A mutant of Salmonella typhimurium, resistant to inhibition by 2, 6-diaminopurine, differs from its sensitive wild-type parent by an altered adenylic acid pyrophosphorylase. The altered enzyme, though still active with adenine as substrate, is inactive in the conversion of diaminopurine to its nucleotide. It also differs from the wildtype enzyme in a number of physical and chemical properties.


Halloysite nanotube (HNT)-based supramolecular complexes are synthesized and evaluated with respect to their cytotoxicity and effects on cellular structures. As HNTs are water-insoluble, DNA is applied for wrapping the surface of HNTs to enhance their water-dispersibility. To investigate the potential of DNA-wrapped HNTs (HD) as a promising drug delivery carrier, doxorubicin (DOX) is introduced as a model anticancer agent and loaded onto HD. The DOX-loaded, DNA-wrapped HNTs (HDD) show sustained DOX release over two weeks without initial burst of DOX indicating delayed DOX release inside cells. In addition, effects of DNA-wrapped HNTs (HD) or HDD on the cytoskeleton organization of A549 cells are studied by visualizing the distribution of F-actin filaments using confocal laser scanning microscopy, and cellular morphological changes are observed by scanning electron microscopy and scanning ion conductance microscopy.


Over the past two decades a great deal has been published in academic journals and conference proceedings on the relationship between population and environment. Some people maintain that rapidly growing population numbers will lead to environmental decline and economic collapse. Some believe increasing populations are a necessary prerequisitefor economic growth and development. Others argue thatfocusing on population numbers is not the issue and that environmental decline and poor economic performance arise because of constraints in institutional and market structures. There are also those who argue that thefocus of the population debate should be on human and reproductive rights. In spite of these debates, the media continue to raise the spectre of environmental catastrophe as a result of increases in population numbers and of population issues as simply an exercise in controlling numbers. In this article the authors seek to get 'behind the headlines' and discuss not only how different perspectives in the population-environment debate can and have been translated into policy and practice, but also the ethical issues associated with policy directions.


Ciclopirox olamine (CPX), a synthetic fungicide clinically used to treat mycoses of the skin and nails, has been demonstrated as a novel anticancer agent. However, the underlying anticancer mechanisms are not well understood. Here we show that CPX suppressed cell proliferation, induced cell death (apoptosis and autophagy), and inhibited cell motility in breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) and rhabdomyosarcoma (Rh30) cells. We observed that CPX induced inhibitory phosphorylation of CDK2 and inhibited cyclin D1 expression, resulting in dephosphorylation of Rb in the tumor cells, which was correlated to cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Furthermore, we found that CPX caused DNA damage and activated ATR-Chk1 axis, increasing phosphorylation and degradation of Cdc25A, a critical protein involved in the regulation of cell cycle progression and apoptosis. CPX also activated JNK cascade, associated with apoptosis. Moreover, CPX downregulated cellular protein expression of small GTPases (RhoA, Cdc42 and Rac1) and induced inhibitory phosphorylation of FAK, related to cell migration. In addition, we found that CPX inhibited the signaling of mTOR, a central controller of cell proliferation, survival (apoptosis and autophagy) and motility. The results suggest that CPX exerts its anticancer activity by targeting multiple signaling molecules. Citation Format: Tao Shen, Hongyu Zhou, Shile Huang. The anticancer mechanisms of ciclopirox olamine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3408. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3408


Since 2004, the "Mona Lisa" painting by Leonardo da Vinci has been studied by an international research group of wood scientists and several experimental campaigns have been carried out to understand its characteristics and provide indications for its conservation. Based on the collected data, a numerical model of the wooden panel has been developed to simulate the mechanical interaction with the framing system. The main objective of this modelling work, described in this paper, is to extract as much information as possible from the experimental tests carried out and, thus, reach a sufficient level of scientific knowledge of the mechanical properties of the panel to build a predictive model. It will be used to predict the effect of modified boundary conditions and as a tool of preventive conservation.


The flux of 7Be and 8B neutrinos from the Sun and the production of 7Li via primordial nucleosynthesis depend on the rate of the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be reaction. In extension of a previous study showing cross section data at 127 - 167 keV center of mass energy, the present work reports on a measurement of the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be cross section at 106 keV performed at Italy's Gran Sasso underground laboratory by the activation method. This energy is closer to the solar Gamow energy than ever reached before. The result is sigma = 0.567 +- 0.029(stat) +- 0.016(syst) nbarn. The data are compared with previous activation studies at high energy, and a recommended S(0) value for all 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be activation studies, including the present work, is given.


Automatic accurate segmentation methods are needed to assess longitudinal cartilage changes in osteoarthritis (OA). We propose a novel general spatio-temporal three-label segmentation method to encourage segmentation consistency across time in longitudinal image data. The segmentation is formulated as a convex optimization problem which allows for the computation of globally optimal solutions. The longitudinal segmentation is applied within an automatic knee cartilage segmentation pipeline. Experimental results demonstrate that the longitudinal segmentation improves the segmentation consistency in comparison to the temporally-independent segmentation.


Evidence on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with stage 3 liver fibrosis (F3) and SVR is scarce and continues to generate uncertainty. Furthermore, the distinction between F3 and F4 disease is complex. Consequently, the latest international guidelines recommend using the same screening protocol for HCC after SVR in both F3 and F4 patients. However, the risk of HCC in these groups is possibly different and maintaining screening for HCC in this population indefinitely generates an excessive burden for the health system. This editorial aims to review the available evidence on this topic.


SUMMARY Modeling the instantaneous kinematics of lower pair linkages using joint screws and the finite kinematics with Lie group concepts is well established on a solid theoretical foundation. This allows for modeling the forward kinematics of mechanisms as well the loop closure constraints of kinematic loops. Yet there is no established approach to the modeling of complex mechanisms possessing multiple kinematic loops. For such mechanisms, it is crucial to incorporate the kinematic topology within the modeling in a consistent and systematic way. To this end, in this paper a kinematic model graph is introduced that gives rise to an ordering of the joints within a mechanism and thus allows to systematically apply established kinematics formulations. It naturally gives rise to topologically independent loops and thus to loop closure constraints. Geometric constraints as well as velocity and acceleration constraints are formulated in terms of joint screws. An extension to higher order loop constraints is presented. It is briefly discussed how the topology representation can be used to amend structural mobility criteria.


Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous in the environment. Their persistence coupled with their potential toxicity has prompted international regulations and increased effort to understand their regional and global scale presence, and the processes that influence their fate and transport. PCBs can travel in the atmosphere away from source regions through long-range atmospheric transport and be deposited to water and terrestrial surfaces. This chapter focuses on the atmospheric concentrations of PCBs and factors controlling their spatial and temporal variability from source regions to oceanic remote areas. Air data show a strong latitudinal trend with the highest PCB concentrations in Europe and the lowest in the Arctic and in the tropical and subtropical southern hemisphere. High PCB levels were observed off the west coast of Africa and Asia, and possible factors controlling these high levels and their implications for the global cycling of PCBs are discussed. Furthermore, air-water interactions are disussed in remote areas of the open ocean. Of particular importance is the evidence for near steady-state air-water equilibrium or net volatilization in the tropical and subtropical regions, while advective inputs still dominate in the Northern hemisphere. Net deposition dominates over volatilization in the Arctic region. This chapter seeks o examine recent findings in the global transport of PCBs and to identify areas of uncertainty in the understanding of the factors controlling the residence time of PCBs in different areas of the globe.


Programmed cell death (PCD) is a process aimed at the removal of redundant, misplaced, or damaged cells and it is essential to the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. In contrast to the relatively well‐described cell death pathway in animals, often referred to as apoptosis, mechanisms and regulation of plant PCD are still ill‐defined. Several morphological and biochemical similarities between apoptosis and plant PCD have been described, including DNA laddering, caspase‐like proteolytic activity, and cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have emerged as important signals in the activation of plant PCD. In addition, several plant hormones may exert their respective effects on plant PCD through the regulation of ROS accumulation. The possible plant PCD regulators discussed in this review are integrated in a model that combines plant‐specific regulators with mechanisms functionally conserved between animals and plants. BioEssays 25:47–57, 2003. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Background: T lymphocyte subsets with correlative cytokines, albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), have been linked to inflammatory indicators of immune response and prognosis in various cancer types. The aim of this study was to determine the utility of these biomarkers in predicting the immunological benefits of Ganoderma spore powder in post-operative patients with breast and lung cancer. Methods: We prospectively evaluated 120 consecutive breast and lung cancer patients with or without Ganoderma spore powder. T lymphocyte subsets, as well as relative cytokines were detected and assessed by Pearson correlation analysis. The relationships between AGR and NLR with ganoderma spore powder treatment and prognosis were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression methods.Results: The prevalence of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+, CD3+HLADR-, CD4+HLADR- and CD8+HLADR- cell types was higher in the ganderma spore treated group compared to untreated controls. In addition, the percentage of CD4+CD25+Treg, CD3+HLADR+, CD4+HLADR+ and CD8+HLADR+ cell types was lower in the treated group. IL-2 and IL-12 frequencies were significantly higher during the treatment period which negatively impacted levels of IL-10. Other immunosuppressive factors such as COX2, TGF- 1 and HIF-1A had higher prevalence in non-treated patients. Correlation analysis showed several correlations between the biomarkers, specifically between IL-6 and TGF- 1, CD28 and IL-12R, TGF- 1 and Foxp3, IL-10 and IL-12R with COX2, Foxp3 and CD8, IL-10 and CD28 with IL-12R, COX2 and CD8, IL-12R with COX2, CD3 with CD4 and CD8. A positive relationship was also observed between IL-2 and TGF- 1. Conversely, IL-2 was negatively related to CD3, and HIF-1 negatively related with CD4, CD28 and CD3. Kaplan–Meier analysis suggested that low AGR/high NLR was related to poor progression free survival (PFS, HR=1.572, P=0.038/HR=2.064, P=0.042). A combination of high AGR and low NLR that predicted treatment benefits was also associated with PFS (HR=0.661, P=0.033/HR=1.044, P=0.048).Conclusions: Our findings show that T lymphocyte subsets predominately combined with relevant cytokines and AGR/NLR inflammatory predictors may help to identify patients most likely to benefit from the immunological enhancements from Ganoderma spore powder treatment.


