I. Background: What is Direct-to-Consumer Advertising? Introduction Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs is an increasingly contentious issue in Canada. Under the Food and Drugs Act (1), the pharmaceutical industry is limited to advertising prescription medications to medical intermediaries such as doctors and pharmacists. Straightforward advertising directly to the public is proscribed, with such advertisements limited to describing either the name, quantity, and price of a drug or what it is used for--but not both. Proponents of DTCA contend that Canadians have a right of access to health information that is denied under the current ban. In this paper, I will argue that the prohibition on DTCA could be successfully challenged under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (2), on the grounds that it represents a violation of the guaranteed right to freedom of expression under s. 2(b). I will further suggest that the relevant jurisprudence indicates that this limitation on expression would likely fail an attempt at justification under s. 1. What is the status of DTCA under Canadian law? Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs involves the promotion of medications by the pharmaceutical industry to the public via the media. Any advertising related to food or drugs is regulated in Canada by the FDA, which was enacted in 1953. In s. 3(1), it is stipulated that "No person shall advertise any food, drug, cosmetic or device to the general public as a treatment, preventative or cure for any of the diseases, disorders or abnormal physical states referred to in Schedule A". The effect of the American stance on DTCA on Canada Advertising is defined broadly in s. 2 of the FDA as "any representation by any means whatever for the purposes of promoting directly or indirectly the sale or disposal of any food, drug cosmetic, or device". Health Canada, the government body responsible for the enforcement of FDA regulations, therefore restricts any prescription drug advertising to two types of advertisements: "Branded" or "Reminder" advertisements, which mention the name, price, or quantity of the drug but not what it does; and "Help-seeking" advert isements, which describe the condition it treats, but not the name, price, or quantity (3). Such advertisements must be first approved by Health Canada, and are also subject to review by the Advertising Standards Board. (4) The only countries that currently permit DTCA of prescription drugs are New Zealand and the United States. (5) In the United States, television commercials for prescription medications may name both the product and the disease, so long as viewers are provided with information concerning the major risks of the drug, and directed to other sources of information such as websites or toll-free numbers. (6) Canadians who watch American television, however, frequently see these ads. (7) A recent survey indicates that approximately 53% of Canadians believe that prescription drug advertising is legal, even though it is not--a fact that is likely due to the media spill over from the United States. (8) Moreover, commercials coming from the United States are largely unregulated--the American Food and Drug Administration does not require the pre-clearance of such ads before they are released. (9) Canadian advocate groups such as the Alliance for Access to Medical Information thus argue that a Canadian solution that gives consumers access to "balanced, accurate, and regulated information" is critical. (10) DTCA: Critics vs. Advocates There are numerous arguments advanced by both sides of the DTCA debate. Opponents of DTCA maintain that it benefits pharmaceutical companies more than patients by creating demand for particular drugs. (11) They argue that drug advertising may lead people to believe they are suffering from a certain condition when, in fact, they are not. (12) These critics also fear that patients will be prescribed drugs inappropriately because of pressure on the physician. …


Proper use of phase-controlled switching technology by controlling the making or breaking of the circuit breaker (CB) at predetermined phase angles of current or voltage can improve the service life of the CB, avoid relay protection device from mal-operation, and reduce the impact on the power grid when power equipment or load is energized or taken out. This paper proposes a novel phase-controlled switching method to address the influence of residual flux for three-phase wye winding unloaded transformers with three limbs, such as large capacitor variable frequency transformer or mine explosion-proof transformer. The optimal operation phase angle for CBs is firstly obtained via theoretical analysis. A model based on the alternative transients program/the electromagnetic transients program (ATP/EMTP) is then built to simulate the transient procedure of a power transformer during breaking and making. The simulated results confirm that the proposed switching strategy can reduce the excitation inrush current effectively when the unloaded transformers are energized. The experimental results reported in this paper are used to validate the accuracy and effectiveness of the phase-controlled switching strategy.


Photovoltaic panels generate electricity directly from sunlight, making them a favored renewable technology. Green roofs are rooftops covered with vegetation, which provide a variety of benefits, namely, reducing stormwater runoff, improving air quality, and biodiversity. Green roofs are capable of improving the efficiency of Photovoltaic panels, as shown by the recent studies. Optimal placement of Photovoltaic panels and green roofs is a challenging problem due to the complications imposed by uncertainties associated with future climate conditions, specifically due to climate change. An agent based model to optimally place Photovoltaic panels and green roofs is developed in this study. We propose a tabu search metaheuristic algorithm to solve the developed model. Then, a real-world case for a mid-sized city in the U.S. is solved as a case study for the model. We further conduct numerical analysis and provide insights.


A T T H E invitation of the Religious Council of the Louisiana State Uni*"*• versity in New Orleans, Father Mathias C. Kiemen, O. F. M., Director, Academy of American Franciscan History, spent the week of November 29December 4, 1965 as scholar in residence at the university. He gave a series of formal and informal lectures on the general theme of the Catholic Church and Latin America. Included among the topics of his talks were a comparison of the Spanish, Portuguese, and British colonial systems, and studies of the mission system in Brazil and of the influence of Pombal's reforms on clerical education in nineteenth-century Brazil.


Measurements of the velocity space distribution function of 1.2-mum-diameter alumina particles in an argon direct-current glow discharge dusty plasma are made using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. These distribution functions are then used to determine the kinetic temperature of the dust component. These measurements show that the kinetic temperature of the dust component is significantly larger than the other plasma components, such as electrons, ions, and background neutrals


Lack of access to financial services is one of the most important problems in developing countries like Turkey. Specifically, lower-income households face several financial restrictions such as lending requirements. These obstacles cause to restrict those households from the formal financial system. Gender based restrictions are also exist in those areas. Hence, the lacks of financial inclusiveness and lower-income population restrictions might also be able to increase income inequlity. Social equality would also possible to be harmed by these obstacles. As a starting point, it is important to measure the levels of financial access of specific segments in the economy. Policy makers in developing countries tend to be more aware of the importance of financial access for the society. It is known that there are various regulations to support financial access agenda such as consumer protection, financial capability, and regulation of microfinance, promotion of savings, promotion of access to finance for SMEs, and promotion of rural finance in developing countries. Policy makers are responsible to provide equal opportunities to usage of public services for all in the society. The public administration theory suggests that nobody should be excluded from using public services. In line with the theory, education and health services are the main sources to maintain social equality in the economy. Public education services contributes to lower-income households share from income distribution and their contribution to the income distribution in general. Similarly, public health services contributes to lower-income household's contribution to the labor force and whole economy. Social equity policies  suggest more direct aid to restricted areas. Hence, this would strengthen national integration. Moreover, this would help to reduce poverty line in the country. Conclusively, enhancing the social equity in the society would reduce the income differences among regions and reduce the poverty line. This paper explores the effects of access to financial services on social equality in Turkey. Conducting a survey among highschool and university students and their families, this paper tend to measure the impact of financial access on social equity. Key Words: Financial Access, Social Equality


Expansion of human activities causes dispersion of pollutants in the subsurface environment. The fate and movement of dissolved substances in soils and groundwater has generated considerable interest out of concern for the quality of the subsurface environment. Many analytical solutions for partial differential equations exist in soil science. Numerical solutions are more general, and often more difficult to verify. Because of the difficulty in obtaining analytical solutions, numerical solutions are used; the mathematical model error has to be kept as small as possible. In order to determine the model error, the examination of numerical methods through an analysis of their ability compared with analytical methods is strongly recommended. The objective of the study is to compare between numerical and analytical solution models for solute transport equation. In this study, the numerical solution calculated with the WAVE-model was compared with the analytical solution calculated with CXTFTT-model. The study scenarios were built up with the combinations of compartment depth, applied flux at the top and soil dispersivity under steady-state conditions. The simulations depend on 27 solute infiltration scenarios. The solute concentrations were calculated with the WAVE-model and the CXTFIT-model for each scenario. The WAVE-model error was evaluated with three methods: absolute average maximum error, relative average maximum error and relative average area error. The study implied that, the WAVE-model error was increasing with the increasing of the compartment depth; the WAVE-model error was decreasing with the increasing of the soil dispersivity; and the WAVE-model error was decreasing with the increasing of the flux. The study recommended using compartment depth as thin as possible to minimise the WAVE-model error. Furthermore, it will be more useful to use several numerical solution models, such as HYDRUS-2D model, to evaluate and examine the WAVE-model.


Education is considered a key vehicle for creating hope among youth. This is important not only for hope's sake, but because increased hope is thought to reduce participation in various forms of violence. But while other goals for education in mitigating participation in violence involve special programming and step-by-step theories, hope is generally presumed to emerge spontaneously via education. We investigated the relationship between education and hope through qualitative cross-national research in Nairobi, Kenya, and Karachi, Pakistan. We argue that although education can be important for fostering hope, the pathways from education to hope are neither simple, linear, nor unproblematic and that there are features of education that contribute to hope and others that detract from it. We present a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between education and hope and delineate key features through which education may cultivate or dash hopes, with important implications for both scholarship and practice.


A red‐fluorescent conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE, P2) is grafted with dense poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains via click chemistry and subsequently modified with folic acid to form a molecular brush based cellular probe (P4). P4 self‐assembles into a core–shell nanostructure in aqueous medium with an average size of 130 nm measured by laser light scattering. As compared to P2, P4 possesses not only a substantially higher quantum yield (11%), but also reduced nonspecific interactions with biomolecules in aqueous medium due to the shielding effect of PEG. In conjunction with its high photostability and low cytotoxicity, utilization of P4 as a far‐red/near‐infrared cellular probe allows for effective visualization and discrimination of MCF‐7 cancer cells from NIH‐3T3 normal cells in a high contrast, selective, and nonviral manner. This study thus demonstrates a flexible molecular brush approach to overcome the intrinsic drawbacks of CPEs for advanced bioimaging applications.


