Background Many neonatal diseases are regulated by inflammation. This process is intricate and is balanced by pro- and anti-inflammatory arms. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are key inflammatory mediators because they are one of the first responders in microbial invasion and tissue injury. It is generally believed that PMNs control inflammation through rapid degranulation and release of preformed constituents. However, we have recently demonstrated that PMNs isolated from adults alter their phenotypic make-up by synthesizing new inflammatory proteins. Here, we determine if PMNs from term newborns have similar inflammatory potential. Methods PMNs were directly isolated from term, umbilical human whole blood by positive selection of CD15+ cells rather than standard Ficoll-Paque procedures. The cells were subsequently stimulated with platelet activating factor (PAF), a potent cellular agonist that is generated during neonatal inflammation. Interleukin-6 receptor alpha (IL-6Rα), IL-8, and retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) gene expression in PMNs was determined. Results With equivalent starting material, whole blood isolation of PMNs yielded a more homogeneous cell population and significantly greater number of PMNs (over 3-fold) compared to Ficoll-Paque procedures. Moreover, isolation time was reduced by 2 hours and basal protein expression was non-existent in PMNs from whole blood isolates. PAF markedly increased COX-2, IL-6Rα, IL-8, and RARα protein production in term PMNs, paralleling responses that we have previously seen in adult PMNs. Conclusions These results demonstrate that PMNs isolated from term newborns are capable of synthesizing new inflammatory protein products, consistent with the ability of term newborns to generate a "mature" inflammatory response to stave off infection. We predict that gene expression profiles will differ in pre-term PMNs where dysregulated inflammation is more prevalent.


The Araucaria forest is Brazil's highly threatened subtropical forest ecosystem that has been disappearing in recent decades. Restoration programs involving this forest type are scarce, and there is a lack of scientific information on how ecological processes such as competition, facilitation, and seed dispersal influence natural forest restoration. This work aims to investigate how use of perches to attract seed dispersers and the influence of pioneer vegetation and soil fertilization could affect the colonization of woody species in a degraded area. An experiment was conducted in an abandoned field where the natural establishment of seeds and seedlings of woody species was monitored under factorial combinations of the following treatments: (1) pioneer vegetation (presence and absence); (2) soil fertility (addition of NPK and control); and (3) perches (presence and absence). Seed and seedling abundance, seed and seedling species richness, and seedling mortality were recorded monthly during 12 months. Seed abundance and species richness were significantly greater in places with perches than in control plots. These results were consistent over the year and more pronounced when the surrounding forest produced a higher amount of fruit. Species richness and abundance of seedlings were significantly greater in places with perches than in control plots, and in places with vegetation than without. Soil fertility did not influence seedling establishment. Facilitation and seed dispersal are important factors affecting the colonization of woody species in this subtropical area. Nutrient availability neither regulates the facilitation process nor influences species replacement during the early stages of Araucaria forest succession.


This paper investigates the fault tolerant control strategies for a three to five-phase dual matrix converter fed open-end load system. There are two three to five phase matrix converter at both the ends of the load. In healthy condition both the matrix converters are sharing the load according to their modulation index. After the occurrence of an open-circuit fault in one of the matrix converter, it is disconnected and the other remaining converter shares the load according to its capacity (maximum rating is half of the dual converter). In the proposed scheme both the converters are sharing the load equally under normal operating conditions. After the clearance of fault, again both the matrix converters start working normally and sharing the load equally. In this paper it is shown that in a dual matrix converter supply system, they can work in healthy condition, post-fault condition and after clearance of the fault without break in continuity of the supply. Space vector pulse width modulation technique is used for control of the dual matrix converters under normal and post-fault conditions. Here open-end five-phase R-L load is taken for validation of the technique. Simulated results are verified experimentally.


Background: Learning from the past experiences, the district health authority Shahdol has planned a mass-prophylactic activity with the Homeopathy Medicine (Malaria Off 200) in the selected high-risk villages (above 5 API) in the year 2016
Objective: The present paper reports the effectiveness of Malaria off 200 as mass-prophylactic drug in addition to routine antimalarial activities under NVBDCP in district Shahdol, Madhya pradesh in year 2016.
Methodology: A Homeopathic drug Malaria Off 200 was used for the mass-prophylaxis of  Malaria in high malaria transmission season in selected 28 villages of district Shahdol. The effectiveness of the drug was ascertained as "Reduction of ≥20% villages, having more than 2 malaria case in six-month period (July-December 2016)in comparison to the previous year".
Result: Of the 28 villages, seven (25%) reported Malaria case  incidence equal to or less than two in six-month period (July-December 2016). In the same time period in previous year 23 (82%) villages reported Malaria case  incidence more than two. So, reduction of number of villages with 'biannual Malaria case  incidence' rate was 57%.
Conclusion: The short term finding validate the campaign as effective, as per the operational definition of effectiveness coined for the campaign. However, further time series studies with Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) is recommended for future.


Attention has been a focus of much of the work I've done over the last several years, and in particular the 'attentional economies' (Lankshear and Knobel, 2002; de Castell and Jenson, 2005) involving teachers and learners in both classroom-based and non-formal educational environments.  What has become very clear is the need to distinguish between attentional behaviours, and other, more complex, more demanding and more generally 'educative' kinds of attention.  I'm drawn to the idea of 'exquisite attention', (Lather 2007:16) and particularly interested in the pleasures of attention, as well of course as its productivity.  Maybe its exquisiteness, a pleasure of attention, can be related to its productivity. We have long known that attention can be productive indeed, all by itself, seemingly. Consider the Hawthorne Effect, notorious among researchers---as soon as I begin to pay attention to you, you get better at what you are doing. Having other people pay close and careful attention to what you are doing often helps you do it better. But I want to argue that exquisite attention can never come from other people, but only from ourselves. And I want to set out some ways to see an ethics, an epistemology and a pedagogy in this small claim. Probably many of us gain considerable enjoyment from having other people pay attention to our work, but I'm going to argue that this is a mistake, and a misleading one, in several important ways.


The aim of this paper is to find a computationally efficient and predictive model for the class of systems that we call 'pantographic structures'. The interest in these materials was increased by the possibilities opened by the diffusion of technology of three-dimensional printing. They can be regarded, once choosing a suitable length scale, as families of beams (also called fibres) interconnected to each other by pivots and undergoing large displacements and large deformations. There are, however, relatively few 'ready-to-use' results in the literature of nonlinear beam theory. In this paper, we consider a discrete spring model for extensible beams and propose a heuristic homogenization technique of the kind first used by Piola to formulate a continuum fully nonlinear beam model. The homogenized energy which we obtain has some peculiar and interesting features which we start to describe by solving numerically some exemplary deformation problems. Furthermore, we consider pantographic structures, find the corresponding homogenized second gradient deformation energies and study some planar problems. Numerical solutions for these two-dimensional problems are obtained via minimization of energy and are compared with some experimental measurements, in which elongation phenomena cannot be neglected.


Melanosis of the bladder is a pathology defined as intracytoplasmic brown-black
 pigment deposit in urothelial cells without cytological atypia. A 69-year-old man case
 showed melanic pigment in the bladder wall through specific immunochemistry.
 Melanosis of the bladder's real prevalence and malignant potential are hard to
 define, due to its prevalence among asymptomatic adults hasn't been described
 by this moment, and follow-up though periodic Urethrocystoscopy would be
necessary in order to clarify its malignant potential.


Background Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been widely used during transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma. Purpose To evaluate the sensitivity of CBCT for the detection of hepatocellular carcinomas and the tumor feeders by comparing celiac artery (CA) and common hepatic artery (CHA) injection. Material and methods We retrospectively enrolled 30 patients (52 hepatocellular carcinoma lesions) who had undergone CBCT-assisted transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. In 17 procedures (28 hepatocellular carcinomas) we acquired CBCT scans using CA injections (CBCT-CA) and in 18 (24 hepatocellular carcinomas) we used CHA injections (CBCT-CHA). Of the 30 patients, 5 underwent CBCT-CA and CBCT-CHA at different transcatheter arterial chemoembolization procedures. We performed inter-group comparisons of the detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma, the feeding artery, the intrahepatic artery branch order, and the tumor-to-liver contrast. Results CBCT-CA detected all 28 hepatocellular carcinomas and 27 of their feeders (96.4%); CBCT-CHA identified 22 of 24 hepatocellular carcinomas (91.7%) and 21 of their feeders (95.5%). There was no significant inter-group difference in the detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma lesions (p = 0.21) or feeding arteries (p = 0.69). CBCT-CHA was superior for the assessment of the tumor-to-liver contrast and the intrahepatic artery branch order (both: p < 0.01). Conclusion CBCT-CA and CBCT-CHA were equally useful for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma and of the feeding artery, although CBCT-CHA yields better visualization of hepatocellular carcinoma and the hepatic artery. Thus CA injection seems sufficient for lesion and vessel detection when the insertion of an angiographic catheter into the CHA is difficult.


In this paper a new species of genus Barytarbes Forster, 1869, belonging to subfamily Ctenopelmatinae of Ichneumonidae, collected from Mt. Liupan, Ningxia, is described. Type specimens are deposited in the General Station of Forest Pest Management, State Forestry Administration, Shenyang, China. Two female and two male of paratypes are preserved in Zoologische Staatssammlung Mnchen, Mnchen, Germany. To keep the original state of the specimens (paratypes) they were investigated in the scanning electron microscopic without coating (i. e. unsputtered). The needles with the specimens were fixed with Leit-C-Plast on a conventional specimen holder and with a LEO 1430 VP-SEM, at an acceleration voltage of 2.2kV.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
To analyze complications of the pulmonary artery catheterization in patients with blood diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
93 cases of pulmonary artery catheterization in patients with blood diseases were included in the retrospective study.

