Transcription factors of the Stat family are controlled by protein kinases. Phosphorylation of a positionally conserved tyrosine residue is obligatory for Stat dimerization, nuclear translocation, and specific DNA binding. Studies of Stat1 and Stat3 have suggested that serine phosphorylation may also regulate function. We now identify serine residues located in a conserved PSP motif of Stat5a (Ser725) and Stat5b (Ser730) as major phosphorylation sites, using mutagenesis, phosphoamino acid analysis, and site-specific anti-Stat5-phosphoserine antibodies. Unexpectedly, phosphorylation control of this PSP motif differed between the highly homologous Stat5a and Stat5b proteins. Whereas Ser725 of Stat5a was constitutively phosphorylated both in COS-7 cells and Nb2 lymphocytes, phosphorylation of Ser730of Stat5b was markedly stimulated by prolactin. The data also suggested the existence of a second major serine phosphorylation site in Stat5a. Interestingly, constitutive phosphorylation of the PSP motif was suppressed by PD98059 but not by staurosporine under conditions in which both agents inhibited mitogen-activated protein kinases. Furthermore, pretreatment of cells with staurosporine, PD98059, H7, or wortmannin did not prevent either Stat5a or Stat5b from becoming maximally serine-phosphorylated after prolactin exposure. We propose that two pathways regulate Stat5 serine phosphorylation, one that is prolactin-activated and PD98059-resistant and one that is constitutively active and PD98059-sensitive and preferentially targets Stat5a. Finally, phosphorylation of the PSP motif of Stat5a or Stat5b was not essential for DNA binding or transcriptional activation of a β-casein reporter gene in COS-7 cells, suggesting that serine kinase control of Stat5 activity differs from that of Stat1 and Stat3.


The presence of a negatively charged residue in the transmembrane domain of DAP12 precludes its cell surface expression in the absence of a partner receptor containing a positive charge in its transmembrane domain. We utilized this property of DAP12 to screen a BALB / c macrophage cDNA library for novel molecules that induce cell surface expression of DAP12. By this method, we cloned a cell surface receptor with a single Ig (V) domain, a transmembrane lysine residue, and a short cytoplasmic domain. By homology screening of BALB / c macrophage libraries, we identified a second cDNA for a highly homologous receptor. These receptors appear to be the mouse orthologues of a recently identified human cDNA, TREM‐2, so we have designated the receptors as mouse TREM‐2a and TREM‐2b. By Northern blotting, transcripts for TREM‐2 were found in each of three macrophage cell lines but not in a variety of other hematopoietic cell lines. We further demonstrate that TREM‐2a is associated with endogenous DAP12 in macrophage cells, and cross‐linking of TREM‐2a on the surface of macrophages leads to the release of nitric oxide. Our studies define TREM‐2 as a receptor family in mouse macrophages and demonstrate the capacity of these receptors to activate macrophage function through DAP12.


Addition of MgO to Al-doped ZnO was successful in reduction of the phonon thermal conductivity,κph , in order to suppress the unfavorably high thermal conductivity, κ, of the material in terms of applications to thermoelectric conversion. The electrical conductivity, σ, of Zn0.98Al0.02O decreased with increasing amount of the added MgO, whereas the Seebeck coefficient was virtually unchanged up to (Zn0.9Mg0.1)0.98Al0.02O. Further Al2O3 doping was ineffective in improving σ. The carrier mobility decreased with increasing amount of the added MgO but was independent of the extent of the Al doping. In spite of the significant suppression of κ, the figure of merit was smaller for the MgO-added samples because of the marked decrease of σ.


Stress is a risk factor for mental illness. Acute stress activates the sympathetic nervous system and HPA axis as a survival mechanism whereas prolonged and excess stress induces cognitive decline and behavioral abnormalities. For instance, repeated social defeat stress, an animal model of depression, induces behavioral changes such as social avoidance. We previously reported that prostaglandin E 2 which is derived from microglia suppresses mesocortical dopaminergic pathway to induce social avoidance. However, we still do not know whether or how stress activates microglia, or whether microglial activation plays a role in stress-induced behavioral changes. To identify a molecule which is induced by repeated social defeat stress in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), we performed transcriptome analysis. Repeated social defeat stress upregulated S100A8 and S100A9 in the mPFC. These molecules form a heterodimer to exert their function. Intracellularly, S100A8/A9 migrates phagocytes in a calcium dependent manner. Extracellularly, S100A8/A9 activates Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). In this symposium, I will introduce the roles of TLRs in repeated stress-induced behavioral changes and the latest findings on inflammation-like responses.


Drug management cycle consist of selection, procurement, distribution, and use. Its inefficiency can induce badcondition for medical, social and economical aspect. The preliminary observation in Pharmacy Departement of PKUMuhammadiyah Temanggung Hospital, showed that it was found some problems in its drug management cycle.Therefore, it needs investigation to fix drug management cycle and its management support in the departement. The study was aimed to know the profile of drug management efficiency and its management support in Pharmacy Departement of PKU Muhammadiyah Temanggung Hospital in 2006, 2007 and 2008 repectively. This study was conducted by a descriptive observational design using retrospective and concurrent analysis. Qualitative and quantitative data was obtained as well as interview data from relevance department. Efficiency in allof drug management stages were measured using indicators from WHO, Pudjaningsih, and Health Department, thencompared with the the best result of different researches. The result showed that in selection, availability adjustment of drug with NEDL (National Essential Drug List) item is inefficient. Procurement, inefficient yet in frequency of drug purchasing, and sum of item of drug supplied;whereas it was efficient in drug funding allocation, and delay in invoice payment. For distribution, it has notefficient yet in accuracy of stock card and percentage of expired drug in 2008; whereas value of TOR was efficient.Use,it has not efficient yet in average number of drugs per encounter for inpatient in 2007 and in 2008; percentageof prescribing in generic name for inpatient and outpatient; percentage of antibiotic encounters for outpatient;percentage of injection encounters for inpatient and outpatient; percentage of drug prescribed from hospital drug list for inpatient and outpatient; and percentage of drugs dispensed for inpatient, but it was efficient for averagenumber of drugs per encounter for inpatient in 2006 and outpatient; percentage of antibiotic encounters for inpatient; average dispensing time; percentage of drugs dispensed for outpatient; and percentage of drugs actually labeled foroutpatient. Observation result for management supports showed that the pharmacy department had not build itsvision and mission yet; the positions of pharmacy department was as revenue center for the hospital; The informationmanagement in pharmacy department had been computerized; and there were actions to improve the quality of human resources in pharmacy department. Keywords : Drug management, indicator, efficiency, hospital's pharmacy departement.


Participatory planning and budgeting, which are key elements of progressive decentralization programs today, provide opportunities for better local accountability to the poor. But the only way of verifying that both national and local-level budgetary commitments, such as spending in areas of particular concern to women, are actually implemented is through direct auditing by poor communities and service users. Participatory auditing measures, however, are almost never included in public-sector accountability reforms. As a result, poor people, and particularly poor women, do not normally closely scrutinize government spending at the local level. Financial auditing is seen as the preserve of skilled officials. Equally unusual is the engagement of poor service users in 'social audits' that involve detailed monitoring of public-service delivery and the use of official mechanisms for actionable complaint. And yet, experience suggests that the most effective means of improving the quality of public spending from the point of view of poor women is to ensure that they engage in gender-sensitive processes of monitoring and auditing public services.


Whose fault are financial crises, and who is responsible for stopping them, or repairing the damage? Impunity and Capitalism develops a new approach to the history of capitalism and inequality by using the concept of impunity to show how financial crises stopped being crimes and became natural disasters. Trevor Jackson examines the legal regulation of capital markets in a period of unprecedented expansion in the complexity of finance ranging from the bankruptcy of Europe's richest man in 1709, to the world's first stock market crash in 1720, to the first Latin American debt crisis in 1825. He shows how, after each crisis, popular anger and improvised policy responses resulted in efforts to create a more just financial capitalism but succeeded only in changing who could act with impunity, and how. Henceforth financial crises came to seem normal and legitimate, caused by impersonal international markets, with the costs borne by domestic populations and nobody in particular at fault.


This report will review the results of the INDE/UT seismic monitoring program during the period from 7 May 1983 through 12 September 1983. During this period, the water level in the Pueblo Viejo reservoir rose from 762 m to 795 m. Water-induced earthquakes started to take place from June 16. As of September 12, 14 water-induced earthquakes were registered and located in proximity to the reservoir.


