Ionic liquids (ILs) are defined as salts that are stable in the liquid state at 100°C or less. ILs have long been considered as designer solvents in preparatory chemistry because they can be made task-specific for a target application. The synthesis of imidazolium-based ILs tailored with functional groups will be presented for the potential use in synthesis. There are generally two routes to synthesize ILs commonly referred to as the "conventional" Menschutkin reaction [P. Bonhote, A.-P. Dias, N. Papageorgiou, K. Kalyanasundaram, M. Gratzel, Inorg. Chem., 35, (1996), 1168-1178.] and the "unconventional" modified Radziszewski reaction [B. Radziszewski, Ber. Dtsch. Chem. Ges., 15, (1882), 1493-1496. J. Zimmermann, B. Ondruschka, A. Stark, Org. Proc. Res. Dev., 14, (2010), 1102-1109.]. The conventional synthesis is an alkylation reaction where an amine and an alkyl halide react to form the IL cation while the halide acts as the IL anion. The unconventional synthesis is a one-pot-synthesis where five molecules react to the desired IL: formaldehyde, glyoxal, an acid and two molar equivalents of an amine. The use of the unconventional synthesis to obtain functionalized ILs was the main focus of this project. However, instead of the ILs, three internal salt derivatives of the desired ILs were surprisingly obtained with high yields (> 89%) and in high purity.


Companies' disclosure is an important thing to do because it is one of the corporate governance concepts. The purpose of this study is first to investigate the influence of corporate social responsibility disclosure on corporate tax aggressiveness. Also, to prove the influence of managerial ownership as a moderating variable in the relationship between corporate social responsibility and tax aggressiveness. This study uses secondary data, namely financial statements and annual reports that have been published by companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange and the company's website. This study's population are mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the 2014-2018 period. Using the purposive sampling method, the total sample of this study is 30 data from 39 companies. Data were analyzed by descriptive analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results of this study indicate that Corporate social responsibility disclosure affects tax aggressiveness. And managerial ownership as a moderating variable affects the relationship between corporate social responsibility disclosure and tax aggressiveness. It is suggested that companies must pay attention to the CSR disclosure and ownership structure and their relationship with tax aggressiveness.


This roundtable stages a conversation amongst activists and cultural producers involved in feminist and queer of colour politics in the Netherlands from the 1980s to the present. Its primary focus is on the collectives and initiatives that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, such as SUHO (Surinamese Homosexuals), Flamboyant, Zami, Sister Outsider, and Strange Fruit. The roundtable participants ‐ Anne Krul, Tieneke Sumter, Andre Reeder, Marlon Reina, and Ajamu ‐ reflect on several issues, amongst which the political organising around blackness in the 1980s and 1990s, the relations between queer of colour collectives and other movements, the links between political organising and cultural work, the differences between activism and archiving in Curacao and the Netherlands, and, finally, the possibilities and limits of archiving queer of colour histories in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The roundtable also discusses two exhibitions held at IHLIA LGBT Heritage in Amsterdam: We Live Here (2009), on the history of the black lesbian and gay community in the Netherlands, and With Pride (2018), on the history of Dutch sexual politics.


The research on opinions and demands of viewers digital TV via applications has objectives as follows 1. to study the opinions and needs of users who view digital TV via application; 2. to study the opinions and needs of the management from agencies, organizations, public sector, private sector, state enterprises and scholars involving in television media industry; 3. to establish guidelines for developing appropriate program format for digital TV application. The researcher used mixed research methodologies by combining two methodologies, qualitative research and quantitative together. Both methodologies were used in conducting this research simultaneously in a single period. Data of both methodologies was collected and analyzed separately whereas the results were combined and interpreted. Then the results were discussed by comparing the similarity and difference of both methodologies. The qualitative research methods consisted of document review, observation and in-depth interview. The quantitative research methods consisted of questionnaire from sample groups and statistical analysis. Research results revealed that according to opinions and demands of viewers digital TV via applications (most people downloaded digital TV viewing application on Android platform), the most watched channel is channel 8; on average, they watched digital TV 5 days per week with minimum 3 hours of viewing time; the types of program that people watch regularly were dramas which they can watch offline afterwards. Overall, the users had positive attitude towards their experience in using digital TV application with average score totalling 3.96. The factor that received the highest score was the convenience of using digital TV application which received average scores totalling 3.96 (agree). The second highest score which totalled 3.85 (agree) was usefulness. Usage protocol received 3.79 scores (agree) and service received 3.56 scores (agree). The most important factor according to the sample groups when choosing digital TV application was quality. Features, format and structure were then considered respectively. As for the opinions of the management from agencies, organizations, public sector, private sector, state enterprises and scholars involving in television media industry, they wished to see constant development in digital TV programs that would keep up with the ever changing technology as well as marketing factors relating to advertising incomes and other incomes.


Using the commercial code FLUENT analyzes the characteristics of aerodynamic impulse force on sound barriers when high-speed trains pass by the sound barriers.The analysis considers effect of the different heads of sound barrier with different heights on the characteristics of aerodynamic impulse force on the sound barrier.The different heads of sound barrier include the up-right wall,the type Y,the interior inverse L type and the external inverse L type.Two different heights of sound barrier are used in the calculation.Two kinds of aerodynamic exteriors of high-speed train(A and B) are considered.The operation speed of the train is 350 km/h.Also using the commercial code ANSYS develops the finite element models of the sound barriers to calculate the natural frequencies and modes of the sound barriers,and calculate the transient response to the aerodynamic impulse force caused by the high-speed train.The numerical results show that the variation tendencies of the aerodynamic impulse pressure on the sound barriers with different head structures are close,the impulse airflow on the sound barriers has the remarkable effect of bow wave and trailing wave when the train pass by at high-speed.There are some differences at the peaks of the aerodynamic impulse pressure.The peak value of the aerodynamic impulse pressure on the Y type sound barrier is the maximum,it is the less maximum on the interior inverse "L" sound barrier and the peak value of the aerodynamic impulse pressure on the external inverse L type sound barrier is the minimum.There is a big difference between the reaction forces at the bottoms of stand columns of the sound barriers with heights of 2.15 m and 3.15 m.The analyzed sound barriers have the fundamental resonant frequency higher than the frequencies of the aerodynamic impulse force.Therefore,the resonance does not occurs on the sound barriers when the train passes by at 350 km/h.


A base-band demodulator called zero-intermediate frequency zero-crossing demodulator (ZIFZCD) was developed. The ZIFZCD is mostly implemented in digital hardware which offers low power consumption, small size and ease of manufacture. The frequency offset effect on the performance of the ZIFZCD has been studied and a significant bit error rate (BER) degradation has been observed. Two frequency offset compensation schemes are presented to overcome the BER degradation problem and to improve the BER performance of the ZIFZCD. One is called the "DC frequency offset compensator" and the other one is called the "click compensator" which is developed by reducing the effect of click noise. These frequency offset compensation schemes can be applied to a nonzero-intermediate frequency zero-crossing demodulator (NZIFZCD). A significant BER improvement can be obtained by the frequency offset compensator or click compensator.


There are still open many questions concerning the diaplacentary effect of medicaments. This above all concerns the steroid hormones and their proper and possible conversion. The problems of the placental barrier as to the permeability for sexual hormones are discussed. In an experimental study in dogs may be proved that a male sexual hormone (TTP) given to a pregnant animal passes the placenta. For this pleads the significancy of the biological androgen proof.


Abstract Graded exercise tests are commonly used to assess peak physiological capacities of athletes. However, unlike time trials, these tests do not provide performance information. The aim of this study was to examine the peak physiological responses of female outrigger canoeists to a 1000-m ergometer time trial and compare the time-trial performance to two graded exercise tests performed at increments of 7.5 W each minute and 15 W each two minutes respectively. 17 trained female outrigger canoeists completed the time trial on an outrigger canoe ergometer with heart rate (HR), stroke rate, power output, and oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O2) determined every 15 s. The mean (± s) time-trial time was 359 ± 33 s, with a mean power output of 65 ± 16 W and mean stroke rate of 56 ± 4 strokes · min−1. Mean values for peak [Vdot]O2, peak heart rate, and mean heart rate were 3.17 ± 0.67 litres · min−1, 177 ± 11 beats · min−1, and 164 ± 12 beats · min−1 respectively. Compared with the graded exercise tests, the time-trial elicited similar values for peak heart rate, peak power output, peak blood lactate concentration, and peak [Vdot]O2. As a time trial is sport-specific and can simultaneously quantify sprint performance and peak physiological responses in outrigger canoeing, it is suggested that a time trial be used by coaches for crew selection as it doubles as a reliable performance measure and a protocol for monitoring peak aerobic capacity of female outrigger canoeists.


In-field ac losses were measured on a 2 G YBCO tape by three different methods; these consisted of an M(H) loop (inductive) based method as well as two different calibration-free approaches. For the M(H) loop-based method the sample was placed inside a pick-up coil connected in series with, and in opposition to, a compensation coil. The voltage developed in series across these two coils was directly proportional to the magnetic moment of the sample. AC loss was determined from the area of the hysteresis loop generated under an externally applied cyclic field. The two separate calibration-free methods used a lock-in amplifier-based technique. The first of these used a pick-up coil wound in parallel with the ac magnet winding. Two identical systems were used, each containing an ac magnet equipped with a measuring coil. One of the magnets contained the sample and the other one was left empty. The second calibration-free method measured components of the sample's magnetic moment in a transverse ac magnetic field. Here the sample was placed inside an ac magnet; two pick-up coils were placed outside the magnet. The ac magnet, which is rectangular in shape, has an aspect ratio such that a homogeneous field is produced in the sample space and almost no stray fields are present in the pick-up coils. To measure ac loss, a z-component of the magnetic moment of the tape is determined using a dipole approximation. The AC losses for a coated conductor in fields of amplitude up to 0.14 T applied perpendicular to the broad face of the tape were measured from 36 Hz-75 Hz in a liquid nitrogen bath using all three methods. These results were compared, and a satisfactory agreement between all three methods was obtained.


