Abstract Purpose This study evaluated the impact of a daily and weekly image-guided radiotherapy protocols in reducing setup errors and setting of appropriate margins in head and neck cancer patients. Materials and methods Interfraction and systematic shifts for the hypothetical day 1–3 plus weekly imaging were extrapolated from daily imaging data from 31 patients (964 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans). In addition, residual setup errors were calculated by taking the average shifts in each direction for each patient based on the first three shifts and were presumed to represent systematic setup error. The clinical target volume (CTV) to planning target volume (PTV) margins were calculated using van Herk formula and analysed for each protocol. Results The mean interfraction shifts for daily imaging were 0·8, 0·3 and 0·5 mm in the S-I (superior-inferior), L-R (left-right) and A-P (anterior-posterior) direction, respectively. On the other hand the mean shifts for day 1–3 plus weekly imaging were 0·9, 1·8 and 0·5 mm in the S-I, L-R and A-P direction, respectively. The mean day 1–3 residual shifts were 1·5, 2·1 and 0·7 mm in the S-I, L-R and A-P direction, respectively. No significant difference was found in the mean setup error for the daily and hypothetical day 1–3 plus weekly protocol. However, the calculated CTV to PTV margins for the daily interfraction imaging data were 1·6, 3·8 and 1·4 mm in the S-I, L-R and A-P directions, respectively. Hypothetical day 1–3 plus weekly resulted in CTV–PTV margins of 5, 4·2 and 5 mm in the S-I, L-R and A-P direction. Conclusions The results of this study show that a daily CBCT protocol reduces setup errors and allows setup margin reduction in head and neck radiotherapy compared to a weekly imaging protocol.


Self-levelling flooring compounds (SLC) are used to level substrates (mainly concrete slabs) before applying final floor coverings. Although it is an extensively used product, only limited research has so far been published concerning their moisture properties. This report focuses on moisture properties of SLC and describes methods for determining them. Moisture properties of materials are important for the calculation of drying times and moisture loads and for prediction of ion transport and degradation rates. In this report, measurements of moisture diffusion and moisture sorption are presented. Measurements were made with three commercial SLC. Later in the project, results from this report will be used when the function of SLC in flooring constructions will be investigated. These investigations will mainly concern transport of moisture and OH-ions and degradation of other materials in contact with SLC, such as components in flooring adhesives and PVC-floorings. (Less)


Abstract With increasing interest in natural products of plant origin for medicinal and health care benefits there is added emphasis on the quality of the source raw material. In most cases the vegetative tissues and organs are the source of the required raw material. However, such tissues/organs may become infested/susceptible to many diseases causing deterioration of the quality of the desired economic product and loss of genetic resources. Considerable progress has been made with respect to the identification of disease causing organisms, and their pathogenic impact at organ, cellular and biochemical level. This review focuses on various diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses and phytoplasmas threatening the yield, biomass, bioactive potential of medicinal and aromatic plants of the sub-tropics. Several studies suggest that management of diseases through biological measures is more effective to check multiple diseases. Necessary management strategies for efficient disease management to realize quality raw material and enhanced metabolite productive potential have been outlined.


Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a central mechanism governing destined cell movement in embryonic development. Emerging evidence reveals that EMT characterizing the progression of many carcinomas is linked to the acquisition of an invasive and metastatic phenotype. While it is established that EMT is controlled by well-conserved mechanisms, additional research is required for various tissue- or tumor-specific transitions. We review the literature related to the major components of EMT including adhesion molecules, cytoskeleton reorganization and signaling pathways in oral cancer.


Engeldal SEC, Subandriyo, Handiwirawan E, Noor RR. 2012. Effect of different levels of social isolation on the acoustical characteristics of sheep vocalization. JITV 18(3): 208/219. DOI: 10.14334/jitv.v18i3.323. In farm animals, vocal analysis is accepted as a non/invasive method for assessing animal welfare in comparison to most physiological measurements. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different degrees of social isolation on the acoustic characteristics of stress/induced bleats from three different breeds of sheep. The experiment consisted of subjecting the animals to three different levels of social isolation during which both locomotive and vocal data were recorded. The data on locomotive behaviour was subjected to descriptive analysis while specialized acoustic software was used to measure a total of thirty/six parameters of recorded bleats. Descriptive analysis showed that the animals displayed more locomotive activity during partial isolation compared to complete isolation. Number of bleats during partial isolation was also found to be higher. The application of two/way analysis of variance showed a significant effect of isolation level and breed on both temporal and structural acoustic properties. Amplitude, power and time acoustic properties were found to affect acoustic quality of vocal responses to isolation, whereas frequency related properties were also found to be different significantly (P < 0.05) between breeds. From spectrogram analysis, the patterns of energy distribution within the calls proved to offer the most evident that differ between isolation levels and breeds. It was concluded that acoustic analysis can be helpful in revealing the affective state of socially isolated rams.


CONTEXT
Diffuse serous cystadenomas of the pancreas are extremely rare, with only 8 cases reported previously, and have been associated with neuroendocrine tumors in only two patients. Some have been seen in von Hippel-Lindau disease. The management of these tumors poses a challenge due to their rarity and uncertain malignant potential. We report a case of diffuse serous cystadenoma associated with neuroendocrine carcinoma in a 35-year-old woman.

CASE REPORT
A 35-year-old woman with mild abdominal pain was diagnosed as having a cystic pancreatic mass on ultrasonography. On contrast-enhanced CT scan, MRI and MRCP imaging, a spongy lesion was found to replace the entire pancreas, and was diagnosed as diffuse serous cystadenoma. Serum biochemistry for amylase, lipase, CA 19-9 and CEA was normal. Screening for retinal and CNS lesions was also unremarkable. A total pancreatectomy was performed, and the patient recovered well. Histopathological examination of the specimen revealed microcysts and macrocysts replacing the entire pancreas, the largest being 3.5 cm. The cysts were lined with a single layer of cuboidal to flattened cells. An endocrine tumor abutting the cystic component was found, having neoplastic cells in a trabecular pattern. Metastasis of the neuroendocrine component was seen in the adherent lymph nodes. A diagnosis of diffuse serous cystadenoma associated with neuroendocrine carcinoma was made.

CONCLUSION
Diffuse serous cystadenomas of the pancreas are extremely rare tumors. In young patients, they may harbour associated malignancy, and may be the first presentation of von Hippel-Lindau disease. Aggressive surgical resection with long-term follow-up may be worthwhile in this group of patients.


Distributed energy resource (DER) systems that can combine small-scale conventional energy sources with diverse renewable energy options and storage are ideal for addressing electrification needs of small communities, as well as proactively mitigating negative impacts of fossil energy sources on the environment. It is therefore imperative for academic institutions that wish to play a role in addressing energy challenges for sustainable rural development to be adequately equipped with a hardware testbed for the study and analysis of DER systems. This work features a 45kW hardware testbed installation at Penn State Harrisburg, highlighting its design, construction, and its uses in academic instruction and research. A case study on electric loading characteristics of the network is presented to illustrate its relevance and the potential for its use in preparing a skilled workforce for a new energy economy.


ELDOR-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (EDNMR) spectral simulations combined with broken-symmetry density functional theory (BS-DFT) calculations are used to obtain and to assign the 55Mn hyperfine coupling constants (hfcs) for modified forms of the water oxidizing complex in the penultimate S3 state of the water oxidation cycle. The study shows that an open cubane form of the core Mn4CaO6 cluster explains the magnetic properties of the dominant S = 3 species in all cases studied experimentally with no need to invoke a closed cubane intermediate possessing a distorted pentacoordinate Mn4 ion as recently suggested. EDNMR simulations found that both the experimental bandwidth and multinuclear transitions may alter relative EDNMR peak intensities, potentially leading to incorrect assignment of hfcs. The implications of these findings for the water oxidation mechanism are discussed.


. The studies were carried out on typical chernozem. The purpose of the research was to develop resource-saving technological methods of crop cultivation, ensuring an increase in yield and economic efficiency of production. The work was carried out in a long-term stationary field experiment against the background of two types of crop rotations: in 2007-2010 – grain-fallow-hoe (black fallow – winter wheat – sugar beet – barley) and in 2013-2020 – grain-fallow (black fallow – winter wheat – soy – barley). Four systems of basic tillage were compared in the grain-fallow-hoe crop rotation: traditional dump multi-depth, surface, non-dump multi-depth, combined (25% dump + 75% non-dump). There are five tillage systems in the grain-fallow crop rotation, with the inclusion of a combined system in the experiment scheme (25% dump + 75% surface). Fertilizers and plant protection products were used against the background of treatments for crop rotation cultures. The best conditions for the formation of crop yields, arable land productivity in crop rotations and the best economic indicators are formed with combined (25% dump and 75% non-dump) and (25% dump + 75% surface) tillage systems in combination with a low level of mineral nutrition and plant protection products. An increase in the level of mineral nutrition in crop rotations without the use of plant protection products leads to a significant decrease in the economic efficiency of production.


The ultimate aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidant activities using DPPH and ABTS assay and antioxidant substances of Melientha suavis Pierre (Melientha) extracts with ethanol (EtOH) and subsequent partition with hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and distilled water (W). The Melientha extract was assessed the sunscreen activities by sun protection factor which was compared with octyldimethyl PABA. Additionally, the stability test of Melientha extracts added in the cosmetic base-formula was investigated. The sun protection substances of Melientha extracts were determined by GC-MS analysis. Among the extract and fractions, the ethanolic extract showed the highest activities. The IC50 of Melientha extract to free radical scavenging determined by DPPH assay and ABTS assay were 53.20 ± 7.37 μg/ml and 64.17 ± 5.76 μg/ml, respectively. The total phenolic compound of ethanol extract was 149.87 ± 2.72 mg GE/g of ext and total flavonoid content was 51.60 ± 4.12 mg CE/g of ext. The sun protection factor (SPF) of ethanol extract was 26.61 ± 0.10. Cinamate and its derivative which were claim as sunscreen substance was found by GC-MS analysis of Melientha ethanol extract.


