High-density discharges in JT-60U have been analysed with the aim of establishing a mechanism for the H-mode density limit (DL). The data support the view that the density behaviour in the H-mode is mainly affected by confinement, with the hard limit on the H-mode density being imposed by the H-L transition. Analysis of highly radiating NBI-heated plasmas with MARFE and detachment has enabled one to discriminate between detachment and the H-L transition as mechanisms for the H-mode DL. Although strong detachment is observed near the H-L transition in JT-60U, by itself it was found to impose no limit on the density rise.


BACKGROUND: Cancer cells are more glycolytic than normal cells and thereby take up more glucose, as demonstrated by the positron emission tomography (PET) scan. This can be exploited for cancer therapy using glycolytic inhibitors such as 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG). Due to its similarity to mannose, 2DG also interferes with N-linked glycosylation resulting in an unfolded protein response (UPR), which slows growth of tumors. Additionally, 2DG inhibits productive infection of enveloped viruses, e.g. herpesviruses, due to its interference with glycosylation of viral proteins. Kaposi9s sarcoma (KS) is a cancer that is caused by infection of a gammaherpesvirus; KS might be particularly vulnerable to 2DG, given the chemical9s properties as both an anti-cancer and an anti-viral agent. We are investigating the mechanisms and their resulting effects by which cell culture models for KS are sensitive to 2DG treatment in the context of viral replication. DESIGN: Two models of herpesvirus infection were used for 2DG treatment in vitro: KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and murine herpesvirus-68 (MHV-68). Human embryonic kidney cells latently infected with a recombinant KSHV genome (HEK293rKSHV.219) were induced to lytic reactivation upon addition of sodium butyrate. Murine embryonic fibroblasts were infected de novo with MHV-68 to cause lytic replication. In each model, cells were treated with nontoxic doses of 2DG. RNA and protein levels were measured at 24 hours treatment; cell proliferation and viral copy number were measured at 72 hours. RESULTS: In two different models of gammaherpesvirus infection we find that 2DG inhibits expression of early and late viral lytic genes, as well as interferes with the ability of the host to produce infectious virions. While 2DG is used at nontoxic concentrations, the compound inhibits cell proliferation. Treatment with inhibitors of glycolysis–but not glycosylation–does not significantly decrease viral copy number or infectious particles released from infected cells. Furthermore, 2DG is correlated with UPR induction by the phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2 as well as up-regulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone glucose-regulated protein-78 at both the RNA and protein levels. CONCLUSION: Overall, these results indicate that a major mechanism by which 2DG inhibits viral replication might be through ER stress/UPR. Furthermore, 2DG action takes place early in the viral lytic cycle, preventing the induction of viral genes, which correlates to the inability to produce mature viral particles. These data suggest that 2DG may be clinically beneficial in the treatment of herpesvirus-induced cancers. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2725. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2725


The fragmentation of patterns of moxifloxacin, 2-N-methylated moxifloxacin (analog 1), and 1-cyclopropyl-6,7-difluoro-8-methoxy-4-oxo-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid (analog 2) were investigated by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry in the positive-ion mode. Many unusual ions were detected in the tandem mass spectra of moxifloxacin. Although the structures of moxifloxacin and analog 1 were similar, the relative abundances of products varied greatly. Comparison of the relative abundances of the product ions that lost CO2 or H2O and complementary product ions resulting from sequential four-membered hydrogen rearrangement showed that the differences were related to the protonation sites. The loss of HF, probably though the formation of an ion/neutral complex, is of scientific interest. The identities of the major product ions were confirmed by deuterium-labeling experiments that demonstrated an unusual loss of a deuterium atom. The major differences in fragmentation patterns were compared to previous reports in the literature.


Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the effect of vacancies and dislocations on the dynamic response of single crystal tantalum to shock loading along the ⟨110⟩ axis. A Hugoniostat technique is employed, for which a series of states along the Hugoniot are sampled by many individual simulations. We show that defects have a limited effect on the shock/particle velocity relationship and that the shock pressure/volume relationship can be well predicted by taking into account the changes in the initial density and sound speeds of the samples. The principal effect of initial defects is the activation of heterogeneous dislocation nucleation and expedited dislocation multiplication during shock. The heat generated by plastic work, caused by defects moving through the lattice, is substantial. The result is significantly divergent final shock temperatures for different initial defect concentrations and pronounced changes in the resultant shock melting temperatures. The motion of dislocations also leaves behind a noninconsequential concentration of vacancies that is quantified.Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the effect of vacancies and dislocations on the dynamic response of single crystal tantalum to shock loading along the ⟨110⟩ axis. A Hugoniostat technique is employed, for which a series of states along the Hugoniot are sampled by many individual simulations. We show that defects have a limited effect on the shock/particle velocity relationship and that the shock pressure/volume relationship can be well predicted by taking into account the changes in the initial density and sound speeds of the samples. The principal effect of initial defects is the activation of heterogeneous dislocation nucleation and expedited dislocation multiplication during shock. The heat generated by plastic work, caused by defects moving through the lattice, is substantial. The result is significantly divergent final shock temperatures for different initial defect concentrations and pronounced changes in the resultant shock melting temperatures. The motion of dislocations also ...


There is evidence in the literature that in India wood was used for making sculptures from very early times. Owing to the destructive climate, however, only wooden objects dating from the 7th century are available today, while polychromed wooden sculptures of the period before the 16th century are unobtainable. Sculptures were produced either by carving from one solid block or by building it up from small pieces. The main types of decorating were painting, inlay work or lac work. Painting was done sometimes without, but mostly with surface preparation. For this a thin layer of a ground was used. Sometimes a layer of cloth and then paper was used before applying the gesso. Pigmentsin common use were malachite, terre-verte, red ochre, red lead, lac dye, yellow ochre, chrome yellow, ultramarine, kaolin, and chalk. A gold effect was often produced by applying shellac varnish over shining silvery tin paint or foil. Lac work was produced by painting with lac solution or by turnery.


Abstract : Electric fields, Matrices(Mathematics)Method of momentsThe characteristics of thin-wire, finite-gap, half wave length and quarter wavelength dipoles fed with a length of two-wire transmission line were studied using matrix methods. Transmission line length and gap size were varied obtaining the complete solution (current distributions, impedance and far field beam patterns) in each case. Significant departures from the ideal dipole characteristics are found even for electrically small gap sizes and transmission line lengths. When the departures are small, they can be described adequately by the relative magnitude of cross polarized field components and by null fill-in. Cross polarization effects are minimized by choosing transmission line length equal to (wavelength) where n is an integer. Departures from ideal dipole performance are significantly increased by reducing dipole length and by current imbalance. Some of the effects noted have been verified experimentally. (Author)


In contrast to popular belief, this paper shows that there does not exist an unambiguous positive relationship between an unbiased shareholder's voting power and the quality of corporate governance. I utilize a 2010 NYSE policy change that increased shareholders' voting power in uncontested board elections, and, to establish the causality, I take advantage of the exogenous election cycles for director elections. I find that an increase in individual shareholder's voting power will worsen some measures of corporate governance (CEO's pay-performance sensitivity and probability of removing poison pills). I show that this is due to shareholders' decreased participation in both the sponsorship of governance proposals and active voting in annual meetings. I argue that the negative relationship between shareholders' voting power and their participation is due to a free-rider problem in the collective action.


Affecting 6-8% of all pregnancies, preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal morbidity in the western world and is charactensed by hypertension, proteinuria, edema and platelet aggregation. Despite its prevalence and severity, no comprehensive theory or single factor has been suggested to explain the pathophysiology of this multi system disorder of pregnancy, with the only therapies being bed rest, pharmacological symptom management and if necessary early delivery. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, resulting from defective trophoblast invasion, reductions in placental perfusion and placental hypoxia/reoxygenation. The inability of endogenous antioxidant systems up regulated in normal pregnancy, to control increased levels of oxidative stress, is suggested as a possible factor in the feed forward generation of reactive oxygen species and placental oxidative stress. That in turn may stimulate increased syncytiotrophoblast apoptosis, endothelial cell activation and the maternal hyper immune response characteristic of preeclampsia. Analysis of the research literature revealed that previous evaluations of placental oxidation and antioxidant enzyme activity in preeclampsia were by no means comprehensive, and exhibited significant inter-study variations. It was the aim of this thesis to clarify the placental oxidative state and the endogenous antioxidant activity of glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin reductase, thioredoxin and superoxide dismutase in human placentae in an attempt to determine if variations in antioxidant function were due to changes in gene expression or protein oxidation. The findings reported in this thesis indicate the presence of increased levels of oxidative stress in the preeclamptic placenta, associated with significant reductions in antioxidant enzyme capacity. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of placental samples revealed that deceases in antioxidant capacity in the placenta are more likely to be related to the significant oxidative burden within the tissue rather than reductions in gene expression. A number of animal models exist to investigate components of preeclampsia pathophysiology, however the ability of these models to mimic the oxidative and antioxidant features of preeclampsia remains unclear. The exposure of pregnant rats to N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester is a widely used model of endothelial cell dysfunction during preeclampsia. It was the aim of this thesis to determine the biochemical characteristics of this model in an attempt to assess its effectiveness in mimicking oxidative changes in the preeclamptic placenta. Although this model is capable of producing a syndiome in rats similar to the disorder in terms of physiology, this is not manifest in terms of placental biochemistry. The importance of selenium in the synthesis of selenobased antioxidants such as glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase is well documented. Increasing demand for selenium by the developing fetus may be linked to reductions in selenium status during pregnancy. Considering preeclampsia is associated with significant reductions in selenium status it may be hypothesised that reductions in antioxidant function may be linked to selenium inadequacy. The modulation of dietaty selenium in pregnant rats was used to determine the importance of selenium during pregnancy and its effect on antioxidant function and placental oxidative stress. The results of this analysis revealed that selenium deficiency causes a pregnancy specific condition similar to preeclampsia. This condition was found to be associated with increased placental oxidative stress and significant reductions in the systemic activity of selenobased antioxidants that could be modified through selenium supplementation. In summary, data obtained in this thesis indicate that placental oxidative stress and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity play a significant role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. These studies support the hypothesis that antioxidant sufficiency is crucial in the maintenance of oxidative balance and that antioxidant dysfunction may result in damage to the placenta and the progression of the disease. These novel data further our understanding of the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and provide new insight into the pathogenesis of clinical complications exhibited in this condition, suggesting antioxidant therapy as a possible means for improving the health outcomes of both mother and baby.


