Applying for ethical clearance and conducting research in ethical ways are part of due process and procedure in educational research. However, research that focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of people's lives, especially when marginalised groups are involved, may not always run according to plan Researchers may find that the terrain is much more dangerous than was originally anticipated, even though potential difficulties had been considered in the planning and preparation stages of the research. Indeed, the negotiation of ethical dilemmas is sometimes an ongoing and significant component of the research journey. To exemplify, this chapter presents some of the ethical dilemmas 1 experienced as 1 conducted research into the social and discursive construction of itinerant farm workers' children as literacy learners. It focuses on the aspects of dangerous and troubling terrain that 1 had to negotiate and discusses the necessity for ongoing and reflexive ethical considerations as researchers traverse and sometimes transform the terrains of contemporary educational research.


The fiducial coincides with the posterior in a group model equipped with the right Haar prior. This result is generalized here. For this the underlying probability space of Kolmogorov is replaced by a σ-finite measure space and fiducial theory is presented within this frame. Examples are presented that demonstrate that this also gives good alternatives to existing Bayesian sampling methods. It is proved that the results provided here for fiducial models imply that the theory of invariant measures for groups cannot be generalized directly to loops: there exist a smooth one-dimensional loop where an invariant measure does not exist.


Seventeen pure lines of S. typhi bacteriophages have been obtained from mother races O and Vi; of these, three were used to study 152 S. typhi strains with a view of detecting their DNA host specificity systems. 10 S. typhi strains having the DNA host specificity system have been detected by the rough determination of the lytic spectrum and the cross titration of phage Vi IX.


The authors present a method for selective in situ etching and regrowth in open stripes in SiO2-covered InP substrates inside a MOVPE reactor. The etching medium was PCl2 which was dissociated inside the MOVPE reactor at temperatures between 400 degrees C and 630 degrees C. They investigated the shape of grooves of the etched substrates with respect to etching temperature and the crystallographic orientation of the stripes by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). First experiments on in situ etched and regrown V grooves have been done.


Abstract Breast cancer is a life event experienced by many women and is one that impacts various aspects of a woman's life including her occupational and family roles. A social worker is often an important part of a woman's health care team following a breast cancer diagnosis as well as throughout treatment, providing assistance in helping women to cope with negative social psychological effects associated with the illness experience. The purpose of this article is to provide social workers with an opportunity to consider the utilization of empirically established interventions such as social support from the relatively unknown field of leisure science. Through semi-structured interviews with eight women, the role and meaning of leisure and social support in the lives of women with breast cancer were explored. The findings indicated these women experienced and perceived social support through leisure activities with friends and family during and following treatment and also through their volunteer work following treatment. The research can help social workers understand the potential role of leisure interventions in meeting the needs of women with breast cancer throughout their illness experience. Implications for social work education are also highlighted.


The aim of this study was to determine the genotype and allele frequencies of MDR1 gene C3435T polymorphism in Jordanian and Sudanese populations, and to compare them with the frequencies established in various ethnic groups. Genotyping was carried out on 116 unrelated Jordanian and 131 Sudanese subjects. The genotypes of polymorphic position C3435T were determined by PCR-RFLP assay. Results showed that 20.7% of the studied Jordanian subjects were homozygous for the CC genotype, 51.7% were heterozygous for the CT genotype and 27.6% were homozygous for the TT genotype. Among Sudanese subjects, the genotype frequencies were: CC 52.7%, CT 42.0% and TT 5.3%. The frequencies of the 3435T variant in the MDR-1 Gene in Jordanians and Sudanese were found to be 0.534 and 0.263, respectively. According to the distribution of the C3435T SNP, Jordanians were resemble Asians and Europeans but were different significantly from Sudanese, while Sudanese were similar to Africans. In conclusion, the observed distribution of the C3435T SNP in the Jordanian and Sudanese populations was within the range detected in other populations. The data obtained may give the basis for predicting effects of drugs that are substrates for MDR-1 in Jordanian and Sudanese populations and may be useful for individualized therapy of some diseases.


To analyze the diagnostic efficiency of parallel cytological and histological studies of gastric biopsy specimens, the author examined a group of 512 patients with various diseases of the stomach. The diagnosis of nonneoplastic disease was endoscopically established in 7 (10.5%) patients with the morphologically verified diagnosis of gastric cancer, i.e. its misdiagnosis was made. A cytological study proved to be more effective in diagnosing gastric cancer than a histological one (98.5% versus 97%). The way of enhancing the efficiency of cytology is to qualitatively prepare impression smears from the whole biopsy material.


The coach is central to the development of expertise in sport (Bloom, 1985) and is subsequently key to facilitating adaptive forms of motivation to enhance the quality of sport performance (Mallett & Hanrahan, 2004). In designing optimal training environments that are sensitive to the underlying motives of athletes, the coach requires an in-depth understanding of motivation. This paper reports on the application of self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) to coaching elite athletes. Specifically, the application of SDT to designing an autonomy-supportive motivational climate is outlined, which was used in preparing Australia's two men's relay teams for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.


This work aims to review the enhancement of electrical conductivity and field electron emission (FEE) properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films as a function of gold ion implantation content. Au has been employed in UNCD films as an implanted species as well as an interlayer between diamond film and substrate. In the initial part of the review UNCD films are briefly introduced. The focus is on their FEE properties and multiple strategies employed for enhancing these properties using ion-implantation with the goal to obtain a better cathode material. A comparison of the characteristics of the UNCD films implanted with Au and other species after studying the modification of the microstructure and emission properties of the Au-implanted UNCD films is then provided. Subsequently, the use of a thin Au coating on silicon substrates covered by UNCD or hybrid granular structured diamond films is discussed. The Si diffusion through the Au-Si eutectic interface results in a SiC layer. This facilitates the nucleation of diamond clusters, thereby suppressing the development of the carbon layer which is amorphous and electrically resistive, resulting in improved FEE characteristics. Finally, in the third and final part, the combined effects of Au-ion implantation (including multi-energy Au ion implantation) and Au-interlayer is discussed. Based on the obtained results, the catalytic activity of gold for improving the electrical conductivity and the FEE properties of diamond films is highlighted.


Current-voltage (I-V) curve measurements of photovoltaic (PV) devices are used to determine performance parameters and to establish traceable calibration chains. Measurement standards specify localized curve fitting methods, e.g., straight-line interpolation/extrapolation of the I-V curve points near short-circuit current, Isc. By considering such fits as statistical linear regressions, uncertainties in the performance parameters are readily quantified. However, the legitimacy of such a computed uncertainty requires that the model be a valid (local) representation of the I-V curve and that the noise be sufficiently well characterized. Using more data points often has the advantage of lowering the uncertainty. However, more data points can make the uncertainty in the fit arbitrarily small, and this fit uncertainty misses the dominant residual uncertainty due to so-called model discrepancy. Using objective Bayesian linear regression for straight-line fits for Isc, we investigate an evidence-based method to automatically choose data windows of I-V points with reduced model discrepancy. We also investigate noise effects. Uncertainties, aligned with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM), are quantified throughout.


In this paper, we develop the message passing based linear-time and linear-space MVC algorithm (MVC-MPL) for solving the minimum vertex cover (MVC) problem. MVC-MPL is based on heuristics derived from a theoretical analysis of message passing algorithms in the context of belief propagation. We show that MVC-MPL produces smaller vertex covers than other linear-time and linear-space algorithms.


The aim of this article is to analyse the role and determinants of labour migration in EU labour markets depending on migrants' nationality of origin, manpower qualifications, the characteristics of migrants in the labour market and their origin inside or outside the EU. Immigration to EU countries is sensitive to variables representing labour market imbalances, such as relative wage levels (receiving country wage compared to EU weighted average wage) and relative unemployment rates (receiving country unemployment rate compared to EU unemployment rate). However, the effect of these variables on immigration flows varies strongly from country to country and remains limited overall. Furthermore, there is quite high inertia in European migration, unlike in the US: from one year to the next, nearly 60% of flows, on average, repeat themselves. There are also behavioural differences between non-EU immigrants, who are more subject to labour market variations, and EU migrants or nationals returning to their country of origin.


Summary and Conclusions
The repository antimalarial cycloguanil pamoate, known as CI-501 (Camolar®) was administered to 173 subjects living on a malarious island near Rabaul, New Guinea. It was given as a deep intragluteal injection at a dosage of 9.3 to 11.0 mg per kg body weight to children and at a total dose of 350 mg to subjects weighing over 32 kg-Concurrently, a single oral dose of a 4-aminoquinoline (amodiaquine) was given on the basis of 600 mg base for adults and proportionately less for children.
The drug was well accepted by the community and there were no observed systemic side-effects. Many subjects showed some local injection site reactions but these were mostly mild in nature and subsided quickly.
Asexual forms of both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax disappeared within 72 hours of drug administration. High attendance was maintained at the monthly follow-up blood surveys. Patent infections of P. vivax first reappeared on day 90, but P. falciparum did not reappear until 150 days after treatment.
The entomological observations, as well as the blood surveys conducted on the untreated observation group, showed that transmission of both species occurred throughout the study period.
The results from this area indicate that the combined administration of cycloguanil pamoate and a 4-aminoquinoline provided better protection against P. falciparum than against P. vivax. The duration of protection afforded by CI-501 against P. falciparum makes it conceivable that this species could be eliminated from certain isolated communities provided all the inhabitants receive the drug.


The human senses have always been vital to literacy practices but are seldom acknowledged within literacy studies in education. Historically, the senses have been central to the aesthetics of representation across cultures (Howes & Classen, 2014). The senses are essential to everyday communication practices, necessitated by an expanding range of new technologies that interact with a greater range of the sensorium. Devos (2014, p. 68) contends: "Sensory perception constitutes the primordial channel through which a person acquires knowledge about the material world." So too, the senses are primordial to channels of communication with the world and with others. What is needed in current understandings of literacy practices is systematic attention to the role of the full sensorium evoked in the process of meaning making.