User revocation is one of the main security issues in publish and subscribe (pub/sub) systems. Indeed, to ensure data confidentiality, the system should be able to remove malicious subscribers without affecting the functionalities and decoupling of authorised subscribers and publishers. To revoke a user, there are solutions, but existing schemes inevitably introduce high computation and communication overheads, which can ultimately affect the system capabilities. In this paper, we propose a novel revocation technique for pub/sub systems that can efficiently remove compromised subscribers without requiring regeneration and redistribution of new keys as well as re-encryption of existing data with those keys. Our proposed solution is such that a subscriber's interest is not revealed to curious brokers and published data can only be accessed by the authorised subscribers. Finally, the proposed protocol is secure against the collusion attacks between brokers and revoked subscribers.


Although the research and development of nanocomposites for almost a decade focused on structural properties, these properties remained until today far below
expectations, which were forecast at the beginning of the new millennium. However, even if it is well known that the processing history has a major impact on the structure and properties of final components, this aspect was not subject of intensive research in the past. The talk focuses on the role of the manufacturing sequence on the morphology and properties of polypropylene based nanocomposites. In general it can be stated that the incorporation of nano-sized TiO2-fillers improves the some mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposites as long as the production enables a good dispersion and distribution of the nanofiller agglomerates. However, with increasing filler loading, the morphology of injection molded parts changes: The size of the spherulites and the degree of crystallinity decreases while the crystallization/solidification proceeds faster. Simultaneously a slight improvement in the mechanical performance up to a certain filler loading can be found. However, improved mechanical properties of the nanocomposites in the final component cannot be exploited if its production in a subsequent welding step is required. The reason for the decrease in the mechanical properties is the decrease in the viscosity by the addition of the fillers, and thereby caused extreme flow processes and subsequent orientation of the fillers as well as the weakening of the filler/matrix-interphase in the welding zone. In summary, it can be observed that nanocomposites increasingly offer great opportunities for applications where single-component materials reach their limits. The key to success is the processing. Therefore it is of crucial importance that the total manufacturing history is understood and controlled. Only then it is possible to sustainably exploit the potential of polymer nanocomposites in the application.


Brevipalpus-transmitted viruses (BTV) are a taxonomically diverse group of plant viruses which severely affect a number of major crops. Members of the group can be sub-classified into cytoplasmic (BTV-C) or nuclear type (BTV-N) according to the accumulation sites of virions in the infected plant cells. Both types of BTV produce only local infections near the point of inoculation by viruliferous mites. Features of BTV-plant interactions such as the failure of systemic spread in their natural hosts are poorly understood. In this study we evaluated Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant commonly used for the study of plant-virus interactions, as an alternative host for BTV. Infection of Arabidopsis with the BTV-N Coffee ringspot virus and Clerodendrum chlorotic spot virus, and the BTV-C Solanum violaefolium ringspot virus, were mediated by viruliferous Brevipalpus mites collected in the wild. Upon infestation, local lesions appeared in 7 to 10 days on leaves of, at least, 80 % of the assayed plants. Presence of viral particles and characteristic cytopathic effects were detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the viral identities confirmed by specific reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and further amplicon sequencing. The high infection rate and reproducibility of symptoms of the three different viruses assayed validate A. thaliana as a feasible alternative experimental host for BTV.


To determine whether oxidative stress and inflammation are associated with constipation by examining the expression of the main producers of reactive oxygen species, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the colon of patients with chronic functional constipation. The colonic biopsies were collected from 32 patients with chronic functional constipation and 30 healthy subjects who underwent colonoscopy. Colonic mucosal histology was observed. Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8 messenger RNA (mRNA), and 4 members of NADPH oxidase (NOX1, NOX2, DUOX2, and NOX4) protein and mRNA were assessed by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The tissues from both patients and healthy subjects showed normal histological structure without increase of inflammatory cells. NOX1 protein and mRNA levels were significantly increased compared to controls (P < .05). DUOX2 protein, but not mRNA, was increased by 2-fold compared to controls (P < .05). The levels of NOX2 and NOX4 protein and mRNA demonstrated no significant difference between patients and control subjects. The levels of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA were significantly higher in constipation patients (P < .05), while IL-8 mRNA level was no different between the 2 groups. NADPH oxidase and pro-inflammatory cytokine might be involved in the pathogeneses of chronic functional constipation.


We examined the effect of cyclo (His-Pro) and its analogs on pentobarbital narcosis in mice. Cyclo (His-Pro), 500 nmol/mouse, administered via intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) route significantly prolonged the sleeping time. Methylation of histidine in the structure of cyclo (His-Pro) did not increase the activity of cyclo (His-Pro). Some of other cyclo (His-Pro) analogs, of which proline was replaced with other amino acids, cyclo (His-Phe), cyclo (His-Tyr), cyclo (His-His) and cyclo (D-His-Leu) produced significant prolongation of the sleeping time as compared with cyclo (His-Pro). These results suggest that cyclo (His-Pro) has opposing effect to that of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) and the prolongation of pentobarbital narcosis by cyclic dipeptides might be caused by their central action.


Korean households' expenditures on foodservices are on the steady increase. This paper aims to examine the foodservice expenditures of salary and wage earners's households by income decile group. This is analysed through comparing foodservice expenditures with private education expenditures because households' expenditures are likely to be weighted in favor of eating-out rather than private education. We also model the consumption function in terms of income and price, examining the responsiveness of private education demand and eating-out demand to changes in income and price using econometric methods such as regression, rolling regression and impulse response. This paper show that foodservice demand increases more than the private education does in the long-run. The result indicates that households are likely to evaluate the desire for foodservice more important than private education contrary to our expectations in the long-run. The impulse response analysis, however, suggests that households tend to increase private education expenditures rather than eating-out expenditures in the short-run.


Background/objectives Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have more maladaptive cognitions, emotional problems and a poorer quality of life (QoL). A verification of the psychological model in clinical samples is needed for a better understanding of the mechanisms of ADHD diagnosis on QoL via maladaptive cognitions, emotional symptoms, and their interactions. Methods 299 ADHD participants and 122 healthy controls were recruited. ADHD core symptoms, maladaptive cognitions, emotional symptoms and psychological QoL were rated. Pearson's correlation and structural equation modeling were analyzed to explore the relationship and influence of ADHD diagnosis on QoL. Results More maladaptive cognitions, emotional symptoms, and poorer QoL were found in the ADHD group, and the dysfunctional attitudes were on par between ADHD with or without medication (p = 0.368). Moderate to strong correlations were found between emotional symptoms, maladaptive cognitions and QoL, and ADHD core symptoms presented correlations among the above scores (r = 0.157 ~ 0.416, p < 0.01) in ADHD participants. The influence of ADHD diagnosis on QoL was mediated through maladaptive cognitions, emotional symptoms, and their bidirectional interactions (p < 0.05), especially those with stable medication. Conclusion Our study is the first to verify the psychological model in adults with ADHD in China. The findings determined the direct influence of ADHD diagnosis on QoL and the indirect influence through maladaptive cognitions, emotional symptoms, and their interactions, emphasizing the importance of interventions for emotional symptoms and maladaptive cognitions for ADHD patients both with or without medication for a better QoL outcome.


The differences in roles between individuals in Western factories and in Japanese factories - the ways in which individuals are given responsibility and authority, what rewards are given, and behaviors are rewarded - have a close relationship with the differences between their two cultural backgrounds. Japanese industry has for decades coated the top of a very and once feudal society for several centuries. The loyalty of workers to industrial organization, the paternal style of motivating and paying workers, the deep involvement of the company in all things which were to the eyes of the workers' private affairs - all of these had something in common with Japanese pre-industrial social organization. This equation does not underestimate the massive changes that have taken place in Japan during its industrialization period. Japan has changed enormously; and the changes continue. However, if the study of industrialization in Japan is to be relevant for the study of economic development in other Asian nations, then the nature of the changes that have occurred must be well understood.


Cancer stem cell (CSC) research has increased exponentially to gain further insight into the mechanisms underlying both carcinogenesis and chemotherapy resistance. The present study was performed to explore the potential value of a side population (SP) assay for identifying and characterizing putative CSCs among canine lymphoma cells. Canine lymphoma cells from cell lines and clinical samples were subjected to the SP assay consisting of Hoechst 33342 staining and subsequent flow cytometric analysis. The SP assay revealed various amounts of a SP fraction among the canine lymphoma cells. The percentages of SP were not affected by inhibitors of membrane transporters, verapamil hydrochloride, or fumitremorgin C. Most of the canine lymphoma cells expressed high levels of Bmi-1 and membrane transporter proteins such as ABCG2 and phosphorylated (p)-glycoprotein. This investigation lays the groundwork for further studies of the biological behaviors and molecular characteristics of CSCs in cases of canine lymphoma.


PURPOSE
To summarize how computer technology influenced immigrant families' adaptation to life in the United States.

DESIGN
Critical ethnography.

METHODS
Data were collected from 1998 to 2000 from 13 parents and 16 children from nine Taiwanese immigrant families using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. Narrative analysis was used with interview data.

FINDINGS
Participants faced the demands of language proficiency, economic survival, loss of social networks, and social disconnection during resettlement. Computer technology provided participants with new occupational opportunities and strategies to overcome the barriers and stress created by resettlement. Internet and E-mail access greatly facilitated these participant families' adaptation.

CONCLUSIONS
Study findings warrant further exploration to assess bow new computer technology promotes immigrant families' adaptation and alleviates stress associated with resettlement, including information about their health and health care.


