Carbon dioxide (CO2) movement across cellular membranes is passive and governed by Fick's law of diffusion. Until recently, we believed that gases cross biological membranes exclusively by dissolving in and then diffusing through membrane lipid. However, the observation that some membranes are CO2 impermeable led to the discovery of a gas molecule moving through a channel; namely, CO2 diffusion through aquaporin-1 (AQP1). Later work demonstrated CO2 diffusion through rhesus (Rh) proteins and NH3 diffusion through both AQPs and Rh proteins. The tetrameric AQPs exhibit differential selectivity for CO2 versus NH3 versus H2O, reflecting physico-chemical differences among the small molecules as well as among the hydrophilic monomeric pores and hydrophobic central pores of various AQPs. Preliminary work suggests that NH3 moves through the monomeric pores of AQP1, whereas CO2 moves through both monomeric and central pores. Initial work on AQP5 indicates that it is possible to create a metal-binding site on the central pore's extracellular face, thereby blocking CO2 movement. The trimeric Rh proteins have monomers with hydrophilic pores surrounding a hydrophobic central pore. Preliminary work on the bacterial Rh homologue AmtB suggests that gas can diffuse through the central pore and three sets of interfacial clefts between monomers. Finally, initial work indicates that CO2 diffuses through the electrogenic Na/HCO3 cotransporter NBCe1. At least in some cells, CO2-permeable proteins could provide important pathways for transmembrane CO2 movements. Such pathways could be amenable to cellular regulation and could become valuable drug targets.


Three immunizing haptens, 6-(4-aminophenylsulfonamido)hexanoic acid (HS), 4-(4-(4-aminophenylsulfonamido)phenylsulfonamido)benzoic acid (SSS) and 4-(4-(4-aminophenylsulfonamido)phenyl)butanoic acid (SA10), were synthesized and used as haptens to produce generic polyclonal antibodies against sulfonamides. A novel generic enzyme-linked immunosorbent immunoassay (ELISA) for the detection of sulfonamides was developed based on one site heterologous coating hapten derived from sulfadiazine (STZ), providing IC50 values below 100 ng mL−1 for the 26 sulfonamides tested in buffer. The study showed that the site heterologous coating hapten could significantly improve the sensitivity of ELISA in comparison to a homologous or bridge length heterologous coating hapten. The developed ELISA was used first for the detection of five sulfonamides in spiked chicken muscle with recovery values ranging from 80.9 to 87.4% when the clean-up step was not included and from 85.6% to 92.7% when the clean-up step was included in sample pretreatment. The study showed that the high sensitivity and broad specificity of the assay make it a suitable screening method for the determination of multi-sulfonamides residues in chicken muscle.


Linear time-invariant state space models (SSM) are a classical model from engineering and statistics, that have recently been shown to be very promising in machine learning through the Structured State Space sequence model (S4). A core component of S4 involves initializing the SSM state matrix to a particular matrix called a HiPPO matrix, which was empirically important for S4's ability to handle long sequences. However, the specific matrix that S4 uses was actually derived in previous work for a particular time-varying dynamical system, and the use of this matrix as a time-invariant SSM had no known mathematical interpretation. Consequently, the theoretical mechanism by which S4 models long-range dependencies actually remains unexplained. We derive a more general and intuitive formulation of the HiPPO framework, which provides a simple mathematical interpretation of S4 as a decomposition onto exponentially-warped Legendre polynomials, explaining its ability to capture long dependencies. Our generalization introduces a theoretically rich class of SSMs that also lets us derive more intuitive S4 variants for other bases such as the Fourier basis, and explains other aspects of training S4, such as how to initialize the important timescale parameter. These insights improve S4's performance to 86% on the Long Range Arena benchmark, with 96% on the most difficult Path-X task.


An organic/silicon hybrid system is proposed for customizable Internet of Things (IoT) devices, composed of a silicon integrated circuit (IC) chip and organic field effect transistor (OFET) transducers. The silicon IC chip performs high performance and complex signal processing, and the OFET transducer provides flexible or conformable large area coverage and more friendly interfaces to integrate different sensing materials. A low trap-state density OFET (LTDOFET) technology is developed for such a hybrid system, owning features of low-cost solution printing processes, low operation voltage and excellent operational stability. This technology has been implemented with various materials, and processes, indicating its generality. Several sensor applications built based on this device technology are also reviewed, proving the LTDOFET technology would be promising for highly customizable IoT applications.


The unique climates and industrial mix in southeast and south central Alaska are challenges being met by the region's organics recyclers. OMPOSTING wood residuals in Alaska has become increasingly important in recent years as wood processors and other industrial waste managers search for environmentally sound and profitable outlets. Traditionally, Alaska?s sawmills have had dependable markets?supplying area pulp mills with high quality chips. However, the recent closure of two major pulp facilities in southeast Alaska has greatly reduced demand for the region?s wood residuals. Further north, the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska has experienced a recent spruce bark beetle epidemic?leaving large volumes of standing dead timber. Meanwhile, the Alaskan fisheries industry also could benefit from environmentally sound methods of managing processing wastes, while creating useful by-products. Research in the area of wood and fish composting often has focused on the need for reduction of fish residuals, with wood being used primarily as a bulking agent. While typical sawmill facilities in Alaska generate close to one-half of their incoming timber volume as waste materials, fish processing wastes tend to be even more abundant. It is estimated that fish residues can account for 30 to 85 percent of the total harvest for finfish, crab and shrimp. Since there are limited uses for unamended fish residuals (especially for land application), wood residuals can be used as bulking agents to improve pile porosity and facilitate decomposition. Other benefits of composting with wood include moisture absorbency, odor filtration and desirable thermal properties. Optimal ratios of wood to fish can vary considerably, depending on the specific application. For example, ratios of about one part fish residuals to three parts wood residuals by volume, or three parts fish residuals to one part wood residuals by weight are often used for desirable carbon:nitrogen (C:N) properties. Ideally, wood residuals should include a mixture of chips and sawdust for aerabon and carbon availability. The use of aged wood is generally not a negative factor when cornposting with fish residuals, which decompose much more quickly than wood.


Background: Recognition of rates and causes of hard, patient-centered outcomes of death and cerebrovascular events (CVEs) after heart rhythm disorder management (HRDM) procedures is an essential step for the development of quality improvement programs in electrophysiology laboratories. Our primary aim was to assess and characterize death and CVEs (stroke or transient ischemic attack) after HRDM procedures over a 17-year period. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients undergoing HRDM procedures between January 2000 and November 2016 at the Mayo Clinic. Patients from all 3 tertiary academic centers (Rochester, Phoenix, and Jacksonville) were included in the study. All in-hospital deaths and CVEs after HRDM procedures were identified and were further characterized as directly or indirectly related to the HRDM procedure. Subgroup analysis of death and CVE rates was performed for ablation, device implantation, electrophysiology study, lead extraction, and defibrillation threshold testing procedures. Results: A total of 48 913 patients (age, 65.7±6.6 years; 64% male) who underwent a total of 62 065 HRDM procedures were included in the study. The overall mortality and CVE rates in the cohort were 0.36% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31–0.42) and 0.12% (95% CI, 0.09–0.16), respectively. Patients undergoing lead extraction had the highest overall mortality rate at 1.9% (95% CI, 1.34–2.61) and CVE rate at 0.62% (95% CI, 0.32–1.07). Among patients undergoing HRDM procedures, 48% of deaths directly related to the HDRM procedure were among patients undergoing device implantation procedures. Overall, cardiac tamponade was the most frequent direct cause of death (40%), and infection was the most common indirect cause of death (29%). The overall 30-day mortality rate was 0.76%, with the highest being in lead extraction procedures (3.08%), followed by device implantation procedures (0.94%). Conclusions: Half of the deaths directly related to an HRDM procedure were among the patients undergoing device implantation procedures, with cardiac tamponade being the most common cause of death. This highlights the importance of the development of protocols for the quick identification and management of cardiac tamponade even in procedures typically believed to be lower risk such as device implantation.


Objectives To determine the carrier rate of the GJB2 mutation c.35delG and c.101T>C in a UK population study; to determine whether carriers of the mutation had worse hearing or otoacoustic emissions compared to non-carriers. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting University of Bristol, UK. Participants Children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. 9202 were successfully genotyped for the c.35delG mutation and c.101>T and classified as either carriers or non-carriers. Outcome measures Hearing thresholds at age 7, 9 and 11 years and otoacoustic emissions at age 9 and 11. Results The carrier frequency of the c.35delG mutation was 1.36% (95% CI 1.13 to 1.62) and c.101T>C was 2.69% (95% CI 2.37 to 3.05). Carriers of c.35delG and c.101T>C had worse hearing than non-carriers at the extra-high frequency of 16 kHz. The mean difference in hearing at age 7 for the c.35delG mutation was 8.53 dB (95% CI 2.99, 14.07) and 12.57 dB at age 9 (95% CI 8.10, 17.04). The mean difference for c.101T>C at age 7 was 3.25 dB (95% CI −0.25 to 6.75) and 7.61 dB (95% CI 4.26 to 10.96) at age 9. Otoacoustic emissions were smaller in the c.35delG mutation carrier group: at 4 kHz the mean difference was −4.95 dB (95% CI −6.70 to −3.21) at age 9 and −3.94 dB (95% CI −5.78 to −2.10) at age 11. There was weak evidence for differences in otoacoustic emissions amplitude for c.101T>C carriers. Conclusion Carriers of the c.35delG mutation and c.101T>C have worse extra-high-frequency hearing than non-carriers. This may be a predictor for changes in lower-frequency hearing in adulthood. The milder effects observed in carriers of c.101T>C are in keeping with its classification as a mutation causing mild/moderate hearing loss in homozygosity or compound heterozygosity.


