This study investigated loads among five fixation types (FT) [three cannulated screws (CS), dynamic hip screws with and without derotational screws (DHS-DS and DHS), and dynamic helical hip screws with and without derotational screws (DHHS-DS and DHHS)] across three fracture moment lengths (ML) in Pauwels' Type III fractures. Methods: Seventy-five sawbones were tested (5 FT × 5 trials × 3 ML). The study hypothesis was that significant differences in axial loading to failure would be demonstrated when CS was compared with the other four FT at the three MLs. Each construct was exposed to an axial compressive load to failure. Construct failure was defined as 5 mm of migration at the fracture site or fixation failure. Shapiro-Wilk was used to test for data normality. Subsequently, independent t-tests with Bonferroni correction was used for paired comparisons. Results: At fracture Moments A and B there were no statistical differences between CS and the other FT. At fracture Moment C all four FT yielded significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001) loads compared with CS. Conclusions: for basicervical fractures CS is a suboptimal form of fixation compared with DHS and DHHS both with and without derotation screws.


Technology acceptance models have evolved and undergone transformations over the years. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was created with the aim of unifying the major studies in the area of technology acceptance. However, studies making use of this model are recent, and it is important to learn how they are being structured. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the state-of-the art in research into the use of UTAUT through the analysis of studies published in international journals. The articles that adopted the model were examined and analyses were carried out in relation to aims, scope of the model, the theoretical fundaments, the methodology applied and main findings. All the studies were of the survey kind, and the majority of the data were analyzed by means of structural equations. There were some divergences as to the influences of the constructs of the model on the acceptance and use of technology.


ABSTRACT Quantitative contrast enhanced ultrasound is a major breakthrough for ultrasound imaging in recent years. However, contrast enhancement of the pancreas is brief with bolus injection. To assess if continuous infusion of Sonazoid® can prolong the duration of pancreatic enhancement over bolus injections, eight adult dogs received bolus injection and continuous infusion of Sonazoid® on separate days. Contrast enhanced ultrasound of the pancreatic parenchyma and proximal descending duodenum was performed, and time intensity curves reflecting tissue perfusions were generated. Perfusion parameters- time to initial upslope, peak time, time to wash-out and peak intensity were calculated and evaluated. Fast wash-in to intense peak, followed by rapid wash-out was observed for time intensity curves of bolus injection. With continuous infusion, contrast wash-in to peak intensity was gradual, followed by long plateau and slow wash-out. Median contrast enhancement durations of the pancreas and duodenum were significantly prolonged by continuous infusion from 11 sec (range, 10 to 23 sec) and 16 sec (range, 3 to 43 sec) at bolus injection to 205 sec (range, 170 to 264 sec, P<0.01) and 193 sec (range, 169 to 216 sec, P<0.05), respectively. Median peak intensity of the pancreas was 100.9 MPV (range, 80.2 to 124.3 MPV) at bolus injection and 77.6 MPV (range, 58.2 to 99.5 MPV, P<0.05) at continuous infusion. Prolonged continuous imaging is afforded by continuous infusion of contrast agent. Peak intensity of the pancreas was slightly diminished in continuous infusion, but offered adequate imaging subjectively.


Introduction: In the past 10 years, a declining trend was seen in the annual parasite incidence (API) of malaria in the Car Nicobar Island. For the past few years, the API in the island has been below one. Car Nicobar Island is struggling with malaria cases reported to have been brought from other, malaria-endemic islands. Methods: The movements of people were monitored by door-to-door visits during early morning hours, and the frequency of their movements to different islands (malarious and non-malarious areas) were monitored. Results: A larger number of villagers visited non-malarious areas (OS-O) than malarious areas (OS-N). The maximum number of people was found out of station during the month of June. Thirty-seven percent of people were out of the station to non-malarious areas, while only 6% were out of the station to islands endemic for malaria. In the latter category, the majority of those who left the village were in the age groups of 16-30 years and 31–45 years. Even though fewer villagers visited malaria-endemic areas, their visits can pose a threat of malaria transmission, in view of the prevalence of local anopheline vectors. Conclusion: Understanding people's movement patterns to and from high malaria-transmission areas is important to designing strategic evidence-based control plans. In Car Nicobar, the main transport facilities within the inter-islands are ship and helicopter services. Hence, post-arrival medical examinations should be made mandatory to prevent the introduction of malaria parasites into the island.


The cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) genotypes and phenotypes of 106 unrelated, healthy black Tanzanians of Bantu origin were investigated. The results revealed a population with a generally decreased capacity to metabolize the CYP2D6 substrate debrisoquine with 59% of the Tanzanian extensive metabolisers having debrisoquine metabolic ratios (MRs) > 1 versus 20% in Caucasians. This decrease in metabolic capacity was not fully explained by the partially or fully detrimental CYP2D6 gene mutations analysed for in this study. As many as 7% poor metabolizers of debrisoquine were identified but none was homozygous for defective CYP2D6 alleles. The majority among the group of poor metabolizers had relatively low metabolic ratios. The mutational profile indicated a closer association of the Tanzanian CYP2D locus to that of Zimbabweans rather than to that of Ethiopians. The defective alleles CYP2D6*3, *4, *5 and *6 were found at low frequencies (0%, 1%, 6%, 0%, respectively), whereas the CYP2D6*17 allele causing an enzyme with altered specificity was common (allele frequency = 17%). It is concluded that the CYP2D6 genotype in the Tanzanian Bantu population is different from that of other African populations examined to date and that further studies are required to explain the generally lower capacity to metabolize CYP2D6 substrates.


Tetrabromobisphenol (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant in the world and displays toxicity to humans and animals. However, few studies have focused on its impact on oocyte maturation. Here, TBBPA was added to the culture medium of bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) to examine its effect on oocytes. We found that TBBPA exposure displayed an adverse influence on oocyte maturation and subsequent embryonic development. The results of this study showed that TBBPA exposure induced oocyte meiotic failure by disturbing the polar-body extrusion of oocytes and the expansion of cumulus cells. We further found that TBBPA exposure led to defective spindle assembly and chromosome alignment. Meanwhile, TBBPA induced oxidative stress and early apoptosis by mediating the expression of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2). TBBPA exposure also caused mitochondrial dysfunction, displaying a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial content, mtDNA copy number, and ATP levels, which are regulated by the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 3 (PDK3). In addition, the developmental competence of oocytes and the quality of blastocysts were also reduced after TBBPA treatment. These results demonstrated that TBBPA exposure impaired oocyte maturation and developmental competence by disrupting both nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of the oocyte, which might have been caused by oxidative stress induced by mitochondrial dysfunction.


Background: Recent network approaches suggest that transition to psychiatric disorders arise from divergent causal interactions among symptoms, whereby the emergence of one central symptom activates an interconnected set of other symptoms.

Methods: Here, we used network analysis to test whether the transition to psychosis is preceded by aberrant symptom organisation. 63 at-risk mental state (ARMS) individuals without later transition to psychosis (ARMS-NT), 16 ARMS individuals with later transition to psychosis (ARMS-T), and 38 antipsychotic-free patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP group) were included. Symptoms were measured using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and graph theory was used to quantify global and local network properties. Group differences in symptom connectivity were assessed using functional data analysis and network-based statistics (NBS).

Outcomes: While severity of BPRS items did not allow to differentiate ARMS-T and ARMS-NT patients, ARMS-T patients exhibited a widespread connectivity increase among symptoms relative to ARMS-NT individuals. AMRS-T and FEP patients also displayed highly segregated symptoms compared to ARMS-NT individuals. Furthermore, in both ARMS-T and FEP patients anxiety was the most binding (central) symptom.

Interpretation: Our findings suggest that the risk of transition to psychosis relates to the consolidation of relationship among symptoms, but appears to be unrelated to the severity of symptoms per se. Phenomenological network approaches provide insight into novel prevention targets such as deconsolidation of symptom clustering.

Funding Statement: This study was funded by CIHR Foundation Grant (375104/2017) to LP; AMOSO Opportunities fund to LP; Bucke Family Fund and Arcangelo Rea Family Foundation (London, Ontario).

Declarations of Interests: LP reports personal fees from Otsuka Canada, SPMM Course Limited, UK, Canadian Psychiatric Association; book royalties from Oxford University Press; investigator-initiated educational grants from Janssen Canada, Sunovion and Otsuka Canada outside the submitted work. All other authors report no competing interests.

Ethical Approval Statement: All participants provided written informed consent, and the study had research ethics committee permission.


A great many problems, such as scalability, mapping data searching, high frequency update of mapping data, arise in the future network resource mapping system for its vast data processing need. Future Network Chord (FN Chord), an algorithm based on Chord and aims at solving the resources identity mapping and searching problem, is put forward by taking advantage of the qualities of scalability, rapid searching speed, high searching efficiency and flexible naming of chord in order to solve this problem. What's more, an extra interest node index table for FN Chord is designed to record the hotspot resource mapping location in the paper. So, the resource searching strategy, which is named as Interest Index Table Future Network Chord (IIT-FN Chord) is proposed to search the resource in the paper. The entropy weight method is used to calculate the node interest level according the interest nodes' resource item online time and visited times and to renew the interest index table. Moreover, probability replacement method is proposed to replace the outdated item on interest index table with new item. Simulation results show that the algorithm can decrease the average searching latency, average searching hops and thus increases the searching efficiency for the resource searching.


Thirty-three children were hospitalized for pneumonia associated with measles. Eight did not have rash but had serologic evidence of measles infection and an otherwise compatible clinical picture. Lung puncture and tracheal aspirations were performed on 21 of the patients. Mortality was 15.2% (five patients) and was not associated with the use of these procedures.


