Introduction. In contrast to the markets of developed countries, forming characteristic risk premium investment bonds in emerging markets, is that the greatest effect on the risk premium on bonds in countries such factor provides market liquidity in general and specific securities in particular. The second most significant factor influencing the risk premium is the risk of changing interest rates. The risk of default of issuers in such countries is also quite high, but the component of creditworthiness is less significant factor in the combination of systematic risks. Due to low sovereign ratings of Ukraine, the credit ratings of bonds of all domestic issuers have a speculative level. Owing to this fact, all of them can be classified as highly risky and, accordingly, highly profitable (HighYield Bonds). Purpose. The aim of the article is to reduce deficits in the scientific and methodological provision of the use of corporate bonds instruments on the basis of determining the determinants of the premium for the risk of investing in them. Method (methodology). To achieve the goal and solve the problems, the following methods have been used: method of analysis and synthesis, method of comparison and generalization; method of empirical research and factor analysis; method of system approach and strategy. Results. The research of the determinants of the risk premium is important, first of all, from the point of view of substantiating the technologies of reducing the cost of enterprises to capital. The key causes of underdevelopment of the domestic corporate bond market have been determined. We have identified factors that influence the spread of profitability and the value of bonds. They are the risk of default of the issuer and the potential of the enterprise development (credit component); base interest rate and long-term interest rates on the financial market (interest rate component); liquidity of the capital market (component of liquidity); the level of inflation and the development of economic conditions; information risks. It has been determined that in order to reduce the risk of investments in corporate bonds, it is necessary to implement at the regulatory level a set of measures to reduce overhead costs and increase the reliability of investments. The introduction of a safety covenant system can be defrined as one of such measures.


In two companion papers a method for multiplexing a population of terminals communicating with a central station over a packet-switched radio channel was introduced; this method is known as Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA). CSMA, as with ALOHA multiaccess broadcast channels, has the unfortunate property that the throughput falls to zero as the channel load increases beyond a critical value. The dynamic behavior and stability of slotted ALOHA channels have been studied extensively and have led to a definition of stability. In this paper, similar techniques are used to analyze CSMA, which is shown to have a behavior not unlike that of ALOHA. However, contrary to ALOHA channels where steady-state performance is badly degraded when true stability is to be guaranteed, hence requiring dynamic control, we find that CSMA provides excellent stable performance even with as large a population as 1000 terminals. Furthermore, we study a simple adaptive retransmission control procedure which provides a significantly improved channel performance which is insensitive to the population size.


The roots of swarm intelligence are deeply embedded in the biological study of self-organized behaviors in social insects. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is one of the modern metaheuristics of swarm intelligence, which can be effectively used to solve nonlinear and non-continuous optimization problems. The basic principle of PSO algorithm is formed on the assumption that potential solutions (particles) will be flown through hyperspace with acceleration towards more optimum solutions. Each particle adjusts its flying according to the flying experiences of both itself and its companions using equations of position and velocity. During the process, the coordinates in hyperspace associated with its previous best fitness solution and the overall best value attained so far by other particles within the group are kept track and recorded in the memory. In recent years, PSO approaches have been successfully implemented to different problem domains with multiple objectives. In this paper, a multiobjective PSO approach, based on concepts of Pareto optimality, dominance, archiving external with elite particles and truncated Cauchy distribution, is proposed and applied in the design with the constraints presence of a brushless DC (Direct Current) wheel motor. Promising results in terms of convergence and spacing performance metrics indicate that the proposed multiobjective PSO scheme is capable of producing good solutions.


Oxytetracycline HCL was administered to 24 hr. old and 1 week old chicks at a dosage of 5 mg./kg. The routes of administration were oral and intramuscular and in addition the week old chicks received the drug subcutaneously. The birds were killed in groups of 5, representing each of the routes of administration of the experiment, at the following intervals, 1 hr., 2 hr., 4 hr., 6 hr. and 24 hr. after administration. Oral administration of oxytetracycline results in very low levels of drugs in the tissues of both age groups, but the levels appeared lower and absorption less complete in the 1 week old birds. Intramuscular and subcutaneous administration resulted in higher levels in all the tissues of the birds in both age groups. Kidney and liver samples contained the highest tissue levels of oxytetracycline in all experiments, whereas lung and serum levels were in all cases very low and at some intervals entirely absent.


Abstract The endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in Greece is in urgent need of effective protection and management; that management should be based on information that is both reliable and quickly attained. After observing bears marking and rubbing on power poles, we initiated a study to collect information on this behavior and develop an effective method for documenting bear presence in Greece. Thirty-nine power poles in the main study area were fitted with barbed wire and inspected monthly for a year. The information and experience gained in the main study area was used to survey 3 additional areas, covering a representative sample of the species distribution in the country. Power pole-related behaviors were associated with mud smears, hair deposits, and bite and claw marks (hereafter referred to as marks). Tracks and scats also have been used to document the presence of brown bears in Greece, but fewer of these were found in all areas surveyed. Deterioration rate of marks was slower than that of tracks and scats. Our results suggest that power pole-related behavior is not a localized phenomenon. A monitoring scheme in Greece documenting the presence of the species that would include the regular inspection of power poles could take advantage of the higher abundance and slower deterioration rate of power pole-related signs and be time efficient and easily staffed by volunteers. The ability to identify individual bears through genetic analysis of hair collected from power poles is an additional advantage of this approach.


Random defectivity reduction is an important prerequisite to achieving mature production yields. The typical technology roadmap includes a product yield / defect density reduction curve over the technology lifetime. Translating the defect density reduction curve into specific monthly targets for each individual module or for each single tool, has proven to be an extremely challenging task. This paper summarizes a proposed method to translate overall technology or product yield targets into corresponding defect density targets allocated to each tool. Achieving this task requires extensive characterization and modeling. This method was eventually used at a fab running 130 nm 6 metal layer copper process.


A series of salts based on ethyl ester glycine-betaine derivatives, viz tri(n-pentyl)[2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl]ammonium bromide, have been synthesized. These cations generate hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs) with bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Tf2N−) or dicyanamide (Dca−) anions. These new analogues of glycine-betaine-based ionic liquids (AGB-ILs) were characterized using spectroscopic methods (IR, 1H, and 13C NMR) and elemental analysis. These AGB-ILs were used for the selective separation of Ni(II) and Co(II) in saline media using pure ILs phase or ILs diluted in organic solvent. Interestingly, extraction of Co(II) and Ni(II) in Dca-based AGB-ILs can be enhanced using salts with chaotropic anions such as NaNO3 (E > 90% for Co(II) and E = 85% for Ni(II)). Tf2N−-based ionic liquids do not extract Ni(II) or Co(II) even in NaCl 4M. Dca−-based ILs lead to a quasi-quantitative extraction of Co(II), while extraction of Ni(II) is limited to a few percent (17%) leading to separation factors higher than 100, ensuring a good separation of both metals. Cobalt could be back-extracted from the ionic liquid phase with water or with an aqueous solution of Na2SO4, which limits the release of the AGB cation in aqueous media, thus preserving its integrity. Results obtained by AGB-ILs diluted in organic solvent were comparable to those obtained with the pure AGB-ILs phase, indicating that this strategy can be deployed on systems working continuously out of equilibrium since the extraction mechanisms involve fast equilibria.


This study arose out of a concern that lecturers, tutors and students in their disciplines pay insufficient attention to the nature, structure and effects of the types of knowledge that is being disseminated and learnt. It is argued in this paper that lecturers, tutors and students are under the spell of what Maton (2018) terms 'knowledge-blindness'. This study investigates how knowledge structures impact on lecturers' and/or tutors' pedagogic practices in the English Education and English Literary Studies disciplines at a South African university. Since this is a qualitative study, focus group interviews with students, one-onone interviews with lecturers and tutors, classroom observation and documentary evidence were used as research instruments. Case study research was chosen as the research design. Drawing on Legitimation Code Theory, the study shows that both English Education and English Literary Studies privilege a particular kind of disposition or 'gaze'.Keywords: Knowledge structures; knowledge blindness; Legitimation Code Theory; English Studies; pedagogic practices; cultural capital; epistemological access


Objective: Since 2004, the implementation of coordinated care pathways in France has made the referring physician, usually a general practitioner, responsible for coordinating care of outpatients. Nevertheless, considerable social inequalities in health remain. This is particularly true in the French overseas departments, which present highly unequal health outcomes. Our objectives: were to evaluate secondary access to medical care and social services in a population at risk for cardiovascular disease in the French West Indies. Design and method: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in Guadeloupe between July and December 2014, including all patients aged 18–74 receiving a systematic periodic health examination funded by social security (2255 subjects). Diabetes was defined by antidiabetic treatment or fasting plasma glucose >= 7 mmol/L and glycated hemoglobin >= 6.5%, and controlled diabetes by glycated hemoglobin < 7%. Hypertension was defined by antihypertensive treatment or mean of 3 measurements of blood pressure >= 140/90mmHg. Access to a referring physician, cardiologist or endocrinologist and social workers were evaluated by questionnaire. Food insecurity was defined as self-reported difficulty in meeting basic needs. Multilevel logistic regression was used for analysis. Results: Among participants, 35.1% had hypertension and/or diabetes. That proportion fell to 25.3% for subjects with at least a middle school diploma and rose to 48.8% for those with less education (center-, sex- and age-adjusted OR = 1.72; p < 0.001). Among the 76.7% of subjects with hypertension and/or diabetes who had seen their referring physician during the past year, 62.9% had uncontrolled hypertension and/or diabetes. Among this last group, 58% had consulted neither a cardiologist nor an endocrinologist. That proportion rose to 66.7% for subjects with income limited to welfare and fell to 42.4% for those with higher income (adjusted OR = 2.7;p = 0.004). Among the 56.4% of subjects with uncontrolled hypertension and/or diabetes who were also food insecure, nine in ten had never met with a social worker, regardless the number of consultations they had with their referring physician in the preceding year. Conclusions: In this at-risk French Caribbean population, secondary access to medical care and social services was deficient. Coordination of care must be improved.


