The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of the development of symptoms of damage to subcutaneous nerves after endovenous laser coagulation (EVLC) of the great saphenous vein (GSV), as well as to determine the effect of these symptoms on quality of life (QoL) of patients. Our retrospective study enrolled a total of 119 patients (mean age 50±13.9 years) subjected to 151 isolated EVLC of the GSV. The average volume of the injected anaesthetic per 1 cm of the vein's length amounted to 8.5±1.9 ml. Puncture of the GSV at the level of the thigh was performed in 37 (24.5%) cases, at the level of the crus in 114 (75.5%) cases. The intervention was performed at the power 5-10 W and linear density of energy approximately 70 J/cm. The median of the follow up period amounted to 264 days. The patients were interrogated by phone. The questionnaire included leading, understandable for patients questions about the presence of postoperative complaints characteristic of damage to subcutaneous nerves, as well as the question about the effect of these complaints on quality of life. The complaints characteristic of damage to subcutaneous nerves were reported for 61 (40.4%) operated limbs, with these symptoms decreasing quality of life only in 7 (4.6%) cases. All respondents noted gradual regression of the symptoms with time. The median of symptom relief amounted to 2 months. The analysis of interrelationship between the level of puncture by the thirds of the femur and crus and the damage of subcutaneous nerves demonstrated no statistically significant association (p=0.108), unlike the analysis by the femur/crus level, wherein the infragenicular puncture significantly increased the risk of traumatisation of subcutaneous nerves (p=0.022). No statistically significant differences by the frequency of damage to subcutaneous nerves depending on the power of energy were revealed (p=0.662). The obtained findings make it possible to recommend EVLC, including with puncture of the GSV below the knee, for patients with varicose veins in this basin.


In this part are described measurements on the thermionic constants of the monovalent metals copper, silver and gold, made by the effusion method. Owing to the low meltingpoints of these metals, and the consequent low vapour pressure of the electron gas in thermal equilibrium with them, the effusion holes used had to be much larger than in the measurements with the other metals. The maximum size of the effusion hole that can be used with an electron gas chamber of given dimensions without disturbing appreciably the equilibrium condition in the chamber, and the effect of the large size of the effusion hole on the saturation current, are discussed in some detail. For all the three metals, the A coefficient in Richardson's equation for thermionic emission is found to be only slightly short of the theoretical value of 120 amp cm-2 deg-2. This experimental finding is of significance, since the lowering of the thermodynamic potential of the degenerate electron assemblage in these metals, consequent on the thermal expansion of the metal, is considerable.


In this work, we describe a set of rules for the design and initialization of well-conditioned neural networks, guided by the goal of naturally balancing the diagonal blocks of the Hessian at the start of training. Our design principle balances multiple sensible measures of the conditioning of neural networks. We prove that for a ReLU-based deep multilayer perceptron, a simple initialization scheme using the geometric mean of the fan-in and fan-out satisfies our scaling rule. For more sophisticated architectures, we show how our scaling principle can be used to guide design choices to produce well-conditioned neural networks, reducing guess-work.


For the fully depleted complementary buried-channel MOSFET (FD CBCMOS) discussed, although its operational principle is similar, its structure is different from that of the conventional buried-channel MOSFET in which a p-n junction exists at the surface of the channel region. Moreover, the p-n junction is totally eliminated in the device structure for both source and drain. Low interface charges in the silicon-on-insulator/silicon direct bonding (SOI/SDB) structure allow the fabrication of the FD CBCMOS. Numerical simulation and experimental measurement have demonstrated that no kink effect is present and that the device has the potential for VLSI applications due to the absence of the p-n junction and the superior SOI/SDB material quality.<<ETX>>


A terminal and method and system for processing SUPL are discussed. According to one embodiment, the invention provides a method of processing a SUPL request for a terminal that has performed roaming, the method comprising: receiving a SUPL INIT message from a home SLP entity, the SUPL INIT message including an indicator that indicates whether a home SLP entity uses a proxy mode or a non-proxy mode; checking the indicator to determine whether a first message or a second message should be transmitted to the home SLP entity; and transmitting the first message or the second message to the home SLP entity according to a result of the checking step.


The most advanced solar thermochemical cycles in terms of demonstrated reactor efficiencies are based on temperature swing operated receiver-reactors with open porous ceria foams as a redox material. The demonstrated efficiencies are encouraging but especially for cycles based on ceria as the redox material, studies have pointed out the importance of high solid heat recovery rates to reach competitive process efficiencies. Different concepts for solid heat recovery have been proposed mainly for other types of reactors, and demonstration campaigns have shown first advances. Still, solid heat recovery remains an unsolved challenge. In this study, chances and limitations for solid heat recovery using a thermal storage unit with gas as heat transfer fluid are assessed. A numerical model for the reactor is presented and used to analyze the performance of a storage unit coupled to the reactor. The results show that such a concept could decrease the solar energy demand by up to 40% and should be further investigated.


Aflatoxicol (AFL), a metabolite of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), is formed in vitro by liver preparations from several species including humans. A positive correlation appears to exist between the sensitivity of a species to AFB1 and the species ability to metabolize AFB1 to AFL. Conversion of AFB1 to AFL is, therefore, a questionable detoxification step. The carcinogenicity of a diastereoisomeric mixture of AFL, prepared chemically from AFB1, was compared to AFB1 by tumor incidences being determined in 4 groups of 20 weanling male F344 rats fed either a negative control diet with no aflatoxin, a positive 50-ppb AFB1 control diet, a 50-ppb AFL diet, or a 200-ppb AFL diet for 1 year and then killed at the end of the 2d year. The respective hepatocellular carcinoma incidences were 0, 40, 20, and 70%, demonstrating that AFL is carcinogenic in the rat. The data show that a diastereoisomeric mixture of AFL is one-half as carcinogenic as AFB1, and the dose response appeared nearly linear in that a fourfold increase in dose produced a 3.5-fold increase in tumor incidence. The data did not establish unequivocally that AFL is a proximate carcinogen, but metabolism of AFB1 to AFL should not be considered an efficient detoxification reaction.


Chiral chromanone lactones are a class of natural products with important biological activity. We report a direct diastereo- and enantioselective vinylogous conjugate addition of butenolide to 2-ester substituted chromones. The transformation proceeded well in the presence of as low as 1 mol% of a chiral N,N′-dioxide/ScIII complex, 3 Å MS and a catalytic amount of hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). The scope of Michael acceptors includes a variety of substituted chromones at different positions, and the desired chromanone lactones upon reduction are afforded in good yield and diastereoselectivity, and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The strategy could be used in the concise synthesis of blennolide C and gonytolide A, C and G.


The instability of spherical flames in quiescent premixtures is considered using the linear theory developed by Bechtold and Matalon, which includes hydrodynamic and thermodiffusive instabilities. Ranges of unstable wavenumbers are presented for different Markstein numbers as the flame propagates, characterized by the flame Peclet number. Hydrodynamic instabilities arise at the larger wavelengths and cascade down through a range of ever–decreasing wavelengths to be stabilized at the smallest wavelength by thermodiffusive effects. It would appear that, in practice, the associated cell formation lags somewhat behind what is predicted by the theory and an attempt is made to allow for this. With it, a fractal analysis is employed with the two limiting unstable wavelengths as inner and outer cut–offs. The ever–increasing surface wrinkling as the flame propagates creates a larger surface area and consequent flame acceleration. The analysis yields an expression for the flame speed after a critical Peclet number has been attained. The flame speed increases as the square root of elapsed time and the analytical expression is in agreement with the results of measurements of large explosions. The fractal analysis is probably valid because of the large length–scales and small flame stretch rates, unlike those in many turbulent flames in engineering applications, where the flame stretch rate usually reduces the burning rate. The mechanisms for the creation of turbulence are discussed, including a brief speculation of the repercussions for deflagration to detonation transitions in large–scale explosions, including supernovae.


To evaluate the technical outcome, clinical success, and safety of low-milliampere CT fluoroscopy (CTF)-guided percutaneous drain (PD) placement in patients with lymphoceles following radical prostatectomy (RP) with pelvic lymph node dissection (LND). This retrospective analysis comprised 65 patients with PD placement in lymphoceles following RP under low-milliampere CTF guidance. Technical and clinical success were evaluated. Complications within a 30-day time interval associated with CTF-guided PD placement were classified according to SIR. Patient radiation exposure was quantified using dose-length products (DLP) of the pre-interventional planning CT scan (DLPpre), of the sum of intra-interventional CT fluoroscopic acquisitions (DLPintra) and of the post-interventional control CT scan (DLPpost). Eighty-nine lymphoceles were detected. Seventy-seven CT-guided interventions were performed, with a total of 92 inserted drains. CTF-guided lymphocele drainage was technically successful in 100% of cases. For all symptomatic patients, improvement in symptoms was reported within 48 h after intervention. Time course of C-reactive protein and Leucocytes within 30 days revealed a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) decrease. Median DLPpre, DLPintra and DLPpost were 431 mGy*cm, 45 mGy*cm and 303 mGy*cm, respectively. Only one minor complication (self-resolving haematoma over the bladder dome; SIR Grade 2) was observed. Low-milliampere CTF-guided drainage is a safe treatment option in patients with lymphoceles following RP with pelvic LND characterized by high technical and good clinical success rates, which provides rapid symptom relief and serves as definite treatment or as a bridging therapy prior to laparoscopic marsupialisation.