Abstract We compared Nobuto filter paper (FP) whole-blood samples to serum for detecting antibodies to seven pathogens in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). Serum and FP samples were collected from captive reindeer in 2008–2009. Sample pairs (serum and FP eluates) were assayed in duplicate at diagnostic laboratories with the use of competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (cELISAs) for Neospora caninum and West Nile virus (WNV); indirect ELISA (iELISAs) for bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), parainfluenza virus type 3 (PI-3), and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV); and virus neutralization (VN) for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) types I and II. Assay thresholds were evidence-based values employed by each laboratory. Comparable performance to serum was defined as FP sensitivity and specificity ≥80%. Filter-paper specificity estimates ranged from 92% in the cELISAs for N. caninum and WNV to 98% in the iELISAs for PI-3 and BRSV. Sensitivity was >85% for five tests (most ≥95%) but was insufficient (71–82%) for the PI-3 and BRSV iELISAs. Lowering the threshold for FP samples in these two ELISAs raised sensitivity to ≥87% and reduced specificity slightly (≥90% in three of the four test runs). Sample size limited the precision of some performance estimates. Based on the criteria of sensitivity and specificity ≥80%, and using adjusted FP thresholds for PI-3 and BRSV, FP sensitivity and specificity were comparable to serum in all seven assays. A potential limitation of FP is reduced sensitivity in tests that require undiluted serum (i.e., N. caninum cELISA and BVDV VNs). Possible toxicity to the assay cell layer in VN requires investigation. Results suggested that cELISA is superior to iELISA for detecting antibodies in FP samples from reindeer and other Rangifer tarandus subspecies. Our findings expand the potential utility of FP sampling from wildlife.


Permanent magnet brushless motor is a nonlinear system with multiple variables, the mathematical model of Permanent magnet brushless motor is difficult to establish, and since that the classic PID control is hard to precisely control the motor. Active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) technique is a new nonlinear controller which does not depend on the system model. It is starting from the classic PID control, and establishing the loop control system by error negative feedback, the ESO(extended state observer) observing system which comes from the observer theory of modern control theory to observe internal and external perturbations. ADRC inherits the advantages of PID with little overshoot, high convergence speed, high accuracy, strong anti-interference ability and other characteristics, and it has a strong disturbance adaptability and robustness as for the uncertainty perturbation and their internal disturbance of control objects. Therefore, This paper attempts to use Active disturbance rejection control(ADRC), in order to improve the control of permanent magnet brushless motor. In this design of control system, the simulation of the system is realized based on MATLAB, and then the discrete control algorithm is transplanted to the embedded system to control the permanent magnet brushless DC motor (PMBLDCM). The control system is implemented on the DSP-F28335 digital signal processor, and the DSP also provides the functions like voltage and current AD sampling, PWM driver generation, speed and rotor position calculation, etc. The simulation and experiment results indicate that, the system has good dynamic performance and anti-disturbance performance.


We describe Voyageur, which is an application of experiential search to the domain of travel. Unlike traditional search engines for online services, experiential search focuses on the experiential aspects of the service under consideration. In particular, Voyageur needs to handle queries for subjective aspects of the service (e.g., quiet hotel, friendly staff) and combine these with objective attributes, such as price and location. Voyageur also highlights interesting facts and tips about the services the user is considering to provide them with further insights into their choices.


Concurrent measurements of abaxial and adaxial stomatal resistance and leaf-water potentials of snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in the field and growth chamber show that the stomata on the 2 surfaces of the leaflet react differently to water deficit. The stomata on the abaxial surface, which are about 7 times more numerous than on the adaxial surface, are not significantly affected at leaf-water potentials greater than -11 bars, but with further decrease in leaf-water potential, the resistance rapidly increases. On the other hand, the resistance of the adaxial stomata increases sharply at a leaf-water potential of about -8 bars and is constant at higher water potentials. The average stomatal resistance for both surfaces of the leaf, which is the major diffusive resistance to water vapor, to a first approximation acts as an on-off switch and helps prevent further decline in leaf-water potential. The relation between the leaf-water potential and the stomatal resistance links the soil-water potential to the transpiration stream as needed for soil-plant-atmosphere models.


Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) technology is nowadays willingly used in small area topographic mapping due to low costs and good quality of derived products. Since cameras typically used with UAS have some limitations, e.g. cannot penetrate the vegetation, LiDAR sensors are increasingly getting attention in UAS mapping. Sensor developments reached the point when their costs and size suit the UAS platform, though, LiDAR UAS is still an emerging technology. One issue related to using LiDAR sensors on UAS is the limited performance of the navigation sensors used on UAS platforms. Therefore, various hardware and software solutions are investigated to increase the quality of UAS LiDAR point clouds. This work analyses several aspects of the UAS LiDAR point cloud generation performance based on UAS flights conducted with the Velodyne laser scanner and cameras. The attention was primarily paid to the trajectory reconstruction performance that is essential for accurate point cloud georeferencing. Since the navigation sensors, especially Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), may not be of sufficient performance, the estimated camera poses could allow to increase the robustness of the estimated trajectory, and subsequently, the accuracy of the point cloud. The accuracy of the final UAS LiDAR point cloud was evaluated on the basis of the generated DSM, including comparison with point clouds obtained from dense image matching. The results showed the need for more investigation on MEMS IMU sensors used for UAS trajectory reconstruction. The accuracy of the UAS LiDAR point cloud, though lower than for point cloud obtained from images, may be still sufficient for certain mapping applications where the optical imagery is not useful.


The empirical Ionospheric Model of the Auroral Zone (IMAZ) is based on more than 100,000 electron density profiles measured by the European Incoherent Scatter Radar EISCAT combined with about 100 from sounding rockets. The mathematical procedure applied is a neural network (NN) which works fine as long as one requests predictions from inside the so-called input space, but predicting situations outside it, i.e. for conditions not or only poorly covered by data, are in general utterly unrealistic. An analytical procedure is presented which reasonably extrapolates the NN results for conditions inadequately covered by input data.


Abstract A single case study approach was used to provide an in-depth examination of the special events that take place in the experiences of a graduate mathematics teaching assistant (MTA) during adaptation to a variety of physical, emotional, and psychological issues. Through intervention by a faculty member, professional counselor, and medical doctor, the MTA eventually achieved positive coping and adaptation away from suicidal ideations. In the context of attribution theory, we will look at the particular stressors and the how their concomitant effect led the MTA to consider suicide. The case study documents the interactions between the MTA and the faculty member as well as how the MTAs attributions impacted their tone and tenor. Drawing from this account and others encountered by other MTAs, the second half of the paper presents a case story to help MTAs consider how to navigate situations that contribute to stress.


The United States employs an ad hoc, unconventional method of regulating sports betting, banning it almost everywhere while granting a monopoly to firms in a single state, Nevada. This approach encourages illegal sports betting markets, ignores negative externalities, and generates welfare losses among the large population of responsible recreational gamblers. I review the current state of sports betting regulation in the U.S. and assess its economic viability in advance of the Supreme Court of the United States decision on the landmark Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association case.


Primary cardiac angiosarcoma occurs rarely, and surgical resection is often required to relieve symptoms. A 66-year-old man whose presenting symptoms were palpitations and general fatigue is presented. Echocardiography revealed a large tumour occupying most of the right atrium. When superior vena caval (SVC) syndrome developed, surgical resection of the tumour was attempted. The tumour was found to have invaded the inflow of SVC, left atrium, right ventricle and ascending aorta. The bulk of the tumour was resected, requiring reconstruction of the right atrium and caval inflows. Histopathological diagnosis of the tumour was primary angiosarcoma. In the postoperative period, symptoms of SVC syndrome recurred, which were relieved temporarily by balloon angioplasty. After one month, recurrence of symptoms was again managed by catheter dilation. On this occasion a metallic stent was deployed, which prevented further symptoms of SVC syndrome during the eight months before the patient died with generalized metastases.


