INTRODUCTION
Manual (Physical) Medicine is concerned with physiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapy of the musculoskeletal system functional disorders. Functional disorders are caused by direct or indirect injury (muscular spasm), inflammation, sudden movements etc. Functional disorders in regard to decreased joint volume are also called segmental or peripheral joint dysfunction, somatic dysfunction and function blocking. Blocking means: reversible disorder with decreased functional joint movement; muscular spasms caused by neurophysiological changes including decreased movement; pain and functional disorder of internal organs and tissues being part of the joint. Intervertebral joints, intervertebral discs, muscles and their nerve control belong to such control circles which are integrated within an organism. The basic principles of Manual (Physical) Medicine are good knowledge of functional anatomy and three-dimensional imaging of biochemical functions of the spine. The most important functions of the spinal column are as follows: it is an organ of axis with a protective and supportive function and it enables normal walk and balance. The basic functional unit in the architecture of the vertebral column is the dynamic spinal segment. Its basic function is movement, posture maintenance and protection of spinal nerve roots. The functional disorder of one part of the dynamic segment cannot be isolated from other parts. Thus functional blocks within the fascial joints, abnormalities within intervertebral discs, changes within the ligament apparatus, and muscular disorders may be both causes and consequences at the same time. The dynamic segment is thus included into a mechanical functional circle. Its mechanical function is tightly connected with the statics of the whole body. Different leg length, severe abnormalities of great leg joints may cause blocks within the fascial joints. The vertebral dynamic segment is also a part of the nervous, functional reflex circle. Clinical symptoms associated with functional disorders within intervertebral joints are as follows: restricted joint mobility and nervous reflex disorders (local segmental and peripheral segmental injuries).

MANUAL (PHYSICAL) DIAGNOSIS
In order to make physical diagnosis it is necessary to have good knowledge of anatomy, functional anatomy, kinesiology and neurology. History taking is of great importance for the physician who establishes physical therapy. It is also necessary to note various abnormalities, muscle atrophy and to analyze patient's walk. Palpation at rest reveals changes, skin disorders, subcutaneous and fatty tissues and muscles and it assesses the status of soft tissues. By physical examination of the spine it is possible to diagnose intervertebral joint blocks. Thus examination of joint mobility is performed. It is important to differ physiological, anatomic and pathologic ranges of mobility and to determine the greatest mobility and joint play. Joint play represents the property of the joint to achieve some additional mobility. This examination requires knowledge of a special technique. Palpation of local segmental irritation is performed on all spinal segments after a special technique examining bone-transversal joints as well as sacroiliac joints. Local irritation points, muscle spasms and tendomyosis are being detected. The diagnosis of blocks is also the therapeutic diagnosis at the same time. Physicians using physical medicine must apply x-ray of the spinal column, whereas the aim of physical therapy is to eliminate functional blocks, which occur in the form of reduced reversible mobility in one or more directions. Only physical examination can establish this, while apparatuses cannot objectivize it. Manipulative techniques on the spine should be performed only by specialists.

MANUAL (PHYSICAL) THERAPY
Manual (Physical) therapy comprises numerous techniques and is used in various indications. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)


Small scale laboratory experiments, equipped with an ability to actually observe behavior on the pore level using microscopy, provide an economical and easily understood scientific tool to help us validateconcepts and assumptions about the transport of contaminants, and offers the propensity to discover heretofore unrecognized phenomena or behavior. The main technique employs etched glass micromodels, composed of two etched glass plates, sintered together, to form a two dimensional network of three dimensional pores. Flow and transport behavior is observed on a pore or pore network level, and recorded on film and video tape. This technique is coupled with related column studies. Specifically we're examining multiphase flow behavior of relevance, for example, to liquid-liquid mass transfer (solubilization of capillary trapped organic liquids); liquid-gas mass transfer (in situ volatilization); colloid movement, attachment and detachment in the presence of fluid-fluid interfaces; bacteria colonization and motility in porous systems; and heterogeneity effects on multi-phase flow, colloid movement and bacteria behavior.


The imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure leads to the prevalence of obesity world-widely. Strategy to simultaneously limit energy intake and promote energy expenditure will serve as a powerful mean for new obesity treatment. Here, we identified Rhamnose as a non-nutritive sweetener to promote adipose thermogenesis and energy expenditure. Rhamnose promotes cAMP production and PKA activation through dopamine receptor D1 in adipose tissue. As a result, Rhamnose administration promotes UCP1-dependent thermogenesis and ameliorates obesity in mice. Thus, we have demonstrated a Rhamnose-dopamine receptor D1-PKA axis critical for thermogenesis and Rhamnose may serve as a new therapeutic molecular diet against obesity.


Poultry egg and meat are the two cheapest sources of animal
proteins for non-vegetarians across the globe. The
improvement of poultry production needs to be efficiently
carried out for which various tools are to be adopted. Simple
breeding theory inculcates mating among the superiors,
which is being practiced since long before. Poultry
improvement has gained momentum to augment the
performance of birds not only in terms of production but
also sustainability. Chickens are mainly classified as eggtype
chicken and meat-types chickens. Along with the major
production traits, other functional traits such as feed
efficiency and nutrient quality of poultry produce are being
given due emphasis to achieve the major target. Many
conventional selection and breeding approaches have been
adopted by the animal breeders to improve these traits.
Due to the inherent nature of population and selection
criteria, the rate of genetic progress became relatively slow
and ultimately, the variability of pure line populations has
been gradually shrunken. The nutritional approach
maximizes the net profit of the poultry rearing by providing
suitable niche to express the desired economic traits in
optimum capacity. Recently, genomic selection and
biotechnological approaches are showing high potential
to enhance the productivity of birds at faster rate.


This paper presents the impact of timing error on the performance of multirate direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems based on variable spreading factor (VSF) using multiuser detection techniques such as the parallel interference cancellation (PIC) detector. The performance is evaluated for a single-rate and a three-rate system using Monte-Carlo simulation in the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel without multipath fading. The bit error probability (BEP) of the matched filter (MF) and the PIC detector with and without timing errors are compared.


The presence of human body has an important influence on the wireless communication systems in indoor environments. The need of efficient prediction for such coverage becomes essential. This paper present an efficient electromagnetic indoor propagation modeling, taking into account the presence of human body and the nature of materials of the complex environment, based on the Finite-Difference Time-Domain method. Numerical results are compared with measurement results and show a good agreement.


The aim of the research is to evaluate the adoption of agricultural innovations and sources of information in dairy cattle farms. The data were obtained by administering a questionnaire to 70 dairy farms in Bafra and Canik districts of Samsun. The results of the research showed that knowledge and innovations in dairy cattle farms are not sufficiently adopted and traditional methods are commonly applied. Nearly half of the dairy cattle owners (47.1%) stated that they were aware of the trainings related to dairy cattle breeding, while others did not. The most important reason for those being aware of the training programs but not participating was that they believed that they had enough information about dairy cattle with 51.5%. Other reasons were that they received information from neighboring farmers (27.3%) and did not find enough time to participate in the trainings (21.2%). The most preferred sources of information about innovations related to dairy cattle were family members (72.9%), and neighboring farmers (67.1%); and the most preferred extension method among mass media methods was television (87.1%). The applicability of agricultural knowledge and innovations transferred to dairy cattle farmers and their adoption will significantly change the understanding of production in rural society. Developing positive attitude towards knowledge and innovation will lead to the elimination of wrong practices and facilitate the transformation of dairy farms to a modern structure.


This paper studies the impact of federal state shareholdings on the performance of Russian companies. It focuses on mixed ownership companies rather than conventional state enterprises and distinguishes between several types of federal state shareholdings and golden shares. Econometric analysis shows that companies with state ownership generally perform worse than the average firm in terms of labour productivity and profitability. However, there are remarkable differences in the performance of companies with different types of state shareholdings. These differences are explained by different degrees of the federal state control over such enterprises. The paper concludes that the government should avoid keeping equity stakes in companies unless there is a necessity to retain them. Finally, the issue of golden shares in strategically important companies seems to be a reasonable alternative to retaining some control over them through equity ownership. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the "1id-abstracts.txt" listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa), nic.nordu.net (Europe),


ABSTRACT In an effort to understand variations in ecological patterns among lowland tropical rain forests, Alwyn Gentry and colleagues synthesized data sets from four of the premier Neotropical field stations—La Selva (Costa Rica), Barro Colorado Island (Panama), Cocha Cashu (Peru), and the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragmentation Project (Brazil). To promote the kind of geographically comparative tropical ecology advocated in the 1990 Gentry book, the Organization for Tropical Studies and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute organized a course in 2001 that visited each of these field stations. Papers from some of the studies resulting from this course are highlighted in this special section. These studies are notable for the consistent methods applied across forests, and they underscore the acute need and bright future for comparative tropical ecology. Key site characteristics for each of the field stations are summarized here.


The invention discloses an examiner identification system based on bionic and biometric identification, using synthetically various biometric identification methods based on high-dimension space geometric shape adaptive coverage theory to achieve identification of examiner identity. First of all, through an acquisition equipment, gripping-pen fingerprint is obtained, on-line signature and facial image, and then the data is mapped into high-dimension space observation point after feature extraction, last according to similar sample point continuity in the high-dimension space, through the relation between the observation point and sample set coverage area to obtain different biological characteristic network match degree, then through match degree fusion decision algorithm to identify identity of the examiner, and through automatic addition of new verification data to achieve sample set dynamic updating and trend forecast. Identification of the invention is fast, result is accurate, andthe invention is not only suitable for examiner identification in existing examination mode, but also has broader application in the future machine- examination mode.


