This work tackles terrestrial targets monitoring using a Passive Radar System (PRS) characterized by a surveillance channel processing composed of a Neyman-Pearson (NP) detector and three-dimensional tracker implementation. The NP detector is a parametric approach that requires the prior knowledge of target and bistatic clutter statistical models at communication systems frequencies that fit with real data. The proposed tracker provides three-dimensional (range, azimuth and speed) trajectories declaration exploiting the capabilities of beamforming techniques based on a uniform linear array as surveillance antenna system. The considered solution is validated with real data acquired by a PRS in a semi-urban scenario.


It is very important to control the power flow along the transmission line. Thus to control and improve the performance of ac power systems, we need the various different types compensators Now-a-days the Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) is very popular and essential device in power systems. After introducing the FACTS technology, power flow along the transmission lines becomes more flexible and controllable. Several FACTS-devices have been introduced for various applications in power system. Among a variety of FACTS controllers, Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is the most powerful and versatile device. Keywords— FACTS, UPFC, reactive power, active power.


Oxytocin, arginine vasopressin, lysine vasopressin, arginine vasotocin, as well as their cyclic and acyclic analogs, were studied by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in deuterium oxide and deuterated dimethylsulfoxide. Fourier-transformed spectra were obtained at 25.16 MHz. The resonances of all carbon atoms have been assigned in both solvent systems; this includes tentative assignments of the carbonyl carbons. The spectra of arginine vasopressin and lysine vasopressin are essentially identical when compared in D(2)O or dimethylsulfoxide, but they differ from those of oxytocin. The spectrum of arginine vasotocin in D(2)O is intermediate between those of oxytocin and the vasopressins. These spectral differences are not only due to variations in constituent amino acids but are also a reflection of conformational differences of oxytocin, arginine vasotocin, and the vasopressins. All hormones are sensitive to changes in hydrogen ion concentration in both solvents; this was not observed with deamino analogs, which lack the terminal amino group.


Irukandji syndrome is a poorly defined set of symptoms that occur after envenoming by certain species of jellyfish, primarily cubozoans or 'box jellyfish'. Envenomed victims can show symptoms ranging from headaches, severe pain, nausea and vomiting to pulmonary oedema, cardiac failure and severe hypertension resulting in death. Historically, this syndrome appears to have been misdiagnosed and reported cases are undoubtedly a significant underestimation of the prevalence of this syndrome. The variation in symptoms has resulted in a myriad of treatments though none has been established as definitive. Effective pain relief with opioids is the most immediate priority. Although the annual numbers of envenomations are generally low, the associated financial costs of this envenomation may be comparatively high, with suggestions that it could run to millions of dollars per season in northern Australia alone. The syndrome has been well documented from many areas along the east coast of northern Australia, leading to the belief that it is an Australian oddity. However, with an increase in medical knowledge and improved diagnosis of the condition, it appears that envenomations causing Irukandji syndrome are an increasing marine problem worldwide.


The biggest asset of the NHS is its staff. Health professionals working in the community are faced with a number of challenges to maintain and develop their knowledge and skills in their clinical practice. NHS England's Five Year Forward View describes the need for change, identifying the necessity to reshape care delivery, harnessing technology, and driving down variations in quality and safety of care. This article explores some of the challenges faced by community health-care providers and reviews possible solutions to meet community health-care needs for now as well as the future.


The last ten to fifteen years have seen a marked explosion in the literature on tourism. General and specific abstracting journals and bibliographies featuring tourism exist (e.g. GeoAbstracts and Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Abstracts) and literature reviews of different aspects of tourism are frequently undertaken (e.g. Pearce 1981; Graburn 1983; Cohen 1984) but there has been little attempt to analyse the nature of the literature itself. What is actually being used and where it is coming from are questions which have rarely been addressed as the abstracts give no indication of use and most reviews are content oriented. Answers to these questions can provide insights into the nature, structure and boundaries of tourism research.


For centuries divers have been raising treasures from the sea. Today archaeologists can excavate at previously unimaginable depths, using sophisticated technology to provide invaluable information about our past. This book highlights the danger and excitement of this work, and shows the painstaking research involved in exploring our unique underwater heritage.


BACKGROUND
Nonviral transfection of eukaryotic cells remains inefficient. Liposomes can transport DNA plasmid into the cytoplasm, but the nuclear membrane remains a barrier to efficient plasmid DNA transfection. But normal cells have mechanisms to transport nucleic acids across the nuclear membrane. Cells routinely utilize a transporter to carry mRNA from nucleus to cytoplasm.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We used a modified mRNA transporter, the M9 component of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein-A1, complexed to a DNA carrier to facilitate DNA transfer into the nucleus. We examined the effect of M9 on transfection in 3T3 fibroblasts. Our hypothesis was that the M9 shuttle would increase transfection efficiency by delivering plasmid to the nucleus, after cytoplasmic entry was facilitated by Lipofectamine. Transfection was assessed using plasmids expressing beta-galactosidase and green fluorescent protein (GFP). Intracellular location of rhodamine-labeled plasmid was determined by fluoroscopic microscopy.

RESULTS
In the fluorescent microscopy experiments, we found that rhodamine-labeled DNA plasmid was sequestered in the cytoplasm in the Lipofectamine-treated cells, but gained access to the nucleus with the addition of M9. At concentrations where neither M9 nor Lipofectamine individually increased plasmid mediated transfection, as evidenced by beta-galactosidase activity; their combination increased transfection dramatically by approximately 20-fold, from 2 +/- 1 to 32 +/- 5.

CONCLUSIONS
As expected, based on their presumed actions, Lipofectamine and the M9 shuttle synergistically promote efficient cellular transfection. Efficient cellular transfection will be required in clinical applications of gene therapy.


Seventy one patients with non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy were studied retrospectively. Sixty three (89%) were followed to the end of the study or death, mean follow up time was 5.3 years. Whilst twenty (28%) had diabetes or hypertension, in thirty nine (55%) no predisposing condition was identified. In those who had monocular disease at presentation (68), subsequent involvement of the second eye occurred in seventeen (25%), seven within the first year. Nineteen patients died within the study period. Of these, nine died from myocardial infarction and four from cerebrovascular disease. This is a significant increase above figures calculated from the Office of Population Census and Surveys (p less than 0.001 for all causes, p less than 0.002 for myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular disease). Such an increase in mortality has not been previously reported, and implies that this condition carries a more sinister systemic prognosis than is frequently supposed.


Abstract Background: In the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) payment system, hospitals are usually suspected of 'DRG creep,' which has been narrowly regarded as reporting diagnostic and procedural codes that result in larger reimbursement. Objective: This review was aimed to systematically explore ways in which hospital manipulations of DRG coding may occur. Methods: A systematic scoping review was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, EconLIT, Proquest Digital Dissertation and Theses, Conference Proceedings, and Thai Index Medicus, using appropriate search strategies. Based on predefined criteria, each article abstract was screened by two screeners with good inter-rater reliability. The included articles were qualitatively explored using thematic content analysis. Results: Hospital manipulations of the DRG system can be categorized into three groups: corporate, clinical, and coding practices. Corporate includes all activities not directly related to patient care; possible manipulations are focused on hospital management, administration, or finance and therefore are the responsibility of the executive board or hospital director. Clinical manipulation deals with activities in the care process and is the responsibility of health care professionals. The last group covers conventional definition of DRG creep that focuses on documentation and coding. Conclusion: Hospital managers who deal with the DRG payment system should be aware that DRG creep is not merely about upcoding. Indeed, the DRG system can be manipulated by hospitals in three different approaches, the so-called "3C": corporate, clinical, and coding practices.


Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating trauma and stressor-related disorder that has become a major neuropsychiatric problem, leading to substantial disruptions in individual health and societal costs. Our previous studies have demonstrated that hypidone hydrochloride (YL-0919), a novel combined selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor/5-HT1A receptor partial agonist/5-HT6 receptor full agonist, exerts notable antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like as well as procognitive effects. However, whether YL-0919 exerts anti-PTSD effects and its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In the present study, we showed that repeated treatment with YL-0919 caused significant suppression of contextual fear, enhanced anxiety and cognitive dysfunction induced by the time-dependent sensitization (TDS) procedure in rats and by inescapable electric foot-shock in a mouse model of PTSD. Furthermore, we found that repeated treatment with YL-0919 significantly reversed the accompanying decreased expression of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the synaptic proteins (synapsin1 and GluA1), and ameliorated the neuroplasticity disruption in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), including the dendritic complexity and spine density of pyramidal neurons. Taken together, the current study indicated that YL-0919 exerts clear anti-PTSD effects, which might be partially mediated by ameliorating the structural neuroplasticity by increasing the expression of BDNF and the formation of synaptic proteins in the PFC.


Mobile ad hoc networks communicate in a self-organized way without depending on any fixed infrastructure. The issue of selfish nodes, which may refuse to cooperate, is a great challenge in such networks and may cause network throughput to drastically reduce. Energy-based selfishness is a category of selfishness in which a selfish node shows nondeterministic and probabilistic selfishness behaviors based on level of its energy. In this paper, we propose a mechanism for coping with this kind of selfishness. This mechanism called CEMDEEM not only detects and isolates energy-based and traditional selfish nodes, but also malicious behaviors like spoofing. We also evaluate performance of Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) protocol fortified by CEMDEEM in the presence of different percentages of selfish nodes. Results show that CEMDEEM noticeably improves network performance with a reasonable additional packet overhead and network delay especially when percentage of selfish nodes is not more than 40.


