As most of the developing countries Pakistan has not yet structure the national innovation system with any concrete policies in order to assist their domestic requirement without comprehensive development of their R&D capabilities. As compares to some of the emerging economies Pakistan National innovation system (NIS) unfortunately operated in isolation unsynchronized structure may cause serious challenge for R&D sector that still unable to developed innovational capabilities. This research study highlights the potential gaps in national innovation structure to facilitate the R&D sector. This research study explore the significance of innovation capabilities as during the development of national innovation policy to support the innovation structure.


ABSTRACT Recent scholarship has argued that the concept of highbrow culture is undergoing radical changes, both in content and modes of appropriation. We introduce a new layer to this debate by bringing to the fore the format of the cultural product, distinguishing between "live" cultural products (concerts, exhibitions, live shows) and "recordings" (distributable items such as books or music albums). Using culture sections of newspapers (The Guardian, Le Monde, ABC, El País, Helsingin Sanomat, Dagens Nyheter) from 1960 to 2010 (n = 11,775) we ask what role the format of the cultural product plays for the highbrow/non-highbrow trajectories over time. We show that highbrow coverage faces a relative decline, mostly explained by the expanding non-highbrow arts coverage. Moreover, coverage on live events decreases, while coverage of recordings grows. This trend reflects the highbrow/non-highbrow divide, revealing that the "decline of the highbrow" phenomenon is under closer scrutiny a "decline of the highbrow live event".


Having a baby admitted to intensive care is a terrible experience for parents and if the baby dies it is devastating. Not infrequently, death on a neonatal unit follows a decision to withdraw intensive care. No parent is emotionally prepared to deal with this process and its sequelae. Medical and nursing staff, too, are often left with a feeling of inadequacy—that it could have been handled better. Hazel McHaffie has assembled data that, if used by professionals, might make such events less terrible for parents in the future.

The book presents a descriptive study undertaken in three regional neonatal referral centres in Scotland. Five consultant neonatologists were co-researchers, and 59 families participated—41 married couples, 14 unmarried but in partnership and 4 single mothers. For 18 mothers this was their first pregnancy; the remaining 41 had had between one and five previous pregnancies. There were eight multiple pregnancies—five sets of twins and three sets of triplets or quads. Of 62 babies, 34 were born at 28 weeks' gestation or below and 10 were over 40 weeks. The neonatologists referred parents after the initial bereavement appointment. Those agreeing to take part were seen by a single interviewer (HM) 3 months and 13 months after the death of their baby, and semi-structured interviews were used to document their perceptions of different aspects of the events and communication. This is a thorough and extensive piece of work, including much original material. For clinical staff—medical and nursing—I feel the key chapters are those on 'Decision Making' (decision to withdraw care), 'Management of Dying' and 'Follow-up'. Each chapter describes what happened, what the parents' perceptions were, what elements were supportive or satisfactory, and what was unhelpful or unsatisfactory.

In decision making the key elements were that parents needed clear information given in a supportive, unhurried manner, and that they did want to be actively involved. An atmosphere of mutual respect between staff and parents was appreciated, enabling parents to feel part of a decision-making team. Delays in imparting knowledge, or with-holding of information in order to 'protect' parents, were unhelpful and could lead to distrust. A named consultant was seen as the key person in conducting discussions, and neonatal nurses were vital in supporting parents throughout the process. Some parents found their general practitioner or religious minister helpful, and hospital chaplains were frequently involved. Friends and relatives were of limited help at this time, so the sympathetic support of staff within the neonatal unit was particularly important. Attention to practicalities such as availability of a private room, a telephone and food and drinks was appreciated.

Almost all parents were involved in the dying process, although inevitably for some the death was too quick or too slow for them to feel comfortable. A rapid deterioration, with death occurring shortly after withdrawal of care, was usually seen as confirmation that the decision had been right, while some parents experienced an unexpectedly long decline which was almost unbearable. Many parents commented with surprise about the degree of compassion and emotional involvement of staff, and were much comforted by the fact that nurses and even senior consultants so obviously cared about their individual baby. But things can go wrong: some parents felt unprepared for the nature of the death, others doubted the decision. A thoughtless comment or inappropriate laughter nearby could be deeply hurtful, and conflicting information must be avoided. However, with an honest and sensitive approach combining respect, dignity and privacy while maintaining support, the death of a baby can be handled well.

The importance of timely and sympathetic follow-up is emphasized, with clear messages about what is helpful or hurtful to parents who are grieving and vulnerable. Time, sensitivity and familiar understanding staff are crucial. It is noteworthy that many parents benefited from participation in the study. Although they knew the interviews were not for counselling but simply for gathering of information, they expressed relief at sharing their feelings with a sensitive listener. The book covers other important issues such as requesting necropsy, management of the funeral, and the effect of an infant's death on the rest of the family. Mother's and father's feelings and opinions were often different, and this could lead to conflict and depression. Recognition of the longer-lasting effects of neonatal death is important if parents are to recover and move forward.

When I picked up this book, I was somewhat daunted by over 400 pages on withdrawal of care. However, it is well laid out and each chapter is divided into many clearly titled sections. Real parents in a real situation are the best teachers, and I found it highly informative. Anyone who is faced with decisions on treatment withdrawal in infancy can learn from Hazel McHaffie's excellent and monumental work.


Abstract This paper investigates the channel state information (CSI) conditions in visible light non-orthogonal multiple access (VL-NOMA) using the power allocation technique (PA) for a sixth-generation (6G) network. One light-emitting diode (LED) is used as a carrier to transmit the signal to three-user-positioned at certain distances. The challenge of allocating power to the system is solved using the PA technique. The PA technique uses to assign signal powers to the three users. The VL-NOMA channel with CSI symbols is synchronized for the performance of signal propagation. We deployed perfect CSI, imperfect CSI, and partial CSI to coordinate the signal enhancement that results in an improved data rate, higher channel capacity, and improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The synchronized system model guarantees successful signal enhancement where perfect CSI performs better than partial CSI and imperfect CSI. We have enabled interference plus noise to see how the system behaves. We notice low channel capacity region, low data rate performance, etc. Hence, we analyse the PA to determine the outage probability effect on the signal.


Abstract : Prostate cancer poses a major public health problem in the United States and worldwide. It has the highest incidence and is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in North American men resulting in over 30,000 deaths per annum. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic approaches. We propose to use a novel cyclotide-based molecular scaffold for generating molecular libraries that will be screened and selected in vivo to identify antagonists of the RING-mediated Hdm2/Hdmx interaction. Our innovative approach will use cell-based E. coli libraries in which individual bacteria express a different cyclotide. This comprises a new single cell-single compound approach to identify protein-protein binding antagonists. These compounds will be subjected to a two-step screen, the first involving a high throughput FRET-based FACS screen in bacteria, and the second a bioluminescence complementation assay in cancer cells. Together, these assays will identify cyclotides that disrupt Hdm2-Hdmx interactions, activate p53, and elicit p53-dependent cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells. During the second year of this project we have accomplished the following: 1) Developed a more efficient method for the biosynthesis of cyclotides in E. coli cells; 2) We have validated our FRET-based reporter to sort cell populations; 3) Developed and characterized a novel cyclotide with p53 activating properties.


Dynamic voltage/frequency scaling (DVFS) and adaptive body biasing (ABB) have shown to effectively reduce dynamic and leakage energy consumption in real-time embedded systems. Although these techniques exploit the slack time on a given task ordering, the task ordering may not provide a slack time distribution that DVFS/ABB can benefit from and this can limit the potential energy saving such techniques can provide. In this paper, we present an optimal network flow based solution for simultaneous static real-time scheduling and energy minimization (DVFS and ABB) on multiprocessors. Results show that our optimal solution reduces the energy dissipation by 47.84%, 26.21% and 17.46%, on average, in comparison with no-DVFS execution, voltage scaling algorithm with virtual continuous speed [1] and an optimal energy minimization algorithm without task re-ordering [2], respectively.


1 ABSTRACT: Parks are an important aspect of an ideal city. In the "neighborhood development" concept, the public park is the core of a neighborhood block, which is one of the basic components of the city. Using the neighborhood parks in Kitakyushu, Japan, as a case study, this research proposes an evaluation system for parks in urban area. First, the study uses GIS to identify each neighborhood park and define the neighborhood community. It then classifies neighborhood parks according to the land-use pattern of their communities. Next, the study develops an assessment index and used it for principal component analysis. Finally, based on the results of the analysis, the study comprehensively evaluates the community and park system in Kitakyushu city, Japan. The findings suggest that comparative evaluation between the different parks can help in understanding the characteristics and problems of existing information.


The solution of the problem of the assurance of competitive ability and quality of engineering products during their design and manufacturing is stated. The dependence for the definition of a complex factor of engineering product competitive ability is shown. The concept of life optimum is given. The structural procedures for the solution of problems of a designer and technologist for the assurance of engineering product quality are shown.


The effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) and medium conditioned by glioma cells (GCM) on the survival of chicken sensory neurons in culture was investigated. Neurons were isolated from embryos 8 days (E8) to 16 days (E16) old and the proportion of surviving neurons was determined after 2 days in culture. In the absence of NGF or GCM, essentially no neurons survived at any age. In the presence of NGF, survival increased from 25% of the neurons at E8 to 40% between E10 and E12 and then decreased to background level (5%) at E16. In contrast, in the presence of GCM, survival increased continuously from 10% of the neurons at E8 to 75% at E16. At early developmental stages, the effect of NGF and GCM together was greater than the sum of their individual effects: at E8, about 80% of the neurons survived, double the number expected for a simple additive effect. Thus, a significant proportion of chicken neurons from dorsal root ganglia require both NGF and GCM for survival, and this may well include neurons from the ventro-lateral population, which do not respond to NGF alone. As neurons matured, the double requirement progressively decreased and, by E16, NGF no longer increased the number of neurons over that surviving in response to GCM alone. The facts that rat brain extracts mimicked the effect of GCM and that the potency of the brain extracts of rat in the postnatal period increased in parallel with the development of the glial cells suggest that glial cells produce a factor(s) both immunologically and functionally different from NGF which supports the survival of sensory neurons.


In Minority Business Success, authors Leonard Greenhalgh and James Lowry chart a path for the full participation of minority businesses in the U.S. economy. Today, minorities are well on their way to becoming the majority of our workforce and a large part of our entrepreneurial endeavors; their full contribution is essential to national competitive advantage in a global economy. The beginning of this book summarizes demographic changes in America and shows why it's in the national interest to foster the survival, prosperity, and growth of minority-owned businesses. The authors outline why these businesses are vital to the solution to our current economic woes. Next, the book turns to what minority firms must do to take their place in major value chains, and, finally, the book examines what governments, corporations, and support organizations ought to be doing to foster minority inclusion. In total, Greenhalgh and Lowry lay out a new paradigm for developing minority businesses so that they can fully contribute to our national competitive advantage and prosperity.


The straight mathematical analysis of the damping problem on the synchronous machine leads to very complicated results. From these results, the conception of the phenomena occurring in the machine is very difficult and in addition the formulas obtained are so long that the calculation becomes tedious and errors can easily be made. In this paper, an attempt has been made to find a simple physical explanation for the positive and negative damping torques of the synchronous machine and on this basis to derive simpler formulas for the calculation of the damping torques. It has been found that the torque of the synchronous machine, as a double-fed machine, consists of three components, two dependent on the speed of the machine and the third dependent on the angle between the rotating field and the rotor. When the synchronous machine oscillates, the change of the first two components produces positive and negative damping torques of the synchronous machine. The change of the third component produces the synchronizing torque. The positive damping torque depends mainly on the primary voltage and secondary resistance; the negative damping torque depends mainly on the excitation and the primary resistance. This knowledge made it possible to derive a simple and very accurate formula for the positive damping torque as well as a simple approximate formula for negative damping torque. On the basis of these formulas, the influence of the two axes of the machine on the damping can be easily found. A comparison between the results obtained by using the simple formulas and the long accurate formulas as well as a comparison between calculation and test on a small machine have been carried through.


Early extubation of ELBW and VLBW premature infants treated with IMV results in decreased incidence of tracheal and laryngeal injury, lowers the risk of nosocomial infection, decreases the severity and frequency of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Due to prematurity this group of patients is especially susceptible to extubation failure because of apnoe, hypoventilation and atelectasis. In clinical practice attempt was made to provide adequate noninvasive ventilation by the use of nasal intermittent mandatory ventilation in the case of apnoe of prematurity. Advantages of noninvasive nasal IMV oppose the risk of stomach distension and regurgitation due to high tension of pylorus combined with inadequate cardia tension. The aim of study was the evaluation of noninvasive nasal IMV effectiveness along with a risk of abdominal distension caused by air trapping. 32 patients were examined during one year of studies. In all but one the use of nasal intermittent mandatory ventilation resulted in decreased incidence of apnoe of prematurity. Satisfactory levels of SaO2 and pCO2 were achieved without endotracheal tube placement, avoiding the risks of nosocomial pneumonia and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.


BACKGROUND Limited data exist with regard to longer-term mental health and psychological functioning of children born from IVF treatment. With the known adverse perinatal outcome for children born from IVF treatment, it would be expected that there is a negative impact upon their mental development. METHODS A search strategy restricted to studies relating to the medical condition of children of at least 1 year of age, born from IVF treatment was performed to include case series, data linkage and prospective studies published from 1 January 2000 to 1 April 2012. RESULTS Limited long-term follow-up data suggest that there is an increase in the incidence of cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental delay related to the confounders of prematurity and low birthweight. Previous reports of associations with autism and attention-deficit disorder are believed to be related to maternal and obstetric factors. There exists a potential increase in the prevalence of early adulthood clinical depression and binge drinking in the offspring of IVF, with the reassuring data of no changes with respect to cognitive development, school performance, social functioning and behaviour. Whether these potential associations are related to the IVF treatment, the adverse obstetric outcomes associated with IVF treatment, the genetic or subsequent environmental influences on the children is yet to be determined. CONCLUSIONS In general, the longer-term mental and emotional health outcome for children born from IVF treatment is reassuring, and is very similar to that of naturally conceived children; however, further studies are required to explore any association with depression, and its causality in more detail.


This article summarizes some basic concepts in AVO processing and the computation of prestack seismic attributes. Seismic modelling forms the basis for understanding the seismic signature. It helps in the prediction of reservoir characteristics away from well control points. Reliable estimation of petrophysical parameters is needed as input for such studies. These petrophysical estimates are an integral part of more advanced reservoir characterization and modelling. First, the AVO principles are described and various prestack attributes are presented. Subsequently, the elastic approach is discussed and finally the benefits of seismic modelling with advantages of multi-disciplinary reservoir studies are demonstrated. The amplitude character of seismic reflections varies with offset, due to changes in the angle of incidence. The commondepth- point (CDP) gather (Fig. 1a) shows the variation for different traces. Figure 1b illustrates the changes in the seismic response when a water-wet brine-filled reservoir is replaced by oil or gas. The synthetics are calculated along a normal incidence and zero offset trajectory. The hydrocarbon saturation is set at 80% (Robinson et al., 2005). Both hydrocarbon cases show brightening of the reflection with respect to the brinefilled scenario. The sands have lower acoustic impedance (AI) than the encasing shales. Not only the top reservoir reflection shows this increased contrast tendency, but the seismic loop directly below it also manifests considerable changes. Figure 2 illustrates a positive gas-sand reflection decreasing with offset, while the negative water-wet reservoir above shows less reflectivity change. The polarity of the data is normal, i.e. an increase in acoustic impedance with depth (or hard kick) corresponds to a peak to the right on the seismic traces. The two highlighted reservoirs are of differing petrophysical character and the encasing geology (compaction/lithology) changes with depth. Although this kind of amplitude variation is evident on the prestack CMP gathers, it has been somewhat ignored in the past by interpreters because they work primarily with the stacked migration data set. Nowadays, special studies are conducted on a routine basis to analyse the behaviour of the 'amplitude-versus-offset' (AVO-studies). This type of data contains detailed information on the porefill of reservoirs (e.g. Ostrander 1984; Castagna and Backus 1993; Chiburis et al., 1993; Hilterman 2001; Veeken et al., 2002; Da Silva et al., 2004a). Ultimately it will lead to a more efficient evacuation of hydrocarbons with substantially improved recovery factors (Fig. 3). The amplitude behaviour of the different raypaths also varies according to the porefill and lithology. Water-filled reservoirs often show variations in amplitude with offset that are different from those of hydrocarbon-filled reservoirs. The change in zero-offset reflectivity R0, or intercept, is the most diagnostic feature. The seismic response depends on the encasing geology, porefill, and interference effects. It varies with depth and differs in various parts of the world. Studying the prestack differences in detail can indicate the causes of near- and far-offset amplitude variability (Fig. 4). The seismic signature from a gas sand is different from the brine-filled response when the same reservoir is observed under similar conditions. In such a situation, the encasing geology is probably the same and has little influence on the observed anomalous amplitude behaviour. A distinct change in zero-offset reflectivity is probably the most remarkable phenomenon. Changes in amplitude with offset can occur in hydrocarbon- as well as water-bearing reservoirs; in that case the intercept might contain the vital porefill information. The AVO effect represents a potentially powerful tool to discriminate between water- and hydrocarbon-saturated reservoirs. However, it means going back to the prestack domain. It should be ensured that the data on individual CDP gathers come from a consistent subsurface location. This is generally achieved by a proper migration of the input data set (prestack time migration, Da Silva et al., 2004b). Careful data preconditioning is essential when quantitative interpretation is the ultimate aim (Veeken and Da Silva, 2004).


Mystroxylon aethiopicum has been used by many ethnic groups in Africa for the management of hemorrhagic diarrhea, stomachache, respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections coughs, hypertension and gonorrhea. This study was carried out to identify low molecular weight phytochemicals present in the root bark extract of M. aethiopicum with the aid of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of various low molecular weight phytochemicals which belongs to four groups of secondary metabolites namely sesquiterpenes, dieterpenes, monoterpenes and fatty acids. The presence of these phytochemicals in the plant extract may be positively associated with pharmacological properties of M. aethiopicum and therefore justifying the ethnomedical usage of the plant.

 Key words: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, pharmacological properties, phytochemicals.


