Biotic stresses pose a major threat to crop productivity. Crops are challenged by a plethora of biotic
stresses, but only a limited number of key pests and diseases cause the vast majority of economic
losses in a particular crop. Plant protection measures such as application of pesticides and deployment
of resistant gene(s)/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) into cultivars have so far been quite successful
in curtailing the losses; however, these measures have also led to the constant evolution of new
biotypes/pathotypes/strains/races of pest and disease organisms. Hence, there is a continuous need
to identify genomic regions that can impart resistance against these variants. The availability of
large-scale genomic resources in many crop species has enhanced our understanding on the path to
developing host-plant resistance. As a result, numerous race-specific gene(s) and QTLs have now
been identified and cloned with the help of molecular markers. It is quite exciting that these genomic
regions are being introgressed into breeding programs of many crops. The objective of this book is to
critically review the current availability and utilization of genomic tools for major biotic stresses in
important cereals, legumes, vegetables, and tuber and oilseed crop. The book also summarizes the
success stories achieved through application of genomics-assisted breeding (GAB), as well as the
scope for deployment of modem breeding methods such as marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC)
and genomic selection in the era of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, which have the
potential to advance the genetic gains for enhancing resilience against biotic stress. This chapter
summarizes highlights of different chapters included in the book that is expected to be a resource
for young researchers, GAB practitioners, and policy makers for employing better strategies toward
achieving food security.


Several evidences suggest that regulatory T cells (Treg) promote Th17 differentiation. Based on this hypothesis, we tested the effect of IL-17A neutralization in a model of skin transplantation in which long-term graft survival depends on a strong in vivo Treg expansion induced by transient exogenous IL-2 administration. As expected, IL-2 supplementation prevented rejection of MHC class II disparate skin allografts but, surprisingly, not in IL-17A-deficient recipients. We attested that IL-17A was not required for IL-2-mediated Treg expansion, intragraft recruitment or suppressive capacities. Instead, IL-17A prevented allograft rejection by inhibiting Th1 alloreactivity independently of Tregs. Indeed, T-bet expression of naive alloreactive CD4+ T cells and the subsequent Th1 immune response was significantly enhanced in IL-17A deficient mice. Our results illustrate for the first time a protective role of IL-17A in CD4+-mediated allograft rejection process.


In this paper, we develop an Isabelle/HOL library of order-theoretic
fixed-point theorems. We keep our formalization as general as possible: we
reprove several well-known results about complete orders, often with only
antisymmetry or attractivity, a mild condition implied by either antisymmetry
or transitivity. In particular, we generalize various theorems ensuring the
existence of a quasi-fixed point of monotone maps over complete relations, and
show that the set of (quasi-)fixed points is itself complete. This result
generalizes and strengthens theorems of Knaster-Tarski, Bourbaki-Witt, Kleene,
Markowsky, Pataraia, Mashburn, Bhatta-George, and Stouti-Maaden.


The in-situ tensile testing of two new model materials which is specially created to capture coalescence, the final stage of the ductile fracture process, was discussed. The first model material consisted of a single sheet containing 10 microns in diameter holes all the way through the sheet which was tested in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that enables to observe the coalescence in 2D. The second model material consisted of a sheet bonded on both sides by hole free sheets which was tested in an X-ray computed tomography set-up and provided 3D views of the ductile fracture process. The coalescence in the three dimension (3D) case was delayed to higher strains and the failure of the material was controlled by the macroscopic neck. The results show that orientation of the array of holes with respect to the tensile axis has an effect on the failure path and on the modes of coalescence.


Traditional practices from the past are deep rooted and slow to change. Today's technology being then unknown made development of the singing voice entirely dependent upon the ear, the good taste in style, and the musicality of the teacher.
The vocal needs today require bigger voices due to present day size of concert halls and opera houses. They are larger in every way over performing areas of the past. Filling these spaces, a singer must have an energized instrument which
necessitates finding new avenues that point the way to increased vocal energy without harming the voice, i.e.balanced resonance. Computer analysis programs which are relatively inexpensive and readily portable fitwell into voice studios. Energies such as harmonics (formants), vowel consonant relationship and vibrato can easily be checked on a computer screen.


Transfer reactions played a key role in unraveling many properties of the nucleus, in particular they have been essential to define the relevance of the independent particle motion and to define the properties of two-particle correlations. In view of the now available radioactive beams, it is important to summarize some aspects of the transfer processes that will be relevant to define the properties of nuclei close to the neutron and proton drip lines.


In spring 2016, a 310-foot-deep boring (named MA–FSW 750) was drilled by the U.S. Geological Survey near Nantucket Sound in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the hydrogeology of the southern coast of western Cape Cod. Few borings that are drilled to bedrock exist in the area, and the study area was selected to fill a gap between comprehensive geologic datasets inland to the north and marine geophysical data from beneath Nantucket Sound to the south. A permanent monitoring well (MA–FSW 750–0100) was installed in the boring upon the completion of the drilling and core collection. Observations from sediment cores and surface and borehole geophysical measurements were used to delineate three zones relevant to understanding groundwater flow at the study location. Shallow sands and gravels (0–107 feet [ft] below land surface [bls]) underlain by silt-rich fine and very fine sand (107–175 ft bls) form a zone of high permeability underlain by a zone of relatively lower permeability, referred to as the "shallow high-permeability" and "lowpermeability" zones, respectively. A sharp lithological contact separating the shallow high-permeability and low-permeability zones may affect vertical flow of groundwater. Fine to coarse sand with intervals of clay and silt from 175 to 300 ft represent a deep zone of relatively high permeability, referred to as the "deep high-permeability" zone. A compacted, nonsorted unit (identified as basal till) and the bedrock surface were encountered at 300 and 305 ft bls, respectively. Hydraulic conductivity estimates from nuclear magnetic resonance logs and sediment grain-size distribution analyses indicated that the shallow high-permeability zone contributes substantially to the capacity of the aquifer to transmit groundwater at the study location. Results from geophysical surveys indicate a gradual transition from fresh to saline groundwater in the interval from 105 to 160 ft. Freshwater at the study site is present in the saturated unconsolidated sediments only in the 75-ft interval between 30 ft (the water table) and 105 ft bls in the shallow high-permeability zone. Sediments shallower than 175 ft closely resemble the downward fining post-Wisconsinan age deltaic and lacustrine deposits present in many parts of western Cape Cod; sediments deeper than 175 ft appear to be the product of earlier depositional processes more local to the southern coast of western Cape Cod. This study highlights how high-resolution observations of cored material coupled with a multitool geophysical approach can characterize a single boring to help better understand regional glacial history and hydrogeology.


[Background] Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been shown to play critical roles in various in vivo phenomena including osteoblastic differentiation. It has been suggested that, in the bone marrow, hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) reside in osteoblastic niche, which consists of osteoblasts derived from MSC. In mice, previous studies have demonstrated that co-transplantation of MSC improves the engraftment of HSC, especially after transplantation of the cells into the bone marrow cavity directly, namely intra-bone marrow transplantation (iBMT). However, neither the efficacy nor the dynamics such as migration and homing of HSC after iBMT with MSC have been determined in large animals. Here, using non-human primates, we have investigated the effects of co-transplantation of MSC on the engraftment of HSC after autologus iBMT. [Methods] Auto-iBMT of cynomolgus monkeys was performed, using bone marrow stromal cells (as MSC) and CD34-positive cells (as HSC). The latter were divided into two equal aliquots, each of which was genetically marked with a different retroviral vector, G1Na or LNL6. Conditioning of iBMT, TBI or administration of busulfan, was followed by hemi-iBMT; that is, the bone marrow of one side (right or left) of the body was transplanted with one HSC aliquot together with MSC, whereas the other side of the identical body was transplanted with the other HSC aliquot alone. Engraftment of each HSC aliquot was evaluated by colony PCR of bone marrow, as well as by PCR of the genomic DNA obtained from peripheral blood or bone marrow of humerus, femur, and ilium. Both PCR could distinguish the dual markings derived from the two HSC aliquots. [Results] In the first monkey transplanted, we found that the engraftment derived from the co-transplantation aliquot was 4.4-times higher than that derived from the HSC alone aliquot as assessed by colony PCR (48% versus 11%) using the bone marrow samples obtained from the ilium at day 46 post-iBMT. In the second monkey, when the peripheral WBC recovered to 2500–3000/μl after day 28 post-iBMT, 2% of the cells were positive with the retroviral marking derived from the co-transplantation aliquot, although none of them were positive with that derived from the HSC alone aliquot. In addition, colony PCR of the humerus and femur of both sides at day 39 post-iBMT revealed that the engraftment derived from the co-transplantation aliquot was 6.0-times higher than that derived from the HSC alone aliquot. Notably, colony-forming units (CFU) derived from the cotransplantation aliquot were detected in the bone marrow of the opposite side, suggesting that HSC injected into the bone marrow might migrate and achieve homing in the distant bone marrow. [Conclusion] Taken together, these results indicate that, in auto-iBMT of cynomolgus monkeys, co-transplantation of MSC improves the engraftment of HSC, the efficacy of which might be attributable to additional osteoblastic niche, presumably created from co-transplanted MSC.


A multi-objective inversion procedure is proposed based on 3D Lamb wave dispersion curves and energy velocity matching to identify the elastic stiffness tensor of orthotropic composite plates. To validate the procedure, finite element model simulations and experimental measurements have been conducted on an aluminum and a composite plate by using piezoelectric actuator broadband signals. Experimentally, the in-plane and out-of-plane velocity components on the surface of these plates were measured using a 3D Infrared Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer. By exploiting Fourier Transform, the measured space-time domain data is converted into the frequency-wavenumber domain, from which dispersion curves are extracted. To identify the energy velocity, Short Time Fourier Transform and linear Radon transformation have been applied. Then, image processing is used both for dispersion and energy velocity curves to match the amplitude of the in-plane and out-of-plane velocities on the surface of the plate. The Semi Analytical Finite Element method (SAFE) was selected as the forward model to be embedded in an inversion algorithm due to its accuracy and robustness. Using a multi-objective genetic algorithm, the elastic tensor is calculated by simultaneously minimizing the error between (i) the measured and calculated dispersion curves on one hand, and (ii) the measured and calculated energy velocity slowness curves on the other hand for every in and out of plane velocity measurement. The mean values of the pareto front are selected as optimum parameters. The reconstructed elastic stiffness properties show good agreement with less than 6% average deviation.


