We hereby describe a large-scale community effort to build an open-access, interoperable, and computable repository of COVID-19 molecular mechanisms - the COVID-19 Disease Map. We discuss the tools, platforms, and guidelines necessary for the distributed development of its contents by a multi-faceted community of biocurators, domain experts, bioinformaticians, and computational biologists. We highlight the role of relevant databases and text mining approaches in enrichment and validation of the curated mechanisms. We describe the contents of the map and their relevance to the molecular pathophysiology of COVID-19 and the analytical and computational modelling approaches that can be applied to the contents of the COVID-19 Disease Map for mechanistic data interpretation and predictions. We conclude by demonstrating concrete applications of our work through several use cases.


We analyze the effects of noise on the traveling wave dynamics in neural fields. The noise influences the dynamics on two scales: first, it causes fluctuations in the wave profile, and second, it causes a random shift in the phase of the wave. We formulate the problem in a weighted $L^2$-space, allowing us to separate the two spatial scales. By tracking the stochastic solution with a reference wave we obtain an expression for the stochastic phase. We derive an expansion of the stochastic wave, describing the influence of the noise to different orders of the noise strength. To first order of the noise strength, the phase shift is roughly diffusive and the fluctuations are given by a stationary Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process orthogonal to the direction of movement. This also expresses the stability of the wave under noise.


To the Editor.— The article by Forker et al ( 212 :774, 1970) emphasized calcific aortic stenosis with atypical features. Another publication demonstrated the unexpected finding of this lesion in elderly patients who had systolic murmurs. 1 These lesions are readily diagnosed with the moving slit roentgenokymograph. I have used this kymogram in about 3,600 cases in ten years in correlation with an active cardiopulmonary laboratory and cardiovascular surgical service. This method has been of great value for case finding at unexpected lesions and the preliminary screening of patients before catheter studies. The greatest yield of unexpected lesions has been the finding of a calcified aortic valve. The figure in the right anterior oblique is a typical case. Moving slit roentgenokymography has been almost completely ignored in the United States because the equipment first available in this country was the moving film type. However, kymography of the type illustrated is extraordinarily


The enhanced technological possibilities to utilise wood waste and residues in the production of wood-based panels can help towards the transition to a circular, low-carbon bioeconomy. The cascading use of wood resources, defined as "the efficient utilisation of resources by using residues and recycled materials for material use to extend total biomass availability within a given system" is one of the leading principles for achieving this goal. The wood-based panel industry is characterised by significant amounts of waste and residues that present a great volume potential for cascading. The aim of the present study is to define the basic guidelines for cascading use of wood waste from the production of wood-based panels and analyse the economic impact in terms of economic efficiency in line with the circular and bioeconomy principles. Time series analysis of wood waste and raw material flows in the Republic of Bulgaria, economic assessment of the current utilisation of wood waste in the wood-based panel industry along with comparative analysis of the potential utilization methods have been presented. The existing technical and market barriers to the cascading use of wood have also been discussed.


In a clinical trial we examined the suitability of commercially available membrane immune assay for providing evidence of amniotic fluid. 150 amniotic fluid samples won either by amniotomy or amniocentesis were examined in 10 runs; 50 women without any signs of ruptured membranes served as a control group. Evidence of insulin-like growth-factor binding protein with a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 100% demonstrated that this test appears to give reliable proof of amniotic fluid. However, a specificity of 100% has to be critically investigated.


Obesity causes genuine medicinal complications and impairs quality of life. Furthermore, in older people, Obesity in maturity is connected with expanded morbidity and a reduction in quality of life. However, legitimate treatment for obesity in older person is because of the reduction in relative health risks connected with increasing body mass index and the concern that weight reduction could have potential destructive impacts in older population. The Obesity Society overviews the clinical issues related to obesity in older patients individuals and outfits wellbeing specialists with legitimate weight-administration rules for hefty and more seasoned patients. The present article gives data on weight reduction treatment, that minimizes muscle and bone misfortunes is prescribed for more seasoned people. Who are obese patients and therapeutic confusion that can profit by weight loss.


ABSTRACT Over the past few years, the ubiquitous usage of internet to broadcast information worldwide, has proved to be one of the best methods in making people aware about their surroundings. This has also led towards storage of vast amount of data in user interactive websites. Several news channels apart from live streaming, are using internet in such ways to convey their information. And these methods have not only benefited people to acquire regular updates but have also impacted their lives in many ways during the world awakening pandemic like COVID-19. Currently, in this pandemic situation, many leaders including federal and state government officials have shown great concern towards society by providing statements such as preventive measures, which were regularly recorded and elaborated in the form of stories by the news channels in their own websites. But, in general, the type of statement given by a leader will always affect people's opinion and behavior, which also happened during this pandemic. There were variations in number of cases of COVID-19 based upon a region leader's statements as per timeline and the people's modulating lifestyle there. This kind of relationship has motivated us towards analyzing the COVID-19 data based on sentiment and emotion involved in leader's statements, giving rise to an idea of web scraping to obtain their statements and stories from news channels. The main aim of this paper is to enlighten about different techniques and libraries used for web scraping, some challenges while designing a web scraper and finally arrive at an efficient methodology using them to extract news headlines and stories and create a new dataset that can be used in sentiment and emotion analysis. In future work, we will present the results of our experiments with the downloaded datasets.


Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based image super-resolution (SR) has exhibited impressive success on known degraded low-resolution (LR) images. However, this type of approach is hard to hold its performance in practical scenarios when the degradation process is unknown. Despite existing blind SR methods proposed to solve this problem using blur kernel estimation, the perceptual quality and reconstruction accuracy are still unsatisfactory. In this paper, we analyze the degradation of a high-resolution (HR) image from image intrinsic components according to a degradation-based formulation model. We propose a components decomposition and co-optimization network (CDCN) for blind SR. Firstly, CDCN decomposes the input LR image into structure and detail components in feature space. Then, the mutual collaboration block (MCB) is presented to exploit the relationship between both two components. In this way, the detail component can provide informative features to enrich the structural context and the structure component can carry structural context for better detail revealing via a mutual complementary manner. After that, we present a degradation-driven learning strategy to jointly supervise the HR image detail and structure restoration process. Finally, a multi-scale fusion module followed by an upsampling layer is designed to fuse the structure and detail features and perform SR reconstruction. Empowered by such degradation-based components decomposition, collaboration, and mutual optimization, we can bridge the correlation between component learning and degradation modelling for blind SR, thereby producing SR results with more accurate textures. Extensive experiments on both synthetic SR datasets and real-world images show that the proposed method achieves the state-of-the-art performance compared to existing methods.


Posttranscriptional control by RNA binding proteins (RBPs) is poorly understood. Th2 mediated diseases such as asthma, are driven by GATA-3, IL-4 and IL-13. The RBP, HuR, regulates IL-4 and IL-13 by increasing mRNA stability. We identified GATA-3, IL-4 and IL-13 as HuR targets and hypothesized HuR may be coordinately regulating Th2 differentiation by controlling mRNA stability and translatability. We made a HuR CD4+T transgenic mouse, and a HuR conditional knock out mouse (HuRfl/fl) to ablate HuR in T cells. HuR over-expression in transgenic CD4+ T cells stabilized GATA-3, IL-4 and IL-13 mRNAs, and increased mRNA, protein and Th2 polarization. HuR knock-down resulted in decreases in GATA-3, IL-4 and IL-13 expression. Findings were confirmed in human naïve and memory T cells. We defined HuR binding sites in GATA-3. Th2 cells with low HuR levels (26%) from HuRfl/+ mice, had decreases in IL-4, IL-13 and GATA-3 mRNA but not protein. Surprisingly, CD4+ T cells from HuRfl/fl mice (93% knockdown) showed increased IL-2, IL-4, IL-13 mRNA and protein. IL-4 transcription increased but mRNA stability remained unchanged. IL-2 and IL-13 transcription were unaltered but there were increases in mRNA stability. Polysomal gradient analysis revealed similar translation. We analyzed gene expression in KO vs. control CD4+ T cells to determine HuR targets. Ova challenge model of asthma corroborated ex vivo results. These data suggest HuR levels regulate Th2 cytokines and Th2 differentiation.


The aim of the present study was to investigate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) level in children with cerebral palsy (CP) living at home or the rehabilitation center. The correlation of NLR with different severities of motor impairment was assessed. This was a single-center, cross-sectional, observational study. A total of 80 CP children who were either living at home (n=34) or at the rehabilitation center (n=46) were included. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric parameters and complete blood counts were recorded, and the NLR values were calculated. The severity of motor impairment was evaluated and categorized according to the Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) level. The mean age of CP participants was 8.52±1.92 years. The percentage of children with CP who were malnourished (underweight, stunted and wasted) was higher amongst those at the rehabilitation center compared with those living at home. The mean NLR of children with CP in the rehabilitation center was significantly higher compared with the patients living at home (P=0.003). Participants from the rehabilitation center had severe motor impairment (GMFCS levels IV-V) and significantly higher NLR values than those with mild motor impairments (GMFCS levels II-III; P=0.006). However, there were no differences in NLR values in relation to severity of motor impairment in CP children living at home. CP children had some degree of neuroinflammation and systemic inflammation. NLR may be a potential simple inflammatory parameter that may be used to predict the severity of the motor impairment, particularly in CP children living at a rehabilitation center.


Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), an inflammatory cytokine, and its receptor CD74 are upregulated by bladder inflammation. MIF-mediated signal transduction involves binding to cell-surface CD74, this study documents, in vivo, MIF-CD74 interactions at the urothelial cell surface. N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide biotin ester-labeled surface urothelial proteins in rats treated either with saline or substance P (SP, 40 μg/kg). The bladder was examined by histology and confocal microscopy. Biotinylated proteins were purified by avidin agarose, immunoprecipitated with anti-MIF or anti-CD74 antibodies, and detected with strepavidin-HRP. Only superficial urothelial cells were biotinylated. These cells contained a biotinylated MIF/CD74 cell-surface complex that was increased in SP-treated animals. SP treatment increased MIF and CD74 mRNA in urothelial cells. Our data indicate that intraluminal MIF, released from urothelial cells as a consequence of SP treatment, interacts with urothelial cell-surface CD74. These results document that our previously described MIF-CD74 interaction occurs at the urothelial cell surface.


Incretin-based therapies represent one of the most promising options in type 2 diabetes treatment owing to their good effectiveness with low risk of hypoglycemia and no weight gain. Other numerous potential beneficial effects of incretin-based therapies have been suggested based mostly on experimental and small clinical studies including its beta-cell- and vasculo-protective actions. One of the recently emerged interesting features of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors is its possible protective effect on the diabetic kidney disease. Here, we review the renal effects of DPP-4 inhibitors with special focus on its influence on the onset and progression of microalbuminuria, as presence of microalbuminuria represents an important early sign of kidney damage and is also associated with increased risk of hypoglycemia and cardiovascular complications. Mechanisms underlying possible nephroprotective properties of DPP-4 inhibitors include reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation and improvement of endothelial dysfunction. Effects of DPP-4 inhibitors may be both glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) dependent and independent. Ongoing prospective studies focused on the nephroprotective effects of DPP-4 inhibitors will further clarify its possible role in the prevention/attenuation of diabetic kidney disease beyond its glucose lowering properties.


With the development of mobile Internet, it is an important subject of security to establish covert communication. Steganography is one of methods for establishing covert communication. The method is used to protect secret data from possible damage, theft, or unauthorized browsing. Due to the increasing use of mobile, telecommunication operators begin to add additional features to their terminal devices such as MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) in order to attract more customers. Steganography in MMS is a good solution for establishing covert communication. This paper proposes a new steganography method within a MMS based on iPhone platform which is one of the new generation mobile intelligent terminals.


Objectives To present analysis of pooled data through approx 5yrs of follow-up from 5 completed golimumab (GLM) Ph3 SC trials across rheumatological indications. Methods SC placebo (PBO) or GLM (50mg or100mg) was administered q4wks in Ph3 trials. After wk24/52, pts in the Ph3 studies entered LTE and received GLM50mg or 100mg q4wks in an unblinded fashion. Dose adjustment from 50mg to 100mg and 100mg to 50mg was allowed once. Concomitant meds included DMARDs (mostly MTX). AE were analyzed based on treatment received by a pt during the course of the study; PBO, 50mg only, 100mg only, or 50mg and 100mg. Because pts could cross-over from PBO to GLM, a pt may appear in both PBO and GLM columns. Due to the short duration of the PBO-controlled portion, comparisons between GLM and PBO grps are limited. Results In Ph3 trials, 639pts received PBO, 671 GLM50mg, 765 GLM50mg and GLM100mg, and 792 GLM100mg through 5yrs. In Ph3, 5.2%, 15.4%, 9.5% and 19.9% of PBO, GLM50 only, GLM50 and GLM100mg, and GLM100mg only pts, respectively, DC'd due to AE through 5yrs. The incidences per 100PY of deaths, serious infections (including TB,opportunistic infections [OI]), demyelination, and malignancies are presented. Injection site reactions were low; most were mild, and 2 cases led to DC. No GLM SC-treated pt developed anaphylaxis/serum sickness-like reaction. Malignancies occurring during the 5 Ph3 included skin cancers, solid tumors, and lymphoma. In comparison to SEER, overall incidence of malignancies in GLM-and PBO-treated pts was similar to that expected in the general US population. Incidence of lymphomas per 100 pt-years of follow-up was greater in the GLM100mg dose grp through 5yrs and higher than that expected in the general US population. Conclusions The safety of continued SC GLM exposure, demonstrates that GLM was generally well-tolerated with overall low rates of DC due to AEs. Safety profiles were generally similar between GLM dose with exception of higher rates of serious infections, including TB and OI, and lymphoma in the GLM100mg grp. Results are confounded by LTE design in which pts could receive GLM100mg after being exposed to GLM50mg with higher GLM dose used for pts with more refractory disease and by limited exposure to PBO making the comparisons between PBO and treatment grps of less value. Disclosure of Interest : J. Kay Grant/research support: Janssen R & D, LLC, R. Fleischmann Grant/research support: Janssen R & D, LLC, E. Keystone Grant/research support: Janssen R & D, LLC, E. Hsia Employee of: Janssen R & D, LLC, N. Goldstein Employee of: Janssen R & D, LLC, B. Hsu Employee of: Janssen R & D, LLC, Y. Zhou Employee of: Janssen R & D, LLC, J. Braun Grant/research support: Janssen R & D, LLC, A. Kavanaugh Grant/research support: Janssen R & D, LLC DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.3328


ABSTRACT In animals, replication-independent incorporation of nucleosomes containing the histone variant H3.3 enables global reprogramming of histone modifications and transcriptional profiles. H3.3 enrichment over gene bodies correlates with gene transcription in animals and plants. In animals, H3.3 is deposited into chromatin by specific protein complexes, including the HIRA complex. H3.3 variants evolved independently and acquired similar properties in animals and plants, questioning how the H3.3 deposition machinery evolved in plants and what are its biological functions. We performed phylogenetic analyses in the plant kingdom and identified in Arabidopsis all orthologs of human genes encoding members of the HIRA complex. Genetic analyses, biochemical data and protein localisation suggest that these proteins form a complex able to interact with H3.3 in Arabidopsis in a manner similar to that described in mammals. In contrast to animals, where HIRA is required for fertilization and early development, loss of function of HIRA in Arabidopsis causes mild phenotypes in the adult plant and does not perturb sexual reproduction and embryogenesis. Rather, HIRA function is required for transcriptional reprogramming during dedifferentiation of plant cells that precedes vegetative propagation and for the appropriate transcription of genes responsive to biotic and abiotic factors. We conclude that the molecular function of the HIRA complex is conserved between plants and animals. Yet plants diversified HIRA functions to enable asexual reproduction and responsiveness to the environment in response to the plant sessile lifestyle.


Because of the low sticking coefficient, conventional parylene deposition is known to achieve the conformal coating on corrugated or patterned surfaces. However, recently, it has been shown that in contrary to the conformal coating, extremely nonconformal and isolated fibrous parylene structures can be formed on surfaces if it is deposited at an oblique angle using a directional flux. We demonstrate that directional flux can create a high local vapor pressure facing the flux, while the reflection of monomers because of a small sticking coefficient would generate a background vapor pressure. The parylene oblique angle deposition is a combination of the shadowing growth and a much slower conformal coating process, which together give rise to the isolated fibrous structure.


Neonatal otitis media may be an isolated infection or part of a more complex sepsis syndrome. Because early studies suggested that the microbiologic characteristics of neonatal otitis media included a high risk of gram-negative coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus, tympanocentesis was recommended routinely. Subsequent studies have supported empiric medical therapy in selected patients, reserving tympanocentesis for patients in whom medical treatment fails. Because of these conflicting recommendations, records from 37 neonates with otitis media who underwent tympanocentesis from 1986 through 1991 were studied retrospectively. Cultures in one outpatient (11%) and four inpatients (13%) yielded Escherichia coli, all of which were sensitive to amoxicillin. No cultures of S aureus were identified. Sterile cultures and pneumococcus isolates were found most frequently. No septic or intracranial complications were noted. All patients were discharged on regimens of routine antibiotics for otitis media.


The responses of cane toad (Bufo marinus) gametes, used as a model for the development of assisted reproduction techniques for rare and endangered amphibians, to short-term storage at temperatures > 0 degrees C were studied. Whole excised testes were stored at 0 degrees or 4 degrees C for 15 days, and sperm motility was measured at excision and after storage for 2, 5, 7, 10, 12 and 15 days. Spermatozoa showed > 50% motility for 7 days at 0 degrees C and for 5 days at 4 degrees C. At 15 days, only spermatozoa stored at 0 degrees C still showed some motility (3%). Sperm suspensions were prepared at 5 day intervals over 30 days in simplified amphibian ringer (SAR) at dilutions of 1:1, 1:5 and 1:10 (w/v) testes:SAR. Aliquots from each dilution were stored at 0 degrees C in Eppendorf tubes opened at 5 day intervals of storage (aerated) or kept sealed (unaerated) (treatments: aerated or unaerated; 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days storage). After 30 days, sperm motility and fertilizing capacity were determined. The optimal protocol for sperm storage up to 10 days, as assessed by the retention of fertilizing capacity, was as a 1:5 testis:SAR (w/v) suspension, whereas the longest absolute retention of both motility and fertilizing capacity was observed in concentrated (1:1 dilution), anaerobic suspensions (up to 25-30 days). Oviductal oocytes placed in SAR at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 degrees C immediately after ovulation lost viability when cooled rapidly to 5 degrees C and stored for 2 h. However, oocytes retained viability for up to 8 h at the optimum storage temperature of 15 degrees C. Thus, it is concluded that during short-term storage spermatozoa retain viability for longer than oocytes, and that spermatozoa in suspensions retain viability for longer than spermatozoa stored in situ in excised testes.


