Garbage has been considered useless and disgusting. The problem of pollution due to the presence of waste requires processing and management to overcome it, one of which is composting. The waste chopper is a tool that makes it easy to destroy and speed up the composting process of organic waste. The progress of the industrial sector cannot be separated from the development of the tool industry or blacksmiths, both large and small. In the manufacture of blades or blacksmith himself experienced several problems, among many consumers who complains of sharpness and strength of the blades are manufactured. There are several factors that affect the sharpness and strength of the blades, including during the heat treatment process. This study used an experimental method with ST 41 steel as the material. Carburizing process using coconut shell charcoal powder at a temperature of 875 ℃, hardness test and wear test material and the salt water quenching media. The highest average hardness test value was produced by the carburising and hardening processes with a hardness value of 599.7 VHN, while the lowest wear test value was found in the carburising and hardening process, namely 0,0000767 mm³ / kg.m.


Outbreaks of infectious diseases confined to a particular locality are not unusual. Respiratory infections such as tuberculosis or community-acquired pneumonia are known in developing and underdeveloped countries. However, COVID-19 infection had globally created havoc due to its high rate of transmission and serious consequences on physical and mental health paralyzing the healthcare facilities of not only developing but also developed nations. This created a sense of uncertainty and insecurity in the public globally, adversely affecting the mental health of almost every individual. It is genuinely obtrusive that the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a global lockdown, adversely affecting the psychological health of the public. Some pandemic-related stressors affect nearly everyone. This review aims to study the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of psychological well-being and its overall effect on society, thereby making it essential to lend them a helping hand.


This article provides optimal labour and dividend income taxation in a general equilibrium model with oligopolistic competition and endogenous firms' entry. In the long run, the optimal dividend income tax corrects for inefficient entry. The dividend income tax depends on the form of competition and the nature of the sunk entry costs. In particular, it is higher in market structures characterised by competition in quantities rather than those characterised by price competition. Oligopolistic competition leads to an endogenous countercyclical price markup. As a result, offsetting the distortions over the business cycle requires deviations from full tax smoothing.


This study analyses the effects and threats posed by revolutionary and ethnic terrorism to the Turkish democracy and also explores possible solutions to the problem within a framework of democratic pluralism. In doing so, this thesis intends to contribute to general debates on prevention of terrorism in democratic countries as well as to the position of the Kurdish Community in Turkish society. It first explores these issues by way of a conceptual and structural analysis of terrorism and democracy, playing particular emphasis to the causes of terrorism. The analysis establishes the following hypotheses: that democracies can accommodate the religious, political and ethnic differences which terrorists seek to exploit; that a participative form of democracy has a greater chance of success because the general population would be more willing to contribute and co-operate with anti-terrorist government programs; and that the approach any country takes in response to terrorism will depend, in part, on its own peculiar socio cultural and economic history. The thesis then proceeds to examine these hypotheses in the light of the Turkish state's experience of and dealing with ideological and ethnic-separatist terrorists, in particular the PKK. The author submits that the hard-line and uncompromising approach of the Turkish state to terrorism has been generally unsuccessful. This has been due to its limited understanding of democracy, which has limited democratic participation to all but ruling elite, and its insensitivity towards the reasons and motives behind terrorist actions. As a result, the thesis offers a new approach -the third waywhich takes into account the multi-dimensional nature of terrorism, by stressing participation, co-ordination, co operation rather than domination, as a means of dealing with the problem. It submits that an anti-terrorist package that has popular backing, which is gradually implemented, and which works in conjunction with social and economic reform, is more likely to be successful in combating terrorism in Turkey, and perhaps, in combating terrorism further afield.


The purpose of this paper is to analyze the offensive team activity and to determine factors influencing the teamwork intensity in basketball. We were able to determine the teamwork structure by using a system of analysis of the offensive process. The analysis of the team activity as an integrated whole becomes very important. For this research we observed the Tallinn University basketball team, which plays in Division One of the Estonian league. The data was gathered from 600 ball possessions in 8 recorded games of the regular season. The data we collected (the count of elements in the offensive zone during one team s ball possession: dribbles, passes, screens on the ball, screen off s the ball, shots; the time in possession during the transition, ball possession in the offensive zone and total time; the type of offence: fast break, early offence or set offence; the beginning: after steal, defensive rebound or inbound) was analyzed by the means of data mining. Data mining summarises the data and presents the main patterns. It meets this target by listing the relations between all the values in each field and the dependent variable. The method employs a unique algorithm that segments numeric fields in an optimal way, and displays the relation between each interval and the value under analysis. This analysis of the basic rules and trends results in the summary of the data. The analyzing system of the competitive activity of the game, enables us to find out interesting offensive teamwork models from the data. The results showed that the teamwork intensity index was equal to 0,82 on average (SD = 0.26) with a frequancy of 43%. Trend report show, that the main impact factors influencing the teamwork intensity in offensive zone are time in possession in offensive zone (prediction power 67), the total time of ball possession (prediction power 59) and screen off s the ball (prediction power 39). On the basis of the research, the coach can evaluate the activity of the team and correct the strategy for future games. The analyzing system worked out through that helps coaches to develop performance and promote learning.


BACKGROUND
A previous study of the United States Department of Defense healthcare beneficiaries reported elevated cesarean delivery rates for black and Asian women relative to white women that were independent of maternal socioeconomic status. This finding suggests that other maternal factors may explain the elevated rates. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of specific chronic diseases identified as risk factors for complications during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and to explore the strength of each disease to predict a cesarean outcome.

METHODS
United States military hospital discharge records from 1999 to 2002 for singleton births to women without a previous cesarean were used to calculate primary cesarean and chronic disease rates for diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, anemia, asthma, sexually transmitted diseases, and substance abuse. Stepwise logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios for dichotomized race and chronic disease indicators for five maternal age groups using the chi2 difference (p < 0.05) to identify significant variables for inclusion in the model. Primary cesarean delivery rates were then adjusted for the presence of chronic diseases that were significantly associated with a cesarean outcome.

RESULTS
Diabetes, genital herpes, and hypertension were significant predictors of cesarean use among all maternal age groups. Cardiovascular disease, renal disease, asthma, and anemia were predictors in some age groups. The remaining disease conditions were not significant predictors for cesarean delivery. Adjustment of cesarean rates for these chronic diseases did not significantly alter the differences in primary cesarean rates for black and Asian mothers relative to white mothers.

CONCLUSIONS
The presence of certain chronic conditions before pregnancy may increase the likelihood that a woman will deliver by cesarean section. Adjustment of cesarean rates for the presence of these chronic diseases, however, does not account for the difference in cesarean rates observed for white and minority mothers in the study population. The potential for underreporting of chronic diseases complicates a true assessment of the impact of chronic disease on cesarean delivery rate variations between white and minority women.


Abstract The effect of glucagon on the rate of gluconeogenesis from substrates not involving pathways of mitochondrial metabolism has been investigated in isolated rat liver cells. From estimation of the rates of glucose formation, glucose phosphorylation, fructose 6-phosphate phosphorylation, fructose 1,6-diphosphate dephosphorylation, and lactate and pyruvate formation, it is concluded that glucagon stimulates gluconeogenesis from galactose, dihydroxyacetone, xylitol, and fructose by influencing the rate of reactions involving fructose 6-phosphate. Both glucagon and cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate act to inhibit flux through phosphofructokinase and enhance flux through fructose 1,6-diphosphatase. The simultaneous change produced by glucagon in expressed activity of each enzyme results in the redirection of carbon from lactate and pyruvate formation to glucose synthesis.


The cause of histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (HNL) has been ascribed to viral infection, but its pathogenesis still remains unknown. Real-time PCR assays are useful not only for their sensitivity of detection but also for the quantitation of viral DNA with a wide linear range. We accordingly used this technique to estimate for each patient the viral load of the following members of the herpesvirus family: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human herpesvirus (HHV) types 6, 7, and 8. Samples of patients diagnosed as reactive lymphadenopathy (RL) were included for control. Thirty percent (6/20 cases) and 63% (12/19 cases) of the HNL and RL patients were positive for EBV, and the mean of the detectable EBV viral load of the HNL and that of the RL patients were 463 and 355 (copies/μg DNA), respectively. By in situ hybridization, EBV-encoded RNA could be detected in the lymph tissue samples with more than 14.3 copies/μg of EBV DNA. No significant difference was detected between the number of HNL patients with HHV6 DNA (3/20, 15%) or HHV7 DNA (2/20, 10%) and RL controls. CMV and HHV8 were not detected in the DNA from any patient. In this study, we were unable to definitively identify the causative herpesvirus for HNL; however, 1 HNL case had an extremely large copy number of HHV6-DNA and displayed positive immunostaining for the HHV6 early/late antigen in lesional areas of the node, suggesting that HHV6 infection may be associated with some cases of HNL.


Summary The existence of cell free DNA derived from the fetus in the plasma of pregnant women was first demonstrated in 1997. This discovery offered the possibility of non-invasive sampling of fetal genetic material simply through the collection of a maternal blood sample. Such cell free fetal DNA molecules in the maternal circulation have subsequently been shown to originate from the placenta and could be detected from about 7 weeks of gestation. It has been shown that cell free fetal DNA analysis could offer highly accurate assessment of fetal genotype and chromosomal makeup for some applications. Thus, cell free fetal DNA analysis has been incorporated as a part of prenatal screening programs for the prenatal management of sex-linked and sex-associated diseases, rhesus D incompatibility as well as the prenatal detection of Down's syndrome. Cell free fetal DNA analysis may lead to a change in the way prenatal assessments are made.