Atomistic impurities in the channel of a nano-wire silicon MOSFET with wrap- round gate and highly doped and degenerate source and drain are shown to be strongly screened by polarisation (image charge effects) arising from carriers that are confined to source and drain when the channel screening length exceeds the channel length. The image charge effects on a given atomistic ionized impurity depend significantly on its location in the channel. The model is based on an exact analysis of the Poisson equation using Fourier-Bessel analysis in cylindrical coordinates. Close to source or drain the analytically computed total and differential scattering rates correspond to a form of dipole scattering. The source and drain may separately or together contribute to the screening of the atomistic impurity depending on its location and the channel screening length. The net effect of the infinite sequence of fully developed screened image charges induced by the atomistic impurity is to substantially reduce impurity scattering by at least an order of magnitude and to enhance the back scattering. The theory is illustrated for a 5 nm channel device.


ABSTRACT Adenovirus (Ad) E1A and human papillomavirus (HPV) E7 express homologous conserved regions (CRs) that mediate their shared biological functions. Despite their similarities, the expression of E1A sensitizes tumor cells to killing by NK cells and macrophages but the expression of E7 does not, a factor that may contribute to the dissimilar oncogenicities of Ad and HPV. This study was undertaken to define molecular differences between E1A and E7 that are responsible for the ability of E1A and the inability of E7 to sensitize cells to killing by NK cells and macrophages. Genetic mapping studies using human fibrosarcoma cells (H4) that stably expressed mutant forms of E1A showed that only those forms of E1A that interacted with the transcriptional coadaptor protein p300 sensitized cells to killing by NK cells and macrophages. E7 lacks the N-terminal p300-binding region present in E1A. Therefore, a chimeric E1A/E7 gene was constructed that included the N terminus and the CR1 (p300-binding) domain of E1A fused to CR2 and the C-terminal sequences of E7. The E1A/E7 protein interacted with p300 and pRb and immortalized primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF). The expression of E1A/E7 sensitized H4 and MEF cells to killing by activated macrophages but not to killing by NK cells. Therefore, N-terminal differences between E1A and E7 that map to the E1A-p300 binding region accounted for differences in their abilities to sensitize cells to killing by macrophages. However, regions in addition to the E1A-p300 binding region are required to sensitize cells to killing by NK cells.


Bacterial anti‐σ factors typically regulate σ factor function by restricting the access of their cognate σ factors to the RNA polymerase (RNAP) core enzyme. The Escherichia coli Rsd protein forms a complex with the primary σ factor, σ70, inhibits σ70‐dependent transcription in vitro, and has been proposed to function as a σ70‐specific anti‐σ factor, thereby facilitating the utilization of alternative σ factors. In prior work, Rsd has been shown to interact with conserved region 4 of σ70, but it is not known whether this interaction suffices to account for the regulatory functions of Rsd. Here we show that Rsd and the Rsd orthologue AlgQ, a global regulator of gene expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, interact with conserved region 2 of σ70. We show further that Rsd and AlgQ can interact simultaneously with regions 2 and 4 of σ70. Our findings establish that the abilities of Rsd and AlgQ to interact with σ70 region 2 are important determinants of their in vitro and in vivo activities.


Two new observations of glomus tumors in the eyelid are reported, one of the angiomatous type, the other of the more adenoid type. The typical symptoms of other than ophthalmological localisations are described. The clinical diagnosis is possible. In the few cases reported by ophthalmologists the diagnosis is made by the histologist.


We have further characterized and determined the origins of a family of nuclear phosphoproteins of 84, 50, 43, and 34 kilodaltons (kDa) encoded by a class of early transcripts arising from the adjacent EcoRI fragments R and d (map units 0.682 to 0.713) of the strain AD169 human cytomegalovirus genome. These RNAs have a complex spliced structure with common 5' and internal exons and alternative 3' exons with coterminal 3' ends. At early times, two fully processed species of 2.1 and 2.2 kilobases (kb) predominated. As the infection progressed to late times, there was a decrease in splicing of the RNA, generating larger transcripts 2.5 to 2.65 kb in size, which corresponded to the species which had spliced out only the first intron, as well as the completely unspliced transcript. We previously reported that the 34-kDa protein could be derived from a transcript which had failed to splice out the first intron (D. A. Wright, S. I. Staprans, and D. H. Spector, J. Virol. 62:331-340, 1988), but the origin of the other proteins was unclear. cDNA cloning has shown that the 2.1-, 2.2-, and 2.5-kb RNAs encode the 50-, 43-, and 84-kDa proteins, respectively. The shift in the splicing pattern of these RNAs with time revealed a posttranscriptional control mechanism which results in the differential accumulation of individual proteins within this family of nuclear phosphoproteins. Expression of the 84-, 43-, and 34-kDa proteins correlated well with the steady-state concentrations of their respective mRNAs. The 50-kDa protein, however, was not expressed in abundance until late times, despite the presence of the 2.1-kb mRNA in the cytoplasm at early times, suggesting a secondary level of posttranscriptional regulation for this protein. Full expression of the RNAs and proteins was dependent on continuing viral DNA synthesis. Accumulation of the 50-kDa protein was found to be particularly sensitive to the state of viral DNA replication and could not be detected after inhibition of replication. Further analysis of these proteins revealed that each one had a unique pattern of serine phosphorylation. Although there was one common site of phosphorylation, most likely located within the amino-terminal shared region, even this site showed quantitative differences in the level of phosphorylation for each of the proteins. Analysis of the Towne strain and two recent independent clinical isolates of human cytomegalovirus has shown that this family of proteins is highly conserved among human cytomegaloviruses.


Standards and engineering codes rule design, construction and operation of chemical plant equipments to ensure reliability and safety. In this paper, we exploit knowledge-based methodologies and technologies to guarantee safety rules compliance of pressure equipments. Specifically, we describe a knowledge-based tool defined on top of a knowledge-based CAD system, which can serve inspection bodies, i.e., for certification purposes, and pressure equipment designers for the verification of the appropriate safety normative (i.e., the Pressure Equipment Directive). The paper focuses on the knowledge base of the tool, which has been formalized through the PED&I ( Pressure Equipment Design and Inspection ) Ontology. The ontology has been enriched by logical axioms, which ensure the consistency of the knowledge base, and by reasoning rules, which enable to infer new relationships among the class instances stored in the ontology.


Abstract Sediments of playa Lake Salines, SE, Spain, contain a carbonate mineral characterized by X-ray diffraction peaks very similar to, but systematically shifted from those of pure magnesite. Analyses (SEM, IR and Raman spectroscopy, DTA., TGA, and ICP) indicate the mineral is a hydrous Ca-bearing magnesium carbonate with the chemical formula (Mg0.92,Ca0.08)CO3 · 3H2O. Thermal characteristics of the mineral are similar to those of other known hydrated magnesium carbonates. X-ray and electron diffraction data suggests a monoclinic system (P21/n space group) with unit-cell parameters of a = 6.063(6), b = 10.668(5), and c = 6.014(4) Å and β = 107.28°.


OBJECTIVE
To provide an overview of risk factors, presentation and management of human cryptosporidium infection.

DATA SOURCES
Literature review was obtained through PubMed search.

DATA SELECTION
Published articles on the taxonomy of Cryptosporidium and the epidemiology, clinical presentation and management of cryptosporidiosis were reviewed.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Abstracts and complete articles relevant to the objective were selected, read and analysed to extract information for this article.

CONCLUSIONS
Human cryptosporidiosis is a severe diarrhoeal disease in malnourished children and immuno-compromised adults in whom it confers poor prognosis. Management is mainly supportive as drug therapy remains elusive. Fortunately the prevalence in AIDS patients is declining due to the widespread use of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).


The alignment of the transmitter coils for the three-dimensional electromagnetic articulography (3D-EMA), an instrument used to measure articulatory movements, was studied. The receiver coils of the 3D-EMA are used as position markers and are placed in an alternating magnetic field produced by multiple transmitter coils. The estimation of state (the position and orientation) of each receiver coil is based on the minimization of signal error between the measured and predicted receiver signals using a model of the magnetic field. Previous studies report a noticeable increase in the position estimation error at a specific portion of the measurement region irrespective of small signal error values. The existence of non-uniqueness in the position estimation problem is hypothesized to be the cause of this problem. To resolve the problem, we optimized the alignment of the transmitter coils by maximizing the difference between the receiver signals at any two states in the measurement region and evaluated the alignment using a computer simulation and an experiment. As a result, a measurement accuracy of approximately 0.4 mm was obtained.


Ovarian carcinomas are known to be diverse in their histological types and response to therapeutic agents. Specific immunotherapy by the use of mucins or carbohydrate vaccines has been attempted, in which expression of these epitopes by each histotype should clearly be assessed. Seventeen human ovarian carcinoma cell lines were evaluated for their expression of mucin core polypeptide mRNAs (MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and MUC6) by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. They were also examined for their expression of mucin-associated carbohydrate epitopes by flow cytometry. Eleven monoclonal antibodies, including those specific for Lewis antigen-related epitopes and Tn-related epitopes, were used. Expression of the MUC1 gene and sialyl Lewis X was characteristic to all five cell lines derived from clear cell adenocarcinomas. Multiple mucin genes and a diverse range of carbohydrate epitopes were observed with all six cell lines derived from mucinous adenocarcinomas. Mucin-associated carbohydrate epitopes were not detected on three of four serous adenocarcinoma cell lines, although MUC1 and MUC2 mRNAs were detected in all of them. Therefore, ovarian carcinoma cells from tumors of different histological types showed characteristic expression patterns of mucin genes and carbohydrate epitopes.


Multiple description (MD) coding is a promising alternative for robust transmission of information over non-prioritized and unpredictable networks. In this paper, an effective MD image coding scheme is introduced based on the MD lattice vector quantization (MDLVQ) for the wavelet transformed images. In view of the characteristics of wavelet coefficients in different frequency subbands, MDLVQ is applied in an optimized way, including an appropriate construction of wavelet coefficient vectors, the optimization of MDLVQ encoding parameters such as the choice of sublattice index values and the quantization accuracy for different subbands. More importantly, optimized side decoding is employed to predict lost information based on inter-vector correlation and an alternative transmission way for further reducing side distortion. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme with better performance than some other tested MD image codecs including that based on optimized MD scalar quantization.