Sedimentary successions of non‐marine basins can be considered in terms of accommodation space and sedimentary supply changes. Changes in accommodation space controlling the large‐scale architecture of non‐marine basins are different in areas with high and low sedimentary supplies. Uplift of intrabasinal monoclines and anticlines reduced the available accommodation space, resulting in changes in both the geometry of the depositional sequences and the large‐scale architecture of fluvial, mudflat and shallow carbonate lacustrine deposits. Main drainage fluvial systems record areas with a high sedimentary supply, while mudflats and shallow fluctuating lakes represent areas that received less sediment. Two end members in the large‐scale architecture of main drainage fluvial system in the Almazán Basin (Spain) are: (i) ribbon‐shaped channel fills with low interconnectivity which pass laterally into mudflats dominated by mudstones and evaporites and into palustrine and shallow carbonate lacustrine deposits (mainly in the A2 depositional sequence); and (ii) sheet‐like channel fills with high interconnectivity laterally correlated with stacked calcretes in the marginal mudflats (in the upper part of A3). Ribbon‐shaped channel fills formed in areas of high accommodation space and sheet‐like channel fills formed in areas of reduced accommodation space.


Background: Despite an increase in the prevalence of medial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction of the elbow in professional baseball and popularity within the media, there are no population-based studies examining the incidence of UCL reconstruction. Purpose: To examine the epidemiological trends of UCL reconstruction on a statewide level over a 10-year period. The primary endpoint was the yearly rate of UCL reconstruction over time; secondary endpoints included patient demographics, institution volumes, and concomitant procedures on the ulnar nerve. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: The New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database contains records for each ambulatory discharge in New York State. This database was used to identify all UCL reconstructions in New York State from 2002 to 2011 using the outpatient CPT-4 (Current Procedural Terminology, 4th Revision) code. Assessed were patient age, sex, ethnicity, insurance status, and associated procedures, as well as hospital volume. Results: There was a significant yearly increase in the number of UCL reconstructions (P < .001) performed in New York State from 2002 to 2011. The volume of UCL reconstructions increased by 193%, and the rate per 100,000 population tripled from 0.15 to 0.45. The mean ± SD age was 21.6 ± 8.89 years, and there was a significant trend for an increased frequency in UCL reconstruction in patients aged 17 to 18 and 19 to 20 years (P < .001). Male patients were 11.8 times more likely to have a UCL reconstruction than female patients (P < .001), and individuals with private insurance were 25 times more likely to have a UCL reconstruction than those with Medicaid (P = .0014). There was a 400% increase in concomitant ulnar nerve release/transposition performed over time in the study period, representing a significant increase in the frequency of ulnar nerve procedures at the time of UCL reconstruction (P < .001). Conclusion: The frequency of UCL reconstruction is steadily rising in New York State and becoming more common in adolescent athletes. Emphasis on public education on the risks of overuse throwing injuries and the importance of adhering to preventative guidelines is essential in youth baseball today.


Osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, tyroid dysfunction are common in COPD. Results related with Vit D Deficiency associated with COPD exacerbation are controversial. This study is planned to investigate the levels of Vit D, tyroid hormones and bone densityin COPD in related with exacerbation numbers, hospitalization duration related with exacerbation, and the number of antibiotics for exacerbations. 70 subjects with the mean age of 69.11±10.02 years and the mean FEV1 %38.75± 16.91 were included in the study. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has found in 13 and hyperlipidemia has found in 9 patients. Vit D Levels was reduced in 90% and tyroid hormones abnormalities were seen in 50% (1 hypertyroidi, 34 subclinic hypertyroidi) of the patients. Bone mineral density was normal in 21 (30%) and osteopenic in 24 (34.3%) and osteoporotic in 25 (35.7%) of the patients. These abnormalities did not relate with FEV1, exacerbation numbers in the last year, ICU admission rate and the duration of hospitalisation. Endocrinopathies in COPD have been encountered frequenlty however the impact of these abnormalities of disease outcomes have not elicudated throughly. This study has not showed any relation of endocrin abnormalities with parameters of exacerbations.


This article reviews the field of medical jurisprudence known as neurolaw which deals with the medicolegal ramifications of brain and spinal cord injuries. Placing emphasis upon how clinicians may work effectively with trial lawyers, it provides practical guidance to neurorehabilitation professionals who testify in personal injury cases.


This paper studies a wavelet network based classifier and introduces Orthogonal Least Squares method to quickly fulfill the structure and parameter identifications for dealing with the limitation of wavelet network in multi-dimensionality. First, build up an initial multi-dimensional wavelet network with wavelet frame theory. Next, Recursive Orthogonal Least Squares is used to recursively orthogonalize the wavelets instead of batch Orthogonal Least Squares. After the orthogonalization, calculate, the contribution of each wavelet to die output energy, and eliminate unimportant wavelets with backward elimination approach so as to establish an effective and refined wavelet network. Finally. numerical experiments are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of wavelet network based classifier.


In order to determine the in vitro antioxidant and free radical scavenging potential and phytochemical properties of leaves of Ziziphus mauritiana L. and Ziziphus spina-christi L. in comparism with Ascorbic Acid. The present study was undertaken using in vitro antioxidant methods like hydroxyl radical, DPPH radical, lipid peroxidation and superoxide radical standardization methods. The Ethanol and Hexane extracts of Z. mauritiana L. and Z. spina-christi L. leaves were subjected to the methods listed above. The results of antioxidant activity revealed that, the ethanol extract has lower EC50 values than the hexane extract of Z. mauritiana L. and Z. spina-christi L. The lower EC50 value indicates the higher free radical scavenging ability of the plants. So, the ethanol extract has a better antioxidant activity than hexane extract. These results were compared with the standard ascorbic acid solution. The phytochemicals such as cardiac glycosides, polyphenols, saponins and tannins were identified, among others. It is suspected that these active constituents acting singly or in synergy may be responsible for the observed antioxidant activity of these plant species.

 Key words: Ziziphus mauritiana L., Ziziphus spina-christi L., free radical, phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity.


We present an analysis of the albedo properties of main belt asteroids (MBAs) detected by the All-Sky Survey of the infrared astronomical satellite AKARI. The characteristics of 5120 asteroids detected by the survey, including their sizes and albedos, were cataloged in the Asteroid Catalog Using AKARI (AcuA). Size and albedo measurements were based on the standard thermal model, using inputs of infrared fluxes and absolute magnitudes measured at optical wavelengths. MBAs, which account for 4722 of the 5120 AcuA asteroids, have semimajor axes of 2.06–3.27 AU, except for the near-Earth asteroids. AcuA provides a complete data set of all MBAs brighter than the absolute magnitude of H < 10.3, which corresponds to the diameter of d > 20 km. We confirmed that the albedo distribution of the MBAs is strongly bimodal as was already known from the past observations, and that the bimodal distribution occurs not only in the total population, but also within inner, middle, and outer regions of the main belt. The bimodal distribution in each group consists of low-albedo components in C-type asteroids and high-albedo components in S-type asteroids. We found that the small asteroids have much more variety in albedo than the large asteroids. In spite of the albedo transition process like space weathering, the heliocentric distribution of the mean albedo of asteroids in each taxonomic type is nearly flat. The mean albedo of the total, on the other hand, gradually decreases with an increase in semimajor axis. This can be explained by the compositional ratio of taxonomic types; that is, the proportion of dark asteroids such as C- and D-types increases, while that of bright asteroids such as S-type decreases, with increasing heliocentric distance. The heliocentric distributions of X-subclasses: E-, M-, and P-types, which can be divided based on albedo values, are also examined. P-types, which are the major component in X-types, are distributed throughout the main belt regions, and the abundance of P-types increases beyond 3 AU. This distribution is similar to that of C- or D-types.


The research of 97 children (49.5% girls) deals with the contribution of attachment to the mental health of senior pre-school age subjects. Child's attachment has been assessed by means of the Types of Attachment to Mother Assessment Questionnaire; child's health has been assessed by comprehensive health evaluation (with defining a health group), R. Sear's technique, Psychological Health Assessment List and The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The ratio of pre-school children with secure and insecure attachment constituted 62.9 and 37.1%. Children with secure attachment had basic trust to mother and assurance in her support and acceptance. The obtained results confirmed the known data of the peculiarities of children with insecure attachment. Children with insecure attachment had a higher level of anxiety and a higher level of emotional symptom manifestations and external problems. The obtained multiple regression equation forecasted anxiety, emotional symptoms, hyperactivity and problems with peers according to the indices of attachment (emotional proximity with mother, mother's empathy and perceiving mother as a source of assistance and support). Mother's empathy to a child was the most significant for the development of anxiety, hyperactive behavior and pro-social behavior. The obtained results may be used in the preventive and correctional work on keeping and strengthening pre-school children's mental health.
Keywords: attachment to mother, mental health, preschoolers


Abstract Ribavirin is an important component of the treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and, in combination with the new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents, comprises the major current therapeutic regimens. This study evaluated the cytotoxicity and chromosomal instability induced by ribavirin using the in vitro cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-Cyt) assay in two cell lines with different expression levels of drug-metabolizing enzymes: human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. HepG2 cells were treated with nine concentrations (from 15.3 μg/ml to 3.9 mg/ml) and CHO-K1 cells were exposed to eight concentrations (from 15.3 μg/ml to 1.9 mg/ml) of ribavirin for 24 h. Ribavirin inhibited cell proliferation in both cell lines, but at different concentrations: 3.9 mg/ml in HepG2 and 244.2 μg/ml in CHO-K1 cells. No significant differences were observed regarding aspects of cell death in HepG2 and CHO-K1 cells, reflecting the absence of cytotoxic effects associated to ribavirin. Ribavirin did not increase the frequency of nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs) and nuclear bud (NBUD). However, when compared to the negative control, a significant increase in micronuclei (MNi) frequency was observed in both cell lines. However, chromosomal instability was induced by higher concentrations of ribavirin in HepG2 cells (from 61.1 to 976.8 μg/ml), compared with CHO-K1 cells (15.3 and 30.5 μg/ml). These results demonstrate the potential of ribavirin to promote chromosomal instability, and suggest that cells with different expressions of drug-metabolizing enzymes show different susceptibility to ribavirin effects.


