Abstract:This essay uses the theoretical lens of biolegitimacy to advance rhetorical criticism on contemporary drone warfare. As coined by anthropologist Didier Fassin, biolegitimacy describes the emergent preference for "life itself" under humanitarianism. Recasting biolegitimacy as a rhetorical achievement illuminates the strategies by which the United States accrues biolegitimacy for its drone program. In offıcial White House rhetorics, the remotely piloted aircraft that strike over nonrecognized theaters of war, such as Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, are packaged in the "saving lives" logic of biolegitimacy. After exploring three rhetorical strategies of offıcial drone rhetorics for achieving biolegitimacy, I suggest that drones themselves act as key distributors of biolegitimate social worth in the War on Terror.


: As one of the core tools for the revival of demand for innovation policy, public innovation procurement has the dual function of improving the efficiency of public services and promoting technological innovation. Public innovation procurement with public procurement transactions as the carrier to meet the needs of the public sector and promote technological innovation is sufficient in terms of theoretical basis and policy basis: it is beneficial to alleviate market failures and system failures, and is conducive to enhancing regional innovation vitality and building Leading the market is conducive to creative improvement of public service efficiency; public innovation procurement is essentially a coupling process between the procurement process and the innovation process. In the process of promoting enterprise technology innovation, there are three mechanisms: motivation incentive mechanism, interactive feedback mechanism and Innovation generates a proliferation mechanism, and the soundness of the above mechanism fundamentally determines the policy effect of public innovation procurement.


Abstract This "SOARING Towards Positive Change: Reflection on an Action Research case study in Double Loop Learning Process" assesses the willingness of Thailand and Indonesia management to assimilate and apply Western-style OD - SOAR to help them manage the strategic planning and problem-solving in the context of their institutions. The following research questions were posed: Are Thailand and Indonesia managers willing to apply OD (SOAR)? From these managers perception, how would (OD) SOAR be adapted and implemented as managers' theory-in-use?  The author used Hofstede's cultural dimension values survey and Likert profile organization characteristics survey to diagnose managers' willingness to change during contextual shifts: (a) to describe the current organizational climate; (b) to discern how managers perceive an ideal organizational climate and the ideal culture from which it derives; and (c) to identify how SOAR can be applied within an organization and how it can improve strategic planning. The Likert profile of organization characteristics was selected for ease of use and appropriateness for Thailand and Indonesia culture. This study references institutional theory, SOAR Profile Pilot Survey, Hofstede's cultural dimension values survey, and Double loop learning to illustrate how managers institutionalize strategic planning when facing the ambiguities of learning and applying Western management through SOAR processes to reach Double loop learning.  effect. How the SOR  motion is used Three groups of Ph. D. students (managers) were selected for this case study: One (Indonesia group) from the Academic sector, the other two (Thailand groups) from private firms in various industrial sectors. Survey results showed all groups have similar perceptions regarding current and future organizational characteristics, but individuals who received institutionalized, overseas training improved more during training in perceiving ideal future organizational characteristics. This study concludes that Thailand and Indonesia managers are willing to apply OD (SOAR) for change, but their perceptions can be changed more effectively through strategically institutionalized learning processes than by simple association. Through OD classes, all three groups are conducting Action research at target organization with SOAR strategic planning; process of these case studies could bring positive change through double loop learning.  Keywords: SOAR, positive change, double loop learning


This paper introduces a new Ehrenfeucht-Fraı̈ssé type game that is played on two classes of models rather than just two models. This game extends and generalizes the known Ajtai-Fagin game to the case when there are several alternating (coloring) moves played in different models. The game allows Duplicator to delay her choices of the models till (practically) the very end of the game, making it easier for her to win. This adds on the toolkit of winning strategies for Duplicator in Ehrenfeucht-Fraı̈ssé type games and opens up new methods for tackling some open problems in descriptive complexity theory. As an application of the class game, it is shown that, if m is a power of a prime, then first order logic augmented with function quantifiers Fn of arity 1 and height n < m can not express that the size of the model is divisible by m. This, together with some new expressibility results for Henkin quantifiers Hn gives some new separation results on the class of finite models among various Fn on one hand and between F 1 n and H 1 n on the other. Since function quantifiers involve a bounded type of second order existential quantifiers, the class game (in a sense) solves an open problem raised by Fagin, which asks for some inexpressibility result using a winning strategy by Duplicator in a game that involves more than one coloring round.


Gate-recessed AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MOSHEMTs) on sapphire substrates are fabricated. The devices with a gate length of 160 nm and a gate periphery of 2 × 75 μm exhibit two orders of magnitude reduction in gate leakage current and enhanced off-state breakdown characteristics, compared with conventional HEMTs. Furthermore, the extrinsic transconductance of an MOSHEMT is 237.2 mS/mm, only 7% lower than that of Schottky-gate HEMT. An extrinsic current gain cutoff frequency fT of 65 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency fmax of 123 GHz are deduced from rf small signal measurements. The high fmax demonstrates that gate-recessed MOSHEMTs are of great potential in millimeter wave frequencies.


Structure for controlling lateral flow analysis flow of fluid to the test strip inwardly from sample receiving pad of the present invention, the lateral flow analytical test strips and lateral flow with the sample pad analyzed in contact with the test strip, the side from the sample pad direction and flow analysis test strip to and positioned to direct a fluid flow pinch wall, located on the upper portion of the test strip, the upper support structure, and comprising a bottom support structure positioned underneath the test strip, each of the upper and lower the support structure is separated in a plurality of locations along the length of the test strip it includes spaced apart support ribs.


Background: The economic stimulus package in the United States, which totalled $2.48 trillion, was designed to soften the economic impact of sweeping containment measures including shelter-in-place orders that were put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In healthcare, interventions are rarely justified simply in terms of the number of lives saved but also in terms of a myriad of other trade-off factors including value-for-money or cost-effectiveness. Cost-effectiveness analysis was therefore conducted as the cost per life-year gained (Cost/LYG) from the containment measures adopted based on several different projections of the baseline number of deaths in the absence of any containment measures. Reductions in premature mortality due to the shutdown (i.e. the difference between years of life lost relative to life expectancy under the shutdown and no shutdown scenarios) were used to calculate changes in health status. Given that men and women have different life expectancies, the analysis calculates premature mortality for men and women by age bracket. Results: The results showed seven different scenarios that reflect different death projections. It showed that as the projected number of deaths increases, the cost-effectiveness of the containment measures becomes more favourable i.e. providing better value-for money for US taxpayers. Cost-effectiveness ranged from $180,874 per life-year-gained for the high-end projection to $4,258,780 per life-year gained for the low-end death projection estimate. Conclusion: Incremental costs per life-year gained related to the economic shutdown can span a wide range depending on the baseline number of deaths in the absence of any containment measures. The results show that in the US, under no scenario for life-years gained does the stimulus package compare favourably to other healthcare interventions that have had favourable cost-effectiveness profiles. However, when comparing value-of-statistical-life-year (VSLY) threshold measures used in other sectors, it is plausible that the U.S. stimulus package could be viewed more favourably from a cost-effectiveness perspective. Given the wide-ranging impacts that COVID-19 has had on American life, it would seem that the comparison should be made to experiences in multiple sectors and on this basis, it appears that the shutdown is likely to represent good value-for-money.


Scholars, professionals, and regulators regard efficient risk management as a pillar of bank management. The Basel Committee on Banks Regulation has introduced the Basel I Agreements, accompanied by the Basel II Agreements and recently the Basel III Agreement, to deal with this issue in the awareness of this circumstance and the need for the holistic approach to managing bank risk. Risk reduction is one of the determinants of banks' returns. Moreover, risk reduction, if practical, avoids or mitigates unnecessary threats and effectively controls the payouts. The latest global financial crisis taught us that risk reduction and implementation are necessary to achieve continued success objectives. The purpose of this study is to analyze Lebanese banks ' risk management policy and its effect on bank performance. This study investigates the impact of risk management practices on Lebanese banks' financial performance. Many banks had been facing risk management practices and default risks in loans because of the current financial and economic situations that Jordan is passing through. The research implemented the quantitative methodology by distributing the questionnaires to over 300 participants; however, only 123 respondents replied to them. The results were analyzed using regression analysis and proved a relationship between risk management and financial performance. The results showed a direct relationship between credit, liquidity, market risk, and financial performance. The findings showed that For every one unit increase in risk control, the risk financial performance is affected by 1%, while for every one unit increase in credit risk, the risk financial performance is affected by 1.6%, while for every one unit increase in market risk, the financial performance is affected by 1.5% and for every one-unit increase in liquidity risk the financial performance is affected by 4.7%.


This paper describes an in-class project that combined the constructs of public relations theory with experiential learning that translated into a practical benefit to the institution. The project required an analysis of a major health issue relating to children, interpretation of that analysis by applying critical thinking skills, and an application of those learnings through the development of creative executions. The purpose of the project was to a) apply the theoretical concepts of a course in Public Relations; b) creation of logical justification for creative executions; c) improve student desk research, critical thinking analysis, communication of conceptual ideas, experience team based skills, and d) provide an opportunity for students to give back to the college community.


This paper aims to synthesize research on the Management of Sports Organizations (MOS) in France. Three parts structure this voluntarily simplifying contribution, very personal and collective at the same time through the direct and indirect contributions of many researchers. First of all, two historical parts between the 1960s and the 2000s provide a first disciplinary and then thematic perspective in order to make a French-speaking retrospective of the dynamics of scientific production. A last part in the form of a conclusion and an opening seeks to characterize the recent dynamics of MOS research (specialization, interaction, diversification) according to disciplines and/or objects of study. From this point of view, it constitutes a call for contributions that could be added progressively through the electronic format of the S2MS journal: Management & Organisations du Sport.