Abstract The basic definition of the third sector comes from the sectoral division of the Slovak economy. The sectoral breakdown of the economy operates with concepts such as the public sector, the private sector, and the third sector(1). Civil society represents the third sector of society that exists alongside the state and the market. The third sector is a commonly used term for all non-governmental organizations in the Slovak Republic. Their legal form may vary. This sector is characterized by the existence of organizations that have a formal structure, non-state character, do not aim to make a profit, are independent, operate on a self-governing basis and are voluntary. The existence of non-governmental organizations and their participation in the life of society characterizes every civil society. One type of such organizations are non-profit organizations, the scope of which is regulated by the Act no. 213/1997 Coll. on Non-profit Organizations Providing Services of General Interest, as amended. They represent non-governmental non-profit organizations operating in civil society. The register of these legal entities operating in the territory of the Slovak Republic is provided by the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic. The aim of this paper is to point out the importance of the existence and scope of non-profit organizations in civil society, to analyze the legal forms of their functioning, through analysis of current legislation, available literary sources with emphasis on analysis of development and employment in non-profit organizations providing public services in the territory of the Slovak Republic in the defined period from 2016 to 2018. According to the latest available data as of 31 December 2018(2), there were 66 926 non-profit organizations registered and operating in the Slovak Republic, employing an average of 39 706 employees, while there were 3 272 of non-profit organizations providing services of general interest. The system of remuneration of employees of non-profit organizations is regulated by legislation in two ways. If the non-profit organization is not established by law, municipality, higher territorial unit or state, then it is possible to apply Act no. 311/2001 Coll. Labor Code as amended. Otherwise, if the nonprofit organization is established by law, wich means that the employee performs work in accordance with the law in the public interest, the procedure for his remuneration is in accordance with the Act no. 553/2003 Coll. on Remuneration of Certain Employees in the Performance of Work in the Public Interest and on Amendments to Certain Acts, as amended.


In this paper we propose a Caching Neighborhood Protocol (CNP) that describes an infrastructure upon which proxy servers can build dynamic Web caching hierarchies. Such a scheme decreases the response times for the requests by increasing the availability of documents without compromising the currency of the rendered documents. Some qualitative reasonings and studies on the request accessing traces collected by a proxy server at NLANR are presented to justify CNP. A five-day trace analysis shows that the top 20% Web sites (in terms of frequency of accesses) provide 93% of the most frequently accessed top 20% documents and such top 20% documents account for 94% of the documents that have been accessed more than once. Hence, an important observation is that caching the most popular documents provided by the most popular Web sites would be a very effective approach for Web caching.


Background: Historically, the greatest residual (gap or step) displacement is used to predict clinical outcome following acetabular fracture surgery. Gap and step displacement may, however, impact the outcome to different degrees. We assessed the individual relationship between gap or step displacement and hip survivorship and determined their independent association with conversion to total hip arthroplasty. Methods: Patients who had acetabular fracture fixation (from 1992 through 2014), follow-up of ≥2 years (or early conversion to total hip arthroplasty), and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were included. Of 227 patients, 55 (24.2%) had conversion to total hip arthroplasty at a mean follow-up (and standard deviation) of 8.7 ± 5.6 years. Residual gap and step displacement were measured using a standardized CT-based method, and assessors were blinded to the outcome. Kaplan-Meier survivorship curves for the hips were plotted and compared (log-rank test) using critical cutoff values for gap and step displacement. These values were identified using receiver operating characteristic curves. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent variables associated with conversion to total hip arthroplasty. Subgroup analysis was performed in younger patients (<50 years old). Results: The critical CT cutoff value for total hip arthroplasty conversion was 5 mm for gap and 1 mm for step displacement. Hip survivorship at 10 years was 82.0% for patients with a gap of <5 mm compared with 56.5% for a gap of ≥5 mm (p < 0.001) and 80.0% for a step of <1.0 mm versus 65.5% for a step of ≥1.0 mm (p = 0.012). A gap of ≥5 mm (hazard ratio [HR], 2.3; p = 0.012) and an age of ≥50 years (HR, 4.2; p < 0.001) were independently associated with conversion to total hip arthroplasty in all patients. In the subgroup of younger patients, only a step of ≥1 mm (HR, 6.4; p = 0.017) was an independent factor for conversion to total hip arthroplasty. Conclusions: Residual gap and step displacement as measured on CT scans are both related to long-term hip survivorship, but step displacement (1 mm) is tolerated less than gap displacement (5 mm). Of the 2 types of displacement, only a large gap displacement (≥5 mm) was independently associated with conversion to total hip arthroplasty. In younger patients who had less articular impaction with smaller residual gaps, only step displacement (≥1 mm) appeared to be associated with this outcome. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


In this study, the sheet metal forming process of the brake chamber head, which had a complex shape compared to the conventional head part, was investigated using finite element (FE) analysis. In order to prevent the forming failures such as necking and fracture, the multi-stage forming process was introduced. The forming process consisted of three steps: (1) first drawing, (2) second drawing, (3) final forming. Experimental and FE simulated results of the brake chamber head were compared, and the results showed that the required characteristics of the straightness and the wall thickness at each location were satisfied.


The "Axis of Evil" and related controversy surrounding the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has focused on the quadrupole and octopole and their rotations. This paper shows how, from the perspective of Vedic Physics, scientists have misinterpreted data on the quadrupole and this had led to the controversy surrounding the CMB, which, by the way, is actually the e logarithm of 2.718...the state of the Substratum of invisible "black hole" matter in the Thaamic state. Thus, another prop under the Big Bang Theory goes bust. Can scientists continue to sustain belief in this putative theory much longer?


Recently, a mathematical model of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway was proposed. In that study, the robustness of different simplified signaling models with respect to parameter changes was also investigated. It was found that bistability achieved via cooperative ultrasensitivity is "much more robust" than other mechanisms such as inhibitor ultrasensitivity. We reinvestigate this interesting finding to reveal that it does not hold in such generality. Our results indicate that mechanisms other than cooperative ultrasensitivity, such as inhibitor ultrasensitivity, can confer a similar robust bistable performance. Thereby, these findings are not restricted to apoptosis signaling, but relevant to bistable signaling in general. In addition, example calculations indicate the potential practical relevance of inhibitor ultrasensitivity for generating robustness in apoptosis signaling.


Although international law has origins that go back to the old law of the people, it can be said that its modern facet, which places the individual at the center of its protection spectrum, is born in a later period. If the first roots of the new international law begin to emerge at the end of the 19th century, with the emergence of international humanitarian law, it can be stated, on the other hand, that the second post-war is a milestone for new paradigms of international law. This is the historical moment in which the United Nations protection system is inaugurated and a normative construction initiated with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from which emerges a whole jurisprudential construction coming from the International and Regional Courts. In this context, the following research aims to analyze the system of protection of human rights inaugurated by the creation of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as to extract from it the most important values belonging to the human community as a whole. To reach the proposed objective, the historical procedure method will be used, by an evolutionary analysis of conventional constructions and jurisprudential. The hypothetical-deductive method of approach will also be used, which is based on the hypothesis that humankind has absolute and universal values to be protected by this system.


This paper designs an Image-based Ensemble Kalman Filter (IEnKF), whose components are defined only from image properties, to estimate motion on image sequences. The key elements of this filter are, first, the construction of the initial ensemble, and second, the propagation in time of this ensemble on the studied temporal interval. Both are analyzed in the paper and their impact on results is discussed with synthetic and real data experiments. The initial ensemble is obtained by adding a Gaussian vector field to an estimate of motion on the first two frames. The standard deviation of this normal law is computed from motion results given by a set of optical flow methods of the literature. It describes the uncertainty on the motion value at initial date. The propagation in time of the ensemble members relies on the following evolution laws: transport by velocity of the image brightness function and Euler equations for the motion function. Shrinking of the ensemble is avoided thanks to a localization method and the use of observation ensembles, both techniques being defined from image characteristics. This Image-based Ensemble Kalman Filter is quantified on synthetic experiments and applied on traffic and meteorological images.


We prove that the factorization homologies of a scheme with coefficients in truncated polynomial algebras compute the cohomologies of its generalized configuration spaces. Using Koszul duality between commutative algebras and Lie algebras, we obtain new expressions for the cohomologies of the latter. As a consequence, we obtain a uniform and conceptual approach for treating homological stability, homological densities, and arithmetic densities of generalized configuration spaces. Our results categorify, generalize, and in fact provide a conceptual understanding of the coincidences appearing in the work of Farb--Wolfson--Wood. Our computation of the stable homological densities also yields rational homotopy types, answering a question posed by Vakil--Wood. Our approach hinges on the study of homological stability of cohomological Chevalley complexes, which is of independent interest.


For pediatric patients with end-stage renal failure, kidney transplantation is the only treatment that can provide growth and long-term survival. Although rejection is the common cause of renal dysfunction, there are other causes of chronic transplant nephropathy, in which the transplanted kidney develops fibrosis. Hypoxia is considered as possible causes of this order. We used O2-inhalation T2*-BOLD and dual-VENC 4D flow MRI to assess hypoxia in pediatric transplanted kidneys. In patients with chronic transplant nephropathy, hypoxia was found in the renal medulla and small vessel's flow was reduced. This analysis is an effective means of monitoring hypoxia in transplanted kidneys.