Branched amino-acid biosynthesis is important to bacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), a microorganism that presently causes more deaths in humans than any other prokaryotic pathogen (http://www.who.int/tb). In this study, the molecular cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of recombinant IlvH, the small regulatory subunit of acetohydroxylic acid synthase (AHAS) in Mtb, are reported. AHAS carries out the first common reaction in the biosynthesis of valine, leucine and isoleucine. AHAS is an essential enzyme in Mtb and its inactivation leads to a lethal phenotype [Sassetti et al. (2001), Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 98, 12712-12717]. Thus, inhibitors of AHAS could potentially be developed into novel anti-Mtb therapies.


Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent subtype of lung cancer histologically, and an increasing number of evidences have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis during the past years. Here we found a long non-coding RNA, GATA2-AS1, repressed NSCLC cells proliferation via regulating GATA2. GATA2-AS1 gene is located at antisense strand of GATA2 on chromosome while GATA2-AS1 RNA interacts with GATA1 protein at promoter region of GATA2 and then inhibits its transcription. Moreover, GATA2-AS1 is transcriptionally repressed by MYC in NSCLC cells. To conclude, our study discovered the role of lncRNA GATA2-AS1 in human non-small cell lung cancer growth thus providing a potential target for anti-lung cancer drugs.


The negative effects of long-term stress on health outcomes are well-documented. Emerging technologies that harness mobile technologies have been linked to positive effects on stress management. However, the ways in which existing inter- and intrapersonal theories of behavior change are integrated into development processes of these mHealth technologies for stress coping are limited. In this paper, we present a novel theory-driven approach to develop and implement a sustainable mobile application for stress education and management. Specifically, we integrate the taxonomy of Behavior Change Techniques and user engagement framework to model and adapt theory-driven techniques in the context of mobile technologies. A total of 12 behavior change techniques were incorporated into our mobile application. Initial user evaluation and usability testing was conducted. Results indicate heuristic modifications could improve overall delivery of content, and potential user satisfaction is likely. We conclude that this novel approach may have implications well beyond stress management.


As opposed to scaling-up protein language models (PLMs), we seek improving performance via protein-specific optimization. Although the proportionality between the language model size and the richness of its learned representations is validated, we prioritize accessibility and pursue a path of data-efficient, cost-reduced, and knowledge-guided optimization. Through over twenty experiments ranging from masking, architecture, and pre-training data, we derive insights from protein-specific experimentation into building a model that interprets the language of life, optimally. We present Ankh, the first general-purpose PLM trained on Google's TPU-v4 surpassing the state-of-the-art performance with fewer parameters (<10% for pre-training, <7% for inference, and <30% for the embedding dimension). We provide a representative range of structure and function benchmarks where Ankh excels. We further provide a protein variant generation analysis on High-N and One-N input data scales where Ankh succeeds in learning protein evolutionary conservation-mutation trends and introducing functional diversity while retaining key structural-functional characteristics. We dedicate our work to promoting accessibility to research innovation via attainable resources.


Hemophagocytosis is a phenomenon in which macrophages phagocytose blood cells. There are reports on up-regulated hemophagocytosis in patients with infectious diseases including typhoid fever, tuberculosis, influenza and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). However, mechanisms of infection-associated hemophagocytosis remained elusive due to a lack of appropriate animal models. Here, we have established a mouse model of VL with hemophagocytosis. At 24 weeks after infection with 1 x 107 Leishmania donovani promastigotes, BALB/cA mice exhibited splenomegaly with an average tissue weight per body weight of 2.96%. In the tissues, 28.6% of macrophages contained phagocytosed erythrocytes. All of the hemophagocytosing macrophages were parasitized by L. donovani, and higher levels of hemophagocytosis was observed in heavily infected cells. Furthermore, more than half of these hemophagocytes had two or more macrophage-derived nuclei, whereas only 15.0% of splenic macrophages were bi- or multi-nuclear. These results suggest that direct infection by L. donovani causes hyper-activation of host macrophages to engulf blood cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report on hemophagocytosis in experimental Leishmania infections and may be useful for further understanding of the pathogenesis.


In this paper, a methodology for target discrimination utilizing wavelet-based and morphological feature extraction is proposed. The proposed methodology is implemented into a landmine classification decision system utilizing metal detector array data as input. The classification performances of a number of feature vectors composed of different combinations of feature elements are assessed. This is conducted using a Fuzzy ARTMAP neural network classifier and majority voting decision fusion. The classification classes trialled during processing are target type and burial depth, both combined and individually. The majority of the results achieve correct classification percentages of above 80% both prior to and after decision fusion, with generally higher accuracies and lower misclassification percentages achieved after decision fusion.


This study was undertaken to describe purification, identification, and characteristics of protocatechuic acid (PCA) isolated for the first time from Paenibacillus elgii HOA73 against Botrytis cinerea (the cause of gray mold disease on strawberry fruit). PCA was purified by different chromatographic techniques and identified as PCA (3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid) by nuclear magnetic resonance and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses. PCA displayed potent antifungal activity against B. cinerea and Rhizoctonia solani. However, the antifungal activities were not sufficient to inhibit mycelial growth of Phytophthora capsici and Fusarium oxysporum. The minimum inhibitory concentration of PCA to inhibit any visible mycelial growth of both B. cinerea and R. solani was 64 µg ml−1. Most B. cinerea conidia displayed altered shape and absence of germination, or were degraded after treatment with 50 and 100 µg ml−1 PCA, respectively. Moreover, gray mold formation on strawberry fruit was almost or completely inhibited by these PCA concentrations 7 days following infection with B. cinerea conidia, respectively. PCA may be a promising alternative to chemical fungicides as a potential biofungicide to prevent growth of B. cinerea in strawberry fruit disease management.


BACKGROUND
Monocular optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) asymmetry is associated with disruption of early binocular visual development.

METHODS
Three groups of treated esotropic patients and a group of normal controls were evaluated for the presence of clinically detectable monocular OKN asymmetry. Clinical assessment of monocular OKN asymmetry was performed by observing eye movements in response to a hand-held rotating drum. Asymmetry was quantitated on a scale of 0 to +3 OKN asymmetry. Clinical OKN asymmetry was evaluated in the following groups of patients: those with congenital esotropia treated with very early surgery achieving high-grade stereo acuity (group 1); those with congenital esotropia treated with late surgery achieving no stereopsis (group 2); those with acquired esotropia achieving high-grade stereo acuity after treatment with spectacle correction (group 3); and normal controls (group 4).

RESULTS
Two of the three patients in group 1 showed +3 OKN asymmetry despite having high-grade stereo acuity; the third one, who was surgically aligned earliest (13 weeks), demonstrated +1 OKN asymmetry. This patient achieved orthotropia, 40 seconds stereo acuity, perfect Randot stereo acuity, and had no dissociated vertical deviation or latent nystagmus. All 10 patients in group 2 (those with late alignment-after 1 year-and no stereo acuity) showed +3 OKN asymmetry. All four patients in group 3 (those with acquired hypermetropic esotropia and high-grade stereo acuity after treatment) and all 10 patients in the normal control group showed no OKN asymmetry.

CONCLUSION
Clinically obvious monocular OKN asymmetry can occur in patients with congenital esotropia who are aligned early and develop high-grade stereo acuity. Even brief periods of strabismus during the early period of binocular motor development can result in persistent OKN asymmetry. This suggests that binocular motor processing may develop distinct from, and prior to, the development of high-grade stereo acuity. OKN asymmetry appears to be a clinical sign of an insult to early binocular motor development.


Fifty-three patients with metastatic-renal cell carcinoma received treatment with combinations of recombinant alpha (rIFN-alpha-2a) and gamma (rIFN-gamma) interferons on three different treatment schedules. On treatment schedule A, 13 patients received i.m. rIFN-alpha-2a and rIFN-gamma simultaneously at a 1:1 ratio by dose units (2 X 10(6) U/m2), equivalent to a 1:10 ratio by protein weight. Results included severe constitutional symptoms in 62% of the patients and no partial remissions (PR) or complete remissions among 10 evaluable patients. On treatment schedule B, 25 patients received an i.m. injection of rIFN-alpha-2a and rIFN-gamma simultaneously at a 1:1 ratio by protein weight (2 X 10(6) U/m2 and 2 X 10(5) U/m2, respectively). This schedule was well tolerated, allowing a 25-50% increment in over 75% of the patients. Four patients (16%) achieved PR. On treatment schedule C, 15 patients received alternating weekly therapy: first rIFN-gamma (5 X 10(6) U/m2 daily for 7 days) followed by rIFN-alpha-2a (10 X 10(6) U/m2 daily for 7 days). One of 13 evaluable patients in treatment schedule C achieved an 80% tumor reduction and was rendered free of disease after the primary tumor was resected. Toxicity was similar in nature to that of rIFN-alpha-2a or rIFN-gamma separately. The toxicity of treatment schedule A suggested additive toxic effects. No distinct synergistic antitumor effect was observed.