RESULTS
Indications for pulmonary artery catheterization were septic shock (78.5%) and acute respiratory failure (21.5%). In 31 cases (33.3%) pulmonary artery catheterization was performed in conditions of agranulocytosis and in 81 cases (87%) in conditions of thrombocytopenia (platelets median 43 x 109 per liter minimal 7 x 109, maximal 150 x 109 per liter). Patients received transfusions of platelets in case of thrombocytopenia less than 30 x 109 per liter. Early complications of pulmonary artery catheterization occurred in 5 patients with thrombocytopenia (5.4%), the complications was connected with bleeding (hematoma, bleeding from place of puncture, lung bleeding) and mechanical (arterial puncture, pneumothorax, hemothorax). Number of attempts of the central vein catheterization was risk factor the complications. The frequency of catheter-associated sepsis was 5.89 cases each 1000 catheter-days and the frequency of infections of the soft tissues was 9.78 cases each 1000 catheter-days. Catheter-associated infection complications occurred in cases of catheter use over 5 days. Catheter-associated sepsis occurred in 2 of 3 patients with agranulocytosis. Other complications included intermittent arrhythmias during catheter moving in the heart chambers (58), catheter balloon rupture (4), and thrombosis of catheter lumen (3).

CONCLUSIONS
Pulmonary artery catheterization can be used in patients with blood diseases and first of all in cases of septic shock and acute respiratory failure. Alternative less invasive methods of monitoring should be used in patients with agranulocytosis.


A platform has been developed to measure the activity of 23 enzymes that are involved in central carbon and nitrogen metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Activities are assayed in optimized stopped assays and the product then determined using a suite of enzyme cycling assays. The platform requires inexpensive equipment, is organized in a modular manner to optimize logistics, calculates results automatically, combines high sensitivity with throughput, can be robotized, and has a throughput of three to four activities in 100 samples per person/day. Several of the assays, including those for sucrose phosphate synthase, ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase, glycerokinase, and shikimate dehydrogenase, provide large advantages over previous approaches. This platform was used to analyze the diurnal changes of enzyme activities in wild-type Columbia-0 (Col-0) and the starchless plastid phosphoglucomutase (pgm) mutant, and in Col-0 during a prolongation of the night. The changes of enzyme activities were compared with the changes of transcript levels determined with the Affymetrix ATH1 array. Changes of transcript levels typically led to strongly damped changes of enzyme activity. There was no relation between the amplitudes of the diurnal changes of transcript and enzyme activity. The largest diurnal changes in activity were found for AGPase and nitrate reductase. Examination of the data and comparison with the literature indicated that these are mainly because of posttranslational regulation. The changes of enzyme activity are also strongly delayed, with the delay varying from enzyme to enzyme. It is proposed that enzyme activities provide a quasi-stable integration of regulation at several levels and provide useful data for the characterization and diagnosis of different physiological states. As an illustration, a decision tree constructed using data from Col-0 during diurnal changes and a prolonged dark treatment was used to show that, irrespective of the time of harvest during the diurnal cycle, the pgm mutant resembles a wild-type plant that has been exposed to a 3 d prolongation of the night.


Acute respiratory infections are the most common affliction of humans, and their tendency to occur with much greater frequency in children makes them especially important to the pediatrician. A host of microbial agents can cause acute respiratory infections but only a few are responsive to antimicrobial agents. Because of the paucity of definitive laboratory tools that allow the easy recognition of the cause of acute respiratory infections, it is important for the practicing pediatrician to have other methods that aid in the clinical management of children with these infections. It is the purpose of this review to discuss the etiology and epidemiology of acute respiratory infections with emphasis on how this knowledge can guide the clinician in their management. The groundwork for the major emphasis of the paper will be laid by suggesting a classification of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. Causative agents will be enumerated and put into perspective. The major factors associated with the occurrence of acute respiratory infections will be discussed in some detail and several risk factors will be evaluated. It is important for the reader to understand that the field of acute respiratory tract infections is so extensive and complex that a complete discussion of the entire field is not possible in this review.


Ten junior surgical trainees underwent objective testing of manual dexterity and visuospatial ability and were required to carry out five consecutive anastomoses on fresh porcine jejunum. Anastomoses were scored by a single observer and a cumulative error score (CES) derived for each procedure. In the first anastomosis there was little correlation between the psychomotor test results and the anastomosis scores. In subsequent trials there were significant negative correlations between aspects of manual dexterity and the CES. Over the five anastomoses there were significant negative correlations between improvement and manual dexterity, but there was a positive correlation between improvement and visuospatial ability (rs = 0.76, P < 0.005). Visuospatial skills are more important than pure motor ability in predicting the capacity to perform an anastomosis and tests of manual dexterity may be misleading in this context.


Any global ranking of states with respect to the health and safety of its citizens using specific, singular scales is fraught with difficulty and all such efforts should be interpreted with caution. It becomes even more problematic when one attempts to link physician discipline rates directly to either quality of care or injury and deaths of patients, as the Health Resource Group alleges. Any bona fide ranking of states with respect to health care or patient safety overall, whatever its source or its attempted correlations, would require a very complex, sophisticated equation with multiple, defined, distinct, quantifiable variables. The HRG report does not meet that high threshold. First, its report ranks states from best to worst using FSMB physician discipline action data despite the FSMB disclaimer that none of its numbers should be used to compare one state to another. Second, HRG sets up its own selective criteria for "seriousness" of discipline, and in so doing specifically excludes the category C disciplines, which Wisconsin uses often and responsibly in protecting the public and disciplining physicians. This arbitrary exclusion puts Wisconsin into an unwarranted "worst" state category. Third, HRG then links its worst states to practices that "injure or kill patients." However when one attempts to verify such allegations by comparing HRG rankings to specific quality-of-care rankings, using such measurements as Medicare data or Hospital HealthGrade data, such a sweeping allegation is unsupported. Finally, HRG's conclusion that "more is better" with respect to physician discipline rates needs to be examined and weighed very carefully. It may be, in fact, that in those states with lower rates of physician discipline ("worse" states by HRG standards) there are fewer complaints filed per capita in the first place, which would point toward a "better" level of practice in those states. Or it may be that a lower ("worse") record of disciplines is due to "better," more stringent screening of physicians in the initial licensing process, thus keeping out the problem physicians in the first place. Or those states with lower discipline rates may have more alternative programs and resources such as a voluntary impaired professional program, which has stringent monitoring but does not require formal discipline. HRG's ranking of Wisconsin as 49th in physician discipline rates is flawed in process and in fact. The accusation that such a low rating results in danger to patients or "not practicing medicine in the best manner" is an unsupported one. Comparison of the HRG ranking system with two other measures of quality of care--the Medicare Beneficiaries Quality of Care Study and the HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study--shows little consistency between those rankings and the HRG study. Overall, the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board continues to carry out its important mission of patient safety and physician licensing and discipline in a very responsible and accountable fashion, and a closer analysis of the Health Research Group report, which suggests otherwise, demonstrates it to be a flawed "report card".


This text reflects on the recent science and technology studies (STS) turn in the anthropology of development. It highlights the similarities between the practice of development cooperation and ethnographic fieldwork. There has been considerable influence of STS in the post-millennium anthropology of development. How do STS and STS-inspired development studies contribute to the broader disciplinary development of anthropology? Based on contributions and concepts from Science and Technology Studies, I argue that the study of development helps us to understand our own knowledge and practice by observing how we engage with other people. The methodological principles and concepts presented in this text allow us to study inter-cultural relations symmetrically, including the researcher and his/her actions.


Abstract Taurodeoxycholate (TDCA) inhibits various inflammatory responses suggesting potential clinical application. However, the toxicity of TDCA has not been evaluated in detail in vivo. We investigated the acute toxicity and 4-week repeated-dose toxicity of TDCA following intravenous infusion under Good Laboratory Practice regulations. In the sighting study of acute toxicity, one of two rats (one male and one female) treated with 300 mg/kg TDCA died with hepatotoxicity, suggesting that the approximate 50% lethal dose of TDCA is 300 mg/kg. Edema and discoloration were observed at the injection sites of tails when rats were infused with 150 mg/kg or higher amount of TDCA once. In 4-week repeated-dose toxicity study, no treatment-related mortality or systemic changes in hematology and serum biochemistry, organ weights, gross pathology, or histopathology were observed. However, the tail injection site showed redness, discharge, hardening, and crust formation along with histopathological changes such as ulceration, edema, fibrosis, and thrombosis when rats were infused with 20 mg/kg TDCA. Taken together, TDCA induced no systemic toxicity or macroscopic lesions at the injection site at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day, which is 33 times higher than the median effective dose observed in a mouse sepsis model. These findings suggest that TDCA might have a favorable therapeutic index in clinical applications.


Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal of all adult primary malignant brain tumors. For patients diagnosed with GBM, the median survival is 11-14 months despite advances in surgical resection techniques, chemotherapies, and radiation therapy (1). Alternate therapeutic strategies are being actively pursued to target GBM, with various immunotherapeutic modalities designed to generate an anti-GBM immune response showing considerable promise in preclinical models and clinical trials. To more effectively target GBM with these treatments, there has been an increasing appreciation of the numerous mechanisms involved in generating and maintaining the highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in recent years. These studies have described a variety of microenvironmental and systemic factors that promote glioma cell evasion from the immune system. In light of these, it has become apparent that these factors must be understood and explicitly targeted to mount a successful immune response against GBM. This thesis describes the utilization of two different immunotherapeutic strategies to target GBM. The first strategy created a novel GBM target by inducing NY-ESO-1 antigen expression with the demethylating agent, decitabine, and targeting that antigen with engineered T cells. Specifically, we utilized human GBM cell cultures to induce expression of the antigen. We evaluated NY-ESO-1 TCR-transduced T cell-mediated GBM tumor cytolysis in a series of in vitro cytotoxicity assays. Following this, we examined the application of this therapy using an intracranially-implanted xenograft model. Our studies demonstrated that decitabine could effectively upregulate NY-ESO-1 both in vivo and in vitro. Engineered T cells were able to induce tumor cytolysis in vitro and were able to traffic to and target tumor in vivo. Tumor-bearing mice receiving adoptive transfer of these engineered T cells demonstrated significantly increased survival over mice that received non-transduced T cells. By inducing expression of a novel target on GBM, we were able to generate a highly specific, anti-GBM immune response. This strategy represented a clinically translatable therapeutic technique for treating patients with GBM.The second strategy focused on using existing GBM targets to generate an endogenous immune response in a syngeneic, immune competent mouse model. Briefly, we administered an autologous tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cell (DC) vaccine to produce a glioma-specific immune response. In our studies, the vaccination appeared to be capable of inducing T cell infiltration into tumors; however, in large, established tumors, this infiltrating response was not sufficient to increase mouse survival and provide significant therapeutic benefit. We described the role of the negative costimulatory pathway, programmed death-1/ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) in mitigating T cell activation and memory in a series of in vitro and in vivo studies. We noted that PD-1 blockade with PD-1 mAb was not sufficient to produce a T cell infiltrate. However, when administered with DC vaccination, PD-1 blockade activated the vaccine-generated T cell response in the tumor microenvironment. We found that T cells with PD-1 mAb were able to mediate significant tumor cytolysis when compared to T cells without PD-1 blockade in vitro. The adjuvant administration of PD-1 mAb with the DC vaccine resulted in significant survival benefit over DC vaccine alone in mice bearing large, established gliomas. Additionally, this dual treatment resulted in the increased expression of integrin homing and immunologic memory markers on T cells infiltrating tumor. These findings were corroborated in samples from patient GBM, with PD-1 blockade enhancing the T cell-mediated GBM cytolysis. Concerning this strategy, then, these findings provided us with a means to both generate and enhance a tumor-specific response.While this second strategy proved effective, the mechanism underlying this PD-1/PD-L1-mediated suppression was not fully understood. As such, we proceeded to identify a PD-L1-expressing tumor infiltrating myeloid (TIM) cell population that appeared to dominantly regulate the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling mechanism. Importantly, we determined the role that these cells play in inhibiting the immune response using a series of in vitro and in vivo studies utilizing TIM depletion and PD-1 mAb treatment strategies. We found that depletion of TIMs in both human GBM cultures and murine glioma abolished PD-1/PD-L1-mediated inhibition of T cell activation. Targeting TIMs with colony stimulating factor-1 receptor inhibitor (CSF-1Ri) reduced the TIM population significantly and altered the remaining TIMs such that they demonstrated increased expression of chemotactic factors. While treatment with CSF-1Ri in conjunction with DC vaccine did not alter PD-L1 expression on remaining TIMs, we did note that there was increased TIL infiltration with this dual treatment significantly over DC vaccine alone. These findings suggested that TIMs exert inhibitory effects in the tumor microenvironment in a manner not restricted only to the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling mechanism. We found that the combined treatment of CSF-1Ri and PD-1 mAb with DC vaccination both increased TIL infiltration and activation in the tumor microenvironment. These findings were therapeutically relevant, with tumor-bearing mice receiving all three treatments showing a significant increase in survival over mice receiving each treatment alone. The studies outlined herein elucidated the role that TIMs play in dominantly mediating the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling mechanism to restrict TIL activation, as well as the ability to manipulate this population pharmacologically with clinically accessible agents.In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates two distinct strategies to generate and enhance an immune response against GBM. In our first strategy, we utilized the adoptive transfer of engineered T cells to selectively target an antigen whose expression we artificially induced in GBM. This technique was largely effective. However, we were interested in directly targeting antigens already expressed by GBM. To that end, we described the utility of DC vaccination in generating an immune response. Further, we delineated the inhibitory mechanisms employed by TIMs in the tumor microenvironment and developed a therapeutic adjuvant to administer with DC vaccination. We confirmed the efficacy of these treatments in a series of in vitro and in vivo animal studies, and we recapitulated these findings in our novel, ex vivo human GBM studies. Together, the studies presented in this thesis represent an innovative approach to understanding and immunotherapeutically targeting the GBM microenvironment.


nystagmus, dislocation of the left lens in the vitreous humour, and multiple retinal atrophic lesions were also found. An IQ of 49 was found on the Wechsler adult intelligence scale.4 The neurological clinical examination showed cerebellar ataxia with limb and truncal ataxia and ataxic gait; also in this patient, mild hypertonia of the lower limbs, brisk tendon reflexes, and Babinski's sign on the left side were pre-


Patients in daily practice can be asking us about the problems they experience with their occlusal relationship, facial esthetics and joint dysfunction. If this dysfunction is present in a harmonious facial balance, the treatment plan should be classically dental (building-up plate to free the joint, occlusal equilibration, amalgam reconstructions, crown and bridgework, orthodontics). If the dentist observe a facial imbalance, whether it is antero-posterior, vertical or transversal, the treatment should be in cooperation with an orthognathic team (orthodontist and maxillo-facial surgeon). If the clinical problem is exclusively esthetic, without any relation with dental malocclusion and/or joint dysfunction, the treatment planning can be plastic surgery only.


Abstract Background: Reduced muscle and bone-mass and quality as well as impaired energy homeostasis are seen in both aging and the metabolic syndrome (MetS). We previously showed that exercise and Angiotensin1-7 (A1-7) ameliorate this burden in young rats, but their effect vis-a-vis aging is unknown. Aims: To assess the effects of exercise under normal and high-fat diet (HFD) with or without A1-7 on bone architecture and muscle quality as well as on musculoskeletal and fat epigenetic signatures in aged mice. Methods: 19-months-old-mice receiving HFD or normal-chow (NC) with or without 3-months exercise (treadmill, 6 days/week, 20 min/day or A1-7 (0.6 mcg/kg/d). Bone was evaluated by microCT. Global quantification of the epigenetic modification 5-methyl-or hydroxyl-methyl cytosine (5mC; 5hmc) by LC-MS/MS in white/brown adipose tissue (WAT; BAT) and Gastrocnemius muscle. Results: Old, sedentary mice were metabolically "starved" with low serum glucose and triglycerides. (A) Neither exercise nor high fat diet elicited sustained changes in body weight in old mice. B) Exercise per se rehabilitated glucose, triglycerides levels and muscle quality (enhanced muscle-fiber sectional area), accompanied by reduction in muscle 5mC and in BAT 5hmc (p<0.05). (C) Combination of exercise with A1-7 improved bone geometry and density in NC mice but not during HFD. Combination of A1-7 and exercise led to a reduction in global 5mC levels both in the gastrocnemius muscle and in WAT (p<0.05), thus suggesting that some of the effects maybe induced by changes in methylation patterns. Conclusions: The beneficial effects of A1-7 and exercise in aging skeletal tissue are operative only in NC but not in the presence of HFD. These beneficial effects are accompanied, and indeed, may be partly mediated by reversal of gene silencing as depicted by lesser DNA methylation in skeletal muscle. Finally, this is the first report that exercise can induce epigenetic changes in BAT, independent of changes in body weight. Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO are embargoed until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. Abstracts presented at a news conference are embargoed until the date and time of the news conference. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.


We combined physically based modeling and parameterization to generate realistic speech animation on synthetic faces. We used physically based modeling for muscles. Muscles are modeled as forces deforming the mesh of polygons. A parameterization technique is used for generating mouth shapes for speech animation. Each meaningful part of a text, which is a letter in our case, corresponds to a specific mouth shape and the mouth shape is generated by setting a set of parameters used for representing the muscles and jaw rotation. We also developed a mechanism to generate and synchronize facial expressions while speaking. Some tags specifying the facial expressions are inserted into the input text together with the degree of the expression. In this way, the facial expression with the specified degree is generated and synchronized with speech animation.


Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases which require hospitalization are associated to an increment of the mortality rate which in the case of patients who need treatment in an ICU goes up from 4 % to 11 or 12 % of the patients. This article made on bibliographical revision shows the main therapeutics pharmacological and non pharmacological options used in case of an acute decompensation of this disease based on the main available evidences. Main medications that can diminish the frequency of the readmission and mortality are described.


Acanthus ilicifolius L. is one of the mangrove plants that contain a lot of potential secondary metabolites of medicinal raw materials. People of Sambas Regency of West Kalimantan Province uses leaves extract daruju to overcome the pain in the stiff and swollen. The objective of this study was to know the antiinflammatory activity of leaves extract of daruju, in the form of edema reduction of mices feet induced carrageenan. The method used in the form of maceration and partition extraction followed by phytochemical test of crude extract and the fraction of result of partition. Furthermore, the crude extract and the fraction of the result of the partition were tested for the reduction of edema mices feet induced carrageenan. The results showed that ethyl acetate fraction had the best antiinflammatory activity because it was able to decrease the edema of mices feet by 75% at 750 mg / kg BW. Ethyl acetate fraction has the ability to reduce edema because it contains group compounds of flavonoid and terpenoid.