Zoologists have introduced buffalo as "future livestock" and claim that their potentials and benefits will be more than any other livestock. River buffaloes play an impressive and crucial role in the economy of rural families. The ability of these animals to produce milk, meat and also their draft power has caused to be kept in rural areas. Mazani buffalo is classified as a river buffalo and no further karyotyping specification was made up to now. Blood samples were taken from ten (5 males and 5 females) Mazani buffaloes from Mazendaran province located in north of Iran. Blood lymphocytes cultured at 37o C for 72 h in presence of colsemid and the metaphase spreads were performed on microscopic slide. Giemsa was applied to stain chromosomes. The current study shows that 2n=50 and fundamental numbers (NF) is 60 in male and female. The types of autosome were 10 submetacentric/metacentric and 38 telocentric. The X chromosome is the largest telocentric and the Y chromosome is one of the smallest telocentric chromosomes. Also, the relative length of chromosomes ranged between 7.2 and 2.17 in Mazani buffalo. All chromosomes were found normal. The karyotype formula of Mazani buffalo is as follow: 2n (50) = 4M+6SM + 38 T+Sex chromosome.


The CSU-CHILL radar facility has embarked on an initiative to enable the real time operation of the radar over the Internet called VCHILL or Virtual CHILL. The concept of operation over the Internet can be implemented at several levels. The simplest one is to make the routine CHILL images available on the Internet as soon as the scans are completed. This type of data dissemination has been available with CSU-CHILL over 5 years. However such images are clearly not sufficient for aircraft coordination or actively conducting coordinated scans with rapid updates. The VCHILL initiative has a more ambitious goal of providing the same quality of service (QoS) at remote locations as at the radar site. In addition, the goal of the VCHILL initiative is to provide the educational experience of polarimetric radar at a remote location, without compromising on features of an on-site radar console. This paper describes some progresses and plans of the VCHILL initiative.


Empowerment of women is one of very important issue in developing countries. As women are integral part of society, her status and participation in decision making as well as economic activities is very low. Microfinance plays very important role in improving women decision making by contributing in economic activities. Over the years various efforts have been made by many Government and Non-Government organizations to promote women empowerment especially in rural areas. One such effort is the microfinance intervention. Microfinance institution aims to provide credit to the poor who have no access to commercial Banks. In general, this institution receives financial support from western donors, NGO's or commercial Bank, who lend to microfinance institutions often against below market interest rates. Many leading public and private sector banks are offering schemes exclusively designed for women to set up their own ventures. Even the unorganized sector has been heading into microfinance movement. The present paper is an attempt to study the role of microfinance intervention in promoting women empowerment in rural India. To check the various schemes under which the micro finance tool is apply and the progress of this program the help of various data provided by the government and other institutions is included in this study. With the help this it is suggested that education facilities and family protection must be provided in proper way. Microfinance institutions should strengthen and expand their support to resource poor women.


Abstract Methanogenesis has been widely accepted as an ancient metabolism, but the precise evolutionary trajectory remains hotly debated. Disparate theories exist regarding its emergence time, ancestral form, and relationship with homologous metabolisms. Here, we report the phylogenies of anabolism-involved proteins responsible for cofactor biosynthesis, providing new evidence for the antiquity of methanogenesis. Revisiting the phylogenies of key catabolism-involved proteins further suggests that the last Archaea common ancestor (LACA) was capable of versatile H2-, CO2-, and methanol-utilizing methanogenesis. Based on phylogenetic analyses of the methyl/alkyl-S-CoM reductase family, we propose that, in contrast to current paradigms, substrate-specific functions emerged through parallel evolution traced back to a nonspecific ancestor, which likely originated from protein-free reactions as predicted from autocatalytic experiments using cofactor F430. After LACA, inheritance/loss/innovation centered around methanogenic lithoautotrophy coincided with ancient lifestyle divergence, which is clearly reflected by genomically predicted physiologies of extant archaea. Thus, methanogenesis is not only a hallmark metabolism of Archaea, but the key to resolve the enigmatic lifestyle that ancestral archaea took and the transition that led to physiologies prominent today.


This article analyzes doctor–patient communication at admission interviews in an outpatient mental health care service at a public hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These interviews are the first contact between professionals and patients, and they result in the admission or rejection of the latter into the medical institution. In particular, we observe how context, understood as a sociocognitive and scalar concept, is reshaped with gaze direction and agenda-setting through interaction, resulting in three hierarchical spaces which can be represented as degrees in a scale: the public, the private, and the intimate level. This description will allow us to understand a series of communicative difficulties that may result from scale maladjustments, in which professionals interact with patients at different levels and therefore cannot give adequate feedback to satisfy mental health care needs.


Summary: The effect of pTR2030 on phage DNA injection, transfection, release of progeny phage, and cell death was evaluated for a number of lactococcal phages. Infection by prolate phage c2 and small isometric phage p2 of derivatives of Lactococcus lactis LM2301 with or without pTR2030, and infection by small isometric phage o31 of derivatives of L. lactis NCK202 with or without pTR2030 was studied. Phage DNA injection was not affected by pTR2030 when examined using blender-resistant-complex assays with 32P-labelled DNA or by observation of phage labelled with the fluorescent dye 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Successful transfection of hosts bearing pTR2030 indicated that the plasmid did not retard passage of naked phage DNA across the membrane. Infective-centre assays were used to determine whether progeny were released from phage-infected pTR2030 hosts that do not support plaque formation by small isometric phages. In all cases, pTR2030 reduced the number of infected hosts which generated viable phage. When progeny were released, the phage burst size was reduced. The data confirmed that pTR2030 interferes with development of prolate and small isometric phages in a similar manner via a classical abortive infection mechanism.


Gathering fourteen lectures by the pioneers of securitization and by current practitioners--from Freddie Mac, Paine Webber, JP Morgan, Chrysler, McKinsey & Co., and other major players--A Primer on Securitization introduces readers to America's newest system of raising capital: what it is, how it operates, and what difference securitization makes. The securitization process bypasses financial intermediaries that have historically collected deposits and loaned them to those seeking funds, and links borrowers directly to money and capital markets. Authoritative and practical, these lectures show how securitization was developed to fill a gap in financial markets. They discuss the nature and causes of the market imperfections that made securitization a valuable source of funds, and describe how securitization has linked local mortgage markets with international capital markets. Readers will gain a broad perspective of the different parties—the borrower, the loan originator, the servicer, the rating agency, the special purpose vehicle, the credit enhancer, the underwriter, and the investor—as well as a detailed analysis of how these parties relate to one another.


Composing modern African art music from the African stock has drawn the attention of many African and non-African composers and scholars alike in recent times. The common interest to decipher the creative concept and process of the new works emerging from the attempts of African composers at creative continuum of African traditional music has been so strong too. While musicologists and music scholars in general, attempt to discover the creative concept and process of such works, it is necessary to have the composer's perspective of his creative endeavours. This would offer deeper insight to the creative output, leading to the appreciation of the creative intention and the 'soul' of the works. It would also offer some guides to the understanding of the approach of the composer. This paper introduced the creative concept and process employed in my attempts to draw creative idioms and resources from Igbo traditional music in some of my songs. It presented a discussion on the creative approach as well as offered some analytical insight to selected musical examples from my songs. Basing my discussions on deeper musicological and philosophical foundations of Igbo musical arts, attempt is made to present my discussions in the light of developments in modern African art music. Nigerian Music Review Vol. 6 2005: pp. 27-46


Purpose To identify circulating microRNAs (miRNA) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Thus differentially expressed serum miRNA could be used as AMD biomarkers. Methods This study involved total RNA isolation from sera from patients with atrophic AMD (n = 10), neovascular AMD (n = 10), and age- and sex-matched controls (n = 10). A total of 377 miRNAs were coanalyzed using array technologies, and differentially regulated miRNAs were determined. Extensive validation studies (n = 90) of serum from AMD patients and controls confirmed initial results. Total RNA isolation was carried out from sera from patients with atrophic AMD (n = 30), neovascular AMD (n = 30), and controls (n = 30). Fourteen miRNAs from the discovery dataset were coanalyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to validate their presence. Results Unsupervised hierarchical clustering indicated that AMD serum specimens have a different miRNA profile to healthy controls. We successfully identified and validated the differentially regulated miRNAs in serum from AMD patients versus controls. The biomarker potential of three miRNAs (miR-126, miR-19a, and miR-410) was confirmed by qRT-PCR, with significantly increased quantities in serum of AMD patients compared with healthy controls. Conclusions Increased quantities of miR-126, miR-410, and miR-19a in serum from AMD patients indicate that these miRNAs could potentially serve as diagnostic AMD biomarkers. All three miRNAs significantly correlated with AMD pathogenesis. Translational Relevance The discovery of new AMD miRNA may act as biomarkers in evaluating AMD diagnosis and prognosis.