Allen, W. D. (2006). Bridge over troubled waters: An evaluation of a transitional program for students with disabilities (Morgan State University, Ed.D., 2005). DAI, 67(1), 67A. (Accession No. AAI3200505) Armstrong, J. M. (2006). The impact of short-term overseas assignments on community college faculty and staff (The University of Iowa, Ph.D., 2005). DAI, 67(1), 68A. (Accession No. AAI3202909) Baer, B. (2006). The learning college and student affairs in the community college (Morgan State University, Ed.D., 2005). DAI, 67(1), 40A. (Accession No. AAI3200507) Brown, E.A. (2006). The effectiveness of performance appraisals as measured by a community college's employees (Walden University, Ph.D., 2006). DAI, 67(1), 251A. (Accession No. AAI3206891) Brown, J. B., III. (2006). An analysis of student satisfaction at the Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville (Wilmington College, Ed.D., 2006). DAI, 67(1), 68A. (Accession No. AAI3199839) Bueno, N. (2006). Learning styles in an online environment: Students' dominant learning styles and learning outcomes in an online health education class (Pepperdine University, Ed.D., 2005). DAI, 67(1), 68A. (Accession No. AAI3202388) Colondres, D. M. W. (2006). International student support services: A model for United States community colleges (Pepperdine University, Ed.D., 2005). DAI, 67(1), 68A. (Accession No. AAI3202391) Curry, C. H. (2006). Evaluating the long-term effectiveness of a pilot women's empowerment program on female students enrolled at an urban community college (Wilmington College, Ed.D., 2006). DAI, 67(1), 69A. (Accession No. AAI3203344) Dallam, C. C. (2006). The demographic, motivational, and learning style characteristics of online and on-campus students at Wor-Wic Community College (Wilmington College, Ed.D., 2006). DAI, 67(1), 69A. (Accession No. AAI3203340) Dempsey, R. (2006). A constructive replication with modification of factors that influence curricular and pedagogical choices at public two-year community, state, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 31: 177–181, 2007 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1066-8926 print/1521-0413 online DOI: 10.1080/10668920601152334


In recent times, peri-urban land use planning is challenging in contemporary urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa in general and in Ethiopia in particular. This study analyzes peri-urban informal land market and tenure security status and its implications in peri-urban land use planning around Gondar city of Ethiopia. It uses primary data collected through household survey, field observation and key informant interviews, which are complemented by secondary data from national legal and policy documents, and regional and city administration reports. The analysis utilizes descriptive statistics and chi-square test. The result showed that a plot acquisition from peri-urban areas passes through its own stages, which mainly start to identify a plot for sale, and ends with the confirmation of letter of agreement signed by transacting parties without legal ground to do so. It also indicated the main actors (land brokers, local peri-urban landholders, social and religious relations) in the peri-urban informal land market, traditional social institutions (Idir, equb etc) played a significant role in processing peri-urban informal settlements, and stabilizing land related conflicts by social sanctions.


In the present study a comprehensive review on rheological characteristics of nanofluids for their advanced heat transfer applications has been conducted and presented. The present article critically summarizes the recent research developments regarding the theoretical and experimental investigations about viscosity of different nanofluids. In addition, different reasonably attractive theoretical models and experimental correlations are explored and well discussed. Moreover, the current study analyzes several factors those strongly influencing viscosity of nanofluids include solid volume fraction, temperature, particle size, particle shape, different base fluids, surfactants addition, ultrasonication, nanoclustering and pH value. Important theoretical and experimental results from many researchers and predictions from a number of viscosity models are compared and discussed with appropriate justification. Most results reveal that the viscosity of nanofluid upsurges due to an increase in particle concentration while that belittles with diminishing temperature. Augmentation of nano-additives size leads to decreasing/increasing of nanofluid fluid viscosity. For the most nanofluids, Newtonian behavior is observed for low volume fractions, shear rates, concentrations and viscosity while non-Newtonian behavior is visualized for high volume fractions, shear rates, concentrations and viscosity. Nanofluids used carbon nanotubes are almost non-Newtonian in nature while nanofluids not involving carbon nanotubes are mostly Newtonian. Finally, the research challenges and needs in this important area of nanofluids are also highlighted.


The product-reactant Ornstein-Zernike approach, represented by the polymer mean-spherical approximation (PMSA), is utilized to describe the structure and thermodynamic properties of the fluid of Yukawa hard sphere chain molecules. An analytical solution of the PMSA for the most general case of the multicomponent freely jointed hard sphere multi-Yukawa chain fluid is presented. As in the case of the regular MSA for the hard sphere Yukawa fluid, the problem is reduced to the solution of a set of nonlinear algebraic equations in the general case, and to a single equation in the case of the factorizable Yukawa potential coefficients. Closed form analytical expressions are presented for the contact values of the monomer-monomer radial distribution function, structure factors, internal energy, Helmholtz free energy, chemical potentials and pressure in terms of the quantities, which follows directly from the PMSA solution. By way of illustration, several different versions of the hard sphere Yukawa chain model are considered, represented by one-Yukawa chains of length m, where m = 2, 4, 8, 16. To validate the accuracy of the present theory, Monte Carlo simulations were carried out and the results are compared systematically with the theoretical results for the structure and thermodynamic properties of the system at hand. In general it is found that the theory performs very well, thus providing an analytical route to the equilibrium properties of a well defined model for chain fluids.


Abstract Background A crisis in pain management persists, as does the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, addiction, and diversion. Pain medicine is meeting these challenges by returning to its origins: the Bonica model of multidisciplinary pain care. The 2018 Academic Consortium White Paper detailed the historical context and magnitude of the pain crisis and the evidence base for nonpharmacologic strategies. More than 50% of chronic opioid use begins in the acute pain care setting. Acupuncture may be able to reduce this risk. Objective This article updates the evidence base for acupuncture therapy for acute pain with a review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on postsurgical/perioperative pain with opioid sparing and acute nonsurgical/trauma pain, including acute pain in the emergency department. Methods To update reviews cited in the 2018 White Paper, electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for "acupuncture" and "acupuncture therapy" and "acute pain," "surgery," "peri-operative," "trauma," "emergency department," "urgent care," "review(s) ," "systematic review," "meta-analysis," with additional manual review of titles, links, and reference lists. Results There are 22 systematic reviews, 17 with meta-analyses of acupuncture in acute pain settings, and a review for acute pain in the intensive care unit. There are additional studies of acupuncture in acute pain settings. Conclusion The majority of reviews found acupuncture therapy to be an efficacious strategy for acute pain, with potential to avoid or reduce opioid reliance. Future multicenter trials are needed to clarify the dosage and generalizability of acupuncture for acute pain in the emergency department. With an extremely low risk profile, acupuncture therapy is an important strategy in comprehensive acute pain care.


Schadenfreude and sympathy are often experienced at the intergroup level; however, little research has been conducted to examine their role in one of the most prominent and emotionally evocative intergroup contexts: the political arena. In this study, we assessed a sample of 506 Americans' (Age M = 41.69 years, SD = 13.94; 57% women) schadenfreude and sympathy (and related cognitions) in response to then-President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis (a salient misfortune of a contentious political figure), and how their schadenfreude, sympathy, and related cognitions were associated with shifts in voting intentions (own and public's) in the 2020 Presidential Election. We also examined trends in, and associations between, these variables by political affiliation (focusing on Democrats and Republicans) and gender (focusing on men and women). Unsurprisingly, compared to Republicans, Democrats expressed more schadenfreude and less sympathy. Contrary to previous research, however, Democrats' experiences of schadenfreude were tempered and were primarily driven by deservingness beliefs rather than intergroup competition or malice). Amongst Republicans only, men experienced stronger schadenfreude than women. Regarding voting intentions, participants were more likely to report that the diagnosis would impact shifts in the public's voting than their own voting, primarily in favor of the Democratic Party. Feelings of schadenfreude and sympathy were not significantly associated with anticipated shifts—rather, those who believed then-President Trump's diagnosis was deserved (cognition strongly associated with schadenfreude) were four times more likely to believe the public would change their vote to the Democratic Party. These findings are discussed in relation to research at the intersection of psychology and political science and have implications for politicians and psychologists who aim to understand emotions underlying partisanship and voting behavior.


We construct all possible noncommutative deformations of a Kleinian singularity C-2/Gamma of type D-n in terms of generators and relations, and solve the isomorphism problem for the associative algebras thus constructed. We prove that (in our parametrization) all isomorphisms arise from the action of the normalizer N-SL(2)(Gamma) on C/Gamma. We deduce that the moduli space of isomorphism classes of noncommutative deformations in type D-n is isomorphic to a vector space of dimension n.


Chiral supramolecular systems have been extensively studied over the past two decades because of their ability to mimic complex biological processes and their potential applications in enantioselective recognition, sensing, and catalysis. Chiral metallomacrocycles, as one of the simplest forms of chiral supramolecular systems, are of particular interest because of their relative ease of synthesis. In this chapter, we survey recent developments in the rational design and construction of chiral metallomacrocycles based on metal–ligand coordination and their applications. Based on the source of chirality, chiral metallomacrocycles can be broadly categorized into three synthetic strategies: (1) introduction of chiral bridging ligands, (2) use of chiral metal auxiliaries that possess chiral capping groups, and (3) use of inherently chiral metal centres having specific coordination geometries. The synthetic utility of these three strategies is illustrated in this chapter by some examples of chiral metallomacrocycles with diverse sizes and functionalities. A number of interesting applications, ranging from chiral sensing to asymmetric catalysis, are also described.


THE APPLICATION OF A SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS TO ASSESSMENTS OF NATIONAL POWER George T. Hodermarsky Old Dominion University, 2005 Director: Dr. Kurt Taylor Gaubatz This dissertation proposes an approach and methodology for the utilization of the fundamentals o f systems theory as an aid to national security decision-making. At its core is an examination of the elements of nations' or non-state actor's power resources. The product o f the analysis is the compilation of a set of nodes, and the relationships between these, upon which actions may be taken to achieve desired effects. Since the boundaries between the subsystems of power resources are flexible and permeable, and there will be interactions between elements in different subsystems, a system o f systems approach is essential so that the functioning of the system may be better understood and the secondary consequences of actions considered. The premise is that changes cannot occur in isolation, and that alterations in one component will result in modifications (intended or unintended) to related elements. The goal of the approach is not precise prediction of the effects of actions, but rather to provide for understanding of the relationships between elements of national power that will lead to expectations of the consequences of those actions. The hypothesis is: If national power is characterized as nonlinear and complex; and, if approaches recently developed in mathematics and the physical sciences provide a means of enhanced understanding of nonlinear systems; then, utilization o f such an approach may provide a metaphor or model for increased understanding of the system and the secondary effects of coercive actions taken to achieve objectives. This Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. dissertation will attempt to confirm the existence of the first two conditions, and will provide arguments and a design for accomplishment of the third. An ex post analysis of three conflicts where coercion by military means was the primary strategy— Somalia, 1992-1995; Kosovo, 1999; and, Afghanistan, 2001—will be used as case studies. These examples will provide illustration of the utilization of the principles of the system of systems construct and exposition of the potential of this methodology to enhance the understanding of the effects of coercive actions. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.