This paper provides a unified account of the occurrence of possessive forms with two types of nominals, namely derived nominals with-tion, -lion, -al suffixes and action nominals in-ing forms. Based on the claim by Langacker (1987a, 1991) that the two differ in terms of construal of boundedness, it is argued that their semantic difference triggers various behavioral discrepancies. Having argued that the basic characteristics of the possessive construction in general is the reference-point function, two types of possessives are investigated, i. e. objective possessives and temporal possessives, from the point of view of the semantics of both the construction and the nominals in it. Regarding the former, a constraint which presupposes bounded construal of the event is formulated in terms of Croft's (1991) causal chain representation. Concerning the latter, it is argued that a temporal possessive in general requires boundedness of its identifying target.*


The reticuloendothelial system (RES) influences the outcome of vascular shock and environmental stress. We describe a procedure that employs flow cytometry and 1 microm fluorescent microspheres (FM) to study RES function. FM (2 x 10(10) beads/kg) were administered via a jugular cannula in Sprague-Dawley rats. After 15 min, blood and tissues were collected and digested in 15% KOH. Phycoerythrin 1 microm beads were added to each sample as an internal standard and analyzed by flow cytometry. FM were preferentially cleared by the spleen, liver and lung. Clearance was confirmed by fluorescent photomicroscopy. Addition of the internal standard to determine accurately aspiration volume enhanced precision. This procedure offers advantages over other RES clearance methods including bacterial, radioactive or carbon clearance assays. Moreover, this method could enhance accuracy, reproducibility and speed of data collection in particulate transport studies that are based on manual microscopic scanning and FM counting.


Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita may be defined as a systemic articular dysplasia characterized by articular rigidity in a many locations of congenital origin. A case was presented in which this clinical sign was diagnosed at prenatal phase and it may have many underlying causes.


Information security necessitates the implementation of safeguards to guarantee an adequate defense against attacks, threats, and breaches from occurring. Nonetheless, even with "adequate" defensive efforts, the taste for accessing sensitive and confidential financial information is too tempting, and attacks continue to escalate. Organizations must plan ahead so that identified attacks, threats, and breaches are appropriately managed to a successful resolution. A proven method to address information security problems is achieved through the effective implementation of access security controls. This paper proposes a quantitative approach for organizations to evaluate access security controls over financial information using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and determines which controls best suit management's goals and objectives. Through a case study, the approach is proven successful in providing a way for measuring the quality of access security controls over financial information based on multiple application-specific criteria.


On the basis of detailed numerical calculations, we have formulated an empirical expression for the saturation fluence in neodymium-doped phosphate amplifier glass that explicitly depends upon the ratio of the pulse width to the terminal-level lifetime. The empirical expression, when substituted within the Frantz-Nodvik solution for energy extraction, can be used to determine the impact of the lower level lifetime on the energy extracted from Nd:phosphate glass amplifiers. We used our empirical solution to model experimental gain-saturation data and determine the terminal-level lifetime. We compared this value with two independent experiments and found that all three experiments yielded similar results. The terminal-level lifetime of LG-750 at room temperature is found to be 253 ps /spl plusmn/50 ps.


Aromatic resonance energies for 4-pyridone and its analogues are similar to those for the 2-pyridone series. For the bicyclic compounds, the differences in aromaticity between the quinolinoid and the quinolonoid forms are significantly less than for the monocyclic derivatives. A new acidity function H–(q) is derived for the deprotonation of methyl quaternary salts to netural heterocyclic methide and imine bases. Quantitative tautomeric ratios are reported for the thioamide–thioimidate equilibrium in an Appendix.


ABSTRACT
 Using both topical application and substrate (sand) treatments the toxicities of seven new generation soil termiticides were evaluated to determine the LD50 and LC50 against two economically important subterranean termite species, eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), and Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. The lethal dose toxicity (LD50) rankings for R. flavipes from highest to lowest were: fipronil > bifenthrin > chlorantraniliprole > cyantraniliprole > imidacloprid > chlorfenapyr > indoxacarb; the rankings for C. formosanus were fipronil > imidacloprid > chlorantraniliprole > cyanthraniliprole> bifenthrin > chlorfenapyr > indoxacarb. The respective lethal concentration toxicity (LC50) rankings were fipronil > bifenthrin > chlorfenapyr > indoxacarb > cyantraniliprole > chlorantraniliprole > imidacloprid for R. flavipes; and fipronil > chlorfenapyr > bifenthrin > imidacloprid > cyantraniliprole > chlorantraniliprole > indoxacarb for C. formosanus. The study provides an opportunity to directly compare toxicity, action speed, and bioavailability among this group of newer generation soil termiticides.


In this paper, we study the reliable packet forwarding in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) with the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and orthogonal space time block codes (OSTBC) techniques. The objective is to propose a cross-layer optimized forwarding scheme to maximize the Successful Transmission Rate (STR) while satisfying the given end-to-end energy consumption constraint. The channel coding, energy allocation, and route planning are jointly considered to improve the STR. After formulating the problem as a local stochastic optimization, we propose a low-complexity distributed scheme to reduce the implementation complexity. We show by simulations that the proposed scheme can achieve much higher STR in comparison with existed energy-efficient routing protocols, in which no joint design is considered.


The Myrtaceae family is very important in economic terms, for ornamental and food industries. In Brazil there are about 23 genera and 1000 species. The Brazilian species belong to Myrteae DC trib. Eugenia punicifolia (Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth) DC. is subject to clade Eugenia. This plan aims to analyze and describe the anatomy of flowers of E. punicifolia justified by the importance and lack of anatomical and reproductive data. The results reveal the presence of large numbers of cells containing phenolic substances, the anatomical structure of sepals and petals is in agreement with what was described in the literature. The ovules are attached to a single point of the septum. In general the results obtained to resemble the genus Eugenia, differing in type of placentation compared to E. neonitida.


Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure (HF) are multifactorial diseases sharing common risk factors, such as obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and inflammation, with underlying mechanisms including endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic alterations. Cardiovascular benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors observed in diabetic and non-diabetic patients are also related to their cardiac-specific, SGLT-independent mechanisms, in addition to the metabolic and hemodynamic effects. In search of the possible underlying mechanisms, a research campaign has been launched proposing varied mechanisms of action that include intracellular ion homeostasis, autophagy, cell death, and inflammatory processes. Moreover, the research focus was widened toward cellular targets other than cardiomyocytes. At the moment, intracellular sodium level reduction is the most explored mechanism of direct cardiac effects of SGLT2 inhibitors that mediate the benefits in heart failure in addition to glucose excretion and diuresis. The restoration of cardiac Na+ levels with consequent positive effects on Ca2+ handling can directly translate into improved contractility and relaxation of cardiomyocytes and have antiarrhythmic effects. In this review, we summarize clinical trials, studies on human cells, and animal models, that provide a vast array of data in support of repurposing this class of antidiabetic drugs.


BACKGROUND
Although three-dimensional MRI (3D-MRI) of short T1 inversion recovery turbo spin-echo (STIR TSE) has showed superior to two-dimensional MRI (2D-MRI) in showing the spinal cord and lumbar nerve roots, it remains difficult in demonstrating radicular vein at present. We have found that short T1 inversion recovery long time echo (STIR LONG TE) was better in showing radicular vein. To further study the methods and character of the 3D-MRI of lumbar nerve root, ganglions and radicular vein in normal and lumbar disc herniation (LDH) adults, in the present study, we evaluated two 3D-MRI techniques, STIR TSE and STIR LONG TE for demonstrating lumbar nerve roots and especial radicular vein in normal and LDH adults.

METHODS
Twelve normal adult persons and 19 LDH patients were included in this study; special oblique coronal location was adopted. STIR TSE and STIR LONG TE were performed in all participants, and the detection rates of radicular vein and nerve root of L3, L4, L5, S1 were calculated. The grading system was used in grading compromise of the intraspinal extradural lumbar nerve root, ganglion and radicular vein in LDH patients, and all the grading injury of nerve root, ganglion and radicular vein had been evaluated.

RESULTS
The definite rate of radicular vein (DRRV) of 3D-MRI of STIR LONG TE was significantly different from that of STIR TSE. DRRV of STIR LONG TE was L3, 91.7%, L4, 100%, L5, 100%, S1, 100% and that of STIR TSE was L3, 33.3%, L4, 37.5%, L5, 58.3%, S1, 45.8% in normal adults. It showed no difference between STIR LONG TE and STIR TSE in the detection rate of nerve root. The different patho-injuries of nerve root, ganglion and radicular vein could be seen in all LDH patients by the 3D-MRI of STIR LONG TE. The mean score of Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) was 16.16, and 29 nerve roots were calculated in all the study. The mean grading injury of nerve root was 2.17, that of nerve root ganglion was 1.28, that of radicular vein was 1.83, and the mean co-grading injury of nerve root, ganglion and radicular vein was 5.31. The correlation coefficient was 0.478 (P = 0.010) between the score of JOA and that of radicular vein.

CONCLUSION
The 3D-MRI of STIR LONG TE is superior to STIR TSE for not only detecting the lumbar nerve root, ganglion and especial radicular vein in normal adults, but also displaying their patho-injuries degree in LDH patients.


The objective of this study was to determine the effects of certain fire-retardant chemicals on the combustion resistance of high-density fiberboard (HDF). Borax (BX), boric acid (BA), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and alpha-x (AX) were added into the fibers made from 50% scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and 50% beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) woods at 3%, 6%, and 9% levels based on oven-dry fiber weight. HDF panels were produced in 6.5 mm thickness. HDF panels' combustion behavior was explored. To detect combustion resistance, the panels were tested according to the ASTM-E 69 and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) tests. It was determined that fire-retardant (FR) chemicals enhanced the combustion resistance of the panels to varying degrees. As a result, the FR chemicals' type and concentrations are effective for determining the combustion resistance of HDF panels.