Part-time grazing, i . e . restricted time access to pasture, is widespread but its effects on ingestive behaviour and performance of dairy ewes are still overlooked. The objectives of this thesis were: i) reviewing the literature focused on the effects of part-time grazing on ingestive behaviour and performance of ruminants and horses; ii) assessing the effects of different time restrictions on the above variables in milked ewes grazing Lolium multiflorum Lam (experiment 1) and Trifolium alexandrinum L (experiment 2); and iii) modelling the results of the above experiments for predicting herbge intake. The review showed that part-time grazing of pastures by ruminants results in compensatory behaviours such as higher intake rate and grazing intensity and lower energy expenditures, which often bring about mild to nil performance losses as compared with time-unrestricted grazers. Horese are less able in this compensation than ruminants. The experiments on dairy ews compared 2, 4, and 6 h/d time access to pasture. Their results confirmed the general trend of ingestive behaviour, showing that giving access to a moderate quality Italian ryegrass for less than 6 h/d decreased intake and milk yield of ewes in mid lactation, whereas for berseem clover access could be as short as 4 h/d without any loss of intake and performance. The modelling of the data based on both stepwise and partial least square regressions provided good performance in validation and satisfactory sensitivity.


Machine learning (ML) plays a crucial role in assessing traversability for autonomous rover operations on deformable terrains but suffers from inevitable prediction errors. Especially for heterogeneous terrains where the geological features vary from place to place, erroneous traversability prediction can become more apparent, increasing the risk of unrecoverable rover's wheel slip and immobilization. In this work, we propose a new path planning algorithm that explicitly accounts for such erroneous prediction. The key idea is the probabilistic fusion of distinctive ML models for terrain type classification and slip prediction into a single distribution. This gives us a multimodal slip distribution accounting for heterogeneous terrains and further allows statistical risk assessment to be applied to derive risk-aware traversing costs for path planning. Extensive simulation experiments have demonstrated that the proposed method is able to generate more feasible paths on heterogeneous terrains compared to existing methods.


AbstractPurpose: The article discusses the digitisation and inventory of 34 local cultural heritage collections in the border region between the Alps and the Karst, and the establishment of a network of owners, guardians of collections and professionals from the field of museology, ethnology, digital humanities and informatics.Methodology/approach: In the framework of the project "ZBORZBIRK – Cultural heritage between the Alps and the Karst" 34 collections of cultural heritage of different type and contents, until then inaccessible to the general public and experts, were catalogued, contextualised and presented to the general and expert public in different media and on the project website.Results: A unified repository with metadata on objects (units) was established containing also digital photographs and scans of images and textual objects (digital objects). There are 4583 units and 5190 digital objects in the repository. It is designed for researchers, experts and students from the fields of ethnology, cultural anthropology, history, linguistics as well for the general public, and above all to achieve greater recognisability of the region.Research limitation: The research and the results were limited by the material itself, i.e. the collections included into the project, as well as by different aspirations of collectors and various levels of specialised skills of registrars and recorders who documented and digitised the units and entered the data in the metadata database. The project addresses a wide scope of potential users thus the implementation of different solutions gave rise to the conflict of interests among target groups. The question was whether it should serve as a virtual museum or as a research archival repository. More attention was focused on archival and research standards than on presentation technologies.Originality/practical implications: The project ZBORZBIRK is one of the first projects in the Italian and Slovenian cross-border region which links non-institutional collections and collectors with experts. The collaborative approach, use of information and communication technologiesto enhance various parts of processes, and growing phenomena of local collections and amateurcollecting could be taken as an example of good praxis for comparable follow-up projects.


Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) is an important tool for engineers to efficiently communicate design intent and requirements. GD&T has several advantages but can be difficult for students to learn due to the inherent 3D nature of the geometric tolerance zones. This paper describes an example of how 3D CAD models and 3D printed parts were used to illustrate several GD&T concepts including position tolerance zones, bonus tolerances, and designing functional gages for part inspection. The example described in this paper was implemented in a sophomore-level CAD course. The example was successfully delivered to a class of 45 students during the Fall 2017 semester. A description of the example is presented and, administering the example, requires simple 3D CAD modeling software and a 3D printer which are common in most engineering schools. Continuous improvements to the example are made based on faculty observations and assessments, as well as an endof-semester survey administered to the students.


Physics
Antenna arrays have long been used for communication and sensing purposes. In the microwave and radio wavelength regime of the electromagnetic spectrum, arrays of antennas in which the phase and amplitude input to each element is varied can provide tailored beam profiles with controlled directionality. Applications can be found across many fields, from target tracking and guidance to astronomy and weather observations. Carrying over the principles of phased-array antenna technology, DeRose et al. have developed an optical phased array based on metallic nanoemitters patterned on a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)–compatible substrate. With the input to each antenna element fed in using a coupled waveguide integrated with a phase shifter, they show that electrical control of the phase results in wide-angle beam-steering capability. Operating at near-infrared wavelength, the ability to manipulate an optical beam over a two-dimensional area should find use in compact high-speed communication over free space.

Opt. Express 21 , 5198 (2013).


Falls in elderly people have been recognized as a major health problem in aging population. This paper describes the development of an accurate, accelerometer based fall detector capable of locating the wearer and sending alarm short messages (SMS). The device worn on the waist uses a two-stage fall detection algorithm, which senses rapid impact and body orientation of the wearer. To evaluate the device and the algorithm, an experiment on 5 subjects was conducted. The device is especially adapted to safely and accurately monitor elderly people without influencing their privacy and comfort. It is hoped that such a device will promote an integrated approach to the management of falls of elderly in the community.


BACKGROUND
Laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive technique, has recently begun to be used on perforated peptic ulcers effectively and frequently. Nevertheless, most studies have shown that the disadvantages of the laparoscopic treatment of peptic ulcers are a long operation time, a high reoperation rate, and a need for an experienced surgeon. Thus, the objective of the current study was to compare the safety and efficacy of optimized laparoscopic surgery without an omental patch for a perforated peptic ulcer within a shorter operational time with conventional open surgery in a 4-year period.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
From May 2002 to June 2006, 35 consecutive patients with a clinical diagnosis of a perforated peptic ulcer were prepared prospectively to undergo either an open or optimized laparoscopic surgery.

RESULTS
Seventeen patients with a perforated peptic ulcer underwent simple laparoscopic repair without an omental patch. Three patients (17.6%) who were begun by the laparoscopic approach had to be converted to open surgery. Eighteen patients underwent conventional open surgery. The mean operative time for laparoscopic repair was 42.10 minutes (range, 35-60), which was significantly shorter than the 55.83 minutes for open repair (range, 35-72; P = 0.001). Postoperative parenteral analgesic requirements were lower after laparoscopic repair (75.0 mg) than that after an open repair procedure (101.39 mg; P = 0.02). There was no statistically significant difference between the procedures in terms of hospital stay (5 vs. 5.33 days; P = 0.37) and the timing of access to normal daily activity (6.8 vs. 7.1 days) (P = 0.54).

CONCLUSIONS
Laparoscopic surgery, when optimized by a simple repair without an omental patch and 10 mm of a large-channel aspirator-irrigator, may be safely and effectively applied to the patients with small duodenal perforated peptic ulcers (<10 mm) and because of its having low risk factors. The procedure may be an alternative treatment to other procedures when in experienced hands.


Millions of intravaginal rings (IVRs) are used by women worldwide for contraception and for the treatment of vaginal atrophy. These devices also are suitable for local and systemic sustained release drug delivery, notably for antiviral agents in human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis. Despite the widespread use of IVRs, no studies have examined whether surface-attached bacterial biofilms develop in vivo, an important consideration when determining the safety of these devices. The present study used scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy to study biofilms that formed on the surface of IVRs worn for 28 days by six female pig-tailed macaques, an excellent model organism for the human vaginal microbiome. Four of the IVRs released the nucleotide analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor tenofovir at a controlled rate and the remaining two were unmedicated. Large areas of the ring surfaces were covered with monolayers of epithelial cells. Two bacterial biofilm phenotypes were found to develop on these monolayers and both had a broad diversity of bacterial cells closely associated with the extracellular material. Phenotype I, the more common of the two, consisted of tightly packed bacterial mats approximately 5 µm in thickness. Phenotype II was much thicker, typically 40 µm, and had an open architecture containing interwoven networks of uniform fibres. There was no significant difference in biofilm thickness and appearance between medicated and unmedicated IVRs. These preliminary results suggest that bacterial biofilms could be common on intravaginal devices worn for extended periods of time.


Background: Metabolic diseases are associated with asthma. While both diseases are heritable, studies on whether family history of metabolic disease predicts asthma and allergy have not been undertaken. We studied whether grand-parents' and parents' cardio-metabolic diseases were associated with asthma and hay fever in the offspring.

Methods: Asthma phenotypes were studied across three generations using data from the third stage of the RHINE study (2010-11). The 13,499 participants reported information on their own, offsprings' (n=23,649) and parents'(n=26,854) respiratory health. Parents' and grand-parents' metabolic score were defined by latent variables combining stroke, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Associations between parents' and grand-parents' phenotypes (metabolic scores, asthma), and asthma phenotypes in offspring (asthma 10 years, hay fever) were estimated using mixed logistic regression and Structural Equation Modeling.