The electric polarization of an interface between an isotropic medium and a uniaxial transparent crystal is analyzed. The case in which the optical axis lies on the incidence plane is considered. When the incidence angle is Brewster's, angle is shown that the effective electric polarization of the interface has the direction of the reflected ray.


Observations over the last decade have shown that neutron stars (NSs) receive a kick velocity (of order a hundred to a thousand km s−1) at birth. The physical origin of the kicks and the related supernova asymmetry is an unsolved problem. We study observational constraints on kicks for isolated pulsars and for neutron stars in binary systems. For several young pulsars, X-ray observations of compact nebulae showed that pulsar proper motion is aligned with the spin direction as defined by the symmetry axis of the nebula. Such alignment is also seen from a new analysis of radio polarization data for a large number of pulsars. On the other hand, for various NS binaries (including double NS systems, binaries with massive main-sequence star companion and binaries with massive white-dwarf companion), we find that the kick velocity is misaligned with the the NS spin axis in a number of systems, and the NS spin period (when available) in these systems is generally longer than several hundreds milliseconds. These observational constraints suggest that the kick timescale is hundreds of milliseconds to 1s, so that spin-kick alignment or misalignment can be obtained depending on the initial spin period of the NS. We discuss the implication of our result for various NS kick mechanisms.


A new PPF-BCN/hyPCL32-N3 injectable system that can be crosslinked by catalyst-free, strain promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) click chemistry was developed for tissue engineering applications. The system was consisted of two components: PPF-BCN, poly (propylene fumarate) (PPF) functionalized with (1R,8S,9s)-bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yn-9-ylmethanol (BCN-OH), and hyPCL32-N3, a hyper-branched 32-arm poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) dendrimer functionalized with azide as the cross-linker core. Fast SPAAC click reaction allowed the desired gelation of the system without using any toxic initiator or catalyst. Compared to the conventional injectable formulation, e.g., poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA), our PPF-BCN/hyPCL32-N3 (abbreviated as PFCL-Click) injectable system showed enhanced biocompatibility and low heat generation during crosslinking. After reaction, the crosslinked PFCL-Click scaffolds supported excellent proliferation and differentiation of pre-osteoblast cells on the surface. The PFCL-Click system can be successfully injected into vertebral bodies of rabbit spine and can be monitored by X-ray imaging after incorporating zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) powder. With these unique advantages, this injectable system has promising potential for bone defect repair and other tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.


Manufacturers of acoustic bat detectors use proprietary microphones with different frequency responses, sensitivities, and directionality. Researchers implement various waterproofing strategies to protect microphones from inclement weather. These factors cause different detector models to have unique sampling areas and likely results in dissimilar data recording. We tested whether SM2BAT+ (SM2) and Anabat SD2 (Anabat) bat detectors record dissimilar data when weatherproofed in a manner suitable for long-term passive sampling. We deployed detectors at 71 random points near Indianapolis, Indiana (USA), from May to August, 2012–2013. We used 45° polyvinyl chloride tubes to weatherproof directional Anabat microphones and the stock foam shielding to cover omnidirectional SM2 microphones. Anabat and SM2 microphones were paired at 2-m and 5-m heights. We adjusted file parameters to make Anabat and SM2 data comparable. We identified files to phonic group (low, midrange, and Myotis) using Bat Call ID software. The effects of detector type, phonic group, height, and their interactions on mean files recorded per site were assessed using generalized estimating equations and least-significant-differences pairwise comparisons. Anabats recorded more low and midrange files, but fewer Myotis files per site than did SM2s. When comparing the same model of detectors, deployment height did not affect data acquisition. Weatherproofing may limit the ability of Anabats to record Myotis, but Anabat microphones may have greater detection ranges for low and midrange bats. We demonstrated that the ability to record bat calls in different frequency ranges varies with microphone type and weatherproofing strategy, which implies that best practices for presence–absence surveys may also vary for bats in different phonic groups. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.


Based on static outdoor channel measurements we evaluate the influence of a vehicle on the MIMO radio channel, from a base station antenna array, to a multiple antenna handset in the hand of a user placed inside a test car. The measurement scenario is chosen to mimic a 2.6 GHz (LTE) macro-cell urban or rural scenario with two locations and orientations of the car, one at an open parking lot with a strong line-of-sight component, and one between buildings with no line-of-sight. The measurements are repeated several times with the user phantom plus handset positioned at the same spot within the car and with the car absent. Figures of the penetration loss, impact on fading statistics, mean delay, delay spread, terminal antenna correlation, eigenvalue distributions, as well as the performance of various hybrid diversity combining and spatial multiplexing schemes, are evaluated and compared with and without the vehicle present. It is found that the car make the channel statistics become more Rayleigh like and increases multipath channel richness, improving the potential of diversity gain and, to some extent, spatial multiplexing.


Intestinal glycoprotein synthesis and secretion were measured in vivo and in vitro in rats treated for 7 days with reserpine. Goblet cell mucin was measured by radioimmunoassay. Reserpine-treated rats contained 1.4 times more mucin in intestinal tissue than control rats (P less than 0.05) and incorporated [1-14C]glucosamine in vivo at 1.52 times the rate of controls (P less than 0.01). Intestinal slices incubated for 90 min in vivo incorporated 1.4 times more [14C]glucosamine (P less than 0.001) and 3.0 times more [3H]threonine (P less than 0.01) into protein of reserpine-treated tissue than controls. The extra 14C was localized to mucin and to smaller components that had affinity for Concanavalin-A-Sepharose, did not bind to mucin antibody, and were therefore nonmucin glycopeptides. In vitro secretion of mucin was three times greater for reserpine-treated tissue than for control tissue (P less than 0.0001). There was an impairment in the mucin secretory response of reserpine-treated tissue to the addition of cholera toxin. Thus, chronic reserpine treatment results primarily in a generalized increase in the rate of intestinal glycoprotein synthesis, subsequent accumulation in tissues, and an increased (but not fully proportional) secretion of mucin. We speculate that in cystic fibrosis a similar sequence of glycoprotein abnormalities may be responsible for the gradual obliteration of exocrine gland ducts with viscous mucus.


Nowadays, the great diffusion of advanced devices, such as smart-phones, has shown that there is a growing trend to rely on new technologies to generate and/or support progress; the society is clearly ready to trust on next-generation communication systems to face today's concerns on economic and social fields. The reason for this sociological change is represented by the fact that the technologies have been open to all users, even if the latter do not necessarily have a specific knowledge in this field, and therefore the introduction of new user-friendly applications has now appeared as a business opportunity and a key factor to increase the general cohesion among all citizens. Within the actors of this technological evolution, wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) networks are becoming of great importance. These wireless networks are made up of interconnected low-power devices that are able to provide a great variety of services with little
or even no user intervention. Examples of these services can be fleet management, fire detection, utilities consumption (water and energy distribution, etc.) or patients monitoring. However, since any arising technology goes together with its security threats, which have to be faced, further studies are necessary to secure wireless M2M technology. In this context, main threats are those related to attacks to the services availability and to the privacy of both the subscribers' and the services providers' data. Taking into account the often limited resources of the M2M devices at the hardware level, ensuring the availability and privacy requirements in the range of M2M applications while minimizing the waste of valuable resources is even more challenging.
Based on the above facts, this Ph. D. thesis is aimed at providing efficient security solutions for wireless M2M networks that effectively reduce energy consumption of the network while not affecting the overall security services of the system. With this goal, we first propose a coherent taxonomy of M2M network that allows us to identify which security topics deserve special attention and which entities or specific services are particularly threatened. Second, we define an efficient, secure-data aggregation scheme that is able to increase the network lifetime by optimizing the energy consumption of the devices. Third, we propose a novel physical authenticator or frame checker that minimizes the communication costs in wireless channels and that successfully faces exhaustion attacks.
Fourth, we study specific aspects of typical key management schemes to provide a novel protocol which ensures the distribution of secret keys for all the cryptographic methods used in this system. Fifth, we describe the collaboration with the WAVE2M community in order to define a proper frame format actually able to support the necessary security services, including the ones that we have already proposed; WAVE2M was funded to promote the global use of an emerging wireless communication technology for ultra-low and long-range services. And finally sixth, we provide with an accurate analysis of privacy solutions that actually fit M2M-networks services' requirements. All the analyses along this thesis are corroborated by simulations that confirm significant improvements in terms of efficiency while supporting the necessary security requirements for M2M networks.


Objective: To identify and evaluate the quality of evidence supporting prophylactic use of treatments for stress ulcers and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Stress ulcers, erosions of the stomach and duodenum, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding are well-known complications of critical illness in children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Data Sources: Studies were identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PUBMED; LILACS; Scirus. We also scanned bibliographies of relevant studies. Study Selection: This systematic review of randomized controlled trials assessed the effects of drugs for stress-related ulcers, gastritis, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in critically ill children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Two reviewers independently extracted the relevant data. Most randomized controlled trials were judged as having unclear risk of bias. When pooling two randomized controlled trials, treatment was significantly more effective in preventing upper gastrointestinal bleeding (macroscopic or important bleeding) compared with no treatment (two studies = 300 participants; relative risk, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.91; I2 = 12%). Meta-analysis of two studies found no significant difference in death rates among groups (two randomized controlled trials = 132 participants; relative risk, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.70–2.79; I2 = 4%). The rate of pneumonia was not significantly different when comparing treatment and no treatment in one study. When comparing ranitidine with no treatment, significant differences were found in the proportion of mechanically ventilated children with normal gastric mucosal endoscopic findings by histologic specimens (one randomized controlled trial = 48 participants; relative risk, 3.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.34–9.29). No significant differences were found when comparing different drugs (omeprazole, ranitidine, sucralfate, famotidine, amalgate), doses, or regimens for main outcomes (deaths, endoscopic findings of erosion or ulcers, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, or pneumonia). Conclusions: Although pooled data of two studies suggested that critically ill pediatric patients may benefit from receiving prophylactic treatment to prevent upper gastrointestinal bleeding, we found that high-quality evidence to guide clinical practice is still limited.