Carbon tetrachloride and Dimethylnitrosamine, both potent hepatotoxic agents, affect the hepatic lobules with fatty changes and central necrosis, and hemorrhagic necrosis. To study the effects on morphologic changes of the hepatic lobules in cases of single and repeated treatment of both hepatotoxins, sublethal doses of carbon tetrachloride, 0.4ml/kg, and dimethylnitrosamine, 40mg/kg of rats were given intraperitoneally single, twice and triple. With interval of 3 days, and the results were as follows : 1. The fatty changes and central necrosis of the hepatic lobules were milder and more quickly disappeared in the rats with twice or triple treatment than single administration of carbon tetrachloride, and regenerative changes of hepatic and sinusoidal cells achieved fater in the rats with repeated administration of carbon tetrachloride than those with single treatment. 2. The hemorrhagic necrosis of the hepatic lobules was not significantly influenced by the times of DMN treatment, but the hyperplastic changes showed more active to animals, with multiple administration of DMN.


As a complete guidance, Qur'an needs to be relied on responding any important event surrounding the human itself both spritually and timely. Fundamental scientists have a legitimation to interpret Qur'an from many perspectives or various interpretations, for example: history, language, law, words/ sayings, correlation, etc. In addition, the science can also be legitimated to analyze the meanings in the Qur'an verses. The contextual interpretation in interpretating the : history, language, law, words/ sayings, correlation will not set free of the Quran verse itself. It is because the Qur'an itself is an absolut truth from Allah.Meanwhile, interpretation is a truth from human in which the truth itself can be right or wrong. The similiar thing also happens inscience interpretation. It is an eloquent decisions though it has the mistakes.


This paper proposes a new method that efficiently uses the RFID data collected from apparel shops. This method learns prediction models from the data by using data mining techniques. The models represent relationships between the number of sales in the next term and the actions of customers, such as the number of pick-up, the number of fitting, the number of customers, and so on. It is possible to predict sales volume by applying the present RFID data to the models. Also, this paper proposes two step-wise methods in order to acquire the models. It verifies the efficiency of the method through numerical experiments based on the RFID data collected from two branches of an apparel company.


Aim. Is specification of the nature and frequency of concomitant forms of genital endometriosis and other estrogen-dependent diseases (EDD) for the infertile women with severe peritoneal endometriosis (PE), as well as the assessment of the ovarian reserve condition for the patients of different ages.
Materials and methods. The total 142 infertile women with severe peritoneal endometriosis (IIIIV stage of the external genital endometriosis according to the American Fertility Society classification) were examined at the age of 32.33.2 years (minmax = 2340 years). The clinical status assessment was conducted, using a standard set of diagnostic procedures, prescribed for the inclusion of patients in the IVF program. The ovarian reserve was estimated by the level of the anti-Mullerian Hormone level determined by the immunoenzyme method.
Results. The concomitant 2-sided endometriotic ovarian cysts (96%), myoma (19.7%) and the adenomyosis (16.9%) were most common for the patients with severe peritoneal endometriosis. The severely reduced the anti-Mullerian Hormone rates (0.4 ng/ml) were much higher among patients 35 years old (24.6% compared to 10.6% for younger patients; p=0.028).
Conclusion. The infertility for severe peritoneal endometriosis is supported by concomitant estrogen-dependent diseases, of which 2-sided endometriomas, adenomyosis and uterine myoma are of the most pathological.
The low efficiency of IVF in the treatment of patients with severe peritoneal endometriosis and concomitant estrogen-dependent diseases is explained by the aggravation of the embryonic and endometrial factors for the infertility. The other reason that worsens the results of IVF for such patients is late reproductive age (35 years) that increases the observed reduction of the ovarian reserve.


Objective The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) is a widely used instrument to assess problem-solving ability. This study examined the factor structure of the 52-, 25-, and 10-item versions of the SPSI-R and assessed factorial invariance across English- and Spanish-speaking participants. In addition, the internal consistency, test-retest reliability and sensitivity to detect change in problem-solving skills over time were assessed across the three different versions of the SPSI-R. Methods Data from three randomized controlled trials, in which caregivers of children with cancer (N = 1,069) were assigned to either a problem-solving skills intervention (N = 728) or a control condition (N = 341), were combined. The SPSI-R was administered at baseline (T1) and immediately post intervention (T2). Reliability and multigroup analyses were performed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Sensitivity to change analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results Confirmatory factor analysis at T1 showed good fit statistics and internal consistency for the 52- and the 25-item versions, but not for the 10-item version. Factorial invariance was demonstrated across time (T1-T2) and language (Spanish-English) for both the 52- and 25-item versions. Adequate sensitivity to change over time was shown. Conclusion The 52- and 25-item versions of the SPSI-R appear reliable and valid for assessment of problem-solving skills in English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers of children with newly diagnosed cancer. The 25-item SPSI-R can be used as a short version measuring problem-solving ability; the 10-item version cannot be considered a reliable measure for this population.


This study is part of a World Bank review of major issues in agribusiness in the Philippines that aims at (i) strengthening the analytical underpinnings of the current and future portfolio of operations of the Bank in the Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) sector of the Philippines, consolidating analytical work carried out in the past two to three years and provide critical inputs for project design; and (ii) building capacities and developing a common understanding and platform with counterparts on how the results of this analysis could inform future policies and programs in the agriculture and agribusiness sector of the Philippines. The study updates the last round of domestic resource cost (DRC) estimations done by Gergely (2010), and continues work done on agricultural policy indicators for the Philippines. The rest of this report is organized as follows: the methodology for DRC analysis is presented in Section 2. A review of commodity profiles and past estimates is provided in Section 3. Section 4 presents the results and analysis of applying the DRC method. Section 5 summarizes and makes recommendations.


During embryonic development, gradients of morphogens and signaling molecules help to define how development proceeds. Scholpp and Brand examined how the gradient of a member of the fibroblast growth factor family, Fgf8, is generated and maintained in the nascent neuroectoderm of living zebrafish embryos. By looking at fluorescently tagged Fgf8 as it spread from its site of origin through target tissue, the authors obtained evidence for a restrictive clearance mechanism in which the factor is cleared from the immediate environment around target cells by endocytosis and subsequent degradation. When endocytosis was blocked, Fgf8 accumulated extracellularly and activated gene expression in more distant target cells, whereas activating endocytosis had the opposite affect, restricting the effective range of Fgf8. Belenkaya et al. looked at the movement of another growth factor–related morphogen, Drosophila Decapentaplegic (Dpp), during anteroposterior patterning of the wing. In this system, movement of the growth factor was restricted by binding to extracellular proteoglycans rather than by endocytosis, leading again to a gradient of morphogen response. — SMH


The quantity and the composition of the surface compounds which are obtained as a result of powerful, microsecond pulsed TEA CO2 laser irradiation in technical nitrogen was analysed in conjunction with the final characteristics of the irradiated surface. A model is proposed to describe the evolution of the interaction process in this case and improvements are suggested in order to develop an appropriate laser plasmatron for metallic surface nitridation.


Introduction : Approximately 40% of patients (pts) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) do not achieve complete response (CR) or relapse after receiving R-CHOP. A proposed mechanism of chemoresistance is aberrant DNA methylation. Preclinical data show low doses of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, such as azacitidine, suppress DLBCL tumor growth, while causing minimal DNA damage and enhancing chemosensitivity. In an earlier phase I clinical trial, subcutaneous (SC) azacitidine + R-CHOP showed 10/11 CRs in DLBCL pts with international prognostic index (IPI) score >2 (Clozel et al. Cancer Discovery 2013), providing a rationale for this study of oral azacytidine (CC-486) which is easier to administer and may achieve more continuous hypomethylation effects. Methods: The CC-486-DLBCL-001 phase I trial examined 4 escalating doses (100, 150, 200, and 300 mg) of CC-486 combined with standard R-CHOP21 in pts with previously untreated DLBCL, grade 3B follicular lymphoma (FL), or transformed FL; IPI score ≥2; ECOG PS ≤2; and Ann Arbor stage II-IV disease (NCT02343536). Pts were enrolled sequentially starting at 100 mg CC-486 in a time-to-event continual reassessment method (TiTE-CRM) design. Priming with CC-486 was given for 7 days prior to R-CHOP initiation on day 1 of cycle 1. Thereafter, CC-486 was given for 14 days (days 8-21) before the next R-CHOP cycle. Patients standardly received G-CSF. Treatment was given for six, 21-day cycles. Primary endpoints were to determine safety, dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), and maximal administered dose (MAD) of CC-486 combined with R-CHOP (per NCI CTCAE v4.03). Secondary endpoints included PK and preliminary efficacy, including overall response rate (ORR) and CR per 2014 IWG criteria. Correlative analyses were performed at day -6 (pre-CC-486) versus day 1 of cycle 1 (post-CC-486) in matched tumor and circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) samples for DNA bisulfite sequencing and gene expression, and in plasma for cytokine levels. The study design consisted of "dose escalation" assessing 4 dose levels, followed by a "dose expansion" at the recommended phase II dose (RP2D). The data reported here are from the completed dose escalation phase. Results: A total of 33 pts were enrolled in dose escalation as of May 31, 2017. The median age was 65 years (range, 25-80), 67% were >60 years, and 55% were male. 32 (97%) pts had DLBCL (including 5 transformed from FL), and 1 patient had grade 3B FL. Thirty (91%) pts had stage III-IV disease, and 19 (58%) had IPI score ≥3. 91% of pts completed 6 full cycles of planned study treatment. CC-486 dose reduction occurred in 9 (27%) pts due to adverse events (AEs). Treatment with CC-486 (150 mg) was discontinued in 1 patient due to febrile neutropenia. The most common any-grade AEs included neutropenia (70%), nausea (64%), constipation (58%), fatigue (55%), vomiting (48%), and diarrhea (48%). Grade 3/4 treatment-related AEs occurred in 21 (64%) pts; most common (≥10%) were neutropenia (58%) and febrile neutropenia (21%). Serious AEs (SAEs) occurred in 13 (39%) pts; febrile neutropenia was the only SAE occurring in >1 pt (24%). There were no deaths related to the study. DLTs were seen in 2 pts, including 1 grade 4 febrile neutropenia (200 mg cohort) and 1 grade 4 neutropenia (300 mg cohort) . The MAD was 300 mg, which was identified as the RP2D for dose expansion. 32 of 33 efficacy-evaluable pts responded for 97% ORR, with 28 (85%) pts achieving a PET-negative CR. In 19 pts with IPI score ≥3, ORR was 100%, and CR was 84%. Correlative analyses for cytokine levels and DNA methylation pre- versus post-CC-486 showed significantly decreased IFN-α2a and increased IFN-β and IFN-λ in blood (n=24), and significant tumor and cf-DNA hypomethylation. There was a significant change in gene expression for IFN-related immune response and lymphoma microenvironment pathways (n=3). PK was similar to the known PK profile in AML and MDS patients and was unaffected by co-administration of R-CHOP. Conclusions: CC-486 combined with R-CHOP showed promising preliminary efficacy in pts with high-risk, previously untreated DLBCL or grade 3B FL. Results from this study identified a RP2D of 300 mg for future studies of CC-486 plus R-CHOP in DLBCL pts. Adverse events were generally consistent with the known safety profile of azacitidine and toxicities associated with R-CHOP. Correlative analyses showed pharmacodynamic activity, the majority related to anti-lymphoma immune regulation. Disclosures Martin: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy; Bayer: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Teva: Research Funding; Milennium: Research Funding. Bartlett: Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding; ImaginAB: Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Forty Seven: Research Funding; Immune Design: Research Funding; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Research Funding; Merck & Co: Research Funding; KITE: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Rivera: Weill Cornell Medicine: Employment. Chavez: Kite: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau. Reagan: Teva: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. LaCasce: Forty Seven: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy. Zhang: Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Zhai: Celgene: Employment. Wu: Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Leonard: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy. Cerchietti: Lymphoma Research Foundation: Research Funding; Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: Research Funding; Weill Cornell Medicine - New York Presbyterian Hospital: Employment; Celgene: Research Funding.