Niraj panjiyar Application of Xylanase, Laccase Enzyme And High Ultrasound on Different Non-wood Plants, 21 Pages Saimaa University of Applied Sciences, Imatra Unit of Technology, Degree programme in Chemical Engineering Bachelor ́s Thesis, 2011 Supervisors: Mr Levente Csoka, DrTech, Assistant Professor, University of West Hungary and Mr Jarkko Männysalo,MSc ,Senior Lecturer,Saimaa UAS,Finland The purpose of this bachelor`s thesis was to analyze the effect of properly applied microbial enzymes on non-wood plants delignification, improved fibre flexibility, fibrillation, removal of xylan and facilitated contaminant. The enzyme plays important role in digestion of fibres and removes lignin content of pulp. In the experimental part, two different non-woody plants were experimented: flax, straw. The enzymes Laccase and Xylanase were used. The amount of enzyme was tested in four part: 0.006g,0.042g,0.048g,0,003g.The experiment was carried out with this different amount of enzyme using flax and straw(two non-wood plant).The different parameter were used to analyze their results : change in temperature, concentration of enzyme, change of ultrasound time and change in Ph level. The aim of work was to remove lignin content from non-wood plants with use of enzyme and ultrasound treatment .The parameter like changes in temperature, concentration of enzymes, ultrasound time and pH values were used in this experiment. These play an important role in separation and digestion of much better fibres.


Background: There has been growing concern regarding the impact of air pollution, especially fine dust, on human health. However, it is difficult to estimate the toxicity of fine dust on the human body because of its diverse effects depending on the composition and environmental factors.Results: In this study, we focused on the difference in the biodistribution of fine dust according to the size distribution of particulate matter after inhalation into the body to predict its impact on human health. We synthesized Cy7-doped silica particulate matters (CSPMs) having different particle sizes and employed them as model fine dust, and studied their whole-body in vivo biodistribution in BALB/c nude mice. Image-tracking and quantitative analysis were performed on the ex vivo organs and tissues. Additionally, flow cytometric analysis of single cells isolated from the lungs was performed. Smaller particles with a diameter of less than 100 nm (CSPM0.1) were observed to be removed relatively rapidly from the lungs upon initial inhalation. However, they were confirmed to accumulate continuously over 4 weeks of observation. In particular, smaller particles were found to spread rapidly to other organs during the early stages of inhalation.Conclusions: It is expected that the effect of fine dust on human health can be predicted through the differences in in vivo behavior that arise depending on the particle size. This study might provide with insights on association between CSPM0.1 accumulation in several organs including the lungs and adverse effect to underlying diseases in the organs.


ABSTRACT Zheng, Y.; Zhang, L.; Yang, B.; Zhang, G.; Liu, T., and Liu, S., 2020. Efficient classification method of marine GIS remote sensing database under dynamic complex network. In: Yang, D.F. and Wang, H. (eds.), Recent Advances in Marine Geology and Environmental Oceanography. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 108, pp. 63–67. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In the traditional marine GIS database of remote sensing classification process, the classification accuracy is low, and the classification effect is not ideal. Therefore, an effective classification method based on relevant evidence for remote sensing database of marine GIS is proposed. The n-gram algorithm is used to calculate the GIS remote sensing data records, and the n-gram values representing the attributes of each record are obtained. The similarity of remote sensing data records is calculated, and the similar and repeated remote sensing data records are removed by sorting and merging. According to the theory of evidence and the relevant evidence synthesis method, the marine remote sensing data of GIS is applied to neural network classifier, and the classification is performed based on the results. The experimental results show that this method has the advantages of good performance, high classification accuracy, high recall rate, and high data-cleaning precision.


A coevolutionary model is developed of the interaction between a host and an internal parasitoid, where the outcome of parasitism depends upon the extent to which individual hosts invest in resistance mechanisms and individual parasitoids in countermeasures (virulence). The host and parasitoid are assumed to have coupled population dynamics (of Nicholson–Bailey form) and to be composed of a series of asexual clones with different levels of resistance and virulence. Investment in resistance and virulence mechanisms is assumed to be costly. The model has two main outcomes. First, if resistance is relatively costly compared to virulence, the host may be selected not to invest in resistance mechanisms despite parasitoid investment in virulence, in effect trading off the risks of parasitism against the savings in costs. A number of cases which appear to correspond to this result have been reported. Second, for most other feasible parameter values, an arms race occurs between host and parasitoid, until effective resistance becomes so costly that the host abandons defence. This abandonment is followed by a reduction in parasitoid virulence and the cycle begins again. These cycles may explain reports of persistent additive genetic variation in resistance and virulence, and may also contribute towards population dynamic stability.


Swine are implicated as one of the important contributors of foodborne infections in humans. Management systems influence presence of and exposure to infections. Trichinellosis, a neglected tropical disease is widely misdiagnosed due to its similarities in clinical signs to a lot of ailments. We investigated the prevalence of Trichinella specific antibodies in pigs raised under different management systems in Southwestern Nigeria. Blood samples (450) were collected from different pigs raised under intensive, semi-intensive and extensive management systems between January and December, 2010. Demographic factors like age and sex were also recorded. The overall prevalence of trichinellosis in Southwestern Nigeria was 10.89%. The extensive system had the highest prevalence (12.80%) followed by the semi-intensive (10.00%) and intensive (9.00%) systems. The prevalence was 12.44%, 8.28% and 12.50% in adults, growers and weaners respectively. The males had a prevalence of 12.17% while females had a prevalence of 9.55%. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between ages and sexes. Farm observations revealed most intensively managed farms were neither rodent nor wild-life free. To enhance the chances of raising Trichinella infection-free pigs, adherence to strict biosecurity measures is recommended in intensive management.


AIMS
The present study was undertaken to investigate the concordance between longitudinal two-dimensional (2D)-speckle-tracking data and endocardial mapping for localizing atrioventricular accessory pathways (AP), and whether longitudinal 2D-speckle-tracking imaging accurately identifies the contractile abnormalities associated with AP and the effect of radiofrequency ablation.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Echocardiograms were repeated twice in 40 patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome (before and early after ablation) and in 40 healthy controls to obtain longitudinal 2D strain and strain rate data. The site of ablation was considered as the gold standard for the AP localization. While control patients had a homogeneous strain pattern, all but two patients with WPW had an abnormal deformation pattern with three peaks in one or two basal contiguous segments: an early peak concomitantly with the delta wave followed by a systolic and a post-sytolic one. The rapid increase in LV longitudinal deformation within the basal pre-excited zone resulted in a pre-systolic peak strain rate at the beginning of the delta wave by SR imaging that was not found in controls. The early basal contraction spread towards the mid-ventricle before merging with the normal activated segments in 15 patients (39%). Contractile abnormalities were no more than one adjacent segment different compared with the AP ablation site in all these 38 patients. Regional strain was impaired in the pre-excited areas especially in AP localized in the interventricular septum. The abnormal deformation pattern persisted in 16 (42%) patients despite successful radiofrequency ablation. However, the difference in the regional strain between WPW patients and controls did not remain after ablation.

CONCLUSION
Longitudinal 2D-speckle-tracking data accurately match with endocardial mapping findings for localizing AP. Longitudinal 2D-speckle-tracking imaging accurately identifies AP-associated contractile abnormalities. Longitudinal 2D-speckle-tracking identifies persistence of local ventricular pre-excitation immediately after successful ablation.


In this paper we introduce a program for testing for habitat filtering in local communities compared to a regional species pool. Based on phylogenetic or functional species data, the program first calculates the mean species dissimilarity in the local community. Next, it compares this value with a null distribution of expected values obtained drawing species randomly and without replacement from the regional species pool.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rare in women of reproductive age. If diagnosed, the underlying cirrhosis is associated with infertility in the majority of cases. There is limited literature on HCC in pregnancy, even more so for cases of metastatic disease. We present a case of delayed presentation and diagnosis of metastatic HCC in pregnancy. A 30-year-old pregnant woman presented at 23 weeks' gestation and was diagnosed as HIV-infected, with anaemia. She was initiated on an efavirenz-based fixed-dose combination and oral haematinics. She subsequently presented at 32 weeks' gestation with dyspnoea, and was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. She was also found to have hepatosplenomegaly and ascites. She went into spontaneous preterm labour at 32 weeks and 4 days. A diagnosis of metastatic HCC was made postpartum, based on the radiological findings and biochemistry. We discuss the challenges of diagnosing metastatic HCC in pregnancy.


Alpha amanitin and phalloidin are powerful hepatotoxins that belong to the main classes of toxins namely, amatoxins and phallotoxins, isolated from the deadly poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides. It is well known that disruptions of antioxidant enzyme defense that include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase lead to generation of reactive oxygen species, followed by increase in the products of lipid peroxidation. Our previous studies showed that alpha amanitin and phalloidin could inhibit catalase activity. These generated the interest to study the in vitro behaviour of both toxins on SOD activity using spectrophotometry. Our result showed some slight increase of SOD after incubation of the enzyme and toxins. Superoxide anion scavenging activity (SSA) of alpha amanitin and phalloidin was also studied. It was established that both toxins, like the enzyme, exhibit SSA activity. It was obvious that at our experimental conditions alpha amanitin and phalloidin behaved as antioxidants.


TNF-α is a major inflammatory cytokine named for its ability to induce rapid hemorrhagic necrosis of experimental cancers. During efforts to harness this antitumor activity in cancer treatments in the 1980s, a paradoxical tumor-promoting role of TNF became apparent. The cellular and molecular complexity of mammalian tumor microenvironments makes these opposing effects difficult to study. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster provides a simpler model system for studying complex cellular and genetic interactions that lead to tumor formation and progression. The paper from Marcos Vidal's group shows that both the tumor-suppressing and tumor-promoting roles of TNF are conserved in Drosophila, and that oncogenic Ras is the switch. The links between inflammation and cancer are now more fully understood, but it is still not clear whether TNF has potential as a target or a therapeutic in malignant disease, or both. Research in an invertebrate organism may provide important insights.


São Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world, with 10 million inhabitants in the municipality and 17 million in the metropolitan area. Population growth rate has decreased in the last decades and economic activities are being decentralized to its surrounding areas. Nevertheless the number of vehicles registered in the city has been growing at a much higher rate (4% per year) than population and road network. Total vehicle fleet is 5,497,633. Besides causing increasing problems of traffic safety and flow, transport is responsible for most of the air pollution emissions in the area, nowadays. This chapter describes the main programs implemented in the last years in order to improve traffic and public transport problems, by local government, and to solve air pollution problems, by state government. City programs concentrated mainly in increasing mobility and improving the quality of the buses and vans used in the public transportation system, in order to prevent growth in the use of private cars for daily activities. State action concentrated in air pollution control programs: setting emissions standards, air quality standards and control measures. Investment is also being done in construction of a ring road around the metropolitan area (Rodoanel) and in expansion of the subway lines network. Air emission trends are discussed in view of recent pollution data and air quality trends are analysed for different pollutants: particles, SO2, CO, ozone, VOC and toxic pollutants. Finally, prospects for the future are discussed in view of the conclusion that control measures, technology, cooperation, negotiation and education achieved positive results and are important tools to minimize health hazards and promote good quality of life. Nonetheless, a lot remains to be done in order to attain stricter standards like the European regulations. www.witpress.com, ISSN 1755-8336 (on-line) WIT Transactions on State of the Art in Science and Engineering, Vol 22, © 2005 WIT Press doi:10.2495/978-1-85312-799-1/06 108 Advances in City Transport: Case Studies


Background The two major indications for tonsillectomy are recurrent tonsillitis (RT) and peritonsillar abscess (PTA). Unlike PTAs, which are primarily treated surgically, RT is often cured by tonsillectomy only after a series of failed drug therapy attempts. Although the bacteriological background of RT has been studied, the reason for the lack of success of conservative therapeutic approaches is not well understood. Methods In a prospective study, tonsil specimens from 130 RT patients and 124 PTA patients were examined for the presence of extra- and intracellular bacteria using antibiotic protection assays. Staphylococcus aureus isolates from RT patients were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), spa-typing and MSCRAMM-gene-PCR. Their ability for biofilm formation was tested and their cell invasiveness was confirmed by a flow cytometric invasion assay (FACS), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry. Findings S. aureus was the predominant species (57.7%) in RT patients, whereas Streptococcus pyogenes was most prevalent (20.2%) in PTA patients. Three different assays (FACS, FISH, antibiotic protection assay) showed that nearly all RT-associated S. aureus strains were located inside tonsillar cells. Correspondingly, the results of the MSCRAMM-gene-PCRs confirmed that 87% of these S. aureus isolates were invasive strains and not mere colonizers. Based upon PFGE analyses of genomic DNA and on spa-gene typing the vast majority of the S. aureus isolates belonged to different clonal lineages. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that intracellular residing S. aureus is the most common cause of RT and indicate that S. aureus uses this location to survive the effects of antibiotics and the host immune response. A German translation of the Abstract is provided as supplementary material (Abstract S1).


The absorptance of different oil painted surfaces to total solar radiation depends mainly on their color. The surface coating color of buildings, greenhouses, mulchs and absorbers (solar collectors) affect the amount of absorbed total solar radiation. The surface is heated much when its absorptance has a higher value and vice versa. To test the absorptance of 11 coated surfaces and one sheet without color, an experimental setup to measure the surface temperature is designed and installed at Mansoura University, Egypt. The absorptance of these locally coated surfaces is calculated. Results have shown that, (G.I) sheets coated with black bored (Bb), polish black (Pb), brown (Br), red (R), violet (V), green (G), blue (Blu), G.I. sheet without color, dark yellow (Yd), yellow (Y), silver (S) and white (W), are 0.92, 0.886, 0.881, 0.852, 0.844, 0.824, 0.823, 0.794, 0.782, 0.777, 0.716 and 0.661 respectively.


The 2019 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) was held in Canada for the first time during 29 September–2 October. More than 6,000 petroleum professionals attended the event in Calgary, which offered a comprehensive review of technical topics related to industry productivity, digital transformation, safety, and sustainability.••
 •
 Industry's Difficult Task: Meet Global Demand While Lowering Emissions
 John Donnelly, JPT Editor
 The oil and gas industry must not only adapt to heightened public and government scrutiny on environmental issues but also be a leader in the world's quest for a lower-carbon energy future, panelists agreed during the opening session at the conference.
 The panel session, titled "Positively Impacting the World through Responsible Energy Development," featured participants from BP, Baker Hughes, Gazprom Neft, and ARC Energy Research•Institute.
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 Industry Strives To Leave Operations Alone
 Adam Wilson, Special Publications Editor
 Having rigs that run without people can increase safety and efficiency. The industry has known that for years, yet implementing these remote operations sometimes has been a challenge, and integrating these operations has been an even larger challenge. That was the topic at a panel dinner held by SPE's Digital Energy Technical Section during the conference.
 "Remote has been embedded in the digital concept for over 10 or 15 years," said Tony Edwards, chief executive officer of Stepchange Global and moderator of the panel. "The idea of taking data information from your operations center, bringing it to the back office, and actually being able to do something is core to the digital oilfield integrated operations concept for 10 or 15 years now."
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 Bandwidth of Nanotechnology in the Oil Field Widens
 Judy Feder, Technology Editor
 On the final day of the conference, attendees filled a hall to listen to seven experts discuss the value to the oil and gas industry of particles that are less than 1 micron in length. Nanotechnology has great potential to reduce cost, increase production, and even improve the sustainability of E&P operations.
 The gap between potential and reality is closing, the number of applications is growing, and the industry is ready and willing to use nanotechnology if it can be shown to deliver better performance for less money, according to the panelists and moderators—Steven Bryant of the University of Calgary; Hugh Daigle of The University of Texas at Austin; Ramanan Krishnamoorti of the University of Houston; Oya Karazincir of Chevron; Reinhard Pongratz and Philipp Urban of OMV Exploration; and Hui Zhang of M-I Swaco.
 Nanotech in oil and gas has become a hammer with many nails.
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 Women in Energy Share Tips, Tricks, and Wisdom at Inaugural Meeting
 Judy Feder, Technology Editor
 The real challenge of attracting and retaining women in the upstream oil and gas industry has nothing to do with gender, said four industry leaders at the inaugural SPE Women in Engineering Committee Breakfast.
 The four—incoming SPE President Shauna Noonan, director of artificial lift engineering for Occidental Petroleum; Helen Chang, chief engineer for Alberta Energy Regulator; Lils Groenendaal, venture planning transition manager for Shell Exploration & Production; and panel moderator Melanie Popp, director of engineering for geoLOGIC Systems— came together to share their thoughts about personal and professional engagement, empowerment, and success with existing and new SPE members. In the course of the discussion, the panelists agreed that the real challenge of attracting and retaining all talent— not just women—is tied to the industry's unintentional "brand" among people outside it.
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 Canadian Startups Shine in Calgary Contest
 Trent Jacobs, JPT Digital Editor
 They are among the smallest companies in a business dominated by big ones. Yet, despite their size, technology startups have become central to the upstream industry's mandate to adopt cost-saving and production-enhancing innovations. As more begin to agree with this idea, the infrastructure that supports the oil and gas startup ecosystem is strengthening.
 The latest evidence came during the SPE 2019 Annual Technology Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) where a dozen startups were invited to take part in the third annual Energy Startup Competition. The event falls under the broader program that is the ATCE Startup Village.
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 2020 SPE President Promises to Focus on Strengthening Organization's Engineering Core
 Trent Jacobs, JPT Digital Editor
 This year's conference wrapped up with the ceremonial induction of the new 2020 SPE President, Shauna Noonan, who is the director of artificial lift engineering for Occidental Petroleum.
 Noonan's ascendance to the organization's top volunteer position comes after she served on the SPE's board of directors and authored and coauthored more than 25 technical publications. An SPE member since her time as an engineering student at the University of Alberta, Noonan said it was "surreal" to be assuming the presidency in her home province. The annual conference was held in Calgary for the first time.


In this paper prize is seen as a sign of distinction and point is made to its ephemeral quality and its connection with the cultural canon, which is reserved for the few cultural heroes and their deeds. Then, on the example of some of the most famous European and national awards, the paper has indicated their prestige and market role. Special attention is given to the media presentation of the awards and the fact that in the absence of media attention the winner and the awarded work are deprived of the presentation to the public. In the final part of the paper, the importance of award receiving is underlined as a social ceremony.


Using the nonlinear propagation properties of ultrashort laser pulses in air, we were able to produce long ionized filaments that served to guide spark discharges. With a laser pulse energy of 20 mJ, one or two ionized filaments were created and could guide streamer discharges over 2 m air gaps, where the electric field was fairly uniform and had an average value of 0.6 MV/m. Such a guiding effect was observed for times of 1–3 μs after the laser pulse created the ionized filaments. Longer delays (10–15 μs) were recorded at higher laser pulse energy, with a larger number of filaments. Images of the early stages of the discharge of a uniform air gap show that the laser-produced ionized filaments do not initiate the discharge process but act rather as preferred channels where the leader growth is accelerated. In the end, these straight conductive channels carry the arc current as the voltage in the gap breaks down.


The purpose of this study is to explore students' activities and behaviors in virtual class environment, at one of private universities in Indonesia. The methodology used in this study was first determining the indicators used, i.e. visit frequency, visit duration, module view, and discussion activity, then observing the system log files to get the data and analyzing whether any difference in the activities based on student's profiles, i.e. gender and department, using Independent Samples T Test. The sample used in this study was 84 students taught by 2 different lecturers. The results showed that mastery in information technology or computer self-efficacy has no effect on students' activeness. Students from Information System department, which are considered to have more knowledge about information technology, are less active than Economics students. Female students are more active than male students. Student activeness is influenced by institutional policy and the role of lecturer as a facilitator and mediator.


