The performance and reliability of aggressively-scaled field effect transistors are determined in large part by electronically-active defects and defect precursors at the Si?SiO2 and internal SiO2-high-k dielectric interfaces. A crucial aspect of reducing interfacial defects and defect precursors is associated with bond-strain-driven bonding interfacial self-organizations that take place during high temperature annealing in inert ambients. The interfacial self-organizations and intrinsic interface defects are addressed through an extension of bond constraint theory from bulk glasses to interfaces between non-crystalline SiO2 and (i)?crystalline Si, and (ii)?non-crystalline and crystalline alternative gate dielectric materials.


In hydra, differentiated ectodermal cells of the foot region contain a peroxidase activity that can be used as a marker for foot-specific differentiation processes. Because the expression of the gene coding for the peroxidase must be tightly regulated during foot-specific differentiation, characterization of the protein and cloning of the corresponding gene should provide valuable tools for getting deeper insights into the regulation of foot-specific differentiation. In this paper we characterize the foot-specific peroxidase by biochemical, histochemical, and molecular biological methods. We show that it is localized in granules, and that it consists of a single component, the molecular mass of which is in the range of 43-45 kDa. Purification of the protein and subsequent cloning of its complementary DNA yielded two closely related clones, ppod1 and ppod2. Transcripts of ppod2 are abundant in the whole animal with the exception of the hypostome, the tentacles, and the foot; the expression of ppod1 matches exactly the localization of the foot-specific peroxidase.


Prostate epithelial cell growth is under the control of both steroid and peptide factors. Human prostate cancer cell lines have been used to investigate similar agents in malignancy. Activins are dimeric peptides structurally related to transforming growth factor-beta and produced in the gonads and a wide array of extragonadal tissues. The activins act at the pituitary to regulate the synthesis and secretion of FSH. At other sites, such as bone marrow, liver, and gonads, activin may play an important role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. It was the purpose of the current study to determine whether activin had similar actions on prostate cancer cells, specifically the androgen-responsive LNCaP and the androgen-resistant PC-3 cell lines. Using reverse transcription-PCR, messenger RNAs for type I and type II activin receptor subunits as well as the activin-binding protein follistatin were detected in both cell lines. Activin treatment rapidly (<24 h) inhibited LNCaP, but not PC-3, cell growth. The effects of activin were evident at low levels, with a concentration of 5 ng/ml being effective at 24 h, and a concentration of 0.5 ng/ml being effective at 48 h. These results contrasted with the actions of transforming growth factor-beta, which inhibited only PC-3 cells and required a greater treatment duration (96 h) to be effective. To determine whether these prostate cancer cell lines were also producing activin, LNCaP and PC-3 cells were treated with follistatin. Again, only the LNCaP cells responded, with growth acceleration noted by 24 h. As PC-3 cell responses to activin could be independent of cell proliferation, we transfected LNCaP and PC-3 cells with a known activin-responsive promoter/reporter gene construct (p3TP-Lux) and treated cells with activin. Only LNCaP cells produced a measurable response in luciferase activity. Finally, we attempted to determine whether the PC-3 cell resistance to activin was mediated via a transferable factor. PC-3 conditioned medium was added to LNCaP cells in the absence or presence of exogenous activin and had a small, but statistically nonsignificant (P < 0.09), action to blunt the actions of activin. We conclude that activin is a potent growth inhibitor of LNCaP cell growth. Moreover, these cells also produce activin, suggesting that locally derived activin may play a role in regulating cell proliferation. Despite expressing messenger RNAs for activin receptors, PC-3 cells are resistant to activin, perhaps the result of the production of an activin-blocking factor or a defective activin response system. These cell lines will thus serve as useful models in which to further study the cellular basis of activin action.


We propose and analyze a simple adaptive uplink power control scheme, two-level channel inversion, for data traffic in a cellular CDMA system. The basic idea is to reduce out-cell interference by reducing the rate of, or even suspending, user transmission when the wireless channel is in a bad condition. We present a probabilistic analysis model and then evaluate the queueing delay and system throughput. Numerical results show that in comparison with the traditional channel inversion scheme, the two-level channel inversion scheme can substantially improve the system throughput at a moderate cost of extra queueing delay. Finally, we present a design algorithm to optimize the overall performance.


Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy has been shown to be clinically effective for managing a variety of hematological cancers. However, CAR T-cell therapy is associated with multiple adverse effects, including neurotoxicity and cytokine release syndrome (CRS). CRS arises from massive cytokine secretion and can be life-threatening, but it is typically managed with an anti-IL-6Ra mAb or glucocorticoid administration. However, these treatments add to a patient's medication burden and address only the CRS symptoms. Therefore, alternative strategies that can prevent CRS and neurotoxicity associated with CAR T-cell treatment are urgently needed. Here, we explored a therapeutic route aimed at preventing CRS rather than limiting its consequences. Using a cytokine-profiling assay, we show that granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF) is a key CRS-promoting protein. Through a combination of in vitro experiments and gene-editing technology, we further demonstrate that antibody-mediated neutralization or TALEN-mediated genetic inactivation of GMCSF in CAR T-cells drastically decreases available GMCSF and abolishes macrophage-dependent secretion of CRS biomarkers, including monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin (IL) 6, and IL-8. Of note, we also found that the genetic inactivation of GMCSF does not impair the antitumor function or proliferative capacity of CAR T-cells in vitro. We conclude that it is possible to prevent CRS by using "all-in-one" GMCSF-knockout CAR T-cells. This approach may eliminate the need for anti-CRS treatment and may improve the overall safety of CAR T-cell therapies for cancer patients.


ABSTRACT The chance of a secondary education for young girls who might have otherwise been among many out-of-school youth cultivates aspirations for their future. While aspirations to be educated expand the possibilities of opportunities, they also go unfulfilled in an environment of low achievement rates, high unemployment and constraining gender norms that can leave many secondary graduates disempowered. This study examines how aspirations, agency and future well-being are linked through 4 years of longitudinal data from interviews with girls in a technical and vocational school in rural Tanzania. Conceptually, the paper puts forward a framework within a capability approach to consider how aspirations and agency are oriented toward valued well-being. It also draws inspiration from Appadurai's use of aspirations as a cultural concept that is future and change oriented and socially embedded. Finally, the body of scholarship that frames Bourdieu's notion of agency as productive is drawn upon to illuminate whether and how girls are agentic in acting toward their aspirations. Bringing these conceptualizations together, the empirical analysis shows how aspirations and agency are dialectically related and socially situated, allowing for openings in agency to occur even when faced with gendered constraints to aspirations.


Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the commonest nosocomial infection occurring in mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU. It continues to complicate the course of 7% to 41% of patients receiving continuous mechanical ventilation.This prospective study was done to determine the etiological agents of VAP and assess their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Semi-quantitative culture of endotracheal aspirates of patients with VAP was done. In our study, 59 patients of 153 mechanically ventilated patients developed VAP. Among the causative agents, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Staphylococcus aureus were found to be the commonest etiological agents in patients with VAP. Ninety-two isolates in patients with VAP were found to be multi-drug resistant pathogens.
Early and appropriate antimicrobial therapy is an important goal in the setting of life-threatening infections, taking into account factors that modulate bacterial ecology and the susceptibility of causative organisms which is crucial for optimal management.


In a multiple-antenna system, an optimized design across the link and scheduling layers is crucial toward fully exploiting the temporal and spatial dimensions of the communication channel. In this paper, based on discrete optimization techniques, we derive a novel analytical framework for designing optimal space-time scheduling algorithms with respect to general convex utility functions. We focus on the reverse link (i.e., client to base station) and assume that the mobile terminal has a single transmit antenna while the base station has n/sub R/ receive antennas. In order that our proposed framework is practicable and can be implemented with a reasonable cost in a real environment, we further assume that the physical layer involves only linear-processing complexity in separating signals from different users. As an illustration of the efficacy of our proposed analytical design framework, we apply the framework to two commonly used system utility functions, namely maximal throughput and proportional fair. We then devise an optimal scheduling algorithm based on our design framework. However, in view of the formidable time complexity of the optimal algorithm, we propose two fast practical scheduling techniques, namely the greedy algorithm and the genetic algorithm (GA). The greedy algorithm, which is similar to the one widely used in 3G1X and Qualcomm high-data-rate (HDR) systems (optimal when n/sub R/=1), exhibits significantly inferior performance when n/sub R/>1 as compared with the optimal approach. On the other hand, the GA is quite promising in terms of performance complexity tradeoff, especially for a system with a large number of users with even a moderately large n/sub R/. As a case in point, for a system with 20 users and n/sub R/=4, the GA is more than 36 times faster than the optimal while the performance degradation is less than 10%, making it an attractive choice in the practical implementation for real-time link scheduling.


Ribotyping and plasmid profiling were carried out on 299 Danish Flavobacterium psychrophilum isolates from farmed rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). The isolates had been characterized biochemically and serologically in another study. The isolates were very homogeneous, 254 isolates had the same ribotype A (restriction enzyme EcoRI) and 284 isolates harboured one 3.3 kb plasmid. Seventy-five per cent of the F. psychrophilum isolates had ribotype A, one 3.3 kb plasmid and belonged to either serotype Th or Fd. Virulence studies with representatives of the dominant groups classified such isolates as virulent, and an extra small or large plasmid did not change the virulence level. A relationship between the serotypes Fd and Th, certain ribotypes, and virulence was found. The isolates belonging to serotype FpT and to ribotype B were less virulent. Only a few isolates with other ribotypes were found and these were also less virulent. Isolates that did not have the 3.3 kb plasmid were also less virulent. The virulent isolates all harboured the 3.3 kb plasmid; however, there was no clear correlation between virulence and plasmid content as a 3.3 kb plasmid was also found in less virulent isolates.