Current parallel processing approaches in finite element analysis can be roughly classified into two categories: In the domain method, an analysis region is divided into subdomains and one CPU assigned to each subdomain. Alternatively, one may calculate in parallel the matrix and vector products which arise in the process of solving the set of simultaneous equations. In this paper, we present a hybrid of the above two methods. Iteration to bring values on the subdomain boundaries coincide is not necessary, but the idea of domain division is used. >


This paper reviews the possible association between cardiovascular disease and occupational and environmental agents. The effects of carbon monoxide, fibrogenic dusts, carbon disulphide, heavy metals, noise, radiation, heat, cold, solvents and fluorocarbons are discussed. New directions for investigation are suggested.


In this study, we proposed a process of an accelerated life testing method of 5-speed manual transmissions used in vehicles, which loads are consisted of multiple alternating loads. The entire process of an 5-speed manual transmission's accelerated life testing method where no failures are allowed, is a process that requires an abundance of assumptions, and other factors that are estimates such as the shape parameter, beta() and the fatigue damage exponent (x). And the process is consisted of 7-step process. From the 1-setp, which is the deriving the service(use) torque and speed(rpm) profile of the transmission, to the 7-step, we could determine the accelerated life time, the accelerated torque and the accelerated speed(rpm), which are the equivalent cumulative fatigue damage. Also, we have performed accelerated life test on 5-speed manual transmission by using the following 7-step process.


Background: PTB can mimic many chronic lung diseases resulting in misdiagnosis with serious consequences. Objectives: To appraise all SN PTB patients who were referred to us from lower health facilities after unsuccessful treatment in order to confirm the appropriate diagnosis. Methods: A cross sectional study at the pulmonary section of our hospital. Results: The median age of our patients was 46 with interquartile range of 32 to 54 years. The commonest presenting symptom was difficulty in breathing which was present in almost 90% of them (30 out of 34), cough was present in 24 with sputum production in 22 while haemoptysis was reported in 3. All the 5 patients with malignancy reported chest pain. Sixty eight percent of the patients were referred from Peripheral TB DOT centers and sputum smear tests were done in 82% of them while radiologic tests were done in less than 50% of the patients. The final diagnoses include COPD, malignancy, sarcoidosis, interstitial lung diseases and fungal infection among others. Conclusion: Many lung diseases are misdiagnosed as SN PTB because of similarity in clinical presentation, overreliance on diagnostic test with low TB detection and non adherence to local guidelines. We advocate for WHO-recommended rapid molecular test for all our suspected TB cases and prompt referral of difficult to diagnose cases.


The authors studied dissections of 50 temporal bones plus some material from labyrhinthectomy cases. Another 1,000 cases were studied clinically using the microscope. The authors feel that an incus involved in cholesteatoma should never be used. When cholesteatoma is cleaned from off the stapes foot plate, the end result may be sensorineural hearing loss and dizziness, but the authors feel risk is justified. If the foot plate is dislocated, the oval window is covered with a fascia graft. Ossicular homografts are generally preferred to using the patients own incus or malleus in diseased ears. Distinctions are made between metaplastic epithelium and stratified squamous epithelium in the middle ear, and a definition of "sudden epithelium" is given. In analyzing the eustachian tubes in these cases, there were no instances where the epithelial lining of the tube was destroyed. Dilatations of the tube with bougies were unsuccessful when there was fibrous stricture.


The application of polylactides in tissue engineering is attracting significant interest. Using renewable; low cost; health and environmental friendly agro waste as reinforcement in electrospun polylactide nano composite fibres reduces the need for petroleum based fillers and enhances the strength of polylactides. In this paper, the morphological, mechanical and water permeability properties of electrospun treated and untreated ricehusk reinforced polylactidenanocomposite fibres are presented. The treated ricehusk particulates were ground, subjected to steam explosion and chemical treatment to remove its lignin and hemi-cellulose contents so as to increase the crystallinity of the filler. The addition of 4wt. and 6 wt. % untreated ricehusk filler increased the tensile strength by 95% and 43% respectively. Young's modulus, fracture stress, water permeability and other properties are also enhanced. This work shows that; the mechanical properties and biodegradability of scaffolds for tissue engineering can be improved by reinforcing polylactide with rice-husk instead of petroleumbased polymericnanofiber composites.


Abstract Carbonates of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (UHPM) origin were discovered in eclogites from western Tianshan, China. In the eclogites, relict magnesite (XMg = 0.79) occurs as rounded to subidiomorphic inclusions (0.01-0.1 mm) within matrix dolomite, and also as rounded inclusions with thin reaction rims of dolomite in glaucophane. Based on the textural evidence and calculated phase relationship, these eclogites record an early UHPM assemblage overprinted by a blueschist assemblage, which can be explained by the reaction: Using THERMOCALC (v2.75) and the updated internally consistent mineral thermodynamic database of Holland and Powell (1998), we have calculated the P-T grid involving glaucophane (gl), grossular (gr), jadeite (jd), magnesite (mag), dolomite (dol), clinozoisite (cz), coesite (coe), CO2, and H2O in a 7-component system of NCMASCH (Na2O-CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2-H2O). The calculated P-T slope of the above reaction is nearly parallel to the temperature axis and suggests that it can be used as an excellent geobarometer. Using the analyzed compositions and mineral-thermodynamic database of Holland and Powell (1998), the above retrograde metamorphic reaction in Tianshan eclogites occurred at 27-28 kbar and 525-607°C calculated from Grt-Cpx geothermometers


Increased complexity of network-based software solutions and the ever-rising number of concurrent users forced a shift of the IT industry to cloud computing. Conventional network software systems commonly based on monolithic application stack running on costly physical single-purpose servers are affected by significant problems of resource management, computing power distribution, and scalability. Such implementation is restricting applications to be reduced to smaller, independent services that can be more easily deployed, managed, and scaled dynamically; therefore, embellishing environmental uniformity across development, testing, and production. Current cloud-based infrastructure frequently runs on containers placed in Kubernetes or Docker-based cluster, and the system configuration is considerably different compared to the environment prevailed with common virtualizations. This paper discusses the usage of GraalVM, a polyglot high-performance virtual machine for JVM-based and other languages, combined with new Kubernetes native Java tailored stacked framework named Quarkus, formed from enhanced Java libraries. Moreover, our research explores GraalVM's creation of native images using Ahead-Of-Time (AOT) compilation and Quarkus' deployment to Kubernetes. Furthermore, we examined the architectures of given systems, various performance variables, and differing memory usage cases within our academic testing environment and presented the comparison results of selected performance measures with other traditional and contemporary solutions.


Abstract This case study describes a therapeutic strategy using a cochlear implant for a bilateral acoustic neuroma deafened patient. The cochlear nerve had previously been sacrificed on one side during tumour removal, but on the remaining side a functioning cochlear nerve was assessed by electric promontory stimulation in spite of a neuroma extending into the vestibular labyrinth. The patient was successfully stimulated with a Nucleus 22- channel implant after removal of the intracanalicular portion of the neuroma via a middle fossa approach.


The overarching goal of this work is to characterize aerosol radiative properties and aerosol radiative forcing efficiencies for three major aerosol types over Puerto Rico. This would provide observational constraints to improve Radiative Forcing predictions due to aerosol-radiation interactions (RFari) from Chemical Transport Model (CTM). Uncertainties in CTM spatio-temporal distributions of speciated aerosol have significant implications in the CTM-estimated aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing, especially through propagating uncertainties in CTM species-dependent RFari. We strongly encourage the authors to work on the major revisions below and resubmit their work, as the result would lead to substantial contribution to scientific progress within the scope of this journal.