In the week following the November 2006 midterm elections, which gave the Democratic Party control of Congress, both parties in the House held elections for various leadership offices. A total of six positions in both parties were contested, an unusually large number, but the campaign for one office—the Democratic majority leader—garnered the most attention. That race pitted two moderate Democrats against each other, threatened to split the party, and featured a remarkable intervention by the incoming speaker.Thanks to Doug Harris, Jeffrey Lewis, Keith Poole, and Eric Powers for their valuable suggestions and assistance.


We have investigated the photoluminescence (PL), scintillation and thermally-stimulated luminescence (TSL) dosimeter properties of MgO transparent ceramics doped with different concentrations of Mn 2 + ion (0.001, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 % ). The samples were synthesized by a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique. All the samples show a PL band emission around 730nm, and the intensity increases with the dopant concentration. The PL decay time constants were a few milliseconds which is on the typical order for Mn 2 + ion. In contrast, the scintillation spectrum under X-rays shows additional emissions at 340, 620 and 760nm. After the samples are irradiated by X-rays, the TSL is observed with a main glow peak appearing around 140°C. The TSL response is linearly related to the irradiation dose at least over the dose range from 0.1 to 1000mGy.


Plasma etch rate (ER) measurements (via in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry) of thin PMMA (poly methyl-methacrylate) films, in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor are presented. It is shown that plasma ER decreases as the initial polymeric thickness decreases, indicating an increased plasma etch resistance of thin PMMA films. An ER-Tg (glass transition temperature) correlation, reveals a clear inverse relation, namely that the ER decreases when the Tg increases.


Three cases with extensive villous regeneration were identified in a review of 92 colectomy specimens of ulcerative colitis. Villous regeneration was evident grossly as numerous poorly defined zones of velvety mucosa present primarily in the ascending and transverse colon. These zones were characterized histologically by discrete, well-formed villi lined by epithelium with prominent regenerative changes. Occasionally, the epithelium demonstrated an oncocytic appearance that may be the result of adaptive mitochondrial hyperplasia. Distinguishing villous regeneration from epithelial dysplasia may be difficult because several features, including cytologic atypia, dystrophic goblet cells, and a villous configuration, can be seen in both. However, close attention to the nuclear changes and the type of mucous differentiation will aid in the distinction.


A b s t r a c t. Physical properties of two wild mango varieties were studied at 81.9 and 24.5% moisture (w.b.) for the fruits and nuts, respectively. The shape and size of the fruit are the same while that of nuts differs at P = 0.05. The mass, density and bulk density of the fruits are statistically different at P = 0.05 but the volume is the same. The shape and size, volume and bulk density of the nuts are statistically the same at P = 0.05. The nuts of both varieties are also the same at P = 0.05 in terms of mass and density. The packing factor for both fruits and nut of the two varieties are the same at 0.95. The relevant data obtained for the two varieties would be useful for design and development of machines and equipment for processing and handling operations. K e y w o r d s: physical properties, wild mango, moisture content, postharvest, processing


A new beam position measurement system for KEK PF-AR was constructed employing EPICS(Experimental Physics and Industrial Control system). Two new record types were developed for this system. The EPICS database includes more than 3,500 records and SNL programs are used to operate electric relay switching beam position monitors (BPMs). Measured orbit data is agreed with the data which is taken by the existing HIDIC mini computer system. The measurement time is improved with the new system.


Previous studies of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) action on tumor cells revealed a possible role for tyrosine phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor in the growth-regulatory activities of this cytokine (N. J. Donato, G. E. Gallick, P. A. Steck, and M. G. Rosenblum, J. Biol. Chem., 264: 20474-20481, 1989). EGF receptor immunoprecipitated from [32P] phosphate-equilibrated A431 cells demonstrated that TNF treatment resulted in both a time- and concentration-dependent stimulation of EGF receptor phosphorylation, which was maximal (approximately 3-fold) after 10-20 min of TNF exposure (10 nM). Incubation of A431 cells with an equivalent concentration of EGF resulted in similar stimulation of EGF receptor phosphorylation, albeit at different phosphotyrosine levels. Antiphosphotyrosine immunoblot analysis confirmed these results but suggested that the extent and kinetics of TNF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation were distinct from those obtained in EGF-treated cells. Resolution of tryptic phosphopeptides from EGF receptor demonstrated that TNF-induced phosphorylation of EGF receptor was similar, but not identical, to profiles obtained from EGF-treated cells and distinct when compared to the actions of phorbol ester. Unlike EGF, TNF was unable to directly stimulate EGF receptor tyrosine kinase activity in membranes prepared from A431 cells. In addition, TNF treatment had no significant effect on either the high- or low-affinity ligand-binding sites on EGF receptor and did not alter the kinetics or extent of ligand-induced internalization of EGF receptors. However, EGF receptor biosynthesis was consistently increased upon prolonged treatment with TNF (4-12 h). Our results suggest that TNF regulates both phosphorylation and biosynthesis of EGF receptor in a manner distinct from that of both EGF and phorbol ester, and studies of the differential phosphorylation of EGF receptor may aid in understanding the molecular mode of TNF action.


Quick identification of Vibrio Cholerae in epidemics is important, on the other hand; conventional methods are time-consuming and costly. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid, inexpensive and high sensitivity method for quick identification of Vibrio Cholerae . For this purpose we designed a PCR detection based on magnetic nanoparticles for identification of bacterial DNA by PCR Dynabead. So we used the biotinylated Probe for binding to DNA extracted from Vibrio Cholera e and other bacterial species ( Salmonella, Shigella, Pseudomonas, E.coli ) Using magnetic bead isolated with magnetic field, the Vibrio genome-specific primers (HlyA) for pathogen detection (PCR) was used. The results showed specific band was just for Vibrio Cholera (PCR positive); therefore designed probe was specific for Vibrio Cholera e. According to the findings, this study is characterized the high sensitivity of PCR using biotin-containing probes for DNA of Vibrio Cholera in contrast to the traditional methods. Keywords: Magnetic Nanoparticles, Detection, Vibrio Cholerae , PCR, Biotinylated


Summary The problem of interpreting faunal fluctuations is reviewed and it is stressed that numerical abundance cannot be assessed, and morphological diversity only by comparing taxa or the subjective views of specialists. Comparisons at generic and higher taxon levels are made for the more common Palaeozoic fossil groups for appearance of new and extinction of old stocks. The striking diversification (and often appearance) of many groups with calcareoushard parts during the Ordovician is stressed and related to evidence for particularly widespread shallow seas at that time. In detail, groups do not show precise time agreement in their later evolutionary 'bursts', but significant periods seem to be during the early and mid-Devonian and the early Carboniferous, but these are at taxon grades lower than the Ordovician diversification. For extinctions it is often possible to separate intrataxal, presumably competitive, extinctions during the rapid rise of a group, from extinctions which appear to affect unrelated stocks. Significant periods for the latter are around the mid- and late Devonian and the mid- and late Carboniferous. These extinctions occur pari passu, rather than as single catastrophic events. Possible long-continued palaeogeographical causes are considered.


Time deposit is one of the expected banking product can gather people money significantly. Gathered people money can be used to fulfill attainment of economy growth target. In reality, position of time deposit often fluctuate caused many economic factors. This research aim is to examine economic factors which theoretically influence time deposit. The factors are inflation rate, national income, deposit rate, Rupiah exchange rate to dollar and invesment value. Result of the research indicates variables that influence position of time deposit are inflation and time deposit one year before


This study was conducted to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to drought stress tolerance. An introgression line population derived from a cross, "Ilpum" / "Moroberekan" was used in this study. F₁ plants were backcrossed three times to Ilpum to produce BC₃F₁ plants. These plants were advanced by selfing for four generation and a total of 117 BC₃F? introgression lines were developed. These lines were evaluated for percent seed set and spikelets per panicle under the control (field) and drought condition. To identify QTLs related to drought tolerance, 134 SSR markers showing polymorph isms between the parents were genotyped for the 117 BC₃F? lines. A total of 6 QTLs associated with drought stress were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 7 and 10. These include two QTLs for phenotypic acceptability, two QTLs for percent seed set (R² = 19.0 - 20.9%), and two QTLs for spikelets per panicle (R² = 22.3 - 23.10%). The Moroberekan alleles at three loci contributed the positive effect for drought tolerance. The SSR markers linked to drought stress tolerance can not only facilitate the selection of valuable genes from Moroberekan, but also allow identification of lines with drought tolerance.


Intra-tumoral heterogeneity and diffuse infiltration are hallmarks of glioblastoma that challenge treatment efficacy. However, the mechanisms that set up both tumor heterogeneity and invasion remain poorly understood. Herein, we present a comprehensive spatiotemporal study that aligns distinctive intra-tumoral histopathological structures, oncostreams, with dynamic properties and a unique, actionable, spatial transcriptomic signature. Oncostreams are dynamic multicellular fascicles of spindle-like and aligned cells with mesenchymal properties, detected using ex vivo explants and in vivo intravital imaging. Their density correlates with tumor aggressiveness in genetically engineered mouse glioma models, and high-grade human gliomas. Oncostreams facilitate the intra-tumoral distribution of tumoral and non-tumoral cells, and the invasion of the normal brain. These fascicles are defined by a specific molecular signature that regulates their organization and function. Oncostreams structure and function depend on overexpression of COL1A1. COL1A1 is a central gene in the dynamic organization of glioma mesenchymal transformation, and a powerful regulator of glioma malignant behavior. Inhibition of COL1A1 eliminated oncostreams, reprogramed the malignant histopathological phenotype, reduced expression of the mesenchymal associated genes, induced changes in the tumor microenvironment and prolonged animal survival. Oncostreams represent a novel pathological marker of potential value for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.