New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are continuing to emerge and dominate the regional and global sequence landscapes. Several variants have been labelled as Variants of Concern (VOCs) because of perceptions or evidence that these may have a transmission advantage, increased risk of morbidly and/or mortality or immune evasion in the context of prior infection or vaccination. Placing the VOCs in context and also the underlying variability of SARS-CoV-2 is essential in understanding virus evolution and selection pressures. Sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs from hospitalised patients in the UK were determined and virus isolated. The data indicated the virus existed as a population with a consensus level and non-synonymous changes at a minor variant. For example, viruses containing the nsp12 P323L variation from the Wuhan reference sequence, contained minor variants at the position including P and F and other amino acids. These populations were generally preserved when isolates were amplified in cell culture. In order to place VOCs B.1.1.7 (the UK 'Kent' variant) and B.1.351 (the 'South African' variant) in context their growth was compared to a spread of other clinical isolates. The data indicated that the growth in cell culture of the B.1.1.7 VOC was no different from other variants, suggesting that its apparent transmission advantage was not down to replicating more quickly. Growth of B.1.351 was towards the higher end of the variants. Overall, the study suggested that studying the biology of SARS-CoV-2 is complicated by population dynamics and that these need to be considered with new variants. Importance SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of COVID-19. The virus has spread across the planet causing a global pandemic. In common with other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 genetic material (genomes) can become quite diverse as a consequence of replicating inside cells. This has given rise to multiple variants from the original virus that infected humans. These variants may have different properties and in the context of a widespread vaccination program may render vaccines less ineffective. Our research confirms the degree of genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in patients. By isolating viruses from these patients, we show that there is a 100-fold range in growth of even normal variants. Interestingly, by comparing this to the pattern seen with two Variants of Concern (UK and South African variants), we show that at least in cells the ability of the B.1.1.7 variant to grow is not substantially different to many of the previous variants.


Objectives We aimed to investigate the dynamic alterations of cardiac connexin 43 (Cx 43), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) in the setting of different ventricular fibrillation (VF) duration and try to reveal the possible initiation and/or persistence mechanisms of VF. Methods VF was electrically induced in 32 dogs. The animals were randomly divided into four groups (sham control group: n=8; 8-min VF group: n=8; 12-min VF group: n=8; 30-min VF group: n=8). Echocardiography measurement and hemodynamic variables were recorded before VF. Cx 43 and phosphorylated Cx 43 (p-Cx43) were analysed by western blot and immunofluorescence. MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were analysed by western blot and immunohistochemistry. Results There were no statistically significant differences among the animals in body weight, heart rate, LAD, LVDd, LVEF and hemodynamic variables at baseline. Compared with the sham control group, Cx 43 in other three VF groups were significantly decreased, and the amount of Cx 43 declined with the duration of VF (0.83±0.04 vs 0.71±0.06 vs 0.66±0.05 vs 0.52±0.07, p<0.05). p-Cx 43 in 12-min and 30-min VF group were significantly reduced (0.76±0.07 vs 0.56±0.05 vs 0.41±0.03, p<0.05), while there was no statistical distinction between the sham control group and 8-min VF group (0.76±0.07 vs 0.69±0.05, p>0.05), in addition, the same change tendency was observed in the ratio of p-Cx43/Cx43 (0.87±0.03 vs 0.85±0.04 vs 0.76±0.06 vs 0.64±0.04). Compared with sham controls, dogs under VF showed significantly decreased contents of TIMP-2, and the level of TIMP-2 declined by degrees with the duration of VF (0.86±0.08 vs 0.75±0.06 vs 0.68±0.04 vs 0.51±0.06, p<0.05). No significant difference was observed between the sham control group and 8-min VF group concerning levels of MMP-2 (0.51±0.03 vs 0.54±0.04, p>0.05), however, the MMP-2 increased in other two longer-duration VF groups (0.59±0.07 vs 0.71±0.05, p<0.05). The ratios of MMP-2/TIMP-2 were higher in VF groups, and rose up gradually with the duration of VF (0.64±0.08 vs 0.85±0.09 vs 1.12±0.07 vs 1.39±0.09, p<0.05). A remarkable correlation was observed between the ratio of p-Cx43/Cx43 and MMP-2/TIMP-2 (r=−0.93, p<0.01). Conclusions Dynamic alterations in total amount, distribution and phosphorylation status of Cx43 were observed within the 30 min duration of VF. Meanwhile, the present findings also demonstrated that the expression of TIMP-2 declined and MMP-2 increased with the duration of VF. A remarkable correlation was also observed between the ratio of p-Cx43/Cx43 and the ratio MMP-2/TIMP-2. These data are consistent with previously published data by our laboratory. In conclusion, the alteration of Cx43 and/or p-Cx43, the imbalance between MMP-2 and TIMP-2 may contribute to the initiation and/or persistence of VF. Therefore, maneouvers managed to modify Cx43 or normalise the balance of MMP-2/TIMP-2 may be used to ameliorate prognosis of VF.


The Lung Cancer Biospecimen Resource Network (LCBRN) is an open access biorepository that obtains specimens from lung cancer patients (tissue, blood, urine, bronchial lavage fluid and saliva) and makes them available to biomedical researchers. Specimen collection is supported at 3 collection sites (Medical University of South Carolina, The University of Virginia, and Washington University at St. Louis) in compliance with uniform standard operating procedures. The specimens are annotated with clinical, radiologic and pathologic data. Histologic and molecular quality control procedures are in place for tissue samples. Lung cancer and non-neoplastic lung tissue aliquots are processed into DNA, RNA and protein fractions, which are also available. Fluid biosamples are available from subjects prior to, and after surgery to remove the cancer. A cohort of subjects are followed for recurrence with serial biofluid sampling. Specimens are currently available from over 300 research subjects. The application form for biospecimens and additional information is available at http://LCBRN.org. Citation Format: Christopher A. Moskaluk. The LCBRN: a biospecimen resource for lung cancer biomarker and discovery science. [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 2373. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2373


Odontogenic lesions are derived from remnants of the components of the developing tooth germ. The calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour (CCOT) is a benign cystic neoplasm of odontogenic origin that is characterized by ameloblastoma-like epithelial cells and ghost cells. Most peripheral CCOTs are located in the anterior gingiva of the mandible or maxilla. This is a rare case report of CCOT. The rare feature in our case was its peripheral nature of existence and its location in the left buccal vestibule and retromolar region. Based on the radiological, cytological and histopathological findings the lesion was surgically excised.


After PhA-L injection into the tectum opticum of chickens, column-like labelled terminal arborizations were found in tectum and also labelled neurons of Ipc and Imc in the corresponding sections. The PhA-L labele proved the projection from both Imc and Ipc neurons to tectum; their terminal axonarborizations were clearly discernible. Column-like terminal arborizations of different sizes were found both in PHA-L and Golgi impregnated preparations. GABA immunostaining displayed GABA positive neurons in Imc. The EM-Golgi study corroborated that the axon-terminals of Imc neurons established symmetrical synapses in the tectum. The results of the present study support the existence of an inhibitory feedback loop from Imc neurons to the tectum.


by BRENDA SUE SAVAGE SMITH (Under the direction of William W. Swan) ABSTRACT This study was designed as a longitudinal study of an alternative education program where students self-elect to enroll. Quantitative data collected compared grade point average, average daily attendance, and number of discipline infractions between the student's traditional high school experience and the student's alternative high school experience across the subgroups of sex and race/ethnicity. A survey was conducted to determine the student's post-graduation status: employment and/or enrollment in a post-secondary education/training program. The sample was taken from the population of students who graduated from the Hall County Evening School yielded an initial sample of 227 subjects. Descriptive statistics included means and standard deviations for each indicator of effectiveness. Inferential statistics calculated by using paired t-tests compared the variables between the traditional high school experience and the alternative high school experience. Results indicated an increase in grade point average, improved average daily attendance and fewer disciplinary infractions in the Evening School over their traditional high school attendance. Respondents to the survey provided positive evidence of employment and/or postsecondary enrollment after graduation from the alternative program.


Recent research has emphasized the continuities in European republican political thought from the late Middle Ages until well into the Renaissance and even beyond. Two of the central figures in the story of the persistence of republicanism are Ptolemy of Lucca, who is commonly viewed as the quintessential late medieval republican, and Niccolò Machiavelli, whose work is generally regarded as the classic statement of early modern republicanism. We argue that these two remain conceptually at considerable remove from one another, a claim we illustrate by analyzing the impact of the reception, Latin translation and transmission of the Histories of Polybius, and especially the theory of constitutional change proposed in Book 6. The unavailability of the Histories to Ptolemy and its rather ample use by Machiavelli at the beginning of the Discourses signal an important divergence in the theoretical principles underlying the defense of republican institutions. In turn, this variation captures one facet of the distinct qualities of republican thought that separated the intellectual terrain of the early fourteenth century from that of the sixteenth century.


Integrated circuits are currently tested at accelerators for their susceptibility to single-event effects (SEE's). However, because of the cost and limited accessibility associated with accelerator testing, there is considerable interest in developing alternate testing methods. Two laboratory techniques for measuring SEE, one involving a pulsed laser and the other /sup 252/Cf, are described in detail in this paper. The pulsed laser provides information on the spatial and temporal dependence of SEE, information that has proven invaluable in understanding and mitigating SEE in spite of the differences in the physical mechanisms responsible for SEE induced by light and by ions. Considerable effort has been expended on developing /sup 252/Cf as a laboratory test for SEE, but the technique has not found wide use because it is severely limited by the low energy and short range of the emitted ions that are unable to reach junctions either covered with dielectric layers or deep below the surface. In fact, there are documented cases where single-event latchup (SEL) testing with /sup 252/Cf gave significantly different results from accelerator testing. A detailed comparison of laboratory and accelerator SEE data is presented in this review in order to establish the limits of each technique.


Several attempts have been done to add emotional effects to synthesized speech and several prototypes and fully operational systems have been built based on different synthesis techniques. Butfor Indian languages, there is still a lack of fully operational text to speech synthesis system with emotional effects. This paper aims to give an overview of what has been done in this field for some of the Indian Languages and highlights different issues faced during the development.


RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Online surveys have several advantages, but a low response rate is common and it is uncertain how results are affected. Response inducement techniques can be used to overcome this problem. The objectives of this study were to describe the percentage of change in the response rate after reminders and to analyse the characteristics associated with non-response and late response based on the survey results, as well as by applying archival and extrapolation techniques.

METHOD
In the Autonomous Community of Madrid, an online questionnaire about cancer prevention was sent to a random sample of primary care health professionals (3586 physicians and nurses). Two reminders were sent later. The percentage of change in response rates after reminders, global and by demographic and health care characteristics of participants; and factors associated with non-response and late response were analysed using response rates and odds ratios (ORs).

RESULTS
After the reminders, the response rate increased from 22.6% to 32.9% and to 39.4%. Non-response was associated with age [OR: 3.14; confidence interval (CI) 95%: 2.23-4.42 for aged >60 years], gender and functional area. Further, a higher response rate after reminders was observed in professionals with heavier workloads (OR: 1.46; CI 95%: 1.08-1.97) and in those who stated a lower relevance of cancer prevention in primary care.

CONCLUSIONS
After electronic reminders, the response rate increased, especially among professionals with the highest workloads and a minor interest in the survey topic. However, possible bias associated with non-response remains and the factors behind this should be examined in future research.


Introduction: Leptospermum longifolium (C.T. White & W.D. Francis) S.T. Blake, Leptospermum petersonii Bailey and Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel are aromatic native Australian trees with uses as traditional medicines. Essential oils produced from leaves of these species have reputed antiseptic properties against many bacteria. Despite this, L. longifolium, L. petersonii and M. alternifolia leaf solvent extractions have not been rigorously examined for antibacterial properties against many pathogens. Methods: The antimicrobial activity of methanolic L. longifolium, L. petersonii and M. alternifolia leaf extracts was investigated by disc diffusion and growth time course assays against a panel of pathogenic bacteria. The growth inhibitory activity was quantified by MIC determination. Toxicity was determined using the Artemia franciscana nauplii bioassay. Results: The methanolic L. longifolium, L. petersonii and M. alternifolia leaf extracts inhibited the growth of a wide range of bacterial species. Growth of both gram positive and gram negative bacteria was inhibited by all extracts. The L. longifolium and L. petersonii extracts were generally more potent inhibitors of bacterial growth than was the M. alternifolia extract against most bacterial species. A. hydrophilia, C. freundi, P. mirabilis and B. cereus growth was particularly susceptible to the extracts, with MIC values as low as 147 µg/mL (inhibition of A. hydrophilia growth by the L. longifolium extract). The antibacterial activity of the L. longifolium, L. petersonii and M. alternifolia extracts were further investigated by growth time course assays, with significant growth inhibition recorded in all cultures within 1 h of exposure. All extracts were determined to be nontoxic in the Artemia franciscana nauplii bioassay, indicating their safety for therapeutic uses. Conclusions: The lack of toxicity of the methanolic L. longifolium, L. petersonii and M. alternifolia leaf extracts and their growth inhibitory bioactivity against a panel of pathogenic bacteria partially validate Australian Aboriginal usage of these species as antiseptic agents and indicate their potential in the development of antiseptic agents.


Correspondence: Sharon Lawn Room 4T306 Margaret Tobin Centre P.O. Box 2100 Adelaide, SA 5001 Australia Telephone: 618 8404 2321 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com LAWN S & LAWTON K (2011) Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness 3, 372–380 Chronic condition self-management support within a respiratory nursing service Aim. The aim of this study was to report the steps taken by health professionals in practice to embed an innovative chronic condition self-management support programme. Within a small Australian Respiratory Nursing Service in Australia between 2008–2010. Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) encompasses chronic obstructive lung conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These debilitating chronic conditions require a coordinated service response by health professionals across the spectrum of inpatient and community care services to support patients' to effective management their heath and prevent exacerbations. Conclusions. By recognising the importance of the different phases of change involving diagnostic, planning, implementation, ongoing monitoring and review, but also the supporting tools for data collection, the readiness of staff for change, the mapping of barriers and enablers and planning for shortand long-term impacts, this Respiratory Service was able to embed effectively into practice a more coordinated service for patients with COPD across the inpatient/community continuum. Relevance to clinical practice. This change process was undertaken by respiratory nurses in the field using the Chronic Care Model and associated tools to guide implementation and sustainability of the change. Guided by identification of enablers and gaps of most relevance to these health professionals and those they serve, effective service improvement was achieved. The description of how these health professionals achieved change holds lessons potentially for others attempting to improve support for chronic condition self-management across other areas of health.


How do you find common ground with those that believe in a vast, intricate, media conspiracy to hide the truth? In this work of philosophical short story of fiction, the narrator drives out to his parent's house to visit them for the holidays. Much to his surprise, when his parents open the door, they are only two feet tall! He is concerned that his parents, like many in the world, have shrunk to half their size. His parents, however, are equally concerned about their son because they believe he, and others in the world, have doubled in size. The son tries to explain to his parents that they have shrunk, that is why their house, and all their belongings, seem so large. However, his parents believe he, like many others, have an altered idea of what reality is, and that they have been lied to by the media and local officials. The son continues to come year after year to visit his tiny parents, who continue to refuse that they have changed, not the world around them.


Complete dentures may show biomechanical problems related to retention and stability, which can arise from professional errors during functional tissue impression, as well as during prostheses design and manufacturing, in addition to errors during the laboratory phase by technicians or simply by biological changes of adjacent tissues, such as bone resorption, maxillaries atrophy, and decreased salivary flow. The latter is a circumstance of major concern because saliva plays an important role in prosthesis retention as a "natural adhesive"; therefore, various alternative retention methods have been suggested over time, especially in terms of complementary adhesive systems whose properties have been improved by including other compounds such as synthetic polymers, antimicrobial agents, colorants, additives, and preservatives, which are available in different commercial presentations. The goal of this review is to highlight the properties of saliva as a natural adhesive and the possibility of improving denture retention when it lacks the ability to guarantee the desired results by additional adhesive systems, which are a safe and effective alternative, provided that the dentist is responsible and competent enough to prescribe the right adhesive in relation to specific patient conditions to avoid undesirable situations such as systemic effects due to prolonged and excessive intake of zinc salts included in some commercial presentations of denture adhesives.


An innovative newly developed modular and standards based Decision Support System (DSS) is presented which forms part of the German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS). The GITEWS project stems from the effort to implement an effective and efficient Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System for the coast of Indonesia facing the Sunda Arc along the islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali. The geological setting along an active continental margin which is very close to densely populated areas is a particularly difficult one to cope with, because potential tsunamis' travel times are thus inherently short. National policies require an initial warning to be issued within the first five minutes after an earthquake has occurred. There is an urgent requirement for an end-to-end solution where the decision support takes the entire warning chain into account. The system of choice is based on pre-computed scenario simulations and rulebased decision support which is delivered to the decision maker through a sophisticated graphical user interface (GUI) using information fusion and fast information aggregation to create situational awareness in the shortest time possible. The system also contains risk and vulnerability information which was designed with the far end of the warning chain in mind – it enables the decision maker to base his acceptance (or refusal) of the supported decision also on regionally differentiated risk and vulnerability information (see Strunz et al., 2010). While the system strives to provide a warning as quickly as possible, it is not in its proper responsibility to send and disseminate the warning to the recipients. The DSS only broadcasts its messages to a dissemination system (and possibly any other dissemination system) which is operated under the responsibility of BMKG – the meteorological, climatological and geophysical service of Indonesia – which also hosts the tsunami early warning center. The system is to be seen as one step towards the development of a "system of systems" enabling all countries around the Indian Ocean to have such early warning systems in place. It is Correspondence to: T. Steinmetz (firstname.lastname@example.com) within the responsibility of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceonographic Commission (IOC) and in particular its Intergovernmental Coordinating Group (ICG) to coordinate and give recommendations for such a development. Therefore the Decision Support System presented here is designed to be modular, extensible and interoperable (Raape et al., 2010).


Objective. To evaluate the indication and the clinical value of laparoscopic adrenalectomy of different types of adrenal tumor. Methods. From 2009 to 2014, a total of 110 patients were diagnosed with adrenal benign tumor by CT scan and we performed laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The laparoscopic approach has been the procedure of choice for surgery of benign adrenal tumors, and the upper limit of tumor size was thought to be 6 cm. Results. 109 of 110 cases were successful; only one was converted to open surgery due to bleeding. The average operating time and intraoperative blood loss of pheochromocytoma were significantly more than the benign tumors (P < 0.05). After 3 months of follow-up, the preoperative symptoms were relieved and there was no recurrence. Conclusions. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy has the advantages of minimal invasion, less blood loss, fewer complications, quicker recovery, and shorter hospital stay. The full preparation before operation can decrease the average operating time and intraoperative blood loss of pheochromocytomas. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy should be considered as the first choice treatment for the resection of adrenal benign tumor.