Student workers are placed at a disadvantage as they have little social power, making them vulnerable to maltreatment by those with higher social power such as supervisors and other faculty members. There is little research that documents incidences of incivility toward student workers. In this study, we delineated the experiences of two African American women who encountered faculty incivility while serving in the role of graduate student worker. The related literature offers insight into the existence of incivility, including the prevalence of workplace incivility, incivility in higher education, social identities and personal accounts. We offered the Student Worker Support (SWS) model that can serve as a reference for adult educators as they encounter, supervise, or instruct student workers.


Abstract In this article, the conventional wisdom on German trade policies during the interwar and the wartime years are examined from the Swedish experience. The conventional view, represented by, for instance, Hirschman, Child and Ellis, is that Germany adopted exploitative trade policies during the 1930s. By forcing bilateral agreements onto its smaller trading partners, the bargaining power was biased towards Germany's advantage – that is, Germany gained the market position of a monopolist-monopsonist. According to the conventional view, this was reflected in the cash flows, export and import prices and the commodity structure of the trade. In this article, German trade policies are analyzed with respect to the design and practice of the Swedish-German bilateral exchange clearing agreement; the commodity structure of the trade; and the price trends in Swedish-German bilateral trade. In the analyses, no evidence was found that would suffice to confirm the conventional view on German trade policies. Instead, it seems more likely that the Germans aimed for long-term cooperation, as has been claimed by, for instance, Milward, Neal and Ritschl. This does not mean that German trade policies were not exploitative, but since bilateral arrangement leveled the asymmetric power relations, Germany could not make use of its relatively stronger position.


In the title compound, C11H10N2O5, the amide group is nearly coplanar and the ester group approximately perpendicular to the vinyl C—HC=CH—C group [dihedral angles of 5.0 (2) and 88.89 (5)°, respectively]. This results in a short intramolecular O =C⋯O=C contact of 2.7201 (17) Å between the amide O atom and the ester carbonyl C atom. The prop-2-enamide fragment and the nitro group make dihedral angles of 20.42 (6) and 13.54 (17)°, respectively, with the benzene ring. An intramolecular C—H⋯O interaction between the benzene ring and the amide group generates an S(6) ring motif. Intermolecular C—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds complete R 2 2(11) ring motifs and join molecules into [100] chains.


The effects of three different ammonium ion concentrations (0.143; 1.43; 14.3 mmol .1(-1)) on adenylate cyclase activities in liver, muscle, fat and brain tissue in vitro were studied in the rat. At physiological levels, ammonium ions reduced adenylate cyclase activity in liver and fat by about 30%, did not affect enzyme activity in muscle tissue but increased adenylate cyclase activity in brain by 40%. Similar effects were observed at higher ammonium ion concentrations though there were no statistically significant correlations between ammonium ion concentration and the degree of change of enzyme activity.


Traction performance and fuel efficiency tests were run at the Alberta Farm Machinery Research Centre to compare two different rubber belt tractors with two similar radial tire equipped mechanical front wheel drive tractors. Three different test methods were used in both tilled and untilled clay loam soil. The optimized systems showed only small differences in overall performance and efficiency in good traction conditions and at vehicle traction ratios of 0.4 to 0.5. This was also where both types of vehicle showed their best power delivery performance. Belted tractors showed their greatest benefit when operated at VTRs of 0.6 or higher or in soft or loose soil conditions.


SUMMARY Sera from 823 wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) collected from a number of geographic regions of Victoria, Australia over the past eight years were examined for antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi, along with sera from 46 hares (Lepus europaeus) (Pallas) and 57 New Zealand wild rabbits. No sera were positive, implying that this common laboratory rabbit parasite is absent from wild rabbits in these areas. However, wild rabbits were found to be readily infected by the oral route with small numbers of tissue-culture-grown spores of E. cuniculi. A possible explanation for the absence of encephalitozoonosis in wild rabbits is that E. cuniculi infection places them at a biological disadvantage for survival. The natural hygiene habit of wild rabbits may also significantly decrease post-natal infection.


Nutrigenomics refers to the application of genomic principles in nutritional research, enables us to formulate associations between specific nutrients and genetic factors, e.g. the way in which food or food ingredients influence gene expression. It aims to identify the genes that influence the risk of diet-related diseases and also helpful to solve the mechanisms that underlie these genetic predispositions. In contrast, nutrigenetics reveals the coordination of genetic makeup of individuals with their responses to various dietary nutrients. It clarifies different responses to same nutrient by different individuals. Interaction of genetic background and diet with regard to development of chronic conditions as obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer are discussed in present review. These two branches of nutrition resemble with two sides of a coin, facing towards opposite sides but simultaneously, they are intimately attached with each other. Collective efforts by the scientific community are needed to strictly follow guidelines put forth regarding experimental designs, analysis, and data storage for nutritional research. This strategy will be helpful to generate a sound database useful for clinicians and dietetic practitioners.


Saint Louis University's Interprofessional Education Program (SLU-IPE) started with interprofessional courses throughout the curricula of the health professional programs of the Edward and Margaret Doisy College of Health Sciences and the School of Nursing. The goal of SLU-IPE is to prepare graduates for interprofessional patient/client-centered practice, effective and efficient delivery of health care services, and advocacy for improvement of health and health services. In developing the SLU-IPE curriculum, faculty adopted the premise that IPE is needed to prepare graduates for interprofessional practice, which significantly improves the likelihood of patients attaining optimal health care outcomes. Other premises include that learning experiences, both didactic and practical, should be interactive and that interprofessional learning activities should occur throughout the length of the educational programs.


Drought stress induced pollen sterility is a detrimental factor reducing grain number in wheat. Exploring the mechanisms underlying pollen fertility under drought conditions could assist breeding high-yielding wheat cultivars with stress tolerance. Here, by using two Chinese wheat cultivars subjected to different levels of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced drought stress, possible links between pollen fertility and stress tolerance were analyzed under different levels of drought stress at the young microspore stage. In both cultivars, higher grain number reduction was observed under condition of lower water availability. Overall, the drought tolerant cultivar (Jinmai47) exhibited less grain number reduction than the drought sensitive cultivar (Shiluan02-1) under all stress conditions. Compared with Shiluan02-1, Jinmai47 exhibited superior physiological performance in terms of leaf photosynthetic rate, ear carbohydrate accumulation, pollen sink strength, pollen development and fertility under stress. Moreover, Jinmai47 showed a lower increase in endogenous abscisic acid in ears than Shiluan02-1. Furthermore, higher levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities were also found in the drought tolerant cultivar Jinmai47 under PEG stress, compared with the drought sensitive cultivar Shiluan02-1. Changes in these physiological traits could contribute to better pollen development and male fertility, ultimately leading to the maintenance of grain number under drought stress.


A chiral seven-membered N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) has been synthesized from its phenol adduct (NHC-HOPh) by a novel base-induced alpha-elimination method, and its donor strength has been determined from the IR stretching frequencies of the NHC-Rh(CO)(2)Cl complex.


Inorganic CsPbI3 perovskite with an optical bandgap ranging from 1.67 to 1.75 eV is a promising light‐harvesting material as a top cell in tandem solar cells, but its high fabrication temperature can damage the middle layers or the bottom subcells. Here, an additive‐involved leaching method to fabricate CsPbI3 perovskite films is demonstrated, which can decrease the preparation temperature to 100 °C. The CsPbI3 perovskite films with high crystallinity are achieved by a solution assisted reaction between DMAPbI3 and Cs4PbI6 with the leaching of DMA+, Cs+, and I−. The as‐prepared CsPbI3 perovskite films exhibit much superior stability compared to their high‐temperature counterparts. As a result, a power conversion efficiency of over 16% is obtained, and the unencapsulated device maintains over 93% of the initial efficiency after aging for 30 days in air with a relative humidity of 10%.


Scour of bridge piers and abutments has been identified as the main cause of bridge collapse around the world. Undermining of bridge foundations occurs by river sediment removal which may lead to loss of their load bearing capacity. Long-term climate change arising from global warming has the potential to further exacerbate bridge scour due to increased river flooding resulting from increased precipitation. It is important for bridge owners and managers to understand how the risk of their bridge is likely to change due to the potential effects of climate change as this will assist towards their long-term management so that the consequences arising from bridge failures/damage can be minimised as far as possible.
In the UK, climate change is expected to increase the magnitude and/or frequency of precipitation, leading to increased and/or more frequent river flooding. Several recent studies on high river flows in various British rivers predict future peak discharges that capture climate change effects. These predictions supersede the older 20% and 25% allowances that have been used in the UK in the past for climate change analyses. In this research, selected climate change allowances for the UK (Environment Agency, 2016) were applied to two common bridge assessment methodologies.
As part of this study, the UK highway and railway scour assessment codes were reviewed to assess their capability in capturing climate change effects on bridge scour and identify potential limitations. The main limitation of the railway code was identified as being its inability to account for changes in river discharge. The Highway Agency (2012) (BD97/12), which has been developed more recently, was suitable for adaptation to capture climate change effects on bridge scour and, as a result, has been the focus of this study.
A large number of analyses were carried out as part of this study to quantify the effects of climate change on bridge scour. The generated scour data consisted of 27,000 scour depths for bridges on wide river channels, 18,000 on intermediate and 9,000 on narrow channels, each accounting for different median sediment sizes, foundation depth, pier width and angle of attack. The aim was to simulate a large number of scenarios of bridge-river configurations to identify which situations are more susceptible to climate change effects. It was found that, in some situations, climate change has the potential of shifting the scour risk ranking of bridges to a higher risk level, potentially leading to changes in their long-term risk management. The angle of attack effect on scour risk was found to be the factor that has the most significant effect on scour risk irrespective of bridge location/river channel type. Other key findings of this research are that Highway Agency (2012) the BD97/12, the scour assessment method for highway bridges over predicted scour depth. Sediment sizes and foundation depths have significant effect on bridge scour alongside the opening ratio of a bridge
The availability of a large database with scour field measurements in the USA offered the opportunity to assess the accuracy of the scour model predictions in the Highway Agency (2012) BD97/12. The majority of bridge scour equations have been derived from idealised laboratory studies which may not necessarily be representative of realistic river conditions. Statistical analyses were used to quantify the deviations between code predictions and real measurements. The former were found to lead to conservative predictions. Probabilistic distributions were fitted to the data and suggested as modelling uncertainty factors to be used with the existing scour models in the codes to update their predictions to more realistic levels.