Income poverty in Tanzania as elsewhere in developing countries is predominantly a rural phenomenon and affects largely households relying on subsistence farming. This is despite the fact that poverty reduction strategies have devoted increasing attention on the role farm employment in enhancing household income. This paper argues that, off-farm employment may have potential to contribute to reduction of rural households' income poverty. Hence the main objective of the paper is set to examine effects of off-farm employment on income poverty. Data was collected from a random sample of 309 households in the first quarter of 2014 in five villages of Kilombero Valley, Tanzania using a structured questionnaire. Income poverty was analysed using the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) poverty index and two stage least square (2SLS) regression. Households with off-farm employment income were found to be less poor based on all the three FGT parameters which are incidence, depth and severity of poverty. Similarly, estimations from the 2SLS model showed that holding other factors constant, engagement in off-farm employment led to increased total households income, and hence a significant predictor of households' poverty status. Other variables which were significant are; crop shock, farmland location and land ownership. It is thus recommended that, rural development policies should be broad based to consider the diversity of households' income strategies including engagement in rural off-farm employment activities. Increasing opportunities for off-farm income generation may be a route out of poverty among rural households. Keywords: off-farm employment, off-farm income, FGT poverty measure, Kilombero Valley


There are still many who do not use the deed of sale and purchase of shares as proof of the transfer of rights and only use the Deed of Minutes of the General Meeting of Shareholders. The formulation of the problem in this study is how to regulate the sale and purchase of shares, is it legal if there are parties who carry out the sale and purchase of shares before a notary but do not implement the clear and cash legal principles, what efforts can be made by the seller if the shares have switched but the buyer has not carry out their obligations. This study uses descriptive methods through normative juridical and empirical juridical approaches to obtain secondary data. The results of the study indicate that the regulations that specifically regulate the procedure for buying and selling shares or transferring rights to shares are UUPT no. 40 of 2007 concerning Limited Liability Companies (PT) and also the Articles of Association of Limited Liability Companies, namely:1. Done by Deed of Transfer of Rights; 2. Submission of Deed to PT; Recording and Notification by the Board of Directors. 3. The Board of Directors also notifies the change in the composition of shareholders to the Minister of Human Rights to be recorded in the register of PT. The sale and purchase of share transfers must comply with clear and real principles so that there are no lawsuits arising in the future.


A brief discussion of the resonant magnetic scattering process is given. Results from recent studies of thin Fe films and Fe/Gd multilayers are used as examples to demonstrate the information can be obtained and the unique features of this techniques: large resonant enhancement, sensitivity to magnitization, elemental specificity, and tunability of the penetration depth. Comparison is made with related techniques: magneto-optical Kerr effect, Faraday effect, and magnetic circular dichroism. 9 refs., 4 figs.


Abstract Arafa Tea is one of SMEs in Bandung that engaging in tea specialty, with Green Tea Chocolate (GTC) as its excellent product. GTC's income has the largest contribution in revenue and has the most rapid turnover compared with others. Seeing this opportunity, Arafa Tea intends to expand its developed market by positioning GTC as specialty snack from Bandung. The study was conducted using integration of Product Quality and Kano Model to determine the needs and customer satisfaction of GTC. This study generated true customer needs output that should be improved by Arafa Tea. There are 21 attributes used as customer requirement attributes to measure the performance of GTC and categorized them based on the given satisfaction impact. The result shows ten true customer needs attributes with weak satisfaction value, including three attractive, five must-be and two one-dimensional attributes. All attributes are analyzed and adjusted according Arafa Tea's ability to obtain the final recommendation of true customer needs. The analysis shows eight true customer needs, including higher intensity cocoa flavor, flavors combination suitability, higher sweetness intensity, attractive green color, lower green tea intensity, clear inclusion of expiration date period, lower bitterness intensity and clear inclusion of attractive brand's name in packaging. Keywords: customer satisfaction, product quality, kano model


Pediatricians, although caring for newly born infants, often have limited knowledge of abnormalities of the placenta that may affect the infant. Few articles on this subject appear in pediatric journals. Pediatricians gain relevant personal experience indirectly, and in fact, seldom see even grossly abnormal placentas. Until recently, the treatment of most distressed newly born infants has been supportive and nonspecific; consequently, study of obstetrical events has not appeared important in the medical management of the infant. The purpose of this article is to encourage pediatricians to evaluate the effect of placental abnormalities on newborn infants. Gross structural or mechanical abnormalities of the cord and placenta will be emphasized. Little is known about abnormal placental function and its effect on the fetus. Abnormalities of placental implantation, such as circumvallate placenta associated with midterm abortion or placenta accreta causing incomplete placental separation after delivery of the infant, are not included because of


Maraging steels are high-strength steels that are hardened by the formation of precipitates during an isothermal aging heat treatment. Depending on the aging temperature and time the cooling rate after holding can play a significant factor on the development of the microstructure and mechanical properties. This study seeks to show how the cooling time influences the precipitation hardening effect, austenite reversion and the development of hardness and impact toughness. The material was aged at a constant temperature using holding times of 0 h, 4 h and 15 h and cooled with different cooling rates resulting in cooling times of 7 h, 28 h and 56 h. The microstructure was characterized using a combination of electron backscatter diffraction, X-ray diffraction and atom probe tomography with cluster-based precipitate analysis. It is shown that the effect of the cooling time is strongly dependent on the holding time and that a longer cooling time can improve hardness and impact toughness.


[1] Arctic cloud properties, variability, and sensitivity to surface conditions are strongly dependent on the synoptic regimes in which they exist, and proper evaluation of modeled cloud properties against observations requires that the dynamic and thermodynamic environment be carefully accounted for. In this study, a k-means clustering algorithm is used to sort Arctic clouds observed by CALIPSO into four distinct synoptic regimes: three regimes largely associated with mid-tropospheric subsidence or very weak uplift and separated by differences in lower tropospheric stability; and one regime associated with mid-tropospheric uplift. Boundary layer clouds are present within the three subsidence regimes with increases in stability relating to lower altitudes of the maximum cloud percentage. In going from sea ice to open ocean, the cloud amount increases at the lowest atmospheric level for all subsidence regimes except the least stable regime, and the height of maximum low clouds rises for all subsidence regimes except the most stable regime. Within each synoptic regime, clouds diagnosed from the CALIPSO simulator in CAM4 and CAM5 forecast runs are then compared with observations. Compared with CAM4, CAM5 produces boundary layer clouds that are more similar to the observations, and more closely captures the observed sensitivity of cloud properties to the underlying surface type. However, CAM5 overestimates cloud percentages within the uplift regime. The improved boundary layer turbulence and cloud microphysical parameterizations in CAM5 yield a model that exhibits an improved sensitivity of Arctic low-level clouds to changes in lower tropospheric stability and surface type.


The study of human body composition is a branch of human biology which focuses on the in vivo quantification of body components, the quantitative relationships between components, and the quantitative changes in these components related to various influencing factors. Accordingly, the study of human body composition is composed of three interrelated research areas, body composition rules, body composition methodology, and body composition alterations. This thesis describes the authors recent investigations related to the first two of the three research areas. In the rules area, this thesis begins with a comprehensive five-level model of body composition. The approximate 40 body components are systematically organized into five levels with increasing complexity: 1, atomic; 11, molecular; III, cellular; IV, tissue-system; and V 1 whole-body. Although each level and its multiple components are distinct, interconnections exist such that the model is consistent and functions as a whole. The model provides the opportunity to define clear body composition concepts and to create explicit body composition equations. As an example of a body composition rule, this thesis subsequently explores the magnitude and constancy of the proportion of adipose tissue-free body mass as skeletal muscle mass in young healthy adults.In the methodology area, this thesis begins with a systematic organization of body composition methods. The proposed classification divides the methods into in vitro and in vivo categories, advances to organization- by measurable quantity (property and/or component), and ends with grouping of methods by mathematical function which may be statistically-derived or model-based. This classification system explains both similarities and differences between the many diverse methods, and provides a framework and a setting for all body composition methods. As an example of new body composition method development, the subsequent chapter creates a simple and safe method for predicting total body oxygen mass from body weight and total body water. The remaining four chapters deal with the evaluation of body composition methods. A six-compartment model based on in vivo neutron activation analysis is applied as the reference for inter-method comparisons against sixteen existing methods for estimating total body fat mass. An advanced technique, multiscan computerized axial tomography, is applied as the reference to evaluate existing skeletal muscle mass methods, including the Burkinshaw-Cohn neutron activation model, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, 24-hour urinary creatinine excretion, and 24-hour urinary 3-methylhistidine excretion methods.This thesis, therefore, suggests that both theoretical and experimental investigations provide insight into human body composition.