The alternative agriculture paradigm has been a useful device to both define and direct a social movement toward a more sustainable agriculture. But because that paradigm was defined by male movement leaders, it reflects their gendered perspective and may be lacking elements that make it more useful for both women and men. In-depth interviews of women involved in sustainable farming organizations and on family farms experimenting with new practices validated the elements of the Curtis E. Beus and Riley E. Dunlap paradigm : independence, decentralization, community, harmony with nature, diversity, and restraint, but also suggested the addition of two other elements that the women identified as part of an alternative agriculture vision : quality family life and spirituality. The highly gendered nature of agriculture in the U.S. and Canada, where male identity is highly conflated with the role of farmer in the conventional paradigm, may make it more difficult for men who have just joined the movement to articulate the aspects of quality family life and spirituality which the women saw as critical.


To evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroids on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients with different levels of disease severity. In our multicenter study, 543 patients with confirmed COVID‐19 were classified as non‐severe group and severe group, and then were compared respectively for all‐cause mortality and length of hospital stay between those who received corticosteroids and not. By searching in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and CNKI, we identified 13 retrospective studies and 6 random control trials eligible for criteria of inclusion, and conducted comprehensive meta‐analyses assessing the impacts of corticosteroids on mortality, length of stay, duration of RNA clearance and duration of fever. Our multicenter study demonstrated that low‐dose corticosteroids can reduce mortality in the multivariable Cox regression analysis for severe patients (p = .03), while presented no influence in univariable analysis for non‐severe patients (p = .14). From multivariable analyses, patients with corticosteroids in non‐severe group had longer duration of hospitalization (p = .003), but did not in severe group (p = .18). Moreover, for severe patients, corticosteroids can evidently shorten duration of fever. The same results were summarized in the meta‐analyses supplemented with the result that corticosteroids delayed viral clearing in non‐severe patients. Corticosteroids should be considered based on patient's condition. For patients with non‐severe COVID‐19, corticosteroid was not recommended as a routine therapeutic initiative as that presented prolonged duration of hospitalization and delayed viral clearing, as well as no positive impact on prognosis. While low‐dose corticosteroids may benefit patients with severe COVID‐19 for it can manifestly lower risk of death and improve the clinical status to some extent.


Insects, because of their abundance and wide var ie ty in form and structure, have become more widely recognized in recent years as excellent mater ia l for the s tudy of m a n y physiological problems. Morphologists have intensively studied the developmental processes of insects, while relat ively few physiologists have investigated such phenomena as histolysis and histogenesis occurring during pupal development. The most notable physiological work on these subjects seems to have been done by Farkas (6), Krogh (10), Tangl (13), and Weinland (14).


Purpose: To investigate and compare the vision-related quality of life after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgery with that of normal controls and to evaluate the relationship between the vision-related quality of life and visual function after surgery for RRD. Methods: In this prospective, consecutive, comparative case series, the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) was completed by 100 RRD patients at 6 months after surgery. Among the patients with RRD, 86 underwent pars plana vitrectomy and 14 received scleral buckling. Best-corrected visual acuity was obtained using ETDRS charts and converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution for statistical calculations. The VFQ-25 also was administered to 107 normal controls. Results: The VFQ-25 composite score and the subscales associated with general vision, mental health, social functioning, driving, and color vision were significantly lower in the RRD group than in the normal controls (P < 0.05). The VFQ-25 composite score significantly correlated with logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (P < 0.0001) on both the operated and the fellow eye. Conclusion: The vision-related quality of life is significantly impaired in patients after surgery for RRD. Higher age and female gender negatively influences the results of the composite score.


Abstract. We aim to improve the predictive mapping of stem volume with airborne laser scanning (ALS) data acquired in Laos by adapting the area-based approach (ABA) to a tropical context. Separating laser returns of bushes from main stories with a cut-off threshold is a step very important to the ABA. The adaptation focused here on applying global and plot-adaptive cut-off thresholds to improve the extraction of canopy metrics. In order to select the optimal global cut-off threshold for removing understory bushes and ground objects, a sensitivity analysis of the modeling efficacy to the global cut-off threshold was conducted in the range from 0 to 5 m at 0.1-m intervals. To account for structural variation between plots, a simple plot-adaptive method was proposed for adjusting the threshold of each specific plot. The results showed that the optimal global cut-off threshold, which implicitly assumed the forest structure being homogeneous for all plots was 3.6 m. A model based on the plot-adaptive cut-off thresholds achieved better accuracy (RMSE 28%) than did the optimal global threshold-based model (RMSE 30%). It is concluded that the ALS-based canopy metrics extracted using the plot-adaptive method describe the structural heterogeneity of tropical forests adequately, whereas the global thresholding method is contingent on the forest structure being simple.


The 52 cases on cortigen included 39 Malays, 8 Chinese, 2 Indians, 2 Siamese, and 1 Javanese, the youngest being 4 years (Siamese) and the oldest patient 70 years old (Malay). The ages of the patients were: 10 cases under 10 years; 9 cases 11-20 years ; 12 cases 21-30 years ; 8 cases 31-40 years; 7 cases 41-50 years; 3 cases 51-60 years; 3 cases 61-70 years. The routine treatment normally given-that is, tourniquet, scarification, suction, antivenene, and A.T.S.-had proved entirely ineffective in checking or reducing any extensive swelling already developed to an advanced stage of generalized mucosal bleeding; this had killed 32 cases, mostly from the bites of the Malayan pit vipers from 1946 to March, 1954, prior to the introduction of cortigen therapy for snakepoisoning. It was observed that cortigen was extremely ,effective in aborting the stages of gross swelling and generalized mucosal bleeding which preceded death. None of the 52 serious cases treated under cortigen umbrella died or exhibited toxic effects. No case of snake-poisoning has died since the introduction of cortigen as an adjuvant for snake-poisoning-that is, for the last 14 months. As a result of my observations I have looked upon cortigen as an extremely useful life-saving drug in the treatment of cases of snake-poisoning primarily affecting the vascular system. -I am, etc.,


Abstract Ajuga forrestii is a medicinal plant commonly used in southwest of China. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of A. forrestii to investigate its phylogenetic relationship in the family Lamiaceae. The chloroplast genome of A. forrestii was 150,492 bp in length with 38.3% overall GC content, including a large single copy (LSC) region of 82,148 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,160 bp and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,592 bp. The cp genome contained 112 genes, including 79 protein coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis indicated Ajuga was closely related to Scutellaria.


Diffusivity is a strong function of concentration and an important transport property. Diffusion of multiple species is far more frequent than the diffusion of one species. However, there are limited experimental data available on multi-component diffusivity. The objective of this study is to develop an optimal control framework to determine multi-component concentration-dependent diffusivities of two gases in a non-volatile phase such as polymer.
In Part 1 of this study, we derived a detailed mass-transfer model of the experimental diffusion process for the non-volatile phase to provide the temporal masses of gases in the polymer. The determination of diffusivities is an inverse problem involving principles of optimal control. Necessary conditions are determined to solve this problem.
In Part 2 of this study, we utilized the results of Part 1 to determine the concentration-dependent, multi-component diffusivities of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in polystyrene. To that end, solubility and diffusion experiments are conducted to obtain necessary data. In the ternary system of nitrogen (1), carbon dioxide (2), and polystyrene (3), the diffusivities and D11, D12, D21, and D22 versus the gas mass fractions are two-dimensional surfaces.
The diffusivity of carbon dioxide was found to be greater than that of nitrogen. The value of the main diffusion coefficient D11 was found to increase as the concentration of carbon dioxide increased. The highest value of D11 obtained was 2.2 X 10^-8m^2s^-1 for nitrogen mass fraction of 3.14 X10^-4 and for a carbon dioxide mass fraction of 5.67 X 10^-4 . The cross-diffusion coefficient increased as the concentrations of nitrogen and carbon dioxide increased. The diffusivity reached its maximum value when the concentrations of nitrogen and carbon dioxide were at their maximum values. The diffusivity was of the order of 10^-9m^2s^-1.
The diffusivity of the cross-diffusion coefficient D21 was found to be increased for the mass The diffusivity of the cross-diffusion coefficient was found to be increased for the mass fractions of carbon dioxide ranging from 0 to 1.70 X 10^-3 . The diffusivity was found to be of the order of . The diffusion coefficient, D22, was found to increase with the concentrations of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, D22 remained high with low concentrations of carbon dioxide. The diffusivity was found to be of the order of 10^-7m^2s^-1


It is often assumed that the majority of the interseismic strain accumulates around the major mapped geological block boundaries. However, numerous recent earthquakes in the continents have occurred on faults that were previously unidentified. Existing deformation data from Tibet are insufficiently dense to map the distribution of interseismic strain. Here we combine 265 interferograms formed from 166 radar images with GPS data to constrain a high‐resolution velocity field covering ∼200,000 km2 of western Tibet. We confirm that the slip rate of the Karakoram Fault is low (<6 mm/yr), but show that areas of focused strain do not coincide with the major fault structures. Some of this strain is due to postseismic relaxation after a Mw 6.8 earthquake that occurred in 1996 on a structure that is difficult to identify in satellite imagery. Models of seismic hazard that rely on imperfect knowledge of the boundaries of crustal blocks can therefore underestimate hazard from unknown faults.


This paper presents a signal processing technique for segmenting short speech utterances into unvoiced and voiced sections and identifying points where the spectrum becomes steady. The segmentation process is part of a system for deriving musculoskeletal articulation data from disordered utterances, in order to provide training feedback for people with speech articulation problem. The approach implement a novel and innovative segmentation scheme using artificial neural network mixture model (ANNMM) for identification and capturing of the various sections of the disordered (impaired) speech signals. This paper also identify some salient features that distinguish normal speech from impaired speech of the same utterances. This research aim at developing artificial speech therapist capable of providing reliable text and audiovisual feed back progress report to the patient.