The Oklahoma earthquake of April 9, 1952 provided an instrumental study of seismograms throughout the United States. There is good evidence for the existence of crustal layers, and consequently a shallow depth of focus. The normal velocities of P and S obtained were 8.07 and 4.43 km/sec.

This paper is a summary of a Master's thesis in geophysics at the Saint Louis University Institute of Technology. The complete thesis may be consulted in the Institute library.


The recent trend in adhoc network routing is reactive on-demand philosophy where routes are established when required. In MANETs wireless links are subject to fre- quent breakages due to nodes high mobility. AODV can operate at low network mobility condition but cannot operate at high mobility conditions. Therefore, considering mobility is a demanding task that should be performed efficiently and accurately. In this paper we introduce mobility aware agent in adhoc network nodes and use of GPS is done to deter- mine location of a node and establish communication link to it. Backbone node is also used to determine path from source to destination. The enhancement in throughput can be seen with the help of various scenarios.


Out-band radiation is a severe problem for Cognitive Radio with OFDM system (CR-OFDM) which is caused by the sidelobe of OFDM signals. Lots of studies have been done on suppressing the sidelobe power and numerous methods have been proposed. In this paper, we propose a novel method to minimize the sidelobe by adding extended data carrier so called EDC to the original data carriers so as to protect primary user (PU) spectrum. Unlike the methods before, the EDCs are deployed within the secondary user (SU) data frequency spectrum to fully use the spectrum. Moreover, we derive the linear least squares problem to get the optimal weighting factors of EDCs to minimize the sidelobe power which is subject to an original data interference constraint. By simulation, we find that EDC is more capable in sidelobe suppression than method of Cancellation Carrier (CC) while EDC has only a small loss in BER performance.


The rush of activity among London's auction houses in the first few weeks of summer has long been a familiar occurrence that persists even today. However, this intense seasonal concentration of sales was not always so. This paper draws on quantitative methods to explore the gradual emergence of a tightly scheduled auction season in London at the turn of the nineteenth century, focusing on the sale of paintings. By analysing historical art auction catalogue data, the paper traces the ways in which this shift varied across different segments of the auction market, as well as between individual auction houses. As our study shows, the temporal clustering of painting auctions had specific business advantages, but it also played a key role in enhancing the social import of these auctions, demarcating an annual, weeks-long "event" looked to with anticipation and excitement by auctioneers and buyers alike.


The paper addresses the question of whether developing countries possess any built-in mechanism that can cope with external terms-of-trade (TOT) shocks. Using a two-sector, full-employment general equilibrium model with endogenous labor market distortion theoretically it shows that such countries possess an inherent shock-absorbing mechanism that stems from their peculiar institutional characteristics and can lessen the gravity of detrimental welfare consequence of exogenous TOT movements. This result has been found to be empirically valid based on a panel dataset of 13 countries from 2000-2012. Our analyses lead to recommendation of an important policy that should be adhered to preserve this in-built system.


Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for fish with more than 40 selenoproteins identified, many exhibiting antioxidant functions. This study investigated the effect of dietary Se supplementation on physiological parameters, selenoprotein and antioxidant enzyme gene expression in Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT, Thunnus thynnus) larvae. First-feeding ABT larvae were divided into triplicate groups and fed rotifers Brachionus rotundiformis enriched with five different levels of Se (0, 3, 10, 30, and 100 µg Se·L−1) until 14 days after hatching. Both rotifers and ABT larvae effectively accumulated Se achieving maximum levels in the Se100 treatment (30.05 μg Se·g−1 and 194 ± 38 μg Se·g−1 dry mass, respectively). Larvae showed highest total length when fed Se3 rotifers, whereas flexion index was highest in larvae fed Se10. Selenium supplementation increased the gene expression of selenoproteins gpx1, msrb1, trxr2, selenom, selenop, and selenoe compared to the non-supplemented control (Se0), but only marginal differences were detected between supplementation levels. In contrast, expression of the antioxidant enzymes cat and sod1 were lowest in larvae fed Se100. To conclude, non-Se-enriched rotifers may be suboptimal for first feeding ABT larvae, which showed improved selenoprotein and antioxidant gene expression when fed a diet containing 4.42 μg Se·g−1 dry mass.


Monitoring and controlling the depth of anesthesia during a surgery is really important since over dosing and under dosing can be dangerous for the patients. The model which is used for describing the relationship between input anesthetic agents and output patient endpoint variables is pharmacokinetic- pharmacodynamic model which included the most significant covariates such as age and weight. Bispectral index (BIS) is one of the best criteria for evaluating the depth of Anesthesia. In this research we used BIS as a patient endpoint and Propofol as an anesthetic agent. As there is a large variety between the patients, we need a controller which should be robust against the disturbances and because the anesthesia process is nonlinear and contains a time delay, model predictive controllers (MPCs) seems act very well for it. In this paper we tried to use a constrained generalized predictive control (GPC) method for controlling the depth of Anesthesia. For comparison a PID controller has been designed. The results showed that the performance of GPC with or without presence of the noise and disturbance was much better than PID controller and also it was more robust.


One hundred years after their discovery, the wave characteristics of electrons are being exploited routinely in electron microscopes to visualize atoms and molecules. With modern computing methods, molecular structure within biological tissues can be determined in three dimensions by image processing of electron micrographs.


On a curved surface, epithelial cells can adapt to geometric constraints by tilting and by exchanging their neighbors from apical to basal sides, known as an apicobasal T1 (AB-T1) transition. The relationship between cell tilt, AB-T1 transitions, and tissue curvature still lacks a unified understanding. Here, we propose a general framework for cell packing in curved environments and explain the formation of AB-T1 transitions under different conditions. We find that steep curvature gradients can lead to cell tilting and induce AB-T1 transitions. Conversely, large curvature anisotropy can drive AB-T1 transitions by hydrostatic pressure. The two mechanisms compete to determine the impact of tissue geometry and mechanics on optimized cell rearrangements in 3D.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an acute rigorous bed rest (ABR) (abrupt confinement to a rigorous bed rest regimen) and a rigorous bed rest (RBR) regimen on serum concentrations of thyroid hormones and lipids. The studies were done during seven days of a pre bed rest period and during seven days of an ABR and RBR period. Thirty endurance trained male volunteers aged 22 to 26 years with a peak oxygen uptake of 66.0 mL.min-1.kg-1 and running an average of 14.0 km.day-1 were chosen as subjects. They were divided equally into three groups: (one) ten athletes placed under ambulatory conditions served as ambulatory control subjects (ACS), (two) ten athletes subjected to an acute rigorous bed rest regimen served as acute bed rested subjects (ABRS) and (three) ten athletes submitted to a rigorous bed rest regimen served as rigorous bed rested subjects (RBRS). For the simulation of the effect of ABR the ABRS group was submitted abruptly to a rigorous bed rest regimen. They did not have any prior knowledge of the exact date and time when they would be asked to submit to the RBR. For the simulation of the effect of RBR the RBRS group was subjected to a rigorous bed rest regimen on a predetermined date and time known to them right from the start of the study. During the pre bed rest period and during the ABR and RBR periods serum concentrations of thyroxine (T3), triiodothyronine (T4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein and albumin were measured. In the ABRS and RBRS groups serum concentrations of T3, T4, TSH, cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein and albumin increased significantly when compared with the ACS group. Serum concentrations of thyroid hormones and lipids in the ABRS group increased much faster and were more pronounced than in the RBRS group. It is concluded that exposure to RBR and, especially, to ABR conditions induces significant increases in serum concentrations of thyroid hormones and lipids. These changes occurred much earlier and were much greater in the ABRS group than in the RBRS group.


According to an analysis of Medicare data, 40% of cancer patients have one or more comorbidities and 15% have two or more, the most common of which are diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and congestive heart failure. These diseases can complicate cancer care on many levels.


Abstract The aim of this work is to examine the hypothesis that the wave propagation time in the solar atmosphere can be used to infer the magnetic topography in the chromosphere as suggested by Finsterle et al. (2004). We do this by using an extension of our earlier 2-D MHD work on the interaction of acoustic waves with a flux sheet. It is well known that these waves undergo mode transformation due to the presence of a magnetic field which is particularly effective at the surface of equipartition between the magnetic and thermal energy density, the β = 1 surface. This transformation depends sensitively on the angle between the wave vector and the local field direction. At the β = 1 interface, the wave that enters the flux sheet, (essentially the fast mode) has a higher phase speed than the incident acoustic wave. A time correlation between wave motions in the non-magnetic and magnetic regions could therefore provide a powerful diagnostic for mapping the magnetic field in the chromospheric network.