A bench scale unit (2 m3N/h) for removing CO2 from flue gas was operated. Based on a chemical absorption/regeneration process with aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) solution, we have evaluated the energy requirement for regeneration and degree of CO2 removal as a function of reboiler temperature, MEA concentration, CO2 concentration in the flue gas and ratio of the flow rate of liquid and flue gas. For verification of the experimental results from the bench scale CO2 capture unit, we have also calculated the regeneration energy by the summation of the reaction enthalpy of CO2, the sensible heat and the heat of vaporization of MEA solution and have compared these results with those of bench scale tests. It was observed that the regeneration energy using a 30 wt% MEA solution was 4.29 GJ/ton CO2 (experiment) and 4.55 GJ/ton CO2 (estimation), respectively. Also, the degree of CO2 removal increases with an increase in reboiler temperature and ratio of the flow rate of liquid and flue gas, while CO2 regeneration energy decreases with an increase in MEA concentration and CO2 concentration in the flue gas.


Abstract Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most frequent arrhythmia of older patients, associates with serious thromboembolic complications and high mortality. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severely affects aged subjects, determining an important prothrombotic status. The aim of this study was to evaluate mortality-related factors in older AF patients with COVID-19. Methods Between March and June 2020, we enrolled ≥60 year-old in-hospital COVID-19 patients (n = 806) in GeroCovid, a multicenter observational study promoted by the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. Results The prevalence of AF was 21.8%. In-hospital mortality was higher in the AF group (36.9 vs. 27.5%, p = 0.015). At admission, 51.7, 10.2, and 38.1% of AF cases were taking, respectively, oral anticoagulants (OACs), antiplatelet agents, and no antithrombotic therapy. During hospitalization, 51% patients switched to low-molecular-weight heparins. AF patients who survived were younger (81 ± 8 vs. 84 ± 7 years; p = 0.002) and had a lower CHA2DS2-VASc score (3.9 ± 1.6 vs. 4.4 ± 1.3; p = 0.02) than those who died. OAC use before (63.1 vs. 32.3%; p < 0.001) and during hospitalization (34.0 vs. 12.7%; p = 0.002) was higher among survivors. At multivariable analysis, lower age, higher self-sufficiency, less severe initial COVID-19 presentation, and the use of vitamin K antagonists (odds ratio [OR] = 0.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03–0.84) or direct OACs (OR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.08–0.56) at admission, or the persistence of OAC during hospitalization (OR = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01–0.24), were associated with a lower chance of in-hospital death. Conclusion AF is a prevalent and severe condition in older COVID-19 patients. Advanced age, dependency, and relevant clinical manifestations of disease characterized a worse prognosis. Preadmission and in-hospital anticoagulant therapies were positively associated with survival.


Mammalian spermatozoa are sensitive to oxygen-induced damages mediated by lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) could also induce axonemal damage. When Percoll-separated spermatozoa were treated with hydrogen peroxide, or the combination xanthine and xanthine oxidase (X + XO), there was a progressive decrease, leading to a complete arrest, in sperm flagellar beat frequency. Once demembranated in a medium containing magnesium adenosine triphosphate (Mg.ATP), ROS-immobilized spermatozoa still reactivated motility; however, the percentage and duration of motility obtained in these tests gradually decreased to zero in the next hour. In 50% of the cases, motility of intact spermatozoa spontaneously reinitiated after 6 to 24 hours of immobilization due to ROS treatment, although with percentages and beat frequencies lower than those of untreated spermatozoa. Studies using ROS scavengers (such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, and dimethylsulfoxide) indicated that hydrogen peroxide was the most toxic of the ROS involved, but that .O2- and .OH probably also played a role in immobilization of spermatozoa by ROS. The data suggest that ROS induce a chain of events leading to sperm immobilization, that axonemes are affected, and that limited endogenous repair mechanisms exist to reverse these damages.


The development of a country or a region is necessarily accompanied by an increase in energy consumption. The Upper Paraguay River Basin is no exception to this rule and the energy demand has been growing in recent years. The solution adopted to supply the region was the installation of hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants. Both forms of energy generation have environmental consequences, but the dams are icons in terms of impacts and for this reason they are targeted by this approach, which aims to make a preliminary assessment of the effects of these dams on the river discharge and sediment transport in basin. To achieve this objective we have used data available from dams in operation and design, besides fluvial discharge data and concentration of sediment available for the basin. In 2010 there were 26 hydroelectric plants in operation and 96 others already licensed. When completed, will influence 44% of affluent discharge plateau and will manage 52% of the sediments tributary to the Pantanal. Such a deduction could offset the increased transportation provided by the occupation of the basin, but as for its intensity, can promote the degradation of the Pantanal. The Cuiaba River will be most affected by the discharge control and rivers with alluvial fans will be most affected by the cut of bed sediments. Preliminary data indicate the need to monitor the transport of bed load in the basin.


Skepticism permeates our profession. It is ingrained during medical training and reinforced by professional experience. Who among us has not repeatedly seen claims for fourth-generation drugs with no side effects, new operations that yield glowing results with minimal complications, or the latest infallible, high-tech diagnostic procedure... only to discover months or years later that these claims missed the truth by miles. Small wonder most of us are skeptics. To be skeptical is to be detached, rational, and objective. Skepticism is widely perceived as the prudent, conservative way to deal with ambiguous situations—times when even experts are confounded. Healthy skepticism is the "in" attitude for intelligent, discriminating physicians. But healthy for whom? Four years ago I was diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The experience has given me a new perspective of my profession, one that is not always flattering. In one early report, the average CFS patient had previously


This groundbreaking book analyses changing patterns of governance in modern democratic societies. Frank Vibert discusses how far we should be concerned about such changes and what we should be concerned about. Crucially, Vibert clarifies the status of regulation, revealing how regulation should be viewed, not only as a technique offering specific responses to particular policy problems, but also in its new role as the key mechanism for making adjustments between the different systems of coordination used in contemporary governance.


In a homogeneous continuous-time Markov chain on a finite state space, two states that jump to every other state with the same rate are called similar. By partitioning states into similarity classes, the algebraic derivation of the transition matrix can be simplified, using hidden holding times and lumped Markov chains. When the rate matrix is reversible, the transition matrix is explicitly related in an intuitive way to that of the lumped chain. The theory provides a unified derivation for a whole range of useful DNA base substitution models, and a number of amino acid substitution models.


PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the trends in publications made to International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management (IJQRM) for time period ranging from 2002–2022. In this study authors performed bibliometric analysis on the publications extracted from Scopus database using citations, authors, keywords and bibliographic coupling methods. The analysis helped authors highlighting the achievements of the journal towards the development of field of "quality" and "reliability" management and explore future avenues to be researched upon in the domain.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper outputs derived through VoS viewer and bibliographic data of Scopus were used to examine various tabular and pictorial aspects of the authors, sources, documents, countries and keywords analysis.FindingsThe analysis results revealed that International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management (IJQRM) has got incredible 33,344 citations since 2002 with average citation count per document at 22.69. Sohal A.S. from Monash University, Australia has topped the list of most influential authors in terms of citations per document (107.20 citations/doc) published with IJQRM. However, Antony J. with massive 39 publications in total with 2074 citations is the most prominent contributor for the journal. The author has gained 6% of the total journal citations. The contributions from India, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Iran, Australia, Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are more noteworthy.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has implications for future researchers and journal editorial team to explore possibilities in tapping various uncovered and upcoming research areas related to the scope of journal. The findings of the study may prompt research initiatives linked to diverse fields in sync with changes happening across globe such as: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science etc.Originality/valueThe study is an attempt to investigate the long standing heritage offered by IJQRM to the world of quality and reliability management. The authors tried to unearth some hidden facts about the IJQRM and attempted to showcase the past and explore future directions to the researchers and editorial team.


The implementation of genomic selection (GS) together with the changes caused by globalization and trade liberalization of breeding material often raise the question of sustainability of breeding programs in small
cattle populations/countries. The objective of this study was to describe the steps in the implementation of GS in small populations of Croatian Simmental (SIM) and Holstein (HOL) breeds; to show the results of its implementation; and to present the perspectives of GS for these populations. In order to improve the selection of SIM bulls, Croatia joined the German-Austrian genomic evaluation system in July 2013. The main goal of the GS in HOL population was selection of bull's dams at a young age which started in 2016 through the inclusion in German HOL genomic evaluation system. In total, 268 SIM and 96 HOL calves were selected, genotyped, and genomically tested until the end of 2017. The criterion for the entry of SIM bulls in the artificial insemination (AI)
centres is the total merit index over 130 and candidates should not be carriers of specific monogenic defects or be recessive for them. Based on these criteria, seven young bulls were selected as for AI. The criteria for the selection of HOL females are the total merit index of 150, without monogenic defects and so far none of them reached these standards. The future perspective for HOL breed is international IgHol project for small HOL populations representing the possibility for cost-efficient solutions of GS. The implementation of GS brought opportunity to Croatian breeders to use semen of bulls from the national
breeding program. Genomics for females becomes an attractive option to capitalise the benefits of using this technology.