The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy, safety and complications of two anesthetic techniques including local and spinal anesthesia. A total of 436 patients received local (LA group = 250) or spinal (SA group = 186) anesthesia during a year period. SA group received 0.5% Bupivacaine 5 mg/mL. LA group received portal injection (5 mL lidocaine 2% with adrenaline) and intra-articular injection into the knee (10 mL lidocaine 2% with adrenaline). The following parameters were assessed: intraoperative pain (10 cm VAS: 0 = no pain, 10 = extreme pain), surgical operating conditions, patient satisfaction score (1 = very satisfied, 4 = very unsatisfied), postoperative analgesia, and time to discharge. In LA group, 97.6% (244/250) of patients experienced no pain throughout the procedure. Only six (2.4%) patients required conversion to general anesthesia. In SA group, two patients required conversion to general anesthesia. In both groups, 93.6% of patients were either satisfied or very satisfied with their anesthesia. The need ofpostoperative analgesics was higher in SA compared with LA group (p = 0.001). The mean postoperative stay was significantly shorter in LA than in SA group (p = 0.001). Ninety-four percent of LA and only 68% of SA patients were discharged from the hospital within 2 hours of the procedure. The rate of complications differed significantly between LA and SA groups (p = 0.037). Outpatient arthroscopy of the knee under local anesthesia is a simple, reliable, and safe alternative to spinal anesthesia, for patients in whom intraarticular disorders requiring diagnostic arthroscopy and arthroscopic surgery.


Several Studies were undertaken to evaluate the efficiency of different greenhouse control systems.  Since one of the fastest growing modern technologies in control systems used in greenhouses as well as in other fields is fuzzy logic, further research is needed to study the accuracy of the system compared to PID control system for the same environment and modeling them with the same mathematical model. In this research fuzzy logic controller was tested theoretically and experimentally compared with four PID controllers settings namely, P, PI, PD, and PID in terms of their accuracy and feasibility to control greenhouse temperature. An optimization procedure was used to determine the best control parameters for PID and Fuzzy Logic controllers. Five tests were conducted to cool the greenhouse using evaporative cooling system during summer season. Results of the research indicated that PI and PD controllers were the most efficient controllers in the controllers output or ventilation rate behavior with a zero overshoot and small maximum and minimum error from the set point. However, the Fuzzy Logic controller made the closest mean to the set point. No significant difference was noticed between the control behavior of fuzzy logic controller and the PID controllers. Therefore, fuzzy logic controller is considered an equivalent and alternative to PID controller in greenhouse climate control.


Interrater agreement on binary measurements with more than two raters is often assessed using Fleiss' κ, which is known to be difficult to interpret. In situations where the same raters rate all items, however, the far less known κ suggested by Conger, Hubert, and Schouten is more appropriate. We try to support the interpretation of these characteristics by investigating various models or scenarios of rating. Our analysis, which is restricted to binary data, shows that conclusions concerning interrater agreement by κ heavily depend on the population of items or subjects considered, even if the raters have identical behavior. The standard scale proposed by Landis and Koch, which verbally interprets numerical values of κ, appears to be rather subjective. On the basis of one of the models for rater behavior, we suggest an alternative verbal interpretation for kappa. Finally, we reconsider a classical example from pathology to illustrate the application of our methods and models. We also look for subgroups of raters with similar rating behavior using hierarchical clustering.


An elderly adult woman presented with upper abdominal pain to the urology department. Imaging studies revealed a right adrenal lesion with central necrosis, abutting the large vessels and suggestive of malignancy. Histopathology showed an encapsulated spindle cell tumor with marked nuclear atypia, cystic change, and hemorrhage. S100 immunomarker was strongly and diffusely positive. Final diagnosis was ancient schwannoma with secondary change. Schwannomas are rare in the adrenal gland, with <50 cases reported in the literature. These incidentally detected nonfunctional adrenal tumors need confirmation with histopathology and ancillary studies.


It was a key issue how people did get and store information during scene perception, but there were debates whether visual memory existed and affected scene perception. Earlier studies believed that visual representations were impoverished in the process of scene perception, and visual memory systems did not accumulate scene information which had been searched. However, related researches showed that visual memory affected visual searching and scene learning, which indicated visual memory systems played important roles in the scene perception. Future research should focus on information acquisition, the interaction of different visual memory stores in the process of scene perception, as well as explicit and implicit learning for scenes.


This study investigates the independent motion control of a two-degree-of-freedom (Two-DOF) intelligent underwater manipulator. The dynamics model of two-DOF manipulators in an underwater environment is proposed by combining Lagrange's equation and Morison's empirical formulation. Disturbing factors such as water resistance moments, additional mass force moments and buoyancy forces on the intelligent underwater manipulator are calculated exactly. The influence of these factors on the trajectory tracking of the intelligent underwater manipulator is studied through simulation analysis. Based on the design of the sliding mode surface of the PID structure, a new Fuzzy-logic Sliding Mode Control (FSMC) algorithm is presented for the control error and control input chattering defects of traditional sliding mode control algorithm. The experimental simulation results show that the FSMC algorithm proposed in this study has a good effect in the elimination of tracking error and convergence speed, and has a great improvement in control accuracy and input stability.


The calculations of the energies of the singlet doubly excited states 2p2 1D, 3d2 1G, 4f2 1I of helium-like systems we have done in our previous paper [Biaye et al, Eur. Phys. J. D 13 21 (2001)] are extended to the other singlet doubly excited (nl)2 states with n ≤ 4. The energies are calculated in the framework of the variation method by using some special forms of Hylleraas-type wave functions with a real Hamiltonian. The results which we have obtained are in good agreement with some experimental data and other theoretical results.


This essay is a reflection on Peter Berger ' s " Further Thoughts on Religion and Modernity " ( Society , 49:4) from the perspective of S. N. Eisenstadt ' s concept of " multiple modernities " that is rooted in his experience as a Zionist scholar educated in Jerusalem and concerned with Jewish society throughout history and in the present. Eisenstadt ' s concept of " civilization " reflects an appreciation that many diverse and even apparently contradictory strands may co-exist, and it rejects religion and secularism as dichotomous and mutual exclusive. Eisenstadt ' s approach is thereby complementary to Berger in finding that modern societies can and do comprehend both and that pluralism and co-existence more accurately describe contemporary societies.


Abstract The proband was a male in his seventies who came to our facility because of shortness of breath. He was not anemic but presented dissociation between oxygen saturation (SpO2) and partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) by blood gas analysis, and also demonstrated hemoglobinopathy after measurement of Hb A1c using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Twenty-three percent of unknown hemoglobin (Hb) bands were detected. After sequencing the β-globin gene, we noted a missense mutation at codon 74 (GGC>CGC) (Gly→Arg) of the β-globin chain and he was diagnosed with Hb Aalborg (HBB: c.223G>C). One of the proband's siblings was diagnosed to have a low SpO2 level and also diagnosed to carry Hb Aalborg; she was also mildly anemic. This is the first known familial case of Hb Aalborg in Japan. In addition to Hb Aalborg, our case had underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Herein we present this case as a rare addition to the hematological literature.


Wave generation by the falling rock in the two-dimensional wave tank is experimentally and numerically studied, where the numerical model utilizes the boundary element method to solve the fully nonlinear potential flow theory. The wave profiles at different times are measured in the laboratory, which are also used to test the numerical model. Comparisons show that the experimental and numerical results are in good agreement, and the numerical model can be used to simulate the wave generation due to the submarine rock falling. Further numerical tests on the influences of the rock size, density, initial position and the falling angle on the wave elevation of the generated waves are performed, respectively. The results show that the size and density of the rock have strong effects on the maximum elevation of the generated wave, while the effects of the initial position and the falling angle of the rock are also significant. When the size or the density of the rock increases, the maximum elevation of the generated wave increases. The same effect on the generated wave would be produced if the initial position of the rock becomes closer to the surface, or the falling angle between the falling route and the vertical direction turns larger. In addition, the present numerical tests reveal that the submarine rock falling provides a new generation method for the breaking wave in the wave tank.


OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the cognitive and social-emotional consequences in a general population of primary school children affected by the firework disaster in Enschede, the Netherlands, on May 13, 2000. The explosions caused tremendous damage in the surrounding neighborhood. Twenty-two people immediately died and >1000 were injured. METHODS. This retrospective study assessed school performance and social-emotional behavior before and up to 3 years after the disaster. Objectively measured school test results in spelling and arithmetic/mathematics and multi-informant social-emotional behavioral assessments were compared between exposed and nonexposed primary school children. Multivariate logistic-regression was used to assess the relationship between exposure and cognitive and social emotional functioning. RESULTS. On school performances, the children exposed to the disaster performed over a period of 3 years after the disaster as good as or better than classmates, controls, and a national reference population. Shortly after the disaster, exposed children even seemed to have better school test results than nonexposed children. Two to 3 years after the disaster, a significant effect of disaster exposure was found on social-emotional behavior. Problematic behavior was reported by teachers, parents, and the school doctor. CONCLUSIONS. This study demonstrates a limited influence of disaster exposure on school performance in primary school children. This study also shows that teachers and youth health care practitioners especially should be aware of children starting school several years after a disaster. Although very young at the time of a disaster (1–4 years of age), they may experience disaster-related problems.


A 77-year-old man presented with acute graft dysfunction 25 years after a renal transplant in the left iliac fossa. He also had an asymptomatic left inguinal hernia. Renal ultrasound showed a significant pyelocalicial dilation of the kidney graft and the patient was submitted to a percutaneous nephrostomy. An antegrade nephrostogram was performed, which showed a dilated ureter and the bladder included in the left inguinal hernia that caused the obstructive uropathy. Concomitant retrograde cystography also showed a significant portion of the bladder in the hernia sac. The patient was submitted to inguinal hernia repair, which resolved the obstruction. We present a rare and potentially curable cause of obstructive uropathy in a transplant recipient; it is possible to revert graft dysfunction and prevent graft loss if the condition is recognised early.