Objectives In this work, we have compared uniprofessional and interprofessional versions of a simulation education intervention, in an attempt to understand more about whether it improves trainees' self-efficacy. Background Interprofessionalism has been climbing the healthcare agenda for over 50 years. Simulation education attempts to create an environment for healthcare professionals to learn, without potential safety risks for patients. Integrating simulation and interprofessional education can provide benefits to individual learners. Setting The intervention took place in a high-fidelity simulation facility located on the campus of a large urban hospital. The centre provides educational activities for an Academic Health Sciences Centre. Approximately 2500 staff are trained at the centre each year. Participants One hundred and fifteen nurses and midwives along with 156 doctors, all within the early years of their postgraduate experience participated. All were included on the basis of their ongoing postgraduate education. Methods Each course was a one-day simulation course incorporating five clinical and one communication scenarios. After each a facilitated debriefing took place. A mixed methods approach utilised precourse and postcourse questionnaires measuring self-efficacy in managing emergency situations, communication, teamwork and leadership. Results Thematic analysis of qualitative data showed improvements in communication/teamwork and leadership, for doctors and nurses undergoing simulation training. These findings were confirmed by statistical analysis showing that confidence ratings improved in nurses and doctors overall (p<0.001). Improved outcomes from baseline were observed for interprofessional versus uniprofessional trained nurses (n=115; p<0.001). Postcourse ratings for doctors showed that interprofessional training was significantly associated with better final outcomes for a communication/teamwork dimension (n=156; p<0.05). Conclusions This study provides evidence that simulation training enhances participants' self-efficacy in clinical situations. It also leads to increases in their perceived abilities relating to communication/teamwork and leadership/management of clinical scenarios. Interprofessional training showed increased positive effects on self-efficacy for nurses and doctors.


ABSTRACT Methylophaga lonarensis strain MPLT is a haloalkaliphilic methylotroph isolated from Lonar Lake, a saline and alkaline lake in Maharashtra, India. Strain MPLT utilizes methanol as its sole carbon and energy source. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of M. lonarensis MPLT (VKM B-2684T = MCC 1002T).


Recognizing expressions is a key part of human social interaction; Processing of facial expression information is largely automatic in humans, but it is a non-trivial task for a computational system. The purpose of this work is to develop computational models capable of differentiating between a range of human facial expressions. Here we use two sets of images, namely: Angry and Neutral. Raw face images are examples of high dimensional data, so here we use some dimensionality reduction techniques: Principal Component Analysis and Curvilinear Component Analysis. We preprocess the images with a bank of Gabor filters, so that important features in the face images are identified. Subsequently the faces are classified using a Support Vector Machine. We also find the effect size of the pixels for the Angry and Neutral faces. We show that it is possible to differentiate faces with a neutral expression from those with an angry expression with high accuracy. Moreover we can achieve this with data that has been massively reduced in size: in the best case the original images are reduced to just 6 dimensions.


We examined the extent to which comprehenders read expository texts strategically after a prior reading and test. Sentence reading times and the memory for expository texts were examined across two readings. In Experiment 1, sentence reading times were facilitated during rereading to the extent that the information had been encoded from the initial reading. The memory data revealed that participants incorporated new information into their text representations. In particular, rereading improved the memory for causally important information. In Experiment 2, the pattern of results generalized to both good and poor readers except that the correlation between recall and importance was greater for the better readers. The results suggest that all participants reread strategically to some extent, but the better readers were able to use the incoming information to update their situation model.


Background The prevention of injuries and violence is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Every day, in every country – across all income levels – millions of people die or suffer nonfatal injuries from road traffic crashes, burns, drowning, falls, poisonings, or from acts of violence against oneself or others. Much progress has been made in reducing this burden as evidenced by the number of effective and cost-effective solutions to prevent injuries and violence. Developments in the field and the surrounding international policy context over the last decade are also creating new windows of opportunity. These developments include, for example, the Decade of Action for Road Safety; Global and Regional Plans of Action to strengthen the health systems response to prevent violence, especially against women and girls and against children; global reports drawing attention to road safety, interpersonal violence, suicide, drowning, falls, disability, and burn prevention and care; expanded partnerships across sectors; and benchmarks to track progress in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. The opportunity for countries to step up their efforts and apply what has been learned has never been greater. Objectives To take stock of global progress in reducing the burden of injuries and violence To profile success stories in moving countries toward action To lay the groundwork for reaching the SDG's in the decade ahead.


The necessity for special operating rooms used exclusively for intraocular surgery, careful preparation of the patient and prevention of infection with preoperative antibiotics is emphasized. Also, the graft must be obtained and stored in aseptic and atraumatic conditions. If, in spite of these precautions postoperative endophthalmitis does occur, the graft must be replaced by a fresh donor cornea and the purulent material eliminated by irrigation, as long as the infection is still limited to the anterior segment of the eye.


Submitted by drupal on Fri, 03/04/2016 16:45 Firm: Sporian Microsystems, Inc. [2] Award Solicitation: NASA SBIR 2015 Phase I Solicitation [3] Award ID: SBIR_15_P1_154613 Award Topic: Efficient Propulsion and Power [4] Award Dollars: 129 990.00 Award Lead Center: Glenn Research Center [5] Proposal Number: A1.07-9387 Proposal Title: High Temperature "Smart" P3 Sensors and Electronics for Distributed Engine Control Mission Directorate: Aeronautics Research [6] EHB Solicitation ID: SBIR_15_P1 Selection: NASA 2015 SBIR Program Phase I Selections [7] Award Status: Mike Firm PI First Name: Kevin Firm PI Last Name: Harsh Firm PI Phone: 3035169075 Firm PI Email:


In crafting an Asia policy during the first year of his presidency, Obama has faced the dilemma of continuing much of his predecessor9s policies while answering public expectations for change. A military surge in Afghanistan after a long debate, an attempt to enhance strategic cooperation with China, a disappointing result for climate change policies, a better disposition toward regional organizations, and a growing concern with the course of Japan9s alliance policy have been the main threads of a deeply pragmatic approach.


A rabbit was immunized with B lymphoblastoid cells, and subsets of the antibodies produced were isolated on affinity columns made from synthetic peptides corresponding to known amino acid sequences from the human class II antigens DQ and DP. Those peptides for which specific antibodies were isolated could be assumed to contribute to the antigenic properties of the intact antigen. The antibody subsets were tested for binding to synthetic peptides, to glycoprotein fractions isolated from cells with different DR and DQ specificities, and to the cells used for immunization of the rabbit. The isolation of those antibodies directed against well‐defined amino acid stretches of the histocompatibility antigens is proof of the role of those regions in determining the antigenic properties of these molecules.


Owing to the high viscosity of the materials involved, mixing is often a critical step when processing polymer-modified bitumen (PMB), directly influencing the microstructure and the stability of final products. We provide experimental evidence suggesting that laminar chaotic advection may prove a valuable strategy for obtaining a homogeneous and finely interdispersed polymer-bitumen mixture in affordable time. As a case study, we investigate the mixing performance of a lab-scale flat-bottomed cylindrical vessel stirred by a radial impeller, either located symmetrically or eccentrically with respect to the vessel axis. The same geometries with a flat-disk impeller are also considered for comparison. The Mix-Norm is used in combination with image analysis as an objective measure of mixing performance. Results of mixing performance are independently validated by rheological tests. The experiments pinpoint kinematic chaos as the fundamental transport mechanism enhancing both the dispersion process and the microstructural quality of the resulting PMBs mixture. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1870–1879, 2014


Zingibe officinale Rosc. (Ginger) is widely used as a spice, and it has been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. Ginger is a very important spice for both culinary and medicinal uses. Aim: The study is aimed at the comparative analysis of the oils extracted from the fresh and the dried rhizomes of the plant. Methodology : The oils were obtained by hydro-distillation distillation of the dried and fresh rhizomes and analyzed using GC-MS. Result : The total components detected in the oil from fresh sample were 62 while in the oil from the dried sample were 68. The major compounds in the dried ginger sample were verbernol (7.76%), eucalyptol (7.52%), borneol (6.26) nerol (5.01%), α-terpineol (5.12), citral (3.82%), linalool (4.52%), fernesene (3.89%), camphene (3.05%) and curcumene (3.46%) while the major compounds in the fresh ginger sample were citral (6.09%), verbernol (4.90%), borneol (4.07%), eucalyptol (3.67%), linalool (3.64%), α-selinene (3.42%) and camphene (2.62%). Discussion : There were more components detected in the dried than the fresh rhizomes and the percentage composition of the common components was more in the dried than the fresh samples. The compound αselinene was found in the oil from the fresh sample but was absent in the oil from the dried sample and nerol was present in the dried sample but absent in the fresh sample. Keywords : Ginger, Oil, Hydro-distillation, GC-MS, Chemical composition, Nigeria.


Droplet manipulation is crucial for diverse applications ranging from bioassay to medical diagnosis. Current magnetic-field-driven manipulation strategies are mainly based on fixed or partially tunable structures, which limits their flexibility and versatility. Here, a reconfigurable magnetic liquid metal robot (MLMR) is proposed to address these challenges. Diverse droplet manipulation behaviors including steady transport, oscillatory transport, and release can be achieved by the MLMR, and their underlying physical mechanisms are revealed. Moreover, benefiting from the magnetic-field-induced active deformability and temperature-induced phase transition characteristics, its droplet-loading capacity and shape-locking/unlocking switching can be flexibly adjusted. Because of the fluidity-based adaptive deformability, MLMR can manipulate droplets in challenging confined environments. Significantly, MLMR can accomplish cooperative manipulation of multiple droplets efficiently through on-demand self-splitting and merging. The high-performance droplet manipulation using the reconfigurable and multifunctional MLMR unfolds new potential in microfluidics, biochemistry, and other interdisciplinary fields.


