Objective
Synthesize evidence on effectiveness of interventions designed to improve access to health services by indigenous populations.

Methods
Review of systematic reviews published as of July 2015, selecting and analyzing only studies in the Region of the Americas. The bibliographic search encompassed MEDLINE, Lilacs, SciELO, EMBASE, DARE, HTA, The Cochrane Library, and organization websites. Two independent reviewers selected studies and analyzed their methodological quality. A narrative summary of the results was produced.

Results
Twenty-two reviews met the inclusion criteria. All selected studies were conducted in Canada and the United States of America. The majority of the interventions were preventive, to surmount geographical barriers, increase use of effective measures, develop human resources, and improve people's skills or willingness to seek care. Topics included pregnancy, cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, substance abuse, child development, cancer, mental health, oral health, and injuries. Some interventions showed effectiveness with moderate or high quality studies: educational strategies to prevent depression, interventions to prevent childhood caries, and multicomponent programs to promote use of child safety seats. In general, results for chronic non-communicable diseases were negative or inconsistent.

Conclusions
Interventions do exist that have potential for producing positive effects on access to health services by indigenous populations in the Americas, but available studies are limited to Canada and the U.S. There is a significant research gap on the topic in Latin America and the Caribbean.


Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) may occur sporadically or as a manifestation of an autosomal-dominant inherited syndrome, the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. DNA-based RET genotype analysis gained worldwide acceptance in the identification of asymptomatic gene carrier. MTC synthesize and secrete calcitonin, a well established tumor marker and postoperative level of serum calcitonin, indicates whether residual disease was left behind and whether reintervention is necessary. However, management is difficult when routine imaging studies for MTC are negative. This paper brings a report of an illustrative case of a patient with MTC diagnosed by molecular screening, who persisted with detectable levels of serum calcitonin after surgical procedure. After 48 months, an increase in serum calcitonin impelled us to investigate the disease focus. Cervical-US and calcitonin measurement in washout fluid from fine needle aspiration was successfully used to identify MCT metastasis in a lymph node, allowing appropriated reintervention and illustrating the potential clinical applicability of this method.


There is no doubt that the newer forms of digital technology represented by Big Data analytic technology and Internet of Things will affect on the knowledge management process and consequently the associated innovation affordances. This paper shed the light on the innovation, environment and financing innovation as well as the relationship between the knowledge innovation and the new forms of digital technology. Also, we will outline the importance of innovation for organizations and types, as we will discuss the concept of innovation and knowledge management measure innovation management, then we will discuss in some detail the organizational innovation and sources of innovation and organizational stages of the innovation process.


What is the impact of positive affectivity on project success? The primary purpose of this paper is to answer that question by comparing two project groups based on their psychological traits and attitudes and see whether it has an influence on project success. It is done by administering psychometric tests, Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to both groups, along with questions regarding group dynamic based on positive psychology. Do their views affect how they experience the group dynamic? We find that there are some differences between the groups. Group A is both more optimistic and higher on the positive affect scale than group B. In compliment with this group A is also lower on the negative affect scale. Group A is more open to change, responsibility and roles are clearer and there is more happiness within the group. The sponsors of the projects confirm that positivity is higher in group A and based on the sponsors definition of success there is a reason to belief that positive affectivity translates into greater success of the project. The main findings in this research indicate that a mind-set of optimism and positive affectivity can have a positive effect on project success.


Clostridioides difficile is a commensal Gram-positive gut bacterium that causes C. difficile-associated diarrhea. Currently available antibacterial therapeutic treatment options are effective except for the repeated recurrences significantly burdening the health care system and causing mortality. The development of new therapeutic modalities including new effective antibiotics with a low rate of recurrence has been unpredictive and exceedingly challenging, requiring continued profiling of many new classes of antibiotics. Nocathiacins and thiazomycins are a class of thiazolyl peptides exhibiting potent and selective broad-spectrum Gram-positive activity including activity against the anaerobe C. difficile. These compounds showed MIC values of 0.015-0.06 μg/mL against C. difficile with more than 100-200-fold selectivity versus commensurate Gram-negative Bacteroides fragilis. Nocathiacin I and one of its analogs exhibited potent in vivo efficacy in the gold-standard hamster model of C. difficile infection, providing 100% protection in this lethal model at 6.25 mg/kg orally twice daily. The efficacy was corroborated by robust reduction of cecum C. difficile burden and proportionate exposure of the compounds in the cecum contents without any systemic absorption. In this paper, details of the results of in vitro, in vivo, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetic studies have been described.


Phospholipase C zeta (PLCzeta) is a sperm specific isoform of phospholipase C. It has been shown to produce a long lasting series of calcium oscillations and triggers the activation of development when introduced into mammalian eggs. It is not known how PLCzeta is regulated or if its effects are specific to eggs. Here Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells were transfected with cDNA encoding PLCzeta tagged with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) or luciferase (LUC). Comparisons were made between these cells and cells transfected with the catalytically inactive PLCzeta, the corresponding reporter gene, or nontransfected cells. PLCzeta exhibited variable levels of nuclear localisation in a manner that depended upon time after transfection. Analysis of resting intracellular calcium levels in transfected CHO cells produced no evidence that PLCzeta expression has a significant effect upon calcium homeostasis. The calcium response to ATP receptor stimulation also remained unchanged after PLCzeta expression. A lack of any clear effect on cell viability enabled the generation of a stably transfected PLCzeta cell line. Individual cells were estimated to be expressing PLCzeta within and above the range required to initiate calcium transients in eggs, and are therefore considered to be expressing at levels comparable with that of sperm. Despite the lack of effect on calcium in CHO cells, the injection of either cytosolic extracts, or whole cells, from the PLCzeta transfected cell line were able to cause calcium oscillations in mouse eggs. Such an effect was not seen with control CHO cells. These data suggest that PLCzeta is inactive when expressed in CHO cells and yet active when subsequently introduced into an egg. The results imply that the enzymatic activity of PLCzeta may be reversibly inhibited in somatic cells, or else specifically stimulated by factors in the egg cytoplasm.


1. 'Doctor Faustus's Day': Making fun Almanac day - high-class astrology - Poor Robin and his authors - mathematics and its mockers 2. 'The dismal and long expected morning': Getting it wrong The eclipse that never was - the South Sea Bubble - mathematics and its reputation - seamen's back-dated wages 3. 'Fitted to the meanest capacity': Learning it Isaac Hatch's exercises - maths at school - a gift for a maid - Ann Mohun's book 4. 'Beer, wine and malt': Using it Mathematics in your day - John Dougharty's barrel - maths and its instruments - Richard Shittler and his book 5. 'Beautifying the mind': Geometry and its effects Thomas Porcher's beautiful pages - How Descartes can change your life - geometry unbound - making yourself mad 6. 'A geometrical creation': Ordering the world The gentlemen of Spaulding - Desaguliers and his lectures - reforming the calendar - sawing up an organ 7. 'The number of sheep in Ireland': Getting it right Political arithmetic - facts, facts, facts - stacking the guineas - crossing the globe 8. 'The terrible Pons asinorum': Playing with it Comedy in the classroom - It might be you - The Ladies' Diary - the obscenometer and the death of Poor Robin


Iteratively solved Monte Carlo (MC) codes are frequently used for plasma edge simulations. However, their accuracy and convergence assessment are still unresolved issues. In analogy with the error classification recently developed for coupled finite‐volume/Monte Carlo (FV‐MC) codes, we define different error contributions and analyse them separately in a simplified non‐linear MC code. Three iterative procedures are examined: Random Noise (RN), where different seeds are used in each iteration; Correlated Sampling, where particle trajectories remain correlated between iterations; and Robbins Monro, where averaging is used during the simulation. We show that, as in FV‐MC codes, RN is the most efficient iterative procedure provided averaging is used to decrease the statistical error. In addition, we conclude that the accuracy can be assessed using the same techniques as in FV‐MC codes.


We report the first synthesis of a disyndiotactic polymer through topochemical polymerization using di(4-methoxybenzyl)muconate as the 1,3-diene dicarboxylate monomer. It provides a tritactic polymer under photoirradiation in the crystalline state, as a result of the alternate molecular stacking in a column formed in the crystals with aid of weak hydrogen bonds such as CH/pi and CH...O intermolecular interactions.


Nest predation risk generally increases nearer forest-field edges in agricultural landscapes. However, few studies test whether differences in edge contrast (i.e. hard versus soft edges based on vegetation structure and height) affect edge-related predation patterns and if such patterns are related to changes in nest conspicuousness between incubation and nestling feeding. Using data on 923 nesting attempts we analyse factors influencing nest predation risk at different edge types in an agricultural landscape of a ground-cavity breeding bird species, the Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe). As for many other bird species, nest predation is a major determinant of reproductive success in this migratory passerine. Nest predation risk was higher closer to woodland and crop field edges, but only when these were hard edges in terms of ground vegetation structure (clear contrast between tall vs short ground vegetation). No such edge effect was observed at soft edges where adjacent habitats had tall ground vegetation (crop, ungrazed grassland). This edge effect on nest predation risk was evident during the incubation stage but not the nestling feeding stage. Since wheatear nests are depredated by ground-living animals our results demonstrate: (i) that edge effects depend on edge contrast, (ii) that edge-related nest predation patterns vary across the breeding period probably resulting from changes in parental activity at the nest between the incubation and nestling feeding stage. Edge effects should be put in the context of the nest predator community as illustrated by the elevated nest predation risk at hard but not soft habitat edges when an edge is defined in terms of ground vegetation. These results thus can potentially explain previously observed variations in edge-related nest predation risk.


Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified >200 loci associated with breast cancer (BC) risk. The majority of candidate causal variants (CCVs) are in non-coding regions and are likely to modulate cancer risk by regulating gene expression. We recently developed a scoring system, INQUISIT, to predict candidate risk genes at BC-risk loci. Here, we used pooled CRISPR activation and suppression screens to validate INQUISIT predictions, and to define the cancer phenotypes they mediate. We measured proliferation in 2D, 3D, and in immune-deficient mice, as well as the effect on the DNA damage response. We performed 60 CRISPR screens and identified 21 high-confidence INQUISIT predictions that mediate a cancer phenotype. We validated the direct regulation of a subset of genes by BC-risk variants using HiCHIP and CRISPRqtl. Furthermore, we show the utility of expression profiling for drug repurposing against these targets. We provide a platform for identifying gene targets of risk variants, and lay a blueprint of interventions for BC risk reduction and treatment.


Skull-base chordoma (SBC) is a rare tumour whose molecular and radiological characteristics are still being investigated. In neuro-oncology microstructural imaging techniques, like diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI), have been widely investigated, with the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) being one of the most used DW-MRI parameters due to its ease of acquisition and computation. ADC is a potential biomarker without a clear link to microstructure. The aim of this work was to derive microstructural information from conventional ADC, showing its potential for the characterisation of skull-base chordomas. Sixteen patients affected by SBC, who underwent conventional DW-MRI were retrospectively selected. From mono-exponential fits of DW-MRI, ADC maps were estimated using different sets of b-values. DW-MRI signals were simulated from synthetic substrates , which mimic the cellular packing of a tumour tissue with well-defined microstructural features. Starting from a published method, an error-driven procedure was evaluated to improve the estimates of microstructural parameters obtained through the simulated signals. A quantitative description of the tumour microstructure was then obtained from the DW-MRI images. This allowed successfully differentiating patients according to histologically-verified cell proliferation information.Clinical Relevance — The impact on cancer management derives from the expected improvement of radiation treatment quality tailored to a patient-specific non-invasive description of tumour microstructure.


The relationship of museum and city is indeed an overarching subject for the international community of heritage. Cities can no longer be considered in a restrictive sense as places where symbolic expressions of political powers can expand – museums being only one of these symbolic cultural expressions. Cities' internal changes, whether they be cultural, political or social, are major subjects of museums' concern and action. Museum professionals are thus confronted with two categories of questions: those which relate to the programming of the museum in the city and those that partake in defining a museology that represents the city.


The Niger Delta wetland is currently facing serious challenges of sustainable water supply management. Despite the availability of water, the region has been struggling with acute potable water shortage due to ineffective water supply management culture. To combat water shortage various governments within the region have set up water corporations to manage this important resource. This paper examines the widening gap between water need and supply in the wetland despite continuous efforts made to develop the regions' vast surface and groundwater resources. The study employed the review of literature on water supply management policy documents and other works so as to understand the challenges of water supply management in the wetland. The paper revealed that the challenges facing sustainable water supply management in the Niger delta wetland include lack of effective compliance to policies, fragmented responsibility, poor state of infrastructure, corruption, and low rate of costs recovery. In order to ameliorate these challenges, the researcher recommends the need to comply with water management policies that aim at economic efficiency, encourage stakeholder participation, and enforce existing laws and regulatory responsibilities.


The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence experienced by women who inject drugs (WWID) and identify associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 WWID in a network of harm reduction centres using an anonymous questionnaire. Oral fluid samples were also collected to estimate the prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression models with robust variance were performed to identify the factors associated with experiencing violence, obtaining prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals. The results showed that the prevalence of violence reported by WWID in the last 12 months was 45.8% (42.2% physical and 11.9% sexual aggression). In multivariate analysis, variables associated with experiencing violence were homelessness (PR = 1.59; CI: 1.07-2.38), reporting exchanges of sex for money or drugs (PR = 1.65; CI: 1.19-2.29), reporting a previous sexually transmitted infection (PR = 1.49; CI: 1.04-2.15) and/or injecting drugs less frequently than daily (RP = 2.29; CI: 1.49-3.54). This study highlights the importance of establishing detection protocols and systems of referral to the network of attention to women suffering violence, within the centres of the drug addiction care network, as well as the development of multilevel strategies that take into account not only individual factors but also other social and/or structural aspects that may be playing a relevant role in addressing this problem.


Data mining is a broad area that integrates research efforts from several fields with the aim of processing large volumes of data into knowledge bases for better decision making. Since numerical and nominal data are equally important in practical data mining applications, dealing with different types of data items are among the most important problems in data mining research and development. This paper introduces a new fuzzy rule induction algorithm, able to deal properly with either numerical or nominal attributes, for the creation of classification and predictive models. To better handle numerical data, fuzzy sets are used to represent intervals in the domains of numerical attributes. Experimental results have shown that the proposed algorithm produces robust and general models that can be used for prediction as well as for classification.


Previous studies of the recent drought in the Murray‐Darling Basin (MDB) have noted that low rainfall totals have been accompanied by anomalously high air temperatures. Subsequent studies have interpreted an identified trend in the residual timeseries of non‐rainfall related temperature variability as a signal of anthropogenic change, further speculating that increased air temperature has exacerbated the drought through increasing evapotranspiration rates. In this study, we explore an alternative explanation of the recent increases in air temperature. This study demonstrates that significant misunderstanding of known processes of land surface – atmosphere interactions has led to the incorrect attribution of the causes of the anomalous temperatures, as well as significant misunderstanding of their impact on evaporation within the Murray‐Darling Basin.


Observation of terrestrial GNSS interference (jamming and spoofing) from low Earth orbit (LEO) is a uniquely effective technique for characterizing the scope, strength, and structure of interference and for estimating transmitter locations. Such details are useful for situational awareness, interference deterrence, and the development of interference-hardened GNSS receivers. This paper presents the results of a three-year study of global interference, with emphasis on a particularly powerful interference source active in Syria since 2017. It then explores the implications of such interference for GNSS receiver operation and design.


Study Design. In this phantom study, rotations of a vertebral body calculated from computerized tomography (CT) were compared to the actual rotations provided by a specially designed device incorporating a reduction gear. Objective. The objective was to measure the accuracy of the CT and an automated software program to calculate rotations of lumbar vertebral bodies. Background. Rotations of individual vertebrae secondary to a change in position or load can be measured in select patients by roentgen stereophotogrammetry or by using CT and a specially constructed table that creates the rotation of the torso. The purpose of this study was to measure the precision and accuracy of rotation measurements made with a CT scanner and an automated program to calculate rotation. Methods. We constructed a phantom with a lumbar vertebra that can be rotated within a CT scanner. CT of the vertebra were obtained at angular positions of 0, 0.360°, 1.080°, 2.520°, 5.400°, 11.160°, 29.160°, 29.340°, 29.520°, 29.610°, 29.700°, 29.790°, 29.880°, and 29.889°. With an automated program based on a pixel-shift algorithm, we calculated rotations of the vertebra between pairs of images. Accuracy was calculated as mean difference between the actual and the calculated rotation, and precision was calculated as the standard deviation of the differences. Results. Differences between actual and calculated rotations varied from −0.083° to 0.132°. For rotations less than 15°, mean error (accuracy) was −0.039°, and the standard deviation (precision) was 0.029°. For rotations greater than 15°, the accuracy was 0.086°, and the precision was 0.023°. Conclusions. This study shows that rotations of lumbar vertebrae may be measured with CT, and an automated program to an accuracy and precision better than 0.1°, comparable to that of roentgen stereophotogrammetry.


Bioinspired water-repellent materials offer a wealth of opportunities to solve scientific and technological issues. Lotus-leaf and pitcher plants represent two types of antiwetting surfaces, i.e., superhydrophobic and lubricant-infused "slippery" surfaces. Here we investigate the functions and applications of those two types of interfacial materials. The superhydrophobic surface was fabricated on the basis of a hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticle/poly(dimethylsiloxane) composite layer, and the lubricant-infused "slippery" surface was prepared on the basis of silicone oil infusion. The fabrication, characteristics, and functions of both substrates were studied, including the wettability, transparency, adhesive force, dynamic droplet impact, antifogging, self-cleaning ability, etc. The advantages and disadvantages of the surfaces were briefly discussed, indicating the most suitable applications of the antiwetting materials. This contribution is aimed at providing meaningful information on how to select water-repellent substrates to solve the scientific and practical issues, which can also stimulate new thinking for the development of antiwetting interfacial materials.


An important class of multi-robot formations is specified by desired distances between adjacent robots. In previous work, we showed that distance-based formations can be globally stabilized by negative gradient, potential field based, control laws, if and only if the formation graph is a tree. In this paper, we further examine the relation between the cycle space of the formation graph and the resulting equilibria of cyclic formations. In addition, the results are extended to the case of distance based formation control for nonholonomic agents. The results are supported through computer simulations.


Some derivatives of ibuprofen bearing 4H-thiazolidin-4-one moiety were synthesized from ibuprofen and studied for their pharmacological activities. Methyl ester of ibuprofen I was synthesized from ibuprofen and then converted to hydrazide II with the reaction of hydrazine hydrate. Hydrazide of ibuprofen then reacted with aromatic aldehydes in the presence of glacial acetic acid to yield the hydrazones III which on reaction with thioglycolic acid and dimethyl formamide in presence of catalytic amount of anhydrous zinc chloride furnished the title compounds IV. The structures of synthesized compounds were elucidated mainly by spectral evidence. All the synthesized title compounds were screened for their anti-inflammatory activity. Title compounds were also studied for their ulcerogenic potential. The compounds exhibited moderate to significant activities.