Squant web site, 1996. (© Negativland) The audio artists Negativland have established a web site to focus on an unsuspected fourth primary color, Squant, reportedly discovered several years ago by Dr. Wohan Squant of the Optical Institute and Shade Company of Mindinaw. Many people don't believe Squant exists, often treating Negativland's presentation as a form of conceptual art. The problem is that with few Squant producers in the world, practically no distribution outside of Asia and a scarcity of appropriate technology in the West, Squant generally gets left out of Western art and criticism. It most often appears as a default gray in U.S. media, whether in computers or in four-color journals or magazines. Not much can be done immediately about the continuing lack of Squant pigment for printing presses, but at the Squant web site, , Negativland's customer service strives to help people download and use the SquantView plug-in, which is designed to enable Squant to be seen on Macintosh and PC computer displays. For some users, the plug-in seems to work fine; but others have experienced continuing problems with equipment incompatibility. Negativland believes that these erratic hardware/software problems will correct themselves with time. Hopefully, each new exposure of Squant to a broader group of potential users will spur those in charge of color to finally take down the color barriers, lift all hue trade restrictions, and let Squant flow freely through the world's color markets. Over 96% of the Earth's people have still never seen Squant, and many of those are artists. Isn't this a little ridiculous for 2002? Top left: Squant home page. Top right: examples of Squant-based photography and discussion of the problems of Squant display. Bottom: Stages in downloading the SquantView plug-in. Negativland, 2608 62nd Avenue NW, Olympia, WA 98502, U.S.A. E-mail: . Web: .


Abstract : In an earlier paper the authors proved that any feasible integer solution to the linear program associated with the equality-constrained set covering problem can be obtained from any other feasible integer solution by a sequence of less than m pivots (where m is the number of equations), such that each solution generated in the sequence is integer. However, degeneracy makes it difficult to find a sequence of pivots leading to an integer optimum. In the paper the authors give a constructive characterization of adjacency relations between integer vertices of the feasible set, which enables them to generate edges (all, if necessary) connecting a given integer vertex to adjacent integer vertices. This helps overcome the difficulties caused by degeneracy and leads to a class of algorithms of which two are discussed. (Author Modified Abstract)


One major challenge in Asian aquaculture is the limited availability of carp fries. In order to establish out of season supply of fries, knowledge about the pineal melatonin clock and calendar function, and its influence on the reproductive system, is needed. Three experiments were carried out to examine pineal melatonin dynamics of mrigal carp (Cirrhinus mrigala), under natural outdoor, and manipulated photoperiods. Plasma melatonin profile of the mrigal carp kept under natural outdoor photoperiod reached a peak early in the dark phase, and then showed a tendency of falling plasma melatonin levels until daytime levels were reached at first light. The second experiment intended to induce production of melatonin at different times during the light phase, and gave production of melatonin only in late afternoon. This indicates a refractory period of the pineal gland during daytime, and that production of melatonin might be controlled by a circadian clock. In the third experiment, animals were exposed to continuous darkness. The resulting plasma melatonin profile was in accordance with subjective darkness and light, with a peak late in the dark phase. This further supports the assumption that a circadian clock controls pineal melatonin production and secretion in the mrigal carp.


Data with dimension higher than three is not possible to be visualized directly. Unfortunately in real world data, not only the dimension are often more than three, very often real world data contain temporal information that makes the data only useful and meaningful when they are interpreted in sequence. Dimensionality reduction and visualization techniques such as self-organizing map (SOM) are usually used to explore the underlying multidimensional data structure. However, SOM only preserves inter-neurons distances in the input space and not in the output space due to the rigid grid used in SOM. Visualization induced self organizing map (ViSOM) was proposed as an extension of SOM in order to preserve the output space topology. In this paper, the modified adaptive coordinates (AC) technique is proposed to improve the visualization of SOM without the need to increase the number of neurons as in ViSOM. With a better visualization map formed, a post-processing technique is incorporated into the algorithm to produce a hybrid that is capable to extract temporal information contained in the data. Empirical studies of the hybrid techniques yield promising topology preserved visualizations and data structure exploration for synthetic and benchmarking datasets.


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The high-affinity IgE Fc receptor (FcεRI) β chain acts as a signal amplifier through the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif in its C-terminal intracellular region. Polymorphisms in FcεRI β have been linked to atopy, asthma, and allergies. We investigated the secondary structure, conformation, and thermal stability of FcεRI β polymorphic (β-L172I, β-L174V, and β-E228G) proteins. Polymorphisms did not affect the secondary structure and conformation of FcεRI β. However, we calculated Gibbs free energy of unfolding (ΔGunf) and significant differences were observed in ΔGunf values between the wild-type FcεRI β (β-WT) and β-E228G. These results suggested that β-E228G affected the thermal stability of FcεRI β. The role of β-E228G in biological functions and its involvement in allergic reactions have not yet been elucidated in detail; therefore, differences in the thermal stability of β-E228G may affect the function of FcεRI β. Graphical abstract Significant differences were observed in ΔGunf values between FcεRI β-WT and β-E228G.


Non-domestic buildings account for 12% of UK greenhouse emissions (CIBSE, 2017). There is acceptance that the energy performance of buildings must improve. Presently building energy data is only available in terms of total annual fossil or electrical energy totals. These are blunt instruments for energy managers. There is a need for a method of managing the energy of individual building services components through all project phases. This study aims to examine present methods for building energy use estimation and to develop a strategy whereby building energy use can be managed from feasibility through to building operation. The research methods centred around six case study buildings. Five of the case study buildings selected are existing, were built at different times, under different statutory energy regimes and therefore different design philosophies. The sixth case study building is under construction. Investigating the energy performance of buildings involved applying the most up to date system of energy estimating techniques and comparing results with benchmarks and actual energy use. Surveys and record data for one of the buildings was investigated in order appreciate the implications of design margins and the effectiveness of control arrangements for circulating pumps. The results of these case studies and investigations provided the basis for the development of an energy management strategy. Although building energy models have streamlined the design process, outputs have been found to be optimistic. This study has found that it has not been possible to reconcile energy use predictions, benchmarks or utility bills with actual energy use for individual building services components. Additionally, monitored performance data is not utilised to quantify the effects of plant over-sizing. This thesis proposes an energy management strategy which enables the energy use of individual components of a building services project to be managed through all project phases. It is proposed that this methodology should also be developed into a facilities management programme for buildings.


Prior to the official founding of Albuquerque in 1706, Indian groups in the area had subsisted on locally available natural resources for thousands of years. Abundant surface water and ground-water resources in the structural Albuquerque basin and the proximity of large accessible deposits of various construction materials have sustained a continued metropolitan growth. A traditionally agricultural area, the inner valley or Rio Grande flood plain is succumbing to the pressures of development with the attendent problems associated with construction in the flood plain. In recent years development has sprawled across the adjacent alluvial fans to the foot of the Sandia Mountains on the east, and to lava flows or sand dunes on the west, and accordingly a wide range of geotechnical problems have been encountered in this desert environment.


The paper describes the technology of producing a wear resistant silicon nitride coating on cemented carbide cutting tools and factors affecting its structure and thickness. A review of domestic and foreign authors' works is given on the properties and applications of cemented carbides in cutting, drilling, die stamping tools, wear resistant materials, for chipless processing of wood, plastics. It is noted that one of the promising ways of cutting tool development is using indexable throwaway inserts (ITI) with wear resistant coatings. The choice of silicon nitride as a material for cemented carbide tool coating is justified. The data on silicon nitride deposition methods, investigation of cutting tool structures and properties are provided. Laboratory and factory tests of Si3N4-coated cemented carbide tools demonstrated coating applicability in improving the wear resistance and lifetime of cutting inserts.


Abstract This study examines the application of photochemical and non-photochemical advanced oxidation processes on the treatment of textile, Kraft bleaching, photoprocessing, and pharmaceutical wastewaters. Effects of reaction conditions on the treatment efficiency of industrial wastewater have been investigated. The results were evaluated in terms of biodegradability enhancement. The results indicated depending upon the composition of wastewater and applied pretreatment all applied AOPs had an ability to increase the biodegradability of studied wastewaters.


Objective: To analyze the satisfaction about the accessibility to the treatment of people with hypertension accompanied by the Family Health Strategy. Method: Cross-sectional study, conducted with 417 people living in a city in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The data collection was performed between February and June of 2016, using a satisfaction instrument regarding the services provided by the Primary Health Care, using issues related to treatment accessibility. A descriptive and inferential analysis to treat the variables was adopted. Results: 417 people participated in the study, from which 62.4% were elderly, 67.8% were female and 55.2% were retired/pensioners. The economic accessibility was the best evaluated indicator. The regular evaluation of the services characteristic of the geographical and organizational accessibility was significantly associated to the inadequate monitoring of these users in the Family Health Strategy. Conclusion: The services offered to people with arterial hypertension were evaluated as regular, presenting the main barriers related to geographical and organizational aspects.


As part of aiming towards a non-smoking hospital environment, staff at a Copenhagen university hospital were offered participation in a differentiated smoking cessation programme. This consisted of lectures, group therapy, follow-up visits and individually tailored nicotine replacement therapy free-of-charge for six weeks. Three hundred and seventy-four employees started the programme, with 353 continuing for the full six weeks. They were moderately nicotine dependent with a Fagerström score of 5 (0-10). Almost all smoked daily and smoked at work, with 87% having a CO measurement above 5 at the first visit. At six weeks follow-up 209 (59%) were still not smoking and a further seven (2%) had reduced their tobacco consumption substantially. The remainder had started smoking again. Only 10% had a CO measurement > 5 at the end of the study. In conclusion, a combination of theoretical education, individual follow-up visits and nicotine replacement therapy is useful and worthwhile in the effort to support hospital staff in smoking cessation.