BACKGROUND/AIM
Vitamin D3 has increased risk of toxicity due to its common use in multivitamin preparations. Vitamin K and vitamin A play an important role in vitamin D action. The goal of the current study was to compare the protective effects of vitamin K and vitamin A on the modulation of hypervitaminosis D3 toxicity in rats by assessing serum calcium, renal function tests, cardiac enzymes, and related histopathological changes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eighty adult albino rats were divided into four groups; each group consisted of 20 rats. The first group received water; the second received a toxic dose of vitamin D3; the third received a toxic dose of vitamin D3 with vitamin A; and the fourth received a toxic dose of vitamin D3 with vitamin K.

RESULTS
Vitamin D3 toxicity led to significant abnormalities of cardiac enzymes, renal function tests, and serum calcium associated with histopathological changes in the kidney, heart, lung, adrenal gland, and aorta. Individual administration of vitamin A or vitamin K with a toxic dose of vitamin D improved the biochemical and histopathological abnormalities of hypervitaminosis D3.

CONCLUSION
Vitamins A and K showed the same protective effects in the modulation of hypervitaminosis D3 short-term toxicity.


The anadromous Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus is an ecologically and culturally important fish that has experienced declines in abundance and distribution throughout large portions of its range. However, the lack of fundamental biological information, such as age and growth, impedes management and conservation efforts.We used known‐age hatchery and wild Pacific Lamprey to evaluate the potential of statoliths (apatite concretions found within the auditory capsules) to provide estimates of individual size and age throughout ontogeny. Statolith size and growth were assessed with comparisons of morphometrics (area, perimeter, length, and width) in relation to fish length. Traditional band‐reading methods and random forest (RF) analysis were evaluated for their utility in estimating age.We observed a strong, positive relationship between statolith size and fish length for larvae that were hatchery reared. However, there were no positive relationships between statolith size and fish length for any of the postmetamorphic life stages, which indicates that statolith growth slows dramatically or ceases after metamorphosis. Band‐reading methods of statoliths from known‐age lamprey (1‐ and 2‐ to 9‐year‐olds) resulted in accurate age estimates for 28% of the fish, and 57% of mean age estimates fell within 1 year of the true age. While we found that the statolith was not very useful for traditional age estimation techniques, its inclusion in morphometric‐based age classifications was promising. A RF model based on body length, collection river, and statolith area accurately assigned 76% of the larval and freshwater juveniles to their known age. Additionally, an RF model using only body length and river of origin correctly classified 70% of the known‐age samples.Multivariate approaches, including those that include lethal and nonlethal predictor variables, provide potential approaches to estimate age in larval and early juvenile Pacific Lamprey.


: A positive clinical effect of plasma sorption added to multiple-modality treatment of patients with pyoinflammatory maxillofacial diseases and diabetes mellitus was revealed. Plasma sorption is conducive to normalization of lipid metabolism, improves blood rheology, activates microcirculation, this promoting sooner healing of postoperative wounds and reducing hospitalization periods.


The conflict of interest amongst the professionals like client and contractor project managers, site engineers, quantity surveyors and designers/architects play crucial roles for the unethical practices and consequently these practices have adverse impact on the product quality, faith of clients and investors' confidence in the construction industry. Hence, this research is aimed at examining the common forms of unethical practices among professionals in the construction industry as well as uncovering the factors that have encouraged these practices. This study depends on the questionnaire survey amongst professionals of the construction industry. The survey is conducted to recognise the view of key stakeholders from different perspectives of the affected parties on the concept of business ethics in the building and construction industry, which has key contribution on the national economic growth of the developing countries. The survey concludes that untimely legal action including changing project manager's responsibility and delays in payment processes are key ethical practices from owner/client aspect, while contractor's unethical practices are under bidding, bid cutting and shopping, bid rigging and over billing. But from the consultant aspect; lack of supervision, poor monitoring and taking bribes under different pretend are found to be the encouraging factors for unethical conducts in the construction industry. It is also found that accepting the bribes, gifts and conflicts of interest are the most common forms of unethical practices. The findings from the study are expected to help as an important eye opener to policy makers and regulatory agencies in detecting and preventing unethical practices. In conclusion, avoiding the conflict of interest and promoting the ethic codes to professionals will help to restore the investor and people confidence, faith of the clients and improve the quality of buildings and infrastructures. The study recommends that promoting awareness regarding the values of ethical behaviour at different forum and ensuring the effective punishment for unethical activities at different stages of project life cycle might reduce the unethical practices in the construction industry.Journal of Advanced College of Engineering and Management, Vol. 3, 2017,  Page: 55-77


The purpose of this working paper is to evaluate the future of the aluminum industry in West and Central Africa, with a focus on aluminum smelting and its relationship with power generation and availability in the regions. The organization of this study is as follows. It continues with an overview of the global aluminum industry, including a description of the production process, current and projected supply and demand, and the most important cost considerations for companies investing in the industry. Chapter two provides a brief history and future prospects for the aluminum sector in West and Central Africa. Chapter three contains an analysis of the viability of the two most important existing smelters in the regions, Valco in Ghana and Alucam in Cameroon, as well as a briefer analysis of Alscon in Nigeria and the potential for other smelters in the regions. In chapter four, the recent experience of the three large aluminum smelters in southeast Africa is reviewed and lessons are extracted for West and Central Africa. Conclusions and recommendations are in chapter five.


Abstract A multifaceted, classroom‐based research project explored how developing Grade 7 students' knowledge of literary and illustrative elements affects their understanding, interpretation and analysis of picturebooks and graphic novels, and their subsequent creation of their own print texts. Analysis of two sources of data, the students' written responses to Amulet (Kibuishi 2008), one of the graphic novels read and discussed during the study, and the students' opinions about the knowledge that is required to read and understand a graphic novel, indicated how the instruction about various graphic novel conventions had impacted the students' awareness of and knowledge about the structural design of these multimodal texts.


Purpose of review We review the recent advances in neurological toxicities of immune checkpoint inhibitors, with a focus on underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms and the implications on their therapeutical management. Recent findings A growing number of cancer patients benefit from immune checkpoint agents and oncologists are increasingly confronted with these novel autoimmune syndromes. During the last years, further progresses have occurred in this field, notably in the identification of specific clinical patterns, such as the association of myasthenic syndrome with myositis and myocarditis, and polyradiculoneuropathies accompanied by cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytic pleocytosis. In addition, recent immune-histological studies improved the understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms behind immune-related neurotoxicities. Summary Neurological toxicity is rare compared with other organs and systems, but its potential morbidity and mortality requires a prompt management. If there is a consensus for steroids as a first-line treatment, no exhaustive clinical data exist for other treatments. Recent advances in the knowledge of pathophysiological mechanisms (behind these toxicities) should be taken into account for the management of these patients. Drugs targeting T-cell mediated inflammation should be preferred in patients who are refractory to steroids, whereas therapies targeting humoral mechanisms should be considered in specific cases associated with autoantibodies such as immune-related myasthenic syndrome.


A new trinuclear CuII compound {[Cu3(HL′)2(H2O)2](ClO4)4}·(H2O)4 (1) was obtained and presented a trapped chiral hemiaminal (HL2′ = [(5-amino-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)amino](1H-imidazol-4-yl)methanol)). Compound 1 shows an almost flat cationic structure [Cu3(HL′)2(H2O)2]4+ with a Cu3 linear core reached by the double Cu-OR/NN-Cu triazole/alkoxo bridge of the hemiaminal molecule. The CuII spin carriers are antiferromagnetically coupled, presenting a spin doublet ground state (S = 1/2) with a magnetic coupling constant of −179 cm−1. Moreover, DTF calculations show that the planarity of the compound permits a sigma-type overlapping between the unpaired electrons of the spin carriers and the p-type orbitals of the coordinated N and O atoms producing an electronic delocalization through the bridging ligand responsible for the strong antiferromagnetic interactions observed experimentally.


Blind-ending bifid ureters, as one type of duplications, are a rare congenital anomaly of the urinary tract. Occasionally they present with unspecific symptoms and require surgical intervention. This case of a blind-ending bifid ureter was associated with an intravesical ectopic orifice. Recurrent urinary tract infection necessitated excision of the blind branch and ureteroneocystostomy using the psoas-hitch technique.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the effect of the Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with Premium plaque control brush head on gingival inflammation, bleeding, and supragingival plaque reduction following a six-week period of home use compared to a manual toothbrush.

METHODS
This was a randomized, single-blind, parallel-design clinical trial. Subjects included in the study were routine manual toothbrush users who were generally healthy non-smokers, aged 18-65 years, with mild to moderate gingivitis. Subjects with advanced periodontal disease, excessive gingival recession, and heavy deposits of calculus or rampant decay were excluded from the study. Eligible participants were dispensed either Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with Premium plaque control brush head (PC), or an ADA Reference manual toothbrush (MTB) for twice-daily home oral hygiene procedures for six weeks. Efficacy measures included the Lobene and Soparker Modification of Quigley and Hein Plaque Index (MPI), the Modified Gingival Index (MGI), and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI). Safety was evaluated by oral examination and subject report. Efficacy and safety were assessed at Baseline, and at two and six weeks following product home use.