In this paper six of the trace elements which are essential for optimum human health will be considered. These are copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, chromium and selenium. For each element the realization that it may be essential for man was preceded by the demonstration of a similar dependence either in experimental animals or in livestock inadvertently deprived of the micronutrient. This account will review the value of animal models in identifying possible human requirements for a trace metal and while it is not reliable to extrapolate from such studies to man in determining human quantitative requirements the important contribution which animal studies have made in identifying factors which modify quantitative requirements for these elements will also be outlined. Early this century the ubiquity of trace amounts of certain metals in biological material stimulated efforts to investigate their possible biological function (Underwood, 1977). Cu was reported to be essential for growth and haemoglobin synthesis in rats in 1928 (Hart et al. 1928) and soon afterwards endemic nutritional Cu deficiency was recognized in cattle. Hart and his colleagues feeding rats purified diets then succeeded in demonstrating that Mn and Zn were essential micronutrients, and subsequently these dependencies have been shown in all species studied (Underwood, 1977). Further investigations using purified diets have enabled the identification of Mo, Cr and Se as essential dietary components in animals. More recently, the use of plastic isolators fitted with filters and airlocks to exclude atmospheric dust (Smith & Schwarz, 1967) and create 'trace element sterile environments' has provided evidence that tin, nickel, silicon, vanadium, arsenic, lead and cadmium may be essential. None of these elements have been shown to be essential for man. Extension of experience with animals to man has been slow. The possibility that Zn deficiency may contribute to the features of human vitamin deficiency states was considered soon after the original studies with Zn deficient animal studies (Eggleton, 1939) but it was not until the 1960s, in Iran and Egypt, that human Zn deficiency syndromes were identified (Prasad, 1978). These patients exhibited some features of Zn deficiency in common with the earlier description in animals. They had growth retardation with delayed skeletal maturation, icthyosis and hypogonadism. An associated anaemia responded to Fe supplements but the other manifestations only resolved after oral Zn supplements had been given. The more florid features of Zn deficiency such as parakeratosis, eczematous dermatitis, alopecia, impaired immunity and diarrhoea were not observed in man until it was realized that the features of acrodermatitis enteropathica were those of a profound w29-6651/80/3933-4105 fo1.w 0 1980 The Nutrition Society


'Crooked Charles is completely bonkers, 0.10. Instead of a seat in the town council he's got a seat reserved in the nut-house, 0.10.' 'Friends, what do you say? Should we give that blue smotherer who sends his children to the brethren schools a concert with tin pipes, 0.10.' 'I am glad to have received [the journal] Het Zweepken [The Little Whip], 0.16 I read it in the gents', 0.10 And then I sent it to its proper destination 0.10.'


The Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) is on the foothills of the Maluti Mountains and is the only national park in the eastern Free State Province of South Africa. The park is famous for its impressive sandstone formations. It was established in 1963 for the purpose of protecting a pristine area with much emphasis on conserving the sandstone formations and the montane and Afro-Alpine grassland biome. The GGHNP is situated in QwaQwa, which is well known for lacking sustainable development, and has been declared a Presidential Nodal Point because of high poverty, population growth and unemployment. These problems persist despite the fact that the park is the province's major tourist attraction. Previous research in and around the park has focused on geology, palaeontological finds, slope forms and the prominent lichen weathering, and remarkably little has been done on the institutional framework and policy environment governing the management and conservation of park resources.


Transboundary movement of wildlife results in some of the most complicated and unresolved wildlife management issues across the globe. Depending on the location and managing agency, gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) management in the US ranges from preservation to limited hunting to population reduction. Most wildlife studies focus on population size and growth rate to inform management, but relatively few examine species biological processes at scales aside from that of the population. This is especially important for group-living species such as the gray wolf, for which the breeding unit is the social group. We analyzed data for gray wolf packs living primarily within several US National Park Service units (years of data): Denali National Park and Preserve (33 years), Grand Teton National Park (23 years), Voyageurs National Park (12 years), Yellowstone National Park (27 years), and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve (23 years). We identified two gray wolf biological processes that differed from population size – namely, pack persistence and reproduction – and determined that while human-caused mortality had negative effects on both, pack size had a moderating effect on the impacts of mortality.


The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Cryptococcus neoformans in faeces of domestic pigeons (Columba livia) in public places in the city of Lima, Peru, in 2015-2016. Samples of dried faeces were collected from pigeon lofts from captive-bred racing pigeons and from public places for free-living pigeons. The samples were processed and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar and incubated at 37 °C up to 10 days. Colonies were identified through macroscopic evaluation, capsule visualization with Indian ink, urease test, sugar assimilation, rapid nitrate reduction, phenol oxidase test and growth on CGB agar. A frequency of 5.16% (16/310) of positive samples for C. neoformans in faeces of both types of pigeons was determined. In the faeces of homing pigeons was 8.89% (16/180), while there were no positive samples in the captive-bred racing pigeons. The stochastic Beta Pert simulation (@Risk 5.5®) a minimum and maximum prevalence for the study of 4.59 and 5.61%, respectively. Cryptococcus neoformans is present in the feces of homing pigeons in the city of Lima, Peru.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to find out the efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy, as an adjunct to standard pharmacotherapy in bronchial asthma.

DESIGN
An experimental design with pre- and post-therapy assessments was adopted.

SETTING
The Medicine Out-patient Department of St. John's Medical College and Hospital, and Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, Bangalore.

PATIENTS
Ten asthma patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria, matched for use of drugs, were sequentially allotted to two groups: a) experimental group, who were exposed to cognitive behaviour therapy along with standard pharmacotherapy, b) control group, who were exposed to standard pharmacotherapy alone.

INTERVENTION
Cognitive behaviour therapy included 15 individual sessions consisting of asthma education, Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation (JPMR), behavioural techniques, cognitive restructuring, cognitive coping skills and behavioural counseling to significant others.

MEASUREMENTS
The measures used for pre- and post-therapy assessments were--Asthma symptom checklist, asthma diary, state trait anxiety inventory-Y1 and Y2, Beck depression inventory, asthma quality of life questionnaire and peak expiratory flow rate.

RESULTS
There was significant decrease in asthma symptoms, anxiety and depression; and significant increase in quality of life in the experimental group (p < 0.05) at the post-assessment. The control group did not show any significant change at the post-assessment.

CONCLUSION
Cognitive behaviour therapy helps in improving the management of asthma.


The theoretical analysis and experimental research of possibility of using commercially available semiconductor laser diodes at low temperatures (down to the temperature of 50 K) has been performed in the paper. The relevance of this work is caused by the need to develop sensors for remote measurement of low temperatures on the basis of semiconductor laser emitters. To implement the idea some analysis of wavelength emitted by the semiconductor laser diode as a function of medium temperature has been made. Physical causes that determine this relationship have been discussed. It has been shown that the temperature coefficient of change of the band gap width is a key factor in determining the dependence of the wave length of the laser radiation from the medium temperature. The calculation of numerical values of the temperature coefficient of change of the band gap width for the studied semiconductor laser diodes has been performed. Comparison of the experimental results with the published data has been performed. The temperature coefficient of change of the band gap width for some diode brands has been determined experimentally. It has been shown that in the temperature range 130 ÷ 150 K there is a sharp change in the parameter being analyzed. It has been commented that further studies are needed in this direction to explain possible reasons for the observed effect. To determine the effect of temperature on the nature of the semiconductor laser diode emission spectrum the emission spectra at several temperatures have been measured. It has been shown that at a certain temperature the semiconductor laser diode can be operated in a single mode. It has been noted that the value of the temperature coefficient of change of the band gap width is maintained irrespective of the laser operation mode (single mode, multimode, spontaneous emission mode). The results of the research are relevant for analysis of the work of laser emitters at low operating temperatures.


The novel quaternary ammonium salt, CHF5407, showed subnanomolar affinities for human muscarinic M1, M2 and M3 receptors, and dissociated very slowly (t1/2 = 166 min from hM3 receptors (t1/2 = 166 min) with a large part of the receptorial complex (54%) remaining undissociated at 32h from radioligand washout. In contrast, [H]CHF5407 dissociated quickly from hM2 receptors (t1/2=31 min), whereas [H]tiotropium dissociated slowly from both hM3 (t1/2=163 min) and hM2 receptor (t1/2=297 min). In the guinea-pig isolated trachea and human isolated bronchus, CHF5407 produced a potent (pIC50=9.0-9.6) and long-lasting (up to 24h) inhibition of M3-receptor mediated contractile responses to carbachol. In the guinea-pig electricallydriven left atrium, the M2 receptor-mediated inhibitory response to carbachol was recovered more quickly in CHF5407-pretreated, than in tiotropium-pretreated preparations. CHF5407, administered intratracheally (i.t.) to anaesthetized guinea pigs, potently inhibited acetylcholine (Ach)-induced bronchoconstriction with an ED50 value of 0.15 nmoles/kg. The effect was substained over a period of 24 h, with a residual 57% inhibition 48 h after antagonist administration at 1 nmoles/kg. In conscious guinea pigs, inhaled CHF5407 inhibited Ach-induced bronchoconstriction for at least 24 h as did tiotropium at similar dosages. Cardiovascular parameters in anaesthetised guinea pigs were not significantly changed by CHF5407, up to 100 nmoles/kg i.v. and up to 1000 nmoles/kg i.t. In conclusion, CHF5407 shows a prolonged antibronchospastic activity both in vitro and in vivo, due to a very slow dissociation from M3 receptors. In contrast, CHF5407 is markedly short-acting at M2 receptors, a behaviour not shared by tiotropium. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. JPET Fast Forward. Published on August 30, 2010 as DOI: 10.1124/jpet.110.170035 at A PE T Jornals on M ay 1, 2017 jpet.asjournals.org D ow nladed from


Rivers finding their path through different hamlets, industries and residential etc. are the end receivers of liquid and solid waste. This plight of water bodies has been deteriorating the life of the river stretches and greatly impacting the quality of water. The identification of potentially polluted locations and timely action can help in restoring the water quality of the river stretches and improving the life of water body as well. The dynamics of river Ganga stretches has been modeled using Non-linear Autoregressive network with exogenous inputs (NARX) model spatially and temporally simultaneously. This method helps in developing one single model to understand all the stretches simultaneously which is not possible otherwise. The change in behavior of NARX model under consecutive and non-consecutive time period has also been studied using statistical methods and multi-step ahead predictions. The model developed in this study captures all the seasons together in one single model and has been used to predict BOD values at seven different locations for nine months ahead. The results highlight the performance ability of NARX model to understand future water quality changes of river Ganga stretch owing to continuous pollution adding to the river. The results predicted for 9 months ahead for year 2015 using two different models, a lower root mean square error (RMSE) as 0.026 and higher correlation coefficient 'r' as 0.992 was obtained for model with consecutive days while for other model with non-consecutive days the RMSE was 0.031 and r was 0.989. This information may provide some guidance to the policy makers and water managers to prepare and suggest the pollution mitigation measures for the life line of millions; River Ganga.


