Probabilistic measures of a priori voting power are useful tools to asses actors' influence on collective decision-making either for the purpose of designing a voting organ or to model particular policy cases. This paper makes an attempt to reduce a dynamic voting process into a cooperative voting game and uses the EU as an example. We propose a probabilistic reduced extensive form voting game. By subsequent specialization of power indices we are able to quantify, for example, to what extent the development of the decision-making procedures on the EU has changed the division of power among its main organs.


The development of social media has changed traditional media by providing a platform to conduct marketing and advertising activities. Nowadays, social media offers the opportunity to build a relationship between customers and brands. The strategic use of social media marketing has significant importance for customers as well as for marketers. In this paper, the influence of social media marketing activities (SMMAs) is assessed on apparel brands' perceived value and Chinese customers' satisfaction. The data was collected through a quantitative survey-based approach from Chinese social media and apparel brands' users (n = 355). The collected data from respondents were analysed through the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Hayes PROCESS macro. Based on our findings, it is noted that SMMAs play an essential role in improving the brand perceived value and customers' satisfaction in China. Moreover, it is also concluded that the apparel brand's perceived value significantly mediates the relationship between SMMAs and customers' satisfaction. This study provides several theoretical and practical guidelines to the marketers in China to effectively implement their advertising activities on social media platforms.


abstract:Ancient writers left detailed accounts about the Roman-period murex dye market. These descriptions and recipes reveal what Romans preferred by way of ingredients, pigment extraction methods, and mixtures. These accounts also highlight how dyes were marketed and received by consumers. The best-quality dyes are described as "true" purple (e.g., Tyrian), and these were juxtaposed with imitation dyes also sold. Critical facts about manufacturing these dyes were not addressed: the specific ingredients, measures, and modes used for making dyes of either quality. Archaeochemical studies analyzing Roman murex-dyed textiles rarely pick up on this data limitation. As a result, the vast majority of chemically analyzed murex-dyed textiles are published as evidence for the true-dye industry. This article argues such claims are unfounded. By combining both textual and archaeological evidence, it characterizes precisely what textile chromatograms can reveal: nuance, complication, and the spectrum of purple ancient Romans would have seen.


Background— Renal insufficiency after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is associated with increased short-term and long-term mortality. We hypothesized that preoperative patient characteristics could be used to predict the patient-specific risk of developing postoperative renal insufficiency. Methods and Results— Data were prospectively collected on 11 301 patients in northern New England who underwent isolated CABG surgery between 2001 and 2005. Based on National Kidney Foundation definitions, moderate renal insufficiency was defined as a GFR <60 mL/min/1.73m2 and severe renal insufficiency as a GFR <30. Patients with at least moderate renal insufficiency at baseline were eliminated from the analysis, leaving 8363 patients who became our study cohort. A prediction model was developed to identify variables that best predicted the risk of developing severe renal insufficiency using multiple logistic regression, and the predictive ability of the model quantified using a bootstrap validated C-Index (Area Under ROC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic. Three percent of the patients with normal renal function before CABG surgery developed severe renal insufficiency (229/8363). In a multivariable model the preoperative patient characteristics most strongly associated with postoperative severe renal insufficiency included: age, gender, white blood cell count >12 000, prior CABG, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and preoperative intraaortic balloon pump. The predictive model was significant with &khgr;2 150.8, probability value <0.0001. The model discriminated well, ROC 0.72 (95%CI: 0.68 to 0.75). The model was well calibrated according to the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Conclusions— We developed a robust prediction rule to assist clinicians in identifying patients with normal, or near normal, preoperative renal function who are at high risk of developing severe renal insufficiency. Physicians may be able to take steps to limit this adverse outcome and its associated increase in morbidity and mortality.


An account of a cable breakdown near one of the generating stations of the Commonwealth Edison Company's system. The breakdown resulted in a second breakdown on same line within the station, which prevented the oil switch from automatically disconnecting the fault. The system is amply protected by reactors for generators and between bus sections. Their effect on the stability of synchronous apparatus on sections protected by them is very marked. The protection to generating station apparatus was complete. Comparison of maximum stresses encountered in the short circuit as it occurred with what they might have been without reactors present are made, and the conclusion is drawn that without them the damage resulting would have been considerable and the service interruption far more general and serious.


Europe is in the grip of austerity policies. Some governments regard this as a medium term cyclical correction but others seek a long term shrinking of the social state. This shrinkage applies particularly to the state's social roles as: a source of income support; a provider of free or subsidised public services; a direct employer; and a defence against the marketisation of society. All four areas have specific significance for women such that we cannot envisage progress towards gender equality in Europe, understood as a socially progressive objective, without a reversal of the austerity trends and an active social state.


A solution is given to the problem of scattering of electromagnetic waves by a discrete convex polyhedron – an octahedron of resonant magnetodielectric spheres based on a complex rhombic crystal lattice.
Here we consider a case equivalent to the X-ray optics of crystals, when α / λ՛<<1 and can be α / λg ~ 1; d, h, l / λ՛ ~ 1, where α is the radius of the spheres; λ՛, λg are the lengths of the scattered wave outside and inside the spheres; d, h, l are constant lattices. The solution of the problem is obtained based on the Fredholm integral equations of electrodynamics of the second kind with nonlocal boundary conditions.
The expressions found in this work for a metacrystal in the form of an octahedron can be used to study the fields scattered by the crystal in the Fresnel and Fraunhofer zones, as well as to study its internal field.
The relations obtained in this work can find application in the study of the scattering of waves of various kinds by convex polyhedrons, the creation on their basis of new types of limited metacrystals, including nanocrystals with resonance properties, and in the study of their behavior in various external media. As well as in the development of methods for modeling electromagnetic phenomena that can occur in real crystals in resonance regions in the optical and X-ray wavelength ranges.


Study of the Mississippi Delta and several others shows that there are order and pattern in delta building. The characteristic stratigraphic sequences form during a delta cycle which consists of constructional and destructional phases. Marine deltas are seaward-thickening embankments of sediments deposited during the constructional phase and modified by the destructional phase. Sediments of the embankments are mostly land-derived clastics deposited in orderly sequence on the sea floor about distributary mouths. They make up the top-set, fore-set, and bottom-set beds of classical delta literature. Because of the way deltas grow, sediments change vertically in completed deltas in the same way they change seaward during construction; definite similarities between different deltaic sequences can be seen when they are compared. Changing sediment properties are produced by seaward-changing depositional environments. Sedimentary environments of modern deltas, and ancient ones as well, are complicated when studied in detail, but the general relationships now are well known. The environments are defined by (1) sediment sources, (2) processes and their intensities, and (3) rates of deposition. Source areas determine the raw materials, and these differ from delta to delta. Similar marine and fluviatile processes, similar distributions of process intensity, and relatively high rates of deposition are the environmental properties that cause deltaic sequences to be similar. Relatively rapid deposition is the fundamental characteristic of deltas. Deltas rarely build indefinitely in one direction; rather, the river shifts for a shorter route to the sea when it becomes over-elongated. The recently built delta is abandoned and modified by compaction coupled with marine wave and current action. This is the destructional phase, the time of winnowing of fine sediment and concentration of coarse material into thin veneers, beach ridges, and barrier islands. Large alluvial plains at river mouths are built up in a step-by-step manner. Local delta construction is followed by partial destruction, and later, by another constructional phase. A large alluvial plain consists of several imbricating deltas, each lying partly on the toes of earlier deltas and partly on the surface that existed prior to any delta building. The stratigraphic components of younger deltas become seaward extensions of their older counterparts. When the beds are buried beneath still younger ones, their full history can be understood only by recognizing their deltaic origin and by knowing how deltas are built.


We examine early olfactory processing in the vertebrate and insect olfactory systems, using a computational perspective. What transformations occur between the first and second olfactory processing stages? What are the causes and consequences of these transformations? To answer these questions, we focus on the functions of olfactory circuit structure and on the role of time in odor-evoked integrative processes. We argue that early olfactory relays are active and dynamical networks, whose actions change the format of odor-related information in very specific ways, so as to refine stimulus identification. Finally, we introduce a new theoretical framework ("winnerless competition") for the interpretation of these data.


Human narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, and abnormalities of rapid eye movement (REM). Strong HLA class II association was determined where the narcoleptic individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds share a specific HLA class II haplotype, DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02. It has been also reported that hypocretin in the CSF of narcoleptic patients are significantly decreased and that hypocretin producing cells are disrupted in patients' brain. We hypothesized that hypocretin or other proteins specifically expressed in hypocretin producing cells in the hypothalamus, are presented by HLA-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02, and induce activation of self-reactive T cells. To analyze the peptide-binding reperitore of HLA-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02, we transduced murine fibroblast cells with HLA-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02 (suscceptible), DQA1*01:03-DQB1*06:01 (resistant), DQA1*01:03-DQB1*06:03 (resistant), and DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:04 (neutral) alleles by retrovirus-vectors and confirmed stable DQ proteins expression. Using these cell lysates we analyzed binding affinity of synthetic peptides designed for hypocretin-A, -B, and other proteins expressed in hypocretin producing cells.


The C2H2 zinc finger gene cucoid establishes anterior-posterior (AP) polarity in the early embryo of culicine mosquitoes. This gene is unrelated to genes that establish embryo polarity in other fly species (Diptera), such as the homeobox gene bicoid, which serves this function in the traditional model organism Drosophila melanogaster. The cucoid gene is a conserved single copy gene across lower dipterans but nothing is known about its function in other species, and its evolution in higher dipterans, including Drosophila, is unresolved. We found that cucoid is a member of the ZAD-containing C2H2 zinc finger (ZAD-ZNF) gene family and is orthologous to 27 of the 91 members of this family in D. melanogaster, including M1BP, ranshi, ouib, nom, zaf1, odj, Nnk, trem, Zif, and eighteen uncharacterized genes. Available knowledge of the functions of cucoid orthologs in Drosophila melanogaster suggest that the progenitor of this lineage specific expansion may played a role in regulating chromatin. We also describe many aspects of the gene duplication history of cucoid in the brachyceran lineage of D. melanogaster, thereby providing a framework for predicting potential redundancies among these genes in D. melanogaster.


