In post-Soviet Tajikistan, a heavy concentration on collective cotton production is argued to be based upon vested interests, a cash short economy, historical and political economy reasons. Given challenges in the set up of a functional land cadastral system, access to rural credit can be facilitated through the currency that raw cotton provides as collateral against production loans. While there are other relatively more profitable options for agricultural production, a certain amount of land is placed under cotton, in order to secure financing for non-cotton production. The lender advances credit for cotton production, but a portion of this credit is diverted out of cotton and into non-cotton production. Non-cotton production is not collateralized and results in a private gain for individual members within the "collective". The lender has full knowledge of this diversion and compensates by pushing a higher level of in kind credit than is needed for the amount of land dedicated to cotton. Accumulating "debt" has become a defining feature of the cotton sector, but I argue that an appropriate definition is non conventional. This is particularly important given that loans are extended over consecutive seasons despite accumulating "debt". "Debt" can more accurately be defined as the cost of doing business for the lender, who ties together the services of loan provision with that of marketing cotton. Using original copies of farm invoices, state statistics, key informant accounts, as well as secondary survey data, I argue that there is ostensibly little difference in the standard of living between farmers engaged in diversified cropping systems (cotton and non-cotton) and those engaged solely in non-cotton production. In an economy where markets for credit and productive inputs are thin and erratic, the manner in which credit is advanced plays a large role in fostering this indifference. This argument is somewhat different than the prevailing view, which takes the position that cotton "debt" is a constraining factor in the development of the agricultural sector in Tajikistan. One explanation for why Tajik farmers collectively produce cotton at a loss is that it is privately profitable to do so.


We introduce an audio texture synthesis algorithm based on scattering moments. A scattering transform is computed by iteratively decomposing a signal with complex wavelet filter banks and computing their amplitude envelop. Scattering moments provide general representations of stationary processes computed as expected values of scattering coefficients. They are estimated with low variance estimators from single realizations. Audio signals having prescribed scattering moments are synthesized with a gradient descent algorithms. Audio synthesis examples show that scattering representation provide good synthesis of audio textures with much fewer coefficients than the state of the art.


Our work examines the controlled agreement problem over a network of interconnected dynamic units. The agreement protocol has recently been a focus of a large number of research work in systems and control community. Most of the existing work in this area, however, consider the uncontrolled agreement protocol. In this work, we consider the controlled agreement problem and introduce algebraic and graph theoretic conditions for its controllability. We then proceed to provide a graphical interpretation of these controllability conditions. In addition, we explore the role of anchored vertex position in the information structure to improve the convergence properties of the controlled agreement protocol


Non-metallic structural materials that act as an electrical insulation are needed for cryogenic power applications. One of the extensively utilized materials is glass fiber reinforced resins (GFRR) and may also be known as GFRP and FRP. They are created from glass fiber cloth that are impregnated with an epoxy resin under pressure and heat. Although the materials based on GFRR have been employed extensively, reports about their dielectric properties at cryogenic temperatures and larger thicknesses are generally lacking in the literature. Therefore to guide electrical apparatus designers for cryogenic applications, GFRR samples with different thicknesses are tested in a liquid nitrogen bath. Scaling relation between the dielectric breakdown strength and the GFFR thickness is established. Their loss tangents are also reported at various frequencies.


With algorithms making more and more decisions in our lives, from who gets a job, to who gets hired and fired, and even who goes to jail, it's more critical than ever to get our intelligent systems talking to us so people can step in when things go wrong.  In the coming decade, organizations will face incredible pressure from regulators and the general public and that means every team needs a plan in place to find and fix mistakes fast or risk PR nightmares and financial disasters. I'll show you how to build an AI Red Team to deal with everything from edge cases to outright AI breakdowns, while getting you ready to embrace the latest breakthroughs in explainable AI


Motor imagery can modify the neuronal activity in the primary sensorimotor areas in a very similar way as observable with a real executed movement. One part of EEG-based brain-computer interfaces (BCI) is based on the recording and classification of circumscribed and transient EEG changes during different types of motor imagery such as, e.g., imagination of left-hand, right-hand, or foot movement. Features such as, e.g., band power or adaptive autoregressive parameters are either extracted in bipolar EEG recordings overlaying sensorimotor areas or from an array of electrodes located over central and neighboring areas. For the classification of the features, linear discrimination analysis and neural networks are used. Characteristic for the Graz BCI is that a classifier is set up in a learning session and updated after one or more sessions with online feedback using the procedure of "rapid prototyping." As a result, a discrimination of two brain states (e.g., leftversus right-hand movement imagination) can be reached within only a few days of training. At this time, a tetraplegic patient is able to operate an EEG-based control of a hand orthosis with nearly 100% classification accuracy by mental imagination of specific motor commands.


Following dry storage for 5 or 11 months (new and old seeds, respectively) at 5 °C, less than 10% of the seeds of Indiangrass germinated as determined by a standard germination test. We attempted to increase germination by subjecting seeds to dormancy-breaking treatments, including sodium hypochlorite soak (5.25% v/v NaOCl; 20 or 60 min), prechilling (5 °C for 2 weeks), gibberellic acid during germination (GA 3 , 1000 mg.L -1 ), and combinations thereof. Treatment with NaOCl increased the germination of non-prechilled seeds only when they were germinated in GA 3 ; a 60-min soak in NaOCl increased germination to 53% and 65% in new and old seeds, respectively. Prechilling increased germination to 65% and 47% in new and old seeds, respectively. Germination of new, prechilled seeds was increased further to 86% by either a 20-min soak in NaOCl or germination in GA 3 , Germination of old, prechilled seeds was not promoted further by treatment with NaOCl, but was increased to 67% by germination in GA 3 ; Since NaOCl treatment alone failed to promote germination, we examined the effects on seedling emergence and growth of providing GA 3 at 1000 mg.L -1 during the 2-week prechilling period. While prechilling alone increased emergence to an average 34% for new and old seeds, prechilling with GA 3 increased emergence to 75% and 50% for new and old seeds, respectively. These treatments did not influence seedling shoot dry mass. Seed exposure to GA 3 during rather than after prechilling was more effective in promoting Indiangrass establishment.


Purpose: The zoonosis caused by Toxoplasmagondii is known to be the third worldwide parasitic infectious disease. The living life, including human, chickens, cows and goats are at high risk because of its bulky circulation in the universe. The study was conducted to diagnoseT. gondii in Galliformes. The main objective of this study was to compare VetLine Toxoplasma with ToxPK1 gene as a marker for the detection of T. gondii.
Study Design: An Experimental study.
Subjects and Methods: The study subjects involved were 35 broilers in which 80% were females and 20% were males.
Results: It was displayed that the female broilers have a little high rate of prevalence (29.63%) as compared to male broilers (25%).
Conclusion: It was concluded that VetLine Toxoplasma in which protein A/G fixes to all IgGs subclasses from various mammalian species and the use of ToxPK1 gene as a molecular marker for the detection of T. gondiiwere100% matched. To eradicate and control this neglected zoonosis, there is an urgency need for risk factors control mechanisms; secondly specific, rapid and inexpensive diagnostic and treatment approaches.


We present a microscopic theory of the optical properties of self-assembled quantum dots doped with a single magnetic manganese (Mn) impurity and containing a controlled number of electrons. The single-particle electron and heavy-hole electronic shells are described by two-dimensional harmonic oscillators. The electron-electron, electron-hole Coulomb as well as the short-range electron spin-Mn spin and hole spin-Mn spin contact exchange interactions are included. The electronic states of the photo-excited electron-hole-Mn complex and of the final electron-Mn complex are expanded in a finite number of configurations and the full interacting Hamiltonian is diagonalized numerically. The emission spectrum is predicted as a function of photon energy for a given number of electrons and different number of confined electronic quantum dot shells. We show how emission spectra allow to identify the number of electronic shells, the number of electrons populating these shells and, most importantly, their spin. We show that electrons not interacting directly with the spin of Mn ion do so via electron-electron interactions. This indirect interaction is a strong effect even when Mn impurity is away from the quantum dot center.


Improving the scalability of tissue imaging throughput with bright, coherent X-rays requires identifying and mitigating artifacts resulting from the interactions between X-rays and matter. At synchrotron sources, long-term imaging of soft tissues in solution can result in gas bubble formation or cavitation, which dramatically compromises image quality and integrity of the samples. By combining in-line phase-contrast cineradiography with operando gas chromatography, we were able to track the onset and evolution of high-energy X-ray-induced gas bubbles in ethanol-embedded soft tissue samples for tens of minutes (2 to 3 times the typical scan times). We demonstrate quantitatively that vacuum degassing of the sample during preparation can significantly delay bubble formation, offering up to a twofold improvement in dose tolerance, depending on the tissue type. However, once nucleated, bubble growth is faster in degassed than undegassed samples, indicating their distinct metastable states at bubble onset. Gas chromatography analysis shows increased solvent vaporization concurrent with bubble formation, yet the quantities of dissolved gases remain unchanged. Coupling features extracted from the radiographs with computational analysis of bubble characteristics, we uncover dose-controlled kinetics and nucleation site-specific growth. These hallmark signatures provide quantitative constraints on the driving mechanisms of bubble formation and growth. Overall, the observations highlight bubble formation as a critical, yet often overlooked hurdle in upscaling X-ray imaging for biological tissues and soft materials and we offer an empirical foundation for their understanding and imaging protocol optimization. More importantly, our approaches establish a top-down scheme to decipher the complex, multiscale radiation-matter interactions in these applications. Significance statement Better probing the X-ray radiation dose limit of bubble formation in biological tissue and developing mitigation methods is essential for improving imaging techniques involving X-ray, such as synchrotron X-ray tomography or crystallography. Here, we combined operando gas chromatography with in-line X-ray phase-contrast radiography on human lung and brain tissue to investigate bubble formation under high-energy X-ray irradiation. We demonstrate that vacuum degassing delays bubble nucleation up to a factor two, depending on the tissue type. Gas chromatography analysis showed increased solvent vaporization during bubble formation; however, the quantities of dissolved gases remained unchanged. Moreover, depending on the nucleation site, bubble growth can be geometrically constrained by sample microstructure, which influence its dynamics.