The molecular modeling of polyelectrolyte solutions is considered one of the grand challenges of condensed phase physical chemistry. There have been many advances in our understanding of these systems, and the insight obtained from liquid state approaches is reviewed in this article. Integral equation theories have been successful in describing the structural properties of polyelectrolytes in good solvents. The theory provides an accurate description (when compared to computer simulations and experiment) of the static structure, conformational properties, surface forces, and osmotic pressure of polyelectrolyte solutions. Challenges remain for the description of strongly coupled systems and poor solvents, and some possible future directions are discussed.


Electrical resistivity and optical properties were studied for reactively RF-sputtered tin oxide films with and without molybdenum doping. In contrast with some earlier results, the authors were unable to find that the molybdenum contributed to a low resistivity.


Abstract The vast metabolic potential of microbes in brown coal (lignite) processing and utilization can greatly contribute to innovative approaches to sustainable production of high-value products from coal. In this study, the multi-faceted and complex coal biosolubilization process by Bacillus sp. RKB 7 isolate from the Kazakhstan coal-mining soil is reported, and the derived products are characterized. Lignite solubilization tests performed for surface and suspension cultures testify to the formation of numerous soluble lignite-derived substances. Almost 24% of crude lignite (5% w/v) was solubilized within 14 days under slightly alkaline conditions (pH 8.2). FTIR analysis revealed various functional groups in the obtained biosolubilization products. Analyses of the lignite-derived humic products by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectrometry as well as elemental analysis yielded compatible results indicating the emerging products had a lower molecular weight and degree of aromaticity. Furthermore, XRD and SEM analyses were used to evaluate the biosolubilization processes from mineralogical and microscopic points of view. The findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of microbe–mineral interactions in coal environments, but also contribute to knowledge of coal biosolubilization and bioconversion with regard to sustainable production of humic substances. The detailed and comprehensive analyses demonstrate the huge biotechnological potential of Bacillus sp. for agricultural productivity and environmental health.


Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an important curative therapy for hematological malignancies and other blood disorders, but graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a devastating complication. We previously identified high plasma soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) as a biomarker of the development of GVHD and death. ST2, also known as the interleukin (IL)-33 receptor, is one of the newest members of the IL-1 receptor family, and its only known ligand is IL-33. Due to alternative splicing, ST2 has two main isoforms: a membrane-bound form (mST2), expressed on hematopoietic cells that promote type 2 helper T (Th2) cell immune responses, and a soluble form (sST2), secreted by non-hematopoietic cells. sST2 acts as a decoy receptor for IL-33, limiting its availability to mST2-expressing cells. Thus, we hypothesized that blockade of the sST2 will free IL-33 for signaling in mST2-expressing T cells [Th2 cells and ST2+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs)], which will attenuate GVHD. First, we found the onset of GVHD symptoms was correlated with a marked increase of plasma ST2 in multiple clinically relevant GVHD murine models, and blockade of sST2 in the peri-transplant period with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (anti-ST2 mAb) reduced GVHD clinical and histopathological severity and mortality. We identified intestinal stromal cells and T cells as major sources of sST2 during GVHD. ST2 blockade decreased systemic interferon-γ, IL-17, and IL-23 but increased IL-10 and IL-33 plasma levels. ST2 blockade also reduced sST2 production by IL-17–producing T cells while maintaining protective mST2-expressing Th2 cells and Tregs. In addition, ST2 blockade increased the frequency of intestinal myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and decreased the frequency of intestinal CD103 dendritic cells (DCs). Finally, whole transcriptome analysis of T cells comparing anti-ST2 mAb-treated mice versus IgG control-treated mice showed that anti-ST2 mAb administration up-regulated gene expression of cytokines and cytolytic molecules that have been implicated in antitumoral or graft-vs-leukemia (GVL) activity, such as IL-27, IL-18, IL-9, type I interferons, and granzyme A. We therefore postulated that ST2 blockade would not affect therapeutic GVL activity. To confirm this in a clinically relevant GVL model, we developed primary retrovirally induced MLL-AF9 eGFP+ leukemic cells on the C3H.SW background. The phenotype of the leukemic cells in this model is eGFP+, CD3−, B220− and Mac-1hiGr-1hi. Our results indicated that administration of anti-ST2 mAb or ST2−/− donor T cells preserved substantial GVL activity and resulted in significantly improved leukemia-free survival. In summary, our findings identify intestinal alloreactive T cells as an important source of the decoy receptor for IL-33 that can be blocked with two doses of anti-ST2 mAb in the peri-transplant period without inhibiting the beneficial mST2 expression on Th2 cells and Tregs or the GVL activity. In addition, ST2 blockade induced expansion of tolerogenic MDSCs while inhibiting immunogenic CD103 DCs during GVHD. This study offers new perspectives on the translation of drug-targetable biomarkers for selectively and safely treating GVHD and other T cell-mediated human disorders.


In this paper we investigate the problem of quantifying the contribution of each variable to the satisfying assignments of a Boolean function based on the Shapley value. Our main result is a polynomial-time equivalence between computing Shapley values and model counting for any class of Boolean functions that are closed under substitutions of variables with disjunctions of fresh variables. This result settles an open problem raised in prior work, which sought to connect the Shapley value computation to probabilistic query evaluation. We show two applications of our result. First, the Shapley values can be computed in polynomial time over deterministic and decomposable circuits, since they are closed under OR-substitutions. Second, there is a polynomial-time equivalence between computing the Shapley value for the tuples contributing to the answer of a Boolean conjunctive query and counting the models in the lineage of the query. This equivalence allows us to immediately recover the dichotomy for Shapley value computation in case of self-join-free Boolean conjunctive queries; in particular, the hardness for non-hierarchical queries can now be shown using a simple reduction from the #P-hard problem of model counting for lineage in positive bipartite disjunctive normal form.


Prosthetic impingement is important to consider during total hip arthroplasty planning to minimise the risk of joint instability. Modelling impingement preoperatively can assist in defining the required component alignment for each individual. We developed an analytical impingement model utilising a combination of mathematical calculations and an automated computational simulation to determine the risk of prosthetic impingement. The model assesses cup inclination and anteversion angles that are associated with prosthetic impingement using patient-specific inputs, such as stem anteversion, planned implant types, and target Range of Motion (ROM). The analysed results are presented as a range of cup inclination and anteversion angles over which a colour map indicates an impingement-free safe zone in green and impingement risk zones in red. A validation of the model demonstrates accuracy within +/- 1.4° of cup inclination and anteversion. The study further investigated the impact of changes in stem anteversion, femoral head size, and head offset on prosthetic impingement, as an example of the application of the model.


Background: Rotator cuff tear is one of the most common diseases in orthopedics, which seriously affects the quality of patients' lives. And the arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff has recently become more and more popular. Systematic rehabilitation makes great significance for improving the prognosis of postoperative patients. Yet, the traditional outpatient rehabilitation is hard to popularize in developing countries like China due to the limitation of traffic and geography. Given this, we plan to develop a telerehabilitation system to facilitate doctors' remote guidance on patients' rehabilitation.Methods/design: Our study is a single-center, prospective randomized controlled trial. 124 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair will be recruited for the study. They will be randomly divided into 2 groups (62 cases in each group) based on the stratification factors of the operator, operation and preoperative diagnosis. The patients in the control group will get clinic and booklet based rehabilitation treatment after operation. However, patients in the experimental group will receive mobile phone and motion-capture device based programs for telerehabilitation after surgery. The primary outcome will be measured by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES). Secondary outcomes include the Range of motion (ROM), Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), EuroQol-5 Dimension health questionnaire (EQ-5D), University of California at Los Angeles(UCLA)and the retear rate.Discussion: We hypothesize that patients who utilized mobile phone and motion-capture device based telerehabilitation will benefit more in the range of motion and shoulder function than those who received outpatient and manual based rehabilitation. If the hypothesize was confirmed, we could facilitate telerehabilitation for doctors and overcome the geographical and traffic limitations of traditional clinical based rehabilitation.Trial registration: ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR2000030150, Registered on 24 February 2020


A Comparative Study of the Restructuring of the Irish and Danish Dairy Processing Industries: A Regulationist Approach By Patrick G. Enright Using a regulationist approach, the concept of the Mode of Social Regulation (MSR) is explored in a cross-national comparative context. Increasingly, the national MSR is subject to global regulation and this study seeks to identify the form and outcome of the national MSR for the dairy processing industries of Ireland and Denmark. The approach permits contrasts in the MSRs and their outcomes to be developed in two comparable, yet different contexts. The MSR is addressed empirically by sub-dividing it into five elements (market and competition, financial relations, labour relations, policy, and adhesion to the global regime) as outlined by Marden (1992), in addition to hegemony. The elements are explored through in-depth interviews with key actors in the dairy supply system in both countries. The study shows that, even though both national dairy processing industries are subject to the same supranational and global regulation, different national MSRs have evolved and resulted in markedly different development paths for the two national dairy industries. National and local regulation have had a strong influence on the national MSRs; however, both national MSRs have become increasingly integrated into the global dairy market. In addition, new MSRs do not represent a clean break with past MSRs; rather they build upon and are contingent on past MSRs. The research has found that the type of accumulation also has a significant influence on national MSRs and a distinction is drawn in this thesis between producer-led accumulation and investor-led accumulation in the dairy processing industry. As the national MSRs have evolved, hegemony has shifted from a group or coalition of national organisations and dairy processing companies to globally-orientated and integrated companies.


Abstract Small bowel transplantation, alone or with other organs as multivisceral transplantation, is performed for patients with chronic intestinal failure. With advancing surgical techniques and improved post-surgical management, survival of these patients has increased tremendously in the last two decades. The radiologist has an important role in the preoperative and postoperative management of these patients. Knowledge of surgical techniques and post-surgical complications seen in the transplant recipient is necessary for adequate management of these patients.