Using suitable function transformation in combination with a specific Riccati-type equation solvable, general solution of the Riccati equation in the form of elementary quadrature is given. In the process of solving the Riccati equation, the hidden parameter and variable are discovered. This indicates that hidden parameter & variable exist in all differential equations associated with the Riccati equation, such as the second-order linear ODEs, the Schrödinger equation and the Navier–Stokes equation.


We present an algorithm to generate synthetic datasets of tunable difficulty on classification of Morse code symbols for supervised machine learning problems, in particular, neural networks. The datasets are spatially one-dimensional and have a small number of input features, leading to high density of input information content. This makes them particularly challenging when implementing network complexity reduction methods. We explore how network performance is affected by deliberately adding various forms of noise and expanding the feature set and dataset size. Finally, we establish several metrics to indicate the difficulty of a dataset, and evaluate their merits. The algorithm and datasets are open-source.


Objective:
 To determine whether left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation indices can detect subclinical myocardial abnormalities in Kawasaki Disease (KD) convalescence. We hypothesized that subclinical myocardial abnormalities due to inflammation represent an early manifestation of the disease that persist in convalescence.

 Background:
 Myocardial inflammation has been described as a global finding in the acute phase of Kawasaki Disease. Despite normal LV systolic function by routine functional measurements, reduced longitudinal strain (S) and strain rate (SR) have been detected by echocardiography in the acute phase, which may potentially predict late onset heart failure.

 Method and results:
 Peak systolic LV myocardial longitudinal, radial and circumferential S and SR were examined in 29 KD convalescent patients (15 males; mean (SD) age 11 (6.6) years, range 3- 27 years; median interval from KD onset 5.8 (5.4) years) and 10 healthy volunteers (5 males; mean age 14 (3.8) years, range 6- 19 years) with the use of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). Routine indices of LV systolic function were normal in both groups.

 Comparisons were made between normal controls and (i) the entire KD group, (ii) KD group subdivided by coronary artery involvement. Compared to controls, KD patients had lower longitudinal S. Average longitudinal and circumferential S at all levels was lower in KD patients compared normal controls. In subgroup analysis, both KD patients with and without any history of CAD had similar longitudinal and circumferential S at all levels and lower when compared against controls. There was a non-significant trend for lower circumferential and longitudinal values in KD patients with persisting CAD when compared against those with regressed CAD.

 Conclusion:
 In this CMR-FT study in KD convalescent patients with preserved conventional functional indices, we observed a trend for lower circumferential and longitudinal strain in KD patients compared to normal controls, irrespective of their coronary artery status.


A method is described for including Built In Self Test (BIST) in digital Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). All the general logic (i.e. non-memory parts) of an ASIC is tested as a single partition of interconnected self-test "loops". The loops are based on simple, regular test structures and perform simultaneous test pattern generation and response compaction. The occurrence of fault masking due to local register interdependence is minimised by using special shift-register macros. The BIST method has been successfully implemented in a 17K gate-equivalent ASIC, for which a general logic fault coverage of 92% is achieved after only 166 test cycles.


Comments on "Effect of Cellular Uncoupling by Heptanol on Conduction in Infarcted Myocardium" (Circ Res 1990;66:202-217) The recently published study by Spear and colleagues' found that in dog ventricles heptanol decreased conduction velocity more readily in infarcted tissue. They conclude that "the abnormality in conduction was due to an abnormality in gap junction distribution and/or function in the infarcted region." This conclusion rests on the assumption that heptanol is a "relatively selective" blocker of gap junctional conductance (over sodium conductance). Although heptanol has been shown to decrease gap junctional conductance,2 evidence exists to show that it also has an important effect on sodium conductance over the same concentration range. The evidence that "heptanol does not act primarily by way of depressing the fast inward current" comes from experiments in multicellular tissue in which the maximal upstroke velocity of the action potential (Vma) was used as an index for sodium current (INa). But Vmn. has been shown to be a nonlinear measure of INa in single cells,3 and the relation between Vm ,,,and INa is even less clear during a conducted action potential, especially when internal resistance is changed. An increase in una,, as internal resistance is increased has been predicted in numerical simulations45 and observed in experiments.6 If internal resistance was selectively increased by heptanol, then an increase in Vmn might be expected. The "slight effect (10.7% decrease)" on Vrn. that they observed may actually represent a large decrease in INa. Experimental studies confirm that heptanol has a marked effect on INa. In nerve,7 heptanol decreases INa for concentrations of 0.5-1.0 mM. Because cardiac sodium channels differ from nerve sodium channels in their susceptibility to block by various agents (e.g., tetrodotoxin), it is important to confirm that heptanol blocks cardiac INa. Subsequent to the publication of the work by Spear et al,' we have reported8 that heptanol blocks INa in dog cardiac Purkinje cells with half-block occurring at about 1 mM. Moreover, heptanol shifted the steady-state availability for INa to more negative potentials. This means that heptanol would amplify the effects of ischemia-induced depolarization on INa availability. We conclude the heptanol causes important block of INa in concentrations used in studies on conductionl"6 and that it cannot be considered even a relatively selective blocker of gap junctions. Conclusions about INa from V.., measurements must be made carefully, if at all. Infarction may well affect gap junctions, but the possible effects of ischemia on active membrane properties must also be considered.


Object-oriented design patterns are frequently used in real-world applications. Detection of design patterns is essential for comprehension of the intent and design of a software project. This paper presents a graph-mining approach for detecting design patterns. Our approach is based on searching input design patterns in the space of model graph of the source code by isomorphic sub-graph search method. We developed a tool called DesPaD to apply our pattern detection approach in an automated-way. We successfully detected 23 GoF design patterns in the demo source code of the Applied Java Patterns book and also obtained encouraging results out of our experiments that we conducted on JUnit 3.8, JUnit 4.1 and Java AWT open source projects.


Aim. To study effects of trimetazidine on the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with combination of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and arterial hypertension (HT). Material and methods. Patients with IHD and HT (n=154) were divided into two treatment groups. Patients of the main groups (n=72) received standard therapy and trimetazi- dine 35 mg twice a day. The patients of the control group (n=82) received only standard therapy. Echocardiographic parameters, including mitral Doppler flow indices were as- sessed at baseline and after 2 months. Subgroups of patients were identified by type of left ventricle diastolic function according to echocardiographic data. Changes in echocardiographic indicators were evaluated in these subgroups separately and compared in the main and control groups. Results. The subgroups of patients with impaired relaxation (n=54), pseudonormalization (n=48) and restriction (n=52) were identified in the main and control groups according to echocardiographic data. A significant increase in the period of early left ventricle filling (27.6%, p<0.05) and the ratio of the two phases of left ventricle filling (37.8%, p<0.001) were found in patients with impaired relaxation treated with trimetazidine. Other studied parameters of mitral flow in the other patient subgroups were not significantly changed. Conclusion. Trimetazidine 70 mg daily in the 2 month treatment of diastolic heart failure in patients with IHD and HT resulted in significant improvement of some indicators of mitral blood flow only in patients with type I diastolic dysfunction (impaired relaxation).


The mitigation of torrent related hazards is an important issue in mountainous regions. Structural mitigation measures have been implemented on hill slopes and in streambeds for more than 150 years in all Europe. Check dams play a key role in these mitigation plans and can have highly variable functions (horizontal and vertical stabilization of streambeds, consolidation of hillslopes' toe, retention of sediments, modulations of high solid discharges, lowering of streambed slope, etc.). Thousands of structures had been built more than a century ago. Since their construction, land uses evolved, torrent control works, associated with reforestation, curtailed a part of the sediment production. According to field experience, defining the initial and current functions of some old structures can remain challenging in some cases. To better understand for which purposes thousands of these structures were built during the 19th and 20th centuries , we analyzed old books to determine: • what was the history of the comprehension of the processes involved in torrent related hazards? and; • how the use of check dams evolved to take into account this improving comprehension? i.e. how the human actions on watercourses co-evolved with scientific knowledge from the early 19th centuries to nowadays? The presentation does not aim to determine who, the first, addressed any scientific question: equivalent history and scientific works took place in all regions of the world at different time and the French were not the first to build check dams and to undertook watershed scale mitigation plans. But the French example is interesting because the torrent control works were planned in mountainous regions at the country scale (the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Massif Central). Initial plans were to reforest mountains, relying on civil engineering works if needed. Their implementation , through the French Mountain Lands' reforestation and grass seeding laws of 1860 and 1864, proved to be difficult for technical and sociological reasons. The Mountain lands' conservation and restoration law of 1882 aimed to better fit local issues. The idea of the presentation is thus to highlight how evolved the historical comprehension of torrential hazards and of the usefulness of check dams in miti-gation plans in a changing environment on the technical as well as on the sociological and regulatory points of view. Pioneering scientific and technical works on torrential hydraulics and check dams will be presented. Describing the global context that leads to French laws of 1860,1864 and 1882 will allow us to explain the extensive development of the works in more than a thousand of torrents and a hundred of big landslides. We then will discuss the evolution of technics during the beginning of the 20th century and the changes induced after WWII by the arrival of reinforced-concrete technics. We will conclude the presentation with a synthesis table aiming to highlight the different functions of check dams based on a description of their situations in the watershed, compare to other structures' situations and on shape criteria. This historical perspective will hopefully help people to better understand for which purposes some structures have been built in the past centuries and what lessons can be learnt from this assessment.