Three basic structures have been proposed to organize the task queues for shared-memory multiprocessor systems: centralized, distributed, and hierarchical structures. The hierarchical structure intends to combine the advantage of the other two structures and eliminate their disadvantages. Unfortunately, we find it still has serious load imbalancing, in particular when the workload is heavy and irregular. We propose the use of a forest structure in place of a hierarchical one. Simulation shows the proposed structure can provide better load balancing and less contention than the hierarchical one.


We use data from a randomized controlled trial conducted in 2003–2006 in rural Amhara and Oromiya (Ethiopia) to study the impacts of increasing access to microfinance on a number of socioeconomic outcomes, including income from agriculture, animal husbandry, nonfarm self-employment, labor supply, schooling and indicators of women's empowerment. We document that despite substantial increases in borrowing in areas assigned to treatment the null of no impact cannot be rejected for a large majority of outcomes.


No one can read far in the Hebrew Bible without encountering depictions of violence carried out by human beings, sometimes in the name of God, or indeed violence carried out or commanded by Godfrom Cains murder of Abel to the slaughter of Canaanite populations and much. For those who read the Bible as sacred scripture, such depictions can pose tremendous moral and theological challenges. Eric A. Seibert faces these challenges head-on, offering perspectives on the roles human and divine violence play in different parts of the Old Testament, evaluating the biblical presentation of virtuous violence, and proposing strategies for reading the Bible out of a commitment to nonviolence. At last he offers soundings in biblical texts where we encounter alternative voices, often neglected, that seek and announce ways of peace.


The authors consider that in our days is very important for us to know the laws of universe. The fundamental contribution of the authors are the parallel between the laws of the universe and the concept of quality management. If one gets to understand and to practice these laws, one can reach self-knowledge and, ultimately, perfection. The most important laws of the universe are: law of love, law of forgiveness, law of mercy, law of blessing, law of rhythm, law of correspondence, law of attraction, law of learning. Leaders have to realize that personal example is the best way to determine the employees to adapt the behavior needed to improve the quality culture throughout the organization. A leader can not create a fairness and ethical model for behavior, establishing a culture of trust and integrity, being a positive example to employees without respecting and applying spiritual laws. For example, what would a leader be if not taking into account the law of cause and effect, knowing that we reap what we sow? How about respecting harmony law cause we have to treat the others the way we want to be treated? Each law is important in itself, as it represents a step towards self-knowledge and of the others...but together we can climb the steps towards knowledge and love.


Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) are multi-domain modular enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of small molecules using amino acids or non-proteinogenic amino acid substrates. Each module consists of 3 core domains which are condensation, adenylation, and the peptidyl carrier protein. With the exception of the terminating module containing an additional thioesterase domain which is responsible for releasing the small molecule from the assembly line. The adenylation domain serves to activate the loaded substrate which is then transported by the peptidyl carrier protein to either the condensation or other catalytic domains which serve to modify the substrate. This occurs in an assembly line process until a functional molecule is formed and completely constructed. The structures of each domain have been isolated and solved which characterized their catalytic activity. Multidomain structures have also been solved in hopes of elucidating the functional interaction between the multiple domains. Although structures of each domain and multidomain complexes exist, there is no tangible evidence for how these modular enzymes are dynamically functioning. Using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) on these highly dynamic modules will allow us to see differences in the scattering profile of the varying conformational states that they can adopt. Then using DENSS, a standalone software which calculates electron density from scattering profiles, we will be able to visualize these changes. However, there is a need for a version of this software that will be able to construct an ensemble of states that will be present in SAXS data which I will develop. Coupling this with the crystal structures of the complex we are performing SAXS with will allow us to clearly visualize conformational changes in theoretically high resolution and see exactly how these modular enzymes assemble these important peptide products.


Usually in the study of singularity problems, only the most critical singular order is considered. For three-dimensional interface corner problems, if only the most critical singular order of stresses is considered, it is possible to lose the opportunity to compute the full modes of stress intensity factors. To fully understand the failure behavior of three-dimensional interface corners, a definition of the stress intensity factors for the lower singular orders is proposed in this paper based on that of the most critical singular order. Moreover, to compute the proposed multi-order stress intensity factors accurately and efficiently, a path-independent H-integral, which has been proven useful for the two-dimensional interface corners, is now modified into a domain-independent H-integral for the three-dimensional interface corner problems. Because the stress intensity factors characterize the fracture behavior focused on an arbitrary tip along the corner front, based on anisotropic elasticity the near tip solutions and complementary solutions of two-dimensional generalized plane strain problems are introduced and then utilized for computation of three-dimensional H-integral. To illustrate the validity of the present work, several three-dimensional numerical examples are analyzed and compared with the existing published solutions. Finally, two examples about the interface corners, which occur frequently in electric packages, are solved to show the feasibility and practicability of the proposed approach.


Background Dengue fever and Zika are two of the Aedes-borne diseases. Despite being widely used, synthetic mosquitocides become abortive for the mosquito control due to growing resistance and environmental pollution. In Gia Lai province (dengue-endemic area), a huge amount of cashew nut shell waste with roughly 100,000 tons/year has been disposed of into the environment, potentiating a high risk of pollution. Methodology/Principal findings To utilize it, anacardic acid was extracted and combined it with ethanol extract of the local lime peel, which contains limonene, to generate APL formulation. APL robustly exhibited inhibition of egg hatching, larvicidal effect, and repellent effect against female mosquitoes from oviposition sites in the laboratory and field. The results showed that, at a dose of 12.5 ppm, the APL formulation after 24 hours of treatment demonstrated oviposition deterrence against Ae. aegypti (43.6%) and Ae. albopictus (59.6%); inhibited egg hatching of Ae. aegypti (49.6%) and Ae. albopictus (59.6%); caused larval lethality in Ae. aegypti (LC50 = 9.5 ppm, LC90 = 21 ppm) and Ae. albopictus (LC50 = 7.6 ppm, LC90 = 18 ppm). Under natural field conditions, it showed a 100% reduction in larval density after 48 and 72 hours of the APL treatment at a tested concentration of 120 mg a.i./m2 and maintained a mortality rate of 100% in the next 14 days. Conclusions/Significance The APL formulation is promisingly to become an environmentally friendly and highly effective biological product for future management programs of dengue and Zika-transmitting vectors. Here offer prospects in controlling critical illnesses transmitted by several mosquito species in dengue-endemic areas. Author summary The use of synthetic insecticide to control the dengue and Zika vector population has contributed to drug resistance and caused negative impacts on the environment. The plant-based insecticide should be beneficial for mosquito management in the current situation. Gia Lai province in Vietnam is a dengue-endemic area. A large amount of cashew nut shell waste gets discarded in the area every year, which imposes an increased risk of pollution. The authors took advantage of this by extracting anacardic acid to combine with ethanol extract of local lime peel (containing limonene) to produce APL formulation. This formulation demonstrated potential activities and efficiency in controlling mosquitoes transmitting disease. In the laboratory condition, at a low dose of 12.5 ppm, APL showed activities in inhibiting egg hatching, larviciding, and repelling female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In the field condition, APL at a dose of 120 mg a.i./m2 thoroughly reduced the dengue larval density after two days of contact, and this effect lasted to the next 14 days. APL is a promising and environmentally friendly larvicidal product that is highly effective in controlling dengue and Zika vectors and can play as an alternative measure for vector-borne dengue in the locality.


Citation for published version: Wardlaw, JM, Sandercock, P, Cohen, G, Farrall, A, Lindley, RI, von Kummer, R, von Heijne, A, Bradey, N, Peeters, A, Cala, L, Adami, A, Morris, Z, Potter, G, Murray, G, Whiteley, W, Perry, D & Sakka, E 2015, 'Association between brain imaging signs, early and late outcomes, and response to intravenous alteplase after acute ischaemic stroke in the third International Stroke Trial (IST-3): secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial' The Lancet Neurology, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 485-496. DOI: 10.1016/S14744422(15)00012-5


In this study, we propose a model of individual voter behavior that can be applied to aggregate data at the district (or precinct) levels while accounting for differences in political preferences across districts and across voters within each district. Our model produces a mapping of the competing candidates and electoral districts on a latent "issues" space that describes how political preferences in each district deviate from the average voter and how each candidate caters to average voter preferences within each district. We formulate our model as a random-coefficients nested logit model in which the voter first evaluates the candidates to decide whether or not to cast his or her vote, and then chooses the candidate who provides him or her with the highest value. Because we allow the random coefficient to vary not only across districts but also across unobservable voters within each district, the model avoids the Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives Assumption both across districts and within each district, thereby accounting for the cannibalization of votes among similar candidates within and across voting districts. We illustrate our proposed model by calibrating it to the actual voting data from the first stage of a two-stage state governor election in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, and then using the estimates to predict the final outcome of the second stage.