Introduction: The celebrated Hollywood actor Heath Ledger- famous for the role of "Joker" in the movie "The dark night" died due to accidental drug overdose. In this article we will review the causes and events related to his death and how the similar accidents could be prevented in the near future.
Method: Literature search in various databases and journals and many news websites was performed.
Result: Heath Ledger was suffering from major depression, anxiety, drug addiction, relationship problems bipolar like symptoms and childhood mental trauma. He died due to accidental drug overdose in 2008. All these factors could possibly be the reason for his sudden tragic death or it could simply be the use of multiple drugs at the same time that lead to his demise. Appropriate measures should be taken by physicians and psychiatrists- when dealing with the patients with the above mentioned problems as early as possible to avoid this kind of accidental or deliberate overdose related deaths.
Conclusion: Deaths related to psychotropic or opioid drug overdose could be accidental or a deliberate suicide. Various measures have been taken in the recent past to save many psychiatric patients from being overdosed yet the rate of drug overdose related deaths has not been reduced. Future research will help in reducing this rate and save many lives.


Vaccination against pertussis has been performed since 1960. Whole cell pertussis vaccine produced by Plant of Sera and Vaccines Biomed S.A. in Kraków, has been used. After vaccination has been introduced, epidemiological situation of pertussis in Poland improved, but in 90's the decrease of immunity was observed. The aim of this work was to determine pertussis immunity of children after several years from the last dose of pertussis vaccine. For comparison purposes immunity against tetanus and diphtheria was tested. Protective antibody levels were detected in 70%, 58%, and 45% children aged 6, 7, and 8, respectively. It shows that decrease of immunity may cause increasing number of pertussis in children above 5. Taking into consideration our results, it seems necessary to introduce additional dose of pertussis vaccine among children aged 5 years. The level of tetanus and diphtheria antibodies was high in all tested groups.


Introduction Degos' disease is a rare disorder with multisystem involvement and unknown etiology. This entity was first described by Degos in 1942 (1,2). Other synonyms for this disease are malignant atrophic papulosis, atrophic papulosquamous dermatitis, fatal cutaneous-intestinal syndrome, and thromboangiitis cutaneointestinalis disseminata (3). It has been more commonly reported in whites, men, and those in the third decade of life, although onset age ranges from 3 weeks to 67 years (4). The average course of the disease is reported to be around 2 years (1), but case reports of patients with a benign variant have been reported with survival of 14 years (5). Death is most commonly due to intestinal perforation or cerebral infarction. We report a fatal case of Degos' disease that presented with abdominal pain and intestinal perforations, which clinically mimicked vasculitis.


While studying a two-dimensional excitable medium described by the Fitz--Hugh equation on a digital computer a new type of instabilities was discovered which had no analogy in one-dimensional systems. It has been shown that when the wave encounters upon an obstacle the front breaks, diverge, thus destroying the excitation waves. Initiation of such instabilities is associated with critical curvative phenomenon. The instabilities appear when the front curvature in the region of wave break is greater than the critical one for the given medium. The instabilities found are observed when medium excitability is suppressed. This phenomenon may be related to the processes which occur in the damage regions of the myocardium tissue.


AIM
To investigate the mutually inductive interactions that occur between the lens and retinal tissue during the development of the vertebrate eye.

METHODS
Cre-positive mice were mated with Cre-negative mice to generate 50% Cre-positive (conditional knockout, CKO) and 50% Cre-negative offspring (wild type, WT). The embryos were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned to a thickness of 4µm. The sections were processed for hematoxylin and eosin staining. The primary antibody used for immunofluorescence detection was sc-9305 bone morphogenetic proteins (bmp7) (Santa Cruz, US). The secondary antibody was IF-0314 aG0IgG/FITC (Santa Cruz) in combination with the primary antibody. Bright-field and fluorescent images were taken.

RESULTS
Changes in the lens and retina were associated with specific alterations to the expression of type IA BMP receptor [BMPR-IA (ALK3)], which have already been implicated in eye growth. BMPR-IA was required for lens and retinal growth, but was not essential for the formation of lens. We observed that the expression of Bmp7 in the embryonic retina was reduced in the ALK3 lens of CKO mice. This phenomenon became increasingly visible in accordance with embryo development. This apparent alteration was present at stage E15.5.

CONCLUSION
ALK3 is essential for lens and retinal growth. Mutually inductive interactions between the lens and retina are present in the developing mouse eye.


The authors evaluate the contribution of computed tomography and endorectal sonography for the diagnosis and treatment in 32 patients from a total number of 84 patients treated on account of a rectal malignoma at the First Surgical Clinic of the Medical Faculty and Faculty Hospital in Olomouc during the three-year period between 1990 and 1992. The results of the examination were compared with the finding on operation and the histological examination. The authors maintain that both methods are useful but in different ways. So far the authors cannot express their opinion on indication of adjuvant therapy in conjunction with CT and endosonographic diagnosis.


Abstract The study presented in this paper is a continued research of preceding tests of small-scale passive solar wall module to explore 1) the behaviour of solar wall module in various setups for an extended 48-hour period of time, and 2) the performance of solar module with and without fine metal wires as heat exchange enhancers. Eight different solar wall module setups were assembled and tested in a precisely controlled environment. The study reassures observations and conclusions made in previous research and provides new conclusions. Modules that can harvest more solar radiation in the charging phase are exposed to higher heat losses at the discharge phase to the external environment. Module setups that reach stable heat flow fast and respectively melt PCM volume effectively, create a problem of not managing to harvest more of the available solar radiation.


The Geological modeling has been constructed by using Petrel E&P software to incorporate data, for improved Three-dimensional models of porosity model, water saturation, permeability estimated from core data, well log interpretation, and fault analysis modeling.
Three-dimensional geological models attributed with physical properties constructed from primary geological data. The reservoir contains a huge hydrocarbon accumulation, a unique geological model characterization with faults, high heterogeneity, and a very complex field in nature.
The results of this study show that the Three-dimensional geological model of Khasib reservoir, to build the reservoir model starting with evaluation of reservoir to interpretation of well log by using IP software for 14 wells, defining and divided the layers based on the GR Log and Resistivity log to nine layers and then maintained the fault model for a divided central area to four regions. Compared porosity log with porosity core to estimate correction porosity and enter this value to predict the permeability value for each layer by using FZI, and RQI method. The model Containing faults, horizons, zones, and layers depending on this data to make gridding by using pillar gridding.
This paper presents a geological modeling and an uncertainty analysis for stock-tank original oil in place. The distribution of the faults is also discussed.


We study the effects of a finite cubic volume with twisted boundary conditions on pseudoscalar mesons. We apply Chiral Perturbation Theory in the p-regime and introduce the twist by means of a constant vector field. The corrections of masses, decay constants, pseudoscalar coupling constants and form factors are calculated at next-to-leading order. We detail the derivations and compare with results available in the literature. In some case there is disagreement due to a different treatment of new extra terms generated from the breaking of the cubic invariance. We advocate to treat such terms as renormalization terms of the twisting angles and reabsorb them in the on-shell conditions. We confirm that the corrections of masses, decay constants, pseudoscalar coupling constants are related by means of chiral Ward identities. Furthermore, we show that the matrix elements of the scalar (resp. vector) form factor satisfies the Feynman–Hellman Theorem (resp. the Ward–Takahashi identity). To show the Ward–Takahashi identity we construct an effective field theory for charged pions which is invariant under electromagnetic gauge transformations and which reproduces the results obtained with Chiral Perturbation Theory at a vanishing momentum transfer. This generalizes considerations previously published for periodic boundary conditions to twisted boundary conditions.
Another method to estimate the corrections in finite volume are asymptotic formulae. Asymptotic formulae were introduced by Luscher and relate the corrections of a given physical quantity to an integral of a specific amplitude, evaluated in infinite volume. Here, we revise the original derivation of Luscher and generalize it to finite volume with twisted boundary conditions. In some cases, the derivation involves complications due to extra terms generated from the breaking of the cubic invariance. We isolate such terms and treat them as renormalization terms just as done before. In that way, we derive asymptotic formulae for masses, decay constants, pseudoscalar coupling constants and scalar form factors. At the same time, we derive also asymptotic formulae for renormalization terms. We apply all these formulae in combination with Chiral Perturbation Theory and estimate the corrections beyond next-to-leading order. We show that asymptotic formulae for masses, decay constants, pseudoscalar coupling constants are related by means of chiral Ward identities. A similar relation connects in an independent way asymptotic formulae for renormalization terms. We check these relations for charged pions through a direct calculation. To conclude, a numerical analysis quantifies the importance of finite volume corrections at next-to-leading order and beyond. We perform a generic Analysis and illustrate two possible applications to real simulations.


