cell invasion, tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. Recently, we have reported that heparanase stimulates tissue factor (TF) expression in endothelial and cancer cells, resulting in elevation of coagulation activity (Nadir et al. JTH, 2006). We also found that heparanase releases tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) from endothelial and tumor cells, contributing to the local procoagulant balance (Nadir et al. TH, 2008). Heparanase was cloned from and is abundant in the placenta. We investigated the role of heparanase in the placenta, focusing on its effect on TF, TFPI, TFPI-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). Twenty formalin embedded samples of early pregnancy losses (weeks 5–10) were studied. Ten cases were miscarriages of women with thrombophilia and recurrent fetal losses, and ten control cases were pregnancy terminations. Applying real time RT-PCR and immunostaining for heparanase, TF, TFPI, TFPI-2, and VEGF-A it was found that in fetal losses related to thrombophilia the levels of heparanase, VEGF-A and TFPI-2 were significantly increased (2–3 fold) compared to placentas from controls. Next, JAR (human choriocarcinoma throphoblast) cells were transfected to overexpress the full length (65 kDa) heparanase or incubated with active (50+8 kDa) recombinant heparanase. Immunoblotting and real time RT-PCR showed that throphoblasts overexpressing or incubated with exogenous heparanase exhibited a 2–3 fold increase in TFPI and TFPI-2 in cell lysates both at the protein and mRNA levels, with no detectable effect on VEGF-A and TF. Accumulation of TFPI and TFPI-2 in the cell culture medium was increased 5–6 fold, exceeding the observed induction of TFPI and TFPI-2 gene transcription. Extracellular accumulation of TFPI and TFPI-2 was already evident 60 min following heparanase addition, prior to protein induction, indicating an active release of preformed proteins. These results indicate a regulatory effect of heparanase on TFPI and TFPI-2 in throphoblasts, suggesting a potential involvement in early miscarriages.


Objective To establish the prevalence of injecting practices that carry a risk of HIV infection among injection drug users (IDUs) in Indonesia and to examine the risk of sexual transmission of HIV from IDUs to noninjecting populations. Design A first round of behavioral surveillance among community-recruited male IDUs in 3 cities. Methods In late 2002, IDU gathering places were mapped in 3 cities, and 650 IDUs were recruited using multiple wave sampling originating from sites systematically selected for diversity. Trained interviewers, mostly former IDUs, administered a questionnaire focusing on injecting practices, sexual behavior, and HIV-related knowledge. Results Almost all IDUs knew that HIV is transmissible through shared needles, but 85% of injectors reported using a syringe previously used by another IDU in the previous week. Over two thirds of IDUs were sexually active, 48% reported multiple partners, and 40% had bought sex from a female sex worker in the preceding 12 months. Consistent condom use was reported by 10%. Conclusions The potential for the sexual spread of HIV from IDUs to noninjectors is extremely high in Indonesia. Interventions are urgently needed to reduce high levels of needle sharing, but a focus on needle cleaning and increasing condom use among IDUs is also essential.


ABSTRACT A 48-year-old man was treated orthodontically in an attempt to erupt his lower right impacted canine. He wore the fixed appliances for 23 months and the treatment was successful.


As technology advances, the interconnect delay among modules plays dominant role in chip performance. Buffer insertion, as a traditional approach to reduce wire delay in 2D ICs, is still necessary in 3D ICs to further optimize interconnects. Since those cross multi-layer nets in 3D ICs need to go through vertical interlayer via, the traditional buffer planning turns into simultaneous buffer and interlayer via planning in 3D ICs. In this paper, we give an efficient buffer and interlayer via planning algorithm with linear complexity, which make sure buffer and interlayer via are inserted as successfully as possible. Experimental results show that 3D ICs can significantly improve the interconnect delay.