Abstract In applications of the k-nearest neighbour technique (kNN) with real-valued attributes of interest (Y) the predictions are biased for units with ancillary values of X with poor or no representation in a sample of n units. In this article a model-assisted calibration is proposed that reduces unit-level extrapolation bias. The bias is estimated as the difference in model-based predictions of Y given the X-values of the true k nearest units and the k selected reference units. Calibrated kNN predictions are then obtained by adding this difference to the original kNN prediction. The relationship is modelled between Y and X with decorrelated X-variables, variables scaled to the interval [0,1] and Bernstein basis functions to capture changes in Y as a function of changes in X. Three examples with actual forest inventory data from Italy, the USA and Finland demonstrated that calibrated kNN predictions were, on average, closer to their true values than non-calibrated predictions. Calibrated predictions had a range much closer to the actual range of Y than non-calibrated predictions.


Background Misoprostol, a synthetic prostaglandin analogue, has become the leading mean for terminating the pregnancy. It is not clear, however, whether misoprostol is a safe abortifacient after thirteen weeks gestation in women who have a uterine scar from a previous lower segment caesarean delivery. Objective To evaluate the efficacy and maternal side effects of misoprostol used vaginally for second trimester termination in women with a single previous lower segment caesarean delivery. Method Sixty participants with a history of previous one lower segment caesarean delivery underwent pregnancy termination for missed abortion or lethal fetal anomaly between 14-28 weeks gestation using intra vaginal misoprostol. The dose of which was 400 microgram up to 20 weeks gestation and 200 microgram thereafter, repeated every 4 hours with a 12 hours nightly rest from misoprostol application up to a maximum of 72 hours. Women having termination for similar reasons but lacking a history of cesarean section served as a control group. Results Abortion rate was 96.66% in the study group and 95% in the control group. The mean induction to abortion interval was 21.81±9.51 for the study group and 22.21±8.52 for the control group with no significant difference between the two groups. No cases of uterine rupture occurred in either groups. Conclusion Inducing abortion with lower misoprostol doses appear to be safe and effective throughout the second trimester in women with a single previous lower segment cesarean delivery.


We live in a radically 'cosmopolitanised' world, facing a plethora of mostly unwanted or unforeseen cross-cultural encounters as side effects of global trade and global threats (Beck, 2006). The potentially positive role of both cultural tourism and museums in this context has been widely recognised and theorised. But what does cross-cultural dialogue mean for the person experiencing it, and how is it negotiated within time and space? Drawing on a long-term narrative study of global visitors to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa), I explore cross-cultural meanings empirically through a hermeneutic interpretation embedded in Beck's 'cosmopolitan critical theory'. The evidence presented in this research suggests that the individual is the point of departure from which cross-cultural dialogue is humanised by giving it 'faces' and stories. I argue that the impact of any travel experience is best understood via the meanings tourists make and negotiate in the long-term.


Objectives This work aimed to study chronic renal failure (CRF) in an adenine induced rat model using light microscopic, electron microscopic examinations in addition to morphometric studies. Past studies of adenine induced rat model of CRF did not emphasize on the electron microscopic changes that accompany CRF. Background Long term feeding of adenine to rats produced metabolic changes resembling chronic renal failure in humans. Among the changes happened were loss of weight and accumulation of uremic toxins (urea and creatinine). The pathological findings in the kidneys revealed glomerular and tubulo-interstitial damage. In the current work, we stressed on the changes that happen in the ultra-structural level. Methods Thirty adult male albino rats were divided into 2 groups: Group (I) ten rats, kept without any treatment, and sacrificed after 4 weeks. Group II (chronic renal failure induced group) twenty rats, received adenine powder daily (0.75% w/w for 4 weeks in food i.e., a daily adenine dose of 0.075 grams was added to 10 grams of food for each rat). Initial and final weights were recorded. Blood samples were collected for kidney function tests. Kidney sections were prepared for light and electron microscopic examination. Morphometric and statistical analysis were done. Results In comparison with the control group, the CRF induced group showed a significant decrease in their final body weight (P < 0.001), significant increase in the urea and creatinine levels (P < 0.001) and significant increase in collagen fiber surface area. Conclusion Long term feeding of adenine exerted a marked inflammatory, fibrotic and apoptotic accelerating effect on both the glomeruli and the tubules.


Abstract There are abundant scientific evidences showing that the increased risk of exposure to diseases is a consequence of anthropogenic environmental changes. In the Family Health Strategy, tasks with a clear environmental focus are prescribed, indicating to the professional teams that they should consider these aspects in their health practices. The objective of this research was to study representations and practices of Family Health Professionals of Ma-naus – State of Amazonas, Northern Brazil – about environmental issues and their interface with public health. Data were collected by means of participant observation and semi-structured interviews, and the qualitative analysis was carried out through Content Analysis and Methodological Triangula-tion. The results showed that most professionals do not understand the environment in a systemic way, even though they recognize the great impact that environmental factors have on human health; as interventions, the educational practices follow traditional methodologies and focus on blaming the individual and on the simple transmission of knowledge; the professionals' relationship with the community is limited to personal and/or collective care. It is concluded that in order to the Family Health Strategy to contribute to restructure the system, it is essential to redirect this new health policy model so that it becomes effective as a social and environmental practice.Keywords: Environmental Health; Family Health; Health Personnel; Health Promotion.


Retention of 226Ra was substantially lower in mature beagles injected at 5 years of age compared to corresponding values for young adult beagles injected at 17 months of age. As with young adults, the percentage retention in mature dogs given about 10 microCi/kg exceeded that in mature dogs given 4 microCi/kg or less. Percentage retention, R, at t days after the injection of 10 microCi/kg in mature beagles could be represented by the equation, R = 64.1e-0.233t + 13.0e-0.0048lt + 22.9e-0.000329t, and for mature beagles given 4 microCi/kg or less, R = 38.8e-0.40t + 30.6e-0.0424t + 11.9e-0.00567t + 18.7e-0.000352t. Measured 222Rn/226Ra ratios in bone were similar in mature and young adults. Roughly 66% of the injected radium was excreted by mature dogs during the first 3 weeks, about two-thirds of the total excretion appearing in the feces. Distribution of 226Ra within the skeleton was similar in mature and young adult beagles.


ABSTRACT After countless petitions and complaints from end users, live subtitling quality is slowly attracting the attention of broadcasters, regulators, the subtitling industry and scholars working in Media Accessibility. These stakeholders share an interest in providing better live subtitles, but their quality assessment is a thorny issue. Although quality studies are still scarce, the research undertaken so far has proven valuable in identifying the weaknesses of live subtitles in several countries. This article presents the main findings of the pilot project that preceded the first national quality assessment in Spain, which is currently underway. By focusing on this case study, we will argue that live subtitling quality research may fulfil an additional purpose: serving as a didactic tool in respeaking courses. In this paper we will outline the quality assessment method that we followed, discuss how its main results informed about the accuracy, speed and latency of our samples, and describe how these data may be brought to the classroom to fine tune respeakers' training under a Performance Analysis approach.


The development of subsea all-electric Christmas trees is an area of focus in the offshore oil industry worldwide. The main difficulties are associated with the development and control strategies for subsea all-electric actuators, which are the most critical components of subsea Christmas trees. In this paper, a single-motor level fuzzy PID control with an integrated working condition detection module and a 3-motor redundant-level deviation strategy with coupled joint synchronous control were proposed to realize the real-time determination of algorithm parameters according to the working conditions, accelerate convergence to solve the problem of rapid redistribution, maintain the fast speed of the servo motor of the subsea all-electric tree valve actuator, conduct simulation analyses of the synchronous control model, build the synchronous control electrical system and test this system. With the simulation analysis, a synchronous control electrical system was built, tested and verified. The simulation results of the control strategy show that the proposed single-motor fuzzy PID-deviation coupled control strategy in this paper tends to be stable approximately 0.2 s after the system is started; additionally, with this approach, the convergence speed is faster than that of the traditional PID method, tracking errors are highly reduced, and robustness to load shocks is decreased. The test results show that when the inlet pressures are 1.0 MPa, 1.5 MPa and 2.0 MPa and the three servo motors simultaneously work, the control effect is good, the synchronization effect is good. When one servo motor fails, the two redundant servo motors can still control the all-electric valve actuator and provide good synchronization control capabilities. When the inlet pressure is 1.0 MPa, 1.5 MPa and 2.0 MPa, whether the system is in normal operation or a servo motor fails, the vertical and horizontal vibration values of the system are within reasonable ranges. This result verifies that the proposed control strategy yields superior performance in power distribution compared to traditional systems and strong robustness. The synchronous control strategy can be applied to the synchronous control problem of subsea all-electric production systems, which is of great significance for the development of subsea all-electric production systems.


This paper provides a review of work within the Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology on estimating uncertainties in predicting flood frequency, flood inundation, and hydraulic transport of solutes in rivers and soils. The issue of prediction uncertainty as an input decision making is also discussed. It is concluded that in real applications it is unlikely that a fully objective approach to uncertainty estimation is possible. It is therefore important that the assumptions made are stated explicitly so that they can be agreed or disputed with the users of the resulting predictions. It is also important that the modelling process be considered as a learning process of constraining uncertainty by adding new information.