The Madden–Julian Oscillation's (MJO's) "skeleton" is its fundamental features on intraseasonal/planetary scales: (i) slow eastward phase speed of roughly 5 m/s, (ii) peculiar dispersion relation with dω/dk ≈ 0, and (iii), horizontal quadrupole vortex structure. The MJO skeleton model is a minimal, nonlinear oscillator model that captures these three features together. The fundamental mechanism involves interactions between moisture, convective activity, and equatorial fluid dynamics. Further details beyond the MJO skeleton are referred to as the MJO's "muscle" and include refined vertical structure and upscale convective moment transport from sub-planetary-scale convection and waves.


Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is a mathematical technique that has been extensively applied to Boolean data in knowledge discovery, information retrieval, web mining, etc. applications. During the past years, the research on extending FCA theory to cope with imprecise and incomplete information made significant progress. In this paper, we give a systematic overview of the more than 120 papers published between 2003 and 2011 on FCA with fuzzy attributes and rough FCA. We applied traditional FCA as a text-mining instrument to 1072 papers mentioning FCA in the abstract. These papers were formatted in pdf files and using a thesaurus with terms referring to research topics, we transformed them into concept lattices. These lattices were used to analyze and explore the most prominent research topics within the FCA with fuzzy attributes and rough FCA research communities. FCA turned out to be an ideal metatechnique for representing large volumes of unstructured texts.


A multifunctional measurement complex has been created on the basis of the National Instruments PXIe 1065 platform for automating measurements of the optical characteristics of the secondary luminescence of quantum dots in the visible region. The complex makes it possible to simultaneously record the fluorescence spectra and Raman spectra and to determine the degree of polarization of the radiation and the fluorescence-quenching time. Because of the high computational power of the platform, it is possible to efficiently discriminate low-energy signals and to carry out high-speed processing of experimental data in real time.


Background The distribution of human parvovirus B19 (HPV B19) infection is ubiquitous and occurs worldwide. The virus has high tropism to red blood cells progenitor's cells leading to temporary infection of bone marrow and transient arrest of erythropoiesis. People with frequent episodes of hemolytic anemia including sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia are at increased risk of infection. This study aimed at assessing prevalence and factors associated with HPV B19 infections among hospitalized SCD patients. Methodology This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study among SCD patients hospitalized at Muhimbili National Hospital. HPV B19 was detected using RT-PCR. Hematological and Chemistry tests were done using Sysmex XT2000i and Chemistry analyzer respectively. Results A total of 329 SCD patients, median age 15 years (interquartile range 7–22 years) were tested for HPV B19. The prevalence of HPV B19 was 29%. In multivariate logistic regression model, HPV B19 infection was associated with pain (OR=4.28, 95%CI: 1.20–15.19; p=0.025), low neutrophil counts (OR=0.57, 95%CI: 0.35–0.92, p=0.022) and MCH (OR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.85–0.99; p=0.033). Individuals infected with HPV B19 had slightly higher prevalence of severe anaemia (30.4% vs. 20.3%, p=0.054) and HIV infection (6.0% vs. 2.1%, p=0.083) in the univariate analysis. Considering the effect of HPV B19 virus on spleen, aplastic anemia and platelet counts in SCD patients, our study did not find any association with these parameters (p=0.244; p= 0.205 and p=0.567 respectively). Conclusion The prevalence of HPV B19 among hospitalized SCD patients at MNH was high. SCD patients with HPV B19 were more likely to present with pain, low neutrophils levels, and MCH. HIV infection might be associated with a high risk of HPV infection in SCD patients; however, this requires further investigation.


We explore the distributional consequences of various fee schemes and other policy programs to reduce overfishing in the gulf of Mexico recreational fishery. The econometric model allows the marginal utility of income to vary across three income groups. We find that flat fees have a strong proportional effect on the participation of shore fishermen, where low-income anglers predominate, and a relatively small impact on the expensive charter fishery. We also find that the welfare consequences of declining catch rates would fall disproportionately on low-income anglers. (JEL Q51, Q22)


Home‐care of even severely disabled children is strongly favoured today. However, the role of technical aids for daily activities has not been emphasised in the assessment of the needs of families with disabled children. This study evaluated the extent of help needed for daily living among 204 disabled children and the uses and role of and need for technical aids for eating, dressing, toileting and bathing. The children needed much help. Severely disabled children and their parents benefited most from the use of aids. The structured interview unexpectedly revealed many problems, including a considerable need for extra aids for dressing, bathing and toileting. The parents were ready to accept technical aids, but needed more information on their possibilities, benefits and therapeutic aspects. The authors conclude that the need for technical aids for daily activities is not readily recognised during outpatient or hospital visits.


Magnetic Oxygen-Loaded Nanobubbles (MOLNBs), manufactured by adding Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) on the surface of polymeric nanobubbles, are investigated as theranostic carriers for delivering oxygen and chemotherapy to brain tumors. Physicochemical and cyto-toxicological properties and in vitro internalization by human brain microvascular endothelial cells as well as the motion of MOLNBs in a static magnetic field were investigated. MOLNBs are safe oxygen-loaded vectors able to overcome the brain membranes and drivable through the Central Nervous System (CNS) to deliver their cargoes to specific sites of interest. In addition, MOLNBs are monitorable either via Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Ultrasound (US) sonography. MOLNBs can find application in targeting brain tumors since they can enhance conventional radiotherapy and deliver chemotherapy being driven by ad hoc tailored magnetic fields under MRI and/or US monitoring.


Tree abundance and species composition in the mechanically logged, intensively pitsawn and minimally disturbed areas of Kalinzu Forest Reserve were determined. The spatial and diameter size-class distribution of ten selected tree species representing pioneer, secondary colonizer, understorey, canopy, dominant and endangered species were also assessed. The species were: Musanga leo-errerae, Trema orientalis, Funtumia africana, Strombosia scheffleri, Oxyansus speciosus, Parinari excelsa, Tabernaemontana holstii, Newtonia buchananii, Lovoa swynnertonii and Entandrophragma angolense. The mean stem density of all trees ≥0.5 m in height was 2809.1 per hectare and 150 species were enumerated in the three forest areas. Most individuals (47.73%) and species (75.0%) were recorded in the minimally disturbed and least in the mechanically logged areas. Of the selected species, F. africana was the most abundant (n = 789) and widely distributed in each of the areas. Entandrophragma angolense was the least abundant (n = 63) and most of its individuals (74.6%) were recorded in the minimally disturbed area. Funtumia africana and S. scheffleri (subcanopy), O. speciosus and T. holstii (understorey), N. buchananii (canopy) and P. excelsa (an upper canopy and a climax species of this forest reserve) had an inverse J-shaped diameter size-class structure while pioneer species (M. leo-errerae and T. orientalis) had a bell-shaped size-class structure.


OBJECTIVE
To examine several predictors of financial capacity as assessed via the Independent Living Scales Money Management (ILS-MM) subtest in a regression correlational design.

METHOD
One hundred and five college students were administered measures of financial literacy and financial experience, as well as multiple neuropsychological measures assessing language, processing speed, executive functioning, and arithmetic. Using hierarchical regression analyses, we sought to predict performance on the two subscales of the ILS-MM-Problem Solving and Performance/Information. The former assesses financial knowledge (e.g., defining financial terms such as health insurance) whereas the latter assesses financial abilities (e.g., computing a financial balance).

RESULTS
After controlling for demographic variables, financial literacy and experience predicted the Problem Solving subscale, but not the Performance subscale. Neuropsychological measures did not account for additional variance. In contrast, after controlling for demographic variables and financial literacy and financial experience, neuropsychological measures predicted the Performance but not the Problem Solving subscale. The key predictor was the Arithmetic subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test4, which is not surprising given the mathematical demands of the task. Measures of executive functioning were not related to this measure.

CONCLUSIONS
Financial capacity is a broad construct, encompassing many financial abilities and concepts. To predict these, a variety of measures is necessary: financial literacy and experience predict knowledge-based items, whereas neuropsychological measures, especially arithmetic, predict performance-based items. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed as well as directions for future investigation.


Aims. Radio data on the nuclear emissions have been used to characterize the dominant nuclear activity in a sample of FIR (ultra-) luminous galaxies and the subgroup of known OH Megamasers. This study complements an earlier study of the optical classification of these Megamaser nuclei. Methods. Classification of the radio activity in the nuclei is based on three critical parameters: the radio brightness temperature, the radio spectral index, and the ratio of FIR and radio fluxes. A first method gives equal weight to the three parameters and a second method uses a weighted function to classify the nuclei. Results. The present sample shows that only 43% of the sample shows some – weak or strong – AGN characteristics. About 66% of the OH-MM sample and 81% of the non-OH-MM sample can be actually classified as Starburst-dominated sources. Radio diagnostic diagrams using these diagnostic parameters show a continuous distribution ranging between AGN-dominated and SBN-dominated sources. The diagnostic diagrams also support the notion that AGNs and starbursts coexist in the nuclei. Conclusions. A comparison of the radio and optical classifications shows a consistency in the extreme cases of clear SBN and AGNs. A significant part of the sources with optical AGN-like activity have an SBN classification in the radio. The discrepant classifications are discussed in order to arrive at a final classification of the dominant power source in the nucleus.