Shortly before she died aged 96, the American aviator and nurse Dorothy 'Dot' Ebersbach gave $2 million (£1.28m) to the fl ight nursing programme at the Frances Payne Bolton school of nursing in Cleveland, Ohio, where she graduated with a nursing degree in 1954. The executors of her estate have now donated another $2.7 million to the programme at the Dorothy Ebersbach Academic Center for Flight Nursing, renamed in her honour. This gift will allow the centre to expand its advanced practice fl ight nurse programme to train nurses in the safe transportation of patients by air to medical facilities. The programme is the only one of its kind based at a nursing school in the United States. Ms Ebersbach was born in Pomeroy, Ohio, the second of two daughters of Charles and Ella, owners of a road construction company. During a family trip to the 1933 Chicago World Fair, she fl ew for the fi rst time in a seaplane with her father. The joy of fl ying never left her. Ms Ebersbach qualifi ed as a pilot in 1939. When the United States entered the second world war, she was accepted into the newly formed Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) to fl y non-combat missions. Following the war, Ms Ebersbach trained as a nurse and worked for the Hillsborough County Health Department in Tampa, Florida. As a school nurse, she worked in several polio campaigns and co-authored a book on immunisation. She retired in 1975. In a ceremony at the US Capitol in 2010, the WASPs were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honour awarded by Congress to civilians.


Vision-and-language navigation (VLN) agents are trained to navigate in real-world environments by following natural language instructions. A major challenge in VLN is the limited availability of training data, which hinders the models' ability to generalize effectively. Previous approaches have attempted to address this issue by introducing additional supervision during training, often requiring costly human-annotated data that restricts scalability. In this paper, we introduce a masked path modeling (MPM) objective, which pretrains an agent using self-collected data for downstream navigation tasks. Our proposed method involves allowing the agent to actively explore navigation environments without a specific goal and collect the paths it traverses. Subsequently, we train the agent on this collected data to reconstruct the original path given a randomly masked subpath. This way, the agent can actively accumulate a diverse and substantial amount of data while learning conditional action generation. To evaluate the effectiveness of our technique, we conduct experiments on various VLN datasets and demonstrate the versatility of MPM across different levels of instruction complexity. Our results exhibit significant improvements in success rates, with enhancements of 1.32\%, 1.05\%, and 1.19\% on the val-unseen split of the Room-to-Room, Room-for-Room, and Room-across-Room datasets, respectively. Furthermore, we conduct an analysis that highlights the potential for additional improvements when the agent is allowed to explore unseen environments prior to testing.


PennState Geisinger Health System, Hershey, Pa., conducted an extensive ad agency search after its inception in 1997. The integrated health care delivery system needed to introduce its brand to an audience that was confused by the wide array of available health care options. BVK/McDonald, Milwaukee, the agency selected, has created a branding campaign that revolves around the tag-line "The power of health." PennState Geisinger will tabulate the results of BVK/McDonald's multi-million dollar campaign in 2000; at that time it will know whether its selection committee chose wisely.


Motif finding is one of the most important and challenging tasks in computational biology. In this paper, a new algorithm for finding motif is presented. The strategy used in this paper speeds up the operations of finding the motif. Performance comparisons among the existing algorithms and proposed algorithm are also presented which shows that the proposed algorithm performs better in terms of accuracy and time complexity.


Bartonellosis remains a major problem in Peru, but many contemporary aspects of this disease have not been adequately described. We examined the cases of 145 symptomatic patients in Lima, Peru, in whom bartonellosis was diagnosed from 1969 through 1992, including 68 patients in the acute (hematic) phase and 77 patients in the eruptive (verruga) phase. In modern Peru, symptomatic patients who have acute-phase bartonellosis typically present with a febrile illness and systemic symptoms caused by profound anemia; most patients respond successfully to treatment with chloramphenicol. Patients who have eruptive-phase bartonellosis most often present with cutaneous verrugas but may have less specific symptoms, such as fever and arthralgias; diagnosis can be confirmed in such patients by Western immunoblotting, and most patients appear to respond to treatment with rifampin.


While the effects of simulation education and the importance of the clinical reasoning process have been well-reported, an acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) patient-care simulation program has yet to be formulated exclusively for the clinical experience of students. This study developed and subsequently applied a simulation program based on clinical reasoning for AML to improve the learning outcomes and describe the learning experience for nursing students. Following a mixed-methods framework, the program's effects on students' knowledge were quantitatively measured, while their learning experience was qualitatively measured using self-reflection through journal writing. Differences in the pre- and post-scores between the experimental and control groups were statistically significant for theoretical knowledge and clinical performance. In addition, content analysis of both groups' journals revealed three themes: (1) transformation into a self-directed learner for understanding the clinical situation, (2) increased awareness of clinical reasoning ability, and (3) embodiment of the clinical reasoning process. Standardizing the developed program's scenarios prompted the participants' compliance and engagement, and effectively achieved the learning outcomes. This simulation program aided the assessment of nursing intervention's effectiveness and suggested objective criteria according to clinical reasoning. Similar programs involving other clinical cases, not exclusive to leukemia, should be developed and evaluated.


This paper is concerned with developing a nonparametric time-varying coefficient model with fixed effects to characterize nonstationarity and trending phenomenon in nonlinear panel data analysis. We develop two methods to estimate the trend function and the coefficient function without taking the first difference to eliminate the fixed effects. The first one eliminates the fixed effects by taking cross-sectional averages, and then uses a nonparametric local linear approach to estimate the trend function and the coefficient function. The asymptotic theory for this approach reveals that although the estimates of both the trend function and the coefficient function are consistent, the estimate of the coefficient function has a rate of convergence that is slower than that of the trend function. To estimate the coefficient function more efficiently, we propose a pooled local linear dummy variable approach. This is motivated by a least squares dummy variable method proposed in parametric panel data analysis. This method removes the fixed effects by deducting a smoothed version of cross-time average from each individual. The asymptotic distributions of both of the estimates are established when T tends to infinity and N is fixed or both T and N tend to infinity. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the finite sample behavior of the proposed estimation methods.


Lecithin release from human amnion disks was assayed in basal conditions as well as under epidermal growth factor administration. The tissue responded to the peptide by increasing the phospholipid release. A significant effect was observed only after 30 min of treatment. A possible role of epidermal growth factor-induced amniotic lecithin release in fetal lung maturation as well as in the mechanism of delivery is discussed.


Using density-functional theory calculations, we explore the effects of structural disorder on optical absorption in crystalline Si. We incorporate neutral, ground-state vacancy clusters Vn, n 6, n=12 and 32 to incrementally introduce disorder and compare results to the limiting cases exemplified by amorphous and crystalline Si. In particular, we compute optical spectra for the dielectric function, , and absorption coefficient, , and observe substantial absorption enhancement for all fourfold-coordinated vacancy clusters, similar to the expanded envelope of amorphous Si over crystalline Si. We isolate structural contributions to absorption using constant-density vacancy cluster distributions to show that increased structural disorder predictably enhances absorption. In addition, we observe diminished absorption of V1 as a function of supercell size, suggesting dilute Vn concentrations may be difficult to physically verify. Furthermore, we found the density effect on absorption insignificant in amorphous Si at the subnanometer scale, so we discuss the expected contribution of density from a multiscale perspective.


A three-dimensional transient thermoelastic finite element model was developed to simulate a crowned mandibular first molar tooth under thermal loading as a result of hot liquid intake in the mouth. The effect of crown materials and cement types on thermal stress distribution in a crowned tooth was studied. A single layer crown (Empress) and a double layer crown (In-Ceram) were used as model materials, representing the two extremes in strength of contemporary materials compared to porcelain fused to metal crowns. Resin, glass ionomer, and zinc phosphate cements were evaluated, representing the upper and lower limits of modulus of elasticity currently available. The temperature changes as a result of hot liquid intake were calculated. Then, the thermal stress distributions due to the temperature changes were obtained. The hot liquid was of temperature 60 degC in all prepared cases. The distribution of temperature and stress were plotted and analyzed for all cases. A comparison between different cases was made to achieve the most suitable crown and cement materials


We investigate the chaotic spin-down behavior seen from some pulsars in terms of the nonlinear superfluid dynamics. To this end, we numerically solve the set of equations for the superfluid-normal matter system whose coupling is mediated by creep of the vortex lines. We show that glitch perturbations which introduce a time-delay to the steady-state dynamics leave behind a remnant in the third time derivative of the rotational phase. This time-delay induces a hyper-chaotic spin-down for pulsars. We find that glitch-induced changes in the rotational parameters lead to non-closing cyclic patterns in the time-delayed phase difference diagram. We observe that the number of cycles, $N$, in the diagram results from $N+1$ glitches occurred in total observation time.


1. Abstract Designing transient ther m al m echanical syste m s is a challenging task. Material can have m any different functions: it can provide heat capacity, heat conduction, m echanical stiffness or even function as an actuator. Topology opti m ization can provide the engineer with valuable insight on such a proble m . One of the m ost popular topology opti m ization approaches is the density m ethod. This m ethod is applied to a transient ther m al m echanical proble m . In order to ensure m anufacturability, penalization is applied to suppress inter m ediate densities in the final design. However, for transient ther m al m echanical opti m ization proble m s, conventional penalization does not work for m ost objective functions. A new penalization m ethod, m aterial penalization, is presented that does suppress inter m ediate densities in the transient ther m al m echanical do m ain. Each ele m ent is given its own unique set of penalization para m eters which are opti m ized to m axi m ize the objective function for a m ini m ization proble m . By reusing sensitivity infor m ation fro m the density variables, the additional co m putational cost is li m ited.