OBJECTIVE
To explore midwives' attitudes to health promotion.

DESIGN
Quantitative study, data collected using self-completed postal questionnaires in 1996.

SETTING
The North West of England, UK.

PARTICIPANTS
182 senior midwives who were working in hospital and community settings.

KEY FINDINGS
The patterns of views towards health promotion approaches were complex as midwives stated that they preferred societal approaches but worked in approaches that focused on the individual. Health promotion methods that centre on the individual were also preferred. Clinical practice base, educational qualifications and age were influential in midwives' opinions.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
There is a need for further clarification of the midwife's understanding of their role as a health promoter. Educators should ensure that health promotion is explained within its practical context and there should be opportunity for midwives to develop skills of lobbying, negotiating, implementing and policy planning. Liaison with other disciplines should be fostered to understand their roles and develop joint health promotion strategies. There is a need for further research exploring midwives' opinions from a qualitative perspective.


In recent years, a number of papers have established a new empirical regularity. Stocks of distressed firms vastly underperform those of financially healthy firms. It is not necessary to attribute the negative excess returns of distressed firms to inefficient or irrational markets. We show that negative excess returns are the equilibrium outcome when a subset of participants is able to draw returns "in kind" from distressed companies. For firms close to bankruptcy, non-cash returns to ownership will be the dominant form of return to equity. If markets expect a contest for control, these returns will show up in stock valuation. The governance problem described here creates a link between the financial position of a firm and real allocation that may amplify macroeconomic real or financial shocks.


to tie (or separate) individuals, and the directness of the influence which the mass exercises upon the individual. In this way are handled such entities as the State, the Church, the various economic orders. The intention is to bring out their relational character and to prevent them from being regarded as substances. Methods are suggested for the study of the symbols employed by them, the behaviour of the individuals and the groups inside them, and the fundamental processes that go to their making. The value of this scheme as an instrument of investigation has not yet been sufficiently tested, and though there is a great parade of formulae it is doubtful whether really workable units of measurement or even of qualitative comparison have been provided. Nevertheless, as an outline of a programme of investigation the scheme is impressive, and the formal classification of relationships must in one way or another constitute a part of theoretical sociology.


As a result of treatment of bioinformatic data on the genome localization of structural proteins, histone modifications, DNase-hypersensitive regions, replication origins (taken from modENCODE) and their cytological localization to polytene chromosome structures, it is shown here that two types of interphase chromosomes -polytene chromosomes from salivary glands and from mitotically dividing cells cultures - demonstrate identical pictures of interband/band, i. e. the same localization and length on physical map and the same sets of proteins. In the interbands of both chromosome types we find the proteins that control initiation of transcription (RNA-polymerase II, transcription factors), replication (ORC2) as well as proteins modifying nucleosome structure (WDS, NURF) and proteins of insulators (BEAF). The nucleosome density and H1 histone concentration in the interbands are depleted; localization of DNase-hypersensitive regions corresponds strictly to the interbands. So, we conclude that both polytene and cell line interphase chromosomes are arranged according to general principle and polytene chromosomes represent precise model of interphase chromosomes. The interbands play a critical role in the initiation of transcription and replication. The interbands of interphase chromosomes are the sites of 5' parts of genes, while the 3' gene ends are located in the adjacent bands. The constancy of interbands decondensation results in the conclusion that the "interbands" genes are constantly active, i. e. they contain "house-keeping" genes. The large late replicating bands contain genes that do not have direct contact to the adjoining interbands are usually polygenic and contain tissue-specific genes.


In light of its capacity for remote physiological assessment over a wide range of anatomical locations, imaging photoplethysmography has become an attractive research area in biomedical and clinical community. Amongst recent iPPG studies, two separate research directions have been revealed, i.e., scientific camera based imaging PPG (iPPG) and webcam based imaging PPG (wPPG). Little is known about the difference between these two techniques. To address this issue, a dual-channel imaging PPG system (iPPG and wPPG) using ambient light as the illumination source has been introduced in this study. The performance of the two imaging PPG techniques was evaluated through the measurement of cardiac pulse acquired from the face of 10 male subjects before and after 10 min of cycling exercise. A time-frequency representation method was used to visualize the time-dependent behaviour of the heart rate. In comparison to the gold standard contact PPG, both imaging PPG techniques exhibit comparable functional characteristics in the context of cardiac pulse assessment. Moreover, the synchronized ambient light intensity recordings in the present study can provide additional information for appraising the performance of the imaging PPG systems. This feasibility study thereby leads to a new route for non-contact monitoring of vital signs, with clear applications in triage and homecare.


In progress for many years, this monumental work has been worth waiting for. It is a magnificently glorified "review" which succeeds in its author's aim of giving "information as to the gross anatomy, microscopic anatomy, embryology, electron microscopy, histochemistry, and electrophysiology of numerous species of hearts." Dr. Robb offers us information derived from the widest range of sources. She has explored the periodical literature with meticulous care; she has translated important excerpts from books and periodicals in many languages; and she has compiled an admirable bibliography which contains some 2,500 detailed citations. The bulk of the book deals with anatomy. Every aspect of the anatomy of the heart is dealt with, species by species. Where no information was to be found, Dr. Robb often has made investigations herself. As one of its outstandingly useful features, the present volume reprints the illustrations from a very large number of articles and books


In this work, a simple Lotka-Volterra model of intraguild predation with three species is analysed, searching for the effect of the top predator on the coexistence with its prey-competitor species. Apart from the well-known result that the intraguild prey must be superior in the competition for the shared prey in order to make coexistence possible, the magnitude of intraguild predation and the form by which the intraguild predator makes use of the intraguild prey have important consequences upon the dynamics, extending or restricting the possibilities of coexistence. These results are easily obtained by nullcline analysis. Also, some interesting results are obtained for the same model but including saturating functional response.


Existing literature argues, in general terms, that China has a growing need for technical communication and technical communication education. Following up on these studies, this paper more closely examines China's needs for technical communication education. Based on interviews with industry professionals and reviews of their writing samples, this paper seeks to find out who among the industry professionals in China needs technical communication, what their communication practices are, the areas in which they need education, and what US technical communication professionals can do to help develop this education. Preliminary findings and suggestions as well as topics for future research are presented.


The suspension of updating its contributory pensions in 2012 raised the question of its place in the set of constitutional guarantees. However, the STC 49/2015 of 5 March has endorsed the constitutionality of RDLey 28/2012 which annulled the update of pensions in relation to the Consumer Price Index although the arts. 48 TRLGSS and 27 of the Royal Decree 670/198 guaranteed. According to the TC, when the RDLey 28/2012 was issued pensioners had only mere expectation right to receive the difference between the actual inflation and the inflation forecast. It is a controversial decision at least because, on the contrary, it is postulated that when is approved art. 2.1 RDLey 28/2012 the right to update pensions was consolidated and integrated into the individual assets of the subject beneficiaries.


LOTOS, one of the formal description techniques, can strictly and unambiguously describe the requirement specifications of distributed systems such as protocols and communication systems. But it is difficult for beginners to learn and understand LOTOS. Thus, for LOTOS instruction support, we have already proposed an algorithm which can detect learner's errors contained in the learner's answer for some problems described in LOTOS. This algorithm is applied to non-recursive LOTOS processes. However, non-recursive processes cannot represent processes that execute events infinitely. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm which can support equivalence decision and error detection in recursive processes. We also present a software support system which aids this new algorithm.


This paper illustrates two empirical approaches to the measurement of multidimensional inequality. The first approach is based on the analysis of the independent distribution of monetary and nonmonetary welfare attributes. The second approach considers pair-wise joint distributions of those attributes, hence allowing for differences in the various distributions, as well as possible correlations between the attributes. The analysis is based on household survey data from Brazil for 1996. We focus on inequalities in income, education, health and political participation outcomes. We calculate the extent of vertical and horizontal monetary and non-monetary inequalities, examine the determinants of both types of inequality and analyse their impact on household welfare. Our results show that economic analyses based solely on the distribution of income variables will not portray fully the degree of socio-economic and political inequalities in Brazil. In fact, traditional analysis of inequality may overestimate the extent of inequality, as education and other non-monetary welfare attributes appear to be more equally distributed in Brazil than income. JEL codes: C23, D31, D63, I19, I29, O12, O54.


Reconstruction of the continuity of the orbicularis oris is the main component in correction of the whistling deformity. However, many of the cases are associated with other deformities, such as conspicuous lip scars, an unnaturally wide central lip, flaring alae with wide nostril floors, and a short columella with a flat nasal tip. We report a technique that combines correction of such deformities with reconstruction of the orbicularis oris in a single operation.


Abstract During the period 1967–1980 private prospectors recovered 122 molybdenite mineralized samples from Norrbotten and Vasterbotten, northern Sweden, representing acid igneous rocks of intrusive character, including quartz veins, supracrustal rocks of predominantly acid volcanic origin and skarns. The molybdenite occurrences are generally confined to the Proterozoic continental domain north of the Skellefte district. Fifty-six of the molybdenite samples from different rock types were analysed for major elements and 13 trace elements. Tin is, besides molybdenum, the only element enriched in all rock types. The molybdenite mineralized samples are poor in Nb, not enriched in Rb, and show occasionally high concentrations of F and Cu.