There is demand for early-flowering cannabis (Cannabis sativa) cultivars to hasten harvest and avoid late-season detrimental weather conditions. A field study and greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of gene dosage at the autoflowering locus on flowering timing for diploid and triploid hybrids between autoflowering and photoperiod-sensitive parents. Autoflowering × photoperiod-sensitive hybrids were all photoperiod sensitive, but their critical photoperiods were longer than for homozygous photoperiod-sensitive plants, which resulted in earlier flowering. For triploid genotypes, decreasing dosage of the photoperiod-sensitive allele (A), from AAA to AAa to Aaa, reduced the time to flowering. Flowering timing for the diploid genotype Aa was intermediate between Aaa and AAa. These results provide evidence of incomplete dominance of the A allele at the autoflowering locus. Plants of genotype Aaa flowered 32 to 40 days earlier in the field than genotypes of AA, 15 days earlier than genotype Aa, and were ready for harvest by the second week of August in Connecticut. Plants of Aaa were as tall as other diploid and triploid photoperiod-sensitive genotypes studied, which suggests that they have similar yield potential. The use of tetraploid autoflowering (aaaa) maternal plants in combination with diploid photoperiod-sensitive (AA) pollen parents to produce Aaa genotype seed is a reliable approach for developing early-flowering cultivars of cannabis for flower production purposes.


Antigen receptor genes are assembled by V(D)J recombination, which is mediated by two lymphoid cell-specific proteins called RAG1 and RAG2. In B cells, primary V(D)J rearrangements yield B cell receptors displaying diverse antigenic specificity. Recent evidence suggests that certain populations of peripheral CD5+ B cells may express the RAG proteins in order to initiate secondary V(D)J rearrangements to "edit" receptor specificity away from autoreactivity or "revise" receptor specificity to further expand an antigen-specific B cell repertoire. In principle, if a means were identified to block this process, B cell maturation and/or function may be impaired. To explore this idea, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing catalytically inactive full-length RAG1 in the periphery. In two founder lines, transgenic mice exhibit a polyclonal expansion of B1-like B cells (B220loCD19+CD5+), pronounced hypogammaglobulinemia, and an impaired humoral immune response. Interestingly, B1-like B cells fail to accumulate in mice expressing both catalytically inactive RAG1 and a heavy chain transgene specific for dsDNA (3H9H56R.KI), but bi-transgenic mice still exhibit hypogammaglobulinemia and may also be susceptible to bacterial infection.
 This work was supported by the Health Future Foundation, and the State of Nebraska LB506 and LB692 Research Programs.


In this paper, we propose an unconstrained IIR digital filter design method in the weighted least-squares (WLS) sense. Unlike some other design methods which utilize approximation techniques to simplify the nonlinear approximation error functions, this method expresses the design problem strictly, and utilizes the general-purpose optimization algorithms to find the minimum point. In order to guarantee the stability of designed filters, a stability criterion is developed from the argument principle of complex analysis. Unlike other frequency-domain stability criteria, it is both sufficient and necessary. Two examples are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the characteristics of exposure to iron oxide nanoparticles in workplace.

METHODS
The real-time particle number (NC), surface area (SAC), and mass (MC) concentrations of nanoparticles were measured in various locations of a selected workplace manufacturing iron oxide nanoparticles. The collected particles were analyzed for morphology and elemental composition.

RESULTS
The average NCs and SACs in milling site (16,566 pt/cm3, 106.082 µm2/cm3), packaging site (12,386 pt/cm3, 89.861 µm2/cm3), shipping site (13,808 pt/cm3, 102.071 µm2/cm3), and product storage room (17,192 pt/cm, 115.044 µm2/cm3) of the yellow powder (α-Fe2O3 . nH2O) were all significantly higher than the workplace background concentrations (11,420 pt/cm3, 85.026 µm2/cm3) (all P<0.05). The NC was highly correlated with the SAC (r= 0.784), while both NC and SAC were loosely correlated with the MC (r1=0.323, r2=0.331). Scanning electron microscopy revealed a spindle-like shape of the iron oxide nanoparticle; the chemical composition of the collected particles contained 19.33 weight percent iron (Fe).

CONCLUSION
The milling site and product storage room of the yellow powder are exposed to a higher concentration of nanoparticles, which are mainly composed of iron oxide nanoparticles. The NC is highly correlated with the SAC.


Melanocortin analogues, such as melanotan, are illegally used for artificial tanning. They have also been suggested as possible therapeutic agents in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. This case study presents a patient attending the accident and emergency department, in a tertiary urology centre, with acute priapism after abdominal subcutaneous injection of melanotan. The priapism was diagnosed as 'low-flow' and managed with cavernosal aspiration, irrigation and subsequent intracavernosal injection of phenylephrine. The patient avoided requiring surgical shunting but had not yet recovered erectile function at 4-week follow-up. Acute priapism is an unreported side effect of melanocortin analogue use and this case report presents a patient managed without surgical intervention. Future therapeutic application of these agents will need to take this potential life altering complication into consideration.


design, construction, and reliable and safe operation of earth dams (more than 60 of them are in operation in the Republic of Uzbekistan located in seismic region) put forward requirements for the continuous improvement of the calculation methods for loads; as required by regulatory methods for fundamental (static) and special (dynamic) load combinations. These regulatory methods do not take into account the nonhomogeneous nature of the behavior and piecewise heterogeneity of the characteristics of foundation, and the stress-strain state (SSS) of an earth dam under constant or temporary loads, which is necessary for reliable and safe operation, especially in seismic regions. A general mathematical formulation of problems for earth dams in a plane elastic formulation is given. Dynamic calculations were conducted to determine the stress-strain state of an earth dam, taking into account the design features and real piecewise-nonhomogeneous physical and mechanical characteristics of soil of the structure body and base (these characteristics were provided by the design organization). The problem was solved by the numerical finite element method. The eigenfrequencies and modes of vibrations of the plane "structure-foundation" system are determined, considering the homogeneous and piecewise-nonhomogeneous characteristics of the foundation soil; the corresponding analysis of the behavior of the system was made. The stress-strain state of the "dam-foundation" system was investigated using calculated frequencies. The calculation results were lines of equal displacements (horizontal, vertical), normal and shear stresses in the "dam-foundation" system.


We report a case of lymphoplasmocytic and immunoblastic gastric remnant lymphoma occurring in a 51 year-old male. This patient had undergone subtotal gastrectomy for a gastric peptic ulcer at age 37. Histologic findings in the initial gastric specimen showed a dense lymphoid infiltrate surrounding the ulcer within the gastric mucosa. This proliferation was grouped into distinct follicles, and was compatible with pseudo-lymphoma. The progression of pseudo-lymphoma to malignant lymphoma is suggested.


SUMMARY

A whitefly-transmissible stock isolate of Indian tomato leaf curl geminivirus (ITmLCV) was cultured in graft-inoculated tomato plants and its particles purified from chloroform-clarified extracts in citrate buffer by precipitation with 70 g/litre polyethylene glycol, ultracentrifugation and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Contaminating helical filaments were eliminated by banding in caesium sulphate gradients. ITmLCV particles had the shape typical for geminiviruses, measured c. 30 × 20 nm and contained a single major protein of estimated mol. wt c. 32 000. They reacted in immunosorbent electron microscopy with antisera to four other whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses. ITmLCV reacted with one out of 17 monoclonal antibodies specific for different epitopes in the particle protein of African cassava mosaic geminivirus and five or six out of 10 monoclonal antibodies to the particle protein of Indian cassava mosaic geminivirus. Virus isolates from tomato at nine locations in Karnataka State showed only slight differences in epitope profile, and isolates from four weed species in tomato fields were similar or identical to those from tomato.


Heparan sulfate (HS) polysaccharides interact with numerous proteins at the cell surface and orchestrate many different biological functions. Though many functions of HS are well established, only a few specific structures can be attributed to HS functions. The extreme diversity of HS makes chemical synthesis of specific bioactive HS structures a cumbersome and tedious undertaking that requires laborious and careful functional group manipulations. Now that many of the enzymes involved in HS biosynthesis are characterized, we show in this study how one can rapidly and easily assemble bioactive HS structures with a set of cloned enzymes. We have demonstrated the feasibility of this new approach to rapidly assemble antithrombin III-binding classical and non-classical anticoagulant polysaccharide structures for the first time.


A simple known model of calcium inactivation is described and qualitatively analysed. Stability conditions at the level of a stationary state with respect to some small perturbations in the concentration of Ca2+ ions are analysed from the point of view of the Prigogine non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Possible internal fluctuations in Ca2+ ion concentration are discussed as connected with fluctuations of the potential energy of interaction between calcium ions and the binding sites.


Selenium intake of the human population is very distinct and depends on the Se-content of consumed food. The higher intake of selenium can decrease the risk of many health problems in human and animal organisms. The main task of this work was to obtain new comparable data on Se content of Agaricus bisporus mushroom. The selenium content of different, common varieties of Agaricus bisporus and of its three cultivation's flushes was determined. The Se content of varieties varies between 0.46 mg kg-1 d.m. and 5.63 mg kg-1 d.m., and the average content is 2.82 (± 1.48) mg kg-1 d.m. The caps of fruit bodies have always higher selenium content than the stipe. The average cap/stipe selenium ratio is 1.29. The changes of Se concentration during the cultivation (in cultivation's flushes) are not significant. The most important cultivated mushroom species of the world (Agaricus bisporus) has, in addition to other more valuable properties, a remarkable Se-content. Consumption of fruit bodies can improve the Se supply...