A modified solution-diffusion model was established based on Flory-Huggins thermodynamic theory and Fujita's free volume theory. This model was used for description of the mass transfer of removal benzene from dilute aqueous solutions through polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes. The effect of component concentration on the interaction parameter between components, that of the polymer membrane on the selectivity to benzene, and that of feed concentration and temperature on the permeation flux and separation factor of benzene/water through PDMS membranes were investigated. Calculated pervaporation fluxes of benzene and water were compared with the experimental results and were in good agreement with the experimental data.


Abstract The present paper describes a new analytical method exploiting a SiO2/WO3 mixed oxide as an adsorbent synthesized via sol-gel process for the preconcentration of Ni2+. This material was characterized by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, analysis of the specific surface area by Brauner, Emmett and Telle multipoint method, the average pore size and pore volume by Barrett-Joyner-Halenda method, scanning electron microscopy, and electron dispersive spectroscopy. The mixed oxide presented high surface area (710.9 m2 g−1), average pore size of 35.1 Å, and average pore volume of 0.128 cm−3 g−1. This material was used as the an adsorbent in an on-line procedure for pre-concentration of solid phase extraction, based on the adsorption of Ni2+ ions at pH 10.5 followed by elution with 1.0 mol L−1 HNO3 and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Under optimized conditions, a linear range from 10.0 to 170.0 µg L−1, an enrichment factor of 38.8-fold, and limits of detection and quantification of 4.23 µg L−1 and 14.11 µg L−1 were obtained. The precision of method, estimated as percentage of relative standard deviation of ten replicates of 30.0, 90.0 and 150.0 µg L−1 Ni2+ solutions, was lower than 4.10%. The method was employed for analysis of water samples and the accuracy was attested by addiction and recovery tests, with satisfactory recoveries (98.4–109.2%). Thus, the developed material can be successfully applied to water samples for monitoring of Ni2+ at very low levels without matrix influence.


The paper considers the possibility of using modern information technologies in the executive bodies of Moscow and the federal center in the management of wholesale food complex of a metropolis. It is noted that a necessary condition for the effective functioning of all subjects of the wholesale food market of the city, including control structures, is their complete informational provision. A complex of measures aimed at implementation of informational systems into the management of activities in an urban structure. It is proven that the introduction of an information-analytical system as a tool for solving problems of food security in Moscow accelerates and improves the handling of the food market of the city, plus the trends and prospects of its development: the volume of deliveries and sales of goods, prices, and availability of inventory from manufacturers and wholesalers etc. We present architecture of information-analytical system of wholesale food market as a spatially distributed system.


Year–round association between adult males and females is common in primates, even though internal gestation and lactation predispose males to mate–desertion in the majority of mammals. Because there is little a priori support for alternative explanations, we hypothesized that permanent male–female association in primates serves to reduce the risk of infanticide by strange males whenever females and infants are closely associated. For a phylogenetic test of this hypothesis, we reconstructed the evolution of male–female and female–infant association among primates. The results of Maddison's concentrated changes test confirmed the prediction that mother–infant association, as opposed to infant parking, and female–male association did not evolve independently. Changes in litter size and activity, in contrast, were not significantly associated with evolutionary changes in male–female association. Thus, we demonstrate a fundamental link between primate life history and social behaviour, explain the most basic type of variation in primate social organization, and propose an additional determinant of social organization that may also operate in other mammals.


The present study consisted of two parts. In part one, 14 cases were divided into an invasive infection group (4 cases) and a non-invasive infection group (10 cases). A total of 68 assays for lymphocyte responses to PHA stimulation were carried out. The invasive infection group showed a significantly suppressed lymphocyte response, which occurred during invasive infection but neither before nor after the infection. The extent of third-degree burns was statistically significant between these two groups (P less than 0.05), but no significance was found between the total body surface area burned. In part two, 18 burn patients were studied for serum immunosuppressive activity. Both invasive infection cases and non-invasive infection cases showed serum immunosuppression during the course of the study and no significant difference was found between these two groups (P greater than 0.05). It is concluded that the extent of third-degree burn and the complicated systemic infection contribute to the impairment of lymphocyte responses to PHA stimulation, while the post-burn serum immunosuppression is unrelated to the occurrence of systemic infection.


Oxyradical overload disease develops in conditions involving chronic inflammation and may be of inherited etiology, e.g. haemochromatosis and Wilson disease, be acquired, e.g. infection with hepatitis B or C virus or Helicobactor pylori, or be chemically induced, e.g. acid reflux in Barrett oesophagus. Susceptibility to cancer is frequently a pathological consequence of extensive oxyradical damage that leads to a cycle of cell death and regeneration and causes mutations in cancer-related genes. In this brief review, we focus on the possible interactive effects of nitric oxide and the p53 tumour suppressor gene in human carcinogenesis.


This study aimed to identify patient characteristics associated with the effectiveness of albiglutide in preventing MACE among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the HARMONY trial. The HARMONY trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of albiglutide in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in 9,463 individuals with T2D. We used the causal forest (CF) and causal tree (CT) algorithm to identify participant characteristics that modulate the effectiveness of albiglutide in preventing MACE from a list of 16 candidate variables (demographics, disease histories, medications, and biomarkers) at the study baseline. A computer-driven approach identified that study participants with baseline A1c level above 8.0% (absolute risk change (ARC) : -2.77%, 95% confidence interval [-4.21% to -1.28%]; relative risk (RR) : 0.74 [0.62 to 0.87]) , or diabetes duration less than 15 years (ARC: -2.55% [ -3.85% to -1.04%]; RR: 0.70 [0.58 to 0.85]) , or DBP higher than 70 mmHg (ARC: -2.40% [-3.68% to -1.21%]; RR: 0.73 [0.62 to 0.86]) , or heart rate below 70 per hour (ARC: -2.88% [-4.76% to -1.04%]; RR: 0.70 [0.56 to 0.88]) , or ALP level below 70 U/L (ARC: -3.10% [-3.10% to -1.30%]; RR: 0.65 [0.52 to 0.81]) , or serum creatinine level below 90 umol/L (ARC: -1.99% [-3.33% to -0.81%]; RR: 0.74 [0.61 to 0.88]) benefited from albiglutide in reducing the risk of MACE. In contrast, their counterparts who did not have these characteristics did not receive statistically significant MACE risk reduction from albiglutide. Our study identified clinical features that may result in greater benefits of albiglutide on MACE than what would be expected from a population average. Clinicians may consider these individualized characteristics for better-targeted albiglutide treatment. However, future GLP-1 trials may help to confirm this approach to optimize outcomes.

 H.Kianmehr: None. Y.Lin: None. L.Shi: None. V.Fonseca: Consultant; Abbott, Asahi Kasei Corporation, Bayer AG, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Research Support; Fractyl Health, Inc., Jaguar Gene Therapy, Stock/Shareholder; Abbott, Amgen Inc., BRAVO4Health, Mellitus Health. J.Guo: None. H.Shao: Board Member; BRAVO4HEALTH, LLC.


This protocol describes the generation of bladder tumors in female C57BL/6J mice using the murine bladder cancer cell line MB49, which has been modified to secrete human Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), and the procedure for the confirmation of tumor implantation. In brief, mice are anesthetized using injectable drugs and are made to lay in the dorsal position. Urine is vacated from the bladder and 50 µL of poly-L-lysine (PLL) is slowly instilled at a rate of 10 µL/20 s using a 24 G IV catheter. It is left in the bladder for 20 min by stoppering the catheter. The catheter is removed and PLL is vacated by gentle pressure on the bladder. This is followed by instillation of the murine bladder cancer cell line (1 x 105 cells/50 µL) at a rate of 10 µL/20 s. The catheter is stoppered to prevent premature evacuation. After 1 h, the mice are revived with a reversal drug, and the bladder is vacated. The slow instillation rate is important, as it reduces vesico-ureteral reflux, which can cause tumors to occur in the upper urinary tract and in the kidneys. The cell line should be well re-suspended to reduce clumping of cells, as this can lead to uneven tumor sizes after implantation. This technique induces tumors with high efficiency. Tumor growth is monitored by urinary PSA secretion. PSA marker monitoring is more reliable than ultrasound or fluorescence imaging for the detection of the presence of tumors in the bladder. Tumors in mice generally reach a maximum size that negatively impacts health by about 3 - 4 weeks if left untreated. By monitoring tumor growth, it is possible to differentiate mice that were cured from those that were not successfully implanted with tumors. With only end-point analysis, the latter may be mistakenly assumed to have been cured by therapy.


Histidine decarboxylase (HDC) from Lactobacillus 30a forms a trimer around a central cavity or well. Three active sites are formed around the well at the interface of each of two adjacent molecules. HDC exhibits cooperative kinetics at pH 7.6 and can be described in terms of a two-state, T and R, model. At pH 4.8, protons stabilize HDC in the R form. Asp 198 and Asp 53, from a neighboring molecule, are the core of the pH-sensitive mechanism controlling the shift in quaternary state. Eight site-directed mutations have been made to analyze the region. Several mutants, including the conversion of Asp 53 to Asn, cause HDC to exhibit sigmoidal kinetics even at pH 4.8. Others lock the enzyme into the T state. Kinetic analysis suggests that kcat values for T and R states are similar. The Km for the T state, near 8 mM, exceeds that for the R state by 40-fold and shows HDC is primarily regulated by altering its affinity for substrate.