RESULTS
Of 154 subjects randomized, 143 subjects completed the study. For the primary endpoint, MGI at Week 2, statistically significantly larger reductions in MGI were observed for PC versus MTB, p < 0.0001. The adjusted mean reduction and standard error estimates (SE) for MGI, expressed as percent reduction versus Baseline to Week 2, were 41.73% (2.00%) for PC and 7.38% (2.02%) for MTB. Statistically significant differences were also observed for MPI and GBI at Week 2, and for all metrics at Week 6.

CONCLUSIONS
Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with Premium plaque control brush head statistically significantly reduces gingival inflammation, gingival bleeding, and plaque following two and six weeks of home use, compared to manual tooth brushing alone.


Orchidaceae, one of the largest family of angiosperm, represented by their distinct morphology and flowers of natural beauty. With the increase in orchid demand globally for their ornamental purposes, orchid diseases are carried together along with their transportation. These pathogens that infect orchids, decreases their quality and market value. Thus, studies focusing on the health and diseases on orchids are found to be necessary. This study aimed to identify the phylloplane mycoflora causing fungal diseases on orchids, through the study of symptoms on hosts and laboratory culture. To identify the fungal pathogens, normal teasing and section cutting was followed. Furthermore, culturing of Phylloplane mycoflora using Czapex Dox Agar Medium (CzA) was done. The study identified disease causing pathogens as Aspergillus niger (black mould) and Ascochyta sp. (Ascochyta blight) on Eria coronaria, Colletotrichum acutatum (Black spot or Anthracnose disease) and Curvularia lunata (leaf spot) on Bulbophylum reptans, Fusarium oxysporum (Fusarium leaf spot) on Cymbidium erythraeum, Lophiostoma macrostomum (Lophiostoma leaf blight) on Cymbidium hookerianum, Phyllosticta dendrobii (Phyllosticta leaf spot) on Dendrobium nobile, and Septoria sp. (Spetoria leaf spot) on Calanthe plantaginea and Dendrobium hookerianum.


In the study, Axial Suspension Plasma Spray (SPS) was used to produce a range of columnar microstructures from Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) suspension after an extensive experimental design. The optimized microstructure was applied to a multi-layer GZ/YSZ system, in which both layers were sprayed with SPS. In addition to SPS, a new GZ coating using Axial Solution Precursor Plasma Spray (SPPS) was developed and deposited on top of the SPS GZ coating. The durability in the furnace cycling test (FCT), as well as the consequences of CMAS infiltration into the columnar coatings was extensively studied on different microstructures. Preliminary CMAS test on the SPS coatings infiltrated them completely, leading to delamination. To minimize the detrimental effect of CMAS on the underlying SPS, the dense solution precursor GZ layer was aimed to act as a sealant to protect the underlying columnar SPS-GZ layer from molten CMAS infiltration.


Excavations at the Easton Down long barrow were part of a wider programme of research into the Neolithic sequence and context of the Avebury area in north Wiltshire. The short barrow, on high chalk downland to the south-west of Avebury and the upper Kennet valley, and containing only a few inhumations according to Thurnam's 19th-century investigation, dates to the later 4th millennium BC. Test pits around the barrow produced very little struck flint, and virtually no colluvium in the adjacent dry valley to the west. The mound covered a thin calcareous turfline above a rubbly soil, probably formerly cultivated. The pre-barrow molluscan fauna, soil micromorphology and other environmental data indicate a clearance adjacent to woodland. In the secondary fill of the flanking ditches there is a succession from renewed woodland to open conditions in the Late Neolithic. The Easton Down monument falls relatively late in the regional sequence of long barrow construction. Its setting was probably one of scattered, non-permanent clearances in woodland. Woodland was still widespread on the higher downland of the region in the middle of the Neolithic. Renewed and bigger-scale clearance towards the end of the Neolithic may be connected with the construction of very large monuments elsewhere in the region. The later prehistoric landscape became both more open and less diverse.


BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs. Drug concentrations in tumor tissue can predict the drugos efficacy better than that in serum do. This study was to detect and compare the concentration of Dox in KBv200 and KB cell xenografts in nude mice by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

METHODS
Tumor models in nude mice were established with KB cells (drug-sensitive) and KBv200 cells (multidrug-resistant). Dox was injected via the tail vein. The concentration of Dox in tumor tissue was detected by HPLC at 1, 3 and 5 h after injection. A Hypersil reversed-phase BDS C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, ID 5 microm) and mobile phases that were composed of acetonitrile and 0.02 mol/L KH2PO4 (1/2.4, V/V, pH 3.9) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min were used for setting a fluorescence detector (excitation wave length was 480 nm; emission wave length was 580 nm).

RESULTS
Under the condition of HPLC, the calibration curve of Dox concentration in tumor tissue was linear within a range of 29.3-7 500 ng/g (r=0.9998). The limit of detection in tumor tissue was 14 ng/g. At the concentration of 3 750, 468.8 and 117.2 ng/g, extraction recovery were (99.35+/-7.65)%, (99.79+/-5.73)% and (103.67+/-6.76)%, respectively, method recovery were (91.89+/-7.03)%, (94.94+/-5.18)% and (100.83+/-5.32)%, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 4.2%. At 1, 3, 5 h after Dox injection, the concentrations of Dox were (139.32+/-54.68), (260.00+/-126.11) and (173.26+/-13.88) ng/g in KBv cell xenografts, respectively, and (385.13+/-42.55), (523.38+/-138.84) and (460.75+/-86.85) ng/g in KB cell xenografts, respectively. The Dox concentration was significantly higher in KB cell xenografts than in KBv200 cell xenografts at the same time point (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
Detected by HPLC, the concentration of Dox is much lower in multidrug-resistant cell xenografts than in sensitive cell xenografts.


Recently, we showed that the major species of β-naphthoflavone-inducible rat liver mitochondrial P450MT2 consists of N-terminal truncated microsomal P4501A1 (+33/1A1) and that the truncated enzyme exhibits different substrate specificity as compared with intact P4501A1. The results of the present study show that P450MT2 targeted to COS cell mitochondria by transient transfection of P4501A1 cDNA is localized inside the mitochondrial inner membrane in a membrane-extrinsic orientation. Co-expression with wild type P4501A1 and adrenodoxin (Adx) cDNAs resulted in 5–7-fold higher erythromycin N-demethylation (ERND) in the mitochondrial fraction but minimal changes in the microsomal fraction of transfected cells. Erythromycin, a potent inhibitor of bacterial and mitochondrial protein synthesis, caused 8–12-fold higher accumulation of CYP1A1 mRNA, preferential accumulation of P450MT2, and 5–6-fold higher ERND activity in the mitochondrial compartment of rat C6 glioma cells. Consistent with the increased mitochondrial ERND activity, co-expression with P4501A1 and Adx in COS cells rendered complete protection against erythromycin-mediated mitochondrial translation inhibition. Mutations that specifically affect the mitochondrial targeting of P4501A1 also abolished protection against mitochondrial translation inhibition. These results for the first time suggest a physiological function for the xenobiotic inducible cytochrome P4501A1 against drug-mediated mitochondrial toxicity.


BACKGROUND
There is a high prevalence of borderline intellectual functioning in the pretrial reports on Antillean suspected offenders.

AIM
To describe the prevalence of borderline intellectual functioning and mental retardation in Antillean suspected offenders on the basis of IQ-tests applied and reports on limitations in adaptive functioning of these 'offenders'.

METHOD
A study was made of 249 psychological pre-trial reports of Antillean suspected offenders between 2003 and 2008 in one Dutch judicial district.

RESULTS
Borderline intellectual functioning was ascertained in 91 reports (36.6%) and mental retardation in 26 reports (10.4%). The prevalence of borderline intellectual functioning was lowest when the GIT-2 was used (19.7%) and highest when the WISC-III was used (47.8%). Limitations in adaptive functioning were not mentioned in any reports or questionnaires, although both these criteria are required to be met for a diagnosis of borderline intellectual functioning.

CONCLUSION
Pre-trial reports on Antillean suspected offenders need to state clearly whether these 'offenders' have exhibited limited adaptive functioning.


The objective of this collection o fpotatoes expedition was to collect germplasm of potatoes wild species for their conservation and regeneration to put them available to the international scientific community as well as to gather field data to carry on taxonomic studies. Atotal of accessions of five species was collected. Thirteen accessions of Solanum agrimonifolium were collected in the Huehuetenango, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Totonicapan, Solola and Chimaltenango provinces located in altitudes ranging from 2,340 to 3,300 meters above sea level (masl); six accessions of S. bulbocastanum subsp. partitum were gotten in the Huehuetenango and Baja Verapaz provinces; 17 accessions of S. clarum were found in the Huehuetenango, San Marcos, Solola, and Totonicapan provinces in altitudes extending from 3,000 to 3,500 masl; on1y one accession of S. demissum was found in Totonicapan province; and six accessions of S. morelliforme were gotten in Huehuetenango, San Marcos and Totonicapan provinces in altitudes ranging from 2,900 to 3,050 masl. The habitats where these species grow are very dist urbed due to deforestation and changes in the use of the soil. As a result, the guatemalan potato wild species are endangered species. It is notorious that in many locations where 50 years ago wild germplasm was gathered it no longer exist.


Background In recent years, an increasing number of studies have shownself-esteem and self-consciousness can be protective factors against smartphone addiction among adolescents. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and self-esteem and self-consciousness among girls in their first year of high school. Materials and Methods: The samples of this cross-sectional included all the female first year students in Tehran, Iran, from 2019 to 20. The formula suggested by Krejcie and Morgan was used to measure the sample size (n=140), and stratified sampling was used for the collection of samples. The scale of smartphone addiction, the scale of Coopersmith self-esteem, and the self-consciousness scale (revised version) were used. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 23.0. Results: The total sample of the study included 140 girls with the mean age of 15.81 (0.63) years. The Mean students' self-esteem was (34.58± 11.81). The correlation analysis indicated that self-esteem and self-consciousness (MR = -0.423, p <0.05) had a significant negative correlation with smartphone addiction among student. The results also showed a significant negative correlation between self-esteem and self-consciousness with smartphone addiction (p <0.05). The correlation coefficient between self-esteem and smartphone addiction was (r = 0.394, p <0.05) and the correlation coefficient between self-consciousness and smartphone addiction was (r = -0.293, p <0.05). Conclusion Based on the regression equation with the standard coefficients, self-esteem and self-consciousness had a positive effect on smartphone addiction in students. The findings also show that self-esteem predictors, compared to those of the self-consciousness, are better predictors for smartphone addiction.