In April 2011, the Australian Government announced a Review into Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. In order to assist the Review, the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research was commissioned by Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations to examine the role of higher education in the growth of Indigenous employment in professional occupations, to assess the associated costs and benefits to the Australian economy and society, and to explore likely barriers to growing the number of Indigenous professionals. This paper examines aspects of higher education access and outcomes for Indigenous people, structured in two main parts. First, a statistical overview of recent Indigenous employment growth by occupational category, and it compares this with non-Indigenous occupational change. It also explores the role that post-school qualifications have played in this process. Second, analysis of select economic and social returns to higher education and employment along with the effects of being a professional (or manager) both to individuals and the Australian economy and society. By way of conclusion we reflect on some of the barriers to further expansion of the professional occupational base.


A numerical technique for solving the classical brachistochrone problem in the calculus of variations is presented. The brachistochrone problem is first formulated as a nonlinear optimal control problem. Application of this method results in the transformation of differential and integral expressions into some algebraic equations to which Newton-type methods can be applied. The method is general, and yields accurate results.


COVID-19 has caused millions of infections and deaths over the last 2 years. Machine learning models have been proposed as an alternative to conventional epidemiologic models in an effort to optimize short- and medium-term forecasts that will help health authorities to optimize the use of policies and resources to tackle the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although previous machine learning models based on time pattern analysis for COVID-19 sensed data have shown promising results, the spread of the virus has both spatial and temporal components. This manuscript proposes a new deep learning model that combines a time pattern extraction based on the use of a Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) over a preceding spatial analysis based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) applied to a sequence of COVID-19 incidence images. The model has been validated with data from the 286 health primary care centers in the Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid region, Spain). The results show improved scores in terms of both root mean square error (RMSE) and explained variance (EV) when compared with previous models that have mainly focused on the temporal patterns and dependencies.


The oil industry throughout the world last year invested about $325,000,000 in geophysical exploration for oil. This marks a phenomenal growth of the science since its inception less than three decades ago. The commercial acceptance of geophysics is justified by its success in eliminating many wasteful "dry holes" in drilling for oil. Applications in the search for other minerals show encouraging gains. The paper (1) reviews briefly the history and growth of geophysical exploration, especially as related to oil‐finding, and of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists; (2) discusses the present technical status and world‐wide industrial scope; and (3) attempts to peer into the future to catch a glimpse of future developments and prospects.


The integral image representation is a remarkable idea that permits to evaluate the sum of image values over rectangular regions of the image with four operations, regardless of the size of the region. It was first proposed under the name of summed area table in the computer graphics community by Crow'84, in order to efficiently filter texture maps. It was later popularized in the computer vision community by Viola & Jones'04 with its use in their real-time object detection framework. In this article we describe the integral image algorithm and study its application in the context of block matching. We investigate tradeoffs and the limits of the performance gain with respect to exhaustive block matching. Source Code The source code, the code documentation, and the online demo are accessible at the IPOL web part of this article1.


This paper, based on several aspects of hot technology such as embedded system, Zigbee technology, and wi-fi wireless broadband technology, designed and implemented an ARM-based embedded Zigbee wireless gateway, which is used to complete the conversion of Zigbee protocol and wi-fi protocol, in order to realize the connectivity of Zigbee network and Internet.


This work explores the changes in chemical structure to polystyrene upon treatment with oxidising agents and to monitor the oxidation in situ on addition of these agents using FTIR spectroscopy technique in order to understand the oxidation mechanisms. The electrochemical oxidation of TBP, unsubstituted phenol and o,m,p-cresols presented as defect sites in surface microstructure of the polystyrene was first studied using cyclic voltammetry and a combined technique of chronoamperometry and in situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The results obtained showed that the oxidation of TBP involves a one electron per proton transfer, leading to the formation of 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenoxy radical. Additionally, enhanced electron-transfer kinetics was observed at the EPPG in comparison to the GC and BDD electrodes and this was attributed to the presence of the edge sites in the surface microstructure of the EPPG. The electrochemical oxidation of the unsubstituted phenol studied under the same experimental conditions as the TBP reveals that the oxidation proceeds by a one electron transfer, leading to the phenoxy radical then to polymeric, dimer link through O O and quinone as oxidation products. The oxidation reaction was found to be dependent of the experimental conditions. The results obtained from the electrochemical oxidation of the cresols indicate that the oxidation is influencing by the substitution pattern in the phenyl ring and this was confirmed by the different oxidation products obtained for each cresol. While polymeric, dimer link through O O and quinone products oxidation products were obtained for o-cresol, the oxidation of m-cresol produces polymeric and dimer link through O O as oxidation products. Only dimer link through O O oxidation product was obtained for p-cresol. The formation of quinoid compound was not observed in both the m-cresol and p-cresol and this was probably due the fact that the molecule being too sterically crowded. The electrochemical oxidation of these phenolic compounds was monitored using a combined technique of chronoamperometry and in situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in order to confirm the mechanism proposed for these phenolic compounds. IR peaks consistent with the vibration stretch of the oxidations product resulting from the oxidation of these phenolic compounds were identified.


A clinical and roentgenographic analysis of 13 patients with pathologically proved xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (X-P) has demonstrated that many previously accepted truisms associated with this disease may not be valid. As a result of this study it is suggested that X-P: 1. Does have a prominant female distribution. 2. May arise relatively acutely. 3. Can be associated with a well-functioning kidney. 4. May destroy the kidney and collecting system. 5. Does not demonstrate neovascularity. 6. Can be distinguished angiographically from hypernephroma. 7. May be associated with diabetes. Other important facts were again observed: 1. X-P is still often associated with staghorn calculi and urinary tract obstruction. 2. Proteus mirabilis is the main offending organism.


Natriuretic peptides are a group of naturally occurring substances that act in the body to oppose the activity of the renin-angiotensin system. There are three major natriuretic peptides: atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which is synthesized in the atria; brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), which is synthesized in the ventricles; and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), which is synthesized in the brain. Both ANP and BNP are released in response to atrial and ventricular stretch, respectively, and will cause vasorelaxation, inhibition of aldosterone secretion in the adrenal cortex, and inhibition of renin secretion in the kidney. Both ANP and BNP will cause natriuresis and a reduction in intravascular volume, effects amplified by antagonism of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). The physiologic effects of CNP are different from those of ANP and BNP. CNP has a hypotensive effect, but no significant diuretic or natriuretic actions. Three natriuretic peptide receptors (NPRs) have been described that have different binding capacities for ANP, BNP, and CNP. Removal of the natriuretic peptides from the circulation is affected mainly by binding to clearance receptors and enzymatic degradation in the circulation. Increased blood levels of natriuretic peptides have been found in certain disease states, suggesting a role in the pathophysiology of those diseases, including congestive heart failure (CHF), systemic hypertension, and acute myocardial infarction. The natriuretic peptides also serve as disease markers and indicators of prognosis in various cardiovascular conditions. The natriuretic peptides have been used in the treatment of disease, with the most experience with intravenous BNP in the treatment of CHF. Another pharmacologic approach being used is the inhibition of natriuretic peptide metabolism by neutral endopeptidase (NEP) inhibitor drugs. The NEP inhibitors are currently being investigated as treatments for CHF and systemic hypertension.


Multi-modular converters have proven to be one of the most suitable topology to be used in high and power applications. The modularity of these configurations offer several advantages, such as: high quality voltage, redundancy and high efficiency. In these converters, the series connection of modules increase the number of voltage levels, but also the floating voltage of modules with respect the neutral point connection which may give rise to isolation issues at the DC side. Because of this, modules with two or more conversion stages are used to provide isolation and to prevent high floating voltages. However, increasing the number of conversion stages, increase also the losses and the implementation costs. In order to overcome these drawbacks, a new configuration of multi-modular converter is proposed in this paper. The proposed converter provides isolation with one conversion stage by means of using low frequency transformers in each module. The main principle behind this concept, the control structure and simulation results are presented to validate the proposed configuration.


Cancer is one of the leading and most fatal diseases in the present decade, every year millions of people die because of various types of cancers. Many aspects relate to the cause of disease besides heredity, food habits, smoking, nutritional behaviours, radiation etc. The successful cancer therapy till now has been under research, only chemotherapy and radiation treatments are at times successful and much times toxic and lethal. Alternative and less toxic medication is very much in need towards the disease, the use of concepts of herbal medicine with knowledge of Ayurveda could present better drug leads towards the inhibitory treatment of Cancer. Nature shows plethora of medicinal plants with anticancer and antioxidant activities which may suppress the disease completely. The search for cancer drugs from natural sources started in late 1960s, lead to discoveries of vincristine, vinblastine, campthothecin and taxol. This review certainly focuses on the herbal medicine from natural products for the discovery of new drug leads towards the cancer treatment.


Civil and religious legislation against bullfighting: historical prohibitions of bullfighting spectacles in Spain between 1567 and 1936 Throughout the history of Spain, there have been numerous attempts to ban bullfighting or, at least, to limit its most barbaric elements, especially with regard to animal abuse. These measures were taken based on the belief that reducing or eliminating bullfighting barbarism would be to the benefit of a more civilized, sensitive and humane society.