This study compared Pairs of students with Single students in web search tasks. The underlying hypothesis was that peer-to-peer collaboration encourages students to articulate their thoughts, which in turn has a facilitative effect on the regulation of the search process as well as search outcomes. Both hypotheses were supported by the results. Pairs located the target information more often and in less time than Singles did. Pairs also employed a richer repertoire of search strategies and were more proficient in monitoring and evaluating their search behaviour. Implications of these findings for practice and further research are discussed.


In this paper, we propose a market model where microgrids sell their surplus power to a utility via aggregators. This is a scalable model where a utility does not directly interact with a large number of microgrids. Thus, aggregators collect power from microgrids and resell it to the utility. From the microgrids' perspective, aggregators are buyers. From the utility's perspective, aggregators are sellers. In this context, based on the two-stage Stackelberg game, we show how to achieve efficient market equilibrium using the tatonnement process and supply function bidding. We also show that the participation of aggregators may significantly affect the market depending on the supply elasticity of microgrids, which in turn depends on the cost structure of microgrids. For example, when the cost function of microgrids is roughly linear, the aggregators may not make a profit. However, if the cost function of microgrids has a higher order term, aggregators may accumulate a large profit, which potentially raises the issue of the regulator's role in the market.


SUMMARY In SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping), the topological paradigm provides a more natural and compact solution that scales better with the size of the environment. Computer vision has always been regarded as the ideal sensor technology for topological feature extraction and description and several methods have been proposed in the literature, but they are either time-consuming, require plenty of different sensors, or are very sensitive to perceptual aliasing, all of which limit their application scope. This paper presents a fast-to-compute collection of features extracted from monocular images, and an adaptive matching procedure for location identification in structured indoor environments inspired by the natural language processing field. Although only dominant vertical lines, color histograms, and a reduced number of keypoints are employed in this paper, the matching framework introduced allows for the incorporation of almost any other type of feature. The results of the experiments carried out in a home and an office environment suggest that the proposed method could be used for real-time topological scene recognition even if the environment changes moderately over time. Due to the combination of complementary features, high precision can be achieved within reasonable computation time by using weaker but faster descriptors.


As well as being important primary productive forces in marine ecosystems, diatoms are also rich in bioactive substances such as triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin. However, little is known about the transcriptional mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of these substances. In this study, we found that the heat shock transcription factor PtHSF1 positively regulated the synthesis of triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Overexpression of PtHSF1 could increase the contents of triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin and upregulate key enzyme genes involved in the triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin biosynthesis pathways. On the other hand, gene silencing of PtHSF1 reduced the contents of triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin and the expression of the key enzyme genes involved in the triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin biosynthesis pathways. Further biochemical analysis revealed that PtHSF1 upregulated GPAT3 and DXS by directly binding to their promoters, while genetic analysis demonstrated that PtHSF1 acted upstream of GPAT3 and DXS to regulate triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin synthesis. Therefore, in addition to elucidating the regulation mechanisms underlying PtHSF1-mediated triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin synthesis, this study also provided a candidate target for metabolic engineering of triacylglycerol and fucoxanthin in Phaeodactylum tricornutum.


Net photosynthesis, dark respiration and the response to photon flux density were measured on cotton leaves grown in a glasshouse. Leaves at four positions on the plant were examined from their unfolding until 70 days later. Photosynthesis and transpiration per unit of leaf area were unaffected by leaf position and, in all leaves, peak photosynthesis of about 110 ng CO2 cm-2 s-1 was attained 13-15 days after leaf unfolding, when the leaf was 75-90% of maximum area. Photosynthesis was maintained at this rate for only 12 days before declining linearly to values 20% of the maximum when leaves were 70 days old. Transpiration followed a similar pattern reaching a maximum of about 13 µg H2O cm-2 s-1 at 2 kPa vapour pressure deficit (VPD) at 13 days. Stomatal and internal conductances changed in parallel as leaves aged, with the consequence that internal CO2 concentration and water use efficiency remainedessentially constant at 220µll-1 and 16.8 ng CO2 (µg H2O kPa VPD-1)-1 respectively. Youngest and oldest leaves saturated at lowest light levels (400-800 pE m-2 s-1) while 16-18- day-old leaves had light saturation at 1100 µE m-2 s-1. The initial slope of the light response curves increased as leaves expanded up to 10 days age then remained constant at 0.25 ng CO2 cm-2 (pE m-2)-1. Dark respiration reached a maximum of 1.5 ng CO2 mg-1 s-1 5 days after leaf unfolding, when leaf dry weight was increasing most rapidly. The relationship between the consistent pattern of gas exchange with age and the pattern of morphological development is discussed, along with internal factors associated with age-dependent photosynthesis.


Background. The level of consciousness is regulated by the activation of the frontal parietal network since a disruption within this interregional cortical connectivity is associated with a consciousness breakdown. Objective. The primary aim of the present study was to examine the feasibility and the safety of a single session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), delivered over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS). As a secondary aim, we investigated the efficacy of rTMS over DLPFC on cortico-cortical connectivity as tested with paired-pulse and dual-coil TMS techniques. Methods. We enrolled 10 healthy and 10 postanoxic UWS subjects. After clinical assessment, subjects underwent a single/paired pulse TMS paradigm evaluating the inhibitory and facilitatory intracortical circuits. In addition, several interregional interactions between primary motor, dorsal and ventral premotor, supplementary motor, and posterior parietal cortex areas were investigated by means of dual-coil TMS technique. These parameters were evaluated at baseline, immediately after, and 60 minutes after a protocol of 10-Hz rTMS delivered at the level of the DLPFC. Results. rTMS over DLPFC did not cause any adverse events. We showed that rTMS over DLPFC did not induce, at group level, any clinical improvement or intra-/intercortical connectivity changes. Interestingly, in 3 patients rTMS induced a significant, although transient, clinical improvement associated with a short-lasting reshaping of brain connectivity. Conclusions. We demonstrated that a single session of 10-Hz rTMS over the right DLPFC may transiently improve consciousness and partially restore the connectivity within several cortical areas in some patients with UWS.


Heating and air conditioning for buildings using urban sewage source heat pump system has broad application prospects. Sewage heat exchanger (SHE) is the key equipment in this system. However, the design parameters and design methods for clean water heat exchanger can not simply be applied to the design of SHE, because of the great difference on heat transfer and flow characteristics of sewage and clean water. From our experimental research and engineering practice in recent years and based on sewage flow resistance and heat exchanger characteristics, we show the critical design points and essential parameters of SHE using the SCILAB platform and TCL /TK software.


We develop a theory of solar cell light trapping based on directly solving Maxwell's equations through a nonequilibrium Green's function formalism. This theory rigorously connects the maximum power absorbed by the solar cell to the density of states of the cell. With this theory we are able to reproduce all standard results in solar cell light trapping previously derived using approximate formalisms. Therefore our development places solar cell light trapping theory on a much firmer theoretical foundation. Moreover, here the maximum power formula is derived without the assumption of reciprocity, unlike previous theories on solar cell light trapping. Therefore, we prove that the upper bound of light trapping enhancement cannot be overcome with the use of nonreciprocal structures. As a numerical test, we simulate an absorber structure that consists of a nonreciprocal material, and show that the absorption enhancement factor is largely independent of nonreciprocity, in consistency with the theory.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the influence of serum estradiol, prolactin and testosterone levels on human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR), soluble myeloid cell receptor-1 (sTREM-1) and prognosis in patients with severe abdominal infection, in order to evaluate the clinical value of the above-mentioned sex hormones.

METHODS
From July 10, 2009 to February 9, 2010, 73 cases with severe intra-abdominal infections hospitalized in surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of Tianjin Nankai Hospital were enrolled. Within 72 hours after enrollment, serum estradiol, prolactin and testosterone levels were detected by radioimmunoassay. Based on their levels, all the cases were divided into increased estradiol group (n=38) and non-increased estradiol group (n=35), increased prolactin group (n=28) and non-increased prolactin group (n=45), decreased testosterone group (n=33) and non-decreased testosterone group (n=40) respectively. In addition, HLA-DR (flow cytometry), as well as of sTREM-1 (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHEII) score, hospital days, the ICU length, hospital costs and 28 day mortality were recorded.

RESULTS
Compared with non-increased estradiol group, HLA-DR in increased estradiol group decreased significantly [(61.22±22.39)% vs. (75.09±14.85)%], while sTREM-1 (ng/L) increased obviously (291.59±148.13 vs. 216.48±124.82), APACHEII score lowered dramatically (11.47±6.88 vs. 15.36±8.79), hospital costs (ten thousands) raised significantly (10.98±8.15 vs 6.25±3.51), ICU length (days) was much shorter (8.56±4.05 vs. 12.17±7.99), and 28 days mortality was significantly lowered (10.00% vs. 32.75%,P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with non-increased prolactin group, increased prolactin group had much lower HLA-DR levels [(61.19±21.50)% vs. (72.02±18.49)%], higher sTREM-1 levels (307.92±173.93 vs. 223.01±106.93), at the same time, their cost of hospitalization (7.75±3.52 vs. 11.36±8.24) and ICU stay length (9.14±3.15 vs. 13.24±2.16) were significantly lower (all P<0.05). Compared with non-decreased testosterone group, HLA-DR in decreased testosterone group increased significantly [(74.69±14.72)% vs. (62.24±22.54)%], while sTREM-1 decreased obviously (208.77±77.80 vs. 294.20±169.36), APACHEII score lowered dramatically (10.57±6.97 vs. 15.39±9.46), hospital costs decreased significantly (7.67±3.81 vs. 11.19±8.05), and 28 days mortality lowered significantly (0 vs. 30.14%, P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
In the early stage of severe intra-abdominal infection, estrogen, prolactin and testosterone levels had powerful influences on immune, inflammation, and prognosis, which may indicated a widespread clinical application.