Objectives The objective of this study was to characterize the changes in timeliness and completeness of disease case reporting in Texas in response to an increasing number of foodborne illnesses and high-consequence infectious disease investigations and the Texas Department of State Health Services' new state-funded epidemiologist (SFE) program. Methods We extracted electronic disease case reporting data on 42 conditions from 2012 through 2016 in all local health department (LHD) jurisdictions. We analyzed data on median time for processing reports and percentage of complete reports across time and between SFE and non-SFE jurisdictions using Mann–Whitney t tests and z scores. Results The median time of processing improved from 13 days to 10 days from 2012 to 2016, and the percentage of disease case reports that were complete improved from 19.6% to 27.7%. Most reports were for foodborne illnesses; both timeliness (11 to 7 days) and completeness (20.9% to 23.5%) improved for these reports. Conclusions Disease reporting improvements in timeliness and completeness were associated with the SFE program and its enhancement of epidemiologic capacity. SFEs were shown to improve surveillance metrics in LHDs, even in jurisdictions with a high volume of case reports. Adding epidemiologist positions in LHDs produces a tangible outcome of improved disease surveillance.


Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera) is a sucking insect pest and is polyphagous in nature. Twenty five (25) different host plants were screened against P. solenopsis and their  physicomorphic traits were determined to correlate their role against pest population. Among the tested plant species, most favorable host plants of mealy bug on the basis of population were Gossypium hirsutum (69.74±10.5), Solamum melongena (62.41±10.0), Helianthus annuus (61.83±10.0), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (61.1±10.0) and Lantana camara (55.83±9.75), but the least preferred plants were tandla Digera arvensis (1.57±1.00) and Conyza bonariensis (3.83±1.75). Significant variations were observed in all the morphological plant characters recorded from different plant species. The maximum leaf thickness per plant was 2.04±0.23 im in plant species S. melongena while minimum thickness of leaf was recorded from lehli (0.25±0.02 im). Maximum trichome density per plant was 444±72.4 in sunflower followed by 411.6±19.6, 399±52, 391.6±22.0, in C. bonariensis, Abelmoschus esculentus and Withania somnifera respectively but minimum were 2.33±1.45 in Chinopodium morale , followed by 2.66±1.4, and 3±2.08 in Portulaca oleracea and Trianthema portulacastrum respectively. The maximum hair length per plant (2.62±0.07 mm) was of sunflower followed by 2.55±0.03 mm in okra, 2.53±0.06 mm in both S. melongena and G. hirsutum . It was concluded that plant characters including trichome density and hair length favor mealy bug population showing r-values of 0.357* and 0.190 respectively but leaf size and leaf width (leaf area and leaf thickness) exerted negative effect on pest population showing r-values of -0.172 and -0.285 respectively. Key words : Phenacoccus solenopsis , invasive species, physicomorphic traits, resistance.


AIM
Chemical and antimicrobial effects of paste-like suspensions of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) powder with chlorhexidine (CHx), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or iodine potassium iodide (IPI) solutions were tested and compared to conventional Ca(OH)2/saline paste.

METHODOLOGY
Equivalent mixtures of Ca(OH)2 with irrigating solutions were compared to conventional Ca(OH)2/saline paste for their ability to raise the pH in root dentine. Ca(OH)2 pastes were compacted into prepared root canals of single-rooted extracted human teeth. Changes in root pH over time were recorded with a microelectrode placed in standardized wells within root surfaces. Antimicrobial efficacy of test solutions and pastes against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans was assayed using an agar diffusion test.

RESULTS
The ability of Ca(OH)2 to raise the pH in the root dentine was maintained when using mixtures of Ca(OH)2 with CHx, NaOCl or IPI (Kruskal-Wallis, P > 0.05). Mixtures of Ca(OH)2 with the test solutions had similar antimicrobial properties as equivalent mixtures with saline (anova, P > 0.05). The efficacy of CHx was reduced when mixed with Ca(OH)2. No additive antiseptic effects were recorded between Ca(OH)2 and IPI or Ca(OH)2 and NaOCl.

CONCLUSIONS
Ca(OH)2 is a strong alkali, whose pH is not changed when adding weak acids or alkalis in aqueous suspensions. Under the conditions of this study, mixing Ca(OH)2 powder with the test irrigating solutions did not provide an increased antimicrobial effect compared to a conventional Ca(OH)2/saline medication.


Novel catalysts with the composition Cd-(Zn)/TiO2 and Cu-(Zn)/TiO2 containing nanodispersed titanium(IV) oxide were synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and temperature-programmed reduction in hydrogen. Activity of the synthesized catalysts toward steam reforming of methanol was studied in a microchannel reactor. The highest activity was observed for the Cd-containing catalysts; in addition, they showed the lowest selectivity to carbon monoxide. The catalytic and physicochemical properties of the tested catalysts were compared. A correlation was found between activity of the catalysts and their ability to partial hydrogen reduction of Ti4+ cations to Ti3+ in the TiO2 support. Supposedly, the ability to reduce titanium cations depends on semiconductor properties of the oxides in the catalyst.


In five adult rabbits the medial collateral ligament of one knee joint was replaced by a free perichondrial graft from a rib. When tested after 2 to 5 months the joints were stable in all cases. Histological sections showed a picture of mixed cartilaginous and ligamentous tissue in all specimens. These promising results may open new fields for the use of perichondrium as a ligament substitute for ligament--for example, in the wrist.


There are some important prognostic factors for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). In this paper, clinicopathological features significantly affecting patient prognosis are described based on our data as well as others. Distant metastasis at diagnosis is the most important prognostic factor for both PTC and FTC. Other than that, preoperative and intraoperative findings are important to evaluate the biological behavior of PTC. Extrathyroid extension, large lymph-node metastasis, and extranodal tumor extension that can be evaluated preoperatively or intraoperatively are significant prognostic factors for PTC patients. In contrast, pathological findings are important not only for diagnosis of FTC, but also for the evaluation of its biological character. Grade of invasiveness (minimally or widely invasive) and degree of differentiation (well differentiated or including a poorly differentiated component) greatly affect the prognosis of FTC patients.


High-Tc hot-electron bolometers (HEB) are an interesting alternative to other superconducting heterodyne mixers in the terahertz frequency range because of low-cost cooling investment, ultra-wide instantaneous bandwidth and low intrinsic noise level, even at 80 K. A technological process to fabricate stacked yttrium-based (YBCO) / praseodymium-based (PBCO) ultra-thin films (in the 15 to 40 nm thickness range) etched to form 0.5 μm × 0.5 μm constrictions, elaborated on (100) MgO substrates, has been previously described. Ageing effects were also considered, with the consequence of increased electrical resistance, significant degradation of the regular THz response and no HEB mixing action. Electron and UV lithography steps are revisited here to realize HEB mixers based on nano-bridges covered by a log-periodic planar gold antenna, dedicated to the 1 to 7 THz range. Several measures have been attempted to reduce the conversion losses, mainly by considering the embedding issues related to the YBCO nano-bridge impedance matching to the antenna and the design of optimized intermediate frequency circuitry. Antenna simulations were performed and validated through experiments on scaled models at GHz frequencies. Electromagnetic coupling to the incoming radiation was also studied, including crosstalk between neighbour antennas forming a linear imaging array.


Partitioning and transport of proteins in charged polyacrylamide gels were studied for single and two-component protein mixtures. The gels were synthesized within fused-silica capillaries allowing a direct microscopic determination of concentration profiles in the gel during adsorption and desorption of fluorescently labeled proteins. α-lactalbumin, ovalbumin, and BSA were used as model proteins spanning molecular masses between 15 and 65 kDa. The proteins were conjugated to green and red rhodamine fluorescent labels, allowing simultaneous and independent determinations of two proteins during binary adsorption. The proteins were found to be favorably but reversibly partitioned into the gel and could be eluted at high salt concentrations. The transient concentration profiles were found to be consistent with a Fickian diffusion model with a driving force based on the adsorbed phase concentration gradient. The diffusivity and adsorption capacity of the proteins determined from the microscopic data compared favorably to results previously obtained from macroscopic studies of Q-HyperD, a gel-filled particle chemically similar to the gels synthesized in this work. Coadsorption and sequential adsorption experiments also resulted in diffuse concentration profiles indicating that the underlying transport mechanism is the same as for single component transport. The diffusion model was extended to predict the two-component cases. Predictions were reasonably accurate for co-adsorption, but gave rates higher than seen experimentally for sequential adsorption, probably as a result of diffusion flux coupling or other nonidealities. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005


Despite being described more than 40 years ago, the molecular mechanism that regulates hepatic induction of cytochromes P450 and other drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters by xenobiotics has remained enigmatic until recently. A major breakthrough was the discovery of the orphan nuclear receptors pregnane X receptor and constitutive androstane receptor playing key roles as species-specific xenosensors in this induction response. Using this newly acquired knowledge, the human induction response can now be more accurately predicted. This is of considerable clinical importance, since induction of cytochrome P450s and other enzymes can lead to unwanted drug-drug interactions, adverse drug reactions and drug toxicity. In this review, in vitro, in vivo and in silico techniques are discussed that can identify troublesome compounds at an early stage and that can help to design new, safer medicines faster.