In this study, sediment from louver edge process (LES) was used as a fine aggregate in autoclave aerated concrete (AAC) with various replacement levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) and pulverized fuel ash (PFA) was used to replace for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) at the level of 80% by weight. AAC samples were subjected to steam curing at 180C for 8 hours. The physical, mechanical and microstructure properties of AAC were examined. Results showed that the unit weight and compressive strength decreased with increasing the amount of LES. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the presence of platy tobermorite in the reference sample but at increasing amount of LES, lath-like tobermorite and fibrous CSH were formedThis electronic document is a "live" template. The various components of your paper (title, text, heads, etc.) are already defined on the style sheet, as illustrated by the portions given in this document. (Abstract)


Background: Effective treatments for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are still lacking. There are promising results of checkpoint inhibitor programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) activities in early phase trials. This study aimed to investigate the expression of PD-L1 and its relation to possible treatments for CCA. Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 46 patients with cholangiocarcinoma were retrieved. PD-L1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using anti-PD-L1 antibody, clone 5H1. A PD-L1 positive response on tumor cells was defined as >1% of tumor cell membranes stained. The association between PD-L1, clinico-pathological characteristics was analyzed using Fisher's exact test, and survival analysis was done with the Cox regression model. Results: Out of 46 samples, 32 (70%) had positive PD-L1 expression in tumor cell membranes. The median level of PD-L1 expression was 1.75% (0-34.7). PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with stage IV disease (OR 3.98, p=0.046) and a high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (OR 5.36, p=0.018). PD-L1 positivity was associated with worse overall survival compared with those with a PD-L1 negative tumor but did not reach a level of significance (7.2 vs. 7.9 months, p=0.32). Conclusion: PD-L1 is widely expressed in CCA but was not predictive for overall survival. PD-L1 positivity was (7.2 and 7.9 months, p=0.32). Significantly associated with stage IV disease and a high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio.


This paper mainly focuses on the specific absorption rate (SAR) of the dual-element LTE MIMO antenna in mobile phones. Four designs of dual-element MIMO antenna (namely, dual semi-ground-free planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA), co-located antenna, dual OG PIFA in parallel position, and dual OG PIFA in orthogonal position) are studied under four typical LTE frequency points (0.75, 0.85, 1.9, and 2.1/2.6 GHz) when the ground plane length varies from 90 to 150 mm. The SAR, when dual elements operate simultaneously, is also studied through the SAR to PEAK location spacing ratio (SPLSR) according to the FCC standard. The simulations are carried out on both an SAM head phantom and a flat phantom by CST 2011, and measurements on the flat phantom are made with iSAR and DASY4 to verify the accuracy of our simulations.


Male transmission of the translocated extra chromosome 5R3R was studied in a tertiary trisomic of rye (Secale cereale L.) using two pollination densities. With abundant pollen, male transmission reached 4%. When a mean of four pollen grains were brought on every stigma (restricted pollination), a transmission rate of 20% was obtained. Seed set, mean seed weight, germination percentage, and the percentage of plants finally surviving were lower in the case of restricted pollination. It was concluded that certation between euploid and aneuploid pollen grains plays a decisive role in male transmission of the translocated chromosome. Although it was previously shown that aneuploid microspores have a delayed development, a large proportion must have reached maturity before anthesis. Therefore, genetic factors determining male transmission rate will primarily be expressed during pollen germination and tube growth rather than before anthesis. Key words: rye, tertiary trisomic, euploid pollen grains, aneuploid pol...


EF EPI (2018), which is a worldwide research network, published that Turkey ranked 73 among the 88 countries in the English Proficiency Index. This result demonstrated that the expected levels of present English curriculum do not meet the social needs in Turkey. In this respect, it is necessary to evaluate the existing English education curriculums and to reflect the results of these studies to the curriculum development studies. From this perspective, the aim of this study is to evaluate the views of students to the current 9th grade English course curriculum in Turkey according to the CIPP model. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the dynamic relationships between the dimensions of the CIPP model. Method of the research was survey model. In the study, "English Course Teaching Program Student Evaluation Scale" was used as an instrument to collect data. Totally 434 students attending 9th graders in three public schools were determined for the sample. Results of the research revealed that the direct effect of context on input (r=.93; p<.001); input on process (r=.93; p<.001), and process on product (r=.61; p<.001) was found strong. Also, the direct effect of context on product (r=.39; p<.05) was found weak. Additionally, the indirect effects of context on process (r=.86; p<.001); context on product (r=.53; p<.001) and input on product (r=.57; p<.001) was found moderate.


This paper presents a case study with an aim to examine the indoor impact of fine particles with a maximum aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and evaluate its main sources of generation within one typical residential dwelling of Beijing's housing stock in order to define optimal mitigation measures. Based upon available data, through the validated multi-zone indoor air quality (IAQ) model the relationship between impact of indoor/outdoor factors and indoor mass concentration of PM2.5 was examined. As a referent dwelling, one of Beijing's housing stock representatives was selected. Its key parameters were combined and modelled in order to create the universal framework consisted of five baseline typical housing stock cases. The main modelling drive parameters were physical and mechanical dwelling performances: five envelope's permeability (p) values (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 m3/m2/h @50Pa) and different types of ventilating, throughout the year (heating and nonheating period). The simulation results suggest that under present day conditions, average indoor concentrations of PM2.5 are appreciably higher than the outdoor annual average value of 102μgm-3 because of indoor sources. In the case of naturally ventilated dwellings during heating period, cooking represents the largest contributor, generating particulate matter at concentrations four times greater than annual average outdoor mass concentration of PM2.5. Modelling demonstrated that removal of PM2.5 generated by cooking activity depends on the type of ventilation and most important on its use pattern. Furthermore, modelling provided fundamental data for evaluating indoor pollutant reduction measures. Based on previous analysis, following mitigation measures are analysed: increased EF capacity and its period of use, kitchen isolation (by closing the door) from the rest of dwellings and change of occupant behaviour regarding smoking activity. Compared to the naturally ventilated dwelling in winter period, analysed measures could decrease average indoor PM2.5 mass concentrations by almost 50%. This kind of method was found to be suitable for questioning different measures of improvement and the way for this framework to be easily broadened to the bigger scale, at the urban level.


ZnO thin film was prepared onto microscope glass slide substrate by using pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition system. ZnO thin film was thermally annealed for one hour at three different temperatures in air. The film structure was investigated as a function of annealing temperature by x-ray diffraction (XRD). As-deposited film shows amorphous property. The grain size increases with the increase of annealing temperature. The dependence of optical properties on annealing was investigated using UV–Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. When the annealing temperature increased, the diffuse reflection was reduced. When the angle of incidence specular reflectance increased from angle of 30 degrees to angle of 60 degrees, specular reflectance was increased. When annealing temperature increased, specular reflectance was also increased for angle of 30 and 60 degrees. In addition the optical band gap of ZnO film was observed and found to be varying from 3.22 eV to 3.25 eV with the annealing temperature.


The quest to realize a particle accelerator on a chip has led to the emergence of dielectric laser accelerators (DLAs). DLAs have the capability for sustaining accelerating gradients in the GV/m regime using grating-shaped dielectric microstructures. The geometry of these microstructures is one of the decisive features affecting the accelerating gradient and energy gain. Here we present an optimization study comparing the performance of different geometrical configurations of dielectric microstructures through particle in cell (PIC) simulations, for both non-relativistic and relativistic regimes. Assuming electron beams with energies of 28 keV and 1 MeV, excited by a laser with a wavelength of 2 ¼m, pulse length of 100 fs and electric field of 1.5 GV/m, we show that even when grating parameters are the same, the design of the shape/structure plays a crucial role in the enhancement of energy gain and efficiency.


In academic research writing, the way in which an author engages with and positions him/herself in relation to other voices in the discourse, e.g. with the literature and the putative reader, is an integral part of the social practice of communicating research. Understanding how this engagement is realized may have important implications for academic literacy programs, particularly in the development of academic writing skills. In this paper, I investigate engagement in written medical research discourse, by applying the systemic-functional framework of APPRAISAL, a model of evaluative language, to a corpus of English-language medical research articles. Specifically, I present how the corpus has been compiled and annotated according to part of the ENGAGEMENT system, a subsystem of APPRAISAL dealing with writer/speaker resources for intersubjective positioning. These engagement resources include what are generally dealt with under the headings of modality, hedging, and attribution, among others, but they are interpreted here in terms of their dialogic functionality; that is, the role they play in construing for the text a background of different voices (the literature, the putative reader) and different value positions. For instance, a modal Finite such as may not only signals a speaker's/writer's degree of certainty or level of commitment, but, from a dialogic perspective, it also 'entertains' or allows for the possibility of alternative positions or viewpoints in the discourse. (Consider, for example, Reducing LDL cholesterol may reduce the development of vascular disease.) In this paper, I present the different types of engagement features and their interrelations as identified in the corpus, the probabilities of these features being selected, the frequencies of their occurrence, their distributions across the texts, and some of their typical realizations. The findings show that there is considerable variation in the types of engagement resources used as well as in their distributions, both across and within different sections of the medical research article.


BIOCHEMISTRY Correction for "Residue level quantification of protein stability in living cells," by William B. Monteith and Gary J. Pielak, which appeared in issue 31, August 5, 2014, of Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (111:11335–11340; first published July 21, 2014; 10.1073/ pnas.1406845111). The authors wish to note, "After our paper was accepted, we determined that the pH in cells was closer to 5.8 than 7.6. Experiments were repeated at the correct pH (1). The result changes the conclusion about the GB1 stability in cells. Specifically, the result indicates that the protein is less stable in cells than it is in buffer. The results for BSA at pH 7.6 are unchanged." The corrected Fig. 6 and its legend appear below.


Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for calcium homeostasis and bone health. Vitamin D toxicity or hypervitaminosis D is extremely rare. We describe the case of a 73-year-old man who presented with life-threatening hypervitaminosis D and hypercalcaemia resulting from self-medicated doses of vitamin D supplements. This case, alongside other global case reports, highlights the potential dangers of unlicensed vitamin D replacement. We discuss the evidence for vitamin D replacement and remind readers of the current guidance on daily intake and supplementation.