Dual methods based on Lagrangian relaxation are the state of the art to solve multiuser multicarrier resource allocation problems. This applies to concave utility functions as well as to practical systems employing adaptive modulation, in which users' data rates can be described by step functions. We show that this discrete resource allocation problem can be formulated as an integer linear program belonging to the class of multiple-choice knapsack problems. As a knapsack problem with additional constraints, this problem is NP-hard, but facilitates approximation algorithms based on Lagrangian relaxation. We show that these dual methods can be described as rounding methods. As an immediate result, we conclude that prior claims of optimality, based on a vanishing duality gap, are insufficient. To answer the question of optimality of dual methods for discrete multicarrier resource allocation problems, we present bounds on the absolute integrality gap for three exemplary downlink resource allocation problems with different objectives when employing rounding methods. The obtained bounds are asymptotically optimal in the sense that the relative performance loss vanishes as the number of subcarriers tends to infinity. The exemplary problems considered in this work are sum rate maximization, sum power minimization and max-min fairness.


We pose and solve an "inverse optimal" adaptive tracking problem for nonlinear systems with unknown parameters. A controller is said to be inverse optimal when it minimizes a meaningful cost functional that incorporates integral penalty on the tracking error state and the control, as well as a terminal penalty on the parameter estimation error. The basis of our method is an adaptive tracking control Lyapunov function whose existence guarantees the solvability of the inverse optimal problem. The controllers designed in this paper are not of certainty-equivalence type. Even in the linear case they would not be a result of solving a Riccati equation for a given value of the parameter estimate. Our abandoning of the CE approach is motivated by the fact that, in general, this approach does not lead to optimality of the controller with respect to the overall plant-estimator system, even though both the estimator and the controller may be optimal as separate entities. Our controllers, instead, compensate for the effect of parameter adaptation transients in order to achieve optimality of the overall system. We combine inverse optimality with backstepping to design a new class of adaptive controllers for strict-feedback systems. These controllers solve a problem left open in the previous adaptive backstepping designs-getting transient performance bounds that include an estimate of control effort.


In early life the faucial tonsils are detrimental chiefly when, owing to their size, they serve as an obstruction to respiration. Tonsillotomy as ordinarily done generally corrects this feature of obstruction. Previous to the past decade but little attention was paid to the faucial tonsils, particularly in young children, except when they protruded beyond the pillars. Latterly it has become recognized that non-protruding or submerged tonsils, even in young children, may be the cause of much trouble. The protruding tonsil may also be of such size that a material portion thereof lies beneath the plane of the faucial pillars. In such case it may be said to be semi-submerged. Where this occurs, ordinary tonsillotomy becomes only a decapitation and thus the remaining base constitutes a submerged tonsil. Submerged tonsils often have a considerable size, which becomes manifest when the patient is made to gag, at which time they bulge out


Background: Improved Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in Health Care Facilities (HCFs) is of significant public health importance. It is associated with a reduction in the transmission of hospital acquired infections (HAIs), increased trust and uptake of healthcare services, cost saving from infections averted, increased efficiency and improved staff morale. Despite these benefits, there is limited evidence on the status of WASH in HCFs in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA). This study assessed the status of WASH within HCFs in the GKMA in order to inform policy and WASH programming.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 60 HCFs. The status of WASH in the study facilities was assessed using a validated WASH Conditions (WASHCon) tool comprising of structured interviews, HCF observations and microbial water quality analysis. Data were analysed using Stata 14 software and R software. The relationships between WASH status and HCF characteristics were assessed using Fishers' exact tests.Results: Overall, 84.5% (49/58) and 12.1% (7/58) of HCFs had limited and basic WASH status respectively. About 48.3% (28/58) had a limited water supply status, 84.5% (49/58) had limited sanitation status, 50.0% (29/58) had limited environmental cleanliness status, 56.9% (33/58) had limited hand hygiene status and 51.7% (30/58) had limited waste management status. Overall, there were significant differences in water supply status by ownership of the HCF and level of HCF. There was a significant statistical difference in WASH status between public and private not for profit facilities (p = 0.021). A significant difference was also observed in WASH status between hospitals and lower levels HCFs (p = 0.004). Conclusion: Majority of the HCFs in the GKMA had limited access to all WASH service domains i.e. water supply, sanitation, hand hygiene, environmental cleanliness and healthcare waste management. We recommend deliberate increased investments in WASH for healthcare services, especially for sanitation and hand hygiene provisions which were in the poorest state. Improvements in WASH conditions will not only minimize the risk of transmission of HAIs but also associated costs.


Flaring is a process during which waste gases are burned in an open atmosphere. The quantification of gas flaring emissions represents a major scientific concern due to its magnitude and related uncertainties. In global/regional emission inventories, this source, though releasing large amounts of pollutants in the atmosphere, is still poorly quantified if not missing. It can represent the main emission source of gaseous compounds and particles in some areas, as observed during the AMMA project in the Gulf of Guinea. Our study focuses on Africa, and includes Nigeria, which is one of the largest natural oil and gas reserve in the world. Africa is an important gas flaring area, since technologies for the exploitation of this energy source and the reduction of flaring activities have been only recently implemented. We have developed an emission inventory for gases and particles from flaring in Africa. We have first compiled the few published available dataset of fuel consumption from flaring. The spatial distribution of CO2 and black carbon (BC) emissions from gas flaring in 2011 is estimated using a methodology based on field reports and remote sensing (DMSP satellite data). Our results point out to the importance of flaring activities into the regional anthropogenic emissions in Africa over the period 1960-2011. Finally, the contribution of flaring to total anthropogenic emission can be large and needs to be accurately quantified.


The US Department of Energy estimates that 73% of electricity usage is consumed by buildings. The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems account for almost 50% of the total energy budget [1]. Demand-based pricing for commercial buildings makes it necessary for them to reduce power consumption during peak hours, when electricity is priced at a higher rate. Peaks in electricity demand occur when multiple systems are simultaneously consuming electricity. In this paper, we look at the problem of energy load management for commercial buildings and propose En-Route, a wireless Energy Router platform for control and scheduling of energy delivery to minimize peak electricity consumed by buildings. We have built a scaled model of a building, which generates HVAC dynamics that match an actual building. The Energy Router monitors the temperature, humidity and power consumption in different zones of the building in real-time. It then runs an "energy aware" algorithm that schedules HVAC systems based on the operating conditions of each zone to minimize the peak power consumption of the building.


The focus of nature protection through area protection in Swedish forests has for a long time been on boreal, subalpine and alpine areas. Large areas have of this reason been protected in northern Sweden, while the protection of forest in southern Sweden, and especially in the temperate zone, have been almost neglected. Only 2,5 per cent of the land area in the southernmost county in Sweden, the county of Skane, has some kind of protection today and considerably less of the forest is protected. Some possible reasons for this distorted balance of share of protected forest between northern and southern Sweden are:

* The large share of state-owned forest in northern Sweden has facilitated the work with area protection.
* The large share of forest owned by non-industrial private forest owners in southern Sweden and the relatively small estates in southern Sweden has been a hindrance in the implementation of area protections.
* The long history of land use in southern Sweden has made it difficult to find areas with high nature values for protection, and these areas are very often scattered in the landscape.

The need of protection of biodiversity in the forests of southern Sweden is largely due to the long history of land use. Southern Sweden has much more threatened species than northern Sweden, not only due to the land use history, but also due to the generally higher number of species in the south.

The area of protected forest has however increased much in Skane during recent years and many private forest owners have been involved in this process. The County Forestry Board of Sodra Gotaland has been the most active authority in the number of concerned estates and thereby influenced forest owners. The County Board of Skane and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency have implemented some new nature reserves and national parks. These areas are usually of larger size but concern in relation to their size fewer estates and thereby there are less forest owners influenced. The encroachment of these forms of protection is however most often to be considered of larger magnitude than the habitat protection and nature conservation agreements that are implemented by the County Forestry Board. This is not only due to the larger size of the areas but also due to differences in the forms of agreements.

A large number of private forest owners have been influenced by the implementation of area protection of forest, and there is a lack of knowledge how the forest owners perceive these processes, even though some studies have been performed in the field. This study is a part of a joint Nordic project with the task "to study effects of various policy instruments and develop proposals concerning the development of policies within the field".

A questionnaire, consisting of a set of questions in common for the joint project with some adjustments for regional differences and completed with a set of questions specific for this study, was sent to 241 addressees in Skane. The addressees were private forest owners or previous private forest owners who had been involved in a process with the objective of an area protection of forest in the form of one or more of the protection types below:

* National park
* Nature reserve
* Habitat protection
* Nature conservation agreement

The real response rate was 53 per cent and for another ten per cent the reason for absence of answers is known. The average age of the respondents was 58 years and 78 per cent were men. Most respondents had purchased their estate, often in combination with inheritance and gift. The respondents were rather independent of their income from the forestry on the estate. The average share of income from the forestry on the estate was 15 per cent while the median was much lower with five per cent. Still most of the respondents valued commercial wood the highest among the goods from their forest. Another important good was recreation. The change in share of income from the forestry on the estate after the area protection was implemented was small. The largest loss of income had the respondents with the 25 per cent highest shares of income from the forest. These respondents had on average ten per cent less of their income from the forestry on the estate after the area protection was implemented.