A brief review is given of earlier work on the crystallization of two-dimensional fluids formed from particles that interact via repulsive Coulomb forces. The two-dimensional fluid formed from ions trapped below the surface of superfluid 4He is described, and an account is given of the recent detection of the crystallization of this fluid. The ions are driven with an rf electric field, and absorption peaks are observed at frequencies that lead to the generation of surface capillary waves with a wavevector equal to a reciprocal lattice vector of the triangular lattice formed by the ions. The potential importance of this new technique for the detection and study of Wigner crystallization is discussed.


This article aims to contribute to scholarship on cosmopolitanism and education, with particular relevancy for environmental education. While much of current research in this area has underscored cosmopolitanism as a politico-philosophical project for global justice or a worldly sensibility that can be cultivated through literal and/or metaphoric travel to different lands, I argue that cosmopolitanism ought also to be understood in phenomenological-environmental terms. Drawing from Ulrich Beck's work on world risk society and Hannah Arendt's on responsibility, I examine the Fukushima nuclear disaster as a case of actually existing cosmopolitanism. When understood as a global risk (turned catastrophe), cosmopolitanism presents an urgent occasion to summons a "postnational ethics of responsibility" (Beck). Such an ethics centralizes the importance that story and metaphor play in planetary sustainability.


Background The effect of glucocorticoids on organ damage in lupus has been suggested in previous studies, with some relations described with specific domains. Ideal prednisone doses have not yet been described. Objectives To analyse the association of different doses of prednisone with damage attributable to steroids in an observational cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with a follow-up of at lest 5 years. Methods Demographic, clinical and therapeutical variables were extracted from our database. Five prednisone-related variables were constructed: the maximum dose (mg/day) received at least for 3 consecutive days during the 1 st year, the mean daily dose received at the end of the 1 st and 4 th year after the diagnosis and a categorical variable based on the mean daily dose at the end of the 1st and 4th years, with the following categories: no prednisone, up to 7.5 mg/d (low dose), up to 30 mg/d (medium dose) and over 30 mg/d (high dose). Damage attributable to steroids was considered if accrued at any time after the first 6 months up to the 5th year of follow up in any of the following SLICC damage index (SDI) domains: cataracts, avascular necrosis (AVN), osteoporosis and diabetes. We excluded those cases with such damage within the first 6 months. Activity was measured using SLEDAI, with a variable consisting of the mean maximum score during years 1 to 5. Results 203/225 (90.2%) patients were women. The mean age (SD) at diagnosis was 35.5 (15) years. 18 (8%) patients had accrued damage attributable to steroids within 5 years after the diagnosis of SLE. The most frequent damage was osteoporosis (7 patients), cataracts (6 patients), AVN (4 patients) and diabetes (2 patients). 1 patient developed cataracts and osteoporosis. As expected, the mean (SD) SDI score increased over time from 0.2 (0.5) at 6 months to 0.6 (0.9) at 5 years. The maximum dose of prednisone received within the 1 st year was significantly higher in patients with damage attributable to steroids (42 vs. 25 mg/d, respectively, p=0.012). Likewise, the mean daily dose of prednisone after the 1st and 4th year was significantly higher in patients with damage: 20 vs. 11 mg/d (p=0.017) and 11 vs. 7 mg/d (p=0.04), respectively. With regard to the different prednisone dose categories up to the end of the 4th year, the univariate logistic regression showed an increased risk for damage in patients treated with medium doses vs. those taking no prednisone (OR 7.3, 95% CI 0.9-58), with no difference between the latter and patients receiving low doses (OR 1.7 95%CI 0.18-16). Patients taking high doses were very few (n=4) and were not analysed. Considering the prednisone dose categories at the end of the 1st year, only patients taking high doses were at a higher risk of accruing damage than patients not taking prednisone (OR 20.76, 95% 2.32-193). Conclusions Prednisone causes cataracts, osteoporosis, avascular necrosis and diabetes in patients with SLE. Long term doses above 7.5 mg/d should be avoided. Acknowledgements Zonana-Nacach A et al. Arthritis Rheum 2000;43:1801-8. Thamer M et al. J Rheum 2009;36:560-4. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


This work relates the arginine dihydrolase and polyamine pathways to the synthesis of nitric oxide in Trichomonas vaginalis, a microaerophilic eukaryotic protozoan which is the causative agent of the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis. When organisms were grown overnight in the presence of 5mM difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an inhibitor of polyamine synthesis: a combination of plasma and hydrogenosome membrane potential decreased, electron-dense inclusions appeared in greater numbers in hydrogenosomes, and the oxygen consumption rates of hydrogenosomes increased by approximately two-fold. Upon adding exogenous sources of spermine or spermidine, various effects inflicted by the presence of DFMO were virtually reversed. Based on enzyme assays conducted, polyamine depletion by DFMO also caused changes in activities of enzymes in the arginine dihydrolase pathway. An important addition to the polyamine pathway was discovered in the body of this work: the production of nitric oxide by both Giardia intestinalis, an intestinal parasite that causes giardiasis, as well as Trichomonas vaginalis. Fluorimetric detection by confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry was performed after preincubation with the NO-specific fluorogen 4-amino-5methylamino-2'7'-difluorescein (DAF-FM). Microscopy indicated population heterogeneity with respect to NO production in freshly-harvested organisms and this was confirmed by the broad distribution of fluorescence intensities in the flow cytograms. Specific activities were determined for two nitric oxide synthases from T vaginalis, one located in the cytosol and the other in the hydrogenosome, and one nitric oxide synthase from G. intestinalis, localized to the granular fraction. Bioinformatic searches confirmed the presence of two NOS genes and contain protein motifs typically associated with NOS sequences. The N- terminal domains of both genes lack a NO synthase motif and instead contain motifs normally associated with various iron sulfur proteins (Fe-hydrogenase). Implications of NO production in the evolution, biology and pathogenicity of these important parasites are discussed.


Social network analysis bears great potential for the study of complex social transition processes such as regional energy transitions. The complexity of the social processes results from a lack of empirical research, that utilises social network analysis. With this complexity come the difficulties in collecting relevant and sufficient empirical data. In this paper, we propose conceptual framework to select relevant cases, interviewees, and influencing factors for the empirical analysis of complex network dynamics. We base our conceptualisation on mainstream literature on socio-technical levels, phase-models of innovation processes, and social, economic, and political factors influencing the regional energy transition. We apply the case of a local and regional energy transition in a German county. We argue that the conceptual framework serves as a guiding system to a more thorough analysis of social network dynamics within complex social transition processes. It allows formulating hypotheses about different pathways and network dynamics.


This study examined the flexible assembly job-shop scheduling problem with lot streaming (FAJSP-LS), common in multivariety and small-batch production, such as household electrical appliances. In FAJSP-LS, an assembly stage is appended to the flexible job shop, and jobs in the first stage are processed in a large batch to reduce switching costs, while leading to more waiting time, especially during the assembly stage. This article considered splitting the batch into a few sub-batches of unequal and consistent sizes to allow jobs to efficiently pass the two-stage system. With this objective, the problem was modeled as a mixed-integer linear program comprising the following two subproblems: batch splitting and batch scheduling. As the integrated problem is NP-hard, the improved bioinspired algorithm based on an artificial bee colony was proposed, including a four-layer chromosome–encoding structure to describe the solution, as well as an optimization strategy utilizing different bee colonies to synchronously solve this two-stage problem. To examine the algorithm's efficiency, a benchmark case was used to show that better solutions can be acquired with the improved algorithm regardless of whether the batch was split into equal or unequal sizes. To promote practical implementation, the algorithm was applied to a real case refrigerator workshop and showed better performance on time efficiency when jobs were split into unequal sizes compared to jobs without splitting or splitting into equal sizes.


The manifestation of religion is protected in the United Kingdom by human rights instruments and also, since 2003, by discrimination law. When religious faith is manifested in the workplace it potentially involves some clash with other rights, particularly an employer's freedom of contract. How far an employer is able to restrict its employees' freedom to manifest religion in pursuit of a 'legitimate aim' is therefore of great interest to employers and 'religious' employees alike. This article explores this issue by first categorising 'manifestation' into three forms and then surveying the jurisprudence relevant to each, considering most recent cases in greater detail. Although it is acknowledged that conclusions must be tentative, given the relatively recent innovation of the discrimination law provisions, evidence considered in this article points towards very little protection for employees to manifest their religious convictions except those aspects of what is referred to here as 'negative manifestation' which are most congruent with the private sphere—the so-called forum internum.