The present study investigated the differential involvement of the right and left hippocampus in various forms of spatial memory: spatial search, positional memory versus object–location binding, and coordinate versus categorical processing. Twenty-five epilepsy patients with selective amygdalohippocampectomy were examined using a sensitive computer paradigm to measure these spatial memory aspects. The patients' performance was compared to a group of thirty healthy controls. The results show that the left amygdalohippocampectomy group performed poorly on the ability to bind together object information to coordinate spatial locations. In turn, the right amygdalohippocampectomy group was impaired in coordinate positional memory. Both patient groups were unimpaired on the spatial search task. These findings are discussed focusing on the "binding device" hypothesis in combination with the cognitive map theory. (JINS, 2004, 10, 907–912.)


This review of the idea of using icebergs as a source of fresh water starts with a historical survey covering the period up to April 1980 and stresses how the approach to the subject has changed with time. Both the progress that has been made and the problems that have either just surfaced or never been adequately addressed are discussed. It is concluded that successful tows to Australia, clearly the most easily-reached potential delivery site, are a possibility if icebergs can be demonstrated to retain their structural integrity during tows in high seas and if favorable schemes can be developed for docking and processing. Tows to sites in the northern hemisphere such as Saudi Arabia and California are significantly more difficult and will remain so until an effective and operationally-realistic method is developed for isolating the iceberg from the warm sea-water that will be encountered during part of the tow. Whatever the ultimate resolution of the iceberg-water proposal may prove to be, research stimulated by this idea has already resulted in a major improvement in our knowledge of the life and times of real icebergs in real oceans.


This paper describes research designed to explore the relationship between perceived staff stress and continuing education needs for varying categories of registered nurses. A self rating instrument was used, a pilot study conducted and then data collected from registered nurses (n = 49) working in a general ICU. The data was analysed and compared in relation to perceived practice level, critical care nursing qualifications and time worked in ICU. The results demonstrated differences between those staff with critical care certificates and those without in relation to contributing factors to unpleasant stress, focus of continuing education sessions and involvement in continuing education.


A fractional percentage of a silicone compound was inadvertently introduced in one lot of Rheolube synthetic hydrocarbon grease used in the spin bearings of our momentum control systems. As a result, a decision had to made in a very short time as to whether the grease would meet the performance and life requirements. To accomplish this, a series of tests were undertaken to compare the performance of the subject grease or oil extracted from it to compare to the baseline lubricant. These tests represented each phase of bearing life: vibration, beginning of life, normal operational life, and end of life. Included were two different wettability tests, two different types of elastohydrodynamic lubrication tests and two different types of boundary tests. Acceptance test data of existing units with and without the subject grease were also used to determine how operational performance was affected. In addition to this test data, the Honeywell/Hanks lubricant life model was used to conclude that the subject grease would support our requirements.


Twenty patients undergoing intracranial aneurysm clipping were anesthetized with doses of thiopental sufficient to produce electroencephalographic burst suppression, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and morphine sulfate. Diuresis was induced with a combination of furosemide and mannitol. The cardiovascular effects of this anesthetic technique were studied. The central venous, pulmonary artery, pulmonary artery wedge, and systemic arterial blood pressures and the cardiac output were determined. The cardiac index and the systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance were calculated. The systemic blood pressure remained unchanged throughout the procedure except during the period of induced hypotension. The cardiac index decreased on the average from 3.3 during the control period to 2.15 litres/minute/m2 after the induction of anesthesia and diuresis (P less than 0.05). During sodium nitroprusside-induced hypotension, there was a further decrease in the cardiac index to 1.81 litres/minute/m2 (P less than 0.05). Changes in the cardiac index were associated with a significant decrease in the central venous and pulmonary artery wedge pressures from 2.5 to 0.1 and 5.9 to 0.2 torr, respectively) and an increased systemic vascular resistance. Cardiovascular performance recovered quickly after termination of the induced hypotension and remained stable in the postoperative period. This anesthetic technique seems to be useful in the surgical repair of intracranial aneurysms.


This paper addresses the modelling of PMSM under high frequency PWM control. The high frequency components of input voltage have different responses in terms of induced current and iron losses, due to eddy currents in the magnets, phase conductors and in the core lamination. Both inductance and HF iron loss behavior of the machine were investigated through experiment, modelled, and reproduced by circuit simulation. Inductance is treated separately for low frequency and high frequency components to build the current response of the machine. HF iron losses are determined for each HF cycle individually, according to peak-to-peak HF current. The configuration of the model can be realized either from locked rotation tests or from Finite Element Analysis. The model is suited for the optimization of control strategy with respect to losses, including adaptation of switching frequency or over-modulation.


The Dispute Settlement Reports of the World Trade Organization (WTO) include Panel and Appellate Body reports, as well as arbitration awards, in disputes concerning the rights and obligations of WTO members under the provisions of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. These are the WTO authorized and paginated reports in English. An essential addition to the library of all practising and academic trade lawyers, and needed by students worldwide taking courses in international economic or trade law. DSR 2006: XII reports on United States – Final Dumping Determination on Softwood Lumber from Canada, European Communities - Customs Classification of Frozen Boneless Chicken Cuts, Chile – Price Band System and Safeguard Measures Relating to Certain Agricultural Products and United States - Measures Affecting the Cross-Border Supply of Gambling and Betting Services.


INTRODUCTION: It is estimated that cancer prevention efforts can reduce cancer incidence by over 50%. Unlike for advanced disease, effective molecularly-driven interventions and risk assessment are not available for clinically normal tissues that may be have been exposed to carcinogens or for precancerous lesions. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC) comprises 15-20% of all skin cancers and has the most accessible and clinically well-characterized progression sequence of any human cancer, from a distinct precancerous lesion, the actinic keratosis (AK), to invasive carcinoma. Thus, it is an ideal model for establishing a paradigm of molecularly targeted cancer chemoprevention. METHODS: Here, we performed next-generation sequencing of total RNA and miRNA (Illumina HiSeq) on matched isogenic samples of human cuSCC, surrounding normal (chronically irradiated) skin (NS), and AK. In parallel, we profiled matched samples from a UV-driven Hairless mouse model of cuSCC for cross-species analysis, to identify the most important drivers of progression from NS to AK to cuSCC. RESULTS: Unsupervised clustering of both mRNA and miRNA expression changes showed that preneoplastic AKs span a continuum indistinguishable from cuSCC or surrounding NS, whereas cuSCC and NS were easily distinguished. Through cross-species computational analysis of mRNA-miRNA functional pairs, we identified miR-21, miR-205, miR-31, let-7B, and miR-497 and their mRNA targets as core drivers of cuSCC development through the AK intermediate. We show that several of these miRNAs are modulated by UV exposure, regulate susceptibility to apoptosis, and regulate cell motility. Several miRNAs are being inhibited in our mouse model to validate them as chemoprevention targets. TRANSFAC analysis identified E2F, SP1, AP1, and TCF3 as key transcriptional regulators of SCC development. We tested the global mRNA and miRNA expression similarities to other tumor types profiled by the NIH TCGA effort, showing that cuSCC is most closely related to head & neck SCC, lung SCC, and basal subtype of breast cancer. Exome analysis confirmed a high frequency of TP53, NOTCH1/2, and CDKN2A mutations in cuSCC, with mutational loads of >30/Mb that are strongly dominated by UVB signature lesions. Surprisingly, NS contains evidence of numerous mutations reflecting UV-induced somatic mosaicism. CONCLUSIONS: We report the first integrated transcriptomic characterization of the development of cuSCC through the preneoplastic AK. AKs are indistinguishable from cuSCC, suggesting that chemoprevention efforts should be directed at UV-exposed skin prior to the emergence of lesions. Key transcriptional responses in miRNAs and transcription factor networks were identified in our cross-species analysis, which have been functionally validated. Finally, SCCs of diverse anatomic sites share deep genomic commonalities suggesting that there may be common chemoprevention strategies applicable to multiple SCC types. Citation Format: Vida Chitsazzadeh, Cristian Coarfa, Tri H. Nguyen, Aaron K. Joseph, Preethi Gunaratne, Li Shen, Hui Yao, Weimin Xiao, Xiaoping Su, Jennifer Drummond, David Wheeler, Elsa R. Flores, Kenneth Y. Tsai. Novel molecular targets for chemoprevention of squamous cell carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1920. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1920


[1] The convergence of the Philippine Sea and the Eurasian plates in the Taiwan region led to the formation of a young collisional mountain between two subduction zones of nearly orthogonal polarities. The geological processes underlying the collision and its relation to subduction are the primary targets of TAIGER (Taiwan Integrated Geodynamic Research) project. Newly acquired passive and active sources data on land, supplemented by ocean bottom as well as permanent seismic network data, are used to derive a new 3-D tomographic velocity model. Using the 7.5 km/sec contour as a marker for crustal deformation, two trend-parallel "roots," one under the Central Range with a maximum depth of 55 km and the other under the Coastal Range at 40 km, are found to extend from southern to central (∼24°N) Taiwan. Between the two roots and lying approximately beneath the Longitudinal Valley, the 7.5 km/sec contour rises to 25 km depth. In the upper mantle, a high velocity zone, east-dipping and its upper surface coinciding with a Wadati-Benioff zone in the south (∼22.8°N), becomes near vertical and ill-defined in the north (∼23.9°N). The crustal deformation as defined by the "roots" and the along-trend variations of the upper mantle structures under Taiwan provide key information for the orogeny. With the thickening of crust to 55 km or more processes such as eclogitization and delamination may come into play.