In-stream watershed level evaluations confirm that application of recommended forestry best management practices (BMPs) can minimize sedimentation following management, while on-site erosion research shows that BMPs reduce erosion from individual forest operations, thus implying watershed-level sediment reductions. Assessments of forest operations and sediment have developed very few sediment delivery ratios (SDR). Linking BMP levels (low, standard recommendation, high) within specific forest operations to sedimentation could enable managers to evaluate BMP effects. Reported data regarding forest operations, erosion rates and SDR by forest operation, and BMP implementation levels were sufficient within the Piedmont region to allow approximations of sediment delivery and BMP efficiency. Existing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service reports and published erosion and sediment research were used to comprise the following method. For regional annual harvests, estimated sediment deliveries (Mg year−1) = annual harvest area (ha year−1) × weighted average erosion rate from all forest operations (Mg ha−1 year−1) × SDR (unitless ratio). Weighted average erosion rates for all forest operations were determined by applying areas in each operational activity (%) × estimated erosion per operation (Mg ha−1 year−1). In comparing published data, standard BMPs reduced estimated sedimentation by 75% compared to low BMP implementation levels. This supports forestry BMP efficiency findings reported for sediment removals in watershed studies. Higher levels of BMP implementation were estimated to potentially remove nearly all forest operation-produced sediment. Values of this pilot study should be viewed cautiously, as estimates were based on limited data, estimated operations, and limited SDRs; are based on BMP categories that vary between states; and address only one year following harvests. However, the approach provided approximations that facilitate BMP evaluations and can be improved with additional data. This methodology highlights the importance of accurate estimates of erosion rates, SDRs, sediment masses, and area for operations. This supports the importance of state programs, which have increased BMP implementation rates and compliance options with BMP program maturation.


The question, who is an African? in the context of understanding African identity has biological, historical, cultural, religious, political, racial, linguistic, social, philosophical, and even geographical colourations. Scholars as well as commentators have continued to grapple with it as it has assumed a syncretistic or intersectional characterisation. The same applies to, "what is Africa?" because of the defined Western construct of its geography. This foray of concepts appears to be captured in 'I am an African', a treatise that exudes the telos of African past, present and the unwavering hope that the future of Africans and Africa is great in spite of the cynicism and loss of faith that the present seems to have foisted on the minds of many an African. Through a critical analysis, it is argued that African religion has a value that is capable of resolving the contentious identity crisis of an African.


Sei Shonagon's, The Pillow Book, is a text that stands out from ancient literary genres as one that transcends barriers created from antiquity and culture. Over a thousand years has passed since it was written, and this iconic diary continues to be translated into not only many modern languages but also as intersemiotic translations such as films, plays, and art installations. Because much of what we know of Heian Japanese court life derives from this text, it is imperative to analyze these translations with a critical lens to ensure that Shonagon's intent is preserved and that both translators and readers do not culturally appropriate the text into one that aligns with their own personal agenda. Therefore, Gender-Translation theory provides an ideal framework for examining this text because of it's nature to draw from interdisciplinary theory. This paper will discuss the history and framework of Gender-Translation Theory in order to then use its translation tools to compare two English translations of Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book—those of Arthur Waley (1928) and Meredith McKinney (2006). By using tools provided by Gender-Translation Theory, such as analyzing the translator's version of the female subject in translation, we will be able to understand the significance of examining gender in translation.


Effective utilization of water and energy is the key factor of sustainable development in process industries, and also an important science and technology problem to be solved in systems engineering. In this paper,two new methods of optimal design of water utilization network with energy integration in process industries are presented, that is, stepwise and simultaneous optimization methods. They are suitable for both single contaminant and multi-contaminant systems, and the integration of energy can be carried out in the whole process system, not only limited in water network, so that energy can be utilized effectively. The two methods are illustrated by case study.


Geomorphology is closely related to geology, soil science, hydrology and environmental science and is being increasingly applied in planning, mining and hydrological sectors, and within environmental consultancy and tourism. The study area lies in the north-eastern part of the country and tectonically this area belongs to Surma Basin situated into Bengal Fore deep zone of Bengal Basin also known as Sylhet Trough. Under this study an attempt was made to establish the relationship between geomorphic unit and existing landuse based on remote sensing data. In the study area nine landuse categories were identified through remote sensing and GIS techniques. Two different physiographic units which are North-Eastern Terrace Land and Surma-Kushiyara Flood Plain are belongs to the study are. Moreover two surface geological units include Young Gravelly Sand and Marsh Clay and Peat are also there. From analysis no relationship has been found between landuse classes with its physiography and surface geology.


Preterm birth is associated with short‐ and long‐term impairments affecting physical, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric health. These sequelae, together with a rising preterm birth rate and increased survival, make prematurity a growing public health issue because of the increased number of individuals with impaired health throughout the life span. Although a major contribution to preterm birth comes from environmental factors, it is also modestly heritable. Little is known about the architecture of this genetic contribution. Studies of common and of rare genetic variation have had limited power, but recent findings implicate variation in both the maternal and fetal genome. There is some evidence risk alleles in mothers may be enriched for processes related to immunity and inflammation, and in the preterm infant, processes related to brain development. Overall genomic discoveries for preterm birth lag behind progress for many other multifactorial diseases and traits. Investigations focusing on gene–environment interactions may also provide insights, but these studies still have a number of limitations. Adequately sized genetic studies of preterm birth are a priority for the future especially given the breadth of its negative health impacts across the life span and the current interest in newborn genome sequencing.


In this work, we explore the potential of the metalloendopeptidase Lys-N for MALDI-MS/MS proteomics applications. Initially we digested a HEK293 cellular lysate with Lys-N and, for comparison, in parallel with the protease Lys-C. The resulting peptides were separated by strong cation exchange to enrich and isolate peptides containing a single N-terminal lysine. MALDI-MS/MS analysis of these peptides yielded CID spectra with clear and often complete sequence ladders of b-ions. To test the applicability for de novo sequencing we next separated an ostrich muscle tissue protein lysate by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE. A protein band at 42 kDa was in-gel digested with Lys-N. Relatively straightforward sequencing resulted in the de novo identification of the two ostrich proteins creatine kinase and actin. We therefore conclude that this method that combines Lys-N, strong cation exchange enrichment, and MALDI-MS/MS analysis provides a valuable alternative proteomics strategy.


Patent for a simple hammering machine for circular saws that "carries the saw in such a way that it may be held at any necessary or desired angle to suit the operator, which has a sliding anvil adapted to be adjusted so as to come opposite the various parts of the saw, which is provided with an adjustable hammer adapted to be brought opposite the anvil, which is constructed so as to cause a blow to expand both sides of the saw equally, and which in general is intended to facilitate the quick and efficient hammering of a saw" (lines 12-23).


We describe the pathology of a unique case of fallopian tube aspergillosis in a 45 year old woman. She complained of lower abdominal pain and lump in lower abdomen since 2-3 months. Clinically she was diagnosed as benign ovarian tumor, right ovary. Pathological examination showed dilated fallopian tube containing yellow material. Microscopic examination showed Aspergillous filaments surrounded by dense infiltrate of neutrophils and lymphocytes. Even though Aspergillous salpingitis is a rare entity, the correct diagnosis is of great importance for the indication of proper therapy.


This paper deals with the inverse scattering of ultra wide band (UWB) tomography used in reconstruction the dialectic properties of the unknown targets in 2D. The image reconstruction algorithm is based on the gradient minimization of an augmented cost function defined as the different between measured and calculated fields. The computation requires two successive steps: (i) direct and (ii) adjoint solutions. The forward-backward time stepping algorithm, implementing the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method with Mur's absorbing boundaries is employed in both steps. The imaging algorithm is based on non-linear optimization technique from which the single-step and iterative inversion schemes are derived. The experimental results demonstrate that the algorithms can resolve features whose sizes are comparable to the half wave-length even though scaterring data are collected only from limited view angles. These experimental evidence suggest that the technique could potentially be used to solve practical imaging problems such as detecting cancerous tumors in breast.


Purpose Population-based comparisons between minimally invasive surgery (MIS) (robotic surgery [RS] and laparoscopic surgery [LS]) and open surgery (OS) for managing endometrial cancer are lacking. This study aimed to compare surgical and oncologic outcomes between endometrial cancer patients who underwent surgical staging via MIS or OS. Materials and Methods A population-based retrospective cohort study was performed using claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance database from January 2012 to December 2016. All patients who underwent hysterectomy under diagnosis of endometrial cancer were identified. Patients were classified into RS, LS, and OS groups. Operative and oncologic outcomes were compared among the three groups after adjustments for age group, risk group (adjuvant therapy status), modified Charlson comorbidity index, income level, insurance type, and index year using propensity scores obtained via the inverse probability of treatment weighted method. Results After adjustment, 5,065 patients (RS, n=315; LS, n=3,248; OS, n=1,503) were analyzed. Patient demographics were comparable. Hospital stay, postoperative complications, and cost were more favorable in the RS and LS groups than in the OS group (all p < 0.001). Five-year overall survival was significantly longer in the RS and LS groups than in the OS group (94.8%, 91.9%, and 86.9%, respectively; p < 0.001). Moreover, the survival benefit of RS was shown in the subgroup analysis of low-risk endometrial cancer patients. Conclusion Our study provides further evidence for the RS being a safe surgical alternative to the LS and OS, especially in low-risk endometrial cancer patients, offering surgical and oncologic outcomes equivalent to other surgical approaches.


Ovine and human corticotropin-releasing factors (CRF) have similar potencies in causing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol secretion in normal humans. Using long-acting ovine CRF (1 microgram/kg body weight as an intravenous bolus), we tested patients with Cushing's syndrome, adrenal insufficiency, and psychiatric conditions with mild hypercortisolism. Over 95% of hypercortisolemic patients with a pituitary adenoma responded with increases in plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations; patients with the ectopic ACTH syndrome had no ACTH or cortisol responses; patients with ACTH-independent hypercortisolism of adrenal origin had low or undetectable plasma ACTH concentrations before and after CRF without any cortisol response. The differences in responses of patients with adrenal insufficiency of primary, pituitary, or suprapituitary type likewise suggest value of the CFR test in their differential diagnosis. The responses in the psychiatric patients should permit differentiation between Cushing's syndrome and hypercortisolism of psychiatric origin.