Intermountain Healthcare, a 21-hospital integrated health care delivery system based in Salt Lake City, is expanding its electronic medical record system to reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections with the help of a dollars 2 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


A central problem in the production of music by computer is how to generate sounds with similar but different timbres; that is, how to synthesize a "family" of instruments that are perceived as distinguishable but similar in timbre. This paper describes a method for synthesizing a family of string-like instruments that proceeds as follows: First, a few actual violin notes are analyzed using linear prediction. Second, a bilinear transformation is applied to the linear prediction model on synthesis, using a recently described algorithm. This yields a computationally efficient way to generate a virtual string orchestra, with violin-, viola-, violoncello-, and bass-like timbres. A realization of a 4.7-minute piece composed by P. Lansky will be played.


Floristic and taxonomic studies of aquatic macrophytes contribute to quantification of the flora showing its richness and diversity in these ecosystems. This study aims to characterize floristic composition, provide identification keys and detect life forms of aquatic macrophytes in three public water-supply reservoirs, located in different phytogeographic regions of Pernambuco (Zona da Mata/Litoral, Agreste and Sertao). The plants were collected from April 2007 to February 2010. Fertile or sterile specimens were collected on the shore and inside the reservoirs. 59 species were sampled belonging to 23 families. The most representative families were: Fabaceae (10 species), Asteraceae (9), Poaceae (8) and Cyperaceae (6). The most common life forms were amphibious with 36 species (61.01%) and emergent with 14 species (23.73%). Compared to other floristic studies, the most representative families in this study were also common in other aquatic ecosystems and the high number of amphibious and emergent plants was due mainly to the resistance of these species to variation in water level in the reservoirs. Since they are located in different phytogeographic zones, the flora of the reservoirs proved to be quite distinct, with only one species in common.


The quantum dynamics of a charge qubit, which makes up of a single-Cooper-pair box, are explored. The Cooper-pair box is irradiated by a squeezed field in an ideal one-mode cavity. By the result of the Schrodinger equation, the Cooper pairs number 〈N〉 is conveniently obtained. Then it is proved that the oscillations of the Cooper-pair number 〈N〉 are decreasing with the increasing squeezing parameter of the squeezed field.


According to a frequently cited finding by Berger et al (1993), X-inefficiency contributes 20% to cost-inefficiency in western banks. Empirical studies of Chinese banks tend to place cost-inefficiency in the region of 50%. Such estimates would suggest that Chinese banks suffer from gross cost inefficiency. Using a nonparametric bootstrapping method, this study decomposes cost-inefficiency in Chinese banks into X-inefficiency and allocative-inefficiency. It argues that allocative inefficiency is the optimal outcome of input resource allocation subject to enforced employment constraints. The resulting analysis suggests that allowing for rational allocative inefficiency; Chinese banks are no better or worse than their western counterparts.


We have investigated the resolution of scanning transmission electron microscope images for single, isolated atoms. The images are simulated from first principles using a nonlocal model for electron core-loss spectroscopy. We have examined the role of the width of the probe in determining the localisation of the images.


In Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) packet transmission is very important, with the existing routing protocol like ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV), signal stability based adaptive routing (SSA) the packet format for sending the message and processing takes more time, but with new generation personal computer which we use, comes with high end configuration. With the help of this latest trends and technologies, we can further increase the performance of the data transfer in MANET. For increasing the performance, we have proposed a Message Priority and Fast Routing (MPFR) method, which prioritizes the packet with high priority and also it reduces the processing time of the packets. Through MPFR routing the packet interval time is reduced in queuing of each node that makes each node to release the packet faster which will decrease the packet delivery time at receiver. In this paper AODV mechanism and our proposed method MPFR is compared. We analyse performance of these systems with help of parameterslike packet delivery ratio, average end to end delay, throughput and analysis is done in graphical form.


Abstract We review the concept of organisational resilience from the perspective of a consultant-client relationship. Specifically, we argue that the issue of a client's resilience in the face of performance-diminishing disruptions needs to be a central theme of any consultant-client relationship. Management consultants have a responsibility to clients to support their resilience capabilities regardless of whether a given assignment explicitly uses the language of resilience. However, our literature review suggests this is a formidable challenge, particularly with larger and more complex client organisations. Understanding the client's resilience landscape involves learning about the effectiveness of prior responses to disruptions at individual, organizational, and network levels. Advising the client on how to improve their resilience capabilities requires the consultant to think very carefully about the overall type of resilience needed, the reasons behind this stance, the level of implementation and the scope of implementation.


Abstract In this article, we consider (1) the role of Medicare in shaping US inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) stroke rehabilitation, (2) admission criteria for IRF care in the United States and medical management while in IRF, (3) the organization and delivery of IRF-level nursing and therapy, (4) post-IRF rehabilitation choices, (5) monitoring of rehabilitation outcomes, and (6) the implications of a multisite stroke outcome study for stroke rehabilitation practice. Inpatient stroke rehabilitation in the United States is a team-oriented, patient-centered, Medicare-driven service provided to stroke survivors. As a field of practice, it strives for continuous quality improvement to optimize patient outcomes. Stroke rehabilitation as a science, however, remains underfunded relative to the scope of the challenge in Western societies and worldwide for that matter. Worldwide sharing of best practices found in the United States and other countries will allow stroke survivors of any country improved chances for functional recovery, greater independence, and life satisfaction.


Meir's (2010) Double Mapping Constraint (DMC) states the use of iconic signs in metaphors is restricted to signs that preserve the structural correspondence between the articulators and the concrete source domain and between the concrete and metaphorical domains. We investigated ASL signers' comprehension of English metaphors whose translations complied with the DMC (Communication collapsed during the meeting) or violated the DMC (The acid ate the metal). Metaphors were preceded by the ASL translation of the English verb, an unrelated sign, or a still video. Participants made sensibility judgments. Response times (RTs) were faster for DMC-compliant sentences with verb primes compared to unrelated primes or the still baseline. RTs for DMC-violation sentences were longer when preceded by verb primes. We propose the structured iconicity of the ASL verbs primed the semantic features involved in the iconic mapping and these primed semantic features facilitated comprehension of DMC-compliant metaphors and slowed comprehension of DMC-violation metaphors.


A cross-sectional study was conducted on 858 cattle (371 recruited from Bako Agricultural Research Center, BARC and 487 from Bako municipal abattoir) from October 2009 to April 2010 to isolate and characterize Mycobacterial species from Skin positive reactors and pathological lesion positive cattle. To this effect, comparative intradermal tuberculin (CIDT) test, post mortem examination, bacteriological culturing, and genus typing using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were applied. On the basis of CIDT, prevalence of positive reactors was 1.3% (95% CI: 0.15; 2.45) at the cut-off point of ≥4 mm following the recommendation of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and 9.0% (95% CI: 6.0; 12.0) following the recently suggested cut-off of >2 mm. Apart from sex (P=0.047), there was no association between host related risk factors and positive reactors upon univariate analysis. However, animals in the age category of 2 to 5 years, those with medium body condition score and cattle born on farm were at high relative risk of infection than the other categories. Lesion positivity in slaughtered cattle was 9.3% (95% CI: 6.3; 11.8). Lesions were more frequent and severe in the mesenteric (60.9%), retropharyngeal (17.4%), and bronchial (17.4%) lymph nodes of slaughtered cattle. Culture positivity in suspicious tissues was 32.6% (29/89) out of which 69% (20 of 29) was confirmed to be acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on Ziehl Neelsen staining. Furthercharacterisation of these isolates using genus typing (multiplex polymerase chain reaction) revealed that all of the isolates were members of the non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The isolation of NTM from tubercle lesions underlines their roles in causing lesions, which are similar with lesions caused by Mycobacterium bovis. Therefore, further investigations to identify the specific species, the source of infections, transmission route and the pathogencity of NTM in specific host is recommended.

 Key words: Bovine tuberculosis, non-tuberculous mycobacteria, grazing cattle, genus typing, Ethiopia.


The weak position held by consumers in the market for goods and services is stipulated in the detri- mental standard clauses in Law No. 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection, which is, among others,thestandard clause stating the transfer of liability of business people (exoneration clause). Article 49 paragraph (1) determines the establishment of Consumer Dispute Settlement Board (CDSB).Article 52 of the Consumer Protection Law defines the duties of CDSB: providing consumer protection consultation,and supervising the inclusion of standard clauses. In practice, there are still many problems faced by consumers in asserting their rights regarding losses caused by the inclusion of standard clauses. The objective of this study isthe CDSB's role in supervising the inclusion of standard clauses in Palembang. This study usesempirical juridical method withlegislativeapproach and case- study approach. The results of the study show that the purpose of setting up the CDSBisto protect consumers and business people by creating a consumer protection system containingthe elements of legal certainty and information transparency. The CDSBis passive and canonly take action if there is a consumer complaint or claim, and does not feel authorized to take action against the inclusion of prohibited standard clauses. In case of dispute, the CDSB canmerely ask business people to remove the prohibited clauses. The CDSB does not actively supervise standard clauses because the authority and procedures for the exercise ofauthority to supervise standard clausesare not further elaborated in the explanation or the implementation regulations. Keywords: Consumer Dispute Settlement Board (CDSB), standard clauses, consumers


In vertebrates, networks of capillary vessels supply tissues with nutrients. Capillary patterns are closely mimicked by endothelial cells cultured on basement membrane proteins that allow single randomly dispersed cells to self‐organize into vascular networks. Here we provide a model including chemoattraction as the fundamental mechanism for cell‐to‐cell communication in order to identify key parameters in the complexity of the formation of vascular patterns. By flanking biological experiments, theoretical insights and numerical simulations, we provide strong evidence that endothelial cell number and the range of activity of a chemoattractant factor regulate vascular network formation and size. We propose a mechanism linking the scale of formed endothelial structures to the range of cell‐to‐cell interaction mediated by the release of chemoattractants.