A Hamiltonian guiding centre particle following code has been developed to study the fast particle motion in the presence of arbitrary time dependent electromagnetic perturbations. In conjunction with an MHD stability code, this code was used to analyse TAE/KTAE induced alpha orbit diffusion and alpha losses in JET plasmas. Resonant alpha orbits are studied below and above the stochasticity thresholds, in the presence of single or several TAEs and KTAEs. Monte Carlo randomized ensembles of alpha particles in the presence of finite amplitude TAE/KTAEs are followed and estimates for the stochastic diffusion coefficients are obtained. Generalization of the method towards the self-consistent wave-particle evolution is described


In this paper, we study video quality dependence on the quality of streaming data transmission over wireless local area network. Such characteristics as packet loss rate (PLR) and packet loss distribution are used to measure the quality of video data transferring. These characteristics were measured by the specially developed program for packet loss analyzing. The video quality was evaluated by such metrics as peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity (SSIM), new quality index (NQI) and video quality metric (VQM). The experimental measurements were carried out in a real WLAN. The video server VLC was used to stream the video. The quality of wireless transmission was affected by such factors as distance, availability of access point antennas and obstacles. The video quality dependencies on packet loss rate were obtained as a result of the experimental studies. According to them, it was found that the video quality remains high when PLR<;0,001, and if PLR>0,05, the video becomes impossible to perceive. The article also shows that the video quality depends on the structure of MPEG: if a lost packet belongs to intra frame, then this loss will have a greater impact than the loss of predicted or bidirectional frame.


SUMMARY This study deals with the problem of trajectory tracking of wheeled mobile robots (WMR's) under non-holonomic constraints and in the presence of model uncertainties. To solve this problem, the kinematic and dynamic models of a WMR are first derived by applying the recursive Gibbs–Appell method. Then, new kinematics- and dynamics-based multivariable controllers are analytically developed by using the predictive control approach. The control laws are optimally derived by minimizing a pointwise quadratic cost function for the predicted tracking errors of the WMR. The main feature of the obtained closed-form control laws is that online optimization is not needed for their implementation. The prediction time, as a free parameter in the control laws, makes it possible to achieve a compromise between tracking accuracy and implementable control inputs. Finally, the performance of the proposed controller is compared with that of a sliding mode controller, reported in the literature, through simulations of some trajectory tracking maneuvers.


The acute abdomen in the pediatric age group is not infrequently fraught with diagnostic pitfalls. The younger the patient, the more problematic the presentation can be. Among the more unusual manifestations of an acute abdomen is an apparent encephalopathic picture. We present 2 cases which serve to illustrate the diagnostic difficulties encountered.


With rapid advances in biotechnology and molecular biology, instructors are challenged to not only provide undergraduate students with hands-on experiences in these disciplines but also to engage them in the "real-world" scientific process. Two common topics covered in biotechnology or molecular biology courses are gene-cloning and bioinformatics, but to provide students with a continuous laboratory-based research experience in these techniques is difficult. To meet these challenges, we have partnered with Bio-Rad Laboratories in the development of the "Cloning and Sequencing Explorer Series," which combines wet-lab experiences (e.g., DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction, ligation, transformation, and restriction digestion) with bioinformatics analysis (e.g., evaluation of DNA sequence quality, sequence editing, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool searches, contig construction, intron identification, and six-frame translation) to produce a sequence publishable in the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank. This 6- to 8-wk project-based exercise focuses on a pivotal gene of glycolysis (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), in which students isolate, sequence, and characterize the gene from a plant species or cultivar not yet published in GenBank. Student achievement was evaluated using pre-, mid-, and final-test assessments, as well as with a survey to assess student perceptions. Student confidence with basic laboratory techniques and knowledge of bioinformatics tools were significantly increased upon completion of this hands-on exercise.


Mesangial deposits of IgA are found in IgA nephropathy, Schönlein-Henoch purpura (SHP) and in some patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study the authors characterized the mesangial IgA deposits in patients with the above diseases using antiserums or monoclonal antibodies to A1, A2, J-chain and secretory component (SC), and examined SC binding in vitro. SC was not present, J-chain was ubiquitous, and A2 was found (with the use of monoclonal antibodies) rarely but with equal frequency in all groups. The SC binding capacity of the deposits differed between the groups and was found in 13 of 16 patients with alcoholic liver disease, 3 of 4 with SLE, 1 of 10 with primary IgA nephropathy, and none of 6 with SHP.


The concept of randomness has been used in many applications today. It has been used in unpredictable cryptography and showing good statistical distribution in production number. Providing these two properties and using randomness of natural noise sources, true random number generators have been more preferred. In this study, as a source of natural noise, over-commitment to initial conditions and showing random characteristics chaotic spirals were used. This bit series were statistically tested, after obtaining a sequence of bits with sampling of the results obtained under the Matlab simulation environment.


Synopsis : Fundamental experiments were conducted with the aim of crude separation of the phosphorus contained in high-P iron ore prior to the iron-making process. By reducing high-P iron ore with lime and graphite at an appropriate blending ratio and temperature, a reduction product was obtained consisting of a P-concentrated phase, metallic Fe with low P, and an Fe oxide-containing phase. The reduction product was pulverized by electrical pulse disintegration, and a magnetic separation experiment was performed for each particle group. As a result, 57.5 % of the P contained in the reduction product was removed by removing particles of 250 μm or less. Samples simulating the constituent phases of the reduction products were synthesized and subjected to magnetization measurement. It was assumed that the Fe oxide-containing phase was paramagnetic and the P-concentrated phase was diamagnetic. We calculated the magnetic and drag forces acting on the paramagnetic particles in wet magnetic separation. When the magnetic field gradient was low, the magnetic forces acting on the fine particles were low, and attraction was difficult due to the drag force of water.


Marine mussels utilize a variety of DOPA-rich proteins for purposes of underwater adhesion, as well as for creating hard and flexible surface coatings for their tough and stretchy byssal fibers. In the present study, moderately strong, yet reversible wet adhesion between the protective mussel coating protein, mcfp-1, and amorphous titania was measured with a surface force apparatus (SFA). In parallel, resonance Raman spectroscopy was employed to identify the presence of bidentate DOPA-Ti coordination bonds at the TiO(2)-protein interface, suggesting that catechol-TiO(2) complexation contributes to the observed reversible wet adhesion. These results have important implications for the design of protective coatings on TiO(2).


It has been a little more than half a century since serious, organized research on hyper tension began. Public and even physician interest in the subject remained minimal until the early forties, and even then there were not more than a dozen "fulltime" investigators worldwide. The first organization devoted to communicating regularly the results of hy pertension research was created in Cleveland in 1945; it became the Council for High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association in 1949. The early history of hypertension is not a story of progressive achievement. Richard Bright is given great credit, followed by Mahomed, Allbutt, Riva-Rocci, Bergman and Janeway, but it was not until Volhard, Fahr and Allen that some semblance of order emerged. They were followed by a younger, much more vigorous group of investigators who in fact initiated modern research in hypertension. Two more generations have fol lowed. In the course of some fifty years, we have seen emerge a magnificent body of evidence that has prescribed good treatment and contributed a considerable understanding of the many complex mechanisms involved in the hypertensions. Treatment is now actively pro moted by public health agencies, including the World Health Organization. This is an other case of treatment preceding full understanding of the nature of the disease."


Summary People with serious mental illness (SMI) are more likely to engage in health risk behaviours such as unhealthy eating, physical inactivity and smoking. The review by Teasdale et al in this issue shows the potential for nutrition interventions to help people with SMI to manage their weight.


BackgroundLong-term exposure to microgravity during spaceflight has adverse effects on human health including muscle atrophy, impaired immune function, and alterations in gut microbiome profile. Gut microorganisms influence a wide range of host biological processes, but their interactions with skeletal muscle and the immune system under microgravity are not known. MethodsRhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were subjected to -6° head-down tilted bed rest (HDBR) for 6 weeks. Fecal samples, skeletal muscle tissue, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected for metagenomic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses respectively and further integrated for a multi-omics analysis.ResultsHDBR resulted in significantly altered taxon abundance in 1 class, 5 orders, 11 families, 55 genera, and 122 species of microbes. We also identified the significantly changed metabolites in atrophied muscles, including some crucial metabolites (such as L-alanine and L-carnitine) and hub metabolites (such as pyridoxamine and epinephrine) involved in energy metabolism. Transcriptomic analysis of PBMCs revealed genes related to leukocyte activation, differentiation, and interleukin-2 production that were differentially expressed as a result of HDBR exposure. By integrating multi-omics analysis, we identified 3 bacterial genera (Klebsiella, Kluyvera, and Bifidobacterium) that were closely associated with immune dysfunction and 5 (including Oligella, Sporosarcina, Citrobacter, Weissella, and Myroide) that were associated with abnormal metabolism of amino acids in atrophied muscles induced by HDBR. Of note, the reduced abundance of butyrate-producing colon bacteria Eubacterium, Roseburia and their cross-feeding bacteria Bifidobacteria may contribute to both the impaired immune function and muscle atrophy caused by HDBR.ConclusionsWe first reported the HDBR-associated changes in gut microbiota composition, metabolomics of skeletal muscle and transcripts of PBMCs in non-human primate. Particularly, we revealed the underlying microbiota-muscle and microbiota-immune interactions during simulated microgravity, implicating that modulation of gut microbiota may represent a new strategy in enhancing crewmembers' health and safety during long-term space expeditions.


We have compared the oxygen and nitrogen abundances derived from global emission-line Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectra of galaxies using (1) the Te method and (2) two recent strong-line calibrations: the ON and NS calibrations. Using the Te method, anomalously high N/O abundance ratios have been found in some SDSS galaxies. To investigate this, we have Monte Carlo simulated the global spectra of composite nebulae by a mix of spectra of individual components, based on spectra of well-studied H ii regions in nearby galaxies. We found that the Te method results in an underestimated oxygen abundance (and hence in an overestimated nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio) if H ii regions with different physical properties contribute to the global spectrum of composite nebulae. This effect is somewhat similar to the small-scale temperature fluctuations in H ii regions discussed by Peimbert. Our work thus suggests that the high Te-based N/O abundance ratios found in SDSS galaxies may not be real. However, such an effect is not expected to be present in dwarf galaxies since they generally have a uniform chemical composition. The ON and NS calibrations give O and N abundances in composite nebulae which agree with the mean luminosity-weighted abundances of their components to within ∼0.2 dex.