No portion of the text may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including analogue and digital media, without prior permission from the University. Extracts of or quotations from this research report may, however, be made in terms of Sections 12 and 13 of the South African Copyright Act No. 98 of 1978 (as amended), for non-commercial or educational purposes. Full acknowledgement must be made to the author and the University.


The polarity of fucoid eggs is fixed either when tip growth starts or a bit earlier. A steady flow of calcium ions into the incipient tip is thought to establish a high calcium zone that is needed for its localization and formation. To test this hypothesis, we have injected seven different 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA)-type calcium buffers into Pelvetia eggs many hours before tip growth normally starts. Critical final cell concentrations of each buffer prove to block outgrowth (as well as cell division) for up to 2 weeks. This critical inhibitory concentration is lowest for two buffers with dissociation constants or Kd values of 4-5 x 10(-6) M and increases steadily as the buffers' Kd values shift either below or above this optimal value to ones as low as 4 x 10(-7) M or as high as 9.4 x 10(-5) M. To analyze these results, we have derived an equation (based on the concept of facilitated diffusion) for the effects of diffusable calcium buffers on steady-state calcium gradients. The data fit this equation quite well if it is assumed that cytosolic free calcium at the incipient tip is normally kept at about 7 microM and, thus, far above the general cytosolic level.


Community, state, and federal approaches to conventional and cumulative risk assessment (CRA) were described and compared to assess similarities and differences, and develop recommendations for a consistent CRA approach, acceptable across each level as a rigorous scientific methodology, including partnership formation and solution development as necessary practices. Community, state, and federal examples were described and then summarized based on their adherence to CRA principles of: (1) planning, scoping, and problem formulation; (2) risk analysis and ranking, and (3) risk characterization, interpretation, and management. While each application shared the common goal of protecting human health and the environment, they adopted different approaches to achieve this. For a specific project-level analysis of a particular place or instance, this may be acceptable, but to ensure long-term applicability and transferability to other projects, recommendations for developing a consistent approach to CRA are provided. This approach would draw from best practices, risk assessment and decision analysis sciences, and historical lessons learned to provide results in an understandable and accepted manner by all entities. This approach is intended to provide a common ground around which to develop CRA methods and approaches that can be followed at all levels.


Electrical heat tracing has become the preferred method of heat tracing in many applications. The standard IEEE 515 heat transfer equation defines the heat losses for an infinite pipe with homogeneous insulation. In practical applications pipes freeze at valves, pipe supports, open ended vents and other anomalies. Heat tracing design must provide design rules for these anomalies and estimate the heat losses. This paper extends the design criteria for what we call secondary factors. These secondary factors become critical when temperature at these items is not maintained. In the past, vendors have provided a singular heat loss value for valves, pipe supports and open ended vents that were linearly dependent on pipe diameter. Analysis shows these features of a piping system have heat losses that are not linear with pipe diameter. Valve heat loss is a function of the area of the valve and not its pipe diameter. Extensive finite element analysis has been performed on these features, and the results are reported in this paper with estimates of the factors that may be used for estimating heat loss. These factors are explained for manual calculations and for computer aided design. It has been estimated that up to 30% of total heat loss is due to valves and supports. Proper engineering, including better thermal insulation, can significantly reduce both installed and operational costs.


The discussion in 'Webs of influence and highways of re-colonization: the case of professional bodies' examines how Belich's thesis from 'Replenishing the Earth. The Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Anglo-World, 1783-1939' might impact on our theorizing of accounting bodies and diffusion of prototypes of professional bodies. This study starts with some early theories, originating in the early 20th-century German school of anthropology, Kulturkreislehre, closely related to the Diffusionist approach of British and American anthropology; the triumph of diffusionism was most evident in USA ethnologists such as Clark Wissler. And although dismissed by later scholars, Graebner's theories influenced Wilhelm Schmidt and were extended by the British anthropologists Elliot Smith and W.J. Perry; Smith was among the later hyper-diffusionists. In the British centre of scholarship, the Royal Society, early advocates of diffusion of a cultural practice from centre to periphery did not go unchallenged, such as the paper presented by Edward Tylor in 1889. This issue, which was soon labelled as "Galton's problem", was whether on not some units were closer than others because of a common source. This is related to a more general problem: Tylor described this as his concern that similar cultural phenomena were due to "the like working of men's minds under like conditions" or due to a common or shared recent origin. Evidence of the enduring appeal of two-strata models is also reviewed. Research in accounting history based on the 'colonialism/protectionism' model dominates much scholarship, largely based on historical research, such as that offered by Magee and Thompson . When applied to the evolution of professional bodies, this scholarship views the establishment of professional bodies as a process of diffusion of both institutions and class values from the motherland of the British Empire to peripheral colonial jurisdictions. The 'colonialism/protectionism' model is also based on considering the steps which followed after the British Empire provided the oldlands (Britain) with the control of other peoples, usually through conquest. The recipient countries of the benefits of the expansion of the British Empire are seen sometime as a tabula rasa; with little discussion of the reaction to the impact in some scholarship. In other studies there is a respectable quantum of documentation on impacts on the local ethnicities or evaluation of the dynamic socio-political contexts. Douglas's Grid/group matrix analysis suggested the 'smug pioneer with his pickaxe' was the archetype of the individualist. And yet settler societies also developed on the basis of the 'Enclave' mentality. Life was risky, and the origins of mateship can be seen in the early farming, shipping, and gold digging communities. Colonial societies were not without their 'positional' individuals, regulating land acquisition, establishing the court hierarchy based on the British model, ensuring order and decency in these rapidly growing communities. Settlers were not all English speaking, and the Dutch settlements in South Africa, the Chinese influx to the goldfields in California and the southern British colonies, the East European setters to Australia, all took a role in commonalities or distinctiveness in settler mentalities in different countries. This study introduces the model of Settlerism/re-colonization: the notion of recolonization sees those periods of boom and bust driving a search for export markets. Export markets did not lead the boom: the boom periods were, instead driven by the settler mentality of endless growth. It is suggested that this new lens of recolonization may offer a fresh perspectives on the direction of incentives or drivers to the establishment of professional bodies. If one envisages this process called re-colonization as settler-driven, it is a movement from the newlands back to the oldland. This counter-indicates the concept of diffusionism with which this study commenced. Instead of being like a stone thrown in a still pond, with ripples touching the shore in every direction, this was the utilisation of accountants and accounting as part of the export-led economic re-integration. Owners of capital both ends of that highway of trade and commerce wanted the order and audit accountancy could provide. In particular, the flows of funds – whether by telegraph, cash or gold – had to be scrupulously accounted for. There is also evidence of a degree of rejection of the importation of notions of class with the professional status. The complex ingredients from the multiple ethnicities within the settler societies, and individualism and enclave mentalities, suggests that the end results were a rich diversity of practice and inclusiveness through building up many culturally embedded professional bodies in colonies of the British Empire. And any accounting firms on the periphery of Empire, the newlands, may have felt their activities were very small compared with the size of the core trans-Atlantic business base, but the multi-national companies walked with their feet, seeking auditors with the world-wide networks. This reverts to one of the early forms of colonisation, being (1) Networks, the established of ongoing systems of long range interaction, usually for trade; (2) Empire, the control of other peoples usually through conquest, but nowadays just as likely to be through IFRS monitoring by auditors, global compliance studies in the World Bank 'Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes', or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the USA; (3) Settlement, the reproduction of one's own firm through long range migration/influences; to which can be added (4) Re-colonization: when the trading routes themselves promote the growth of new stronger or personal networks, with strong influences changing core operations at original centre, such pressures increasingly strengthened by internet-based communications and 24/7 availability in professional servicing.To move to more cyclical models, rather than the uni-directionism of some of the prevalent diffusionist models, will better inform the underlying tensions which are never absent from professional positioning: the tension between chasing the business/trading dollars and serving the public interest with high quality and independent services. Added to this are the inter-related processes and functions of networks, empire-building, and recolonization from the 'newlands' back to the 'oldlands', of both professional bodies and professional firms.


It is well documented that peptides have a major role in the effective functioning of higher animals at all levels from enzyme stabilization to homeostatic mechanisms governing essential functions such as eating, sexual behavior, and temperature regulation. The effects of exogenously administered peptides on neurotransmitter release, uptake, metabolism and behavioral consequences are also well established. We have attempted to extend these findings by postulating peptidergic neurons as transducers of multisignal inputs, and that development of pathological states may be due to genetically-determined reduced levels of activity of key peptidases, leading to excretion of regulatory peptides into the circulation. We have been able to demonstrate that, in schizophrenia and autism (in well defined clinical cases), the patterns of peptides and associated proteins from urinary samples differ considerably from each other and from normal controls. In addition to this, further purification of the material obtained has led to the discovery of a number of factors capable of modulating the function of major neurotransmitters. Some of these are in the final stages of characterization as peptides, while the remainder are also probably peptides, as purification has been followed by both biological testing and chemical analysis for peptidic material. We have outlined a number of parameters which we consider relevant in any attempt to put psychiatric disorders on a biological foundation. Any new advances in the neurochemical understanding of such disorders must take into consideration the observations of several different disciplines including genetics and psychology. However, at this stage of research it is far too early to speculate on the relevance of the various biological activities to the etiology and symptomatology of schizophrenia and childhood autism.