Objective: Quantify the recommended daily intake of algarrobine with acrylamide in the population of Piura-Peru.
Methods: The raw material carob (Prosopis pallida), was cut, in a proportion 1 kg of locust bean chopped with 4 liters of water (1:
4), placed in a pot type perol on direct fire, after extracting the sugars from the carob, it is filtered, to then concentrate the sugars
at a temperature of 103 to 105ºC. Samples of different soluble solids were analyzed in the algarrobin. To quantify acrylamide was
performed by ion chromatography and mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS). To determine the amount of acrylamide consumption
in the algarrobine, the per capita consumption of algarrobine (surveys) was determined.
Results: One kilogram of carob was obtained 171.4 ml of algarrobin, with a density of 1.4 g / ml, a pH: 4.796, 4.26, 5.02 and
5.27 respectively, with a content of soluble solids of 77.07, 81.3, 74.98 and 82.6% respectively and a per-capita consumption of
algarrobin of 0.17 lt / year / person. The content of acrylamide in the algarrobin was different in each sample: 303, 250, 83, 25
ug / kg respectively.
Conclusions: The lower the presence of acrylamide in algarrobine, the greater the consumption of algarrobine.


Human blood peripheral monocyte/macrophages release in culture a mononuclear cell factor (MCF) which stimulates the production of collagenase and prostaglandin E2 by human rheumatoid synovial cells and dermal fibroblasts. These two products play a role in connective tissue destruction. MCF has an apparent molecular weight of ∼15000 and is biologically and biochemically indistinguishable from interleukin 1. MCF therefore belongs to the well‐documented nonimmune biological activities attributed to interleukin 1. Studies on the mechanisms of production and action of such monokine(s) have been difficult in view of the minute quantities produced by freshly isolated cells or from human monocytic lines. Starting from lectin‐stimulated human blood mononuclear cells, we have isolated poly(A) RNA and studied its translation following microinjection into Xenopus laevis oocytes. The mRNA translation products stimulated collagenase and prostaglandin E2 production in human rheumatoid synovial cells and dermal fibroblasts. The size of MCF‐mRNA was estimated to be 10 S. The mRNA of a member of the interleukin 1 family can now be studied in a system based on a specific and direct relevant biological assay and eventually compared with those of other monokines.


SUMMARY Results clearly demonstrate that Crotalaria juncea (sunnhemp) is well adapted to the dry season paddy environment; peak dry matter production was 3170 kg ha−1 in a field experiment with rows 30 cm apart and 100 kg−1 ha of seed. A pot experiment gave yield responses of 179 and 16% to P and S application respectively but there was no response to fertilizer in the field. Cultivation increased DM production in one experiment from 86 to 1590 kg−1 ha, attributed to a reduction in bulk density from 1·65 to 1·19 g cm−3. This effect was not fully substantiated in a second experiment on a coarser soil, where good DM production of sunnhemp was achieved even on broadcast uncultivated plots. The toxicological implications of using sunnhemp as a forage legume are briefly discussed.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is linked to a variety of cardiometabolic (CM) risk factors in the general population, primarily overweight/obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance. More recently, the role of inflammation in the process of atherosclerosis has become better defined. Multiple combinations of these CM risk factors in populations are termed clustering and, when present, increase the risk of CVD nonlinearly. As CVD is the leading cause of death among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) surviving for longer than 30 years (46% of deaths) and among persons with SCI more than 60 years of age (35% of deaths), it is imperative that we understand both population-specific CM risks and risk clustering, as well as the role played by risk surrogates in predicting population-specific CVD. The primary aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of atherosclerotic CVD using coronary calcium scoring, coronary angiography, and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) in people wi...


The emerging movement to decolonize the sciences, social sciences, and humanities has emphasized the differences between Indigenous and Western scienti fi c ways of knowing. Paradoxically, emphasizing the difference between these systems has also been the principle undergirding modern science ' s claim to being a uniquely valid means of knowledge creation. Yet as each approach focused solely on contrasting Indigenous and scienti fi c ways of knowing, potential similarities between these knowledge systems may have been ignored. One such oversight is the use of deception by each system, which is central to experimental research designs in the social and psychological sciences, and in American Indian trickster stories. In narratives recounted throughout American Indian societies, tricksters act from malevolence, greed, or generosity and are often catalysts in knowledge production. Similarly, it is the " experimental process " found in Western scienti fi c systems that deceives subjects in order to elicit insights into causality, and such have been the results, that it has become a preeminent empirical method in the twentieth and twenty-fi rst centuries.


Having a disability, in particular, an intellectual disability, is associated with Internet non-use. This article explores how people with intellectual disabilities used the Internet across the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April to May 2021, 571 adults with intellectual disabilities were interviewed. Participants most commonly used the Internet for being with family and friends, social media or doing online activities with other people. People who lived with family were the most likely to use social media; people who lived with other people with intellectual disabilities were the least likely. People who self-reported as not lonely were more likely to use the Internet for online activities with others and play video games with others. Social connections were identified as the best thing about the Internet. Many participants chose not to identify a worst thing about Internet use, while others reported issues with technology, online harm and threats to well-being.


A case of a female patient with local and systemic complications of metallosis, following catastrophic wear of a revised hip arthroplasty, is presented. The patient had a history of a fractured ceramic-on-ceramic implant, exchanged with a metal-on-polyethylene prosthesis. Systemic complications included sarcoidosis-like reactions, presenting as granulomatous lung disease, along with chorioretinitis, erythema nodosum, and cardiomyopathy. High local and circulating cobalt and chromium levels established the diagnosis. The patient underwent extensive debridement and implant revision. One year postoperatively, she had no respiratory symptoms or functional impairment. Local and systemic complications of metallosis after hip arthroplasty should be promptly recognized and treated operatively.


Using the method of salt dialysis, we have reconstituted histone octamers onto DNA templates consisting of 12 tandem repeats, each containing a fragment of the sea urchin 5S rRNA gene [Simpson, R.T., Thoma, F., & Brubaker, J.M. (1985) Cell 42, 799-808]. In these templates, each sea urchin repeat contains a sequence for preferred nucleosome positioning. Sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium studies in the analytical ultracentrifuge indicate that at molar histone/DNA ratios of 1.0-1.1 extremely homogeneous preparations of fully loaded oligonucleosomes (12 nucleosomes/template) can be regularly obtained. Digestion of the oligonucleosomes with micrococcal nuclease, followed by restriction mapping of purified nucleosome-bound DNA sequences, yields a complicated but consistent pattern of nucleosome positioning. Roughly 50% of the nucleosomes appear to be phased at positions 1-146 of each repeat, while the remainder of the nucleosomes occupy a number of other minor discrete positions along the template that differ by multiples of 10 bp. From sedimentation velocity studies of the oligonucleosomes in 0-0.2 M NaCl, we observe a reversible increase in mean sedimentation coefficient by almost 30%, accompanied by development of heterogeneity in sedimentation. These results, in combination with theoretical predictions, indicate that linear stretches of chromatin in the absence of lysine-rich histones exist in solution in a salt-dependent equilibrium between an extended (low salt) conformation and one or more folded (high salt) structures. In addition, by 100 mM NaCl, salt-dependent dissociation of histone octamers from these linear oligonucleosomes is observed.


This thesis investigates how introducing bounded rationality to a range of theoretical microeconomic situations can help explain empirical results. Biased Screening and Coarse Information: A decision maker must choose one of two projects. Each project has an identically independently distributed value which is observed by an agent, but only a coarse signal can be communicated to the decision maker. Despite the symmetric setup, agents optimally partition the possible realisations of value differently to minimise the error cost in the decision stage. This is generalised to a screening process, where projects are grouped exogenously and different thresholds can be used to assess projects in different groups. A project in a minority group has a lower probability of being chosen, an insight which is related to the literature on categories and discrimination. Endogenous Analogy Classes: An Analogy Equilibrium (Jehiel, 2005) involves players bundling nodes at which their opponent moves into analogy classes. The robustness of analogy classes is examined when players form their analogy classes endogenously, so are more likely to form analogies over nodes in which their opponent's behaviour is similar and when suboptimal actions would not prove very costly. These ideas are applied in a generalised Centipede game. Pure strategy equilibria involving passing may survive refinement in some long games, but mixed strategy equilibria can be dramatically more robust. In the most cooperative, robust equilibrium players pass for many nodes and mix at the end of the game. Common Value Multi-Unit Auctions: The implications of using different multi-unit auction mechanisms are investigated when bidders have multi-unit demand and a common valuation Vm for the mth object they win. Revenue equivalence holds across many auction formats when bidders have constant or increasing marginal utility for additional units. When bidders have diminishing marginal utility however, an almost common-values problem means that inefficient first-price auctions are expected to raise the most revenue. Bounded rationality is important in explaining empirics and reinforces some of the theoretical results. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).


Diffraction moire interferometry involves the replication of a diffraction grating onto a specimen and the measurement of subsequent distortions of the grating through optical interferometry. The method is elegant, simple, easily applied and yields high quality data. Many devices have been developed to exploit this method, often for very specialized applications. There have also been several attempts to produce general purpose research instruments some of which have been offered commercially. This paper will attempt to review the historical development of diffraction moire instrumentation, the current state of the art and future directions. A companion paper in this volume (SPIE CR-46) by JS Epstein will give a more complete review of specific uses of the subject.


BACKGROUND
Patients with metastatic melanoma are immunosuppressed by the growing tumor. Allovectin-7 therapy is a form of active immunotherapy that aims at immunization of the host with substances designed to elicit an immune reaction that will eliminate or slow down the growth and spread of the cancer.

OBJECTIVE
to describe the rationale for immunotherapy with Allovectin-7 and assess its safety profile and efficacy based on the results of completed melanoma clinical trials.

METHODS
we reviewed both the published medical literature and the results of trials pending publication.