This study was conducted to determine educational needs and identify potentially effective educational modalities for emergency nurses working in rural and critical access hospitals. Although 50% of all emergency department visits to critical access hospitals are low-acuity cases, the 4.0% transfer rate in critical access hospitals is significantly higher than the 1.5% overall transfer rate. Nursing issues include the required breadth and depth of skills needed by emergency nurses in recognizing, stabilizing, and transferring patients who require a higher level of care. Thirty-three emergency nurses practicing in rural or critical access hospitals were recruited for a focus group discussion of educational needs, barriers, and facilitators. The discussion was transcribed, and constant comparison was used to identify themes. Participants identified a need for further education in the care of critically ill patients, those who have undergone bariatric surgery, geriatric patients, those with traumatic injury, and those with mental health issues. Themes included educational isolation and limited availability of resources. Developing and delivering continuing education to this significantly isolated practice community is vital to safe patient care.


Four hearing aid arrangements (monaural-omnidirectional, monaural-directional, binaural-omnidirectional, binaural-directional) and a number of FM system-personal hearing aid combinations (including direct input, neck loop, and silhouette inductor--monaural and binaural--and environmental microphone on and off) were evaluated in a school classroom on nine children with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing losses. Two measures of speech recognition in noise were employed. First, the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) yielding 50% identification of spondees was determined using a simple up-down adaptive procedure. Second, word recognition scores were obtained for three amplification arrangements at two different S/Ns (+6 and +15 dB). The average FM advantage over a personal hearing aid was equivalent to a 15-dB improvement in S/N. Activation of the hearing aid microphone caused most of the FM advantage to disappear. The benefit offered by the FM system decreased as the environmental S/N increased but remained significant even at +15 dB. Significant improvement also was found with the use of directional as compared to omnidirectional microphones, both in the hearing aids and FM teacher microphone.


Features and possibility of application of the calcium channel blocker lercanidipine in cardiology practice are discussed. The use of lercanidipine in patients with hypertension is supported by extensive evidences. The use of lercanidipine in certain categories of patients, including patients receiving combination therapy is also considered. The safety of lercanidipine in cardiac patients is discussed separately.


This study analyzed the content of eight triterpenes (oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, arjunolic acid, asiatic acid, boswellic acid, corosolic acid, madecassic acid, and maslinic acid) in ten vegetables and eight fruits. These compounds at 0.5% were supplied to mice for 4 or 8 weeks. The bioavailability, tissue distribution, and antioxidative protection of these triterpenes were examined. Results showed that triterpenes were detected in eight vegetables and six fruits. Basil and brown mustard contained seven test triterpenes, in the range of 14-102 mg/100 g dry weight. The level of each triterpene in plasma, brain, heart, liver, kidney, colon, and bladder increased as the feeding period was increased from 4 weeks to 8 weeks (P < 0.05). Renal homogenates from mice with triterpene intake had greater antioxidative effects against glucose-induced glutathione loss and malondialdehyde and oxidized glutathione production when compared with those from control groups (P < 0.05). These data support that these triterpenes were absorbed and deposited in their intact forms, which in turn exerted in vivo antioxidative protection.


Evaluation of longitudinal force is very important for the performance evaluation of older bridges and for the design of new bridges. There is a growing demand to increase freight haulage in railway networks, in particular, on the iron ore routes of various zones of Indian railways. This proposed alteration may subject the bridges to higher tractive effort/braking forces together with higher axle loads. It is thus obvious that there is a need to check the performance of the concerned bridges under this proposed increased loading. Hence, as part of evaluating the bridges for higher axle loads, experimental investigations have been carried out on a typical steel plate girder railway bridge. This paper gives the summary of experimental investigations, test setups, and results obtained for the evaluation of longitudinal force. The longitudinal force evaluated based on the experiments for the increased axle loads is found to be within the design limits specified. The special fixtures developed for direct measurement of the longitudinal force are found to give the reliable results compared to the strain gage measurements on the girder. The results show that only part of the rail force is transmitted to the girder.


In few-shot continual learning for generative models, a target mode must be learned with limited samples without adversely affecting the previously learned modes. In this paper, we propose a new continual learning approach for conditional generative adversarial networks (cGAN) based on a new mode-affinity measure for generative modeling. Our measure is entirely based on the cGAN's discriminator and can identify the existing modes that are most similar to the target. Subsequently, we expand the continual learning model by including the target mode using a weighted label derived from those of the closest modes. To prevent catastrophic forgetting, we first generate labeled data samples using the cGAN's generator, and then train the cGAN model for the target mode while memory replaying with the generated data. Our experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in improving the generation performance over the baselines and the state-of-the-art approaches for various standard datasets while utilizing fewer training samples.


Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) have been rarely reported in guinea pigs. We aimed to characterize the clinical and pathological features of GISTs in 4 guinea pigs and investigate the presence of mutations in exon 11 of the KIT proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase (Kit) gene. Two subjects were male and 2 were female; 2 were 6 years old, 1 was 7 years old, and 1 was of an unknown age. Three cases had primary gastric tumors, whereas 1 had a primary small intestinal tumor. All cases had tumors that extended from the submucosa to the serosa with extraluminal growth. A gastric tumor had gastric, pancreatic, and cecal metastases. Histologically, the tumors were sharply demarcated and composed of spindle cells arranged in bundles, intermixed with small amounts of collagenous stroma. The tumor cells had mild atypia with few mitotic figures (0–5/50 high power fields, 7.95 mm2) and were immunolabeled for KIT and Discovered-on-GIST 1 (DOG1). All cases had mutations in exon 11 of the Kit gene. These findings indicate that GISTs in guinea pigs are similar to those in humans and dogs. GISTs in guinea pigs are potentially malignant submucosal tumors with KIT- and DOG1-immunolabeling, exon 11 KIT mutations, and the possibility of metastasis.


Document-level discourse parsing, in accordance with the Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST), remains notoriously challenging. Challenges include the deep structure of document-level discourse trees, the requirement of subtle semantic judgments, and the lack of large-scale training corpora. To address such challenges, we propose to exploit robust representations derived from multiple levels of granularity across syntax and semantics, and in turn incorporate such representations in an end-to-end encoder-decoder neural architecture for more resourceful discourse processing. In particular, we first use a pre-trained contextual language model that embodies high-order and long-range dependency to enable finer-grain semantic, syntactic, and organizational representations. We further encode such representations with boundary and hierarchical information to obtain more refined modeling for document-level discourse processing. Experimental results show that our parser achieves the state-of-the-art performance, approaching human-level performance on the benchmarked RST dataset.


Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)–targeted therapy has become an important treatment option for the management of a number of human malignancies. Unfortunately, a significant number of patients do not respond to VEGF-targeted therapy when used as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy. Furthermore, the duration of benefit from VEGF-targeted therapy can be relatively short (weeks to months). Ultimately, the vast majority of patients who initially respond to therapy will develop resistance. To date, the molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with resistance to VEGF-targeted agents are poorly understood. The mechanisms of action of anti-VEGF therapy are diverse, and it is entirely possible that resistance mechanisms are similarly diverse and depend on the tumor type. A better understanding of these mechanisms will help in the selection of those patients that are more likely to benefit from VEGF-targeted therapy and also provide for the rational development of therapies that circumvent or overcome resistance.


The RCSB Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB, http://www.rcsb.org) provides access to 3D structures of biological macromolecules and is one of the leading resources in biology and biomedicine worldwide. Our efforts over the past 2 years focused on enabling a deeper understanding of structural biology and providing new structural views of biology that support both basic and applied research and education. Herein, we describe recently introduced data annotations including integration with external biological resources, such as gene and drug databases, new visualization tools and improved support for the mobile web. We also describe access to data files, web services and open access software components to enable software developers to more effectively mine the PDB archive and related annotations. Our efforts are aimed at expanding the role of 3D structure in understanding biology and medicine.


Abstract The Hoskins-Bretherton (HB) model is adopted to study two-dimensional frontogenesis in unsteady basic shear flows. The solutions exhibit the nonlinear evolution of an unstable Eady wave up to the formation of a frontal discontinuity. This development is described by the HR solution for a steady shear flow with time reinterpreted by means of a coordinate transformation. The computations are carried out by means of a relatively simple but hightly accurate approximation to the exact solution. The results show that typical wintertime variability of midlatitude zonal flows may either retard or accelerate frontal development compared to frontogenesis in a steady basic flow. Rapid frontal development is also associated with relatively rapid frontal movement and a more intense ageostrophic circulation. In contrast, a prolonged period of development is associated with relatively slow movement and a weaker ageostrophic circulation. The effect of different time-varying basic flows is examined and the result...