Most respondents associated the concept biodiversity with species and ecosystems and/or with conservation of nature. A majority had the opinion that the owner of the land also is owner of the biodiversity, while they did not consider this ownership to imply an economical responsibility of preserving it. Most respondents thought that the state should have the main economical responsibility of the protection of forest. Many were satisfied with how large share of the forest that was protected in the Swedish private forest, and many more wanted the area of protected forest to increase than wanted it to decrease. However, they were not willing to protect forest without compensation.

The type of compensation that was preferred by most respondents was a yearly compensation, only 31 per cent wanted a once-and-for-all payment. The once-and-for-all payment is the today most common way of compensating the landowners for the encroachment of an area protection and 82 per cent of the respondents for whom the protection process was completed had also gotten this kind of compensation. Many also wanted new land in exchange, which was only realised in one case, and is maybe often less feasible due to small size of the area. The respondents preferred agreements with the authorities were they remained owner of the land and the rights following it. Also this is in contrast to what is most common, the authorities usually buy the land or the right to use the land. They also wanted to be involved in the management of the protected areas, the only form of agreement that today involves the landowner in the management is the nature conservation agreements.

The respondents that had been involved in the protection process to a large extent were in general more satisfied with it. Among the respondents that had been involved to a very or rather large extent there were 86 and 72 per cent, respectively, satisfied with the process, while the corresponding figure among the ones that had been involved to a very small extent was 8 per cent. The County Forestry Board had succeeded better than the County Board and the Environmental Protection Agency in involving the forest owner into the process. Thereby there were also more of the respondents satisfied with the process among the ones that had their main contact with the County Forestry Board. An underlying cause of this can be that the County Forestry Board's work usually concerns smaller areas, but it can also be so due to that the County Forestry Board has a long tradition and experience of contact with and education of forest owners.

A majority of the respondents did not consider the compensation they had received to cover the economic losses of forest production due to the protection. Many of the respondents who considered themselves to be self-active in their forestry, did not consider the compensation to cover the loss of employment. Just a few of the respondents had made some changes in the management of the remaining part of their forest due to the implementation of the area protection. Neither changes positive to biodiversity nor changes negative to biodiversity were made at any considerable extent.

The addressees were given 17 statements to which they were going to respond, to what extent they agreed with the statements. The statements concerned protection of biodiversity in general, protection of biodiversity in forest, and protection of biodiversity in the respondent's forest. There was no significant difference in attitude of the respondents due to which of the categories the statement belonged. The respondents were positive to nature protection, independent of what level it concerned. But it has to be mentioned that the statements concerning protection of biodiversity on the respondents own estate included the condition that the respondent was fully compensated for the encroachment. However, when the answers were analysed in relation to different characteristics of the respondents there were some differences found. Which sex the respondent belonged to was of importance for the level of agreement when the statement concerned protection of biodiversity in general. Women were more positive towards protection of biodiversity in general than men. No difference of this kind was found when the statement concerned protection of biodiversity on the estate of the respondent.

The characteristics most important for how the forest owner responded to the statements concerning protection of biodiversity on his or her estate were:

* General education
* Membership of an environmental organisation
* Size of forest
* Income from the forestry on the estate
* Share of own work on the estate
* Felling per hectare

Some characteristics were correlated with the size of the forest. Sex, income from the forestry on the estate and share of own work on the estate showed a correlation with the size of forest. The most important characteristics for the respondents' attitudes towards protection of biodiversity were characteristics closely connected with the intensity of the management of the forest on the estate. Many of these characteristics were also correlated with the size of the forest.


A questionnaire constructed to assess epistemic curiosity (EC) and perceptual curiosity (PC) curiosity was administered to 739 undergraduates (546 women, 193 men) ranging in age from 18 to 65. The study participants also responded to the trait anxiety, anger, depression, and curiosity scales of the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI; Spielberger et al., 1979) and selected subscales of the Sensation Seeking (SSS; Zuckerman, Kolin, Price, & Zoob, 1964) and Novelty Experiencing (NES; Pearson, 1970) scales. Factor analyses of the curiosity items with oblique rotation identified EC and PC factors with clear simple structure. Subsequent analyses of the EC items provided the basis for developing an EC scale, with Diversive and Specific Curiosity subscales. Moderately high correlations of the EC scale and subscales with other measures of curiosity provided strong evidence of convergent validity. Divergent validity was demonstrated by minimal correlations with trait anxiety and the sensation-seeking measures, and essentially zero correlations with the STPI trait anger and depression scales. Male participants had significantly higher scores on the EC scale and the NES External Cognition subscale (effect sizes of r = .16 and .21, respectively), indicating that they were more interested than female participants in solving problems and discovering how things work. Male participants also scored significantly higher than female participants on the SSS Thrill-and-Adventure and NES External Sensation subscales (r = .14 and .22, respectively), suggesting that they were more likely to engage in sensation-seeking activities.


Herbivory degree and the ratio of generalist to specialist herbivores have long been treated as two important but independent factors in shaping the evolution of plant defense. However, this assumption of independency is poorly supported and has resulted in great controversy in explaining the patterns of plant defense. Here we investigated the possible interaction between herbivory degree and generalist-to-specialist ratio using a cost-benefit model of defense evolution in plants. Our results showed that, with increasing generalist herbivore proportion, plant defense investment increases when herbivory degree is low and decreases when herbivory degree is high. These results provide the first theoretical support for the interactive effect of herbivory degree and ratio of generalist/specialist affecting plant defense, which integrate many of the previous results (e.g. latitudinal patterns of plant defense and defense evolution of invasive plants) and put them into a more general theoretical context.


Background Concerns are recurrently expressed that the therapeutic content of in-patient care is limited and lacking clear guidance. The perspectives of patients and staff regarding therapeutic priorities for psychiatric in-patient care have been little explored and compared. Aims The aim of this study was to examine patient and staff perspectives on the care priorities of psychiatric in-patients with psychosis. Method We recruited 12 in-patients with psychosis and 12 multidisciplinary team staff. All participants undertook a semi-structured interview examining their perspectives on the therapeutic needs of people with psychosis during admission. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis conducted. Results Three superordinate themes arose from patient interviews: 'the importance of considering social circumstances and trauma', 'managing the intra- and interpersonal impact of psychosis' and 'lack of control and collaboration in care' and three from staff interviews: 'multidisciplinary facilitators of care', 'treating complexity and incorporating social factors' and 'restrictive practices preventing quality care provision'. Comparison of patient and staff themes identified unmet needs in addressing social marginalisation, trauma and distress, and the importance of collaborative treatment process and inclusion of spirituality. Conclusions There are gaps between staff and patient perspectives on important priorities for in-patient care that may help explain persistent patient dissatisfaction with in-patient care. Findings suggest the need for coproduced work to develop and test interventions that address broader therapeutic priorities. Declaration of interest None.


The new Web 2.0 trends have offered new tools to connect people not
only to digital knowledge repositories but also to other people, in order to
share ideas, collaboratively create new forms of dynamic learning content, get
effective support, and learn with and from peers. Different types of
collaborative content applications, such as blogs and wikis, are used by people
of all ages, supporting the collaborative creation and sharing of knowledge among young and old, students and experts, inside and outside organizations and
educational institutions. This research investigates the effects of Web 2.0 and
social networks on students' performance in online education which uses networking
as an adjunct mode for enhancing traditional education in King Abdulaziz
University.


Introduction: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) affect up to approximately 10% of all pregnancies. Various markers of inflammation have been shown to predict the future diabetes risk and Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) level is significantly correlated with metabolic syndrome criteria. However, very few studies investigated any possible association between NLR and development of GDM. Objectives • To compare the NLR among GDM group and control group. • To identify an optimal cut-off value of NLR in predicting GDM. Methods: A longitudinal observational study in all pregnant women who are in their first trimester at antenatal clinic, Teaching Hospital, Kandy for six months was carried out with a Full Blood Count at the first trimester and Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) at the 24-28 weeks of gestation. Sample size was 361 and non-probability convenient sampling technique was applied. Results: Mean NLR value was 3.16 (SD=1.84) and the difference between GDM and non GDM mothers was not significant. Left upper most value for NLR of the ROC curve is 1.32 and when it is used as the cut off value the sensitivity is 99.6% and the specificity is 21.2%. Conclusions and recommendations: NLR positively correlates with the OGTT values done at 24-28 weeks of gestation, which can be used as a predictor at early booking visit. There is no significant difference between the mean value of participants with or without GDM. Prediction of GDM by NLR should be further studied in a well-targeted study population with wide methodology.


In 129 cases, results from ER-ICA (Estrogen receptor immunocytochemical assay) applied to breast carcinoma biopsy smears and results from ER-EIA (Estrogen receptor enzyme immunoassay) applied to cytosols of breast carcinoma were compared to the results of ER(DCC), PR(DCC) and a cytomorphological grading. Using 500x magnification, the cases were graded visually in 7 groups, groups 1-4 without and groups 5-7 with nucleoli. Cases with high estrogen receptor values as determined by ER-EIA had the best chance of being detected also by the ER-ICA method. There is a relation between the visual nuclear grade from the Pappenheim stained specimens and ER-ICA and ER-EIA. The 48 cases without nucleoli had a mean ER-EIA-value of 100 fmol/mg (median = 59 fmol/mg). The 57 cases with nucleoli (groups 5-7) had a mean ER-EIA value of 37 fmol/mg (median = 14 fmol/mg). For 28 cases with prominent or multiple prominent nucleoli (groups 6-7) the mean ER-EIA value was only 15 fmol/mg (median = 5 fmol/mg). With increasing ER-EIA values we found decreasing average nuclear grades: 31 cases ER-EIA less than 10 fmol/mg, mean nuclear grade = 5.4; 34 cases ER-EIA greater than or equal to 10 less than 50 fmol/mg, mean nuclear grade = 4.6; 20 cases ER-EIA greater than or equal to 50 less than 100 fmol/mg, mean nuclear grade = 4.2; 19 cases ER-EIA greater than or equal to 100 fmol/mg, mean nuclear grade = 3.8. Our present data show clearly that there is a closer correlation of cytomorphology with ER-EIA than with ER(DCC) and PR(DCC). In the present study even ER-EIA alone correlated better with morphology than ER(DCC) and PR(DCC) taken together.