Sarcoidosis is a polysystemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, morphologically related to the group of granulomatosis, with heterogeneous clinical manifestations and outcomes. Immune cells, in particular T helper cells, are attracted to lung tissue and/or other organs by chemokine gradients and play an important role in the granuloma formation. T helper cells migrate from peripheral blood to the tissues due to expression of CXCR3 chemokine receptor on their surface. It interacts, e.g., with CXCL9/MIG, CXCL10/IP- 10, and CXCL11/I-TAC. Our study was aimed for determining the levels of CXCL9/MIG, CXCL10/IP-10, CXCL11/I-TAC chemokines in peripheral blood of the patients with sarcoidosis, depending on the features of their clinical course before administration of immunosuppressive therapy. We studied peripheral blood plasma samples of the patients with sarcoidosis (n = 52). In 37% (19/52), they exhibited acute clinical manifestations, and 63% (33/52) had chronic sarcoidosis. The control group included peripheral blood samples from healthy volunteers (n = 22). The chemokine concentrations (pg/ml) were determined by multiplex analysis using xMAP technology (Luminex), and Milliplex MAP test system (Millipore, USA). In the patients with sarcoidosis, significantly higher levels of chemokines were shown relative to healthy volunteers: CXCL9, 4013.00 pg/ml vs 1142.00 pg/ml (p < 0.001); CXCL10, 565.90 pg/ml vs 196.60 pg/ml (p < 0.001); CXCL11, 230.20 pg/ml vs 121.10 pg/ml (p = 0.018). Plasma concentrations of CXCL9 and CXCL10 were significantly increased both in blood samples from patients with acute and chronic sarcoidosis compared to healthy volunteers, p < 0.001. The level of CXCL11 chemokine was significantly increased only in the patients with chronic sarcoidosis, compared to the healthy volunteers: respectively, 251.50 pg/ml and 121.10 pg/ml (p = 0.044). The levels of this chemokine correlated with the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), with r = 0.374; p = 0.042. The ACE level in sarcoidosis is considered a clinical and laboratory index of the disease activity. In acute sarcoidosis, the level of CXCL11 chemokine was not significantly higher than in healthy individuals, whereas the CXCL9 chemokine content was significantly increased and correlated with ACE activity (r = 0.762; p = 0.037). The level of CXCL9 chemokine was significantly decreased in patients with signs of fibrosis as compared with fibrosis-free patients (1839.88 pg/ml vs 4375.52 pg/ml, p = 0.035). Significantly higher levels of CXCL9 were detected in cases of systemic sarcoidosis, i.e. 6036.84 pg/ml, as compared with 1927.44 pg/ml in the patients without these signs (p = 0.018). Evaluation of clinical and laboratory diagnostic characteristics for plasma chemokine levels in sarcoidosis patients allowed to assess their sensitivity and specificity. The respective values were as follows: in acute sarcoidosis: for CXCL9, 84% and 95%; for CXCL10, 84% and 95%; for CXCL11, 74% and 59%. In chronic sarcoidosis, the respective values for CXCL9 were 82% and 72%; for CXCL10, 91% and 77%; for CXCL11, 79% and 55%, respectively. Thus, the determination of plasma CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 chemokines in sarcoidosis allows of understanding their role in development of the disease, e.g., recruitment of T helper cells from peripheral blood to the lung tissue, and granuloma formation. Clinical and immunological comparisons of CXCL9 levels in the peripheral blood of patients and characteristics of the clinical course of sarcoidosis indicate to the role of this diagnostic parameter for assessing the disease activity, signs of lung fibrosis, and systemic manifestations in this disease.


Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is known to be associated with an increased risk of osteopenia. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms for IDDM-induced alterations of the bone are not well understood. The effects of IDDM on bone metabolism were investigated using rats rendered diabetic by an injection of streptozotocin (STZ). After 4 weeks, the diabetic rats exhibited bone loss, low levels of osteocalcin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity with normal levels of bone tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K activity, and urinary excretion of deoxypyridinoline (Dpd). Histological analysis showed a decrease in the number of osteoblasts with a normal number of osteoclasts in the metaphysis of the proximal tibia. The decreased expression of ALP, osteoclacin and collagen mRNA was associated with a decrease in the expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), Osterix and distal-less homeobox 5 (Dlx5) and an unaltered expression of bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP2). The protein levels of Runx2, phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), active β-catenin and β-catenin decreased. The activation of Akt was inhibited. The mRNA and protein levels of sclerosteosis (Sost) and Dickkopf 1 (Dkk1), inhibitors of Wnt signaling, increased. The mRNA expression of IGF-I and the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) was suppressed. These changes observed in the bone of diabetic rats were reversed by treatment with insulin, but not by normalization of the circulating IGF-I levels by treatment with IGF-I. These results suggest that insulin-deficiency in IDDM decreases osteoblastogenesis associated with inhibition of Wnt signaling through the increased expression of Sost and Dkk1 and the inhibition of Akt activation.


We present deep high dynamic range infrared images of young nearby stars in the Tucana/Horologium and β Pic associations, all ∼ 10 to 35 Myrs young and at ∼ 10 to 60 pc distance. Such young nearby stars are well-suited for direct imaging searches for brown dwarf and even planetary companions, because young sub-stellar objects are still self-luminous due to contraction and accretion. We performed our observations at the ESO 3.5m NTT with the normal infrared imaging detector SofI and the MPE speckle camera Sharp-I. Three arc sec north of GSC 8047-0232 in Horologium a promising brown dwarf companion candidate is detected, which needs to be confirmed by proper motion and/or spectroscopy. Several other faint companion candidates are already rejected by second epoch imaging. Among 21 stars observed in Tucana/Horologium, there are not more than one to five brown dwarf companions outside of 75 AU (1.5 ′′ at 50 pc); most certainly only ≤ 5% of the Tuc/HorA stars have brown dwarf companions (13 to 78 Jupiter masses) outside of 75 AU. For the first time, we can report an upper limit for the frequency of massive planets (∼ 10 Mjup) at wide separations (∼ 100 AU) using a meaningfull and homogeneous sample: Of 11 stars observed sufficiently deep in β Pic (12 Myrs), not more than one has a massive planet outside of ∼ 100 AU, i.e. massive planets at large separations are rare (≤ 9 %).


As exploration migrates into deeper water, crude-oil quality becomes increasingly important. Variations in oil quality, which are reflected in such properties as API gravity, viscosity, sulfur content, and acid number impact both value and producibility. In fact, issues of oil quality in deep water may, in some cases, be more critical than issues of hydrocarbon volume. Problems associated with deep water are commonly thought to be amplified largely as a result of the expansion of the biodegradation window. The expanded window is a result of lower temperatures at the mud line. A review of data from the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of Guinea reveals that other factors may have a greater influence on oil quality. For example, in the Gulf of Mexico, strong evidence exists that the nature of the source rock is a major factor in establishing sulfur content and API gravity. Oils derived from an Upper Jurassic Oxfordian calcareous source rock generate oils with higher sulfur contents than those derived from Cretaceous argillaceous source rocks. In the Gulf of Guinea, although many of the newly discovered pools are shallowly buried and evidence for biodegradation exists, crude-oil quality is mitigated by multiple charging events. In both regions, evidence also exists for phase segregation, which introduces light oils and condensates into the shallow part of the sedimentary sequence. Both phase segregation and multiple charging events appear to be largely a result of an individual trap's structural evolution. The available data, therefore, suggest that some of the risks associated with oil quality may be reduced through a more detailed assessment of a prospect's filling history and structural evolution and an understanding of the nature of the source facies. However, there clearly are such situations as offshore Brazil, where the risks associated with oil quality appear more difficult to mitigate.


We use DEA-type linear programming techniques to simulate a basic component of educational reform-eliminating restrictions on the allocation of school personnel. Our technique allows us to identify potential output gains (or equivalently potential cost savings) from reform. We can also identify which personnel groups are likely to gain and lose under this reform. When we apply our model to a sample of Texas school districts, we find evidence that the educational establishment has substantial economic rents to protect from school reform, and that the primary beneficiaries of reform are likely to be affluent school districts with few minority students. The technique, which relies on the relationship between the direct and indirect distance functions, can be easily generalized to measure the potential gains from removing other input restrictions such as union work rules, environmental regulations, or deed restrictions.


Continuous shortwave diathermy is the technique of choice when uniform marked elevation of temperature is required in the deep tissues. This heating can be targeted accurately by using an appropriate applicator positioned correctly. SWD also allows superficial structures to be heated selectively, although for this the various methods of surface heating are usually preferable. Sub-acute or chronic conditions respond best to continuous shortwave diathermy which, when used properly, can be as effective as ultrasound. Acute lesions are better treated with pulsed shortwave diathermy. Continuous shortwave diathermy can help to relieve pain and muscle spasm, resolve inflammatory states and reduce swelling, promote vasodilation, increase the compliance of connective tissue, increase joint range and decrease joint stiffness.


Occupational safety and health (OSH) should be regarded as a crucial challenge that affects the public world widely. Work-related accidents and occupational illness contribute to considerable mortality and morbidity. As technology advances, mixed reality (MR) has gained popularity. To minimize occupational accidents occurring in the workplace and reduce human training time, an MR-based platform for OSH training combined with CPS and IoT technology is proposed in this paper. Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) were applied to evaluate and select suitable gloves. Only when the MR wearable devices are improved can a more powerful MR-based OSH training program be established. A higher immersive level of OSH training offers people a more realistic experience. They will better understand possible risks in workers' future work, resulting in a lower occupational accident rate in the workplace.


BACKGROUND
Among the general population, type of health insurance has been reported to affect the location of ambulatory visits and the content of those visits. We examined where cancer patient visits occurred (physicians' offices or hospital clinics), and whether anticancer therapy is administered or prescribed.

METHODS
Cross-sectional study using National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey (NAMCS/NHAMCS) data to characterize ambulatory cancer patient visits from 2001-2003. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with where a cancer patient went for care (office practice versus hospital clinic) and anticancer therapy received.

RESULTS
Thirteen percent of patients visited hospital clinics, with the remainder visiting office-based settings. Younger cancer patients and those with Medicaid were more likely to visit hospital clinics compared to older and privately insured cancer patients. Cancer patients with <6 visits in the last year were less likely to be seen in the office setting. Patients with lung cancer, lymphoma/leukemia and melanoma were less likely to have anticancer therapy administered or prescribed compared to breast cancer patients. The uninsured were less likely to have anticancer administered or prescribed compared with the privately insured.

CONCLUSIONS
Cancer patients with Medicaid were more likely to visit hospital clinics than privately insured patients. Treatment was associated with cancer type, not where care occurred and health insurance type, though there was a trend for the uninsured and those insured by Medicaid to be less likely to be administered or be prescribed anticancer therapy.


We resolve the Elementary Equivalence versus Isomorphism Problem for finitely generated fields. That is, we show that for every field in this class there is an explicit first-order sentence which characterizes this field within the class up to isomorphism. Our solution is conditional on resolution of singularities in characteristic two and unconditional in all other characteristics.