The miners as well as the inhabitants vicinity to the mining areas are generally susceptible to the respiratory disorders due to constant exposure to the coalmine dust for a prolonged period. In this paper the dust concentration and dust dose associated with the rate of tuberculosis around the major part of Ib Valley Coalfield (Belpahar and Brajarajnagar area) have been analysed. Several field trips around Ib Valley Coalfield have been conducted for consecutively three years (2005, 2006 and 2007) to evaluate the present status of the dust concentration and rate of tuberculosis infection. It was observed that the dust concentrations of different residential places as well as the places vicinity to the opencast mining projects have been increased in the subsequent years of investigation. As a result, the dust doses of various residential places have also increased in a parallel manner. The dust doses of various mining sites range from 25.51 to 37.08 mg, 34.76 to 41.03 mg and 37.8 to 44.49 mg during 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. Interestingly in most of the mining sites the dust doses are more than the safe dust does (32 mg). An attempt has been made to correlate the dust concentration with tuberculosis infection in the area by making a questionnaire survey. Early symptoms of tuberculosis were reported in case of 121 out of 205, 129 out of 212 and 145 out of 220 inhabitants during 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. The study clearly revealed that the tuberculosis patients have been increased significantly in the successive years of investigation.


Dynamic resource allocation (DRA) in MIMO-OFDMA systems supporting multiple services is studied. A low complexity linear algorithm based on solving an RA optimization problem subject to an additional proportional fairness constraint is developed. Computer simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm performs well, and the proportionality of rate among the users approaches the proportional rate constraint as the increasing of the available subcarriers. Furthermore, it has a lower computational complexity.


"Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf"➀ becomes the most influential animation brand in China over last 20 years. However, the success cannot conceal the obstacle and the issues among the Chinese animation development. The author will analize the obstacle and the issues, and bring forward the strategies which are suitable for the Chinese localized animation development.


In Malaysia, COVID-19 pandemic recorded considerable number of cases. Many hospitals have been converted into COVID-19 centres to manage these cases. The Penang General Hospital was designated as a hybrid hospital to manage both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cases. Consequently, services across specialties, including urology have been affected. Triage of referrals was necessary to ensure optimum patient care, thus we designed a triage system to address this situation. A record screening system of patients was also implemented to limit outpatient appointments. We share this early experience in managing urology patients during this pandemic.


Humans have sex for a multitude of reasons, many of which are unrelated to desire. But what are the conditions in which sexual desire does not lead to sex? We investigated reasons college students refrain from sex despite desire and having an attractive, willing partner along with relationships between these reasons and other aspects of sexuality and personality. For item generation, 604 college participants identified 109 reasons why individuals may refrain from sex despite desire. For construct validation, 712 participants reported the frequency that they experienced these reasons on a novel No Sex Despite Desire measure. Every reason that evidenced discernible gender differences was endorsed more by women. These items were largely concentrated in the factors that emerged of Personal Insecurities (negative emotions or self-evaluations surrounding the act) and Principled Concerns (values and morals preventing sex to occur). However, women and men did not discernibly differ on the Partner Issues factor (perceiving issues with potential partner). These factors also differentially related to sexual and personality variables. Principled Concerns negatively related to sociosexuality for men and women and to less acceptance of sexual double standards for men. Partner Issues positively correlated with sociosexuality and sexual guilt for women. Principled Concerns related to issues of sexual functioning for women, whereas Personal Insecurities related to issues of sexual functioning for men. Finally, Personal Insecurities was related to Neuroticism for both men and women. Based on our research, the desire to refrain from sex despite desire seems multifaceted and highly related to gender.


Radiopharmaceuticals emitting Auger electrons are often injected into patients undergoing cancer treatment with targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT). In this type of radiotherapy, the radiation source is radial and most of the emitted primary particles are low-energy electrons (LEEs) having kinetic energies distributed mostly from zero to a few hundred electron volts with very short ranges in biological media. These LEEs generate a high density of energy deposits and clustered damage, thus offering a relative biological effectiveness comparable to that of alpha particles. In this paper, we present a simple model and corresponding measurements to assess the energy deposited near the site of the radiopharmaceuticals in TRT. As an example, a calculation is performed for the decay of a single 125I radionuclide surrounded by a 1-nm-radius spherical shell of cytosine molecules using the energy spectrum of LEEs emitted by 125I along with their stopping cross sections between 0 and 18 eV. The dose absorbed by the cytosine shell, which occupies a volume of 4 nm3, is extremely high. It amounts to 79 kGy per decay of which 3%, 39%, and 58% is attributed to vibrational excitations, electronic excitations, and ionization processes, respectively.


The broad emission lines (BELs) of quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are important diagnostics of the relative abundances and overall metallicity in the gas. Here we present new theoretical predictions for several UV BELs. We focus specifically on the relative nitrogen abundance as a metallicity indicator, based on the expected secondary enrichment of nitrogen at metallicities Z ≳ 0.2 Z☉. Among the lines we consider, N III] λ1750/O III] λ1664, N V λ1240/(C IV λ1549 + O VI λ1034), and N V/He II λ1640 are the most robust diagnostics. We argue, in particular, that the average N V BEL is not dominated by scattered Lyα photons from a broad absorption-line wind. We then compare our calculated line ratios with observations from the literature. The results support earlier claims that the gas-phase metallicities near quasars are typically near or several times above the solar value. We conclude that quasar activity is preceded by, or coeval with, an episode of rapid and extensive star formation in the surrounding galactic (or protogalactic) nuclei. Chemical evolution models of these environments suggest that, to reach Z ≳ Z☉ in well-mixed interstellar gas, the star formation must have begun ≳108 yr before the observed quasar activity.


Exercise produces changes in circulating levels of potassium and free fatty acids which may provoke arrhythmias in patients with coronary artery disease. Twenty patients participating in 6 weeks of training were studied; 9 of these patients took part in 4 more weeks of training and a third exercise test. After 6 weeks, potassium levels were higher at submaximal levels of exercise, free fatty acid levels were reduced at rest, and at 5, 15, and at 30 min post-exercise. Norepinephrine levels were reduced at submaximal work loads after 6 weeks and increased at maximal work loads. The extra 4 weeks had no additive effect on these metabolic changes. Participation by coronary artery disease patients in a short-term, moderate intensity, exercise training program increases potassium levels at submaximal work loads and reduces levels of free fatty acids at rest and after exercise. The arrhythmogenic relevance of these findings deserves further consideration.


The hill of Ramtek (21°.28´N, 79°.28´E), c. 45 km. NE of Nagpur (Maharashtra), merits special attention because it appears to be one of the very few places in India where an uninterrupted historical development from the fourth century A.D. to the present day can be investigated through a series of archaeological monuments which, although partly restored or built over in later periods, seem never to have been exposed to destructive and iconoclastic forces. From at least the fifth century onwards the hill, also known as Rāmagiri, Sindūragiri, or Tapamgiri (Tapogiri), served as a regional centre of religious activity and probably, also had a more secular function as an outstanding strategic base controlling the highway that connected, and still connects, the central and eastern part of the basin of the Ganges with the northern Deccan. This could possibly explain, at least in part, why the religious structures on top of the hill have attracted the attention and care of the rulers of the area from a very early date.


Recent studies have shown that C-reactive proteins have a pathogenetic role in atherothrombosis and concentrations of these substances could be used as a marker for future vascular events. The objective of this study was to determine gender differences in highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in individuals with atherothrombotic risk factors and apparently healthy ones. We have presently matched 469 females and 469 males having the same age and body mass index (BMI). Of these, 210 men and 210 women had no atherothrombotic risk factors. In this group the hs-CRP concentrations were 1.6±3.4 mg l−1 in women and 1.0±2.7 mg l−1 in men (p<0.0005). These values were 2.1±3.4 mg l−1 and 1.5±2.8 mg l−1, respectively, in the entire cohort (p<0.0005), which included also individuals with atherothrombotic risk factors. We conclude that significant gender differences exist in hs-CRP concentrations despite perfect matching for age and BMI. These differences should be reflected in guidelines that suggest hs-CRP cut-off points for the stratification of vascular risk.


We investigate the stability of an Fermi ball(F-ball) within the next-to-leading order approximation in the thin wall expansion. We find out that an F-ball is unstable in case that it is electrically neutral. We then find out that an electrically charged F-ball is metastable in some parameter range. We lastly discuss the allowed region of parameters of an F-ball, taking into account the stability of an F-ball and results of experiments.


The process of finding molecules that bind to a target protein is a challenging first step in drug discovery. Crystallographic fragment screening is a strategy based on elucidating binding modes of small polar compounds and then building potency by expanding or merging them. Recent advances in high-throughput crystallography enable screening of large fragment libraries, reading out dense ensembles of fragments spanning the binding site. However, fragments typically have low affinity thus the road to potency is often long and fraught with false starts. Here, we take advantage of high-throughput crystallography to reframe fragment-based hit discovery as a denoising problem – identifying significant pharmacophore distributions from a fragment ensemble amid noise due to weak binders – and employ an unsupervised machine learning method to tackle this problem. Our method screens potential molecules by evaluating whether they recapitulate those fragment-derived pharmacophore distributions. We retrospectively validated our approach on an open science campaign against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), showing that our method can distinguish active compounds from inactive ones using only structural data of fragment-protein complexes, without any activity data. Further, we prospectively found novel hits for Mpro and the Mac1 domain of SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 3. More broadly, our results demonstrate how unsupervised machine learning helps interpret high throughput crystallography data to rapidly discover of potent chemical modulators of protein function.