Chromosome region maintenance protein1 (CRM1) mediates protein export from the nucleus and is a new target for anti-cancer therapeutics. Broader application of KPT-330 (selinexor), a first in class CRM1 inhibitor recently approved for multiple myeloma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), has been limited by substantial adverse effects (AEs). To address this clinical problem, we focused on identifying novel strategies to boost the potency, reduce toxicity, and broaden the applicability of CRM1 inhibitors to a wider range of malignancies.
 We discovered that salicylates could markedly enhance the anti-tumor activity of CRM1 inhibitors by extending the mechanisms of action beyond CRM1 inhibition. KPT-330 was chosen as the prototypical CRM1 inhibitor given its current FDA approval status and characterized pharmacokinetics; and choline salicylate (CS) was chosen as the prototypical salicylate given its favorable pharmacokinetics and reduced antiplatelet, renal, neurological and gastrointestinal AEs in humans compared to other salicylates. By using cell lines belonging to different hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, we demonstrated ex vivo that the combination of KPT-330 and CS (K+CS) could induce unique and significant antitumor effect at much lower dose of KPT-330 (at 25% of the dose used in the clinic), thereby potentially mitigating prohibitive clinical AEs (Figure 1a-d, and e-g). This significant synergetic antitumor effect observed with K+CS ex vivo was also validated in vivo by using an NSG mouse model of mantle cell lymphoma (Figure 1h). Moreover, the K+CS combination did not show this potent toxic effect on non-malignant cells in vivo and was safe without inducing toxicity to normal organs in NSG mice.
 Mechanistically, protein profiling through mass spectroscopy revealed that K+CS uniquely affects the cellular pathways of DNA damage repair, DNA synthesis and cell cycle progression. Studies involving immunoblotting, cell cycle analysis, immunofluorescence microscopy assessing nucleocytoplasmic molecular export and DNA damage, reporter assay to assess homologous recombination repair proficiency and immunohistochemistry showed that, compared to KPT-330 treatment alone, K+CS decreased the expression of CRM1, Rad51 and thymidylate synthase proteins in vitro and in vivo, leading to more efficient inhibition of CRM1-mediated nuclear export, impairment of DNA-damage repair, reduced pyrimidine synthesis, and importantly a unique cell cycle arrest in S-phase, thus leading to cell apoptosis. These effects on cellular proteins and pathways were unique to K+CS treatment and were not observed with KPT-330 or CS single agent treatment. Pathway analyses through RNA sequencing also paralleled the findings of proteomic studies thus further validating the unique effect of K+CS treatment on the aforementioned cellular pathways.
 Importantly, K+CS treatment exerted unique and significant antitumor effect ex vivo on primary malignant cells obtained from patient's with high-risk hematologic malignancies such as double hit DLBCL, BTK and BCL2 inhibitor resistant mantle cell lymphoma, TP53 deleted/mutated chronic lymphocytic leukemia and high-risk multiple myeloma thus signifying its broader applicability as a treatment option for these aggressive hematologic malignancies where there is a dire need to find new treatment strategies (Figure 1i).
 In summary, we describe a unique all-oral drug combination with a novel constellation of mechanisms of action on cellular pathways that are exploited by cancer cells. K+CS represents a new class of therapy for multiple cancer types and will stimulate future investigations to exploit DNA-damage repair and nucleocytoplasmic transport for therapy of blood cancers.

 Witzig: Karyopharm Therapeutics: Research Funding; Acerta: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; MorphSys: Consultancy; Immune Design: Research Funding; Spectrum: Consultancy.


Intracellular recordings using standard current clamp techniques were performed on projection cells of the rat lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in vitro. These cells are generally quiescent in vitro but when magnesium was removed from the perfusion medium they invariably showed rhythmic depolarizations (15-20 mV, 210-320 ms) that occurred at a frequency of 1.5-2 Hz and evoked 1 to 4 action potentials. This activity was completely blocked by micromolar concentrations of magnesium (50-150 microM) while tetrodotoxine (1 microM) abolished the action potentials but left the underlying rhythmic depolarizations unchanged. These results demonstrate that rat LGN projection cells are capable of producing rhythmic depolarizations in vitro and suggest the possibility that NMDA receptors might be involved in these rhythmic oscillations.


In this study, we identified the genome sequence of the novel virus Pistacia-associated flexivirus 1 (PAFV1), a putative member of the mycovirus family Gammaflexiviridae (the order Tymovirales), via analysis of a transcriptome dataset for the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus, the family Anacardiaceae). PAFV1 was predicted to have three open reading frames (ORFs): ORF1, encoding a replicase (REP) with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity; ORF2, a movement protein (MP); and ORF3, a hypothetical protein. The PAFV1 REP sequence showed high similarity to those of three known members of the family Gammaflexiviridae i.e., Entoleuca gammaflexivirus 1 (EnFV1), Entoleuca gammaflexivirus 2 (EnFV2), and Botrytis virus F (BVF). A genome contig of the fungus Monosporascus cannonballus also contained a sequence of an endogenous virus similar to that of PAFV1. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis indicated that PAFV1, EnFV1, and the endogenous virus of M. cannonballus formed a distinct subgroup (apart from EnFV2 and BVF), and may be the founding members of a novel genus in the family Gammaflexiviridae. Notably, MP sequences of PAFV1/EnFV1 showed similarity to the MP sequences of the mycovirus group called tobamo-like mycoviruses (an unassigned taxon), implying that genomic recombination occurred between members of the family Gammaflexiviridae and tobamo-like mycoviruses. Since PAFV1 is phylogenetically related to mycoviruses, PAFV1 may also be a mycovirus that infected a fungus associated with the mastic tree sample, which is evidenced by the presence of fungal ribosomal RNA sequences in the mastic tree transcriptome. Thus, the PAFV1 genome sequence may be useful in elucidating the genome evolution of Gammaflexiviridae and tobamo-like mycoviruses. Keywords: Pistacia-associated flexivirus 1; Gammaflexiviridae; mycovirus, mastic tree.


1,3-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU)-sensitive and BCNU-resistant 9L rat brain tumor cells were treated with BCNU at graded temperatures between 37 and 44 degrees C. The cytotoxic effects of hyperthermia alone on both cell lines were the same. Treating both cell lines with BCNU at temperatures above 37 degrees C caused a progressive increase in cell kill. All survival curves for drug-sensitive cells had shoulders followed by a region of exponential cell kill; dose enhancement ratios calculated at the 10% survival level ranged from 1.7 to 3.0. Survival curves for drug-resistant cells were exponential without a shoulder; dose enhancement ratios ranged from 3.3 to 8.4. For each cell line, a similar amount of the increased cell kill could be explained on the basis of the increases concentration of reactive species produced by hydrolysis of BCNU at elevated temperatures. The amount of cell kill that cannot be explained on this basis, however, suggests that factors other than an increase in the concentration of reactive species at higher temperatures are involved in the enhanced cell killing. Possible mechanisms include a heat-induced change in the structure of DNA chromatin and the effect of isocyanate deactivation of repair enzymes, both of which could lead to an increase in the number of crosslinks formed and therefore to an increase in cytotoxicity.


There have been many location sharing systems developed over the past two decades, and only recently have they started to be adopted by consumers. In this paper, we present the results of three studies focusing on the foursquare check-in system. We conducted interviews and two surveys to understand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, how and why people use location sharing applications, as well as how they manage their privacy. We also document surprising uses of foursquare, and discuss implications for design of mobile social services.


Introduction: HRQOL is impaired in NCFB; however its relationship with other clinical outcomes is poorly understood.

Aims: To evaluate the association between HRQOL and clinical outcomes in NCFB.

Methods: A search was conducted on Embase, Pubmed, Medline, PsychINFO and Cochrane Library. Studies were included if they reported correlation coefficients for HRQOL with other clinical outcomes. Quantitative analysis used a random effects model and applied Fishers z. Statistical heterogeneity was estimated.

Results: Search identified 392 studies and 17 studies (5 abstracts) were included.

View this table:

Meta-analysis results.

Conclusions: Findings supported that HRQOL has a stronger association with functional and symptoms assessments than with objective measures. The review involved heterogeneity of the HRQOL questionnaires and disease aetiologies. These results could form the basis for investigating aetiological relationships in future studies.


In this paper, we introduce a timed extension of the extended finite state machines model. On one hand, we consider that (output) actions take time to be performed. This time may depend on several factors, such as the value of variables. On the other hand, our formalism allows us to specify time-outs. In addition to presenting our language, we develop a testing theory. First, we define 10 timed conformance relations and relate them. Second, we introduce a notion of timed test and define how to apply tests to implementations. Finally, we give an algorithm to derive sound and complete test suites with respect to the implementation relations presented in the paper. This paper represents an extended and improved version of [1].


The singular perturbation approach to the analysis and design of two-time-scale systems is applied to the longitudinal motion of airplanes. Linearized models of longitudinal dynamics have a well known, two-time-scale structure, characterized by the presence of a slow (phugoid) mode and a fast (short-period) mode. Such linearized models are represented in the singularly perturbed form via scaling of state and output variables. The singular perturbation approach is then used to obtain lower-order slow and fast models. The accuracy of these models in approximating eigenvalues is demonstrated using typical numerical data for stable as well as unstable airplanes. The slow and fast models are employed in a sequential design procedure to design a two-time-scale compensator for an unstable transport airplane. In this procedure, a fast compensator is designed first using the fast model; then a slow compensator is designed using a modified slow model. The results of the slow and fast designs are shown to be reasonably recovered when the two-time-scale compensator is applied to the full model.