The probabilistic approaches for real-time systems are based on the estimation of the probabilistic-WCET distribution. Such estimation is naturally subject to errors, caused by both systematic and estimation uncertainties. To solve this problem, statistical tests are applied on the resulting distribution to check whether such errors affect or not the output validity. In this paper, we show that the reliability of these tests depends on the statistical power that must be estimated in order to select the proper sample size. This a priori analysis is required to obtain a reliable result of the probabilistic-WCET.


Abstract— The anaesthetic steroids alphaxalone. 5β‐alphaxalone and pregnanolone each caused myoclonic jerks in mice in a dose‐related manner between 4 and 16 mg kg−1 i.v. There was no loss of righting reflex at these doses. The veterinary product Saffan, which contains alphaxalone and alphadalone, also caused myoclonic jerks at 2 mg kg−1 i.v., and a loss of righting reflex at doses of 4 mg kg−1 and above. These effects appear to be unrelated to the wide spectrum of potencies at the GABAA receptor complex of the three individual steroids as potentiators of muscimol, or as attenuators of picrotoxin.


Abstract We propose a method for content-based retrieving solar magnetograms. We use the SDO Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager output collected with SunPy PyTorch libraries. We create a mathematical representation of the magnetic field regions of the Sun in the form of a vector. Thanks to this solution we can compare short vectors instead of comparing full-disk images. In order to decrease the retrieval time, we used a fully-connected autoencoder, which reduced the 256-element descriptor to a 32-element semantic hash. The performed experiments and comparisons proved the efficiency of the proposed approach. Our approach has the highest precision value in comparison with other state-of-the-art methods. The presented method can be used not only for solar image retrieval but also for classification tasks.


This paper contains some reflections on the idea of time and how it assumes its phenomenological character in some scientific theories. Finally we make some reflections on the complexity of the question time.


Arterial prosthesis employed in the University Hospital Center, Homburg en Sarre, F.R.G. since 1972 have mainly consisted of knitted velvet dacron for internal insertion. Aneurysms at the site of anastomoses are a known complication and several cases have been observed, but no reports of aneurysms at the level of a prosthesis appear to have been published. This complication occurred twice in the same patient with a interval of fifteen months. Based on the results of experimental data, the question is raised as to whether this complication is the consequence of degradation of the dacron by monocytic elements.


Structural Analysis is a branch which involves in the determination of behavior of structures in order to predict the responses of real structures such as buildings, bridges, trusses etc. Under the improvement of expected loading & external environment during the service life of structure. The results of analysis are used to verify the structure fitness for use. Computer software's are also being used for the calculation of forces, bending moment, stress, strain & deformation or deflection for a complex structural system. The principle objective of this project is "The Comparative Study on Analysis Results of Multistoreyed Commercial Building (G+12) by STAAD.Pro and ETABS". STAAD.Pro is one of the leading software's for the design of structures. In this project we had analyzed the G+12 building for finding the shear forces, bending moments, deflections details for the structural components of building (such as Beams, Columns & Slabs) to develop the economic design. ETABS is also leading design software in present days used by many structural designers. Here I have also analyzed the same structure using ETABS software for the design. Finally I made an attempt to define the economical section of G+12 multistoried building using STAAD.Pro and ETABS comparatively.


Impacts of socio-economic factors on temporal diffusions of solar electricity microgeneration systems in a rural developing community are modelled and simulated using an agent-based model (ABM). ABMs seek to capture the overall macro-effects of different micro-decisions in a virtual world; they model individual entities within a complex system and the rules that govern them to capture the overall effects of their interactions. Results showed that falling PV costs coupled with generally increasing grid electricity costs would lead to increased uptake of PV systems in such communities. On the other hand, high lending rates in most developing nations would stifle use of credit facilities in purchases of PV systems and thus diminishing their uptakes. Results also showed that introduction of favourable government policies in forms of subsidies would strongly stimulate PV installations in such communities. Social acceptance is important for diffusion of any new technology into a given market and more so with solar systems; results show that neighbourhood influence plays major roles in PV diffusions with many households installing PV systems if their neighbours within a given sensing radius do the same. Results also showed that requiring a certain percentage of neighbours to have installed PV before a household considered doing the same could have negative effects on PV installations as decisions to install PV are influenced by many independent and dependent factors and not by neighbourhood threshold alone.


Odours present in new Tedlar bags can impact the assessment of emissions from sewer collection systems and wastewater treatment plants. Conditioning protocols are needed to minimise the impact of background materials emissions on the sampling and assessment of odourous emissions. Olfactometry analysis has shown that background odour concentrations for new Tedlar bags can be as high as 130 OU(E)/m(3). Experimental studies were undertaken to investigate the impact of different conditioning temperatures in order to determine the optimum temperature for cleaning new Tedlar bags to a level when no detectable odours were present in the sampling bags via dilution olfactometry. For the purpose of this study, new Tedlar bags were cleaned in a temperature-controlled oven that had a constant filtered air flow-rate. From the analysis of odour and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) concentrations found in new Tedlar bags during the cleaning process, it was observed that odour and VOCs concentrations decreased with time. It was also found that the temperature setting plays a significant role in the cleaning of the Tedlar bags as large concentrations of phenols and acetamide, N,N-dimethyl were found in new Tedlar bags and their concentrations decreased following the temperature pre-conditioning.


In this paper we have proposed a novel Optical Code Division Multiple Access (OCDMA) prime code, hereby referred to as the "Uniform Cross-Correlation Modified Prime Code (UC-MPC)". A novel set of formulas is derived for construction of the UC-MPC. Also the correlation properties of the UC-MPC are analyzed and compared with other existing prime code families. Based on this new spreading code, we have analyzed and compared the performances of the following PPM-OCDMA systems (i) without interference cancellation (ii) with interference cancellation and Manchester codes and (iii) with cancellation only. We have found that the proposed UC-MPC has better correlation properties, enhances the bit error rate (BER) and improves the security, as compared with the other existing prime code families.


A Social Network Analysis (SNA) of agricultural research institutions in Malawi was performed to investigate networking and knowledge sharing in relation to the implementation of the Agricultural Sector Wide Approach (ASWAp). SNA helps explain how the different actors relate to one another, and how these relationships affect the generation, exchange, and use of information and knowledge in ASWAp implementation. The ASWAp is Malawi's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) compact. It articulates Malawi's ambition to transform and diversify its agricultural sector with the aims of raising agricultural productivity, improving food and nutrition security, and increasing the incomes of rural people. Agricultural research plays a vital role in making the programme a success.


ABSTRACT Youths with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often display disruptive behaviors, yet few of the available treatments for such behaviors have been effective with this clinical population. In the present study, the authors examined outcomes for youths with ASD who participated in a randomized clinical trial of multisystemic therapy (MST), a treatment that has previously been adapted for a variety of complex problem behaviors in youths. Participants were youths with an ASD diagnosis and comorbid disruptive behaviors (N = 15) who were randomized to MST or usual community services. Measures of youth-, parent-, and family-level outcomes were obtained at 6 and 12 months postrecruitment. Findings indicated that MST was more effective that usual community services in improving family functioning and ameliorating youth problem behaviors. The present study represents the first clinical trial of MST for youths with ASD and comorbid disruptive behaviors. The results suggest that intensive family-based treatments such as MST hold considerable promise with this clinical population. The implications of these findings for the continued development and evaluation of effective treatments for ASD are discussed.


Many cancers are associated with DNA repair and cell cycle mutations that result in G1/S checkpoint deficiencies and higher levels of endogenous damage and replication stress. This can lead to dependency on WEE1 kinase, which provides an important G2/M checkpoint, allowing repair of DNA damage prior to cells entering mitosis. AZD1775 is a highly selective, small-molecule inhibitor of WEE1. A prior monotherapy study of oral AZD1775 in patients (pts) with refractory solid tumors established a maximum tolerated dose of 225 mg PO BID X 5 doses on weeks (wks) 1 and 2 every 3-wks and activity in pts with BRCA1/2 mutations (Do, JCO, 2015). A subsequent open-label Phase Ib study has been undertaken to further assess the safety and tolerability of AZD1775 monotherapy. Here we report initial safety and efficacy findings from this ongoing study. Pts with advanced solid tumors who have received prior chemotherapy are eligible. The primary objective is assessment of the safety and tolerability of AZD1775 dosing (capsules) BID x 6 doses on days (D) 1-3 and 8-10 every 21 D. Pts are treated until disease progression or intolerable toxicity, with restaging every 6 wks. PK analysis and tumor genetic profiling are performed. 12 pts with the following tumor types were recruited into the safety run-in: small-cell lung (SCLC) (4), non-small-cell lung (1), head and neck (2), ovarian (2), breast (1), pancreas (1), and unknown primary (1). The median number of prior regimens was 3 (range, 1-12). 7 pts were treated at the initial dose of 200 mg BID with 3 pts having dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) including grade (G) 2 volume depletion/G3 anemia, G3 diarrhea, and G3 nausea/vomiting and were reduced to 175 mg BID. 5 additional pts were then treated with AZD1775 175 mg BID with the addition of antiemetic prophylaxis. Treatment (tx)-related toxicities for all pts included: nausea (75% G1-4; 17% G3/4), vomiting (67% G1-4; 17% G3/4), fatigue (58% G1-4; 8% G3/4), and diarrhea (58% G1-4; 17% G3/4); 4 pts experienced DLTs. As of 1/22/2016, 7 pts remain on tx. Responses: PR (2/12, 17%); SD (2/12, 17%); PD (7/12, 58%); not evaluable (1/12, 8%). Next generation sequencing data were generated for tumors from 10 pts. The 2 PRs were observed in pts with SCLC with somatic mutations in both TP53 and RB1. One of the pts also had a somatic mutation in BRCA1 and has been on tx for 6 months following 4 prior lines of tx. The second pt has been on tx for 5 months and had received 2 prior lines of tx. Tx is ongoing for both pts. Expansion cohorts have been initiated at 175 mg BID D1-3 and 8-10 in ovarian cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, and SCLC, with the objective of further evaluating safety, tolerability, and efficacy of AZD1775 and its association with molecular markers of G1/S deregulation, DNA damage repair deficiencies, and oncogenic driver mutations. Citation Format: Todd M. Bauer, Suzanne F. Jones, Carol Greenlees, Carl Cook, Ganesh M. Mugundu, Philip J. Jewsbury, Andrew J. Pierce, Mark J. O'Connor, Melissa L. Johnson, J. Thaddeus Beck, Kathleen N. Moore, Lowell L. Hart, Jeffery R. Infante, Howard A. Burris, David Spigel. A phase Ib, open-label, multicenter study to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity of AZD1775 monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors: initial findings. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr CT013.