In this report for the Nasa NIAC Phase I study, we present a mission architecture and a robotic platform, the Shapeshifter, that allow multi-domain and redundant mobility on Saturn's moon Titan, and potentially other bodies with atmospheres. The Shapeshifter is a collection of simple and affordable robotic units, called Cobots, comparable to personal palm-size quadcopters. By attaching and detaching with each other, multiple Cobots can shape-shift into novel structures, capable of (a) rolling on the surface, to increase the traverse range, (b) flying in a flight array formation, and (c) swimming on or under liquid. A ground station complements the robotic platform, hosting science instrumentation and providing power to recharge the batteries of the Cobots. Our Phase I study had the objective of providing an initial assessment of the feasibility of the proposed robotic platform architecture, and in particular (a) to characterize the expected science return of a mission to the Sotra-Patera region on Titan; (b) to verify the mechanical and algorithmic feasibility of building a multi-agent platform capable of flying, docking, rolling and un-docking; (c) to evaluate the increased range and efficiency of rolling on Titan w.r.t to flying; (d) to define a case-study of a mission for the exploration of the cryovolcano Sotra-Patera on Titan, whose expected variety of geological features challenges conventional mobility platforms.


I review models for formation of Be star disks, with particular emphasis on the role of rapid stellar rotation in providing basis for launching stellar material into circumstellar orbit. Two key questions are: 1) How close must the rotation be to the critical rate at which material at the equtorial surface would effectively be in orbit? and 2) What mechanism(s) (e.g. radiative driving, magnetic torquing, pulsational overshoot) might provide the final boost of material from the surface into an orbiting disk? I also discuss the subsequent evolution of disk material, with emphasis on outward diffusion vs. radiative and/or wind ablation as possible destruction mechanisms that might explain the episodic disappearance of the signature disk emission lines in some Be stars. 1. The Puzzle of Be Disks Be stars are main-sequence or subgiant spectral type B stars characterized by Balmer emission (e.g., Hα) that originates in a circumstellar disk. Understanding the nature of such stars, and in particular the origin of their circumstellar disks, is one of the longest-standing challenges in astronomy (Slettebak & Snow 1987; Smith, Henrichs, & Fabregat 2000; Porter & Rivinius 2003). Disks are a common consequence in astrophysical accretion systems, wherein they form as a means to provide outward viscous transport of the angular momentum of the infalling material (Shakura & Sunyaev 1973; Frank, King, & Raine 2002). Such accretion disks occur, for example, in protostellar nebulae, or in close binary systems with mass exchange. But Be stars are clearly too old to have retained a protostellar disk (indeed, in many Be stars the Balmer emission signatures of a disk are observed to come and go on timescales of months to decades), and moreover they are not generally found to be in close, mass-exchange binary systems. Thus lacking an outside source of material, it seems instead that Be disks must originate from ejection or "decretion" of mass from the underlying star. Identifying the specific dynamical mechanisms for achieving this "inside-out" formation of circumstellar disks is perhaps the central puzzle underlying the Be phenomenon. Dating back to early analyses by Struve (1931), rapid rotation has long been presumed to be a key piece in this puzzle. But as emphasized below, a crucial, still-open question is just how close Be star rotation might be to the "critical" speed, at which the equatorial surface would be in Keplerian orbit. Critical rotation would enable a direct centrifugal ejection of a circumstellar disk or ring, much as first envisioned by Struve, and developed further in modern "Viscous Decretion Disk" models of Lee, Saio, & Osaki (1991). But conventional interpre-


Electrical spark-optical emission spectroscopy (OES) has been used for over 50 years for the direct analysis of alloys in the aluminium industry. This method has undergone continual improvement over time, but conventional OES can barely reach the new specification limits required for some critical aluminium alloys. As part of a continuous improvement process, instrument manufacturers, academic and industrial researchers are now showing a particular interest for laser induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) as an alternate and/or complementary approach for the analysis of aluminium alloys. In this work, by using the same optical mounting (i.e. same spectrometer model with the same spectral lines), we have directly compared the analytical performances of these two sources. By comparing the calculated concentrations obtained with these two sources using the same samples and the same standards, we show that in general the two sources give comparable quantitative results for major, minor and trace elements. The precision obtained with LIPS is improved by a factor of two when compared to traditional spark-OES. The results obtained in this work establish LIPS as a potential method for the quantitative analysis of aluminium alloys in industry.


Aim of the study: In the world and in Russia, the development of a digital state and a digital economy is relevant. Within the digital state, it is important to create a service for predicting socio-economic indicators based on modern methods and models of econometrics and machine learning, and make it accessible and convenient to use. The aim of this research is to develop requirements for a digital scenario forecasting service, to study possibilities of its realization on the basis of information-analytical system "SHM Horizon", developed by the authors at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. Methodology: This study analyzes the needs for scenario forecasting of socio-economic indicators at the federal, regional, municipal and corporate levels. The main functional and nonfunctional requirements for such a service and its software architecture are developed. The analysis of the information-analytical system "SHM Horizon" is carried out, approaches to its development are proposed to improve its models and methods using a system of multiple linear regression equations, a multilayer perceptron, regression decision trees and a neuro-fuzzy inference system ANFIS and the implementation on this basis of the scenario service forecasting social and economic indicators of the Russian Federation. Conclusion: The theoretical significance of the obtained results lies in the development of the theory of constructing hybrid systems for scenario forecasting of interrelated time series with structural shifts, which include time series of socio-economic indicators. The practical significance lies in the development of requirements for the scenario forecasting service and its architecture.


Sustainability has become an integral consideration of the dietary guidelines of many countries in recent decades. However, a lack of clear metrics and a shared approach to measuring the multiple components of sustainable diets has hindered progress toward generating the evidence needed to ensure the credibility of new guidelines. We performed a systematic literature review of empirical research studies on sustainable diets to identify the components of sustainability that were measured and the methods applied to do so. Two independent reviewers systematically searched 30 databases and other sources with the use of a uniform set of search terms and a priori exclusion criteria. In total, 113 empirical studies were included in the final review. Nearly all of the studies were focused on high-income countries. Although there was substantial heterogeneity in the components of sustainability measured, the estimated greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) of various dietary patterns were by far most commonly measured (n = 71 studies). Estimating the GHGEs of foods through various stages of production, use, and recycling with the use of the Life Cycle Assessment approach was the most common method applied to measure the environmental impacts of diets (n = 49 studies). Many components of sustainable diets identified in existing conceptual frameworks are disproportionately underrepresented in the empirical literature, as are studies that examine consumer demand for sustainable dietary alternatives. The emphasis in the literature on high-income countries also overlooks the production and dietary alternatives most relevant to low- and middle-income countries. We propose 3 methodological and measurement approaches that would both improve the global relevance of our understanding of sustainable diets and attend more completely to the existing multidimensional, multiscale conceptual framing of sustainable diets.


In this paper, a novel single-point strategy is proposed for the detection of the harmonic sources in power systems. The method is an improvement of a strategy previously proposed by the authors; it is developed from the IEEE Std 1459-2000 approach and it can be entirely implemented in the time domain, thus simplifying the measurement system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by introducing simple decision-making rules and by taking the presence of the measurement transducers into account. Several simulations and experimental tests are presented, showing that the enhanced strategy is able to give an useful information on the detection of the dominant harmonic source upstream or downstream the metering section.


ABSTRACT Cappietti, L.; Sherman, D.J., and Ellis, J.T., 2013. Wave transmission and water setup behind an emergent rubblemound breakwater. Wave transmission and water setup landward of emergent detached breakwaters play a major role in altering nearshore hydrodynamics, circulation, and morphodynamics and influencing the safety of recreational bathers. These phenomena have been extensively studied by means of small-scale laboratory experiments and numerical simulation, but field measurements have been extremely limited. In this work, wave transmission and setup were measured landward of a detached, emergent rubble-mound breakwater at Marina di Pisa, Italy. Water-surface elevations were measured with pressure transducers onshore and offshore of the breakwater. Measurements were made for 14 hours during a storm with significant wave heights up to 3.5 m and mean periods of 8.5 s. In the present work, the data were used to quantify and develop statistical relationships describing wave transmission and water setup and to evaluate the performance of empirical models of transmission and setup for emergent breakwaters. We found that the incident wave height explained (statistically) 94% of the variability in wave transmission and 96% of the variability in setup for the Marina di Pisa breakwater. There was a 99% coefficient of determination when explaining variation in setup using incident wave height and transmissivity. Of the empirical models we tested, those that best predicted observed wave transmission landward of the breakwater had root mean square (RMS) errors of 33%. The best available models to predict observed setup had RMS errors of 66%.


In order to explore the influence of green credit on the optimization and rationalization of the industrial structure in China, based on the relevant data of the green credit balance, interest expenditure in six high-energy-consuming industries, and industrial structure in China from 2007–2019, the paper first measured the green credit index and the index of industrial structure optimization and rationalization by the methods of entropy weight and Theil index. Then, the coupling model was adopted to study the coupling degree and the coupling coordination degree between them, and the regression model was employed to further study the influence coefficient of green credit on the optimization and rationalization of industrial structure. Research showed that the degree of coupling between green credit and industrial structure rationalization presents three stages—extremely low coupling, low coupling, and moderate coupling—and the degree of coupling coordination presents two stages—extremely low coordination and low coordination. Similarly, the degree of coupling between them presents two stages—extremely low coupling and low coupling—and the degree of coupling coordination presents two stages—extremely low coordination and low coordination. Regression analysis showed that the influence coefficients of the green credit index on rationalization and optimization of industrial structure were 0.56 and 0.03, respectively, which supported the conclusion that the coupling degree between the former two is higher than that between the latter two on the one hand, and made it clear that green credit positively and effectively guides the rational allocation of resources and promotes secondary and tertiary industries on the other hand.