This paper presents a framework which implements common software functionalities. By using this framework, software designers focus on their activity in developing efficient data structures and algorithms. The logic programming introduced in this framework is an efficient technology for Object Constraint Language expressions. Errors made by the user when modeling a device are detected and prevented by the modeling guide.


"Making films in the silent era" looks at the business of film production and the attempts of early pioneers to forge new cinematic styles. Women were central to silent film, with some holding positions of power equal to men and running studios before they were able to vote in the United States—a condition that came to a close with the rise of "talkies." African American filmmakers, Asian American filmmakers, and others connected with audiences by bypassing the Hollywood system. The genres of silent film in some cases appear wholly distinct from later filmmaking trends and in other cases presage such mainstay forms as horror, sci-fi, and the Western, which existed alongside modes of filmmaking like animation and documentary that persisted into later eras.


Abstract Drummond, MDM, Couto, BP, Oliveira, MP, and Szmuchrowski, LA. Effects of local vibration on dynamic strength training. J Strength Cond Res 35(11): 3028–3034, 2021—The study aim was to compare the chronic effects of maximal dynamic strength training with and without the addition of local vibration (LV) on maximal force generation and hypertrophy of the elbow flexor muscles in trained subjects. Twenty men were divided into 2 groups (conventional training [CT] group and vibration training [VT] group). The CT group performed conventional maximal dynamic strength training, and the VT group performed maximal dynamic strength training with mechanical vibrations (frequency of 26 Hz and amplitude of 6 mm). CT and VT groups performed 5 sets of 3–4 repetitions, with 2-minute rest intervals between sets. The subjects trained 3 times per week for 12 weeks. After the training period, the CT group presented a significant increase in the mean 1 repetition maximum (1RM) value in the elbow flexion exercise in the orthostatic position (EFO) (7.2 ± 1.5%) (p < 0.0001) and elbow flexion exercise using the Scott bench (EFSB) (6.3 ± 1.8%) (p < 0.0001). The VT group also showed significant increases in 1RM values in the EFO (6.87 ± 0.8%) (p < 0.0001) and EFSB (6.56 ± 1.4%) (p < 0.0001). The CT group presented a significant increase in the mean maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) value after the training period (8.2 ± 2.3%) (p < 0.0001). The VT group also showed a significant increase in the mean MVIC value after training (9.1 ± 2.4%) (p < 0.0001). After the training period, both groups presented a significant increase in the mean value of elbow flexor thickness (CT = 5.6 ± 3.5%, VT = 5.1 ± 2.8%) (p = 0.001). The increases in 1RM, MVIC, and muscle thickness were statically similar between groups. Therefore, the addition of LV does not represent an additional stimulus for individuals trained in dynamic maximal strength training.


As a response to viral infections, host plants trigger an RNA-mediated gene silencing defense, to which viruses respond with the expression of viral-encoded RNA silencing suppressors. If virus clones are manipulated to include sequences homologous to host endogenous genes, these are also targeted by the plant RNA silencing machinery. This so-called virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) has become a powerful technique for reverse genetic analyses in plants, as an alternative to labor-intensive genome transformation. We show that a mild isolate of Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV, genus Potyvirus) can be used as a VIGS vector for reverse genetic analyses in melon. Recombinant WMV clones —in which fragments of the melon Phytoene desaturase (PDS) mRNA were inserted in sense, antisense, and hairpin modalities— induced a distinctive phenotype and significant silencing of the endogenous gene. While the foreign fragments in sense and antisense orientations were stable in the viral progeny, the hairpin was quickly lost. Nevertheless, the hairpin construct triggered a maintained silencing effect comparable to those of the sense and antisense constructs. The suitability of WMV as a VIGS vector was further confirmed targeting melon Magnesium chelatase subunit I (CHLI). These results also support that, although potyviruses express a strong silencing suppressor that usually precludes VIGS, mild isolates of this kind of viruses can be used as VIGS vectors. Finally, to facilitate the use of this new tool by cucurbit geneticists, we describe plasmid pGWMV-VIGS that allows easy cloning fragments of the genes of interest in a single Gibson assembly reaction.


Ciliate conjugation usually occurs when cells are moderately starved after rapid proliferation. In Blepharisma japonicum, at the stationary phase, a mating pheromone (gamone 1) is secreted by mating type I cells and stimulates mating type II cells to secrete another mating pheromone (gamone 2), which stimulates mating type I cells. Both stimulated cells are transformed to be able to form pairs. We showed previously that the gamone 1 transcription occurs only in the stationary-phase cells, not in logarithmicphase cells. However, it is still unknown how rapidly cells response to starvation and express gamone 1. Here we show that gamone 1 expression is initiated by sudden artificial starvation, and we determined the time required for the initiation of transcription and secretion of gamone 1 in B. japonicum. Proliferating cells rapidly responded to artificial starvation, approx. 1.5 h at most was necessary for the initiation of the transcription of gamone 1 gene, and approx. 3 h was needed for the secretion of gamone 1. Gamone 1 expression tested in single cells suggests that gamone 1 expression may be correlated with the cell-cycle, most probably with the certain stage of G1 phase in B. japonicum. Our present findings provide an experimental system to investigate the environmental factors involved in the initiation of conjugation.


The successful business technical cooperation between the University of Split and the company PLOVPUT LLC yields a very usable, lightweight, maneuverable underwater Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). The ROV is capable of diving down to 150 m depth. It can carry different remote controlled sensors and tools, and resolve challenging tasks. Primarily ROV's usage is to inspect underwater electrical installation. It is equipped with HD camera and LED lights. An umbilical cable is used to transfer data and electrical power from the surface to the underwater vehicle. The position control was realized using inexpensive PS2 joystick console. ROV's development was mostly carried out by the students of the University of Split (UNIST). The mechanical and electrical subsystems were built and tested at UNIST laboratories. In this paper, ROV mechanical and electrical systems are outlined and basic subsystems are presented.


A new method for segmented polyurethanes synthesis (SPU) was developed, in which segments of well-defined characteristics were prepared separately and coupled together in a further step. The soft segment was prepared from the reaction of commercially available anionic polyol-polyether, with an average molecular weight of 3800, and 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate. The molecular weight of these polymers varied acording to the NCO/OH ratio used in the synthesis, always greater than unity, providing -NCO end capped segments. The unreacted HDI was removed under vacuum (10-6-10-8mbar). The molecular weights of the soft segments, SS products, was determined by GPC analytical techniques. The hard segment was prepared from the reaction of the 1,6 hexamethylene diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol, using a NCO/OH ratio equal to unity. These polymers were functionalized by the addition of an excess BDO after the reaction was completed, providing -OH terminated segments. The unreacted BDO was removed using a solvent. The molecular weights of the hard segments (HS products) was determined by MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption), analytical techniques. The coupling of the soft with the hard segment (SPU products) was made in solution (DMF). The characterization of the SPU products was made by infrared, DSC, TGA, and mechanical analytical techniques. The SPU product characteristics were compared to those of a conventional polyurethane (PU), prepared by a prepolymer procedure.


The amount of power in the wind is very dependent on the speed of the wind. Because the power in the wind is proportional to the cube of the wind speed, small differences in the wind speed make a big difference in the power you can make from it. A 10% difference in speed makes about a 33% change in power. This gives rise to the primary reason for wind resource assessment. In order to more accurately predict the potential benefits of a wind power installation, wind speeds and other characteristics of a site's wind regime must be accurately understood. This gives rise to the primary reason for wind resource assessment. In order to more accurately predict the potential benefits of a wind power installation, wind speeds and other characteristics of a site's wind regime must be accurately understood. In this paper the important aspects of wind resource assessment for a period of three years from 2010-2012 will be studied for a 50 meter instrumented meteorological tower located at Sathyabama University, Chennai.


Detrusor underactivity is highly prevalent, particularly in the elderly. It is assumed to result from detrusor failure, although detrusor contractility is often derived from urodynamics studies. Given that detrusor pressure and force are not proportional and urodynamics cannot identify the basis of the pathology, we produced a neurogenic animal model with a highly‐compliant bladder and studied detrusor muscle properties, aiming to increase our understanding of the underlying pathology. Highly compliant bladders were characterized by reduced passive wall stiffness and stretched detrusor muscle strips exhibited an enhanced rate of relaxation. These detrusor strips displayed spontaneous contractions that were of greater amplitude (expressed as a ratio of bladder wall stiffness) than those of strips from sham‐operated animals; spontaneous contractions increased in amplitude when stimulated by an agonist. These data imply that compliance is not the result of a reduction of detrusor contractility; we hypothesize that altered matrix properties reduce the magnitude with which force can be generated to void the bladder.


This paper proposes a methodology for reconfiguring a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network to adapt to changing traffic requirements at the ATM layer. The ATM network layer is reconfigured to adapt to changes in traffic patterns. These changing ATM network topologies or connectivities are known and are used to design the network. The proposed method sizes the ATM switches and then assigns wavelengths between pairs of ports so as to support the required ATM network topologies and their reconfiguration in a hitless manner.