Quickly and correctly mapping soil nutrients significantly impact accurate fertilization, food security, soil productivity, and sustainable agricultural development. We evaluated the potential of the new PRISMA hyperspectral sensor for mapping soil organic matter (SOM), available soil phosphorus (P2O5), and potassium (K2O) content over a cultivated area in Khouribga, northern Morocco. These soil nutrients were estimated using (i) the random forest (RF) algorithm based on feature selection methods, including feature subset evaluation and feature ranking methods belonging to three categories (i.e., filter, wrapper, and embedded techniques), and (ii) 107 soil samples taken from the study area. The results show that the RF-embedded method produced better predictive accuracy compared with the filter and wrapper methods. The model for SOM showed moderate accuracy (Rval2 = 0.5, RMSEP = 0.43%, and RPIQ = 2.02), whereas that for soil P2O5 and K2O exhibited low efficiency (Rval2 = 0.26 and 0.36, RMSEP = 51.07 and 182.31 ppm, RPIQ = 0.65 and 1.16, respectively). The interpolation of RF-residuals by ordinary kriging (OK) methods reached the highest predictive results for SOM (Rval2 = 0.69, RMSEP = 0.34%, and RPIQ = 2.56), soil P2O5 (Rval2 = 0.44, RMSEP = 44.10 ppm, and RPIQ = 0.75), and soil K2O (Rval2 = 0.51, RMSEP = 159.29 ppm, and RPIQ = 1.34), representing the best fitting ability between the hyperspectral data and soil nutrients. The result maps provide a spatially continuous surface mapping of the soil landscape, conforming to the pedological substratum. Finally, the hyperspectral remote sensing imagery can provide a new way for modeling and mapping soil fertility, as well as the ability to diagnose nutrient deficiencies.


Using inactive aggregates of adenosine kinase (AdK) from Leishmania donovani as the model substrate, we recently demonstrated that a cyclophilin (LdCyP) from the same source in an isomerase-independent fashion reactivated the enzyme in vitro by disaggregating its inactive oligomers [Chakraborty et al. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 47451-47460]. Besides disrupting preformed aggregates, LdCyP also prevents reaggregation of the newly formed active protein that is generated after productive refolding from its urea-denatured state. To investigate possible physiological implications of such phenomena, a unique expression system that simultaneously induces both AdK and LdCyP in naturally AdK-deficient Escherichia coli, was developed. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that oligomerization is an inherent property of this particular enzyme. In vivo protein cross-linking studies, activity determination analysis and Ado phosphorylation experiments carried out in cells coexpressing both the proteins unequivocally demonstrated that, similar to the phenomena observed in vitro, aggregates of the enzyme formed in vivo are able to interact with both LdCyP and its N-terminal truncated form (N(22-88)DEL LdCyP) in a crowded intracellular environment, resulting in aggregation prevention and reactivation of the enzyme. Our results indicate that the isomerase-independent chaperone function of LdCyP, detected in vitro, participates in vivo as well to keep aggregation-prone proteins in a monomeric state. Furthermore, analogous to yeast/bacterial two-hybrid systems, development of this simple coexpression system may help in the confirmation of interaction of two proteins under simulated in vivo conditions.


Seven hydrophobic residues ranging in size from glycine to phenylalanine have been substituted for the wild-type methionine residue at position 13 in a 15-residue truncated version (S15) of S-peptide, the small component of ribonuclease S. Complexes of both S-15 and the seven variants with S-protein yielded isomorphous crystals. The structures of all eight complexes have been refined to final R-factors in the range of 17-19%. [See Kim, E. E. Varadarajan, R., Wyckoff, H. W., and Richards, F. M. (1992) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue) for the description of the reference S-15 complex.] Multiple side-chain conformations were seen for six residues in all of the complexes and for two to three additional residues in at least some of the complexes. Three of the complexes, Gly, Ala, and alpha-amino-n-butyric acid (ANB), contained a single water molecule in the cavity near residue 13 that makes three hydrogen bonds to protein atoms. Although space is available, no evidence for additional water in this region, ordered or disordered, was found. The atoms in the cavity wall tend to shrink the cavity by moving in on the small residues and to swell the cavity by moving out for the larger Phe substitution. A swelling seen with leucine was attributed to a shape effect since Leu, Ile, and Met all have the same volume. A slight volume contraction of the collection of interior residues outside of the region of position 13 was also noted. (All changes noted are in the direction to maintain a constant packing density averaged over the whole protein.) Leu51, a surface hydrophobic residue, moved considerably in the G, A, and ANB complexes in directionswhich would tend to decrease the cavity volume. The only other major change in position, 1.5 A, was the 66-69 loop, which is about 25 A from position 13. His12, Phe120, and Asp121 appear to be involved in this movement, but the connection with position 13 is not clear at all. The thermodynamic data on the association reaction for all of these complexes have been previously reported [Connelly, P. R., Varadarajan, R., Sturtevant, J. M., & Richards, F. M. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 6108-6114; Varadarajan, R., Connelly, P. R., Sturtevant, J. M., & Richards, F. M. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 1421-1426]. Some comments are offered on our initial attempts to correlate the structural changes with the changes in the thermodynamic parameters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Objectives: Assessment of nutritional habits and associations with cardio-metabolic risk factors in four age groups of women participating in the Prevention Education Program, Family Heart Study. Methods: Anthropometric variables, systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP), lipoproteins, glucose and insulin were measured in 141 children, 211 adolescents, 151 women <55 years and 150 women ≥ 55 years. Nutritional data were assessed by 7 days weighted dietary records. For statistics, SPSS 15.0 was used; associations were calculated by multiple logistic regression; p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of CVD risk factors was similar in children and adolescents except for hypertriglyceridemia which was >3 times more common in adolescents. Thirty six percent of junior women were overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) and 21% had central adiposity obese. Sixty eight year-old women had a far more adverse risk profile than 35 year-old women. In terms of energy consumption, 14 year-old women had the lowest fat intake and the highest consumption of carbohydrates whereas intake of protein was lowest in 10 year-old girls. Intake of unsaturated fat was lower in youths than in adults amounting to 37 g unsaturated fat respectively 53.4% of total fat consumption. The association between energy consumption and overweight was significant and calorie intake was associated with clustering of ≥3 cardiovascular risk factors (OR: 4.72; 95% CI 1.22-18.33). Conclusions: The prevalence of CVD risk factors increased continuously from girls and adolescents to junior and senior women. However, dietary intake was different in the four age groups. Caloric intake was associated with overweight and clustering of risk factors in adult women.


We demonstrate theoretically that two-dimensional photonic bandgap materials are indeed perfect polarizers provided that they have a proper photonic band structure along the incident direction of light. This kind of polarizer is fundamentally different from conventional ones. It can function in a wide frequency range with high performance and its size can be made very compact, which renders it useful as a micropolarizer in micro-optics.


Background: Early diagnosis and treatment are as important for management of secondary lymphedema following cancer treatment as in primary cancer treatment. Indocyanine green lymphography is the modality of choice for routine follow-up evaluation of patients at high risk of developing lymphedema after cancer therapy. Methods: Fifty-six limbs of 28 so-called unilateral secondary lower extremity lymphedema patients who underwent indocyanine green lymphography were compared with dermal backflow patterns of indocyanine green lymphography on 28 asymptomatic limbs and assessed using leg dermal backflow stage. Results: Of 28 asymptomatic limbs of secondary lower extremity lymphedema patients, the dermal backflow patterns were detected in 19 limbs but were absent in nine limbs. Significant differences were seen between asymptomatic limbs with dermal backflow patterns (n = 19) and limbs without them (n = 9): age, 51.4 ± 15.3 years versus 34.8 ± 12.7 years (p = 0.007); body weight, 75.1 ± 7.9 kg versus 50.1 ± 5.3 kg (p = 0.012); body mass index, 23.1 ± 4.2 versus 19.7 ± 1.8 (p = 0.005); leg dermal backflow stage of asymptomatic limb, 1.2 ± 0.4 versus 0.0 ± 0.0 (p < 0.001); and leg dermal backflow stage of symptomatic limb, 3.5 ± 0.6 versus 2.8 ± 0.8 (p = 0.033). Conclusions: The splash pattern is the earliest finding on indocyanine green lymphography of asymptomatic limbs of secondary lower extremity lymphedema patients. The leg dermal backflow stage allows early diagnosis of secondary lower extremity lymphedema even in a subclinical stage. The concept of subclinical lymphedema could play an important role in early diagnosis and prevention of lymphedema after cancer treatment. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic, V.


The effect of the interaction of the wake from a nozzle guide vane with the rotor may be simulated in part by means of a stationary rotor and a moving wake system. This technique is applied to a transonic rotor blade cascade, and the unsteady measurements of surface pressure and heat transfer rate are compared with baseline data obtained without the wake interaction. The wake-rotor interaction results in a change in inlet incidence angle and this effect is also examined in the steady-state case. It is found that the shock waves from the moving wake system have a major effect on the instantaneous heat transfer rates.