The purpose of this study is to explore the expression of miRNA-590-5p, an exosome of gastric cancer (GC), and to evaluate the suitability of miR-590-5p, an exosome with its own clinical characteristics. Serum samples from 168 gastric cancer patients and 50 matched controls were collected and exosomal RNAs were extracted. After that, miR-590-5p is analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), which is more related to clinical and pathological parameters and patient monitoring data. MGC-803 and HGC-27 cells were treated by miR-590-5p mimics, and then the changes of cell fluidity and invasiveness were monitored. The results showed that the expression level of miR-590-5p in exosomes of healthy observation group, early (I and II) stage group, and late stage (III) group was 30.34 ± 6.35, 6.19 ± 0.81, and 2.9 ± 0.19, respectively (all p < 0.05). ROC (receiver-operating characteristic curve) showed that the AUC (area under the curve) of exosomal miR-590-5p was 0.810 with 63.7% sensitivity and 86% specificity. The expression of exosomal miR-590-5p in serum was related to clinical stage (p = 0.008), infiltration depth, and the expression level of ki-67 (p < 0.001). In addition, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the decrease of explicit level of exosomal miR-590-5p was related to the decrease of overall survival rate (p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that miR-590-5p can be used as an independent predictor. Furthermore, upregulation of miR-590-5p inhibited cell migration and invasion in MGC-803 cells and HGC-27 cells. The serum expression level of exosomal miR-590-5p may be a biomarker, which is potentially useful and noninvasive for early detection and prediction of GC. In addition, miR-590-5p can play a role in eliminating carcinogens by actively regulating the malignant potential of gastric cancer.


Attempt has beenmade to investigate the reaction kinetics of scrubbing of nitric oxide into aqueous sodiumhypochloritescrubbingsolutioninalabscale bubbling reactor.The effect of various operation variables such as nitric oxide and sodiumhypochlorite concentration, initial pH, and temperature etc.was critically examined. Nitric oxide absorption reached to maximumvalue at an initial pHof 5.5 and thereafter absorption decreased slowlydue to reduced oxidizing abilityof scrubbing solution as higher pH.The absorption process followed first-order kineticswith respect to both nitric oxide aswell as sodiumhypochlorite.The pre-exponential frequencyfactor and activation energy were determined. The absorption rate of nitric oxide into aqueous sodiumhypochlorite solution under the fast-reaction regime may be expressed by: 2 R = k D C2 C NO NO NO,i NaOCl


Background Brucellosis is still highly prevalent and causes high morbidity. It can involve any organ system and has been implicated in protean complications. Cardiovascular involvement is the main cause of mortality. This case described a female patient infected by Brucella with large periaortic mass and secondary vasculitis whose manifestation was abdominal pain. The aim was to raise the awareness of earlier recognition of Brucella infections without fever and remitting risk by taking appropriate treatments for those with cardiovascular involvement.Case presentation A case was reported regarding a female present intermittent abdominal pain. Two months later, she was admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology in our hospital due to high inflammatory markers, the large periaortic mass and vasculitis manifestations in aortic computed tomography angiography. By detailed examination, Brucellosis was highly suggestive based on positive blood cultures. Finally, no discomfort has ever occurred, and the mass was prominently reduced after antibiotic therapy of half a year.Conclusions The clinical manifestations of brucellosis are protean. For those without fever and cardiovascular involvement as the main manifestation, especially vasculitis, we must not just set the standard rigidly, instead, it is recommended to carry out the relevant differential diagnosis to avoid misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis.


The authors describe the silicon implementation of a new sample-and-hold circuit topology. Its main feature is the self correction of the offset voltage that is generated mainly by the mismatch on the differential pair at the input and the charge injected by the NMOS switches in the sampling capacitor. The circuit was implemented in a CMOS CYE 0.8 μm n-well process from AMS. The results, initially obtained from simulations, were compared to real laboratory measurements. The comparison indicates that the measurements and the simulated results have a very strong correspondence. The real circuit is capable of reducing the total sample-and-hold output error to just 0.14% at a sampling rate of 250 kHz, so that a system which operates at 250 K samples can be implemented.


We propose that romantic love is a biosocial phenomenon that may well be a universal and that its cultural aspects are a product of social conditions. This position is unique because romantic love is promoted as a cultural rather than social universal. We argue that culture, social, and psychological phenomena are too frequently conflated and their core definitional features underdefined by researchers. Culture refers to learned practices that have collectively shared meanings to the members of a society. Under social conditions in which romantic love does not confer reproductive and health advantages to a mother and child, it will often be suppressed, undeveloped, and rejected as a cultural component. Through a cross-cultural study, we show that female status and family organization are important features that help in regulating the sociocultural importance of romantic love as a basis for marriage.


Models that simulate the radiative budget (RB) and remote sensing (RS) observation of landscapes with physical approaches and consideration of the three-dimensional (3-D) architecture of Earth surfaces are increasingly needed to better understand the life-essential cycles and processes of our planet and to further develop RS technology. DART (Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer) is one of the most comprehensive physically based 3-D models of Earth-atmosphere optical radiative transfer (RT), from ultraviolet to thermal infrared. It simulates the optical 3-D RB and signal of proximal, aerial and satellite imaging spectrometers and laser scanners, for any urban and/ or natural landscapes and for any experimental and instrumental configurations. It is freely available for research and teaching activities. Here, an application is presented after a summary of its theory and recent advances: inversion of Sentinel 2 images for simulating time series of urban radiative budget 'Q*sw' maps through the determination of maps of urban surface material. Results are very encouraging: satellite and in-situ Q*sw are very close (RMSE ≈ 15W/m2; i.e., 2.7% mean relative difference).


Aim:  To describe the dietetic practices of the treatment of obesity in Saudi Arabia and compare this with best practice criteria and the practice in Australia.

Methods:  Anonymous questionnaires were completed by dietitians in Saudi Arabia. The topics included barriers to obesity management, demand and level of service and strategies and approaches used for weight management. Best practice scores were based on those used to assess Australian dietitians.

Results:  A total of 253 dietitians participated in the survey. Of these, 175 (69%) were involved in the management of obesity. The best practice score for Australian dietitians was slightly greater than the scores of Saudi dietitians (median 43 vs 39). There was also a significant correlation between the best practice score and years of experience (r = 0.26, P < 0.001). The most common assessment approaches were assessment of body mass index (87%) and exercise habits (81%), while the most common strategies for obesity management were: dietary total fat reduction (92%) and increase incidental daily activity (92%). The major barrier for establishment of a weight management clinic reported by 49% of participants was inadequate resources.

Conclusion:  Saudi Arabian dietetic practice for the management of obesity does incorporate most best practice recommendations, but some specific elements are rarely used.


Lexical competence can be defined as one's ability to use words differentially and fully. In this paper I shall first present my views concerning lexical development in order to comment on each of the following four articles: Lexical Development and Learners' Practices in a Content-based Learning Course by Andy Barfield; The Frequency Model of Vocabulary Learning and Japanese Learners by Dale Brown; A Study of Learners' Intuitions Behind the Use of Utterance Verbs in English by Yoshiaki Sato and Aaron Batty; and, Utilizing Student-Generated Pictures for Formative Vocabulary Instruction by Charles Anderson.


Immediate processing of blood and the proper analytical procedures are necessary to obtain reproducible values for glucose in blood in premature infants. Expected levels of glucose in blood in premature infants the first 2 months of life may vary between 20 and 100 mg/100 ml after a 3 to 4½ hour fast on a normal diet. Replicate values of glucose below 20 mg/100 ml may be associated with symptoms of hypoglycemia. The level of glucose in blood the first week of life is influenced by the birth weight, race, and sex of the premature infant. Illness and gestational age could not be correlated with statistically significant differences in levels of glucose.


Artificial infestation methods were employed to generate damage function graphs for guilds of three rice insect pests. In the vegetative stage, infestation of whorl maggot (Hydrellia philippina Ferino) and defoliators (a mixed population of Naranga aenescens Moore and Rivula atimeta [Swinhoe]) was applied as a combined or single pest attack. Infestation of yellow stemborer (Scirpophaga incertulas [Walker]) and leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis [Guenée]) each were infested in one or two crop growth stages. Combinations of three stresses (four N application rates, solar radiation from the wet or dry season, and/or the presence or absence of weeds) were applied to each guild to develop more holistic economic injury levels (EILs). Slopes on the linear portion of damage curves of each pest guild became steeper with each additional stress applied, whether from multiple insect pest attack, low N, low solar radiation, or weeds. EILs can be developed by pest managers from the graphs of the damage functions for the variables quantified in this study.


Background The osteo-immunomodulatory properties of biomaterials play an important role in the outcomes of bone regeneration. Graphene oxide (GO) has been widely applied in many research fields due to its unique properties. However, the immunomodulatory properties of GO as a biomaterial for bone tissue engineering are still unclear. Materials and methods In this study, we evaluated the Inflammatory response of RAW264.7 cells influenced by GO. Then the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and angiogenic differentiation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by stimulation with GO/RAW 264.7-conditioned culture medium were accessed. We also further investi gated the possible mechanisms underlying the osteo- and angio-immunomodulatory effects of GO. Results Our results showed that GO stimulates the secretion of oncostatin M, tumor necrosis factor alpha and other factors through the nuclear factor-κB pathway. GO/RAW264.7-conditioned medium promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, stimulated upregulation of the HUVECs of vascular-related receptors, and promoted their tube formation in vitro. Conclusion In conclusion, our research shows that GO, as a biomaterial, can induce the formation of a beneficial osteo-immunomodulatory environment and is a promising biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.