Podostemum ceratophyllum Michx., an algae-like flowering plant commonly called hornleaf riverweed, is native to the Appalachian and Piedmont regions of North America. Podostemum grows underwater attached to rocks and stable substrates in fast flowing rivers and stream. The plant increases structural complexity in benthic habitats and is associated with increases in macroinvertebrate biomass and fish abundance. Functionally Podostemum sequesters nutrients and metals from the water column and allows them to be transferred into the food web. Podostemum can grow and spread relatively quickly, occupying large portions of the benthic surface in suitable locations. The plant can also achieve a substantial biomass, over 1000 mg m2, but herbivory on the plant can also be intense when consumers gain access to the plant. While Podostemum is an important component of many eastern rivers, records on where Podostemum occurs are incomplete and anecdotal evidence indicates the plant has been declining across its range. Currently, seven states (CT, KY, ME, NY, OH, PA, RI) list Podostemum as threatened, endangered, historical, or a species of special concern, but surprisingly little is known about plant's habitat requirements or how changes in water chemistry affect Podostemum growth and survival. Here we discuss the current understanding of the ecology of Podostemum, interactions between the plant and other organisms, and how changes in water chemistry and water velocity can influence the growth and survival of this aquatic macrophyte.


Inhibitors of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPges-1) are in the early phase of clinical development. Deletion of mPges-1 confers analgesia, restrains atherogenesis and fails to accelerate thrombogenesis, while suppressing prostaglandin (PG) E2, but increasing biosynthesis of prostacyclin (PGI2). In hyperlipidemic mice, this last effect represents the dominant mechanism by which mPges-1 deletion restrains thrombogenesis, while suppression of PGE2 accounts for its anti-atherogenic effect. However, the impact of mPges-1 depletion on blood pressure (BP) in this setting remains unknown. To address how differential effects on PGE2 and PGI2 might modulate salt-evoked BP responses in the absence of mPges-1, we generated mice lacking the I prostanoid (Ipr) receptor or mPges-1 on a hyperlipidemic background caused by deletion of the low density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr KOs). Here, mPges-1 depletion significantly increased the BP response to salt loading in male Ldlr KO mice, whereas, despite the direct vasodilator properties of PGI2, Ipr deletion suppressed it. Furthermore, combined deletion of the Ipr abrogated the exaggerated BP response in male mPges-1 KO mice. Suppression of PGE2 biosynthesis was enough to explain the exaggerated BP response to salt loading by either mPges-1/Ldlr depletion or by an MPGES-1 inhibitor in mice expressing human mPGES-1. However, the lack of a hypertensive response to salt in Ipr-deficient mice was attributable to reactive activation of the atrial natriuretic peptide pathway. Interestingly, these unexpected BP phenotypes were not observed in female mice fed a high salt diet. This is attributable to the protective effect of estrogen in Ldlr KO mice and in Ipr /Ldlr DKOs. Thus, estrogen compensates for a deficiency in PGI2 to maintain BP homeostasis in response to high salt in hyperlipidemic female mice. In males, by contrast, augmented formation of ANP plays a similar compensatory role, restraining hypertension and oxidant stress in the setting of Ipr depletion. Hyperlipidemic males on a high salt diet might be at risk of a hypertensive response to mPGES-1 inhibitors.


As part of a comprehensive hospital-based study of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in under-five urban Nigerian children, we sought to identify the possible clinical and investigative correlates of lobar versus bronchopneumonia, and the possible determinants of mortality in community-acquired pneumonia. Over a 30-month period, 419 cases of ALRI were studied; pneumonia accounted for 323(77.1 per cent) of these. Of those with pneumonia, bronchopneumonia (BP) was diagnosed in 234 (72.4 per cent), lobar pneumonia (LP) in 66 (20.4 per cent), while 23(7.1 per cent) had features of both. BP alone (BPA) and LP alone (LPA) without concomitant respiratory syndromes were diagnosed in 127(39.4 per cent) and 39 (12.1 per cent) cases , respectively. Although there was an overall annual preponderance of BP admissions, the peak admissions for LP was recorded in the harmattan months of November through January. The overall mean age was 15.7 months, but compared with those with LPA, BPA cases were significantly younger (mean ages, 14.2 13.8mo. for BPA vs. 19.514.2mo. for LPA, p=0.021), had a significantly shorter mean duration of cough (p=0.044), and a higher prevalence of convulsion (p=0.02). Furthermore, concomitant measles, heart failure, and severe anaemia were significantly commoner among cases with a diagnosis of BP (p=0.018, 0.033, & 0.009 respectively). On the other hand, LPA cases were associated with a significantly higher prevalence of cigarette smoking in the household (p=0.038; RR=1.86; 95%CI=0.93-5.80), grunting respiration (p=0.01), and a higher mean admission temperature (p=0.03). Also, pleural effusion and sickle cell disease correlated more frequently with a final diagnosis of LP (p=0.00 & 0.01 respectively). Similarly, compared with BPA cases, significantly higher white blood cell (WBC) counts and polymorphs were recorded in LPA cases (p=0.002 & 0.01). A fatal outcome was recorded in 35(10.8 per cent) cases. Mortality was significantly higher in those with pre-admission antimicrobial use (p=0.04), a combination of diarrhoea and vomiting (p=0.025), domestic firewood burning (p=0.023), and malnutrition (p=0.0003). A fatal outcome was also significantly associated with longer symptom duration for cough (p=0.002), fever (p=0.002), poor feeding (p=0.016), higher mean WBC counts and polymorphs (p=0.013 & 0.023 respectively). Harmattan season, grunting respiration, longer symptom-duration, and pleural effusion correlated most frequently with a final diagnosis of LP, while a younger age, anaemia, heart failure and measles were more frequently associated with BP. The association of fatality with malnutrition, pre-admission antibiotic use, concomitant alimentary symptoms, longer symptom-duration, and high WBC/polymorph counts suggests the need for factoring these parameters into evolving a regional paediatric pneumonia severity index and therapeutic decision algorithms. Nigerian Journal of Paediatrics 2001:28:101 pp. 101-114


With the accelerated development of managed care systems in the 1990s, physician practices experienced curtailed authorization for length of stay (LOS) for in-patient care. Using lumbar discectomy (CPT 63030) as a surgical model, we reviewed records of patients from 1994 and 1996 as these two years were within the period of accelerated managed care penetration in our state. The Chi Square and Fisher Exact tests were used to explore statistical significance and differences in population characteristics, management and outcome in the two years. Factors including age, sex, associated medical conditions, other presenting symptoms and signs, cause of disc herniation, and duration of symptoms were not significantly different. We demonstrated that the shortened LOS did not adversely influence the medical or functional outcome from lumbar discectomy but that there appeared to be a shift of the burden of care to the postoperative outpatient setting. Functional outcome was not significantly different between the two years when assessed by either Prolo Outcome or return-to-work rate. These findings were corroborated with a more recent review of patients operated upon in 2000. As spinal surgery grows in complexity, managed care companies should initiate programs that routinely assist physician offices in accelerating postoperative rehabilitation. In addition, as emphasis grows for evaluation and management services, surgical outcome studies should document the intensity of postoperative management to document better the overall nonoperative care that surrounds any spinal surgery.


By estimating local event slopes in prestack seismic reflection data, it is possible to accomplish all common time-domain imaging tasks, from normal moveout to prestack time migration, without the need to estimate seismic velocities or any other attributes. Local slopes contain complete information about the reflection geometry. Once they are estimated, seismic velocities and all other moveout parameters turn into data attributes and are directly mappable from the prestack data domain into the time-migrated image domain. I develop an analytical theory, which defines the transformation from data and local slopes to the image space for different time-domain imaging operators. Computational experiments with synthetic and field data examples confirm theoretical expectations and demonstrate practical effectiveness of the proposed method.


Fuel cell technology has received a great deal of attention as a candidate for an alternative power source due to its environmental benefits compared to conventional sources. Flow-field plates are one of the most important components of the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) and Direct Methanol (DM) fuel cells technology, which is expected to possess high electrical and thermal conductivity, low hydrogen permeability, and good mechanical performance. In this study, a systematic investigation was carried out to formulate and fabricate electrically conductive polymer composites to be used in production of flow field plates using a simple low temperature, single step moulding process. It focused on the careful selection of both materials and processing methodology. ElectroPhen™ binders, various concentrations of graphite powder and enhanced dispersion agents were employed to make composite plates with high electrical conductivity and satisfactory mechanical performance. Electrical conductivity measurements were carried out using purpose-built in-plane and through-plane electrical conductivity test kits. Flexural tests were carried out to evaluate the mechanical performance of the composites. It has been found that polymer composite flow field plates can attain the electrical conductivity and mechanical performance requirements for commercial fuel cell applications without requiring a high temperature multi-step production process.


This paper investigates a polling system with a random polling scheme, a 1-limited service discipline and determin- istic service requirement modeling WLANs with QoS dif- ferentation capability. The system contains high and low priority queues that are distinguished via the probability of being served next. We propose a new iteration algorithm to approximate the waiting time of customers in the high and low priority queues. As shown by simulation results, our approximation is accurate for light to moderately loaded


e18527 Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) accounts for approximately 30 percent of newly diagnosed patients with NHL and, in the 1970s CHOP combination therapy proved curative. Higher complete remission rates and survival has been further improved with the addition of rituximab to CHOP (R-CHOP). Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil) has an improved pharmacokinetic profile over conventional doxorubicin with decreased cardio toxicity, cytopenias, alopecia and other untoward effects. This retrospective study was performed to analyze the efficacy and safety of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in a group of high-risk patients.

METHODS
Forty-five patients with DLBCL treated with MRCHOP were indentified. Their medical data was summarized in an Excel spread sheet using greater than 50 patient clinical parameters while maintaining HIPPA-compliance. All patients received intravenous LED, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin with average treatment dose of 27.4 mg/m² and, median treatment cycles of six.

RESULTS
In this poor-risk population (N=45) there were 47% males with an average age of 70.1 yr and 53% females with an average age of 73.8 yr. The overall average IPI score was 3.2, corresponding to High-Intermediate to High Risk range. The overall CR rate was 75.5%. For patients with stage I (N=2), II (N=7), and III (N=8) disease the CR rate was 100%. For patients with stage IV disease (N=28) the average IPI score was 3.7 and 62.2% of the patients achieved a CR. With long-term follow for most patients, as long as 124+ months, the overall survival is 74.2% with four patients dying of tumor progression, all with stage IV disease. At least one episode of neutropenia (ANC<1,000/mm3) was documented in 95.5% of the patients and hospitalization for neutropenic fever occurred 26.7% of the patients. The incidence of new onset CHF is none.