Results: Grandparents' and parents' metabolic score were associated with an increased risk of late-onset asthma (ORgd-mother=1.19, p=.431; ORgd-father=1.75 p=.005; ORparent=1.48 p=.148) and hay fever in offspring (OR=1.30, p=.035; 1.45 p=.001; 0.69 p=.023, respectively), but not with early-onset asthma. Direct effects of grandfather's metabolic score were observed on late asthma and hay fever (β=0.10, p<0.01; β=0.09; p<0.01).

Conclusion: This is the first study to show that familial cardio-metabolic disease predicts specific asthma phenotypes and hay fever, independent of familial asthma, suggesting that two distinct pathways carry asthma risk across generations, via familial asthma as well as cardio-metabolic disease.


The Central and State governments in India have formulated programs and policies over the years for children with disabilities in order to help them to enter mainstream society. However, despite these policies, children with disabilities are amongst the most disadvantaged in terms of access to schooling and completion of elementary education, as their needs are not met effectively. ┬aBased on my personal experiences, research, and communication with different stakeholders involved in the field of education for children with disabilities over the last 30 years, this paper explores the broader challenges in the current education system with respect to issues of quality of education and drop-out rates of primary students with disabilities. A number of factors that influence the accessibility of education for children with disabilities are presented including: perceptions of parents of children with disabilities and their difficulties in helping their children with disabilities, the general attitude of society, government officials, school staff and infrastructure, inadequate levels of training of key stakeholders, invisibility of disability in community, poverty, lack of acceptance, lack of interest, gender discrimination, lack of awareness, poor physical access, availability of various support systems, and government policies focusing on the education of children with disabilities in specific.┬a


Pulses are nutrient-dense foods that contain high amounts of fiber and plant proteins, with very little accompanying fat. For this reason, pulses have been included in dietary guidance documents around the world for many years. Due to their high fiber and protein contents, pulse products have been linked to reduced postprandial glycemic response (PPGR) in humans. The literature suggests that 150–500 g of whole cooked pulse products, depending on the type of pulse, can lower PPGR when consumed regularly. Processing of whole pulses impacts their efficacy in reducing PPGR, with a study showing that modulation of starch gelatinization and reduced enzymatic hydrolysis caused by thermal treatment (cooking) may be responsible for the low glycemic response attributed to pulses. Pulses consumed alone and as part of a mixed meal have both been shown to positively impact glycemic response. Collectively, the evidence promotes pulses as glycemic response-lowering foods and reinforces their qualifications for a health ...


Interpersonal violence is often initiated by offensive verbal and visual expressions. Physical violence will therefore often be directed towards the face of the opponent. A retrospective analysis of 1,273 maxillofacial fractures at the University Hospital in Tromsø during the period 1987-95 showed a steady occurrence of cases. A prospective study of 162 maxillofacial fractures at Ostfold Central Hospital in 1993 was compared with the material from Tromsø. In both studies half of the patients were young men. Males aged 15-29 years were involved seven to eight times more frequently than the rest of the population. Violence among young men under the influence of alcohol was the predominant cause of the fractures. Young male assault victims often started the fight or actively encouraged it. "Participant" is often a more appropriate term than "victim". Some of those involved relapse into a lifestyle inflicting recurrent maxillofacial fractures. Domestic violence involving females is often disguised as accidents. Alternative methods of solving conflicts should replace the offending behaviour to prevent maxillofacial fractures.


We use administrative data from five states to provide the first comprehensive estimates of the size of the for-profit higher education sector in the U.S. Our estimates include schools that are not currently eligible to participate in federal student aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act and are therefore missed in official counts. We find that the number of for-profit institutions is double the official count and the number of students enrolled during the year is between one-quarter and one-third greater. Many for-profit institutions that are not Title IV eligible offer certificate (non-degree) programs that are similar, if not identical, to those given by institutions that are Title IV eligible. We find that the Title IV institutions charge tuition that is about 78 percent higher than that charged by comparable institutions whose students cannot apply for federal financial aid. The dollar value of the premium is about equal to the amount of grant aid and loan subsidy received by students in eligible institutions, lending some credence to a variant of the "Bennett hypothesis" that aid-eligible for-profit institutions capture a large part of the federal student aid subsidy.


OBJECTIVE
Practice-based research is one method for answering questions about common problems that are seen infrequently in referral centers. We explored the potential limitations of this method.

STUDY DESIGN
This was a prospective observational cohort study of participants in a practice-based research network who submitted data on 231 patients with dyspepsia from a total of 45,337 patient encounters over a 53-week period. Reporting of individual cases involved use of a relatively high-burden data instrument. Outcome measures were compared using rank correlation.

POPULATION
We included 18 physicians in a Wisconsin research network study on initial management of dyspepsia in primary care settings.

OUTCOMES MEASURED
The outcomes we measured were the rate of dyspepsia visits, average weekly patient volume, and self-reported compliance to the study protocol for each physician.

RESULTS
A significant negative correlation existed between physician patient volume and the reported rate of dyspepsia visits. Self?reported compliance with the protocol was negatively correlated to patient volume and positively correlated to the reported rate of dyspepsia visits.

CONCLUSIONS
Practice volume may influence the results in practice-based research. Investigators using practice-base research networks need to consider the complexity of their protocols and should be cognizant of compliance-sensitive measures.


Background

Bacterial strains carrying multidrug resistance traits are gaining ground worldwide, especially in countries with limited resources. This study aimed to evaluate the spreading of multidrug-resistant bacteria strains in Bukavu city hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Methods

We analyzed 758 antibiogram data recorded in files of patients consulted between January 2016 and December 2017 at three reference hospitals selected as sentinel sites, namely the Panzi General Reference Hospital (HGP), BIO -PHARM hospital (HBP), and Saint Luc Clinic (CSL).
Results

Of 758 isolates tested, the laboratories identified 12 bacterial strains in 712 isolates, of which 223(29.42%) presented MDR profile, including Escherichia coli (11.48%), Klebsiella pneumonia (6.07%), Enterobacter (5.8%), Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (1.58%), Proteus mirabilis (1.85%), Salmonella enterica (1.19%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (0.53%), Streptococcus pneumonia (0.4%)), Citrobacter (0.13%), Neisseria gonorrhea (0.13%), Enterococcus faecalis (0.13%) and Morganella morganii (0.13%). Infected patients were significantly adults (73.1% vs. 21.5%) compared to children and mainly women (63.7% vs. 30.9%; p = 0.001).
Conclusion

The observed expansion requires that hospital therapeutic committees set up an effective clinical management system and define the right combinations of antibiotics.


To the Editor.— Dr John A. Smith, in "Periosteal Elevation in a 2 1/2-Year-Old Child" (236:2323, 1976), makes the case for sequential roentgenographic studies in cases of stress fracture, and, indeed, in other cases of subtle injury to bone. It is regrettable that the discussion leaves one with the impression that this is the only course to follow in such cases. With the introduction of technetium-labeled compounds in bone imaging, the use of radionuclides in evaluating benign disorders of bone has become acceptable. Exposure to ionizing radiation is low enough to allow administering these compounds even to children. We are now free of the onerous restrictions that surrounded the use of radioactive strontium and the like. Bell and co-workers1include evaluation of fractures not disclosed by x-ray films among the indications for bone scanning in children. Forhan and Panolil,2Forhan,3and Marty and coworkers4all regard radionuclide studies


Nutcracker syndrome is caused by compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery where it passes in the fork formed at the bifurcation of these arteries. The phenomenon results in left renal venous hypertension. The syndrome is manifested by left flank and abdominal pain, with or without unilateral haematuria. The nutcracker syndrome has been treated in various ways. We report one case of the syndrome and discuss the place of surveillance in its management.


Digital transformation is now impacting businesses in both the developed and developing worlds, and this chapter examines this phenomenon in the small business sector in Nigeria. Adopting an interpretiv-ist philosophy, the methodology combines a survey of small business enterprises (SBEs) with in-depth case studies of three Nigerian companies. Ten critical influencing factors are identified, and a model (Engage-Deploy-Exploit-Transform – EDET) is developed and applied to the case studies to assess the status of digital transformation. The influencing factors provide a checklist for SBEs embarking on digital transformation projects, and the model can be used to assess progress and identify new opportunities for digital transformation at the business process level. The authors believe this to be a useful contribution to the growing literature in this field that can be used by both researchers and practitioners in similar developing-world contexts.


Density-based clustering algorithms have recently gained popularity in the data mining field due to their ability to discover arbitrary shaped clusters while preserving spatial proximity of data points. In this work we adapt a density-based clustering algorithm, DBSCAN, to a new problem domain: identification of homogenous color regions in biomedical images. Examples of specific problems of this nature include landscape segmentation of satellite imagery, object detection and, in our case, identification of significant color regions in images of skin lesions (tumors). Automated outer and inner boundary segmentation is a key step in segmentation of structures such as skin lesions, tumors of breast, bone, and brain. This step is important because the accuracy of the subsequent steps (extraction of various features, post-processing) crucially depends on the accuracy of this very first step. In this paper, we present an unsupervised approach to segmentation of pigmented skin lesion images based on DBSCAN clustering algorithm. The color regions identified by the algorithm are compared to those identified by the human subjects and the Kappa coefficient, a statistical indicator of computer-human agreement, is found to be significant.


With the aim of exploring the electronic and optical properties of some interesting conductive copolymers in view of potential applications, a regular oligomer systems made of aniline and three reference heterocyclic compounds (pyrrole, thiophene and furan) are studied using density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations at B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level. It was found that poly (aniline-co-pyrrole) has the lowest ionization potential (4.48 eV) and electro affinity (0.77 eV) while poly (aniline-co-thiophene) has lowest band gap and longest (3.21 eV) wavelength of absorption (and then highest electronic conjugation) among the studied molecules. Comparison of the theoretical data and spectroscopic results obtained by DFT calculations with those experimentally obtained show very good agreement.


Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) occur throughout northwestern Texas and overall population numbers have been declining for the past 30 yr. This decline has been attributed to habitat loss associated with intensive agricultural practices. We propose that disease may be a contributing factor to decline. Our findings suggest that West Nile virus (WNV) infection may be common in wild quail populations on the Rolling Plains of northwestern Texas. Serum samples (n=301) from wild-caught Northern Bobwhite and Scaled Quail were collected during 2008–10 from seven private properties across the Rolling Plains Region; 5.3% had detectable antibodies against WNV using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To our knowledge, this is the first report of antibodies to WNV in Scaled Quail and wild-caught Northern Bobwhite from the Rolling Plains of Texas.


Tuberculosis and diabetes are major health problems in developing country like ours. Patients with diabetes mellitus are at a higher risk of developing tuberculosis. Presentation of tuberculosis in diabetes varied. Thus clinician should have strong degree of suspicion and investigate accordingly to institute early treatment. Objectives: To study clinical profile of pulmonary tuberculosis in diabetic patients. To study the radiographic patterns of pulmonary tuberculosis in diabetic patients. Total population studied was 100, with male preponderance of 72% with mean age group 54.9 years. Anorexia and cough were predominant symptoms with 59% and 51% respectively. Mean duration of diabetes was 6.6 years. Mean FBS was 234.4 mg/dl and PPBS being 345.5 mg/dl. Sputum positivity was less in age group >40 years. Cavitatory lesions were seen in 53% and fibrosis in 32%. There was a linear relation between the duration of diabetes mellitus and the development of tuberculosis. Poorly controlled hyperglycemia is associated with development of tuberculosis. Lower lung field tuberculosis was more common in diabetics. All the diabetics with abnormal weight loss, unexplained cough or sudden increase of insulin requirement should have sputum examination and chest x-ray done thus helping in early diagnosis and treatment.


We present observations at 250 GHz (1.2 mm), 43 GHz, and 1.4 GHz of a sample of 41 QSOs at z > 3.7 found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We detect 16 sources with a 250 GHz flux density greater than 1.4 mJy. The combination of centimeter and millimeter wavelength observations indicates that the 250 GHz emission is most likely thermal dust emission. Assuming a dust temperature of 50 K, the implied dust masses for the 16 detected sources are in the range 1.5 to 5.9 × 10 M⊙, and the dust emitting regions are likely to be larger than 1 kpc in extent. The radio-through-optical spectral energy distributions for these sources are within the broad range defined by lower redshift, lower optical luminosity QSOs. We consider possible dust heating mechanisms, including UV emission from the active nucleus (AGN) and a starburst concurrent with the AGN, with implied star formation rates between 500 and 2000 M⊙ year . Subject headings: dust: galaxies — radio continuum: galaxies — infrared: galaxies — galaxies: starburst, evolution, active


Abstract Objective: To investigate food sources and intakes of iron, and dietary factors associated with serum ferritin levels in 6–24-month-old children. Design: A cross-sectional survey employing proportionate cluster sampling was conducted in 1998/1999. Dietary intakes were assessed using a non-consecutive 3-day weighed food record. Serum ferritin and C-reactive protein were analysed from non-fasting venepuncture blood samples and general sociodemographic data were collected. Setting: Cities of Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand. Subjects: Randomly selected healthy 6–24-month-old non-breast-feeding children (n=226). Results: Total iron intakes (±standard deviation (SD)) among non-breast-feeding infants (<12 months old; n=42) and toddlers (≥12 months old; n=184) were 8.4±2.9 mg day−1 and 5.0±2.5 mg day−1, respectively. Fifteen per cent of infants and 66% of toddlers were at risk of inadequate iron intakes. Main sources of dietary iron were infant formula (60%) for infants and cereals (31%) for toddlers. Meat contributed on average 2% and 10% of dietary iron in the infant and toddler diets, respectively. Dietary factors positively associated with serum ferritin were intakes of iron and vitamin C, whereas intakes of calcium and dietary fibre were negatively associated. For each 1% increase in percentage of energy from iron-fortified formula concomitant with a 1% decrease from dairy products, there was a 4.2% increased odds of replete iron stores (ferritin ≥20 μg l−1). Conclusions: Toddlers were at higher risk of sub-optimal iron intakes than infants. Results suggest that a diet high in bioavailable iron is important for optimising the iron stores of young children in New Zealand.


Abstract 4854 Peptides are promising cancer-targeting agents—they are small, chemically stable, easy to synthesize and can be readily conjugated to toxins, radionucleotides, or drugs. The "one-bead one-compound" (OBOC) combinatorial libraries developed in the Lam lab consist of millions of beads, each displaying one unique peptide entity. Through high throughput screening peptide combinatorial libraries against cancer cell lines, peptides can be selected and engineered to recognize some certain receptors on the cell surface. From our previous screen, we observed that the LLP2A peptide sequence bound to the α4β1 integrin on the cell surface of a variety of malignant lymphoid cell lines. We hypothesize that more specific ligands against the α4β1 integrin on human patient lymphoma cells could be identified through screening focused LLP2A libraries. Two OBOC-focused combinatorial libraries based on the LLP2A peptide sequence were designed, synthesized and screened against human patient lymphoma cells to search for ligands with higher binding affinity. We selected the candidate peptide sequences that displayed a higher strength for the patient lymphoma cells using the whole cell binding assay, an in vitro approach for quantitating the strength of peptide interaction with cell surface molecules on the cancer cells. We are currently analyzing the data to determine the specific sequence requirements for higher affinity binding. Further assessment of the affinity and kinetics of integrin-peptide binding will be performed using flow cytometry. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The present report concerns a retrospective study of 16 patients with localized intermediate- or high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the testis treated in one institution from 1973 to 1990. Ann Arbor stage of disease was IE in 11 and IIE in 5 cases. All except one patient underwent initial inguinal orchidectomy, 11 were disease free after surgery and 12 received inverted Y radiation therapy. All patients achieved a complete remission (CR). Relapse occurred in 8 of 9 patients who did not receive initial chemotherapy, but in only 3 of 7 patients initially treated with chemotherapy including anthracyclins. In 3 cases relapse was confined to the CNS, while diffuse relapse in 8 others included 4 cases of CNS involvement. Eight patients are now alive in CR (5 in first CR, 1 in second CR and 2 in third CR) with a median follow-up of 68.5 months (range 54-101). Chemotherapy thus emerges as the initial treatment of preference for localized testicular lymphoma. Therapy should be preceded by a thorough assessment of the stage of disease and due to the high frequency of CNS relapse, CNS prophylaxis should be considered for all patients.


Disorders of spinal nerve roots can give rise to disabling pain and weakness. Damage to nerve roots resulting from disc disease and spondylosis can be localized by attention to anatomic principles and with appropriate testing. Management strategies vary, depending on the clinical situation. Autoimmune, infectious, diabetic, infiltrative, degenerative, and hereditary disorders are also causes of nerve root disease. Other neurologic conditions can masquerade as nerve root disease.


2 Abstract: It was postulated that chemoprevention is one of the most promising and realistic approaches in the prevention of cancer. Anthocyanin (ANT) is one such naturally occurring flavonoid widely found in citrus fruits. The aim of the present study is to divulge the chemopreventive nature of ANT during Benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)p) induced lung cancer in BALB/c mice. Administration of B(a)p (60 mg/kg body weight) to mice resulted in increased lipid peroxidation (LPO), lung specific tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and serum marker enzymes aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), alanine transaminase (ALT), with concomitant decrease in the levels of tissue antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reduced glutathione. ANT supplementation (25 mg/kg body weight) significantly attenuated these alterations thereby showing potent anticancer effect in lung cancer. Overall, these findings substantiate the chemoprotective potential of ANT against chemically-induced lung cancer in Balb/c mice.


a molecular model at multiscale for human platelets is designed and implemented on large-scale supercomputers. The model characterizes the principal physiological functions of key components of single platelet. The organelle zone centralizes as the cytoplasm, the peripheral zone includes the bilayer and exterior coats, and the cytoskeleton zone forms the flow-induced filopodia. It is the first time such a massive model in biomedical engineering is proposed and high-performance computing is the only potential solution for initial-understanding of the model. Algorithmically, a coarse-grained molecular dynamics force field describes the molecular-level interactions in the membrane and cytoskeleton while a Morse potential is applied to the cytoplasm. Together, a coarse-grained stochastic dynamics is applied to simulating the macroscopic viscous fluid flows. Numerical experiments with our model require considerations of large number of particles and the physiological phenomena at multiscale and thus demand development of the-state-of-the-art parallel algorithms, the main thrust of this research.


All known forms of life use RNA-mediated polypeptide synthesis to produce the proteins encoded in their genes. Because the principal parts of the translational machinery consist of RNA, it is likely that peptide synthesis was achieved early in the prebiotic evolution of an RNA-dominated molecular world. How RNA attracted amino acids and then induced peptide formation in the absence of enzymes has been unclear. Herein, we show that covalent capture of an amino acid as a phosphoramidate favors peptide formation. Peptide coupling is a robust process that occurs with different condensation agents. Kinetics show that covalent capture can accelerate chain growth over oligomerization of the free amino acid by at least one order of magnitude, so that there is no need for enzymatic catalysis for peptide synthesis to begin. Peptide chain growth was also observed on phosphate-terminated RNA strands. Peptide coupling promoted by ribonucleotides or ribonucleotide residues may have been an important transitional form of peptide synthesis that set in when amino acids were first captured by RNA.