In comparative studies of transitional justice in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania is ranked among the countries which have taken the strictest lustration measures. In contrast, a very negative perception of the issue dominates the Lithuanian public discourse. Lustration is often described as impotent or failed in the media. Despite its high political importance, there has been no systemic analysis evaluating the results of Lithuania's lustration policy (LLP). This article aims at analyzing the effectiveness of LLP. The effectiveness is defined through achieving the official goals set by the policy-makers, which leads to the main research question: has the lustration policy in Lithuania achieved its goals?The main object of this article is the LLP which consists of three sets of laws: 1998 laws aimed at restricting the former KGB employees, 1999 law aimed at KGB's secret collaborators, and 2010 law allowing publishing remaining KGB documents.Analysis is primarily based on semi-structured interviews with the key officials, who formed and implemented Lithuania's lustration policy. Besides, the content analysis of press coverage, legislative acts, and transcripts of Parliamentary sessions were employed.LLP was expected to achieve three main objectives: (1) to ensure state security by banning supposedly disloyal persons from strategically important institutions; (2) to ensure state security by protecting former secret collaborators from blackmailing and manipulation by foreign secret services; (3) to inform the society about the system and practices of the former KGB. While analyzing these goals, two aspects were taken into consideration: (a) whether the legislation has created favorable conditions for their implementation; (b) whether the expected results were achieved by implementing the lustration measures.The first goal was achieved only partly. Although the former KGB employees were successfully banned from selected positions for the following ten years, the secret collaborators were mostly unaffected by the law. Moreover, one group formerly associated with KGB – the reserve officers – was not included in the legislation and therefore was not affected by the LLP.Ensuring protection from blackmailing was aimed at the former secret collaborators only, because many of their files were missing and accessible to either the government of the Russian Federation or private persons. This goal has been achieved rather effectively. More than 1500 people confessed having collaborated with the KGB. Their identities were classified ensuring their protection in case of blackmailing. As a result, the use of the entire former KGB network was impeded, because the identities of those, who confessed, were concealed and the risks associated with contacting former collaborators were significantly enhanced.The last goal – to inform society – was achieved as well, although its implementation was overdue and slow. The first efforts to achieve publicity failed due to the ineffective work of the Lustration Commission and the insufficient KGB archive. However, legislation adapted in 2010 enabled the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania to publish all accessible KGB documents. This initiative helped the society learn about the former KGB; however, its implementation started only in 2011 and is still ongoing.This article corresponds with the last wave of transitional justice studies, in which the results and/or impact of transitional justice measures is evaluated. Besides offering an evaluation of Lithuania's lustration policy, the analysis provides ground for further research. Firstly, it allows comparing Lithuania with other post-communist countries, which have chosen similar transitional justice measures. Secondly, the material analyzed in this paper can be used for a wider theoretical assessment of lustration's goals, factors, determining its effectiveness, etc. Finally, this study can serve for the further research of Lithuania's lustration policy. The findings of this article suggest a rather positive evaluation of LLP, further contradicting the opinion dominant in the local media. This could encourage future studies to explore the reasons of this inconsistency.


Studies were undertaken to achieve a further understanding of T cell subtype involvement in minor-histocompatibility graft-versus-host disease (MiHL-GVHD) as it may occur in MHC-matched unrelated donor (MUD) transplantation. For this, the H-2 identical, but minor-histocompatibility disparate, B10.S----SJL/J mouse model was employed, using a 50/50 mixture of B10.S spleen and marrow cells to induce GVHD in the SJL/J recipients. Utilizing dual labeling flow cytometry analysis, the relative distributions of the various T cell subtypes within the spleen and marrow of the B10.S donor strain were determined. The effects of selectively depleting for pan-T (Thy-1+), CD-4 (L3T4+), CD-8 (Lyt-2+), or CD-5 (Lyt-1+) cells were then evaluated and the results were compared with the incidence and severity of GVHD in the recipients. The data reinforced the results of previous studies indicating that a significant element of MiHL-GVHD is dependent on CD-8 cytolytic T cells which may operate independently of any helper cell input. However, they also indicated that the presence of CD-4 helper cells can accelerate the response. Furthermore, they suggested that the induction of MiHL-GVHD in MUD transplants may not be limited to the activity of fully matured T cells, but that other immature T cell subtypes, lacking in both the CD-4 and CD-8 markers, may likewise be involved.


Many of the \n-hard" problems described by Gajentaan and Overmars can be solved using limited nondeterminism or other sharply-bounded quanti ers. Thus we suggest that these problems are not among the hardest problems solvable in quadratic time.


Ionic liquids (ILs) exhibit a wide range of noncovalent (NC) interactions, coulombic, van der Waals, H-bonding, halogen bonding and π interactions, giving rise to polar, lipophilic and fluorous domains. ILs also exhibit a variety of unique features and a high level of complexity in a single liquid environment. In this chapter, an understanding of the underlying NC interactions within ILs is developed. Catalysis in ILs is a well-established and diverse field, the IL normally playing the role of solvent, but the IL can also be an additive or the catalyst. The prevalence of NC interactions within ILs leads to NC interactions playing an important role in catalytic mechanisms and reactivity. Selected cases from the literature are used to highlight specific examples. However, in many cases the focus of reports on catalysis in ILs is on the performance and products and not on the mechanistic details. The range of interactions possible can make unravelling the effect of an IL on a reaction very difficult. The purpose of this chapter is to build a robust understanding of the NC interactions that occur between catalyst and IL, with the aim of being better able to conceptualize a potential mechanism.


Intro: Headache is a very common complaint detected in children by respiratory questionnaires. Aim: To determine possible respiratory predictors of headache in children aged 10-15 using a binary regression model. Method: In the RESPIRA study questionnaires were collected from parents of 2051 children aged 10-15, Malta n=860, Gela=594, and Rural south Sicily n=597. The question was "During the past three months, has your child had any of the following symptoms ? Headache. 889(48.6%,CI46.5-50.8) complained of headache, 2.9% daily, 8.3% often, 37.5% sometimes. Binary logistic model predictors were: Nasal symptoms in the last 12 months OR1.35 (95%CI1.03-1.75, p=0.031), Eye symptoms 12m, 1.63(1.15-2.32, p=0.005), Asthma Medication 12m OR 1.48(1.03-2.14, p=0.036), Nocturnal cough 12m 1.46(1.17-1.8, p=0.001), Male Gender 0.66 (0.55-0.79, p=0.001), Age in years 1.23(1.12-1.35, p=0.001), Dampness or mould in bedroom 1.32(1.01-17.17, p=0.038), quantity of cigarettes smoked in the house on a scale of 0-6 1.09(1.02-1.17, p=0.016). Other possible predictors, were: Resp Infection 1 st year of life 1.24(0.99-1.54, p=0.06), diagnosed rhinitis 1.27(0.99-1.63, p=0.06), cat ownership 0.76(0.55-1.05, p=0.09, living close to traffic 1-3, 1.01(1.0-1.02 p=0.09). Living in Malta(p=0.67) or Gela(p=0.64), parent education level (p=0.51) were not significant predictors. Conclusion: Age, female gender, nasal and eye symptoms, asthma medication, dampness or mould in bedroom and passive smoking at home were the main predictors of headache in 10-15 year old children Respira - EU funded Project Italia-Malta programme 2007-2013.


The influence of chronic verapamil treatment on antipyrine elimination was studied in eight angina patients. Antipyrine half-life (mean +/- s.d.) was 13.1 +/- 1.15 h at the start of therapy and 16.6 +/- 3.05 h (P less than 0.05) during chronic oral administration of verapamil (80-120 mg four or three times daily for 4 to 7 months). There was a significant decrease in antipyrine clearance (mean +/- s.d, 43.2 +/- 16.8 ml min-1 vs 28.7 +/- 16.6 ml min-1, P less than 0.01) while the change of distribution volume was insignificant. Verapamil elimination was also found to be impaired after chronic dosing as compared to single administration. Half-lives measured from the concentration vs time and urinary excretion rate vs time curves were both prolonged and oral clearance was decreased. Our results suggest that the inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes accounts for the impairment of verapamil elimination on chronic administration.


This study was conducted to investigate the technical factors of Lu Yu Fu vault actually performed by three men gymnasts participated in artistic gymnastics competition of 2003 summer Universiade in Daegu through the DLT method of three dimensional cinematography. To analyze these vaults, the instant events of Lu Yu Fu were set in the board touchdown(BTD), the board takeoff(BTO), the horse touchdown(HTD), the horse takeoff(HTO), the peak height(PH), the mat touchdown(MTD) respectively and the phases of that vault were set in the board contact(BC), the preflight(PRF), the horse contact(HC), the postflight(POF), the grounding on mat(GM) respectively After calculating the performance times, the CG displacement velocity, the kinetic energy impulse reaction force moment arm torque at the horse, the released angle piked angle addressed angle, the angular momentum angular velocity of whole body in x axis, and the horizontal displacement between the feet and CG, the following conclusions were reached. To perform the better Lu Yu Fu vault, a gymnast must have the large horizontal velocity of whole body with fast run-up, decrease the duration time and the horizontal vertical displacement of whole body in PRF, have the enough time to judge the correct magnitude and direction of force to brake or push the horse so as to lengthen the HC duration time at any cost. Also it is desirable to increase the horizontal vertical displacement of whole body in POF if possible, maintain the adequate piked position to decrease the angular velocity of whole body in x axis, prepare the grounding on mat previously and delay the release of the hand from the body to keep the angular momentum.


Cortisol concentration (CC) is often used as a stress indicator in animals, as high CC is associated with elevated stress levels. During field research, non-invasive methods of measuring CC, such as collection of urine and feces, are superior to using blood samples when monitoring free-ranging animals' stress levels. However, due to different metabolic pathways, whether CC can be detected in urine and feces to reliably assess stress varies across species. Therefore, it is important to ascertain whether urine and fecal samples are a reliable source for determining CCs and to determine a suitable sampling regime. In this study, we subjected three captive adult golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) to a high-stress situation (capture and injection). Urine and feces were collected for four days before and for four days after the manipulations for laboratory analysis. Immunoreactive CC was detected with a commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kit and showed distinct rises. Peak CC values in urine were detected within 5 h, while peak fecal CC ranged between 5 and 24 hours post-interference. These results provide evidence that CC in urine and feces can be used to assess stress levels in the golden snub-nosed monkey. The optimal time frame to collect urinary and fecal samples for CC analysis is within one day of a potential stressful event.