Introduction: In developing countries, chronic otitis media (COM) and cholesteatoma are relatively prevalent. Within the field of otology, COM surgery remains one of the most common surgical treatments. Most recent studies evaluating the potential prognostic factors in COM surgery have addressed graft success rate and types of middle ear and mastoid pathology. There has been much controversy about this issue until the present time. This study evaluated the effect of cholesteatoma on the GSR in COM surgery. Materials and Methods: The present retrospective, case-controlled study investigated 422 ears undergoing COM surgery. The minimum and maximum postoperative follow-up periods were 6 and 48 months, respectively. The study group consisted of patients with cholesteatomatous COM, while the control group included patients with non-cholesteatomatous COM, who had undergone ear surgery. Postoperative graft success rate and audiological test results were recorded and the effect of cholesteatoma on graft success rate was investigated. Results: The overall GSR was 92.4%. In the study group (COM with cholesteatoma),the postoperative GSR, mean speech reception threshold improvement, and mean air-bone gap gain were 95.3%, 2.1 dB, and 3.2 dB, respectively. In the control group (COM without cholesteatoma), however, these measurements were 90.9%, 9.4 dB, and 9.1 dB, respectively. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The study results suggest that cholesteatoma is not a significant prognostic factor in graft success rate.


Mental functions are influenced by states of physiological arousal. Afferent neural activity from arterial baroreceptors at systole conveys the strength and timing of individual heartbeats to the brain. We presented words under limited attentional resources time-locked to different phases of the cardiac cycle, to test a hypothesis that natural baroreceptor stimulation influences detection and subsequent memory of words. We show memory for words presented around systole was decreased relative to words at diastole. The deleterious memory effect of systole was greater for words detected with low confidence and amplified in individuals with low interoceptive sensitivity, as indexed using a heartbeat counting task. Our observations highlight an important cardiovascular channel through which autonomic arousal impacts a cognitive function, an effect mitigated by metacognition (perceptual confidence) and interoceptive sensitivity.


As technology advancements in robotics and wireless communication, tracking mobile targets using mobile sensors has aroused widespread concern in recent years. In this paper, we propose a novel coordinative moving strategy for autonomous mobile sensor networks to guarantee the target can be detected in each observed step while minimizing the amount of moving sensors. The proposed scheme consists of obtaining the current position of the target, which is then used to predict the next time-step location of the target. Once the uncertainty region of the target's position is defined, the proposed method allows the mobile sensors to cover it in an optimal way. Therefore, we can assign each mobile sensor to an optimal location to cover the uncertainty region while minimizing the total traveled distance of sensors. Extensive simulations are given to evaluated performance and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed strategy.


The widely used lipid-lowering drug niacin was reported to increase blood glucose in diabetes. How does niacin regulate β Cell function in diabetic patients remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of niacin on β cell lipotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Niacin treatment sensitized the palmitate-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in INS-1 cells. In addition, palmitate significantly increased the niacin receptor GPR109A and PPARγ2 levels, which could be further boosted by niacin co-treatment, creating a vicious cycle. In contrast, knocking down of GPR109A could reverse both PPARγ2 expression and niacin toxicity in the INS-1 cells. Interestingly, we found that GLP-1 receptor agonist exendin-4 showed similar inhibitive effects on the GPR109A/PPARγ2 axis and was able to reverse niacin induced lipotoxicity in INS-1 cells. In diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model, niacin treatment resulted in elevated blood glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin secretion, accompanied by the change of islets morphology and the decrease of β cell mass. The combination of niacin and DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin can improve glucose tolerance, insulin secretion and islet morphology and β cell mass, even better than sitagliptin alone. Our results show that niacin increased β cell lipotoxicity partially through upregulation of GPR109A and PPARγ2, which can be alleviated by incretin drugs. We provide a new mechanism of niacin toxicity, and suggest that the combination of niacin and incretin may have better blood glucose and lipid control effect in clinical practice.


Resource monitoring in distributed systems is required to understand the 'health' of the overall system and to help identify particular problems, such as dysfunctional hardware, a faulty system or application software. Desirable characteristics for monitoring systems are the ability to connect to any number of different types of monitoring agents and to provide different views of the system, based on a client's particular preferences. This paper outlines and discusses the ongoing activities within the GridRM wide-area resource-monitoring project.


The catalytic isomerisation, disproportionation, and dehydrogenation reactions of the C4–C12 , C4–C8 , and C3–C18 hydrocarbons respectively are examined. The chemical composition, the methods of preparation of the catalysts, the effect of promoting agents, and the kinetics and mechanisms of the reactions are discussed. The principal characteristics of the existing and likely future processes leading to the synthesis of C4–C12 isoparaffins and C3–C18 mono-olefins are presented. The bibliography includes 154 references.


Excellent polished thin-sections are routinely made at the Falconbridge laboratory. The sliced and ground specimens are polished on 10-15 mu and then 6-8 mu diamond-impregnated plastic laps at 75-100 rpm before mounting on the glass slide. The sawed and ground section is then polished from 0.035 mm to 0.030 mm on the 6-8 mu lap and placed for 1/2-4 hours on the vibratory polisher with first 0.3 mu and then 0.05 mu alumina in water-slurry.


Auscultation is technique which medical professions use to listen the internal body sounds such as heart and lungs sounds by using stethoscope in order to do diagnosis. But the Auscultation method is very complicated to diagnose and check the situation of the heart, this method requires to give more training to the medical professions in order acquire accurate results from heart.
Furthermore, there is main problem with acoustic stethoscope which is the sound level is very low, therefore, in this project it has been designed and developed Electronic stethoscope which has capability to amplify the heart sounds and solve the main problem of the acoustic stethoscope.
Therefore, this project was developed Electronic stethoscope which consist of Electret condenser microphone which pick up the heart sounds and convert to electrical signal, amplification circuit that has the ability to amplify the detected signal from heart. After amplification of the detection heart sounds it has been heard by using headphones. It also transmitted via wireless by using Bluetooth Module which has a range of wireless transmission of 30 feet. And it have lower cost compare to the wireless electronic stethoscope which currently available in the markets.
Similarly, the signal has presented in a format that can make very easy to visualize and analysis by the users through Graphic user interface (GUI) using matlab software. Besides the signal can be recorded and stored for future analysis.


The present study evaluated the effect of mulberry vinegar (MV) on the regulation of the inflammatory responses using C6 glial cells. Treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) induced the nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species generation, while pre-incubation with MV inhibited these formations in a concentration-dependent manner. MV treatment also decreased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in C6 glial cells stimulated by LPS/IFN-γ. Compared to the LPS/IFN-γ-treated control group, the MV-treated group exerts downregulation in the protein expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, through inhibition of nuclear factor-κB activation. Protein expressions of glial fibrillary acidic protein and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 were also decreased in the MV-treated group. These findings suggest that MV prevents neuroinflammation by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway and glial activation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Mulberry fruits (Morus alba L.) have been commonly consumed as juice or jam. It is a rich source of anthocyanins that might be associated with beneficial effects on human health, including the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic effects. Mulberry vinegar was produced by alcohol and acetic fermentation of mulberry juice, and they possessed a protective effect against LPS/IFN-γ-stimulated inflammatory responses in glial cells via regulation of glial activation and NF-κB signaling pathway (i.e., downregulation of iNOS, COX-2, TLR4, p-IκB, and NF-κB p65 protein expressions). Although further research especially animal and clinical trials are still necessary, the present study will be helpful to scale-up the production of functional vinegar with neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties using mulberry.


Sequential attention shift models of reading predict that an attended (typically fixated) word must be recognized before useful linguistic information can be obtained from the following (parafoveal) word. These models also predict that linguistic information is obtained from a parafoveal word immediately prior to a saccade toward it. To test these assumptions, sentences were constructed with a critical pretarget-target word sequence, and the temporal availability of the (parafoveal) target preview was manipulated while the pretarget word was fixated. Target viewing effects, examined as a function of prior target visibility, revealed that extraction of linguistic target information began 70-140 ms after the onset of pretarget viewing. Critically, acquisition of useful linguistic information from a target was not confined to the ending period of pretarget viewing. These results favor theoretical conceptions in which there is some temporal overlap in the linguistic processing of a fixated and parafoveally visible word during reading.


ABSTRACT Liquid alkali metals are essential materials for nuclear reactor coolants, exploring their thermodynamic properties is the foundation for the thermal design of the reactor. Considering the active nature of alkali metals and the difficulties exist in the high-temperature experiment, we carried out molecular dynamics simulation to study the thermodynamic properties of liquid alkali metals including density and heat capacity. We also explored the thermal conductivity with molecular dynamics simulation. All the simulation was based on the embedded-atom method (EAM) potential, which has been verified by the calculated radial distribution function data. The results suggest that the density and heat capacity data simulated are in reasonable agreement with the literature data, the error of density data is within 5% and the heat capacity data error is around 10%. Besides, it shows that the simulation of thermal conductivity has a poor performance, for molecular dynamics can only simulate the phonons conductivity, not include the electrons conductivity, which accounts for more than 90% in the thermal conductivity of metal.