A phantom consisting of water- and bone-equivalent solid materials was devised to test peripheral bone densitometry systems. A circular cross section with a diameter of 60 mm was chosen, with the sides flattened by 1 cm to model the forearm. Three inserts with precisely 50, 100 and 200 mg cm-3 hydroxyapatite simulate trabecular bone and provide the basis for the linearity check of PQCT systems. Density and thickness of the simulated compact bone is selected such that the phantom can also be used to calibrate DXA and SPA machines. Quality control with CT showed a homogeneously distributed trabecular bone with an average density that deviates less than 1 mg cm-3 from linearity. The phantom is presently used in the multicentre study of the COMAC-BME project 'quantitative assessment of osteoporosis' as a reference relative to which all peripheral bone mineral work is reported. Furthermore, trabecular bone density of peripheral and axial measurements can now be compared since the inserts used in the forearm phantom are identical to those used in the previously reported spine phantom.


At least two types of interleukin (IL)-15 mRNA isoforms are generated by alternative splicing at the 5′ upstream of exon 5 in mice. To elucidate the potential roles of IL-15 isoforms in immune responses in vivo, we constructed two groups of transgenic mice using originally described IL-15 cDNA with a normal exon 5 (normal IL-15 transgenic [Tg] mice) and IL-15 cDNA with an alternative exon 5 (alternative IL-15 Tg mice) under the control of an MHC class I promoter. Normal IL-15 Tg mice constitutionally produced a significant level of IL-15 protein and had markedly increased numbers of memory type (CD44high Ly6C+) of CD8+ T cells in the LN. These mice showed resistance to Salmonella infection accompanied by the enhanced interferon (IFN)-γ production, but depletion of CD8+ T cells exaggerated the bacterial growth, suggesting that the IL-15–dependent CD8+ T cells with a memory phenotype may serve to protect against Salmonella infection in normal IL-15 Tg mice. On the other hand, a large amount of intracellular IL-15 protein was detected but hardly secreted extracellularly in alternative IL-15 Tg mice. Although most of the T cells developed normally in the alternative IL-15 Tg mice, they showed impaired IFN-γ production upon TCR engagement. The alternative IL-15 transgenic mice were susceptible to Salmonella accompanied by impaired production of endogenous IL-15 and IFN-γ. Thus, two groups of IL-15 Tg mice may provide information concerning the different roles of IL-15 isoforms in the immune system in vivo.


Solids and solutions of sodium phosphates with various chain lengths have been studied by using the techniques of diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection- Fourier transform infrared ( ATR- FTIR ) spectroscopy, respectively. A systematic study of the infrared spectra of the solid sodium phosphates has been conducted on the basis of the information available in the literatures to establish the assignments of the infrared vibrations of the different groups in the phosphate molecules . The infrared spectra of the solutions of sodium phosphates have been analyzed according to the infrared study on the relevant solids , in conjunction with the study of the phosphate species distribution in solution on the basis of the acid- base reaction equilibria. The results obtained have revealed the correlations between the infrared absorption spectra and the structure of the different P-O groups in different hinds of phosphates and are useful in the analysis of phosphate solids arid solutions widely used in the various operations of mineral processing.


AIM
To explore the inhibition of beta-L-D4A on hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 2.2.15 cells derived from HepG2 cells transfected with HBV genome.

METHODS
2.2.15 cells were plated at a density of 5X104 per well in 12-well tissue culture plates, and treated with various concentrations of beta-L-D4A for 6 days. In the end, 5 microl of medium was used for the estimation of HBsAg and HBeAg, the other medium was processed to obtain virions by a polyethylene glycol precipitation method. At the same time, intracellular DNA was also extracted and digested with HindIII. Both DNAs were subjected to Southern blot, hybridized with a (32)P-labeled HBV probe and autoradiographed. Intensity of the autoradiographic bands was quantitated by densitometric scans of computer and ED(50) was calculated. Then Hybond-N membrane was washed and rehybridized with a (32)P-labeled mtDNA-specific probe, and effect of beta-L-D4A on mitochondrial DNA was studied. 2.2.15 cells were also seeded in 24-well tissue culture plates, and cytotoxicity with different concentrations was examined by MTT method. ID(50) was calculated. Structure-activity relationships between D2A and D4A were also studied as above.

RESULTS
Autoradiographic bands were similar between supernatant and intracellular HBV DNA. Episomal HBV DNA was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. ED(50) was 0.2 microM. HBsAg or HBeAg was not apparently decreased, and inhibition of mitochondrial DNA was not obvious. The experiment of cytotoxicity gained ID(50) at 200 microM.

CONCLUSION
beta-L-D4A possesses potent inhibitory effects on the replication of HBV in vitro with little cytotoxicity and mitochondrial toxicity, TI value is 1000. It is expected to be developed as a new clinically anti-HBV drug.


Summary Following the loss of his right eye at Calvi in 1794, Lord Nelson suffered increasing left-sided visual loss, here considered most likely to have been due to the ocular inflammatory condition 'sympathetic ophthalmia'. It is also argued that his succeeding episodes of violent headaches with nausea and prostration, and possible depigmentation of hair, reflected the development of an uveomeningoencephalitic syndrome akin to that of Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease, which is best regarded as the same condition with a different aetiology.


We consider the self-dual conformal classes on n#CP discovered by LeBrun. These depend upon a choice of n points in hyperbolic 3-space, called monopole points. We investigate the limiting behavior of various constant scalar curvature metrics in these conformal classes as the points approach each other, or as the points tend to the boundary of hyperbolic space. There is a close connection to the orbifold Yamabe problem, which we show is not always solvable (in contrast to the case of compact manifolds). In particular, we show that there is no constant scalar curvature orbifold metric in the conformal class of a conformally compactified non-flat hyperkähler ALE space in dimension four.


The densification behavior of 20–40-nm graphite-coated B_4C nano-particles was studied using dilatometry, x-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. The sintering onset temperature was higher than expected from a nanoscale powder (∼1500 °C); remnant B_2O_3 kept particles separated until B_2O_3 volatilization, and the graphite coatings imposed particle-to-particle contact of a substance more refractory than B_4C. Solid-state sintering (1500–1850 °C) was followed by a substantial slowing of contraction rate attributed to the formation of eutectic liquid droplets more than 10× the size of the original nano-particles. These droplets were induced to form well below the B_4C-graphite eutectic temperature by the high surface energy of nanoparticles. They were interpreted to have quickly solidified to form a vast number of voids in particle packing, which in turn, impeded detection of continued solid-state sintering. Starting at 2200 °C, a permanent and interconnected liquid phase formed, which facilitated rapid contraction by liquid phase sintering and/or compact slumping.


Abstract The Paleocene section of the Eastern Sirt Basin consists of a carbonate succession which developed in response to subsidence and widespread marine transgression following Cenomanian rifting. Within the study area the principal hydrocarbon reservoir is the Upper Sabil Formation, which is sealed by Harash Formation lime mudstones. Facies analysis and seismic mapping indicate that the Upper Sabil Formation consists of a prograding carbonate shelf with a rimmed platform morphology and palaeo-slopes in excess of 5° along the eastern and western flanks of the Agedabia Trough. To the south, the absence of a lagoonal facies and seismically defined shelf edge indicate a ramp morphology with a palaeo-slope of less than 0.5°. The overlying Harash Formation is characterized by its cyclic nature, relatively high terrigenous mud content and a thickness distribution which shows it to be infilling the pre-existing Upper Sabil shelf topography. The morphology of the Upper Sabil shelf coupled with sea-level fluctuations controlled the distribution of the depositional environments within the Harash Formation. A depositional model for the Harash Formation is proposed which subdivides the formation into five carbonate parasequences (named cycles A-E from base to top). In an exploration context the study facilitated the identification of the distribution of Harash Formation sealing and possible reservoir facies within cycles A and B. Furthermore, the study led to the understanding of the cause of anomalous reflections observed on conventional seismic data within the Paleocene section. Work involved the integration of regional well control with conventional seismic and stratigraphic inversion data. The stratigraphic framework and interpretations derived from this study were ultimately tested and confirmed by an exploration well which was cored through the sections of interest.


Objectives Ectopic pregnancy is one of obstetrics challenge which is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Cervical pregnancy occurs in less than 0.1% of pregnancies. Although extremely rare, it is potentially life-threatening, due to delays in diagnosis and proper management. We aim to discuss a case of cervical ectopic pregnancy which was mistaken as neoplasm. Methods 32 yo female with profuse vaginal bleeding was referred from a clinician with diagnosis severe anemia and intracervical mass. She admitted positive pregnancy test, of which was pronounced miscarried by the clinician 1 month prior to admission. Our vaginal examination revealed a fragile and easy to bleed cervical mass which was really suggestive of cervical carcinoma or cervical extension of gestational neoplasm. Ultrasound was inconclusive. MRI showed cervical mass, which was later confirmed as conception by cervical biopsy. Methotrexate therapy was given 4 times (1 mg/kgBW). MRI evaluation afterward showed complete resolution. Results Medical treatment was chosen, using Intravenous methotrexate (MTX, 1 mg/kgBW) combined with Leucovorine (0,1 mg/kgBW). Chemotherapy was given 4 times, every two days interval. One week after treatment, her β-hCG level dropped to normal (0,19 mIU/mL), which was consistent in the following week (0,17 mIU/mL). Repeat imaging studies confirmed the pregnancy resolution. Conclusions The low incidence of cervical pregnancy in contrary with cervical carcinoma's incidence in Bali becomes a major obstacle in diagnosing and in the provision of therapy. An accurate history, physical examination and pregnancy test are key modalities in the determination of cervical pregnancy, supported by histopathologic examination, TVS ultrasound examination and MRI.