Mumps is a viral infection of the salivary glands that commonly present as unilateral or bilateral parotitis usually during childhood. Serious complications of mumps include meningitis/encephalitis, as well as orchitis in adolescent boys and adult men. We report a case of a 29-year-old male patient with mumps-associated bilateral epididymo-orchitis without signs of parotitis. The diagnosis was confirmed clinically and serologically by IgG and IgM titers.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

The development of novel agents including the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (Btz) has significantly improved treatment outcomes in multiple myeloma (MM). Despite these advances, resistance to therapy invariably emerges and MM remains an incurable disease. The objective of this study was to identify new therapeutic agents and combinations with the ability to overcome resistance to Btz in MM cells. We developed a high throughput drug screening (HTS) assay system to discover small molecules that selectively target Btz resistant MM cells as single agents and/or re-sensitize resistant cells to Btz. For HTS we used isogenic pairs of Btz sensitive (595 P) and resistant (595 VR) cells derived from iMycCα/Bcl-xL transgenic mouse model of MM. Cell viability was the HTS assay read-out, and 3 treatment groups (595 P, 595 VR, and 595 VR + Btz) were included to identify compounds with selective activity against Btz resistant cells as single agents, and compounds that restore Btz sensitivity in the presence of Btz. Our screening of multiple publically-available compound libraries identified several chemical structures with selective activity against Btz resistant cells. One compound in particular showed modest but significant selectivity for Btz resistant cells as a single agent, and most notably, exhibited potent Btz re-sensitizing activity when the 2 drugs were combined. We named this compound Velcade Re-sensitizing Compound 2, or VRC-2 for short. The Btz re-sensitizing activity of VRC-2 was confirmed using multiple human and mouse cell lines that had been selected for Btz resistance in vitro. IC50s for VRC-2 in normal mouse and human fibroblasts were 100-fold higher than that observed in MM cells, suggesting it may have a low toxicity profile in vivo. We are currently evaluating the activity of VRC-2 in animal models of MM, alone and in combination with Btz, and conducting molecular studies to identify its precise mechanism of action. This study establishes the proof-of-principal for our HTS approach and demonstrates the potential of VRC-2 in Btz refractory MM.

Citation Format: Amriti Lulla, Holly Stessman, David Dicker, Brian Van Ness, Wafik El-Deiry, Nathan G. Dolloff. VRC2, a novel bortezomib re-sensitizing compound for the treatment of multiple myeloma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1020. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1020


The purpose of the present article is to advocate that in view of the difficulty involved in predicting learning disability by looking at the early behavior of the child, serious consideration must be given to early assessment of home environmental processes as a supplement to child-focused preschool screening and research. The article contains a review of home environmental issues, findings, and instruments as they have arisen in the field of general cognitive development and as they are applicable to preschool prediction of learning disabilities. The authors conclude that in the area of learning disabilities, 'environmental disadvantage' should not be conceptualized in gross, structural terms. Within some middle- and upper-class homes, children with actual or potential learning disabilities may be 'environmentally disadvantaged' as regards interactions with their parents. During the early childhood period, there is a special need to look within the traditional LD exclusion category of low socioeconomic status for potential subgroups of inefficient learners who are at risk for subsequent learning and social disabilities. When not appropriately identified and intervened with in early childhood, these subgroups may later be misdiagnosed as cultural familial retardates.


The current study reports the outbreaks of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in the small ruminant population of Pakistan. The objectives were to understand the clinical picture of disease under field conditions, estimate the basic epidemiological parameters for the local population of small ruminants and to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of PPR during 2005 to 2007 in Pakistan. A total of 62 outbreaks were investigated among sheep and goat flocks in the five provinces of Pakistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). The PPR virus activity in these outbreaks was demonstrated by clinical picture and presence of PPR virus specific antibodies by employing cELISA. The combined estimates of mean cumulative morbidity and mortality for sheep and goats were estimated 65.37% and 26.51% respectively with a case fatality of 40.40%. The species specific mean cumulative morbidity, mortality and case fatality for goats were 68.80%, 29.45% and 42.75% respectively, while these estimates for sheep were 48.77%, 14.98% and of 26.16% respectively. These estimates for goats were significantly higher (P < 0.001 to P = 0.001) than those for sheep. It was concluded that PPR is wide spread throughout the country and epidemiological picture suggest that disease has established as an endemic infection in the country.


Abstract:This essay begins a cultural history of the behavioral economic narrative mode in American popular media, in relation to the academic discipline but not coincident with it. From podcasts to Michael Lewis's books and films, the behavioral economic mode of narration changes the character or figure of economic knowledge. Instead of the distant financial expert, this mode insists on the authority of the friendly explainer. In the years around the 2008 crisis, at a moment when financial scandals seemed to be losing their power to scandalize, this mode asserted behavioral economic knowledge as the new standard of realism. As the affective structures beneath earlier capitalist realist narratives diminished in power, the behavioral economic turn marked a reassertion of narrative authority. The behavioral mode instantiated a new relationship to a familiar misogyny and is perhaps best understood as a cultural shift with varied ideological commitments to economic philosophy itself. The behavioral economic mode is characterized by scenes of objectivity training or moments where the viewer or reader is trained to understand objectivity as a performance of distance from the subject's gender or race. Not incidentally, this performance is demanded specifically of those who do not fit the neoclassical ideal of the rational agent and who are not white and not male.


We consider the inventory management for the assembly system of one type of finished product from n different types of components. The components are supplied from n different and external suppliers. It is supposed that the component lead times and the finished product demand are random discrete variables. The company that handles the assembly operation must determine what are the optimal moments and optimal quantities to supply? The objective is to minimize the total cost consists of holding component costs, tardiness finished product cost, and finished product lost and surplus costs. We offer the one-period analytical modeling. Several properties of the objective function are shown. These properties are used for the development of Branch and Bound method. Several tests and different conclusions are presented. This study can be used for the parameterization of MRP software, specifically for calculating of safety stocks under uncertainties of both demand and lead times.


Current theoretical methods of calculating the pair, interatomic and averaged, potentials of ion interaction with the atoms of solids are discussed. Along with the traditional static approximations, nonstationary and quasistationary models are considered. In the other case, modification of the electron gas approximation taking account of the relative velocity of atoms υ1 is investigated. Furthermore, the effect of ion ionisation and dynamic screening of potentials by the electron gas is taken into account. Theoretical models are compared with each other and with the experimental data. The energy losses and the ion ranges in solids, angular distributions due to multiple scattering, bremsstrahlung losses of heavy ions in the process of a planar channeling, channeling radiation lines of the relativistic electrons and positrons, and other effects are considered.


The drastic increase of Android malware has led to a strong interest in developing methods to automate the malware analysis process. Existing automated Android malware detection and classification methods fall into two general categories: 1) signature-based and 2) machine learning-based. Signature-based approaches can be easily evaded by bytecode-level transformation attacks. Prior learning-based works extract features from application syntax, rather than program semantics, and are also subject to evasion. In this paper, we propose a novel semantic-based approach that classifies Android malware via dependency graphs. To battle transformation attacks, we extract a weighted contextual API dependency graph as program semantics to construct feature sets. To fight against malware variants and zero-day malware, we introduce graph similarity metrics to uncover homogeneous application behaviors while tolerating minor implementation differences. We implement a prototype system, DroidSIFT, in 23 thousand lines of Java code. We evaluate our system using 2200 malware samples and 13500 benign samples. Experiments show that our signature detection can correctly label 93\% of malware instances; our anomaly detector is capable of detecting zero-day malware with a low false negative rate (2\%) and an acceptable false positive rate (5.15\%) for a vetting purpose.


The nematode cuticle is shown to consist, grossly, of three layers; an outer layer—the cortical layer, an intermediate layerMdashthe matrix layer and an inner layerMdashthe basal layer. With these layers is associated a punctation canal component. The cortical layer carries externally a wholly sclerotized layerMdashthe epi-cortex. The inner part of the basal layer is modified as a basal lamella for the attachment of the hypodermis, from which it is not sharply delimited, and the body musculature. The punctation canal component is most prominent in members of the Chromadorida where it is responsible for all the punctation patterns characteristic of this Order. The system consists of columnar elements in the simplest forms, for example in the Cyatholaimidae, and a series of interlocking transversely fused units in the more complex, for example Euchromadora. In the Desmodoridae and similar "annulate" forms, the punctation canal component forms the major part of the cuticle and appears to be produced by the transverse fusion of punctation canals. In these groups the gross structure of the cuticle is easily established and it is demonstrated that the same system of layering can be identified throughout the Nematoda. It is shown that all modifications of the cuticle can be interpreted as based on and built around a system of punctation canals. The functional requirements of the nematode body are considered and it is demonstrated that the cuticular modifications are developed to meet the necessity for an anisometric cuticle which is flexible longitudinally and strong radially. Thus, the annulate cuticle of the desmodorids and the strongly patterned cuticle of Euchromadora have been developed to meet the functional demands which have been met in forms such as Ascaris, Enoplus, Mermis and Dorylaimus by the development of a series of spirally arranged fibre layers. In many forms the

matrix layer is plasticMdashthat is, easily distortedMdashwhile the cortical and basal layers are fairly rigid although probably elastic. The high degree of organization of the cuticle is shown not only by the massive elaboration occurring in some forms but also by the birefringence of many of the modified component layers. It is argued that the prominent amphids occurring in many of the free-living marine forms act as mechano-stretch receptors. The suggestion is advanced that the punctation canal system evolved originally as a method of allowing the cuticle to grow by the incorporation of additional materials from processes of the hypodermis and it was only later that it became the basis for the many modifications of the cuticle and probably for moulting. The inevitable consequences of the hydrostatic-skeleton: longitudinal muscle system on the nematode body form are discussed and it is stressed that most of the characters considered diagnostic of the Nematoda are functionally determined. Attention is drawn to the opportunities which must result for convergence during the evolution of the group and the difficulties which this introduces in attempting to classify the Nematoda.