Neo-Colonialism in Southern Africa A K Essack Rhodesia File by Kwame Nkrumah; PANAF. 1976; pp 168. RHODESIA'S Ian Smith has begun to lose his nerve as the rising tide of liberation is beginning to pound and lash his crumbling fortress. Like those floundering amidst the angry waves, he has sent an SOS to the British Government to save him. In a highly confidential report, his own security forces have indicated that militarily Smith's forces will be in no position to halt the guerilla attacks. This is indeed the end of the road for Ian Smith and his illegal regime is doomed and the dustbin of history is waiting to receive him.


Accidents on battlefields and roads often lead to hemorrhage and uncontrolled bleeding. Hence, immediate hemorrhage control remains of great importance to reduce mortality and socioeconomic loss. Herein, nanobiocomposite scaffolds (film and sponge) have been fabricated for the first time through the incorporation of a graphene-silver-polycationic peptide (GAP) nanocomposite into chitosan (Cs). Ten different scaffolds viz. Cs, Cs-GAP25, Cs-GAP50, Cs-GAP75, and Cs-GAP100 were prepared in the form of films and sponges. Cs-GAP100 nanobiocomposite sponge exhibited excellent porosity, fluid absorption, and blood clotting capacity, whereas Cs-GAP100 nanobiocomposite film showed excellent mechanical strength and poor degradation property. The presence of graphene in GAP provided a unique mechanical property and prevented the natural degradation, whereas silver nanoparticles and polycationic peptide provided an efficient antimicrobial property to the scaffolds. The high surface area of graphene and the hydrophilic nature of the polycationic peptide also imparted high fluid and blood absorption capacity to Cs-GAP nanobiocomposite scaffolds. The in vitro whole blood clotting assay demonstrated that clotting efficacy improved with the concentration of GAP nanocomposite and Cs-GAP100 nanobiocomposite sponge significantly (p value <0.003) reduced the clotting time to 60 s, as compared to the pristine chitosan dressings. On the other side, the Cs-GAP100 nanobiocomposite film showed an excellent wound-healing property. The Cs-GAP100 nanobiocomposite demonstrated profound antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay explained the interfacial interaction of Cs-GAP100 nanobiocomposite and bacterial cells, resulting in cell damage and finally cell death. The obtained information thus provided a novel safe-by-design concept for fabrication of Cs-GAP100 nanobiocomposite scaffolds and demonstrated potential development of antibacterial hemostatic and wound dressing in traumacare management.


Adoption rates of improved or modern varieties (MV) of sorghum in eastern Ethiopia are generally low. Although these MV may represent an effective means of coping with droughts, given their early maturing traits, landraces could prove to be more drought-tolerant and better adapted to marginal production conditions. Whether MV adoption is a risk reducing technology is very much an empirical question which this article investigates using a unique dataset from eastern Ethiopia in a year of extreme weather conditions. Results show that risk-factors coupled with access to markets and social capital drive farmers' decisions to adopt MVs. On the one hand, it appears that farmers use MVs to mitigate moderate risks. On the other hand, farmers who have been most vulnerable to extreme weather events are less likely to use MVs suggesting that MV adoption does not necessarily represent an effective means of coping with drought. Finally, findings show that MV growers are more likely to be affected by sorghum failure once controlling for exogenous production factors.


Skeletal muscle is capable of phenotypic adaptation to environmental factors, such as nutrient availability, by altering the balance between muscle catabolism and anabolism that in turn coordinates muscle growth. Small noncoding RNAs, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), repress the expression of target mRNAs, and many studies have demonstrated that miRNAs regulate the mRNAs of catabolic and anabolic genes. We evaluated muscle morphology, gene expression of components involved in catabolism, anabolism and energetic metabolism and miRNAs expression in both the fast and slow muscle of juvenile pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) during food restriction and refeeding. Our analysis revealed that short periods of food restriction followed by refeeding predominantly affected fast muscle, with changes in muscle fiber diameter and miRNAs expression. There was an increase in the mRNA levels of catabolic pathways components (FBXO25, ATG12, BCL2) and energetic metabolism-related genes (PGC1α and SDHA), together with a decrease in PPARβ/δ mRNA levels. Interestingly, an increase in mRNA levels of anabolic genes (PI3K and mTORC1 complex: mTOR, mLST8 and RAPTOR) was also observed during food restriction. After refeeding, muscle morphology showed similar patterns of the control group; the majority of genes were slightly up- or down-regulated in fast and slow muscle, respectively; the levels of all miRNAs increased in fast muscle and some of them decreased in slow muscle. Our findings demonstrated that a short period of food restriction in juvenile pacu had a considerable impact on fast muscle, increasing the expression of anabolic (PI3K and mTORC1 complex: mTOR, mLST8 and RAPTOR) and energetic metabolism genes. The miRNAs (miR-1, miR-206, miR-199 and miR-23a) were more expressed during refeeding and while their target genes (IGF-1, mTOR, PGC1α and MAFbx), presented a decreased expression. The alterations in mTORC1 complex observed during fasting may have influenced the rates of protein synthesis by using amino acids from protein degradation as an alternative mechanism to preserve muscle phenotype and metabolic demand maintenance.


Viscoelastic surfactant (VES) is widely known to be a clean fluid for fracturing and gravel pack application. However, its low thermal stability had made the VES inefficient for high-temperature application. VES viscosity dramatically declines when temperature exceeds 300°F. Work has been done to explore the potential of a new VES to apply to high-density, high-temperature applications. Such VES could also serve as alternate option to conventional polymer-based fracturing fluid, which is known to create some level of formation damage due to polymer residue.
 This study aims to evaluate the fracturing fluid of a novel VES system that exhibits improved performance at high-temperature (300°F to 350°F) in high-density brines. Industries commonly use heavy brines of different densities; monovalent sodium bromide (NaBr) and sodium chloride (NaCl) and divalent calcium chloride (CaCl_2) and calcium bromide (CaBr2) brines were used for this evaluation. In this paper, we investigate the rheological properties and viscoelastic behavior of VES. A high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) rheometer was used to evaluate the fluid viscosity stability, elastic modulus (〖G〗') and viscous modulus (〖G〗′) measurements at elevated temperature. Surface tension, breaker, and coreflood tests were conducted to assess the fluid's flowback ability and formation damage extent using synthetic core. The sand-bearing capability of the VES as a fracturing fluid was examined via a high-temperature sand settling test.
 Testing results demonstrated that this novel VES shows good shear recovery and viscosity stability with a 12.5-ppg (NaBr) brine system when tested at temperatures up to 325°F. The fluid system showed the ability to break with good retained permeability. The 11.5-ppg CaCl2 brine-based fluid developed its viscosity as the temperature increased. It showed good stability when tested at 350°F, and it can be broken with good retained permeability. Both brine-based viscoelastic fluids were found to be compatible with a demulsifier at a concentration up to 0.2% by volume.
 In conclusion, this novel VES system could be formulated with NaBr and CaCl2 brines for high-density fracturing fluid application.


Background: Cell cycle inhibition is a target of interest for novel cancer therapeutics. Palbociclib (P) is an orally active inhibitor of CDK4/6 which arrests the cell cycle at the G1-S transition. P has demonstrated efficacy in phase II and III randomized trials for first-line and pre-treated hormone receptor positive/HER2 negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC), with hazard ratios 0.42-0.49 (Finn et al, Lancet Oncol 2015, Turner et al, NEJM 2015), and is approved in combination with letrozole as first-line therapy for HR+/HER2- MBC. Given confirmed benefits of P and endocrine therapy for MBC, the PALLAS study was designed to determine if the addition of P to adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) improves outcomes over ET alone in HR+/HER2- early breast cancer. Trial Design: PALLAS is an international open label phase III trial randomizing patients to 2 years of P (125 mg daily, 21 days on 7 days off in a 28-day cycle) combined with at least 5 years of provider choice ET (AI, tamoxifen, +/- LHRH agonist), versus ET alone. The primary objective of the study is to compare invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) for the combination of P and ET versus ET alone. Secondary objectives include comparing iDFS excluding cancer of non-breast origin, DRFS, LRRFS, OS, as well as safety. The principal translational science objective is to determine the predictive or prognostic utility of defined genomic subgroups with respect to iDFS and OS. Additional translation objectives include evaluation of tissue and blood biomarkers predictive of benefit or resistance, cfDNA, pharmacogenomics, adherence, BMI, and patient-reported QOL. Eligible patients (pts) may be pre- or post-menopausal, have stage II-III breast cancer, HR+/HER2- by ASCO CAP guidelines, and have recovered from prior therapies. Pts may have already initiated ET, but randomization must occur within 12 months of diagnosis and 6 months of initiation of ET. An FFPE block must be received at the central sample repository for eligibility. Total planned accrual to the trial is 4600 pts, providing 85% power to detect a 25% risk reduction in iDFS from ET alone using a stratified logrank test with an overall one-sided alpha = 0.025. Pts will be randomized 1:1 stratified by stage, receipt of prior chemotherapy, age, and geographic location. Interim analyses for safety, futility/efficacy and sample size re-estimation are planned. PALLAS will open in 9/2015; current accrual will be updated at time of presentation. Citation Format: Mayer E, DeMichele A, Dubsky P, Barry W, Metzger O, Symmans WF, Burstein H, Miller K, Wolff A, Rastogi P, Loibl S, von Minckwitz G, Goulioti T, Zardavas D, Fesl C, Koehler M, Huang Bartlett C, Chen L, Piccart M, Winer E, Gnant M. PALLAS: PAlbociclib Collaborative Adjuvant Study: A randomized phase 3 trial of palbociclib with adjuvant endocrine therapy versus endocrine therapy alone for HR+/HER2- early breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT1-03-21.


Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is an attractive technique for high data rate transmissions in wireless and wireline systems. However OFDM signals suffer from high peak-to-mean envelope power (PMEPR). In this paper we consider the problem of reducing this high PMEPR using reserved peak reduction subcarriers as considered by Tellado and Cioffi. We analyze the fundamental tradeoff between PMEPR reduction and the rate loss due to reserved subcarriers. We first provide a lower bound on the complementary cumulative distribution of PMEPR using infinitely many reserved subcarriers. We then show that the problem of minimizing the maximum of the absolute value of the signal using reserved subcarriers can be stated as a convex linear matrix inequality problem. While the problem is proved to be convex, its complexity is cubic in the number of OFDM subcarriers n which can be prohibitive when n is large. We then propose a suboptimal greedy algorithm based on p-norm minimization that chooses only bipolar values for each subcarrier that has less complexity and more PMEPR reduction than the previously proposed algorithm in. Our results provide the best tradeoff possible between PMEPR reduction and the associated rate loss and also leads to a practical algorithm to approach those limits.


Abstract. While Earth system models project a reduction, or even a shut-down, of deep convection in the North Atlantic Ocean in response to anthropogenic forcing, deep convection returned to the Irminger Sea in 2008 and occurred several times since then to reach exceptional depths > 1,500 m in 2015 and 2016. In this context, we used Argo data to show that deep convection persisted in the Irminger Sea during two additional years in 2017 and 2018 with maximum convection depth > 1,300 m. In this article, we investigate the respective roles of air-sea flux and preconditioning of the water column to explain this exceptional 4-year persistence of deep convection; we quantified them in terms of buoyancy and analyzed both the heat and freshwater components. Contrary to the very negative air-sea buoyancy flux that was observed during winter 2015, the buoyancy fluxes over the Irminger Sea during winters 2016, 2017 and 2018 were close to climatological average. We estimated the preconditioning of the water column as the buoyancy that needs to be removed (B) from the end of summer water column to homogenize the water column down to a given depth. B was lower for winters 2016–2018 than for the mean 2008–2015, including a vanishing stratification from 600 m down to ~1,300 m. It means that less air-sea buoyancy loss was necessary to reach a given convection depth than in the mean and once convection reached 600 m little additional buoyancy loss was needed to homogenize the water column down to 1,300 m. We showed that the decrease in B was due to the combined effects of a cooling of the intermediate water (200–800 m) and a decrease in salinity in the 1,200–1,400 m layer. This favorable preconditioning permitted the very deep convection observed in 2016–2018 despite the atmospheric forcing was close to the climatological average.


Serum protein, lipoprotein and glycoprotein patterns have been studied in irradiated dogs, using paper electrophoresis techniques. Alpha-1 globulin lipid decreases in the terminal stages following fatal doses of x-radiation, this change reflecting a loss of lipoprotein. Considerably increased levels of alpha-2-3 globulin lipid and polysaccharide in extremely sick or dying dogs results from increased concentrations of lipoproteins and glycoproteins. Decreased alpha-4 globulin polysaccharide is a function of a loss of glycoprotein, while slight increases of beta globulin lipid reflect gains of beta lipoproteins. The loss of alpha-4 and gain of alpha-3 glycoproteins, have been found as early as 10 days prior to irradiation death, and in the absence of lipoprotein or body temperature abnormalities. In dogs surviving irradiation doses near the ld50, transitory lipoprotein changes are slight, while glycoprotein derangements are more pronounced. Mechanisms underlying these various changes are discussed.


OBJECTIVE
Examine the associations between caregiver health literacy (HL) and smoking-related outcome expectancies, implementation of home/car smoking bans (H/CSBs), and child secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe).

METHODS
Caregivers of Head Start children residing with a smoker(s) completed measures assessing HL, outcome expectancies, and H/CSB implementation. Biomarkers of child SHSe included home air nicotine monitors and child salivary cotinine.

RESULTS
Caregivers with lower HL had higher levels of home air nicotine and child salivary cotinine in the full sample and among smokers. After controlling for child age and number of smokers in the home, lower HL was associated with higher endorsement of negative smoking expectancies in the full sample and in smokers. HL was not associated with H/CSB implementation across groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Caregiver HL is associated with child SHSe and is important in shaping smoking-related beliefs. HL is not directly related to adoption of SHSe-reduction behaviors such as H/CSBs.


The present study was carried out to examine the comparative efficacy of sucralfate and ranitidine in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. Sixty-six patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcer were studied in a 4-6 weeks randomised, single blind trial comparing sucralfate 1 gm T.D.S. one hour before meal and 1 gm nocte (34 pts) with ranitidine 300 mg nocte (32 pts). Six patients (four on sucralfate and 2 on ranitidine) failed to complete the study. Endoscopy after four weeks of treatment showed an ulcer healing rate of 57% in the sucralfate group compared with 73% in ranitidine group (p greater than 0.1). At six weeks these figures had risen to 87% and 90% respectively (p less than 0.5). After one year followup study 69% of sucralfate treated ulcers relapsed whereas the relapse rate was 82% in ranitidine treated ulcer group (p less than 0.1). It was observed that the relapse was earlier in the ranitidine group as compared to sucralfate group (p less than 0.01 at 3 months and p less than 0.05 at 6 months). Asymptomatic recurrence was seen in 15% (6/40) patients. Sucralfate was not only as effective as ranitidine in short term healing of duod. ulcer but also delayed the relapse of ulcer in long term followup after initial healing with the drug.


Efficacy studies in animal tumor models provide an early opportunity to collect preliminary information on toxicity. When screening and evaluating cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, efficacy studies usually include at least 1 dosage level that causes severe toxicity and death. Pathologic evaluation in early efficacy studies may reveal major target organs, dosage/schedule relationships, pharmacokinetic/toxicity relationships, effects of formulation and route of administration, maximum tolerated dose, cause of death, and reversibility of changes in normal tissues. Intraperitoneal formulations are frequently used to establish proof of concept for promising compounds (hits) from in vitro screens; however, these crude formulations may also induce intraperitoneal inflammation and confound the interpretation of both efficacy and toxicity. Efficacy studies conducted in the later stages of drug discovery may be used to refine the dose and schedule proposed for phase I clinical trials. Efficacy studies in animal tumor models provide useful toxicologic data for screening potential drug candidates, optimizing the therapeutic index, and designing both preclinical and clinical development programs.


Introduction: The pharmacokinetics and safety of casopitant, a neurokinin‐1 receptor antagonist being developed for the prevention of chemotherapy‐induced and post‐operative nausea and vomiting, were evaluated in subjects with mild (Child‐Pugh score of 5–6) and moderate (Child‐Pugh score of 7–9) hepatic impairment; mild (creatinine clearance 50–80 mL/min) and moderate (creatinine clearance 30–49 mL/min) renal impairment; and subjects with normal hepatic and renal function. Experimental Design: Twenty‐six subjects were enrolled in the hepatic impairment study (9 mild, 9 moderate and 8 normal subjects) and 18 subjects in the renal impairment study (6 mild, 6 moderate and 6 normal subjects). Subjects with severe hepatic or renal impairment were excluded. All subjects received a once‐daily dose of 100 mg oral casopitant for 5 days. Pharmacokinetics and plasma protein binding of casopitant and its major metabolite, GSK525060, were determined on Days 1 and 5. Safety was continuously assessed. Results: Subjects with mild or moderate hepatic impairment had an increase in casopitant AUC of 11% and 24%, respectively, on Day 1 compared with normal subjects; a similar increase was observed on Day 5. Casopitant Cmax was variable, but similar across all subjects. GSK525060 AUC was not significantly different between normal subjects and subjects with mild hepatic impairment; however, AUC was reduced 29% and 19% on Days 1 and 5, respectively, in subjects with moderate hepatic impairment. The percent bound of casopitant and GSK525060 was similar in all subjects. Casopitant AUC increased 34% and 22% in subjects with mild or moderate renal impairment on Day 1, respectively, and 28% and 11% on Day 5, respectively, when compared with normal subjects. GSK525060 AUC increased 17% and 24% on Days 1 and 5, respectively, in subjects with mild renal impairment, but did not significantly change in subjects with moderate impairment. Further age‐adjusted analysis showed no meaningful effect of renal impairment on casopitant or GSK525060 AUC. Cmax and half‐life in renal impaired subjects were similar to normal subjects. The plasma protein‐binding of casopitant and GSK525060 was similar in all subjects. Casopitant was well tolerated, with no significant difference in the type or frequency of adverse events (AEs) noted between subjects with mild, moderate or no hepatic or renal impairment. Somnolence, flatulence and nausea were the most frequently reported AEs in the hepatic impairment study; whereas constipation and dyspepsia were the most frequently reported events in the renal impairment study. No AEs were reported in subjects with mild renal impairment. Conclusion: The pharmacokinetics of casopitant is not altered to a clinically significant extent in subjects with mild or moderate, hepatic or renal impairment. The impact of severe hepatic or renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics and safety of casopitant was not evaluated. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):C132.


Globally, the smartphone industry has grown exponentially in the last decade. In addition, this phenomenal growth has led to an explosion in the mobile application sector. Currently, the two largest operating platforms that developers create mobile applications for are Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Despite the rapid and dramatic expansion of the mobile application industry, the majority of mobile applications on the market remain targeted towards users as individuals. This narrow focus has left a virtually untapped market in mobile applications aimed at couples. This business plan will present analysis of the smartphone and mobile application market, pricing strategy, and market opportunities with a primary focus on the two current market leaders – Apple's iOS and Google's Android - for a mobile application concentrated on couples. The business model focuses on four key points: reach, engagement, loyalty, and monetization. Termed as the "mobile relationship cycle", this research reflects the priorities to success in the mobile application sector from a diverse range of mobile application developers. BE Studio's OurStory is an original mobile application that is poised to serve an unfulfilled need in the mobile application market for smartphone users who are in a relationship.