Spatial clustering is a process of grouping a set of spatial objects into groups, these groups are called clusters. Objects within a one cluster show a high degree of similarity, whereas the objects in another cluster are as much non-similar as possible. Clustering is a very well known technique of data mining which is mostly used method of analyzing and describing the data. It is one of the techniques to deal with the large geographical datasets. Clustering is the mostly used method of data mining. SOM and k-means are two classical methods for clustering. This paper illustrates the approach of clustering: Kohonen SOM and K-Means have been discussed and compared using different parameters on same dataset. After comparing these methods effectively, results of the experiments suggest that Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) is more robust to outlier than the k-means method. In this paper, experiments have been performed to compare the performances of clustering algorithms.


We propose a versatile design approach of engineered diffuser based on freeform optics that can tailor the light distribution of a liquid crystal display (LCD) to meet different applications. The proposed LCD system consists of a quasi-directional backlight, liquid crystal panel, and an engineered diffuser. It offers high efficiency, wide view, high contrast, as well as low ambient light reflection. For large size LCDs, we design a wide view diffuser to match the light distribution with state-of-the-art organic light emitting diode (OLED) TV. For mobile displays, we design a diffuser to replicate current LCD performance. Our design can also provide flattop light intensity distribution for privacy protection. These exemplary designs prove that our engineered diffuser is versatile for different applications.


Attacks from adversarial machine learning (ML) have the potential to be used "for good": they can be used to run counter to the existing power structures within ML, creating breathing space for those who would otherwise be the targets of surveillance and control. But most research on adversarial ML has not engaged in developing tools for resistance against ML systems. Why? In this paper, we review the broader impact statements that adversarial ML researchers wrote as part of their NeurIPS 2020 papers and assess the assumptions that authors have about the goals of their work. We also collect information about how authors view their work's impact more generally. We find that most adversarial ML researchers at NeurIPS hold two fundamental assumptions that will make it difficult for them to consider socially beneficial uses of attacks: (1) it is desirable to make systems robust, independent of context, and (2) attackers of systems are normatively bad and defenders of systems are normatively good. That is, despite their expressed and supposed neutrality, most adversarial ML researchers believe that the goal of their work is to secure systems, making it difficult to conceptualize and build tools for disrupting the status quo.


ABSTRACT Peptidases are important because they play a central role in pharmaceutical, food, environmental, and other industrial processes. A serine peptidase from Aspergillus terreus was isolated after two chromatography steps that showed a yield of 15.5%. Its molecular mass was determined to be 43 kD, by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). This peptidase was active between pH 5.0 to 8.0 and had maximum activity at pH 7.0, at 45°C. When exposited with 1 M of urea, the enzyme maintained 100% activity and used azocasein as substrate. The N-terminal (first 15 residues) showed 33% identity with the serine peptidase of Aspergillus clavatus ES1. The kinetics assays showed that subsite S2 did not bind polar basic amino acids (His and Arg) nonpolar acidic amino acids (Asp and Glu). The subsite S1 showed higher catalytic efficiency than the S2 and S3 subsites.


Beate Wieseler, Natalie McGauran, and Thomas Kaiser use their experience with the assessment of reboxetine to illustrate how publication bias affects health policy decisions and offer some solutions


Abstract For people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the risk of mental illness, including suicidality, has a higher prevalence than the general population. This scoping review explored how people with ASD access suicide hotlines/crisis support services; and current approaches to delivering mental health services (MHS) to people with ASD. A search identified 28 studies meeting the selection criteria with analysis revealing four key findings. The support received by the person with ASD influenced how they accessed MHS; people often encounter barriers to accessing MHS; a separation exists between autism and MHS; and no studies on accessing or delivering MHS through crisis hotlines. The presence of such autism-specific crisis hotlines and the dearth of studies suggest a void in the existing research.


The paper provides an empirical analysis of aggregate banking system ratios during systemic banking crises. Drawing upon a wide cross-country dataset, we utilize parametric and nonparametric tests to assess the power of these ratios to discriminate between sound and unsound banking systems. We also estimate a duration model to investigate whether the ratios help determine the timing of a banking crisis. Despite some weaknesses in the available data, our findings offer initial evidence that some indicators are precursors for the likelihood and timing of systemic banking problems. Nevertheless, we caution against sole reliance on these indicators and advocate supplementing them with other tools and techniques.


PRIMARY malignant melanoma of the central nervous system is a relatively rare neoplasm. Such a growth arising in the spinal cord is even more unusual. When one is encountered, it is often difficult to tell whether the lesion is secondary to a melanoma elsewhere in the body or whether it has spread from one in some other part of the central nervous system. Since many melanomas are not diagnosed until necropsy, it is sometimes difficult to ascertain just the point within the central nervous system from which the neoplasm arose, since the tumor frequently spreads throughout the subarachnoid space either by direct extension or by "seeding." Sometimes dense and extensive metastases occur throughout the leptomeninges, which have been described as "tumor meningitis." It was Virchow 1 who in 1859 first reported a case of primary melanoma sarcomatosis. Since that time occasional reports in the literature have appeared, but the number


The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be deployed as aerial base stations or wireless relays to increase the capacity of wireless networks. In this paper, the positioning of a full-duplex (FD) UAV as a relay to provide coverage for an FD vehicular network is investigated. In particular, given a configuration of predefined locations for the UAV, and the position of the vehicular users on the ground, a novel algorithm is proposed to find the position for the UAV to satisfy the quality of service (QoS) requirements of the vehicles in the network. The positioning problem is formulated as an l_0 minimization which is non- combinatorial, NP-hard, and finding a globally optimal solution for this problem has exponential complexity. Hence, we have approximated the nonconvex problem using l_1 norm and proposed a suboptimal algorithm to solve it. Simulation results show that by using the proposed approach the number of times that UAV can satisfy the SINR constraints increases by approximately 10% compared to a baseline scenario in which the UAV has a fixed location.


The fixed effects estimator of panel models can be severely biased because of well-known incidental parameter problems. It is shown that this bias can be reduced in nonlinear dynamic panel models. We consider asymptotics where n and T grow at the same rate as an approximation that facilitates comparison of bias properties. Under these asymptotics, the bias-corrected estimators we propose are centered at the truth, whereas fixed effects estimators are not. We discuss several examples and provide Monte Carlo evidence for the small sample performance of our procedure.


Grindelia pulchella callus and cell suspension cultures were established from seedling leaves. When several phytoregulator supplementations were assayed in solid Murashige and Skoog medium containing 3% (w/v) of sucrose (MS medium), combinations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and N 6 -benzylaminopurine (BA) resulted the most appropriate conditions to generate fast growing friable calli with detectable levels of grindelic acid. Moreover, the same basal media supplemented with 20.0 µM IBA/4.4 µM BA was found to be optimal for cell growth in submerged cultures (µ max = 0.26 days -1 ) while the addition of 20.0 µM IBA/18.0 µM BA resulted in a relative higher metabolite production (4.55 mg/gDW) when the inocula was 5% (v/v). Furthermore, three different stress factors and combinations of them were used to elicit cell suspensions. These experiments demonstrated that the combination of CuSO 4 and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) increase the grindelic acid production to 2.63 mg/gDW in the elicited essay versus 0.756 mg/gDW in the control, at expense of cell growth. In contrast, the addition of jasmonic acid (JA) alone and combined with DMSO neither affected cell growth nor grindelic acid accumulation.


Abstract To evaluate the role of ovarian reserve markers in the prediction of clinical pregnancy and embryo transfer accomplishment among poor responder IVF applicants. 304 female poor responder IVF applicants were included in this prospective cohort study conducted at the IVF-unit. Antral follicle count, FSH, LH, E2, AMH and IVF outcomes were compared in pregnant and non-pregnant groups as well as in ET vs. non-ET groups. The number of retrieved oocytes was significantly correlated positively with AMH and AFC, and negatively with FSH and age. Quartiles of FSH and AFC were similar to the rate of pregnancy. Quartiles of AMH (<25%/25–75% and <25%/>75%) were statistically significant. Mean serum levels for AMH were significantly lower in the non-ET group. Our findings seem to indicate that day 3 AMH values can predict ET accomplishment with a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 35%. Quartiles of AMH <25% (< 0.21 ng/mL) can predict the IVF results among poor responder IVF applicants. Impact statement Various cut-off values have been determined for day 3 serum AMH values. These values help to determine the groups that are expected to give normal, high or low response to stimulation and decide the treatment options. In contrast to other groups of patients, poor responders cannot reach the embryo transfer stage for several reasons. These are; absence of a mature oocyte after oocyte pick-up, fertilisation failure without male factor or poor embryo quality. In the present study; a cut-off value of 0.33 ng/mL for the prediction of ET accomplishment in poor responder patients was determined with a sensitivity of 96%. Additionally, clinical pregnancy could not be achieved under the value of 0.21 ng/mL day 3 AMH values. It is important to clarify the embryo transfer success of poor responder patients prior to expected treatment success. Pre-treatment counselling for these patients would lessen the disappointment that may develop after treatment. The cost-effectiveness of treatments below these AMH values can be determined by further studies.


ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are molecular motors that transport substrates through biological membranes, using the energy of ATP binding and hydrolysis to foster a series of conformational changes that follow the alternating access mechanism principles. While this general scheme of substrate transport is well accepted, details about the ATP hydrolysis mechanism itself are still a matter of debate. Decades of biochemical and structural studies have identified well-conserved key residues involved in the enzymatic reaction, but their actual role, or order in the hydrolytic process, differ according to the mechanism involved. Here, we investigate the fundamental mechanisms of ATP hydrolysis, by reporting the nucleotide-free structure of the N-terminal nucleotide-Binding Domain (NBD1) of human Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (MRP1/ABCC1), a transporter of chemotherapeutic drugs. Comparison with the nucleotide-bound structure clearly identified movements of H827 associated with nucleotide binding and release of the active site. These results, put in the context of other structural information and mutational studies of ABC transporters, support the general-base catalysis mechanism for ATP hydrolysis for ABCC1.


Emerging 5G systems will need to seamlessly guarantee novel types of services in a multi-do-main ecosystem. New methodologies of network and infrastructure sharing facilitate the cooperation among the operators, exploiting the core and access sections of the system architecture. Network slicing (NS) is the operators' best technique for building and managing a network. Without NS, the 5G requirements in terms of flexibility, optimal resource utilization, and investment returns cannot materialize. Before slicing is commercially available, different sections of the 5G architecture should be modified to include NS. In this work, we present a novel dynamic radio access network slicing resource sharing method aimed to guarantee optimal service level agreements through the monitoring of each slice tenant's key performance indicators. The experiments are conducted following the 3GPP specifications, and the solution is validated using a testbed based on the main 5G functionalities.


In this study, indigenous chicken populations representing seven different areas of northwest Ethiopia were studied using microsatellite markers to determine genetic diversity and variation. Three local lines of South African chicken and two commercial chicken strains were included for comparison. The Ethiopian chicken population Gassay/Farta had the highest number of alleles per locus (10) for microsatellite marker MCW 158. MCW 154 was the most polymorphic marker across all populations with an average of seven different alleles. A high genetic diversity was observed in overall loci for all populations with heterozygosity (Ho) value of 0.77. The highest heterozygosity (0.93) across all markers was observed in the Mecha chicken population, while the lowest heterozygosity across all loci (0.66) was observed in the White Leghorn breed. The RIR commercial chicken breed showed higher genetic distance (lower genetic similarity) with the Ethiopian chicken populations than the South African fowls. This indicates that the Ethiopian indigenous chicken populations are still not highly diluted by the RIR chicken breed either through the extension program or through the regional poultry breeding and multiplication institutes. Based on the phylogenetic tree result, it is concluded that the clustering of the chicken populations in the present study are in accordance with the origin and marketing systems of these native chickens, which indicates that the microsatellite markers used in this study were suitable for the measurement of the genetic biodiversity and relationship of Ethiopian chicken populations. These results can therefore serve as an initial step to plan the characterization and conservation of native chickens in Amhara region, Ethiopia.


PERTICONE, F., ET AL.: Heart Rate Variability and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the most common cause of death in infancy. The pathophysiological mechanism leading to SIDS is still obscure. In the QT hypothesis, the mechanism must be an arrhythmogenic sympathetic imbalance: the infants die suddenly of cardiac arrhythmia. Recently, it has been suggested that analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), expressed as standard deviation or variance analysis, can provide adequate information on sympathovagal interaction. We studied 150 newborns enrolled in a previous prospective electrocardiographic study to evaluate the predictive value of QT interval for SIDS. We analyzed the ECGs recorded with infants alert on the fourth day of life and after 2 months. For each ECG, the HRV was calculated using the first standard deviation of of RR intervals (ms) measured for 1 minute. The average RR interval was 441 ± 71 ms at the fourth day and 420 ± 39 ms at the second month. The QTc and HRV mean values were 396 ± 23 and 23 ± 12 ms at the fourth day, 412 ± 19 and 15 ± 7 msec at the second month. Therefore, the SD values of heart rate were correlated with QTcin order to assess a possible relationship between the two variables. The correlation coefficient and regression equation were: ‐0.639 and y = 423.67 ‐ 2.18*× (P < 0.002) at the fourth day, ‐0.146 and y = 418.09 ‐ 0.37*× (NS) at the second month. In conclusion, our data seems to confirm a delayed maturation or impaired fuctioning of the autonomic nervous system in the first weeks of life, reflecting a direct correlation with QT prolongation.


The introduction of legislative incentives to promote rare disease research, along with changes to regulatory policy, has resulted in increases in the number or orphan drug designations. Despite this, the number of drugs reaching marketing approval across OECD countries remains frustratingly flat. Research into rare diseases faces inherent challenges throughout clinical drug development and regulatory approval. Tailor-made regulatory and access solutions are needed to overcome these problems. Here I suggest areas for consideration that could have an immediate impact in facilitating regulatory approval and access to treatments for rare diseases.


Purpose. The determination of the formation features of basic models of color and identification of color in the initial stages (the 18th – 19th centuries) of scientific research of the problem. Methodology of the research is based on historical and cultural method. The source base is the artistic, scientific and technical literature of the studied period and also artefacts. Results. This publication reveals a generalized approach to theoretical developments on color perception and identification, and covers the initial period of color research and the formation of basic models of color (the 18th – 19th centuries). So in the middle of the 17th century I. Newton founded a seven-color ordering model, placing them to a closed color circle. At about the same time, other attempts at color systemization were proposed, such as color identification in the form of tables of existing paints, the work of I. Brennen and R. Waller. Subsequently, Jacob Christoph Le Blon concluded that in order to get results, you could use only three colors, namely red, yellow and blue. Based on this work, M. Harris presented his color circle, J. Lambert – a triangular color pyramid, and Ph.Runge built a color sphere using the principle of the globe. Goethe, contrary to Newton's physical doctrine of colors, conceived another system, it was based on the phenomenological perception of color. According to Goethe and his followers, the colors come from the struggle of "light" and "darkness". A. Schopenhauer took the step that J. Goethe lacked in his thinking: A. Schopenhauer formed a doctrine of color in terms of psychology, noting the enormous role that our brain plays in color perception, and proposing his model of identification by the principle of intensity / extensiveness/quality. for the formal description of the tri-color system of color, forming a mathe-confirmation of T. Young's theory and came to the conclusion that for the comparison of all shades, three light sources were needed and sufficient: in the red, green and blue parts of the spectrum. The perception of other colors is conditioned by the interaction of these constituents. In his work, J. Maxwell proved that all colors come from a mixture of three spectral colors: red, green, and blue. Based on his research, he introduced the first two-dimensional color spectrum visualization system. H. Grassmann's merit is the mathematical representation of the three spectral colors. E. Hering's theory highlights the psychological aspects of color vision: warm sensations occur for white, yellow, and red colors, while cold sensations occur for black, dark blue, and light blue. G. Peano introduced the concept of "color space" as a system of vector space equations.


The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a major global public health crisis with an
estimated 40 million adults and children living with HIV infection. HIV
Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND) is characterized by cognitive,
behavioral, and motor dysfunction and occurs in 10-15% of HIVseropositive
individuals with advanced infection in the US .The frequency
of HAND is largely unknown in resource-limited countries, although
preliminary surveys suggest a relatively high frequency of cognitive dysfunction.
If a similar proportion were to be seen on a global scale, then HIV
dementia would be the most common cause of dementia worldwide in
patients under the age of 40 years. Despite the availability of HAART, HIVrelated
neurological disorders continue to represent substantial personal, economic and societal burdens.
Frequently a set of patients show subclinical neurocognitive
impairment, which does not fulfill the criteria for HIV Associated Dementia
proposed by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
These patients do not exhibit recognizable functional restriction in
Daily activities and may be missed in conventional screening and
Neuropsychological testing. But they progress to frank dementia eventually
unless it is identified earlier and checked by effective Anti Retroviral Therapy.
Early recognition of subclinical neurocognitive impairment is
essential to prevent the transformation to frank dementia which is associated
with significant morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of neurocognitive
impairment is dependent upon a clinical history and a detailed
Neuropsychological testing which is time consuming, language and education
dependent, and often not available in developing countries.
1. P-300 evaluation is an useful neurophysiological tool in
detecting subclinical neurocognitive impairment in a proportion of
asymptomatic HIV positive patients.
2. Abnormal P3 latency prolongation was noted in 26% of
asymptomatic HIV patients in the study, which is an indicator of subclinical cognitive impairment.
3. In addition to P3 latency prolongation, the early subcortical N1,
P2, and N2 latencies were also prolonged in a proportion of patients,
reiterating the point that HIV dementia is basically a subcortical variety.
4. Early detection of subclinical neurocognitive impairment will
help in intensifying Anti Retroviral Therapy which may modify or halt the
progression of dementia in HIV patients.
5. P-300, neurophysiological testing may be complementary to neuropsychological screening tests, like HIV dementia scale, as patients
 who failed to show significant abnormalities in HDS score had abnormalities during P-300 evaluation.
6. CD4 cell count is inversely correlated with P-300 latency. However, this is a small study and large scale studies need to be done to
confirm this observation.


Despite the best efforts of industry and regulatory authorities, the trust of society in the process of medicine development and communication of pharmaceutical risk has ebbed away. In response the US government has called for a culture of compliance while the EU regulators talk of a 'culture of scientific excellence'. However, one of the fundamental problems hindering progress to rebuilding trust based on a pharmaceutical safety culture is the lack of agreement and transparency between all stakeholders as to what is meant by a 'Safety of Medicines'. For that reason, we propose 'Guiding Principles of Safety for Pharmaceuticals' are developed analogous to the way that Chemical Safety has been tackled. A logical starting point would be to examine the Principles outlined by the US Institute of Medicine although we acknowledge that these Principles require further extensive debate and definition. Nevertheless, the Principles should take centre stage in the reform of pharmaceutical development required to restore society's trust.