Chesebro et al.1 bring us full circle on the consensus that hypertension is a multisystem illness with small vessel cerebral disease with related parenchymal changes as part of its spectrum. As for animal models of hypertension—and, certainly, now in human chronic hypertension—the position of hypertensive cerebrovascular disease is variable along the dynamic interactions and outcomes that arise once these processes begin. Such realizations are consistent with the recent review that illustrates how peripheral and cerebral autoregulation and reactivity are invariably intertwined in hypertension.2 In reviewing the Classification of Cerebrovascular Diseases published in 1958, Raymond Adams posited, "It must be remembered that in the final analysis the distinguishing attributes of all these diseases are the vascular changes themselves and not merely the parenchymal lesion which they induce."3 From a clinical and pathology viewpoint, a more complete perspective of hypertension becomes apparent and fundamentally corroborates the 1978 WHO classification of cerebrovascular disease.4 As reiterated by Harsha5 recently, there is danger in assigning imprecise eponyms for cerebrovascular diseases. Rather than being exclusory, it becomes both scientific and practical that hypertension and cerebrovascular disease are spoken of in the same breath.


This article criticises the 'knowledge inheritance theory of distributive justice' presented by Gar Alperovitz and Lew Daly in their Unjust Deserts: How the Rich Are Taking Our Common Inheritance and Why We Should Take It Back; Wealth and Inequality in the Knowledge Economy (New York: The New Press, 2008). The authors claim that since innovation depends far more on accumulated knowledge than on any individual's contribution, most resulting wealth is deserved equally by all members of society. Their redistributive conclusion is not justified. Illegitimately applying the concept of justice to contexts where it is at best metaphorical, the 'knowledge inheritance theory' massively undervalues the role of individual intellectual activity, and relies on confusions concerning the nature of society, rights, causality, and gifts.


Background
Abnormalities of glucose metabolism are associated with abnormal left ventricular geometry (LV) independent of atherosclerosis. Abnormal LV geometry, a predictor of premature cardiovascular events, indicates presence of subclinical target organ damages. Screening for abnormal LV geometry in diseases of abnormal glucose metabolism is desirable as part of their management protocol.

Aim
To assess the left ventricular geometry in normotensive type II diabetic patients. Cross-sectional, descriptive, hospital-based study. One hundred normotensive type II diabetic patients drawn from the Endocrinology and Family Medicine Clinics of a tertiary hospital were age- and gender-matched with 100 apparently healthy controls. Participants meeting the criteria and informed consent proceeded for clinical evaluation, biochemical assessment, electrocardiography, and echocardiography using the American Society of Echocardiography guideline.

Materials and Methods
Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences [SPSS] version 25.0 (Chicago Illinois, USA).

Results
Mean age of study and control groups was (55.56 ± 9.89 versus 55.47 ± 10.7) years (χ2 = 0.062, P = 0.951). The mean duration of diabetes illness was 6.57 ± 6.26 years. Prevalence of abnormal LV geometry was 51% (study) versus 18% (control) FT, P < 0.001). Concentric remodeling was the predominant geometry in 36% of study versus 11% of controls, followed by eccentric hypertrophy in 11% (study) versus 4% (control) and concentric hypertrophy in 4% (study) versus 3% (control). Geometry was normal in 49% of study against 82% in the controls (FT, P < 0.001). Significant association existed between LV geometry and duration of diabetes (χ2 = 10.793, P = 0.005).

Conclusion
Abnormal LV geometry is highly prevalent in normotensive diabetic patients.


The first Methods for Modalities workshop (M4M-1) was born late at night in November 1998, with a knock on a door, a small but adequate budget, and the urge to do new things. It grew from the good disposition of invited speakers, the enthusiasm of contributors, and long hours behind the computer answering mails, printing articles, organizing time tables, designing web pages and answering phone calls. The aim was clear: to bring together some of the people, logicians and/or computer scientists who were, in one way or another, computing with modal and modal-like logics such as description logic, hybrid logic, temporal logic, etc. The connections between logic and computing are widespread and varied. Well-known examples of uses of logic in computer science include automated verification [25], databases [2], knowledge representation [8], artificial intelligence [20], formal languages [28], etc. Going in the opposite direction, from computer science to logic, we find extremely fast implementations of model checkers and tableaux-based and resolution-based theorem provers [9], automata-theoretic methods for deciding powerful languages [5], tight connections between the theories of computational and descriptive complexity [24], etc. And this is just a small part of a far bigger development, as logic continues to play an important role in computer science and permeating more and more of its main areas. All signs indicate that computer science and logic have decided to establish a stronghold together and profit from the interchange of ideas. This development has been recognized throughout the community , as is witnessed, for instance, by this year's launch of the ACM Transactions While the links between computer science and modal logic may be viewed as nothing more than specific instances of these developments, there is something special to them. Graphs are the key. Graphs are ubiquitous in computer science: think of transition systems, parse trees, Petri nets, decision diagrams, flow charts,. .. It is because of this, that modal languages are so well suited to describe com-231 L.


In this thesis software sensors are introduced that predict the biomass activity and the concentrations of glucose, glutamine, lactic acid, and ammonium on line, The software sensors for biomass activity, glucose and lactic acid can be applied for any type of animal cell that is grown in a bioreactor system. The glutamine and ammonium software sensors are determined experimentally by correlating them to the acid-production rate. Therefore, they can only be used for Vero cells. In the development of these software sensors, much attention is paid to the verification of their basic elements, i.e. the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) and the acid production rate (APR). For the estimation of the OUR, information about the course of the oxygen solubility and the oxygen transfer coefficient during cultivation is considered very important, since fluctuations in one of these parameters will introduce a systematic error in the OUR. Experiments have shown that the oxygen solubility remains approximately constant throughout the cultivation, However, the oxygen transfer coefficient can vary significantly during cultivation. Because of this, a method for on-line determination of the oxygen transfer coefficient is developed. Application of this method results in an estimation of the OUR that is more reliable and contains less noise than the determination of the OUR using an off-gas mass spectrometer. The lactic-acid production rate (LPR) is estimated from the APR, which in turn is determined from the amount of base utilized to control the pH at a fixed level. The estimated LPR provides reliable results, until nutrient limitation occurs. After that, the predicted LPR is higher than the measured LPR. Since at the end of the cultivation the lactic-acid concentration starts to drop, the cells are likely to take up lactic acid as an energy source. This uptake is supposed to be at least partially responsible for the discrepancy between estimated and measured LPR. However, since the estimation of the LPR is accurate up to the moment that nutrient limitation occurs and since the aim of control is to prevent nutrient limitation, the estimated LPR can still be used for control purposes. After evaluation of the two basic elements of the software sensors, the sensors themselves are tested. Two software sensors use both the OUR and the LPR. These sensors, the glucose sensor and the biomass activity sensor, defined as the total energy requirement of the cultivated cells, both provide reliable signals. It is shown that the maximum error in the biomass activity signal, caused by the error in the LPR, is 4.6%. This error is small enough to be neglected. Also the estimation of the glucose concentration is accurate throughout the culture. The overall error in the estimation of the glucose uptake rate is found to be 6%. The software sensors for lactic acid, glutamine and ammonium are solely based on the APR. Since the APR only provides reliable values until nutrient limitation occurs, these software sensors can only be used up to that point too. However, in the range at which the software sensors are valid, they are accurate. Applying the software sensors, the effect of controlled addition of glucose and glutamine is studied. For hybridoma cells a significant reduction of the lacticacid production rate is described in literature when the glucose concentration is controlled at a fixed low level. Contradictory to this, the specific lactic-acid production rate for Vero cells is found not to change when glucose is controlled at different levels from 10 down to 0.25 mol.m -3. In fact, no significant changes in the cultivation conditions are observed at all. Reducing the glutamine concentration from 4 down to 0.5 mol.m -3yields in a significant reduction (38%) of the specific ammonium production rate. This reduction is corrected for the ammonium that is formed during the spontaneous decomposition of glutamine. Lowering the glutamine concentration in the culture also results in a reduced decomposition of glutamine. The total reduction in ammonium formation caused by these two effects is 62%. Although a significant reduction of the ammonium formation is achieved, no effect is observed on the growth rate and the maximum cell density of Vero cells. Analysis of the cultivation medium using off-line HPLC has shown that after approximately 100 hours of cultivation, two amino acids are depleted. To find out whether or not these amino acids, methionine and serine, are responsible for the limitations in growth rate and cell density, they are added sequentially at the end of a culture. At that point the biomass activity is already dropping. Adding first methionine results in a stabilization of the biomass activity, whereas first addition of serine does not seem to have any effect. Further addition of the second amino acid instantaneously results in an increase of the biomass activity, the growth rate and the cell density in both cases. This indicates that even serine, which is a nonessential amino acid, is essential to maintain cell growth. At the moment serine is depleted, the cells have to make serine themselves, which causes the growth rate to drop. When methionine, an essential amino acid, is depleted the cell growth stops completely. In an attempt to increase the maximum cell density, additional amounts of both amino acids are added to the cultivation medium prior to the start of the culture. Unexpectedly, serine again is depleted after 100 hours of cultivation, in spite of an initial serine concentration of 0.4 instead of 0.1 mol-m -3. The biomass activity drops instantaneously at the moment serine is depleted. After the serine concentration in the cultivation medium is restored, the biomass activity only partially recovers. Despite the short serine limitation, the cell density doubles compared to the reference culture that is executed without glucose and glutamine control and without supplementing limiting amino acids. If this kind of control systems are to be implemented into production systems, some kind of plant automation is required. This can vary from computer-controlled measurement- and control systems up to fully automized manufacturing execution systems (MES) that control all parts of the production process. These processes can vary from stock management and generation of reports, to manmachine interfaces that operate the measurement- and control systems. An MES becomes important when the production facility has to produce according to governmental regulations such as current good manufacturing practice (cGMP). The system ensures that all parts of the production process are executed according to these rules. Additional features are process- dependent control, the use of software sensors and predictive models, the use of historical data and on-line statistical techniques for trend analysis and detection of instrumentation failures.


Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), inflammation and apoptosis in endothelial cells play crucial roles in the progression of cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis. Vaccarin is a flavonoid glycoside from vaccariae semen associated with powerful cardiovascular protective effects. However, the effects of vaccarin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) injury in response to ox-LDL remain unknown. Herein, we showed that treatment with vaccarin significantly suppressed ox-LDL-induced HUVEC inflammation, EndMT and apoptosis. Mechanistically, the HUVECs exposed to ox-LDL exhibited enlarged reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and p38 MAPK phosphorylation, which was counteracted by vaccarin. Importantly, ROS activator hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and p38 MAPK activator anisomycin pretreatment prevent the protective effect of vaccarin on endothelial injury induced by ox-LDL. Our study suggested that vaccarin impeded ox-LDL-triggered HUVEC inflammation, EndMT and apoptosis via inhibition of ROS/p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Vaccarin may have a therapeutic effect on endothelial injury-related disorders.


Objective: To determine the prevalence of short gastrocnemius in orthopaedic patients treated in the emergency room and the foot and ankle outpatient clinic of a public hospital and to evaluate the relationship between prevalence and certain specific symptoms. Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted using a questionnaire completed by patients treated in February 2018. Results: Of the 160 patients studied, 21 (13.1%) had a diagnosis of shortening of the gastrocnemius. The condition was more prevalent in females than in males, with no differences in race, age, laterality or occupation. The most commonly associated symptoms were calf pain, back pain, equinism and metatarsalgia, which were all present in more than 2/3 of cases. Conclusion: Shortening of the gastrocnemius is a fairly common pathology that deserves greater attention in orthopaedic practice. Additional studies are needed to better correlate epidemiological findings with this pathology. Level of Evidence II; Diagnostics Studies.


The Alpine goats are originally from Alpine mountains located between France and Switzerland. The Alpine goats grow very quickly, have big and unique body figures, upstanding ears, and colors of brown, Isabella or black back with many different spots. They lead the world with their fecund and high milk yield. Since 2015, we have studied breeding domestic goat and Alpine goat to increase production of goat milk and dairy milk production and got the first generation of a hybrid kid in 2016 which located in Arvaikheer soum of Uverkhangai province.A hybrid between Alpine and Mongolian goat kid born from goat was 2.1±0.1 kg at the birth, 4.1±0.2 kg at the age of 1 months, 9.2±0.6 kg at the age of 3 months, 19.9±1.7 kg at the age of 6 months, and 21.4±1.2 at the 12 months in order to 1-year-old in average thus the birth weight increased by 10.2 times.


Health tourism can be generally divided into medical, health spa and wellness tourism. Health spa tourism services are provided in special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts, and include under medical supervision controlled use of natural healing factors and physical therapy in order to improve and preserve health. There are 13 special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts in Croatia. Most of them are financed through the state budget and lesser by sale on the market. More than half of their accommodation capacity is offered for sale on the market while the rest is under contract with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund. Domestic overnights are several times higher than foreign overnights. The aim of this study was to analyze business performance of special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts in Croatia in relation to the sources of financing and the structure of service users. The assumption was that those who are more market-oriented achieve better business performance. In proving these assumptions, an empirical research was conducted and the assumptions were tested. A positive correlation was proven in tested indicators of business performance of the analyzed service providers of health-spa tourism with a higher amount of overnight stays realized through sales on the market in relation to total overnight stays, with a greater share of foreign overnights in total of overnights and with a higher share of realized revenue on the market out of total revenue. The results of the research show that special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts that are more market-oriented are more successful in their business performance. These findings are important for planning the health and tourism policies in countries like Croatia.


Lanthanum hexaboride (LaB{sub 6}, NIST SRM-660a) is widely used as a standard reference material for calibrating the line position and line shape parameters of powder diffraction instruments. The accuracy of this calibration technique is highly dependent on how completely the reference material is characterized. Critical to x-ray diffraction, this understanding must include the valence of the La atomic position, which in turn will influence the x-ray form factor (f) and hence the diffracted intensities. The electronic structure and bonding properties of LaB{sub 6} have been investigated using ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential total energy calculations. The electronic properties and atomic bonding characteristics were analyzed by estimating the energy band structure and the density of states around the Fermi energy level. The calculated energy band structure is consistent with previously reported experimental findings; de Haas-van Alphen and two-dimensional angular correlation of electron-positron annihilation radiation. In addition, the bond strengths and types of atomic bonds in the LaB{sub 6} compound were estimated by analyzing the Mulliken charge density population. The calculated result revealed the coexistence of covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding in the LaB{sub 6} system and partially explains its high efficiency as a thermionic emitter.


The cases here reported have been selected from among many others which perhaps might be in themselves more interesting; but it has been my aim to select only such as would demonstrate the fact that many of the cases which appear to be the most hopeless will, when properly treated, become good and respectable citizens. A certain percentage of these patients may be restored to perfect health, physically, mentally and morally, and will remain so, regardless of the quantity taken, the length of time used, the manner of administration or the age. Just what that percentage is I do not know. It is with me an utter impossibility to even venture a guess as to who will remain free from the addiction and who will, as soon as the opportunity presents itself, relapse into the former condition. Being unable to distinguish between them, there remains only to do as we


Abstract Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is frequently a fatal disease. The clinical presentation of PE is variable and frequently nonspecific, and there is commonly a diagnostic delay. We aimed to investigate factors associated with the delay in the diagnosis of PE. Methods: Data from patients with PE were collected from January 2011 to December 2013 in an acute care teaching hospital. Time-to-diagnosis, evaluated by obtaining a diagnostic computed tomography scan, was then analyzed by the Cox proportional hazard model for examining factors associated with time to the diagnosis of PE. Independent variables included age, gender, activities of daily living, means of transport to the hospital, body temperature, hypoxemia, typical symptoms for PE, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, infiltration on chest radiograph, Wells score, classification of patients with PE based on early mortality risk, patients referred from other specialties, daytime versus nighttime arrival, diagnosed by an emergency physician, and diagnosed by a medical resident. Results: Sixty patients were included. The time to diagnosis was significantly delayed in low-risk patients (hazard ratio [HR], 2.2; 95% CI, 1.2–4.1) and in patients who did not use an ambulance (HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0–3.7). In an analysis of the latter subgroup, higher serum CRP concentrations were associated with a delayed diagnosis (HR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0–1.2). Conclusion: The time to the diagnosis of PE was delayed in low-risk patients and in patients who attended the hospital by means other than an ambulance. In such patients, a delayed diagnosis was associated with higher serum CRP concentrations.


The article considers the prospects of using renewable energy sources in agriculture. The authors focused on the following types of renewable energy sources: Solar, biomass, wind, and hydro generated power. Based on the analysis of Renewables Global Status Report data, the authors identified a decrease in the amount of investment in renewable energy and fuel by developed countries in developing countries. This work highlights the main reasons for the development of renewable energy (environmental safety, energy independence), as well as positive and negative aspects of the transition to renewable energy. The authors of the article reveal the features of job creation in the renewable energy industries, which will compensate for the loss of jobs in the field of fossil energy. Much attention is paid to the economy of renewable energy sources, revealing the relationship between energy use and economic growth. According to the authors, the use of RES not only increase the level of energy supply to remote rural settlements, but also can have a significant positive impact on the economy of agriculture.


This chapter traced the evolution of the foundations of transport network equilibrium modeling and analysis, with a focus on the principle methodological advances. In particular, an attempt has been made to set out in accessible fashion rigorous approaches to the formulation of a variety of traffic network equilibrium models and to establish relationships between the models as well as those that are closely linked such as spatial price equilibrium models. It should be emphasized that this topic is a very active area of research as well as practice. It should also be highlighted and further emphasized that traffic network equilibrium modeling and analysis provide a powerful framework for decision-making on complex networks. Indeed, given the interrelationships between telecommunications and transportation network's in today's network economy, it can be expected further synergies and advances in the study of such foundational networks. Of particular promise are the areas of multicriteria decision-making on networks, multitiered networks, as well as multilevel networks (in the form of transportation/logistical/financial/informational networks), formally referred to as supernetworks.


Since Dawkins popularized the notion of the selfish gene, the question of how these selfish genes work together to construct an organism remained a mystery. Now, standing atop a wealth of new research, Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher-pioneers in the field of systems biology-provide a vision of how genes cooperate and compete in the struggle for life.


We show that a high-order Bessel beam propagating in a medium with nonlinear absorption is not completely absorbed, but survives in the form of a new propagation-invariant vortex beam in which the beam energy and orbital angular momentum are permanently transferred to matter and at the same time refueled by spiral inward currents of energy and angular momentum. Unlike vortex solitons and dissipative vortex solitons, these vortex beams are not supported by specific dispersive nonlinearities (self-focusing or self-defocusing), and do not require gain. Propagation invariance in the presence of multiple absorption of photons carrying (possibly high) orbital angular momentum makes these beams attractive for optical pumping of angular momentum over long distances.