It is my intention to limit this discussion to those eye disorders having problems which require diagnostic screening or treatment by a neurosurgeon. The ophthalmologist admittedly is the clearing agent for the general recognition of a large group of eye abnormalities which he is especially trained to detect. However, he often reaches a point in diagnosis or therapy where his common knowledge and experience makes it obvious that he should seek the help of some other specialist who can supplement his efforts. With the advance in mechanical sciences there has been rapid progress in the development of mechanical diagnostic methods for the precise recognition of deep lying, formerly poorly understood, intricate gross lesions of the cranial cavity which cripple the ocular machinery. By the injection of air into the fluid-bearing spaces of the spine and skull and contrast media, thorium dioxide (Thorotrast) and iodopyracet (Diodrast), into the cerebral vessels we


A major problem in VLSI system design is controlling off-chip driver characteristics and skew in clock generation as process parameters, temperature, and supply voltage vary. A control circuit methodology has been developed that senses the relative performance of a CMOS chip and transmits a digitally encoded state to off-chip driver and clock generation circuits to control their operating characteristics


The small-strain stiffness modulus G0 is not directly applicable to evaluate deformation in most practical engineering problems, and therefore, nonlinear soil behavior curves have been developed in terms of Young modulus E or shear modulus G. These curves were successfully obtained for sedimentary soils, while for residual soils, the available data from intertional community is still scarce. Residual soils are considered structured soils and often classified as problematic soils since they do not fit into the behavior of remolded or unstructured soils. In fact, the role of bonding and fabric affects both the strength and the stiffness of the soil. This article illustrates the use of the seismic dilatometer test (SDMT) for the determination of in situ stiffness decay curves with strain level (G-γ curves or similar) in a granitic residual soil of the Northeastern region of Portugal (Guarda), showing its adequacy to solve these kinds of problems. In situ and laboratory tests were performed on these granitic residual soils. The adopted approach relies on the ability of SDMT to provide a small-strain modulus G0 (from the shear wave velocity Vs) and a "working strain" modulus GDMT (derived from the constrained modulus MDMT in accordance with the theory of elasticity). Thus, in situ G-γ decay curves were tentatively constructed by fitting curves through these two points using a hyperbolic model. However, it was observed that the results obtained by the hyperbolic model for the cemented soils are not satisfactory. Based on the SDMT parameters, a logistic curve was derived for the reproduction of reference stiffness curves obtained from the triaxial test results.


PurposeFrom knowledge management point of view, business process models and ontologies are two essential knowledge artifacts for organizations that consume similar information sources. In this study, the PROMPTUM method for integrated process modeling and ontology development that adheres to well-established practices is presented. The method is intended to guide practitioners who develop both ontologies and business process models in the same or similar domains.Design/methodology/approachThe method is supported by a recently developed toolset, which supports the modeling of relations between the ontologies and the labels within the process model collections. This study introduces the method and its companion toolset. An explanatory study, that includes two case studies, is designed and conducted to reveal and validate the benefits of using the method. Then, a follow-up semi-structured interview identifies the perceived benefits of the method.FindingsApplication of the method revealed several benefits including the improvements observed in the consistency and completeness of the process models and ontologies. The method is bringing the best practices in two domains together and guiding the use of labels within process model collections in ontology development and ontology resources in business process modeling.Originality/valueThe proposed method with its tool support is a pioneer in enabling to manage the labels and terms within the labels in process model collections consistently with ontology resources. Establishing these relations enables the definition and management of process model elements as resources in domain ontologies. Once the PROMPTUM method is utilized, a related resource is managed as a single resource representing the same real-world object in both artifacts. An explanatory study has shown that improvement in consistency and completeness of process models and ontologies is possible with integrated process modeling and ontology development.


Background and aims: Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a deciduous plant and has highly variable type and size, from small shrubs to medium-sized trees, traditionally growing in Tibet and currently all over the world especially in Europe and Asia. This study aimed to overview some of therapeutic and non-therapeutic properties of SBT and its potential benefits and side effects in order to open up a clear understanding for further detailed study in this regard. Methods: This review article was carried out by searching studies in Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed and ScienceDirect. The search terms were "Sea buckthorn", "Sea buckthorn" and "hippophae", "therapeutic", "non-therapeutic". Results: Various studies have shown that sea buckthorn plays a role in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, liver fibrosis, skin diseases (eczema, acne,), arthritis, vaginal atrophy, dry eye. This herb has anti- inflammatory, anti-constipation, antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-stress, antidepressant and antiproliferative effects. Besides, it enjoys some non-therapeutic properties including nutritive values (a good source of vitamin C, E, omega 3, 6, 7), oral and dental health care value and cosmetic value (in the industry of cosmetics: cream, shampoo, jellies, and etc.). Conclusion: sea buckthorn is widely used for therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes that trigger its significant value. Various combinations and numerous medicinal properties of its berries, fruits, extract, pulp, seed oil, leaves demand further and more studies about the other useful and unknown properties of this multifunctional plant.


Several studies show that the use of landmarks is crucial for pedestrian navigations systems. Furthermore, there are well-defined landmark features like its visual salience. However, the assessment and the selection of landmarks especially in large scale indoor environments is rarely examined. We conducted a user study in the university of Regensburg and assessed the visual attraction of objects with an eye tracker.
Our finndings show that functional landmarks like doors and stairs are most likely to be looked at and named as a landmark. Moreover, we could prove that measuring visual salience only is not suffcient to identify landmarks with regard to the use in a pedestrian navigation system.


We report a new hybrid integration scheme that offers for the first time a nanowire-on-lead approach, which enables independent electrical addressability, is scalable, and has superior spatial resolution in vertical nanowire arrays. The fabrication of these nanowire arrays is demonstrated to be scalable down to submicrometer site-to-site spacing and can be combined with standard integrated circuit fabrication technologies. We utilize these arrays to perform electrophysiological recordings from mouse and rat primary neurons and human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons, which revealed high signal-to-noise ratios and sensitivity to subthreshold postsynaptic potentials (PSPs). We measured electrical activity from rodent neurons from 8 days in vitro (DIV) to 14 DIV and from hiPSC-derived neurons at 6 weeks in vitro post culture with signal amplitudes up to 99 mV. Overall, our platform paves the way for longitudinal electrophysiological experiments on synaptic activity in human iPSC based disease models of neuronal networks, critical for understanding the mechanisms of neurological diseases and for developing drugs to treat them.


In 1986 Canada established new rules for the review of mergers which lessen competition. In doing so, it created a system whereby economic efficiency would be the paramount goal of merger review. Moreover, a specialized court called the Competition Tribunal would oversee the review of mergers in an adjudicative process. However, since that time Canada's merger review process has evolved into an administrative, rather than adjudicative, process: one in which the Competition Tribunal plays virtually no role, and in which an administrative branch of government (the Competition Bureau), dominates merger review. The authors use a game theoretic approach to examine why this is. In doing so, they provide one possible explanation for the failure of Canada's merger review process to achieve Parliament?s intent: the incentives and knowledge about the rules of the game as between the players who participate in the merger review process are misaligned. The authors do so in the context of very recent case law. This case law suggests a paradigm shift, and possibly opens the door to a greater role for adjudication in the attainment of Parliaments merger review goals.


This paper explores the business-led advocacy of the UK emission trading scheme with special focus on the symbolic benefi ts of emission trading for the business community. It traces the development of the UK Emissions Trading Group and links the group's preferences for emission trading to socio-economic, operational and legislative contexts. The analysis reveals that, although business originally supported emission trading as an alternative to taxation, more socio-symbolic motives shaped business interest in emission trading after announcement of the Climate Change Levy. This suggests that 'symbolic politics' can drive industry support for economic instruments such as emission trading, even when the economic rationale for doing so is diminished or constrained by existing policy frameworks or wider socio-economic contexts. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


Mice and human patients with impaired vitamin D receptor (VDR) signaling have normal developmental hair growth but display aberrant post-morphogenic hair cycle progression associated with alopecia. In addition, VDR–/– mice exhibit impaired cutaneous wound healing. We undertook experiments to determine whether the stress-inducible regulator of energy homeostasis, DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (Ddit4), is involved in these processes. By analyzing hair cycle activation in vivo, we show that VDR−/− mice at day 14 exhibit increased Ddit4 expression within follicular stress compartments. At day 29, degenerating VDR−/− follicular keratinocytes, but not bulge stem cells, continue to exhibit an increase in Ddit4 expression. At day 47, when normal follicles and epidermis are quiescent and enriched for Ddit4, VDR−/− skin lacks Ddit4 expression. In a skin wound healing assay, the re-epithelialized epidermis in wildtype (WT) but not VDR−/− animals harbor a population of Ddit4- and Krt10-positive cells. Our study suggests that VDR regulates Ddit4 expression during epidermal homeostasis and the wound healing process, while elevated Ddit4 represents an early growth-arresting stress response within VDR−/− follicles.


Abstract. Hydrogeochemistry of 10 hot springs in the Kangding district was investigated by analyzing cation and anion concentrations in the spring water. The water samples were collected in the 5 days after the Lushan MS = 7.0 earthquake, which occurred on 20 April 2013. The spring waters are classified into seven chemical types based on their hydrochemical compositions. Compared with hydrochemical data before the Lushan earthquake, concentrations of Ca2+, HCO3- and total dissolved solid (TDS) in water samples from the Guanding, Erdaoqiao, Gonghe, Erhaoying, Tianwanhe and Caoke springs significantly increased, which may be the result of a greater increase in groundwater from carbonate rocks, and water–carbonate rock interactions, enhanced by the increment of CO2. Concentrations of Na+, Cl- and SO42- in water samples from the Guanding, Zheduotang, Xinxing and Gonghe springs decreased, indicating a dilution of shallow waters. Concentrations of Na+ and SO42- in water samples from the Erhaoying spring water increased, which may be attributed to water–granite interactions enhanced by H2S. The results indicated that hydrochemical components of spring water could be used as an effective indicator for earthquakes.


Feline ocular melanomas show a high malignant behaviour, but adjunctive therapies are non-existent. The aim of this pilot study was to determine, whether feline ocular melanomas harbour mutations comparable to mutations in human melanomas and to evaluate the gene expression status of genes known to be involved in initiation and progression of human melanomas. Mutation hotspot regions of several genes of feline ocular melanomas were analysed by DNA sequencing and RNA expression levels of the respective genes and others were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Common mutations found in human melanomas are not present in feline tumours. Gene expression analysis revealed a significant upregulation of KIT and LTA4H, as well as a downregulation of GNAQ, GNA11, BRAF and RASSF1 in feline ocular melanomas. As KIT seems to harbour a potential as target gene in human uveal melanomas, future studies should further investigate the potential of KIT as target for adjunctive therapy in feline ocular melanomas.