The article summarizes the arguments and counter-arguments within the scientific discussion on the availability of medical services for the rural population. The main purpose of the study is to analyze the current principles of state policy of Ukraine in the field of health and accessibility and quality of health care in rural areas. Systematization of literature sources and approaches to solving the problem of access to health services has shown that many problematic issues in the field of access to health services in rural areas in Ukraine and around the world, related to investment, personnel management and effective government regulation. The urgency of solving this scientific problem is that medical care should be provided in all regions and agglomerations of the country equally effectively and focus on patient requests. The study of the availability of medical care in rural areas in the article is carried out in the following logical sequence: bibliometric analysis of research, the next step is a survey of consumers of medical services on the basis of the district hospital; analysis of the results of the survey of respondents; providing guidance on key health issues and areas. The methodological tools of the study were survey methods and expert assessments, comparative and bibliometric analysis, the study period was chosen 2011-2021. The object of the study was the Sumy Central District Clinical Hospital, as it provides services to patients living in rural areas. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that there are problems with having a family doctor in families, as 1% of respondents indicated that they do not have a family doctor and have not consulted him, while more than half of respondents are satisfied with the result of a doctor's visit, however, a significant share did not indicate the exact answer, which gives reason to think about the existing problems that led to such results. The results of the study can be useful for further research and recommendations for future opportunities to effectively influence the development of access to health services in rural areas and at the same time improve and enhance the quality of services provided in cities.


The effect of a stock in a flow system is to absorb shocks to the flow as can be seen in many applications, from capacitors to flood plains. The ratio of the stock to its related flow may form a stationary time series, in which case its stable value is considered to be a norm. Such norms provide stable reference points in economic dynamics and have been associated with the New Cambridge school and the stock-flow consistent (SFC) modelling approach.

Using national accounts data for the US from 1960 to 2016, some common stock-flow ratios are investigated for stationarity, focussing in particular on those relating net financial assets to income for the sectors of an open economy. If sectoral balances are roughly stable, the wealth-income ratio will be stationary. It is found that, due to increased volatility over recent decades, stationarity is quite rare.

The norms figure in a dynamic process in which the fiscal stance and trade performance ratio, here termed the flow ratios, act through a multiplier to drive national income which is stabilised by the stock-flow norms. The process leads to convergence to the dominant flow ratio under the action of partial adjustment processes; which flow ratio is dominant depends on characteristics of the particular economy. Simulation is used to study the path of convergence and flow ratio dominance. The simulations are found to exhibit complex systems behaviour under certain circumstances.

A three sector SFC model is populated with the US data and estimated using a Johansen cointegrating VECM; interpreted as partial adjustment processes, the cointegrating relations for each sector yield estimates of the partial adjustment parameters and the stock-flow norms. This econometric approach emulates the Hendry data-first methodology whereby a pure data model captures the DGP in which postulated theory models are capable of interpretation.


1. Rats were bilaterally adrenalectomized and treated for periods of up to 32 days with doses of dexamethasone equivalent to physiological and supraphysiological endogenous glucocorticoid secretion. Aortic production of 6-oxoprostaglandin F1 alpha (6-oxo-PGF1 alpha) was measured by radioimmunoassay of the supernatant fluid from rings of aorta incubated in vitro. 2. Up to 32 days after adrenalectomy, neither adrenalectomy nor dexamethasone (2 micrograms/day and 20 micrograms/day) influenced aortic 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha production. 3. High doses of dexamethasone (60 micrograms/day for 6 days) in the presence or absence of mineralocorticoid (11-deoxycorticosterone, 600 micrograms/day) had no effect on aortic 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha production. 4. In contrast to the lack of effect of dexamethasone administered in vivo, incubation of aortic discs for 5 h with dexamethasone (1 mumol/l) in vitro caused inhibition of aortic 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha production to 23% of control levels. 5. Alteration in endogenous glucocorticoid secretion is unlikely to be involved in the physiological regulation of aortic 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha production.


RF-tunable blocker-tolerant receivers (RXs) enhance the flexibility of multiband multistandard radios at low cost (Fig. 2.4.1). The mixer-first RX [1] delays the signal amplification to baseband (BB) by frequency-translating the BB lowpass response to RF as bandpass. This raises the out-of-band (OB) IIP3 (27dBm) at the expense of NF (5.5dB) and power (60mW) due to no RF gain. The noisecancellation RX [2] breaks such a tradeoff by paralleling a voltage-sensing RX with the mixer-first RX. This achieves a better pair of NF (1.9dB) and OB-IIP3 (13.5dBm), but sacrifices more die size (1.2mm2) and power (<;78mW) to accommodate the doubled RF and BB circuits. In [3], N-path RF filtering and noise cancellation are concurrently attained in one current-reuse RX. That approach saves die area (0.55mm2) and power (16.2mW) at a high OB-IIP3 (17.4dBm), but requires a high VDD (2.5V) to widen the voltage headroom. Also, seeing that its NF (4.6dB) is handicapped by the input-impedance matching requirement (S11<;-10dB), there is no flexibility to get better NF. Finally, as both [2] and [3] involve two mixing steps, the LO power is penalized.


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive value of ovarian response to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-alpha) stimulation test (GAST) in anovulatory women during ovulation induction treatment. METHODS: Thirty-five patients entered and completed the study. Following administration of GnRH-alpha during the early follicular phase, the relationship between estradiol (E(2)) response, ovarian response and subsequent pregnancy was investigated. RESULTS: Three patterns of E(2) response were noted. Pattern A patients were hyper responders in induction treatment;their peak E(2) levels were the highest (14426.6 pmol/L) and they produced the most mature follicales (27.3 +/- 9.7 ). Thus pattern A patients had the highest risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). (81.8 % ), cancellation cycle rate(72.7 % )and low pregnancy rate(18.2 % ). Pattern B patients had a favorable ovarian response with the highest pregnancy rate(62.5 % ). Pattern C was associated with a poor ovarian response. CONCLUSION: During ovulation induction treatment, GAST can be used to predict ovarian response of anovulatory women. This technique may enable us to design an ovarian induction protocol that would both reduce OHSS and increase pregnancy rate.


Spinocerebellar ataxia 7 (SCA7) is a progressive autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized clinically by cerebellar ataxia associated with progressive macular dystrophy. The disease affects primarily the cerebellum and the retina, but also many other CNS structures as the disease progresses. SCA7 is caused by expansion of an unstable trinucleotide CAG repeat encoding a polyglutamine tract in the corresponding protein, ataxin-7. Normal SCA7 alleles contain 4–35 CAG repeats, whereas pathological alleles contain from 36–306 CAG repeats. SCA7 has a number of features in common with other diseases with polyglutamine expansions: (i) the appearance of clinical symptoms above a threshold number of CAG repeats (>35); (ii) a correlation between the size of the expansion and the rate of progression of the disease: the larger the repeat, the faster the progression; (iii) instability of the repeat sequence (∼12 CAG/transmission) that accounts for the marked anticipation of ∼20 years/generation. The CAG repeat sequence is particularly unstable and de novo mutations can occur during paternal transmissions of intermediate size alleles (28–35 CAG repeats). This can explain the persistence of the disease in spite of the anticipation that should have resulted in its extinction.


This paper describes an empirical investigation of the effect of three dimensional (3-D) imaging on group performance in a tactical planning task. The objective of the study is to examine the role that stereoscopic imaging can play in supporting face-to-face group problem solving and decision making-in particular, the alternative generation and evaluation processes in teams. It was hypothesized that with the stereoscopic display, group members would better visualize the information concerning the task environment, producing open communication and information exchanges. The experimental setting was a tactical command and control task, and the quality of the decisions and nature of the group decision process were investigated with three treatments: 1) noncomputerized, i.e., topographic maps with depth cues; 2) two-dimensional (2-D) imaging; and 3) stereoscopic imaging. The results were mixed on group performance. However, those groups with the stereoscopic displays generated more alternatives and spent less time on evaluation. In addition, the stereoscopic decision aid did not interfere with the group problem solving and decision-making processes. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential benefits, and the need to resolve demonstrated weaknesses of the technology.


Mosquitoes serve as vector for transmitting diseases. Among mosquitoes, Culex quinquefasciatus transmits lymphatic filariasis, yellow fever Japanese encephalitis etc. Application of chemical insecticides is still the best option for vector control programmes. Continuous use of these chemicals on mosquito reduces its effects. The present study determined the baseline susceptibility of Cx. quinquefasciatus in response to λ-cyhalothrin and temephos treatments. In addition, the biochemical mechanisms and zymogram analysis involved in insecticide detoxification among larval mosquitoes were studied. The larval bioassay indicated high LC50 value for λ-cyhalothrin (0.1484ppm) as compared to temephos (0.01092ppm). While AChE assay showed increased activity in temephos treatments, glutathione reductase (GR) and esterase levels were increased at both the treatments. Esterase quantitative analysis revealed the expression of three bands at 43kDa, 67kDa and 245kDa. The findings suggest that insensitivity of AChE, esterase and high GR activity may play an important role in developing resistance to synthetic pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides in Cx. quinquefasciatus population.