The primary purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of South Korean women "doing serious leisure" in what is widely known as a stigmatized activity, pole dance. It seeks to understand the experiences of South Korean women participating in pole dance and to investigate the strategies that are used to cope with the stigma that is experienced during participation. A qualitative research method was applied with an "insider" approach to collecting data. Data were collected through participation observations and in-depth interviews. The findings suggest that South Korean pole participants construct unstigmatized identities through their engagement in pole with its social stereotypes and stigma. Participants' identities have been firmly embedded as "pole dancers", "pole athletes", or "polers", which they do not feel the need to elucidate to those who are not active members. Their identities are surrounded and intertwined with their rationalized reason for participating in pole dance as serious leisure, along with their individual dedication which manifests their commitment by entering competitions and upgrading their pole skills. Participants and the pole dance community create a social atmosphere where their participation is not taken with stigma but rather with serious dedication to form their own interpretation of pole dance.


Background Decades of research have revealed rich cultural repertoires encompassing multiple traditions in wild great apes, a picture crucially complemented by experimental simulations with captive apes. Studies with wild capuchin monkeys, the most encephalized simian species, have indicated a New World convergence on these cultural phenomena, involving multiple traditions and tool use. However, experimental studies to date are in conflict with such findings in concluding that capuchins, like other monkeys, show minimal capacities for social learning. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report a new experimental approach in which the alpha male of each of two groups of capuchins was trained to open an artificial foraging device in a quite different way, using either a slide or lift action, then reunited with his group. In each group a majority of monkeys, 8 of 11 and 13 of 14, subsequently mastered the task. Seventeen of the successful 21 monkeys discovered the alternative action to that seeded in the group, performing it a median of 4 times. Nevertheless, all 21 primarily adopted the technique seeded by their group's alpha male. Median proportions of slide versus lift were 0.96 for the group seeded with slide versus 0. 01 for the group seeded with lift. Conclusions/Significance These results suggest a striking effect of social conformity in learned behavioral techniques, consistent with field reports of capuchin traditions and convergent on the only other species in which such cultural phenomena have been reported, chimpanzees and humans.


"Decentralization" sounds wonderfully democratic. It implies that people are becoming masters of their own destinies, freed from the oppression of distant functionaries who neither know nor care about the particulars of their lives. Strangely, however, "decentralization" can sometimes be deployed to disguise oligarchic rule by an unaccountable elite. The paradox is starkly, if inadvertently, displayed in John McGinnis's explication and defense of the Rehnquist Court's decisions on federalism and free association, "Reviving Tocqueville's America." Professor McGinnis argues that decentralization is a central theme of the Rehnquist Court's jurisprudence. He claims that this idea justifies the court's work, in the same way that John Ely's representation-reinforcement theory justified much of the work of the Warren Court. His attempted justification fails, however, because the idea of decentralization cannot be implemented in the way he contemplates without policy determinations that are essentially legislative. "Decentralization" thus becomes a rationalization for judicial oligarchy.


Mathematical critical thinking skills are one of the essential skills in the 21st century. However, in reality, many students still do not have good mathematical critical thinking skills. This is because the teacher has not been able to process students' critical thinking in mathematics. Most teachers only teach mathematical concepts without seeing how the students' critical thinking processes in solving mathematics problems are given. Therefore, it is necessary to know how the critical thinking process of students so that teachers know what strategies should be applied in the classroom. This study aims to (1) describe the critical thinking skills of students in Grade 8 in solving a system of linear equations in two variables (SLETV) and (2) identify the components of critical thinking in students. It is a study with a qualitative descriptive approach. Three indicators are used as the basis, namely analyzing, evaluating, and drawing a conclusion. As many as 32 subjects were involved (14 males and 18 females). The research instrument was a test with three problems containing three indicators. Data were collected through test and interview methods, and triangulation was done to compare the outcomes between tests and interviews. The data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that: (1) critical thinking skills of students are classified 'low'; (2) students' ability in concluding, as one indicator of critical thinking skills, is lower than other indicators.


This essay argues that cinematic representation can, and must, be understood as amethod of developing a form of critical architectural enquiry and thinking in the samemanner as text - a textual analysis and a communication means for practice-basedresearch. The proposition is that cinematic architectural drawing and the discourse ofoccupied space are inseparable and that the limits of both are products of specificideological and cultural practices. In this essay, two different bodies of iterativecinematic collage research practice are considered. Both sets of representationspresent new rigorously created architectural design knowledge and refer to thecontention by Claude Levis-Strauss (1966/1962:16-17) that the practice of thebricoleur, understood here as architect-bricoleur, is in marked contrast to themeasurable output of the scientist, or architectural design scientist.Keywords: Cinematic collage, architectural drawing, practice-based research


The anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene re-arrangement which is present in 3-5% cases of non small cell lung cancer is a somatic gene re-arrangement. The gold standard for the identification of this gene re-arrangement is fluorescence in situ hybridization. Many variant hybridization patterns have been documented. We present a case of polysomy of ALK gene in the absence of ALK gene re-arrangement in a 45 year old female who presented with brain metastasis. This is a rare case of polysomy of ALK gene reported in a non small cell lung carcinoma. It may be indicative of a worse prognosis and may predict high metastatic potential in these tumors.


The country of Myanmar opened up to the outside world a little over three years ago. As part of that process, many of the industries in the country changed hands from state owned to private. Such was the case with large-scale gold mine, which had formerly been explored by a Canadian company with mining experience and restored under the government to indigenous control. In early September 2011, tender bids from citizens were invited for the concession rights of the mine. There had been about 300,000 illegal miners working in the restricted area, but were being kicked out as the new operator took over the mine. There were many challenges, each answered by trial and error of the National Prosperity Gold Production Group. One of the current challenges is to maintain continuous production to fulfil the payment schedule to the government. This case is a constantly unfolding situation of sense making that the National Prosperity is trying its best to successfully operate the mine.


Background: As in many countries, Medical Education (ME) is off ered in three levels including Undergraduate ME, Graduate ME, and Continuing ME. I nformation theology development has provided a suitable chance for ME. E-learning in ME is growing more and more. The present study seeks to determin the key success factors (KSF) in E-learning in medical fields. Material and Methods: KSF has been scrutinized in the literature followi ng of which, and due to similarity, a classification with seven groupings w as established including institutional factor, tech nology, interested parties, information knowledge, methods and approaches educational resources, and environme ntal factors. Through a questionnaire, the data were gat hered from the information technology (IT) director s in all medical universities throughout the country. The da ta collected were subjected to factorial analysis. Data from heads of educational groups were obtained through f ocus group discussion. Cronbach reliability coeffic ient was calculated for questionnaire used. Factorial analys is was used to identify meaningful KSF. T-Test, and o e-way variance analysis as well as Pearson's correlation were used. The analysis was conducted with SPSS sof tware Results: The preparedness factors were analyzed through grou p discussions with the heads of the academic departments under the study. By factorial analyses, five factors were found. Fisher Exeact Test was us ed to compare the obtained ratios in 5% curve whose resul ts howed that among the three factors including le gal and technical environment, specialized hardware and sof tware, and high speed internet, performance interes t and potentials showed a significant difference (p=0.002 ). A p=0.011 was found for the authorities' interes t and financial and non-financial rewards. No other signi ficant differences were found anywhere else. Conclusion: Appropriate strategies to coordinate and aligned wi th the conditions that must be taken, including some of them can be cited : Document Pers pective drawn by the Ministry of Health, Content production (medical, etc.) to the appropriate shape , Develop technical and communications infrastructu re, First e-learning development in the field of basic scienc e And then as a complementary training in Clinical Science, Develop and build information literacy skills among teachers and students And encourage them in this a rea, Platforms and create the appropriate structures and interactions necessary, Despite the virtual librar y, Drawing rules for the protection of creators and owners of content rights education, Culture correct and appro riate, Private sector participation in developing e-learni ng and ..so on


William Hasker and I disagree over whether or not appealing to a particular understanding of divine eternity can reconcile divine foreknowledge with libertarian human freedom. Hasker argues that if God had foreknowledge of a particular future choice, that choice cannot be free with libertarian freedom. I hold, to the contrary, that, given a certain theory of time—the view that all times exist equally—it is possible to reconcile divine foreknowledge with libertarian freedom. In a recent article, "Can Eternity be Saved? A Comment on Stump and Rogers", Hasker makes it clear that one of the fundamental disagreements between us lies in what each of us takes to be required for libertarian free will. In the present paper I outline the version of libertarianism that I find plausible, then explain how a libertarian free choice can be foreknown by God. (I call my approach "Anselmian", in that it is based on my interpretation of the work of St. Anselm of Canterbury.) Then I will explain why Hasker finds this reconciliation unacceptable since it fails to do justice to what he takes to be required for libertarian freedom. Finally, I will argue that Hasker is wrong to insist upon his analysis of free will.