Mental disorders are both common and disabling worldwide. They affect beliefs, emotions, identity and relationships in such a way as to impact upon the very essence of human experience. They are associated with stigma and prejudice, and they disproportionately affect those who are poor and those who belong to marginalized groups within society. Increasing attention has been given in recent years to the importance of spirituality for mental health, but in research it is impossible to distinguish between spirituality and the psychological variables that it purports to influence. Those things that are identified as being the concerns of mental health professionals overlap significantly with the concerns of religion. This overlap is examined here in relationship to the Synoptic Gospel accounts of the mission, ministry and teaching of Jesus. It is proposed that Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God was centrally concerned with things that we now consider to be the domain of mental health. For Christians, mental health may be understood as the ability to fulfil vocation within the kingdom of God. A more critical theological understanding of mental health is needed to better inform the mission of the Church of England.


Hibernation evolved in some small mammals that live in cold environments, presumably to conserve energy when food supplies are low. Throughout the winter, hibernators cycle spontaneously between torpor, with low metabolism and near-freezing body temperatures, and euthermia, with high metabolism and body temperatures near 37°C. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this natural model of extreme metabolic plasticity is important for fundamental and applied science. During entrance into torpor, reductions in metabolic rate begin before body temperatures fall, even when thermogenesis is not active, suggesting active mechanisms of metabolic suppression, rather than passive thermal effects. Mitochondrial respiration is suppressed during torpor, especially when measured in liver mitochondria fuelled with succinate at 37°C in vitro. This suppression of mitochondrial metabolism appears to be invoked quickly during entrance into torpor when body temperature is high, but is reversed slowly during arousal when body temperature is low. This pattern may reflect body temperature-sensitive, enzyme-mediated post-translational modifications of oxidative phosphorylation complexes, for instance by phosphorylation or acetylation.


Freshwater organisms generally exhibit strong genetic structuring. Although understanding the level and spatial distribution of genetic diversity is crucial for conservation management planning, such information has received little attention until recently in highly developed cities where local extinction attributed to habitat destruction and urbanisation is intense. We compared the genetic divergence in mitochondrial COI of the freshwater shrimp Caridina cantonensis collected from 32 sites in Hong Kong, to determine the connectivity among populations and the levels of genetic diversity of the shrimp. We found that shrimp from different streams are genetically highly differentiated and each stream always has its own unique haplotype groups, even though some of the streams are separated only by a few kilometres, indicating very limited gene flow across streams. Moreover, genetic diversity within each stream is very low, usually with a single haplotype dominating the entire population, and genetic differentiation was observed among tributaries from the same drainage. The high genetic diversity of these species over short distances has significant conservation implications because a substantial amount of biodiversity may have already been lost as a result of past development. Careful conservation planning is essential for future development in Hong Kong and other cities.


Achieving or enhancing the elastic stretchability of inorganic stretchable electronics is critically significant. However, only two types of fundamental strategies—using the prestrained elastic substrate and designing the geometric layouts—are exploited thus far. This study proposes a third strategy, an overstretch strategy, applied beyond the designed elastic range of stretchable structures after transfer printing and bonding to a soft substrate. The theoretical, numerical, and experimental results collectively prove that the overstretch strategy can double the designed elastic stretchability of fabricated stretchable electronics and is valid for various geometrical interconnects with both thick and thin cross‐sections. The underlying mechanism is that the elastic range of the critical part of the stretchable structure is doubled, owing to the evolution of the elastoplastic constitutive relation during overstretching. The overstretch strategy can be easily executed and combined with the other two strategies to enhance elastic stretchability, which has profound implications for the design, fabrication, and applications of inorganic stretchable electronics.


A density functional theory (DFT) study of the 1/2� 111� screw dislocation was performed in the following body-centered cubic transition metals: V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, and Fe. The energies of the easy, hard, and split core configurations,aswellasthepathwaysbetweenthem,wereinvestigatedandusedtogeneratethetwo-dimensional (2D) Peierls potential, i.e. the energy landscape seen by the dislocation as a function of its position in the (111) plane. In all investigated elements, the nondegenerate easy core is the minimum energy configuration, while the split core configuration, centered in the immediate vicinity of a � 111� atomic column, has a high energy near or above that of the hard core. This unexpected result yields 2D Peierls potentials very different from the usually assumed landscapes. The 2D Peierls potential in Fe differs from the other transition metals, with a monkey saddle instead of a local maximum located at the hard core. An estimation of the Peierls stress from the shape of the Peierls barrier is presented in all investigated metals. A strong group dependence of the core energy is also evidenced, related to the position of the Fermi level with respect to the minimum of the pseudogap of the electronic density of states.


&NA; Serum bile acids were measured in control subjects and in 23 patients with cirrhosis or cholestasis using an enzymic method which measures total non‐sulphated bile acids and 2 commercially available radioimmunoassay methods which measure cholylglycine (CG) and sulpholithocholylglycine (SLCG) respectively. All 3 methods gave abnormal values in patients with cholestasis. In cirrhosis the CG method gave abnormal values more often than the enzymic method. The SLCG method was much less sensitive. Measurement of CG in 2 postprandial samples per patient detected only one patient with normal fasting but abnormal postprandial levels. Analysis of samples by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) showed that the enzymic and CG methods gave a good estimation of total non‐sulphated bile acids and cholic acid respectively. Values determined by the SLCG method were much higher than the equivalent GLC values. The CG method is faster than the enzymic method and is less expensive provided samples are analysed in sufficiently large batches.


Boundary and shear layers parallel to the axis of rotation in a rapidly rotating fluid are modified by inertial effects when the Rossby number R is not small enough to be neglected. If E is the Ekman number, inertial modifications to Stewartson E¼ layers become important when the Rossby number is comparable with, or larger than, E¼ and changes in the thickness and the structure of the layer then occur. The nature of the change depends on whether the total component of vorticity parallel to the axis of rotation is increased or diminished by the contribution from the layer. When inertial effects are important in these layers, the Ekman layers are also modified by inertia and a nonlinear Ekman condition must be used. Such a condition is obtained and it is used to discuss the flow between rotating disks when there is a discontinuity in their angular velocity and source-sink flow in an annulus.


Emission regulations worldwide demand better low-end torque from internal combustion engines. This pushes the operating condition of turbocharger turbine to lower U/C values, where U is the blade tip speed and C is the turbine isentropic spouting velocity which increases with turbine expansion ratio. Traditional radial and some mixed flow turbines, dictated by their rotor design, have their efficiency peaks at U/C value around 0.70, a value considerably larger than desired. In this paper, we deliberate the measures to shift the peak efficiency of turbine rotor toward a lower U/C value than 0.7. The underlying physics of these measures are first explained, CFD and test results where available are then given. Implications to mechanical design, manufacturing and others are also discussed. Finally, an example of a turbine rotor design is given implementing these measures. Test results showed better efficiency was obtained from the design at lower U/C values than from the baseline.


Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) tend to show under-activation of the right fusiform face area of the ventral temporal cortex when viewing emotional faces, which may explain their affect comprehension deficits. This left hemisphere dominance, indicative of a piecemeal processing strategy, has been shown a less effective method of understanding true emotion. The present study aimed to condition the left-visual-field-to right-FFA pathway by allowing children with ASD to work through an emotion-matching computer program. One group completed the experiment with both eyes uncovered, while the other worked with only their left visual field open. Though no significant differences between improvement in accuracy, reaction time, and physiological response were found between the groups, almost all participants showed some improvement, and future investigations with larger sample sizes would be useful in puzzling out the benefit of visual field isolation in emotion comprehension interventions in children with ASD.


The status of the enzyme monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) was directly evaluated in the postmortem brain from 20 alcoholics and 23 matched controls. The density of MAO-B sites was quantified by the specific binding of the selective inhibitor [3H]Ro 19-6327 (lazabemide) (8 nM) to cortical membranes. A positive correlation between age at death and MAO-B density was observed in the total sample (r = 0.37, p = 0.015). The density of MAO-B in alcoholics (Bmax = 1,263 +/- 131 fmol/mg of protein) was not different form that in control (Bmax = 1,131 +/- 96 fmol/mg of protein). Ethanol in vitro inhibited [3H]Ro 19-6327 binding, with similar potency in membranes form alcoholics (Ki = 280 +/- 13 mM) and controls (Ki = 338 +/- 84 mM). The present results in brain tissue contrast with previous reports of decreased MAO-B enzymatic activity in platelets of alcoholics, but strongly agree with recent genetic studies on MAO-B status in alcoholism.


Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer globally, and is attributable mainly to viral hepatitis, alcohol and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods Three hundred Greek patients diagnosed with HCC between 2000 and 2019 were retrospectively evaluated for patient and HCC characteristics. Patients were classified as before 2011 (A) or after 2011 (B) and HCC risk factors were compared with historic Greek cohorts. Results The median age was 64 years and 86% were male; 45% had chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, 26% chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and 30% non-viral liver diseases (nvLD). No change was observed among liver diseases between periods A and B. However, there was a trend towards a decrease in virally and an increase in non-virally induced HCC (P=0.075). Patients in period B (vs. A) were more likely to be diagnosed with fewer (<3, P=0.006) and smaller (<3 cm, P=0.005) nodules. Compared with 1558 Greek HCC patients from 1974-2000, there was a decrease in HBV and an increase in HCV and nvLD-related HCCs (P<0.001). Conclusions In Greece, after 2000, there was a decrease in the proportion of HBV and an increase in the proportion of HCV and nvLD-related HCC, while over the last 2 decades there has been a trend towards a decrease in virally and an increase in non-virally induced HCC. Since 2011, HCC is being diagnosed at an earlier stage, possibly reflecting improved surveillance strategies.