In this theoretical review article, our primary goal is to contribute to the post-cognitivist understanding of learning to perceive and perceiving as learning, by discussing a framework for perception and perceptual learning initiated by James J Gibson, and extended by Eleanor J Gibson and others. This Ecological Psychology has a coherent set of assumptions based on the concept of mutualism between the perceiving organism and its surroundings, and the idea of affordances as action possibilities of the surround that are perceptible by the organism. At the same time, Ecological Psychology, broadly construed, consists of different perspectives that take different routes to address questions related to the core concepts of perceptual learning. In this article, we focus on three theoretical stances within Ecological Psychology on the issue of perceptual learning: that of Eleanor J Gibson, the current theory of direct learning by Jacobs and Michaels, and the "organicist" approach based on ideas of organicist biology and developments in evolutionary biology. We consider perceptual learning as embedded in development and evolution, and we explore perceptual learning in more depth in the context of tool use and language development. We also discuss the relation between Ecological Psychology and Enactivism on the nature of perception. In conclusion, we summarize the benefits of Ecological Psychology, as a robust but still developing post-cognitivist framework, for the study of perceptual learning and cognitive science in general.


This paper presents experiments in automatic Information Extraction of medication events, diagnoses, and laboratory tests form hospital patient records, in order to increase the completeness of the description of the episode of care. Each patient record in our hospital information system contains structured data and text descriptions, including full discharge letters. From these letters, we extract automatically information about the medication just before and in the time of hospitalization, especially for the drugs prescribed to the patient, but not delivered by the hospital pharmacy; we also extract values of lab tests not performed and not registered in our laboratory as well as all non-encoded diagnoses described only in the free text of discharge letters. Thus we increase the availability of suitable and accurate information about the hospital stay and the outpatient segment of care before the hospitalization. Information Extraction also helps to understand the clinical and organizational decisions concerning the patient without increasing the complexity of the structured health record.


The effect of an experimenter-presented organization on facilitating recall of various movement distances by 20 mentally retarded adolescents and 40 nonretarded individuals of the same mental age or chronological age was investigated. Blindfolded subjects performed linear arm movements and reproduced distances under either organized or random presentation conditions. Results support use of experimenter-presented organization in enhancing recall of movement distances in mildly mentally retarded adolescents.


Introduction: Implementation of the Federal Public Health Promotion Project should raise awareness and develop skills of healthy nutrition in children, thus contributing to disease prevention. Our objective was to evaluate the results of pilot nutrition monitoring in school-aged children of the Sverdlovsk Region as part of the Federal Public Health Promotion Project and the National Demography Project. Results: We established that school meals were generally satisfactory: the rations complied with physiological needs of children in terms of their nutritional value, basic nutrients, energy, and distribution of calories by main meals. We noted differences in the cost and nutritional value of meals and the variety of dishes and foodstuffs used between urban and rural areas. As a rule, pupils have one or two school meals a day. Outside of school, their consumption of dairy products and fruit is limited. Conclusions: Our findings may promote the elaboration of municipal programs aimed, inter alia, at changing the amount of sugar and salt used in the manufacture of public catering products, the cost of dishes with a high content of sugar, saturated fats, and salt, and subsidies on healthy nutrition.


The temporal decay of an attractor's vicinity for a domain-wall dominated cellular automaton (CA) is studied. Using selected initial pattern ensembles, state space structures in this high-dimensional nonlinear spatial system can be identified via the resulting decay to its attractors. Considered over a range of lattice sizes, the decay behavior falls into three main classes, each of which shows a characteristic profile. The first consists of even-size lattices showing a decelerating decay to small nonattracted ensemble fractions. The second class, also for even lattices, is a catastrophic decay to very small or vanishing nonattracted fractions. The third class also shows catastrophic decay and contains all odd-size lattices. Stochastic models are constructed that mimic the behavior of typical lattices throughout their evolution until finite-size effects appear. Weak additive noise causes all states on all lattices to fall into the attractor. In the end we find it overwhelmingly likely that the recently proposed attractor-basin portrait captures the CA's qualitative dynamics.


To solve the problems associated with precarious contemporary housing, it is essential to intervene with structural housing reform. Therefore, it is necessary to start from semantics and read space on the one hand, as a moment where history, traditions and culture meet; on the other hand, as a key to overcome obstacles and general obsolescence. The state of the art includes: repetition of self-built and unregulated low-quality typologies, high migration rate, and socio-economic changes; the consequences are: low-quality buildings, overcrowded or uninhabited urban centers, obsolete spatiality. Today, the challenge is to design in a short time and with high qualitative standards, without giving in to hypertechnology but finding a balancing strategy. It is a matter of anticipating what cannot be expected, and responding to the multitude of ever-changing needs inherent to an atypical user. "Inhabiting" in this perspective must be increasingly "smart and sustainable". This is done through interactive design, which increasingly uses digitized services and connects objects and people. The goal is to move towards DfD, «Design for Disassembly», through " change" as a paradigm, and the solution is in our homes.