Background— Despite an appreciable increase in basal coronary blood flow in cyanotic congenital heart disease, flow reserve remains normal. We hypothesized that preservation of flow reserve resides in remodeling of the coronary microcirculation. Microcirculatory morphometric analyses were performed to test this hypothesis. Methods and Results— Necropsy specimens from 4 sources were studied: (1) hearts from patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome (A; n=5), (2) structurally abnormal hearts with ventricular hypertrophy (B; n=8), (3) structurally normal hearts with ventricular hypertrophy (C; n=6), and (4) normal hearts (D; n=5). To compare responses of the microcirculation to hypoxia versus hypertrophy, sections were taken from the left ventricular free wall, which in group A, was hypoxemic but not hypertrophied; in groups B and C, was hypertrophied but not hypoxemic; and in group D, was neither hypertrophied nor hypoxemic. Coronary arterioles were immunolabeled for smooth muscle &agr;-actin. Measured morphometric parameters included long and short axes, area, and perimeter. Arteriolar length, volume and surface densities were calculated. There was a significant intergroup difference for arteriolar length density (P=0.03) and diameter (P=0.03). Total length density in group A hearts was markedly lower, but mean arteriolar diameter was significantly greater (34%) compared with group B (P=0.03). Arteriolar volume density was similar to that in the other groups. Conclusions— Remodeling of the coronary microcirculation is the key mechanism for preservation of flow reserve in cyanotic congenital heart disease. The increase in short axis (diameter) compensated for lower arteriolar length density and was the principal anatomic basis for maintenance of normal flow reserve.


Longitudinal trajectories of marijuana use from adolescence into adulthood were examined for adverse life-course outcomes among African-Americans and Puerto Ricans. Data for marijuana use were analyzed at four points in time and on participants' personality attributes, work functioning, and partner relations in adulthood using growth mixture modeling. Each of the three marijuana-use trajectory groups (maturing-out, late-onset, and chronic marijuana-users) had greater adverse life-course outcomes than a nonuse or low-use trajectory group. The chronic marijuana-use trajectory group was highly associated with criminal behavior and partners' marijuana use in adulthood. Treatment programs for marijuana use should also directly address common adverse life-course outcomes users may already be experiencing.


The method of gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) was first described by Asch and has since the been introduced into the treatment of sterility not caused by the tubes. Standard technique for this method is laparoscopy. We report on the first pregnancy in our hospital when gamete intrafallopian transfer was undertaken hysteroscopically, i.e. combined with a transvaginal ultrasound-guided puncture of follicles for obtaining oocytes. The procedure is described. The important aspects of this technique are discussed briefly and the advantages shown: Shorter duration of intervention, reduced traumatisation of the patient and the possibility of effecting the operation without anaesthesia. The stress resulting from this technique is hardly different from that during intratubal embryo transfer provided this too is effected with sonographically monitored transvaginal follicle puncture.


This article builds on punctuated equilibrium theory to evaluate the diffusion of public policy innovations in the United States. The article argues that punctuated equilibrium theory provides a unifying framework for understating three mechanisms leading to the diffusion of innovations: gradual policy diffusion driven by incremental policy emulation, rapid state-to-state diffusion driven by policy imitation and mimicking, and nearly immediate policy diffusion driven by state-level responses to a common exogenous shock. Drawing upon the Bass mixed influence diffusion model, this research generates measures of the coefficients of external and internal influences for diffusion for 81 public policy innovations that have spread across the United States. The article then evaluates how the policy image and direct participation of the federal government contribute to distinct patterns of diffusion over time.


Aim of this study was to measure the variation of different genetic diversity measures in five Italian local chicken breeds over a four years period of conservation. A total of 413 individuals were chosen for the analysis among the animals born in 2002 (a) and in 2006 (b) and genotyped for 20 microsatellite markers. In the animals sampled after four years of conservation activities the loss of alleles occurred, but only for those which had lower frequencies, with a mean number of alleles equal to 7.75±3.08 in the year 2002 and 4.64±1.60 in the year 2006. During the four years of conservation from 2002 to 2006, all breeds showed a not significant decrease of observed heterozygosis, ranging from 2.8% for Robusta Maculata to a maximum of 8.4% for Padovana. Expected heterozygosis showed the same trend, decreasing of 1% for Robusta Lionata to a maximum of 15% for Robusta Maculata. A decrease in the inbreeding coefficient occurred from 2002 to 2006 for Pepoi, Ermellinata di Rovigo and Robusta Maculata breeds, probably due to the unleashing of within breed genetic structures attributable to the rotation of males among the conservation flocks. On the other hand, an increment of the same index was noticed for the Robusta Lionata and Padovana breeds, for which an increase of inbreeding is probably due to the annual selection of individuals for morphological and productive traits. Genetic structure analysis revealed that the best number of populations fitting the dataset was five. Individuals were so assigned to one of five groups, approximately corresponding to the breed of origin. This result shows how no evident genetic structures were detectable within breed, both for 2002 and 2006 individuals. However, an increase in the proportion of membership for each breed has occurred in the year 2006 compared to the data obtained in the year 2002. Results obtained are very useful for planning new strategies for the conservation scheme, including the choice of the animals, a more efficient organization of matings and for the creation of a new selection index based on the maintenance of the existing genetic variation.


W growing population needs more protein sources. Broilers are important source of protein, so design and synthesize novel efficient supplements for improving their performance alongside decreasing mortality rate of flocks is necessary. In the present study for the first time we have evaluated the effects of broiler's diet supplementation with Bonzachick which is based on selfassemble method. One-day-old Ross 138 broiler chickens in control and test groups were feed by standard diet. In test group during rearing cycle, diet was supplemented by 120 ppm Bonzachick. The results showed that compared to control group, Bonzachick group mortality rate decreased up to 60%. Using Bonzachick in broiler's diet showed 10% increase in live and carcass weight. The spleen weight significantly was higher in Bonzachick treated group. The results showed that Bonzachick as an efficient supplement improves metabolism toward performance increase and mortality decrease.


The objective of the present study was to examine if near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) could be used to predict degradation parameters and effective degradation from scans of original forage samples. Degradability of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) of 61 samples of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) was tested by using the in situ technique. The grass samples were harvested at three different stages, early vegetative growth, early reproductive growth and late reproductive growth. Degradability was described in terms of immediately rumen soluble fraction (a fraction, for DM and CP only as NDF does not contain a soluble fraction), the degradable but not soluble faction (b fraction) and the rate of degradation of the b fraction (c value). Overall effective degradability of DM, CP and NDF was also calculated. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy was examined for its ability to predict degradation parameters and to make a direct prediction of effective degradation from scans of the original samples of perennial ryegrass and orchardgrass. Prediction of effective degradation of the different feed fractions showed different accuracy. The coefficients of determination (R(2)) from regressions of predicted vs. measured effective degradation, using a cross-validation method, were 0.92 for DM, 0.78 for CP and 0.61 for NDF. The attempt to predict the degradation parameters (a, b and c) by NIRS was less successful as the coefficients of determination for the degradation parameters were low. Concentrations of CP and NDF in the original samples were predicted by using NIRS and the validated R(2) value was 0.98 for CP and 0.92 for NDF. It is concluded that using NIRS predictions from scans of original samples is a promising method to obtain values for the effective degradation of DM, CP and NDF in ruminant feeds, but that larger calibration sets are necessary for obtaining improved accuracy.


A series of damage-free fabrication processes for a two-dimensional array of sub-10-nm GaAs nanodiscs was developed by using bio-templates and neutral beam etching. The photoluminescence of GaAs etched with a neutral beam clearly revealed that the processes could accomplish defect-free etching for GaAs. In the bio-template process, a hydrogen-radical treatment was used to remove the native oxide on the GaAs surface, and then neutral beam oxidation (NBO) was used to form a hydrophilic 1-nm-thick GaAs oxide (GaAs-NBO) film. The two-dimensional array of ferritins (protein including a 7-nm-diameter iron core) can be arranged well on hydrophilic GaAs-NBO film. The ferritin protein shell was removed using an oxygen-radical treatment at a low temperature of 280°C without thermal damage to the GaAs. Then, the neutral beam etched the the GaAs to form defect-free nanodisc structure of using the iron core as an etching mask. Finally, the iron oxide core was removed by wet etching with diluted hydrogen chloride and the fabrication process was completed without inflicting any damage to the GaAs. As a result, a two-dimensional array of GaAs quantum dots with a diameter of ∼7 nm, a height of ∼10 nm, a high taper angle of 88°, and a quantum dot density of more than 7×1011 cm−2 was successfully fabricated without causing any damage to the GaAs.


Preface. The Author. Part One: The Costly Impact of Transitions on Organizations and Their People. 1. Organizational MADness. 2. Unintended Consequences of Business Transitions. Part Two: Laying the Groundwork for Workplace Recovery: Understanding How People Adapt to Transitions. 3. The Opportunity and the Challenge. 4. Individual Adaptation to Transition. 5. The Realities and Requirements of Workplace Recovery. Part Three: The Four Elements of Workplace Recovery. 6. Empathy. 7. Engagement. 8. Energy. 9. Enforcement. Part Four: Solidifying the Context for Workplace Recovery. 10. Leading and Managing Workplace Recovery. Selected Bibliography. Index.


OBJECTIVE
To report the efficacy and safety of TNF-α inhibitors (etanercept and adalimumab) in a cohort of patients with JIA treated in a single paediatric rheumatological centre.