: The aim of this research is to find the effect of Inflation Rate, Exchange Rate and Population on Economic Growth in member countries of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This research uses sample of 26 selected OIC member countries because it is adapted to the completeness of the publication of available data. This study a quantitative approach and analyzed using panel data analysis. The result revealed that inflation, exchange rate and total population rates simultaneously have a significant influence on economic growth in OIC member countries. Inflation has a significant effect on reducing economic growth. Exchange Rate has a significant effect on economic growth. The total population has a significant effect on economic growth.


ABSTRACT Introduction Identification of sexual dysfunction may help physicians diagnose problems such as diabetes, pituitary tumors, atherosclerosis, and depression. Sexual concerns are common among patients; however, there is evidence to suggest that these concerns are not appropriately investigated by clinicians. Aim To examine the impact of physician gender on sexual history taking. Methods One hundred and thirty‐one study questionnaires were sent to OB/Gyns, family practitioners, internists, pediatricians, and surgeons. Physicians were asked to rank their discomfort during interviews with patients of different ages, races, marital status, sexual preference, religious beliefs, and academic achievement, and they were asked to rank their perception of patient discomfort. Main Outcome Measures A cross‐sectional descriptive analysis was generated, Fisher's exact test was performed utilizing SPSS software, and confidence intervals were developed utilizing SAS software. Results Of the 78 questionnaires (59%) returned, 69 (88%) reported taking sexual histories. Characteristics identified by physicians as causing discomfort included patient's age younger than 18 and greater than 65, patient's academic achievement below college level, and patient's divorced or single marital status. Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference ( P Conclusion Although a high percentage of practitioners report taking a sexual history, physicians reported and perceived greatest discomfort when interviewing opposite gender patients as well as patients of very young and old ages. It is clear that not only is there a need for physician education on the topic of sexual history taking, but also consideration of the impact of physician and patient gender. Burd ID, Nevadunsky N, and Bachmann G. Impact of physician gender on sexual history taking in a multispecialty practice. J Sex Med 2006;3:194–200.


The purpose of this study is to describe kustom cultural events as a form of branding program from Retro Classic Cycles Jogjakarta and House of Customland Surabaya. During the event, we saw a touch of creative creation of the kustom kulture brand community. This study uses a qualitative method. Data were obtained based on observations and interviews with several people involved in the annual kustom kulture event. In addition, the researcher also developed data collection by looking at the social media managers of Retro Classic Cycles and House of Customland. Research findings show that there are efforts to develop brand communities, initiators routinely carry out annual activities in kustom cultural events. The kustom kulture event presents creative culture from a variety of artistic collaborators, both fine art and motor builder, which inclusively makes event collaborators really enjoy and actively participate in displaying their artworks as a medium for creativity exhibitions. Originality shows that kustom culture events are used as community media for kustom culture activists Retro Classic Cycles and House of Customland, as an effective way to build a certain identity of a community, so as to increase public knowledge about kustom kulture. Therefore, the quality and quantity of kustom cultural events can be increased according to the differences and novelty of the theme of the event being held.


Plant compounds are described to interact with bile acids during small intestinal digestion. This review will summarise mechanisms of interaction between bile acids and plant compounds, challenges in in vivo and in vitro analyses, and possible consequences on health. The main mechanisms of interaction assume that increased viscosity during digestion results in reduced micellar mobility of bile acids, or that bile acids and plant compounds are associated or complexed at the molecular level. Increasing viscosity during digestion due to specific dietary fibres is considered a central reason for bile acid retention. Furthermore, hydrophobic interactions are proposed to contribute to bile acid retention in the small intestine. Although frequently hypothesised, no mechanism of permanent binding of bile acids by dietary fibres or indigestible protein fractions has yet been demonstrated. Otherwise, various polyphenolic structures were recently associated with reduced micellar solubility and modification of steroid and bile acid excretion but underlying molecular mechanisms of interaction are not yet fully understood. Therefore, future research activities need to consider the complex composition and cell-wall structures as influenced by processing when investigating bile acid interactions. Furthermore, influences of bile acid interactions on gut microbiota need to be addressed to clarify their role in bile acid metabolism.


Sir—Ageing is associated with declines in physical function that lead to physical disability and loss of independence [1, 2]. Traditionally, loss of muscle mass has been thought of as the most important factor leading to loss of physical function and onset of disability. However, the number of older persons with excess fat mass is increasing [3], and a growing body of evidence shows obesity is an independent risk factor for ageing-related disability. Cross-sectional data show a higher prevalence of frailty, low function and disability, with higher body mass index (BMI) and fat mass, even in older persons with a normal amount of lean mass [4–7]. Longitudinal data also support a greater decline in physical function in more obese older adults [7, 8]. Since most mechanistic studies focus primarily on skeletal muscle, little is known regarding the mechanisms by which excess adipose tissue contributes to loss of physical ability in older adults.

The relationship between excess fat and loss of function in older adults is, in part, mediated by biomechanical factors [9, 10]. However, increasing knowledge about the role of adipose tissue as an endocrine organ suggests there may also be biochemical effects of adipose tissue itself on properties of skeletal muscle that lead to loss of function, i.e. the association of excess adipose tissue with physical function decline may also be due to the secretion of inflammatory proteins by adipose tissue [11]. This premise is supported by evidence that muscle strength is lower in obese persons and in conditions characterised by chronic inflammation such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome [4, 12]. Our overall hypothesis is that adipose tissue contributes to ageing-related loss of physical function, in part, via its capacity to produce and secrete inflammatory mediators that subsequently affect skeletal muscle function. This study begins to test this hypothesis by determining whether adipose tissue gene expression of specific inflammatory adipokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα), is associated with clinical measures of muscle strength in overweight or obese, postmenopausal women.


Falls are the major risks and threats among elderly population. Various studies have developed automatic critical fall detection systems for emergency alarms and medical services. Window sizes and segmentation approaches would affect the system performance in terms of power consumption, computational speed and reliability that are essential considerations in the real-world implementation. Intuitively, employing shorter window sizes and simpler segmentation approaches leads to a faster detection speed and better power efficiency. However, few works explore the effects of windowing methods on detection performance, especially for machine learning models. This paper investigates the impact of segmentation approaches and window sizes in wearable-based critical fall detection systems with machine learning models. Two generally used segmentation approaches, including sliding windows and impact-defined windows, are explored with a range of window sizes from 0.5 s to 5.0 s and four machine learning models: Support Vector Machine (SVM), k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN), Classification and Regression Tree (CART) and Naïve Bayes (NB). The results show that sliding windows are more sensitive to the changes of window sizes compared to impact-defined windows. However, the differences between the best performance of both segmentation approaches are within 1% (99.66% in sliding windows and 99.78% in impact-defined windows). For systems with SVM and k-NN models, using 0.5 s window sizes in sliding windows and combinations of 1.5 s backward and forward windows in impact-defined windows are sufficient to achieve at least 94% accuracy and 98% accuracy.


Statement of the Problem While greatly easing the shopping process for parents, transportation of children in shopping carts also represents a hazard for injuries. Effective accident prevention measures would therefore be desirable. Methods 137 shopping cart-related accidents, the 138 victims of which presented to an Austrian Pediatric Surgical Casualty Department over a period of nine years, were reviewed retrospectively by analysis of the patient charts and of 79 questionnaires returned, correctly filled in, by the family. Results The yearly number varied between 10 and 21 without a falling trend. While 43% of the children were 2 years of age or younger, 18% were older than 4. Three-quarters of the latter had been placed inside the trolley although the maximum permitted weight is 15 kg. Falls out of the trolley comprised two-thirds of all accidents, with the child standing up as the leading cause; these were mostly falls from the basket, followed in almost 20% of cases by toppling over of the entire shopping cart. The youngest children – almost all regularly placed in the integrated seat – were at a special risk for this kind of accident, which frequently occurred in the car park. Lessons learned from the accidents were limited almost exclusively to behavioral changes implemented by the parents. Current European Standards have obviously not taken the main accident mechanisms into account, even though these have repeatedly been described in the literature. Conclusion We believe that technical improvements in the present shopping cart design are desirable to reduce the risk of accidents. Our main suggestions include: solid child seats with integrated footrests, obligatory installation and use of safety belts, and construction of trolleys with a lower center of gravity and a broader wheel base.