Mr Peter Bewes' article on the treatment of club foot! was interesting. However, we feel it is important for your readers who may not deal with club feet regularly to realize that his is not the only view on this very common condition. The fundamental difference in approach that we have is over the manipulation of the foot. Figures 2 and 3 of Mr Bewes' paper show a method of correction that was popularized by Kite in the 1960s2. This method will give an improved appearance of the foot but only gives spurious correction of the bony deformity. Ponseti ' has shown that the key to correction of the club foot deformity is to unlock the forefoot adductus and varus by outward pressure on the metatarsal heads and corresponding pressure on the lateral aspect of the prominent talar head. The heel varus corrects spontaneously as the calcaneus abducts by rotating under the talus. The heel therefore need not, and indeed should not, be touched. The final procedure is to correct the equinus which often needs a pecutaneous tenotomy (usually under local anaesthesia). We suspect that Mr Bewes needs to operate on 67% of his patients because his manipulation method does not unlock the subtalar joint of the foot and allow the calcaneus to abduct, extend, and evert, thus preventing correction of the deformity. In the past we used the Kite method as that is what we were taught. We now use the Ponseti method of manipulation, and early results from our clinics and from those of colleagues in Uganda show that in children that present early it is possible to obtain a better than plantigrade result in 90% of cases. The aim of Tropical Doctor is to give practical assistance to isolated clinicians. It is difficult to explain a method of manipulation in a letter and if any reader would like to have more detail on the Ponseti technique, we can mail or e-mail a short illustrated outline.


In this work we present the model of a hydroelectric power plant in the framework of Mixed Logic Dynamical (MLD) systems. Each outflow unit exhibits a hybrid behavior since flaps, gates and turbines are controlled with logical inputs and the outflow dynamics depend on the logical state of the unit. We show how to derive detailed models of each unit considering not only standard operating conditions, but also emergencies and startup and shut-down procedures.


BACKGROUND The effect of hypoxia on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is an emerging topic in MSC biology. Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are reported to play a critical role in regulating the biological characteristics of MSCs, their specific expression and co-expression profiles in human placenta-derived MSCs (hP-MSCs) under hypoxia and the underlying mech anisms of lncRNAs in hP-MSC biology are unknown. AIM To reveal the specific expression profiles of lncRNAs in hP-MSCs under hypoxia and initially explored the possible mechanism of lncRNAs on hP-MSC biology. METHODS Here, we used a multigas incubator (92.5% N2, 5% CO2, and 2.5% O2) to mimic the hypoxia condition and observed that hypoxic culture significantly promoted the proliferation potential of hP-MSCs. RNA sequencing technology was applied to identify the exact expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs under hypoxia. RESULTS We identified 289 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 240 differentially expressed mRNAs between the hypoxia and normoxia groups. Among them, the lncRNA SNHG16 was upregulated under hypoxia, which was also validated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. SNHG16 was confirmed to affect hP-MSC proliferation rates using a SNHG16 knockdown model. SNHG16 overexpression could significantly enhance the proliferation capacity of hP-MSCs, activate the PI3K/AKT pathway, and upregulate the expression of cell cycle-related proteins. CONCLUSION Our results revealed the specific expression characteristics of lncRNAs and mRNAs in hypoxia-cultured hP-MSCs and that lncRNA SNHG16 can promote hP-MSC proliferation through the PI3K/AKT pathway.


AIM
This paper focuses on different statistical methods for comparing two measurement methods with an additionally available gold standard. A given data example is used as the basis of the calculations.

METHOD
We provide a complementary statistical analysis of a study presented by Hoffmann et al. on sonometric and palpatory measurements of the size of pigmented skin tumours in 681 patients.

RESULTS
For comparing two measurement methods with respect to a gold standard, several statistical parameters assessing one measurement method can be used. In addition, there are further descriptive and some inference-statistical methods available.

CONCLUSION
If there is a suitable categorization of the measurements, the comparison of the methods should be performed using the positive predictive values and kappa coefficients as descriptive measures. Moreover, the McNemar test can be used for comparing the differential accuracy of allocation. When investigating continuous measurements, a comparison using mere correlation analyses can lead to false conclusions. Therefore, we recommend the direct analysis of the individual measurement errors by means of numerical and graphical representations. The absolute values of the measurement errors can be compared using the sign test for paired samples.


Inhibition of epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) activity by high concentrations of extracellular Na+ is referred to as Na+ self-inhibition. We investigated the effects of external Zn2+ on whole cell Na+ currents and on the Na+ self-inhibition response in Xenopus oocytes expressing mouse αβγ ENaC. Na+ self-inhibition was examined by analyzing inward current decay from a peak current to a steady-state current following a fast switching of a low Na+ (1 mm) bath solution to a high Na+ (110 mm) solution. Our results indicate that external Zn2+ rapidly and reversibly activates ENaC in a dose-dependent manner with an estimated EC50 of 2 μm. External Zn2+ in the high Na+ bath also prevents or reverses Na+ self-inhibition with similar affinity. Zn2+ activation is dependent on extracellular Na+ concentration and is absent in ENaCs containing γH239 mutations that eliminate Na+ self-inhibition and in αS580Cβγ following covalent modification by a sulfhydryl-reactive reagent that locks the channels in a fully open state. In contrast, external Ni2+ inhibition of ENaC currents appears to be additive to Na+ self-inhibition when Ni2+ is present in the high Na+ bath. Pretreatment of oocytes with Ni2+ in a low Na+ bath also prevents the current decay following a switch to a high Na+ bath but rendered the currents below the control steady-state level measured in the absence of Ni2+ pretreatment. Our results suggest that external Zn2+ activates ENaC by relieving the channel from Na+ self-inhibition, and that external Ni2+ mimics or masks Na+ self-inhibition.


EDEN ISS is a European project to investigate cultivation techniques of plants in space for future bio-regenerative life support systems. The technologies will be tested in a laboratory environment as well as at the highly-isolated German Antarctic Neumayer Station III. A small and mobile container-sized test facility will be built in order to provide realistic mass flow relationships. This paper provides a summary of the activities performed in the early design phase of the project. The design phase started with the kick-off meeting in March 2015 and focused on the requirements definition and design of the greenhouse. The EDEN
ISS partners met for a design workshop from September 7th to September 18th, 2015 in the Concurrent Engineering Facility of DLR's Institute of Space Systems in Bremen, Germany. The purpose of the workshop was the generation of a preliminary design for the Mobile Test
Facility. The Mobile Test Facility will be built later in the project and used to conduct an over one year long experiment campaign beginning in December 2017 in Antarctica. During the two week workshop, the consortium members worked on their respective subsystems and
on how their systems can be integrated in the overall greenhouse. The design of each subsystem was greatly improved. System budgets (e.g. mass, power) were calculated, engineering drawings created and estimates with respect to inputs and outputs made. A very important step was the consolidation of the system and subsystem requirements. This paper summarizes the results of the design work-shop and describes the preliminary design of the EDEN ISS Mobile Test Facility.


This paper investigates how Croats view the minority Serb population in Croatia. It is based on focus groups, dyads and interviews conducted in Croatia in 2014 and 2015. Serbs constitute the 'other' to Croatian identity, which is defined primarily through language and religion. The analysis finds that the predominant war narrative related to the 1991–1995 conflict, one of defence against a larger Serbian aggressor, influences both of these notions of identity, as well as perceptions of the Serb minority in the state. Participants displayed contradictory attitudes in a discourse that featured many key facets of the war narrative. Most respondents agreed that Serbs should be equal members of Croatian society, but they also did not believe Cyrillic signs should be put up in Vukovar. The introduction of bilingual signs both reduced trust in government institutions and was interpreted as a continued threat against the Croatian people and state.


Abstract Two new polyketide metabolites, the 12-membered macrolides 4-hydroxy-12-methyloxacyclododecane-2,5,6-trione (1) and 12-methyloxacyclododecane-2,5,6-trione (2), were isolated from the endophytic fungal strain Cladosprium colocasiae A801 of the plant Callistemon viminalis, together with five known derivatives. Their structures were fully characterized by means of detailed spectroscopic analysis for new structures, and in comparison with published data for known compounds. The antibacterial, cytotoxic, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the new compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated.


Vacuum ultraviolet laser single photon-ionization coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been used to detect the gas-phase reaction products from the HWCVD reactor with SiH4 NH3 mixtures with various partial pressure ratios ranging from 1: 1 to 200 : 1 for NH3 : SiH4. The identity of the products depends strongly on the relative amounts of SiH4 and NH3 in the mixture. Low NH3 content favors the production of disilane and trisilane. When the NH3 content is high, the formation of aminosilanes becomes the primary pathway. The production of sufficient amount of NH2 (or ND2) radicals is found to play a key role in the competition between the two pathways. The formation of aminosilanes when using mixtures with an ammonia to silane pressure ratio greater than 49 : 1 is confirmed through the use of the isotopomer ND3 in place of NH3 in the gas mixtures. A stepwise amination reaction scheme, initiated by the reaction between the SiH3 and NH2 radicals, is responsible for the formation of aminosilanes. The effect of filament temperature on the formation of aminosilanes and di-/trisilane has also been investigated.


This study aims to investigate the acceleration effects of various prooxidants on linoleic acid peroxidation and to assess the feasibility of applying these model systems by measuring the antioxidant activities of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), α-tocopherol and rosemary extracts. According to our results, Fe2+ and Fe3+ exhibited more stimulatory effects than other prooxidants on the peroxidation of linoleic acid. An additional amount of ascorbic acid can reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+, resulting in more severe peroxidation. However, ascorbic acid displays antioxidant activity with increasing concentration. The peroxidation of linoleic acid induced by Fenton reaction is less than that induced by iron ions and was increased by addition of ascorbic acid to the system to maintain the regeneration of Fe2+ and the production of hydroxyl radicals. BHA shows the strongest inhibitory effects on the peroxidation of linoleic acid in all systems. The antioxidant activity of α-tocopherol is less than that of rosemary extracts in the iron ion-induced peroxidation systems. However, α-tocopherol shows stronger inhibitory effects than rosemary extracts in the Fenton reaction-induced peroxidation system at a concentration less 100 mg kg−1. These systems can be useful in screening antioxidants from natural sources because of the short reaction time and clear difference between each antioxidant.