Background Lung adenocarcinoma (AD) remains one of the most common cancers. Early diagnosis of AD improves therapeutic strategy and lengthens survival time. The objective of this study is to identify hub genes influencing the process of lung AD. Methods The microarray profiles of GSE43458 were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to screen potential targets during lung AD. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between AD patients and normal controls were detected. Then gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed. Moreover, the major modules of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of those DEGs were performed using the MCODE plug of the Cytoscape. The hub genes were validated in the Oncomine and GEPIA datasets. Additionally, the prognostic values of hub genes were evaluated in Kaplan Meier plotter and GEPIA databases. Results Totally, 859 DEGs were identified, including 278 up-regulated and 581 down-regulated genes. Functional annotation suggested those DEGs were related to cell adhesion, migration and motility. Besides, helicase lymphoid-specifics (HELLs) and selenoprotein P1 (SEPP1) were regarded as hub genes in AD. Then, the upregulation of HELLs and downregulation of SEPP1 were validated in the Oncomine and GEPIA databases, respectively. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier and GEPIA databases also suggested both HELLs and SEPP1 could affect the prognosis of lung AD patients. Conclusions Our study demonstrated HELLs and SEPP1 were hub genes contributing to the progress of lung AD. They could be potential target genes for the diagnosis and therapy of lung AD.


− PEM fuel cell vehicles have been getting much attraction due to a sort of highly clean and effective transportation. The onboard fuel processor, however, is inevitably required to supply the hydrogen by conversion from some fuels since there are not enough available hydrogen stations nearby. A lot of studies have been focused on analyses of ATR reactor under the assumption of thermo-neutral condition and those of the optimized process for the minimization of energy consumption using thermal efficiency as an objective function, which doesn't guarantee the maximum hydrogen production. In this study, the analysis of optimization for 100 kW PEMFC onboard fuel processor was conducted targeting various fuels such as gasoline, LPG, diesel using newly defined hydrogen efficiency and keeping simply synthesized heat exchanger network regardless of external utilities leading to compactness and integration. Optimal result of gasoline case shows 9.43% reduction compared to previous study, which shows the newly defined objective function leads to better performance than thermal efficiency in terms of hydrogen production. The sensitivity analysis was also done for hydrogen efficiency, heat recovery of each heat exchanger, and the cost of each fuel. Finally, LPG was estimated as the most economical fuel in Korean market.


UPPER CRETACEOUS SEDlMENTS OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS AND SUBCAUCASIA Upper Cretaceous deposits observable in outcrops on the northern slopes of the Caucasus, or pierced by boreholes in Subcaucasia are described. Evidence is reported which is used in a detailed biostratigraphic division of Upper Cretaceous strata within that area. Seven facial types are differentiated. They are based on the presence or absence of stratigraphic gaps, thickness variability occurrence of submarine slumping, facial variability of sediments, and other features. An analysis is made of the paleogeographic and tectonic conditions that prevailed during Upper Cretaceous time in North Caucasus and Subcaucasia


A high dimensional dynamical system is often studied by experimentalists through the measurement of a relatively low number of different quantities, called an observation. Following this idea and in the continuity of Boshernitzan's work, for a measure preserving system we study Poincare recurrence for the observation. The link between the return time for the observation and the Hausdorff dimension of the image of the invariant measure is considered. We prove that when the decay of correlations is super polynomial, the recurrence rates for the observations and the pointwise dimensions relative to the push-forward are equal.


This study investigates the impacts of religiosity and specific predictors that are relevant
on halal food consumption. The research objectives are i) to assess the influence of
religiosity and halal perception towards the intention to purchase halal food products,
and ii) to develop a measurement for halal perception consisting of halal knowledge,
halal consciousness, halal cautiousness, the importance of halal logo, and products that
originate from Muslim countries. This study investigates the intention to purchase halal
food products among Arab Muslims and non-Arab Muslims in the United Kingdom and
Australia. The global Muslim population has grown rapidly in which the rate is nearly
twice of the non-Muslim population in the future. Muslim population is very diverse
with differences in the conformity to religious requirements and the understanding of
halal food concept. There is an ample amount of literature to support the religion
construct as a significant force in many individuals and the consumer behaviour.
Therefore, this study provides an integrated model to comprehend the Muslims" attitude
and behaviour using the classical theory of reasoned action (TRA) as a conceptual
framework. In order to achieve the research objectives, qualitative approach (focus
group discussion and interview) and quantitative approach (analysis of 788 valid
questionnaires) were employed. Meanwhile, the data collection techniques used were (i)
exploratory factor analysis, (ii) measurement model to test the validity assessment, and
(iii) partial least square technique to examine the structural model estimation and
evaluation. The results indicate a significant dissimilarity between Muslim consumers in
different countries, in which this study focuses on Arab Muslim and non-Arab Muslim
consumers. Religiosity gives an insightful meaning to consumer behaviour concerning
halal products. This is combined with a specific set of consumer perceptions associated
with food decisions. This study has developed four halal perception constructs that
underwent various data purification techniques. Reliable and valid scale of halal
perception allows researchers to test the relationship on a wider scope of Muslim
segment and various measures to tackle and satisfy the Muslim segment. This study
provides an important insight to marketing implications, as well as theoretical and
methodological contributions. It also contributes to the existing body of knowledge by
explaining the relationship between individual"s religiosity and determinant factors of
the intention to purchase halal food products. The findings may also serve as a guideline
to formulate effective marketing strategies, locally or internationally. However, this
study only focuses on Arab Muslims and non-Arab Muslims in the United Kingdom and
Australia (non-Muslim countries). In short, it is recommended for future research to
conduct a similar study in Muslim countries or among Muslims residing in countries
other than the United Kingdom and Australia.


Purpose Here, we sought to determine the safety and feasibility of three-dimensional exoscope (3D EX). We compared data on surgery, complications, postoperative drainage, hematology, and clinical outcomes in the group that underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using an operative microscope (OM) relative to those treated using 3D EX. Methods We retrospectively reviewed records on 74 patients who underwent one- or two-level TLIF from August 2019 to October 2020. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare pre- and post-operative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and oswestry disability index (ODI). We used analysis of covariance to compare pre- and post-operative erythrocyte count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (Hct). Independent sample t-tests was used to compare postoperative drainage volume, total blood loss (TBL), visible blood loss (VBL) and hidden blood loss (HBL). Results There were no significant differences in VAS and ODI scores between the two groups at all time points (all p > 0.05). RBC and HBL did not differ significantly between the two groups (all p > 0.05). There were significant differences in postoperative drainage volume,TBL, Hb, and Hct values when using 3D EX relative to OM in two-level TLIF (all p < 0.05), but not for one-level TLIF (all p > 0.05). The two groups differed significantly with regards to VBL when used for one- or two-level TLIF (all p < 0.05). Conclusion Our data show that 3D EX is a suitable alternative to OM in TLIF. Relative to OM, 3D EX has important strengths in reducing perioperative bleeding in two-level TLIF.


Periodontium comprises of investing and supporting structures of the teeth namely Gingiva, Periodontal ligament, Cementum and Alveolar bone. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting structures of the teeth. Micro organisms present in the dental plaque are considered as the primary etiological agent for periodontal diseases. Dental plaque contains anaerobic organisms such as Porpyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum. They liberate endotoxins which are harmful to the host tissues. The Lipopolysaccharide layer of these bacteria can trigger hyper inflammatory response. Toxins liberated from the bacteria stimulate inflammatory reaction in hyper responsive manner. During this process, destructive enzymes such as collagenases are liberated from host cells and affected tissues also trigger the release of Prostaglandins. This leads to osteoclast activation and bone loss. To arrest the inflammation, eradicate microbes, and to control the free radicals various treatment strategies have been tried. One of the strategy is use of green tea since it has anti bacterial, antioxidant effect etc. Greeen tea is derived from the dried leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. Green tea is usually available in the form of beverage, mouth wash containing extract of green tea, and as a chewing gum. Green tea catching can be affected by various factors like type of green tea leaves , type of processing before drying, growing conditions and the geographic conditions. This paper reviews the effect of green tea in the periodontal disease.


Cenchrus setigerus, C. sp., eleven obligate apomictic cultivars and a sexual line of Cenchrus ciliaris L. were studied to determine the relationship between seed production and its component characters, through principal component analysis, path correlation analysis and analysis of variance. A completely randomized field design was used. Ten vegetative and reproductive morphological characters were measured. Seed production was influenced directly by panicle weight and indirectly by panicle length, 1000 seed weight, length and width of flag leaf lamina and length of flag leaf sheath. Panicle weight showed high heritability and variability among genotypes. Hence, panicle weight can be considered a selection criterion to obtain increased seed production in Cenchrus . The cultivar Lucero INTA PEMAN exhibited the highest panicle weight and, therefore, greatest seed production, which makes it suitable for selection as parental cultivar to obtain new germplasm in Cenchrus with high seed yield .


In this paper we offer an alternative perspective on the business case for why organisations should embrace the arguments for corporate social responsibility (CSR). In particular we look at the 'win-win' scenario often posited by both internal and external agencies where it is not only the business who wins by adopting a CSR agenda but also the environment, 'save money - save the planet'. Using a case study of a group of SME managers belonging to a Green Business Network in the UK, we offer a different approach to relying on the traditional win-win scenario that assumes businesses and managers are motivated largely by financial gain. Instead, we show how a series of workshops were used based on Schwartz's value system with the aim of helping the managers to, firstly understand their own values and motivations toward CSR and, secondly, how they could translate this to better understand the values of their own managers and colleagues with regard to embedding CSR practice. The aim of the paper is to highlight the value of taking a perspective on CSR at the individual level as well as offering a tool that managers could use in their own practice.