CONCLUSIONS
The overall CR rate of MRCHOP in this study is 68.6%. This is remarkable given most patients have had intermediate/high risk IPI. The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin instead of conventional doxorubicin appears at least as active as traditional R-CHOP and may be better tolerated.


We examined the effects of six xanthones from the pericarps of mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana, on the cell growth inhibition of human leukemia cell line HL60. All xanthones displayed growth inhibitory effects. Among them, alpha-mangostin showed complete inhibition at 10 microM through the induction of apoptosis.


Indoor positioning systems are platforms required to provide location information for indoor location-aware computing. This study focuses on a type of indoor positioning systems called location fingerprinting technique that utilizes received signal strength indication (RSSI) of wireless local area network (WLAN) interfaces. Thus far, many characteristics of RSSI have not been thoroughly investigated. Many researchers have relied on the RSSI as sensor information to determine objects location while ignoring the characteristic of RSSI. Therefore, this paper looks into underlying mechanism of RSSI from the indoor positioning systems perspective. In particular, the distributions of RSSI from five different IEEE 802.11b/g WLAN interfaces are investigated using extensive measurement experiments. Desired properties of WLAN interfaces for location fingerprinting are also identified based on the measurement results. The ultimate goal is to use additional knowledge gained here to improve positioning performance and to model location fingerprinting based indoor positioning systems.


The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), i.e., coexistence of under- and overnutrition, is an emerging issue in most of the low- and middle-income countries of the world. Using field survey data conducted in and around the city of Bangalore, India in 2018, we examine the patterns of DBM among women, young children (0-6 years), older children (7-18 years), and intrahousehold DBM between mothers and children. A unique aspect of the survey is that it is conducted in an area undergoing rapid urbanization, which is one of the factors responsible for DBM and can inform on the future of DBM in India. Compared to undernutrition, the prevalence of overnutrition is much higher in our study area. We find that, like other developing countries, the socioeconomic distance in prevalence of under- and overnutrition among women has decreased over time. Additionally, overnutrition among women is no longer an urban phenomenon. Similar trends were observed for older children. For younger children, on the other hand, the socioeconomic and locational differences persist, suggesting that this age group is not witnessing nutrition transition yet. The intrahousehold burden of DBM has also increased over time and the risk increases with maternal education. Although under- and overnutrition are opposite in nature, both have several common drivers, suggesting that an integrated approach might work better in tackling DBM. Several existing programs in India, such as ICDS, PDS, and the school meal program, provide excellent infrastructure to roll out policies and interventions, especially diet-based programs, aimed at both under- and overnutrition.


The Amazon floodplain (várzea) is seasonally affected by water level fluctuations of the Solimões/Amazon River. The drastic environmental changes that occur also include microbiological processes, such as nitrogen (N2) fixation and denitrification. Both processes were measured in the soil by the acetylene reduction assay and the acetylene block method in a várzea forest on Ilha de Marchantaria, Central Amazonia, Brazil. In the surface soil horizon (0–5 cm), N2 fixation was highest during the exposed period (0·04–0·26 nmolN h−1 g−1 dry weight (dw)). In contrast, denitrification varied from 0 to 1·40 nmolN h−1 g−1 dw, with high rates during the submerged and the transition periods. No significant difference between locations with legume trees, with non‐legume trees and without trees could be observed. N2 fixation rates of incubations (litter down to 450 cm depth) for samples collected during the exposed period ranged from 0 to 0·11 nmolN h−1 g−1 dw, with highest rates in the surface soil horizon (0–5 cm). Denitrification ranged from 0 to 0·05 nmolN h−1 g−1 dw, with the highest rate at 250–300 cm depth, which was just below the water table. The maximum N2 fixation rate (0·89 nmolN h−1 g−1dw) and denitrification rate (0·09 nmolN h−1 g−1 dw) occurred in the litter layer. On average, at least three times as much N is lost from the surface soil horizon via denitrification than is gained by N2 fixation annually, but the rates are strongly influenced by the flood pulse. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Efficiency at maximum power (MP) output for an engine with a passive piston without mechanical controls between two reservoirs is theoretically studied. We enclose a hard core gas partitioned by a massive piston in a temperature-controlled container and analyze the efficiency at MP under a heating and cooling protocol without controlling the pressure acting on the piston from outside. We find the following three results: (i) The efficiency at MP for a dilute gas is close to the Chambadal-Novikov-Curzon-Ahlborn (CNCA) efficiency if we can ignore the side wall friction and the loss of energy between a gas particle and the piston, while (ii) the efficiency for a moderately dense gas becomes smaller than the CNCA efficiency even when the temperature difference of reservoirs is small. (iii) Introducing the Onsager matrix for an engine with a passive piston, we verify that the tight coupling condition for the matrix of the dilute gas is satisfied, while that of the moderately dense gas is not satisfied because of the inevitable heat leak. We confirm the validity of these results using the molecular dynamics simulation and introducing an effective mean-field-like model which we call stochastic mean field model.


Lardiere (2009) hypothesizes that second-language (L2) grammar development involves the reassembly of features in the constraints of Universal Grammar. Feature reassembly assumes the domain-specific Agree operation, in which an (interpretable) feature on a probing node values an uninterpretable counterpart feature on a goal node, and spell-out computations, providing morphological expression to these nodes. Because features express class membership (e.g., feminine expressions), Hawkins and Casillas (2008) proposed that agreement in non-advanced L2 acquisition may involve co-occurrence between expressions, computed presumably according to feature compatibility (e.g., Shieber, 1986). These two types of agreement computations predict distinct processing profiles and grammar-processing relations. Results from a self-paced moving-window experiment targeting overt adjective agreement in superlative constructions revealed that L1-English L2-French/Spanish learners' profiles appear more consistent with feature valuation. Form sensitivity lagged behind computational ability in low-proficiency learners, suggesting that L2 grammar acquisition is subserved by a universal parsing mechanism (e.g., Dekydtspotter, 2001; Schwartz, 1999).


Oampylobacter. epidemiological investigation of risk factors for. colonization in Norwegian broiler flocks. 245 Cnmpylobarter jejiini. molecular subtyping by genome and plasmid analysis of. serogroups 01 and 02 (Penner) from sporadic and outbreak cases of human diarrhoea. 415 Ohlamydial. the influence of local antichlamydial antibody on the acquisition and persistence of human ocular, infection: IgG antibodies are not protective. 315 ('lostridiurn difficile, a molecular characterization of. isolates from humans, animals and their environments. 257 Colds, signs and symptoms in common. 143 Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of antibody to. in the sera of livestock and wild vertebrates. 547


Torsion of the spermatic cord is now a well established clinical entity, but the individual practitioner meets it so infrequently that in a large proportion of cases it goes unrecognized. The first authentic report was by Delarsiavue in 1840. In 1936 Abeshouse 1 was able to find 350 instances reported in the literature, which he summarized in a splendid and exhaustive article. The largest individual series were eighteen cases reported by Terazzi and nine cases by O'Conor. 2 To date twelve instances of this condition have come under my observation, two of which have previously been reported. Although the condition is uncommon, its recognition is of considerable importance, for failure of recognition may result in a testicular atrophy which might have been prevented, and this assumes greater importance in view of the fact that in twenty-four of Abeshouse's 350 cases the condition was bilateral. It is undoubtedly true that in


Introduction : As a result of their stressful job, nurses are supposed to be vulnerable to aggressive behaviors. This study was done to assess the rate of aggression among nurses.  Method and Materials : This was a descriptive-analytic study on 100 nurses working in pediatric wards of all general hospitals in Isfahan in 2006. Aggression Questionnaire (AGQ) as well as a Demographic questionnaire was administered. Data was analyzed using Fisher Exact Test running SPSS software.  Findings : A total of 23% of nurses had scores more than 45. Considering the sex, 10% of men, and 24.2% of women had scores more than 45. There was no significant relationship between aggression and sex. Considering the age group, 34.8% of the nurses in the age group of 22 to 29 years old, 16.6% of those in the age group of 30 to 39 and 7% of those in the age group over 40 had scores more than 45. There was a significant relationship between aggression and age. A rate of 14.9% of the single nurses versus 35.6% of the married ones had scores more than 45. A significant relationship was found between aggression and marital status. There was also a significant positive relationship between aggression and the years of service. No significant relationship was found between aggression and the level of education, shift of work, different wards of hospital, different hospitals and the salary pay.  Discussion : Based on the results of this study, aggression was higher in the lower age group and those with lower work experience. Aggression was higher in the married group. These results should be considered in planning appropriate mental health intervention.  Key words : Aggression, Nurses, Demographic characteristics, Pediatric ward