Objective To evaluate the feasibility of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to conventional MRI for the diagnosis of internal derangements of the knee at 3T. Materials and Methods Following Institutional Review Board approval, image sets of conventional and synthetic MRI in 39 patients were included. Two musculoskeletal radiologists compared the image sets and qualitatively analyzed the images. Subjective image quality was assessed using a four-grade scale. Interobserver agreement and intersequence agreement between conventional and synthetic images for cartilage lesions, tears of the cruciate ligament, and tears of the meniscus were independently assessed using Kappa statistics. In patients who underwent arthroscopy (n = 8), the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for evaluated internal structures were calculated using arthroscopic findings as the gold standard. Results There was no statistically significant difference in image quality (p = 0.90). Interobserver agreement (κ = 0.649– 0.981) and intersequence agreement (κ = 0.794–0.938) were nearly perfect for all evaluated structures. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting cartilage lesions (sensitivity, 63.6% vs. 54.6–63.6%; specificity, 91.9% vs. 91.9%; accuracy, 83.3–85.4% vs. 83.3–85.4%) and tears of the cruciate ligament (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, 100% vs. 100%) and meniscus (sensitivity, 50.0–62.5% vs. 62.5%; specificity, 100% vs. 87.5–100%; accuracy, 83.3–85.4% vs. 83.3–85.4%) were similar between the two MRI methods. Conclusion Conventional and synthetic MRI showed substantial to almost perfect degree of agreement for the assessment of internal derangement of knee joints. Synthetic MRI may be feasible in the diagnosis of internal derangements of the knee.


This interpretive study of eight cognitively young older consumers explores how they perceive time, how they use their time, and how this affects their consumption activities. The authors review how time has been examined in consumer research and apply their findings to previous approaches to understanding time consumption. These cognitively young older consumers were found to be actively involved in the world, having a number of demands and obligations. They were still very much part of today's material world and had a strong future orientation.


In this study fifteen strains of identified Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis were investigated for biological control activity against Botrytis cinerea. P. fluorescens P-35 and B. subtilis B-16 showed the most inhibitory zone in dual culture assay against B. cinerea, In vitro. After ten days, P. fluorescens P-5 and B. subtilis B-3 showed the considerable results against B. cinerea on apple fruits and could reduce the grey mould from 100% to less than 35%. After twenty days, P. fluorescens P-5 and 8. subtilis B-16 decreased the disease from 100% to less than 65%. Also, application of thiabendazol at 1500 mg/litre was more effective and could reduce the disease from 100% to 30% and 60%, after 10 and 20 days respectively. Results indicated that there is no significant difference among the treatments (thiabendazol and bacterial strains). So, bacterial strains could not only control the disease but also be a reliable replacement instead of Thiabendazol.


The European economy is facing a real challenge regarding the financing of its growth opportunities. It needs to diversify corporate financing, channel households savings towards long-term and riskier investments and achieve a genuine European capital market. This should be achieved through a real ??Investment and Financing Union??. Setting the conditions of an efficient capital allocation of the European financial system is essential to support productive investment. Hence a new significant increase of capital requirements for the banking system must avoided. Increasing equity financing of corporations demands a modification of the saving fiscal rules and the supply of new saving products for households. Financial regulation also has to guarantee a plurality of the different capital financing channels and a better control of the shadow banking institutions is necessary to achieve its stability. Classification JEL: E21, E22, E60, F36, G20.


An improved technique of skin-color modelling for face detection in video is proposed. The skin-color is modelled as a combination of histogram based and data-mining based approaches. To solve a skin-color modelling problem in the presence of lighting variation, unconstrained environment, variation in races, resulting skin-color model is a product that minimizes registration errors and increases robustness and accuracy of the face detection in video system. The method improves applications performance on 7%, which is a significant advantage.


The construction applications of structural steel mainly include super high-rise buildings and long-span structures. The advantages offered by structural steel to the construction sector and building environment have long been recognised, as evidenced by the increasing market share of structural steelwork in many marketplaces, but not in Hong Kong. The annual import quantity of fabricated steel structures in Hong Kong is 0.2 - 0.3 million tons, which indicates a low demand for structural steelwork in the local construction industry. This study aims to identify the major barriers and potential driving factors to the use of structural steel in Hong Kong. Interviews were conducted with a private developer, three main contractors, and two steel specialist contractors. These industry professionals offered four construction applications that addressed the major problems and driving factors for using steel-framed structures. The four cases included a Chinese opera centre, a swimming pool, a 24-story hotel, and a commercial building. These case studies reveal that steel-framed structures are adopted only for projects that have technical requirements. Otherwise, reinforced concrete structures are used because steel-framed structures are cost-efficient for super high-rise and long-span structures but not for normal types of buildings. The fast construction of structural steelwork can result in an early return on investment, which may outweigh the high construction cost. This advantage will be particularly significant for retail building projects with high land prices in Hong Kong. This study offers strategies for facilitating the fast construction of structural steelwork. If these strategies are implemented to resolve problems, then the application of steel-framed structures to many tall buildings in Hong Kong can be feasible.


The aluminium and silicon carbide-based composite (Al-SiC) material was prepared using commercially available analytical grade Al7075 alloy and SiC. Here the silicon carbide is used as reinforcement particles in the composites. The metal composites were developed using liquid melt techniques (Vortex method). The reinforcement material is introduced in different weight fractions in the range of 0 to 10% in this process. These Al-SiC specimens were used for assessment of its corrosion properties. The acid corrosion experiments were carried out at room temperature (30 ±1oC). The corrosion characteristics were estimated using the conventional weight loss method according to the procedure of ASTM G69-80. The composites performance was evaluated using microstructural analysis and the corrosion resistance tendency in different acidic environmental conditions. The SEM micrographs picture reveals that reinforcement particle was distributed uniformly. The corrosion test was conducted in HCl medium from 0.25N, 0.5N, 1M and 1.5 M respectively. The Al-SiC specimens were dipped in different HCl medium for four days in six experimental baths. Specimens were taken out from each test medium for every 24 hours and tested for its corrosion characteristics. It is observed that the corrosion rate in all HCl medium decreases with an increase in exposure time. This is due to the passivation of the Al-SiC surface induced by aluminium. It was observed that at the 10 w/w % of the aluminium metal matrix composite have higher corrosion resistance than the base alloy.


The present study was designed to determine if levels of serum cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-2, IL-2r, IL-6, IL-6r, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-alpha are different in osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic postmenopausal women, and to evaluate the effects of calcitonin and alendronate therapies over a six month period on serum cytokine levels in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Serum levels of IL-2, TNF-alpha and IL-8 were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05), and serum IL-10, and IL-6r significantly lower in the calcitonin (N=60) and the alendronate (N=60) treatment groups than in the control group (N=50) (p < 0.05). But, no significant difference was apparent between the calcitonin and alendronate treated groups before treatment. Statistically significant changes occurred in patients, with respect to the levels of serum IL-6r, and IL-8 after one month (p < 0.05), in IL-2r, IL-6r, IL-8, IL-10 after three months, and in IL-1beta, IL-6r, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-alpha after six months of calcitonin therapy (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in IL-6r after one month, in IL-8 and IL-10 after three months, and in TNF-alpha after six months in the calcitonin treated group and in the control group, whereas these parameters were significantly different at baseline. In the alendronate treated group, statistically significant changes occurred in the levels of serum IL-1alpha and IL-6 after three months, and in IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-6r and TNF-alpha after six months (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in IL-6r after one month, in IL-10 after three months or in TNF-alpha after six months between the alendronate treatment group and the control group, whereas these parameters were significantly different at baseline. In conclusion, we suggest that; 1) not only IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha and IL-11 but also IL-2, IL-8 and IL-10 may have roles in the etiopathogenesis of osteoporosis, 2) calcitonin therapy have a more distinct influence on serum levels of some cytokines and have an earlier effect than alendronate therapy (especially upon IL-2r, IL-8, and IL-10). Nevertheless, further longitudinal studies are needed to identify the cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis and to evaluate the influence of different treatments on these cytokines.


Studies of the weekly money announcement have found markets to be informationally efficient. We demonstrate that this result apparently is related to one or more sources of bias and measurement error that have been introduced to the estimating equations of previous studies. After correcting for these sources of bias and estimating the modified model over the samples employed in earlier studies, we still find evidence to reject the hypothesis of informational efficiency. An alternative explanation is that auxiliary assumptions imposed for empirical convenience introduce measurement error that affects standard tests of the efficient-markets hypothesis.


Objective This study examined the associations of social support from coworkers and supervisors to workday ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate. Specifically, analyses examined the association of work-related social support to the following measures: 1) baseline blood pressure and heart rate at the start of the workday, 2) blood pressure and heart rate during high stress periods, 3) blood pressure and heart rate levels throughout the workday. Methods Participants included male (N = 36) and female (N = 34) New York City Traffic Enforcement Agents. Mixed-model regression analyses were used to assess the effects of self-reported measures of workplace social support on workday ambulatory blood pressure. Results Workplace support was associated with workday ambulatory blood pressure levels, with the effects depending on the source of support and the gender of the participant. For women, immediate supervisor support was negatively associated with workday systolic blood pressure level, and a similar negative trend was found for workday diastolic blood pressure level. For men, coworker support was negatively associated with workday systolic blood pressure level. We found an interaction of social support with stress level (ie, baseline vs. high stress) such that immediate supervisor support was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure during high-stress conditions, but no effects were found under resting conditions. Conclusions These findings suggest that workplace social support is associated with workday ambulatory blood pressure, especially during stressful work periods.