Metabolites of [4-(14)C]androstenedione (AD) and [4-(14)C]progesterone (PG) were separated and quantitated following incubation with hepatic microsomes from chick embryos. PG 2 alpha-hydroxylase and AD 7 alpha-hydroxylase, which are diagnostic markers in rat liver for cytochrome P450 (P450) 2C11 and 2A1/2, respectively, were not identified in chick embryo liver. PG 6 beta-hydroxylase and AD 6 beta-hydroxylase, diagnostic markers for P450 3A1/2 activity in rat liver, were identified in chick embryo liver, and we were able to show that radiolabeled 6 beta-hydroxyprogesterone and 6 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione, the metabolites of PG and AD 6 beta-hydroxylase, respectively, were homogeneous and identical with authentic standards. Dexamethasone, phenobarbital, and glutethimide were found to be significant inducers of PG and AD 6 beta-hydroxylases in chick embryo liver. The in ovo administration of the porphyrinogenic compounds 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-ethylpyridine (4-ethyl DDC) and 3-[2-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-thioethyl]-4-methylsydnone (TTMS) caused inactivation of chick embryo hepatic PG and AD 6 beta-hydroxylases. Therefore, we suggest that PG and AD 6 beta-hydroxylases may serve as diagnostic markers for a P450 3A-like isozyme in the chick embryo, and that this isozyme is one of the targets for inactivation by 4-ethyl DDC and TTMS.


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds provided to state, local, and territorial health departments for HIV-prevention activities are prioritized with the substantial involvement of HIV-prevention community planning groups (CPGs). This article examines whether or not these funds (more than $261 million in fiscal year 1998) are allocated in a way that mirrors the HIV/AIDS epidemic in terms of race/ethnicity. AIDS prevalence data were used to reflect disease burden, and were compared to budget data submitted by health departments to the CDC. The budget data report expenditures by race/ethnicity for two major types of activities: (1) health education and risk reduction (more than $104 million); and (2) counseling, testing, referral, and partner notification (more than $91 million). The rank order correlation between funding and AIDS prevalence data for the five specific racial/ethnic categories was .900 (n = 5, p < .05) for health education and risk reduction (HERR) activities, and 1.000 (n = 5, p < .05) for counseling, testing, referral, and partner notification (CTRPN) activities. From 1997 to 1998, the proportion of funds targeted and accounted for by race/ethnicity increased from 79 percent to 88 percent for HERR, and from 71 percent to 84 percent for CTRPN activities. With regard to race/ethnicity, health departments and CPGs appear to be actively targeting and accounting for HIV prevention resources, and we will argue that relatively small changes in counseling and testing resources for African-American and Latino/Latina communities would result in a close match between AIDS prevalence data and devoted resources.


Introduction: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have dramatically improved the prognosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The treatment with TKIs maintain the depth of response; however, the life-long use of TKI has also been associated with late complications such as cardiovascular events and huge financial burden impairing their quality of life. To overcome these issues, investigators have been attempting to discontinue TKIs after durable molecular remission. However, the optimal timing to stop TKIs remains to be elucidated. We previously demonstrated that CD25 was highly expressed in murine and human CML-leukemia initiating cells (LICs) (Kobayashi CI et al., Blood, 2014). In this study we tried to clarify whether the proportion of CD25-positive cells in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell fraction of bone marrow cells in CML patients treated with TKIs is associated with their molecular response and could serve as a novel surrogate marker to select patients who are likely to obtain durable treatment-free remission after stopping TKIs.
 Methods: Bone marrow samples were obtained from the patients with CML in chronic phase who were treated solely with TKIs at Keio University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan). This study was approved by the institutional ethical committee and informed consent was obtained from each patient. Both quantitative and qualitative PCR of BCR-ABL1 was performed using bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs). The proportion of CD25-positive cells in bone marrow hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC; CD34+CD38-) fraction (%CD25+) was evaluated by flow cytometry. The response to TKIs at the time of analysis was determined according to as follows: complete cytogenetic remission (CCyR) defined as Philadelphia chromosome undetectable and quantitative PCR copy numbers >731 among BMMNCs; major molecular remission (MMR) as quantitative PCR copy numbers ≤731, and complete molecular remission (CMR) as undetectable BCR-ABL1 by quantitative and qualitative PCR.
 Results: Bone marrow samples obtained from 109 patients were evaluated (median age, 52 years; male/female, 76/33). Analysis was performed prior to TKI exposure in 26 patients and under TKI therapy in 64 patients (imatinib, 22; dasatinib, 33; nilotinib, 9). Remaining 19 patients were treatment free because they were enrolled into a clinical trial of TKI discontinuation. At diagnosis (n=26), %CD25+ were significantly correlated with hemoglobin level and platelet count (Table). The %CD25+ was significantly lower in patients with post TKI exposure than those at diagnosis without TKIs (p<0.00001). In nine patients with available samples before and after TKI therapy, the %CD25+ at diagnosis was significantly higher than after TKI therapy (Mean 34.7%, SD 24.8% vs. Mean 4.96%, SD 4.17%, p<0.01, Fig.a). In addition, %CD25+ was significantly correlated with copy number of BCR/ABL1 (P<0.001, Fig.b).
 Conclusion: We confirmed that the expression of CD25 in HSPC fraction of CML patients was significantly correlated with the disease status, and may be useful as a LIC minimal residual disease marker.

 Kasahara: Chugai: Research Funding. Sakurai:Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K.: Speakers Bureau. Kikuchi:Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Ono: Speakers Bureau. Shimizu:Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K: Honoraria. Mori:Astella Pharma: Honoraria; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Honoraria; Novartis Pharma: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; SHIONOGI: Honoraria; Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical Co: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Ono: Honoraria; Eisai: Honoraria; Novartis Pharma: Honoraria; Shire Japan: Honoraria; CHUGAI: Honoraria; Asahi Kasei: Research Funding; Japan Blood Products Organization: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria. Okamoto:Pfizer Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Eisai Co.,Ltd.: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Teijin Pharma Limited: Research Funding; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:: Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd: Research Funding; Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp.:: Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.: Research Funding.


Purpose Tai chi is receiving increasing research attention with its benefit of improving flexibility and balance. The objective of this review was to examine the evidence concerning the impact of tai chi as a practical therapy for vestibular rehabilitation on individuals with balance and vestibular disorders. Method A systematic review using 4 electronic databases was conducted. Randomized clinical trials and quasi-experimental studies were included. Results Four studies met the inclusion criteria and were included for data analysis. Results indicate positive effect of tai chi practice on dynamic postural stability in balance of its practitioners. Conclusion Tai chi may be a useful therapy as for vestibular rehabilitation as it improves dynamic balance control and flexibility of individuals with balance and vestibular disorders.


A technique capable of precise comparison of currents in different parts of a network or between currents in different networks is discussed. With proper conditions, this comparison can be done with negligible perturbation of the networks under measurement. Experiments on a coaxial system at 30 MHz are discussed.


Background: P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a type of noncoding RNA and are predominantly expressed in germline cells. piRNAs function as gene regulators and potential biomarkers for the development of a number of malignancies. The biological importance of piRNAs in ovarian cancer is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of piRNAs in ovarian cancer stem cells and compared it with that in adherent cells. Methods: To assess changes in the expression levels of PIWIL1/HIWI, PIWIL2/HILI, PIWIL3, and PIWIL4/HIWI2, we used quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. Changes in piRNA expression levels in ovarian cancer stem cells were analyzed using Arraystar piRNA microarray screening. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was conducted to determine the potential functions of piRNAs. Results: Using microarray analysis, we identified a cohort of differentially expressed piRNAs. Fifteen piRNAs, including DQ570763 and DQ597396, were downregulated, and 58 piRNAs were upregulated when compared with those in adherent A2780 and SKOV3 cells (p > 0.05, >2.0, respectively). GO functions of the downregulated piRNAs (DQ570763 and DQ570797) suggest that their roles are commonly associated with the Golgi apparatus. In addition, A2780-SP and SKOV3-SP cells had higher PIWIL3 and PIWIL4 mRNA levels than adherent cells (A2780 and SKOV3). Moreover, we determined, using receiver operating characteristic plot, that the expression level of PIWIL4 was lower in responders than in nonresponders after treatment with platins in patients with ovarian cancer. Finally, in ovarian cancer, PIWIL4 expression was associated with somatic mutations of dynein axonemal heavy chain 2, signal induced proliferation associated 1 like 2, YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA-binding protein 1, TBC1 domain family member 8, and LPS responsive Beige-like anchor protein. Conclusion: Our study showed that PIWI proteins and piRNAs are potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer.