We report direct spectroscopic evidence for the formation of one-dimensional (1D) wetting wires (WWs) during the Stransky-Krastanov growth of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) chains. The wire-like nature of these 1D WWs was demonstrated by their 1D density of states and absorption anisotropies from the photoluminescence excitation measurements. Two groups of QDs were found sitting on top of these 1D WWs and the traditional two-dimensional wetting layers, respectively, with size-dependent emission polarization anisotropies of ca. 6-25% because of their elongated shapes.


In various areas of (linguistic) research, there is a need to analyse larger amounts of textual data. Digitisation and the availability of computational linguistics tools offer substantial support in qualitatively and quantitatively analysing those data sets. Keeping, maintaining and presenting data and their metadata within one system facilitate data inspection and browsing. Quick assessment of data sets for the presence or absence of specific textual characteristics is supported by the possibility to manually annotate segments of text with theory-driven meta-information in combination with automatic analysis employing computational linguistics tools and computerized search.
 In the present contribution, the FemSMA Corpus Workbench CWB is introduced. CWB is a computational linguistics tool for manual and automatic annotation and analysis of text documents. CWB supports storage and maintenance of, and annotation and search in textual data and related metadata. CWB is a client-server application with a web interface as frontend for data inspection and manual annotation. Data storage and automatic processing is done at server side. Automatically annotated are word-level features such as parts of speech; general word features such as capitalisation, character reduplication, abbreviation; swear words and emotion words. Due to its modular system architecture, CWB can be flexibly extended, which, however, requires the involvement of computational linguists to adapt and extend CWB's automatic analysis and search functionalities, and represent the new functionality in the web interface.


A [10, 10]/[5,5] nanotube-based oscillator is studied using molecular dynamics in this paper. The inner tube can oscillate inside the outer tube with a stable frequency of 55GHz, if this nanomechanical system is insulated. When temperature effects are considered, it is found that the nanooscillator will stop due to the temperature-related interlayer friction between the outer tube and the inner tube. A nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) is designed by coating electrodes on the top of the outer tube. The electromagnetic forces, induced by the WRITE voltage pulses that are applied on the electrodes, can overcome the interlayer friction. The frequency of the proposed NEMS oscillator depends on the frequency of the WRITE voltage pulses.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Objective Female sex is a major barrier to completing a programme of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Women require significant social support to promote compliance and the ability to cope with CR programme attendance. The aim of this systematic review of qualitative studies was to explore social support among women coping with CR programme attendance at phase II CRP is 3 months after their cardiac event. Methods Articles were searched through CINAHL (Cumulative Index and Allied Health Literature), Science Direct and PubMed databases using the following terms: "women", "acute coronary syndrome", "coping", "social support" and "cardiac rehabilitation". Results A total of 6 articles were selected based on eligibility criteria. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data using line to line coding into descriptive themes, interpreting further to generate new insights. The 3 most common themes regarding social support for women attending the CR programme were: family support, female as the primary caregiver in the family, and peer support. For most women who perceived themselves as the primary caregiver in the family there was a negative impact on their ability to cope fully with CR programme attendance. On the other hand, encouraging support from family and peers positively improved their coping mechanism for attending the CR programme, leading to improved compliance. Conclusion Women with ACS consider that support from their family plays a vital role as a coping mechanism in their attendance at a CR programme. Healthcare providers should teach the importance of social support among women after discharge to help them cope with CR programme attendance. LAY ABSTRACT Women face a major obstacle to coping with a programme of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after a cardiac event. In order to promote attendance at a CR programme, women often require significant social support to ensure compliance with the programme. This review evaluated the results of 6 studies that explored women's experiences and their coping process in attending an outpatient CR programme after a cardiac event. The review found that family support, being female as the primary caregiver in the family, and peer support are the main social supports for compliance with an outpatient CR programme. Women who were extensively involved as the primary caregiver in their families had difficulty complying with attendance at the outpatient CR programme. On the other hand, women with good support from family and peers had better compliance. Therefore, healthcare providers should initiate strategies for promoting good social support among women on an outpatient CR programme in order to enhance compliance with attendance.


Protein structure prediction (PSP) is one of the most important problems in computational biology. This paper proposes a novel hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) to solve the PSP problem on HP model. First, a composite fitness function containing the information of folding structure core (H‐core) is introduced to replace the traditional fitness function of HP model. The proposed fitness function is expected to select better individuals for the probabilistic model of EDA. Second, local search with guided operators is utilized to refine the found solutions for improving the efficiency of EDA. Third, an improved backtracking‐based repairing method is proposed to repair invalid individuals sampled by the probabilistic model of EDA. It can significantly reduce the number of backtracking searching operation and the computational cost for a long‐sequence protein. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperform the basic EDA method. At the same time, it is very competitive with other existing algorithms for the PSP problem on lattice HP models. Copyright © 2010 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The mortality rate of spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage evacuation is still high and varies in all neurosurgical centers. Currently, minimally invasive surgery to evacuate bleeding has become an option, but not all neurosurgical centers can perform the procedures due to limited resources. In addition, there are several guidelines for determining which patients will undergo a surgery. This study assessed the outcome of selected patients who were operated on using micro neurosurgical procedures or external ventricular drainage for intraventricular hemorrhage between 2016 and 2021. Patients included in this study were recruited from a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia and selected based on the guideline of the 2015 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA). The outcome was assessed by a modified Rankin scale (mRS). There were 301 patients with hemorrhagic stroke but only fifty patients were matched the criteria in the guideline. Male patients constituted the majority of the patients (n=28, 56%) and hypertension has occurred in 37 (74%) patients. The hematoma was mostly located in the intracerebral with intraventricular extension (n=27, 54%) patients. The pre-operative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 23 (46%) patients were comatose and the other was 9–13. Postoperatively, there were 37 (74%) patients with a scale of 13–15, but 10 (20%) patients died. Pair t-test of the preoperative and postoperative scales showed a significant difference, p < 0.01. The outcome of 40 (80%) patients was good (modified Rankin scale of 0–3), and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was -0.739 with the Sig.2-tailed was <0.01. The outcome of spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage evacuation is good when selecting patients following the 2015 AHA/ASA guideline and there is a strong correlation between postoperative GCS with 3-month mRS results.


The characteristics of photoaffinity labeling with the calcium agonist [3H]Bay K 8644 (Bay) and the calcium antagonists [3H]nitrendipine (Nit) and (+)PN200-110 (PN) of crude membranes from rat skeletal, cardiac, ileal, and uterine muscles and whole brain were investigated. In all these crude membranes, [3H](+)PN (20 nM) was mainly photoincorporated into one protein band with a molecular weight of 30,000 - 41,000 Da. It was also incorporated into some other bands of all these crude membranes. The photoincorporation of [3H](+)PN into these crude membranes was inhibited by the presence of 20 microM unlabeled (+)PN. The photoincorporation of [3H](+)PN into these crude membranes depended on its dose and on the time of UV irradiation. No incorporation of [3H](+)PN was observed in the absence of UV irradiation. The incorporation was not affected by the presence of 1 mM CaCl2 and/or 0.15 M NaCl, but was significantly decreased by 20 microM (+)PN and slightly decreased by 20 microM (-)PN, 20 microM Bay, 1 mM diltiazem, or 1 mM verapamil. Namely, enantiomers of PN caused various extents of stereoselective inhibition of photoaffinity labeling by [3H](+)PN of specific protein bands in these crude membranes. [3H]Nit was photoincorporated into these crude membranes in the same way as [3H](+)PN, but [3H]Bay was not photoincorporated. However, 20 microM unlabeled Nit did not consistently inhibit photoaffinity labeling with [3H]Nit. These findings suggested that measurement of photoaffinity of crude membranes from rat skeletal, cardiac, and uterine muscles and whole brain with [3H](+)PN by UV irradiation is a useful method for investigating the characteristics of the voltage-dependent calcium channels that are affected by 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives.


The literature exploring the executive function correlates of bilingualism is vast, but to date, few studies have concentrated on children, for whom the bilingual advantage appears even more inconsistent than for adults. We investigate a highly heterogeneous group of children (in terms of bilingual experience and socioeconomic status) and identify the critical threshold of bilingual experience from which an advantage can be observed at group level. The modeling methods adopted allow the use of fine-grained, continuous factors for age and socioeconomic status, thereby effectively controlling for their effect and isolating the specific effect of bilingual experience. We pioneer the use of Cox Proportional Hazard regression to analyze performance in the Simon task. This allows the modeling of all data points without transformation or outlier removal, and captures both accuracy and reaction time within the same analysis, while being able to handle multiple predictor variables.