Whooping cough specific surface IgA antibodies, agglutinating serum IgG antibodies and the in vitro lymphocyte reactivity to Bordetella pertussis germs were investigated in newborns and infants both unvaccinated and parenterally and orally immunized against whooping cough. Furthermore the E-rosette formation and the lymphocyte reactivity to phytohaemagglutinin, pokeweed mitogen and concanavalin A were studied. Only oral pertussis immunisation effected a local immune reaction with formation of secretory surface IgA antibodies in the saliva and prevented the postnatal disappearance of the Bordetella pertussis specific IgG antibodies seen in unvaccinated infants. From the third month of life the lymphocyte reactivity to a Bordetella pertussis germ suspension resulted in measurable stimulation following oral whooping cough vaccination. After the third month of life the pertussis stimulation indices of the orally immunized infants remained above the values for adults with a history of whooping cough and were equivalent to those for the parenterally immunized infants.


At present, little research has been done on the metabolic phenotype of the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into osteoblasts. In this study, the effect of astaxanthin on improving osteogenic differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells was studied by metabolomics. Results showed that L-methionine, L-tyrosine, and 2-hydroxycinnamic acid were upregulated in MSCs treated with astaxanthin, while L-lysine, L-pipecolic acid, L-histidine, L-arginine, D-fructose, and L-aspartic acid were downregulated in samples treated with astaxanthin. In addition, astaxanthin exhibited a significant dose-dependent relationship with these markers. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis revealed that AST mainly regulated phenylalanine metabolism; phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis; and pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis during the process of osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. Furthermore, the staining results showed that astaxanthin could actively promote the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. These findings clearly indicate that astaxanthin plays an important role in inducing osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, the changed metabolites can be used to monitor the differentiation process.


Abstract We present a rare case of a facial nerve granular cell tumour in the right parotid gland, in a 10-year-old boy. A parotid or neurogenic tumour was suspected, based on magnetic resonance imaging. Intra-operatively, strong adhesions to surrounding structures were found, and a midfacial nerve branch had to be sacrificed for complete tumour removal. Recent reports verify that granular cell tumours arise from Schwann cells of peripheral nerve branches. The rarity of this tumour within the parotid gland, its origin from peripheral nerves, its sometimes misleading imaging characteristics, and its rare presentation with facial weakness and pain all have considerable implications on the surgical strategy and pre-operative counselling. Fine needle aspiration cytology may confirm the neurogenic origin of this lesion. When resecting the tumour, the surgeon must anticipate strong adherence to the facial nerve and be prepared to graft, or sacrifice, certain branches of this nerve.


Background The indication for acquiring angiographic embolization in the initial treatment of severe pelvic fractures is controversial. We describe the characteristics and outcome of 31 patients with traumatic pelvic bleeding who underwent percutaneous angiography with embolization according to a standardized protocol. Patients and methods During an 8.5-year period, 1,260 patients were treated for pelvic trauma. We performed a prospective registration of the 46 patients who underwent angiography, and report the 31 patients who had signs of significant arterial injury on angiography, necessitating embolization. Results The rate of significant arterial injury after pelvic trauma was 2.5%. All patients had been subjected to high-energy injuries and all were severely injured as measured by the Injury Severity Score: 41 (17–66). Pelvic arterial injury was observed with all types of pelvic trauma, including isolated acetabular (4/31) and sacral fractures (3/31). The internal iliac artery or its branches was injured in 28 of 31 patients. Survival rate after embolization was 84%, and correlated inversely with increasing patient age. None of the patients died of bleeding. Interpretation Our findings show that significant pelvic arterial injuries occur in a minority of patients after pelvic trauma, and predominantly affect patients with multiple high-energy injuries regardless of fracture type. The effect of angiographic embolization was good.


The purpose of this study is to provide the basic data when planning the future through quantitative evaluation of the healing environment in the women's hospital. The evaluation categories are set for five categories in sense of openness/space, natural elements, amenity, individual space/territory, and social exchange. The case study used in order to evaluate quantitative evaluation categories. And then, the questionnaire surveyed with the out-patients and the hospitalized patients. The result of the study are shown as follow. In terms of the section of quantitative evaluation, the satisfaction of patients tended to increase as the variety and area of the space increased. However, their satisfaction did not keep increasing even if the area or type of space increased. Namely, the main floor needs to have the open atmosphere as large as possible, and the type as well as the area should be diversified in terms of natural element. At least one side of the patient room should face the open air and the room designed for several patients should ensure its territory. It is necessary to arrange various intermedia교 spaces in appropriate locations for social exchange. The derived elements are expected to be used as the fundamental data in planning of women's hospital, and the concrete review for quantitative evaluation must be followed.


Morgan, Edmund S. The Genuine Article: A Historian Looks at Early America. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. 315 pp. $15.95. Edmund Morgan's The Genuine Article is an anthology of book reviews written by one of America's most prolific and knowledgeable scholars of early America for the New York Review of Books. Having said that, one should not assume that his reviews resemble anything that you will read in the book reviews of journalism History. While each review is a means of educating readers about the book or books that he is reviewing, Morgan, who has written and edited twenty other volumes since 1952, is more interested in enlightening readers about issues, people, and events from seventeenthand eighteenth-century America. For Morgan, who taught at Yale University from 1955 until his retirement in 1986, the release of a new volume on early America presented the opportunity to give readers a history lesson while critiquing the scholarship that provided him with a point of departure. The resulting collection is probably the best historiography and introduction to life in early America that one could imagine with each lesson presented in twenty or fewer pages of concise, insightful commentary. The Genuine Article's chapters, which cover nearly forty years of Morgan's reviews, describe most aspects of life in the colonies from the landing at Jamestown through the Revolution. The reviews are divided into three main sections. The first focuses upon New England generally and the Puritans specifically. He was a pupil of Perry Miller, whose book New'EnglandMind influenced a generation of historians about the significance of the early New Englanders and gave another generation a powerful thesis to attempt to refute. Here, Morgan, who published a handful of works on Puritans, delves into a number of subjects. He discusses the religion of the Puritans, of course, and he also deals with views of women and witchcraft. Within each review, he never misses a chance to teach. Women could not own property in Puritan New England, he explains, but that docs not mean that they had no rights. That is why, he says, more than 1,000 Connecticut women were granted divorces from 1670 through 1799. In another chapter, which demonstrates why these reviews work so wonderfully as an anthology, Morgan discusses "Those Sexy Puritans." Explaining that being Puritanical meant being sensual, not prudish, he reveals many of the divorces that he mentions in another review were granted because husbands could not satisfy their wives in the bedroom. …


During the great wars, the remains of hundreds of killed soldiers ended up on Swedish territory. They were either sailors, killed in battles at sea and taken by currents to the Swedish coast, or shot down pilots. When discovered, the remains were buried at local cemeteries. During the 1960s a process of re-burial was initiated, and close to 500 bodies was moved to a cemetery at Kviberg in the city of Gothenburg. Two war cemeteries were created, separating German soldiers from soldiers that served in the Commonwealth.In this paper we address the materiality and spatiality of the two war cemeteries in order to understand how these war graves take part in commemoration practices, and also how they create and manifest post-war narratives of the area of the great wars. Starting at the perceived differences in the setting and design of the two cemeteries, we argue that visitors of the war graves encounter a feeling of being close to global historic events. The war graves materialize abstract narratives of great histories at a micro-level in a place far away from the actual conflicts. Simultaneously, the war graves manifest post-war national identities that has very little to do with the individuals buried in the graves or the geographical context of their setting.


ABSTRACT People experiencing homelessness or other life crises often seek respite, information, and assistance in libraries. Librarians, like social workers, are helping professionals and have historically been advocates for and supporters of low-income groups. However, librarians may lack the knowledge, skills, and capacity to provide adequate support. As a result, social workers have become integral to innovative library initiatives serving low-income and homeless patrons. This field note presents three examples of how schools of social work partnered with public libraries to create student internships to support library patrons, including those experiencing homelessness. Each example provides an overview of how the partnership developed and the intern's role and responsibilities. The note concludes with guidance for schools interested in establishing similar field placements.


Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV) and Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), two closely related members of the genus Nepovirus, family Secoviridae, are responsible for fanleaf degeneration disease of grapevines. ArMV and GFLV are specifically transmitted by the ectoparasitic soilborne nematodes Xiphinema diversicaudatum and X. index, respectively. Previous work has shown that the coat protein determines the transmission specificity of GFLV. No information is available on the determinants of the specific transmission of ArMV by X. diversicaudatum. We addressed this issue by testing the transmissibility of three chimeric viruses comprising GFLV RNA-1 and GFLV/ArMV chimeric RNA-2 molecules coding for a coat protein from ArMV. The three recombinant viruses and wild type ArMV, unlike GFLV, were transmitted by X. diversicaudatum but not by X. index. In addition, RT-PCR assays indicated that ArMV and the three chimeric viruses seemed to be retained by X. diversicaudatum but not by X. index following nematode feeding on infected plants. Conversely, GFLV was retained by X. index but not by X. diversicaudatum. These results are consistent with the notion that the coat protein carries the determinants for the specific transmission of Ar- MV by X. diversicaudatum and that transmission specificity of both ArMV and GFLV is associated with specific virus retention by nematode vectors.