—Model mismatches prevail in real-world appli- cations. Hence it is important to design robust safe control algorithms for systems with uncertain dynamic models. The major challenge is that uncertainty results in difficulty in finding a feasible safe control in real-time. Existing methods usually simplify the problem such as restricting uncertainty type, ignoring control limits, or forgoing feasibility guaran- tees. In this work, we overcome these issues by proposing a robust safe control framework for bounded state-dependent uncertainties. We first guarantee the feasibility of safe control for uncertain dynamics by learning a control-limits-aware, uncertainty-robust safety index. Then we show that robust safe control can be formulated as convex problems (Convex Semi- Infinite Programming or Second-Order Cone Programming) and propose corresponding optimal solvers that can run in real-time. In addition, we analyze when and how safety can be preserved under unmodeled uncertainties. Experiment results show that our method successfully finds robust safe control in real-time for different uncertainties and is much less conserva- tive than a strong baseline algorithm.


Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used in this study to direct the attention toward increasing the efficiency of early diagnosis of breast cancer in clinical laboratories at Iraq using recent PCR-dependent protocols and investigate DNA polymorphisms in addition to the detection of genomic markers. Blood samples were collected from 12 diagnosed females with breast cancer (malignant) patients, 12 females with breast benign tumor and 12 controls (normal females). DNA was extracted and RAPD-PCR was performed. The results showed unique profiles of amplified DNA fragments produced in genomic DNA of breast tumors by an arbitrary primers of A8, A11, A12, A13, A15 and A18. Out of the 6 primers used, 1 primer produced monomorphic bands namely primer A13. While other 5 primers produced polymorphic bands. Efficiency and discriminatory power of the polymorphic primers ranged from 0.173-0.057 and 9.5-28.5% respectively. Primer A18 produced the highest number of bands (21 bands) and primer A15 produced the largest molecular band (3.204 Kb) while primer A8 and A15 produced the lowest number of bands (11 bands), primer A11 produced the smallest molecular weight band of (0.166 Kb). Primer A11 produced a band of (0.559 Kb) which showed significant frequency of 100% with Breast benign tumor patients and 83.33% with Breast malignant tumor patients in comparison to control individuals which is completely absent. So, the detected DNA polymorphisms by the arbitrary primers might find application in developing efficient RAPD primer for breast cancer early diagnosis in clinical laboratories at Iraq.


In 1990, Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario undertook a review of its Central Portering Department. The department's name was changed to Distribution Services and its need for more efficient servicing of customers led to the search for a computer system to replace the manual dispatch operation. After failing to find an existing system, the hospital contracted to develop its own system, called Vic Tracker. The system categorizes and prioritizes requests and produces various activity reports. Response time has improved 50% on average, and improved efficiency and a pre-booking feature has resulted in a decrease of approximately 100 calls per day.


Analogues of angiotensin II with cyclohexylalanine (Cha) at position 4 or 8, and analogues of the competitive (type II) angiotensin antagonist [Sar1,Tyr(Me)4]ANG II (Sarmesin) with Cha at position 8, have been prepared by the solid phase method and purified by reversed-phase HPLC. Analogues of ANG II with Cha at position 8 in which the position 1 residue was substituted with sarcosine (Sar) or amino-isobutyric acid (Aib) or was deleted (Des), were slowly reversing (Type I) antagonists with "pA2" values in the rat isolated uterus assay of approximately 8.5. The additional substitution of Tyr(Me) for Tyr at position 4 of these peptides gave reversible competitive (Type I/II) antagonists with pA2 values of 6.7, 5.8, and less than 5, while substitution of Phe for Tyr gave pA2 values of 7.4, 6.7, and less than 5, respectively. All 19 peptides synthesized in this study had low intrinsic agonist activity in the rat isolated uterus assay except for the type I antagonists [Sar1, Cha8]ANG II (7%), [Aib1, Cha8]ANG II (12%) and [Des1, Cha8]ANG II (20%). These data illustrate that the substitution of Cha at position 8 of ANG II analogues produces potent antagonists; however, Type I antagonists retain significant agonist activity whereas Type I/II antagonists do not. In contrast, substitution of Cha at position 4 in a variety of ANG II analogues resulted in severely diminished biological activity, illustrating that the presence of an aromatic ring quadrupole at position 4 is obligatory for receptor binding and activity.


Aims: To determine the incidence and predisposing findings for choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in a large series of highly myopic patients. Methods: The medical records of 218 consecutive patients (325 eyes) with myopic fundus changes in the macula were reviewed. The incidence of CNV during a follow up of at least 3 years of highly myopic patients and identification of predisposing findings for the development of myopic CNV were examined. Results: Among 325 highly myopic eyes examined, 33 eyes (10.2%) developed myopic CNV. The incidence was higher (34.8%) among the fellow eyes of patients with pre-existing CNV than among eyes of patients without pre-existing CNV (6.1%). CNV developed in 3.7% with diffuse chorioretinal atrophy, in 20.0% with patchy atrophy, and in 29.4% with lacquer cracks. Conclusion: Approximately one in 10 highly myopic eyes developed myopic CNV in average 130.2 months. Patchy atrophy and lacquer cracks were shown to be important predisposing findings for CNV development.


Zwitterionic modifications of glycans, such as phosphorylcholine and phosphoethanolamine, are known from a range of prokaryotic and eukaryotic species and are recognized by mammalian antibodies and pentraxins; however, defined saccharide ligands modified with these zwitterionic moieties for high-throughput studies are lacking. In this study, we prepared and tested example mono- and disaccharides 6-substituted with either phosphorylcholine or phosphoethanolamine as bovine serum albumin neoglycoconjugates or printed in a microarray format for subsequent assessment of their binding to lectins, pentraxins, and antibodies. C-Reactive protein and anti-phosphorylcholine antibodies bound specifically to ligands with phosphorylcholine, but recognition by concanavalin A was abolished or decreased as compared with that to the corresponding nonzwitterionic compounds. Furthermore, in array format, the phosphorylcholine-modified ligands were recognized by IgG and IgM in sera of either non-infected or nematode-infected dogs and pigs. Thereby, these new compounds are defined ligands which allow the assessment of glycan-bound phosphorylcholine as a target of both the innate and adaptive immune systems in mammals.


H" synthesis techniques are used to design a bank angle autopilot which commands a coordinated ba.nk turn. Two vari- ations of the H" design are compared to a multivariable classical design. Both of the H" designs have better performance and actuator robustness measures. The first H" design, however, contains an undesirable cancellation of a lightly damped Dutch roll mode, which causes a poor parameter robustness measure. The second H" design corrects this problem by using the same inner loop yaw damper as used by the classical design.


is part of that broader field of experimental pathology to which all medical sciences belong". This is reflected in the thirty important years Hardy spent as Chairman and Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Mississipi in Jackson, where he divided his activities among surgical practice, teaching, and research. The period of his memoirs saw advances in surgical pathology and anaesthesia. Also arterial surgery, open-heart surgery, organ transplantation, and the artificial heart and other prostheses were developed. Following extensive research, including a study of the moral problems, his team undertook and recorded the first human lung and heart transplants, in 1963 and 1964 respectively. Hardy was not only an active surgeon, but as an author contributed much to surgical literature. His wide reading, too, he regarded as a form ofeducation. His most gratifying honour was his election as President of the American College of Surgeons in 1980. It is ironic that James Hardy, vascular surgeon, should undergo in 1982 and 1985 carotid endarterectomy. His well-earned retirement allowed him professional rest to enjoy his "closely knit" family life. Valentine Swain Chigwell, Essex


The aim of the study was to assess the impact of nutrition counselling on food intake and anthropometric measurements in postmenopausal women. Sixty postmenopausal women were selected from two villages of Sangrur district and were divided into two groups—Group I (Control) and Group II (Experimental) containing 30 subjects each. Subjects of Group II were imparted nutrition counselling (NC) regarding benefits of Aloe vera and its use in diet in individual and group contacts once in a week, for a period of three months. Aloe vera plants were also distributed to be used in their diets. Dietary intake of subjects for 3 consecutive days by 24 hr recall method was recorded before and after nutrition counselling. The average daily nutrient intake of diets was calculated by using Diet Cal. Anthropometric parameters were calculated before and after counselling. Dietary survey revealed that intake of cereals, fats/oil and sugar/jaggery decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) whereas intake of green leafy vegetable, other vegetables and fruits increase significantly (p ≤ 0.01) after counselling. A significant decrease in energy, carbohydrate, fat and significant increase intake in iron, calcium, potassium, Vitamin C and β-carotene content was observed. A significant reduction was observed for weight, body mass index (BMI), mid upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT) and waist hip ratio (WHR) by 4.9%, 3.98%, 2.9% and 2.17% respectively, while random blood sugar (RBS), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased by 25.21%, 13.74% and 8.03% after counselling. After nutrition counselling subjects adopted good nutritional practices and use of Aloe vera leaves in diets which improved their health status of postmenopausal women.