Class IA phosphoinositol-3-kinases (PI3Ks) play pivotal roles in cancer and inflammation and are targets for anti-cancer therapies. p85 was first described as a regulatory subunit of Class I PI3Ks which complexes with the p110 catalytic domain to form the heterodimeric enzyme. PI3Ks are recruited to cytokine and growth factor receptors via the SH2 domains of p85. While p85 represses the kinase activity of p110 subunits in the cytosol, binding to pTyr residues on receptors or adapters activates p110, resulting in the phosphorylation of the 3'-hydroxyl group of phosphatidylinositol-4',5'-diphosphate (PIP2) to form phosphatidylinositol-3',4',5'-triphosphate (PIP3). Membrane-associated PIP3 subsequently recruits kinases such as PDK1 and Akt to the cell membrane. PDK1 phosphorylates and activates Akt, which propagates growth and survival signals. In biochemical assays, doubly phosphorylated peptides enhance catalytic activity of p85/p110 dimers, which led to the dogma that phosphopeptides should activate PI3K in cells. Due to the challenges of cellular entry of negatively charged phosphopeptides, blocking protein-protein interactions mediated by p85 has been largely unexplored in intact cells. We targeted the SH2 domains of p85 with phosphatase-stable, cell-permeable prodrug analogs of Y(p)VPML, a high-affinity ligand derived from Tyr751 of PDGF. To allow cell entry and to protect against phosphatase degradation, we replaced pTyr with bis-pivaloyloxymethyl esters of 4-phosphonodifluoromethylphenylalanine (F2Pmp(POM2)), which have not been reported. We synthesized Z-NMe-F2Pmp(POM2)-OPcp with the a-amino group methylated to enhance cell penetration and the carboxyl group esterified with pentachlorophenol. Z-protection was necessary for phosphonate protecting group manipulation and for stability of the Pcp ester. A series of inhibitors was prepared by coupling Z-NMe-F2Pmp(POM2)-OPcp to analogs of VPML. Hydrogenation in the presence of Ac2O gave an N-terminal acetyl prodrug. Screening for inhibition of EGF-stimulation of pAkt in serum starved MDA-MB-468 cells led to the identification of the lead inhibitor, PM-190I. In serum starved MDB-MB-231 cells, PM-190I inhibited EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of Akt with an IC50 of 5 iM. At 30 iM Akt phosphorylation was negligible. These results suggest that the phosphopeptide mimic blocks recruitment to p85/p110 dimers to EGFR or its substrates, thereby preventing PI3K pathway signaling. Further, in intact cells, a mono-phosphopeptide does not stimulate PI3K activity, which contradicts current dogma. In addition to its role as a regulatory subunit, non-catalytic roles of p85 include complexing Rab4 and Rab5, stabilizing PTEN, invadopodium formation, cytokinesis, and nuclear trafficking of proteins such as XBP-1 and OPNi. Phosphopeptide mimics targeted to the SH2 domain of p85 have potential applications both in blocking PI3K signaling as well as in modulating non-catalytic functions. Citation Format: Pijus K. Mandal, Yanhua Yao, Anne R. Bresnick, Jonathan M. Backer, John S. McMurray. Peptide prodrugs targeting the SH2 domains of p85 block PI3K signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4838.


The Small and Medium of Industry in Indonesia become of the backbone for the society economicals system, because can penetrate workers without especially skills, so the small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen in Village of Karayunan. This research fulfilled in Village of Karayunan, Subdistrict of Cigasong, District of Majalengka, West Java. In Village of Karayunan there are 10 units of a small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen (Department of Small and Medium Enterprises Group of Industry and Trade of District of Majalengka, 2014) with average account labour 5 persons, but that potential has not been explored maximally. So that is a need to be facilitated from Centre of Government although Region of Government about organize of management and ease to can capital for managers of a small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen so the income for him and workers can increase. The purpose of this study was to know and analyze income from managers and workers of a small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen. The method in this research is qualitative, the technique of collect field data with observation, interview of semi-structure and interview of a structure. The informant in this research account 17 persons. The result of this research show that the product of small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen in Village of Karayunan are "bilik batik", "bilik polos", "bilik kodi" and "kurung". Along time which allocation work not the same about four products. The managers of a small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen could profit from "bilik batik" amount Rp 3.597.500/month; "bilik polos" amount Rp 1.190.000/month; "bilik kodi" amount 2.100.000/month and "kurung" amount Rp 1.353.000/month. Income from the workers of a small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen as a"buruh tani" amount Rp 300.000 – Rp 360.000/month. After became as a worker of a small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen from "bilik batik" amount Rp 1.755.000/month; "bilik polos" amount Rp 1.500.000/month; "bilik kodi" amount 1.050.000/month and "kurung" amount Rp 735.000/month. The conclusion of this research is the small industry of woven bamboo craftsmen can penetrate workers and increase income.


Background p300 has been regarded as a potential source for cell proliferation, survival, growth, and differentiation by functioning as a transcriptional bridge, scaffold, and histone acetyltransferase. It is known that p300 plays a critical role in the development of heart failure and myocardial infarction. However, the expression of p300 in the artery wall and its possible role in the development of intimal hyperplasia after vascular injury have not been determined yet. Methods Experiments were performed with VSMCs from thoracic aorta of Sprague–Dawley rats in vitro, and a rat carotid artery balloon injury model in vivo. Levels of p300, IkBα and p65 were detected by western blot. Levels of IL-6 and MCP-1 were assayed with real-time RT-PCR. To evaluate oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species were measured using the fluorescent dye dihydroethidium and NADPH activity was examined with a commercial kit. The carotid arteries of rats were used for immunohistochemical staining and morphometric analysis at seven days and 14 days after balloon injury. Results p300 levels were increased 24 h after stimulation of thrombin in cultured VSMCs and in balloon injury of the rat carotids at seven days on protein levels. p300 inhibitor (50 μmol/l curcumin) significantly inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors IL-6 and MCP-1 induced by thrombin. The migration of thrombin-treated VSMCs was also suppressed by curcumin (50 μmol/l). In line with these changes, p300 inhibition with curcumin reduced the IkBα degradation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB in thrombin-stimulated VSMCs. In addition, curcumin suppressed ROS production in the presence of thrombin, which was associated with reduction of NADPH activity. Furthermore, the carotid arteries from SD rats were injured by balloon catheter, followed by administration of gavage with curcumin (50 mg/kg/d) or normal saline. After seven days and 14 days treatments, the area of neointimal to media area ratio was significantly decreased by 21.2 % and 32.4 %, respectively, compared with the control group. The incidence of proliferating cells labelled with PCNA, was also down-regulated in neointimal in curcumin group at about seven days. Relative to control group, immunohistochemisty analyses found the reduction of NF-κB in the neointimal 7 days after surgery. Conclusion Inhibition of p300 activity attenuated neointimal formation of after artery injury. Therefore, blockage of p300 might represent a novel therapeutic strategy in case of vascular injury.


Monolayer catalysts containing binary active phases (VOx-CrOx, VOx-MoOx) were prepared by simultaneous deposition of the corresponding transition metal-oxo species on the TiO2 (anatase) surface using the equilibrium deposition filtration technique. The prepared samples contained various amounts of each transition metal but almost the same total metal loading. They were characterized by atomic absorption spectroscopy, N2 adsorption, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and tested for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH3 in the temperature range 250-450 degrees C. It was found that the transition-metal ionic species used for the preparation of these catalysts compete for the same surface sites of the TiO2 carrier upon co-deposition. Small amounts of the second phase (Mo- or Cr-oxo phase) are sufficient in order to promote the catalytic activity at relatively high temperatures, in contrast to what happens in the corresponding industrial catalysts prepared by conventional methods. An electronic interaction between V- and Cr-oxo species favored at a V/Cr atomic ratio around 3 is probably responsible for the relatively high catalytic performance of the corresponding TiCrV catalyst. The activity of the studied catalysts is well correlated with the intensity of a DRS absorption band that appeared at ca. 400 nm, which is considered as a measure of the magnitude of interactions exerted between the monolayer transition metal-oxo species and the TiO2 carrier. This correlation is independent of the transition metals combination used and follows the same linear relationship found previously for single-active-phase catalysts.