Using monthly data from 1960 through to January 2010, this study employs the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic (GARCH) and GARCH-M (mean) methodologies to estimate the impact of Inflation Targeting (IT) on inflation uncertainty as well as to study whether an increase in inflation causes increased uncertainty and whether a rise in uncertainty causes higher inflation. Moreover the study assesses whether Inflation Targeting has influenced a decline in inflation persistence since its adoption. Due to structural breaks the study uses a shorter series and has found that Inflation Targeting has not been successful in reducing monthly inflation uncertainty. Given that uncertainty has been shown to impose real economic costs, the failure of IT to lower uncertainty as well as inflation persistence in South Africa gives a cautionary lesson for other emerging economies contemplating the adoption of an inflation targeting monetary policy framework.


Study was conducted to determine the healing rate of non-union femoral neck fractures following a new transcervical superior based wedge resection and fixation with contoured plate. This study is based on a concept, that the presence of a residual part of the femoral neck on the trochanteric side of the non-union and removal of a wedge with a superior base not only converts shearing forces into compression forces but also provides fresh bone with an osteogenic potential. This is a descriptive case series 'one group pre-test post-test design', conducted from 2010 to 2016 with a sample size of 18, convenience sampling technique with a minimum follow up of 12 months. Eighteen patients with a mean age of 32.44±8.8 years were operated with transcervical wedge resection and fixation. However, only 14 completed a minimum follow up of twelve months. Thirteen (93%) patients achieved union while, one had stable fibrous union which later on developed avascular necrosis and underwent a total hip replacement. There was a mean shortening of 2.05±0.4 cm. Seven (50%) had post-operative Lurch and 4 (28.6%) required shoe raise while 1 had low grade infection.


Self-assessment (SA), as an activity for reflecting on one's own performance and abilities (Black & Wiliam, 1998), has been a topic of interest to educators over the years. Among second language (L2) educators, SA began growing in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, when L2 educators' focus shifted from analyzing linguistic systems to examining how learners learn a language. Many can-do statements and SA descriptors have been developed for L2 language learning, including SA grids aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR, Council of Europe, 2022) and can-do statements prepared by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) in collaboration with the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) (ACTFL, n.d.). Textbooks and other L2 learning materials, including online apps, often contain SA items. SA can be used in conjunction with other assessments, such as traditional objective assessments, peer assessments, and portfolios. Teachers are often encouraged to incorporate SA into their curricula as part of the promotion of constructivist approaches to education, which have been particularly popular since the late 1980s (e.g., Nunan, 1988; Tarone & Yule, 1989); SA resonates well with modern learning theories such as learner-centered education, self-regulated learning, and autonomous learning (Butler, in press).


The distinctives between charismatic and transforming leadership have been the topic of research in the fields of leadership, business, and organizational behaviour; however a complete understanding concerning these leadership approaches remains to be fully established. This article brings an additional psychological component to the existing research, specifically focusing on the self-perception (persona) of the leader. Brief consideration is given to the difference between the way the term charismatic is used within the research literature from how it is used within its biblical roots. Drawing from research in the fields of psychology and leadership, this paper discusses what the research has to say concerning the use of the term charisma for both charismatic and transformational leadership prototypes and briefly identifies some of the consequent differences in influence processes between leader and follower.


The essay explores the hybrid atmospheres of birth landscapes of the three main types of environments where birth takes place, the obstetric hospital, the home, and the natural birth centre or the birth rooms that are appearing in Greece today. It will focus on the multiple or contradictory situations encoun-tered using the notion of atmosphere', a condition related to the physical envi-ronment, the uses of space, the activities that occur and the feelings that are developed in it, as well as the symbolic meanings related to the birth territory. The paper is based on a site research project carried out in α medium sized provincial town, Volos in 2008-2009 and in 2013-2014.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe married female migrants` experiences of health care services and to help nursing researchers, nursing educators, and clinical nurses understand married female migrants` experiences. Method: A conventional content analysis method was utilized. Individual in-depth interviews with 15 married female migrants were conducted. Subject recruitment was performed at a district in Seoul. Results: Ten categories were induced: language barrier, financial burden, insufficient time with a physician, complexity of utilization process, lack of support from peer group, health care providers` discrimination, anxiety regarding lack of information about children`s health, health care providers` concerns and efforts to minimize the language barrier, family support, and advanced health care service environment. Conclusion: This study provides basic knowledge regarding married female migrants` experiences related to health care services. Future research should designate and utilize valid instruments to measure the positive and negative experiences and to explore strategies to strengthen the positive features while eliminating the negative ones. Finally, the Korean nursing education curriculum should include cultural competence and knowledge about an ethnic minority`s right to health service utilization.


Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapidly spread from Wuhan, China to other parts of China and other regions/countries around the world, resulting in a pandemic due to large populations moving through the massive transport hubs connecting all regions of China via railways and a major international airport. COVID-19 will remain a threat until safe and effective vaccines and antiviral drugs have been developed, distributed, and administered on a global scale. Thus, there is urgent need to establish effective implementation of preemptive non-pharmaceutical interventions for appropriate prevention and control strategies, and predicting future COVID-19 cases is required to monitor and control the issue. Methods This study attempts to utilize a three-layer graph convolutional network (GCN) model to predict future COVID-19 cases in 190 regions and countries using COVID-19 case data, commercial flight route data, and digital maps of public transportation in terms of transnational human mobility. We compared the performance of the proposed GCN model to a multilayer perceptron (MLP) model on a dataset of COVID-19 cases (excluding the graph representation). The prediction performance of the models was evaluated using the mean squared error. Results Our results demonstrate that the proposed GCN model can achieve better graph utilization and performance compared to the baseline in terms of both prediction accuracy and stability. Discussion The proposed GCN model is a useful means to predict COVID-19 cases at regional and national levels. Such predictions can be used to facilitate public health solutions in public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic using deep learning and data pooling. In addition, the proposed GCN model may help public health policymakers in decision making in terms of epidemic prevention and control strategies.


The present study describes a pilot study for the identification of the Hamburg dialect on the basis of its intonational features. In an experiment to test levels of perception, the persons tested were asked to assess single test-utterances, which differed from each other only with regard to pitch, in terms of their perceived closeness to the speech of Hamburg. Using original utterances made by a regionally neutral female speaker, the test sentences were created with the help of a speech-resynthesizing process, which allowed manipulation of pitch contour alone. The investigation revealed that those utterances which showed the intonation contours characteristic of Hamburg speech were judged to be more typical of this is variety than those characterized by a regionally neutral contour. The present study, therefore, supports the view that it is possible to identify regional varieties of German on the basis of intonation alone.


The Rocky Mountain Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory uses in vivo video fluoroscopy to evaluate kinematics of total knee arthroplasty. This method allows us to evaluate in vivo weight bearing activity for a variety of knee designs, as well as kinematics of the normal knee. Our proprietary method of automated model fitting allows for three-dimensional analysis obtained from two-dimensional fluoroscopic images with minimal error. This article outlines the details of our kinematic analysis of the Low Contact Stress (LCS) Total Knee System (DePuy Orthopaedics lnc, Warsaw, Ind) rotating platform total knee and compares this design with fixed-bearing posterior cruciate-retaining and posterior cruciate-substituting total knee and normal knee kinematics.


Ship maneuverability requires speed control system for electric propulsion with wide speed range and fast dynamic response. Therefore, nonlinear optimal control design method of permanent magnet synchronous motor for electric propulsion is proposed based on differential geometry in this paper. The nonlinear system model is linearized into double-input and double-output linear Brunovsky form via multi-input state feedback linearization. Afterwards the linear quadratic optimal controller is designed based on the Brunovsky form. The dynamic response and the anti-jamming ability of designed control speed system are studied by simulation technique. The simulation results show that by using multi-input state feedback method based on differential geometry theory, the linear quadratic optimal control system can control permanent magnet synchronous motor with fast transient response and good load disturbance resistance response, which can satisfy the request in ship maneuverability.


ABSTRACT One of the distinguishing features of the alphaviruses is a sequential processing of the nonstructural polyproteins P1234 and P123. In the early stages of the infection, the complex of P123+nsP4 forms the primary replication complexes (RCs) that function in negative-strand RNA synthesis. The following processing steps make nsP1+P23+nsP4, and later nsP1+nsP2+nsP3+nsP4. The latter mature complex is active in positive-strand RNA synthesis but can no longer produce negative strands. However, the regulation of negative- and positive-strand RNA synthesis apparently is not the only function of ns polyprotein processing. In this study, we developed Sindbis virus mutants that were incapable of either P23 or P123 cleavage. Both mutants replicated in BHK-21 cells to levels comparable to those of the cleavage-competent virus. They continuously produced negative-strand RNA, but its synthesis was blocked by the translation inhibitor cycloheximide. Thus, after negative-strand synthesis, the ns proteins appeared to irreversibly change conformation and formed mature RCs, in spite of the lack of ns polyprotein cleavage. However, in the cells having no defects in α/β interferon (IFN-α/β) production and signaling, the cleavage-deficient viruses induced a high level of type I IFN and were incapable of causing the spread of infection. Moreover, the P123-cleavage-deficient virus was readily eliminated, even from the already infected cells. We speculate that this inability of the viruses with unprocessed polyprotein to productively replicate in the IFN-competent cells and in the cells of mosquito origin was an additional, important factor in ns polyprotein cleavage development. In the case of the Old World alphaviruses, it leads to the release of nsP2 protein, which plays a critical role in inhibiting the cellular antiviral response.