© 1999 Society of Chemical Industry


When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both counselling and the practice of supervision. In many instances, students arrive at their practicums with a limited understanding of supervision and how it ought to be carried out; this deficit, we contend, is to their detriment. The premise of this article is that a successful practicum rests on a successful supervisory experience, which is enhanced when supervisees have a foundational knowledge of supervision theory and practice. To meet this end, this article is written as a direct personal message to students, explaining the basics of supervision models, processes, practices, tensions, and possible solutions to common supervision struggles. Although this article is written for students, we believe that its contents are equally relevant to supervisors.


This book tries to discuss the image of Jerusalem from the perspective of three nineteenth century western protestant travelers; Pierre Loti, Mark Twain and William M. Thackeray. The travelers are amongst those who are known as authors rather than travelers or explorers. Such choice is important to emphasize the line between fiction and reality. In the writings of such travelers, representation of Jerusalem is influenced by Protestant teachings by which the writers were raised. Also while depicting the city, the writers benefited from their ability to create fiction to transfer their ideas and feelings about Jerusalem.


Broiler carcasses were packed in low-permeability film bags that were evacuated, injected with CO2, then held at 2 C. Broilers were examined microbiologically and for off-odor to determine the shelf-life and types of bacteria. Vacuum level did not significantly affect bacterial counts. Broilers stored in 65% CO2 had a 1-day longer shelf-life than those held in 20% CO2 and about a 5-day longer shelf-life than ice-packed broilers. Spoiled carcasses from either 20 or 65% CO2 packages had an acid-sour off-odor, and more than 90% of the bacteria present were Lactobacillus . Ice-packed broilers had the typical putrid off-odor at spoilage, and more than 95% of the bacteria were non-pigmented Pseudomonas .


Background In an effort to improve the efficiency and advance the science of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) assessment in chronic diseases, the US National Institutes of Health has created a cooperative network of researchers to develop new PRO measures using item response theory, resulting in the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®). Objectives To evaluate the construct validity and responsiveness of the PROMIS pediatric measures with longitudinal assessments in JIA and chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain patients. We hypothesized the PROMIS measures of Fatigue, Mobility, Pain Interference, and Upper Extremity function (UE) would discriminate between levels of condition severity. Methods Patients 8-18 years old were recruited for this study from two large academic US children's hospitals. Inclusion criteria were: diagnosed with JIA or chronic MSK pain, fluent in English, and able to interact with a computer. Patients were recruited if a change in clinical status was anticipated over time. Participants completed PROMIS scales (mean=50; SD=10) on the computer and legacy measures on paper at 3 regularly scheduled clinic visits, on average 4.3 months apart. Results 121 JIA participants (mean age=13.0) were recruited. Majority (86) were female (71.1%); 84 had polyarthritis (69.4%), 16 oligoarthritis (13.2%), 11 systemic (9.1%), and 10 other (8.3%). 110 (90.9%) completed all 3 assessments. A number of PROMIS scales and legacy measures were highly or moderately correlated at baseline (Table 1). Differences in average scores on PROMIS measures were demonstrated between participants with oligo-, poly- and systemic JIA categories, with systemic patients having lower Mobility scores (F=4.63, P=.01), lower UE scores (F=4.25, p=.02), higher Pain Interference scores (F=4.22, P=.02), and higher Fatigue scores (F=3.83, P=.02). Responsiveness of PROMIS measures was demonstrated by change in mean score (SD) over the 3 assessments with treatment. For Fatigue: 47.5 (12.48), 43.49 (12.26), 42.13 (13.72); Pain Interference: 51.1 (8.83), 47.72 (10.23), 46.37 (11.26); Mobility: 44.51 (9.78), 47.14 (9.87), 48.3 (11.12) and UE: 45.66 (9.61), 47.82 (8.9), 48.08 (9.94). 146 chronic MSK pain patients (mean age=15.1) were recruited. Majority (122) were female (83.6%); 67 had Generalized MSK pain (45.9%), 32 Lower Extremity pain (21.9%), 6 Upper Extremity pain (4.1%), 2 Upper and Lower Extremity pain (1.3%), 36 Back pain (24.7%), and 3 Neck pain (2.1%). Over 3 study visits, movement in mean scores (SD) across PROMIS® measures was observed. For Fatigue: 60.48 (12.55), 53.43 (14.29), 50.81 (15.33); Mobility: 35.59 (7.11), 41.62 (9.65), 44.31 (11.81); Pain Interference: 62.14 (7.1), 56.4 (10.53), 52.97 (12.21); and UE: 40.99 (9.55), 44.96 (10.46), 48.29 (10.21). Conclusions PROMIS pediatric measures demonstrated construct validity and were responsive to change in disease activity in cohorts of patients with JIA and Chronic MSK pain. Acknowledgements Funded by NIH NIAMS Cooperative Agreement Award U01AR057940. Disclosure of Interest J. Farrell: None Declared, B. Huang: None Declared, A. Carle: None Declared, S. Kashikar-Zuck: None Declared, K. Barnett: None Declared, E. Morgan DeWitt Grant/research support from: National Institutes of Health


Reservoirs can have both positive and negative effects on differing fish species depending on the species concerned and reservoir morphology, flow regime, and basin location.  We assessed the influence of limnological zones on the ichthyofauna of three large Neotropical reservoirs in two different river basins. We sampled fish through use of gill nets set at 40 systematically selected sites on each reservoir. We used satellite images, algae, and suspended solids concentrations to classify those sites as lacustrine or riverine. We observed significant differences in assemblage composition between riverine and lacustrine zones of each reservoir. We either tested if the same region (lacustrine or riverine) showed the same patterns in different reservoirs. In Sao Simao, the riverine zone produced greater abundances of native species, long-distance migratory species, diversity, and richness, whereas the lacustrine zone supported greater total and non-native species abundances. Conversely, in Tres Marias, the riverine zone supported greater total and non-native species abundances, whereas the others traits evaluated did not differ significantly between zones. Only lacustrine sites occurred in Volta Grande Reservoir. The same zones in the three reservoirs usually had significantly different patterns in the traits evaluated. The differences in spatial patterns observed between reservoirs could be explained partly by the differing morphologies (complex versus linear), the differential influence of tributaries of each reservoir and basin positions (presence or absence of upstream dams) of the reservoirs.


Abstract Biofilm formation of Geobacillus thermodenitrificans, Geobacillus thermoglucosidans and Anoxybacillus flavithermus in milk on stainless steel were monitored at 55°C, 60°C, and 65°C for various incubation times. Although species of Geobacillus showed a rapid response and produced biofilm within 4 h on stainless steel, a delay (lag time) was observed for Anoxybacillus. A hyperbolic equation and a hyperbolic equation with lag could be used to describe the biofilm formation of Geobacillus and Anoxybacillus, respectively. The highest biofilm formation amount was obtained at 60°C for both Geobacillus and Anoxybacillus. However, the biofilm formation rates indicated that the lowest rates of formation were obtained at 60°C for Geobacillus. Moreover, biofilm formation rates of G. thermodenitrificans (1.2–1.6 Log10CFU/mL·h) were higher than G. thermoglucosidans (0.4–0.7 Log10CFU/mL·h). Although A. flavithermus had the highest formation rate values (2.7–3.6 Log10CFU/mL·h), this was attained after the lag period (4 or 5 h). This study revealed that modeling could be used to describe the biofilm formation of thermophilic bacilli in milk.