Motor potentials of the bulbocavernosus muscle were recorded in 17 healthy subjects after transcranial and lumbar magnetic stimulation. The latencies (SD) were respectively: 22.9 (1.8) and 5.9 (0.4) ms. The central conduction time was 17.0 (2.5) ms. The bulbocavernosus reflex presented an onset at 34.5 (3.3) ms and a negative peak at 43.1 (3.9) ms. The cortical pudendal evoked potential was W shaped: the first peak had a latency of 35.4 (2.8) ms. The concurrent recording of motor potentials, bulbocavernosus reflex, pudendal evoked potentials gives a measure of peripheral and central, afferent and efferent neurological pathways related to pudendal nerve function.


Abstract : Recommendations made by the National Technical Committee on Wet-land Vegetation (NTCWV) for vegetation sampling and for assessing hydrophytic vegetation were tested for possible inclusion in the update of the Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual. A new method, the Hydrophytic Cover Index (HCI), was used to determine if vegetation was hydrophytic. Plot shape and size, rectangular (10 2 m) vs. nested circular (9 m and 2 m radii used in the Corps 1987 Manual), were tested for differences in hydrophytic vegetation outcomes. HCI determinations produced from calculations using 100%, 90%, and 80% of the total cover in each plot were also tested for differences. DDifferencesin plot size or shape had no effect on the percentage of hydrophytic vegetation determinations produced by the HCI. Calculating the HCI using 100%, 90%, and 80% of the total cover in delineation plots also had no effect on the outcome. Therefore, to determine if hydrophytic vegetation is present, it is not necessary to identify more than 80% of the total cover to the species level. To apply the 80% approach, the NTCWV suggests ranking the species cover in descending order and selecting the 20% from the least common species in the plot. Once 80% of the total cover in a plot has been positively identified, the remaining cover may be disregarded. If the 80% approach determines that the vegetation is nonhydrophytic ( 50%) but hydric soil and wetland hydrology indicators are present, Chapter Five in the appropriate Regional Supplement should be consulted to determine if problematic vegetation is present (e.g., USACE 2007).


We report on the effect of 1-pentanol loading on the phase behaviour of mixtures of CTAB/water/n-hexane at fixed mole ratios 1∶80∶47. The cosurfactant induces changes in the interfacial film curvature. By increasing the pentanol/CTAB mole ratio, the system evolves from oil-in-water to water-in-oil structures. For very large 1-pentanol loading some water is expelled from the reverse micelles resulting in a L2plus water equilibrium (emulsification failure). In the range of compositions investigated most of the phase equilibria reveals the coexistence of liquid crystals and hexane/pentanol solutions. In these cases, we estimate the interface composition by assuming a constant 1-pentanol concentration in all the oil domains, and by tacking into account the alcohol solubility in water. In the case of single-phase sample the interfacial composition was determined by means of turbidimetric titration. The adsorption of cosurfactant at the interface of direct micelles, planar lamellae, bicontinuous microemulsions, and spherical reverse micelles follows the same adsorption isotherm (independently from the curvature of the interface). Moreover, the results obtained unambiguously show that the interface composition dictates the spontaneous curvature of interfacial film. Actually positive, null, and negative curvatures correspond to different compositions of the interfacial film. Once the influence of cosurfactant on the spontaneous curvature of the interface is understood, the appearance of the emulsification failure upon pentanol loading can be rationalised within the framework of the flexible surface model.


Abstract Background Multi-drug resistant superbugs are a serious health threat due to limited treatment options and high mortality rates. Certain superbug strains are now resistant to as many as 36 representative FDA-approved antibiotics, including Colistin and Carbapenem antibiotics, widely considered as the last line of defense against untreatable infections. Nitric oxide (NO) is a diatomic free radical employed by the immune system to eradicate bacteria via oxidative and nitrosative stress. To facilitate storage and controlled release of NO, we have developed NO donor-modified biopolymers based on chitosan, a linear polysaccharide composed of randomly distributed β--linked D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Herein, we report the broad spectrum antibacterial action of low molecular weight (5 kDa) NO-releasing chitosan against Gram-positive and Gram-negative multi-drug-resistant bacterial species, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods MIC assays were performed using CLSI guidelines in a 96-well plate format. All assays were carried out in triplicate using a two-fold dilution range. The bacterial suspension was then diluted in assay medium to a target concentration of approximately 5 × 105 CFU/mL, after which it was added to all test and growth control wells, and allowed to incubate. Test wells were scored for the lowest NO concentration released from the chitosan to inhibit visual growth of the pathogen. After MIC determination, wells demonstrating inhibition were plated, incubated and resulting colonies counted to determine survival concentration. The lowest concentration of NO to inhibit ≥99.9 % of a given test organism was reported as the MBC. Of note, chitosan alone showed no antibacterial action. Results MIC and MBC assays for NO-releasing chitosan against six multi-drug resistant strains are provided below. Conclusion The properties of the NO-releasing chitosan, including water solubility, make it an excellent drug candidate for treating respiratory infections. Such development is currently underway. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


ABSTRACT An indirect method to determine the exponential mortality coefficient (λ) as well as the annual mortality (m) is proposed. In this method, both parameters are deduced mathematically from a model of organic growth (von Bertalanffy) and from a model of uneven-aged population structure (De Liocourt and Meyer) used with forest trees, which relates the frequency of individuals by size classes. The resultant equations allow the determination of either the instantaneous or mean value for λ or m between any two ages t 1 and t 2. Both concepts of mortality were used to determine the half-life (t 0.5) as a function of λ and m . The method is applied to determine the curves of mortality and the half-life of Otoba gracilipes (Myristicaceae), a tropical tree that grows in the forested wetlands of the Colombian Pacific coast.


Eight strains of Clostridium botulinum type E out of twelve tested showed good growth and normal cell morphology in a synthetic medium containing choline. Growth and toxin production by a representative strain was not influenced by repeated subculturing. In the chemically defined medium, acetylcholine, N,N-dimethylethanolamine, and lecithin could replace choline to get normal cell division and cell morphology of C. botulinum type E. Choline could not be replaced by ethanolamine, N-methylethanolamine, or betaine. A toxigenic strain of C. botulinum type E showed proteolytic, lipolytic, and lecithinase activity in complex media but not in a synthetic medium. On prolonged incubation in the high temperature range of growth, the toxicity of the culture filtrate decreased in a complex, but not in a synthetic medium. The implications of these findings are discussed.


Original Research Article The study aimed to achieve two main objectives. First, it sought to assess the effect of COVID-19 on the social wellbeing of people of Teso sub-region. Secondly, it sought to assess the effect of COVID-19 on the economic wellbeing of people in Teso sub-region. The study further sought to make recommendations on some of the practical ways that can enable the people of Teso to deal with COVID-19 and to survive in an era now globally known as the "new normal." The research design was a descriptive cross-sectional study among community members in three representative districts of Teso, namely Soroti, Katakwi and Kumi. Information from members of the community was collected using a closed-ended questionnaire comprising statements regarding the social and economic wellbeing of the people of Teso. The information was later descriptively presented as frequency and percentage. Additionally, an interview guide was used to collect data from members of District, Sub-county or Division Task Forces on COVID-19 in the three districts. The target population for this study was members of the Teso sub-region community. The sample size for this study was 150 respondents drawn from local communities for quantitative data and 26 members of task forces on COVID-19. A simplified quantitative analysis was used to capture three elements from quantitative data: mean range, response mode and interpretation. The study found that there was a very high awareness about COVID-19 and its symptoms in Teso. It also revealed a depressing trend arising from the impact of COVID-19 on the economy of Teso. Businesspeople were most affected adversely in economic terms.


Respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamartoma (REAH) is an uncommon benign lesion of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The etiology is unclear, however it is considered to be secondary to chronic sinonasal inflammation. Although it is rare, REAH should be taken into consideration in differential diagnosis of the nasal lesions. Complete surgical excision of the lesion is generally enough for the cure. A detailed pathological examination is necessary to prevent unnecessary surgical interventions. In this article, we present a 60-year-old female patient with REAH in the left nasal cavity associated with inflammatory polyp in the right nasal cavity.


Eight children with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in whom the corneal diameters were abnormally small in one or both eyes are reported. The mechanisms for microcornea in ROP are discussed. The differential diagnosis of microphthalmos is briefly considered.


Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state bonding technique. There are many direct and indirect factors affecting the mechanical and microstructural properties of the FSW joints. Tool offset, tilt angle, and plunge depth are determinative tool positioning in the FSW process. Investigating the effect of these factors simultaneously with other parameters such as process speeds (rotational speed and translational speed) and tool geometry leads to a poor understanding of the impact of these factors on the FSW process. Because the three mentioned parameters have the same origin, they should be studied separately from other process parameters. This paper investigates the effects of tilt angle, plunge depth, and tool offset on Ultimate Tensile Stress (UTS) of joints between AA6061-T6 and AA7075-T6. To design the experiments, optimization, and statistical analysis, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) has been used. Experimental tests were carried out to find the maximum achievable UTS of the joint. The optimum values were determined based on the optimization procedure as 0.7 mm of tool offset, 2.7 degrees of tilt angle, and 0.1 mm of plunge depth. These values resulted in a UTS of 281 MPa. Compared to the UTS of base metals, the joint efficiency of the optimized welded sample was nearly 90 percent.


Abstract. Cribrilinid bryozoans originating from Pleistocene deep-water sediments from two localities near Messina (Sicily, Italy)—Capo Milazzo (Gelasian) and Scoppo (Calabrian)—were examined. Five cribrilinid species were found, three in each locality and time interval, with only one species shared. Three species, Cribrilaria profunda n. sp., Glabrilaria transversocarinata n. sp., and Figularia spectabilis n. sp., are new to science. Of the two remaining species, Figularia figularis was already known from local fossil associations, whereas Glabrilaria pedunculata, a present-day Mediterranean species, is recorded for the first time as a fossil. New combinations are suggested for two species previously assigned to Puellina, Cribrilaria saldanhai (Harmelin, 2001) n. comb. and Cribrilaria mikelae (Harmelin, 2006) n. comb. The diagnosis of the genus Figularia was amended to include an erect growth morphology in addition to the encrusting form, and the occurrence of ooecia formed by the distal kenozooid. Following a literature revision of all species currently assigned to Figularia, the new combinations Vitrimurella capitifera (Canu and Bassler, 1929) n. comb. and Hayamiellina quaylei (Powell, 1967a) n. comb. are suggested, and problematic species are listed and briefly discussed.