The effect of portacaval shunt on hepatocarcinogenesis was studied in rats fed 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene. Portacaval anastomosis resulted in a decrease of hepatocarcinogenesis as reflected by a delay in the early peak of alpha-fetoproteins, an absence of late appearance of alpha-fetoproteins, and a significantly lower incidence of tumors than in nonshunted rats. Reduction of hepatocarcinogenesis in shunted rats was associated with a decrease of the binding of 3'-methy-4-dimethylamioazobenzene metabolites to liver proteins. This effect seemed to be related to modifications of carcinogen-metabolic pathways. While the detoxifying azoreductase activity was not affected by portal diversion, the activating pathway leading to the binding of 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene metabolites to DNA, a major step for cell carcinogenesis that is mediated by microsomal enzymes, was decreased in shunted rats to about 50 percent of control values. The decrease of liver weight that occurred in shunted rats without loss of body weight produced a very significant reduction of the total capacity of liver to activate 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene while the total capacity of detoxification remained unchanged. This could be a direct consequence of portacaval anastomosis, as has been shown for other microsomal enzymes.


g sulphate now can be confidently recommended as the anticonvulsant of choice for eclampsia. The results of the Collaborative Eclampsia Trial (1) have shown that although its mode of action is not understood, magnesium sulfate has clear advantages when compared with both diazepam and phenytoin. Recurrent seizures were 2 to 3 times less frequent, and odier serious outcomes were also substantially reduced in comparison with phenytoin. These findings have clear implications for clinical practice, but other salutary lessons can be learned from the planning and execution of this study. First, the trial emphasises the need for evidence about the effects of health care. When the original report of the trial was published, the editor observed, "Today's report is a triumph for the trialists; but what a scandal that we had to wait 70 years for the answer." Since 1925, when an American obstetrician reported about an uncontrolled case series of 20 women with eclampsia who were treated with magnesium sulphate, arguments have raged about how to care for women, with eclamptic seizures. For 70 years, the proponents of various drugs and drug cocktails have hurled disdainful abuse at each other from separate mountain tops, secure in the knowledge that no strong evidence existed that could undermine any one of their multitude of conflicting opinions (2). Perhaps the greatest opprobrium should be reserved for the journals and investigators who, since 1987, have reported small, poorly controlled studies encouraging the notion that phenytoin should be used not only for the treatment of eclamptic fits but also for prophylaxis (3-6). During a total period of just over 5 years, far more has been achieved through the collective efforts of 27 centres in 9 developing countries (some that had little or no previous research experience) than has been accomplished during more than half a century of small-scale, poorly controlled, individuaiisticaily driven investigative tinkering by others, including many people in the developed world who believe they deserve to be regarded as serious investigators. This lack of scientific and professional self-discipline in die developed world, particularly the unwillingness to collaborate in studies of sufficient size, has had substantial human costs. As noted in the report of the trial, "From magnesium sulphate first being suggested for women with eclampsia (in 1906) to the introduction of diazepam (in 1968), a possible 3 3 million women would have had an eclamptic convulsion and 3 million of them may have died. Up to 1987, when phenytoin was introduced, a further 9 million women possibly had an eclamptic convulsion and one million died" (1). How did this landmark trial ever take place? The plan emerged during discussions between a visiting research fellow from a developing country and staff at a health services research unit in a developed country. Best estimates suggested that the case fatality rate of eclampsia was high everywhere; that, worldwide, as many as 50 000 maternal deaths associated with eclampsia might occur each year; that 99% of these deaths involve women in developing countries (7); and that routine antenatal care could not guarantee prevention (8). These considerations argued strongly for a trial to address the therapeutic uncertainties surrounding a condition that poses a serious threat to maternal survival in the developing world, and that the study should therefore be organised in developing countries. Accordingly, a protocol was developed for a collaborative trial—to be run (initially) in Spanish, and to involve a network of hospitals in Latin America that were identified and supported by centres that were receiving long-term institutional support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) (9). A second salutary lesson from the trial is that the challenges facing those wishing to generate reliable evidence about health care are not necessarily just scientific. Recruitment to the trial started after permission was granted by the research ethics committees answerable to the populations in which the study was to be run. Consent was sought from relatives when possible or from die women themselves when they had regained full consciousness. Despite this, the WHO Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects blocked an award of funds for the trial for 6 months, insisting that "informed consent" must be obtained before trial may from the unconscious and semiconscious participants in a study that was comparing three anticonvulsant drugs that were already in widespread use! As is too often the case with research ethics committees, the WHO Committees lines of accountability for this impractical and, frankly, dangerous advice were unclear. Initial funding was eventually forthcoixiing from WHO, however, and subsequent support from the UK Overseas Development Administration meant that it was possible to extend the trial to centres in Africa and India, An eventual total of 1687 women participated in the trial— 97% of the eligible women admitted to the participating centres—and data were available for 99.6% of these. A farther salutary lesson, and a matter for particular satisfaction, is that a trial designed to address important practical problems in the developing world has not only challenged assumptions (10) about the pathophysiology of eclamptic convulsions (11) but has also been deemed by first-world investigators to be "the most important obstetric trial of the 20th century" (12), "a landmark in the development of rationale therapies for eclampsia" (13), and


Crossed categorization typically refers to the crossing of two dichotomous social dimensions, resulting in four groups (double-ingroup, two mixed groups, and double-outgroup). This paper reports the results of a meta-analysis comparing the effects of crossed categorization on intergroup evaluations with the effects of simple categorization on intergroup evaluations. The crossed categorization paradigm is shown to increase or decrease ingroup bias, depending on how ingroup bias is defined in the crossed categorization paradigm. Moreover, just as in simple categorization, ingroup bias in crossed categorization is shown to be greater when the proportionate size of the ingroup is smaller. However, contrary to the patterns established in simple categorization, the reality of the group categorizations does not increase ingroup bias in crossed categorization. We discuss the implications of these results for future research on intergroup evaluations. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


There is abundant evidence for the 'video deficit': children under 2 years old learn better in person than from video. We evaluated whether these findings applied to video chat by testing whether children aged 12-25 months could form relationships with and learn from on-screen partners. We manipulated social contingency: children experienced either real-time FaceTime conversations or pre-recorded Videos as the partner taught novel words, actions and patterns. Children were attentive and responsive in both conditions, but only children in the FaceTime group responded to the partner in a temporally synced manner. After one week, children in the FaceTime condition (but not the Video condition) preferred and recognized their Partner, learned more novel patterns, and the oldest children learned more novel words. Results extend previous studies to demonstrate that children under 2 years show social and cognitive learning from video chat because it retains social contingency. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/rTXaAYd5adA.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005

675

BMS-354825 is a novel 2-substituted aminopyrimidinyl-thiazole-5-carboxamide analog currently being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb for the treatment of solid tumors and Imatinib-resistant and -sensitive leukemias (Shah et al, Science , 305, 399-401, 2004). BMS-354825 competes with ATP for the ATP-binding site in the kinase domain of selected and related oncogenic receptor and non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), including BCR-ABL, SRC family kinases, c-KIT, EPH and PDGF receptors. These PTKs have been strongly linked to multiple forms of human cancers and their dysregulations are critical to the pathophysiology of malignancies: uncontrolled proliferation, inappropriate adhesion, heightened motility and metastatic potential, resistance to apoptosis, and angiogenesis promotion. In in vitro kinase assays, BMS-354825 potently inhibits these PTKs at subnanomolar to low nanomolar concentrations: with IC50 as follows: SRC family kinases (SRC = 0.55 nM, LCK = 1.1 nM, YES = 0.41 nM, FYN = 0.2 nM); BCR-ABL (<3 nM); c-KIT (13 nM); EPHA2 (17 nM) and PDGFβ receptor (28 nM). In cellular assays, BMS-354825 at clinically achievable concentrations (< 1.0 μM) inhibited the proliferation of 11 of 23 lung (48%), 9 of 31 colon (29%) and 7 of 23 breast (30%) cancer cell lines tested todate using the MTS assay. In preclinical chemotherapy trials against a random panel of thirteen solid tumors grown in mice, BMS-354825 significantly inhibited the growth of 6 of 13 xenografts (46%) at doses producing drug exposure similar to those currently achieved in ongoing phase I clinical trials. Responsive tumor types include breast, prostate, colon, pancreatic, sarcoma and small cell lung cancers. These results suggest that BMS-354825 may have therapeutic utilities in a broad-spectrum of cancer types. BMS-354825 is currently in clinical trials in both BCR-ABL dependent leukemias and in solid malignancies.


Background: Parkinson disease (PD) is a neuropsychiatric disease that is characterized by motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Multiple neurotransmitter systems, including the serotonergic system, are involved in the pathophysiology of this disease. The exact role of the serotonergic system in PD is still unclear. Objective: To investigate the role of serotonin on specific aspects of cognition, mood, and motor performance in PD. Methods: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design, the effects of a nonspecific serotonergic challenge with citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and a 5-HT1a receptor-specific challenge with buspirone on the Visual Verbal Learning Task, Concept Shifting Task, Profile of Mood State Questionnaire, motor section of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (section 3), Simple Reaction Time Task, and Finger Precuing Task were studied in 21 PD patients in early stages of their disease and 21 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy volunteers. Results: The serotonergic challenges resulted in similar effects for both groups. No changes of scores on the cognitive tasks (Visual Verbal Learning Task and Concept Shifting Task) were observed. Results of the Profile of Moods State Questionnaire indicated that, at baseline, PD patients scored less than controls on all 5 subscales. Motor performance (measured by reaction time) was negatively affected by the interventions. Conclusions: The effects of nonspecific and 5-HT1a receptor-specific challenging of the serotonergic neurotransmitter system had similar effects in both PD patients and healthy control subjects. These findings indicate that serotonergic function is not impaired in early PD and that serotonin, although involved in the pathophysiology of PD, does not seem to play a direct role in cognition, mood, and motor performance in PD patients, but may be involved in hypokinesia.