RESULTS/CONCLUSION
Allovectin-7 is a safe and active immunotherapeutic agent. It induces local and systemic durable responses in patients with metastatic melanoma.


Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is characterized by peculiar facies, mental retardation, broad thumbs, and great toes. Approximately one-third of the affected individuals have a variety of congenital heart diseases. They can also have upper airway obstruction during sleep, due to hypotonia and the anatomy of the oropharynx and airway, which make these patients susceptible to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In our case, pulmonary hypertension was caused, successively, by congenital heart defects (a large patent ductus arteriosus and arch hypoplasia) and obstructive sleep apnea during early infancy. The congenital heart defects were surgically corrected, but persistent pulmonary hypertension was identified 2 months after the operation. This pulmonary hypertension was due to OSA, and it was relieved by nasal continuous positive airway pressure. This case is the first report of pulmonary hypertension from OSA in a young infant with RTS.


UNLABELLED
The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiological characteristics of burn caused by severe fire disaster. The results of this study showed that a total 21,228 people were burned, 10,428 cases died and RMB 3320 millions yuan were lost in those fire disasters occurring in five years (from 1989 to 1993) in this country. The principal causes of the fire disaster were faults in administration and operations against regulations.

CONCLUSION
In order to prevent fire disaster propaganda should be carried out, jurisdiction should be enforced, active "law of fire control" and the program of constructive administration should be implemented. Those who are working in burn care should also participate in work of fire control and devote much attention to the investigation of burn epidemiology.


Analyses of vital data derived from a family record register for the native population of Guam reveal significant variations in births, deaths, and marriages over the period 1901-41. Although lacking marked photoperiod or temperature changes of temperate zones, the tropical island is subject to marked seasonal differences in rainfall characteristic of western Pacific islands. Marital patterns exhibit troughs associated respectively with the Lenten period and with Christmas celebrations. Infant and childhood deaths show close correspondence with rainfall patterns, consistently exceeding expected values during the rainy season (July-November) when conditions are optimal for the spread of communicable and gastrointestinal diseases. Births attain a peak in November, or at the beginning of the more advantageous season for infant health and survival. Seasonality in vital events, reported for many Euroamerican and some African and Asian populations of modern and historical periods, has rarely been documented for native populations of the tropical Pacific. Comparisons of differences in these patterns among different populations in varied environments provide unique opportunities to evaluate causal models of interactions among biological, sociocultural, and physioenvironmental factors.


The objective of the NSF RET (Research Experiences for Teachers) site program hosted by the University of Central Florida is to provide K-12 teachers with a hands-on engineering design experience covering all aspects of the Internet of Things, from the manufacturing of a sensor, to the hardware and software that allows it to connect to the Internet. This program gives teachers learning opportunities to explore the practical use of science for engineering applications, and provide a context in which students in their classroom can test their own scientific knowledge as they recognize the interplay among science, engineering and technology. The uniqueness of this site program lies in the engagement of teachers in various facets of scientific, engineering, and educational methods based on Train-the-Trainer model with rotation in multiple research labs. In order to support the STEM educational services for teachers and students in middle and high schools, our site program aims at creating competent teacher trainers who ensure quality pre-service and in-service teacher education, by providing multidisciplinary experiences that are relevant to the current technical development. Teachers in the adjacent public school districts are primary participants in this site program. Significant efforts have been made to recruit teachers serving underrepresented student populations, and female and minority teachers who can reach out to them.
 In our RET site program, the participants rotated to four different laboratories with a 1.5–3 week residency in each, where they learned about the practice of engineering in various disciplines at the research laboratories on the university campus under the guidance of faculty and graduate mentors. The teachers presented their learning outcomes in the final week and were invited back to share their educational implementation experiences in their classes. This site program provided teachers with interdisciplinary engineering design experiences relevant to innovative technical development, and helped them develop teacher-driven teaching modules that can be deployed in the classroom.


In recent years, image retrieval process has increased artistically. An image retrieval system is a process for searching and retrieving images from large amount of the image dataset. Increase the accuracy of image retrieval, content based image retrieval system (CBIR) and text-based image retrieval system (TBIR) based on interactive genetic algorithm (IGA) and SVM is proposed. Color, texture and edge have been the primitive low level image descriptors in content based image retrieval systems. In this paper we discover a system which splits the search process into two stages. In the query specify approach the feature descriptors of a query image we re-extracted and then used to check the similarity between the query image and those images which is in database. In the evolution stage, the most relevant images were retrieved by using the Interactive genetic algorithm. IGA help the users to retrieve the images that are most relevant to the users' need and SVM will rank the image as their title and as par time of search. So that user can get search image as par their requirements.


Traditionally Possessor Raising (PR) in Swahili is included with a variety of sentence types as an instance of the Nominal Construction and more recently defended as a member of that class. This study has two major goals: fIrst, it demonstrates that PR has syntactic distributional patterns which argue against its inclusion in the Nominal Construction. Secondly, it addresses a central question: what features of an explicit grammar explain the syntactic properties associated with PR? After showing that the inferentially based proposals in Hinnebusch and Kirsner [1980] and in Scotton [1981] do not adequately characterize PR nor accommodate its syntax, semantics or interpretation, we present a Government Binding treatment ofPR's syntax. Finally, we provide a summary of our cross-linguistic research on PR's interpretation.


Background This study was carried out to determine the incidence and predictors of anti-tuberculosis drug induced hepatotoxicity among TB/HIV co-infected patients at Jimma University Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods/Principal Findings A nested case-control study was conducted by reviewing charts of all TB/HIV co-infected patients who commenced anti-TB treatment from January 2008 to December 2011 at Jimma University Hospital. Patients who had developed hepatotoxicity after at least 5 days of standard doses of anti-TB drug therapy were labeled as "cases" and those without hepatotoxicity were "controls". Each case with anti-TB drug induced hepatotoxicity was compared with 3 controls selected randomly from the cohort. From a cohort of 296 TB/HIV co-infected patients 8 were excluded from the study as the causality between anti-TB drugs and hepatotoxicity was not confirmed, 33 had developed hepatotoxicity. On bivariate logistic regression analysis, body mass index (BMI) <18.5 Kg/m2 [P = 0.01; OR (95%CI): 3.6 (1.4–9.5)], disseminated pulmonary TB [P = 0.00; OR (95%CI): 5.6 (2.2–14.6)], CD4 count ≤50 [P = 0.016; OR (95%CI): 3.6(1.27–10.23)] and WHO stage 4 [P = 0.004, OR (95%CI): 3.8 (1.68–8.77)] were significantly associated with anti-TB drug induced hepatotoxicity. Predictor variables with p-value <0.05 by bivariate analysis were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis and identified disseminated pulmonary TB [P = 0.001; AOR (95%CI)  = 5.6 (2.1–15.0)] and BMI <18.5 [P = 0.014; AOR (95%CI)  = 3.6 (1.3–10.1)] as independent predictors of anti-TB drug induced hepatotoxicity. Conclusions The incidence of anti-TB drug induced hepatotoxicity was 11.5%. The results suggest that in the presence of disseminated pulmonary TB and/or BMI <18.5 Kg/m2, TB/HIV co-infected patients should be closely followed for the occurrence of hepatotoxicity during the intensive phase of TB treatment to prevent morbidity and mortality.


Studying the viability of innovative urban access design is the key to achieve optimum results when attempting to transform dogmatism referring to conventional car-orientation into a meaningful driver of modal change that is founded on the actual societal needs for future transportation. An efficient public bicycle scheme could be the very definition of a solution that could encourage and even facilitate, to a certain extent, such a transition. This paper discusses how a post-graduate course embraced, through the means of a service-oriented design exercise, the potential introduction of such a system. More specifically, seven research teams, closely guided by the three authors, were affiliated with designing a new hypothetical bike-sharing scheme in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. The paper reports on: a) the novel educational approach the tutors employed, b) the taught experiences that helped the students utilize their potential as learners but also as inventive designers, c) the research in terms of design results and d) the overall transition from solely serving the needs of automotive mobility in urban environments to creating a knowledge platform that actually illustrates an improved design-innovation process to tackle future urban demands and eventually have a real-life context impact on the city of Gothenburg.


In the first issue of La Mestiza, a publication recently launched by four social organizations based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in an unprecedented collective effort, art and social transformation are discussed as interrelated. Art is tackled, not as a tool, but instead as a strategy for transformation. Ines Sanguinetti, a member of La Mestiza's editorial board on behalf of Crear vale la pena, an organization that impels a series of community cultural centers in contexts of poverty north of the greater metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, argues: "These displacements of art towards non conventional spaces, like the excluded communities, are also an original way to offer new languages for participation and political action". In discussing art's real potential for change, Sanguinetti also refers to the fact that artists sometimes end up isolating themselves in a tribe of their own. I reflect on these matters as I introduce you to this new issue of Glocal Times, in which four articles originally prepared for the Memories of Modernity (MoM) project debate the power of words, explore the strong impact of architecture in people's lives and share their views on commonalities and differences between two cities seemingly distinct. From South Africa, Michael Chapman proposes a provocative reading of Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long walk of Freedom, and explores the dimensions of local and global, of individual ad community, of memory and oblivion, of self and other, of center and periphery, making a call for infusing with new contexts of complexity "our ongoing interpretations and reinterpretations of memories of modernity". Franco Frescura, in turn, discusses memories and amnesias in architecture, in the context of the ideological power and impact of building, 'recovering' or demolishing –buildings or landscapes- on people, communities, nations. From Sweden, Ingrid Elam introduces us to the views of progress –or the lack of it- communicated by the Swedish modern and postmodern novel, drawing a line between fiction and social contexts. Oscar Hemer, instead, explores what the social impact of fiction's truth could, should be, and why it matters. Beyond the MoM-related articles, two other contributions compose this new issue of Glocal Times  From Bolivia, Canadian April Pojman uncovers the difficulties faced by young shoe shiners struggling to express their voices in the streets of La Paz and unveils their uniformed images. From The Netherlands, Niels Keijzer shares insights, accomplishments and challenges of a 'networking for learning' initiative called Pelican. These two contributions signal an enormous gap in terms of unresolved needs at very basic levels in terms of human security, against possibilities brought by thoughtful application of technological developments. The gap brings to mind Amnesty International's 2006 campaign: "It's not happening here, but it is happening now". The next issue of Glocal Times will be online in November 2007, looking into the history and future of the Participatory Communication Research Section of The International Association for Media and Communication Research –deeply imbued with communication for development and social change- and highlighting the outcomes of its recent reunion in Paris.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the test-retest reliability of the 6-minute walk test in people with fibromyalgia.