This work presents a cryptanalytic methodology of the well-known "Optimal Differential Energy Watermarking (DEW)" scheme. The DEW scheme divides the image into some disjoint regions (each region containing two subregions). In the DEW scheme, the watermark is a secret binary string where each individual bit information gets inserted in one of the regions by modifying the high-frequency Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coefficients. This modification creates a required energy difference between two subregions. We modify these high-frequency components so that this energy difference vanishes, and in turn, extraction of the watermark signal becomes impossible, making the cryptanalysis successful. Further, we improve the DEW scheme by inserting the watermark information in low-frequency components instead of high-frequency components and propose an oblivious robust watermarking strategy that enables forensic tracking. We present statistical justification toward the robustness of our modified scheme.


ABSTRACT This study uses the limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing (LC4MP; Lang, 2006) as a framework to study coactivation of fundamental motivational systems elicited by common message features in antismoking public service announcements (PSAs): the appetitive system (elicited by smoking cues) and aversive system (elicited by perceived threat and disgust). Specific predictions were made for smoking cues' ability to provide cognitive resources for message encoding when simultaneous message elements are so highly aversive they begin to deplete resources (i.e., during a defensive cascade). The results showed that greater resources were expended on encoding headlines as indicated by increased attention (i.e., gaze duration and frequency of fixation) and better free recall, but not noncue pictorial elements when smoking cues were present in PSAs high in perceived disgust. Although the inclusion of smoking cues was effective in highly aversive PSAs, results indicated that the inclusion of smoking cues reduced attention and free recall for moderately and low-aversive PSAs. Theoretical advances include the use of motivational coactivation to reduce defensive reactions and the differential allocation impact on text versus visual message elements. Applied implications highlight the importance of formative production research to ensure aversive activation is high enough to offset urges associated with smoking cues.


In conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy, adequate hemostasis is provided by bipolar coagulation, staple, and suture. The Laparosonic Coagulating Shears (LCS) have been proven to give both hemostasis and cutting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the LCS for laparoscopic hysterectomy. Fifteen patients indicated for hysterectomy were enrolled for laparoscopic hysterectomy using LCS. Each procedure was performed under general endotracheal anesthesia. The LCS were operated at power level 1 though 5. All pedicles, blood vessels, and tissues were coagulated and cut by LCS. The cardinal ligaments were cut and ligated transvaginally. The uterus was removed through the vagina. The operative finding, uterine volume and weight, operative time, CO2 volume, blood loss and hospital stay were recorded. Among the 15 cases, the indications were myoma uteri (7 cases), adenomyosis (6 cases) and adenomyosis with endometriomas (2 cases). The mean volume of the uterus was 226.8 cm3 (range 77-399 cm3) and mean weight was 188.8 g (range 85-320 g). Mean operative time was 171.6 min (range 114-210 min) and CO2 loss was 313.8 liters (range 120-650 liters). Blood loss was 366.7 ml (range 100-1,500 ml). LCS can be used for coagulation and cutting simultaneously. Minimal charring and smoke was observed during operation. In general, the hospital stay was 3 days (range 2-4 days), except for one case of recto-sigmoid injury and 2 cases of ureteric injury when the hospital stay was 7, 10, and 12 days, respectively. The injuries occurred in cases with anatomic distortion, profuse bleeding, and dense adhesion. LCS can be used as an alternative instrument for coagulation and dissection. According to our experience, it produces less charring and smoke compared to electrocoagulation. However, a high rate of complications were still encountered.


Autoimmune pancreatitis is recognised worldwide as a T cell mediated, organ specific disease characterised by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine parenchyma with fibrosis and autoantibodies, including to carbonic anhydrase II. Increasing use of biopsy at endoscopic ultrasound may permit more frequent diagnosis without resection, but if doubt remains as to the presence of neoplasia, resection is preferable

During the five decades after Hashimoto described struma lymphomatosa of the thyroid gland featuring diffuse lymphocytic infiltration, fibrosis, and parenchymal atrophy,1 autoimmunity became increasingly recognised, such that when similar histological changes were described affecting the pancreas, an autoimmune mechanism was postulated.2 Autoimmune pancreatitis then remained among a number of plausible explanations for the appreciable minority of patients with chronic pancreatitis who give no history of alcohol abuse.3 More recently, Japanese workers again took up the baton, describing series of patients who had undergone pancreatic resection for suspected neoplasia but whose histology demonstrated lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine parenchyma, with periductular and interlobular fibrosis.4,5 Further study demonstrated a T cell predominance to the infiltrate,5 autoantibodies directed against carbonic anhydrase II,6 an enzyme present in pancreatic as well as salivary ductal epithelium, and frequently high serum levels of IgG4.7 These findings have been confirmed in the European population, as reported by Aparisi et al in this issue of Gut ,8 who describe a small series within a larger group of patients with non-alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (see page 703) . Although not stated, such a group is highly likely to include patients with mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)9 and serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1)10 which both increase the risk of chronic pancreatitis, as well as mutations of cationic trypsinogen (protease, serine, 1 (trypsin 1): PRSS1) which cause hereditary …


Nucleic acid therapeutics have emerged as a powerful method for treatment of many diseases. However, the challenge lies in safe and efficient delivery of nucleic acids to their target site, as they need to cross various extracellular and intracellular barriers. Mammalian viruses have initially been favored for delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics, but safety concerns regarding their immunogenicity and potential of integration have fueled the search for alternative delivery strategies. For example, chemistry and bioengineering have led to advances in the use of nonviral vectors composed of lipids and other polymers; nevertheless, the synthetic systems often do not match the efficiency achieved using the biological systems. More recently, researchers have turned toward the development of plant viruses and bacteriophages and virus-like particles as an alternative or complementary approach. These systems unite the properties of both the viral and nonviral systems and as such are a new exciting avenue toward nucleic acid delivery. This review highlights the benefits of plant viral and bacteriophage delivery of nucleic acids and provides a summary of the current progress in research in this field. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2018, 10:e1487. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1487 This article is categorized under: Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus-Based Structures.


Surrogate-based optimization relies on so-called infill criteria (acquisition functions) to decide which point to evaluate next. When Kriging is used as the surrogate model of choice (also called Bayesian optimization), one of the most frequently chosen criteria is expected improvement. We argue that the popularity of expected improvement largely relies on its theoretical properties rather than empirically validated performance. Few results from the literature show evidence, that under certain conditions, expected improvement may perform worse than something as simple as the predicted value of the surrogate model. We benchmark both infill criteria in an extensive empirical study on the 'BBOB' function set. This investigation includes a detailed study of the impact of problem dimensionality on algorithm performance. The results support the hypothesis that exploration loses importance with increasing problem dimensionality. A statistical analysis reveals that the purely exploitative search with the predicted value criterion performs better on most problems of five or higher dimensions. Possible reasons for these results are discussed. In addition, we give an in-depth guide for choosing the infill criteria based on prior knowledge about the problem at hand, its dimensionality, and the available budget.


Vortices play an unique role in heat and momentum transports in astro- and geo-physics, and it is also the origin of the Earth's dynamo. A question existing for a long time is whether the movement of vortices can be predicted or understood based on their historical data. Here we use both the experiments and numerical simulations to demonstrate some generic features of vortex motion and distribution. It can be found that the vortex movement can be described on the framework of Brownian particles where they move ballistically for the time shorter than some critical timescales, and then move diffusively. Traditionally, the inertia of vortex has often been neglected when one accounts for their motion, our results imply that vortices actually have inertial-induced memory such that their short term movement can be predicted. Extending to astro- and geo-physics, the critical timescales of transition are in the order of minutes for vortices in atmosphere and ocean, in which this inertial effect may often be neglected compared to other steering sources. However, the timescales for vortices are considerably larger which range from days to a year. It infers the new concept that not only the external sources alone, for example the solar wind, but also the internal source, which is the vortex inertia, can contribute to the short term Earth's magnetic field variation.


Acoustic scattering and noise generation in tandem orifice configurations are examined and modelled. The modelling is carried out by a combination of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and System Identification (SI). Hereby, an acoustically excited LES is performed.
Afterwards, the acoustic data series extracted from the LES domain are post processed by means of parametric SI methods to concurrently identify both acoustic scattering and noise sources. Adopting a system theory perspective, the scattering
matrix is represented by the so-called ``plant model'' whereas the noise sources are described using a ``noise model''. Here, two tandem orifice configurations are investigated to assess the influence of the distance between the two singularities on
the acoustic power produced by the whole system. The acoustic power generated or dissipated across the double orifices is evaluated by means of the so-called whistling
criterion. Hereby, the whistling potentiality of the two tandem orifice configurations is computed from the identified scattering matrix. The deduced acoustic power is subsequently compared against the whistling potentiality of one single orifice composing the ducted systems to evince the influence of the duct length between the
singularities. Numerical results are validated against experimental data measured for the same geometries and for the same flow.


The purpose : to estimate features endoscopic pictures at patients with thermoinhalation trauma (TNT) during treatment in pulmonology department .

Materials and methods : 96 patients were randomly divided in two groups: the main group 56 patients received treatment in the acute period at the Burn centre (36 received artificial ventilation) and after extubation were transferred to the Pulmonology department; the control group 40 patients continued treatment after extubation at the Burn centre. Volume of research: an estimation of respiratory symptoms, endoscopic. Endoscopic included the characteristic of gleams of a trachea and bronchial tubes, a condition of a mucous membrane and a bronchial secret.