Background: Meningioma is a benign type of brain tumor. This type of tumor usually grows very slow. However, it can compress brain tissue. Publications about secondary Neuropsychological alterations to a diagnosis of meningioma are generally sparse, but there are studies that indicate cognitive deficit in attention, memory, executive functions and visuoconstructive skills.
Objective: To identify Neuropsychological alterations in patients with diagnosis of frontoparietal meningioma.
Participant: A 52-year-old female patient, married, right-handed and who is an artist. She shows a clinical picture of head trauma without loss of consciousness accompanied by a persistent headache. A radiograph of paranasal sinuses taken showed a normal result. The image of brain scan showed a 2.7 × 2.4 cm meningioma located in the left frontoparietal area with hyperostosis.
Materials: A protocol of neuropsychological evaluation was applied with MMSE test, digit span test, TMT (A/B), Babcock story recall test, Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test, clock-drawing test, memory test, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and a verbal fluency task.
Results: It was found that the patient had difficulty to handle immediate information associated with a possible dysfunction of the frontal lobe (working memory), inability to recall material given by auditory pathway (delayed verbal memory). It was found that the patient was unable to generate verbs or alternation of the same (Executive functions), affecting her quality of life to a lesser extent.
Conclusions: The results indicate that the patient presents Neuropsychological alterations which are associated with frontal lobe. It is suggested to carry out plans of functional Neurorehabilitation which aim at the improvement of the quality of life of the patient, or future people with this type of diagnosis.


Abstract This article discusses how qualitative research with children exposed to intimate partner violence deals with methodological issues of children's voices. Violence researchers argue for the need to see children as competent social actors, differentiate between groups of children, attending to adult–child asymmetry in research and acknowledging children's individual experiences. However, little is said about how children's voices are produced in their local, cultural and societal contexts. There is also an ignorance of the politics of representation, which may hamper the development of ethically responsible research on children exposed to intimate partner violence.


Adult Wilms' tumor (WT) is a rare entity with less than 300 cases reported to date in the medical literature. Histologic and cytologic features of adult WT of the kidney are similar to findings in pediatric WT. While the lungs are noted to be the most frequent site of metastatic disease in the pediatric population, the incidence of lung metastases remains unknown for adult WT. A search revealed 38 cases of adult WT with lung metastases published to date in the English literature. Amongst these cases only two have utilized cytology of the lung lesions as a means to arrive at a final diagnosis. We report a case of adult WT metastatic to the lung that was initially diagnosed using endobronchial ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration biopsy. The aim is to compare the current cytologic and immunohistochemical findings with those cases previously published, to outline the cytologic features of adult WT metastatic to the lung, and to emphasize the significance of cytologic diagnosis in the work‐up of adult WT. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42:950–955. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Prior studies have demonstrated a close association between brain insulin resistance and Alzheimer's disease (AD), while selenium supplementation was shown to improve insulin homeostasis in AD patients and to exert neuroprotective effects in a mouse model of AD. However, the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective actions of selenium remain incompletely understood. In this study, we performed a label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) quantitative proteomics approach to analyze differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of Aβ precursor protein (APP)/presenilin-1 (PS1) mice following 2 months of treatment with sodium selenate. A total of 319 DEPs (205 upregulated and 114 downregulated proteins) were detected after selenium treatment. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the DEPs were mainly enriched in processes affecting axon development, neuron differentiation, tau protein binding, and insulin/insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF1)-related pathways. These results demonstrate that a number of insulin/IGF1 signaling pathway-associated proteins are differentially expressed in ways that are consistent with reduced central insulin resistance, suggesting that selenium has therapeutic value in the treatment of neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases such as AD and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).


The research work proposes a novel detection mechanism for ransomware using machine learning approach using Digital DNA sequencing. The proposed work contains three significant phases: Preprocessing and Feature Selection, DNA Sequence Generation and Ransomware Detection. In the first phase, data preprocessing and feature selection technique is applied to the collected dataset. The preprocessing of data includes remove missing value records and remove columns that have a negligible impact. The feature selection uses Grey Wolf Optimisation and Binary Search algorithms for choosing the best features out of the dataset. In the DNA Sequence generation phase uses design constraints of DNA sequence and k-mer frequency vector. A newly collected dataset after feature selection is used to generate the DNA sequence. In the final phase, the new dataset is trained using active learning concept, and the test data is generated using a random DNA sequence method. The data is finally classified as either ransomware or goodware using the learning methodologies. The results are found to be promising and reconfirm the fact that the developed method has efficiently detected ransomware when compared to other methods. The thesis concludes by a discussion of future work to advance the proposed method and future directions of research on the use of Digital DNA sequencing engine for general malware detection.


We synthesized a photoswitchable fluorescent probe incorporating a BODIPY fluorophore and an oxazine photochrome within the same molecular skeleton. The selective excitation of the BODIPY component at visible wavelengths is accompanied by the emission of light in the form of fluorescence. However, the illumination of the sample at ultraviolet wavelengths opens reversibly the oxazine ring and activates the intramolecular transfer of energy from the fluorophore to the photochrome with concomitant fluorescence quenching. As a result, the emission of this fluorophore−photochrome dyad can be modulated on a microsecond time scale for hundreds of switching cycles, relying on the interplay of two exciting beams. Our operating principles for fast fluorescence photoswitching with excellent fatigue resistance can lead to the development of valuable probes for the super-resolution imaging of biological samples.


The review is based in a report presented by the author at the RAS Physical Sciences Division's session in honor of Vitaly L Ginzburg's 90th birthday. It examines the current status of theoretical and experimental research on nonlinear phenomena arising when a powerful radio wave propagates in the ionosphere. The focus is on the modification of the ionosphere under the resonance excitation of natural plasma oscillations by radio waves. The upper-hybrid resonance gives rise to strong upper- and lower-hybrid plasma waves; excites strongly elongated ionospheric irregularities, and induces artificial ionospheric radio emission. Nonlinear processes are found to undergo complete transformation near double resonances, when the upper-hybrid frequency is close to a multiple of the electron gyromagnetic frequency. In the neighborhood of the Langmuir resonance, intense plasma waves and ion-sound waves are excited, electrons are effectively accelerated, and an artificial glow of the ionosphere appears.


This thesis is a literature and methodology survey discussing and analyzing Finnish studies on the effect of housing subsidies on rent. The purpose of this thesis is to achieve a basic understanding of housing subsidies' effect on rents, i.e. the incidence of housing subsidies and the methods with which the subject has been researched. The main studies discussed are by Lyytikäinen and Eerola (2019), Viren (2013) and Kangasharju (2010). I will also discuss some highly cited foreign studies for reference. Housing subsidies are the second largest income transfer in Finland, so it is very important to study the incidence of the subsidies. The purpose of the housing subsidies is to help low-income households with their housing costs by reducing their effective rents. If the subsidies raise rent level compared to a situation without the subsidies, then government resources are not correctly allocated. Currently there are relatively few studies on the subject. This is due to the complexity of subsidy programs and that they differ greatly between countries. The conclusion presented in this paper is that there is no clear consensus on housing subsidies' effect on rents and that recent studies have yielded different results. More studies should thus be performed to gain better understanding of the allocation of government resources.


THESIS: The Prosocial User Experience of Empathy Lesson Plans in Minecraft for Adolescents STUDENT: Justin Davis DEGREE: Master of Arts COLLEGE: Communication, Information and Media DATE: December 2019 PAGES: 49 Video games have grown in storytelling and graphical accomplishment in the past couple decades, and studies into how they can promote prosocial behavior and empathy are needed to better understand how this media can promote positive psychological development in adolescents. One video game that is popular with this demographic is Minecraft: Education Edition, which offers structured lesson plans that promote empathy and prosocial behavior. This thesis documents a study that uses quantitative analysis to better understand the relationship between Minecraft: Education Edition and the promotion of empathy and prosocial behavior in these lesson plans. The study results partially support the hypotheses that individuals who play a video game with lesson plans specifically designed to instruct them to act empathetically will show more empathy and prosocial behaviors in the short term than those who play the same game without predetermined goals or lesson plans. Although there was not a significant difference between the two groups in the total score for the three scales measuring empathy or prosocial behavior, one individual item score on each scale was significantly or marginally improved in the experimental group. These three individual items were related to prosocial behavior and perspective taking, which is a subset of empathy.


As the AD programme now faces a renewed lease of life following the start of the ELENA project, it is essential to ensure best possible reliability and performance for the next 20 years   or so. The AD machine, which was started in 1999, is based on the Antiproton Collector (AC) ring of the Antiproton Accumulator Complex (AAC) which in turn was constructed in the mid-80ies. Since most of the major AD components were retained from the AC, we now have a significant amount of 30-year old equipment to deal with. LEIR is in a similar situation  having started life in the 80s, supplying antiproton beams at various energies for the PS physics programme. After having been transformed into a heavy ion accumulator in 2004 and subsequently used in operation, some consolidation needs have become apparent. LEIR is expected to keep delivering heavy ions to the North Area and to the LHC until 2035, and  possibly light ions to a new biology research facility in the South Hall. A consolidation programme is underway for both machines and here we will discuss the main aspects of ongoing and planned activities from an operational point of view.


Impaired left ventricular diastolic function is an indicator of early stages of heart disease. In cardiac failure it is not necessarily associated with impaired systolic function and correlates more closely with clinical symptoms or load tolerance. Pharmacotherapy leading to improved diastolic parameters improves also the clinical condition of cardiac failure. Based on data in the literature, the authors analyze drugs which exert a favourable effect on left ventricular diastolic function: ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, beta adrenergic agonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, diuretic and direct vasodilating agents, from the aspect of clinical administration.


The photolysis of o-nitrobenzyl alcohol derivatives shows a strong kinetic isotope effect (KIE up to 8.3) at the benzylic center. For some derivatives, the KIE is wavelength dependent, suggesting the involvement of higher excited states. In addition to the important mechanistic consequences, isotopic substitution is a convenient way to alter the quantum yield without changing the absorbance, as would the introduction of substituents. This paves the way for a subtle tuning of the reaction rates in photochemical reactions. We illustrated this feature in the sequential deprotection of a diester protected at both termini with photolabile groups.