To the Editor: L iving-donor pancreas transplantation has been developed as one of the effective therapeuticmodalities for patientswith type 1 diabetes. The safety to the donor is a major consideration in this procedure. The donor pancreatic endocrine function has been widely evaluated using both oral and intravenous glucose tolerance tests. Although these tests are useful for evaluation of the endocrine function of the entire organ, they cannot be used to evaluate the segmental pancreatic function. On the other hand, positron emission tomography (PET) can be used to evaluate the segmental pancreatic function, such as the functions of the remnant pancreas head after the donor operation and the pancreas body/tail as a graft for living-related pancreas transplantation. The C-methionine (MET) uptake of the pancreas is correlated not only with acinar cell functions, such as the amylase output, but alsowith the duct cell functions, such as the pancreatic juice bicarbonate concentration and volume. Furthermore, the METuptake was related to the insulinogenic index, which is one of the pancreatic endocrine function tests. Kono et al demonstrated operative preservation of pancreatic function, including exocrine and endocrine functions, by MET-PET. For determination of the potential usefulness of MET-PET in living-donor liver transplantation, the present study was strictly limited to the normal pancreas of donors and diseased pancreas of recipients with type 1 diabetes in living-related pancreas transplantation. Eight living donors and 8 recipients with type 1 diabetes who were scheduled for livingrelated pancreas transplantation were enrolled for the evaluation between February 2006 and December 2007 at the ChibaEast National Hospital for biochemical examination and National Institute of Radiological Sciences for PET studies. The mean (SD) age of the subjects without diabetes was 60 (2) years, and that of the patients with type 1 diabetes was 36 (4) years. The mean (SD) duration of diabetes in the patients with type 1 diabetes was 22 (5) years. The mean (SD) body mass index was 23.1 (2.1) kg/m in the subjects without diabetes and 20.0 (1.8) kg/m in patients with type 1 diabetes. The fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and C-peptide levels in the subjects without diabetes and the patients with type 1 diabetes were 88 (2) mg/dL and 104 (49) mg/dL, 5.2% (0.1%) and 6.5% (1.4%), and 1.82 (0) ng/mL and less than 0.05 ng/mL, respectively. All the datawere acquired with a PET/ computed tomography (CT) system (Biograph Duo; Siemens, Munich, Germany). After 6 hours' fasting, the standard dose of 740 MBq of MET was injected intravenously 30 minutes before imaging. The following settings were used for the CT: 140 kV, 80 mA; gantry rotation time, 0.5 seconds; collimator width, 2 5 mm; section thickness, 5 mm. Positron emission tomography scanning was performed immediately after the CT. The uptake values of MET in the pancreas were measured and expressed as standardized uptake values (SUVs). The SUVs were compared between the subjects without diabetes and the patients with type 1 diabetes and also between the head of the pancreas and body/tail of pancreas in each of the subjects without diabetes and the patients with type 1 diabetes. The statistical significance of the differences was analyzed using the paired t test, and P G 0.05 was considered to denote significance. The representative MET-PET images of the subjects without diabetes and patients with type 1 diabetes are shown. The MET accumulation was higher in the normal pancreata than in the liver (Fig. 1A), whereas it was lower in the diabetic pancreata than in the liver (Fig. 1B). The MET SUVs in the normal pancreata and type 1 diabetic pancreata were 16.1 (0.4) and 8.4 (1.9), respectively. Thus, the normal pancreata showed significantly higher SUVs than the type 1 diabetic pancreata (P G 0.001). The SUVs in all the normal pancreata were more than 14, and those in all the diabetic pancreata were less than 12. The SUVs in the pancreas head and body/tail in the subjects without diabetes were 16.0 (0.4) and 16.0 (1.5), respectively, and the corresponding values in the patients with type 1 diabetes were 8.4 (1.9) and 7.6 (2.1). The SUVs both in the pancreas head and body/tail accumulated equally in the subjects without diabetes and those with type 1 diabetes. Methionine is a precursor of Sadenosylmethionine, which is the universal methyl donor of transmethyl reactions. It is an essential substance for almost all physiological reactions resulting in the formation of methylated products, such as the informational macromolecules of DNA and RNA. Several experimental studies suggest that hypomethylation can influence cellular differentiation and growth. A recent study indicates that advanced diabetes with renal failure may induce changes that predispose to hypomethylation. The hypomethylation metabolic state, which is associated with a low uptake of MET, may be involved in the metabolic disorder associated with severe diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes. Although the impairment of exocrine functions can occur in both subjects without diabetes and patients with type 1


The objective of this development project is to localize an automatic molten metal supplier that has been distributed by WESTOMAT, Germany. throughout the world. To achieve this purpose, an energy-saving pressurized dosing furnace and molten metal differential pressure control system that is able to automatically supply a determined quantity of aluminum molten metal were developed. The localized equipment was installed in a site. Also, the results of the test operation of this equipment can be summarized as follows: It was able to improve the productivity because there were small decreases in supplying speeds and small losses in wastes compared to the existing mechanical molten metal supplier. Also, it was able to minimize the cost in maintenances due to the direct application of high temperature molten metals to molds. In addition, there were small energy losses due to the use of high thermal insulators compared to the existing reverberating furnace and able to prolong the life-time of furnaces and produce good quality nonferrous metals because it represented small carbon refractories and alumina in applied molten metals. Furthermore, it demonstrated no particular differences by objectively comparing it with the product by WESTOMAT.


Thalamic glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rare malignant primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. Here we report a case of adult unilateral GBM involving the right thalamus. The diagnosis of GBM was first indicated by a region of irregular enhancement with central necrosis in the thalamus, visualized with traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), showing elevated lipid and lactate peaks, provided further evidence of GBM while rendering primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL), anaplastic glioma, or metastasis less likely. The final diagnosis of GBM was confirmed by pathological examination of the tumor specimen. This report highlights the utility of combining MRS with other imaging modalities to facilitate the diagnosis of CNS lesions. [N A J Med Sci. 2012;5(1):51-54.]


Exposure of porcine vascular smooth muscle cells to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF; 18-180 ng/ml) but not epidermal growth factor (EGF; 30 ng/ml), somatomedin C (SmC; 30 ng/ml), or insulin (10 microM), results in a rapid, reversible, time- and concentration-dependent disappearance of vinculin staining in adhesion plaques; actin-containing stress fibers also become disrupted following exposure of cells to PDGF. Disappearance of vinculin staining from adhesion plaques is also caused by 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA; 200-400 nM), though the time course of the disappearance of vinculin staining under these conditions takes longer than in cells exposed to PDGF. The PDGF-induced removal of vinculin from adhesion plaques was inhibited in a concentration-dependent fashion by 8-(N,N-diethylamino) octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate (TMB-8; 0.25-4 microM) and leupepetin (2-300 microM), and by n-alpha-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethylketone (TLCK; 100 microM) and trifluoperazine (TFP; 2.5 microM). Addition of PDGF to vascular smooth muscle cells caused a rapid, transient increase in cytosolic free calcium, from a basal resting level of 146 +/- 6.9 nM (SEM, n = 62) to 414 +/- 34 nM (SEM, n = 22) as determined using the calcium-sensitive indicator Fura-2 and Digitized Video Microscopy. This increase in cellular calcium preceded the disappearance of vinculin from adhesion plaques and was partially blocked by pretreatment of cells with TMB-8 but not leupeptin. This rise in cytosolic free calcium was found to occur in approximately 80% of the sample population and displayed both spatial and temporal subcellular heterogeneity. Exposure of cells to TPA (100 nM) did not result in a change in cytosolic free calcium. Both PDGF (20 ng/ml) and TPA (100 nM) caused cytosolic alkalinization which occurred after PDGF-induced disruption of vinculin from adhesion plaques, as determined using the pH-sensitive indicator BCECF and Digitized Video Microscopy. PDGF stimulated DNA synthesis and vinculin disruption in a similar dose-dependent fashion. Both could be inhibited by leupeptin or TMB-8. These results suggest that 1) exposure of vascular smooth muscle cells to PDGF is associated with the disruption of vinculin from adhesion plaques, 2) PDGF-induced vinculin disruption is regulated by an increase in cytosolic calcium (but not cytosolic alkalinization), and involves proteolysis; 3) activation of protein kinase C also causes vinculin removal from adhesion plaques but by a calcium-independent mechanism, and 4) the cellular response to PDGF-stimulated increases in cytosolic free calcium is heterogeneous.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


The authors examine the behavior of a source subject to flow control by a credit manager. The source receives packets for transmission into a high-speed network according to a renewal process. The credit manager regulates the flow of data into the network by the following method. First, credit is generated at a fixed rate and is allowed to accumulate subject to an upper bound. Second, a packet is allowed to start transmission only if the accumulated credit is at least as large as the service time of the packet. Otherwise, the packet waits until the required amount of credit has been accumulated. Third, the credit bank is depleted at the onset of service by an amount which equals the service time. The main purpose of the credit manager is to smooth out the burstiness of the input process, thereby making it easier for the network to handle large amounts of data without undue delays, congestion, or buffer overflows. Despite the difficulty of this problem, the authors find the distributions of queue length, sojourn time, and interdeparture time by assuming a special structure for the service-time distribution and the credit bank. Numerical examples are included. >


The mechanical energy of a pendulum whose pivot can move horizontally can be controlled according to signs of the pivot acceleration values. A servo design technique is proposed which can control the pivot acceleration considering a limited travel of the pivot. This control law is applied to the swing-up control problem for an inverted pendulum.


We study optimal capital income taxation with a Ramsey problem and relate this optimal taxation problem to the question that has been asked in the asset pricing literature, which is why the risk free interest rate is too low. We show that the Ramsey planner chooses the optimal level of capital stock to be one that satisfies the modified golden rule in the steady state under some conditions. The conditions include sufficient government tax instruments and ability to issue bonds. We argue that the optimal capital level is different from that chosen in a competitive equilibrium unless the competitive equilibrium risk free interest rate is same as the time discount rate in the steady state. This difference in the choice of capital motivates imposing a positive capital income tax (or subsidy) on households to induce them to invest at the socially optimal amount. As examples, we investigate optimal capital taxation in a decentralized economy with limited commitment and one with private information. However, the result still holds in various types of economies with risk free interest rate that is too low.


In the wake of the global financial crisis which started around mid-2008, the global shipbuilding industry is no longer in a state of euphoria as before. The volume of new ship orders dropped dramatically after August 2008. We are motivated to examine three issues in this article: First, in the context of shipping industry, which variable(s) play the most important role in a ship investment decision? Second, do government support and favourable investment conditions really help to save shipbuilding industry from the distressing situation? Third, if we separate Japan, South Korea and China as leading shipbuilding clusters, what will the cluster effect be? Our results indicate that the investment of ships can be decided by the freight level, the supply of the market (fleet size), the demand of the ships (trade volume) and the transport service share (location advantage). However, the state of the freight market is of major importance to the investment decision of ships. Shipbuilding price, second-hand ship price and foreign direct investment in transport are proved to have no linkage to ship investment. Besides, the rising role of Japan, South Korea and China in shipbuilding is also identified.