This study was purposed to investigate the effects of viral vector-mediated gene transfer of platelet factor 4 (PF4) or 17-70 cDNA on cell growth of multiple myeloma (MM) in vivo. Full length and p17-70 cDNA of PF4 were cloned into virapower system to transfect packing cell line 293 and produce lentiviral vectors. 3 multiple myeloma cell lines were transferred platelet factor 4 or 17-70 cDNA by lentiviral vectors. SCID-rab mice models of multiple myeloma were established by injecting U266 multiple myeloma cells selected. The human light chain proteins and VEGF in serums of mice were detected every 2 weeks. The volumes and vascular density of tumors as well as survival time of mice were observed. The results showed that the MM cells expressing foreign genes were identified and screened. There were significant difference of VEGF levels in the supernatants of MM cells between each groups (p<0.01). The SCID-rab models of U266 cells were established successfully. There were significant differences in light chain protein and VEGF in serums among three groups (p<0.01). The light chain protein and VEGF in mice serums of 17-70 cDNA groups were less than that of PF4 group (p<0.01). The light chain protein and VEGF in mice serums of PF4 group were less than that of control group (p<0.01). There were significant differences in the tumor volumes and the vascular density of tumor among 3 groups (p<0.05). The results also showed that there were significant differences of overall survival in 3 different groups of SCID-rab MM models. The overall survival in control group was shortest as compared with other groups (p<0.05). It is concluded that the cell growth of multiple myeloma is suppressed in vivo by transfection of platelet factor 4 or 17-70 cDNA and the overall survival of transfected mice will be prolonged.


The contamination of the operating field by a number of substances including the starch used to lubricate surgical gloves is one of the causes of foreign body granuloma formation. The role of starch is particularly clearly documented in the peritoneal cavity where it may provide the basis of a well defined nosological phenomenon, "starch peritonitis", but it has also been reported in most other anatomical districts. The most logical solution to this problem is to use starch-free surgical gloves prepared using another type of lubricant without the aforesaid drawbacks. This paper analyses international clinical and experimental literature focusing on the damaging effects resulting from the introduction of starch into the peritoneal cavity.


A 59-year-old man who had previously undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA) with the use of a dual modular (head and neck) total hip implant presented with a mechanical failure at the trunion 9 yr after index surgery with a low-energy mechanism. The fractured stem was then removed and a revision stem implanted to restore the patient's ability to ambulate. We demonstrate and contribute to the small but growing evidence of failure of modular THA systems at the trunion.


The two-center three-electron (2c-3e) bonded species are important in chemical and biological science. Reported isolable 2c-3e σ-bonded species are usually constructed in homoatomic radicals. The one-electron oxidation of main-group heteronuclear species Nap(SPh)(P(Mes)2) (1), Nap(SePh)(P(Mes)2) (2), Nap(SPh)(As(Mes)2) (3) and Nap(SePh)(As(Mes)2) (4) produced persistent radical cations 1˙+-4˙+ in solution. Large couplings of heteroatoms in EPR spectra of 1˙+-4˙+, shorter bond distances and bigger Wiberg bond orders of Ch-Pn in 1˙+-4˙+ than those in 1-4 in DFT calculations indicate large amounts of spin densities over heteroatoms and the formation of 2c-3e σ-bonds between chalcogen and pnicogen atoms. This work provides evidence of 2c-3e σ-bonds constructed between main-group heteronuclears and rare examples of radical cations involving three-electron σ-bonds between S/Se and P/As atoms.


Processing tolerance is unavoidable and easy to affect the magnetic performance consistency of magnetic release. The impact of tolerance on magnetic performance of magnetic release is researched in this paper. The main influencing factors of magnetic performance are analyzed by magnetic circuit method, including contact area between yoke and armature, yoke thickness and yoke notch size. And an orthogonal test is established to find the optimal parameter combination. The obtained conclusions can provide guidance for the design and optimization of magnetic release.


Introduction: Nurses have several tasks but one of the most crucial for them is to provide quality patient care. However, patients' perception of care might differ with what nurses think. Patients perceive caring as a developed interpersonal relationship between themselves and their nurses. Contrarily, nurses perceive caring as providing quality care through being knowledgeable and compliant in the prescribed orders through the course of treatment. Aims: This study aims to develop a distinct comparison between the perception of care of patients and nurses. Methodology: A descriptive-comparative design was utilized. Survey data were collected from 200 nurses and 160 patients in the general nursing units of a private, tertiary-level general hospital in the Philippines. The Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 (CBI-24) was used to obtain perceptions of care between nurses and patients. Data was analyzed using t-test to compare care perceptions between nurses and patients. Statistical significance was based on p < .05. Results: The results showed no statistical difference between nurses' and patients' CBI-24 scores. Among CBI-24 items, only seven had significant statistical difference. Specifically, staff nurses reported higher scores for 'spending time with the patient' and 'demonstrating professional knowledge and skill' while patients reported higher scores for 'giving instructions or teaching the patient,' 'supporting the patient,' 'being patient or tireless with the patient,' 'including the patient in planning his or her care,' and 'giving the patient's treatments and medications on time.' Conclusions: In general, the perceptions of care between nurses and patients is at the same level. However, there are specific caring behaviors where nurses over- or underestimate themselves. Overall, the results can be used to develop strategies to further improve the quality of care provided to patients.


The most recognizable fictional spy and one of the longest running film franchises, James Bond has inspired a host of other pop culture contributions, including Doctor Who (the Jon Pertwee era), the animated television comedy series Archer, Matt Kindt's comic book series Mind MGMT, Japan's Nakano Spy School Films, the 1960s Italian Eurospy genre, and the recent 007 Legends video game. This collection of new essays analyzes Bond's phenomenal literary and filmic influence over the past 50-plus years. The 14 essays are categorized into five sections: film, television, literature, lifestyle (emphasis on fashion and home decor), and the Bond persona reinterpreted.


Numerical modeling facilitates the exploration of geodynamic mechanisms that are inaccessible to direct geological sampling. However, quantitative comparison of geochemical signatures predicted by models with real petrological analyses remains restricted. On one hand, efficient melting parameterizations are limited in the information that they provide, on the other, thermodynamic models are not optimized for 3D geodynamic codes. In the Eastern Atlantic, several archipelagos are located near the continental margin, e.g. the Canaries, Cape Verde, Cameroon Volcanic Line, but the origin of this volcanic activity remains poorly understood. Suggested origins range from mantle-plume activity (deep origin) to Edge-Driven Convection (EDC, shallow origin), or an interaction of both mechanisms. To test and constrain these models, we use a recently developed parameterization, which can constrain major-element geochemistry of primary magmas in the form of wt% as a function of the P-T path, together with regional numerical models of EDC with or without plumes. In this work, using the finite-element code CITCOM, we explore 3D models with a step of lithospheric thickness (or “edge”) and with variable distances between an imposed plume and the edge. We predict characteristic compositional trends that depend on model parameters, such as plume temperature or distance of the plume from the continental edge, and compare them with actual melt-inclusion data from the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. We find geochemical trends ranging from alkalic – for the models without thermal anomalies or with weak plumes – to more tholeiitic – for the cases with vigorous plumes. In turn, EDC alone cannot explain the volcanic fluxes observed at the Canary Islands or Cape Verde, with predicted melting rates well below 1 km3 Myr-1. Comparison with melt inclusions points towards the importance of CO2, but a thermal anomaly (plume) is also needed. We use the obtained major elements together with the melt volumes and the plume buoyancy flux to constrain the most likely set of mantle properties that originate the aforementioned islands. Our preferred model is a weak, relatively cold plume (ΔT < 150 ˚C), moderately rich in volatiles, that is affected by the nearby EDC pattern.


Part 1 of this two-part unit on pneumonia explored common signs and symptoms of the infection, and explained how nurses can identify those at high risk. This part looks at its nursing assessment and management.


Necroptosis is a form of programmed cell death and is distinct from apoptosis in its mechanism and morphology; apoptosis is thought to be a non-inflammatory form of cell death whereas necroptosis is thought to be inflammatory. Necroptosis occurs in response to viral infection and is important for control of DNA and RNA viruses in vivo. While much of the necroptotic pathway has been characterized in vitro, the effects of necroptosis are poorly understood in vivo.
 We recently described a system by which necroptosis can be triggered using a version of the pro-necroptotic kinase RIPK3 fused to a ligand binding domain. Here, we characterize a novel transgenic model in which this inducible form of RIPK3 is expressed in vivo, allowing induction of necroptosis in primary tissues. We find that widespread activation of necroptosis in vivo using this model triggers sepsis-like systemic inflammation.