Mango, Mangifera indica (L.) is the important fruit crop in production in Nepal. Sternochetus mangiferae; Fabricius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is major monophagous insect pest which causes loss of both quantitative and qualitative value. To mitigate this problem, we designed and conducted experiment in Randomized Complete Block Design to evaluate effective insecticide against mango stone weevil on station and farmers orchard in two consecutive years at Sunsari and Udaipur districts. We sprayed five insecticides namely: azadirachtin, thiamethoxam, flubendiamide, lamda cyhalothrin and dimethoate in recommended doses on mango plant when the fruit was of pea size for four times at ten days interval. The damage was recorded at harvesting stage. Significantly less damage was recorded on the thiamethoxam treated plants followed by flubendiamide and lamda cyhalothirn. The interaction of the treatments with the location and years was not significantly different suggesting that the year and location had not any influence on the treatment effect. Our result suggested that thiamethoxam is effective to manage mango stone weevil.


Cognitive neurology deals mainly with disorders of memory (for example, is the patient's poor memory due to early dementia or to anxiety/depression?) or language (as in stroke). It should be remembered, however, that other areas of cognition may be selectively impaired. This review will cover disorders of perception and of higher order motor output, both in terms of pathological loss and pathological gain of function.

A patient must be conscious in order to perceive the world around them. An exploration of consciousness is outside the remit of this article though recently reviewed by others.1,2 The patient must also have the capacity to attend selectively in order to focus on one part of the sensorium. Perceptual processing is then necessary to identify what is being perceived through the various sensory modalities (namely vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste), thus allowing access to semantic knowledge and through this understanding of the environment.

Initially, perceptual information is basic and modality specific, but as it is processed by higher order centres, meaning is ascribed to percepts, and information becomes multi-modal (fig 1). Ultimately, semantic knowledge is accessed using the various sensory streams. For example, if standing in the path of an oncoming train, basic perception will involve visual information, hearing the train coming, and feeling vibration from the ground. These separate streams then come together, accessing relevant semantic knowledge and thus allowing the individual to understand what is taking place. In discussing perception, I shall focus mainly on vision and hearing, as the other three forms of perception are of lesser clinical importance.

 Figure 1
 The semantic system illustrating the sensory modalities which can access semantic knowledge.

Perception is not a passive process, but is modulated by attention. There is feedback from higher order centres down to primary sensory cortex. Similarly, attention influences what is …


The traditional test pattern for end-to-end EO system performance testing in the laboratory has been the static 3- or 4-bar target. This choice was governed by linear systems approach. The introduction of under-sampled imagers such as IRFPAs (infrared focal plane array cameras) has challenged the testing community to develop an alternative test, because the occurrence of aliasing has a completely different effect on periodic targets (such as the bar target) and real, non-periodic targets. A new test should at least have the following properties: lab testing is objective and easy, the measure is representative for field performance, and modeling (sensor and human) the test should be relatively easy. Several alternative test methods and test patterns have already been proposed. An example is the TOD method that uses non-periodic test patterns. Other examples are the dynamic MRT that uses a moving 4-bar target, and the MTDP that uses the traditional static target but allows that not all four bars have to be present in the image. The development of real-time scene projection allows testing with real infrared targets under controlled conditions. The authors will discuss a large number of test patterns and methods and show their advantages and disadvantages for end-to-end EO system performance testing. They conclude that simple non-periodic spatial test patterns, such as used in the TOD, are the best choice for sensor performance characterization.


Austempered ductile iron (ADI) has become a serious competitive material to conventional steels. In addition to its favorable price the main reason is that its mechanical properties can be adjusted over a wide range by different heat treatments. The unique microstructure of ADI consists of ferrite, graphite and metastable austenite. Adjusting the microstructure (phase fractions, stability) with regard to the application is one important challenge. The key phase hereby is the metastable austenite because it can be transformed into hard martensite under external forces. EN-JS2070 is a cast iron widely used for forming dies. Part of this study is to investigate whether a suitable heat treatment leading to ADI microstructures can be found for this material. Therefore the cast iron was austempered choosing austenitizing temperature of 950 °C and different austempering conditions. Additionally the effect of a mechanical surface treatment, machine hammer peening (MHP), on the microstructural changes in this ADI was examined. Before and after MHP the sample surfaces were characterized using optical microscopy, XRD, hardness measurement and laser microscopy. It could be shown that by a suitable heat treatment an ADI microstructure in ENJS2070 can be produced. MHP of the heat treated samples results in hard martensitic surfaces. This is accompanied by a significant smoothing of the surfaces. By combining MHP with the ADI heat treatment of EN-JS2070 a further qualification of this tool material becomes feasible.


Background

Critical care nurses face several challenges in providing safe, evidence-based care for critical patients. Evidence-based practices are important to improve the overall quality of patient care, enhance nursing practice, and increase confidence in evidence-based decision-making. Thus, this study was intended to assess evidence-based practice knowledge and utilization of the practice on nurses working in the adult intensive care units.
Methods

Institutional based cross-sectional study was employed on 135 randomly selected nurses working in adult intensive care units of federal public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from April 3 to December 21, 2020. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire through face-to-face interviews. Then, it was entered into Epi data version 126.96.36.199, and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. In the bivariate logistic regression analysis, predictors variables with p< 0.25 were fitted to multivariate analysis. Then, the adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used to report the association at P< 0.05.
Results

Among the study participants, about 92(68.1%) and 115(85.2%) of them were found to have good knowledge and utilization of evidence-based practice, respectively. Predictors like difficulty to properly interpret research results (AOR=11.36; 95% CI: 1.86-69.39), and insufficient resources to implement changes in practice (AOR=4.44; 95% CI: 1.05-18.80) were associated with poor knowledge of evidence-based practice. Moreover, nurses who were not able to interpret research results, lack of nursing colleague support, and insufficient time were significantly associated with poor utilization (P<0.05).
Conclusion

The knowledge and utilization of evidence-based practice among nurses was found to be high compared to the findings of former studies. Inability to properly interpret research results, lack of confidence, insufficient time, and lack of nursing colleague support were independently associated with poor knowledge and utilization of evidence-based practices among nurses working in adult ICU nurses.


Economic and mathematical model of price fluctuations influence on economic interests of basic market relations agents (represented by state, enterprises and households) is built. Factors of influence on price fluctuations and agent's welfare decrease are determined. On a basis of calculation of Kendall's concordance coefficient, conclusions about links absence between economic interests of market relations agents (in conditions of prices formation and governmental price regulation) are formed.


The need to reduce the ecological footprint of (water, land, air) vehicles in this era of climate change requires pushing the limits in the development of lightweight structures and materials [...].


A dynamic and random differential evolution (DRDE) is designed in this paper to solve constrained optimisation problems (COPs). The dynamic means that the COP is transformed into a dynamic constrained optimisation problem (DCOP), then a DRDE is designed to solve the DCOP for solving the original COP. The key issue is to maintain a feasible population since a feasible population would vanish the difficulty in constraint handling. A deliberate setting of the environment can achieve the maintenance as much as possible. The 'random' in the DRDE means that the scaling factor of the DDE is randomly created in a range to increase search domain so as to enhance the performance of the DRDE. The DRDE is tested by a kit of widely used constraint benchmark problems. The experimental results suggest it outperforms or performs similarly to other state-of-the-art algorithms referred to in this paper.


Mean King's problem is formulated as a retrodiction problem among noncommutative observables. In this paper, we reformulate Mean King's problem using Shannon's entropy as a first step of introducing quantum uncertainty relation with delayed classical information. As a result, we give informational and statistical meanings to the estimation on Mean King problem. As its application, we give an alternative proof of nonexistence of solutions of Mean King's problem for qubit system without using entanglement.


Background. Inhalation trauma remains one of the most common and complex condition to be treated. Fibrobronchoscopic sanitation plays a significant role in the complex therapy of patients with inhalation trauma, allowing purulent necrotic discharge, soot and combustion products to be removed from the lumen of the tracheobronchial tree. We proposed a method for local treatment of mucosal lesions in inhalation trauma based on early endoscopic sanitation of the tracheobronchial tree with solutions of antiseptics followed by application of human type 1 collagen solution.Aim of study. To assess the effect of early fibroblochoscopic sanitation with application of human-type collagen 1 on the timing of epithelialization of the damaged tracheal and bronchial mucosa in patients with inhalation trauma.Material and methods. The study included 59 patients with inhalation trauma of 2–3 degree. All patients from the first day after the trauma underwent bronchoscopic sanitation in accordance with the standards of medical care. Immediately after the removal of soot, the solution of human-type collagen 1 was applied in patients of the main group, obtained from ligaments and tendons by the acid extraction method. The dynamics of the reparative process was evaluated on the basis of the endoscopic study and according to a series of morphological studies of the biopsy material obtained in the course of fibrobronchoscopy.Results. Complete epithelization of erosions of the mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchi in patients with inhalation trauma of 2 degree occurred significantly earlier (3 (2; 6) days) than without its application (7 (4; 9) day) (n1 =15; n2 =21; U=49.5; p=0.0004). In patients with inhalation trauma of 3 degree, epithelialization time was reduced from 17 (12; 22) days in the comparison group to 7 (6; 9) days in the main group (n1 =14; n2 =9; U=1; p=0.001). According to the morphological study, a characteristic feature of the fibrobronchoscopic sanitation with the human collagen type 1 was the absence of purulent inflammation of the trachea and bronchial wall.Conclusion. In the study, it was statistically proved that the early fibrobrochoscopic sanitation and application of the human collagen type 1 solution for acute lesions of the mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchi twice accelerates epithelialization of mucosal lesions without the development of purulent inflammation.