METHODS
Patients with JIA under the age of 18 years, treated with TNF-α blockers at the Paediatric Rheumatologic Centre of the National Institute of Rheumatology and Physiotherapy (Budapest, Hungary) from 2002, were enrolled in an open, observational study. At baseline, patient and disease characteristics were registered. Disease activity was evaluated (before the start of the treatment and after every 3 months) according to the JIA core set of the ACR paediatric definition of improvement (ACR Pedi). Adverse events (AEs) were documented.

RESULTS
In all, 72 patients were evaluated. Mean (S.D.) age at onset was 5.5 (3.8) years, mean disease duration was 7.4 (3.9) years. All disease activity parameters improved significantly in the first 3 months of treatment. After 3 and 12 months of treatment, 88 and 76% of patients, respectively, achieved the criteria of the ACR Pedi 30. AEs were uncommon. After 12 months, >85% of patients continued the therapy.

CONCLUSION
Anti-TNF-α agents (etanercept and adalimumab) are effective, safe and well tolerated in JIA patients. Extension of this study for a longer follow-up period and to the patients with JIA after the age of 18 years (with validated and comparable disease activity parameters) is needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of the TNF-α inhibitors.


Interaction among potential vorticity perturbations and propagating internal gravity waves in a horizontally sheared zonal flow is investigated. In the strong stratification limit, an initial vorticity perturbation weakly excites two propagating gravity waves while the density component of the potential vorticity perturbation is significantly amplified, potentially leading to convective collapse. If stratification is sufficiently weak, a strong coupling between vorticity perturbations and gravity waves is found and spontaneous gravity wave generation occurs. This coupling can be traced to the nonnormal interaction between the potential vorticity and gravity wave manifolds in the weak stratification limit. Vorticity perturbations amplify in energy due to downgradient Reynolds stress when their phase lines tilt against the shear and the large growth attained is transferred to propagating gravity waves. When the flow geometry is such that the excited gravity waves are confined in the vicinity of the vorticity perturbation by their trapping levels, an overall convective collapse of this region can be anticipated. On the other hand, when the flow geometry permits wave propagation, significant gravity wave emission occurs.


Contextuality (or lack thereof) is a property of systems of random variables. Among the measures of the degree of contextuality, two have played important roles. One of them, Contextual Fraction ($\text{CNTF}$) was proposed within the framework of the sheaf-theoretic approach to contextuality, and extended to arbitrary systems in the Contextuality-by-Default approach. The other, denoted $\text{CNT}_{2}$, was proposed as one of the measures within the Contextuality-by-Default approach. In this note, I prove that $\text{CNTF}=2\text{CNT}_{2}$ within a class of systems, called cyclic, that have played a prominent role in contextuality research.


The concept of sustainable consumption (SC) has been proposed as a way of operationalising sustainable development (SD). However, until now, in view of the difficulties in conceptualising SC, emphasis has been placed mainly on a pragmatic approach. In an a-conceptual and pragmatic account of SC, many problems remain unaddressed, such as the danger of the notion becoming empty and lack of integration between the different dimensions of sustainability. In this paper, we propose that the informational space provided by the capability approach (CA) offers a conceptual framework to elaborate SC. The CA is employed here (i) to discuss the philosophical underpinnings of SC as part of a strategy for enhancing quality-of-life and (ii) to investigate the links between the different dimensions of SC. Emphasis on autonomy, freedom, and public reasoning in the CA can help in contextualising and providing an organising frame for SC policies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The purpose of the present invention is to provide a beverage with reduced caramel-pigment color fading. Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for producing such a beverage, and a method for reducing caramel-pigment color fading in a beverage. A beverage according to the present invention satisfies the following conditions (A) and (B): (A) the ratio of the RebD or RebM content to the RebA content is 0.45 or more; and (B) a caramel pigment is contained such that the Lab values of the beverage are L: 45 to 55, a: 10 to 20, and b: 25 to 35.


The recent emergence of a novel coronavirus (2019‐nCoV), which is causing an outbreak of unusual viral pneumonia in patients in Wuhan, a central city in China, is another warning of the risk of CoVs posed to public health. In this minireview, we provide a brief introduction of the general features of CoVs and describe diseases caused by different CoVs in humans and animals. This review will help understand the biology and potential risk of CoVs that exist in richness in wildlife such as bats.


Abstract The intensification of Brazil's beef cattle production system can involve different strategies to increase beef production while reducing deforestation in the Amazon biome and mitigating climate change. This study economically evaluates a cooperating beef farm in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil's Amazon biome over three crop years (2015–16 to 2017–18), transitioning from an extensive grazing system to a semi-intensive system using five sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) practices. These five practices include (1) grain supplementation for cattle, (2) pasture fertilization, (3) pasture re-seeding, (4) crop–livestock integration (CLI) and (5) irrigated and fertilized pasture that is rotationally grazed. The relative costs of these five SAI strategies used on this cooperating farm are compared. The adoption of SAI strategies increased beef productivity 5.7% (228–241 kg live-weight sold per hectare) and gradually improved net farm income by ~130% over the 3 years of transition (−US$94.79 to $29.80 ha−1). Grain supplementation (US$188 ha−1) had the cheapest cost per hectare, followed by pasture fertilization (US$477 ha−1) and pasture reseeding (US$650 ha−1). The most costly practice was in-ground irrigation of fenced rotationally grazed pasture (US$1600 ha−1) with the second most costly being CLI (US$672 ha−1). Despite adoption challenges of these SAI practices, past research confirm these five practices can increase beef productivity and profitability while reducing carbon footprint. Regardless of the cost per hectare of each practice, farmer adoption can be improved through education, support and incentives from both the public and private sectors.


Analytic Fourier series admit a uniform exponential truncation bound. Applied to the fast multipole method this leads to pertinent truncation bounds for the multipole potential expansion.


One of the major challenges in the field of integrated circuit design is coping with difficult combinatorial optimization problems. Simply finding the minimum length of wire needed to connect a block of transistors is NP-hard. When factoring in a handful of other simultaneous optimization dimensions such as connections to other blocks of components and area minimization, it is easy to see the difficulty facing circuit designers. Since many of the problems encountered do not have polynomial-time solutions, very large scale integration (VLSI) algorithm designers experiment with various optimization techniques such as integer linear programming and simulated annealing. Optimization methods for VLSI computer-aided design (CAD) incorporating evolutionary search began appearing in research articles in the late 1980's. As the first body of work devoted exclusively to evolutionary algorithms (EA's) in VLSI CAD, this monograph attempts to fill a noticeable void in the literature. The book is divided into two parts. Part I "Basic Principles" provides an overview of the book and discusses the underlying principles of EA's and algorithm performance issues. The treatment of EA's here is cursory at best and concentrates mainly on the classic genetic algorithm. An overview of some aspects of VLSI CAD is also included; however, only the latter phase of the circuit design process is covered, and analog integrated circuit design is not touched upon. The second part entitled "Practice" comprises roughly threequarters of the book and deals with tools and applications. A software tool called the Genetic Algorithm Managing Environment (GAME) is described in one chapter. It provides a flexible environment in which an algorithm designer can easily interface EA's to VLSI CAD tools to facilitate experimentation and production runs. One of the author's themes is that problem-specific knowledge is necessary for EA's to be competitive with other optimization approaches. Support for this argument is provided by the numerous case studies examined in a lengthy chapter concerning applications of EA's to logic synthesis, mapping, and testing. In logic synthesis, one wishes to implement a Boolean function in hardware while satisfying certain constraints (e.g., power, delay area). A category of logic realization called Fixed Polarity Reed Muller expressions is described. Such expressions are difficult to minimize and an approach is described that uses a hybrid EA (one that incorporates problem-specific heuristics). For large Boolean functions, it is shown that the EA presented can achieve smaller expressions as compared to standard tools, although the EA required more computer time. The section on mapping includes EA applications in partitioning, floorplanning, and placement and routing problems. Partitioning consists of mapping blocks of circuit components to two-dimensional


Salinity and water-deficit stress reduce yield in agricultural crops. On the other hand, seed germination is critical in seedling establishment and subsequent plant growth. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to evaluate the effects of chitosan (Ch) concentrations (0% [control], 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3%) on the tolerance of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) to different osmotic potentials (0, −0.4, −0.8, and −1.2 MPa). Induced osmotic potential significantly decreased germination percentage, germination index and rate, length and weight of root and shoot, and protein content. Proline content, malondialdehyde content (MDA), and catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) activity increased when osmotic potential was increased to −0.8 MPa. Under unstressed conditions (0 MPa), there were no significant differences in germination percentage among different concentrations of chitosan, whereas MDA content, CAT, and POX activity were increased by low concentrations of chitosan (0.05%–0.4%). With increasing water-deficit stress, low concentrations of chitosan increased germination percentage but decreased MDA and proline contents and CAT and POX activity. Thus, it could be concluded that low concentrations of chitosan exhibited positive effects on water-deficit alleviation through the reduction of enzyme activity. Therefore, chitosan should be an effective biostimulator to enhance seedling growth and plant tolerance to oxidative stress conditions, especially under conditions of drought stress.


FOR some years there has been increasing interest in the metabolism of inorganic ions in the body and the effects of disturbances of their metabolism. "Sodium Metabolism in Health and Disease", by Douglas A. K. Black, is a more or less critical summary of available knowledge on the metabolism of a single element. It is a monograph of some 70 pages and was written in competition for the Rogers Prize of the University of London, 1951. The first half of the book gives a short review of the distribution of sodium in the human body. and its regulation by intake, loss by sweat and renal secretion. This is, on the whole, a satisfactory account, but some of the data on "renal handling of sodium" are not very critically considered. The second half of the book deals with abnormalities of sodium metabolism, and the four syndromes of disordered sodium metabolism in relation to body water are considered in some detail. This represents a workmanlike summary of what previous writers have written, but does not materially add to our knowledge. Taken as a whole, this monograph will be useful to anyone who wishes to know what has been written on sodium metabolism up to the end of 1950. Printing mistakes are much too common for a book of this size.