In an environment of frustration regarding matters of education and agriculture, it is inspiring to visit the Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute (Gadi) in Middelburg in the Eastern Cape, and to witness the passion for the Angora goat and the progress the stud has made since its inception.


Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of tourists' needs for healing experience (NHE) on behavioral intentions for transformation (BIT) with healing involvement (HI) as a mediator. Using the two sub-constructs of BIT in the tourism industry (i.e. selection of healing tour products and transformational intention of healing tour behavior), this study evaluates BIT.

Design/methodology/approach

– The survey was administered to visitors in healing resorts/centers in Korea; 383 completed surveys were used to investigate the hypothesized relationships of this study using regression analysis.

Findings

– The study results confirmed the hypothesized relationships: the positive effects of NHE on BIT and the significant mediating role of HI in the relationships between NHE and BIT.

Practical implications

– The relationships among NHE, HI and BIT can improve the understanding and practices of healing experience and the development of healing products in the tourism industry. This study offers a meaningful and extended perspective on customers' experience and product development by interpreting customers' desires and needs.

Originality/value

– This study explores the under-researched subject of NHE and HI from a transformative economic perspective. The study is among the first to examine the structural relationships among NHE, HI and BIT. The uniqueness of the study is highlighted by the use of two sub-dimensions of the BIT industry (i.e. selection of healing tour products and transformational intention of healing tour behavior) in a tourism context.


OBJECTIVE

Cyberchondriasis is an emerging mental health disorder in lower and middle-income countries. The study was aimed for assessment of cyberchondriasis in patients presenting to the emergency department of three tertiary care hospitals of Pakistan

METHODS
A questionnaire-based study, formulated on the Cyberchondriasis Severity Scale, was carried out in three emergency departments of
tertiary care hospitals in Islamabad, Pakistan. The study duration was three months i.e. March to May 2019. A self-reported questionnaire was distributed amongst participants and results were calculated through SPSS version 23. Ethical approval was obtained.

RESULTS
Out of 958 participants, 304 people returned the questionnaire with a response rate of 31.4%. 189 patients (62.17%) admitted that if they would notice an unexplained bodily sensation, they would often search for it on the internet. Alarmingly, a significant population
(11.18%) of the participants said that they would rarely trust their GP over their online self-diagnosis. Online searching and self-diagnosis
made 244 patients (80.26%) panic while 32 patients (10.52%) always found it difficult to sleep after researching perceived medical conditions.

CONCLUSION
Many aspects of cyberchondriasis are evident in the study. Further studies are required to report the exact prevalence and association with mental health.


The efficacies of a supraglottic airway device (SGAD) and an endotracheal tube (ETT) in cats under general anesthesia with volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) were compared. Thirty healthy cats were randomly allocated for airway control using either an SGAD or an ETT. Five tidal volumes (6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 mL/kg) were randomly tested, and respiratory rates were adjusted to achieve a minute ventilation of 100 mL/kg/min. The dose of propofol necessary to insert the SGAD or ETT, the static respiratory pressure, leakage during VCV, and end tidal CO2 (ETCO2) were recorded. Dosages of propofol and static respiratory measurements for the SGAD and ETT groups were compared using a t-test. The distribution of leakages and hypercapnia (ETCO2 > 45 mmHg) were compared using Fisher's exact test. A significance level of p < 0.05 was established. No significant difference in dose of propofol was observed between the SGAD and ETT groups (7.1 ± 1.0, 7.3 ± 1.7 mg/kg; p = 0.55). Static resistance pressure of the SGAD (22.0 ± 8.1 cmH2O/L/sec) was significantly lower than that of the ETT (36.6 ± 12.9 cmH2O/L/sec; p < 0.01). Of the 75 trials, leakage was more frequent when using an SGAD (8 events) than when using an ETT (1 event; p = 0.03). Hypercapnia occurred more frequently with SGAD (18 events) than with ETT (3 events; p < 0.01). Although intubation with an ETT is the gold standard in small animal anesthesia, the use of an SGAD can reduce airway resistance and the work of breathing. Nonetheless, SGAD had more dead space and the tidal volume for VCV needs adjustment.