In recent years, many new concepts, methodologies, and tools have emerged, which have made Model Driven Engineering (MDE) more usable, precise and automated. We have earlier proposed a conceptual framework, FTG+PM, that acts as a guide for carrying out model transformations, and as a basis for unifying key MDE practices, namely multi-paradigm modelling, meta-modelling, and model transformation. The FTG+PM consists of the Formalism Transformation Graph (FTG) and its complement, the Process Model (PM), and charts activities in the MDE lifecycle such as requirements development, domain-specific design, verification, simulation, analysis, calibration, deployment, code generation, execution, etc. In this paper, we apply the FTG+PM approach to a case study of a power window in the automotive domain. We present a FTG+PM model for the automotive domain, and describe the MDE process we applied based on our experiences with the power window system.


The high–energy density behavior of carbon, particularly in the vicinity of the melt boundary, is of broad scientific interest and of particular interest to those studying planetary astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion. Previous experimental data in the several hundred gigapascal pressure range, particularly near the melt boundary, have only been able to provide data with accuracy capable of qualitative comparison with theory. Here we present shock-wave experiments on carbon (using a magnetically driven flyer-plate technique with an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy) that enable quantitative comparison with theory. This work provides evidence for the existence of a diamond-bc8-liquid triple point on the melt boundary.


Depressive disorders were detected in 48 (63.2%) of 76 patients (70 women and 6 men) with essential hypertension complicated by diastolic
heart failure. The quality of life and the degree of chronic heart failure and depressive disorders were estimated at the inclusion of the
patients into the study and then 3 months after therapy with the antidepressant pyrazidole. Moderate depressive disorders reduced exercise
tolerance. The degree of depressive disorders was found to be directly related to worse quality of life. During combination psychotropic and
basic treatment, there were improvements in the characteristics of physical and mental status and in quality of life in the patients.


A preliminary quantitative assessment of the ability of two computer programs for fitting the sum of two exponential functions is presented with reference to the errors and number of data points normally encountered in biological investigations. Results suggest that, even in a typical biological investigation with good control of experimental errors, the errors in quantities formed by compounding all the parameters of the function may well exceed ±50% in certain circumstances. These results cast doubt on the usefulness of many compartmental analyses of biological systems where good accuracy is not obtainable and a simple model unacceptable. Error values are given for specific models. For example, the estimates of the errors in calculating grey and white matter blood flow in the brain are 5% and 13% respectively in a typical experiment; the error in estimating bone formation rate by curve analysis could be ±25%.


(1) Indications for renal sympathectomy, which are deemed to be warrantable by our present state of knowledge.(2) A disease syndrome is described in detail under the title of "renal sympatheticotonus."(3) This is an obstructive nephropathy in which the neuromuscular dysfunction causing the faulty drainage is typically unilateral and due presumably to overactivity of the sympathetic nerve supply to the kidney.(4) The outstanding features are unilateral renal stasis, renal pain and costo-vertebral tenderness, their recurrence after temporary relief by eserine, and the absence of any demonstrable cause of organic obstruction.(5) Three stages, which are readily demonstrable by pyelographic methods, are described, namely, (a) the stage of irritability or systole, (b) the stage of diastole or exhaustion, and (c) the stage of paralysis or hydronephrosis.(6) Immediate and permanent relief of symptoms is afforded by renal sympathectomy in stages (a) and (b).(7) In stage (c) the aid of plastic surgery may be necessary to overcome secondary organic obstruction.(8) The best interests of surgery in general and of renal sympathectomy in particular will be conserved by rigidly confining the operation to the type of case described.


The terrestrial slug Deroceras laeve is abundant in diverse habitats spanning an enormous geographic range. This paper explores the hypothesis that much of this success may be attributed to phenotypic flexibility. Breeding experiments demonstrated that food quality had an enormous impact on growth and maturation rates, maturation sizes, reproduction, and longevity. Maturation rates and sizes covaried along a plastic development trajectory in response to dietary constraints on growth rate. The strategy for a particular dietary regime agreed well with known optimal control models. Published models developed for particular genotypes conformed to single cross sections along the plastic trajectory. Adaptive plasticity was augmented by resilient compensatory responses to food shortages, and robustness with respect to locomotor abilities, an omnivorous diet, and resistance to extreme temperatures. This combination of plasticity, resilience, and robustness could offset the low rate of sexual reproduction and asso...


Since production-level trained deep neural networks (DNNs) are of a great business value, protecting such DNN models against copyright infringement and unauthorized access is in a rising demand. However, conventional model protection methods focused only the image classification task, and these protection methods were never applied to semantic segmentation although it has an increasing number of applications. In this paper, we propose to protect semantic segmentation models from unauthorized access by utilizing block-wise transformation with a secret key for the first time. Protected models are trained by using transformed images. Experiment results show that the proposed protection method allows rightful users with the correct key to access the model to full capacity and deteriorate the performance for unauthorized users. However, protected models slightly drop the segmentation performance compared to non-protected models.


This paper analyses the development of the union avoidance industry in the United States during the past half-century. Focusing on one leading example from each group, it examines the activities of the four main actors that constitute that industry: consultants, law firms, industry psychologists and strike management firms. Although these firms have experienced a fall in business as unions have declined in strength and numbers - a development that the union avoidance industry has contributed to - they continue to play an important role in the US system of industrial relations. Over three-quarters of employers hire consultants when confronted by organizing campaigns, and large union avoidance firms are increasingly seeking export markets for their expertise.


A 3-year study of patch test reactions to the Standard European Battery has been carried out in two adjacent areas of S. E. England with the same climatic and cultural background. The source of materials and method of testing were identical; both observers had worked together in the same Contact Dermatitis department and the interpretation of reactions can therefore be considered to be consistent. The main differences between the two areas lay in the pattern of employment and of local medicament prescribing. The first only is examined here. One area was dominated by the automobile industry, the other by the furniture industry, with important subsidiary rubber, foam and electronics factories. The pattern that emerges shows that patch test reactions to the Standard European Battery were more likely to be related to environmental allergens and medicament usage than to industrial hazards. Chrome dermatitis was less common than elsewhere in Europe but nickel sensitivity showed the same pattern. Rubber chemical sensitivity reflected industrial, as well as domestic usage. Colophony and formaldehyde appeared to have less industrial significance than we expected. Special additional industrial allergens are not considered here but were of particular importance in the furniture industry. Although the numbers analysed were relatively small, we believe that they reflect the pattern to be expected in areas of relatively low industrial risk in Great Britain at the present time.


QUESTION
One of my epileptic patients who takes carbamazepine is planning to become pregnant. She told me that Motherisk advised her to take 5 mg of folic acid daily until the end of the first trimester. Are there other women who need more than the regular dose of folic acid included in prenatal vitamins?

ANSWER
Women who are at high risk of having babies with neural tube defects and who would benefit from higher doses of folic acid include those with certain folate-enzyme genotypes, previous pregnancies with neural tube defects, diabetes, malabsorption disorders, or obesity, or those who take antifolate medications or smoke. Such women should take 5 mg/d of folic acid for the 2 months before conception and during the first trimester.


Recently, we demonstrated that octadecyl chains are important as alkyl chain moieties of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendron-bearing lipids for their serum-resistant transfection activity [Bioconjugate Chem.2007, 18, 1349-1354]. Toward production of highly potent vectors, we examined the influence of the generation of dendron moiety on transfection activity of PAMAM dendron-bearing lipids having two octadecyl chains. We synthesized dendron-bearing lipids with PAMAM G1, G2, and G3 dendrons, designated respectively as DL-G1-2C(18), DL-G2-2C(18), and DL-G3-2C(18). The DL-G2-2C(18) and DL-G3-2C(18) interacted with plasmid DNA effectively and formed stable lipoplexes with small sizes and spherical shape. However, DL-G1-2C(18) interacted with plasmid DNA less effectively and formed tubular-shaped lipoplexes with lower stability and larger size. Cells took up DL-G2-2C(18) and DL-G3-2C(18) lipoplexes efficiently, but cellular uptake of the DL-G1-2C(18) lipoplexes was less efficient. Nevertheless, DL-G1-2C(18) lipoplexes achieved 100-10 000 times higher levels of transgene expression, which was evaluated using luciferase gene as a reporter gene. Confocal scanning laser microscopic analysis of intracellular behaviors of the lipoplexes revealed that DL-G1-2C(18) lipoplexes generated free plasmid DNA molecules in the cytosol more effectively than other lipoplexes did. Moderate binding ability of DL-G1-2C(18) might be responsible for generation of lipoplexes which deliver plasmid DNA into cells, liberate it in the cytoplasm, and induce efficient transgene expression.


ABSTRACT Over recent decades, the number of outlet glaciers terminating in lakes in Iceland has increased in line with climate warming. The mass-balance changes of these lake-terminating outlet glaciers are sensitive to rising air temperatures, due to altered glacier dynamics and increased surface melt. This study aims to better understand the relationship between proglacial lake development, climate, glacier dynamics and glacier structure at Fjallsjökull, a large, lake-terminating outlet glacier in south-east Iceland. We used satellite imagery to map glacier terminus position and lake extent between 1973 and 2016, and a combination of aerial and satellite imagery to map the structural architecture of the glacier's terminus in 1982, 1994 and 2011. The temporal evolution of ice surface velocities between 1990 and 2018 was calculated using feature tracking. Statistically significant increases in the rate of terminus retreat and lake expansion were identified in 2001, 2009 and 2011. Our surface velocity and structural datasets revealed the development of localised flow 'corridors' over time, which conveyed relatively faster flow towards the glacier's terminus. We attribute the overall changes in dynamics and structural architecture at Fjallsjökull to rising air temperatures, but argue that the spatial complexities are driven by glacier specific factors, such as basal topography.