The lack of information about the effects of cultivars, crop age and climate on the sugarcane (Saccharum ssp.) crop yield and quality has been the primary factor impacting the sugar-ethanol sector in Brazil. One of the processes about which we do not have a satisfactory understanding is sugarcane ripening and the effects of cultivars, crop age and climate on that. Sugarcane ripening is the process of sucrose accumulation in stalks, which is heavily influenced by several factors, mainly by climatic conditions such as air temperature and water deficits. Because it is a complex process, studies of the variables involved in sugarcane ripening can provide important information, resulting in a better use of commercial cultivars, bringing advantages to growers, processing units, breeding programs and scientific community. In this review, we discuss the available knowledge of the interaction between climate conditions and sugarcane ripening, under the influence of genotypic characteristics and crop age. In several studies, the main conclusion is that sugarcane ripening depends on a complex combination of climate variables, the genetic potential of cultivars and crop management. Soil moisture and air temperature are the primary variables involved in sugarcane ripening, and their combination stimulates the intensity of the process. In addition, the need for studies integrating the effects of climate on plant physiological processes and on the use of chemical agents to stimulate sugarcane ripening is highlighted.


Pyroxenes from the Layered Series (LS), Upper Border Series (UBS), and Marginal Border Series (MBS) of the Skaergaard intrusion were analyzed using electron microprobe and mineral separation techniques to examine geochemical variations. In general, pyroxenes from all three series show similar trends in major elements vs % crystallization: SiO2, MgO, Al2O3, and TiO2 progressively decrease, FeO and MnO progressively increase, and CaO, Fe2O3, and P2O5 do not change systematically with differentiation. Pyroxenes in the LS and MBS follow a trend similar to that reported by Wager and Brown. The estimated crystallization temperatures closely follow the general trends of published temperature estimates. Major element variation in Skaergaard pyroxenes shows smooth variations with increasing differentiation, indicating that there was no volumetrically significant injection of new magma into the chamber after the initial emplacement. These results strongly support the idea that the Skaergaard intrusion represents in situ crystallization under a closed system magma chamber.


Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with cerebral deposition of Dan-amyloid (ADan), neuroinflammation, and neurofibrillary tangles, hallmark characteristics remarkably similar to those in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have generated transgenic (tg) mouse models of familial Danish dementia that exhibit the age-dependent deposition of ADan throughout the brain with associated amyloid angiopathy, microhemorrhage, neuritic dystrophy, and neuroinflammation. Tg mice are impaired in the Morris water maze and exhibit increased anxiety in the open field. When crossed with TauP301S tg mice, ADan accumulation promotes neurofibrillary lesions, in all aspects similar to the Tau lesions observed in crosses between β-amyloid (Aβ)-depositing tg mice and TauP301S tg mice. Although these observations argue for shared mechanisms of downstream pathophysiology for the sequence-unrelated ADan and Aβ peptides, the lack of codeposition of the two peptides in crosses between ADan- and Aβ-depositing mice points also to distinguishing properties of the peptides. Our results support the concept of the amyloid hypothesis for AD and related dementias, and suggest that different proteins prone to amyloid formation can drive strikingly similar pathogenic pathways in the brain.


We presented a case of 41-year-old patient underwent two laparoscopic Myomectomies and current laparotomy regarding suspection of necrotic leiomyoma. Intraoperative finding was suggestive of disseminated malignancy, but gefrir study showed benign smooth muscle tumors. The patient underwent total hysterectomy with right adnesectomy and total omentectomy. After histological and immunohistochemical study of the entire macroscopic material the final diagnosis was disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis. This disease is rare, but in recent years, in connection with the widespread introduction of laparoscopic surgery the reports of disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis occurring after laparoscopic morcellation, were frequent.


BackgroundPieces of evidences have shown the important regulatory effects of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in gastric cancer (GC). While it is not entirely clear for the role and mechanism of focally amplified lncRNA on chromosome 1 (FALEC) during GC tumorigenesis. MethodsThe levels of FALEC, microRNA-203b (miR-203b), and PIM3 were confirmed by qRT-PCR. And cell autophagy, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were estimated using western blot for autophagy-related proteins, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), CCK-8, flow cytometer, and Transwell assays in NCI-N87 cells and Xenograft tumor. Besides, the interaction between miR-203b and FALEC or PIM3 was verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, the involvement of miR-203b and PIM3 in the regulatory effects of FALEC on GC was determined by rescue experiments. ResultsThe results proved that FALEC and PIM3 were highly expressed, while miR-203b was lowly expressed in GC. FALEC knockdown repressed GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, promoted apoptosis and autophagy in vitro. Meanwhile, FALEC knockdown prevented growth and induced GC autophagy in vivo. In mechanism, FALEC could upregulate PIM3 by sponging miR-203b in GC cells. Besides, FALEC induced the malignant behaviors of GC cells by regulating the miR-203b/PIM3 axis. ConclusionsTherefore, FALEC/miR-203b/PIM3 axis might act as the promising therapeutic target for the therapy of GC patients.


Abstract. Competition comes into prominence in health field as it is in all the fields in the world and in Turkey. The companies pursue the recently established information systems and market fit closely in order to increase the competitive power. Turkey is experiencing quite radical transformations in health-care sector during the last 10 years. In this sense, the objective of the study is to determine the usage level of Central Physician Appointment System (CPAS) within the scope of technology acceptance model. When the context of the model is examined, the degree of turning the positive perceptions such as benefits, convenience that the customers perceive from this technology when they came face to face with this technology, to attitudes and behaviors is measured. As a result of the research, the electronic appointment system, which has started to be applied within the health-care sector, was considered positively on the basis of benefits and convenience and in parallel with this the their attitudes behaviors were affected positively. Keywords. Patient Satisfaction, Central Physician Appointment System,Technology Acceptance Model, Information Systems. JEL. C38, I18, L88.


The polypeptide chains, containing only small amounts of hexosamines, were obtained from M and N blood groups glycoproteins by four cycles of periodate oxidation-Smith degradation, and were used for immunization of rabbits. The antisera obtained precipitated with the Smith-degraded glycoproteins, they reacted much weaker with the desialylated glycoproteins and they did not precipitate the untreated glycoproteins. In the quantitative microprecipitation assay the antisera precipitated better with the antigens of the same blood group specificity (M or N than those used for immunization. This blood group specificity was significantly increased by the cross-absorption of antisera.


This article examines talent development in piano prodigies through a case study of the life of Australian pianist David Helfgott as depicted in the film Shine. Utilizing theory from positive psychology, especially Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory of motivation and optimal experience, and his sociocultural systems model of creativity, Helfgott's development as a musical prodigy, his subsequent psychological challenges, and his ultimate psychological resilience are detailed. This case of Helfgott serves as a cinematic lens through which to explore optimal talent development more broadly. Thus, this article also makes refer- ence to other cinematic depictions of prodigies, as well as to autobiographical and biographical source materials from other talented musicians. Implications for the optimal development of talented musicians are discussed.


1 Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Annapoorana Medical College, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India 2 Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Government Mohan Kumara Mangalam Medical College, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding Author Rangarajan.R Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Government Mohan Kumara Mangalam Medical College, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, Phone (or Mobile) No: 9842183535, Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Abstract Background: Smoking is one of the most important public health problem, increasing the morbidity and mortality in the society. With prolonged exposure of RBCs to smoking, the deformability of RBCs is decreased, and its aggregation increases, and makes whole blood more viscous and causes microvascular complications. This decreased deformability is reflected as anisocytosis in peripheral smear. This study is aimed at comparing anisocytosis between Active and Passive smoking and educating the smoking population about the deleterious effects of active as well as passive smoking. Materials and Methods: This study was done in 150 subjects in the age group 25 to 50 years (50 control , 50 male subjects with active smoking habit and 50 female subjects ,who were exposed to passive smoking. Peripheral smears were prepared and stained with leishman's stain. Smears were focused under oil immersion objective, and the images were captured using a digital camera. Images were transferred to the computer system and RBC diameter was measured using UTHSCA image tool software. Variation in size of the RBCs between control and active and passive smoking subjects were compared using Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient and Paired sample t test. Results: Increase in the variation in the size of RBCs (anisocytosis) is observed in both active and passive smokers using Pearsons product moment correlation coefficient ,significant r value of 0.85 and0.8 are got in active and passive smoking. Using Paired sample t test, significant p value of ˂ 0.01 is got in active and passive smokers. Conclusions: Our study concluded that variation in the RBC size, is almost equal in active and passive smokers. This clearly shows the harmful effects of smoking is equal in family members of active smokers.


Value chains for perishable products, including fruits and vegetables, require an integrated approach to cope with the challenges in producing sufficient food products in a resource-efficient manner. Developing economies are increasingly investing in their potential of agricultural production; however the absence of a sufficient and functioning infrastructure in the postharvest chain results in large shares of harvested product being lost before reaching the consumer market. This study provides clear analysis of the causes of these postharvest losses and suggests the development of effective interventions that form the nucleus of the network of excellence in support of chain actors to improve performance, increase efficiency and provide good quality food products in local and global markets.