Results:

Distribution of patients by which it was carried out endoscopic, on a degree of weight TNT: I-14.2%, II- 37.5%, III- IV - 48.2%.

At endoscopic following changes have been revealed: laryngitis - 28.5%, dyskinesia membranous parts of the bottom third of trachea (inspirotory a stenosis) - 5.3%, cicatricial deformation of a trachea – 26.7%, cicatricial stenosis of a trachea – 10.7%, tracheitis – 44.6%, diffuse endobronchit I degrees of intensity of an inflammation- 48.2%, diffuse endobronchit II degrees of intensity of an inflammation – 41%, atrochic a bronchitis – 8.9%, erosive a tracheitis – 8.9%/ Without a seen pathology – 12.5%

Conclusion: despite of spent treatment in t the Burn the center, at the majority sick - 44(78.5%) are revealed inflammatory changes endoscopic a tree and throat which demanded continuation of treatment in conditions pulmonology branch.


Fibrinogen secretion is mediated by prostaglandin biosynthesis and is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Since meloxicam produces inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis it may help to normalize hyperfibrinogenemia. We investigated the pharmacological effect of meloxicam on fibrinogen levels and the possible regression of histopathological lesions of thoracic aorta. Rats were subjected to multiple injuries (MI) in the form of laparotomies (Lx) during a 30 day period (1/week). Meloxicam 0.065 mg/kg/day (per rat) was administered orally immediately after the third Lx in multiple injury animals during a ten day period. Blood was obtained 72 hours after the last injury in all groups. Fibrinogen was measured by spectrophotometry and the values were expressed in mg/dL. A statistically significant increment of fibrinogen was observed when comparing uninjured animals (control) (208.7+/-6.0) with the multiple injury group (336.6+/-7.5) (P<0.001). Fibrinogen decreased to the control value in the meloxicam group (198+/-8.7). Histopathological lesions were similar in the MI and meloxicam groups, showing endothelial denudation and intima enlargement from the thoracic aorta in 96% of the slices studied. The decrease in fibrinogen in the meloxicam group would be due to cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) selective inhibition, even though the histopathological lesions did not regress.


In the present study, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to study the genetic diversity among 14 genotypes of brinjal. A total of 14 polymorphic SSR primer pairs were used. Amplification of genomic DNA of 14 genotypes yielded 50 fragments, of which 43 were polymorphic. A clear cut differentiation was exhibited among the genotypes. The range of similarity coefficient varied from 17.8% [between S. aethiopicum L. (2n=2x=24) and Pant Rituraj (S. melongena L., 2n=2x=24)] to 94.1% [between PB-71 and NDB-1] followed by 88.9% [between SMB-115 and KS-331] and 88.6% [between BARI and PB-67]. SAHN cluster analysis using UPGMA method separated the genotypes into six cluster groups. Solanum aethiopicum and PB-67 were positioned as single genotype in separate groups i.e., cluster-I & II, SMB-115 and KS-331 in cluster-III, BARI, PB-66 and Pant Rituraj in cluster-IV, WB-1, PB-4, PB-70 and LC-7 in cluster-V and PB-71, Pant Samrat and NDB-1 in cluster-VI. Morphological characters viz., shape, size and peel colour of brinjal fruits and plant type showed a positive relationship with the DNA based molecular analysis through SSR markers.


Divisions in the field of the psychoanalysis of children can be traced to a dispute over the infantile super-ego between the theorists Melanie Klein and Anna Freud beginning in 1927. These divisions are understood within the analytic world as the result of scientific disputation between alternative valid theories. An examination of the language, claims, and epistemology of Klein's and Freud's publications in 1927 that marked the public commencement of the conflict, reveals a personalized discourse in which authority was derived from the allegiance, experience, and personal analytic standing of the contestants as much as from theoretical insight. The structure and rhetoric of the debate suggest that, rather than terminating the dispute, the publications of 1927 served to encourage professionalization in child analysis and establish Anna Freud and Melanie Klein as authoritative alternative theorists.


Near room temperature operation and hence Peltier cooling for lead chalcogenide diode lasers can be achieved by using sub-/spl mu/s-pulses. At present, the typical CW low operation temperatures of these lasers limit their commercial gas analysis applications. We experimentally investigated the spectral characteristics concerning tuning width, temporal and current tuning rate, and mode behaviour of short pulsed diode lasers. For understanding of the pulse tuning, we present a qualitative thermodynamic model calculation. We observed for the first time a temporary negative tuning, that is opposite to the common mechanisms of temperature and current tuning.


The geographic distribution of coal balls of China and their stratigraphic range are very wide. Fossil plants in coal balls are abundant Floras of coal balls of Jingyuan Gansu contain the same content as those of the Hauptfloz coal of Ruhr and the Kokfloz coal of Ostrau (Namur C) in Europe. Coal balls of Shanxi and Shandong (P1) are abundant and highly diversified with flourished Cathaysian flora, while in the coal balls of Shuicheng, Guizhou (the top of Upper Permian) the Cathaysian flora somewhat declines and shows less in diversification. Some Mesozoic coloured elements have also been observed.


MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by targeted repression of transcription and translation. The main objective of this study was to investigate the role of microRNA-466 (miR-466) in prostate carcinogenesis (PC). The expression of miR-466 was significantly suppressed in PC tissue samples and cell lines (PC3, Du145, LNCaP, MDaPCa2b and LAPC4) when compared with normal tissues and a non-malignant cell line (RWPE1). Receiver operating curve analysis showed that miR-466 expression is an independent diagnostic predictor to discriminate between normal and tumor cases. Functionally ectopic expression of miR-466 caused a robust decrease in cell migration, invasion and proliferation of prostate cancer cells. We found that miR-466 exerted these functional effects by directly targeting the oncogenic RUNX2, a key transcription factor in PC. Over-expression of miR-466 in prostate cancer cells suppressed luciferase activity of reporter plasmids containing wild type 3'UTR sequences complementary to RUNX2, which was abolished by 3'UTR mutations. miR-466 reduced RUNX2 regulated downstream molecules such as ANGPT1, ANGPT4, MMP11, Osteopontin (SPP1), and Osteocalcin (OC). MiR-466 also inhibited genes involved in cell proliferation, migration and invasion such as pAKT, FYN and FAK. To determine the biological significance of miR-466 in prostate cancer, we performed parallel experiments in the non-malignant cell line RWPE1 followed by functional assays. Attenuation of miR-466 induced oncogenic characteristics such as increased proliferation, migration and invasion in RWPE1 cells. To examine the in vivo antitumor effects of miR-466, we performed primary and metastatic mouse model experiments. Intra-prostatic implantation of stable cells expressing miR-466 significantly attenuated primary tumor growth. Whereas, bone metastatic dissemination of PC cells was significantly suppressed by intra-cardiac inoculation of stable miR-466 expressing cells compared to control cells in nude mice. We also monitored the overall survival of mice in the metastatic model. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated higher overall survival in the miR-466 group compared to controls. This is the first study demonstrating that: i) miRNA-466 is downregulated, acts as metastasis suppressor and has diagnostic implications in PC; ii) miR-466 has biological significance in PC as its attenuation induced oncogenic characteristics in normal cells; iii) miR-466 directly targeted RUNX2 and inhibited its downstream genes and iv) stable expression of miR-466 inhibited primary tumor growth and bone metastasis in in vivo models. The use of RNAi is currently being implemented as a gene-specific approach for molecular medicine. By the same principle, it is possible that restoration of silenced miR-466 may lead to down-regulation of target oncogenes thereby contributing to novel therapeutic approaches in the treatment of prostate cancer metastasis. Citation Format: Shahana Majid, Hanna Nip, Altaf A. Dar, Sharanjot Saini, Varahram Shahryari, Soichiro Yamamura, Yozo Mitsui, Nathan Bucay, Guoren Deng, Rajvir Dahiya, Yuichiro Tanaka. MicroRNA-466 regulates bone metastasis by targeting RUNX2 in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1619.


A high-speed and high-power current measurement instrument is described for measuring rapid switching of ferroelectric samples with large spontaneous polarization and coercive field. Instrument capabilities (±200 V, 200 mA, and 200 ns order response) are validated with a LiTaO3 single crystal whose switching kinetics are well known. The new instrument described here enables measurements that are not possible using existing commercial measurement systems, including the observation of ferroelectric switching in large coercive field and large spontaneous polarization Al0.7Sc0.3N thin films.


Fragrances and malodors are ubiquitous in the environment, arising from natural and artificial processes, by the generation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although VOCs constitute only a fraction of the metabolites produced by an organism, the detection of VOCs has a broad range of civilian, industrial, military, medical, and national security applications. The VOC metabolic profile of an organism has been referred to as its 'volatilome' (or 'volatome') and the study of volatilome/volatome is characterized as 'volatilomics', a relatively new category in the 'omics' arena. There is considerable literature on VOCs extracted destructively from microalgae for applications such as food, natural products chemistry, and biofuels. VOC emissions from living (in vivo) microalgae too are being increasingly appreciated as potential real-time indicators of the organism's state of health (SoH) along with their contributions to the environment and ecology. This review summarizes VOC emissions from in vivo microalgae; tools and techniques for the collection, storage, transport, detection, and pattern analysis of VOC emissions; linking certain VOCs to biosynthetic/metabolic pathways; and the role of VOCs in microalgae growth, infochemical activities, predator-prey interactions, and general SoH.