A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-compatible fiber-optic bend sensor was investigated to assess whether the device could be used effectively to monitor opening and closing of the jaw during an fMRI experiment at 3 T. In contrast to surface electromyography, a bend sensor fixed to the chin of the participant is fast and easy to use and is not affected by strong electromagnetic fields. Bend sensor recordings are characterized by high validity (compared with concurrent video recordings of mouth opening) and high reliability (comparing two independent measurements). The results of this study indicate that a bend sensor is able to record the opening and closing of the jaw associated with different overt speech conditions (producing the utterances /a/, /pa/, /pataka/) and the opening of the mouth without speech production. Data post-processing such as filtering was not necessary. There are several potential applications for bend sensor recordings of speech-related jaw movements. First, bend sensor recordings are a valuable tool to assess behavioral performance, such as response latencies, accuracies, and completion times, which is particularly important in children, seniors, or patients with various neurological or psychiatric conditions. Second, the timing information provided by bend sensor data may improve the predicted hemodynamic response that is used for fMRI analysis based on the general linear model (GLM). Third, bend sensor recordings may be included in GLM analyses not for statistical contrast purposes, but as a covariate of no interest, accounting for part of the data variance to model fMRI artifacts due to motion outside the field of view.


A study was undertaken to develop inexpensive yet accurate procedures for rating trees in terms of winter crown density, which correlates closely with amount of blocked solar radiation. Such procedures provide a basis for identifying better trees for energy-conserving planting. Leafless crowns of 69 trees of three species were photographed. The proportion of each crown image consisting of tree parts was then determined by dot-grid procedures. Crown density was least for the Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioica), greatest for Modesto ash trees (Fraxinus velutina 'Modesto'), and intermediate for London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia). Crown density increased with tree size, and the pattern of this increase differed among species. The azimuth at which trees were photographed did not affect density estimates. The elevation angle at which photos were taken did affect density estimates, but regression procedures permit estimates based on a convenient elevation angle to be adjusted to correspond with estimates based on photos taken at the elevation best expressing the sun's average angle above the horizon during the dates and hours of interest. Photographic and dot-count procedures are rapid, require no specialized equipment, and are well suited to ranking species and cultivars by the density of their winter crowns.


Since Pfeiffer (1894) first used the word "endotoxin" to describe the toxic substances which he derived from the cholera vibrio and the typhoid bacillus, numerous efforts have been made to demonstrate similar substances in various pathogenic organisms. A review of the voluminous literature which has accumulated on the subject of toxin production by members of the colon-typhoid group of bacteria reveals that the organisms employed in such investigations were grown under cultural conditions which are widely different from those of the animal body, and that, with few exceptions, the toxins thus obtained were studied in animals other than the natural host.
 It would appear that the more nearly the conditions of the animal body are approximated in artificial culture the greater will be the possibility of the in vivo and in vitro metabolism of the parasite being similar or identical.
 This consideration seems important in any study of the rôle of bacterial toxins in disease.


Job duration patterns are examined for evidence of health insurance-related job lock among chronically ill workers or workers whose family member is chronically ill. Using Cox proportional hazard models to indicate the effect of health insurance and health status on workers' job duration we allow for more general insurance effects than that shown in the existing literature. Data for workers in Indiana predating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are used to examine the potential effect of HIPAA on job mobility. Among the workers in this sample who relied on their employer for coverage, chronic illness reduced job mobility by about 40 percent as compared with otherwise similar workers who did not rely on their employer for coverage. Results reported here identify previously under-appreciated job lock among chronically ill workers and workers whose family member is chronically ill, clarify how one best researches job lock, and indicate the potential effect of policies aimed at alleviating job lock and promoting inter-employer worker mobility.


Background. The quality of life in patients suffering from aphasia, survivors of a stroke, is considerably lower compared to patients who have suffered from other types of stroke. In order to observe the changes that occur at a psychological level in patients suffering from aphasia, it is necessary to investigate the relationship between quality of life and their social reintegration. Objectives. This cross-sectional research aims to identify those elements of quality of life that can enhance a healthy and stable social reintegration over time in patients suffering from aphasia. Materials and methods. The research was performed on a sample of 103 patients suffering from aphasia. Participants answered four questionnaires: Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39), The Community Integration Questionnaire Revisited (CIQ), Perceived Social Support Questionnaire (F-SozU) and Perceived Social Support - Family Form (PSS- Fa). The data were processed via SPSS V28 and Process V3.5. Results. The quality of life is a statistically significant predictor for the social reintegration of patients suffering from aphasia. Gender and family support were not found to be significant moderators of the relationship between quality of life and social reintegration. Social support was found to be a statistically insignificant mediator in the relationship between quality of life and social reintegration of patients suffering from aphasia.


This paper investigates the chaotification problem of a stable continuous-time T–S fuzzy system. A simple nonlinear state time-delay feedback controller is designed by parallel distributed compensation technique. Then, the asymptotically approximate relationship between the controlled continuous-time T–S fuzzy system with time-delay and a discrete-time T–S fuzzy system is established. Based on the discrete-time T–S fuzzy system, it proves that the chaos in the discrete-time T–S fuzzy system satisfies the Li–Yorke definition by choosing appropriate controller parameters via the revised Marotto theorem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed chaotic anticontrol method is verified by a practical example.


Unsized glass fibers and planar glass substrates were subjected to low temperature plasma or wet-chemical process to modify the fiber or substrate surface and thus influence the interphase properties of the glass/polyester system. Plasma-polymerized thin films (interlayers) of organosilicon monomers (hexamethyldisiloxane and vinyltriethoxysilane) were deposited in an RF helical coupling plasma system on the glass surface. Commercial silane coupling agent (vinyltriethoxysilane) was coated onto an unmodified glass surface from an aqueous solution. Bonding at the glass/interlayer interface was analyzed by employing a micro-scratch tester together with an optical polarizing microscope for the planar samples. The results revealed that the adhesion bonding could be controlled by plasma process parameters. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopies enabled characterization of the film surface morphology. Chemical composition and chemical structure of prepared interlayers were characterized using X-ray photoelectron and infrared spectroscopies. Microcomposites (macrocomposites) were tested to evaluate the interfacial shear strength (short-beam strength) of the glass fiber/polyester interphase using the microbond test (short-beam shear). Our study indicated that the most efficient interphase could be prepared by plasma polymerization or wet-chemical process using the vinyltriethoxysilane monomer. The short-beam strength was 110% higher than that for untreated fibers in both cases.


Caffeine is the most widely used psychostimulant, whose acceptance, tolerance and side effects are well known. The development of a slow released (SRC) formulation optimizes caffeine as a fatigue and sleep deprivation counter-measure. Due to its pharmacokinetic properties (delayed T max and reduced C max), a single 300 mg SRC oral dose per day is effective to maintain alertness and performance, up to 45 hours in a total sleep deprivation situation. Compared to other psychostimulants like amphetamines or modafinil, slow released caffeine offers the best ratio effectiveness/tolerance-acceptance. Therefore SRC potential use in the military is wider than these "exotic" drugs, and could benefit to military personnel submitted to sustained or continuous operations.


Summary
Eighteen autopsied cases of a clinical syndrome designated as "Thailand epidemic hemorrhagic fever" were reviewed. Clinical observations, such as age, sex, and symptoms, were similar in all cases. Pathologically, changes were found which were common to almost all of the patients and which were distinctly characteristic. The main changes were vascular alterations, such as congestion and vasodilation, edema and hemorrhage, and cellular proliferation of reticuloendothelial tissue. Interventricular subendocardial hemorrhage of the left side of the heart was striking. Necrosis was conspicuously absent in various organs. It is concluded that "Thailand epidemic hemorrhagic fever" is to be considered as a clinicopathological entity, probably caused by certain arthropod-borne viruses.


Hydrogel structures with microscale morphological features have extensive application in tissue engineering owing to their capacity to induce desired cellular behavior. Herein, we describe a novel biofabrication method for fabrication of grooved solid and hollow hydrogel fibers with control over their cross-sectional shape, surface morphology, porosity, and material composition. These fibers were further configured into three-dimensional structures using textile technologies such as weaving, braiding, and embroidering methods. Additionally, the capacity of these fibers to integrate various biochemical and biophysical cues was shown via incorporating drug-loaded microspheres, conductive materials, and magnetic particles, extending their application to smart drug delivery, wearable or implantable medical devices, and soft robotics. The efficacy of the grooved fibers to induce cellular alignment was evaluated on various cell types including myoblasts, cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, and glioma cells. In particular, these fibers were shown to induce controlled myogenic differentiation and morphological changes, depending on their groove size, in C2C12 myoblasts.


Together with matters of multilateral and bilateral regulation, domestic regulation affects the law and policy of economic relations between the European Union (eu) and Australia. This article discusses the constitutional determinants of the Australian single market and the significance to its development of the free trade jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union. When Australia was federated, free trade between the States and the removal of barriers at the borders were at the forefront of constitutional objectives. They find expression in Section 92 of the Australian Constitution. It took some time for the jurisprudence to develop by reference to principles of competition. Recent decisions of the High Court of Australia highlight the need to prove that a law or measure may have anti-competitive effects within a market to hold it invalid. Application of this (unacknowledged) test of proportionality invites comparison with eu law and opens to question the usefulness of protectionism as a criterion of constitutional invalidity for trade without borders in the 'new economy'.


Devices based on spin rectification effects are of great interest for broadband communication applications, since they allow the rectification of radio frequency signals by simple ferromagnetic materials. The phenomenon is enhanced at ferromagnetic resonance condition, which may be attained when an external magnetic field is applied. The necessity of such field, however, hinders technological applications. Exploring spin rectification and spin Hall effects in exchange-biased samples, we were able to rectify radio frequency signals without an external applied magnetic field. Direct voltages of the order of μV were obtained when Ta/NiFe/FeMn/Ta thin films were exposed to microwaves in a shorted microstrip line for a relatively broad frequency range. Connecting the films to a resistive load, we estimated the fraction of the incident radio frequency power converted into usable dc power.