Until recently philosophy of physics has been overshadowed by the idea that the important philosophical issues that can be derived from physics are related only to fundamental theories, such as quantum mechanics and relativity. Applied fields of physics were deemed as unimportant. The argument for such a position lays in thinking that these applied fields of physics depend in their theoretical representations on fundamental theories and hence are reducible to these fundamental theories. It would be hard to defend such a position, keeping in mind that applied fields of physics have a life of its own totally separate from fundamental physics and have in fact a lot to say to philosophers.
The field of polymers is one of the branches of applied physics that has a lot to say to philosophers. It is a field of physics where theoreticians failed to present a coherent theory that can capture the different ways polymers can be built . This paper examines the difficulties that keep theoreticians away from having such a theory, revealing what kind of philosophical lessons polymers might have.
The main thesis is: even in the cases where a theory predict the possibility of developing a specific type of polymers that was not previously known, the exact model that represent the outcome polymer theoretically will not be even in principle derivable from the theory that predicted its existence in the first place.


Accurate and rapid identification of apple diseases is the basis for preventing and treating the apple diseases, and is very significant for assessing disease disaster. Apple disease recognition from its diseased leaf images is one of the interesting research areas in computer and agriculture field. An apple disease recognition method is proposed based on modified convolutional neural networks (MCNN). In MCNN, Inception is introduced into MCNN, global average pooling (GAP) operator is employed instead of several fully connected layers to speedup training model, and modified Softmax classifier is used in the output layer to improve the recognition performance. The modified Softmax classifier uses the modified linear element as the activation function in the hidden layer and adds the local response normalization in MCNN to avoid the gradient disappearance problem effectively. A series of experiments are conducted on two kinds of apple disease image datasets. The results show the feasibility of the algorithm.


We classify (up to an isomorphism in the category of affine groups) the complex crystallographic groups Γ generated by reflections and such that dΓ, its linear part, is a Coxeter group, i.e., dΓ is generated by "real" reflections of order 2.


Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA

MiR641 is an uncharacterized miRNA which locates intron 1 of AKT2, a gene residing in the chromosome 19q13.2 amplicon and frequently amplified/overexpressed in refractory ovarian cancer. Here, we demonstrated that frequent upregulation of miR641 was observed in human ovarian cancer tissues and in ovarian cancer cell lines. Knockdown of miR641 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as angiogenesis and ovarian cancer stem cell growth. Enforced expression of miR641 had opposite effect. In addition, ectopic expression of miR641 promoted VEGF protein expression and secretion but had no effect on VEGF mRNA level. Mechanistically, we found that miR641 directly targeted the 3'UTR of p63 and reduced p63 expression, which leads to a decrease of miR200a/b. As a result, ZEB1 and VEGF, two validated targets of miR200, were upregulated by miR641 overexpression. Furthermore, expression of miR641 induced anchorage-independent growth. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR641 is an onco-miRNA and plays a pivotal role in ovarian oncogenesis.

Citation Format: Yajuan Li, Edward Richards, Mark Coppola, Cheng-Xiong Xu, Jin Q. Cheng. MiR641 regulates EMT, ovarian cancer stem cell and angiogenesis by targeting p63/miR200 axis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1904.


BACKGROUND
Unsaturated fatty acids might be involved in the prevention and improvement of mental disorders, but the evidence on these associations has not been comprehensively assessed.

OBJECTIVE
This umbrella review aimed to appraise the credibility of published evidence evaluating the associations between unsaturated fatty acids and mental disorders.

METHODS
In this umbrella review, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies comparing unsaturated fatty acids (including supplementation, dietary intake and blood levels) in participants with mental disorders versus healthy individuals were included. We reanalyzed summary estimates, between-study heterogeneity, predictive intervals, publication bias, small-study effects, and excess significance bias for each meta-analysis.

RESULTS
Ninety-five meta-analyses from 29 systematic reviews were included, encompassing 43 studies on supplementation interventions, 32 studies on dietary factors and 20 studies on blood biomarkers. Suggestive evidence was only observed for dietary intake, in which higher intake of fish was associated with reduced risk of depression (relative risk [RR]: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.69, 0.89) and Alzheimer's disease (RR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.87), and higher intake of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) might be associated with a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (RR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.61, 0.84). Evidence showed that PUFA supplementation was favorable but had weak credibility in anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dementia, mild cognitive impairment, Huntington's disease and schizophrenia (P random-effects: <0.001-0.040). There was also weak evidence on decreased circulating n-3 PUFAs among patients on risk of ADHD, ASD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia (P random-effects: <10-6-0.037).

CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids may relieve symptoms or reduce the risk of various mental disorders; however, the strength of the associations and credibility of the evidence were generally weak. Future high-quality research is needed to identify whether PUFA interventions should be prioritized to alleviate mental disorders.


The assessment of genetic diversity among improved crop germplasm can facilitate the expansion of the genetic base for crop improvement in breeding program. However, little effort has been made to assess the level of genetic relatedness among released varieties and elite soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of genetic diversity that exists among released and elite soybean genotypes in Uganda. In this study, 21 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers were used to determine the degree of genetic diversity and varietal identification among 34 soybean genotypes. A total of 59 alleles with an average of 2.85 alleles per locus were detected. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.208 on BE806308 to 0.741 on Satt411, with an average of 0.5870. The expected heterozygosity varied from 0.208 on BE806308 to 0.725 on Satt411, with an average of 0.548 per marker. The dendrogram constructed based on Jaccard's genetic similarities among 34 soybean genotypes identified three major clusters, with six of the released varieties belonging to cluster I. The majority of elite genotypes including three recently released cultivars; Maksoy 4N, Maksoy 5N and Maksoy 6N were grouped in cluster II and III. The results showed moderate genetic variation among the soybean genotypes, which could accelerate genetic vulnerability. Therefore, there is need to widen the genetic base of the working germplasm through the use of techniques such as pre-breeding and novel biotechnology techniques such as mutation breeding and CRISPR to create genetic variation necessary to cope with the dynamics of biotic and abiotic stresses that affect soybean production in Uganda.

 Key words: Glycine max, genetic relationship, microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR), molecular markers, genetic vulnerability.


Using sesame water culture and various doses of Dimethoate, no mycelial growth appeared in cultures at rate above 5 ppm. There was no appreciable effect of the low dose of the insecticide (2.5 ppm) when incorporated into water cultures on vegetative growth, asexual and sexual sporulation of all tested fungi compared with the control. Using liquid media, respiration, mycelial dry weight as well as protease, lipase, amylase and cellulase production were varied depending upon the doses and tested fungal species.


We have used suppression subtractive hybridization to demonstrate significant overexpression of the inositol polyphosphate 1‐phosphatase gene (INPP1) in colorectal cancer compared with matched normal colon epithelium. Its gene product catalyses the hydrolysis of inositol 1,3,4‐trisphosphate and inositol 1,4‐bisphosphate, a key molecule in the phosphoinositide metabolic and signaling pathways. Following confirmation of the differential expression by reverse Northern dot blot analysis, fully quantitative Taqman reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction assays showed that its transcription was upregulated in 42/49 colorectal tumors. There was no significant difference in four tumors and reduced transcription was observed in three. This is the first study to report the upregulation of the INPP1 gene in a human cancer and should facilitate further studies looking at the role of phosphatidylinositol signaling reactions in human colorectal cancer. Mol. Carcinog. 27:322–329, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Chlamydiae are obligatory intracellular gram-negative bacteria with a unique growth cycle. They are very successful pathogens and responsible for a wide variety infections in humans and different animal species. In addition, they have a tendency to cause recurrent, persistent or chronic infections with potentially severe sequelae years or decades later. The general purpose of this work was to study the possible serological associations between chronic chlamydial infection, systemic inflammation and reproductive health in a general population. The chlamydial heat shock proteins 60 and 10 (Hs10 and Hsp60) have been suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic chlamydial infections. Thus, the antibodies to chlamydial Hsp10 and Hsp60 were also investigated in complications of pregnancy. The present study was a longitudinal population-based birth cohort study, and all of the original papers of this dissertation are based on a nested case control design. Our results confirmed the serological association between C. trachomatis infections and subfertility and the rather high incidence of undiagnosed C. trachomatis infections in the male partners of subfertile couples. We further demonstrated a serological association between previous C. trachomatis infections, immunity to chlamydial Hsps and female subfertility. We also showed that serological markers of chronic chlamydial infection present as early as the first trimester are associated with preterm delivery among nulliparous women. When elevated levels of C. trachomatis IgG and hsCRP were present, the estimated risk for preterm delivery was over 4-fold. According to our study, nulliparous women who subsequently developed preeclampsia leading to preterm delivery, which was used as a marker of more serious illness, had significantly more often serum IgG antibodies to C. pneumoniae during the first trimester of pregnancy compared to the preeclamptic women who delivered at term. In conclusion, chronic C. trachomatis infection was found to associate with subfertility both in men and in women. In addition, a subclinical chronic inflammatory process associated at least partly with chronic C. trachomatis infection and present in the first trimester already may be important in the development of preterm delivery. Chronic C. pneumoniae infection and systemic low-grade inflammation were found to associate with pregnancies that lead to preeclampsia and preterm delivery.