Background : Obesity is a complex physical disorder caused by different biological, psychological, and social factors. Identification of the psychological factors and consequences of obesity is one of the main elements of its control and treatment. The present study was carried out to compare depression and quality of life in the obese women with different body mass indices (BMIs) with the normal women. Methods : for each three groups of obesity 40 and in total 120 women were selected of all the visitors of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences using convenience sampling method and based on the BMI table in a causal-comparative design. Forty women were the normal women sample. Instruments of the study were composed of a questionnaire of personal information, Beck Depression Inventory (second version), and Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF-36). The data were analyzed using Multi-Variable Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Bonferroni Post hoc test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient as well as the SPSS software. Results : the results suggested a significant difference between the obese women in different levels of BMI and the normal ones concerning depression and quality of life at p<0.001. In addition, it was revealed that there is a significant negative difference among the obese women in different levels of BMI concerning depression and quality of life at p<0.001. Conclusion : Regarding the different psychological variables such as depression in obesity, psychological interventions can be useful in the prevention, control, and treatment of obesity as well as promotion of the patients' quality of life.


Nannoconids have been recorded in a rock-forming quantity in the uppermost Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous rock units in Northwest Anatolia, Turkey. Samples were collected from seventeen stratigraphic sections spanning the calciturbidities of the Yosunlukbayiri Formation and pelagic micrites of the Sogukcam Limestone. Because of rareness and difficulties for extracting of calcareous nannofossil species particularly zone markers in these type lithologies, nannoconids have particular attention in terms of biostratigraphy. Twenty nine species of nannoconids were recorded in the studied samples. Their taxonomy were revised and their stratigraphic ranges were given. The classification of genus Nannoconusis based on the gross morphology of the test, presence of central cavity or central canal, proportion of central cavity to thickness of the wall, proportion of height to width. Thickness of calcite elements, degree of horizontal intercept angle, type of apertures and degree of horizontal intercept angle, type of apertures, and degree of angle of apertural elements are also used for description of the species. Fluctuations in nannoconid abundance are related to lithological changes. High abundance of nannoconids in limestones indicates clear surface water palaeoenvironments without terrigenous influx. From the stratigraphical point of view, their importance was clarified by their high abundance peaks. Problematic zonal boundaries of the nannofossil zonation could be determined by major nannoconid bioevents.


Gelatin is a solid and transparent material that has wide application in various industries, especially for the production of food and pharmaceutical. This material is mainly made from meat, skin and bones of pigs and cows around the world. The industrial process of gelatin production is a long and costly process Also; these sources of gelatin production are prohibited in many religions and cultures in the world and they have a lot of health hazards. Therefore, this study was aimed at reviewing the alternative sources of gelatin production and the disadvantages and benefits of each of them. Relevant articles were searched from Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Science direct, and Cochrane library. According to the results of this article, gelatin with a source of animal can have many harmful effects on human health. While it is possible to produce good and useful gelatin using plant sources. Almighty Allah has always recommended humans to consume halal foods while avoiding haram foods. Extensive research is required from the Islamic world to replace haram products with halal and Islamic products. Nowadays, from materials such as agar, pectin, carrageenan and konjac that are mentioned above, and as well as other materials, very good gelatins are prepared. And further researches are needed to find the rich sources of good gelatins or to find plants that have appropriate gelatin.


COMMENTARY ON THE DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT OF 30 MAY 2017, IV KK 164/17The author indicates that it is possible — in a certain state of things — to approve the claim of Article 160 § 1 of the Criminal Code that the immediacy of danger should be associated not so much with the temporal proximity of the effect that may occur in relation to the development of the situation, as with the condition when the inevitable consequence of the further development of the situation without the need for any new dynamizing factors constitutes a risk to one's life or health.Nevertheless, the author cites and shares the view expressed in the doctrine that four views of criteria of directness can be distinguished in the perspective of imminent danger, based on a time element, an element of probability, an element of sufficient cause, an element of inevitability; sometimes some of the given elements are combined or used alternatively in the determination of immediacy A. Spotowski, Funkcja niebezpieczeństwa w prawie karnym, Warszawa 1990, p. 82. Each separate situation requires — in the perspective of examining whether there exists an "immediate danger" — reference to specific, existing circumstances. The author considers it right that in order to attribute the responsibility to the perpetrator for unintentional crime it is not enough to say that he had been careless. It is necessary to demonstrate that he was aware that his behavior can lead to the prohibited act provided such a possibility, or, did not provide for such possibility, although it could have been provided. The author rejects the view that the crime specified in Article 160 § 1 of the Criminal Code can be committed only by action because in the perspective of this deed — which he proves in the commentary — two forms may exist: action or omission.


In this study was investigated the growth effect of Prunella vulgaris. aleutica Fernald(leaf and flower) extracts on various lactic acid bacterias, electron donating ability and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. The total cell count of Enterococcus faecium KCCM 12118, Lactobacillus rhamnosus KCCM 32826, Lactobacillus plantarum KCCM 11542, Pediococcus pentosaceus KCCM 40464 in the absence at after 48hr were . On the other hand, the total cell count of E. faecium KCCM 12118, L. rhamnosus KCCM 32826, L. plantarum KCC 11542, P. pentosaceus KCCM 40464 in the presence of Prunella vulgaris. aleutica Fernald(leaf and flower) extracts(10%) at after 48hr were . The electron donating ability indicated to E. faecium KCCM 12118, L. rhamnosus KCCM 32826, L. plantarum KCCM 11542, P. pentosaceus KCCM 40464 added by 10% Prunella vulgaris. aleutica Fernald(leaf and flower) extracts, respectively. when 10% native plant extracts were added lactic acid bacterias, the electron donating ability is the highest. Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of L. plantarum KCCM 11542, L. rhamnosus KCCM 32826, E. faecium KCCM 12118, P. pentosaceus KCCM 40464 showed higher than that of control.


Introduction: Diabetic cardiomyopathy is common in patients with labile type I diabetes, with a tendency to ketoacidosis, reduced body weight, and affection of small blood vessels. This research aimed to determine the nature of the reaction of the autonomic nervous system and changes of biometrical indices in experimental diabetes type 1 and under the influence of different forms of quercetin. Material and Methods: White outbred mature male rats were used in the experiments. For diabetes type 1 modeling, a single intraperitoneal streptozotocin injection (50 mg/kg) was used. In 14 days after the injection, animals were divided into three groups: animals with diabetes without treatment; rats that were injected with a water-soluble form of quercetin; rats that were injected with the liposomal form of the bioflavonoid. Bodyweight, heart weight, heart mass ratio, tolerance of animals to physical activity (swimming test), and glucose level in the blood were defined. The state of the autonomic nervous system was estimated according to the indices of cardiointervalography. Results: Quercetin preparations at experimental diabetes type I contributed to the improvement of the mass measurement parameters and functional state of the autonomic regulation of heart activity, causing normalization of the majority of its indices and, as a result, increased the tolerance of animals to physical activity (duration of swimming). Under the influence of the preparations, vagal influence on the heart has been progressively reduced, and the restoration of balance between the tonus of sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system and centralization of control of heart rhythm were observed. It is important to mention that for most biometrical indices and indices of heart rhythm variability, the activity of the liposomal form of quercetin was more pronounced than its water-soluble form. It is possible that this effect was due to liposomes. Conclusion: The liposomal form of quercetin exhibited higher activity against most biometric and heartbeat rate indicators.


Abstract It is well known that transcritical flow past an obstacle may generate undular bores propagating away from the obstacle. This flow has been successfully modelled in the framework of the forced Korteweg–de Vries equation, where numerical simulations and asymptotic analyses have shown that the unsteady undular bores are connected by a locally steady solution over the obstacle. In this paper we present an overview of the underlying theory, together with some recent work on the case where the obstacle has a large width.


When various companies are involved in the manufacture and export of medical devices to the United States (U.S.), it is not always easy to understand the reporting responsibilities under the U.S. Medical Device Reporting regulation. A new rule has been published to help companies better understand the requirements. This article discusses the new rule, ways to determine responsibilities and suggestions for compliance.


A novel frequency-sampling method for designing zero-phase FIR filters from nonuniform samples is presented. The method is fast, simple, recursive and can be used in the design of 1D or 2D zero-phase FIR filters by imposing some mild constraints on sample locations in the 2D frequency plane. Based on a novel Newton representation of the filter transfer function the proposed method guarantees real results, saves a number of operations and produces accurate solutions even in cases of designing high-order filters or when the interpolation matrix is ill-conditioned. In the progressive case when the next sample appears, the design parameters are evaluated by updating the old ones with correction terms that could be used as indicators for convergence, approximation, or filter reduction. The method can be used in mD filter design, in LU-factorization or in inversion of cosine matrices. >


Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a mitogen that is thought to play a important role in myocyte growth. In previous work, we found the increase of immunoreactivity of bFGF in cardiac myocyte of young SHR and pressure over loaded rat heart, and it suggested that endogenous bFGF which contained high molecular form of bFGF contributes to myocardial hypertrophy. To examine this hypothesis, rhabdomyosarcoma (A 204 cells) derived bFGF was used as wild type bFGF. Extracted bFGF from A 204 cells and nonserum conditioned medium of A 204 cells included high molecular form (22, 24 kd), as well as low molecular (18 kd) bFGF by western blotting, and showed hypertrophic effect in cultured myocardial cells. The hypertrophic effects were indicated in remarkable enlargement of cell size and significant increase in phenylalanine incorporation (x 2.2). The maximum expression of c-myc mRNA by A 204 conditioned medium was observed 30 min after stimulation, and it was also accompanied by an increase of accumulation of alpha skeletal actin mRNA by primer extension. After absorption of heparin binding growth factor from A 204 conditioned medium, it indicated no hypertrophic effects. In conclusion, it is likely that wild type bFGF including high molecular weight form plays a important role in cardiac myocyte growth and hypertrophy.