The purpose of this research was to investigate the characteristics of catfish meatball with addition of isolate soy protein, carrageenan and STPP. The Research used a Randomized Block Design (RDB) with five addition of food additives (carrageenan 2%, STPP 0.3% and isolate soy protein 7%). Each treatment was replicated two times. The attributes observed were physical analysis (expressible moisture content, gel strength and folding test), chemical analysis (moisture content, protein content and fat content) and sensory analysis (aroma, taste and colour). The result showed the average value of expressible moisture content was ranged from 0.52%-1.72%, gel strength was 79-172 gf, folding test was 2-4, moisture content was 70.14%-75.41%, protein content was 3.98%-7.13% and fat content was 1.4%-2.16%. Sensory analysis for colour of meat ball was ranged from 3.88-4.56, taste 3.8 - 4.56 and aroma 3.88-4.44. Addition of food additives into catfish meatballs significantly affect (p<0.05) to expressible moisture content, gel strength, protein content, aroma, taste and folding test. But did not significant affect about moisture content, fat content and colours. The chemical analysis showed kind of food additive that can replace the STPP is isolate soy protein. And according to physical analysis the food additive than can repace STPP is combination isolate soy protein and carrageenan as well on the analysis of sensory analysis.


The electron-capture and beta--emitting radionuclide 204Tl has been known from previous experience to show discrepancies between different methods of standardisation. Source preparation is also difficult due to the complex chemistry of thallium. The BIPM intercomparison held in 1997, showed discrepancies of up to 10% between measurements of solid sources and liquid scintillation methods. These problems have been the subject of a BIPM CCRI(II) working group since 1999.
This paper presents the results from a primary standardisation of a 204Tl solution using 4 pi beta-gamma coincidence counting and liquid scintillation counting. The tracer technique was used for the 4 pi beta-gamma coincidence counting, where 204Tl was traced with 134Cs and 60Co. The extrapolation to 100% beta-efficiency was performed by three different approaches: foiling, adding carrier and measuring sources of different initial masses. The results showed that tracing with 60Co and using external foiling gave the same result as obtained by liquid scintillation counting. A comparison of the results achieved by the different methods of measurement, tracers and methods for extrapolation is presented and discussed in this paper.


Plant derived medicines have made massive contributions to the humans over the years. Azadirachta indica is used in ethnomedicine to treat ailments such as; eczema, ringworm, sore throat, respiratory tract infection, and scabies. Seeds of A. indica were collected, shade dried, pulverized and extracted with petroleum ether using soxhlet and cold maceration. Physicochemical analysis of the seed oil was carried out as described by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. The oil was fractionated using column chromatography, and then Infra-Red (IR) analysis was carried out using a spectrophotometer. The antifungal activities of the oil and Terbinafine standard compound were evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), using the Agar diffusion method. The petroleum ether oil recovered from the soxhlet method of extraction showed higher percentage of yield, whereas the oil obtained from cold maceration exhibited higher diameter of inhibition zones against several dermatophytes including; Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum and Microsporum canis, ranging from 12.00- 16.33 mm. The MIC and MFC values of the oil ranged from 6.25 to > 50% v/v, and 12.5 to > 50% v/v, respectively. Moreover, the seed oil and its fractions recorded classes of several compounds which included; alkyl, alkanes, alkenes, aliphatic esters, ketone, carboxylic acid, amide, and alkyl halide. The seed oil had inhibitory potential against a dermatophyte which causes ring worm (T. corporis), thus confirmed the claims of using the A. indica extract for treatment of such disease. This study aimed to evaluate the antidermatophytic activities of the oil obtained from A. indica seeds using petroleum ether, and their fractions.


Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an established nosocomial and emerging community pathogen associated with many fatalities due to its hyper-virulence and multiple drug resistant properties, is on the continuous rise. To update the current status on the susceptibility of local MRSA isolates to various classes of antibiotics and to identify the most potent antibiotics, thirty-two clinical isolates comprised of hospital acquired (HA) and community acquired (CA) infections were investigated by disk diffusion test. Of the 32 MRSA isolates, 14 (43.75%) and 18 (56.25%) were community and hospital acquired MRSA, respectively. All isolates were multiple drug resistant to more than 3 classes of antibiotics despite the source or specimen from which it was isolated. The oxacillin MICs for all isolates ranged from 2 to > or = 256 microg/ml. Twenty-five of 26 erythromycin-resistant MRSA isolates exhibited an inducible MLS(B) resistance phenotype while one showed an MS phenotype. More than half the isolates (68.75%) were resistant to at least one of the six aminoglycosides tested, with netilmicin as the most susceptible. The most effective antistaphylococcal agents were linezolid, vancomycin, teicoplanin and quinupristin/dalfopristin exhibited 100% susceptibility. Since MRSA is under continuous pressure of acquiring multiple drug resistance, it is imperative to focus routine surveillance on HA and CA-MRSA strains to monitor and limit the spread of this organism.


Need of electrical energy is increasing along with people population and economic growth. According to PLN data, Bali Province's electrical consumption is predicted growth 5,6% in average every year. Until year 2007, electrical condition in Bali is categorized critical. If Power Plat in Bali, PLTG Gilimanuk that has power 130 MW is out of system, affecting Bali's electrical back up is minus. Consecuenlly, it will be extinguishing if there is not adding power plan or new energy supply. This problem needs to be anticipated by use of thermal energy program such as coal, gas and geothermal and use of alternative energy such as solar, wind and ocean energies. Regency of Buleleng is one of Regency in Bali having potency of renewable energy development especially water resource. It has some rivers that have potency to be developed as a Micro Hydro Power Plant (PLTMH). One of them is Kelampuak River which is located in Tamblang Village. As a first step in developing of Micro Hydro Power Plant, it needs to be known water debit and head of the river. For that reason, it needs to be investigated debit and head of Kelampuak River so that it can be predicted the power can be generated.


We address the problem of controlling and simulating interactions between multiple physics-based characters, using short unlabeled motion clips. We propose Adversarial Interaction Priors (AIP), a multi-agents generative adversarial imitation learning (MAGAIL) approach, which extends recent deep reinforcement learning (RL) works aiming at imitating single character example motions. The main contribution of this work is to extend the idea of motion imitation of a single character to interaction imitation between multiple characters. Our method uses a control policy for each character to imitate interactive behaviors provided by short example motion clips, and associates a discriminator for each character, which is trained on actor-specific interactive motion clips. The discriminator returns interaction rewards that measure the similarity between generated behaviors and demonstrated ones in the reference motion clips. The policies and discriminators are trained in a multi-agent adversarial reinforcement learning procedure, to improve the quality of the behaviors generated by each agent. The initial results show the effectiveness of our method on the interactive task of shadowboxing between two fighters.


INTRODUCTION
In recent years it has been observed that there is a high level of severe mental disorder within the Spanish prison system.

METHODS AND MATERIALS
A one year descriptive and transversal study of the psychiatric health care demand in the prisons Puerto I, II and III of Puerto de Santa Maria (Cádiz).

RESULTS
Of the 128 patients studied, the psychiatric diagnostics with highest prevalence were personality disorders (F60-69) at 35.16%, the next group was psychosis (F20-29) at 25.78%, and in third place mental and behaviour disorders due to use of psychotropic substances (F10-19) at 16.41%. 46.09% suffered conditions which are categorised as severe mental disorders.

DISCUSSION
This study confirms the high levels of severe mental disorder in prisons located in the area of the Puerto Real Hospital. We are making efforts to improve on psychiatric health care provided to these patients by working closely with the Prison system.


The main objective of this project to control the common mode leakage current by using virtual dc bus with PV systems. The power which we receive form the PV panel is not a constant supply due to various condition. In order to overcome this issue we are using Buck Boost converter for generating constant voltage supply to the inverter. The negative pole of the dc bus is connected directly to the neutral line of grid and the stray capacitance between the PV panels and ground is bypassed. Due to this, the common mode ground leakage can be suppressed completely. The negative voltage level for the negative ac grid current generation is achieved by virtual dc bus. Consequently the required dc bus voltage is same as full bridge inverter. Because of this concept a transformer less inverter is derived in which the virtual dc bus is realized with the switched capacitor technology. It consists of five IGBT power switches for controlling the voltage and two capacitors, single filter inductor and Buck Boost Converter. This PV systems with Virtual dc bus is modulated with unipolar sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) and the double frequency SPWM to reduce the output ripple current. Magnetic losses are controlled by a smaller filter inductor in this system. Keywords— Shared approach (SA) current; photovoltaic (PV) system; switched capacitor; transformer less inverter; unipolar sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM); virtual dc bus


The treatment of chronic ventricular arrhythmias depends on the severity and tolerance of the arrhythmia. Extrasystoles, even repetitive, in the healthy heart, are usually respected when asymptomatic or treated with betablockers in first intention when symptomatic. These drugs should also be proposed for patients with ischemic heart disease and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, a situation in which Class I antiarrhythmics should be avoided. The prevention of sustained ventricular tachycardial may be empirical, with betablockers and/or amiodarone, or guided by the results of pharmacological tests during endocavitary electrophysiological studies.