Background: Being a B-cell malignancy, multiple myeloma is characterized by clonal expansion and accumulation of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow compartment. This study was conducted to determine the frequency and hematological presentation of multiple myeloma in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
 Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Khyber Teaching Hospital and Fazle Raziq Laboratory Peshawar over a period of three years from March 2003 to April 2006. A total number of 3085 bone marrow aspirates were done during this period. Among these aspirates, 57 cases were diagnosed as multiple myeloma on the basis bone marrow cytology and results analyzed.
 Results: The results of the study revealed that male: female ratio was 2.56:1, median age was: males 60 years and females 56 years. Frequency of multiple myeloma in all hematological malignancies was 5.3%, while the frequency of the same among all aspirates was 1.85%. The hematological findings showed anemia in 91% cases, thrombocytopenia in 29%, leucopenia in 10% and pancytopenia in 8.1%. Percentage of plasma cells in B.M arrow was 78.1 % of the bone marrow nucleated cells.
 Conclusion: In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, males are affected more frequently than females by multiple myeloma. The percentage of MM among all hematological malignancies and the median age are lesser in this part of the world. Majority of patients present with anemia, MM should be included in the workup of anemia in patients above 50 years age.


Choroid Plexus Papillomas (CPPs) is also known as benign but rare central nervous system(CNS) which affect the tufts of villi that make the ventricular system choroid plexus, which is responsible for production of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF). They make up between 0.5-1% in adult and 3-4% of paediatric group.Here we are introducing 11-year-old- female who visited with her parents in paediatric outpatient unit with the complaints of headache in the frontal region and backregion. She had 4-5 episodes of vomiting in previous week, she also developed the double vision since last 2 days. The patient underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the brain and found the evidence of papilla enema in both eyes. Patient went to eye department for Vitreo-retained(VR) surgery. After that client was shifted to ward for the further management where she was administered the appropriate paediatric dose of antiedema and antiepileptic medication and other supportive measures. After treatment, the patient's condition was improved than before. Symptoms such as blurred vision relieved after surgery. These tumours rarely develop in children's third ventricles, fourth ventricles or CP angle.


The excitation and stability of surface waves on the interface of two compressible fluids moving with respect to each other in a two-dimensional channel is investigated. It is shown that in this case surface waves are always unstable. On the other hand, in this case the dispersion relation in the short and the long wavelength limits coincides with the dispersion relation in the compressible and the incompressible infinite fluid, respectively. Furthermore, surface wave excitation under resonant condition is investigated. It is concluded that due to the Cerenkov-like emission mechanism a sound wave propagates in the fluid at rest. In this case, the growth rate of the Cerenkov-like instability is compared with the growth rate of the instability for the excitation of the tangentially discontinuous surface wave. Likewise, using fluent software, surface wave excitation in two dimensions is simulated.


This article is based on a presentation given by the authors at the 42nd Congress of the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), October 2006, in the United Kingdom. The conference theme was Circles of Influence and the Congress also hosted an International Federation of Perioperative Nurses (IFPN) Study Day featuring a safety theme. This article contains a brief review of the influence of infection control practices on perioperative practice and surgical outcome. It reviews the Principles of Asepsis and accepted infection control practices. Patient safety is more closely monitored today than ever before--not only by hospitals but also by consumers, health care reformers, governments and patients. The Canadian Institute for Health Information, (CIHI) shows one in nine Canadian adults acquire a hospital infection and that one in nine receives an incorrect medication or medication dosage. Our rates of patient deaths following an adverse event are higher than the combined death rates for Canadians involved in motor vehicle accidents, suffering from breast cancer, and HIV Positive. Each perioperative practitioner must use all available resources to assist in the safety of everyone involved in surgical interventions.


The pathogenesis of recurrent tonsillitis is largely unknown. Selection of appropriate antibiotic therapy for patients with recurrent tonsillitis is difficult because of the limitations of traditional methods of sampling tonsillar microflora and the increasing incidence of beta-lactamase producing bacteria in the tonsil. In addition, little attention has been paid to the bacteriology of normal tonsils. The tonsil core bacteria was assessed in 124 patients with recurrent acute tonsillitis. Fifty-five of these patients were randomly selected for fine-needle aspiration which revealed a similar profile of bacteria in 85%. Fine-needle aspiration of 10 normal tonsils found few pathogens; the predominant organisms being normal flora. No Haemophilus influenzae were detected in this control group. This study demonstrates the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration in identifying tonsil core bacteriology and its suitability in the clinical setting. It reports on the flora of normal healthy tonsils and it highlights the association between H. influenzae and recurrent acute tonsillitis.


Most proliferating cells consume exogenous glutamine to fuel biosynthesis and cell growth, which leads to its marked depletion from the microenvironment. Glutamine provides carbon and nitrogen for a wide array of biomolecules, among which are non-essential amino acids, glucosamine and nucleotides; in addition, carbon backbone of glutamine is used as a preferred anaplerotic input into the TCA cycle. However, as recent in vivo metabolomic studies indicate, a number of tumor types are capable of utilizing alternative anaplerotic routes and, in fact, synthesize glutamine de novo. In addition, select cancer cell lines are able to proliferate in the absence of exogenous glutamine in culture medium. However, the metabolic and regulatory underpinnings that enable the cellular adaptation to glutamine deficit and de novo glutamine production need further investigation. In this work, we identified the non-essential amino acid asparagine as essential for the survival and proliferation of cancer cells in the absence of exogenous glutamine supply. Our data indicate that asparagine, though structurally related to glutamine, is not catabolized in the same manner. Instead, asparagine acts by restoring protein translation, which becomes profoundly compromised in the absence of glutamine. This, in turn, enables the post-transcriptional adaptive upregulation of glutamine synthetase (GLUL), which is required for glutamine-independent growth. Taken together, these findings show that the cellular adaptation to glutamine-limiting conditions relies upon the availability of asparagine, which may represent an important therapeutic vulnerability. Citation Format: Natalya N. Pavlova, Ji Zhang, Craig B. Thompson. Asparagine drives translational adaptation of cancer cells to glutamine deficit. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translational Control of Cancer: A New Frontier in Cancer Biology and Therapy; 2016 Oct 27-30; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(6 Suppl):Abstract nr B39.


A generalized algorithm for two-layer detailed channel routing of mixed analog and digital signal nets is described. In this algorithm, nets are classified based on the type of signal they carry. A table stores classification-dependent information including data to calculate minimum net-to-net spacing, sensitivity to parasitic capacitances, and the single-layer-only routing requirement. The routing channel is represented by a weighted directed graph. The graph represents relative positions of nets with the channel. The edge weights and directions in the graph are assigned to account for the analog routing concerns provided in the net classification table. >


OBJECTIVE
Ustekinumab is a monoclonal antibody that selectively targets p40, a shared subunit of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23. It is registered for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. We assessed the two-year effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in a real world, prospective cohort of patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

METHODS
Patients who started ustekinumab were prospectively enrolled in the nationwide Initiative on Crohn and Colitis (ICC) Registry. At week 0, 12, 24, 52 and 104, clinical remission (HBI ≤ 4 points), biochemical remission (fecal calprotectin (FC) ≤200 μg/g and/or CRP ≤5 mg/L), peri-anal fistula remission, extra-intestinal manifestations, ustekinumab dosage and safety outcomes were determined. The primary outcome was corticosteroid-free clinical remission at week 104.

RESULTS
In total, 252 CD patient with at least two years of follow up were included. Of all included patients, the proportion of patients in corticosteroid-free clinical remission was 32.3% (81/251), 41.4% (104/251), 39% (97/249) and 34.0% (84/247), at week 12, 24, 52 and 104, respectively. In patients with combined clinical and biochemical disease activity at baseline (n=122), the corticosteroid-free clinical remission rates were 23.8% (29/122), 35.2% (43/122), 40.0% (48/120) and 32.8% (39/119) at week 12, 24, 52 and 104, respectively. The probability of remaining on ustekinumab treatment after 52 and 104 weeks in all patients was 64.3% and 54.8%, respectively. The main reason for discontinuing treatment after 52 weeks was loss of response (66.7%). No new safety issues were observed.

CONCLUSION
After 104 weeks of ustekinumab treatment, one third of CD patients were in corticosteroid-free clinical remission.


Laser beams can be deflected to desired positions by means of rotating mirrors. The deflection speeds required today high control dynamics for mirror positioning (mirror angle). This is done by means of electric miniature drives. Due to the fast adjustments, natural resonances of the actuator due to elastic deformations play an increasingly important role. The approach presented here describes how state space control can be supported in order to reduce the resonance effects in the position value.


BACKGROUND
IgE cross-sensitization to major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 and pathogenesis-related (PR10) plant food allergens is responsible for the pollen-food allergy syndrome.

METHODS
We designed a recombinant protein, AB-PreS, consisting of non-allergenic peptides derived from the IgE-binding sites of Bet v 1 and the cross-reactive apple allergen, Mal d 1, fused to the PreS domain of HBV surface protein as immunological carrier. AB-PreS was expressed in E. coli and purified by chromatography. The allergenic and inflammatory activity of AB-PreS was tested using basophils and PBMCs from birch pollen allergic patients. The ability of antibodies induced by immunization of rabbits with AB-PreS and birch pollen extract-based vaccines to inhibit allergic patients IgE binding to Bet v 1 and Mal d 1 was assessed by ELISA.