External Corrosion Direct Assessment (ECDA) has now become acknowledged, by the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) in North America, as a viable alternative to both in-line inspection (ILI) and the hydrostatic pressure test for the purpose of managing the integrity of high pressure pipelines. Accordingly an ECDA standard is now in existence. The essence of ECDA is to use indirect above ground survey techniques to locate the presence of coating and corrosion defects and then to investigate some of the indications directly by making excavations. However, one of the problems of above ground survey techniques is that they do not locate all defects and are susceptible to false indication. This means that the defects will not be present at all indications and that some defects will be missed. In view of the limitations of above ground survey techniques the ECDA standard requires that at least two complimentary survey techniques should be used. The selected survey techniques will depend on the nature of a particular 'ECDA segment', taking account of the surface characteristics. However, in many situations the surveys will include a coating survey and a corrosion survey. In general the outcome from these two surveys will be NH locations at which just the coating survey gives an indication, NC locations at which just the corrosion survey gives an indication and NHC locations at which both surveys give an indication. This paper presents a new probabilistic methodology for estimating the distributions of the actual numbers of coating and corrosion defects, taking account of the outcomes of the surveys and the probabilities of detection and false indication of both techniques. The method also shows how the probabilities of detection and false indication are updated depending on what is found during the excavations and the distributions of the numbers of remaining corrosion and coating defects are subsequently modified. Based on a prescribed repair criterion the analysis is used to determine the probability that at least one remaining corrosion defect will exceed the repair criteria. As excavations are sequentially performed the probability naturally reduces. The attainment of an acceptably low probability is used as a trigger to terminate the excavation programme. A detailed description of the development of the method is given in this paper and the application is illustrated through a simple numerical example. A description of how the method is used to build a Direct Assessment module for a pipeline integrity management system is described in an accompanying paper.© 2006 ASME


Since its inception over two decades ago, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) has become the standard technique for characterizing electrostatic, electrochemical and electronic properties at the nanoscale. In this work, we present a purely digital, software-based approach to KPFM utilizing big data acquisition and analysis methods. General mode (G-Mode) KPFM works by capturing the entire photodetector data stream, typically at the sampling rate limit, followed by subsequent de-noising, analysis and compression of the cantilever response. We demonstrate that the G-Mode approach allows simultaneous multi-harmonic detection, combined with on-the-fly transfer function correction—required for quantitative CPD mapping. The KPFM approach outlined in this work significantly simplifies the technique by avoiding cumbersome instrumentation optimization steps (i.e. lock in parameters, feedback gains etc), while also retaining the flexibility to be implemented on any atomic force microscopy platform. We demonstrate the added advantages of G-Mode KPFM by allowing simultaneous mapping of CPD and capacitance gradient (C′) channels as well as increased flexibility in data exploration across frequency, time, space, and noise domains. G-Mode KPFM is particularly suitable for characterizing voltage sensitive materials or for operation in conductive electrolytes, and will be useful for probing electrodynamics in photovoltaics, liquids and ionic conductors.


Assessment of test bias is important to establish the construct validity of tests. Assessment of differential item functioning (DIF) is an important first step in this process. DIF is present when examinees from different groups have differing probabilities of success on an item, after controlling for overall ability level. Here, we present analysis of DIF in the Cognitive Assessment Screening Instrument (CASI) using data from a large cohort study of elderly adults. We developed an ordinal logistic regression modelling technique to assess test items for DIF. Estimates of cognitive ability were obtained in two ways based on responses to CASI items: using traditional CASI scoring according to the original test instructions as well as using item response theory (IRT) scoring. Several demographic characteristics were examined for potential DIF, including ethnicity and gender (entered into the model as dichotomous variables), and years of education and age (entered as continuous variables). We found that a disappointingly large number of items had DIF with respect to at least one of these demographic variables. More items were found to have DIF with traditional CASI scoring than with IRT scoring. This study demonstrates a powerful technique for the evaluation of DIF in psychometric tests. The finding that so many CASI items had DIF suggests that previous findings of differences between groups in cognitive functioning as measured by the CASI may be due to biased test items rather than true differences between groups. The finding that IRT scoring diminished the impact of DIF is discussed. Some preliminary suggestions for how to deal with items found to have DIF in cognitive tests are made. The advantages of the DIF detection techniques we developed are discussed in relation to other techniques for the evaluation of DIF. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This guide describes the CMC and the Library Science (children's literature) collections of Rohrbach Library as resources for education majors.


Catecholamines induce hypokalaemia via stimulation of beta-adrenoceptors, primarily in skeletal muscle but also in other tissues. This is the result of increased active Na+-K+-transport, leading to a rise in the intracellular K+/Na+-ratio and hyperpolarisation in muscle cells. These effects are mediated by 3', 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate, can be detected down to physiological concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline, and are seen both in vitro and in vivo. Catecholamines released from the adrenal medulla as well as sympathetic nerve endings are of importance in clearing K+ from the extracellular water space during K+-loading or exercise. beta 2-adrenoceptor agonists can be used in the treatment of hyperkalaemia, and beta-adrenoceptor blockade may induce hyperkalaemia, in particular during exercise. The effects of catecholamines on the contractile performance of skeletal muscles are partly due to stimulation of the active electrogenic Na+-K+-transport across the sarcolemma.


In this study, equipment elements which have been used in Nigde Omer Halisdemir University campus, were analysed considering various criteria in terms of landscape architecture. In this study, lighting and flooring elements, trash cans, sitting elements etc. were evaluated considering some criteria such as maintenance, design, ergonomics, etc. Within the scope of the study, it has been determined whether the equipment elements in the campus meet the people needs. There are insufficient number of seating elements in the campus, security problems occur due to the lack of lighting elements in certain places. The bus stops in the campus are sufficient numerically, and they are in suitable areas in terms of location. In addition, the number of telephone booths and the number of trash cans in the campus are insufficient. The designs of the equipment elements are similar, and equipment elements have traditional design. As paving elements, key paving stones are used on pedestrian roads, so that in some areas, collapses occur, so fall, snag, etc. on pedestrian roads. Finally, suggestions for using equipment elements in campus areas were developed.


UNLABELLED
Somatostatin (SS) receptor (sst) scintigraphy is widely used in the visualization of neuroendocrine tumors expressing sst, and radiotherapy using radionuclide-labeled SS analogs has been introduced for treatment of patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Previous sst scintigraphy studies revealed that malignant lymphomas can also be visualized using this technique. The question has been addressed whether lymphomas might also be possible targets for radiotherapy using radionuclide-labeled SS analogs. Therefore, we investigated in vitro the characteristics of lymphoma tissues and lymphoid cell lines to evaluate whether lymphomas can be targets for radiotherapy.

METHODS
Six orbital lymphomas, 2 Hodgkin's lymphomas, and 2 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas from the neck region were collected. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to detect and quantify the expression of sst(1-5) mRNA. Receptor autoradiography studies using [(125)I-Tyr(3)]octreotide were performed to evaluate binding to sst on cryostat sections of lymphomas. Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate expression of sst(2) and sst(3). Membrane binding studies and in vitro internalization experiments using [(125)I-Tyr(3)]octreotide were performed to study binding and uptake of [(125)I-Tyr(3)]octreotide by lymphoid cell lines (JY, TMM, APD) and primary cells derived from a B-cell-derived chronic lymphatic leukemia.

RESULTS
A selective expression of sst(2) and sst(3) messenger RNA (mRNA) was demonstrated. By quantitative RT-PCR, expression levels of sst(2) and sst(3) mRNA were relatively low. Autoradiography studies revealed low binding of [(125)I-Tyr(3)]octreotide, whereas immunoreactivity could not be detected for sst(2) and sst(3) by immunohistochemistry. On the lymphoid cell lines only low numbers of high-affinity SS binding sites were found. In vitro, uptake of [(125)I-Tyr(3)]octreotide by these cells was also very low.

CONCLUSION
On the basis of our findings, we conclude that lymphomas do not appear to be candidates for radiotherapy using radionuclide-labeled SS analogs. However, lymphomas are highly radiosensitive tumors and further clinical studies should be performed to evaluate whether the low receptor density is sufficient for targeting treatment in these tumors.


Background: Glioma, the most common brain tumor, is a heterogeneous group of glia-derived tumors, the majority of which have characteristics of diffuse infiltration and immunosuppression. The LGALS protein family is a large class of sugar-binding proteins. Among them, LGALS3 has been reported to promote tumor development and progression in some cancers. However, the clinical significance and biological functions of LGALS3 in glioma remain virtually unknown. The purpose of our research is to detect LGALS3 expression and its prognostic value in glioma and reveal the relationship between its expression and the clinico/molecular-pathological features of patients and immune cell infiltration. Methods: LGALS3 protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA expression data of LGALS3 was downloaded and analyzed from TCGA and Rembrandt datasets. The association between LGALS3 and glioma clinically relevant diagnostic/molecular markers (IDH, 1p19q, ATRX, MGMT, and TERT) was examined using the Chi-Squared (χ2) test. The correlation between LGALS3 expression and the infiltration of multiple intra-tumoral immune cell types, including B cells (CD20), T cells (CD4 and CD8), macrophages (CD68), and M2 tumor-associated macrophages (CD163), was evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox regression analysis were applied to evaluate the prognostic value of LGALS3 in glioma. The log-rank test was used to evaluate Kaplan-Meier results for significance. Results: Out of all 304 glioma cases, LGALS3 protein was expressed in 125 glioma cases (41.1%, 125/304), with 69.2% (9/13) in WHO I, 9.8% (8/82) in WHO II, 34.2% (26/76) in WHO III, and 61.7% (82/133) in WHO IV. The expression of LGALS3 was correlated with patient age, WHO grade, PHH3 (mitosis), Ki67 index, IDH, 1p/19q codeletion, and TERT promoter status. LGALS3 was an independent poor prognostic marker in diffusely infiltrating gliomas and was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration, particularly CD163+ tumor-associated macrophages in the TCGA dataset, Rembrandt dataset, and our SYSUCC cohort (R = 0.419, 0.627, and 0.724). Conclusion: LGALS3 was highly expressed in pilocytic astrocytoma, GBM, and IDH wild-type LGG. It served as a poor prognostic marker in diffusely infiltrating gliomas. Based on its prognostic significance and strong correlation with CD163+ TAMs, it may act as an important therapeutic target for human glioma.