Aims Ilizarov described four methods of treating non-unions but gave little information on the specific indications for each technique. He claimed, 'infection burns in the fire of regeneration' and suggested distraction osteogenesis could effectively treat infected non-unions. This study investigated a treatment algorithm for described Ilizarov methods in managing infected tibial non-union, using non-union mobility and segmental defect size to govern treatment choice. Primary outcome measures were infection eradication, bone union and ASAMI bone and function scores. Patients and Methods A consecutive series of 79 patients with confirmed, infected tibial non-union, were treated with one of four Ilizarov protocols, consisting of; monofocal distraction (26 cases), monofocal compression (19), bifocal compression/distraction (16) and bone transport (18). Median non-union duration was 10 months (range 2–168). All patients had undergone at least one previous operation (mean 2.2; range 1–5), 38 had associated limb deformity and 49 had non-viable non-unions. Twenty-six cases (33%) had a new simultaneous muscle flap reconstruction at the time of Ilizarov surgery and 25 had pre-existing flaps reused. Treatment algorithm based on assessment of bone gap and non-union stiffness, measured after resection of non-viable bone. Results The treatment algorithm was easy to apply, being based on easily assessable criteria. Infection was eradicated in 76 cases (96.2%) at a mean follow-up of 40.8 months (range 6–131). All three cases of infection recurrence occurred in the monofocal compression group. They required repeat excision and Ilizarov distraction in two cases and below-knee amputation in one. Union was achieved in 68 cases (86.1%) with the initial Ilizarov methods alone. Union was highest amongst the monofocal distraction and bifocal compression/distraction groups, 96.2% and 93.8% respectively. Mean external fixator time was 7.5 months (range 3–17). Monofocal compression was successful in only 73.7% of mobile non-unions, with significantly lower ASAMI scores and a 26.3% re-fracture rate. Bone transport secured union in 77.8% (14/18) but with a 44.4% unplanned reoperation rate. However, after further treatment, infection-free union following bone transport was 100%. Conclusion We cannot recommend Ilizarov monofocal compression in the treatment of infected, mobile non-unions. Distraction (monofocal or bifocal) was effective and is associated with higher rates of union and infection clearance.


BACKGROUND
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) covers the stage of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) and classic ankylosing spondylitis. The pathognomonic findings of axSpA are mainly inflammatory and osteoproliferative changes in the sacroiliac joints (SIJ) and the spine. Various imaging techniques are being used in daily practice for assessment of disease-specific changes, such as periarticular bone marrow edema, erosions, sclerosis, fat metaplasia and ankylosis in the SIJ or spondylitis, spondylodiscitis, facet joint involvement, or syndesmophytes in the spine of patients with axSpA. Conventional radiographs are still considered the gold standard for assessment of structural changes, while the method of for detection of inflammatory changes is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A result for an MRI in the SIJ is considered positive for axSpA when more than one lesion is present on one MRI slice, If there is one lesion only, this should be present on at least two consecutive slices. For the spine, inflammatory lesions should preferably be located in the corner of the vertebral bodies, while occurrence of spondylitis in three or more vertebral corners is considered highly suggestive of axSpA. This review gives a detailed overview about the benefits and limitations of all available imaging techniques in patients with axSpA, explains the usage of imaging techniques in the context of diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the disease, and reports on the potential future trends in the area of imaging of the axial skeleton in patients who are suspicious for this diagnosis.


Scapular fractures are uncommon and are basically caused due to high-energy trauma [1]. Computed tomography with 3D reconstruction maybe helpful in diagnosed the involvement of the glenoid surface. Where a large number of cases are managed conservatively but fracture with significant displacement may require operative fixation to achieve functional stability [2]. This is a case report of 55years old male, presenting with displaced comminuted fracture involving the body of right scapula following an RTA (Road traffic accidents) trauma and having undergone open reduction internal fixation plating with excellent clinical outcomes with constant score of 100 following 1 year of regular follow-up.


The halo occupation distribution (HOD) describes the relation between galaxies and dark matter at the level of individual dark matter halos. The properties of galaxies residing at the centers of halos differ from those of satellite galaxies because of differences in their formation histories. Using a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulation and a semianalytic (SA) galaxy formation model, we examine the separate contributions of central and satellite galaxies to the HOD, more specifically to the probability P(N|M) that a halo of virial mass M contains N galaxies of a particular class. In agreement with earlier results for dark matter subhalos, we find that the mean occupation function ⟨N⟩M for galaxies above a baryonic mass threshold can be approximated by a step function for central galaxies plus a power law for satellites and that the distribution of satellite numbers is close to Poisson at fixed halo mass. Since the number of central galaxies is always zero or one, the width of P(N|M) is narrower than a Poisson distribution at low N and approaches Poisson at high N. For galaxy samples defined by different baryonic mass thresholds, there is a nearly linear relation between the minimum halo mass Mmin required to host a central galaxy and the mass M1 at which an average halo hosts one satellite, with M1 ≈ 14Mmin (SPH) or M1 ≈ 18Mmin (SA). The stellar population age of central galaxies correlates with halo mass, and this correlation explains much of the age dependence of the galaxy HOD. The mean occupation number of young galaxies exhibits a local minimum at M ~ 10Mmin where halos are too massive to host a young central galaxy but not massive enough to host satellites. Using the SA model, we show that the conditional galaxy mass function at fixed halo mass cannot be described by a Schechter function because central galaxies produce a "bump" at high masses. We suggest parameterizations for the HOD and the conditional luminosity function that can be used to model observed galaxy clustering. Many of our predictions are in good agreement with recent results inferred from clustering in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.


Brian R. Hamnett, The Historical Novel in Nineteenth-Century Europe: Representations of Reality in History and Fiction (Oxford University Press, 2011)This book revisits Gyorgy Lukacs's The Historical Novel (1937) by considering the historical novel of nineteenth-century Britain, France, and Italy, emphasising key authors such as Walter Scott, Honore de Balzac, and Alessandro Manzoni, and by discussing development of the historical novel in relation to drama early in the century and realism later. It also extends Lukacs's seminal work by discussing the historical novel of nineteenth-century Spain, Germany, and Russia, and the historical novel as it continued and changed into the Modernist period and throughout the twentieth century. The stated aims of the work are to set 'historical fiction in relation to the development of historiography in general' (1); 'to restate the case for historical fiction as a major branch of literary fiction' (2); and to challenge 'the disciplinary compartmentalizing of literature and history, and the containment of both disciplines into particular national straight-jackets' (2). The subject of this wide-ranging work is genre specific and comparatist, interdisciplinary and transnational, with potentially significant theoretical and practical implications for pedagogy and research of the novel, historiography, and history.Part one, 'The historical novel as genre and problem,' begins with an exploration of the categories 'history,' 'narrative,' 'the novel,' and 'romance.' Such categorisation could provide the basis to better understand the genesis and development of the nineteenth-century historical novel. However, the terms remain vague, along with others such as 'Romanticism.' More particularly, in a work that aims to examine the relationship between historical fiction and historiography, with initial emphasis on the Romantic period in Britain, the inclusion of histories (e.g. Hume's History of England [1754-61]), antiquarianism (e.g. by Percy, Ritson), narrative poetry (e.g. by Scott), national tales (e.g. by Edgeworth, Owenson), dramatisation (i.e. historical and otherwise), and other forms, upmarket and downmarket, would add to the discussion. In the following two chapters, important issues and topics common to criticism of the historical novel are addressed: chapter two, 'History and fiction: the trials of separation and reunion,' reconsiders the 'how much history and how much fiction?' question; chapter three, 'The German Sturm und Drang, historical drama, and early romantic fiction,' builds upon Lukacs.1 In chapter four, 'Scottish flowering: turbulence or Enlightenment?,' Hamnett justly locates Scott as a central figure in the development of the historical novel, but given the transnational connections pursued in later chapters it would be useful to more thoroughly relate the immediate and extended impact of the Waverley novels on the novel, publishing, criticism, and reading beyond Britain.2 Of more concern, to describe Waverley (1814) as a novel of 'self-doubt' (80) and 'indignation' (80) or 'political intrigue and disguised identities' (81) as 'the life-blood of Scott's fiction' (81) seems a return to early-twentieth-century notions of Scott as a pure romancer or a genius with costumes and scenery. Similar issues occur in chapter five, 'Romanticism and the historical novel.' For example, Hamnett states, 'The historical novel, with its emphasis on wild scenery and rebels, was ripe for further development by the Romantics' (103). While Hamnett focuses primarily on the nineteenth century, describing the early history of the historical novel in this way disregards the complex historical, political, and sociological portrayals of society in novels during the fifty (or more) years before Scott (e.g. by Reeve, Lee, Porter). 3 Further, the suggestion that the historical novel was developed by the 'Romantics,' a term that does not adequately describe Scott and other historical novelists of the period, may be questioned. …


Traditional methods of cognitive assessment using neuropsychological tests are expensive and time consuming. These methods do not lend themselves to frequent monitoring and trend detection. In this paper, we describe a method for using enjoyable computer games with embedded cognitive metrics to monitor within-subject trends in performance. We have created a set of 9 computer games to specifically measure various cognitive domains that are normally administered in routine neuropsychological assessments, such as verbal fluency, working memory, attention, and planning. Although the measurements are not taken in a controlled setting, there are distinct advantages to being able to collect data frequently in a naturalistic setting. Routine measurements over time allow us to detect trends in various aspects of cognitive performance and avoid biases due to education, culture, and experience.