Segregation occurs ubiquitously and is an important process in mineral processing. Numerical simulation of the segregation phenomena can improve the understanding of the mechanisms and hence helps the optimisation of equipment and process designs. In this article, a multi-fluid model and a hybrid model are presented. Their capabilities of addressing various aspects of segregation problems in gas–solid flows are demonstrated. Specifically, the multi-fluid model treats both particles and fluid at the macroscopic continuum level. It can be employed to simulate segregation, given different particle types are treated as different solid phases. The hybrid model is derived using a concurrent multiscale modelling approach, where the discrete element method for solid particles is coupled with continuum fluid mechanics for the fluid phase. It is demonstrated to be able to capture segregation, which may be difficult to be predicted by the current multi-fluid model in some cases.


: In an effort to develop more potent inhibitors of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP, EC 126.96.36.199) as immunosuppressive and anticancer chemotherapeutic agents, the affinity of the electrophoretically homogeneous enzyme from rabbit kidney for sixteen N9- and N7-beta-D-glucofuranuronosides and for C8-substituted beta-D-ribofuranosyl purines was determined. In all cases N7-substituted analogues of hypoxanthine and guanine were twice more active inhibitors of PNP than N9-substituted compounds. No effective inhibitors were found among the C8-substituted analogues, apparently due to the bulky C8-groups hindering rotation around the glycosidic bond and thus preventing optimal binding with the enzyme.


This article analyses the attitude of the adult population of the Krasnoyarsk Krai to other nationalities and migrant workers on the basis of the results of research carried out in the Krasnoyarsk Krai in 2015-2016. We performed five surveys in accordance with the criteria of age, gender, and territorial distribution within which we interviewed 6,000 respondents who represented the adult population of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. To the data obtained, we applied the methods of descriptive statistics, quantitative content analysis and factor analysis. The results of the analysis indicate mixed trends in the attitude of the Krasnoyarsk Krai's adult population to other nationalities and migrant workers. On the one hand, there is an increase in the level of the population's tolerance towards representatives of other nationalities, and a tendency towards improving interethnic relations; on the other hand, we register an increase in xenophobia towards migrants. Thus, most of the adult population of the Krasnoyarsk Krai show few signs of hostility towards representatives of other nationalities, and generally have a tolerant attitude to them. The answers of the respondents indicate a decrease in ethnic tension and a reduction in the likelihood of conflicts on ethnic grounds in the Krasnoyarsk Krai. At the same time, there is a tendency towards negative perception of migrant workers, mainly from Central Asia and the Caucasus, in the collective consciousness of the population. The opinion that migrant workers are more harmful than beneficial for the Krasnoyarsk Krai is becoming widespread. However, we do not observe a connection between this negative attitude to migrants and the perception of them as competitors on the job market. The second part of the article characterises the activities of the institutions of government, science, education, and civil society aimed at bringing about and developing conditions for the integration and adaptation of different nationalities and migrant workers within the Krasnoyarsk Krai community. The final part of the article describes an integrated approach to solving the problems of strengthening the unity of Siberian society, and harmonising interethnic and migration relations.


Water is an unusual liquid in its solvation properties. Here, we model the process of transferring a nonpolar solute into water. Our goal was to capture the physical balance between water's hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions in a model that is simple enough to be nearly analytical and not heavily computational. We develop a 2-dimensional Mercedes-Benz-like model of water with which we compute the free energy, enthalpy, entropy, and the heat capacity of transfer as a function of temperature, pressure, and solute size. As validation, we find that this model gives the same trends as Monte Carlo simulations of the underlying 2D model and gives qualitative agreement with experiments. The advantages of this model are that it gives simple insights and that computational time is negligible. It may provide a useful starting point for developing more efficient and more realistic 3D models of aqueous solvation.


Microgrid and smart electrical grids are among the new concepts in power systems that support new technologies within themselves. Electric cars are some advanced technologies that their optimized use can increase grid efficiency. The modern electric cars sometimes, through the necessary infrastructure and proper management, can serve as an energy source to supply grid loads. This study was conducted to investigate the energy management for production and storage resources. For this purpose, we considered the market price of energy, the prices quoted by distributed generation sources, and electric vehicles in the grid and responsive loads. The load response programs used include the time of use and direct load control. The problem has a linear mixed-integer planning structure that was simulated using the GAMS software. The results show that with this planning, the proposed load response programs have a positive impact on cost reduction. Keyword: Microgrid, energy management, electric vehicles, renewable resources, demand response program.


The objective of this study is to explore an effect of class teaching method of utilizing a pictogram on understanding of safety terms by the Hearing Impaired students. For this objective, a class teaching utilizing a pictogram was performed by targeting 4 students (elementary school 6th graders)with auditory disability for app. 3 months during the period from July, 2015 to September and through repeated measurement, an effect of class teaching utilizing pictogram on their understanding of safety terms was analyzed. The result of this study is as follows. First, class teaching utilizing pictogram was effective for enhancing understanding of safety terms. Second, such teaching was effective for promoting interest in safety terms. Through these results, it could be concluded that such teaching method provided an opportunity of enhancing understanding of the students with auditory disability for safety terms. In addition, the result of this study implies that pictogram teaching method being designed to deliver the meaning of target easily and promptly becomes a major factor of exerting a positive influence on understanding of safety terms by the students with auditory disability.


John Berryman has been criticized for his employment
of white performance of blackface minstrelsy's conventions and
dialect in 77 Dream Songs because of the complex history of this
tradition of blackface's problematic performance of racial fantasy
and because of Berryman's designation as a white, confessional
poet. However, when one observes the history of this tradition of
minstrelsy, its initial reception, its "transcodification" into the
white American racial ideology, and subsequent scholarly analyses
of its implications, it is evident that Berryman creates an
anti-model of minstrelsy which consequently becomes a minstrelsy of
"whiteness." Through this anti-model, which shifts the public gaze
from "blackness" to "whiteness," Berryman deconstructs each,
eliminating the justification for unequal political power based on
the faulty ideology of difference.


Scalarization techniques are a popular method for articulating preferences in solving multi-objective optimization problems. These techniques, however, have so far proven to be ill-suited in finding a preference-driven approximation that still captures the Pareto front in its entirety. Therefore, we propose a new concept that defines an optimal distribution of points on the front given a specific scalarization function. It is proven that such an approximation exists for every real-valued problem irrespective of the shape of the corresponding front under some very mild conditions. We also show that our approach works well in obtaining an equidistant approximation of the Pareto front if no specific preference is articulated. Our analysis is complemented by the presentation of a new algorithm that implements the aforementioned concept. We provide in-depth simulation results to demonstrate the performance of our algorithm. The analysis also reveals that our algorithm is able to outperform current state-of-the-art algorithms on many popular benchmark problems.


The simple benzylisoquinolines, protopapaverine (IC50 = 61 pM) and laudanosoline (IC50 = 63pM) showed the highest potency as 'oH scavengers. In addition, laudanosoline has behaved as an effective O scavenger (IC50 = 48pM) from this group of alkaloids. With regard to the aporphine skeleton, boldine was the most active compound as 'oH scavenger (IC50 = 39pM). Worthy of note is the absence of activity in the protoberberine and phthalideisoquinolines tested. Sanguinarine was the only benzophenanthridine derivative which exhibited O scavenging properties (IC50 = 10pM). On the other hand, a large number of the alkaloids assayed as inhibitors of superoxide generation have interacted with the detecting system (cytochrome c). Sanguinarine (IC50 = l6nM) and glaucine (IC50 = 49nM) showed a very potent effect on the O production in polymorphonuclear neutrophils.


Confirmatory identification of hair colorants can be used to establish a connection between a suspect and the crime science or demonstrate the absence of such connections. A growing body of evidence shows that surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) could be a confirmatory, minimally destructive, and fully noninvasive analysis of hair colorants. In SERS, a signal that provide the information about the chemical structure of both permanent and semipermanent dyes present on hair is enhanced by a million‐fold using noble metal nanostructures. However, it is unclear whether the information of hair colorants can be revealed if hair was contaminated or exposed to harsh environments such as sunlight and heat. In this work, we determine the effect of a short‐ and long‐term heat exposure on SERS‐based analysis of hair colored with blue and red permanent and semipermanent dyes. We found that short and especially long‐term heat exposure at 220°C could alter chemical structure, and consequently SERS spectra, of permanent and semipermanent colorants. This thermal degradation of permanent dyes complicates their direct identification using SERS. We also found that partial least squares discriminant analysis can be used to overcome this issue allowing for highly accurate identification of both permanent and semipermanent dyes on colored hair that was exposed to 220°C for 6–12 min. These results show that heat exposure of colored hair should be strongly considered upon their SERS‐based examination to avoid both false positive or false negative identification of chemical dyes.


The use of neurotechnologies for surveillance in the workplace have the potential to impact the entire working population of the world. Currently, with the help of neurodevices, employers could analyze the brain data from employees to assess their cognitive functions (such as mental capacity and efficiency), cognitive patterns (such as response to stress), and even detect neuropathologies. The workers brain data obtained with wearable neurodevices could serve employers for purposes such as promotion, hiring, or dismissal. Neurodevices could also be used as new micromanagement tools, aimed at monitoring employees' attention at work. Additionally, they can be implemented as tools for self-control for workers, as the feedback provided about their current cognitive state can help improve the outcomes of ongoing tasks and ensure safety. Recent studies have shown that while employees may recognize the potential benefits of using such technology for self-monitoring purposes, they have a negative perception toward its implementation in the workplace. Surprisingly, only a few scientific papers specifically address the issues of neurosurveillance in the workplace, while international frameworks have not yet provided precise responses to these new intrusive methods of monitoring workers. The overall goal of this paper is to discuss whether employers should be allowed to use neurosurveillance technologies in the workplace to monitor their employees' minds and, if so, under what circumstances. The authors take a hypothetical scenario of neurosurveillance in the workplace using EEG-based devices as a starting point for their analysis. On this basis, three key ethical issues are identified: an increasing power imbalance in the employment relationship; a new threat to employees' privacy, and a risk of neurodiscrimination.