In February 2009, the European Medicines Agency's (EMEA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) had recommended the suspension of efalizumab's (Raptiva) marketing authorization, because its benefits in the treatment of psoriasis were modest, while there was a risk of serious side effects in patients receiving the medicine, including the occurrence of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The guideline group has changed the guideline accordingly.


In many machine learning applications, like brain–computer interfaces (BCI), high-dimensional sensor array data are available. Sensor measurements are often highly correlated and signal-to-noise ratio is not homogeneously spread across sensors. Thus, collected data are highly variable and discrimination tasks are challenging. In this work, we focus on sensor weighting as an efficient tool to improve the classification procedure. We present an approach integrating sensor weighting in the classification framework. Sensor weights are considered as hyper-parameters to be learned by a support vector machine (SVM). The resulting sensor weighting SVM (sw-SVM) is designed to satisfy a margin criterion, that is, the generalization error. Experimental studies on two data sets are presented, a P300 data set and an error-related potential (ErrP) data set. For the P300 data set (BCI competition III), for which a large number of trials is available, the sw-SVM proves to perform equivalently with respect to the ensemble SVM strategy that won the competition. For the ErrP data set, for which a small number of trials are available, the sw-SVM shows superior performances as compared to three state-of-the art approaches. Results suggest that the sw-SVM promises to be useful in event-related potentials classification, even with a small number of training trials.


Today, the U.S. healthcare system is undergoing active development. The past health care system formed under the rule of Barack Obama will soon be replaced by a system transformed by Donald Trump. It can combine the main advantages of the previous health system, as well as eliminate its negative aspects. According to Donald Trump, the new health care system should contain objective aspects of preserving the nation; the prohibition of abortion is reflected in the main direction of its modernization. However, the Democratic Party does not at all support Donald Trump's initiatives on this issue and believes that the women's movement advocates gender and racial equality in the field of medicine, affordable health care and the right to abortion.


This thesis aims to assess what perceptions a sample population of Dutch students in Amsterdam have of South Africa from a broad range of social, political and cultural indicators. Until now, research into the existent perceptions regarding South Africa in the international community has been limited, which has implications for the formulation of its branding strategies and the possibility of their successful implementation at a crucial stage in the development of the country's international reputation. Based on a theoretical framework which assumes the potential of nation branding for developing states, this thesis aims to provide an assessment of several historical and contemporary challenges faced by Brand South Africa, the most salient of which are linked to the fundamental need for consistency in the promotion of the nation's identity. This analysis introduces the empirical research upon which the study is based and thereby explains the ambiguous nature of South Africa's post-Apartheid brand identity.


We have reviewed the results obtained in 21 dermatomyositis patients who were treated with plasma exchanges (PE) in 8 french centres between 1980 and 1986. Patients and methods. Seven of the 21 patients studied were male and 14 were female; 16 were children under 15 years of age. The disease was initially acute in 17 cases, subacute in 3 cases and chronic in 1 case. Plasma exchanges were performed as first-line therapy in 13 patients and after failure of the usual treatments in 18 patients. The decision to use PE therapy was prompted by an increase in muscle weakness in 14 of these 18 patients and by a lack of improvement despite treatment in the remaining 4 patients. PE therapy was started 17 months on average after the beginning of treatment. At the time 10 patients were under systemic corticosteroid therapy (prednisone or prednisolone greater than 1 mg/kg/day in 7 cases); 7 patients were receiving immunosuppressants jointly with corticosteroids (prednisone or prednisolone greater than 1 mg/kg/day in 5 cases); and 1 patient had systemic corticosteroids (3 mg/kg/day), methotrexate and antilymphocyte serum. In 3 patients, 2 of whom had severe muscle weakness. PE's were performed from the start. Our 21 patients underwent a total of 234 plasma exchanges. Each patient had a mean series of 11 +/- 6 PE's spread over 11 +/- 3 weeks. In addition to PE therapy, 12 patients received corticosteroids (greater than 1 mg/kd/day in 7 cases) and 8 had corticosteroids (greater than 1 mg/kd/day in 5 cases) together with immunosuppressants. One patient who was put on TE therapy from the start received no other treatment. It must be noted that in 12 patients the introduction of PE was accompanied by another therapeutic change.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Rats' lever pressing terminated visual or auditory stimuli associated with fixed-time or variable-time schedules of food delivery and produced a timeout period during which food delivery could not occur. Lever pressing during a timeout period reinstated the food-associated stimuli and again permitted food delivery according to the fixed-time or variable-time schedules. The mean interfood interval ranged from 1 minute to 16 minutes (variable-time schedules) or 32 minutes (fixed-time schedules); the timer controlling schedule intervals did not stop during timeout periods. The percentage of session time spent in timeout increased when the mean interfood intervals were lengthened and decreased when the mean interfood intervals were shortened. Timeouts were initiated most frequently about half way between successive food deliveries (fixed-time schedules) or after 15 seconds or more had lapsed since the last food delivery (variable-time schedules). Elimination of food delivery increased the percentage of session time spent in timeout, and elimination of the timeout contingency decreased lever press rates. When timeout was produced only when the lever was held in the depressed position, little time was spent in timeout. The main determinants of timeout initiation and termination appeared to be the rate of food delivery, freedom of movement during timeout, and the stimulus change associated with initiation and termination of timeout.


Objectives : The study was designed to evaluate the effect of electro acupuncture on patients with nocturnal enuresis in China. Methods: We performed systematic reviews of case reports and case-control studies of electroacupuncture on patients with nocturnal enuresis published from 1994 to 2010 in CNKI(中國知識基礎施設工程 http://www.cnki.net) at September, 2010. Results: 18 studies were selected. The electroacupuncture points frequently used were Chungguk (中極), Kwanwon(關元), Samumgyo(三陰交), Shinsu(腎兪). Bangkwangsu(膀曠兪), etc. G6805 electroacupuncture instrument was most frequently used in those studies and the treating methods of electro acupuncture were various according to each study. The combination of electroacupuncture and other therapy showed better results than the simple therapies such as simple electro acupuncture or acupuncture. western medicine. herbal medicine. auricular therapy. Conclusions : There have been 18 studies of electro acupuncture on patients with nocturnal enuresis in China and these studies can be applied to the clinical practices in Korea.


Anthelmintic efficacy of milbemycin D was evaluated against Toxocara cati and Ancylostoma tubaeforme in domestic cats. Twelve cats naturally infected with each nematode species were allocated among 2 groups of 6 animals each, and milbemycin D was orally administered to the 2 groups of cats in doses of 0.05 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg body weight, respectively. In all the cats infected with T. cati, fecal egg counts decreased followed by their disappearance from the feces and 2-35 worms were excreted into the feces after the medication in both doses of 0.05 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg. At postmortem of these medicated groups, no worms were detected from 4 cats of each group, but 1 and 2 immature worms were recovered from the other 2 cats respectively. In the cats infected with A. tubaeforme, fecal egg counts decreased followed by the disappearance from the feces and 2-62 worms were excreted into the feces in all the cats of the 2 groups, no nematodes remaining at postmortem. These results indicate that milbemycin D is fully effective against T. cati and A. tubaeforme in cats in a dose of 0.05-0.1 mg/kg.


: Electrocoagulation is a process of applying electric current to treat and flocculate contaminants without adding coagulants. In this study, electrocoagulation of canteen wastewater was done using two different combinations of electrode materials. Aluminium and iron are taken as anode materials and stainless steel was taken as the cathode. A sample of 800 cubic centimeters is taken in the electrolytic cell and is made to run at different volts (10V, 20V, 30V). The combination effect of volt on the efficiency of the electrocoagulation process of the removal of PH, turbidity, TSS, DO and BOD was considered to evaluate the treatment efficiencies. From the study, the aluminum-steel combination was determined as the best electrode material for the treatment. The removal efficiency of turbidity, TSS, and BOD were 91.49%, 94.80%, and 90.23% respectively with Aluminium-steel combination. The electrocoagulation process can be recommended as an efficient wastewater technology.


We introduce an enriched unfitted finite element method to solve 1D elliptic interface problems with discontinuous solutions, including those having implicit or Robin-type interface jump conditions. We present a novel approach to construct a one-parameter family of discontinuous enrichment functions by finding an optimal order interpolating function to the discontinuous solutions. In the literature, an enrichment function is usually given beforehand, not related to the construction step of an interpolation operator. Furthermore, we recover the well-known continuous enrichment function when the parameter is set to zero. To prove its efficiency, the enriched linear and quadratic elements are applied to a multi-layer wall model for drug-eluting stents in which zero-flux jump conditions and implicit concentration interface conditions are both present.


The third installment in a planned four-volume work. The Authority to Legislate discusses constitutional issues that contributed to the American Revolution. Reid examines both the particular legislation enacted by the British Parliament with regard to the American Colonies and the debate over the constitutionality of that legislation. The first thorough analysis of the legal theories put forward in support of Parliament's authority to legislate, this volume also examines the specific prece-dents cited as evidence of that authority. Reid shows that defense of the rule of law was central to the American Revolution.