Objective — Genetic polymorphisms in the gene for endothelial nitric oxide synthase have been considered as potential risk factors for the development of coronary artery disease in some populations. Methods — We studied two polymorphisms of the NOS3 gene, the VNTR in intron 4 (4VNTR) and the Glu298Asp polymorphism in exon 7, in relation to the existence of premature coronary artery disease and the occurrence of myocardial infarction. A total number of 370 individuals of the Greek population was examined by PCR-RFLP method. The patient group consisted of 209 subjects, aged less than 58 years presenting symptomatic coronary artery disease, documented by coronary angiography. Results — The frequencies for bb, ab and aa genotypes of 4VNTR polymorphism were 0.67, 0.29, 0.04, respectively, for the patient group and 0.73, 0.24, 0.03 for the control group. The frequencies for GG (Glu/Glu), GT (Glu/Asp), TT (Asp/Asp) of the Glu298Asp polymorphism were 0.52, 0.41, 0.07, respectively, in patients compared to 0.47, 0.46, 0.07, in control subjects. Statistical analysis indicated that there are no significant differences in the frequencies of the genotypes between patients and control subjects for both polymorphisms. The combined analysis of the two polymorphisms indicated no synergistic effect of the a and T alleles on coronary artery disease. Conclusions — We have found no evidence for association between the a allele of the 4VNTR polymorphism, or the T allele of Glu298Asp polymorphism and the risk for premature coronary artery disease or occurrence of myocardial infarction. Furthermore, no synergistic contribution of these polymorphisms to the development of premature coronary artery disease has been observed.


Light quark masses can be determined through lattice simulations in regularization invariant momentum-subtraction (RI/MOM) schemes. Subsequently, matching factors, computed in continuum perturbation theory, are used in order to convert these quark masses from a RI/MOM scheme to the {ovr MS} scheme. We calculate the two-loop corrections in QCD to these matching factors as well as the three-loop mass anomalous dimensions for the RI/SMOM and RI/SMOM{sub {gamma}{mu}} schemes. These two schemes are characterized by a symmetric subtraction point. Providing the conversion factors in the two different schemes allows for a better understanding of the systematic uncertainties. The two-loop expansion coefficients of the matching factors for both schemes turn out to be small compared to the traditional RI/MOM schemes. For n{sub f} = 3 quark flavors they are about 0.6%-0.7% and 2%, respectively, of the leading order result at scales of about 2 GeV. Therefore, they will allow for a significant reduction of the systematic uncertainty of light quark mass determinations obtained through this approach. The determination of these matching factors requires the computation of amputated Green's functions with the insertions of quark bilinear operators. As a by-product of our calculation we also provide the corresponding results for the tensor operator.


Vehicle monitoring technology based on the video image due to its features of easy maintenance and easy implement is concerned in recent years. Vehicle tracking is one of the key technologies to achieve video vehicle monitoring. How to achieve real-time vehicle tracking is the key and difficult problem at home and abroad. A method of Kalman tracking based on virtual loop is proposed in the paper. Two parts about vehicle presence detection and vehicle forecast tracking are introduced in this paper. Experimental results show that this method in the fast-path scenarios can effectively achieve vehicles tracking, fully meet the system requirements and have high practicality.


Abstract A basic requirement in all human activity concerned with architectural planning and construction is measurement. This paper is addressed to this topic within one specific Pre-Columbian culture—the Chaco Canyon Anasazi. By use of the quantum hypothesis, 480 room dimensions from the sites of Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo del Arroyo were examined to derive not only the dimensional values for their unknown units of measure, but also to determine the aspects of social behavior represented by them. Five different measurement units were isolated, ranging from 20 to 30 inches in length. By the spatial-temporal pattern of their distribution, some inferences into the social organization of the ancient builders and architects of these towns are inferred.


Both Wittgenstein and Freud experienced the crisis of humanism resulting from the first and second world wars. Although they were both considered to be influential figures, they hardly investigated the ways in which people could cope with the consequences of these crises. However, Wittgenstein and Freud did suggest ways of understanding uncertainties caused by real life events, as well as by the nature of human thought processes. This article will explore the therapeutic ways of dealing with uncertainties common to both thinkers and the different concepts facilitating their methodologies. The central contention of this article is that both Wittgenstein and Freud developed a complex methodology, acknowledging the constant and unexpected changes humans have deal with, whilst also offering the possibility of defining "hinge propositions" and "language-games" which can stabilize our consciousness.


Despite lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights being at the centre of policy agendas, the way those rights are being viewed in post-conflict societies remains under-researched. In starting to address this gap, Bernadette C. Hayes and John Nagle look at the case of Northern Ireland. They find that nationalist parties support those rights as part of their broader agenda on equality, while unionists view them as a means deployed by nationalists to attack unionist identity. They write that understanding these conflicting views is not only crucial in designing power-sharing institutions, but in considering how other minority groups might end up being left behind.


Purpose: The Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is ubiquitously expressed and targeted with FDA-approved agent bevacizumab in many types of cancer including colon, lung and renal carcinoma. In head and neck cancer, bevacizumab is under active clinical investigation. However, its efficacy in most cases is limited, with only modest response rates observed in the clinical trials. These incomplete drug responses suggest the presence of alternative signaling mechanisms that compensate for VEGF blockade. The proinflammatory cytokine, Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is known to promote tumor angiogenesis, and is coexpressed with VEGF in HNSCC. Hence, IL-8 signaling may be a possible mechanism of resistance to anti-VEGF therapy. Experimental Design: In this study, we assessed the efficacy of bevacizumab in preclinical HNSCC models to identify tumors that were sensitive or resistant to the treatment. In order to identify potential mediators of bevacizumab resistance, we evaluated the angiogenic profile of HNSCC cells from the non-isogenic pair of sensitive and resistant cell lines by performing angiogenesis antibody array. We further examined the potential contribution of IL-8 signaling to the in vivo growth of bevacizumab-resistant xenografts, using shRNA-mediated knockdown of the IL-8 gene. Results: HNSCC cell lines showed a range of response to bevacizumab in vivo. Interestingly, the resistant cell lines expressed high levels of proangiogenic factors including IL-8, IL-1a and VEGF compared to the sensitive cell lines. Further, combined inhibition of VEGF and IL-8 in the resistant xenografts resulted in a significant reduction in tumor volume and microvessel density compared to targeting VEGF alone. Conclusions: Our results indicate that HNSCC xenografts display a differential response to anti-VEGF therapy. IL-8 was the most differentially expressed protein in the angiogenic signature of the bevacizumab-resistant and sensitive cells. Finally, abrogation of IL-8 signaling sensitized the resistant xenografts to anti-VEGF therapy. These findings suggest that IL-8 may be associated with anti-VEGF resistance in HNSCC. Hence, co-targeting of VEGF and IL-8 may improve antiangiogenic therapeutic efficacy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1380. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1380


Marginal differences in race results between top swimmers have evoked the interest in competition-based success factors of long-term athlete development. To identify novel factors for the multi-dimensional model of talent development, the aim of the study was to investigate annual variation in competition performance (ACV), number of races per year, and age. Therefore, 45,398 race results of all male participants (n = 353) competing in individual events, i.e., butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley, at the 2018 European Long-Course Swimming Championships (2018EC) were analyzed retrospectively for all 10 years prior to the championships with Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis. Higher ranked swimmers at the 2018EC showed significant medium correlations with a greater number of races per year and small but significant correlations with higher ACV in 10 and nine consecutive years, respectively, prior to the championships. Additionally, better swimmers were older than their lower ranked peers (r = −0.21, p < 0.001). Regression model explained a significant proportion of 2018EC ranking for 50 m (47%), 100 m (45%), 200 m (31%), and 400 m races (29%) but not for 800 and 1,500 m races with number of races having the largest effect followed by age and ACV. In conclusion, higher performance variation with results off the personal best in some races did not impair success at the season's main event and young competitors at international championships may benefit from success chances that increase with age. The higher number of races swum per year throughout the career of higher ranked swimmers may have provided learning opportunities and specific adaptations. Future studies should quantify these success factors in a multi-dimensional talent development model.


[1] Relationships between vegetation colonization and landslide disturbance are analyzed for 12 active-layer detachments of differing ages located in three areas of the Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island (80°N). We discuss vegetation as an age index for landslides and a way to assess the time needed for complete recolonization of the surfaces since landslide detachment. Vegetation on undisturbed terrain is similar in the three areas but is more highly developed and complex inland due to a warmer summer climate. On a regional scale, the location of the area is as important as the effect of landslide age on vegetation colonization because of the influence of mesoclimatic conditions on vegetation development. On a landscape scale, there is a positive relationship between landslide age and vegetation development, as represented by total vegetation cover, floristic composition, and successional stage. Consequently, vegetation can be used at this scale as an indicator of landslide age. Fifty years are required to restore vegetation patches to a floristic composition similar to communities occurring in undisturbed conditions, but with lower floristic richness and a discontinuous cover and without well-developed layering. The shorter time needed for landslide recovery in the area with the warmest summer climate confirms the sensitivity of arctic vegetation to small differences in air temperature. This could trigger a set of interlinked feedbacks that would amplify future rates of climate warming.


The micro-structures and the phase transformation temperatures of sputtered titanium-nickel (TiNi) thin films, both free-standing and attached on different underlying multi-layer substrates have been studied. Differences in the micro-structures, such as the lattice constants and the relative concentrations of TiNi, Ti2Ni and TiNi3 phases, were observed (1) among the free-standing and the attached films, (2) among the films attached on different underlying multi-layers and (3) among films with different relative orders of aging and release. Not surprisingly, the corresponding phase transformation temperatures are also different. It is proposed that both substrate- and process-induced stress significantly affect the micro-structures, hence the phase transformation characteristics, of the resulting shape-memory alloy thin films.