The project focuses on the usage of sensing and analysis with the help of relevant sensor technologies in order to record the health conditions of people. The best way to understand this is with an example. A practising doctor who is not equipped with such technology can check the patients' health only when the patient pays a visit to the clinic. Now, with the application of the proposed technological measures, the doctor would have a complete record of the patient whether at home, office or on the road, and this would enable him to prescribe medication in a much more efficient and effective manner. Also, it is important to appreciate that on the basis of patient data recorded in the past, a prediction model could help the doctor see irregularities and predict if a patient suffers from commonly occurring ailments hence saving time in an initial diagnosis. This method for Healthcare Data Analytics using Support Vector Machine (SVM) Algorithm helps improve accuracy when it comes to checking for specific diseases or figuring out the right treatment. Furthermore, the doctor can give a more personalized view if he has access to a large chunk of the individual's health data along with assistance from the predictions based on modelled data. The cost of treatments can be reduced tremendously if no unnecessary tests are done. The project model first involves a tri-sensor system which takes the heartbeat, pulse-rate and oxygen saturation level of the patient. The values of all these three entities is displayed on the LCD Screen in the hardware model. The values of these sensor are able to be accessed from an Android App with the help of interfacing the App with the Hardware system using Arduino based coding. The LCD screen and Android App show the sensor data and the App data respectively which can be accessed by both the doctor and the patient's family at any point of time simply by downloading the App. The complete history of the patient's health is recorded in the IO server Adafruit. The MQTT protocol has been used for transferring information in sensor data from hardware to Adafruit and further publishing it from server to android app. MQTT uses a publish-subscribe methodology here with Adafruit as server while the hardware and Android App act as its two clients. The information is stored in Tabular form in Adafruit as well as in Graphical format. The graph form helps to see if any sudden discrepancies in values for sensor data occur and is used to warn


For any $C^\infty$, area-preserving Anosov diffeomorphism $f$ of a surface, we show that a suspension flow over $f$ is $C^\infty$-conjugate to a constant-time suspension flow of a hyperbolic automorphism of the two torus if and only if the volume measure is the measure with maximal entropy. We also show that the the metric entropy with respect to the volume measure and the topological entropy of suspension flow over Anosov diffeomorphisms on torus achieve all possible values. Our results fit into two programs related to entropy rigidity and flexibility of Anosov systems.


Background: Methyl-CpG binding protein domain protein2 (Mbd2) is a transcriptional co-repressor that binds to methylated DNA. Mbd2 can recruit a nucleosome remodelling complex which contains chromatin remodelling and histone deacetylase properties. Mbd2 deficient mice are viable and fertile but display a dysregulated T cell cytokine response. The impact of Mbd2 deficiency on innate immune cell function and the immunological phenotype in the GI tract is unknown. Methods: Mbd2 / , CD11cCre and littermate Mbd2+/+ or Cre negative control (WT) mice were given 2% Dextran Sulphate Sodium (DSS) in drinking water for 7 10 d. 0.5×106 Mbd2 / or WT CD4+ CD25 CD45RbHi T cells were adoptively transferred by intra-peritoneal injection into Rag / in a T cell model of chronic enterocolitis. Both models were assessed for weight loss, symptom score, colon histology score and mRNA expression of selected cytokines. Single cell suspension of colon lamina propria (LP) leucocytes were isolated and assessed by FACS for CD4+, FoxP3, CD8, CD25, CD11b, CD11c, CD103, CD64, MertK, F4/80, Ly6C, MHC-II, SiglecF, Ly6G. Intracellular cytokines (IL1b, TNF-alpha, IL-10, IL-17 and IFN-gamma) were assessed by FACS post 4hrs ex vivo Golgistop or PMA/ionomycin incubation. Results: Mbd2 / and CD11cCre mice had equivalent proportions of all myeloid subsets in the LP compared to WT in the steady state. Mbd2 / displayed significantly worse colitis post-DSS compared to WT, with greater weight loss, histology score, and mRNA expression of IFN-gamma and IL-17. CD11cCre mice similarly displayed significantly greater weight loss with increased proportion of LP neutrophils and Ly6C+ MHC-II +/ inflammatory monocytes after 8 days of DSS compared to WT. CD11cCre DSS treated LP inflammatory monocytes also had significantly greater TNF and IL-1b producing ability than WT as assessed by FACS suggesting for the first time epigenetic processes can regulate this cell type, which is previously shown to be the dominant pathogenic lineage in this model. Mbd2 / adoptively transferred T cells produced a significantly greater colitis with increased weight loss, histology score and mRNA expression of IL-17 and IFN-gamma. Mbd2 / CD4+ LP T cells also had significantly greater proportion of double positive IL-17 and IFN-gamma producing cells demonstrating epigenetic regulation of T cells is critical in this established Th17 model of colitis. Conclusions: These data reveal for the first time that Mbd2 is of critical importance in the orchestration of a T cell dependent and independent model of murine colitis in vivo. They also identify methyl-binding proteins and/or genes that they regulate as exciting new targets for therapeutic modulation of GI inflammation. OP013 Status of ER stress and autophagy in Crohn's disease: From genetics to functional read-outs K. Nys1 *, W. Vanhove1, I. Cleynen1, M. Ferrante1, G. Van Assche1, P. Rutgeerts1, P. Agostinis2, S. Vermeire1. 1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, KU Leuven, Translational Research in GastroIntestinal Disorders, Leuven, Belgium, 2KU Leuven, Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Leuven, Belgium


Currently, there is a gap in the literature in terms of the relationship between implicit learning and temporal attention. This study set out to discover whether implicit learning could influence the modulation of temporal attention. Employing the Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) task, 42 volunteers from Indiana State University participated in the 45-minute experiment. The RSVP stream consisted of 11 uppercase letters, with a stimulus duration of 17ms and a presentation rate of 10Hz. Participants were asked to identify one blue target among 10 white distractors for 10 practice trials and 462 experimental trials. There were three independent variables. The first was Position were a target could appear in one of 5 positions in the RSVP stimulus stream. Three of these positions were considered "High-Frequency" and two of the positions were "Low-Frequency. The "Low-Frequency" positions occurred at a 1/3 of the frequency of the "High-Frequency positions". The second variable was Jitter, were targets were manipulated so that they could appear 33 ms before, exactly at (0 ms), or 33 ms after the underlying 100 ms base periodicity. Periodicity was the third independent variable where participants were divided into two groups, Periodic or Non-Periodic. Those in the Periodic condition had distractors appear at regular 100ms intervals. Those in the Non-Periodic condition had distractors appear in an unpredictable pattern that averaged every 100 ms.. One outcome of the study was the replication of Position effects from a previous study, which supports the attentional awakening phenomenon for both conditions. A more significant outcome of the study was the provision of empirical support for the idea that periodicity is a


In random sample consensus (RANSAC), the problem of ellipsoid fitting can be formulated as a problem of minimization of point-to-model distance, which is realized by maximizing model score. Hence, the performance of ellipsoid fitting is affected by distance metric. In this paper, we proposed a novel distance metric called the axial distance, which is converted from the algebraic distance by introducing a scaling factor to solve nongeometric problems of the algebraic distance. There is complementarity between the axial distance and Sampson distance because their combination is a stricter metric when calculating the model score of sample consensus and the weight of the weighted least squares (WLS) fitting. Subsequently, a novel sample-consensus-based ellipsoid fitting method is proposed by using the combination between the axial distance and Sampson distance (CAS). We compare the proposed method with several representative fitting methods through experiments on synthetic and real datasets. The results show that the proposed method has a higher robustness against outliers, consistently high accuracy, and a speed close to that of the method based on sample consensus.


The daily intake of 103 recurrent idiopathic calcium stone formers and 146 controls was assessed by means of a computer-assisted 24-h dietary record. Timed 24-h urine samples were collected over the same period to assess the relationship between dietary intake of nutrients and urinary risk factors for calcium stones. After standardisation for sex, age and social status a total of 128 subjects underwent final statistical analysis; 64 renal stone formers and 64 controls. Significant increases in the consumption of animal and vegetable protein and purine were identified as the nutritional factors that distinguished renal stone formers from controls. As expected, the daily urinary excretion of calcium and oxalate was higher and the daily urinary excretion of citrate was lower in stone formers than in controls. No difference with respect to daily urinary uric acid excretion was recorded. Daily urinary excretion of calcium was correlated to dietary protein intake while daily urinary oxalate was correlated to dietary vitamin C intake. It was concluded that renal stone formers could be predisposed to stones because of their dietary patterns. A link between the protein content of the diet and urinary calcium was confirmed, but dietary animal protein had a minimal effect on oxalate excretion.


In continuation of a recent study of Abt (1984b) that multiple author papers get higher citations, it is suggested that this may be due to a higher circulation of the preprints/reprints of the publication as well as higher frequency of contact of the authors with the other scientists in the same field. This suggestion is further supported by our earlier study (Rao and Vahia 1984) that joint-author papers tend to be written by comparatively senior scientists who are definitely well established and consequently extensively read.


Paclitaxel analogues with a sulfur group at the 7beta position were required for SAR studies. Attempts to generate these compounds by displacing a 7alpha leaving group with sulfur nucleophiles were unsuccessful. Instead, these compounds were successfully prepared from a 7beta-thiol intermediate that was obtained by a base-catalyzed epimerization of the 7alpha-thiol derivative. The epimerization presumably proceeds through a thioaldehyde intermediate and exhibits the opposite stereochemical preference of its oxygen counterpart.


The present research focuses on both past and future time scale in order to recognize the changes of effective precipitation trend in Ghazvin station. Therefore, in order to recognize the trend and behavior of past climate components, the components trend analysis have been done using Pierson and linear regression method. In order to study and analyze effective precipitation trend, the length of statistical data from 1959 to 2009 and data on climate temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, wind speed and radiation have been used. SCS method is used in calculating the effective precipitation. Also, the compound results of two models of CNRM-GISS-EH and CM3 have been used to evaluate the effect of regional climate change in the simulation of effective precipitation in 2050 and 2075 decades. The results of changes in effective precipitation trend for study period (1959 to 2009) indicates that the effective precipitation trend in spring is decreasing with the rate r=-0.10, however, the results in winter (r=0. 11), autumn (r=0. 24), and summer (r= 0. 16) indicates the increase of effective precipitation in recent decades. Also, it should be stated that the maximum increase of effective precipitation occurs in December with the rate 6 mm and the maximum decrease is in January with -1.91 in each decade. But, the average of the simulated results by the year 2075 indicates that the maximum decrease of effective precipitation is in July with 35.1% and the maximum increase will occur in August with 80.6%. Finally, however, the results indicate that the annual effective precipitation value in 2025 is increased with (1.7%) and in 2075 with (14.5%), but the great oscillation of these changes at summer, which is a dry period in Ghazvin, needs further management and planning for supplying the water requirement of different farming products, especially dry cultivation.