A series of pullulan-doxorubicin conjugates (Pu-DOXs) were investigated for effectively delivering DOX to nuclei of hepatic carcinoma cells in subcutaneous tumor model. These Pu-DOXs were prepared by conjugating DOX onto pullulan molecule via pH-responsive hydrazone bond using spacers with different alkane chain length. The highest drug loading content of Pu-DOXs went up to nearly 50%, and the diameter of Pu-DOX nanoparticles ranged from 50 to 170 nm, as measured by DLS and TEM. These Pu-DOX nanoparticles could rapidly release DOX in the acidic environment at pH = 5.0 while being kept relatively stable in neural conditions. The in vitro cell coculture experiments revealed that these Pu-DOX nanoparticles were selectively internalized by hepatic carcinoma cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis via asialoglycoprotein receptor on the hepatic carcinoma cell surface. DOX was rapidly released from Pu-DOX nanoparticles in acidic endosome/lysosome, diffused into cell nuclei due to its strong affinity to nucleic acid, inhibited the cell proliferation, and accelerated the cell apoptosis. In the nude mice subcutaneous hepatic carcinoma model, Pu-DOX nanoparticles efficiently accumulated in the tumor site through the enhanced permeation and retention effect. Then DOX was specifically internalized by hepatic carcinoma cells and rapidly diffused into the nuclei of cells. Compared with the control group in in vivo experiments, these Pu-DOX nanoparticles effectively inhibited solid tumor growth, prolonging the lifetime of the experimental animal. These pH sensitive nanoparticles might provide an important clinical implication for targeted hepatic carcinoma therapy with high efficiency and low systematic toxicity.


Tunicaminyluracil antibiotics, similar to the corynetoxins produced by Rathayibacter toxicus in Australia and South Africa, were found in old nematode seed-galls from Festuca nigrescens from New Jersey (USA) and New Zealand (NZ). The toxin profiles from the NZ and USA galls were similar to each other, but differed from those produced by R toxicus from Australia and South Africa, suggesting that a geographical variant of R toxicus or closely related species may be involved. The NZ galls gave a positive response to a R toxicus-specific monoclonal antibody assay, albeit a considerably weaker response than that seen with Australian R toxicus galls, but the older USA galls were negative, possibly due to deterioration of the antigen. From these findings, it is postulated that livestock deaths associated with the feeding of nematode and bacterial infected screenings of F nigrescens in Oregon, USA, in the 1940s to 1960s were caused by corynetoxin-like toxins produced by the bacterium.


Abstract 5′-Dimethoxytrityl-3′-phosphite amides of deoxynucleosides are synthesized. Phosphite/phosphate is protected by the 2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-dimethyl-ethyl (TCB) group, heterocyclic bases by the 2,2,2-trichloro-2,2-dimethyl-ethoxycarbonyl (TCBOC) group. Deoxyguanosine is also block ed by 6-O-trichloroethyl thus avoiding the difficulties observed with monoprotected guanine residues.


We present results from molecular dynamics simulations of water confined by two parallel atomically detailed hydrophobic walls. Simulations are performed at T = 300 K and wall-wall separation d = 0.6-1.6 nm. At 0.7 < or = d < or = 0.9 nm, a first order transition occurs between a bilayer liquid (BL) and a trilayer heterogeneous fluid (THF) as water density increases. The THF is characterized by a liquid (central) layer and two crystal-like layers next to the walls. The BL-THF transition involves freezing of the two surface layers in contact with the walls. At d = 0.6 nm, the THF transforms into a bilayer ice (BI) upon decompression. Both the BL-THF and BI-THF transitions are induced by the surface regular atomic-scale structure.


Here we regulate the formation of dissipative assemblies built from DNA using a merocyanine photoacid that responds to visible light. The operation of our system and the relative distribution of species within it are controlled by irradiation time, initial pH value, and the concentration of a small-molecule binder that inhibits the reaction cycle. This approach is modular, does not require DNA modification, and can be used for several DNA sequences and lengths. Our system design allows for waste-free control of dissipative DNA nanotechnology, toward the generation of nonequilibrium, life-like nanodevices.


BackgroundCOVID-19 resulted in a worldwide pandemic that at the time of this writing resulted in over 200,000 deaths within the United States. During the pandemic surge in New York City, NY, a number of military Medical Corps (MC) and Nurse Corps (NC) providers were mobilized in direct support of critical care capabilities through expansion intensive care units. In the course of the deployment, high rates of neurological-related manifestations associated with COVID-19 infection were directly observed by our military provider teams which will be described and supporting literature highlighted.Case ReportExperiences of a group of mobilized providers including anesthesiologists, neurosurgeons, and other physician specialists were integrated as attending intensive care unit providers as part of the Navy Medicine Support Team (NMST) during the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Defense (DoD) collective response – i.e. Operation Gotham. Various neurological manifestations diagnosed in patients suffering from COVID-19 infection were identified and are reported to illustrate some of the unique considerations in the care of these critically ill patients. The neurological manifestations of COVID-19 varied in presentation and severity. Cerebral vascular injuries documented included strokes, iatrogenic intraparenchymal hemorrhage, hypoxic-related changes and sequalae, as well as acquired diseases secondary to delayed treatment of other primary neurologic disease states. Hypercoagulable and inflammatory markers (d-dimer, CRP, etc) were commonly elevated, and anticoagulation became a key factor in disease treatment and to help mitigate the downstream neurologic sequalae associated with this disease.ConclusionPatients suffering from COVID-19 infection may suffer severe end organ neurologic compromise that should be directly acknowledged and addressed in both the initial and long-term intensive care unit setting. Familiarity and integration of the latest stroke intervention criteria combined with best possible neurologic examination is critical in the medical management and treatment of these patients. Further investigation is warranted with additional studies delving into the pathophysiologic, radiographic, and clinical levels of COVID-19 infection and manifestations.


HBs antigens were subtyped in blood samples of intravenous drug-addicts (IDA) and of donors from as many as 10 cities of Western Siberia by using the immune-enzyme assay with 6 high-specific monoclonal antibodies. Two HBsAg subtypes were found, in a ratio of 3% ayw2: 97% ayw3 (varA and varB), in IDA blood samples from Novosobirsk. Three HBsAg subtypes were found, in a ratio of 57% ayw2: 42% ayw3 (varA and varB): 1% adw2, in the donors' blood samples. The obtained data are sufficient for developing the first national sera panel containing different HBsAg subtypes of hepatitis B virus typical of Russia.


Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important carbon pool, with the potential to drive large positive climate feedbacks. Climate change has the potential to alter terrestrial carbon storage since changes in carbon dioxide (CO2)
concentrations, temperature and precipitation could affect carbon inputs to soil, and soil carbon decomposition rates. This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of changes in temperature and precipitation on soil organic carbon in selected parts of Iran. For this aim, 19 climatic
stations were chosen across the study area to determine trends in the longterm annual mean temperature and precipitation series. All stations showed increase in mean annual temperature during the 20 year period from 1986 to 2005. Garmsar, ferdous, Ramsar and Birjand with +3.25°C,
2.1°C, 1.65°C and 1.3°C, respectively had the highest increase. The annual precipitation trend illustrated that the decreasing trends mostly happened in the arid and semi arid regions of the study area such as Mashhad, Gonabad, Ferdous, Semnan, Sabzevar, Shahroud and Torbat Heydarieh.
To assess the influence of soil organic carbon under a changing climate,two climate change scenarios (A2 and B2) were used in the LARS-WG weather generator. The applied climate change scenarios were from the HadCM3 global climate model for the period 2011-2030. The evaluation of
LARS-WG model was assessed by comparing between observed data and simulated data and their standard deviation. The evaluation between selected statistics of observed climate data and climate data generated by the model for both scenarios indicates that LARS-WG can predict the daily
minimum and maximum temperatures better than daily precipitation. Climate change scenarios from this model indicated that temperature in the future will continue to increase (0.5°C-1.8°C). Precipitation is projected
to decrease in the future for arid and semi arid regions (11%) but it will increase in northwest of the study area in future.
Prediction of temperature and precipitation for the period 2011-2030 was used as an input for RothC model to show soil organic carbon changes under climate change scenarios (A2 and B2). SOC in the study area accounted for 106.2 t C/ha. The results showed that soil organic carbon will generally decrease during next two decades. Simulations produced
the following results: (i) The decrease rate of soil organic carbon in cultivated lands was higher than other biomass under A2 and B2 scenarios. (ii) Soil organic carbon would decrease from 8.45 t C/ha and 13.37 t C/ha by the year 2020 and 2030, respectively, under A2 scenario. It
would decrease from 7.34 t C/ha, and 11.77 t C/ha by the year 2020, and 2030, respectively, under B2 scenario. (iii) The rate of SOC changes over time under B2 scenario was minimal during 2005-2030 in comparison with A2 scenario. (iv) This study found an additional released carbon from soil to the atmosphere under A2 scenario than B2 scenario. The results showed that the rate of additional CO2 released to the atmosphere was highest in cultivated lands in both scenarios. The results also indicated that in the zones where precipitation and temperature have provided a better condition for SOM decomposition, the release of CO2 to the atmosphere takes place at a higher rate. Modeling results from this study show that changes in temperature and precipitation can influence on soil organic carbon and RothC model can be used to calculate annual carbon inputs
and SOC changes in different geographical regions.