He learned in the corner of the children of Sheikh Boudaoud (Daoud Al-Din) , then moved to the corner of Sheikh Bin Ali Al-Sharif in Jabal Akbu, then he moved to the corner of Sheikh Muhammad Abu Al-Qasim (Al-Hamil) to study jurisprudence and monotheism and obtained a Certificate of principals in jurisprudence and monotheism, especially the obligatory duties, then he worked as an employee in the children's house of Sidi Sheikh Bin Al-Nazir (Positively). He also worked as a teacher for a long time and called for building schools and built some of them with his own money. He moved in many parts of the country, performed the Hajj pilgrimage in 1935 AD, and during his travels, he became acquainted with scholars. Evacuated like the leader Husseini, he was influenced by Imam Abdul Hamid bin Badis and his case, he was exposed to several harassment by the colonial authorities during World War II because of his activities in the Association of Scholars Muslims and his land was confiscated and he was prevented from practicing his activity, until the glorious liberation revolution broke out in which he participated in it with all his might, despite his advanced age, he was imprisoned in 1955 AD, and was martyred on April 24, 1959 AD by firing squad. Shot with his brothers the 74 martyrs in the battle of Kingfisher Mansoura. He left one son and six daughters. The researcher who wrote the article is the granddaughter of the martyr Allama to his eldest daughter, Lalla Barakam, born in 1926 in Mansoura, Wilayat of Bordj Bou Arreridj, may God have mercy on him, may his soul rest in peace, his immaculate body is buried in his hometown in the village of Ahl Al-Hamra district of Mansoura. He also left in the cultural field a rich library and manuscripts in Islamic jurisprudence and ordinances. Keywords: Hajj Ali Makki, Martyrs of the Revolution, March of Science and Jihad


A new synthetic method is described to construct 1,2,4-azadiphosphole derivatives based on vanadium-catalyzed [2+2+1] cycloaddition reactions. Reactions of azobenzenes as nitrogen sources with phosphaalkynes as phosphorous counterparts in the presence of VCl2(thf)2 as a catalyst afford the corresponding 1,2,4-azadiphospholes.


We review the observational properties of interstellar magnetic fields in the disk and halo of our Galaxy. These properties are inferred from a variety of observational methods, primarily based on polarization of starlight and dust thermal emission, Zeeman splitting, Faraday rotation, and synchrotron emission. We briefly present each of these methods and explain how it has contributed to our present knowledge and understanding of interstellar magnetic fields.


This subject involves a discussion of the early and present pandemics, cardinal features of the viability and dissemination of Bacillus pestis and the transmission of plague. HISTORICAL SKETCH. While indefinite statements regarding plague are found in the earliest writings, no definite knowledge of this disease has been found until the writings of Rufus of Ephesus regarding plague in Egypt in the second century B. C. At this time the disease was present in lower Egypt, spread along the coast of the Mediterranean and existed as a pandemic for an unknown period. Numerous detailed accounts give positive data that this pandemic was the same disease as that now known as bubonic plague. During this period war, drought and famines were prevalent throughout the world. During the centuries following this pandemic, numerous references to plagues are found, but each is too indefinite to warrant a diagnostication of bubonic plague. In the Justinian


Using the data obtained from a battery monitoring unit (BMU) are a low-cost, easy-to-use way to estimate the power consumption of smartphones. Current online power estimation methods produce significant errors compared to using external power monitors because online methods do not address the three most important factors which affect the efficacy of online power consumption estimates. These are: (1) battery capacity degradation with aging, (2) asynchronous power consumption, and (3) the effect of state-of-charge (SoC) difference, the remaining power level of the battery. This paper presents a semi-online power estimate method which uses charging data to determine actual battery capacity, applies the discrepancy between battery voltage at different workloads for asynchronous power detection, and analyzes the range of SoC (0-100 percent) which causes minimal power estimate errors. The proposed method is validated by conducting a series of experiments on a smartphone and comparing the results with the existing online power estimation methods. Experimental results on the power consumption estimates of real applications indicate that the semi-online method reduced the error rate of power estimates obtained from existing online methods by 27-94 percent. Moreover, this work also shows that battery capacity degradation is the major factor affecting the efficacy of online power estimations.


Objective To compare the permeability and incidence rate of complication of arteriovenous internal fistula made by autogenous, homologous, and artificial Teflon blood vessels. Methods Two hundred and forty one cases with arteriovenous internal fistula made by autogenous, homologous, and artificial Teflon blood vessels were followed up to compare the permeability and incidence rate of complication at 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. Results\ The incidence rate of complication of autogenous blood vessels was lowest, it had no statistical differences compared with arteriovenous internal fistula made by homologous blood vessels. The permeability of arteriovenous internal fistula made by homologous blood vessels was highest, and it had no statistical differences compared with autogenous blood vessels. The permeability of arteriovenous internal fistula made by artificial Teflon blood vessels was lowest, but the incidence rate of complication was highest, and it had significantly statistical differences compared with arteriovenous internal fistula made by autogenous blood vessels ( P 0.01). Conclusion Arteriovenous internal fistulas made by autogenous and homologous blood vessels have high permeability and low incidence rate of complication, they are superior to the arteriovenous internal fistula made by artificial Teflon blood vessels.


ClpP proteins constitute a family of homologous proteins found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. In Escherichia coli, ClpP is the proteolytic component of a large complex also containing either the ClpA or the ClpX ATPases. We show here that the clpP gene from the Gram‐positive bacterium Lactococcus lactis encodes a 22‐kDa protein that is induced by low pH and by the t‐RNA analogue puromycin, which interferes with translation, resulting in the production of misfolded puromycyl‐containing peptides. Northern blot and primer extension analysis showed that clpP expression is also induced by heat shock and that stress induction occurs at the transcriptional level independent of the CIRCE regulatory element often implicated in stress regulation in Gram‐positive bacteria. When we disrupted the L. lactis clpP gene by insertional inactivation, the resulting mutant was more sensitive to both heat and puromycin than wild‐type cells. Furthermore, cells lacking ClpP had a reduced ability to degrade puromycyl‐containing peptides, and they synthesized heat shock proteins constitutively in the absence of stress. Thus, our data suggest that ClpP plays a major role in the degradation of misfolded proteins.


Carcass discounts are an important component of grid pricing of fed cattle. Yet, little effort has been made to model the behavior of the primary carcass discounts that vary over time. This paper presents alternative models of the Choice-Select and yield grade 3-4/5 discounts. Besides noting the seasonal patterns in each, the series changed with the advent of mandatory price reporting.


The subject studied the relationship between tissue dynamics caused by Quadriceps muscles movement in the knee extension — flexion state and the signal measured from the EMG sensor. Establishment of force and momentum force equations generated by the muscle groups, EMG momentum and voltage equations. Using the Arduino Uno controller, read the signal from the EMG sensor, and save it to an SD memory card. Use Excel software to process the signal and display the state diagram of the objects when knee articulation in the extension — flexion exercise. The result is the premise for the application of executive control to assist patients recovering lower extremities.


With the rapid development of connected vehicle (CV) technologies, cyber security issues in the vehicular network has emerged as serious concerns for successful deployment of CV systems. In the existing literature, the analysis of the cyber security impacts has been primarily focused from the computer science perspectives investigating potential attacking scenarios and counter-measures through network security strategies. In this paper, we investigate traffic impacts of cyber attacks considering real-world driver behavior, especially the "built-in" safety redundancy of the visual verification by drivers or autonomous driving system. More specifically, we study the impact of "false-accident" attacks on the stability of traffic flow. In the false-accident attack, a vehicle sends out a false accident alert to its surrounding vehicle through CV-enabled network and has considered an attacking scenario that has catastrophic effects. Traffic flow stability is based on widely-used numerical linear stability analysis methods, the ring road test. In such a test, vehicles are restricted within a ring road so that traffic congestion and perturbations appear in cyclic patterns indicating the stability of traffic flow. The study indicates that false-accident attacks do not necessarily yield significant impact on the stability of traffic flow. Sensitivity analysis is conducted by varying the attacking duration, the attacking vehicle position in a platoon, and the CV safety application reaction range.


The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S‐transferases, GSSG reductase, thiol transferases, gamma glutamyl‐cysteine synthetase, and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase, and the concentrations of H2O2 and reduced and oxidized glutathione were determined in the various developmental stages of houseflies. Housefly development was correlated with a progressive increase of cellular oxidizing equivalents and a loss of cellular reducing capacity. The loss of reducing equivalents appeared to result from a decrease in the activity of enzymes involved in glutathione and NADPH synthesis and a concomitant increase in glutathione‐oxidizing enzymes. Relatively little change was observed in SOD activity during housefly development; however, the electrophoretic pattern of MnSOD varied in a manner specific to developmental stage. A striking increase in H2O2 concentration occurred prior to pupation possibly due to changes in substrate catabolism. These results support the hypothesis that the cellular environment becomes progressively more oxidizing during development.