Both a DNA-binding domain and a Vp1 interactive determinant have been mapped to the carboxy-terminal 40 residues of the simian virus 40 (SV40) minor capsid proteins, Vp2 and Vp3 (Vp2/3), with the last 13 residues being necessary for these activities. The role of this DNA-binding domain in SV40 morphogenesis and the ability to separate these two signals were investigated by mutagenesis and assessment of the activity and viability of the mutants. The carboxy-terminal 40 residues of Vp2/3 were expressed as a polyhistidine fusion protein, and five basic residues at the extreme carboxy terminus (Vp3 residues K226, R227, R228, R230, and R233) were mutagenized. The wild-type fusion protein bound DNA with a Kd of 3 x 10(-8) identical to that of the full-length Vp3. Mutant proteins containing either one to three or four amino acid substitutions bound DNA 4- to 7-fold or 20- to 30-fold less well, respectively, than the wild-type protein did. The most severe point mutants showed residual DNA binding similar to that of a truncated protein which lacks the entire 13 carboxy-terminal residues. All of the point mutants were able to interact with Vp1, indicating that the two signals within this region are mediated by different residues. When the mutations were placed into the context of the viral DNA and introduced into cells, all the structural proteins were expressed and localized correctly. Not all, however, were viable: mutant genomes whose Vp2/3 bound DNA with intermediate affinities formed plaques just as well as wild-type SV40 DNA did, but three mutants showing greatly reduced DNA binding failed to form plaques at all. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Vp2/3 plays an essential role in SV40 virion assembly in the nucleus.


urgently -required, without any loss of time, as the technique is simple. 2. The technique involves less labouir, and entails no sacrifice of rabbits-that is, it is economical. 3. Human blood can be used for the preparation of this medium when required for special purposes or for general use. 4. The fluid does not alter appreciably by age within the limit of four to six weeks, owing to the small surface exposed to evaporation. 5. A larger quantity of the culture fluid in each culture tube is available, so that when abundant cultures are required-for example, for the preparation of vaccinethis gives a decided advantage. 6. The culture fluid keeps sterile during the working period of six weeks more easily than does the N.N.N. medium in the tropical laboratories.


Nitric oxide (NO) can have both effector (cytotoxic) and regulatory roles in immune function. In this study, we have re-examined the potential role of nitric oxide in mediating the macrophage-dependent suppression of IL-2 synthesis. In our model, TNP-specific CD4+ T cells are cocultured with Ag and either peritoneal or alveolar macrophages. Both populations of macrophages after in vitro stimulation with IFN-gamma can inhibit IL-2 release. In vitro stimulation also induces substantial levels of NO release by these macrophages, as well as high levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). However, there was no correlation between NO levels and inhibitory activity. Furthermore, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine monoacetate, a specific inhibitor of NO release had no effect on IL-2 release, while indomethacin, which blocked prostaglandin synthesis, largely abrogated the suppressor activity of both macrophage populations. Although the addition of exogenous NO donors at high concentrations could inhibit IL-2 release by T cells, our data does not support the hypothesis that NO is a major macrophage mediator of suppression in this model.


Journal of Fashion Technology & Textile Engineering (JFTTE), a rapid peer reviewed Journal is one of the leading peer-reviewed journals supporting rapid publication forum. With advancements in the technology, Journal of Fashion Technology & Textile Engineering is a scholarly journal  and aims to publish the most complete and reliable source of information on the discoveries and current developments in the mode of original articles, review articles, case reports, short communications, etc. in all major themes pertaining to advances in fashion technology & improved understanding of textile manufacturing and making them available online freely without any restrictions or any other subscriptions to researchers worldwide. I am pleased to announce that, all issues of volume 8 were published online well within the time and the print issues were also brought out and dispatched within 30 days of publishing the issue online during the year of 2020


The purpose of this paper is to propose a new binary classification method for predicting corporate failure based on genetic algorithm, and to validate its prediction power through empirical analysis. Establishing virtual companies representing bankrupt companies and non-bankrupt ones respectively, the proposed method measures the similarity between the virtual companies and the subject for prediction, and classifies the subject into either bankrupt or non-bankrupt one. The values of the classification variables of the virtual companies and the weights of the variables are determined by the proper model to maximize the hit ratio of training data set using genetic algorithm. In order to test the validity of the proposed method, we compare its prediction accuracy with ones of other existing methods such as multi-discriminant analysis, logistic regression, decision tree, and artificial neural network, and it is shown that the binary classification method we propose in this paper can serve as a premising alternative to the existing methods for bankruptcy prediction.


The cystic variant of renal oncocytoma was defined by Ogden et al. (1986), who described a single case. A further case is described in the present communication, with notes on the clinical presentation, aspiration cytology, and histology of the surgical specimen. Follow-up over 3 years has been uneventful.


Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) is a newly introduced crop and is increasingly becoming an economically important vegetable crop in Rwanda despite of its low production due to insufficient or no fertilizer application. In view of this, a field research was conducted at Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Northern Province, Rwanda with the aim of determining the optimum nitrogen rate (Urea 46%) that could maximise Zucchini productivity. Two separate trials in a Randomized Complete Block Design with five treatments (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg Nha -1 ) replicated four times were set up from September to November in 2011 and 2012. The parameters assessed were vegetative characteristics, yield and soil characteristics. The growth and yield was significantly (P � 0.05) affected by nitrogen nutrition. Plants subjected to 160 kg Nha -1 exhibited increase of about 22.9 - 55.9% in plant height; 28.0 - 29.4% in stem diameter; 26.6 - 39.7% number of leaves; 61.0 - 204.1% leaf area and 103.2 - 235.2% leaf are index compared to the control. Male and female flowers from plants subjected to 120 kg Nha -1 were more by between 13.9 - 30.8% and 7.5 - 63.5% respectively in contrast to the control. Biomass yield from 120 and 160 kg Nha -1 was about 99% higher than the control and about 15.9 tha -1 . Maximum edible fruit yield was realised from plants subjected to 120 kg Nha -1 which averaged at 11.3 tha -1 and 86.0% higher than the control and


To examine the mechanisms underlying the natriuretic action of a partially purified extract of rat atria (AE) we injected the equivalent of one atrium into isolated perfused rat kidneys. Some kidneys received an infusion of angiotensin II at 0.5 ng/min throughout the experiment. In the absence of angiotensin AE had a variable effect on renal vascular resistance (RVR) but, in the presence of angiotensin II, AE consistently decreased RVR by 3% for 5 min followed by a slight increase. Inulin clearance and filtration fraction increased slightly but significantly. AE increased sodium, chloride, phosphate, and free water clearance but not potassium excretion. Ventricular extract had no effect on any of these variables. Furosemide (50-250 micrograms) increased sodium, chloride, and potassium but not phosphate or free water excretion. AE did not alter dopamine or norepinephrine excretion. We conclude that AE increases the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and inhibits tubular reabsorption by mechanisms which differ, at least in part, from those affected by furosemide.


The seismic magnitude of the October 2, 1969 high-yield underground explosion (Milrow) in the Aleutian Islands, when compared to the magnitude of the smaller 1965 Long Shot explosion, suggests that in the yield range near 1 megaton the yield exponent in the amplitude-yield relationship is significantly less than the value of unity which applies for yields less than 100 kilotons. The lower exponent is shown to apply equally well to Nevada Test Site high-yield explosions. A general Aleutian site effect is observed to produce seismic magnitudes for Aleutian explosions that are about m0.3 larger than those of similar-yield explosions at the Nevada Test Site.


Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers to afflict women in the world. Anthracycline-based regimens, including doxorubicin and epirubicin (epidoxorubicin), are common therapies for patients with breast cancer. Doxorubicin and epirubicin are inhibitors of topoisomerase II, which cause double strand DNA breaks. Following anthracycline-induced damage, DNA damage response pathways are activated in order to initiate cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and/or cell death. The recent introduction of PARP inhibitors highlights the clinical relevance of targeting DNA repair pathways in treating this disease. Recently, two histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been approved by the Federal Drug Administration for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: vorinostat and romidepsin. HDAC inhibitors reduce the repair of DNA, and are being used in combination with DNA damaging chemotherapeutic agents. The mechanisms regulating the HDAC inhibitor-mediated reduction of DNA repair in breast cancer cells are not well established. Understanding these mechanisms will identify key therapeutic targets for reducing DNA repair, define the role of HDACs in DNA repair, and allow for the enrichment of patients most susceptible to HDAC inhibitor-chemotherapy combined treatment. Previously, our group has demonstrated an increase in DNA decondensation which permits greater access of anthracyclines to DNA after therapeutic inhibition of HDACs. New results demonstrate that phosphorylation of p53 at Serine 15 is decreased in the presence of epirubicin after pre-treatment with vorinostat in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Total p53 protein levels are also decreased, while mRNA levels remain unchanged after combined treatment. Treatment of breast cancer cells with valproic acid or entinostat also attenuates phosphorylation of p53 after epirubicin treatment, suggesting the involvement of Class I HDACs in the activation of p53. Phosphorylation of DNA repair kinase ATM is also decreased following DNA damage in the presence of clinically relevant concentrations of vorinostat, and corresponds with a decrease in activation of downstream factors including CHK1, CHK2, and BRCA1. These results demonstrate that inhibition of Class I HDACs in breast cancer cells delays DNA damaging response signaling through p53 modification after anthracycline administration; suggesting a possible mechanism for synergy between HDAC inhibitors and DNA damaging agents. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2614. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2614


In this paper we study finite element discretizations of a surface vector-Laplace eigenproblem. We consider two known classes of finite element methods, namely one based on a vector analogon of the Dziuk-Elliott surface finite element method and one based on the so-called trace finite element technique. A key ingredient in both classes of methods is a penalization method that is used to enforce tangentiality of the vector field in a weak sense. This penalization and the perturbations that arise from numerical approximation of the surface lead to essential nonconformities in the discretization of the variational formulation of the vector-Laplace eigenproblem. We present a general abstract framework applicable to such nonconforming discretizations of eigenproblems. Error bounds both for eigenvalue and eigenvector approximations are derived that depend on certain consistency and approximability parameters. Sharpness of these bounds is discussed. Results of a numerical experiment illustrate certain convergence properties of such finite element discretizations of the surface vector-Laplace eigenproblem.