This study reports the significant enhancement of upconversion luminescence (UCL) of Nd3+-sensitized upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) in a sandwich-like nanostructure by compressing the energy transfer distance. The architecture consists of a Nd sensitizer layer (NaYF4:Nd) and an activator layer (NaYF4:Yb/Er) that were enveloped with an inert NaYF4 inner core and inert NaYF4 outer shell. By introducing the inert core and modulating the core size, the Nd sensitizer layer and the activator layer were compressed in a 2D plane, which not only promotes the energy transfer from the Nd sensitizer layer to the activators by shortening their distance, but also effectively increases the energy transfer from Yb3+ to Ho3+ based on δ-doping. Furthermore, the outside inert shell shielded the inside layers from surface-related quenching. Compared with the classical core–shell nanostructure, our compressed nanostructures exhibit remarkably large upconversion luminescence enhancement (up to 19.6-fold) upon 808 nm excitation. Furthermore, this strategy was also applied to other activators (Er3+, Tm3+), which also displayed distinct UCL enhancement. Our developed nanostructure improved the UCL of Nd3+-sensitized UCNPs, which provides opportunities for diverse applications requiring ∼800 nm excitation, such as photodynamic therapy.


This study sought to evaluate how dissolved organic carbon (DOC) affects attenuation of trace organic contaminants (TOrCs) in biochar-amended stormwater biofilters. It was hypothesized that (1) DOC-augmented runoff would demonstrate enhanced TOrC biodegradation and (2) biochar-amended sand bearing DOC-cultivated biofilms would achieve enhanced TOrC attenuation due to sorptive retention and biodegradation. Microcosm and column experiments were conducted utilizing actual runoff, DOC from straw and compost, and a suite of TOrCs. Biodegradation of TOrCs in runoff was more enhanced by compost DOC than straw DOC (particularly for atrazine, prometon, benzotriazole, and fipronil). 16S rRNA gene quantification and sequencing revealed that growth-induced microbial community changes were, among replicates, most consistent for compost-augmented microcosms and least consistent for raw runoff microcosms. Compost DOC most robustly enhanced utilization of TOrCs as carbon substrates, possibly due to higher residual nutrient levels upon TOrC exposure. Sand columns containing just 0.5 wt % biochar maintained sorptive TOrC retention in the presence of compost-DOC-cultivated biofilms, and TOrC removal was further enhanced by biological activity. Overall, these results suggest that coamendment with biochar and compost may robustly enhance TOrC attenuation in stormwater biofilters, a finding of significance for efforts to mitigate the impacts of runoff on water quality.


The role of systemic antibiotics in root canal treatment (RCT) always remained controversial. To exactly identify the state of affairs, regarding whether or not the usage of systemic antibiotics in RCT, the current meta analysis was carried out. To identify the frequency of discouraging or preferring the use of systemic antibiotics in RCT. Secondly to identify the efficacy of various antibiotics in post RCT infections. Department of Operative Dentistry, Rawal Dental College Islamabad and Pathology Department of Al Nafees Medical College & Hospital, Isra University Islamabad Campus, Pakistan. Total 41 published studies in 03 and a half decades were included in the study i.e 1981 – 2017. Various authentic electronic sources were used to gather adequate and authentic data by simple random sampling technique. 66.6%(n=08) studies from 1987 till 2011, were not in favour of using systemic antibiotics as a part of RCT. While 33.3% (n=04) preferred using systemic antibiotics for RCT. Regarding the local antibiotic preference, 33.3% (n=04) studies were in favour of using a combination of triple antibiotic paste comprising of metronidazole, minocycline and ciprofloxacin. There is no role of systemic/local antibiotics in endodontic management. However, the use of antibiotics is only recommended if deemed necessary by viewing the premorbid of patient.


Background Myosin-binding protein C3 A31P (MYBPC3-A31P) missense mutation is a genetic deviation associated with the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Maine Coon cats. The standard detection of the MYBPC3-A31P mutation is complicated, time-consuming, and expensive. Currently, there has been a focus on the speed and reliability of diagnostic tools. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay (LAMP) coupled with a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) test to detect MYBPC3-A31P mutations in Maine Coon cats. Materials and Methods Fifty-five Maine Coon cats were enrolled in this study, and blood samples were collected. MYBPC3-A31P was genotyped by DNA sequencing. Primers for LAMP with a LFD test were designed. The optimal conditions were determined, including temperature and time to completion for the reaction. The sensitivity of A31P-LAMP detection was compared between agarose gel electrophoresis (the standard method) and the LFD test. The A31P-LAMP-LFD test was randomly performed on seven cats (four with the A31P mutation and three wild-type cats). Results The A31P-LAMP procedure was able to distinguish between cats with MYBPC3-A31P wild-type cats and MYBPC3-A31P mutant cats. The LAMP reactions were able to be completed in 60 min at a single temperature of 64◦C. Moreover, this study demonstrated that A31P-LAMP coupled with the LFD test allowed for A31P genotype detection at a lower DNA concentration than agarose gel electrophoresis. Discussions This new A31P-LAMP with a LFD test is a successful and reliable assay with a rapid method, cost-effectiveness, and low requirements for sophisticated equipment for the detection of MYBPC3-A31P mutations. Thus, this assay has excellent potential and can be recognized as a novel screening test for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy associated with MYBPC3-A31P mutations in felines.


Background and aim: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Among many mechanisms, accelerated atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, and hypercoagulability play a main role. Here, we investigate whether inflammatory, serological and clinical markers of SLE determine and correlate with arterial stiffness in SLE patients. Materials and methods: Routine blood samples, inflammatory mediators, specific antibodies, and 24 h proteinuria were measured in 43 SLE patients and 43 age and sex-matched controls using routine laboratory assays. We also assessed arterial stiffness by measuring radial artery applanation tonometry-derived augmentation index (AI), normalized AI (AIx@75), aortic pulse pressure, central systolic, diastolic and peripheral blood pressure. Results: SLE patients showed a significantly greater arterial stiffness vs. controls, as demonstrated by the significantly higher AIx@75 and aortic pulse pressure. Interestingly, regression analysis showed that age, systolic pulse pressure, inflammatory markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein), daily dose of glucocorticoids, and cumulative organ damage positively correlated with arterial stiffness. Conclusions: SLE patients show increased arterial stiffness which correlates with markers of inflammation, that is involved in early alterations in arterial walls. Applanation tonometry can be used to screen SLE patients for subclinical vascular damage to implement prevention strategies for CVD.


PURPOSE
To investigate patterns of whole-brain functional connectivity in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (HE) by using functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was approved by the local institutional review board and was HIPAA compliant. All participants provided written informed consent. Neuropsychiatric tests including number connection test type A and digit symbol test were used to define minimal HE. Twenty-three patients with minimal HE and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included in this study. Resting-state functional MR imaging was performed by using a 3-T MR imaging unit. Functional connectivities between 90 pairs of cortical and subcortical regions in patients with minimal HE were compared with those in control participants, and significantly different connectivities were chosen as connectivities of interest (COIs). Correlations between neuropsychiatric tests and correlation coefficients of COIs were calculated.

RESULTS
Among the 51 COIs that were significantly different in patients with minimal HE from those in control participants, 44 connectivities were weaker in patients with minimal HE. All 22 COIs related to subcortical regions of interest (bilateral putamen, pallidum, and thalamus) were weaker in patients with minimal HE. Of 29 cortical COIs, 22 connectivities were weaker and seven were stronger in patients with minimal HE. Nearly all COIs with significant differences correlated with digital symbol test scores (P<.05, false discovery rate corrected). No correlation was found among blood ammonia level, Child-Pugh scores, or any COIs in patients with minimal HE (P>.05, false discovery rate corrected).

CONCLUSION
Widespread cortical and subcortical network connectivity changes that correlated with neuropsychologic impairment were found in patients with minimal HE. In particular, impairment in the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit could play an important role in mediating neurocognitive dysfunction, especially for psychomotor speed and attention deficits in patients with minimal HE.


Moving target defense (MTD) is becoming popular with the advancements in Software Defined Networking (SDN) technologies. With centralized management through SDN, changing the network attributes such as routes to escape from attacks is simple and fast. Yet, the available alternate routes are bounded by the network topology, and a persistent attacker that continuously perform the reconnaissance can extract the whole link-map of the network. To address this issue, we propose to use virtual shadow networks (VSNs) by applying Network Function Virtualization (NFV) abilities to the network in order to deceive attacker with the fake topology information and not reveal the actual network topology and characteristics. We design this approach under a formal framework for Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks and apply it to the recently emerged indirect DDoS attacks, namely Crossfire, for evaluation. The results show that attacker spends more time to figure out the network behavior while the costs on the defender and network operations are negligible until reaching a certain network size.


Abstract We have conducted animal toxicity tests of chemicals for a chemical safety program implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. Here we conducted a combined repeated-dose and reproductive/developmental toxicity screening test of benzene, 1,1′-oxybis-, tetrapropylene derivs. (BOTD). BOTD was administered to 9-week-old Crl:CD(SD) male and female rats by gavage at 0, 40, 200, or 1000 mg/kg/day. Males were treated for 42 days including mating period. Females were treated for 42–53 days through the premating, mating, pregnancy, and until Day 4 of lactation periods. Increases in prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time values were observed only in males at 200 and 1000 mg/kg/day. Hypertrophy of centrilobular hepatocytes was observed with increased liver weight in both sexes at 200 and 1000 mg/kg/day, but there was no histologic evidence of hepatotoxicity. Diffuse hypertrophy of follicular cells in thyroid glands was observed in females at 200 mg/kg/day and in both sexes at 1000 mg/kg/day, with an increased blood cholesterol level in females at 1000 mg/kg/day. The conception index was decreased for females at 1000 mg/kg/day; and no abnormalities were detected in the reproductive indices of implantation, delivery, or pups' condition, although a slight increase in the pups' body weight was noted at birth. Our data indicate a no-observed-adverse-effect level of 40 mg/kg/day for repeated-dose toxicity on the basis of the prolongation of blood coagulating time, and of 200 mg/kg/day for reproductive/developmental toxicity on the basis of the decreased conception index.