Background Only one biologic agent has been approved for use in SLE, but some are used off-label in various settings. To obtain information systematically regarding this, members of the SLICC group initiated the International Registry for Biologics in SLE (IRBIS). The entire registry contains data from 28 centers. Objectives To analyse the use of biologics in SLE, and assess the results achieved over the first two years after initiation. Methods IRBIS investigators provided retrospective data on all patients treated with a biologic for SLE at their center. Standardized case report forms were used to collect demographic, disease-specific and treatment data at the time of biologic initiation and at yearly follow-ups. Here, data is presented from 13 reporting centers for which two-year follow-up data were available. Results Based on the complete data set, 455 patients were treated with rituximab (84%), belimumab (10%), epratuzumab (5%), and anti-tumor necrosis factor agents (abatacept, etanercept and adalimumab, each <1%). The major organ manifestations leading to biologic treatment were lupus nephritis (LN, 44%), hematological (17%), musculoskeletal (16%), skin disease (10%), CNS (4%) and other (9%). Reasons for choosing the biologic were disease-control (73%), steroid-sparing (5%) or both (23%). At biologic initiation mean disease duration (±SD) was 9.5±7.9 years, and mean age was 42.2±12.5. Most patients (91%) were female. Prior to biologic treatment, most patients (91%) had been treated with one or more immunosuppressants (IS). Just over half (57%) had used 1-2 IS drugs, 21% had used three, and 13% had used 4-6 IS drugs. At two-year follow-up (n=120), SLE disease activity (SLEDAI) and glucocorticoid (GC) dose was significantly lower versus baseline (mean±SD SLEDAI: 9.4±5.3 to 3.1±2.5; mean±SD GC dose: 10.7±13.9 to 4.8±5.9 mg; paired analyses, p<0.0001 for both comparisons). SLICC damage-index remained unchanged. At baseline, concomitant GC was used in 91% of patients compared to 61% at follow-up. There was a slight trend to decreasing use of IS drugs from baseline (57%) to follow-up (51%). In almost half of patients (48%) there was at least one adverse event reported over the indicated follow-up period. However, only 5% were related to the biologic agent. Serious adverse events were serious opportunistic infections (n=4), posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES, 3), serious allergic reactions (4), serious infections (6) and death (6). Conclusions Rituximab was the biologic used most commonly in this multi-center international lupus cohort and was used for a range of SLE manifestations. At two-year follow-up both lupus activity and concomitant glucocorticoid dosage had decreased. Over time, GC use decreased, with a trend for a decrease in IS drug use as well. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


PURPOSE
This study was to investigate the factors influencing problem behaviors among adolescents.

METHOD
The subjects for this study were 596 students in middle school in Seoul. The data was collected during the period from May to November, 2001 by use of questionnaires. The instruments used were the Child Problem Behavior list by Hong (1986), the Body Cathexis Scale by Secord and Jourard(1953), and the Beck Depression Inventory by Beck(1978). The data was analyzed by using the SPSS-Win program.

RESULT
Problem behaviors showed a significant negative correlation with body image (r= -.310. p=.000) and positive correlation with depression (r=.674, p=.000). There were significant differences in the problem behavior scores of subjects according to sex, family status, economic status, and school scores. Female students were found to have a high degree of internalized problem behaviors. In addition, depression, body image, and sex were significant predictors to explain problem behaviors(47.3%). Depression, sex, grade, and school scores were significant predictors to explain externalized problem behaviors(21.9%) and depression and body image, internalized problem behaviors(51.4%).

CONCLUSION
Since predicting factors of problem behaviors among middle school students by problem behavior type and sex were different, then practitioners should consider these differences when developing programs for them.


This paper reports the results of an experiment on the effects of six speaking styles on some of the acoustic properties of speech. The experiment was part of an exploration of within-speaker variation in connection with automatic speaker verification (ASV), pursuing the hypothesis that the elicitation of style variation in the training phase of an ASV system ('structured training') would enhance the performance of the system. Swedish-speaking subjects produced a digit sequence at varying speaking rates and loudness levels, and also with simulated denasality (pinched nose) and under cognitive stress. Duration of vowels and consonants, and formant frequencies of vowels, were measured. A number of consistent patterns of variation emerged for duration and vowel quality and are reported here. The discussion explores the relation between the patterns observed and the success, or in the case of speech under stress the failure, of structured training in reducing the error rates in ASV.


Because of the experimental teaching characteristics of circuit text and problems appeared in this text, we induct simulation software NI Multisim 10.0 to build virtual electronic platform and to research the practice of equivalent power supply circuit, resonance circuit and three-phase circuit. This proves that through constructing circuit and simulation test on the virtual platform students could enhance not only their do-it-yourself ability but also the efficiency of experimental teaching.


A counterimmunoelectrophoresis test was developed for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to group B coxsackievirus (CB) types 1 through 5. The IgM precipitin line could be identified and differentiated from the IgG line by treating sera with 2-mercaptoethanol. Antigen purity was demonstrated by single precipitin lines occurring only to the homologous antigen when tested with type-specific hyperimmune rabbit sera. Serum pairs from 19 of 22 patients with documented CB type 1,3,4, and 5 infections were positive for IgM antibody to the infecting serotype, whereas 2 of 7 pairs from CB type 2 patients were positive. Heterologous IgM antibodies were present in sera from 14 fo 29 CB patients. Of the 14 patients with heterologous IgM antibodies, 12 also had greater than or equal to 4-fold rises in whole serum neutralizing antibody to heterologous serotypes. Only three control sera from 72 patients with coxsackievirus group A, echovirus, or other viral infections had IgM antibody to CB serotypes.


Jen Whitington describes how a family rallied round to 'fix' their Dad and help him change his lifestyle in the face of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Pulling together, they have turned around what could have been a slow decline in health for Geoff, to an outlook that is altogether more positive. Mike Kirby provides a commentary on page 32


It is a scholarly commonplace that Machiavelli sharply diverges from the republican tradition of political thought when he says that it was precisely "due to the disunion between the plebs and the senate" that Rome became a great republic (Disc. 1.2). To Quentin Skinner, for instance, this feature of his thinking, which "astonished" Machiavelli's contemporaries, represents a "completely heterodox stance" (Foundations of Modern Political Thought, p 181). What Machiavelli repudiates in the Discourses, Skinner concludes, "is nothing less than the Ciceronian vision of the concordia ordinum" ("Pre-humanist origins of republican ideas," in Machiavelli and Republicanism, p 136). This paper argues that the view of Cicero's concordia ordinum represented here is flawed, and that a proper understanding of it sheds new light on the role of internal conflict in republics as Cicero conceived them. Cicero's concordia ordinum is not a "theory" in the sense defined by Greek philosophers like Plato. It describes not a permanent ideal state but a temporary state of affairs in general conditions of class antagonism. If we fail to grasp the role of class conflict and popular action in Cicero's thinking, we lose sight of what may be the most important insights of Roman political thought: that politics arises as the interruption of the effects of domination by those with dignitas, who counter-claim politics as the sphere of dignitas and thus as their proper field of action, their property; and that the institution of power, whether it privileges wealth, family, custom, or any or all of these, demands counter- practices and counter-institutions capable of disrupting the settled workings of political decision-making. We miss, too, the acute awareness at the core of Cicero's thought that class antagonism is capable of policing elite excess and chastening elite expenditure. This is why I call my reading of Cicero a "Machiavellian" reappraisal.


Eschericia coli remains the workhorse producing recombinant proteins given its ease of handling, access and genetic manipulation using standard laboratory techniques. However, disulfide-rich proteins can be difficult to produce in E. coli, in large part due to the reducing environment of the bacterial cytoplasm. Refolding from insoluble inclusion bodies can be a viable strategy for generating substantial quantities of disulfide-rich protein. For the best chance of successfully refolding a protein, it is vital to carry out a variety of small-scale test refolds under a swathe of conditions including altering the concentration of urea, salts, reduced and oxidized glutathione, temperature, length of refold time and protein dilution factor. Once a protein has undergone refolding it is vital to determine that the final product is natively folded given the chance of soluble misfolded protein. For determination of correct folding, a variety of techniques can be employed, and ideally, numerous should be used together. For proteins that possess enzymatic function the gold standard to assess correct folding is an activity assay. Non-enzymatic proteins can be assessed using a combination of circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These techniques should be utilized alongside mass spectrometry, Western blotting and SDS-PAGE.


A new integrated ramp control strategy, recently deployed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, is evaluated. This strategy, stratified zone metering (SZM), takes into account real-time ramp demand and queue size information and aims to strike a balance between two competing objectives: improving freeway efficiency and preventing excessive ramp delays. In this study, the SZM strategy was compared to the earlier ZONE metering strategy as well as to the no-control alternative. Comprehensive metrics were generated through rigorous microsimulation to assess critical aspects of the strategy's performance. The evaluation results are consistent with qualitative field observations and confirm that SZM strategy improves freeway efficiency when compared with the no-control alternative, reduces freeway travel time and delay, improves freeway speed, smooths freeway flow, and reduces the number of stops. More important, excessive queue spillbacks and ramp delays were significantly reduced under SZM control when compared with the earlier ZONE metering strategy. However, the nonrestrictive metering rates under SZM may cause the freeway proper to be overloaded; this leads to compromised freeway performance as compared with the more restrictive ramp control. This is especially true for heavy traffic demands, when higher ramp volumes are allowed on the freeway.


Large investments can have significant impacts on local development, as illustrated by the conceptsof the multiplier effect and corporate social responsibility. The subject in this paper is the Volkswagen -Crafter car production plant opened in 2016 in Białężyce near Września (Wielkopolskie Voivodeship in Poland), one of the largest greenfield investments in western Poland since 1990. On the basis of the data obtained from company representatives and local governments, the numerous benefits for local residents and the natural environment resulting from the investment and actions undertaken at Volkswagen have been described. Questionnaires among residents have shown that the main benefits of the plant are the creation of new jobs, new municipal and infrastructure investments, an increase in Września's prestige, an increase in service sector activity as well as housing for new inhabitants and start-up companies cooperating with Volkswagen. The recognition and reliability of Volkswagen as an employer and large enterprise (along with other factors, e.g. discounts on cars for employees) influence the above -average sales of Volkswagen in Września Poviat.