Cardiovascular fitness (CVF) and adiposity, especially abdominal adiposity, are well-known factors associated with general health status in childhood and adolescents. Physical activity (PA) may play a crucial role in CVF enhancement and the prevention of abdominal adiposity accumulation. The apparently obvious association of PA with CVF and adiposity still requires further research, since current knowledge is mostly based on data from self-reported measures but such measures are of limited use in pediatric populations. The current thesis aimed to examine the associations of objectively measured PA with CVF and abdominal adiposity in more than one thousand children (9-10 years) and adolescents (15-16 years) from the Swedish part of the European Youth Heart Study. Total PA levels and time spent in PA of different intensities (i.e. moderate and vigorous PA) were measured by accelerometry. Cardiovascular fitness was measured by a maximal cycling test. Body mass index was used to define overweight/obesity, and waist circumference to define an excess of central adiposity. Percentage body fat was estimated from skinfold thickness. Stages of sexual maturation were identified according to Tanner. The main findings and conclusions were: I) When examining CVF in adolescents, sexual maturation status and percentage body fat, as well as the way in which CVF is expressed, should be taken into account. II) Those adolescents who spend 60 minutes or more in moderate to vigorous PA daily seem to be more likely to have a healthier CVF level, independently of their sexual maturation and adiposity status. III) Low levels of total PA and, in particular, of vigorous PA, are associated with an increased risk for overweight and excess of central adiposity, independently of other important determinant factors, such as television viewing and birth weight. The data also indicate that the adverse association of television viewing with abdominal adiposity could be attenuated if sufficient vigorous PA is accumulated. IV) Cardiovascular fitness is inversely associated with abdominal adiposity and seems to modify the associations between PA and abdominal adiposity. In children and adolescents with low CVF, time spent in vigorous PA seems to be the key component linked to abdominal adiposity. The findings reported in this thesis will contribute to a better understanding of the associations of PA with CVF and abdominal adiposity, a prerequisite for more efficient health promotion. Future public health recommendations should consider the evidence-based importance of high intensity


The gene for dentin sialophosphoprotein produces a single protein that is post-translationally modified to generate two distinct extracellular proteins: dentin sialoprotein and dentin phosphoprotein. In teeth, dentin sialophosphoprotein is expressed primarily by odontoblast cells, but is also transiently expressed by presecretory ameloblasts. Because of this expression profile it appears that dentin sialophosphoprotein contributes to the early events of amelogenesis, and in particular to those events that result in the formation of the dentino-enamel junction and the adjacent "aprismatic" enamel. Using a transgenic animal approach we have extended dentin sialoprotein or dentin phosphoprotein expression throughout the developmental stages of amelogenesis. Overexpression of dentin sialoprotein results in an increased rate of enamel mineralization, however, the enamel morphology is not significantly altered. In wild-type animals, the inclusion of dentin sialoprotein in the forming aprismatic enamel may account for its increased hardness properties, when compared with bulk enamel. In contrast, the overexpression of dentin phosphoprotein creates "pitted" and "chalky" enamel of non-uniform thickness that is more prone to wear. Disruptions to the prismatic enamel structure are also a characteristic of the dentin phosphoprotein overexpressing animals. These data support the previous suggestion that dentin sialoprotein and dentin phosphoprotein have distinct functions related to tooth formation, and that the dentino-enamel junction should be viewed as a unique transition zone between enamel and the underlying dentin. These results support the notion that the dentin proteins expressed by presecretory ameloblasts contribute to the unique properties of the dentino-enamel junction.


A simple interferometer for matching the wavelengths of tunable lasers is described. Our interferometer uses the angular dispersion of a diffraction grating at the Littrow angle to produce a tilted wavefront with respect to a reference mirror in an opposing arm of a Michelson interferometer. As a first step, the resulting interference pattern is adjusted to produce a null fringe using a reference laser as a wavelength standard. When a tunable laser, such as a laser diode, is used to illuminate the system, the laser is simply tuned to reproduce the null fringe pattern established using the reference laser. When so tuned, the wavelength of the tunable laser is matched to that of the reference laser within about 3 GHz, close enough for optical heterodyning.


Objective To summarize experience and achievement in schistosomiasis control by management of excrement and drinking water in Heqing county of Yunnan.Methods The data of management of excrement and drinking water were collected and the effect in control of schistosomiasis in Heqing County between 1954 to 2009 was analyzed.Results After management of exretment and drinking water by construction of sanitary toilets and supply safe water in Heqing county with support of World Bank's loan the infection rate of schistosome reduced from 50.66% in 1955 to 1.10% in 1991 and further reduced to 0.40% in 1999 and 0.03% in 2009.The infection rate of schistosome in raised livestock reduced from 8.98% in 1958 to 0.11% in 1991 and further reduced to 0.13% in 2000 and 0.05% in 2009.Conclusion The practice of management of excretment and construction of sanitary toilet and supply of sanitary drinking water could effectively reduce the incidence of schistosomiasis in human and raised livestocks.


Abstract Aim To present a case report of a patient with classic galactosemia and the Q188R/K285N GALT mutation, who conceived spontaneously twice despite severe ovarian failure. A review of the literature is included. Materials and methods A 20-year-old patient with classic galactosemia and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) came to our attention. We performed a routine hormonal and ultrasound examination confirming low ovarian reserve. Due to low rates of pregnancies in individuals with POI (5%–10%), we were almost certain of the infeasibility of pregnancy. Results Surprisingly, several months after hospitalization, the patient conceived without any medical intervention and less than a year after the first birth she became pregnant again. While reviewing the literature, 90 pregnancies among galactosemic patients were identified. Conclusions Ovarian failure is a long-term diet-independent complication of classic galactosemia, pertaining to about 90% of affected individuals. This case confirms its unpredicted course, as even the presence of unfavorable factors (absence of spontaneous puberty, early diagnosis of POI, undetectable AMH) may not preclude the chance for conception.


Mammography is an important research field. Mammography Image classification is an area of interest to most of the researchers today. The aim of this paper is to detect the Mammography image for its malignancy. Different methods can be used to detect the malignancy. This paper represents GLDM feature extraction method and SVM classifier. Experiments were conducted on MIAS database. The results show that combination of GLDM feature extractor with SVM classifier is found to give appropriate results.


This study measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in phytoplankton, Zooplankton, five invertebrates species, eight fishes species and three seabirds species collected in Bohai Bay. δ13C ranged from −25.38%o to −11.08%0 showing a relative low enrichment in the food web from Bohai Bay. The mean δ13C of mullet is higher than that of other organisms, and this might be due to that mullet is migration fish and feeds mainly on inshore sources. δ15N ranged from 4.08%0 to 13.98%0, and showed a step-wise enrichment with trophic level of 3.8%0. The δ15N enrichment factor was used to construct an isotopic food web model to establish trophic relationships within this marine food web. According to this model, exact trophic levels of all organisms were estimated as 1.46-2.10, 1.91-3.32, 2.55-4.23 and 2.98-4.28 for plankton, invertebrates, fishes, and seabirds.


The design of power distribution networks significantly impacts the timing of very large scale integrated chips. Process variations induce uncertainty in the current drawn off the network and, therefore, impose statistical measures on the supply voltage. This brief presents an optimization methodology for assigning power supply pads across the chip for maximizing the timing yield. A mixed-integer nonlinear programming optimization problem subject to the voltage drop and current constraints is efficiently solved to find the optimum number and location of the pads. The experimental results for ISCAS89 benchmark circuits demonstrate as much as a 30% improvement in the timing yield.


A research has been investigated to further the production of bioethanol from banana especially from its stem. In this study, banana pseudo stem before and after pre-treatment were characterised by their crystallinity index and amorphous by using X-RD. Banana pseudo stem was treated with alkaline pre-treatment by using Sodium Hydroxide to study the effect of pre-treatment and the bioethanol production of untreated and treated banana pseudo stem was detected by HPLC. It was found that, untreated banana pseudo stem has higher crystallinity index (CI) than treated banana pseudo stem. In addition, the X-RD result for untreated banana pseudo stem also showed the higher concentration that is 44.5% compared to treated samples which is 22%. So, untreated banana pseudo stem was proved effective in enhancing the ethanol production rather than treated banana pseudo stem except the pre-treatment have to undergo properly.


Among the large caches of private documents discovered and collected in China, few rival the Huizhou sources for the insight they provide into Chinese local society and economy over the past millennium. Having spent decades researching these exceptionally rich sources, Joseph P. McDermott presents in two volumes his findings about the major social and economic changes in this important prefecture of south China from around 900 to 1700. In this first volume, we learn about village settlement, competition among village religious institutions, premodern agricultural production, the management of land and lineage, the rise of the lineage as the dominant institution, and its members' application of commercial practices to local forestry operations. This landmark study of religious life and economic activity, of lineage and land, and of rural residents and urban commercial practices provides a compelling new framework for understanding a distinctive path of economic and social development for premodern China and beyond.