Innovative products can be described as both useful and novel— or 'unexpected'. Literature suggests that surprise combined with humour may be a powerful tool in creating the positive 'unexpectedness' than can enhance perceived value and foster meaningful relationships between product and user. Surprise and humour both rely on mismatches of expectations and unexpected outcomes, however, they are not inter-changeable. Their relationship when embodied in product design is not fully understood, and guidelines for creating surprising and humorous products with long-lasting impact have yet to be defined. The objective of this research was to analyse the mutual effect taking place between the perception of humour and the display of surprise embodied in products, and in particular the capability of humorous characteristics to boost the effect of surprise. Building on previous experiments in which a set of products were evaluated for surprise, we verified humour in the same products with a group of comedians and non-comedians. Results indicate that products evaluated as 'funny' positively influence their capability to evoke surprise, but other factors are likely to be highly influential.


The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different selection practices on the environmental sensitivity of reproductive and growth traits in males and females of three Nellore selection lines [control (NeC), selection (NeS), and traditional (NeT) lines]. Moreover, genetic trends for the intercept and slope were estimated for each line, and the possible reranking of sires was examined. A total of 8,757 records of selection weight (SW), 3,331 records of scrotal circumference (SC), and 2,311 records of days to first calving (DFC) from Nellore cattle born between 1981 and 2017 were analyzed. (Co)variance components and genetic parameters of all traits were estimated using a reaction norm model with Gibbs sampler. In all cattle lines, the mean heritability of the studied traits ranged from 0.39 to 0.75 for SW in both males and females, from 0.46 to 0.68 for SC, and from 0.06 to 0.57 for DFC along with the environmental descriptor. In all cattle lines, the genetic correlation coefficients between the intercept and slope ranged from 0.03 to 0.81 for SW, from -0.14 to 0.39 for SC, and from -0.87 to -0.42 for DFC. Genetic trends for the slope and proportion of plastic genotypes indicated that the NeS line was more responsive to environmental changes, whereas the NeC and NeT lines tended to respond more modestly. Reranking of sires was observed for all traits, specifically in the NeC and NeT lines, because of the weak correlation between the opposite extreme environments. In the NeS line, reranking of sires was observed for DFC alone. Our results indicate that the effects of genotype-environment interaction are important and should be considered in genetic evaluations of Nellore cattle. Moreover, different selection practices affected the environmental sensitivity of the Nellore selection lines tested in this study.


One general response by firms to competitive pressures in technologically dynamic economies is the search within an industry and/or its linked industries for alternative or improved best-practice techniques. The extent of the search for new techniques and subsequent patterns of adoption and adaption are dependent on differential and changing intra- and inter-industry innovative activities. Some plants and firms are more successful at incorporating best-practice technology, achieve higher levels of productivity performance, and attain the status of best-practice enterprises. These enterprises may also assume the role of technical leaders and foster further changes and improvements in the technology of the industry. This article examines first the origins of best-practice technology in an industry, and the nature and evolutionary patterns of technical leadership. This is followed by a consideration of the regional growth impacts and development implications of different evolutionary conditions.


Newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has been widely adopted as early detection and treatment of CH prevents the severe neuro-cognitive deficit found in untreated patients. Despite extensive research into IQ scores in CH during childhood there is little information on adult outcome in terms of pragmatic measures such as educational achievement, employment, residency and relationships. We present the results of a questionnaire-based study examining these outcome measures in Scottish adults born between 1979 and 1989, and diagnosed with permanent CH on newborn screening. The unaffected siblings of our patients served as controls, to counter socioeconomic confounders. Matched patient and sibling pairs were compared. Validated systems were used to score education and employment data. Where possible, responses were compared with population normative data. There were 155 eligible patients. 79 have returned questionnaires to date, together with 34 sibling controls. Median age (range) and sex ratio (M:F) of patients and siblings was 22 (17-28) and 21 (17-35) years and 1:3.6 and 1:0.9 respectively. Median (range) education score was 217 (0-373) and 233.5 (0-387) for patient and sibling groups respectively (p=0.3) and for paired patients and siblings was 175 (0-264) and 226.5 (0-264) respectively (p=0.7). Comparison of median (range) education scores in severe CH at diagnosis (total T4 < 43.0 nmol/L) with milder cases showed similar scores - 203 (0-330) versus 231 (0-373) respectively.


Acrosin from turkey spermatozoa has been recently identified and characterized. In this study, we reported the identification of second form of acrosin (acrosin II) in turkey spermatozoa. Using the three-step isolation procedure, we purified and characterized the acrosin II from a turkey spermatozoa extract. N-terminal Edman sequencing allowed the identification of the 24 amino acids from the internal part of acrosin II: SLQEYVEPYRVLQEAKVQLIDLNL. Thanks to homology alignment, we concluded that acrosin II is an acrosin-like protein similar to avian acrosin, including turkey acrosin. The molecular mass of acrosin II estimated by mass spectrometry was 30.869 kDa. During chromatofocusing, the acrosin II was eluted at pH range from 6.4 to 6.2. Acrosin II was found to be a glycoprotein. The glucosamine and galactosamine were present in carbohydrate structures of acrosin II. Acrosin II is characterized by similar physicochemical characteristics like previously identified bird acrosins, including acrosin from turkey spermatozoa. Similarities between turkey acrosins were also confirmed immunologically by western blot analysis. It can be suggested that two forms of serine proteinase similar to acrosin exist in turkey spermatozoa. These phenomena of both acrosins in spermatozoa agree with the concept of functional redundancy of proteolytic enzymes in the reproductive system. These redundancies may be important for efficient fertilization in turkey.


Preface 1. Identification & Development of Sport Talent: A Brief Introduction to a Growing Field of Research and Practice Steve Cobley, Jorg Schorer and Joseph Baker Section One: Theoretical and conceptual models for understanding talent identification and development 2. Do genes predict potential? Genetic factors and athletic success Joseph Baker 3. Building talent development systems on mechanistic principles: Making them better at what makes them good AineMacNamara and Dave Collins 4. Environmental influences on early development in sports experts Sean Horton 5. What skill acquisition and expertise research tells us about talent identification and development Damian Farrow 6. Dynamical systems theory as a multi-disciplinary framework for understanding expertise and talent development in sport Ian Renshaw, Keith Davids, Elissa Phillips and Hugo Kerherve Section Two: International case studies of talent identification and development 7. Talent Identification and Development in Women's Artistic Gymnastics: The Talent Opportunity Program (TOPs) William A. Sands 8. Who are the superstars of tomorrow? Talent development in Dutch soccer Marije T. Elferink-Gemser and Chris Visscher 9. Talent identification, selection and development in UK Junior Rugby League: An evolving process Kevin Till, Chris Chapman, Steve Cobley, John O'Hara and Carleton Cooke 10. Back to the future - A case report of the ongoingevaluationprocess of the German handball talent selection and development system. Jorg Schorer, Dirk Busch, Lennart Fischer, Jan Pabst, Rebecca Rienhoff, Peter Sichelschmidt, and Bernd Strauss 11. Explaining African dominance in running Yannis Pitsiladis 12. Applying Talent Identification Programs at a System Wide Level: The Evolution of Australia's National Program Jason Gulbin 13. Lessons learned: The future of research in talent identification and development Joseph Baker, Jorg Schorer and Steve Cobley


This study was conducted to determine the relationship between biochemical, hematological parameters and the feeding behavior in two Iraqi sheep breeds (Najdi and Arabi). The trials were conducted on 12 healthy (6 lambs per breed). Blood samples were collected on days 0 and over 30 of the experiment. The feeding behavior was recorded from 7:00 to 7:30 in the morning daily. The final body weight, average daily gain, daily food consumption, eating time and feed compete were a significant (P < 0.05) increase in Najdi lambs in comparison with Arabi lambs. The concentration of cholesterol was a significant (P < 0.05) increase in Najdi lambs before and after 30 days of the experiment. Copper concentration was a significant (P < 0.05) increase in Najdi blood`s as compared with Arabi. Experimental periods observed significantly (P < 0.05) differences in serum phosphorus levels. The percentage of Neutrophils cells were decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in Najdi lambs in comparison with Arabi before and after the experiment. Serum testosterone hormone concentration was increased significantly (P < 0.05) in Najdi lambs in comparison with Arabi, especially at the end of the experiment. Generally, there were no significant (P < 0.05) differences observed between two breeds in the daily water consumption, levels of glucose, total protein, albumin, phosphorus, Fe, zinc, and most of the hematological parameters.