RESULTS
IgE-binding experiments and basophil activation test revealed the hypoallergenic nature of AB-PreS. AB-PreS induced lower T-cell activation and inflammatory cytokine production in cultured PBMCs from allergic patients. IgG antibodies induced by five injections with AB-PreS inhibited allergic patients' IgE binding to Bet v 1 and Mal d 1 better than did IgG induced by up to 30 injections of six licensed birch pollen allergen extract-based vaccines. Additionally, immunization with AB-PreS induced HBV-specific antibodies potentially protecting from infection with HBV.

CONCLUSION
The recombinant AB-PreS-based vaccine is hypoallergenic and superior over currently registered allergen extract-based vaccines regarding the induction of blocking antibodies to Bet v 1 and Mal d 1 in animals.


In this paper, we consider the estimation of a reference shape from a set of different segmentation results using both active contours and information theory. The reference shape is defined as the minimum of a criterion that benefits from both the mutual information and the joint entropy of the input segmentations and is then called a mutual shape. This energy criterion is here justified using similarities between information theory quantities and area measures, and presented in a continuous variational framework. This framework brings out some interesting evaluation measures such as the specificity and sensitivity. In order to solve this shape optimization problem, shape derivatives are computed for each term of the criterion and interpreted as an evolution equation of an active contour. Some synthetical examples allow us to cast the light on the difference between our mutual shape and an average shape. Our framework has been considered for the estimation of a mutual shape for the evaluation of cardiac segmentation methods in MRI.


Most Streptococcus pneumoniae strains are killed by very low concentrations of penicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics, yet middle ear inflammation and effusion persist for days to weeks after treatment in most cases of pneumococcal otitis media. To study the effect of beta-lactam antibiotic treatment on pneumococci and the middle ear inflammatory response during pneumococcal otitis media, we measured concentrations of pneumococci, inflammatory cells, and lysozyme in middle ear fluid (MEF) by using the chinchilla model. Procaine penicillin G given intramuscularly 12 and 36 h after inoculation of pneumococci into the middle ear caused a significant acceleration in the MEF inflammatory cell concentration compared with that in untreated controls, with a significant peak in the inflammatory cell concentration 24 h after pneumococcal inoculation. The lysozyme concentration in MEF also increased more rapidly in treated than in control animals. Viable pneumococci were not detected in MEF after the second dose of penicillin, but the total pneumococcal cell concentration remained unchanged for at least 45 days. Therefore, penicillin treatment accelerated middle ear inflammation while killing pneumococci, but treatment did not accelerate clearance of the nonviable pneumococcal cells from MEF. Further studies will need to define the contribution of these responses to acute and chronic tissue injury.


The chevron rubber spring is used for subway vehicle as a primary suspension. Generally, the primary suspension has an influence to the running performance and not so much effect on the ride comfort in railway vehicle. But the stiffness of chevron spring is harder and harder as time goes on because of rubber characteristics. Therefore the dynamic characteristics such as ride comfort and derailment coefficient should be reviewed according to the stiffness variation of chevron rubber spring. In this paper the effect of chevron rubber spring on dynamic characteristics was studied by considering multi-body dynamics of railway vehicle on one straight line and seven curved lines.


In 2021 the LHCb experiment will be upgraded, and the DAQ system will be based on full reconstruction of events, at the full LHC crossing rate. This requires an entirely new system, capable of reading out, building and reconstructing events at an average rate of 30 MHz. In facing this challenge, the system could take advantage of a fast pre-processing of data on dedicated FPGAs. The results of an R&D on these technologies, developed in the context of the LHCb Upgrade I, are presented in this document. In particular, the details and potential benefits of an approach based on producing in real-time sorted collections of hits in the VELO detector (pre-tracks) are discussed. These pre-processed data can then be used as seeds by the High Level Trigger (HLT) farm to find tracks for the Level 1 trigger with much lower computational effort than possible by starting from the raw detector data, thus freeing an important fraction of the power of the CPU farm for higher level processing tasks.


This study examined factors contributing to food security project sustainability. It will specifically focus on the
food security projects in Kajiado County funded between the year 2008 and the year 2013. The choice of the study was that despite of the continuing support and
implementation of food related projects in Kajiado County, food security still remains a problem. Most food security projects have a short span, staled, never imparted community, some have collapsed and hence non-sustainable projects. The study adopted evaluation research
design. The study total population was 1200 individuals belonging or registered with various groups or
organizations within the study area. A sample of 10% was selected to form a sample size of 120 respondents.
The key informants selected project groups involved faith based organizations, financial institutions,
community based organizations and offices from the Government. This were sampled using purposive
sampling method. Face to face interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect the data. The data
analysis involved descriptive statistics (means and standard deviation) and hypothesis was tested at 95 percent confidence level. In order to find out the relationship between the study independent variables (community participation and funding levels) and the dependent variables (project sustainability), the researcher used the correlation and regression coefficient. The study found out that community participation affected the sustainability of the project positively. Moreover, funding level would also influence the project sustainability positively which was statistically significant. The results for the goodness of fitness of model indicated that community participation and finance level satisfactorily explained the sustainability of food security projects in the study area. This was supported by coefficient of determination (R-square) of 76%; indicating the model can be used to explain 76% of the variations in the dependent variable. The Analysis of the Variance (ANOVA) results indicate that the overall model was statistically significant and with very strong F statistic of 6.932. The study concludes that food security projects are not sustainable within the study area. Group members who are beneficiaries should participate in project at all the levels to create sense of ownership hence sustainability.
Adequate funding should be allocated to the project to ensure project sustainability.


So-called 'dorsal vessels' are poorly described network-like structures associated with the renopericardial system and located dorsally beneath the epidermis in different groups of heterobranch gastropods. So far, homology assumptions among the different 'dorsal vessel systems' have been hampered by a lack of comparative histological and ultrastructural data. In the present study, we provide the first detailed 3Dreconstruction of a sacoglossan 'dorsal vessel system', based on histological semithin sections combined with ultrastructural data. The renopericardial system of Elysia viridis comprises a monotocardial heart, surrounded by a sac-like pericardium that is connected with a ventrally situated kidney. Our histological data show that the 'dorsal vessels' connect to the atrium, rather than the pericardium as previously reported. The 'dorsal vessels' investigated herein entirely lack an endothelium and are thus more correctly termed 'dorsal haemolymph sinuses'. With some exceptions, there is a conspicuous correlation between the ability of Sacoglossa to retain plastids from their algal prey and the presence of dorsal haemolymph sinuses. Thus, the latter might enhance circulation and form an internal recycling system that transports oxygen from the site of photosynthesis to the organs and carbon dioxide in the opposite direction. There are considerable structural and histological differences in the 'dorsal vessels' of Sacoglossa, Acochlidimorpha and likely Nudibranchia, probably reflecting independent developments to cope with different environmental stress factors and thus to adapt to various ecological niches. Further comparative microanatomical and ultrastructural (re)investigation of missing lineages are required for a better understanding of the variability of the renopericardial complex in heterobranch gastropods and of modifications of the circulatory system.


A momentum-wheel installed to provide attitude-control torque actually produces undesirable force or torque disturbances owing to wheel imbalance and imperfection of the ball-bearings. To improve the pointing performance of observation satellites, a vibration isolator is used to isolate observation devices from these disturbances. This paper compares three types of semi-active isolators that consist of a piezoelectric material and a switch-controlled passive circuit. Since this isolation is implemented by controlling a circuit switch no external energy is supplied to the system, and so the system is stable even when a malfunction occurs in control. We propose a simple but effective isolation method that needs to know only one velocity value instead of the full state of the system. Numerical simulations with a simple model of an observation satellite demonstrated that the proposed isolator works well to isolate an observation device from disturbances caused by the momentum-wheel, without causing any degradation in the attitude control of satellites.


alabras claves: Shipibo-Konibo. Pano. Morfossintaxes. Tipologia. Relativizacion. Orden de palabras. Abstract: The present article discusses crucial morpho-syntactic aspects of relative constructions in Shipibo-Konibo, a Panoan language spoken in the Peruvian Amazon. The analysis is predominantly based on data extracted from spontaneous texts. Shipibo-Konibo exhibits a number of features that are uncommon in the languages of the world, such as the co- existence of prenominal, postnominal, and internally-headed relative clauses using the gap strategy. Also, the anaphoric pronoun strategy is attested in subject relativization, even when the relative clause precedes its head nominal. Although the same form can be employed to relativize different syntactic positions (A, S, O), in transitive internally- headed relative clauses it is the object argument that must be interpreted as nucleus and hence as co-referential with an argument in the matrix clause. Given that internally-headed relatives also allow for intransitive subject relativization, they show an absolutive distribution. This constitutes the only instance of syntactic ergativity in an otherwise morphologically ergative but syntactically accusative language.


A study of changes in lung function tests during pregnancy was undertaken in fifty pregnant women beginning from third month of gestation. Fifty nonpregnant age and height matched women formed the controls. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Timed Vital Capacity (FEV1), Inspiratory Capacity (IC), Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV) and peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) were performed in each month of pregnancy. However ten subjects were not available for follow-up during postpartum period. Remaining forty women were divided into two groups of twenty each. Group I performed daily graded active exercises to strengthen the anterior abdominal wall muscles. Group II women did not perform any exercises. It was observed that the antenatal changes in percent FVC and FEV1 were insignificant, but the decline in ERV and PEFR were very highly significant (P < 0.001) and the increment in IC was significant (P < 0.05). In the postpartum period the percentage variation of values in group I was less than 5% from controls (P > 0.05) and in group II it was 15-20% from controls (P < 0.05), resulting in a significant variation in group II women as compared to the controls. It is concluded that there are adaptive changes in lung functions in the antenatal period. We stress the importance of regular graded active exercises in the postpartum period for the speedy recovery of these changes.