Twenty-five years have passed since the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which led to the disruption of the regional check-and-balance system aimed at resolving national issues and political and socioeconomic contradictions. It also resulted in a number of armed conflicts, including those in the Chechen Republic, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, Tajikistan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and later in the South-East of Ukraine.Immediately following the collapse of the USSR, key international actors paid special attention to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region while trying to secure own interests. This led to the further stratification of the CIS region. A "geopolitical pluralism" started to form there, marked by the fragmentation of nation-state sovereignty over the territory.The concept and policy of "geopolitical pluralism" as developed by Zbigniew Brzezinski meets the interests of the United States by making the CIS region more manageable, while at the same time making it more difficult for Russia to implement its own strategic tasks there. The key goal of Russia is the creation of an integrated economic and political union able to take a rightful place in the world. Only the development of deep and comprehensive integration with the CIS states can ensure the competitiveness of Russia's position in the world as well as the positions of its partners in the former Soviet space.The purpose of this article is to assess the level of geopolitical pluralism in the CIS space taking account of the membership of the CIS countries in international organizations and their voting on UN General Assembly resolutions. The study is based on the interconnection of quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis of international relations and world politics.During the past quarter century following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a regional system of international relations has formed in its place. Despite the fact that the CIS is a kind of linking element which unites most of the former Soviet republics, a certain competition between the new states has become the characteristic feature of the political relations in the region.The policy of the west (primarily the United States) became a kind of a branched, diversified strategy aimed at the phased development, transformation and fragmentation of the region. The diversity of foreign policy priorities among the CIS states and the presence of many actors in the region makes mutual understanding and good-neighbourliness between these countries difficult to achieve. To the contrary, this diversity seriously complicates and slows down the development of deep and comprehensive integration, making it more unstable and ineffective.The research was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research in the framework of the scientific project RFBR-CASS No. 17-27-21002.


We have learned to expect erudite pronounce. ments from Sir Geoffrey Vickers, and this, his latest document, is of undiminished stature. The aim of this book, as stated, is to explore the spheres ofjudgment and decision. Judgment, it seems, is an ultimate category, which can only be approved or condemned by a further exercise ofthe same ability. As a corollary to this proposition, it is suggested that the dilemma relating to determinism as opposed to free will "¿ is losing its horns―. Further, initiative thus becomes a special aspect of the general skill implied in good judgment. The author underlines the need for the layman to demand of scientists that they should broaden their horizons so that he may throw off the trammels of scientific limitation. It is abundantly evident that herein a keen legal mind is influenced by pertinent psychological and philosophical systems and valua tions. Next, with subtle skill, meticulous and penetrating analysis, the author dissects policy making coupled with executive implementation in public corpora tions, in big business and in the conduct of affairs by local authorities. With regard to the last-named, he compares their metabolism with that of a cow, a comparison which will strike a sympathetic chord in the hearts of many. As regards individuals in relation to the exercise of power, this book denies the existence of the purpose-ridden man and deals a shrewd buffet to the "¿ will-to-power― theory. rn the subsequent analysis, the terms "¿ appreciation―,readinesses― (i.e. "¿ mentalsettings― of the older psychopathology), "¿ optimizing―, "¿ maximizing―, and "¿ optimizing balancing―, although somewhat less than elegant, are handled with loving care to describe the activities of bodies who have to employ all available resources. The illustrative examples of policy-making comprise the Reports of Buchanan on Traffic in Towns, Robbins on Higher Education and Gowers on Capital Punishment. In point of fact, this thesis in general is a vast and complex elaboration of Pope's: "¿ Observe how system into system runs, What other planets circle other suns.― On pp. I73 ci seq., the reader (who should also be a peruser of the financial columns of the Press) is entertained with an account of the revival of a declining firm brought about by a shot in the arm delivered by the appointment of a new "¿ whiz-kid― managing director. Nevertheless, with all its distinc tion, this book offers no explanation as yet for that quality known as the Midas touch, a lack which the author himself acknowledges. We can all concur fervently with his conclusion that our society depends upon the speed with which it can learn. Otherwise, and this is a valedictory comment not without grim humour, mankind will be succeeded by that singu larly repellent creature, the cockroach! Pope pertinently summarizes this volume for us neatly as one which will: "¿ Expatiate fre o'er all this scene of man; A mighty maze! but not without a plan.―


A circularly polarized antenna realized by a power divider fed cavity backed slot antenna is presented in this article.The cavity backed slot antenna is constructed on a single layer substrate by using substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technique. A T‐junction power divider with equal magnitude and 90° phase difference outputs is adopted as the parallel feed to excite the SIW backed cavity. Circularly polarized radiation can be generated when two orthogonal cavity modes are excited simultaneously in the backed cavity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:107–109, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26482


Accurate radiographic assessment of available bone dimension superior to the mandibular canal is essential to the favorable placement of dental implants. Panoramic and periapical radiography are the standard of care. They typically offer a clinically adequate interpretation of the canal topography. However, in about 1% of patients, the mandibular canal may bifurcate. This may or may not be seen on panoramic or periapical films. A case report is presented that uses complex motion tomography as an aid to proper implant placement above a bifurcated mandibular canal.


INTRODUCTION: When training for competition, it has been established that the degree of impact absorbed by the body can influence the work capacity of athletes. Excessive shock load can often lead to trauma in one form or another. For this reason, when there is potential for increased volume and intensity in training sessions, it is important to provide favourable conditions during contact with the ground. Traditionally, support has been provided in the form of grass surfaces, sawdust, wood, and sand. However these materials should only be used for special or auxiliary exercises, not for training routines and basic exercises.
Therefore a need arose for design of a special device (equipment) capable of changing requirements of the basic interaction of the athlete with the contact surface under training conditions. Another aspect of this study was the application of this technique to performance of the athlete in competition.


Smarter sensors and transducers are required in the new smart grid scenario with increased performances, in terms of high accuracy and wide frequency bandwidth. Traditional calibration systems, developed for conventional instrument transformers are not suitable for performance verification of the new types of non-conventional instrument transformers, both in terms of input range and frequency bandwidth. Therefore, a new industrial comparator for smart grid sensor calibration is presented in this paper, which is intended for the calibration of conventional and non-conventional voltage and current instrument transformers, in a frequency range from dc to tens of kilohertz. Its accuracy performances allow for the calibration, in sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal conditions, of class 0.1 sensors.


The effect of acute administration of 200 mg benserazide, an L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor, on pituitary hormone secretion in humans was studied. Benserazide induced in all subjects a quick and marked increment of serum prolactin (Prl) and TSH levels: at 180 min TSH and Prl levels were still significantly higher than the baseline values. Women with normal menstrual cycles showed a Prl response to benserazide which was significantly greater than that observed in post-menopausal women and men. In another experiment six normal men received 10 mg of domperidone, a peripheral dopamine receptor blocker. The hormonal changes induced by domperidone were comparable to those obtained with benserazide. Since domperidone and benserazide are thought not to cross the blood-brain barrier, these results suggest that dopamine regulates Prl and TSH secretion through extra blood-brain barrier structures.


Scattering rates of Auger and electron-phonon processes between discrete Landau levels in a quasi-two-dimensional electron system are calculated. Using these rates the authors provide an understanding of the upconversion observed in the magneto-luminescence of one-side modulation doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells; in particular, of its dependence on excitation power and magnetic field.


RATIONALE. A 2011 Statement of the American Thoracic Society concluded that work-exacerbated asthma (WEA) is common in industrialized nations, with a prevalence of 21.5% in adults with asthma. While there are published lists of workplace agents that can cause occupational asthma, there are no comparable lists for WEA. We reviewed published articles to prepare such a list. METHODS. We systematically searched the peer-reviewed medical literature to identify articles about WEA published during 1980–2011. We selected articles that reported WEA agents determined case-by-case (from clinical case series, surveillance and worker compensation programs) or in risk-set analyses that used statistical models to determine occupational exposures associated with exacerbation of asthma or WEA. RESULTS. The literature search identified 13 articles that reported exposures for work-related exacerbation of asthma, including 3 risk-set studies. The studies were conducted in several countries in North America and Europe, and used various criteria for WEA and methods to determine exposures. From studies with WEA identified on a case-by-case basis, the more common types of agents included miscellaneous chemicals, dust, paint, smoke, indoor air quality, and cleaning products. From two risk-set studies conducted in general population settings, exposures with statistically significant (p≤0.05) relative risks of 2.0 or greater included dusts, high exposure to gas and fumes, indoor air quality, physically strenuous work, and probable daily occupational exposure to dust, gases, or fumes. CONCLUSIONS. Various types of workplace exposures can exacerbate asthma, including irritants, agents with sensitizing traits, and physical factors such as strenuous exercise.


Influenza caused by a new variant of influenza A virus assumed epidemic proportions in southwest China in late February, 1957 (1). During the next three months influenza outbreaks occurred widely throughout the Orient and first appeared in the United States in the middle of May. During the summer the disease spread slowly and sporadically within the United States, initially involved military establishments which received military personnel from the Orient, and later attacked various civilian groups collected in summer camps and conferences. From September through December, 1957, there was a rapid and diffuse spread of influenza, and epidemics were observed in most cities throughout the country (2). In late August, 1957, it was predicted that influenza would probably be seen in epidemic proportions within New York City. At this time a prospective interdepartmental study was organized at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center with the belief that the pending epidemic might present a unique opportunity to study influenza by a multidisciplined approach not often possible under epidemic conditions. The present series of three papers is a report of these studies. The first paper details observations on an intrahospital epidemic arising within a single medical ward. Included in this initial paper of the report are the results of studies of the clinical


Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate associations between social media use, self-reported health, dietary behaviours, and gender among young people living in Mauritius. For this cross-sectional study, questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 492 individuals (of which 64% were females) aged 14–29 year. A linear regression analysis investigating the associations between health problems and social media use, a number of dietary choices and behaviours, and gender was found to explain 49.9% of the variance in the prevalence of health problems, with social media use making the largest unique contribution (beta = 0.48). A MANOVA analysis found that there were significant gender differences in social media use, unhealthy food consumption, and self-reported health problems. This article concludes that the clash between gender, fast technological developments, and the influx of unhealthy foods in a glocal place has effects on young people through social media, and need to be monitored closely by youth and health policy-makers and researchers.