The catalytic activity of the oxides of transition metals deposited on the polymer matrix in the oxidation of sodium sulfide was investigated. The synergistic effect of multicomponent catalysts based on oxides of transition metals in the oxidation of sodium sulfide was studied. It has been revealed that the mixed catalysts of ternary components have the highest activity in the oxidation of sodium sulfide, sodium hydrosulfide and ammonium sulfide.


National self-determination does not necessarily entail independence. Many nationality movements in Europe have historically called for a continued association with the host state. Non-nationalist parties, in turn, have often embraced various forms of devolution. This has opened up a middle ground, in the form of 'independence-lite' or 'devolution max', which would give nations control of most domestic policy. Proposals on these lines have been put forward in Quebec, Catalonia, the Basque Country and Scotland. These would allow stateless nations to strike distinct social and economic compromises. They would not give them control over the levers of macro-economic policy. They would entail a bilateral relationship with the state. Such proposals have not found favour with state majorities, and recent debates have been characterized by rather traditional assertions of sovereignty at odds with our interdependent world.


The benefits gained from utilising Clusters of Workstations (COWs) as architectures for parallel processing are well known with such systems being a common sight throughout many organisations. COWs are able to present users and application programmers with a considerable computational resource for a relatively low cost. Unfortunately, the software currently used to support the application programmer in the development and execution of their parallel programs is often limited and lacks transparency. The initialisation stage of a parallel program can prove critical in obtaining good performance and engaging programmers, especially as the number of parallel processes increases. The focus of this paper is to present a unique process instantiation service that allows a set of parallel child processes to be concurrently duplicated across a COW through the use of group process migration and group communication services. The importance and impact that this process duplication service has on some common parallel applications is presented and detailed.


Background: Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a immunostimulatory cytokine which is consistently high in the breast tumor microenvironment (TME) however its differential role in mitochondrial functions and cell survival in ER/PR +ve and ER/PR-ve breast cancer cells is not well understood. Methods: In the current study, we investigated TNF-α modulated mitochondrial proteome using high-resolution mass spectrometry and identified the differentially expressed proteins of two different breast cancer cell lines: ER/PR positive cell line, luminal: MCF-7 and ER/PR negative cell line, basal-like: MDA-MB-231and explored their implication in tumorigenic potential of breast cancer cells. We compared the mitochondrial complex activity, ATP and ROS levels between MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 in presence of TNF-α. We used Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database to analyze the correlation between TNF-α and mitochondrial proteins in basal and luminal breast cancer patients. KM plotter analysis was used to understand the relation between mitochondrial protein expression and survival of breast cancer patients. Results: The proteomics experiment showed TNF-α differentially altered the level of critical proteins of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes both in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, which correlated with differential assembly of mitochondrial ETC complexes and activity. The inhibition of glycolytic pathway in presence of TNF-α showed that glycolysis is indispensable for proliferation and clonogenic abilities of MDA-MB-231 (ER/PR –ve) as compared to MCF-7 (ER/PR +ve). The TIMER database showed highly significant negative correlation of TNF-α with key regulators of OXPHOS complexes in basal breast carcinoma as compared to lobular. KM plotter analysis showed improved relapse-free survival with increased expression of identified protein and survival of the breast cancer patients. Conclusion: Collectively, the results here strongly suggest that TNF-α differentially regulates metabolic adaptation in ER/PR +ve(MCF-7) and ER/PR –ve (MDA-MB-231) cells by modulating the mitochondrial supercomplex assembly and activity hence may be critical factor for determining the tumor progression and survival of the breast cancer patients.


The aim of this article is to describe a model to facilitate male partner involvement in the RH context. The findings in chapter 3, step1 – concept analysis – which comprised the identification, definition and classification of concepts and the construction of an interrelationship between concepts and statements (chapter 4), formed the basis for the development of this model. This model to facilitate male partner involvement in RH is based on the theory generation of Chinn and Kramer (1991). The central concepts are defined by using the rules described by Rossouw (2000/1,) and Copi and Cohen (1996). Lastly, the model evaluation has been done in accordance with the method of Chinn and Kramer (1991).


Abstract The electric field gradient (EFG) of chlorine in the chlorine containing silanes (SiCl4 , SiCl3H, SiCl2H2 , and SiClH3) was determined by means of ab initio methods and compared to recent experiments from which nuclear quadrupole moments are extracted. A careful estimation of the AO basis sets and the effect of the electron correlation is undertaken. The results showed the importance of the use of extended basis sets in the calculation of EFGs in second row atoms. Good agreement with deviations less than 5% from the experiments was found. The effect of the electron correlation was found to be small.


Objectives Injuries are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide despite widespread under-reporting. Rapidly developing nations like Vietnam carry a substantial portion of the burden. Our objective was to improve approaches for work-related injury surveillance in developing countries to identify or prioritise prevention opportunities. Methods We administered a cross-sectional survey to 2615 households (99% response) in a rural, rapidly developing community in Viet Nam. We collected information about self-reported work-related injuries and annual hours worked in each industry. Using descriptive and regression analyses we explored the role of various employment scenarios (eg, overlapping work, work schedules) and activities leading to injury. Results 1169 work-related injuries were reported during the year (Incidence Rate (IR) 203/1000 Full Time Equivalents (FTE)). We found male workers with multiple jobs had higher injury rates than those with only one job. A common situation of working in both agriculture and industry increased the injury risk substantially in both agriculture work (IR 484/1000 FTE) and in the primary industry job (IR 378/1000 FTE) compared to working individually in those industries (266 and 232/1000 FTE respectively). We also assessed the impact of various activities and work schedules on the risk of injury. Conclusions Work and home life, agricultural work and work in industry are extremely intertwined in Vietnam. We documented the impact of the intersection of agriculture work with industrial work on the risk of occupational injuries in this one community and suggest necessary changes in surveillance methodology in economies undergoing shifts in employment.


Circadian rhythms in several species can be phase-shifted by procedures that stimulate locomotor activity ("exercise") during the usual sleep period. The role of arousal or sleep loss, independent of activity, in this effect has not been adequately resolved. We show here, using the sleep deprivation procedure of gentle handling, that comparably large phase shifts (up to 240 min advances) of the rest–activity cycle can be induced in Syrian hamsters by 3 hr of behavioral arousal, with minimal locomotion, beginning 6 hr before the usual active period. Horizontal distance traveled during the deprivation procedure averaged ∼0.08 km, compared to 2.5 km typical in exercise studies. Hamsters requiring fewer interventions exhibited larger shifts, suggesting that the level or continuity of spontaneous arousal determines shift size. The circadian rhythm of light-induced c-fos expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) was used as a phase marker to further demonstrate that the clock is reset within 1 hr after a 3 hr deprivation. Sleep deprivation mimicked the effects of exercise on basal c-fos expression in two components of the circadian system, suppressing basal Fos immunoreactivity in the SCN, and increasing Fos in the intergeniculate leaflet. Sleep deprivation without exercise in hamsters can rapidly reset the circadian clock and alter gene expression within the circadian system.


Background Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by proliferative vascular lesions and progressive fibrosis of skin and internal organs, including the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal involvement is a very frequent complication, reported in up to 90% of SSc patients in both limited (lSSc) and diffuse (dSSc) cutaneous forms, and it is one of the earliest events. Objectives To evaluate the correlation between radiological items analyzed by videofluoroscopy swallow study and clinical patterns of patients SSc. Methods 55 patients (M/F: 6/49; median age 56y; median disease 6y, lSSc /dSSc:36/19; anti-Scl70+:21/55, ACA+:18/55, only ANA+:16/55), with a diagnosis of SSc and a history of dysphagia underwent a dynamic and morphological study of the oral, pharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing with videofluoroscopy. The oral and pharyngeal esophageal phases were performed in the upright position, while the esophageal phase was performed in the prone-oblique position, after administration of contrast material either in bolus form or diluted. Data were analyzed by radiologist with experience in videofluoroscopy for the evaluation of 17 videofluoroscopy items, of which, 4 concerning the oral, 4 the pharyngeal and 9 the esophageal phase, respectively. Results were expressed in a binary system. Then the main relevant videofluoroscopy findings were correlated with the principal scleroderma pattern of disease: lSSc vs dSSc; disease duration (more than 2 years) and subset of autoantibodies. Results Radiological study of swallowing disorders showed for oral phase: inadequate velar elevation in 4%, leakage in 15%, drooling in none (0%) and stasis of bolus in mouth in 4% of the patients. As for pharyngeal phase: stasis of bolus on pharyngeal in 49%, penetration in the laryngeal aditus in 53%, post-swallowing aspiration in 22%, abnormal upper esophageal sphincter behavior in 13% of the cases. Concerning esophageal phase: inadequate primary peristalsis in 53%, abnormal secondary peristalsis in 29%, non-peristaltic contractions in 40%, defects of clearance in 69%, abnormal lower esophageal sphincter behavior in 76%, hiatal hernia in 80%, esophageal reflux in 56%, esophagitis in 82% of the patients, nobody presented esophageal luminal stenosis. When we analyzed the swallowing disorders in different conditions we found that these are prevalent in patients with more than 2 year of disease, although may be found also early. Conversely, we have not found a significant prevalence between the lSSc or the dSSc, or a particular correlation with different patterns of autoantibodies.Figure 1 Conclusions Our study demonstrated relevant abnormalities in swallowing functions in high number of patients with SSc. Pharyngeal and esophageal phases are the most affected, also early. Swallowing disorders increase with disease progression and involve similarly the limited or the diffuse SSc. An early and detailed diagnosis, supported by a semi-quantitative analysis with the use of videofluoroscopy scores, may be useful to guide the appropriate therapeutic approach, either rehabilitative or pharmacological, and finally, to improve the patient's quality of life. Extensive studies are necessary to confirm and transfer our data into clinical practice. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Abstract: To assist in building a computerized information system on the engineering properties of materials, the standards and metadata requirements for a representative group of mechanical property categories are considered. These categories include: tensile behavior, hardness numbers, notch-bar impact test parameters, and fatigue properties. For each property group, definitions of terms, synonyms (and non-synonyms), standard test methods, standards for reporting data, precision and accuracy, and correlations of properties are addressed. The principal findings and recommendations are as follows. Existing test methods are generally adequate for the properties considered, but better standards are needed for data reporting. Appraisal of materials variability and testing machine variability would be assisted by access to standard reference materials, certified as to their mechanical properties. All properties considered for inclusion in a computerized system can be categorized as parameters for direct search, parameters retrievable with extraction of all data stored for a given material, and parameters which are derived from an analytical representation of experimental data. Drafting of some general standards on computerized file structures and metadata files suitable for the engineering field is advised.