Farm illmuination is a non-formal education for farmer and his family consisted of transferring knowledge and skill from field illumination to the farmer and the family through learning and teaching process. Farm expert should be competent, able to communicate effectively with farmer. The person who gave illumination hoped to be able to progress their desire to study and oriented to problem faced by farmers according their skill. Another problem rose in the research was how the farm method applied by field person at Dau sub-district and what their inhibition in field also described the farmer attitude to the farm illumination. The location was chosen purposively, that was at Dau Sub-district Malang Residence. Dau sub-district was chosen by recommendation from Farm Department of Malang Residence since Dau is a region which has farm illumination activity. Samples taken at this research were 40 active farmers in each farmer group and four illumination respondent. Analysis data method used in this research was qualitative descriptie method. Descriptiive qualitative Data interpretation supported by verbal, graphic, data and table presentation. This method would give explanation or direction about many things related to research data. From data analysis, there found that in applying illumination method, first step which was done by PPL was doing demplot. Demplot result socialized in routine meeting of farm and GAPOKTAN groups which continued by demonstration, whether result or effort. In eradicating problems faced by farmer, PPL was done personal visit which followed by field study. Inhibitions faced by the Field officer were technical inhibition consisted of wheather and climate condition which was hard to predict because of global warming and lack of irrigation system, social inhibition cinsisted of continuity in capital and information facilitated by PPL, economic inhibition consisted of the low price in harvest and illumination inhibition was no central office, meeting office, library, and limited Demplot field. In farm illumination, 65% of respondents stated their support to every activities in the illumination. It could be seen from respondent activeness in following activities which was held by the illumination officer. In a month, the farmer followed 2-3 times illumination. The activity was conditional as the farmer needs. The farmer also stated that there was enough variation and material given by the illumination officer at Dau sub-district Malang residence. 65% respondents stated that the programs has fit the farm needs at Dau sub-district Malang residence. The illumination officer also has great influence in decision taking in farm group by discussion. 47.5% respondents stated that there were enough facility in facilities owed by farmer group though there still needed repairment. It caused by lack of capital from group and local farm department. Keyword : kajian metode;kendala penyuluhan pertanian Link terkait : http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/274/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2008-abdussyaku-13689-PENDAHUL-N.pdf


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of a specific galloping exercise regimen on collagen fibril mass-average diameters (MAD) in the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and suspensory ligament (SL) of young Thoroughbreds.

ANIMALS
12 Thoroughbred fillies, 21 +/- 1 (mean +/- SD) months old.

PROCEDURE
6 horses underwent a specific 18-month treadmill training program involving galloping exercise. The remaining 6 horses served as controls, undertaking low-volume walking exercise over the same period. Sections were excised from the midpoint of the DDFT and SL, and small strips were dissected from central and peripheral locations for each structure. Fibril diameters were measured from micrographs of transverse ultrathin sections, using a computerized image analysis program. An MAD value was calculated for the central and peripheral regions of the DDFT and SL for each horse. Values for both regions were compared between exercised and control horses.

RESULTS
The MAD did not change significantly with exercise for either the DDFT or the SL.

CONCLUSION
Loading of the DDFT as a result of this exercise regimen was not sufficient to stimulate collagen fibril hypertrophy, in keeping with current data that indicate this tendon, compared with the SL and superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), is subjected to low loads. Microtrauma, in terms of reduction in fibril MAD, may have occurred in the SL at a site different from that sampled. Another possibility is that, between the trot and the gallop, loading of the SL does not increase to the same extent as that of the SDFT.


In this paper, I examine whether and to which degree the quality of work and employment differs between men and women and how these gender differences are shaped by societal beliefs about 'gender equality.' Using data from the 2004 wave of the European Social Survey, I compare the jobs of men and women across a variety of measures of perceived job quality in 26 countries. Key findings are that job quality is gendered: Jobs of men are typically characterized by high training requirements, good promotion opportunities and high levels of job complexity, autonomy and participation. Jobs for women, in contrast, are less likely to pose a health or safety risk or to involve work during antisocial hours. However, contrary to expectation, the job profiles of men and women are not more similar in societies with gender egalitarian norms. While women are relatively more likely to be exposed to health and safety risks, work pressure and demands to work outside regular working time, in more gender-egalitarian societies their work is not, relative to men's, more skilled, complex or autonomous. Neither do more egalitarian societies provide more opportunities for participation and advancement for women than less egalitarian societies.


The IκB kinase ε (IKKε) is a key molecule at the crossroads of inflammation and cancer. Known for its role as an activator of NFκB and IRF3 signalling leading to cytokine secretion, the kinase is also a breast cancer oncogene, overexpressed in a variety of tumours. However, to what extent IKKε remodels cellular metabolism is currently unknown. Here we used a combination of metabolomics and phosphoproteomics to show that IKKε orchestrates a complex metabolic reprogramming that affects mitochondrial metabolism and serine biosynthesis. Acting independently of its canonical signalling role, IKKε upregulates the serine biosynthesis pathway (SBP) mainly by limiting glucose and pyruvate derived anaplerosis of the TCA cycle. In turn, this elicits activation of the transcription factor ATF4 and upregulation of the SBP genes. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of the IKKε-induced metabolic phenotype reduces proliferation of breast cancer cells. Finally, we show that in a set of basal ER negative and highly proliferative human breast cancer tumours, IKKε and PSAT1 expression levels are positively correlated corroborating the link between IKKε and the SBP in the clinical context.


The effect of topography on the seismic wave-motion has been of interest to many studies. In this study, the earthquake-intensity increments (amplification) on side-zones of valleys within alluvial basins, were investigated using finite element method. A set of finite element models for valleys, one with a triangular cross-section, and the rest with trapezoidal cross-sections, taking into account five different side slopes (17o, 22o, 27o, 37o, 45o), were adapted. The acceleration time-histories obtained through the use of the commercial finite element code (QUAD4M) at valley-sides, valley-edges, and at the intermediate points were transformed to Fourier Amplitude Spectra. The amplitude-frequency variations obtained at the three selected reference points of the valley as well as at the bedrock, were investigated in each of the four selected phases of the earthquake duration. As a result of the performed dynamic analysis, the effect of the valley-slope variation at the three reference points on the valley was examined at four distinct phases of the earthquake duration.


. Current work is focused on the processing of medical images obtained by performing a pathomorphological analysis of preparation. The algorithms for processing images of nuclei of light and confocal microscopy and tissue of light microscopy were considered in particular. The application of the proposed algorithms and software for detecting pathologies was justified.


Since 2013, the four sites of the Fluorescence Detector (FD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory record ELVES with a dedicated trigger. These UV light emissions are correlated to distant lightning strikes. The length of recorded traces has been increased from 100 𝜇 s (2013), to 300 𝜇 s (2014-16), to 900 𝜇 s (2017-present), to progressively extend the observation of the light emission towards the vertical of the causative lightning and beyond. A large fraction of the observed events shows double ELVES within the time window, and, in some cases, even more complex structures are observed. The nature of the multi-ELVES is not completely understood but may be related to the different types of lightning in which they are originated. For example, it is known that Narrow Bipolar Events can produce double ELVES, and Energetic In-cloud Pulses, occurring between the main negative and upper positive charge layer of clouds, can induce double and even quadruple ELVES in the ionosphere. This report shows the seasonal and daily dependence of the time gap, amplitude ratio, and correlation between the pulse widths of the peaks in a sample of 1000+ multi-ELVES events recorded during the period 2014-20. The events have been compared with data from other satellite and ground-based sensing devices to study the correlation of their properties with lightning observables such as altitude and polarity.


The Virology Division in the Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia performs potency tests on oral polio vaccines and live attenuated measles vaccines. Since these potency tests were introduced in 1981 a total of 752 tests have been performed on vaccine samples from peripheral immunization centers. Of 165 representative vaccine samples sent for potency evaluation after a cold chain breakdown 154 (87%) passed minimum potency requirements recommended for immunization of infants. In the absence of potency evaluation, those vaccines exposed to temperatures higher than the recommended storage range would be discarded, perhaps resulting in unnecessary wastage and economic loss. Results of the vaccine potency evaluation has enabled health authorities to indirectly monitor cold chain efficiency and ensure the high quality of viral vaccines used in our childhood immunization program.


Neutron diffraction experiments have been performed on a magnetically ordered CeCu2Si2 single crystal exhibiting A-phase anomalies in specific heat and thermal expansion. Below T(N) approximately 0.8 K antiferromagnetic superstructure peaks have been detected. The propagation vector of the magnetic order appears to be determined by the topology of the Fermi surface of heavy quasiparticles as indicated by renormalized band-structure calculations. The observation of long-range incommensurate antiferromagnetic order as the nature of the A phase in CeCu2Si2 suggests that a spin-density-wave instability is the origin of the quantum critical point in CeCu2Si2.


Multidimensional signaling is newly designed to provide a diversity gain of order 2 using two transmit antennas in uplink transmission of wide-band CDMA (W-CDMA) while achieving high and multiple data rates at the same time. The rate can be easily changed on the slot basis in a frame transmission by adapting the order of multidimensional signaling to the incoming traffic. The multidimensional signaling of order zero simply reduces to conventional multicode scheme, so there exists a tradeoff between rate and complexity. Also, the use of multidimensional signaling results in far reduced envelope variations at the maximum rate. With the transmit diversity, the uplink signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) will be further stabilized to meet the requirements of multimedia traffic. Statistics of interferences are characterized in terms of their second- and fourth-order moments from which diversity gain is theoretically verified. For realistic multipath fading channels, considering both equal and unequal average path powers, the average probability of symbol error is obtained in compact form, in which the two schemes, multidimensional signaling with and without transmit diversity are compared, and then with nonmulticode scheme in view of the bit error rate (BER). Numerical and simulation results show that the multidimensional signal with transmit diversity provides a significant gain over that with no diversity, and furthermore outperforms nonmulticode scheme subject to the same signal energy per bit and chip rate.