Abstract The Holarctic coelotine spiders are revised at the generic level. Coelotine morphology, particularly genitalic morphology, is described, the subfamily and generic limits are defined, and a cladistic hypothesis of generic relationships is presented. The subfamily Coelotinae is defined to include 20 genera and 277 species. The 20 genera are: Ambanus Ovtchinnikov, 1999, with 18 species from far eastern Russia, northeastern China, Japan, and Korea (including 6 new combinations); Asiacoelotes, new genus, with 15 East Asian species (all new combinations, with 3 new synonyms); Bifidocoelotes, new genus, with 2 species from China (both new combinations); Coelotes Blackwall, 1841, with 123 species from Europe and Asia (including 2 new synonyms); Coras Simon, 1898, with 15 North American species and 2 species from China; Coronilla Wang, 1994, with 2 species from China (including 2 new synonyms); Draconarius Ovtchinnikov, 1999, with 26 Asian species (including 25 new combinations and 1 new synonym); Eurocoelotes, new genus, with 11 European species (all new combinations); Femoracoelotes, new genus, with 2 species from Taiwan (both new combinations); Himalcoelotes, new genus, fully revised here, with 10 species from the Himalayas (including 2 new combinations and 8 new species); Leptocoelotes, new genus, with 2 species from China (both new combinations); Longicoelotes, new genus, with 1 new species from China; Paracoelotes Brignoli, 1982, with 16 European and Asian species (including 5 new combinations and 5 new synonyms); Platocoelotes, new genus, with 4 species from China (all new combinations); Robusticoelotes, new genus, with 1 newly combined species from China; Spiricoelotes, new genus, with 2 East Asian species (both new combinations); Tegecoelotes Ovtchinnikov, 1999, with 5 species from far eastern Russia, northeastern China, Japan, and Korea (including 4 new combinations); Tonsilla Wang and Yin, 1992, with 3 species from China; Urocoras Ovtchinnikov, 1999, with 5 species from East Europe (including 2 new combinations); and Wadotes Chamberlin, 1925, with 11 species from North American and 1 from China.


Summary . Neolaemosaccus luzonensis sp. n. is described and illustrated from Luzon Island (Philippines). The new species is similar to N . compactus (Lea, 1896) from Australia but differs in the larger body sizes, brown antennae, longer rostrum, body vernally cowered with dense plumose scales and narrow elytral striae. Distribution map for species of the genus Neolaemosaccus is given.


In this workshop, we address the importance and uses of social visualizations. In particular, we explore visualizations of text, audio, and visual interaction data to uncover social connections and interaction patterns in online and physical spaces. We stress the need to move beyond typical visualizations to date and explore new design approaches for creating social visualizations. Finally, we address the need for comparing and evaluating the effectiveness of social visualizations and the approaches used to create them.


Multi-omic technologies have allowed for comprehensive profiling of patient-derived tumor samples and the cell lines that are intended to model them. Yet, our understanding of how cancer cell lines reflect native pediatric cancers in the age of molecular subclassification remains unclear and represents a clinical unmet need. Here we use Treehouse public data to provide an RNA-seq driven analysis of 799 cancer cell lines, focusing on how well they correlate to 1,655 pediatric tumor samples spanning 12 tumor types. For each tumor type we present a ranked list of the most representative cell lines based on correlation of their transcriptomic profiles to those of the tumor. We found that most (8/12) tumor types best correlated to a cell line of the closest matched disease type. We furthermore showed that inferred molecular subtype differences in medulloblastoma significantly impacted correlation between medulloblastoma tumor samples and cell lines. Our results are available as an interactive web application to help researchers select cancer cell lines that more faithfully recapitulate pediatric cancer.


Pioneer of early-modern literary historicism reads Medieval and early Tudor drama and poetry historically. How far should we try to read medieval and early modern texts historically? Does the attempt to uncover how such texts might have been received by their original readers and audiences uncover new, hitherto unexpected contemporary resonances in them? Or does it flatten works of art into mere 'secondary sources' for historical analysis? This book makes the case for the study of literature in context. It demonstrates the value of historical and cultural analysis alongside traditional literary scholarship for enriching our understanding of plays and poems from the medieval and early Tudor past and of the cultures which produced and received them. It equally accepts the risks involved in that kind of study. It makes the case for reading medieval and early Tudor literature historically. It includes case studies of the interaction between literature and politics, from Chaucer to the reign of Henry VIII. It offers detailed analysis of key medieval and Renaissance texts, Chaucer's Miller's Tale, Sir Gawain and Green Knight, Sir David Lyndsay's A Satire of the Three Estates. It turns a spotlight on hitherto neglected texts that reveal the challenges, rewards and potential pitfalls of reading literature historically.


Modeling on-chip inductive effects for interconnects of multi-gigahertz microprocessors remains challenging. SPICE simulation of these effects is very slow because of the large number of mutual inductances. Meanwhile, ignoring the non-linear behavior of drivers in a fast linear circuit simulator results in large errors for the inductive effect. In this paper, a fast and accurate time-domain transient analysis approach is presented, which captures the non-linearity of circuit drivers, the effect of non-ideal ground and de-coupling capacitors in a bus structure. The proposed method models the non-linearity of drivers in conjunction with specific bus geometries. Linearized waveforms at each driver output are incorporated into an interconnect reduced-order simulator for fast transient simulation. In addition, non-ideal ground and de-coupling capacitor models enable accurate signal and ground bounce simulations. Results show that this simulation approach is up-to 68x faster than SPICE while maintaining 95% accuracy.


The present study was intended to estimate the specific genetic variants by using nine genetic markers among five rabbit breeds (New Zealand White, California, Chinchilla, Flander, and Babion) in Egypt. A total of 128 animals were used (19-35 rabbits per breed). A total of 97 alleles were detected across the breeds and the average number of alleles per locus was 2.16±0.11. Five private alleles were present in Babion breed, where the locus INRACCDDV0023 had two private alleles of 293 and 297 base pairs with allele frequencies of 0.4 and 0.1, respectively. The INRACCDDV0036, INRACCDDV0304, and INRACCDDV0241 loci had private allele for each (185bp (freq: 0.24), 197 (freq: 0.47), and 137bp (freq: 0.26), respectively). The mean of He values ranged from 0.35±0.06 to 0.49±0.07. The average of the polymorphic information content was 0.41 (ranged from 0.298 at INRACCDDV0211 to 0.599 at INRACCDDV0036 locus). To estimate the genetic deviation of the five rabbit breeds, two parameters were evaluated: genetic differentiation (FST), and genetic distance. The FST values varied from 0.029 (INRACCDDV0036) to 0.785 (INRACCDDV0022). The similarity matrix showed that the Chinchilla breed was distinct from other breeds. In addition, among the nine loci, the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was highly significant for five loci. Therefore, the rabbit breeds are good reservoirs of allelic diversity that is the major basis for genetic improvement. Consequently, the breeders need a formal conservation plan for such breeds that are in danger of extinction in near future.


Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are molecules within living cells that are released when cell membranes are ruptured. Although DAMPs have physiological functions inside the cell, once DAMPs are released extracellularly, they elicit various biological responses, including inflammation, proliferation, tissue damage, and tissue repair, in a context-dependent manner. In past decades, it was assumed that the release of DAMPs was induced by a membrane rupture, caused by passive ATP depletion, or by chemical or mechanical damage to the membrane. However, that concept has been challenged by recent advancements in understanding the regulation of cell death. Necroptosis is a form of regulated cell death, where cells show necrotic morphology. Necroptosis is triggered by death receptors, toll-like receptors, and some viral infections. The membrane rupture is executed by the mixed lineage-like kinase domain-like pseudokinase (MLKL), which forms oligomers that translocate to the plasma membrane during necroptosis. Although the causal relationship between MLKL function and membrane rupture has been extensively investigated, the detailed molecular mechanisms by which oligomerized MLKL induces membrane rupture are not fully understood. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding how MLKL regulates DAMP release and new technologies for visualizing DAMP release at single-cell resolution.


The Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery course was held in Izmir by the Izmir Breast Diseases Federation in collaboration with the Breast Diseases Federation of Turkey. The techniques of oncoplasty, the application details and experience in this subject were shared. In this text, the main topics and outcomes are briefly summarised. These evaluations can be considered highly valuable on both local and regional scales.


Aims Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with cryoenergy delivered through a balloon is a new approach in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), but long-term follow-up is lacking. The aim of this study was to provide insight in the success rate and the incidence of recurrences. Methods and results Patients with symptomatic AF despite anti-arrhythmic drugs (AADs) were treated with cryoballoon PVI. Daily transtelephonic ECG monitoring, 24 h Holter-ECG, and an arrhythmia-focused questionnaire were used to document AF. One hundred and forty-one patients completed a follow-up of 457 ± 252 days. Before ablation, Holter-ECG showed AF in 45%, including 16% continuous AF throughout the recording. Event recording revealed a median AF burden of 26%. The questionnaire showed a median of weekly AF complaints lasting for hours. All but one patient had successful PVI with a single procedure. After ablation, AF (defined as lasting for more than 30 s) was seen in 11% of Holter-ECGs, with 1% continuous AF. The event recording showed an AF burden of 9%. The median patient reported no more AF-related symptoms. Recurrence during the first 3 months was predictive for later recurrence. A second procedure was performed in 24 patients. The freedom of AF was 59% without AADs after 1,2 procedures. Four right phrenic nerve paralyses occurred, all resolving within 6 months. No PV stenoses were observed. Conclusion Pulmonary vein isolation with a cryothermal balloon is an effective treatment for paroxysmal AF, resulting in a clinical success rate comparable to studies involving radiofrequency ablation. Temporary right phrenic nerve paralysis is the most important complication.