Bromovinyldeoxyuridine is a potent and safe antiherpes compound that in combination with a placebo treatment promoted the partial and complete healing of herpetic epithelial disease in 22 patients in average times of 4-6 days and 8.5 days respectively. However, when BVDU was combined with 1.5 X 10(6) IU of recombinant a 2C interferon, partial and complete healing times for keratitis in 19 patients were reduced to 2-6 days and 4-6 days respectively. No toxic effects of the medications were observed in any patient.


Our complicity begins with our country's reaction to [the 9/11 attacks] and our failure ... to debate the response honestly. The war in Iraq, the abuse of detainees, electronic eavesdropping, Guantanamo Bay--these things were all done on our behalf and they may turn out in the end to have created more terrorists. --Jess Walter, "A Conversation with Jess Walter" In 1991, Fredric Jameson opened his famous study of postmodernism by claiming that the concept served "as an attempt to think the present historically in an age that has forgotten how to think historically in the first place" (Postmodernism ix). Although there is little evidence that Americans have suddenly remembered how to think historically, the post-9/11 period has not been kind to postmodernism, which was already on the wane in the 1990s with the rise of postcolonial studies. Two theses regarding post-9/11 cultural production work against a serious consideration of twenty-first-century postmodern narrative, despite the potential it has to open an ethical discussion of America's ongoing state of exception initiated by the Bush Administration and continued by the Obama Administration. (1) The first thesis, initially articulated in the days following the terrorist attacks, claims that irony died on 9/11. While by now the end-of-irony thesis has largely been laughed out of court in the media, it has a certain resiliency in academic criticism. (2) In a 2009 survey of American fiction, David Wyatt reiterates this totalizing claim, one oddly complicit with Dick Cheney's political canard that "9/11 changed everything": "On September 11, any reign of irony ended" (Wyatt 139). For Wyatt, the terrorist attacks "and the imaginings arising out of them mark a turn toward 'seriousness,' a turn away from modern irony and the lightness of the postmodern turn," a seriousness marked by "an upwelling of unironized emotion" (140). However, to claim that irony died on 9/11 is to selectively read the fiction published since 2002. Two novels that appeared in 2006, both finalists for the American Book Award, deploy irony to explore the aftermath of the terrorist attacks--Ken Kalfus's A Disorder Peculiar to the Country and Jess Waiter's The Zero. Just five years removed from the event, both novels satirize Americans' responses to the terrorist attacks, a risky move in Bush's America where a new form of PC (Patriotic Correctness) shaped most discussions of the US response to terrorism domestically and globally. Kalfus's novel opens with a wonderful premise that challenges the pieties constituting the discourses of grief and commemoration of the 9/11 victims: a Manhattan husband and wife in the midst of messy divorce proceedings can barely suppress their joy when each supposes that the other has been killed in the terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, the novel remains so claustrophobically focused on the couple's domestic problems that this early promise is undercut. If the beginning of the novel clearly ironizes the affective response to victimhood and collective trauma identity, the abrupt ending of the final eight pages merely shifts the ground from naughty personal wish-fulfillment to political fantasy: America quickly and effortlessly wins the war in Iraq; the Iraqi people universally embrace their liberation; Osama bin Laden is captured and a spontaneous celebration erupts near Ground Zero. But it is a fantasy that leaves the reader wondering what one should be laughing at. The novel's ending becomes an instance of Jameson's pastiche, "amputated of its satiric impulse" (17), inasmuch as the object of its critique becomes almost impossible to discern: is it the Bush Administration, American jingoism more broadly, or perhaps those who protested the war on terror? Despite its inability to articulate a clear political or ethical vision, Kalfus's novel has been incorporated into discussions of 9/11 fiction, perhaps because it confirms the second near-consensus thesis about this body of fiction, namely, that it is a failure because, instead of depicting the geopolitical or imagining the other, it merely focuses on domesticity. …


Kutai Kartanegara Regency has 7 subdistricts which are included in the Minapolitan area, including Marang Kayu, Muara Badak, Loa Kulu, Loa Janan, Samboja, Muara Jawa and Anggana. In developing the Minapolitan Straegis Region, it can increase fish farming income so as to produce equality in each region with better quality of life and welfare. In carrying out the development, it is necessary to have a region or sub-district which is the center of Minsan Metropolitan services, in determining the Minapolitan Region Service Center in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, a scalogram analysis (Guttman Scale) is performed to determine the areas that have complete facilities related to Minapolitan and Marshall Central Index Index analysis ( ISM) to determine the service center of the Kutai Kartanegara District Minapolitan Area. Based on the two analyzes, a service center in the Kutai Kartanegara District was obtained, namely Anggana District with the type and number of complete facilities related to the Minapolitan Area. Based on these results it is possible to develop the area in Anggana Subdistrict which is the Minapolitan Area Service Center of Kutai Kartanegara Regency.
Keywords: Marshall Central Index Index (ISM), Minapolitan Area Service Center ,Scalogram Analysis (Guttman Scale).


Nitrogen metabolism is one aspect of basic metabolism, which is still quite unknown in the field of plant-pathogen interactions. Evidence derived from previous studies conducted in our laboratory strongly suggests that during microbial pathogenesis an important nitrogen mobilization process takes place in diseased tissues. Here we describe the expression pattern of asparagine synthetase (AS; EC 188.8.131.52) in tomato leaves infected by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Using an homologous AS cDNA probe isolated by RT-PCR from infected leaves, we have observed a high level induction of AS expression during the course of infection. Concomitantly, a single AS polypeptide also accumulated in response to bacterial infection. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of AS in infected leaves revealed a strong immunostaining in phloem cells of the main vascular bundles and in secondary veins of the leaf blade. These data correlate with those previously reported for expression of a cytosolic isoform of glutamine synthetase (GS1) also induced during development of the infectious process. Taken together, our results suggest the existence of a GS1/AS pathway representing a metabolic route for transferring ammonium released from protein catabolism into asparagine, an amino acid that may have a major role in nitrogen mobilization from diseased tissues.


"There are many other ills, different from those of repletion, but no less dreadful, arising from deficiency of diet."— Hippocrates in "Ancient Medicine." Now and then the Esculapian serpent takes its tail in its mouth and describes a circle, and we return to the teachings of our fathers. Long ago we were told not to be too meticulous in diagnosis, not too heroic in therapy, but to favor as far as possible the healing power of nature, that occult, mysterious biochemical force that often surprises us both by its elusiveness and its efficiency. It is worth while to read and study carefully both Hippocrates and McCollum on diet, for they are good friends with similarly intelligent outlooks on life and living, and have shaken hands across the years. One can imagine with what delight and sympathetic understanding the Father of Medicine might read "The Newer Knowledge of Nutrition," despite some


BackgroundExternal hemipelvectomy often results in exposure of noble structures such as pelvic organs, joint surfaces, iliac neurovascular bundle and bone. Consequently, reconstructive surgery is always challenging. The free fillet lower leg flap is an optimal solution since it allows the transfer of a large amount of tissue and the it determines the absence of donor site morbidities. The prolonged ischemic time represents the weak point of this flap.Methods We presented the case of a 38-year-old man with recurrent radio-induced osteosarcoma arisen on pelvic cavity and involving common iliac vessels, bladder, left ureter and left kidney. We decided to use extracorporeal circulation (ECMO) in order to reduce ischemic time of the flap, since iliac vessels were necessary ligated in the middle of oncologic resection. We perfused the popliteal-based filleted lower leg musculocutaneous free flap with homologue blood and saline solution, while the oncologic dissection was completed.ResultsThe free fillet flap remained vital in the immediate postoperative period and in the following months. The patient did not come back to a life-threatening condition at 1y follow-up. ConclusionWe believed that ECMO expand the reconstructive indications in those cases in which a complex and long-lasting oncologic resection would make impossible a free flap due to prolonged ischemic time.