Deterioration of ecosystem and water quality in Taihu Lake, the third largest freshwater lake in China, is of great concern in China. However, most evaluations on water and sediment were carried out by chemical analysis, which could hardly gain information on the risk stressors affecting the system. Sediment samples from Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake were assayed for AhR-mediated EROD induction using a rat hepatoma cell line (H4IIE). The known AhR agonists including PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PAHs were analyzed by instruments. The cause-effect relationship between the observed EROD activity and chemical concentrations of AhR agonists and their dose-effect relationship were examined. Our results showed that sediment extracts could induce significant AhR effects, and the chemical-derived TCDD equivalents (TEQ(cal)) were significantly correlated to bioassay-derived TCDD equivalents (TEQ(bio)) (R = 0.85, p < 0.01). Among different contributors, PAHs could account for 70-93% and PCDD/Fs could contribute less than 30% of TEQ(cal). PCBs exhibited almost no contribution. Therefore, integration of EROD bioassay and chemical analysis provided an effective way for identifying the potential risk stressors. Underthis circumstance, a quantitative dose--effect relationship between TEQ(PAH) and EROD activity could be established, suggesting that the observed AhR effect was mostly derived from PAHs. The implication is that the EROD assay and the identified risk stressors (PAHs) may be used in lieu of detailed environmental analysis to follow the progression of a remediation strategy.


Neurologic and respiratory decompression sickness (DCS) symptoms occurring in the same individual represent complications rarely observed in altitude research. A case is presented of multi-symptom serious DCS resulting from exposure to 12,192 m (40,000 ft). Following 90 min of preoxygenation, the patient was decompressed in a hypobaric chamber from ground level to 12,192 m in 30 s. After 69 min at altitude he developed substernal chest pressure and the flight was immediately terminated. During the chamber descent the patient appeared disoriented. By 5486 m (18,000 ft) his chest pressure had resolved. The post-flight medical exam revealed multiple neurological abnormalities. He underwent a Table VI hyperbaric oxygen treatment with complete resolution of all abnormal neurological findings.


e22024 Background: To investigate radiation risks to patients undergoing 18F-FDG studies that take into account patient age, sex, and weight.

METHODS
We obtained patient demographics and weights of 54 consecutive patients with lymphoma who each underwent a18F-FDG PET study. The administered activity was converted into an effective dose using the patient size dependent dosimetry data provided in ICRP Publication 80. Patient effective doses were converted into estimates of the lifetime attributable risk of cancer incidence and cancer mortality using age and sex dependent risk factors provided in BEIR VII.

RESULTS
The average patient age/weight in this study was 43 years/68 kg for males and 33 years/61 kg for females. Patient effective dose are proportional to patient weight(-0.784) (r2 >0.99). The average administered activity was 410 MBq, which resulted in an average effective dose of 8.5 mSv for males and 8.9 mSv for females. The average cancer incidence was 0.71/1,000 cases for males, and 1.27/1,000 cases for females, with cancer mortality being about half the incidence. Cancer rates for the youngest patients were an order of magnitude higher than those for the oldest patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Average lifetime attributable cancer risks to lymphoma patients from a single FDG-PET study is approximately 1 per 1,000, but are strongly influenced by patient age, gender and weight. Cancer risk in younger patients is a magnitude of order greater. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


Candida glabrata is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause severe invasive infections and can evade phagocytic cell clearance. We are interested in understanding the virulence of this fungal pathogen, in particular its oxidative stress response. Here we investigated C. glabrata, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans responses to two different oxidants: menadione and cumene hydroperoxide (CHP). In log-phase, in the presence of menadione, C. glabrata requires Cta1p (catalase), while in a stationary phase (SP), Cta1p is dispensable. In addition, C. glabrata is less resistant to menadione than C. albicans in SP. The S. cerevisiae laboratory reference strain is less resistant to menadione than C. glabrata and C. albicans; however S. cerevisiaeclinical isolates (CIs) are more resistant than the lab reference strain. Furthermore, S. cerevisiae CIs showed an increased catalase activity. Interestingly, in SP C. glabrata and S. cerevisiae are more resistant to CHP than C. albicans and Cta1p plays no apparent role in detoxifying this oxidant.


Purpose : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of squat exercise using a ball on the gap between knees and Q angle of a subject with a genu-varum, and to prove the effect, to provide a clinical basis for developing into a knee correction exercise program.
Methods : As a result of posture measurement through GPS, 26 female with genu-varum with a knee length of 5 cm or more were studied. The group was randomly assigned to 13 squat exercise group using ball (experimental group) and 13 general squat exercise groups (control group). The experimental group placed the ball between both knees in a position where the distance between both feet was slightly wider than the shoulder width on a flat support surface, and fixed the ball, and then squat with the start signal. The control group squats without a ball. Each group performed three sets of exercise three times a week for six weeks. Before their exercise, after three and six weeks, EMG, GPS, digital goniometer measurement, the vastus medialis (VM), the vastus lateralis (VL), and the Q-angle were measured in the squat exercise posture. EMG was measured in squat exercise posture.
Results : The distance between the knees was reduced. EMG is activated in group A, the group B experimental results showed the high activity of the VL. Q-angle had increased. But the experimental group increased more than the control group.
Conclusion : We have confirmed through our experiments that the distance interval between the knees during squat exercises using a ball can be reduced. Furthermore, it would also be helpful to ensure the treatment of genu-varum.


This paper analyzes the evolution of food and nutrition security in Tunisia, judges its sustainability within water scarcity conditions and free trade areas, with a specific focus on the meat sector. For such purpose, the FAO indicators and Food Balance Sheets, as well as the Global Food Security Index are all analyzed. Virtual water, owed to meat and cereals for animal feed production and trade, was estimated to expect food security sustainability. Results indicated that Tunisian food and nutrition security (FNS) has been improved over the years, but its stability remains vulnerable because of the political and economic risks and the dependence of Tunisia on imported cereals for animal feed due to water scarcity. Tunisian agricultural policy, especially in both sectors of cereals and meat, should be readjusted to guarantee food and nutrition sustainability.


After Carl Ferdinand von Graefe laid down the principles of rhinoplasty and related operations it was Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach (1792-1847) who became a pioneer of plastic surgery in the 19th century. His biography and scientific work with emphasis on craniofacial surgery are presented in this article on the history of medicine.


Abstract Studies that locate memory entirely within the head may pay less attention to the properties, practices or cultures of the media with which people remember than studies of 'memory in the wild', where memory is seen to extend beyond the individual, into the distributed activities of people and material things. While memory in the head is, apparently, individual and susceptible to universal effects, memory in the wild is emergent and relational. Studies of memory in the wild, therefore, produce results that are harder to pin down but may form a stronger basis for interpreting the importance of context. It is an important, interdisciplinary challenge to reconcile evidence from studies based on these different conceptions, so that we can better understand how people remember and forget, individually and collectively, and the relationship between context, environment, and memory. I argue that wherever memory is located or studied, all remembering can be framed as in the wild, and that doing so supports ecological validity, conceptual precision, reflexivity, and realistic application of conclusions beyond the research context. A key part of my argument is that the relationship between media, technology, and memory is situated, highly complex, and not easily generalisable. Remembering in the wild supports the conceptual precision needed to understand the subtle and entangled implications of technological change in relation to memory.


In our paper we approximate a set of given points by a general circle. More precisely, we consider the problem of locating and scaling the unit ball of some given norm k1 with respect to fixed points on the plane such that the sum of weighted distances between the circle and the fixed points is minimized, where the distance is measured by a norm k2. We present results for the general case. In the case that k1 and k2 are both block norms, we are able to identify a finite dominating set in R for the problem, which can be obtained as the intersection of cones.


An efficient protocol was developed for in vitro morphogenic ability along with plantlet regeneration of two Bangladeshi indica rice varieties (BR24 and BR26) via somatic embryogenesis by applying 50 mM NaCl stress in callus induction and suspension initiation media. Osmotic stress was induced by NaCl (50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 mM) on the cell growth in suspension maintenance media. In viability test stress adapted cells showed 85 - 95% viability up to 200 mM NaCl compared with stress shocked (MS1 - 50) and control (MS1 - 0) treatments. Higher stress adapted cells showed growth retardation and the induction of plasmolysis. For both genotypes somatic embryos were obtained in both MS based liquid and semisolid media with or without 50 and 100 mM NaCl . Cell suspension-derived micro-call i were partially desiccated (6 - 12 h r ) and subsequently maintained in MS1 callus induction media supplemented with proline (12 mM), ABA (2 mg/l) and 0.6% phytagel in the presence or absence of 50 and 100 mM NaCl. Subsequently, desiccated somatic embryos were transferred in MS based regeneration media with or without 50 and 100 mM NaCl. Proline mediated callus was found to be more effective in embryo differentiation than ABA. Partial desiccation dramatically enhanced callus growth and partially increased regeneration percentage. BR24 showed a better regeneration response producing plantlets in presence of proline in control media while BR26 restored regeneration potential in the presence of ABA and 100 mM NaCl. Plantlets regenerated from salt stressed callus cultures were then grown in compost in a glasshouse and produced normal, fertile plants. Key words : Indica rice, Cell suspension, Morphogenic, Regeneration D.O.I. 10.3329/ptcb.v19i2.5436 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 19 (2): 185-197, 2009 (December)


an eyebrow as being suspect. For example, on page 134 he makes the obvious statement that &dquo;being interested in the subject makes education a more enjoyable process.&dquo; Throughout the book, Reinhart-a neuromuscular therapist and practitioner of Chinese health, martial, and healing arts-demonstrates his commitment to the Eastern philosophy of Taoism. Starting in the second chapter, Reinhart discusses the cycles of yin and yang in detail and provides examples showing how they relate to various music terms. The benefits of meditation, proper posture, and good breathing are all highlighted in different chapters. In the chapter &dquo;The Teacher's Eye,&dquo; Reinhart accents the importance of observing a person's body language, movements, and vocal inflections, as well as how to handle student con-


Purpose
Urban built-up has been increasing exponentially in the world. Urban population growth and migration are depleting the land resources and creating thermal discomfort. Cities all around the world are facing urban heat island effects and increased temperatures. This study aims to map land cover and formulate local climate zones for enhancing urban resilience against disaster and climate risks.