Literature shows incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in bricklaying workers as well as the relevance of good designed hand-held tools in musculoskeletal disorders prevention. In this framework, it can be supposed that providing usable hand-held tools and material in construction worksites will help to improve bricklayers' working conditions. Here a study is presented aimed at framing a methodology for usability assessment of bricklayers handled objects, in order to provide employers with practical indicators for choosing tools and materials best fitting workers needs, under the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction perspective. On the basis of a task analysis, usability requirements for bricklaying hand-held tools and materials have been detailed and related, quantitative and qualitative, technical specifications have been elicited. Theoretical framework and usability assessment methodology are presented and, finally, findings from a field application are discussed.


A short-term oral administration of live Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, strain Sillix Hansen DSM 1883, resulted in enhanced resistance of mice toward infections with K. pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes A produced by intranasal inoculation. Yeast pre-treatment also increased the efficacy of antibiotic therapy in bacterial infections and of antiviral drugs in viral infections. Yeast treatment of animals stimulated phagocytosis, activated the complement system and induced interferon which are likely to represent the main mechanisms of action whereby pretreatment of mice with live S. cerevisiae cells increases resistance to infection. It is concluded that preventive administration of live Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells should be used for increasing resistance to bacterial infections, in particular of the respiratory tract, or to viral infections, as well as an adjunct to antibiotic and antiviral drug therapy.


Distribution of type I and type III collagens, glycosaminoglycans and non-collagenous glycoprotein(s) in calf skin has been investigated in five horizontally sliced layers of 250 microns thickness from the surface to the bottom. The upper dermis (the top three layers) consisting of fine collagen fibers had a higher ratio of hyaluronic acid/dermatan sulfate than the lower layers where coarse collagen fibers are mainly located. The ratios of total glycosaminoglycans/collagen and glycoprotein(s) collagen were higher in the upper dermis, while dermatan sulfate/collagen remained constant throughout the dermis. Relative content of type III collagen/total collagen (type I + III collagens) was also higher in the upper dermis. Possible involvement of these macromolecular constituents in collagen fibrillogenesis in vivo is also discussed.


alternative to CBT (e.g., Levinson 2000). Standard DRT employs grammar principles for the processing of anaphoric relations that closely resemble the ones found in the proposal (i.e., Merge, "referent identity"; see Kamp and Reyle 1993, ch. 1). Therefore, one may speculate that DRT could also offer a semantic counterpart that can capture intraand inter-sentential phenomena under one theoretical apparatus. This could hold as long as syntactic considerations could be extended to the discourse level (e.g., A-binding conditions). Speculations aside, the book offers a theoretical apparatus that will certainly influence our thinking about anaphors, and grammatical processes, for the foreseeable future. As such, it represents crucial reading in this area.


We extend the study of doppelsemigroups and introduce the notion of an ordered doppelsemigroup. We construct the ordered doppelsemigroup of binary relations on an arbitrary set and prove that every ordered doppelsemigroup is isomorphic to some ordered doppelsemigroup of binary relations. In particular, we obtain an analogue of Cayley's theorem for semigroups in the class of doppelsemigroups. We also describe the representations of ordered doppelsemigroups by binary transitive relations.


Overweight and obesity are risk factors for several co-morbidities reducing life expectancy. Conservative treatment of obesity is generally ineffective in the long-term. Bariatric surgery has proven effective, but is associated with potential complications. Duodenal-jejunal bypass sleeve is a novel minimal invasive and fully reversible endoscopic treatment modality approved for treatment of obesity with or without concomitant type 2 diabetes. Here we review present data for the efficacy and safety of this treatment modality.


Recent social science scholarship has argued that poverty is increasingly discussed as a problem that can have medical or psychological causes and could be tackled through therapeutic and health-related interventions. The aim of this study is to investigate if such a trend towards the
 medicalisation and psychologisation of poverty is present in the scientific poverty discourse. We analysed 13,553 articles on poverty in advanced, industrialised countries published between 1956 and 2017 and indexed in Web of Science. The results show that health sciences and psychology have
 been the fastest-growing research areas and the individual disciplines with currently the largest publication output on poverty.


Abstract : This document is the first of two that describe a needs-generation and evaluation methodology that was developed and implemented in support of the Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). This document presents the general methodology that was developed; its companion document "The Incubator Process: Implementation Experience for a Proposed Follow-on to the MOUT ACTD" (IDA-D-2778) describes this methodology through the experience of one specific application. The Incubator Process was born out of the MOUT ACTD program's desire to perform the necessary groundwork for the successful launch of a proposed, urban operations-focused, follow-on program. The MOUT ACTD had been organized on the basis of requirements identified by a group of warfighters with operational experience relevant to that program. Some recognized, however, that the program's technology search had been constrained from the beginning because some requirements had been rather narrowly defined. Having learned from this experience, the proposed follow-on effort to the MOUT ACTD intended to adopt a needs-based approach. It is the preliminary stage of such a needs-based approach that began to be referred to as the Incubator Process or, simply, Incubator. Incubator provides a methodology for identifying focal areas for that program's technology search, and enables the development of support tools for data collection and the assessment of capabilities identified for each need, It is intended as a process for identifying, developing, and evaluating warfighter needs and capabilities in advance of or at least during the very early stages of a science and technology program. This needs-based approach involves a four-layer devolution of a warfighter need in order to identify and evaluate specific capabilities, technical solutions, and technical approaches that address that need. (2 figures)


This article explores stakeholders' perceptions of the quality of occupational health service (OHS) delivery in South Africa. Using a purposive sampling technique, 11 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in three provinces. Focus group participants (n = 69) were recruited through professional organizations of occupational physicians and occupational health nurses as well as employer representatives of major industries in South Africa. Transcriptions of FGDs were analyzed using thematic content analysis. South Africa has diverse models of OHS delivery with varying quality. Focus group participants criticized the outsourced model of service delivery and the excessive focus on physical examinations to achieve legal compliance. These problems are exacerbated by a perceived lack of employer emphasis on occupational health, insufficient human and financial resources, and lack of specific quality of care standards for occupational health. Improvement in the quality of OHS delivery is essential to realize South Africa's quest for universal health coverage.


The presentation gives the results of the capacity- and workload-oriented real time simulations on the Radar Simulator ATMOS at DLR-Braunschweig for the 'dual threshold' approach procedure on a parallel runway system. Dedicated computerized planning support for the controllers and additionally simultaneous use of the runway system for departures is
considered in the simulations.


The electromechanical coupling factor k is obtained by measurements of resonance and antiresonance frequencies in the admittance-frequency characteristics. However it is known that sample shape influences the admittance-frequency characteristics. In this work, the effects of the sample shape on the measurement were analysed by the finite-element method. As a result, it was confirmed that in the transverse expansion mode, (31) mode, of a rectangular plate, a sample shape for which the length (direction of vibration) was more than 5 times the width was appropriate for measurements. On the other hand, in the longitudinal expansion mode, (33) mode, of a bar, a sample shape for which the length was more than 1.6 times the diameter was appropriate for measurements.


The impact of nutrition area on Thymus vulgaris L. accumulation of essential oils in dry raw materials (Thymiherba) was studied and described in the article. Four schemes of cultivation were chosen to be studied: 45×40 cm — 56 thousand plants/ha, 45×30 cm — 74 thousand plants/ha, 45×20 cm — 111 thousand plants/ ha, 45×10 cm — 222 thousand plants/ha. It was shown that the increase of nutrition area helped to increase the content of essential oils in dry raw materials. Dry thyme grass with the highest content of essential oil 21.3 ml/kg was obtained when variants with the largest plant nutrition area were applied (the schemes of cultivation 45×40 cm — 56 thousand plants/ha). Reduction of the nutrition area decreased the essential oil content. According to the scheme of cultivation 45×30 cm (74 thousand plants/ha) content decreased to 20.8 ml/kg, and for the minimal nutrition area 45×10 cm (222 thousand plants/ha) the content of essential oil was 18.5 ml/kg. It was confirmed that main part of the essential oil in the raw thyme is contained in leaves, flowers and small sprouts. At the same time the woody stems contain essential oil only in trace amounts. According to the cultivation scheme 45x10 cm (222 thousand plants/ha) the leaves contained 34.2 ml/kg of essential oil, when the stems only 2.1 ml/kg. When the area of plant nutrition was increased the quality of raw materials slightly improved — for the scheme of cultivation 45x30 cm (74 thousand plants/ha) leaves contained 35.9 ml/kg, stems — 2.1 ml/kg of essential oil. The content of essential oil in the leaves was the highest — 36.2 ml/kg while using the scheme with maximum researched plant nutrition area 45×40 cm (56 thousand plants / ha). The efficiency of four norms of basic mineral fertilizers application was investigated: N0P0K0, N60P60K60, N120P120K120 and N180P180K180. It was found that increasing the rate of fertilizer application increased the yield of dry raw thyme and the content of essential oil. The most effective rate of fertilizer application is N180P180K180, which provided a dry leaves yield of 2.48 t/ha with an essential oil content of 38.2 ml/ha.The results showed that with the increase of the number of plants per unit area, the share of leaves in the total mass of raw materials decreased from 52.3% to 45.1%, but due to a significant increase in plantation productivity, dry leaf yields increased. The highest productivity was recorded for the variant of cultivation schemes 45×10 cm with a planting density of 222 thousand plants/ha, where the yield of dried thyme leaves was 1.52 t/ha.