The (Lower) Lake of Zurich provides an ideal system for studying the long‐term impact of environmental change on deep‐water hypoxia because of its sensitivity to climatic forcing, its history of eutrophication and subsequent oligotrophication, and the quality and length of its data set. Based on 39 years (1972–2010) of measured profiles of temperature, oxygen concentration and phosphorus (P) concentration, the potentially confounding effects of oligotrophication and climatic forcing on the occurrence and extent of deep‐water hypoxia in the lake were investigated. The time‐series of Nürnberg's hypoxic factor (HF) for the lake can be divided into three distinct segments: (i) a segment of consistently low HF from 1972 to the late‐1980s climate regime shift (CRS); (ii) a transitional segment between the late‐1980s CRS and approximately 2000 within which the HF was highly variable; and (iii) a segment of consistently high HF thereafter. The increase in hypoxia during the study period was not a consequence of a change in trophic status, as the lake underwent oligotrophication as a result of reduced external P loading during this time. Instead, wavelet analysis suggests that changes in the lake's mixing regime, initiated by the late‐1980s CRS, ultimately led to a delayed but abrupt decrease in the deep‐water oxygen concentration, resulting in a general expansion of the hypoxic zone in autumn. Even after detrending to remove long‐term effects, the concentration of soluble reactive P in the bottom water of the lake was highly correlated with various measures of hypoxia, providing quantitative evidence supporting the probable effect of hypoxia on internal P loading. Such climate‐induced, ecosystem‐scale changes, which may result in undesirable effects such as a decline in water quality and a reduction in coldwater fish habitats, provide further evidence for the vulnerability of large temperate lakes to predicted increases in global air temperature.


Oxygen conduction at low temperatures in apatites make these materials potentially useful as electrolytes in solid-oxide fuel cells, but our understanding of the defect structures enabling ion migration is incomplete. While conduction along [001] channels is dominant, considerable inter-tunnel mobility has been recognized. Using neutron powder diffraction of stoichiometric 'La(10)(GeO(4))(6)O(3)', it has been shown that this compound is more correctly described as an La(10)(GeO(4))(5-)(GeO(5))O(2) apatite, in which high concentrations of interstitial oxygen reside within the channel walls. It is suggested that these framework interstitial O atoms provide a reservoir of ions that can migrate into the conducting channels of apatite, via a mechanism of inter-tunnel oxygen diffusion that transiently converts GeO(4) tetrahedra to GeO(5) distorted trigonal bipyramids. This structural modification is consistent with known crystal chemistry and may occur generally in oxide apatites.


This thesis draws on a socio-cultural framework to investigate the nature and function of the formative assessment practices of Queensland teachers of Year 12 English. The thesis presents case reports that examine two teachers' accounts of the practices they rely on in their Year 12 English classrooms to use assessment for learning. The final chapter of the thesis presents a reflection on the cases, examined against a critical review of literature and an examination of Queensland assessment policy relating to formative assessment. It provides key insights into the teachers' formative assessment practices in a distinctive assessment setting.
Year 12 is the final year of secondary school in Queensland and is therefore a high-stakes environment. In Year 12 assessment information is gathered for certification purposes, that is, for reporting student achievement at exit from a two-year course of study and from school itself. The Queensland system is described in terms of three main characteristics: school-based, externally-moderated and standards-referenced. In Year 12, all classroom assessment is designed, carried out and reported by teachers. The reference point for student achievement is defined standards, identified in subject-specific syllabus documents. External moderation by District Panels and State Review Panels made up of experienced teachers is used as part of a system of quality assurance to ensure high comparability between judgements made by schools about their students.
While a focus in Year 12 English is on reporting student achievement on course completion, and for certification purposes, there is also an expectation that Queensland Senior School teachers will be engaged in assessment for formative assessment purposes. This expectation is made explicit in the English Senior Syllabus (QBSSSS, 2002b).


The new teaching model of flipping classrooms has been widely used in business English negotiation talents in recent years. With the valuable time in the classroom, students can concentrate more on active project-based learning, jointly study and solve the challenges of localization or globalization and other real world problems, thus gaining a deeper understanding. Teachers no longer occupy classroom time to teach information, which requires students to complete autonomous learning before class. They can watch video lectures, listen to podcasts, read enhanced e-books, and discuss with other students on the Internet, and access the required materials at any time. Teachers can also have more time to communicate with everyone. This model subverts the traditional teaching mode and is loved by teachers and students. Through the application of flipped classroom in business English negotiation course teaching, this paper draws a conclusion that flipped classroom is very helpful to the smooth development of business English negotiation classroom activities and to the improvement of learners' autonomous learning ability and business negotiation skills in the process of training business English negotiation talents.


jointing process were analyzed for Si3N4/SUS304 joints with the insert layer of Cu made by an active metal brazing (Ti-Ag-Cu) method so as to clarify the residual stress behavior due to the creep of Cu. The equivalent normal stress calculated from the multi-axial stresses was used to evaluate the strength of fracture which resulted from initial flaws existing in the ceramic side. From the analytical results, it is found that the temperature at which the residual stress begins to generate is about 550•Ž , and it is clarified that the creep of Cu layer during cooling process may relax the residual stress in ceramics side and can not be neglected for the estimation of ceramic fracture due to residual stress.


Based on a high‐resolution analysis of the diatom signal and biogenic bulk components at site GeoB3606‐1 (25°S, off Namibia), we describe rapid palaeoceanographic changes in the Benguela Upwelling System (BUS) from early MIS 3 through to the early Holocene (55 000 to 7 000 14C yr BP). Coastal upwelling strongly varied at 25°S from MIS 3 through to MIS 2. The abrupt decrease in the accumulation rate of biogenic silica and diatoms from MIS 3 into MIS 2 records rapid oceanographic changes in the BUS off Namibia. During MIS 3, leakage of excess H4SiO4 acid from the Southern Ocean into low‐latitude surface waters, as indicated by the occurrence of Antarctic diatoms, enhanced the production of spores of Chaetoceros at the expense of calcareous phytoplankton. Furthermore, shallower Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) would have enriched the thermocline off Namibia with silicate transported from the Southern Ocean. The strong decrease of the siliceous signal throughout MIS 2 represents a decrease in the nutrient input to the BUS, even though the diatom assemblage is still dominated by spores of the upwelling‐associated diatom genus Chaetoceros. Depletion of silicate in the thermocline from the onset of MIS 2 through to the early Holocene reflects the shutdown of AAIW injection from the Southern Ocean into the BUS, causing upwelled waters to become reduced in silicate, hence less favourable for diatom production. The deglaciation and early Holocene are characterised by the replacement of the upwelling‐associated flora by a non‐upwelling‐related diatom community, reflecting weakened upwelling, retraction of the seaward extension of the chlorophyll filament off Lüderitz, and dominance of warmer waters. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Ameloblastoma is a well-known odontogenic tumor that can be associated with calcifying odontogenic cysts (COCs), but only a few reports give its clinical and radiographic features. Calcifying odontogenic cyst was first categorized as a distinct entity by Gorlin et al., and has been named after him since then. Calcifying odontogenic cyst is an uncommon developmental odontogenic lesion that demonstrates histopathologic diversity. It is well known that this lesion can occur in association with odontogenic tumors such as complex odontoma and ameloblastoma. The term COC was not included by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its report of 2005 and is called calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor (CCOT). Histopathologic examination of ameloblastomatous CCOT reveals ameloblastic islands containing ghost cells. Although association of ameloblastoma with this lesion is important, only a few cases have been reported in literature. The present case report is of ameloblastomatous calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor, a rare histologic variant, in a 20-year-old male patient in the left mandibular posterior region.


Sciatic nerve injury is a rare but potentially extremely disabling complication of posterior dislocated total hip arthroplasty. Initial closed reduction is recommended followed by a careful neurovascular examination. This procedure and the following stability testing are usually safe and typically associated with a very low complication rate. We report the case of sciatic nerve entrapment around the neck of the femoral stem after closed reduction of a posteriorly dislocated total hip arthroplasty. Immediate postreduction palsy led to surgical exploration, identification, neurolysis of the sciatic nerve and safe reduction was performed. Patient outcome was marked by complete sensitive sciatic nerve recovery, but complete loss of motor sciatic nerve function. This case highlights the importance of careful postreduction neurovascular assessment and prompt surgical exploration when indicated.


OBJECTIVE
To use rat preantral follicle culture as a novel bioassay in order to study the effects of di-2-ethylhexyl phttmlate (DEHP) and its metabolite mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) on folliculogenesis in vitro.

METHODS
The preantral follicles were mechanically dissected from ovaries and equally randomized to to 96-well plates. Six dose groups were setup to be acute exposed in 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 microg/ml MEHP concentration, 33.7, 67.5, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 nmol/L DEHP concentration on day 2,while another control group used solvent only, each group had 16 to 20 follicles. After subsequently cultured individually for 10 days, the follicles were induced to ovulate for 20h, follicle development and oocyte maturation were observed.

RESULTS
Day 11 follicle survival rate (54.76% +/- 3.37%) had significantly dropped after exposure to >10 microg/ml MEHP concentration, comparing to the control group (91.57% +/- 1.32%), the difference is statistical significant (P < 0.05). There is correlation between dosage and follicle survival rate, with correlation coefficient R2 = 0.92. Abnormal follicle rate (45.24% +/- 3.37%) is remarkably higher, and the difference is statistically significant (P < 0.05) comparing to the control group. At the concentrations of >20 microg/ml MEHP, follicle growth and differentiation were dependently impaired:antral follicles (46.18% +/- 1.67%) had significantly reduced (P < 0.05) comparing to the control group (85.91% +/- 5.03%). DEHP showed no adverse effects upon follicle development, there were no significant defference between DMSO and control.

CONCLUSION
At the dose of >10 microg/ml, MEHP could inhibit the in-vitro rat follicle development, DEHP seemed no adverse effects upon follicle development.