Design/methodology/approach
This study uses exploratory research to identify local climate zones for Lahore, Pakistan. Landsat 8 imagery was used to develop a land use land cover map. For mapping local climate zones, the standard World Urban and Access Portal Tool procedure was used.

Findings
Results have revealed that Lahore has grown exponentially. Compact low rise and open low rise were the two most common local climate zones prevalent in the city. In contrast, the outer regions of the city consisted of LCZ D (low plants) and LCZ F (bare soil).

Practical implications
This study highlights the need to consider local climate zones in future development plans and policies for ensuring sustainable, resilient and climate-friendly cities.

Originality/value
Local climate zone studies are missing in Pakistan. This study has empirically analyzed the ground situation of local climate zones for Lahore metropolitan city. This study will provide baseline support for future studies on urban heat island and climate change adaptation planning.


This research about "Influence Project-Based Learning In Biology Lab to Process-Science Skills Of Junior High School of Muhammadiyah 6 Palembang. Project-based learning is a innovative model of learning, and more emphasis on contextual learning through activities complex. Science learning is currently lacking promoting science process skills ( KPS ), where as aspects of process science skills is the main basic of learning science in the laboratory. This research was conducted in Junior High School of Muhammadiyah 6 Palembang . This research aims to know the effect of project-based learning in biology lab about process science skills of junior high shcool of Muhammadiyah 6 Palembang. Population in this research is class VIII which number to 122 and the sample of 41 to use from class VIII.3. To measure the students process science skills to use instruments such as observation sheets , test and questionnaire . Testing the hypothesis of the research is based on analysis of simple regretion linear showed that there were significant effect at project-based learning in biology lab about process science skills with test F at standard 5% which Freg> Ftabel that is 15,90 > 4.10 and the average percentage of process science included in good categories. It can be concluded that the project-based learning in biology lab influencing process science skills of Junior High School Muhammadiyah 6 Palembang.


Glass materials play a vital role in advancement of science and technology. They have found wide spread application in the industry, in laboratory equipment and in micro-gas turbines. Due to their low fracture toughness they are very difficult to machine, moreover there are the chip depositions on the machined surface which affects surface finish under ductile mode cutting conditions. In this research, high speed end milling of soda lime glass is performed on CNC vertical milling machine to investigate the effects of machining parameters i.e. spindle speed, depth of cut, and feed rate on machined surface roughness. Design of experiments was performed following Central Composite Design (CCD) of Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Design Expert Software was used for generating the empirical mathematical model for average surface roughness. The model's validity was tested to 95% confidence level by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Subsequent experimental results showed that the developed mathematical model could successfully describe the performance indicators, i.e. surface roughness, within the controlled limits of the factors that were considered.


Aircraft movements on taxiways at busy airports often create bottlenecks. This paper introduces a mixed integer linear program to solve a Multiple Route Aircraft Taxi Scheduling Problem. The outputs of the model are in the form of optimal taxi schedules, which include routing decisions for taxiing aircraft. The model extends an existing single route formulation to include routing decisions. An efficient comparison framework compares the multi-route formulation and the single route formulation. The multi-route model is exercised for east side airport surface traffic at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to determine if any arrival taxi time savings can be achieved by allowing arrivals to have two taxi routes: a route that crosses an active departure runway and a perimeter route that avoids the crossing. Results indicate that the multi-route formulation yields reduced arrival taxi times over the single route formulation only when a perimeter taxiway is used. In conditions where the departure aircraft are given an optimal and fixed takeoff sequence, accumulative arrival taxi time savings in the multi-route formulation can be as high as 3.6 hours more than the single route formulation. If the departure sequence is not optimal, the multi-route formulation results in less taxi time savings made over the single route formulation, but the average arrival taxi time is significantly decreased.


Data science has been proven to be an important asset to support better decision making in a variety of settings, whether it is for a scientist to better predict climate change for a company to better predict sales or for a government to anticipate voting preferences. In this research, the authors leverage random forest (RF) as one of the most effective machine learning techniques using big data to predict vaccine intent in five European countries. The findings support the idea that outside of vaccine features, building adequate perception of the risk of contamination, and securing institutional and peer trust are key nudges to convert skeptics to get vaccinated against COVID-19. What machine learning techniques further add beyond traditional regression techniques is some extra granularity in factors affecting vaccine preferences (twice more factors than logistic regression). Other factors that emerge as predictors of vaccine intent are compliance appetite with non-pharmaceutical protective measures as well as perception of the crisis duration.


An evolution of a synthetic route leading to a successful enantioselective total synthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (+)-alstonlarsine A is represented. The unique 9-azatricyclo[4.3.1.03,8]decane core was assembled through an efficient domino sequence comprising enamine formation in situ, followed by intramolecular dearomative inverse-electron-demand Diels Alder reaction. The preparation of the tricyclic dihydrocyclohepta[b]indole key intermediate via the intramolecular Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction required a development of a new general method for the introduction of the phosphonoacetate moiety into the indole C-2 position, through copper-carbenoid insertion. The modular nature of the represented synthetic approach makes it suitable for the synthesis of analogues with different substituents' patterns.


The incoherent space-charge self-force tune shift of a bi-Gaussian coasting beam is revisited. The distribution density of the incoherent horizontal or vertical space-charge tune shift is computed numerically using a statistical method. Analytic approach has also been made with approximation. The results show a broad peak centered about 0.633 with a rms spread 0.168 of the linear space-charge tune shift.


In the context of adaptive optics for astronomy, one can rely on the statistics of the turbulent phase to assess a part of the system's performance. Temporal statistics with one source and spatial statistics with two sources are well known and widely used for classical adaptive optics systems. A more general framework, including both spatial and temporal statistics, can be useful for analysis of the existing systems and to support the design of future ones. In this paper, we propose an expression of the temporal cross power spectral densities of turbulent phases in two distinct beams, which is from two different sources to two different apertures. We consider the phase either as it is, without a piston, or as its decomposition on Zernike modes. The general formulas allow coverage of a wide variety of configurations, from single-aperture to interferometric telescopes equipped with adaptive optics, with the possibility to consider apertures of different sizes and/or sources at a finite distance. The presented approach should lead to similar results with respect to existing methods in the Fourier domain, but it is focused on temporal frequencies rather than spatial ones, which might be convenient for some aspects such as control optimization. To illustrate this framework with a simple application, we demonstrate that the wavefront residual due to the anisoplanatism error in a single-conjugated adaptive optics system is overestimated when it is computed from covariances without taking into account the temporal filtering of the adaptive optics loop. We also show this overestimation in the case of a small-baseline interferometer, for which the two beams are significantly correlated.


We present a new robust point matching algorithm (RPM) that can jointly estimate the correspondence and non-rigid transformations between two point-sets that may be of different sizes. The algorithm utilizes the soft assign for the correspondence and the thin-plate spline for the non-rigid mapping. Embedded within a deterministic annealing framework, the algorithm can automatically reject a fraction of the points as outliers. Experiments on both 2D synthetic point-sets with varying degrees of deformation, noise and outliers, and on real 3D sulcal point-sets (extracted from brain MRI) demonstrate the robustness of the algorithm.


AIMS
This study was to use implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) home monitoring (HM) feature to evaluate the role of mean night-time heart rate (MNHR) in the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and mortality.

METHODS AND RESULTS
This study retrospectively analysed clinical and ICD device data in 318 ICD patients. Data of the first 30-day MNHR (recorded 02:00-06:00 am) by HM were collected. The average and standard deviation of 30-day MNHR (AVHR and SDHR, respectively) were then determined in each patient. The primary endpoint was appropriate ICD treatment of VAs. The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. During a mean follow-up period of 32 ± 10 months, 179 of the 318 patients (56.3%) experienced VAs, 123 patients (38.7%) were treated by ICD shocks, and 37 patients (11.6%) died. The overall SDHR in this study cohort was 4.5 ± 3.0 bpm. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, the cut-off value of SDHR = 3.685 bpm was identified to predict VAs. In the Kaplan-Meier survival, SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was associated with increased VAs [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.885; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.362-2.609; P < 0.001], shock events (HR = 1.637; 95% CI = 1.11-2.414; P = 0.013), all-cause mortality (HR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.266-4.627; P = 0.008), and the combined endpoints (HR = 1.872; 95% CI = 1.365-2.567; P < 0.001). In univariate and multivariate Cox models (adjusting for clinical factors), SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was still an independent predictor for all endpoints.

CONCLUSION
In ICD population, SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was an independent predictor for VAs and all-cause mortality.


This article presents an anthropological account of the European Court of Human Rights' approach to material religion. Focusing on a range of cases involving an alleged violation of Article 9 – the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion – in relation to such diverse religious objects as cassette players, incense, crucifixes, photographs and cross necklaces, it draws on ethnographic studies of material culture to suggest a disconnect between the Court's emphasis on religion as belief and the lived experience of embodied, sensual and object-oriented religious practice. It concludes that Article 9's privileging of the forum internum over material practice has contributed to an immaterial view of religion and religious life. Such an understanding ultimately fails to appreciate the importance of objects in the creation, expression and maintenance of religious worlds.