Data about the features of the clinical course of recurrent herpetic stomatitis in children are cited according as the recurrence rate. This is important for the diagnostics of a disease's form.


Multifilamentary Ag-sheathed tapes, prepared by the powder-in-tube method, have been characterized by both transport and magnetic techniques at temperatures T between 4.5 K and 85 K in a magnetic field up to 15 T, with the aim of studying the residual presence of a granular behaviour over this wide H-T range. From a comparison between these measurements we have determined a domain of the H-T plane where the current density is still limited by the quality of the boundaries between adjacent grains and the polycrystalline superconductor behaves as a granular one and, on the contrary, the temperature region where it behaves like a strongly connected body. Finally, the temperature behaviour of the intrinsic Bi(2223) current density has been evaluated. At temperatures below 30 K in zero applied field, the intragrain current density is at least an order of magnitude higher than the transport current density.


Although allergic reactions to insulin are uncommon, they can be difficult to diagnose and management may be very difficult in subjects with Type 1 diabetes with severe allergy. Access to allergists and specialist diagnostic tests is limited and few diabetes specialists are familiar with desensitization as a means of treating allergy. People with diabetes may develop symptoms which mimic insulin allergy but are attributable to other conditions.


Mercury is eliminated as glutathione (GSH) conjugates. GSH production is mediated by glutamyl-cysteine ligase (GCL), and conjugation by glutathione S-transferases (GST). This study tested if polymorphisms in GCL and GST genes modify mercury retention in humans exposed to elemental mercury vapor. Total mercury concentrations in whole blood, plasma and urine, and genotypes for GCLC, GCLM, GSTA1, GSTM1, GSTP1, and GSTT1 were determined in 309 gold miners, gold buyers and controls. The presence of the GCLM-588T allele was associated with increased blood, plasma and urine mercury levels. These results indicate that genotypes with decreased GSH availability for mercury conjugation affect the metabolism of inorganic mercury.


Here we illustrate the effectiveness of the thermodynamical formalism applied to a well known chaotic phenomenon, the intermittency. This leads us to a new classification for intermittent phe nomena from the point of view of the generated chaotic phases in the spectrum of the generalized entropies K (q). New types of intermittencies are found related to the absence or presence of phase transitions with infinite jump in K (q). This is underlined with examples. It is also shown via examples that the existence of a marginally stable fixed point in the system is neither necessary nor sufficient for intermittency.


Enacted Law No. 11 Year 2006 on theGoverning of Aceh, revenue-sharingarrangement on the oil and gas thatare part of government revenue fromthe mining Aceh gas by 30% "(thirtypercent). In addition, the Governmentof Aceh received additional miningrevenue sharing of oil by 55% (fiftypercent), and mining of natural gas by40% (forty percent). "This researchmoved from the initial understandingthat Indonesia is not yet optimal andconsistent in realizing the revenue-sharing oil and gas mining to Aceh.This study intends to gain anoverview of the contribution of theimplementation of the contractmining of oil and gas, the role of theGovernment of Aceh in realizing hasionpublicfundingforandimplementation of revenue-sharingfor the future of Aceh. This study is aqualitative research, socio-economicapproach. Data was collected byobservation of participants, in-depthinterview. Contribution of the study isexpected to be given in practice to theAceh Government and relatedinstitutions as well as theoretical research in filling shortagesNanggroe Aceh Darussalam.Keywords:Dana Bagi Hasil research in filling shortages Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.Migas,Pendapatan in Daerah,Kemiskinan Lokal.


Coronavirus has had a significant impact on daily life. Prisons are not exempt from the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Prisons are particularly at risk due to their secure environment and vulnerable inmate populations. We examine steps taken by the 50 state departments of correction and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to mitigate COVID-19 as reported on their websites. While states vary in their response to the virus, those responses do not appear to be related to regional or political differences. Few are testing or quarantining all inmates, and there are more proactive responses devoted to staff than inmates in their facilities. Findings demonstrate that prison systems' policies regarding COVID-19 testing, quarantining, and provision of personal protective equipment for inmates do not fully align with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. As a result, the steps prison systems are taking to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 may be more reactionary than proactive, which may be less effective overall.


Antifungal activity of bioactive compound 2HFuro[ 2,3-H]-1-benzopyran-2-one recorded a significant activity at 100-1000 ppm concentration against all the ten Aspergillus species tested. A. flavus recorded complete inhibition at 100 ppm concentration, A. niger at 500 ppm, A. fumigates at 600 ppm, A. flavus oryzae and A. flavus columnaris at 700 ppm respectively. A. ochraceous and A. flavipes recorded complete inhibition at 900 ppm concentration. Compared to synthetic fungicide Captan and Thiram at 2000ppm concentration. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of bioactive compound was in the range of 100- 900ppm concentration against all the test fungi.


We appreciate the positive opinion of Michael J Oakes 1 on our article 2 and his recognition of the contribution of our research group to the field of contextual epidemiology. We also understand that Oakes' critics are not specifically directed at our publication but express a general concern on the use of observational approaches in research on neighbourhood and health. In the absence of randomization the possibilities for confounding are theoretically enormous. 3 Recognizing this may lead to a paralysing nihilism or to a radical 'trialism' (overemphasis of the advantages of randomized trials). 4,5


Broadband spectrograms and computer‐generated spectra have been obtained of a trained Indian Hill mynah bird and its trainer each saying seven sentences composed of four to 12 phonetic segments. Comparisons indicate a remarkable ability of the bird to reproduce good approximations to virtually any spectral or temporal detail, although frequencies in the range of the first formant are attenuated by about 10–16 dB relative to human spectra. Fundamental frequency (F0) contours, rapid formant transitions, and turbulent noise spectra for fricatives and plosive bursts are especially well imitated. Contour shapes are better preserved than absolute formant or F0 values. Some vowel spectra have clear formant patterns but many have multiple resonances, formant splitting effects, and formant frequency positions that cannot be accounted for in terms of an acoustic tube model of formant generation. A new description of the behavior of the mynah syrinx is proposed to account for the observed acoustic patterns. One of t...


The identity of "Southeast Asia" has been debated since the 1950s, when the region began to develop as an area of academic viability around which courses could be constructed, programmes built, and research published. Much less controversy has accompanied the growing use of "early modern", a term which seems set to displace "precolonial" in periodizing Southeast Asian history. The phrase, of course, comes from scholarship on Europe, where it was popularized as a result of efforts to find shared "periods" that would facilitate the writing of a general history. It would be surprising if questions as to the applicability of "early modern" in Southeast Asia do not spark off some debate, especially in light of subaltern writings that reject the notion of modernity as a universal. For such historians the very invocation of the word implicitly sets a "modern Europe" against a "yet to be modernized non-Europe". But whatever decision is made regarding terminology, scholarship on Southeast Asia is increasingly viewing a period that stretches from about the fifteenth to the early nineteenth century as rather different from those traditionally described as "classical" and "colonial/modern". The term "early modern" itself is at present a convenient tool for historical reference, and only time will tell whether it will find general acceptance.


Objectives: Energy needs in critically ill children are dynamic and variable. Data on energy balance in children with severe sepsis using indirect calorimetry (IC) is lacking. Thus, we planned to study the energy needs and balance of this cohort. Methods: Prospective observational study conducted in ventilated children aged 5 to 12 years, admitted in pediatric intensive care unit with severe sepsis from May 2016 to June 2017. Measured resting energy expenditure (mREE) was measured with IC (Quark RMR, COSMED) till 7 days or pediatric intensive care unit discharge. Predicted energy expenditure (pREE) was estimated using Schofield, Harris and Benedict, and FAO/WHO/UNU equations. Primary outcome was to study the daily energy balance. Secondary outcome was to determine nitrogen balance and agreement of mREE with pREE. Results: Forty children (24 boys) with median age of 7 (5.2, 10) years were enrolled. All received enteral nutrition; 35 (87.5%) received inotropic support. Median ventilation-free days were 19 days and 4 children died (10%). A total of 176 IC measurements were obtained with an average of 4 per patient. The mean mREE was 51 ± 17 kcal/kg and mean respiratory quotient was 0.77 ± 0.07. There was persistent negative energy balance from days 1 to 7 and negative nitrogen balance from days 1 to 5. There was poor agreement of pREE with mREE using Bland Altman plots. None of severity of illness scores (PRISM III, daily Sequential Organ Function Assessment, daily Vasoactive Inotropic Score) showed correlation with mREE. Conclusions: Persistent negative energy and nitrogen balance exist during acute phase of severe sepsis. Predictive equations are inaccurate compared with IC as the criterion standard.


Herein we present the geologic mapping of the Ac-H-8 Nawish Quadrangle of dwarf planet Ceres, produced on the basis of the Dawn spacecraft data. The Ac-H-08 Nawish quadrangle is located between -22°S and 22°N and between 144°E and 216°E.

At the north-east border, a polygonal, 75km-wide crater named Nawish gives the name to the whole quadrangle. An unamed, partially degraded, 100km-diameter crater is evident in the lower central sector of the quadrangle. Bright materials have been mapped and are associated with craters. For example, bright materials occur in the central peak region of Nawish crater and in the ejecta of an unnamed crater, which is located in the nearby quadrangle Ac-H-09. The topography of the area obtained from stereo-processing of imagery shows an highland in the middle of the quadrangle. Topography is lower in the northern and southern borders, with a altitude span of about 9500 meters.