In this study, the attention was focused on the protective role of seeds oil from local Onopordum acanthium L. (cotton thistle) against tissues damage in the liver, kidney and spleen in male albino rats. Forty adult male rats were randomly divided into four equal groups including control group, rats were treated orally with seeds oil (0.5ml/kg), carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) injected group, and last group was intoxicated with CCL4 and daily treated with seed oil (0.5ml/kg). After four weeks of the experiment, rats were anaesthetized and blood was taken directly by cardiac puncture for the evaluation of studied parameters. Samples of liver, kidneys and spleen were fixed in 10% formalin for histological studies.
      From the obtained results, no significant changes were seen in the estimated parameters in the group treated with oil only. In the group injected with CCL4 and treated with oil extract, the level of serum lipids, liver enzymes, total serum bilirubin (TSB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cells (WBCs) were significantly reduced in comparison with untreated CCL4 intoxicated group. The toxicity of CCL4 on the level of fasting blood sugar (FBS), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), renal function parameters, hemoglobin and body weight were ameliorated with seeds oil. These effective roles were further supported by the histopathological improvement of the liver, kidney and spleen tissues of rats against CCl4. Conclusion: from the results of this study, it can be concluded that the extracted oil from local Iraqi Onopordum acanthium L. seeds reduced the tissue damages with an improvement of biochemical, hematological and immunological parameters during the four weeks of the experiment.


This study investigated the effect of 10 or 100 mg/kg/day quercetin on the uterus of ovariectomized adult female rats receiving sex-steroid replacement regime mimicking changes in hormonal profiles during the reproductive cycle. Following seven days of treatment with estrogen and progesterone with or without quercetin, uteri were harvested for histological and proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein and mRNA expression and PCNA protein distribution analyses. Our findings indicated that co-administration of 10 mg/kg/day quercetin with estrogen and progesterone caused a significant decrease in the size of uterine lumen and epithelial heights with lower PCNA protein and mRNA expression as compared to estrogen plus progesterone-only treatment (P < 0.05). Concomitant treatment with estrogen and progesterone with 100 mg/kg/day quercetin resulted in a marked increase in the number of glands with increased PCNA protein and mRNA expression. Significantly higher PCNA distribution was observed in the stroma and glands as compared to estrogen plus progesterone-only treatment (P < 0.05). In conclusion, at 10 mg/kg/day, quercetin affects uterine morphology but not proliferation, however at 100 mg/kg/day, quercetin induced significant stromal and glandular proliferation which could predispose the uterus towards neoplastic development.


This paper defends the idea that there might be vagueness or indeterminacy in the world itself--as opposed to merely in our representations of the world--against the charges of incoherence and unintelligibility. First we consider the idea that the world might contain vague properties and relations ; we show that this idea is already implied by certain well-understood views concerning the semantics of vague predicates (most notably the fuzzy view). Next we consider the idea that the world might contain vague objects ; we argue that an object is indeterminate in a certain respect (colour, size, etc.) just in case it is a borderline case of a maximally specific colour (size, etc.) property. Finally we consider the idea that the world as a whole might be indeterminate; we argue that the world is indeterminate just in case it lacks a determinate division into determinate objects.


Interpretation of nanoparticle PK results can be markedly influenced by differing PK metrics selected. Nanoparticle (NP) delivery to solid tumors has recently been questioned. To better understand the magnitude of NP tumor delivery, we reanalyzed published murine NP tumor pharmacokinetic (PK) data used in the Wilhelm et al. study. Studies included in their analysis reporting matched tumor and blood concentration versus time data were evaluated using classical PK endpoints and compared to the unestablished percent injected dose (%ID) in tumor metric from the Wilhelm et al. study. The %ID in tumor was poorly correlated with standard PK metrics that describe NP tumor delivery (AUCtumor/AUCblood ratio) and only moderately associated with maximal tumor concentration. The relative tumor delivery of NPs was ~100-fold greater as assessed by the standard AUCtumor/AUCblood ratio than by %ID in tumor. These results strongly suggest that PK metrics and calculations can influence the interpretation of NP tumor delivery and stress the need to properly validate novel PK metrics against traditional approaches.


Retailing has emerged as one of the vibrant sectors globally. The retail landscape in India is shifting rapidly due to the entry of many foreign and domestic players. The changing consumer behaviour has led to retail transformation of this magnitude. The country is witnessing a paradigm shift in the pattern of retailing from traditional to the most vibrant organized sectors in almost all categories of retails business. In Indian cities like Mangalore the concept of shopping is shifting to hypermarkets, supermarkets, and specialty stores etc. The Marketing Mix strategy of a retail outlet plays an important role in influencing the consumer behavior towards a particular organized retail store. In this regard a study is undertaken to determine the influence of marketing mix in consumer buying behavior towards organized retail in Mangalore City. The main objective of this paper is to study the Consumer Behaviour towards Marketing Mix in Organized Retail in Mangalore City. The data for the study is collected from almost 240 respondents in and around Mangalore city. The data collected has been analyzed by employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique using Smart PLS 3 and SPSS tool.The results suggests that the Promotional Schemes, Pricing and Process as a marketing mix strategy has very significant impact on buying behaviour. The results also revealed that Product Variety, Physical evidence and Personnel in the outlet plays a significant role in consumer buying behaviour.


Symbolism is a challenging aspect of all arts after the World War II due to its ability to literally be polemical or political whilst simultaneously represent non-political, social, or even comical means of insight for investigation by performance artists, painters and theoretician as K. Gustav Jung. By fantasizing and fictionalising mundane items, they made allusions to aspire the people and presented their socio-political self-consciousness as creator of inspiration for society. In order to investigate the meaning behind symbolism in arts after The Second World War, I am going to introduce installation and live art works by Joseph Beuys, Damien Hirst, Cornelia Parker and Vanessa Beecroft for their minimalistic modification of mundane images, and refer to scenographic works by Tadeuz Kantor, Robert Wilson, and Pina Bausch as well-known examples of the scenography. Based on my research, I have created a none-verbal performance inspired by a painting of Gustav Klimt. Unlike the traditional Freudian response along with exploration of sexuality, the character development of the script became more of a complex Jungian analysis on the unseen human psyche and ambiguity of woman's sexuality. While dealing with more substantial issues on life, Klimt's muse on the woman portrait became a protagonist and I tried to integrate the visual metaphors in the 4D structure.


A spheromak type compact torus (CT) plasma is investigated by studies of the gun type plasma formation mechanism and from the characteristics of the magnetic decay following the establishment of a CT equilibrium in the flux conserver. Radiofrequency heating in the lower hybrid range (432 MHz) is used to study the electron heat confinement using a 20 MW, 100 μs power pulse. While electron temperatures up to 200 eV have been measured with RF heating, the impact on magnetic decay from the RF heating is relatively weak. A simple model based upon parallel electron heat transport along stochastic magnetic field lines gives a scaling law for magnetic decay which fits the experimental data. Results of two dimensional MHD code calculations are given which match many details of the experimentally observed formation physics.


Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic declared as Global Health Emergency by World Health Organization. The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus is the major cause of COVID-19.Although the recovery rate of COVID-19 is higher, the recovered patients experience mild to severe health ailments post recovery. These health ailments affect their routine day to day life and also their quality of life. The key objective of this study is to find out the prevalence of various health ailments among COVID recovered population from south Asian countries.Methods: A descriptive cross-section study was conducted among 384 COVID-19 recovered population in South Asian Countries through randomized survey. Ethical approval of the institution was obtained and a convenient sampling technique was done. Statistical package for Social Sciences is used for the analysis of the data. . Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary dataResults: Among 384 samples, 68% of patients had post COVID-19 long term extreme tiredness and 64% of patients reported with sleepless ness. 73% of patients had fever and smell loss during the COVID19. 64% had reported body pain and cough when they had the infection. 42% of the patients were healthy ones without any comorbidity prior to COVID.Conclusions: The study concludes that there was high prevalence of long term illness among COVID-19 recovered patients and the prevalence was reported even in patients who had no comorbidities prior to COVID19 are the dominant health disorders prevalent among COVID-19 recovered population.


The purpose of this study was to adapt an accepted and tested general leisure scale measuring satisfaction to the serious leisure activity home brewing. The development of a quantitative scale to be applied to serious leisure represents an original and much needed contribution to this subject. The secondary research purpose was to glean an understanding of the participant's future behavioral intentions toward home brewing to gain insight into the strength of future growth in the craft beer market, which is strongly driven by this group. In general the goals of the study were achieved. The correlation scores reported indicate very high satisfaction, and provide support for the notion that craft beer and ales will continue to be an important segment for both F&B and retail beverage sales. The confirmatory factor analysis indicates that the theoretical model is approaching goodness of fit. Further qualitative effort is indicated to fully fit the model.


The aerial parts of Salvia multicaulis, S. sclarea and S. verticillata were collected at full flowering stage. The essential oils were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by combination of capillary GC and GC-MS. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oils were studied against eight Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumulis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae) and three fungi (Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger). The results of antibacterial activity tests of the essential oils according to the disc diffusion method and MIC values indicated that all the samples have moderate to high inhibitory activity against the tested bacteria except for P. aeruginosa which was totally resistant. In contrast to antibacterial activity, the oils exhibited no or slight antifungal property, in which only the oil of S. multicaulis showed weak activity against two tested yeasts, C. albicans and S. cerevisiae


Temperature Rise in a Birefringent Substrate by RF Discharge Plasma Koichi Takaki, Member, Kunioh Sayama, Student Member, Atsushi Takahashi, Student Member, Tamiya Fujiwara, Member (Iwate University), Masakatsu Nagata, Member, Motoyuki Ono, Member (Fujikura Ltd.), Muaffaq Achmad Jani, Non-member (Iwate University) Temperature rises of a birefringent substrate (LiNbO3) have been measured in an argon RF discharge plasma. The measurement method is based on monitoring the variation of natural birefringence with temperature by laser interferometry. Using this method, the dependence of substrate temperature rise on applied RF power and gas pressure has been investigated. The evaluation of the temperature curves shows that heat flux from the plasma towards the substrate is independent of time and temperature. The magnitude of the flux differs largely from the applied power, and approximately 0.4% of the power. By measuring electron density, electron temperature and plasma potential with Langmuir probe, the energy of the ions incident on the substrate is estimated. The ion flux towards the substrate is calculated from the energy of ions and is compared with the measured heat flux. The dependence on the applied power is in approximate agreement between those fluxes. The temperature distribution over the substrate thickness is simulated numerically using the finite difference method.