This article outlines my attempt to create a small scale project, with the aim of involving citizens in the education of student social workers whilst on their placement in Northern Ireland. The article outlines the literature on the subject, describes how the project evolved and discusses how citizens were involved in the direct teaching process. The article continues by describing how the teaching input of the citizens was then transferred into educating five students. The article evaluates the educational impact on the students and discusses the value of involving citizens in the education process during placement. This project was part of my dissertation for my Joint Advanced MSc in Social Work, presented to The University of Ulster and Queens University Belfast.


Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in regulating the pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Herein, we aimed to investigate how circRNA phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase IIIα (circPI4KA, hsa_circ_0062389) functioned as an oncogene in PTC. CircPI4KA, microRNA-1287-5p (miR-1287-5p) and Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) level detection were completed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. Cell proliferation was assessed through Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, and EdU assay. Transwell assay was used for detecting migration and invasion abilities. Cell migration was also determined by wound healing assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed using flow cytometry assay. The protein examination was performed using western blot. Glycolysis was evaluated via commercial kits. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were conducted for target analysis. The role of circPI4KA in vivo was explored and analyzed via tumor xenograft assay. CircPI4KA was significantly upregulated in PTC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circPI4KA suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion, glycolysis, and induced apoptosis of PTC cells. CircPI4KA interacted with miR-1287-5p in PTC cells. The antitumor function of circPI4KA downregulation was reversed by inhibition of miR-1287-5p. The miR-1287-5p directly targeted NRP2, and circPI4KA elevated the NRP2 expression by sponging miR-1287-5p. PTC progression was impeded by miR-1287-5p via targeting NRP2. Silencing circPI4KA inhibited tumor growth in vivo through the miR-1287-5p/NRP2 axis. The collective results revealed that circPI4KA induced the upregulation of NRP2 via sponging miR-1287-5p, thus acting as a carcinogenic factor in PTC.


The reforestation with eucalyptus has increased significantly in the Brazilian Savanah and it can promote changes on soil biological properties, mainly soil fauna. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the composition of soil fauna in areas with Eucalyptus plantations of different ages compared with native savanna. The study was conducted in Eucalytptus plantations aged one, two, three and four years and area with native forest was taken as reference. Soil fauna was collected in the dry and rainy season to evaluate the number of individuals from different taxonomic groups, richness, uniformity and diversity. The highest number of soil fauna was found in eucalyptus plantations with one year old at both seasons. However, the richness did not differ between seasons. In areas where with eucalyptus plantations with one and two years old showed 90% of individuals represented by Coleoptera and Formicidae, which contributed for decreasing in fauna uniformity. The implantation of Eucalyptus early reduced the diversity and uniformity of soil fauna; however, there was a recovery of this biological attribute after two years of reforestation.


181Biofabrication approaches, such as three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting of hydrogels, have recently garnered increasing attention, especially in the construction of 3D structures that mimic the complexity of tissues and organs with the capacity for cytocompatibility and post-printing cellular development. However, some printed gels show poor stability and maintain less shape fidelity if parameters such as polymer nature, viscosity, shear-thinning behavior, and crosslinking are affected. Therefore, researchers have incorporated various nanomaterials as bioactive fillers into polymeric hydrogels to address these limitations. Carbon-family nanomaterials (CFNs), hydroxyapatites, nanosilicates, and strontium carbonates have been incorporated into printed gels for application in various biomedical fields. In this review, following the compilation of research publications on CFNs-containing printable gels in various tissue engineering applications, we discuss the types of bioprinters, the prerequisites of bioink and biomaterial ink, as well as the progress and challenges of CFNs-containing printable gels in this field.


Data mining projects are complex and can have a high failure rate. In order to improve project management and success rates of such projects a life cycle is vital to the overall success of the project. This paper reports on a research project that was concerned with the life cycle development for data mining projects, its team members and their role. The paper provides a detailed view of the design and development of the data mining life cycle called DMLC. The life cycle aims to support all members of data mining project teams as well as IT managers and academic researchers and may improve project success rates and strategic decision support. An extensive analysis of eight life cycles leads to a list of advantages, disadvantages, and characteristics of the life cycles. This is extended and generates a conglomerate of several guidelines which serve as the foundation for the development of a new generic data mining life cycle. A detailed study of the human resources involved in a data mining project enhances the DMLC.


Background More than half of DSM, Tz. homicides are a result of community violence. In 2005, it was found, those most at risk for homicide death are: male Tanzanians, aged 20–35 years, lack of employment/education, caught stealing sale-able goods such as cell phones, purses, and domestic meat animals. Most deceased had family responsibilities. The most malleable variable is: lack of employment/occupation. The objective of this research is to gain insight into ways to operationalize interventions designed to improve income generation of at-risk youth. Methods This pilot study will use pre-test post-test design with four interventions: Introduction + Health training (2 sessions) Introduction + Health + Entrepeneurship training ( 6 sessions) Introduction + Health + Beekeeping training (6 sessions) Introduction + Health + Beekeeping + Entrepeneurship training (10 sessions) Intervention started April 2015 and will be completed January 2016. Post intervention data will be collected 3, 6 and 12 months after the last session. As a pilot study, evaluation variables include: availability/cooperation of subjects, research collaborators and institutions, timing, facilities and equipment needed, researcher experience, and costs. Results Four youth camps were randomly chosen from 243 mapped camps in 4 wards of DSM. Fifteen members of each camp were invited to join. At the introductory session, camps were randomly chosen for intervention arms. Baseline data were collected quantitatively: demographics, health parameters, assets, risk for violence, and reading, writing, math skills. And qualitatively : involvement with community violence, income generation practices, money spending patterns, helpful and deviant deeds, aspirations. Conclusions This pilot research is providing insight needed to conduct an experimental study to examine sustainable ways to reduce community violence. It builds on government and NGO youth employment initiatives; it is giving insight as to how such initiatives can be most effective.


We recently reported that Zika Virus infected multiple retinal cell types and caused chorioretinal atrophy in mouse eyes. In this study, we investigated the potential role of AMPK, a master regulator of cellular metabolism, in pathogenesis of ocular ZIKV infection.

 Primary human RPE cells were infected with ZIKV for various time points and AMPK phosphorylation was detected Western blotting (WB). AMPK activity was modulated by pharmacological activators (AICAR and Metformin) and inhibitors (Compound C) of AMPK. ZIKV replication was assessed by immunofluorscence staining for 4G2 and western blot detection of NS3 proteins. For in vivo studies B6 mice eye were challenged with ZIKV with or without AICAR treatment and disease progression were measured by fundus imaging. Activation of innate immune and antiviral response genes was assessed by qPCR.

 ZIKV challenge upregulated the AMPK phosphorylation in Pr. RPE cells in a time-dependent fashion. Our results indicate that AMPK deficient mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells were more permissive to ZIKV replication as compared to WT MEFs. AMPK activation using AICAR and Metformin restricted ZIKV replication in Pr. RPE cells and presence of Compound C reversed the effect of AICAR/Metformin. In vivo AICAR treatment ameliorated ZIKV-induced chorioretinal atrophy in mice with increased antiviral responses. ZIKV infection leads to activation of MEK pathways and an MEK pathways inhibitor, U0126, attenuated ZIKV replication.

 Collectively, these findings indicate the AMPK activation evokes antiviral innate responses and restricts ZIKV replication. Hence, targeting AMPK signaling can be explored to develop anti-viral therapy against ZIKV infection.


Polyfluoroaromatic azo-compounds (XC6F4·N:N·C6F4X; X = F, p-H, o-H, or o-Br) are obtained by the oxidation of polyfluoro-anilines with bleaching powder or with lead tetra-acetate; the latter reagent yields fluoro-phenazines as by-products. Reduction of decafluoroazobenzene with zinc and ammonium chloride or with sodium dithionite gives decafluorohydrazobenzene, and hydriodic acid cleaves both the azo- and the hydrazo-compound to pentafluoroaniline. Reactions of decafluoroazobenzene with ammonia and with ethoxide, hydroxide, or benzenethiolate ions are described.


ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that young adults can shift between rational and experiential modes of thinking when forming social judgments. The present study examines whether older adults demonstrate this flexibility in thinking. Young and older adults completed an If-only task adapted from Epstein, Lipson, and Huh's (1992, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 328) examination of individuals' ability to adopt rational or experiential modes of thought while making a judgment about characters who experience a negative event that could have been avoided. Consistent with our expectations for their judgments of the characters, young adults shifted between experiential and rational modes of thought when instructed to do so. Conversely, regardless of the mode of thought being used or the order with which they adopted the different modes of thought (i.e., shifting from experiential to rational in Study 1 and from rational to experiential in Study 2), older adults consistently offered judgments and justifications that reflected a preference for experiential-based thought.


Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) has established Traditional and Complementary Medicines Division (TCM) in February 2004. The ministry has recognised wet cupping therapy as one of the traditional and complementary medicines practices under this division. Under TCM Act 2016, the MOH  is the only authority to govern the policy and to impose the ethical practice's guidelines to be enforced on wet cupping practitioners in providing services that are safe and clinically proven as the best. It is expected that wet cupping will be one of the drivers in the global halal treatment industry in Malaysia. This article attempts to provide the basis for future study on the perception and expectations of wet cupping service delivery in the rapidly growing Muslim-friendly medical care sector. On the whole, practitioners must adhere to these guidelines in order to ensure that the Maqasid al-Shari'ah, which are the protection of a patient's life, intellect and property are safeguarded. All of this is in accordance with the basic purpose of a Muslim's life, and that is to obtain Allah SWT's blessings in all circumstances.


PURPOSE
This prospective study compares the analgesia obtained by topical anaesthesia versus a single peribulbar anaesthesia. The comparison is made during clearcornear phacoemulsification in adult patient.

METHODS
Ninety-six eyes are operated with Lidocaine 2% (66) or Tetracaine 1% (30) topical anaesthesia, 38 eyes received an unique anterior periocular injection. The same surgeon performs the phacoemulsification in 2 different centers. Analgesia is evaluated in the per and post operative period by the surgeon and a nurse.

RESULTS
Four cases (4.2%) in the topical anaesthesia group required a complementary subconjonctival anaesthetic injection. Seven cases (7.3%) had pain during surgery but without any need for a complementary injection. In the other group 1 injection was necessary (2.5%). A slight pain was felt by 5% of patients during surgery.

CONCLUSION
Topical anaesthesia is reliable but needs a patients selection, a well trained staff and a non beginner surgeon. The advantages are obvious for out patient surgery if no premedication is associated. Many doctors will continue to ask for an akinesia during cataract surgery even is the analgesia is obtained.


BACKGROUND
Yoga has been found to be an effective posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment for a variety of trauma survivors, including females with chronic PTSD. Aim/Purpose: The current study builds on extant research by examining an extended trauma-sensitive yoga treatment for women with chronic PTSD. The study sought to optimize the results of a treatment protocol examined in a recent randomized controlled trial with a shorter duration and without assignment or monitoring of home practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The authors examined a 20-week trauma-sensitive yoga treatment in a non-randomized single-group treatment feasibility study for women with chronic treatment-resistant PTSD (N = 9). The authors examined PTSD and dissociation symptom reduction over several assessment periods.

RESULTS
The results indicate that participants experienced significant reductions in PTSD and dissociative symptomatology above and beyond similar treatments of a shorter duration.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that more intensive trauma-sensitive yoga treatment characterized by longer duration and intentional assignment and monitoring of home practice may be more advantageous for individuals with severe and chronic PTSD. The implications of the findings for the potentially more substantial role of yoga as an intervention for a subset of adults with chronic treatment-resistant PTSD are discussed.


A conjecture by Mackey and Higson claims that there is close relationship between irreducible representations of a real reductive group and those of its Cartan motion group. The case of irreducible tempered unitary representations has been verified recently by Afgoustidis. We study the admissible representations of $SL(2,\mathbb{R})$ by considering families of $\D$-modules over its flag varieties. We make a conjecture which gives a geometric understanding of the Makcey-Higson bijection in the general case.


Nowadays, H-piles are usually used as temporary retaining walls, and sometimes buried in the ground after construction. The purpose of this study is the development of flowable fill materials that are easy to fill holes of retaining wall structure and minimize friction during pulling out H-pile. The first test was performed to decide mix proportion that is reasonable for purpose, in the second test, direct shear test was performed to get pullout resistance between flowable fills material and H-pile, and one dimensional consolidation test was performed to analyze the compressibility. In the test result, it showed that flowable fill material mix proportion is 350-450% of water, 70-100% of cement and 70-100% of sand based on the bentonite weight.


Effective Lower Hybrid Current Driving (LHCD) and improved confinement experiments in higher plasma parameters (Ip > 200 kA, ne > 2 × 1013 cm-3, Te ≥ 1 keV) have been curried out in optimized LH wave spectrum and plasma parameters in HT-7 superconducting tokamak. The dependence of current driving efficiency on LH power spectrum, plasma density ne and toroidal magnetic field BT has been obtained under optimal conditions. A good CD efficiency was obtained at higher plasma current and higher electron density. The improvement of the energy confinement time is accompanied with the increase in line averaged electron density, and in ion and electron temperatures. The highest current driving efficiency reached ηCD = IpeR/PRF ≈ 1.05 × 1019 Am-2/W. Wave-plasma coupling was sustained in a good state and the reflective coefficient was less than 5%. The experiments have also demonstrated the ability of LH wave in the start-up and ramp-up of the plasma current. The measurement of the temporal distribution of plasma parameter shows that lower hybrid leads to a broader profile in plasma parameter. The LH power deposition profile and the plasma current density profile were modeled with a 2D Fokker-Planck code corresponding to the evolution process of the hard x-ray detector array.


Parallel trade traditionally enjoys a significant protection from European Institutions, in the belief that it fosters competition and encourages trade. However, pharmaceutical companies claim that this form of competition undermines their incentive to innovate and threatens the competitiveness of the European pharmaceutical sector. This Article analyses a) the arguments put forward in favour of and against the freedom of the parallel trade of pharmaceuticals between the EU Member States and b) the case-law relating to the parallel trade of pharmaceuticals developed by the EU courts and, more specifically, by the Court of Justice ("CJ") (former Court of Justice of the European Communities/"ECJ") and by the General Court ("GC") (former Court of First Instance of the European Communities/"CFI") in the light of EU competition law (Arts 101-102 of the TFEU).


Some authors assert that the analysis of huge databases could replace the scientific method. On the contrary, we argue that the best way to make these new technologies bear fruits is to frame them with theories concerning the phenomena of interest. Such theories hint to the observable that should be taken into account and the mathematical structures that may link them. In biology, we argue that the community urgently needs an overarching theory of organisms that would provide a precise framework to understand lifecycles. Among other benefits, such a theory should make explicit what we can and cannot predict in principle.


Pharmacotherapy is available only for pituitary adenomas producing growth hormone and prolactin (acromegaly, hyperprolactinemia). While dopamine agonists and somatostatin analogues are usually administered to acromegaly patients only after unsuccessful surgery, dopamine agonists are the treatment of choice in patients with prolactinomas. Replacement treatment in patients with insufficiency of the anterior lobe of the hypophysis is oriented to the extent of the deficits. Theoretically, replacement treatment can be applied for any functional loss. Of essential importance is the replacement of lost adrenal cortical function by the regular administration of physiological doses of hydrocortisone, and of lost thyroid function by the administration of L-thyroxine. In high-stress situations, for example, due to severe illness, the hydrocortisone dose must be increased significantly, and if necessary given parenterally. Gonadal function is replaced either with gonadal steroid hormones or gonadotropin or GnRH in patients wishing to have children. In adults, replacement of growth hormone is also indicated to decrease cardiovascular risk. This, however is very expensive and requires s.c. injections.


This study assesses the potential of scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) produced by very low-pressure plasma spraying (VLPPS) for metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (MS-SOFC) applications. To investigate the microstructure of ScSZ, coating samples were deposited at spraying distances of 150, 250, 350 mm. The fragile nature of coating cross-sections suggests that the typical lamellar structure of zirconia is replaced by a transgranular structure. Nonetheless, apparent porosity, ionic conductivity, open circuit voltage, and ohmic resistance measurements indicate that VLPPS is a viable method for producing MS-SOFCs.


SUMMARY: Induction of oospore formation by the complementary strain occurred in both cases when A1 and A2 isolates of Phytophthora parasitica were separated by polycarbonate membranes and up to 3 mm of agarose. The number of oospores produced increased as separation distance decreased. The homothallic species P. heveae induced oospore formation in both the A1 and A2 isolates of P. parasitica. Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae stimulated oospore formation in the A2 but not the A1 isolate of P. parasitica, while P. cactorum and P. katsurae stimulated the A1 but not the A2 isolate. Sexual reproduction of homothallic species of Phytophthora may thus also be controlled by α hormones. Sixteen types of chemically regulated sexuality among the members of Phytophthora, differing in hormone production and responsiveness to hormones, are postulated.


Background: Background: Increasing nitrate concentrations in groundwater resources is considered a common environmental and public health problem worldwide. In this research, an autotrophic up-flow bioreactor with pumice as media was used to study the effects of the sulfur-to-nitrogen (S/N) ratio and empty bed contact time (EBCT) on nitrate removal efficiency and byproducts. Methods: Experiments were carried out in a 3.47 L up-flow, fixed-bed reactor with 3 sampling ports. To evaluate the overall impact of S/N ratio and EBCT on the performance of the bioreactor, several phases with different S/N ratios and EBCTs were applied. Results: At a constant S/N ratio of 3.85 g/g, as EBCT decreased from 24 hours to 2 hours, the nitrate removal efficiency decreased from 98% to 64%. On the other hand, at the desired EBCT of 4 hr, as S/N ratio decreased from 3.85 to 1.51 g/g, nitrate removal efficiency was reduced from 85% to 32%. Changing the EBCT and S/N ratio also affected the effluent nitrite and sulfate concentrations as byproducts. At the S/N ratio of 3.85 g/g and EBCT of 24 hours, effluent nitrite and sulfate concentrations were 0.1 mg NO2--N/L and 463 mg SO4 2-/L, respectively. Decreasing the S/N ratio to 1.51 g/g and the EBCT to 4 hours caused drastic changes in effluent nitrite and sulfate concentrations. Conclusion: The results indicated that the autotrophic denitrification with thiosulfate as electron donor and pumice as media was feasible and applicable for nitrate contaminated groundwater.