The cytochrome P450 aromatase is the terminal enzyme responsible for the irreversible transformation of androgens into estrogens; it is present in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane of cells and rather ubiquitous in its localization. The aromatase gene is unique in humans and its expression is regulated in a cell-specific manner via the alternative use of various promoters located in the first exon I of the CYP19 gene. The aromatase gene expression and its translation into a fully active protein have been shown in most of the testicular cells including germ cells as well as in the epithelial cells of the epididymis in mammals. Together with the widespread distribution of estrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta) in the genital tract of the male, a physiological role for estrogens in the regulation of mammalian reproductive functions including the regulation of gonadotropin feedback, is now well recognized. Moreover, in men the aromatase deficiency is associated with severe bone maturation problems, alterations of lipid and sugar metabolism and sterility; but conversely an excess of estrogens is responsible for the impairment of spermatogenesis. In addition, estrogens play an important role in the control of osteoporosis and of atherosclerosis, especially in elderly men. Consequently, estradiol seems to be a critical factor not only for normal reproduction (at least for maturation and survival of germ cells) but also for various physiological processes and thus, estrogens should be now considered as "male hormones".


Most receiver designs for asynchronous DS-CDMA systems exploit timing information to simultaneously detect the desired signal and suppress the multiple access interference (MAI). An ESPRIT delay estimation algorithm is proposed which required no initial information and no exhaustive search of the delays, the proposed estimators can thus be used for both acquisition and tracking. The estimate results have been compared to a previously derived approximation and simulation data. The new approach appears to provide improved accuracy.


During last few years some catastrophic failures of power systems have been experienced throughout different regions of the world. Although power network blackouts had also been experienced in the past, it seems that the frequency of their occurrence has increased recently. Lack of sufficient investment in power systems accompanied with the more complex exploitation regulations could be considered as some of the consequences of the new deregulated power systems. As a result, even more system blackouts might be experienced in the future. Digital protection of power systems is proved to be a promising and flexible technology. Digital control and protection techniques accompanied with power system substation automation technology are being used more and more recently. While system restructuring is reducing power system margins and endanger system stability, the new technology offers new adaptive solutions in the forms of implementing novel concepts as well as using system wide protective defense schemes. In this paper, one of the major blackouts in the Iran national grid is studied. Some suggestions and solutions are also given which could improve the system performance during abnormal events and conditions.


Stability analysis of two-dimensional (2-D) discontinuous systems with generalized overflow nonlinear effects is considered in this work. The 2-D models considered are the well-known Fornasini Marchesini Second Local State-Space (FMSLSS) model and the Roesser model. The effect of uncertainties and interim-like variable time-delays on the system is also examined in the study. Using reciprocally convex approach we provide stability criteria which is organized as matrix inequalities. Numerical illustrations are given to demonstrate the applicability of the results.


Based on the data of China Household Income Project 2013(CHIP 2013), this paper empirically studies the impact of land expropriation on the objective and subjective welfare of farmers and explores its influence mechanisms. We firstly estimate the net effect of land expropriation on land-lost farmers individual income and happiness. The result shows that although the land expropriation improves their individual income, it significantly reduces their happiness scores. After we use another dataset CFPS2010 to solve endogeneity of geographical selection and apply propensity score matching (PSM) method to solve self-selection bias, the results are also robust. Then, the mechanism analysis shows that off-farm employment plays a mediation effect role so that land expropriation promotes rural labor transfer to non-agricultural employment market and increase their income, but higher occupation switching costs and the lack of social security is one of the important reasons resulting in the decrease of the landless farmers' happiness. To trace the institutional reason, China s splitted land system and its characteristic land expropriation compensation system not only deprived of farmers' land value-added income opportunities, but also failed to fully consider the occupational transformation and long-term security of landless farmers. Acknowledgement : The main funding source for the research is the National Natural Science Foundation of China(71673241).Thanks to Prof. Lu Ming for giving us advice during the research.


Abstract : Specialized vacuum deposition systems were developed with the necessary monitoring and control to synthesize or react refractory superconducting films. NbN, VN, NbTi, and VTi films of high quality have been produced and their transport and tunneling properties studied. Ultra-thin films of pure Nb have been successfully made to study spin-orbit scattering in transition metals. The structural properties and penetration depth of NbN films prepared by reactive sputtering have been studied. Many-body effects which are important in superconductivity have been observed by spin-polarized tunneling and the antisymmetric Fermi liquid parameter has been measured for the first time in Al. The technique of deconvoluting tunneling conductance curves to obtain the superconducting density of states has been improved. A comprehensive study was made of amorphous Ge tunnel barriers between superconductors. (Author).


Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) acquire a sizeable lexicon. However, these children also seem to understand and/or store the meanings of words differently from typically developing children. One of the mechanisms that helps typically developing children learn novel words is the shape bias, in which the referent of a noun is mapped onto the shape of an object, rather than onto its color, texture, or size. We hypothesized that children with autistic disorder would show reduced or absent shape bias. Using the intermodal preferential looking paradigm , we compared the performance of young children with ASD and typically developing children (TYP), across four time points, in their use of shape bias. Neither group showed a shape bias at Visit 1, when half of the children in both groups produced fewer than 50 count nouns. Only the TYP group showed a shape bias at Visits 2, 3, and 4. According to the growth curve analyses, the rate of increase in the shape bias scores over time was significant for the TYP children. The fact that the TYP group showed a shape bias at 24 months of age, whereas children with ASD did not demonstrate a shape bias despite a sizeable vocabulary, supports a dissociation between vocabulary size and principles governing acquisition in ASD children from early in language development.


Abstract Although Kerr and Jermier′s (1978) "Substitutes for Leadership" model has generated a substantial amount of interest among leadership researchers, a number of recent attempts to test this model have not proven to be overly supportive. An examination of many of the previous studies suggests at least two potential reasons for this lack of support: (a) the relatively poor psychometric properties of the scales used to measure the substitutes constructs, and (b) deficiencies in the way that the model has been tested. This paper reports the results of two studies conducted to address these problems. The first study was designed to examine the psychometric properties of a revised 74-item measure of the substitutes constructs. Analysis of the data obtained from 372 working MBAs was encouraging and suggested that the dimensionality and reliability of the revised scales were substantially better than the original ones. Following this, a composite sample of 612 employees drawn from three different organizations was used to examine the effects of the substitutes variables. The results indicated that many of the 13 subordinate, task, and organizational characteristics identified by Kerr and Jermier (1978) contributed significantly to the amount of variance accounted for in subordinate performance, attitudes, and role perceptions. However, few of the substitutes variables moderated the relationships between the leader behaviors and the subordinate criterion variables in a manner consistent with that specified by Howell, Dorfman, and Kerr (1986). The importance of these findings and their implications for future research are then discussed.


Abstract Two hundred and sixty-one vascular plant species were documented for Yucca House National Monument and surrounding lands including seven new records for Montezuma County. This work was part of a biological inventory throughout the National Park Service as part of the Natural Resource Challenge, a legislative and administrative mandate. The study area is in the Montezuma Valley, where most land is in private or tribal ownership, and opportunities for plant surveys are limited. The flora includes three species tracked by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program: Centaurium exaltatum (Griseb.) W. Wight ex Piper (desert centaury), Penstemon breviculus (Keck) Nisbet & R.C. Jackson (shortstem beardtongue), and Penstemon lentus Pennell (handsome beardtongue).


Objectives : We report an atypical presentation of eosinophilic fasciitis and provide a concise overview of the literature. Materials and Methods : Clinical and laboratory findings in a patient presenting with fever and skin induration were recorded. A deep muscle biopsy was performed in order to confirm the diagnosis. Results : A spontaneous favourable clinical and radiological evolution was observed. Conclusion : The diagnosis of eosinophilic fasciitis is challenging due to the lack of pathognomonic signs and symptoms. As spontaneous resolution has been described, watchful waiting is defendable depending on the clinical presentation. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be useful in establishing the diagnosis, a deep muscle biopsy remains the gold standard diagnostic tool.


The practice of helicopter emergency procedures is not necessarily based on the prevalence of the emergencies in helicopter operations. Stuck pedal, hover autorotation, and ditching accidents taken from the National Transportation and Safety Board database illustrate this phenomenon. It is argued that manufacturers, aviation authorities, and flight schools determine the helicopter training curriculum and base their decisions on the safety of practice and the possibility of transfer of skill. Research on learning and transfer of skill in helicopter training is necessary to judge and possibly improve current helicopter training practices.


In this investigation, the genotoxic and oxidative effects of water soluble extracts of dung beetles, flying grasshopper and mole crickets have been assessed on cultured human blood cells. The extracts were added to the culture tubes at 12 different concentrations (0–2000 ppm). Micronucleus test was used to monitor the DNA and the chromosomal damage produced by aqueous extracts in vitro. In addition, to assess the oxidative effects, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidant status (TOS) levels were also measured. Our results indicated that these extracts did not show genotoxic effects at the tested concentrations. However, the extracts caused dose-dependent alterations in both TAC and TOS levels. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the studied insects can be consumed safely, but it is necessary to consider the cellular damages which are likely to appear depending on oxidative stress at higher concentrations. It has also been suggested that this in vitro approach for oxidative and genotoxicity assessments may be useful to evaluate the potential health risks of edible insects.