OBJECTIVES: Evaluating local trends and continued monitoring of patterns of acute poisoning are essential for prompt recognition of the toxidromes, the establishment of immediate treatment facilities (e.g., antidote availability), and effective preventive strategies (e.g., governmental regulation on hazardous substances marketing). We aimed to describe the prevalence of the various types of poisoning and associated case fatality in our academic hospital in North India. METHODS: A prospective observational descriptive study was conducted, enrolling patients aged ≥13 years with acute poisoning for 17 months from December 2016 to December 2017 and from September 2019 to December 2019, for a total of 17 months. RESULTS: Four hundred and two patients were enrolled (median age 28 years; 63.2% males). Majority of the acute poisoning cases resulted from ingestion (n = 391, 97.3%) and the primary intention was most commonly self-harm (n = 314, 78.1%). The major types of poisoning were pesticide (n = 264, 65.7%), drug overdose (n = 77, 19.2%), and corrosive ingestion (n = 31, 7.7%). Pesticides included insecticides (n = 146, 36.3%; cholinesterase inhibitors, n = 91), fungicides (n = 76, 18.9%; all aluminum phosphide), herbicides (n = 22, 5.5%; paraquat, n = 19), and rodenticides (n = 20, 5.0%; coumarin-derived substances, n = 12). Benzodiazepines (n = 33) and opioids (n = 25) were frequent causes of drug overdose. 95.3% (n = 379) received preliminary treatment at the previous health-care center, including gastric lavage (n = 239) and antidotes (n = 73). In-hospital case fatality rate was 17.3% (n = 58). CONCLUSION: Herbicide ingestion and opioid overdose are emerging threats with a gradual decline in organophosphate and aluminum phosphide poisoning. Despite improving management of acute poisoning, the overall case fatality rate remains substantial.


The following methods were used to determine the effect of large amounts of antigen in the eliciting of anaphylactic reactions: a) anaphylactic contraction of strips of ileum passively sensitized in vitro; b) liberation of histamine by slices of guinea pig lungs passively sensitized in vitro; and c) passive anaphylactic shock in mice. Rabbit anti-ovalbumin or anti-bovine serum albumin was used in the studies of isolated tissues, and mouse anti-ovalbumin was used for passive sensitization of mice. These three types of anaphylactic reaction could be specifically inhibited when a large quantity of antigen was used as the eliciting dose. The eliciting dose of antigen (ovalbumin, bovine serum albumin) was 1000 to 10,000 times higher than the minimal amount of antigen necessary to produce a maximal anaphylactic reaction or fatal anaphylactic shock. In this inhibition of anaphylactic reactions by excess of antigen, the larger the quantity of antibody used for passive sensitization, the greater the dose of the antigen necessary for inhibition.


With the aim of measuring preschool children temperament, EASI temperament Survey has been applied. Preschool teachers (N=192), all female, rated a total of N=3275 children (1612 girls and 1639 boys) with mean age M 4.368 (SD=1.482) within age range between 7 months and 7.7 years. Validation for the instrument was run. Factor analysis on principal components with Oblimin rotation and reliability analysis were performed on data based on preschool teachers' ratings. Three-factor solution has been determined: Emotionality, Activity and Sociability, which have explained 57.427% variance. As it was expected, impulsivity component was not replicated. Subscales inter-correlations and gender and age differences confirmed results from prior research. Overall, the findings were discussed within the frame of preschool children temperament development and variables related to the characteristics of observers. Several significant implications for preschool teachers practice and the quality of educational process have been emphasized


Diffusion of implanted As ion in relaxed Si1-xGex was studied as a function of Ge content over a wide range of Ge fractions (0-43%) and annealing temperature, and was compared to diffusion in Si. Experimental results showed that the As diffusion is enhanced with increasing annealing temperature for certain Ge content and strongly dependent on the higher Ge content and the faster As diffusion.


Distance measurement using frequency sweeping interferometry is an absolute distance measurement technique that allows for high accuracy over long distances. Notwithstanding, the measurement accuracy is affected by laser sweeping nonlinearity and limited sweeping range. In this work, an optimized post-processing linearization method is demonstrated to realize high-accuracy arbitrary distance measurement using a laser with small modulation range. The interference signal is sparsely resampled to eliminate the influence of the sweeping nonlinearity, and the absolute distance is obtained by analyzing the phase of the resampled signal. In the measurement system, a high-finesse Fabry–Pérot cavity placed in vacuum is used as the measurement reference, so the effect of dispersion mismatch is negligible. Moreover, the distance measurement result is determined by the linear fit of the phase of each resampled point. Therefore, the influence of target vibration and other external random noise can be partially eliminated, and the reliability of the result is high. In the experiment, the sweeping range of the laser source is only 88 GHz. Comparing with a fringe-counting interferometer, the standard deviation of the residual errors is 34 µm within a distance of 6.7 m.


Denim industry, the products of which are largely used in textile clothing, is an important subsector of the textile industry. Today, the industry is facing many criticisms due to huge amount of energy consumption, water consumption and hazardous nature of various chemicals being used throughout the vertical channel right from raw material extraction till disposal phase and disturbing the eco system. In spite of environmental concern, the trend indicates that the worldwide demand of denim products over the last few decades has increased tremendously. Considering the global jeans production estimated to be more than 3.5 billion unit per annum, the extent of environmental damage caused by this industry is quite evident. Hence the question of sustainable production arises in denim industry. Keeping this in view, denim fabric produced by handloom weaving is evaluated. The effect of using hand spun yarn as the weft of fabric and impact of handloom weaving on denim fabric is considered. It is found that higher stretchability, better crease recovery, lower flexural rigidity, lesser tensile and tear strength for handloom denim using hand spun yarn in weft direction when compared with industrial denim fabric.


In this study, a systematical technique has been developed to experimentally and numerically evaluate the displacement efficiency in heavy oil reservoirs with enzyme under different conditions. First, dynamic interfacial tensions (IFTs) between enzyme solution and heavy oil are measured with a pendant-drop tensiometer, while effects of pressure, temperature, enzyme concentration, and contact time of enzyme and heavy oil on equilibrium IFT were systematically examined and analyzed. After waterflooding, enzyme flooding was carried out in sandpacks to evaluate its potential to enhance heavy oil recovery at high water-cut stage. Numerical simulation was then performed to identify the underlying mechanisms accounting for the enzyme flooding performance. Subsequently, a total of 18 scenarios were designed to simulate and examine effects of the injection modes and temperature on oil recovery. Except for pressure, temperature, enzyme concentration, and contact time are found to impose a great impact on the equilibrium IFTs, i.e., a high temperature, a high enzyme concentration, and a long contact time reduce the equilibrium IFTs. All three enzyme flooding tests with different enzyme concentrations show the superior recovery performance in comparison to that of pure waterflooding. In addition to the IFT reduction, modification of relative permeability curves is found to be the main reason responsible for further mobilizing the residual heavy oil. A large slug size of enzyme solution usually leads to a high recovery factor, although its incremental oil production is gradually decreased. In addition, temperature is found to have a great effect on the recovery factor of enzyme flooding likely owing to reduction of both oil viscosity and IFT.


Background: In the rat brain, context information is thought to engage network interactions between the postrhinal cortex, medial entorhinal cortex, and the hippocampus. In contrast, object information is thought to be more reliant on perirhinal cortex and lateral entorhinal cortex interactions with the hippocampus. Method: The 'context network' was explored by mapping expression of the immediate-early gene, c-fos, after exposure to a new spatial environment. Results: Structural equation modelling of Fos counts produced networks of good fit that closely matched prior predictions based on anatomically grounded functional models. These same models did not, however, fit the Fos data from home-cage controls nor did they fit the corresponding data from a previous study exploring object recognition. These additional analyses highlight the specificity of the context network. The home-cage controls, meanwhile, showed raised levels of inter-area Fos correlations between the many sites examined, that is, their changes in Fos levels lacked anatomical specificity. A total of two additional groups of rats received perirhinal cortex lesions. While the loss of perirhinal cortex reduced lateral entorhinal c-fos expression, it did not affect mean levels of hippocampal c-fos expression. Similarly, overall c-fos expression in the prelimbic cortex, retrosplenial cortex, and nucleus reuniens of the thalamus appeared unaffected by the perirhinal cortex lesions. Conclusion: The perirhinal cortex lesions disrupted network interactions involving the medial entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus, highlighting ways in which perirhinal cortex might affect specific aspects of context learning.


The effect of self-gravity on protoplanetary disks is investigated. The mechanisms of angular momentum transport and energy dissipation are assumed to be the viscosity due to turbulence in the accretion disk. The energy equation is considered in a situation where the released energy by viscosity dissipation is balanced with cooling processes. The viscosity is obtained by equality of dissipation and cooling functions, and is used to derive the angular momentum equation. The cooling rate of the flow is calculated by a prescription, du/dt = −u/τcool, where u and τcool are the internal energy and cooling timescale, respectively. The ratio of local cooling to dynamical timescales Ωτcool is assumed to be a constant and also a function of the local temperature. The solutions for protoplanetary disks show that in the case of Ωτcool = constant, the disk does not exhibit any gravitational instability over small radii for a typical mass accretion rate, Ṁ = 10−6 M⊙ yr−1, but when choosing Ωτcool to be a function of temperature, gravitational instability can occur for this value of mass accretion rate or even less in small radii. Also, by studying the viscosity parameter α, we find that the strength of turbulence in the inner part of self-gravitating protoplanetary disks is very low. These results are qualitatively consistent with direct numerical simulations of protoplanetary disks. Also, in the case of cooling with temperature dependence, the effect of physical parameters on the structure of the disk is investigated. These solutions demonstrate that disk thickness and the Toomre parameter decrease by adding the ratio of disk mass to central object mass. However, the disk thickness and the Toomre parameter increase by adding mass accretion rate. Furthermore, for typical input parameters such as mass accretion rate 10−6M⊙ yr−1, the ratio of the specific heat γ = 5/3 and the ratio of disk mass to central object mass q = 0.1, gravitational instability can occur over the whole radius of the disk excluding the region very near the central object.