Women age 70 and older have the highest incidence and mortality from breast cancer of any age group. Despite this increased burden of disease, studies show that older women are the least likely to be screened for breast cancer. Barriers to routine mammography in this population include transportation and logistical issues, psychosocial barriers, low literacy levels, and institutional barriers. A variety of interventions, such as community health educators and mobile mammography, have been effective at increasing screening mammography among older women. Although limited, studies have reported that screening mammography reduced breast cancer mortality among women age 65 and older. Research supports continued screening with mammography for elderly women as long as their health is not significantly compromised by comorbid illness, and most organizational guidelines support screening mammography in healthy elderly women. Ultimately, the decision to continue breast cancer screening should be made by the patient and her physician after carefully weighing the risks and benefits of the procedure, which generally become more favorable as women age.


In this paper, we introduce a novel technique for constrained submodular maximization, inspired by barrier functions in continuous optimization. This connection not only improves the running time for constrained submodular maximization but also provides the state of the art guarantee. More precisely, for maximizing a monotone submodular function subject to the combination of a $k$-matchoid and $\ell$-knapsack constraint (for $\ell\leq k$), we propose a potential function that can be approximately minimized. Once we minimize the potential function up to an $\epsilon$ error it is guaranteed that we have found a feasible set with a $2(k+1+\epsilon)$-approximation factor which can indeed be further improved to $(k+1+\epsilon)$ by an enumeration technique. We extensively evaluate the performance of our proposed algorithm over several real-world applications, including a movie recommendation system, summarization tasks for YouTube videos, Twitter feeds and Yelp business locations, and a set cover problem.


Abstract In this study, we prepare the Ag nanofluids synthesized by the chemical reduction method and measure the extinction coef-ficient of those nanofluids at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. The Ag nanofluids are synthesized by the chemical reductionmethod using silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) and sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ) in water and ethylene glycol (EG). For stable disper-sion of Ag particles in the base liquids, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) is added as a surfactant. The extinction coefficient ofmanufactured Ag nanofluids is measured by an in-house developed measurement system at the wavelength of 632.8 nm. Theresults show that the extinction coefficient of water-based and EG-based Ag nanofluids is linearly increased with respect tothe particle loadings. Moreover, it is shown that the extinction coefficient of EG-based Ag nanofludis is higher than that ofwater-based Ag nanofluids. Finally we compare the experimental results with both the Maxwell-Garnett model and Rayleighscattering approximation model, and they demonstrate that the Rayleigh scattering approximation model is reasonably predictthe extinction coefficient of Ag nanofluids using hydraulic diameter of silver nanoparticle.


The purpose of the study was to examine whether teacher beliefs would play a role in their actual practices while teaching target language in early phases of primary education, principally, in kindergarten and first grades in a state school. As it is a very broad research area, the researchers exclusively analyzed teaching practices and teaching activities of two teachers and their beliefs about teaching English to young children within the frame of early childhood education principles. One of the data gathering instruments in this case study was a questionnaire that inquires the participants beliefs related to the classroom practices and how these beliefs influence their classroom practices in early childhood education. In addition to the questionnaire, semi structured interviews with participants were held to examine their beliefs in detail. Finally, in order to see whether participants' beliefs matched with their actual practices in their classrooms or not, the sample courses of the participants were observed and video-recorded for triangulation for the data. The classroom observations of the courses as well as video recordings of those courses were also examined by the researchers, and the findings were verified by another co-rater in order to increase the trustworthiness of the data. The analysis of responses of participants to the questionnaire, video-recorded classroom observations and interviews were presented qualitatively in the findings section. The results showed that both of the teachers took into account how their students could learn best with regards to their age, level and interest through using different activities and materials suitable for teaching English to young learners. It was also observed that teachers placed room for repetition, role-play, singing songs, picture drawings and coloring in their classes with young learners