Abstract The sources of airborne fine particles in PM 2.5 range influencing air quality at Ashaiman, a semi–urban town north of Tema in Ghana had been investigated. Nuclepore and quartz fiber filters were used for the air particulate loadings and analyzed for elemental and carbonaceous compound (EC and OC) concentrations in the 8 carbon fractions using X–Ray spectrometry system and IMPROVE/Thermal Optical Reflectance method respectively. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was utilized to identify the following eight sources; industrial emissions (11.4%), fresh sea salt (15.5%), diesel emissions (18.4%), biomass burning (9.5%), two stroke engines (5.1%), gasoline emissions (15.8%), aged sea salt (6.2%), and soil dust (17.7%). Source locations were verified by means of Conditional Probability Function (CPF) plots that utilize wind directions. The source contributions revealed the high influence of fossil fuel and biomass combustion on the air quality in Ashaiman. The presence of the harbor and the industries located at Tema were seen to have substantial impacts on respirable air particulate matter (APM) concentrations in Ashaiman.


Purpose of review Peripheral nerve blocks induce undesired side-effects linked to the toxicity of local anesthetics on neuron and myocytes via different cell targets. The effects of local anesthetics on these targets are now well known and summarized in this review. Recent findings Local anesthetic-induced local cell toxicity involved different pathways leading to cell death, necrosis and different factors closely associated with the clinical practice modulated this toxicity. High concentration and prolonged duration of local anesthetic administration are closely associated with severe lesions. Summary Phenotypic analyses revealed that local anesthetics could induce histological damage with lesions ranging from local to extreme in skeletal muscle. Metabolic alterations were also described involving sarcoplasmic reticulum and calcium dysregulation, alteration of mitochondrial physiology and of oxidative phosphorylation with associated overproduction of harmful reactive oxygen species, typically leading to apoptosis or necrosis. Biochemical and cell biology investigations now indicate that local anesthetics interact with different molecular targets in mammalian cells as respiratory chain complex I or the prosurvival kinase Akt. Functional dysfunction in both muscle and neuron remains to be investigated with caution in patients, as local anesthetic toxicity remains under-evaluated. Likewise, the use of adapted local anesthetics in patients with particular diseases and neuromuscular disorder could further reduce the risk of undesired effect. We need to improve our practice, and the optimization of our clinical protocol could prevent from these side-effects. Lastly, experimental studies highlight the preventive effects of antioxidant drugs or of recombinant human erythropoietin but the pharmacokinetic feature of such strategies remain to be evaluated.


This entry reviews some well-known indices of agreement, the conceptual and statistical issues related to their estimation, and their interpretation for both categorical and interval scale measurements. Particular measures of agreement that are discussed include kappa, a measure of category distinguishability, measure for agreement with nominal responses, monotonic agreement, and agreement measures for 2 × 2 tables. Agreement of multiple raters for the same subject is also discussed, together with the use of unanimity and majority rules. Software to carry out these calculations is also mentioned.

Keywords:

kappa;
categorical data;
interval data;
multiple raters;
software


This paper discussed the sex steroid hormone effect on vocal behavior and neural circuits in songbirds.It reviewd the effect of sex steroid hormone in vocal learning of young bird and song plasticity of adult bird in the level of neuron,circuits and behavior.We described new data in this fields in domestic and abroad,and have important value for the future research in the neural mechanism of learning and memory of animals.


Electrodynamical response (ER) to the high frequency standing gravitational wave (GW) of a composite toroidal electromagnetic resonant system is investigated, corresponding perturbation solutions are given, the advantages and shortcomings of electromagnetic detection to the standing GW by means of a static magnetic field and superconducting resonant cavity are compared. A concrete numerical calculation shows that under the reasonable states of the present technology, the ER to the standing GW can probably be displayed at the level of the single photon avalanche effect.


Motivation effect of instructional manuals Hideaki Shimada Shinshu University Abstract: Suppose that you grab an instructional manual, you may glance over some of the pages to determine whether it looks interesting enough to read carefully. Such manuals generally consist of some particular modules including captions (or titles), texts, illustrations, and pictures. This study examined whether each module enhances motivation to read. Participants were required to glance over a page of a disaster prevention manual for two seconds and to answer questions as to motivation (Did the page motivate you to read?) and self-efficacy (Did the page look easy to understand?) on a five-point scale. Results showed that captions, illustrations, and pictures enhanced motivation and that color graphics enhanced motivation more than black-and-white ones. Results of the structural equation modeling analysis revealed that captions, illustrations, pictures, and color graphics had both direct and indirect effects through self-efficacy to motivation but that captions had less direct effect.


A rare case of bilateral diaphragmatic hernia, containing a long segment of transverse colon in the left breach and most of the omentum and a short segment of colon in the right one, is described. Diaphragmatic hernia can occur at any age in both males and females and it is often asymptomatic and diagnosed by chance. The epidemiological, etiopathogenic, clinic, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of the disease are discussed. The only treatment, which is advisable in asymptomatic patients too, is the closure of the hernial orifice. This closure can be done directly or through the insertion of prosthetic material. The conventional access can be thoracic or abdominal, but laparoscopy is going to replace both of them successfully in the future.


Background The incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing worldwide. GDM patients have a significantly higher rate of cesarean section and postpartum hemorrhage, suggesting changes in uterine contractility. TWIK-1-related potassium channel (TREK1) expressed in the pregnant uterus and its role in uterine contraction. In this study, we examined the expression of HIF-1α and TREK1 proteins in GDM uterine and investigated whether high glucose levels are involved in the regulation of human uterine smooth muscle cells (HUSMCs) contraction through TREK1, and verified the role of HIF-1α in this process. Methods Compared the uterine contractility between GDM and normal patients undergoing elective lower segment cesarean section. The HUSMCs were divided into normal glucose group, high glucose group, normal glucose with CoCl2 group, CoCl2 with echinomycin/L-Methionine group, and high glucose with echinomycin/L-Methionine group; Compare the cell contractility of each group. Compared the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and TREK1 protein in each group. Results The contractility of human uterine strips induced by both KCl and oxytocin was significantly lower in patients with GDM compared with that in normal individuals, with increased TREK1 and HIF-1α protein expression. The contractility of cultured HUSMCs was significantly decreased under high glucose levels, which was consistent with increased expression of HIF-1α and TREK1 proteins. The contractility of HUSMCs was decreased when hypoxia was induced by CoCl2 and increased when hypoxia was inhibited by echinomycin. The TREK1 inhibitor L-methionine also recovered the decreased contractility of HUSMCs under high glucose levels or hypoxia. Discussion The high glucose levels decreased the contractility of the myometrium, and increased expression of HIF-1a and TREK1 proteins play a role in changes in uterus contractility.


Land plants can grow to tremendous body sizes, yet even the most complex architectures are the result of iterations of the same developmental processes: organ initiation, growth, and pattern formation. A central question in plant biology is how these processes are regulated and coordinated to allow for the formation of ordered, 3D structures. All these elementary processes first occur in early embryogenesis, during which, from a fertilized egg cell, precursors for all major tissues and stem cells are initiated, followed by tissue growth and patterning. Here we discuss recent progress in our understanding of this phase of plant life. We consider the cellular basis for multicellular development in 3D and focus on the genetic regulatory mechanisms that direct specific steps during early embryogenesis.


A challenging issue in future wireless networks is how to guarantee quality of service (QoS) requirements over the lifetime of mobile connections, and at the same time making efficient use of the network resources. A distributed call admission control (CAC) scheme is proposed for QoS provisioning in wireless networks. The proposed CAC scheme incorporates user mobility information for QoS provisioning and efficient use of network resources, where the mobility information is defined as the estimated handoff probabilities of each mobile user to the neighboring base stations. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed CAC scheme can guarantee the required QoS requirements in terms of the handoff call dropping probability.


Objective To investigate the relationship between the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Prostate cancer-associated transcription factors 14 (PCAT14) and the clinical characteristics of prostate cancer and immune cell infiltration. Methods The relationship between PCAT14 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of prostate cancer was analyzed based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the value of PCAT14 as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer. The relationship between PCAT14 and immune cell infiltration was analyzed to explore the effect of PCAT14 on the immune-related functions of prostate cancer. Results The ROC curve showed that PCAT14 had a significant diagnostic ability (area under curve = 0.818) for prostate cancer. A reduced expression of PCAT14 in prostate cancer was related to T stage, N stage, primary therapy outcome, residual tumor, Gleason score, and age. The expression of PCAT14 was independently associated with the progression-free interval in prostate cancer patients. The infiltration of immune cells in prostate cancer showed a significant negative correlation between the expression of PCAT14 and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, activated dendritic cells, regulatory T cells, and neutrophils. Conclusions PCAT14 is highly expressed in prostate cancer and is expected to be a diagnostic marker. PCAT14 might promote the development of prostate cancer through chemokines, antimicrobials, and cytokines that affect the infiltration of immune cells.


A new rate allocation method for fine-granular scalability (FGS) coded bitstreams is presented in order to achieve smooth quality reconstruction of frames under channel conditions with a wide range of bandwidth variation and improve the average PSNR of the whole sequence. Based on a quality weighted bit allocation method, a sliding window rate allocation method is proposed for the first time so that the window can slide along the video sequence with a certain sliding step. Experimental results show that, under dynamic bandwidth conditions, the proposed method can simultaneously satisfy the requirements for improving average PSNR of the whole video sequence greatly and reducing the fluctuations between adjacent frames greatly.


A three-dimensional periodic structure is proposed for self-interstitial clusters in body-centered-cubic metals, as opposed to the conventional two-dimensional loop morphology. The underlying crystal structure corresponds to the C15 Laves phase. Using density functional theory and interatomic potential calculations, we demonstrate that in α-iron these C15 aggregates are highly stable and immobile and that they exhibit large antiferromagnetic moments. They form directly in displacement cascades, and they can grow by capturing self-interstitials. They thus constitute an important new element to account for when predicting the microstructural evolution of iron base materials under irradiation.