METHODS
Twenty-six subjects (27-59 years of age) performed 3 walk tests over consecutive days before and after a 4-week treatment program. Reliability was determined using a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1).

RESULTS
Reliability of the 6-minute walk test was excellent both at program intake (ICC2,1 = 0.91) and program completion (ICC2,1 = 0.98). On program intake, significant differences (P < 0.01) were found between test 1 (478 +/- 61 m) and test 2 (492 +/- 57 m), and between test 1 and test 3 (495 +/- 60 m). On program completion, there were no significant differences across the 3 replicate tests (507 m, 505 m, and 509 m).

CONCLUSIONS
The 6-minute walk test is a reliable measure in people with fibromyalgia. In this study, two trials were required to achieve a stable walk performance before a treatment program. This learning effect was not present following the intervention.


A polyamide composition having good impact resistance and stiffness comprising polycarbodiimide, carbon fibers treated with a sizing agent, and, optionally, impact modifiers. Articles formed therefrom are also disclosed.


A case of congenital syphilis is reported. It deals with a three-month-old girl suffering from a nephropathy clinically characterized by edema, hematuria, severe proteinuria and slight renal insufficiency. On light an delectron microscopy, a mesangial proliferative and focal extracapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis with abundant intermembranoepithelial deposits was observed.


CONTEXT
Maximal power describes the ability to immediately produce power with the maximal velocity at the point of release, impact, and/or take off-the greater an athlete's ability to produce maximal power, the greater the improvement of athletic performance. In reference to boxing performance, regular consistent production of high muscular power during punching is considered an essential prerequisite. Despite the importance of upper limb power to athletic performance, presently, there is no gold standard test for upper limb force development performance.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the test-retest reliability of the force plate-derived measures of countermovement push-up in elite boxers.

DESIGN
Test-retest design.

SETTING
High Performance Olympic Training Center.

PARTICIPANTS
Eighteen elite Olympic boxers (age = 23 [3] y; height = 1.68 [0.39] m; body mass = 70.0 [17] kg).

INTERVENTION
Participants performed 5 repetitions of countermovement push-up trials on FD4000 Forcedeck dual force platforms on 2 separate test occasions 7 days apart.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Peak force, mean force, flight time, rate of force development, impulse, and vertical stiffness of the bilateral and unilateral limbs from the force-time curve.

RESULTS
No significant differences between the 2 trial occasions for any of the derived bilateral or unilateral performance measures. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated moderate to high reliability for performance parameters (intraclass correlation coefficients = .68-.98) and low coefficient of variation (3%-10%) apart from vertical stiffness (coefficient of variation = 16.5%-25%). Mean force demonstrated the greatest reliability (coefficient of variation = 3%). In contrast, no significant differences (P < .001) were noted between left and right limbs (P = .005-.791), or between orthodox or southpaw boxing styles (P = .19-.95).

CONCLUSION
Force platform-derived kinetic bilateral and unilateral parameters of countermovement push-up are reliable measures of upper limb power performance in elite-level boxers; results suggest unilateral differences within the bilateral condition are not the norm for an elite boxing cohort.


This paper examines the impact of social inequality and social exclusion on health. Social exclusion in health can be explained by socioeconomic inequality in health as socioeconomic position mediates access to resources including health services. Moreover, the impact of socioeconomic position on health is mediated by people's differential exposures to a very broad range of physical, chemical, biological, social, psychological and behavioral risk factors to health. People belong to upper strata of society in developed and developing countries have been experiencing higher level of life expectancy and better health status than those who are at the bottom of the society. There is evidence that societies that are more economically equal and socially cohesive have lower overall mortality than those that are more unequal. Interventions focusing on improving socioeconomic condition and increasing social inclusion and equity in social, economic and political dimensions can contribute to reduce inequities and social exclusion in health. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v6i0.8477 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 6, 2012 25-48


Grammar teaching has been a constant issue of debate in English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) circles. This debate was intensified with the rise of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Under the hegemony of this approach, explicit grammar teaching has been underemphasized. We argue that this underemphasis is symptomatic of neoliberalism. Employing Antonio Gramsci's conception of grammar, we more specifically suggest that lack of exposure to explicit grammar teaching is detrimental to obtaining a deep understanding of the English language and its literature. By being denied access to a direct discussion of English grammar, learners suffer from a deficit that makes it difficult for them to become critical readers and users of English grammar rules. In particular, we focus on the role of explicit grammar teaching in the context of teaching literature. We hope that our analysis will help revive interest in critical and dynamic grammar teaching.


ABSTRACT Freire, P., Jackson, N.L. and Nordstrom, K.F., 2013. Defining beaches and their evolutionary states in estuaries Projected rates of global sea level rise and human pressures have increased attention to the potential for landform change in estuaries. This paper assesses the status of the fetch-limited beaches in the Tagus estuary, one of the largest estuaries in Europe, with a focus on distinguishing active beaches from inactive vegetated banks and identifying conditions under which they change state. A total of 26 beaches were identified in the inner estuary and 49 in the tributary basins on 2007 aerial photographs and compared with conditions on older photographs (1944–1958). Lengths, widths and maximum fetch distances for beaches were measured and site visits were made to determine their origins and present conditions. Beaches occur at eroding uplands or marshes or on spits extending from eroding uplands. Human-created beaches occur on spoil areas, within niches formed by structures and where vegetation is eliminated or prevented from colonizing (e.g. boat launches and recreational surfaces). Basin infilling, with increase in the elevation of low tide terraces and the formation of bars, is reducing wave energies, and some beaches are reverting to vegetated banks. Beaches that become vegetated banks because of human actions occur where use for boating or recreation is abandoned and where spits that form off spoil deposits reduce fetch distances upwind.


I briefly review models of dark energy. These include models of a cosmological constant arising in string theory, dynamical models where a scalar field may be responsible for the observed late time acceleration through to the possibility that we are not fully in control of the gravity sector and the acceleration may be some manifestation of modified gravity. All cases require some degree of fine tuning for the models to be compatible with observation.


The aim of this study was to understand the positional identity of three African American secondary science teachers. Positional identity was operationally defined in terms of race, ethnicity, economic status, gender, religion, and age. Positional identity was posited to inform why diverse teachers with differing knowledge and experiences in science exist. An analysis of the findings suggested that the teachers' positional identity was defined beyond race, ethnicity and gender. Although the three science teachers came from very similar social backgrounds and were members of the same racial/ethnic group (African American), their positionality manifested itself in different ways: meanings of their life experiences; orientations to professional development; and future career goals in science education. Thus they possessed multiple positional identities that intersected in various ways which resulted in them having different perceptions of the world and subjectivities as science teachers. Implications included addressing positional identity and the creation of professional development models that are framed around incorporating teacher identity in addition to furthering teachers' personal and professional advancement within science education. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 684–710, 2008


The catabolite activator protein was assayed in extracts from the minicell-producing Escherichia coli strain P678-54. The level of catabolite activator protein was found to be the same in both parent cells and purified minicells, regardless of whether the bacteria were grown on glucose (which leads to low intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels) or on glycerol-yeast extract or LB broth (which lead to high cyclic adenosine monophosphate concentrations in the cell). Thus, at any given time most catabolite activator protein molecules are found in the cytoplasm. The implications of this for the mechanism of catabolite activator protein action at catabolite-sensitive operons are discussed.


Autografting could become a promising treatment for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who cannot undergo allogeneic bone marrow transplantation or failed to respond to recombinant alpha-interferon (IFN). In this review, we analyze the results which have been published for patients transplanted in chronic phase and which suggest that autografting could prolong survival, at least in some patients. We also discuss the different methods of purging whose clinical efficacy remains to be assessed.


Background:
 More than 70% of strokes occur in resource-poor countries. Outcomes are often not well documented. rt-PA for acute ischemic stroke was approved in 2012 for use in Costa Rica (CR). A hub and spoke model was initiated and a dataset established, the CR Stroke Registry Program (CRSRP) for conditional- and post-approval monitoring. Here, we compared CRSRP rt-PA outcomes to similarly treated subjects from the 1995 NINDS rt-PA trial and the 2019 CLOTBUST-ER control arm.

 Methods:
 Subjects were matched using a published pairing methodology and day 7-10/discharge modified Rankin Score (mRS), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhages (SICH) and early mortality compared. A mortality model was generated from 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and outcomes compared at similar baselines. SICH rates were compared with other cohorts: Get With The Guidelines (GWTG), a combined international IV thrombolysis trial pool, and 2 Ibero-American populations.

 Results:
 Of 424 CRSRP patients, 284 receiving rt-PA under 3 hrs were matched with 308 NINDS subjects. 131 non-diabetic CRSRP subjects, treated within 4.5 hrs, NIHSS 10 - 24 and Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS)>7, were matched with 300 CLOTBUST-ER subjects. Percent achieving either mRS 0-1 or 0-2 did not differ between CRSRP and either NINDS or CLOTBUST-ER (mRS 0-1: CRSRP:33.9% vs NINDS:33.6%; CRSRP:23.8% vs CLOTBUST-ER:27.0%, all p>=.05 / mRS 0-2: CRSRP:40.0% vs NINDS:41.4%; CRSRP:31.1% vs CLOTBUST-ER:36.1%, all p=>.05). Mortality was higher for CRSRP vs CLOTBUST-ER (6.6% vs 0.8%; p=0.05) but not vs NINDS (6.8% vs 4.3%; p=0.3). A predictive model (R
 2
 =0.39) showed neither cohort exceeded expected pooled mortality, with CLOTBUST-ER the lowest mortality. SICH rate was higher in CRSRP vs CLOTBUST-ER (7.3% vs 0.0% p=0.008) but not vs NINDS (5.7% vs 6.8% p=0.7)). SICH rates were not higher when compared with 4 international cohorts.