Background: Hispanic women have low participation rates in cancer genetics research. The socio-cultural aspects of cancer and the manner in which it is discussed in the family may impact participation rates. Additionally, looking at Hispanics as homogeneous, without regard for differences across sub-ethnicities, may impact potential recruitment strategies and subsequent accrual rates. Methods: This paper describes the unique challenges associated with recruiting Mexican women for a study examining knowledge and attitudes about genetic testing among Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban women with a personal or family (mother, sister, or daughter) history of breast or ovarian cancer. Community based recruitment strategies were used and interested women called a study hotline to enroll. Results: A total of 149 women expressed interest in participation and 89 were determined to be ineligible. The primary reason was self identification as a Hispanic ethnicity other than Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican (n=22). Among the ineligible group, 30% (n=27) were of Mexican origin, however 77% (n=21) were did not know their mother or sister9s exact cancer site. The most common response was "I know my mother had a female cancer, but I do not know exactly where." Lack of awareness of specific details about female family members9 cancer history was not observed in any other ethnic subgroup of ineligible women. Conclusions: Inclusion criteria for some behavioral research based on family history of cancer among Hispanics may disproportionately exclude Mexican women. The socio-cultural mores of Mexican families often include limited discussions of cancer within the family, especially between parents and children 2. These knowledge limitations should be considered when planning research based on knowledge of family cancer history among Mexican women


We aim to tackle the issue of improving the global situation regarding climate change by creating a mobile application named Climerry, which educates its users on recent news related to climate on the home screen. Climerry also features a second tab that allows users to view opportunities to improve the climate change situation in the vicinity by typing in a ZIP code or city name. Some examples of opportunities include beach cleanups and tree-planting sessions. By informing and encouraging the general public to become more involved in the effort to preserve our planet, the negative effects of climate change may be much less significant in the future. To prove the effectiveness of this application in encouraging the general public to take action against climate change, one experiment was performed to gauge how much knowledge regarding climate change the participants had gained by using the application. Another experiment tested the reliability of the news API used in the application by testing the accuracy of information in each of the selected articles in the featured news section of the application. The result of the experiments indicated that the application is useful when it comes to providing accurate news and educating its users on the topic of climate change.


Usage Based Insurance (UBI) programs for car insurance is becoming mainstream using tailored vehicle mounted hardware, where the commercial initiatives can be traced back to the mid-nineties [1]. The smartphone has been identified as an enabler for future UBI, replacing the vehicle (after-) mounted dedicated hardware with a ubiquitous device with a plurality of sensors, means for data processing and wireless communication. This presentation addresses some signal processing challenges in smartphone-driven UBI.


The LHC at CERN plans to have a series of upgrades to increase its instantaneous luminosity to 7.5 × 1034 cm−2s−1. The luminosity increase drastically impacts the ATLAS trigger and readout data rates. The inner-most station of the ATLAS muon spectrometer, the so-called Small Wheels, will be replaced with a New Small Wheel (NSW) system, consisting of Micromegas (MM) and sTGC detectors, which is expected to be installed in the ATLAS underground cavern at the end of 2021. With the final MM quadruplets (modules) already produced from different construction sites, the integration activities of the modules into the final fully-equipped MM double-wedges, that are then installed on the wheel structure, are currently in full swing in the integration facility at CERN. One crucial part of the integration workflow is the installation, testing and validation of the on-detector electronics readout chain for a very large system with more than 2.1 M electronic channels in total. These include 4k MM Front-End Boards (MMFE8), custom printed circuit boards each one housing eight 64-channel VMM Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) that interface with the ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system through 1k data-driver Cards (ADDC & L1DDC, respectively). The readout chain is based on optical link technology (GigaBit Transceiver links) connecting the back-end to the front-end electronics via the Front-End LInk eXchange (FELIX), a newly-developed system that will serve as the next-generation read out driver for ATLAS. Experience and performance results from the first large-scale electronics integration tests performed at CERN on final NSW MM double-wedges, including system validation tests with cosmic-rays, are presented.


Background: To comprehensively examine and carefully compare caregiving experiences and impacts between spouse and parent caregivers for people living with schizophrenia in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 264 community-dwelling primary family caregivers of people living with schizophrenia. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect information on caregiving activities, both objective and subjective burden, caregiver psychological distress including depression and anxiety, positive caregiving impact including caregiving rewarding feelings and family functioning between spouse and parent caregivers. Results: Both types of caregivers report engaging in similar caregiving activities and report comparable levels of objective burden. However, parent caregivers report significantly higher subjective burden than spouse caregivers (β=7.93, 95%CI:2.13, 13.73), which is also reflected in significantly higher depression (β =3.60, 95%CI:1.09, 6.12) and anxiety scores (β=2.37, 95%CI: 0.08, 4.65), and reports of lower family functioning (β =-1.61, 95%CI: -2.73, -0.49). Despite these differences, both groups of caregivers report comparable rewarding feelings about caregiving. Conclusions: The findings may be explained by the difference between subjective burden and objective burden, as well as the unique cultural and social characteristics of family caregivers in China. The study discusses implications for future intervention, particularly for parents as family caregivers.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the (ultra-) morphology, biochemical behavior, and activity of ovine chondrocytes seeded on a matrix consisting of three types of collagen (I, II, III) with two different degrees of UV crosslinking. Ovine articular chondrocytes were isolated from stifle joints and seeded on both types of UV-crosslinked collagen matrices, as well as on non-crosslinked sponges, and cultured for 12 h, 7 days, 14 days, and 21 days. Histological analysis, electron microscopy, biochemical assays for glycosaminoglycans, and real-time quantitative PCR for collagens were performed for cell-seeded and unseeded matrices. There was no dramatic difference in the morphology and bioactivity of the cells; however, concerning handling characteristics and integrative stability, both types of crosslinked sponges were superior to non-crosslinked constructs. The results demonstrate that ovine articular chondrocytes express their phenotype in a sponge consisting of collagen; furthermore, because of mechanical reasons, non-crosslinked matrices cannot be recommended for implantation in vivo.


INTRODUCTION:
The thyroid gland maintains the level of metabolism in the tissues that is optimal for their normal function. Thyroid hormones stimulate oxygen consumption of most of the cells in the body, and regulates carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Thyroid function is regulated by Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
Hypothyroidism, a state of deficient thyroid hormones, may be result of many etiologies. Hypothyroidism can affect all organ systems, including cardiovascular system.
The cardiovascular manifestations can be like systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, pericardial effusion, ECG changes , coronary artery disease and congestive cardiac failure. These dysfunctions can also be contributed by hypertension, hypercholesterolemia which are part of hypothyroidism. Some studies suggest that abdominal aortic atheroscerosis can occur even in mild hypothyroidism.
An understanding of pathophysiology of cardiovascular changes in hypothyroidism enables prevention, early diagnosis and prompt intervention to control complications. Also the presence of cardiovascular complications may necessitate institution of thyroid hormone replacement in patients of asymptomatic hypothyroidism.
This study is undertaken at Stanley Medical College, Chennai to evaluate the cardiovascular changes that accompany various grades of hypothyroidism.
AIM OF THE STUDY:
To study the cardiovascular changes in patients with overt primary hypothyroidism utilizing echocardiography.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
This study was conducted in patients with hypothyroidism who attended the endocrinology department in Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai, during the period November 2005 to July 2006.
Patients who were newly diagnosed to have overt hypothyroidism were taken up for the study.
Patients thus selected were divided into three categories according to the level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) as follows:
(i) Mild hypothyroidism (< 20 mIU/ml),
(ii) Moderate hypothyroidism (20 – 50 mIU/ml),
(iii) Severe hypothyroidism (> 50 mIU/ml).
Exclusion Criteria - The following patients were
excluded from the study:
• Patients with known primary cardiac disease.
• Patients with chronic pulmonary disease, severe anemia,
diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease.
• Patients who were taking drugs that alter the cardiovascular functions like amiadarone, Beta blockers and calcium channels blockers etc.
• Patients of hypothyroidism who were receiving thyroid
replacement therapy.
• Patients with subclinical hypothyroidism ( Normal T4 with elevated TSH).
SUMMARY:
1. A total of 40 patients were analyzed. There were 30 females and 10 males. Mean age of presentation was 32.5 years.
2. There were 15 % Mild hypothyroidism,42.5% Moderate hypothyroidism and 42.5 % Severe hypothyroidism patients.
3. 40% of patients were overweight and 12.5 % of patients were obese.
4. Hypercholesterolemia occurred in 45 % and Hypertension occurred in 37.5 %.
5. Chest xray was normal in all patients.
6. Commonest ECG abnormality noted was sinus bradycardia.
7. In echocardiographic study, interventricular septal wall and left ventricular posterior wall hypertrophy noted in 50 % and 35 % of patients respectively.
8. Diastolic dysfunction was observed in 32.5 % ( E/A ratio < 1).
9. Grade 1 systolic dysfunction was noted only in one patient(2.5 %).
10. Pericardial effusion occurred in 3 patients (7.5 %).
11. Dilated left ventricle / left atrium or regional wall motion abnormalities were not found in any patient.
CONCLUSION:
Echocardiography is easily performed, noninvasive, safe, reproducible and accurate in assessment of cardiac function in hypothyroidism.
• Hypertrophy of interventricular septum and left ventricular posterior wall was the commonest abnormality observed in echocardiography.
• Diastolic dysfunction occurred in significant number of hypothyroid patients.
• The cardiovascular changes were more marked in severe hypothyroidism.


Silicon-based composites are very promising anode materials for boosting the energy density of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). These silicon-based anodes can also replace the dendrite forming lithium metal anodes in lithium metal-free Li–O2 and Li–S batteries, which can offer energy content far beyond that of current LIBs. However, it is challenging to design silicon-based materials for use as anodes in real energy storage devices. In this review, we discuss how to boost the energy content of LIBs, the pros and cons of silicon-based anodes, and challenges associated with silicon-based anodes. A major focus of this review is on the rational design of silicon-based composite anodes to address the outstanding issues. In addition, high energy LIBs and Li–S batteries that employ silicon-based anodes are introduced and discussed.