A Philosophy of Weather: How We Learn in an Elemental, Aesthetic Environment LeAnn M. Holland This dissertation investigates, through weather metaphors in nature writing, how outdoor learning can be transformative. Although we have a robust history of books, essays, and poetry about experiences in weather-rich environments, education as a theoretical and applied field still lacks a philosophical foundation upon which to improve and expand outdoor pedagogy. Rather than proposing that the hermeneutical study of weather metaphors will lead to prescriptive lessons outdoors, this research aims to reveal the philosophy of transformative learning immanent in our experiences. With an increased philosophical understanding of the aesthetically transformative dimensions of outdoor experience, when our senses are most exposed, educators may take the next step of exploring what these experiences might do for the holistic education of students. This dissertation's recognition of the aesthetic experiences students have in weathersaturated spaces promises to generate a richer definition of an effective learning environment.


This study is to propose and develop an integrated dynamics control system to improve and enhance the lateral stability and handling performance. To achieve this target, we integrate an AFS and a 4WS systems with a fuzzy logic controller. The IDCS determines active additional steering angle of front wheel and controls the steering angle of rear wheel. The results show that the IDCS improves the lateral stability and controllability on dry asphalt and snow paved road when double lane change and step steering inputs are applied. Yaw rate of the IDCS vehicle tracks reference yaw rate very well and body slip angle is reduced about by 50%. Response time of the IDCS vehicle is also decreased.


Robust models that capture the physics of high-rate material response are required for developing predictive capability for highly dynamic events. One develops a strength constitutive model for a particular material by measuring its mechanical properties over a range of temperatures, strain rates, and stress states. The samples of interest are loaded in compression, tension, or torsion over a range of loading rates and temperatures germane to the application of interest. Various mechanical testing frames are available that achieve nominally constant loading rates for limited plastic strains and, thereby, a constant strain rate. The standard screw-driven or servohydraulic testing machines achieve strain rates of up to 5 s−1. Specially designed testing machines, typically equipped with high-capacity servohydraulic valves and high-speed control and data acquisition instrumentation, can achieve strain rates as high as 200 s−1 during compression loading. To go even higher, we must employ projectile-driven impacts that induce stress-wave propagation in the sample materials. Chief among the techniques to measure the dynamic stress–strain response of materials is the split-Hopkinson pressure bar. This technique is capable of achieving the highest uniform uniaxial stress loading of a specimen in compression at nominally constant strain rates of the order of 103 s−1 and true strains of 0.3. Stress in the Hopkinson bar is measured by using an elastic element in series with the specimen of interest. Stress waves are generated via an impact event and the elastic elements utilized are long bars such that the duration of the loading pulse is less than the wave transit time in the bar. In this article the principles of the split-Hopkinson pressure bar, its data reduction, sample preparation, and limitations are detailed.

Keywords:

high-strain-rate testing;
split-Hopkinson pressure bar;
Kolsky bar;
mechanical testing;
constitutive response;
dynamic mechanical behavior


XU Te-li put forward many original insights in moral education objectives,major tasks and methods.He held the idea that the moral is "to shape the human personality of unlimited vivid development in a certain position with a certain direction ".And the main task of moral education is to educate the young generation with a Marxist world view(universe),to conduct political education and ideological quality education.Such methods as combination methods of words and actions,personality probation and inspired ease,the combination methods of poetry moral can be adopted.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of pulsed high-dose corticosteroids combined with orally administered low-dose methotrexate therapy in patients with severe localized scleroderma (LS).

DESIGN
A prospective, nonrandomized, open pilot study.

SETTING
Dermatology department at a university hospital in Bochum, Germany. Patients Fifteen patients with histologically confirmed severe LS. Interventions Oral methotrexate (15 mg/wk) combined with pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone (1000 mg for 3 days monthly) for at least 6 months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Treatment outcome was evaluated by means of a clinical score, 20-MHz ultrasonography, and histopathologic analysis. Safety assessment included the monitoring of adverse effects and clinical laboratory parameters.

RESULTS
One patient discontinued therapy. In most of the remaining 14 patients, significant elimination of all signs of active disease (inflammation) and remarkable softening of formerly affected sclerotic skin that resulted in a decrease of the mean +/- SD clinical score from 10.9 +/- 5.3 at the beginning to 5.5 +/- 2.5 at the end of therapy was observed (P < .001). Clinical improvement was confirmed by histologic and ultrasonographic assessments. No serious adverse effects were noted.

CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that pulsed high-dose corticosteroids combined with orally administered low-dose methotrexate therapy is beneficial and safe in the treatment of patients with LS. This treatment regimen should especially be considered for severe forms of LS in which conventional treatments have failed.


Of all the books written on education in the sixties and seventies, "The Lives of Children" was one of the most significant. When it was first published, Herbert Kohl wrote, "There is no book I know of that shows so well what a free and humane education can be like, nor is there a more eloquent description of its philosophy." John Holt, reviewing the book for "The New York Review of Books, " wrote, "If anyone felt he had time to read only one book on education, "The Lives of Children" should be the one.""The Lives of Children" is George Dennison's story of The First Street School and how he succeeded in helping kids no one had been able to help.


A 12m high and 112m long earthen dam was proposed to be constructed for augmenting surface water resources at Wellington, Coonoor district, Tamilnadu. For designing the foundation, the quality of sub surface formation was to be assessed and the geologically weak structures were to be delineated. As the topography of the area is not plane and also as thick lateritic formations are capping the deep-seated charnockite (bed rock), use of two different geophysical methods viz I. Seismic Refraction and 2. Electrical Resistivity, was necessitated. The results of these two geophysical surveys have been integrated while characterizing the foundation. Two continuous seismic profiles along the proposed dam axis and four vertical electrical soundings in its reservoir bed were taken. The results revealed a four-layered stratum. The compressional wave velocities vary from 330 m/sec to 3345 m/sec and the resistivities from 22 ohm-m to 907 ohm-m. The low velocity and resistivity values (330 m/sec and 22 ohm-m respectively) are attributed to a loose and soft fonnation and their higher values (3345 m/scc and 907 ohm-m respectively) are attributed to a compact and hard formation. The depths of different geological layers obtained from these results were also co-related well with the borehole litho-logs. No geologically weak structures have been identified in the area by these investigations. The presence of compact fonnation and the absence of geologically weak structures at the site are favourable for founding the proposed structure.


The study shows that antibodies to cardiolipin which are commonly found in young postinfarction cases may present a high risk for recurrent coronary manifestations. IgG and IgM antibodies to cardiolipin (C1Ab) were determined in 50 healthy individuals and 72 patients with coronary disease: 26 with acute infarction (A) and 24 with chronic infarction (C) as well as 22 with angina pectoris (AP). Lipid status parameters as risk factors were measured in all patients: total cholesterol, LDL, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoprotein (a). Out of 72 patients suffering from coronary disease 20 (27.7%) had elevated C1Ab IgG (12.36 +/- 3.7 GPLU/ml). Rise of C1Ab IgM was not evidenced in any of the patients. C1Ab IgG were significantly elevated (p < 0.01) in patients with chronic myocardial infarction and angina pectoris (p < 0.05) while in cases of acute myocardial infarction significant elevation of these antibodies was not evidenced.


The effect of waiting times on consumers' retrospective evaluations of internet web sites is investigated in four computer-based experiments. Results show that waiting can, but does not always, negatively affect evaluations of web sites. They also show that the potential negative effects of waiting can be neutralized by effectively managing waiting experiences. A conceptual framework and formal random utility model are introduced.


Abstract Background Long-term central venous catheters are essential in delivering care for critically ill and cancer patients. These catheters could lead to central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Removal and reinsertion of a new catheter may not always be feasible due to unavailability of vascular access in the setting of thrombocytopenia. A pilot open label study conducted at our institution showed promising results when Minocycline, EDTA, Ethanol (M-EDTA-EtOH) lock was used to salvage the catheter. Methods Between October 2013 and August 2014, we prospectively enrolled 20 patients with catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) or CLABSI in three of our sister institutions in three countries including Brazil, Lebanon, and Japan. These patients received (M-EDTA-EtOH) lock therapy and were compared with 24 historical control patients who were matched based on organisms, underlying diseases and neutropenia status. The control patients had their CVCs removed and a new CVC inserted. Results The two groups had comparable clinical characteristics. In the lock therapy group 95% of the patients had microbiological eradication within 96 hours after starting lock therapy vs. 83% of the patients in the control group (P = 0.36). In the lock group, the CVC was salvaged and retained for a median of 21 days (range 7–51) from the onset of bacteremia whereas the CVC was removed after a median of 2 days in the control group (range 0–8 days. P < 0.0001). Conclusion Our study suggests that M- EDTA-EtOH lock therapy seems to be an effective intervention to salvage long-term CVCs in the setting of CLABSI/CRBSI in cancer and dialysis patients with limited vascular access. Disclosures I. Raad, Merck: Grant Investigator, Research grant; Allergan: Grant Investigator, Research grant; Infective Technologies, LLC: Co-Inventor of the Nitroglycerin-Citrate-Ethanol atheter lock solution technology which is owned by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) and has been licensed by Novel Anti-Infective Technologies, LLC in which Dr. Raad is a s and Shareholder, Licensing agreement or royalty.