 Conclusion:
 Functional outcomes of Costa Rican patients receiving rt-PA compared favorably with 2 RCTs (NINDS and CLOTBUST-ER). SICH and mortality were higher than CLOTBUST-ER, although both were within expected range compared to other international cohorts. Systems of care development in order to further lower SICH and participate in the endovascular era are underway.


In this paper we propose a system based on a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) as a physical modeling synthesis engine and a hardware description language (VHDL) to implement the physical modeling synthesis algorithms. An evaluation of VHDL and CPLD technologies for this application was performed. As an example we have programmed the Karplus-Strong plucked string algorithm using VHDL on an Altera CPLD.


Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a collection of biologically diverse cancers characterized by distinct transcriptional patterns, biology and immune composition. TNBCs display transcriptional diversity with at least four tumor-intrinsic subtypes that include two basal-like (BL1, BL2), a mesenchymal (M) and a luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtype. Using integrative analyses of transcriptomic, epigenetic, proteomic and phospho-proteomic patterns we have identified subtype-specific vulnerabilities, which advanced our understanding of the cellular origins of TNBC subtypes. In mesenchymal subtype tumors we observed high mutation load and genomic instability, absence of immune cells, low PD-L1 expression, loss of global DNA methylation and transcriptional repression of antigen presentation genes through the polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2). Using cell line models, we demonstrate that MHC-I expression is epigenetically silenced by the PRC2 in mesenchymal TNBC cell lines and inhibition of EZH2 restores expression. Pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 enhances chemotherapy efficacy in syngeneic murine tumor models providing a rationale for using PRC2 inhibitors in PD-L1 negative mesenchymal tumors.
 Citation Format: Brian D Lehmann, Antonio Colaprico, Tiago C Silva, Jianjiao Chen, Hanbing An, Yuguang Ban, Lily Wang, Jamaal L James, Justin Balko, Paula I Gonzalez-Ericsson, Melinda E Sanders, Bing Zhang, Jennifer A Pietenpol, Xi S Chen. Multi-omics characterization of triple-negative breast cancer identifies therapeutic vulnerabilities and epigenetic immune suppression in the mesenchymal subtype [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD3-04.


Phosphorus (P) is an essential macroelement supporting maize productivity and low-P stress is a limiting factor of maize growth and yield. Improving maize plant tolerance to low P through molecular breeding is an effective alternative to increase crop productivity. In this study, a total of 111 diverse maize inbred lines were used to identify the favorable alleles and nucleotide diversity of candidate ZmNAC9, which plays an important role in response to low P and regulation in root architecture. A significant difference was found under low- and sufficient-P conditions for each of the 22 seedling traits, and a total of 41 polymorphic sites including 32 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 9 insertion and deletions (InDels) were detected in ZmNAC9 among 111 inbred lines. Among the 41 polymorphic studied sites, a total of 39 polymorphic sites were associated with 20 traits except for the dry weight of shoots and forks, of which six sites were highly significantly associated with a diverse number of low-P tolerant root trait index values by using a mixed linear model (MLM) at −log10 P = 3.61. In addition, 29 polymorphic sites under P-sufficient and 32 polymorphic sites under P-deficient conditions were significantly associated with a diverse number of seedling traits, of which five polymorphic sites (position S327, S513, S514, S520, and S827) were strongly significantly associated with multiple seedling traits under low-P and normal-P conditions. Among highly significant sites, most of the sites were associated with root traits under low-P, normal-P, and low-P trait index values. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was strong at (r2 > 1.0) in 111 inbred lines. Furthermore, the effect of five significant sites was verified for haplotypes in 111 lines and the favorable allele S520 showed a positive effect on the dry weight of roots under the low-P condition. Furthermore, the expression pattern confirmed that ZmNAC9 was highly induced by low P in the roots of the P-tolerant 178 inbred line. Moreover, the subcellular localization of ZmNAC9 encoded by protein was located in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Haplotypes carrying more favorable alleles exhibited superior effects on phenotypic variation and could be helpful in developing molecular markers in maize molecular breeding programs. Taken together, the finding of this study might lead to further functions of ZmNAC9 and genes that might be involved in responses to low-P stress in maize.


Objectives: To identify the potential causative factors and outcomes for PUBS in chronic catheterized patients.
 Patients and Methods: An observational case series study of patients with PUBS was conducted from January 2011 to June 2013. The demographic data, co-morbidities, indications, duration of chronic catheterization, Debility score (Bartel index), types, material and color of urinary catheters were assessed. Blood chemistries, urine analysis, urine cultures and required imaging were done in all the affected patients. Outcomes of treatment and follow-up of minimum 1 year was done in all patients.
 Results: Total of 14 patients of PUBS with chronic urinary catheterization were enrolled in the study with mean (SD) age of 52.8 (14.3) years. All the cases had catheter associated urinary tract infection, alkaline urine and seven different bacterial species isolated in urine culture. Constipation was noted in 9 (64.3%) patients. Other features noted were encrusted retained catheter, vesical calculus, neurogenic bladder, stricture urethra and renal failure. After treatment, purple discoloration of urine subsided in 12 patients. Two patients had persistent PUBS.
 Conclusion: PUBS is a rare entity where the causative factors were constipation, chronic catheterization, urinary tract infection, alkaline urine and chronic debilitated patients in our study cohort. Surgical correction of the underlying disease and treatment of symptomatic UTI can reduce the likelihood of this problem.


Objective To evaluate the reliability of virtual non-contrast (VNC) images reconstructed from contrast-enhanced, dual-energy scans compared with true non-contrast (TNC) images in the assessment of high CT attenuation or calcification of mediastinal lymph nodes. Materials and Methods A total of 112 mediastinal nodes from 45 patients who underwent non-contrast and dual-energy contrast-enhanced scans were analyzed. Node attenuation in TNC and VNC images was compared both objectively, using computed tomography (CT) attenuation, and subjectively, via visual scoring (0, attenuation ≤ the aorta; 1, > the aorta; 2, calcification). The relationship among attenuation difference between TNC and VNC images, CT attenuation in TNC images, and net contrast enhancement (NCE) was analyzed. Results CT attenuation in TNC and VNC images showed moderate agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.612). The mean absolute difference was 7.8 ± 7.6 Hounsfield unit (HU) (range, 0-36 HU), and the absolute difference was equal to or less than 10 HU in 65.2% of cases (73/112). Visual scores in TNC and VNC images showed fair agreement (κ value, 0.335). Five of 16 nodes (31.3%) which showed score 1 (n = 15) or 2 (n = 1) in TNC images demonstrated score 1 in VNC images. The TNC-VNC attenuation difference showed a moderate positive correlation with CT attenuation in TNC images (partial correlation coefficient [PCC] adjusted by NCE: 0.455) and a weak negative correlation with NCE (PCC adjusted by CT attenuation in TNC: -0.245). Conclusion VNC images may be useful in the evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes by providing additional information of high CT attenuation of nodes, although it is underestimated compared with TNC images.


Abstract Silks are naturally occurring polymers that have been used clinically as sutures for hundreds of years. It's so for obtained from insects or worms, silk consists of a filament core protein, termed fibroin, and a glue-like coating made up of sericin proteins. An important component of silk has an extended history of being discarded as a waste in the course of silk processing. The cost of sericin for tissue engineering is underestimated and its capability in using as regenerative remedy has simply began to be explored. Its variable amino acid composition and various functional groups confer upon it attractive bioactive proteins, which are particularly interesting for biomedical programs. Because of its antioxidant properties, moisturizing ability, and mitogenic effect on mammalian cells, sericin is beneficial in cell regeneration and tissue engineering. Research shows that keratinocytes and fibroblasts have brought about the improvement of sericin-primarily based biomaterials for skin tissue repair, in particular as wound dressings. Moreover, sericin may be used for bone tissue engineering due to its ability to set off nucleation of bone-like hydroxyapatite. Stable silk sericin biomaterials, as films, sponges, and hydrogels, are obtained by means of cross-linking, ethanol precipitation, or mixing with different polymers. Now a day, sericin may also be used for delivery of drugs due to its chemical reactivity and pH-responsiveness which facilitate the fabrication of nano and microparticles, hydrogels, and conjugated molecules, enhancing the bioactivity of drugs. In this review, we outlined the current headways from extraction of sericin till its physical properties and biomedical applications.


Ace your preparation for the skills measured by MCTS Exam 70-433 and on the job. Work at your own pace through a series of lessons and reviews that fully cover each exam objective. Then, reinforce and apply what you ve learned through real-world case scenarios and practice exercises. This official Microsoft study guide is designed to help you make the most of your study time. Maximize your performance on the exam by learning to: Create and manage database objects Query and modify data; implement subqueries and CTEs Optimize table structures and data integrity Create stored procedures, functions, and triggers Manage transactions, error handling, and change tracking Tune query performance Implement database mail, full-text search, Service Broker, scripts Work with XML and SQLCLR Assess your skills with the practice tests on CD. You can work through hundreds of questions using multiple testing modes to meet your specific learning needs. You get detailed explanations for right and wrong answers including a customized learning path that describes how and where to focus your studies. Your kit includes: 15% exam discount from Microsoft. Offer expires 12/31/13. Details inside. Official self-paced study guide. Practice tests with multiple, customizable testing options and a learning plan based on your results. 200 practice and review questions. 180-day trial of SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition. Case scenarios, exercises, and best practices. Fully searchable eBook of this guide, plus sample chapters from related books.