The aim of this study was to investigate whether attention may be specifically impaired in Alzheimer's disease from the early stages of the disease. Subgroups of patients with different types of mild cognitive impairment were selected according to standard criteria. Patients and controls were given tasks exploring various subcomponents of attention and executive functions. Only subgroups of mild cognitive impairment characterized by memory disorders obtained lower scores than controls on attention and executive tasks. On the basis of the scores obtained on the Clinical Dementia Rating at the 1-year follow-up, patients were redistributed into 2 groups: those who developed and those who did not develop dementia. Patients who presented evolution to dementia already had, at baseline, lower scores than patients who did not evolve on tasks exploring attention and executive functions. The results suggest that not only memory disorders but also attention/executive deficits may characterize dementia at the onset. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:67-75)


Due to the large variety of different embedded processor types, retargetable software development tools, such as compilers and simulators, have received attention recently. Retargetability allows one to handle different target processors with a single tool. In this paper, we present a system for automatic generation of instruction set simulators for a class of embedded processors. Retargetability is achieved by automatic generation of simulators from processor descriptions, given as behavioral or RT-level HDL models. The presented system is capable of bit-true simulation for arbitrary processor word lengths, and it generates both interpretive or compiled simulators. Experimental results for different processors indicate comparatively high simulation speed.


Current data demonstrate that angiogenesis in the ovaries and uterus is an essential component of both follicular and luteal phases of menstrual cycle, tightly correlating with the levels of bioactive substances such as hormones, growth factors and interleukins. Ultrasound is used principally to demonstrate follicular growth, a receptive triple layer endometrium and to exclude pathologies such as fibroids and ovarian tumours. However, the development of new technologies such as CDI, CPA, 3D-US, 3D-CPA is now set to expand the role of ultrasound in the assessment of the processes in the ovaries, uterus and early pregnancy. There is growing evidence that studies of peri-follicular vascularity will predict the development of a healthy oocyte and subsequently an embryo. Endometrial blood flow studies with conventional CDI and the newer techniques of CPA and 3D-CPA will be important in predicting endometrial receptivity. Ovarian stromal vascularity appears to correlate with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and high vascularity is associated with PCO and a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. 3D-CPA may improve our ability to assess ovarian and endometrial vascularization and blood circulation, to diagnose tubal patency. Increasingly, 3D ultrasound is being applied to diagnose the pathology of early singleton and multiple pregnancies.


More than 250 cases of Cornelia de Lange syndrome have been reported in the medical literature, but not have described the use of hip reconstruction to correct the congenital dysplasia that may be associated with this condition. This article reports the application of a bipolar hemiarthroplasty and acetabular allograft reconstruction for a 32-year old woman with congenital dysplasia and degenerative joint disease of the hip secondary to de Lange's syndrome. On admission, she was in considerable pain and unable to bear weight on the affected extremity. Her Harris hip score was 25. Following surgical intervention and a well-designed plan of rehabilitation, the patient's functional status improved markedly. Her Harris hip score was 72, and her pain was alleviated.


Expository learning strategy is a learning strategy emphasizes the process of verbal material delivery from a teacher to a group of students with the intention that students can master the subject matter optimally. In expository learning, the teacher presents the material in a well-prepared, systematic and complete form so that the students just listen and digest it regularly and orderly. In the use of an expository learning strategy there are several principles, namely: goal-oriented principles, communication principles, preparedness principles and sustainable principles. Based on these principles, teachers can apply the procedures to be implemented in expository learning, formulate goals to be achieved, master the subject matter well, recognize the terrain and various things that can affect the process of teaching delivery. Teachers can apply some steps in the implementation of expository strategies, namely: preparing students to receive lessons, preparing subject material that is easily captured and understood by students. Next connect the subject matter with the student experience, understand the essence of the lesson material that has been presented and the last step is to show students ability after they listen to the explanation from the teacher.


This study intends to determine the influence of Organizational Culture and Work Environment on Work Productivity, either partially or simultaneously, this research was carried out at the Center for Mineral, Coal and Geothermal Resources. The population in this study amounted to 161 employees at the Center for Mineral, Coal and Geothermal Resources. Sampling was used in taking samples in this study using a census with a total sample of 62 respondents. Based on the variables studied, the types of research used are descriptive and verification. The analytical method used in this research is multiple linear regression, correlation coefficient, determination analysis coefficient, partial and simultaneous hypothesis testing. This study obtained the results that organizational culture has a significant influence on work productivity, and the work environment does not have a significant effect on work productivity. The results of the research show that both orientations can be applied simultaneously in determining work productivity in the Center for Mineral, Coal and Geothermal Resources. The results of this study are expected to help managers in the company to increase the work productivity of their employees by paying attention to Organizational Culture and Work Environment on Work Productivity.


A healthy 38‐year‐old white woman had two abortions and three live children. Red cells from each of her living children at birth had a strongly positive direct antiglobulin test. Detailed studies on the third child showed that the cells were sensitized by IgG. Maternal serum, tested by a range of techniques against reagent red cells and the husband's cells, showed no unusual antibody. Maternal serum and eluates prepared from red cells of the third child did not react with fresh cells from the older siblings (aged 7 and 10 years). Follow‐up on the third child showed that the direct antiglobulin test was positive at 2 months, weakly positive at 4 months, and negative at 8 months. Red cells collected at 8 months of age did not react with the stored eluate prepared from the baby's sensitized red cells at birth. The most likely explanation of these data is that the children inherited a paternal antigen that is only present as a red cell surface‐active structure during fetal development.


Cholestatic liver diseases can be caused by genetic defects, drug toxicities, hepatobiliary malignancies or obstruction of the biliary tract. Cholestasis leads to accumulation of bile acids (BAs) in hepatocytes. Direct toxicity of BAs is currently the most accepted hypothesis for cholestatic liver injury. However, information on which bile acids are actually accumulating during cholestasis is limited.


In this paper, an initial boundary value problem for a wave equation with
 unusual boundary condition is considered. Giving an integral
 over-determination condition, a time-dependent potential is determined and
 existence and uniqueness theorem for small times is proved. We characterize
 the estimates of conditional stability of the solution of the inverse
 problem. Also, the numerical solution of the inverse problem is studied by
 using finite difference method.


The use of lattices as vector quantizers in still image and video compression schemes has grown increasingly in the last few years. In order to obtain a compromise between minimum distortion and bit rate, lattices have to be truncated so that the chosen lattice points, the codebook size, lie within a finite boundary. The determination of this boundary is source dependent. The geometric properties of a memoryless Laplacian source fit properly to model transform coded image statistics. In this case, the l/sub 1/ norm is more suitable than the it norm (then the classical lattice /spl Theta/ series should no longer be used). In this paper we define the contour points, which count how many lattice points are at l/sub 1/ distance m from a given lattice point; i.e., they help to establish the lattice boundary or equivalently the codebook size. Explicit combinatorial expressions for the codebook size for lattices Z/sup d/, A/sub d/, D/sub d/, D/sub d/*, D/sub d//sup +/, Construction A and Construction B are given. These expressions pave the way for algorithms for labeling lattice points that achieve full efficiency.


We consider the multiple-time-period, short-term production scheduling problem for a network of multiple open-pit mines and ports. Ore produced at each mine, in each period, is transported by rail to a set of ports and blended into products for shipping. Each port forms these blends to a specification, as stipulated in contracts with downstream customers. This problem belongs to a class of multiple producer/consumer scheduling problems in which producers are able to generate a range of products, a combination of which are required by consumers to meet specified demands. In practice, short-term schedules are formed independently at each mine, tasked with achieving a grade and quality target outlined in a medium-term plan. Because of uncertainty in the data available to a medium-term planner and the dynamics of the mining environment, such targets may not be feasible in the short term. In this paper, we present an algorithm in which the grade and quality targets assigned to each mine are iteratively adapted, ensuring the satisfaction of blending constraints at each port while generating schedules for each mine that maximise resource utilisation.

This paper was accepted by Yinyu Ye, optimization.


Mediterranean Europe condenses all political and social tensions caused by the crisis. Austerity policies represent a project to reorganize the current social model and suppose in practice a regressive transformation of the political regime and the implosion of democratic and institutional mechanisms. Social-democracy lacks a project of its own different from the right-wing forces and mainstream unionism is still attached to a model of social partnership with no outcome, in a context where social resistances are not yet strong enough to obtain victories, although they have contributed to delegitimize economic and political power.


We implement a regression discontinuity design to examine the effect of institutional ownership on tax avoidance. Positive shocks to institutional ownership around Russell index reconstitutions lead, on average, to significant decreases in effective tax rates (ETR) and prioritisation of cash over book-tax savings. They also lead to greater use of international tax planning using tax haven subsidiaries. These effects are smaller for firms with initially strong governance and high executive equity compensation, suggesting poor governance as an explanation for the undersheltering puzzle. Furthermore, we observe the largest decreases among high ETR firms, and increases for low ETR firms, consistent with institutional ownership pushing firms towards a common level of tax avoidance.


Patients' falls are a frequent event, especially for hospitalised patients, with a substantial impact on their health and healthcare costs. In the Careggi Hospital (Florence) the reports of patients' falls were analysed to provide real-life based information on the problem and to explore the possibility of preventive planning. During the year 2000, 359 patients (0.44% of all admitted patients) suffered an event of fall. Medical wards and wards with stroke patients show the higher incidence of falls (0.71% and 0.66% of all admitted patients respectively). The larger majority of patients who fall (68.2%) were over 65 years and almost half (46.7%) of the falls occurred during the night shift. Up to 79% of patients reported some consequences but only 3.6% of them reported major consequences requiring a prognosis > 10 days. The preventive strategies adopted are described.