1. Two fermentation methods have been compared for the production of Takju (Korean native Sake). One method (S1) uses 'Nuruk' (Korean mold wheat) and the other method (S2) uses 'Nuruk' and mold rice. The chemical analysis of source material, also, have been made in order the check the quantitative changes during the fermentation. The results are summarized below: a. The rate of fermentation was slower for the S2 method than for the S1 method. However, the residual sugar in the S2 method was smaller and the amount of alcohol produced the same as with the S1 method. This was true in spite of the fact that the total initial sugar content for the S2 method was 10 percent below that of S1. b. With both the S1 and S2 methods, 80 percent of the total alcohol production was obtained with in 3 to 4 days. c. The pH value of the base material at the beginning of fermentation was markedly different between the two methods I.e.6.0 to 6.2 for S1 and 4.8 to 5.2 for S2. However, after one or two day the pH of both materials was about the same 4.0 to 4.2 and remained at this value unit the fermentation was complete. 2. Organic acids and Sugars in the source materials have been detected by the paper partition chromatography(p.p.c.) method and the followings are obtained. a. Important Organic acids are Fumalic, malic Succinic, Citric, Acetic aicds in polished rice and Fumalic, Succinic, Acetic, Citric, Malic and Oxalic acids 'Nuruk'. The same kinds of acids as in the rice are found in mold rice, However, amount of Citrice acid is markedly increased in mold rice. b. The important Sugar, Glucose, Fructose and Raffinose in polished rice, Gulcose, Fructo, se, Xylose and one which supposed to be Kojibjose in 'Nuruk'. Glucose and those supposed to be Isomaltose, Kojibiose and Sakebiose and found in rice mold, however, no Sucrose, which was exist in polished rice, was found. 3. The important Organic acids found in fermenting mash using the p.p.c. method were Lactic, Succinic and Acetic. Citric acid identified early in the fermentation, S2 method. remained throughout. However, with the S1 method Cirtic acid was detected only during the late stage of fermentation. Sugars not found in the original materials were two which supposed to be Isomaltotriose and Pentose. Maltose found at the beginning of the fermentation disappeared within one day, Isomaltose was detected throughout the period of fermentation. 4. The Somogyi method which was employed to determine the quantitative changes of sugars in the orginal meterial and mach, showed that polished rice containes in order and in largest amounts Sucrose, Glucose, Raffinose and Fructose. 'Nuruk' contained almost equal quantities of Glucose and Fructose. However, the Glucose content of the mold rice exceeded that originally in the polished rice by 25 or 30 times. Only a small quantity of free sugars was found in the mash at the end of the fermentation.


Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common genitourinary complications in men over 50 years of age and typically presents with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and may need medical and occasionally surgical interventions. Few of them may only need advice on behavioral modification like less water intake after sunset, avoid tea, coffee after evening, avoid alcohol and less use of diuretics. The symptoms related to BPH or LUTS without any prostatic enlargement are incomplete voiding, frequency, intermittency, urgency, weak stream, straining and nocturia. For most patients with mild to moderate symptoms of BPH [International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) <8 or 8-19 respectively] monotherapy with an á-1-adrenergic antagonist remains initial treatment. The choice of specific á-adrenergic antagonist agent is generally based on cost and side effect profile. Other classes of medications include 5á-reductase inhibitors and phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 inhibitors. In men who have mild to moderate symptoms of BPH and concomitant erectile dysfunction (ED), PDE-5 inhibitors are reasonable alternative. Now a days á-1-adrenoceptor blockers and 5á-reductase inhibitors are often combined to give a synergistic effect. A review of the current literature identified several adverse sexual side effects, including ED, decreased libido, orgasmic disorders and ejaculatory disorders. It is important to know the extent of these side effects, as the clinician and patient will need to decide the cost of improved voiding symptoms. The prime adverse effect is ejaculatory disorders including the absence of ejaculation. Clinical consideration for BPH/LUTS should include the elements of male sexual function, patient's age and the characteristics and comprehensive effects of each group of drugs. Methodological bias in clinical studies, such as the subjective evaluation of the sexual side effect makes it difficult to determine the ideal drug for treatment. Men without ED or irritant symptoms who desire medical therapy but cannot tolerate á-1-adrenergic antagonists and do not have predominately irritant symptoms or concomitant ED, treatment with a 5á-reductase inhibitor is a reasonable. Treatment for 6 to 12 months is generally needed before prostate size is sufficiently reduced to improve symptoms. Symptoms are usually reversible, so drugs may need to be continued for long time or indefinitely under supervision of specialist.
Birdem Med J 2019; 9(3): 240-247


Objective: The aim of this study was to compare laparoscopic (LPS) and laparotomy (LPT) approaches for endometrial cancer, and to assess intraoperative and postoperative results, disease-free survival and overall survival. Methods: We designed a prospective observational study, every patient diagnosed of endometrial cancer and subsidiary to surgical staging was included. Total hysterectomy, bilateral adnexectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy were performed in every case. Paraaortic lymphadenectomy was performed depending on tumor histology. Results: 70 patients with endometrial cancer were enrolled, 49 (70%) were treated laparoscopically and 21 (30%) laparotomically. There was not statistical significant difference in the mean operative time, it was 183.06 ± 21.03 min (range 120 - 230) in the LPS group and 195.24 ± 28.39 min (range 130 - 240) in the LPT group, mean difference 12.16 (95% CI ﹣0.2 - 24). There was no difference in the number of lymph nodes resected. Mean blood loss was lower in the LPS group. There were less postoperative complications, 3 (6.12%) in the LPS group and 7 (33.3%) in the LPT group (p Conclusion: Laparoscopic approach for endometrial cancer offers similar results in terms of survival and oncological radicality as the laparotomic approach and a lower rate of complications, a quicker convalescence time and a shorter hospital stay.


It is demonstrated how it is possible to use the measured or calculated short-circuit impedances for a multiwinding transformer to examine the effects of AC winding resistances and leakage inductances on its operation. For this purpose, the cross-coupled-secondaries equivalent-circuit model is presented along with equations for calculating its parameter values. As long as the transformer operates linearly, at a frequency below that where winding-capacitance effects become dominant, this model accurately predicts the output windings voltages for any connection of a sinusoidal excitation source and linear loads. A comparison of model predictions with measurements of AC voltage regulation demonstrates the robustness of this model for loads with a wide range of power factors. When coupled with a previously published method for calculating the short-circuit impedances of a transformer from its geometry (see V.A. Niemala et al., 1989) this modeling technique should make it possible to eliminate some of the trial-and-error in transformer design. In addition, it can provide a better understanding of the effects that physical design changes have on the terminal characteristics of a transformer.<<ETX>>


The paper aims to map the field of interest in conversation as a phenomenon in various arts (cultural history, social science, linguistics) in the last few decades, assuming that the field was established in order to differentiate it from other similiar notions such as a dialogue. What has become the centre of attention is the acknowledgement of conversation as a social, cultural and linguistic phenomenon, the main function ofwhich in different periods of time and social enviroments has been that of social stabilization, and the various forms of which can be studied using as sources the oral as well as written records, which enables access to the historical forms of conversational culture. The writer offers a mutual confrontation between several attempts at defining conversation and formulates competences and certain tasks which can be faced by literary research on conversation.


This study aimed to examine the plant diversity and plant performance of vertical greening system (VGS) and how the hardware setup (including growing substrates) potentially affect plant performance. A total of 125 VGS (including 85 outdoor and 40 indoor VGS) were surveyed in Hong Kong. We recorded the type of VGS, species composition, frequency and plant coverage; substrate medium type, and plant performance. The findings revealed that indoor soilless VGS performed comparably well as on conventional soil, and outdoor soilless VGS performed significantly better than on soil. Regardless of substrate type, plants on indoor VGS performed better than outdoor VGS.
Keywords: Vertical greening system; Floristic composition; Growing medium; Plant performance
eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i14.2268


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This review highlights the recent advances in Huntington's disease, with particular focus on clinical characterization of prodromal Huntington's disease, as well as the growing literature regarding pathophysiological mechanisms and their relevance to potential therapeutic targets.

RECENT FINDINGS
Clinical and neuroradiological abnormalities can be demonstrated in gene-positive individuals prior to the onset of manifest Huntington's disease, even as far as 15 years before the disease onset. Although some measures show promise as potential markers of disease progression, further longitudinal studies are required. Several molecular pathways have been implicated in the process of neurodegeneration involved in Huntington's disease and provide potential therapeutic targets.

SUMMARY
With predictive testing allowing the identification of gene-positive individuals prior to disease onset, the prodromal stage of Huntington's disease provides an ideal period for the use of disease-modifying therapy. A quantifiable and reliable biomarker for monitoring disease progression is crucial for clinical studies of neuroprotection, and this remains an area of active research. Understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms continues to grow, based mainly on cellular and animal models of Huntington's disease.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) conditionally discharged from secure hospitals on a restrictive Section of the Mental Health Act (Section 37/41).

Design/methodology/approach
Data were derived from seven semi-structured interviews from three forensic community teams.

Findings
Thematic analysis identified seven predominant themes: (1) the uncertainty of the discharge timeframe; (2) fear of jeopardising discharge; (3) progress; (4) engagement with community life; (5) barriers to social engagement; (6) evolving identity and (7) someone to turn to. Findings are discussed in relation to the recovery model and the good lives model.

Practical implications
The findings highlight the importance of fostering trust between MDOs and their care teams to encourage help-seeking. They also suggest that resources should be sequenced appropriately throughout the discharge process, to match the "window of engagement" and maximize impact and effectiveness.

Originality/value
This research gained rarely obtained first-hand perspectives from MDOs, with the findings contributing to a more effective evaluation of the discharge pathway.


Industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth are among the major causes of environmental degradation. These factors are closely related to the construction sector. To curb the issue, the government has initiated tax incentives to encourage developers embracing green technology. Developers who entitled to these tax incentives should enjoy a considerable amount of tax savings, which can be employed for capital reinvestment. Consequently, this study aims to determine whether firms that specifically involve with the construction of green buildings and have received the tax incentives are more likely to achieve relatively better financial performance, as a result of tax benefits gained from the government assistance. For the empirical analyses, secondary data was employed. A total of 138 firm-year observations from 2015 until 2017 used to measure the firm's characteristic of board size, asset tangibility, deferred tax balances, and leverage against financial performance. The Theory of the Growth of the Firm was used to interpret the relationship between the financial characteristics and firm performance. We obtain evidence that indicates there is no significant difference in the financial performance between the GBI and non-GBI firms. The deferred tax balance, a proxy of the investment tax allowances granted by the Malaysian government to the GBI firms, is shown to be ineffective in improving the financial performances of these firms. The finding of this study suggests that any form of tax assistance from the government for the construction sector has not benefitted its recipients and requires remodeling.


Two lasing modes are observed for Sulforhodamine 640 in highly scattering media pumped by 3-ns 532-nm laser pulses. The stimulated-emission thresholds are found to depend on both concentration of laser dye and scattering particle density. At 2.5 x 10(-2) M dye solution with TiO(2) scattering nanoparticles from 5 x 10(9) cm(-3) to 10(11) cm(-3), the thresholds are found to decrease by more than 2 orders of magnitude. The dominating lasing modes are found to switch from 650 to 620 nm with the increase of density of scatterers.


RARELY COULD A BOOK be timelier. Recent events have made the understanding of the roots of violence, particularly political violence, a most urgent task. In this compelling volume Bellinger argues that current social scientific efforts to comprehend the origins of violence by ascribing it to childhood traumas, difficult social conditions, or the projection of the psyche's unacceptable "shadow" onto others all fail by drifting into reductionism or by relieving the individual of responsibility. As an alternative, Bellinger explores the "vertical," God-ward dimension of human motivation, thereby building a bridge between theology and social theory. To do so, Bellinger turns to the thought of Soren Kierkegaard, and, to a lesser extent, René Girard. Bellinger develops an account of the genealogy of violence from Kierkegaard's remarks about human anxiety. As Bellinger notes, Kierkegaard explored the painful ambivalence that humans feel in the face of the possibility of growth in faith, hope, and love to which God calls them. From Kierkegaard's perspective, various forms of violence are negative responses to this daunting prospect; they are desperate attempts to escape from the possibility of spiritual growth.


Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase (ERK) lies downstream of a core signalling cascade that controls all aspects of development and adult homeostasis. Recent developments have led to new tools to image and manipulate the pathway. However, visualising ERK activity in vivo with high temporal resolution remains a challenge in Drosophila. We adapted a kinase translocation reporter (KTR) for use in Drosophila, which shuttles out of the nucleus when phosphorylated by ERK. We show that ERK-KTR faithfully reports endogenous ERK signalling activity in developing and adult tissues, and that it responds to genetic perturbations upstream of ERK. Using ERK-KTR in time-lapse imaging, we made two novel observations: firstly, sustained hyperactivation of ERK by expression of dominant-active Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor raised the overall level but did not alter the kinetics of ERK activity; secondly, heterogeneity in ERK activity in retinal basal glia correlated with the direction of migration of individual cells. Our results show that KTR technology can be applied in Drosophila to monitor ERK activity in real-time and suggest that this modular tool can be further adapted to study other kinases. Summary Statement We describe a reporter to study the dynamics of ERK signalling in Drosophila, use it to measure signalling in individual cells over time, and monitor development.


Multiple interacting crack problems for 3-point bending specimen were studied in this article. Two symmetrical minor cracks were placed in the structure, besides a main crack at the middle, and using the finite element method program ABAQUS, the energy release rate (G) and the stress intensity factor (SIF) were evaluated based on the virtual crack closure technology(VCCT)in conjunction with finite element analysis(FEA). Then, effects of variation in relative lengths and locations of the minor cracks on the stress intensity factors of the main crack were obtained and analyzed. Finally, the approach was applied to dynamic analysis, and influences of interacting effects among the cracks on dynamic fracture parameters were also studied.


We report the case of a 14-year-old girl who experienced a Lisfranc fracture-dislocation while playing sport. The lesion was treated with surgery, consisting of open reduction and internal fixation using cannulated screws and Kirschner wires. After one year of follow-up, the patient has no symptoms and no X-ray evidence of degenerative changes in the midfoot. In our view, the surgical procedure, using rigid fixation for the medial column and the second ray, and a provisional fixation to all other rays, allowed for a satisfactory short-term result in this patient. We have used this case to review the management of this lesion in the pediatric population.


Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection remains one of the worst crises in global health. The prevention of HIV-1 infection is a crucial task that needs to be addressed due to the absence of a licensed vaccine against HIV-1. DNA vaccines present a promising alternative approach to combat HIV-1 infection due to their excellent safety profile, lack of severe side effects, and relatively rapid fabrication. Traditional vaccines composed of a monomeric envelope or peptide fragments have been indicated to lack protective efficacy mediated by inducing HIV-1-specific neutralizing antibodies in clinical trials. The immunogenicity and protection against HIV-1 induced by DNA vaccines are limited due to the poor uptake of these vaccines by antigen-presenting cells and their ready degradation by DNases and lysosomes. To address these issues of naked DNA vaccines, we described the feasibility of CpG-functionalized silica-coated calcium phosphate nanoparticles (SCPs) for efficiently delivering DNA-based HIV-1 trimeric envelope vaccines against HIV-1. Vaccines comprising the soluble BG505 SOSIP.664 trimer fused to the GCN4-based isoleucine zipper or bacteriophage T4 fibritin foldon motif with excellent simulation of the native HIV-1 envelope were chosen as trimer-based vaccine platforms. Our results showed that SCP-based DNA immunization could significantly induce both broad humoral immune responses and potent cellular immune responses compared to naked DNA vaccination in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to assess the feasibility of CpG-functionalized SCPs for efficiently delivering DNA vaccines expressing a native-like HIV-1 trimer. These CpG-functionalized SCPs for delivering DNA-based HIV-1 trimeric envelope vaccines may lead to the development of promising vaccine candidates against HIV-1.


BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in control of DNA repair by homologous recombination (HR). Germline mutations in these genes substantially increase lifetime risk of developing breast, ovarian and other cancers. BRCA-deficient tumors show increased sensitivity to therapies that target defective HR. Sporadic tumors lacking germline BRCA mutations but sharing the molecular features of BRCA-mutant tumors may respond to these types of therapies as well. PARP inhibitors represent a form of targeted therapy for HR-deficient tumors that have been approved in ovarian cancer and are being tested in clinical trials in breast cancer, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and glioblastoma. Our lab has previously identified a small molecule called ONC201 in a screen for compounds capable of inducing the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) gene. Our lab has previously reported that ONC201 induces an integrated stress response that involves ATF4/CHOP and inactivates pro-survival kinases Akt and ERK. The latter leads to decreased phosphorylation of transcription factor FOXO3a, its nuclear translocation, and induction of transcription of the target gene TRAIL. A first-in-human clinical trial showed that the compound is well tolerated, achieves a therapeutic pharmacokinetic profile, exhibits biological activity. It has since entered multiple phase I/II trials. ONC201 has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in a wide range of tumor types including BRCA-deficient breast and ovarian cancers (n=10), with GI50 values in the low micromolar range. Treatment with ONC201 induces surface TRAIL and inhibits Akt activity in BRCA deficient breast and ovarian cancers. PARP inhibitors have been previously shown to upregulate DR5 through transcription factor CHOP, sensitizing solid tumors to TRAIL. Resistance to PARP inhibitors can occur through PI3K/Akt pathway activation, and PI3K/MEK blockade improves their anti-tumor effects. We observed synergy between ONC201 and PARP inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib in BRCA-deficient breast and ovarian cancer cell lines in cell viability assays with combination indices (CI) ranging from 0.4 - 0.8. Robust synergy was also observed in prostate cancer and glioblastoma cells. The mechanisms of the observed synergy are currently under investigation. These results indicate that ONC201 possesses single agent activity in BRCA-deficient cancer cells and that the combination of ONC201 with PARP inhibitors represents a promising synergistic therapeutic approach that could be exploited in multiple solid tumors. Citation Format: Marie D. Baumeister, Ozan C. Kucukkase, Varun V. Prabhu, David T. Dicker, Josh E. Allen, Wafik S. El-Deiry. ONC201 shows efficacy in BRCA-deficient cancer cells and synergy with PARP inhibitors in glioblastoma, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3212. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3212


Background and Objectives: The aim was to explore the interventional effect of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exercise of Tian Dan Shugan Tiaoxi on the emotions of patients with mild novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: A total of 110 asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients from Hongkou Memorial Road Temporary Cabin Hospital and South Renji Hospital were selected between April 2022 and June 2022, and randomly divided into two groups: a control group and an intervention group. There were 55 participants in each group. The control group was treated with Lianhua Qingwen granules, and members of the intervention group were made to practice Tian Dan Shugan Tiaoxi (an exercise that soothes the liver and regulates emotions) every day for 5 days. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7), and the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) were used to evaluate the data collected before and after the trial. Results: The incidence of anxiety and depression was high in the patients included in this study, at 73.64% and 69.09%, respectively. After intervention, the scores of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7) in the two groups had decreased in comparison with those recorded before intervention (p < 0.05). The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores in the intervention group were significantly better than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The factors of somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, and fear in the SCL-90 in the intervention group were significantly improved after intervention, and generally, better than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Patients infected with novel coronavirus in shelter hospitals have different degrees of emotional abnormalities. Tian Dan Shugan Tiaoxi can reduce the anxiety and depression of people with mild novel coronavirus, and it can be practiced clinically to improve the recovery rate among infected people.