Changes in sialic acids in cancer have been observed for many years. In particular, the increase of sialoglycan density or hypersialylation in tumors has been described. Recent studies have identified mechanisms for immune evasion based on sialoglycan interactions with immunoregulatory Siglec receptors that are exploited by tumor cells and microorganisms alike. Siglecs are mostly inhibitory receptors similar to known immune checkpoints including PD-1 or CTLA-4 that are successfully targeted with blocking antibodies for cancer immunotherapy. Here, we summarize the known changes of sialic acids in cancer and the role Siglec receptors play in cancer immunity. We also focus on potential ways to target these Siglec receptors or sialoglycans in order to improve anti-cancer immunity.


Packaging is a well-known barrier to the advancement of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for RF applications. To pave the way for the removal of this barrier, we have developed a flip-chip assembly technology to transfer foundry-fabricated MEMS devices from the host silicon substrate to a ceramic substrate. Specifically, posts have been designed and fabricated to assure excellent RF performance by achieving a precise gap between the device and ceramic substrate. In addition, a novel liquid crystal polymer (LCP) encapsulation technology has been developed to protect the RF MEMS device. LCP is a good encapsulation material for nonhermetic packaging because it significantly reduces the packaging cost. We have demonstrated excellent RF performance of variable MEMS capacitors that have been flip-chip assembled and LCP encapsulated. The quality (Q) factors of such capacitors were measured to be higher than 300 at 1.0 GHz.


The invention concerns a device consisting of a part (5) made of flexible material mounted or to be mounted on said tapered end (1) of the tube and forming a tunnel. The tunnel forms two cones (6, 7) with their top facing each other. The catheter tube (2) is inserted and maintained by friction in one of the cones (6) and the guide (3) is driven into the other (7) of the cones until it penetrates the end of the tube, and after that the part (5) is eliminated by the forced passage of the catheter through a slot (13) in the side wall of the tunnel. The invention is useful in the medical field for implementing the Seldinger technique.


Australia's international education serves as public diplomacy, essentially engaging and influencing public audiences in a way that progresses Australian foreign policy priorities and ultimately, national interests. The multidimensional and increasingly globalised nature of international education presents enormous opportunity for vital exchange and interactions between and with students, academics and communities via onshore and offshore modes of delivery. Positive experiences of exchange and the development of intellectual, commercial and social relationships can build upon a nation's reputation, and enhance the ability of that nation to participate in and influence regional or global outcomes. This is ultimately the essence of soft power. For Australia, however, this soft power potential inherent in international education is yet to be fully realised. In the case of Australia's international education, there is room for more active public diplomacy leadership, improved evaluation and expanded dialogue both within the sector and broader community. Such strategies would maximise the soft power potential of Australia's international education, and contribute to Australia's future international positioning.


The aim of this work is the study of the fluid dynamic structure of underexpanded hydrogen jets by using a High Performance Computing (HPC) methodology. An axial symmetric two-dimensional turbulent flow model, which solves the Favre-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for a multicomponent gas mixture, has been implemented and validated. In order to predict the decrease in spreading rate with increasing Mach number, a compressibility correction has been added to the turbulence closure model.The flow model has been assessed by comparing spreading and centerline property decay rates of subsonic jets at different Mach numbers with those obtained both by theoretical considerations and experimental measurements. Besides, the Mach disk structure of an underexpanded jet has been analysed, thus confirming the suitability of the computational model.To take into account the effects of real gases, both van der Waals and Redlich-Kwong equations of state have been implemented. The computations performed under ICEs conditions show that the values of Mach number and pressure just behind the Mach disk are affected by the use of real gas equations.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


In the Kartvelian (South Caucasian) languages Georgian, Megrelian, Laz and Svan, the tenses of Evidentiality are being attested, out of which a part is found in all four languages, whereas the second part was developed only in the nonwritten languages Megrelian, Laz and Svan. In the Linguistic literature, these tenses are referred to by different terms depending on the criterion which the scholar gives preference morphology or semantics. The article analyses the confirmed verbal forms of Evidentiality which are common for all four Kartvelian languages, as well as those found in the nonwritten languages Megrelian, Laz and Svan; the traditional forms of Evidentiality are being displayed and an approximately accurate naming is being provided. The image of the terminological reinterpretation of the evidential verb forms is clearly reflected by means of a special table; namely, the terminological diversity of each Kartvelian language is solved through using common terms for all Kartvelian languages. Such an approach eases the translation of the evidential verb forms into foreign languages.


Introduction. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) all over the world are a frequent cause of illness affecting people working especially in the health sector. In the medical professions, nursing staff experiences negative impact of work on the motor system to the highest degree.Aim. The aim of the work is to assess the extent of disability of nursing staff exposed to excessive strain on the spine as measured by the Oswestry Disability Index.Material and Methods. The study involved 50 nurses employed in surgical (32%) and conservative (68%) departments. The study used the method of a diagnostic survey, and the Oswestry Disability Index questionnaire was the research tool. The collected material was subjected to statistical analysis.Results. Women accounted for nearly 98% of the respondents. The average age of the respondents was over 46 years (46 years and 3 months). The results of the study showed that the occurrence of pain in the spine adversely affects the functional performance, in particular the social life (p=0.0004) and lifting (p=0.036). The average disability score at the Oswestry scale was 25.88%, which indicates a moderate disability of the respondents.Conclusions. Pain in the spine significantly affects the functional capacity of the subjects. This problem is particularly common among nursing staff. (JNNN 2018;7(4):155–159)


With the proliferation of transnational television flows, viewers can see their national affairs, traditionally covered predominantly by national news, portrayed by cross-border news channels. This article examines how transnational satellite news coverage of national events enhances nations' global visibility, and influences national public debate over national narratives. An analysis of the public debates in Spain and France over transnational channels' coverage of the March 2004 terror bombings in Madrid and the October 2005 French riots, respectively, provides the basis for discussing the implications of the `new visibility' (Thompson, 2005) of nations, in today's media age. The analysis demonstrates how transnational networks' coverage of these events generated estrangement, de-familiarized and cast doubt on national narratives and commonsensical discourses of us/them, thereby offering viewers an alternative distance from their national unit and encouraging a self-reflexive process of introspection and critical discussion. This process may open up the possibility for a more inclusive national space and strengthen democratic culture, but at the same time it triggers instabilities, which might contribute to citizens' loss of trust in the news media — a dangerous scenario for democracy.


Article history: Received on: 31/08/2016 Revised on: 23/09/2016 Accepted on: 11/10/2016 Available online: 20/01/2017 The diversity and phylogenetic analyses of culturable haloarchaea from crystallizer saltern pond was studied on the basis of 16s rDNA sequences determined with Haloarcula spp. Four brine samples were taken from different sites of marine solar saltern crystallizer pond in hot summer and six distinct extremely halophilic archaea were isolated on specific haloarchaea agar medium. The rDNA were amplified with specific 16S rRNA primer by PCR, identified through BLASTn and EzTaxon programme as members of family Halobacteriaceae. On the basis of 16S rDNA sequences results, we confirmed strains M1(1), M3(1) and M2(2) of Haloarcula marismortui by 98.77%, 98.98% and 98.69% respectively. Similarly, others were resembled as Haloarcula salaria M2(1), Haloarcula argentinensis M4(1) and Haloarcula quadrata M4(2) with 98.69%, 95.98% (BLASTn 99% similarity with Haloarcula marismortui ATCC 43049 chromosome II) and 98.84% respectively, under extremely haloarchaeon genera Haloarcula. However, present study indicated that similarity coefficient of these strains and species sequences suggesting novel strain(s) and even taxa especially for strain Haloarcula argentinensis M4(1). The identity of new strains of Haloarcula from these sites provides new horizon from marine solar saltern crystallizer ponds from coastal areas Mumbai, India.


Mice were inoculated with either the lymphatic leukemia virus associated with Friend and Rauscher viruses or with the Graffi or BALB/Tennant leukemia viruses. A total of 48 leukemic mice were examined histologically and by immunofluorescence. All four viruses induced a histologically similar disease that particularly involved tha thymus-dependent lymphoid regions. Lymphocytes from the spleens and thymuses of leukemic animals were examined for Thy-1 antigen and immunoglobulins on the cell surface; all the leukemias were composed of T- cells and/or nonreactive cells lacking both the Thy-1 antigen and immunoglobulins. By immunofluorescence, the spleen and thymus from the same leukemic animal frequently showed different cell-surface markers, though no morphologic differences were seen in leukemias involving the different classes of lymphocytes.


With the growth of research on experimental models, has also been increasing concern about animal welfare and has been suggested that every effort should be made to avoid excessive waste and sacrifice of animals. The open field (OF) and elevated plus maze (EPM) apparatuses are widely used in animal behavior, in addition EPM is the most validated test to evaluate anxiety, which is considered a strong confounding variable in this type of study. Thus, our study was conducted to determine whether prior exposure to the OF could produce anxiety, affecting the parameters in the EPM. We intend with this experiment to want whether one group of mice could be used in both tests, without producing any bias and avoiding the waste of animals.


It is of interest to document the correlation of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Troponin T (TnT) in young Indian patients with myocardial infarction using epidemiological data. A study with 220 (110 case and 110 control) participants with Acute Coronary Syndrome (both males and females) was completed. Patients were identified using a pre-designed PROFORMA at the OPD and IPD of the Medicine Department at the Index Medical College & Hospital, Malwanchal University and Moti Lal Nehru Medical College and Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in India. MPO and TnT were measured using the Sandwich ELISA (Sandwich Enzyme linked immunosorbent Assay) kit. TnT (pg/ml) (Mean ± SD) were high in the case group than control 134.7 ± 8.57 vs 96.6 ± 2.82; F = 145.9; t = 44.3; p < 0.01). Moreover, MPO was 3-fold high in case group than control (157±30.1 and 42.4±14.82, respectively). The differences was found statistically significant (p<0.001). This suggests a link between TnT and MPO among young Indian patients with myocardial infarction.