Transnasal humidified rapid-insufflation ventilatory exchange (THRIVE) is a novel airway technique that utilizes high-flow humidified nasal oxygen. It can extend apnea time and maintain oxygen saturation. Here we report the use of THRIVE in a 35-year-old man who required emergent surgical tracheostomy for a clinically relevant compromised airway secondary to acute supraglottic and glottic pathology. Intravenous sedation resulted in hypoventilation close to apnea. THRIVE maintained oxygen saturation for 40 minutes until transient desaturation developed after complete airway obstruction.


The aim of this study was to review existing knowledge on policy practice (PP) in social work education that seeks to train undergraduate and graduate social work students to influence social policy. The review, based on different search strategies, identified 113 publications written by scholars from Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa, UK and the USA. The review revealed marked growth in interest in PP education between 1970 and 2014. This was reflected in articles that have reported on six areas: research on the place of PP in social work curricula; research on students' preferences with regard to PP; recommendations on what to include in PP education; descriptions of actual pedagogical methods and courses; evaluations of actual pedagogical methods; and tools for assessing PP competencies. Most of this discourse was devoted to descriptions of PP courses and teaching methods and much less to systematic evaluation of PP teaching.

Key Practitioner Message: • Policy practice education is playing a growing role in social work training at both the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) levels; • The literature suggests a wide range of innovative experiential approaches in class and in actual policy arenas; • To further strengthen the field, systematic evaluations of policy practice teaching innovations are required.


Health care as an open system is affected by external fluctuations: the processes of globalization, digitalization and informatization; modernization and virtualization; increasing complexity of problems and volumes of information; increasing share of qualified, creative work; challenges and threats of the future, increasing social tension and devaluation of values. All this leads to a change in the management paradigm, which is based on future management, advanced development, self-education and self-development. Data analysis of VTSIOM secondary sociological studies and author's analysis of the content of discussions from August 2018- to February 2019 of medical professionals 'online communities were conducted. The study has identified the following current trends: the growth of informatization, virtualization, the emergence of new medical technologies, the formation of the global medical market, the change in the management paradigm of public and non-profit health organizations, the formation of new requirements for managers and staff of medical organizations. Global trends are linked to the growing popularity of digital healthcare. Medical institutions, diagnostic laboratories and insurance companies are gradually getting involved in the digitalization process and creating a single electronic system. This task is included in the National strategy for the development of artificial intelligence in Russia. The study has fixed that the problem of accessibility and quality of medical care in the country remains relevant, which is confirmed by the data of independent sociological studies. The main risks of digital medicine development are data security and insufficient professional competence of medical personnel in the field of information technology. It is important to support the processes the of users number of medical relevant social networks: iVrach.com, imedicina.ru, vrachirf.ru, doctocnarabote.ru, novmed.net, medtusovka.ru, doctornet.ru as well as consolidation of Russian technology companies in developing their own up-to-date software products for digital medicine.
Keywords: Digital Healthcare; digital technologies; quality of medical services, telemedicine, Russian healthcare, risks of digitalization Introduction


Introduction Remote ischaemic conditioning (rIC) has mainly been implicated in protection from ischemia/reperfusion injury. Using a model of endothelin-1 (ET-1) driven cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, we have previously shown that rIC attenuates ET-1 induced hypertrophy via PKCε translocation and AMPKα phosphorylation, suggesting a broader cardioprotective role for rIC. Here we investigate downstream mechanisms in this process. Methods Blood was taken from healthy volunteers after 3 cycles of 5 min of upper arm cuff inflation/deflation and then centrifuged. The resulting rIC-serum was applied to H9c2 cardiomyoblasts in culture for 30 min. Cells were treated with ET-1 to stimulate hypertrophy. Cell area was determined using immunofluorescence after 48 h and protein levels were detected using Western blotting after 30 min and 48 h. Compound-C was used to inhibit AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα), L-NAME to inhibit nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and 1H-[1,2,4]Oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) to inhibit NO-activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). Results ET-1 increased cell surface area by ~44% from 1.41 × 104 ± 0.08 μm2 in control cells to 2.03 × 104 ± 0.07 μm2 in ET-1 treated cells (n = 4–8, 500–1000 cells per treatment, p < 0.001). The ET-1 induced hypertrophy was blocked by pre-treatment with rIC-serum (1.45 × 104 ± 0.06 μm2, p < 0.001). L-NAME partially attenuated the blocking of hypertrophy by rIC-serum (1.79 × 104 ± 0.08 μm2, p < 0.001) as did ODQ (1.69 × 104 ± 0.08 μm2, p < 0.001). Furthermore, rIC-serum caused a significant increase in phosphorylated eNOS levels compared to ET-1 only treated cells after 30 min (1.76 ± 0.28 fold, p < 0.001, n = 4). This acute increase in phosphorylated eNOS was blocked by compound-C (1.21 ± 0.28 fold, p = 0.193) present during rIC and was lost 48 h after rIC-serum treatment (1.25 ± 0.45 fold, p = 0.514). Conclusions and Implications The PKCε/AMPKα/eNOS pathway is important in rIC attenuation of ET-1 induced cardiomyoblast hypertrophy. Downstream cGMP/PKG is likely to play a prominent role in this anti-hypertrophic effect and further experiments are planned to test this hypothesis. Abstract 208 Figure 1


Many pathological conditions, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer, are associated with abnormal metabolic states. The progressive loss of metabolic control is commonly characterized by insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, inflammation, central obesity, and hypertension, a cluster of metabolic dysregulations usually referred to as the "metabolic syndrome". Recently, nutraceuticals have gained attention for the generalized perception that natural substances may be synonymous with health and balance, thus becoming favorable candidates for the adjuvant treatment of metabolic dysregulations. Among nutraceutical proteins, lactoferrin (Lf), an iron-binding glycoprotein of the innate immune system, has been widely recognized for its multifaceted activities and high tolerance. As this review shows, Lf can exert a dual role in human metabolism, either boosting or resetting it under physiological and pathological conditions, respectively. Lf consumption is safe and is associated with several benefits for human health, including the promotion of oral and gastrointestinal homeostasis, control of glucose and lipid metabolism, reduction of systemic inflammation, and regulation of iron absorption and balance. Overall, Lf can be recommended as a promising natural, completely non-toxic adjuvant for application as a long-term prophylaxis in the therapy for metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance/type II diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.


Three cases of metastatic cancer to inquinal lymph nodes from unknown primaries are presented. All three patients had exhaustive workups which produced no primary lesions. There were two cases of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and one of melanoma. A review of the literature shows that it is unusual to have metastatic disease without detectable primary lesions to the inguinal lymph nodes. Furthermore, and more importantly, these cases open discussion of recent concepts of tumor biology. Based on these newer concepts, suggestions are made concerning the examination and treatment of these unusual lesions.


The approach to resection of pituitary tumors has undergone radical changes over the past one hundred years and continues to change. Prolactinomas are the most common indication for hypophysectomy. While transsphenoidal hypophysectomy has now become the standard surgical procedure for gaining access to the pituitary fossa, alternative methods of approaching the sphenoid sinus are advocated. A thorough knowledge of sinonasal anatomy is essential for these transsphenoidal procedures, necessitating otolaryngologic consultation. While mortality is low with any of these procedures, the morbidity of the sublabial approach may be avoided with alternative techniques.


Hydrurus foetidus is a geographically widespread alga commonly detected as 2–10 cm thalli in mountain streams in early spring, and also in lowland rivers at latitudes where seasonal conditions are appropriate for this cold-water species. Reaching macroscopic dimensions but with a pronounced phenotypic plasticity, this species is not typical for the golden algae (Chrysophyceae) – they are almost exclusively microscopic organisms, best known as micro- or nanoplankton in fresh water. Other sessile multicellular members are less conspicuous in nature, and rarely detected and sampled for further investigation. Therefore, the phylogenetic position of Hydrurus within the Chrysophyceae is not clear and has been disputed. We determined the 18S and 28S rDNA subunit sequences from a typical H. foetidus sampled at Finse, Hardangervidda mountain plateau, in south Norway. Phylogenetic trees inferred from concatenated 18S and 28S sequences, including representatives of all known groups of heterokonts, safely confirmed Hydrurus as a chrysophyte. Extending the taxon sampling to include nearly all available 18S chrysophyte sequences from cultured species and environmental DNA, our analysis placed H. foetidus within a separate, well-defined clade (here named the Hydrurus-clade) dominated by environmental sequences and poorly defined strains of chrysophytes in culture, mostly from cold environments. The environmental sequences derived from other mountainous regions showed high similarity and may represent homologous or closely related species. However, the phylogenetic relationship to the closest morphologically described chrysophyte clades remains unresolved. Genetic tools for investigating the Hydrurus complex are now available. An increased sampling of Hydrurus-like heterokont species as well as chrysophytes in general is crucial for understanding the evolution of this lineage and its relations to other chrysophyte clades.


Eosinophilic folliculitis (EF) associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic pruritic papulovesicular disease with distinctive clinicopathologic features. 1-3 The cause of this condition is unknown, although it has been postulated to be caused by an infectious organism within the pilosebaceous unit. 1,3 Tissue eosinophilia as observed in EF suggests that the purported pathogen is parasitic rather than bacterial, viral, or fungal. We describe six AIDS patients with EF who had increased numbers of Demodex folliculorum mites seen in skin biopsy specimens and scrapings from unexcoriated urticarial lesions. Previously, these patients had had treatment-resistant disease, yet all of them improved with topical permethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid with potent insecticidal properties. We propose that EF may represent an inappropriate immune response directed against Demodex and that this may be secondary to increased Th2-like cytokines produced in advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. Subjects and Methods. Six AIDS patients presented