A desmoid tumor occurring in the abdominal wall of a 6‐year‐old boy with extensive microcalcifications was documented. Two forms of calcifications were observed: an irregular, amorphous dystrophic calcification of the collagen fibers and an organized, laminated psammomatous calcification (psammoma bodies). Ultrastructural studies revealed that the dystrophic calcification is a result of direct mineralization of individual collagen fibrils with subsequent coalescence to form large, calcified masses. Psammomatous calcification tended to cluster around areas where the collagen fibers assumed a whorled configuration. It is suggested that the circular orientation of the collagen fibers in some way favors the laminar deposition of hydroxyapitite crystals. The cause of the pathologic calcifications is the presence of extensive amorphous eosinophilic degeneration of the collagen fibers.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

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Epidemiologic studies have addressed the risk of breast cancer and abnormalities of the glucose metabolism. In vertebrates, it becomes difficult to discriminate glucose effects on gene transcription from those related to either insulin or glucagon. We analyzed the gene expression in response to glucose from 5 mM (normoglycemia) to 20 mM (hyperglycemia/diabetes) by microarray analysis (Affimetrix) in breast cancer derived cell line MDA-MD-231. We identified 8 patterns (groups) of gene expression related to glucose concentration with ≥ 1.5 fold change compared to controls. Particularly, we identified the thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) gene in group 1 (514 genes), hence this gene has been recently shown to contain carbohydrate responsive elements (ChoREs), and the RNA level of which increased as gene product particularly sensitive to the variation of the level of glucose in culture media. Furthermore, based on the recent acquisition that TXNIP acts as a modulator of the redox system through binding of thioredoxin (TRX), we also assessed the status of TRX RNA expression by semi-quantitative PCR analysis in MDA-MD-231 cells. Whereas the levels of TXNIP RNA steadily increased with the concentration of glucose (0.21±0.03/5mM ratio/βactin vs 0.95±0.1/20mM, P=0.03), TRX RNA remained unchanged (1.7±0.001/5mM vs 1.9±0.12/20mM) after 24h of incubation at the given concentration of glucose. Subsequently, we further validated our initial data on TXNIP RNA expression either in non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) or in tumorigenic MCF-7 and T47D cells by semi-quantitative PCR analysis after 24 h in tissue culture at various concentrations of glucose. The glucose-mediated TXNIP gene expression response was present in all the cell lines tested, though, the order of magnitude of the TXNIP gene response in MDA-MD-231 cells was on average 4-fold higher compared to the rest of the cells (other cell lines /1.23±0.26 vs MDA-MD-231/4.63±1.21 fold increase 5 vs 20 mM standardized to βactin). A recent study has shown that the TXNIP expression measured by immunohistochemistry in cells from colon/gastric primary tumor tissues is reduced compared to adjacent normal tissue from the primary sites of the tumors. Although these studies favor the hypothesis that the level of TXNIP decreases with the malignant transformation of the cell phenotype, our data show that the magnitude of the glucose-induced TXNIP gene regulation rather than the TXNIP level or the mechanism of glucose-response regulating its level seems to be associated with the highly metastatic phenotype in MDA-MD-231 cells. This finding was unexpected since malignant cells highly depend upon glycolysis and hyperglycemia-induced TXNIP may have an unfavorable function, the relevance of which will be investigated.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death, which is demanding powerful diagnosis tools. Although the traditionally used serological biomarker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), cannot meet the accuracy requirements of disease diagnosis, its isoform alpha-fetoprotein L3 (AFP-L3) ratio in total AFP is emerging as a highly specific alternative for the accurate diagnosis. The routine electrophoretic blotting methods for analyzing AFP-L3 isoform ratio are reliable but often lack of speediness, sensitivity or accuracy. Herein, an elemental mass spectrometric strategy was established to simultaneously detect total AFP and AFP-L3 for the accurate HCC diagnosis. The metal isotopes inside colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) reporters were used to sensitively detect total AFP and AFP-L3, respectively. AFP-L3 and total AFP were accurately and simultaneously detected with the limits of detection (LODs) of 0.1 ng mL-1 and 0.2 ng mL-1, respectively. The proposed method was successfully validated in a series of human serum samples. The assay procedure was greatly simplified and less time-consuming for the AFP-L3 isoform ratio evaluation, when compared to clinical routine chromatographic/electrophoretic methods. Thanks to the highly multiplex ability of mass spectrometry, the proposed method possesses great potential for the analysis of multiple isoforms of various disease biomarkers.


Over the last decade the music festival sector grew enormously: in 2008 over a million festivalgoers gathered in the UK to share music and companionship. However in doing so musicfestivals generate large volumes of waste streams and consume large quantities of resources. Amusic festival of more than 40 000 people will produce in the order of 2000 tons of CO2e –with audience transportation and on site generators accounting for the two largest portions offestival emissions.
Until very recently there has been no guidance offered to help manage these aspects and manyfestivals have started "to go it alone" and have created and started to use whatever systems areavailable to them in their respective countries. This has led to a sudden influx of managementtools and carbon calculators. With even more tools arriving on the market soon the world ofsustainable event management could get all too confusing.
The aim of the research was to review policy tools and voluntary initiatives already on themarket whether under the umbrella term of event management or specifically tailored formusic festivals. Particular attention was given to ISO 20121 the first international standardtailored for sustainable event management currently under development and due forpublication in 2012. The effectiveness of the instruments at delivering sustainabledevelopment and reducing negative aspects for music festival production was determinedusing SWOT analysis. Therefore the main research question became:"Which voluntary guidance tools, aspects or concepts thereof, are best suited to help thecontinued improvement of sustainable production of music festivals?"
One music festival, Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire, UK, was studied in detail as a casestudy to gain an insight of music festival logistics to understand how best to apply sustainableguidance tools.
Due to the unusual human resource structures involved in music festivals – a small core teamoften less than 10 full time staff all year round which explodes to over thousands ofvolunteers to crew the main event – it was discovered management systems such as ISOwould likely struggle due to the lack of resources. The findings of the research pinpointed acombined approach of people based movements and campaigns coupled with scientificintegrity.


Despite the relevance of carbohydrates as cues in eliciting specific biological responses, glycans have been rarely exploited in the study of neuronal physiology. We report thereby the study of the effect of neoglucosylated collagen matrices on neuroblastoma F11 cell line behavior. Morphological and functional analysis clearly showed that neoglucosylated collagen matrices were able to drive cells to differentiate. These data show for the first time that F11 cells can be driven from proliferation to differentiation without the use of chemical differentiating agents. Our work may offer to cell biologists new opportunities to study neuronal cell differentiation mechanisms in a cell environment closer to physiological conditions.


The present study was made to investigate the protective effect of methanolic extract of Annona squamosa on isoniazid-rifampicin-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Rats were divided into five different groups (n=6), group 1 served as a control, Group 2 received isoniazid (100 mg/kg, i.p.) and co-administered with rifampicin (100 mg/kg, i.p.), in sterile water, group 3 and 4 served as extract treatment groups and received 250 & 500 mg/kg bw, p.o methanolic extract of Annona squamosa and group 5 served as standard group and received silymarin 2.5 mg/kg bw, p.o. All the treatment protocols followed 21 days and after rats were sacrificed blood and liver were used for biochemical and histological studies, respectively. Administration of isoniazid and rifampicin caused a significant elevation in the levels of liver marker enzymes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS, oxidative stress markers) in experimental rats. Administration of methanolic extracts of Annona squamosa significantly prevented isoniazid-rifampicin-induced elevation in the levels of serum diagnostic liver marker enzymes (alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamate transpeptidase (γ-GT)), serum bilirubin, and TBARS level in experimental groups of rats. Moreover, total protein and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly increased in treatment group. The effect of extract was compared with a standard drug, silymarin. The changes in biochemical parameters were supported by histological profile. It is to be concluded that the methanolic extract of Annona squamosa protects against isoniazid and rifampicin-induced oxidative liver injury in rats.


A 3.3V 16Mb nonvolatile memory has read and write operations fully DRAM-compatible except a longer RAS precharge time after write. Most systems with high-performance processors use a shadow nonvolatile memory uploaded to a fast DRAM to obtain zero wait-state performance. The introduced nonvolatile virtual DRAM (NVDRAM) eliminates the need for this redundancy, achieving high performance while reducing power consumption. Fast random access time (tRAC) with a NAND flash memory cell is achieved by using a folded bit-line architecture, and DRAM comparable column address access time (tkA) is achieved by sensing and latching 4k cells simultaneously.


Wind energy is one of the rapidly growing sources of energy due low emissions resulting from its use. The energy can be harnessed both onshore and offshore. There is however, a growing interest in developing offshore wind resources owing in part to the large energy resources available offshore and availability of development space. Offshore wind energy is however more expensive than other energy sources due to the large capital expended during wind farm development. The construction of offshore wind farm can either be successful or unsuccessful since it encounters many challenges throughout its construction processes. Installation of offshore wind turbines is one process among others in wind farm construction and it is conducted under several phases. The aim of this thesis was to identify the constraints and challenges encountered during the installation phase of offshore wind turbines with specific focus on the Baltic Sea region. Offshore wind farm installation was considered as operation. Consequently the theories on operations management, operations strategy, supply chain as well concepts on offshore windfarm development were used for this study. A qualitative approach was applied for the research and data was collected from six interviews conducted with professionals that were involved in installation of Anholt and Lillgrund offshore wind farms. The analysis of collected data showed that installation challenges exist and can either be due to nature such as sea bed and weather conditions or technical issues related to equipment, planning, technology and working methodology. In attempts to increase power generation wind turbine components are becoming bigger and heavier and the wind farms increasingly being located further from shore. As the components size and distance from shore increase the installation challenges also increase. Therefore, developers and contractors have to continuously develop processes and equipment to overcome the expected challenges


 Abstract— Maintenance has evolved into an imperative function, and contributes significantly to efficient and effective equipment performance. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is an ideal approach to support the development and implementation of operation performance improvement. It systematically aims to understand the function of equipment, the service quality relationship with equipment and the probable critical equipment failure conditions. Implementation of TPM programmes need strategic planning and there has been little research applied in this area within Middle-East power plants. In the power sector of Abu Dhabi, technologically and strategically, the power industry is extremely important, and it thus needs effective and efficient equipment management support. The aim of this paper is to investigate barriers to successful TPM implementation in the Abu Dhabi power industry. The study has been conducted in the context of a leading power company in the UAE. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 employees, including maintenance and operation staff, and senior managers. The findings of this research identified seven key barriers, thus: managerial; organisational; cultural; financial; educational; communications; and auditing. With respect to the understanding of these barriers and obstacles in TPM implementation, the findings can contribute towards improved equipment operations and maintenance in power organisations.