Abstract. The creation of biomimetic neuron interfaces (BNIs) has become imperative for different research fields from neural science to artificial intelligence. BNIs are two-dimensional or three-dimensional (3D) artificial interfaces mimicking the geometrical and functional characteristics of biological neural networks to rebuild, understand, and improve neuronal functions. The study of BNI holds the key for curing neuron disorder diseases and creating innovative artificial neural networks (ANNs). To achieve these goals, 3D direct laser writing (DLW) has proven to be a powerful method for BNI with complex geometries. However, the need for scaled-up, high speed fabrication of BNI demands the integration of DLW techniques with ANNs. ANNs, computing algorithms inspired by biological neurons, have shown their unprecedented ability to improve efficiency in data processing. The integration of ANNs and DLW techniques promises an innovative pathway for efficient fabrication of large-scale BNI and can also inspire the design and optimization of novel BNI for ANNs. This perspective reviews advances in DLW of BNI and discusses the role of ANNs in the design and fabrication of BNI.


The research aims at spatial and socio-economic analysis of landscape patterns in Baltic coastal area of Estonia. The process of active suburbanization, which is analysed in the current work, is caused by complex socio-economical factors which arise from sociopolitical changes since the end of the USSR. Study area encompasses Baltic coastal region of Parnu County. The social-economic triggers causing intensive construction of summer cottages and landscape types were examined. The methodology is based on the socio-economic analysis of suburbanization based on statistical data and mapping of the landscapes. Mapping was performed using GIS, land cover maps and Landsat TM data. Fieldwork and in-situ observations were performed to detect built-up areas in Parnu surroundings and proved intensive construction residential buildings in Parnu, demonstrating ground changes in immobility system in modern Estonia, which affects landscapes. The results illustrate highly heterogeneous and diverse landscape types in the study area.


Purpose To compare lamina cribrosa (LC) morphology between eyes with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and eyes with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in the Korean population. Methods This retrospective study included 48 eyes with NAION, 48 eyes with NTG, and 48 healthy control eyes matched by age, intraocular pressure, axial length, and optic disc area. Eyes with NAION and NTG were also matched by retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in the affected sector. Optic nerve heads were scanned using enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. LC depth (LCD) and the LC curvature index (LCCI) were measured at seven locations spaced equidistantly across the vertical optic disc diameter. LCD and the LCCI were compared in the three groups. Results RNFL thicknesses of the matched affected sectors did not differ between the NAION and NTG groups (P = 0.347). LCD and the LCCI were significantly larger in the NTG group than in the NAION and healthy control groups at all seven planes (P < 0.001 each), but were comparable in the NAION and healthy control groups. The LCCI was larger in the affected than in the unaffected sector of NTG eyes (P = 0.010) but did not differ in NAION eyes (P = 1.000). LCD did not differ between affected and unaffected sectors in either NAION (P = 0.600) or NTG (P = 0.098) eyes. Conclusions LC morphology differed in eyes with NAION and NTG, despite a similar degree of RNFL damage. Evaluation of LC morphology may help to understand the distinctive pathophysiology of NAION and to differentiate NAION from NTG eyes.


DAs NAPHTHALIN IN DER HEILKUNDE UND IN DER LANDWIRTHSCHAFT, mit besonderer Ricksicht auf seine Verwendung zur Vertilgung der Reblaus. Von. Dr. M. D. ERNST FISCHER, Privatdocent der Chirurgie an der Kaiser-Wilhelms-Universitaet Strassburg. Strassburg: Tribner, 1883.-(NAPHTHALIN IN MEDICINE AND AGRICULTURE, with a separate retrospect in its Employment for the Destruction of the Vine-Parasite.) THERE is nothing like naphthalin-such is the burden of this pamphlet; nor will the reader feel surprised, since he is already acquainted with the spirit of those works wherein carbolic acid, boro-glyceride, and other chemical agents are extolled by their advocates. This spirit is not to be depreciated; the thoroughness of enthusiasts and innovators infallibly ensures the experimental application of any new therapeutic agent to almost any possible class of disease, medical and surgical, and it is thus that great discoveries are made. The desire for legitimate publicity on the part of the projectors of new methods of treatment, is an aid to reference for all who wish to see the practical working of a new system. Dr. FISCHER'S pamphlet is a very complete history of the medicinal employment of naplithalin, from the year 1842, when it was first recommended by Rossignol for both the purposes indicated by .the title of pamphlet, down to the present day. In the JOURNAL of November 25th, 1882, we devoted a leading article to the subject, dwelling on the chemical and physical nature of naphthalin, and the clinical experiences of our present author, of Anschiitz, and of Djankonoff. This pamphlet presents Dr. Fischer's already recorded experiences in a collected form. Much is urged in favour of naphthalin, especially the simplicity of its application, which is most convenient when it is used in the form of a powder, not dissolved in ether. In price, it is suited for all purposes where the maximum of economy is imperative. It appears to be absolutely innocuous when employed in its purest form. Dr. Fischer devotes several pages to its power of destroying germs, based upon careful experiments. The value of a table of 266 cases treated with naphthalin, in the form of powder, between September 1881 and September 1882, is diminished by the admission of three cases of pediculi capitis, one of pediculi pubis, and one of pediculi vestimentorum, and the inclusion of cases of whitlow, ulcers of the leg, " atheroma," "injuries of the head," and other trivial or imperfectly specified conditions; yet, at the end of the list, we are informed that, "among these 266 cases treated in the Poliklinik, no deaths are to be found, nor any cases of erysipelas of wvounds, or any other dangerous complication.' Deaths from pediculi are recorded with more confidence by historians than by medical writers. Four cases of removal of "atheromatous" cysts without subsequent erysipelas would not be very remarkable, and the fourteen cases of "injury of the head " require further explanation before they can be held up as testimony of the virtues of naphtlhalin. Thirty-two whitlows, and nine cases of phlegmon of the hand without erysipelas, must also cause us to reflect. The results in operative surgery appear to have been excellent. The agricultural value of naphthalin is not for us to discuss. More experience of this chemical agent is necessary before its employment becomes general. That it will be at least more universally employed in a few years than it is at present, no one con doubt, and then Dr. Fischer will bear the credit of having been its most authoritative and consistent advocate.


Estuarine and coastal waters are areas of potential concern for antimicrobial resistance because of the discharge of wastewater from sewage treatment plants and the run-off from urban and agricultural lands. Herein, we evaluate the antimicrobial resistance profiles in bacteria from dugongs (Dugong dugon), mammals that inhabit and feed in shallow coastal regions and, thus, are vulnerable to encountering water and sediment contaminated by human activities. Bacterial isolates were cultured from fresh faeces of four wild dugongs, as well as from one sediment sample from a dugong foraging ground in Queensland, Australia. Ten bacterial isolates underwent phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing using disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration testing, and genotypic resistance and virulence gene identification through whole genome sequencing. Four Staphylococcus warneri isolates and one Bacillus cereus isolate from dugong faeces were resistant to penicillin, with two S. warneri isolates also displaying resistance to trimethoprim. Four Escherichia coli isolates were all resistant to ampicillin. Resistance genes, including fosB, BcII, dfrC, blaZ, and mdfA, were identified in the isolates cultured from dugong faeces with two virulence genes (gad and lpfA) identified in all E. coli isolates. Lysinibacillus sphaericus cultured from the marine sediment and B. cereus from dugong faeces displayed phenotypic multidrug resistance (across categories of non-extended spectrum cephalosporins, penicillins and beta-lactamase inhibitors, and clindamycin; and for L. sphaericus, phosphonic acids). These results demonstrate the role that dugongs can play as a sentinel species for antimicrobial resistance in the coastal waters across their range, which includes both disturbed urban and rural regions.


An experiment to determine the possible limits of sectioning the seeds of Telfairia occidentalis for the regeneration of propagules for propagation was conducted from May to December, 2001. This work also assessed the germination potentials
of the seeds and assessed the growth rate of the seedlings from these sections and their subsequent developments. Whole, half, quartered and one-eighth seeds were nursed in sawdust-filled polythene bags and the seedlings were later transplanted to prepared ridges at 4WAS. The seedlings growth and development were monitored for 27 weeks. There were significant differences in the seedling emergence, vine length, number of leaves and marketable yield between the seed sections. Plant stand did not show any difference. Significant difference was observed between the whole seed and the quartered
and one-eighth seeds in the girth at maturity, but significant difference was not observed between the quartered and one-eighth seeds for the period of observation. This study has indicated significant reduction in seed requirement of Telfairia occidentalis for planting a unit area from 100% for whole seed to 50% for halved seed, 25% for quartered seeds and 12% for 1/8 seeds. A potential marketable yield estimated from the marketable yield, using the value of whole seeds as an index showed that half, quartered and one-eighth seeds had the potential of outyielding whole seeds by values of 86%,
172% and 432%, respectively. Further investigation in improving the growth and development of split seeds was discussed. Keywords : Telfairia occidentalis , fluted pumpkin, split seeds, seed section, propagation. Discovery and Innovation Vol. 19 (3) 2007: pp. 182-187


Cybersecurity capacity building has emerged as a notable matter for numerous jurisdictions. Cyber-related threats are posing an ever-greater risk to national security for all countries, irrespective of whether they are developed or in the midst of transitioning. This paper presents the results of two qualitative studies using the Cybersecurity Capacity Maturity Model (CCMM) for nations: (1) Interactive Management (IM) and (2) focus groups to analyse the current state of Spring Land's cybersecurity capacity. A total of 26 participants from government agencies and five national experts from the Spring Land National Cybersecurity Authority (NCSA) contributed to this study. The results show that Spring Land has many issues such as lack of cybersecurity culture and collaborative road-map across government sectors which results in instability within the country. The assessments feed into the requirement analysis of the National Cybersecurity Capacity Building Framework that can be utilised to organise and test the cybersecurity for nations.