Failure to identify the skeletal remains of people who were executed or detained-disappeared during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet prevents relatives from celebrating the funeral rite and living up the grieving process. This violates their right to personal integrity. This conclusion is based on both the recent jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ('ICHM') and one relevant judicial decision in Chile. In the light of this finding, it follows that courts should decide actions filed against the State of Chile by the relatives of the victims. Accordingly, the compensation cannot proceed solely on the basis of the State's failure to comply with a statutory duty (falta de servicio).


This paper reports the 15+ year journey undertaken by university faculty to integrate service learning with diversity education. It has taken the faculty from its initial integration of academic community learning and diversity education in 1999 to its current course offering in 2015. The purpose of this integration has remained the same, to engage graduate students in exploring varied aspects of diversity while learning to work and live in a diverse world and serving the needs of the community. Over the years, graduate students enrolled in the diversity course have been participants in service learning experiences of their choice in diverse, non-profit community-based organizations. With few exceptions, based on student reflective journals, the instructor's service learning pedagogy, and the students' organization choices, service learning in diverse environments has contributed to positive change in students' views about diversity.


A glutamate auxotroph was obtained in Nostoc muscorum by induced mutagenesis with nitrosoguanidine. The metabolic pathway leading to glutamate synthesis was traced by selecting several enzymes. The strain was found to be lacking glutamate dehydrogenase. Other enzymes, however, were normal in their activity including isocitric dehydrogenase, glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase. Nitrogen metabolism of the auxotroph and wild type was compared. The strain released exceedingly high amounts of ammonium in the medium.


Heavy metals are the elements found in periodic table that exhibits metallic properties and characterised by 5 g/cm3 of density [1]. Heavy metals are contaminants from inorganic source that tend to pollute the ecosystem due to anthropogenic activities like mining, welding, semiconductors and electrical appliances manufacturing industries. Heavy metals can be broken down or metabolised. The presence of heavy metals without any proper management can bring negative effects to human and ecosystem.
However, living organisms do require several types of metals such as zinc, iron, copper, lead, nickel and magnesium at trace amount for metabolic function purposes. If the presence of these metals in large amount without any controlled, it can cause serious health disorders if ingested at exceeded concentration limits. Other than that, nonessential metals such as mercury, nickel, cadmium and arsenic also can bring irreversible damage to human body even at trace concentration. The effects of these nonessential metals including brain damage, blood circulation damage, carcinogen and nervous system damage [1]. Many methods have been proposed to remove heavy metals from wastewater such as adsorption, coagulation and flocculation, ion-exchange membrane filtration and chemical precipitation.


Background/Aims: The greater use of living unrelated donors (LUDs) as kidney donors is a worldwide trend in the current era of organ shortage, and spouses are an important source of LUDs. This study was to compare the long-term outcomes of spousal donor grafts with other LUD grafts. Methods: Among 445 LUD grafts, 77 were spouses and 368 were other LUDs. The clinical characteristics and long-term survival rates for spousal transplants were compared with those for other LUD transplants, and risk factors affecting graft survival were assessed. Results: Spousal donors had a significantly higher average number of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatches (4.2 vs. 3.4, p < 0.001) and were older (41 vs. 33 years, p < 0.001) than LUDs. The 10-year survival rates for spousal donor grafts were 60.6%, similar to those for LUD grafts (58.5%, p = 0.61). The 10-year biopsy-proven acute rejection-free survival rates (85.5 vs. 89.6%, p = 0.45) and patient survival rates were also similar (84.3 vs. 79.6%, p = 0.35). The degree of HLA mismatching, the spousal donor type or donor age did not affect the graft survival. Conclusion: Renal transplants from spousal donors show similar long-term outcomes to those from better HLA-matched and younger LUDs.


The present situation of the course design in design of machinery and the characteristics of personnel training and the reformational necessity were analyzed. Based on summarizing valuable experience of previous course design and reference successful measures of other universities, the standardized practice of topics, contents and scoring system of course design were put forward, aimed to enhance student innovation ability and practice ability. At the same time, the reform and practice of the course design of design of machinery were carried out. The result showed that the reform and practice can greatly enhance student's practice ability, innovation ability, and so on.


The properties of the transition state for serine protease-catalyzed hydrolysis of an amide bond were determined for a series of subtilisin variants from Bacillus lentus. There is no significant change in the structure of the enzyme upon introduction of charged mutations S156E/S166D, suggesting that changes in catalytic activity reflect global properties of the enzyme. The effect of charged mutations on the pK(a) of the active site histidine-64 N(epsilon)(2)-H was correlated with changes in the second-order rate constant k(cat)/K(m) for hydrolysis of tetrapeptide anilides at low ionic strength with a Brønsted slope alpha = 1.1. The solvent isotope effect (D)2(O)(k(cat)/K(m))(1) = 1.4 +/- 0.2. These results are consistent with a rate-limiting breakdown of the tetrahedral intermediate in the acylation step with hydrogen bond stabilization of the departing amine leaving group. There is an increase in the ratio of hydrolysis of succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-anilides for p-nitroaniline versus aniline leaving groups with variants with more basic active site histidines that can be described by the interaction coefficient p(xy) = delta beta(lg)/delta pK(a) (H64) = 0.15. This is attributed to increased hydrogen bonding of the active site imidazolium N-H to the more basic amine leaving group as well as electrostatic destabilization of the transition state. A qualitative characterization of the transition state is presented in terms of a reaction coordinate diagram that is defined by the structure-reactivity parameters.


Female, 8-week-old BALB/c mice were immunized with the progesterone complete antigen (P4-BSA). Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against P4, named 8G6 and 11A11, were obtained by the lymphocyte hybridoma technique. The titers of the cell culture supernatant and ascitic fluid of MAb 8G6 were 1: 16,000 and 1:512,000, respectively, and the titers of the cell culture supernatant and ascitic fluid of MAb 11A11 were 1: 8000 and 1:256,000, respectively. The subtypes of the MAbs 8G6 and 11A11 were IgMκ. In specific analysis, both of the two MAbs did not react with estradiol. These data demonstrated that the MAbs 8G6 and 11A11 have a potential use for developing diagnostic reagents of progesterone.


Irrigation Water were sampled from some major rivers in the mid-section of Benue Trough for two consecutive years, 2011 and 2012 and analysed for some metals contents and physicochemical properties. The results showed that irrigation water were slightly (pH 6.5) to moderately (pH 5.5) acidic and good for irrigation with minimal or no liming. Very low pH delays nutrients uptake by plants and therefore plant metabolism. Levels of total soluble salts, Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Na + and K - were within the acceptable limits for irrigation water. Salinity of water was low and ranged from 0.00 to 0.05 dsm -1 with EC from 64.30 to 104.50 μmhos which falls below the upper limit of standard for irrigation water (2,000 μmhos). Total suspended solids concentrations were  rom 9.00 to 13.00 mgl -1 . These ranges are relatively low to medium compared to the standard limits and may pose no harm or threat to plants irrigated or cause damage to pumps if screens are not used to exclude them. The anions: NO 3 - , HCO 3 - , CO 3 2- , Cl - SO 4 2- levels were however less than the upper limit for irrigation water. Therefore, the waters were highly suitable for irrigation without improvement. Trace elements were 0.44 to 0.93 mgl -1 for Fe, 0.03 to 0.12 mgl -1 for Mn, 10.00 to 14.00 mgl -1 for Cd, 3.00 to 5.00 mgl -1 for Pb and 0.25 to 0.45 mgl -1 for B (maximum application rates should not exceed that which allows normal crop growth as plant uptake is so small). In general terms therefore, qualities of irrigation water in the study sites conformed to the specifications for irrigation water.


Abstract : The long-term goals of this work are: to develop a practical model for predicting reverberation level (RL), echo-reverberation ratio and reverberation vertical coherence (RVC) in shallow water; to characterize seabottom geoacoustic parameters (sound speed and attenuation) and scattering function from high quality reverberation data in a frequency range of 100-3000Hz, and to reveal the physics of bottom scattering from the window of shallow-water reverberation.


PURPOSE
To report the outcomes of toric intraocular lens implantation in patients with glaucoma and corneal astigmatism.

METHODS
One hundred twenty-six eyes of 87 patients with glaucoma and corneal astigmatism that underwent cataract surgery with an AcrySof toric intraocular lens (Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX) implant were selected for this single-center, retrospective case series. Corrected distance visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and refractive astigmatism were measured in each eye preoperatively and postoperatively. Uncorrected distance visual acuity and toric alignment were measured postoperatively.

RESULTS
The uncorrected distance visual acuity was 0.04 ± 0.08 logMAR (20/22 Snellen) for all eyes. Ninety-eight percent of all eyes achieved an uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/40 or better, with 76% achieving 20/25 or better and 47% achieving 20/20. The corrected distance visual acuity for all eyes was 0.01 ± 0.03 logMAR (20/20.5 Snellen) postoperatively. The refractive cylinder improved from 1.47 ± 1.10 diopters preoperatively to 0.31 ± 0.37 diopters postoperatively. The residual refractive cylinder was 1.00 diopter or less in 97% of eyes, 0.75 diopters or less in 90% of eyes, and 0.50 diopters or less in 83% of eyes. Mean misalignment was 4.4° ± 5.1°. Intraocular pressure decreased by a mean of 2.3 ± 3.3 mm Hg following the surgery.

CONCLUSION
Toric intraocular lenses can reliably reduce astigmatism and improve uncorrected vision in eyes with cataract and glaucoma.