Note: Proc. 9th European Conference on Contr. Fusion and Plasma Phys., Oxford, September 1979, 66 Reference CRPP-CONF-1979-004 Record created on 2008-05-13, modified on 2017-05-12


We show that the compactly supported cohomology of certain $\text{U}(n,n)$- or $\text{Sp}(2n)$-Shimura varieties with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}_{1}(p^{\infty })$-level vanishes above the middle degree. The only assumption is that we work over a CM field $F$ in which the prime $p$ splits completely. We also give an application to Galois representations for torsion in the cohomology of the locally symmetric spaces for $\text{GL}_{n}/F$. More precisely, we use the vanishing result for Shimura varieties to eliminate the nilpotent ideal in the construction of these Galois representations. This strengthens recent results of Scholze [On torsion in the cohomology of locally symmetric varieties, Ann. of Math. (2) 182 (2015), 945–1066; MR 3418533] and Newton–Thorne [Torsion Galois representations over CM fields and Hecke algebras in the derived category, Forum Math. Sigma 4 (2016), e21; MR 3528275].


In the early 1970s, a group of scholars with the late Peter Szondi at its center formed at the small, newly founded institute for comparative literary studies in Berlin. Together, they adopted the thinking of deconstruction, which had only recently made its way to Germany from Paris and the United States. Werner Hamacher was not only one of them, but quickly became a figurehead of this way of thinking. His 1976 dissertation "pleroma – on the concept of reading in Hegel" shows how independently and originally he appropriates it. Quite self-confidently, he published it in 1978 with an altered subtitle as a kind of gigantic introduction to an edition of Hegel's texts. Now, this text, an extraordinary feat of philosophical scholarship, is for the first time available as a single edition, enhanced by accompanying documents, in the series "Klostermann Rote Reihe".


This article reports the development of a measure of teamwork for use with management teams. A five-stage process was followed. First, a model of teamwork including team processes was generated through empirical research involving the elicitation of 600 team performance constructs from members of management teams and from theoretical considerations. Second, items were written to operationalize the model. Third, data from 220 members of management teams working in private- and public-sector organizations were factor analysed in order to establish the scale structure of the instrument. Fourth, data from a second sample of 16 complete management teams were collected in order to assess within-team properties of the instrument. Lastly, convergent and criterion-related validity were assessed. The resulting 'Teamwork Survey', is a 7-scale, 36-item general-purpose questionnaire that can be used in further research and in consulting interventions.


It is proposed to copy protect data files for transmission by incorporating DSV data patterns, that is, data patterns which are difficult to encode without causing DSV problems, in the data files. The data in five audio streams and two video streams is placed, by way of encoders 10 and a multiplexer 12 into a stream of blocks of encoded data in the MPEG file format 14. In this format, blocks of video data V are arranged alternately with blocks of audio data A and padding stream blocks P. DSV data patterns 16 are incorporated into the MPEG file 14 by way of an encoder 18 to produce the copy protected data file 15. The DSV data patterns 16 are incorporated into locations within the MPEG file which have no data content such as padding stream blocks P and/or into unused audio data blocks A. The DSV data patterns incorporated within the data blocks fed either to a monitor or to a reproduction system will not interfere with the reproduction such that unfettered access is provided to the transmitted information. However, a CD or DVD writer will generally be caused to write a disc which, when read, will result in a reader returning corrupted data or information signalling a read error. Thus, the data in the MPEG file 14 has been copy protected.


We discuss the adequacy of tests for intelligent systems and practical problems raised by their implementation. We propose the replacement test as the ability of a system to replace successfully another system performing a task in a given context. We show how it can characterize salient aspects of human intelligence that cannot be taken into account by the Turing test. We argue that building intelligent systems passing the replacement test involves a series of technical problems that are outside the scope of current AI. We present a framework for implementing the proposed test and validating the properties of the intelligent systems. We discuss the inherent limitations of intelligent system validation and advocate new theoretical foundations for extending existing rigorous test methods. We suggest that the replacement test, based on the complementarity of skills between human and machine, can lead to a multitude of intelligence concepts reflecting the ability to combine data-based and symbolic knowledge to varying degrees.


The following thesis is a domain-centered study that examines the effects of second language (L2) learning on mental representations of time in native English learners of L2 Mandarin Chinese. The design of this study attempts to observe the effects of the existence and use of spatiotemporal metaphors in Mandarin Chinese on L2 learners of the language. The methodology used for data collection includes a three-dimensional pointing paradigm—a partially language-independent task—which attempts to isolate cognitive behavior. The task requires participants to answer questions (by pointing) regarding space and time on imaginary axes in front of their person using their own fist as the reference point in their answer; this precludes any language effects caused by having to use language in completing experimental tasks. The participants of the study include advanced L2 learners of Mandarin Chinese as the focus experimental group and English native speakers as the control group. Results confirm the hypothesis that learning a second language does influence speakers' mental representations of time; while English native speakers significantly preferred the transverse axis in virtually all cases, L2 Mandarin learners displayed a preference for both the transverse and sagittal axes, without significantly distinguishing between the two. This study adds to previous literature in the field, providing evidence in support of the linguistic relativity theory.


We introduce Maxwell's equations with chiral constitutive equations in the form given by Fedorov and Bokut. In the case where the scatterer is an infinitely long cylinder we derive a two-dimensional scattering problem and discuss the existence and uniqueness of solutions via an integral equation approach. Then we formulate the inverse scattering problem to find the shape of the scatterer if the far-field data are known. We give a uniqueness result and describe a numerical reconstruction scheme.


High data rates and increased coverage area are the requirements of future wirel ess networks. Novel systems are looked into to support the needs. One among them are the Multihop systems. Multihop systems offer substantial power saving when compared with single hop networks. This means they can provide increased coverage area and at the same time support high speed data services. One of the key elements of a multihop system is the relay. Relays are of two types, non regenerative and regenerative relays. Non regenerative relays are relays which amplify and relay the received signal, whereas, regenerative relays decode the received signal and re-encode it prior to re-transmission. In terms of hardware complexity, non regenerative relays are simple and regenerative relays are complex. A study on the performance analysis of these relays shows that regenerative relays perform better when compared with the non regenerative relays. At the same time, a simpler version of the regenerative relay, semi regenerative relay, is as good as the regenerative relay at high SNRs. The fact that it needs only a fraction of the complexity as that of the regenerative relay recommends the need to study more. In this thesis, work has been carried out to simplify the regenerative relay terminal and measure the impact of simplification on the system performance. Three models are proposed for simplification. They are coded with hamming and BCH codes and their performance is analyzed in a multipath environment. The findings show that there is a loss in performance of the models due to simplification. The loss is more pronounced in the fast fading case. In the block fading case, the simplest and the complex model produce identical performance at high SNR's. When soft decision decoding is included the simplest and the complex model produce identical performance right from low SNRs.


139 The introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops has been a subject of national as well as international discourse. The technology has been hailed by many as an extra-ordinary scientific revelation that could bring about enhanced food production and feed the ever-increasing population of the world. The technology has successfully produced improved quality crops with a better production capacity and an enhanced nutrient content. However, many people have voiced concerns on the potential risks of the technology on health, biodiversity, and the environment. Moreover, the commercialization, globalization, and monopolization of the technology remain to be a serious concern for the public. Public reaction on the GM crops is mixed and range from doubt and caution to outright hostility and total rejection. The deep division among the public in general and the scientific community in particular has brought about a range of broader public policy issues which have continued to be globally debated. This is the first part of the article, which is meant to briefly present and critically evaluate the major public policy issues surrounding the global GM debate.


More than two million workers are exposed to pneumotoxic welding aerosols and there is a need for target organ specific biomarkers of exposure. Manganese is a common constituent of iron alloys, its occupational exposure limit is low and other biomarkers are poor, which makes it a good model substance. We hypothesize that metal particles are deposited in the small airways and are incorporated into endogenous particles formed during respiration. A subsequent analysis of these particles in exhaled air (PEx) can serve as a biomarker for metals in welding fumes. We have recently developed a method for the collection of PEx (Almstrand, A.-C. et al. Anal Chem 2008; 81:662-668), based on counting of the exhaled particles and subsequent collection by impaction on a filter. Here we developed a method for analysis of trace metal content, i.e. manganese and iron in PEx. The method involved desorption of the filter in 5% nitric acid and analysis of the metal content by ICP-MS. To test our hypothesis, we exposed 9 healthy non-smokers (4F/5M, 29-63 years) to welding aerosol in an exposure chamber (Isaxon, C. et al. Aerosol Sci Tech 2012; 47:52-59) for two hours. Manganese and iron was analysed in PEx samples collected before, immediately after and 24 h after exposure. The results showed that 4 out of 9 persons had substantially increased levels of both manganese and iron in PEx immediately after exposure. Before exposure two samples had an iron content above limit of detection and none of the samples collected after 24 h. Manganese was below LOD in all samples collected before and 24 h after exposure. The study showed that the analysis of metals in PEx is a promising biomarker for metal aerosol exposure.