This article deals with the prediction of the response to monotonic axial loading of single piles in various soil conditions. A 98-pile load test data base was obtained from the Mississippi State Highway Department and was used to evaluate 13 methods designed to predict the ultimate load of a pile and five methods designed to predict the settlement of a pile. The methods include SPT/\IS\du\N methods, cone penetrometer methods, a pressuremeter method, and a dynamic formula method. The accuracy and precision of each method is quantified statistically, and a risk analysis is performed in order to properly assess the factor of safety. A cost analysis is also performed in order to find the factor of safety that will minimize the cost of construction plus the cost of a potential failure.


A microchemical technic was applied to elucidate the possible role of ATP in insulin secretion by measuring the levels of this metabolite in pancreatic islets from obese hyperglycemic mice. The β cell content of ATP was markedly reduced within the first minute after interruption of the blood supply. A steady-state level of about 5 mmoles of ATP was noted in islets incubated in the absence of glucose. The corresponding ATP level was twice as high when at least 1 mg./ml. of glucose was present in the incubation medium. While the contents of ATP and glycogen remained constant when the pancreatic islets were incubated with diazoxide, the amounts of both these metabolites were significantly reduced by concentrations of sulfonylurea compounds known to stimulate the insulin release. The sulfonylurea effect on the islet ATP content implies a change in the "phosphate potential" of the β cells, which might stimulate glycogenolysis and increase the glycolytic flux. The sulfonylurea stimulation of insulin release might thus be related to a product of glucose degradation beyond the level of glucose-6-phosphate.


Rat sublingual gland M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors each directly activate exocrine secretion. To investigate the functional role of coreceptor expression, we determined receptor-G protein coupling. Although membrane proteins of 40 and 41 kDa are ADP-ribosylated by pertussis toxin (PTX), and 44 kDa proteins by cholera toxin (CTX), both carbachol-stimulated high-affinity GTPase activity and the GTP-induced shift in agonist binding are insensitive to CTX or PTX. Carbachol enhances photoaffinity labeling ([alpha-(32)P]GTP-azidoaniline) of only 42-kDa proteins that are subsequently tractable to immunoprecipitation by antibodies specific for Galpha(q) or Galpha(11) but not Galpha(12) or Galpha(13). Carbachol-stimulated photoaffinity labeling as well as phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis is reduced 55% and 60%, respectively, by M1 receptor blockade with m1-toxin. Galpha(q/11)-specific antibody blocks carbachol-stimulated PIP2 hydrolysis. We also provide estimates of the molar ratios of receptors to Galpha(q) and Galpha(11). Although simultaneous activation of M1 and M3 receptors is required for a maximal response, both receptor subtypes are coupled to Galpha(q) and Galpha(11) to stimulate exocrine secretion via redundant mechanisms.


The thermal stress and mechanical induced reliability issues of the Mo layer deposited on polyimide (PI) flexible substrate are studied. We found that the CIGS film cracks after one-hour 400°C selenization process. And the CIGS crack was initiated from the cracking of the Mo film and it can be improved by a Mo annealing process before the precursor deposition. Lower the ramping rate of the selenization temperature and deposit an additional Mo film on the backside of PI substrate can help to improve substrate curving. However, without the Mo annealing, it provides very little improvement on Mo cracking. The annealing improves the Mo cracking resistance. Adding Ag or Al into Mo film reduces film's resistance and improves "failure diameter" down to curvature of 10 mm in tensile stressing tests.