Integrase inhibitors (INIs) are an important class of drugs for treating HIV-2 infection, given the limited number of drugs active against this virus. While the clinical efficacy of raltegravir and dolutegravir is well established, the clinical efficacy of bictegravir for treating HIV-2 infected patients has not been determined. Little information is available regarding the activity of bictegravir against HIV-2 isolates from patients failing raltegravir-based therapy. In this study, we examined the phenotypic and matched genotypic susceptibility of HIV-2 primary isolates from raltegravir-naïve and raltegravir-failing patients to raltegravir, dolutegravir, and bictegravir, and to the new spiro-β-lactam BSS-730A. The instantaneous inhibitory potential (IIP) was calculated to help predict the clinical activity of bictegravir and BSS-730A. Isolates from raltegravir-naïve patients were highly sensitive to all INIs and BSS-730A. Combined integrase mutations E92A and Q148K conferred high-level resistance to raltegravir, and E92Q and T97A conferred resistance to raltegravir and dolutegravir. The antiviral activity of bictegravir and BSS-730A was not affected by these mutations. BSS-730A displayed strong antiviral synergism with raltegravir. Mean IIP values at Cmax were similar for all INIs and were not significantly affected by resistance mutations. IIP values were significantly higher for BSS-730A than for INIs. The high IIP values of bictegravir and BSS-730A for raltegravir-naïve and raltegravir-resistant HIV-2 isolates highlight their potential value for treating HIV-2 infection. Overall, the results are consistent with the high clinical efficacy of raltegravir and dolutegravir for HIV-2 infection and suggest a promising clinical profile for bictegravir and BSS-730A.


This paper outlines a study and technology that teleports the knowledge and skills of doctors when and where they are needed resulting in a reduction of costs by reducing the number of patients who must be transported from remote areas to cities where specialists are located. Rapid access to specialists' expertise results in lowered risk of death or permanent damage which requires lifelong treatment and monitoring. The technology presented in this paper has the potential to replace and/or supplement existing telemedicine systems costing in excess of $25,000 with a laptop, a $150 Kinect, an Azure connection, and an Office 365 account. The Kinect allows doctors to control the system without breaking the sterile field via hand gestures and voice commands with a goal of reducing the direct cost of healthcare associated infections to hospitals and patients in the USA currently ranging from $28.4 to $33.8 billion annually.


MarR is the dedicated autorepressor of the marRAB operon found in seven genera of the Enterobacteraceae. The MarA transcriptional regulator directly activates numerous genes involved in multidrug resistance and other environmental responses. MarR is inactivated by certain phenolic ligands, such as salicylate, by an unknown mechanism. Our recent work has shown that several amino acid residues of Escherichia coli MarR affecting ligand binding are located between the dimerization and DNA-binding domains. To further characterize the ligand-binding region of MarR, we have now examined 7 point mutants generated by random mutagenesis and 11 site-directed alanine replacement mutants for inactivation by three ligands: salicylate, 2,4-dinitrophenol, and plumbagin. Inactivation of MarR was quantitated in intact cells by loss of MarR-mediated repression of a chromosomal mar-lacZ transcriptional fusion. The results showed that most of the residues important for ligand effectiveness lay in the α1 and α2 helices of MarR, between the putative DNA-binding domain and the dimerization domain of MarR, reinforcing our earlier findings. Moreover, the three ligands had different, but overlapping, sets of residues impacting their effects on MarR.


The formulation of the local BRST cohomology on infinite jet bundles and its relation and reduction to gauge covariant algebras are reviewed. As an illustration, we compute the local BRST cohomology for geodesic motion in (pseudo-) Riemannian manifolds and discuss briefly the result (symmetries, constants of the motion, consistent deformations).


Glass scintillators can be doped with different elements to improve their luminescence properties. In this study, we present 0.5 wt% Ce3+-doped (58−x)SiO2-4MgO-18Al2O3-20Li2O and (58−x)SiO2- 4MgO-18Al2O3-20LiF glass scintillators. We used a pulsed laser to measure the laser-induced emission spectrum and the decay time with decreasing temperature from 300 K to 10 K. The light intensity of both glass samples increased with decreasing temperature from 300 K to 10 K. Additionally, the two glass samples exhibited a fast decay time of approximately 25 ns. In the photo-induced spectrum, an excitation peak at 312 nm and two emission peaks, at 370 nm and 700 nm, were observed in both the glass samples. The X-ray-induced emission intensity of former is approximately six times higher than that of latter, and only former glass sample exhibits a proton-induced emission spectrum.


Background: Research has found that social interaction and the perception of support increases satisfaction. Identifying best practices can give organizations a tool to help avoid isolation in telework employees. The purpose of this research is to identify the best practices for avoiding social and organizational isolation within telework employees. The question guiding this research is: What best practices can organizations implement to preclude telework or remote employees from social and organizational isolation? This paper will review the existing literature via a systematic literature review to explore the best practices for avoiding social and organizational isolation with telework employees to ensure that the telework arrangement is most effective for the employee and employer. This will enable the organization to implement a successful telework program and ensure positive organizational outcomes. Method of Inquiry: The method of inquiry is a Qualitative Systematic Literature Review Data Collection Method: Articles were identified via bibliographic library search and snowball method from a focus article. Data Analysis Method: Data was extracted using thematic coding in 2 cycles via Excel to extract relevant themes from 20 articles chosen. Results: Providing face to face interactions, inclusion in information exchange, and leaders with specialized training will give telework programs some of the tools necessary for avoiding social and organizational isolation among their telework employees. Conclusions: Social and organizational isolation can be avoided or at least minimized by implementing best practices like providing face to face interactions, inclusion in information exchange, and leaders with specialized training.


We have calculated the frequencies and local mode densities for phonons in (001) Mo/W/Mo and W/Mo/W sandwiches by means of the surface Green function matching method. A force constant model including two-body and three-body interactions up to third neighbours, which gives a reasonably accurate description of the bulk dispersion relations, has been employed. The influence of the thickness of the sandwich material on the frequencies and localization of the phonons is studies.


Our immune system is an amazingly complex system that is ill-defined anatomically but relatively well-defined physiologically. The fact is that we still don't have a thorough knowledge of this important body system. Our Immune system is capable of defending ourselves against invading pathogens; removing old, worn out or damaged body cells; identifying and destroying the foreign cells; identifying and destroying the abnormal, infected, mutant and cancer cells. The immune system, anatomically, consists of white blood cells (WBCs), tissue cells derived from WBCs, the thymus, the bone marrow, the lymph nodes and the lymph vessels. Antibodies, interferon, and complement system are the chemical weapons and the cytokines are the major communicating chemicals of the immune system. Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL) in our immune system are the most potent killers of foreign cells. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (also called T-effecter cells, Teff or TC) and the Natural Killer (NK) Lymphocytes can recognize and destroy the cancer cells.
The future of cancer immunotherapy seems to be a promising one because of a number of latest discoveries and new techniques. The reason why cancer immunotherapy is not yet in widespread use is that we still have gaps in our knowledge about the human immune system. Latest studies are examining the possibility to use immunotherapy in conjunction with radiation and chemotherapy to increase the effectiveness of patient responses. Researchers can now reproduce natural body products that can be used as drugs in the treatment of many diseases, including cancer. Some of the modern techniques that are used to achieve this miraculous success are development of monoclonal antibodies, genetic engineering and hybridoma technology.


BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of stress tolerance from heat shock preconditioning on changes in mitochondrial functions during ischemia-reperfusion injury of the liver.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Rats were divided into a heat shock group (group HS) and a control group (group C). In group HS, rats received heat shock pretreatment 48 h prior to ischemia-reperfusion. Heat shock pretreatment was performed in a water bath at 42 degrees C for 15 min under general anesthesia. In group C, the same treatment was done with the water bath at 37 degrees C instead of at 42 degrees C. A 30-min warm ischemia by cramping the hepatoduodinal ligament (Pringle's maneuver) followed by a 60-min reperfusion was administered to all rats. Changes in membrane potential of hepatic mitochondria (MPM); mitochondrial respiratory function before ischemia (n = 5), after ischemia (n = 10), and after reperfusion (n = 10); and ATP recovery after reperfusion were compared between the groups.

RESULTS
After a 30-min ischemia, MPM in group C decreased significantly and did not recover even after reperfusion. On the other hand, MPM in group HS was maintained even after a 30-min ischemia and 60 min into reperfusion as well. The respiratory control ratio (RCR) of the mitochondria in group C decreased to as low as 5.06 +/- 0.72 after a 30-min ischemia, but in group HS, RCR was maintained near a normal level. The ATP level recovered significantly earlier in group HS than in group C after reperfusion.

CONCLUSIONS
Heat shock preconditioning of the liver protected mitochondria from loss of membrane integrity during ischemia and contributed to their ability to produce energy-rich phosphates during reperfusion.


The analytic continuation to an imaginary velocity of the canonical partition function of a thermal system expressed in a moving frame has a natural implementation in the Euclidean path-integral formulation in terms of shifted boundary conditions. The Poincare invariance underlying a relativistic theory implies a dependence of the free-energy on the compact length L0 and the shift ξ only through the combination β = L0(1 + ξ )1/2. This in turn implies that the energy and the momentum distributions of the thermal theory are related, a fact which is encoded in a set of Ward identities among the correlators of the energy-momentum tensor. The latter have interesting applications in lattice field theory: they offer novel ways to compute thermodynamic potentials, and a set of identities to renormalize non-perturbatively the energy-momentum tensor. At fixed bare parameters the shifted boundary conditions also provide a simple method to vary the temperature in much smaller steps than with the standard procedure.