Vascular calcification is a significant contributor to the cardiovascular mortality observed in chronic kidney disease (CKD). This review discusses the animal models (5/6 nephrectomy, mouse electrocautery model and dietary adenine) that have been employed in the study of vascular calcification outcomes in CKD. Rodent models of CKD generate a range of severity in the vascular calcification phenotype. Major limitations of the 5/6th nephrectomy model include the requirement for surgery and the need to use either excessive dietary phosphorus or vitamin D. Major limitations of the mouse electrocautery model include the requirement for surgery, the mortality rate when very advanced CKD develops, and resistance to vascular calcification without the use of transgenic animals. This is balanced against the major advantage of the ability to study transgenic animals to further understand the mechanisms associated with either the acceleration or inhibition of calcification. Dietary adenine generates severe CKD and does not require surgery. The major disadvantage is the weight loss that ensues when rats receive a diet containing 0.75% adenine. In summary, animal models are useful to study CKD-associated vascular calcification and the results obtained in these pre-clinical animal studies appear to translate to the evidence, however limited, which exists in humans with CKD.


We have recently proposed and demonstrated an approach that enables the acquisition of multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra within a single scan. A promising application opened up by this new accelerated form of data acquisition concerns the possibility of monitoring in real time the chemical nature of analytes subject to a continuous flow. The present paper illustrates such potential, with the real-time acquisition of a series of 2D 1H NMR spectra arising from a mixture of compounds subject to a continuous liquid chromatography (LC) separation. This real-time 2D NMR identification of chemicals eluted minutes apart under usual LC-NMR conditions differs from the way in which LC-2D NMR has hitherto been carried out, which relies on stopped-flow modes of operations whereby fractions are first collected and then subject to individual, aliquot-by-aliquot analyses. The real-time LC-2D NMR experiment hereby introduced can be implemented in a straightforward manner using modern commercial LC-NMR hardware, thus opening up immediate possibilities in high-throughput characterizations of complex molecules.


We have experienced rapid development in Augmented Reality (AR) systems and platforms in the world of cultural heritage, namely in cultural settings and historical museums. However, we still face a range of challenges to design an AR system that meets the requirements for an AR installation working autonomously in a cultural heritage setting for an extended duration. This article describes the development of two installations for the visualization of a 3D reconstruction of a castle chapel, running autonomously during open hours in the location of a castle museum. We present a convincing 3D visualization running at interactive frame-rates on modern tablets. In one installation, the tablet is connected to a large screen TV for an immersive experience, and, in another, the tablet is hand-held, thus facilitating translational freedom in the chapel. Both installations allow unsupervised usage during museum visiting hours. Based on in-field observations and on-device logging of application usage, user behavior is analyzed and evaluated. Results indicate that users spent a limited amount of time using the application and did not fully explore the visual area of the chapel. In order for the user to spend more time with the application, additional information must be presented to the user.


Abstract Electrical and microphysical measurements were made in warm maritime and inland cumulus clouds, before and after seeding, by repeated aircraft penetrations at a single level, a few hundred meters above cloud base. Such measurements were also made in non-seeded clouds by single penetrations during transient flights. The electric field initially was negative in the maritime clouds which developed rain. In the cloud case which dissipated without rain it was initially positive. The field showed sign reversal with time, occasionally preceded by intensification, in all maritime clouds. The field initially was positive in inland clouds. It showed no time variation except in one cloud case where both positive and negative fields were recorded during the period of heavy rain. The droplet charge, droplet median volume diameter and liquid water content showed no marked time variation in either maritime or inland clouds. However, in the cloud case which developed heavy rain marked increases in droplet median...


Study Design: This was a prospective study. Purpose: The aim of this study was to introduce a new slump sitting method radiographs and to compare the angular range of motion (ROM) and displacement between conventional flexion view method and slump sitting radiograph. Overview of Literature: Most patients have mechanical low back pain and lumbar instability is considered to be responsible for most chronic and recurrent pain. Dynamic radiographs have been used to identify spinal instability. Methods: After ethics committee permission, this study was initiated. Sixty patients were enrolled in the study after obtaining written informed consent. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups: the first group underwent slump view then conventional view, and the second group underwent conventional view then slump view followed all patient's extension radiographs taken. Angular and displacement measurements of the lumbar spine were carried out and compared. Results: Of 60 patients, 40 patients and 26 patients were found instability with slump radiographs and conventional flexion radiographs, respectively. When slump and conventional method were compared, the lumbar flexions were larger in slump radiographs. There were 22.35° of additional global flexion (L1/S1) (P < 0.0001) in slump radiographs when compared with conventional radiographs. Greater global flexion using slump method was found at all lumbar segments with L1/L2 contributing 1.15°; P = 0.009, L2/L3 contributing 3.41°; P < 0001, L3/L4 contributing 5.25°; P < 0.001, L4/L5 5.23°; P < 0.001 with the main contributor being L5/S1 7.41°; P < 0001. When slump and conventional method were compared in terms of displacement, there were no significant differences. Conclusion: The slump siting radiographs in lumbar spine instability effectively show the increase in global flexion with significant improvement in segmental flexion. Slump siting radiograph produces more stress in the entire lumbar spine, especially in lower lumbar spine to diagnose lumbar spine instability. Hence, slump sitting dynamic radiograph was shown to be superior to the conventional forward flexion method in measuring the angular ROM and noninferior to the conventional method in the measurement of displacement


Bony fishes are excellent experimental models that have been used extensively in biochemical and molecular genetic studies. As proteins are isolated and characterized from these organisms, information on codon usage by bony fishes can be used for subsequent recombinant DNA studies. Codon usage and nucleotide bias within codons from three species of bony fishes and two composites of 14 and 15 bony-fish species were analyzed. Although differences in codon usage increased from seven amino acids between fish species to eight amino acids between fish genera, the small number of differences (3 amino acids) between a single species and a fish composite minus that species suggests that codon usage tables constructed from large numbers of fish species are representative of bony fish in general. Furthermore, we found few differences in codon usage between two vertebrate phyla (fish and rat). Codons in fish DNA sequences end predominantly in G or C, even though the coding sequences are not enriched in these nucleotides. This positional base bias can be used to locate putative protein coding regions in fish DNA sequences.


Stevns Klint is a 14.5 km long coastal cliff south of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a classical Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary locality and constitutes the type locality of the Danian Stage together with the nearby Faxe quarry. The irregular coastal topography, the presence of numerous old quarries in the upper, Danian part of the cliff section, and the inaccessibility of parts of the coast makes it difficult to construct an exact geological profile of the whole length of the cliff. Until now the only profile is a fine engraved pen drawing from a boat by Puggaard in 1853. We present a new profile of the cliff constructed on the basis of multi-model photogrammetric mapping of a long series of overlapping photographs taken from a small airplane. This was supplemented by photography and observations from a boat and from the beach. The exposed succession is about 45 m thick and is subdivided into a series of new lithostratigraphic units. It shows the stratigraphic evolution from the uppermost Maastrichtian, across the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary and into the lower Danian. The position of the boundary varies from about 5 m below to about 30 m above present day sea level. The irregular relief has been interpreted as due to Paleogene folding but it actually represents a depositional sea-floor topography. The lower part of the succession comprises about 25 m of upper Maastrichtian benthos-rich chalk of the new Sigerslev Member showing irregular low-amplitude mounded bedding outlined by thin layers of nodular flint, passing upward into benthos-poor, gently wavy to almost horizontally bedded chalk poor in flint. The member is capped by a double incipient hardground and a prominent marker band of nodular flint, occurring 30–50 cm beneath the upper hardground can be followed along the length of the cliff. The upper hardground is overlain by uppermost Maastrichtian bryozoan chalk wackestone deposited in low asymmetrical mounds of the new Højerup Member. It is 4–5 m thick in the southern part of the cliff, thins gradually to the north, and has wedged out almost completely at the northern end of the cliff. The new Sigerslev and Højerup Members form the top part of the Maastrichtian Tor Formation in the Stevns Klint area. It is overlain by the new lowermost Danian Fiskeler Member (P0 foraminifer Zone) which drapes the troughs between the mound crests and wedges out gradually towards the margins of the troughs. It is generally about 5–10 cm thick and passes gradually upwards into the strongly burrowed new Cerithium Limestone Member (Pα–P1a Zones), which is up to 60 cm thick. The Fiskeler and Cerithium Limestone Members form the new Rødvig Formation. An erosional hardground surface truncates the top of the Cerithium Limestone Member and the intervening crests of the uppermost Maastrichtian mounds of the Højerup Member. The surface is overlain by lower Danian bryozoan packstone–rudstone mound complexes (foraminifer zones P1b–P1c , local coccolith zones 2–3, Nannoplankton Zones D2–D3). The internal architecture of the mounds is outlined by thick black flint layers and the mounded bryozoan limestone belongs to the new Korsnæb Member of the new Stevns Klint Formation. Up to 20 m of bryozoan limestone are preserved beneath the Quaternary deposits, forming the top of the cliff succession. The new photogrammetric profile may serve as an excursion guide, as a basis for detailed sedimentological study, and for biostratigraphical, geochemical and palaeomagnetic sampling. Finally, it illustrates the geometry, dimensions and architecture of one of the finest carbonate mound complexes known.