Morchella crassipes (Vent.) Pers., a typical yellow morel species with high economic value, is mainly distributed in the low altitude plains of Eurasia. However, rare research has been performed on its genomics and polarity, thus limiting its research and development. Here, we reported a fine physical map of the nuclear genome at the subchromosomal-scale and the complete mitochondrial genome of M. crassipes. The complete size of the nuclear genome was 56.7 Mb, and 23 scaffolds were assembled, with eight of them being complete chromosomes. A total of 11,565 encoding proteins were predicted. The divergence time analysis showed that M. crassipes representing yellow morels differentiated with black morels at ~33.98 Mya (million years), with 150 gene families contracted and expanded in M. crassipes versus the two black morels (M. snyderi and M. importuna). Furthermore, 409 CAZYme genes were annotated in M. crassipes, containing almost all plant cell wall degrading enzymes compared with the mycorrhizal fungi (truffles). Genomic annotation of mating type loci and amplification of the mating genes in the monospore population was conducted, the results indicated that M. crassipes is a heterothallic fungus. Additionally, a complete circular mitochondrial genome of M. crassipes was assembled, the size reached as large as 531,195 bp. It can be observed that the strikingly large size was the biggest up till now, coupled with 14 core conserved mitochondrial protein-coding genes, two rRNAs, 31 tRNAs, 51 introns, and 412 ncORFs. The total length of intron sequences accounted for 53.67% of the mitochondrial genome, with 19 introns having a length over 5 kb. Particularly, 221 of 412 ncORFs were distributed within 51 introns, and the total length of the ncORFs sequence accounted for 40.83% of the mitochondrial genome, and 297 ncORFs had expression activity in the mycelium stage, suggesting their potential functions in M. crassipes. Meanwhile, there was a high degree of repetition (51.31%) in the mitochondria of M. crassipes. Thus, the large number of introns, ncORFs and internal repeat sequences may contribute jointly to the largest fungal mitochondrial genome to date. The fine physical maps of nuclear genome and mitochondrial genome obtained in this study will open a new door for better understanding of the mysterious species of M. crassipes.


A poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) conducting polymer doped with poly(2-styrene sulfonate) (pEDOT:PSS) was efficiently electrodeposited on a layer composed of ordered titania nanotubes. TiO2 nanotubes were formed during an anodization process and, after calcinations, a layer was subjected to hydrogen plasma. Hydrogenation leads to Ti(III) formation, a decrease in resistance, and a huge increase of donor density when compared with pure titania. According to a detailed structure analysis, the coverage by the polymer matrix is uniform on the entire titania surface as well as along the tubes. The composite material exhibits highly enhanced anodic photocurrent (106 μA cm−2) when compared with hydrogenated titania H–TiO2 (54 μA cm−2) or pure polymer film (2 μA cm−2). Moreover, H–TiO2/pEDOT:PSS is characterized with high photostability displayed during prolonged illumination. The proposed hydrogenation approach could be regarded as a facile titania modification for further electrochemical modifications.


The conventional formulation of quantum electrodynamics in which the system develops from one space-like hyperplane to the next is here replaced by one in which the development proceeds over null hyperplanes. For detailed study a quantized electromagnetic field ${A}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ is chosen to interact with a quantized spin-0 particle field $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ in an unquantized electromagnetic field $A_{\mathrm{ext}}^{}{}_{}{}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ as background. If the latter is chosen to be a laser field, the $\ensuremath{\Phi}\ensuremath{-}A_{\mathrm{ext}}^{}{}_{}{}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ interaction permits exact closed-form solutions (Volkov) and allows the construction of wave packets which cannot be done in the usual formulation. The perturbation solution for the $S$ matrix is therefore conveniently based on the Furry picture. The null-plane formulation has various advantages. In particular, the gauge problem which causes difficulties in the usual theory is absent in the null-plane gauge chosen here. Since there are only two dynamically independent components of ${A}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}$, the commutation relations, field equations, gauge conditions, and vacuum definition are all mutually consistent. A natural nullplane gauge is used. Similarities and differences between this and the conventional theory are pointed out. As an application the Compton scattering of a charged particle with a laser beam is shown to lead to an intensity-dependent frequency shift. The controversy on this issue is settled here without divergent phase factors, because our wave-packet description permits a clean separation of the particle beam from the laser.


In recent years, much attention has been given to liposomal formulation as an efficient drug loading system (DDS) in chemotherapy of cancer. In this study, the advantages of magnetic nanoparticles and Polyethylene Glyco (PEG) materials were considered to synthesize magnetic gemcitabine long-circulating liposomes (MGLL) and the potential of MGLL as a brand new delivery system was evaluated. MGLL was prepared using the reverse-phase evaporation method. In the optimized preparation, MGLL had an average diameter of 201 nm with a narrow size distribution measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS), which could be easily dispersed in ultrapure water under a stable state for 90 days. The encapsulation efficiency of gemcitabine in MGLL reached 87.2% as determined by HPLC. In vitro MTT assay showed that MGLL had significant cytotoxicity to MCF-7 cells compared with the conventional modalities. In vivo, the inhibition of tumor growth in MGLL group was more remarkable than that of other groups (P < 0.05). In conclusion, MGLL under optimized condition could be used as an effective carrier for tumor-targeted therapy.


We determined the amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange profile of native human fibrinogen under physiologic conditions. After optimization of the quench and proteolysis conditions, more than 1,200 peptides were identified by mass spectrometry, spanning more than 90% of the constituent Aα, Bβ, and γ chain amino acid sequences. The compact central and distal globular regions of fibrinogen were well protected from deuterium exchange, with the exception of the unfolded amino-terminal segments of the Aα and Bβ chains extending from the central region, and the short γ chain "tail" extending from each distal globular region. The triple-helical coiled-coil regions, which bridge the central region to each distal region, were also well protected with the exception of a moderately fast-exchanging area in the middle of each coiled-coil adjacent to the γ chain carbohydrate attachment site. These dynamic regions appear to provide flexibility to the fibrinogen molecule. The γ chain "out loop" contained within each coiled-coil also exchanged rapidly. The αC domain (Aα 392-610) exchanged rapidly, with the exception of a short segment sandwiched between a conserved disulfide linkage in the N-terminal αC subdomain. This latter finding is consistent with a mostly disordered structure for the αC domain in native fibrinogen. Analysis of the dysfibrinogen Bβ 235 Pro/Leu, which exhibits abnormal fibrin structure, revealed enhanced deuterium exchange surrounding the Pro/Leu substitution site as well as in the vicinity of the high affinity calcium binding site and the A knob polymerization pocket within the γC domain. The implication of these changes with respect to fibrin structure is discussed.


Objective: Global surveillance has shown that drug resistant (DR) tuberculosis (TB) is widespread. Prompt detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance is essential for effective control of TB. The most frequent mutations associated with Isoniazid (INH) resistance in Mycobacterium are substitutions at codons 315 in the katG gene and the mabA-inhA promoter region (−15). This survey evaluated INH resistant-associated mutations in order to determine rapid detection of TB resistance. Materials and Methods: Through a descriptive cross- sectional study total of 96 sputum specimens were digested, examined microscopically for acid-fast bacilli and inoculated into Löwenstein-Jensen slants. Thereafter, the susceptibility and identification tests were performed on culture positive specimens. Subsequently, the strains were subjected to multiplex allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (MAS-PCR) targeting in the codons 315 in the katG gene and the mabA-inhA promoter region. Distinct PCR banding patterns were observed for different mutation profiles. Results: Drug susceptibility testing revealed that out of 96 available isolates, 30 (31.3%) were susceptible, 36 (37.5%) had multi-drug resistance (MDR-TB) and 30 (31.3%) showed mono- drug resistance. In comparison with the culture-based phenotypic drug susceptibility test, the sensitivity and specificity of MAS-PCR assay for drug resistance-related genetic mutations were 76.7% and 71.4%, respectively. The correlation between MAS-PCR and culture-based phenotypic drug susceptibility testing findings was 99.4%. Conclusion: The profile of the isolates suggests a significant number of different DR strains with a high frequency of mutations at codon 315 of the katG gene. MAS-PCR provides a rapid, simple and cost-effective method for detecting MDR-TB.


This study describes a methodology combining a recently proposed renormalization inversion technique with a building‐resolving computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach for source retrieval in the geometrically complex urban regions. It presents the first application of the renormalization inversion approach to estimate an unknown continuous point release in real situations at an urban scale. The renormalization inversion approach is based on an adjoint source‐receptor relationship and is purely deterministic in nature. The source parameters (i.e., source location and release rate) are reconstructed from a finite set of point measurements of concentration acquired from some sensors and the adjoint functions computed from a CFD model fluidyn‐PANACHE that is able to represent the geometric and flow complexity inherent in the urban regions. The inversion procedure is evaluated for a point source reconstruction using measurements from the Mock Urban Setting Test (MUST) field experiment. Source reconstructions are performed for 20 trials of the MUST experiment of a continuous point release in an idealized urban geometry consisting of a regular array of shipping containers. The steady state flow fields are computed by solving the three‐dimensional Reynolds‐averaged Navier‐Stokes equations by using a finite volume scheme. Then, in each MUST trial adjoint functions are obtained and used for the source identification. Inversion results are presented with both synthetic and real measurements in various atmospheric stabilities varying from neutral to stable and very stable conditions. With real concentration measurements, the point source is retrieved within an average Euclidean distance of 14.6 m from the actual source location. The estimated source intensity is overpredicted by an average factor of 1.37 of the true release rate. In a posterior uncertainty analysis with 10% random noise in measurements, it is demonstrated that standard deviation in the location error and release strength, respectively, varies by 5.22 m and ∼21% from their mean value for all 20 trials. A sensitivity analysis shows that the use of nonzero measurements helps in reducing the uncertainties involved in the source reconstruction. The source reconstruction results in various stability conditions exhibit the reliability of the renormalization inversion methodology coupled with the CFD approach in an urban area. The present methodology can be used by emergency regulators as a tool to detect the unknown accidental or deliberated releases in the complex urban environments.


An analytical overview of research involving EM waves attenuation by vegetation canopies in the frequency range 100...10000 MHz is given. Brief descriptions of objects of investigation and typical biometric features are presented. The models of vegetation as a continuous medium and as a collection of scatterers are considered. Dielectric properties of vegetative material are discussed. The relation between electromagnetic and biometric parameters of vegetation is established. Methods of measurements of attenuation are reviewed. Available experimental data of attenuation are analyzed and the directions of future research needs are presented.