In ENEA Frascati research centre an experimental fusion machine called Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU) is in operation since 1990. During the experimental activity, the automatic control and synchronization of many plants are required. The FTU control system [1] includes many sub-systems having different roles [2, 3]. In particular, a Fast Sequence Control (FSC) hardware is necessary to drive the tokamak power plants and to detect the errors in the fast control sequence during the plasma discharge. The FSC system was designed and realized in 1980s and is still in operation. Due to the obsolescence of some hardware components, a new project for the FSC Upgrade (FSCU) has been started. The project includes a new architecture based on up-to-date commercial hardware and dedicated firmware and software. In the present paper the architecture and the functions of the Fast Sequence Control - Upgrade system is described, along with the main differences between the two systems.


This article focuses on African literature published since 2000 by authors of French expression. While contemporary authors' subjects are varied—ranging from climate change, human rights, to ethnic cleansing—they also imagine new "what ifs" and other utopic spaces and places that extend beyond postcolonial, Africa-as-victim paradigms. Literarily, authors such as Abdelaziz Belkhodja (Tunisia) and Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti) have effectuated a transnational turn. In this literary transnational turn, Africa is open to new interpretations by the African author that are very different from the more essentialist-based, literary-philosophical movements such as Negritude and pan-Africanism; cornerstones of the postcolonial literary frameworks of the past. Belkhodja and Waberi offer original narratives for Africa that, while describing their countries as utopias, also traverse the very dystopic realities of our time.


Multi-unit auctions are a paradigmatic model, where a seller brings multiple units of a good, while several buyers bring monetary endowments. It is well known that Walrasian equilibria do not always exist in this model, however compelling relaxations such as Walrasian envy-free pricing do. In this paper we design an optimal envy-free mechanism for multi-unit auctions with budgets. When the market is even mildly competitive, the approximation ratios of this mechanism are small constants for both the revenue and welfare objectives, and in fact for welfare the approximation converges to 1 as the market becomes fully competitive. We also give an impossibility theorem, showing that truthfulness requires discarding resources and, in particular, is incompatible with (Pareto) efficiency.


One of the goals of Service-Oriented Computing (SOC) is to improve software maintainability as businesses become more agile, and thus underlying processes and rules change more frequently. This paper presents a controlled experiment examining the relationship between coupling in service-oriented designs, as measured using a recently proposed suite of SOC-specific coupling metrics and software maintainability in terms of the specific subcharacteristics of analyzability, changeability, and stability. The results indicate a statistically significant causal relationship between the investigated coupling metrics and the maintainability of service-oriented software. As such, the investigated metrics can facilitate coupling related design decisions with the aim of producing more maintainable service-oriented software products.


Africa has a rich and diverse culture that has been documented in many different ways, some of which are not as conventional as the western ways. Documentation methods in Africa range from word of mouth (oral history) to the modern electronic systems. Leaves, skins, tree bark, stones, clay, rocks, string are some of the traditional ways in which information was documented. The notion that Africa is a continent of song and dance must be revisited and corrected. The discovery of the Islamic manuscripts going back to the 12th Century AD in North and West Africa is a clear proof that scholarly work has been going on for centuries in Africa. The challenge to us is how to preserve these diverse materials considering that the world is advancing at a very fast rate with worrying issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and ravaging poverty. Governments are faced with different challenges that tend to push heritage preservation to the bottom of the list of priorities for justifiable reasons.
 ESARBICA Journal Vol.23 2004: 62-67


Current advancements of Fifth Generation (5G) of mobile communications and beyond, have envisioned future networks as highly dense and coexisting in various bandwidths, providing seamless connectivity to users at any location. Thus, it is important to describe the effects and limits of densification and spectrum sharing. This article examines a less explored system model of a terrestrial cognitive radio (CR) based ultra-dense network (UDN) that operates within the range of a cellular macro base station (BS) and its users. It shares the incumbent spectrum in the interweave mode to avoid interference to the primary network, by implementing two common methods for energy detection (ED) spectrum sharing – Gaussian ED and Fading ED (FED). Through extensive simulations, the critical density of the UDN's cognitive access points (CAPs), the ED efficiency, as well as the throughput gains, are determined through the measured signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) at the CAPs and SUs. Additionally, the influence of different SU densification on the throughput is analyzed for the critical CAP density. It has been assessed that due to the high path loss in UDNs, the spectrum utilization gain (SUG) is small, but it may be improved through appropriate SU densification.


Existing studies on provably efficient algorithms for Markov games (MGs) almost exclusively build on the"optimism in the face of uncertainty"(OFU) principle. This work focuses on a different approach of posterior sampling, which is celebrated in many bandits and reinforcement learning settings but remains under-explored for MGs. Specifically, for episodic two-player zero-sum MGs, a novel posterior sampling algorithm is developed with general function approximation. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that the posterior sampling algorithm admits a $\sqrt{T}$-regret bound for problems with a low multi-agent decoupling coefficient, which is a new complexity measure for MGs, where $T$ denotes the number of episodes. When specialized to linear MGs, the obtained regret bound matches the state-of-the-art results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first provably efficient posterior sampling algorithm for MGs with frequentist regret guarantees, which enriches the toolbox for MGs and promotes the broad applicability of posterior sampling.


217 Immortality is one of the recognised hallmarks of cancer. Head and neck cancers (HNSCCs) may be preceded by recognisable premalignancies, such as leukoplakias and erythroplakias, which have widely different progression rates. However, by current histopathology methods, it is impossible to predict prognosis of dysplasias in individual patients. To investigate the molecular changes associated with HNSCC progression, we have isolated cultures from biopsies of 20 HNSCCs and 20 dysplasias, as well as normal oral mucosa, using the feeder layer method of Rheinwald and colleagues. Although the majority of head and neck cancers (HNSCC) are immortal, a subset has a mortal phenotype in vivo (1-3) and generally these have a better prognosis. A minority of dysplasias are also immortal and this is consistently associated with specific molecular changes, for example loss of p16INK4A and retinoic acid receptor-beta expression, p53 mutations and activation of telomerase (4-6). Thus acquisition of immortality and invasiveness can be acquired independently. By gene expression profiling of HNSCC cultures followed by validation in biopsies by IHC, we have demonstrated that mortal HNSCCs express markers commonly associated with motility and invasion, as well as chemokines, whereas immortal HNSCCs have a greater tendency to recur and show elevated expression of cell cycle markers and loss of differentiation characteristics (recently reviewed in (7)). We have also identified an immortality gene expression signature common to immortal HNSCCs and dysplasias, some of which are p53-target genes. It also appears possible to identify gene expression patterns characteristic of cultured high risk dysplasias that may be precursors to the mortal and immortal HNSCC types. This could potentially be valuable diagnostically, if confirmed in larger in vivo prospective studies. 1. J. E. Burnset al., Br J Cancer 67, 1274 (1993). 2. K. G. Edington, O. P. Loughran, I. J. Berry, E. K. Parkinson, Mol Carcinog 13, 254 (1995). 3. K. E. Gordonet al., Cancer Res 63, 458 ( 2003). 4. F. McGregoret al., Cancer Res 57, 3886 (1997). 5. F. McGregoret al., Cancer Res 62, 4757 ( 2002). 6. A. Muntoniet al., Oncogene 22, 7804 ( 2003). 7. K. D. Hunter, E. K. Parkinson, P. R. Harrison, Nature Reviews Cancer , in press (February 2005).


This research is motivated by the needs of oil palm plants whose growth and development depend on the availability of nutrients. So that the fertilization must be done correctly in order to encourage healthy plant growth and maximum FFB production. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the implementation of fertilization was in accordance with the directions and recommendations from the company, and to determine the level of correlation between fertilization and the production of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm.
The data collection method in this study was direct observation in the field and then comparing the data obtained in the field with data from the company, and also analyzing the correlation between fertilization and fresh fruit bunches (FFB) production.
From the results of observations regarding the right dosage and the right method of fertilizer. The rules for the right dosage and the right method are good because they get an average value of the right dose with a percentage of 89.29%, and the rules for the right method with a percentage of 93.57%. Observations regarding the correlation between fertilization and FFB production obtained a value of 0.994, which means that there is a significant correlation with a very strong and positive correlation coefficient.


ABSTRACT This paper discusses the problems and dangers of proceeding with European integration without facing a transparent constitutional debate. The crucial issue demanding clarity is whether the current integration in the form of the EU shall be seen within the framework and concepts of public international law or within those of constitutional law. The authors argue that more intensive integration cannot be achieved on the basis of undermining rule of law and democracy by vacillating between different international law or constitutional law models of proceeding without taking any clear standpoint.


Acoustic emissions are frequently used in material sciences and engineering applications for structural health monitoring. It is known that plants also emit acoustic emissions, and their application in plant sciences is rapidly increasing, especially to investigate drought-induced plant stress. Vulnerability to drought-induced cavitation is a key trait of plant water relations, and contains valuable information about how plants may cope with drought stress. There is, however, no consensus in literature about how this is best measured. Here, we discuss detection of acoustic emissions as a measure for drought-induced cavitation. Past research and the current state of the art are reviewed. We also discuss how the acoustic emission technique can help solve some of the main issues regarding quantification of the degree of cavitation, and how it can contribute to our knowledge about plant behavior during drought stress. So far, crossbreeding in the field of material sciences proved very successful, and we therefore recommend continuing in this direction in future research.