Abstract Purpose To investigate: (1) the interrater, and test–retest reliability of the coin rotation test (CRT) in people with Parkinson's Disease (PwPD); (2) the minimum detectable change in the CRT; (3) the concurrent and known-groups validity of the CRT; and (4) the cut-off times that best discriminate PwPD from healthy people and functionally dependent PwPD from functionally independent PwPD. Method Forty-eight PwPD and 33 healthy people were included. The CRT was administered with the nine-hole peg test, Movement Disorders Society Sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Hoehn and Yahr Scale, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8, and Schwab and England Scale. Results The CRT had excellent interrater and test–retest reliability. Minimal detectable changes were 5.96 and 8.23 s for the dominant and non-dominant hand, respectively. The CRT correlated with other outcome measures. Significant differences in the CRT times were found between PwPD and healthy people, and between functionally dependent PwPD and functionally independent PwPD. The cut-off times of 12.66 s on the dominant hand and 15.76 s on the non-dominant best discriminated PwPD from healthy people, while 22.99 s on the dominant hand and 23.48 s on the non-dominant best discriminated functionally dependent PwPD from functionally independent PwPD. Conclusions The CRT is a reliable, and clinically available tool for assessing manual dexterity in PwPD. Implications for rehabilitation The coin rotation test is a reliable, valid, and clinically available tool for assessing manual dexterity in Parkinson's Disease. The minimal detectable changes of the coin rotation test are 5.96 s for dominant hand and 8.23 s for the non-dominant hand, which may useful for clinicians and researchers to detect in any true change in manual dexterity after any intervention. The coin rotation test correlated with Parkinson's Disease-specific measurement tools. The coin rotation test times may detect impaired manual dexterity between people with Parkinson's Disease and healthy people, and between functionally dependent and functionally independent in Parkinson's Disease population.


Objective Epilepsy is a common disorder affecting approximately 1% of the population. It is estimated that about 20- 30% of the patients become refractory to proper medical therapies. Such cases are often termed intractable. Intractable epilepsy (IE) is a serious condition in children, leading to significant impairment in quality of life, as well as behavioral and psychiatric problems. In this review, we tried to define intractability, mention the causes of intractable epilepsy and its predictive factors in children, and outline the management and various treatments of intractable epilepsy.


Field work was done in Heshan city, Guangdong Province on seed dispersal of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa by frugivorous birds and ants. R. tomentosa is a very common pioneer species in the South China, and its pulp is rich in glucide and fat. Pycnonotus jocosus and P. sinensis were the birds that ate R. tomentosa fruits and dispersed the seeds in the study area, and the later was more than the former in number during the observation period. The seed number of this shrub in the feces of P. jocosus and P. sinensis caught in mist nets were 8.0±3.0 and 10.0 ±2.0, respectively. Two species of ants, Pheidologetion diversus and Paratrechina flavipes, were observed eating R. tomentosa pulp. Pheidologetion diversus and another ant species Pheidole meihuashanensis were observed carrying the seeds. The longest distances of movement by Pheidologetion diversus and Pheidole meihuashanensis were 4 m and 5 m, respectively, and the mean distances of dispersal by these agents were 1.1±0.09 m and 1.3±0.07 m, respectively. 657 ants were collected in the study area by pitfall trapping, comprising 394 Pheidologetion diversus (60.0%), 144 Paratrechina flavipes (21.9%), 53 Pheidole meihuashanensis (8.1%) and other species. The average number of stored seeds in a Pheidologetion diversus nest was 195.0±82.9, among which 73.2% were intact. And the average number of stored seeds in a Pheidole meihuashanensis nest was 28.8±11.4, all of which were intact. The seedlings of R. tomentosa could be found at canopy gaps, on bare land and at the forest edge. There were also many seedlings near ant's nests wherever sunlight was high.


It has been suggested that a receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is the nerve cell receptor for amyloid beta protein (A beta). To determine if this is indeed the case, two neural cell lines as well as rat cortical neurons were examined for the presence of the mRNA for RAGE by PCR and northern blot analysis. Although lung was strongly positive, in no case was RAGE mRNA detected in the cultured neural cells. Glycated-albumin is a major ligand for RAGE and the cell surface RAGE protein is trypsin sensitive. In agreement with the mRNA data, trypsin treatment did not alter A beta toxicity, nor did glycated albumin modify the A beta response. It follows that RAGE is not the neural receptor for A beta.


Apical periodontitis is an inflammatory disorder that results from the host immune response to microbial infection through the dental pulp, leading to alveolar bone destruction. The nod-like receptor 12 (NLRP12) is an atypical intracellular sensor of the NLR family that is involved in the negative regulation of several inflammatory conditions and also osteoclastogenesis. However, the role of NLRP12 in the regulation of immune response and bone loss induced by bacterial infection remains unclear. Here we investigated the development of apical periodontitis in wild-type (WT) and NLRP12 knockout (NLRP12–/–) mice by using micro–computed tomography together with histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular analyses. We found that NLRP12–/– mice are highly susceptible to apical periodontitis induced by bacterial infection, which is associated with an elevated infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, periapical lesion extension, and alveolar bone destruction. Furthermore, NLRP12–/– mice showed a high expression of inflammatory cytokines (Il1b, Il6, and Tnfa) and the osteoclastogenic markers (Rankl and Acp5) in the periapical tissues. Consistent with this observation, NLRP12–/– mice showed an increased number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase–positive cells lining the apical periodontitis site, which was associated with augmented expression of the osteoclast effector genes, Ctsk and Mmp9. Mechanistically, NLRP12-deficient preosteoclasts showed elevated IκB-α degradation and p65 phosphorylation when stimulated with receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)–κB ligand (RANKL). Similarly, increased IκB-α degradation was observed in the periapical tissue of NLRP12–/– mice. Furthermore, our in vitro study showed that preosteoclasts from NLRP12–/– mice exhibited higher RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis, which was synergistically amplified by interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor α (mimicking an inflammatory periapical milieu). In conclusion, our data show that NLRP12 exhibits a protective role in the periapical bone destruction by attenuating inflammation and osteoclastogenesis through negative regulation of the NF-κB pathway.


Purpose

This paper aims to build on opportunity identification and resource-based view theory, this paper examines the internationalization process of family firms. The role of innovativeness in influencing the internationalization rate of family firms is explored in terms of customer responsiveness, proactiveness and risk-taking.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple case studies were carried out with several family businesses in the information technology industry in Australia.

Findings

The findings of this research suggest that innovativeness of family firms depends on responsiveness to customer needs in the international market while involving a degree of risk-taking. In addition, the results suggest family firms are not proactive in their pursuit of international market opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

If family firms focus more on becoming more innovative, then they will stand a better chance to successfully enter more international markets.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the need for family firms to embrace their innovativeness as a distinctive capability for their internationalization efforts. Several new research directions that may enhance the understanding of family firm innovation and internationalization are suggested.


The focusing of synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) data using migration techniques quite similar to those used in geophysics is treated. The algorithm presented works in the omega -k/sub x/ domain. Because time delays can be easily accommodated with phase shifts that increase linearly with omega , range migration poses no problem. The algorithm is described in plane geometry first, where range migration and phase history can be exactly matched. The effects of the sphericity of the Earth, of the Earth's rotation, and of the satellite trajectory curvature are taken into account, showing that the theoretically achievable spatial resolution is well within the requirements of present day and near future SAR missions. Terrestrial swaths as wide as 100 km can be focused simultaneously with no serious degradation. The algorithm has been tested with synthetic data, with Seasat-A data, and with airplane data (NASA-AIR). The experimental results fully support the theoretical analysis. >


Herein, we report a ring-opening 1,3-arylboration of aryl cyclopropanes using BCl3 in the presence of arene nucleophiles. Formal 1,3-oxy arylation and 1,3-amino arylation of the arylcyclopropane via one-pot derivatization of the installed boron group were also achieved.


We study what happens when the same wireless sensor network (WSN) is "immersed" in different outdoor environments, namely, two types of forests and an open field. Qualitative answers can be derived from existing results. Here, we aim to quantify the extent of changes, both at the physical and application layer, based on the combined effect of environmental parameters over daily and seasonal time-scales.


Unstable equilibrium points (UEPs) have been studied extensively in the transient stability literature previously for understanding the transient stability boundary structure of the system operating point. In contrast with UEP's, unstable limit cycles (ULCs) can represent the critical portion of the transient stability boundary for a detailed power system model under certain operating conditions. Using Hopf bifurcation theory, it is shown that ULCs are likely to be present on the transient stability boundary when the operating condition has poorly damped oscillatory modes which are subcritical (that is, nonlinear unstable). Because it is extremely difficult to compute ULCs in general power system models, a novel technique to approximate unstable limit cycles through reverse-time integration on a center manifold approximation is proposed in the paper. The technique is illustrated by computation of ULCs in 9-bus and 4-bus test systems. Transient stability assessments based on ULCs are tested for computation of critical clearing times and maximum loading scenarios.