At the time of this writing geologic mapping was performed on Framing Camera (FC) mosaics from the Approach (1.3 km/px) and Survey (415 m/px) orbits, including grayscale and color images and digital terrain models derived from stereo images. In Fall 2015 images from the High Altitude Mapping Orbit (140 m/px) will be used to refine the mapping, followed by Low Altitude Mapping Orbit (35 m/px) images in January 2016.

Support of the Dawn Instrument, Operations, and Science Teams is acknowledged. This work is supported by grants from NASA, and from the German and Italian Space Agencies.


Dyes are usually present in trace quantities in the treated effluents of many industries. The effectiveness of adsorption for dye removal from wastewaters has made it an ideal alternative to other expensive treatment methods. Biosorption of acid yellow (AY17), a monoazo acid dye, was investigated using Typha angustata L. as biosorbent in a batch system with respect to initial pH, temperature, initial dye concentration, biosorbent dosage, and contact time. The biomass exhibited the highest dye uptake capacity at 303?K, initial pH value of 2, the initial dye concentration of 150?mg/L, biosorbent dosage of 0.5?g and contact time of 40?min. The extent of dye removal increased with increase in time, biosorbent dosage and decreased with increase in temperature. The equilibrium sorption capacity of the biomass increased on increasing the initial dye concentration up to 150?mg/L and then started decreasing in the studied concentration up to 600?mg/L. The experimental results have shown that the acidic pH favors the biosorption. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption model is used for the mathematical description of the biosorption equilibrium and isotherm constants are evaluated at different temperatures. Equilibrium data fitted very well to the Freundlich model in the studied concentration (25–600?mg/L) and temperature (303–323?K) ranges. The pseudo-first- and second-order kinetic models were also applied to the experimental data. The results indicated that the dye uptake process followed the pseudo-second-order rate expression and the adsorption rate constants increased with increasing concentration. The adsorption results in this study indicated that all the adsorbents were attractive candidates for removing acidic dyes from dye wastewater.


Over the past decade in the United States, there has been increased interest in the establishment and use of land-based, closed-containment systems [e.g., recirculating aquaculture system (RAS)] for salmonid culture. These culture systems have unique challenges compared to net pen culture of salmonids, including maintenance of pumps and filters as well as the potential growth of certain bacteria within the systems that can render fish off-flavored. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of implementing a depuration process to purge the "earthy" and "musty" off-flavor compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) from Atlantic salmon fillets on fillet quality characteristics (e.g., lipid content, color). During two depuration trials, salmon were depurated without feed in a flow-through tank, a recently "cleaned" RAS system or the originally stocked grow-out tank for up to 20 days. Results from both trials determined that the salmon required depuration in odor-free water for 10–15 days in either a flow-through system or a recently cleaned RAS to obtain the lowest residual levels of geosmin and MIB in the fish flesh. In trial 1, after 20 days, fish had lost significantly more weight (5.8%) compared to day 5 (3.8%). In the second trial, lipid content of the fillet also significantly dropped from 8.2% to 5.1% and moisture content increased from 69.3% to 71.1%. Fillet color quality was not compromised during the 20-day depuration periods. In trial 1, MIB was the main off-flavor compound present in salmon fillets while geosmin was at higher levels than MIB in fish flesh in trial 2. During the second depuration study, three geosmin-producing species of actinomycetes were isolated from the recirculating system and were attributed as the likely sources of geosmin in the salmon fillets. Because fillet color quality was not compromised during the depuration periods used in these studies, the main fillet quality concerns for producers of RAS-cultured salmon are flavor, texture and lipid levels during the pre-harvest purging


This paper investigates an accurate reconstruction method to invert the attenuated Radon transform in nonparallel beam (NPB) geometries. The reconstruction method contains three major steps: 1) performing one-dimensional phase-shift rebinning; 2) implementing nonuniform Hilbert transform; and 3) applying Novikov's explicit inversion formula. The method seems to be adaptive to different settings of fan-beam geometry from very long to very short focal lengths without sacrificing reconstruction accuracy. Compared to the conventional bilinear rebinning technique, the presented method showed a better spatial resolution, as measured by modulation transfer function. Numerical experiments demonstrated its computational efficiency and stability to different levels of Poisson noise. Even with complicated geometries such as varying focal-length and asymmetrical fan-beam collimation, the presented method achieved nearly the same reconstruction quality of parallel-beam geometry. This effort can facilitate quantitative reconstruction of single photon emission computed tomography for cardiac imaging, which may need NPB collimation geometries and require high computational efficiency.


INTRODUCTION
Tuberculosis is one of the most common causes of pleural effusion (PE). However, the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy still remains difficult. Since M. tuberculosis isolation rates in tuberculous effusions are relatively low the histological and microbiological studies of pleural biopsy samples are usually required to confirm the diagnosis. Several biological markers have been proposed to enhance the effectiveness of diagnosing patients with tuberculous pleurisy. The study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid IFN-gamma concentration in differentiation between tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) and non-tuberculous pleural effusion (nTPE).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
94 patients (50 M and 44 F, mean age 59 +/- 18, range 18-95 years) with PE were studied. All subjects underwent diagnostic thoracentesis and extensive laboratory pleural fluid evaluation. Tuberculous pleural effusion was diagnosed in: 1) patients with positive pleural fluid or pleural biopsy culture and 2) patients with granulomas in the pleural biopsy specimen, after exclusion of other granulomatous diseases. IFN-gamma level in pleural fluid was measured with commercially available immunoenzymatic assay (Quantikine Human IFN-gamma Immunoassay, R&D Systems, USA).

RESULTS
Tuberculous pleural effusion was diagnosed in 28 pts. The non-tuberculous pleural effusion group consisted of 66 pts, including 35 with malignant PE, 20 with parapneumonic effusion or pleural empyema, 5 with pleural transudates due to heart failure, and 6 with miscellaneous causes of PE. The mean concentration of IFN-g was significantly higher in TPE than in nTPE (614.1 +/- 324.5 vs. 15.1 +/- 36.0 pg/ml, p < 0.0001). At the cut-off value of 100 pg/ml the sensitivity and specificity of the test were 100% and 98,5% respectively.

CONCLUSION
The pleural fluid concentration of IFN-gamma was found to be highly sensitive and specific marker of tuberculous pleurisy.


Treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antagonists has been associated with increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). We examined the usefulness of the rabbit model of active pulmonary TB for studying the impact of the human immune modulatory reagent etanercept on the host immune response. Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, disease pathology, and the global transcriptional response in Mtb-infected lungs of rabbits were studied. Etanercept treatment exacerbated disease pathology and reduced bacillary control in the lungs, compared with infected untreated animals. Reduced collagen and fibrin deposition in the granulomas was associated with significant downregulation of the collagen metabolism and fibrosis network genes and upregulation of genes in the inflammatory response and cell recruitment networks in the lungs of etanercept treated, compared with untreated rabbits. Our results suggest that targeting the TNF-α signaling pathway disrupts the tissue remodeling process, which is required for the formation and maintenance of well-differentiated granulomas and for control of Mtb growth in the lungs. These results validate the use of the rabbit model for investigating the impact of selected human immune modulatory drugs, such as a TNF-α antagonist, on the host immune response and pathogenesis in TB.


An iterative strategy for the selection of catalytic metalloantibodies is described. The first stage of this strategy is validated by the selection of semisynthetic antibodies that coordinate a variety of different metal ions and the metal oxide magnetite. These results have implications not only for the development of catalytic metalloantibodies but also for the development of reagents for magnetic resonance imaging, delivery of radioisotopes, and purification of recombinant proteins.


Absolute character education was undertaken in the 21st century in early childhood as curative measures and social pathology in the community, but a preventive measure to the formation the good character of each student have not effectively used in character education. In addition to cognitive learning students' character formation should be noted. In fact, often the formation of character early on is often forgotten. The aim of research explained comprehensively the nature of character education in the 21st century in childhood, explained comprehensively the use of models of learning in character education in the 21st century in childhood, explained comprehensively use learning approaches in character education in the 21st century to children aged early. The research method used in this study is a literature review is to connect research with the existing literature and fills the gaps in previous research. The results obtained in this study the use of the learning model of character education in the 21st century in childhood is the process of empowering the learner process of humanization (humanizing), and the process of acculturation, learning models of education namely learning model planting value, based on the development of moral reasoning, value analysis, and project citizen, effective use helps learners develop competencies become good citizens


Charged Higgs boson production in association with a top quark could be the first indication of the existence of Higgs particles. The Tevatron Run-II started data-taking in April 2001 at GeV and could probe the existence of a charged Higgs boson beyond the current mass limit. We study the production process with Monte Carlo simulations in HERWIG and PYTHIA, comparing expected cross sections and basic selection variables.


The weakly nonlinear regime of single mode ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability is studied, with consideration of preheat effect and the width of the ablation front. The Rayleigh–Taylor linear growth rate agrees well with the direct numerical simulation. For the density perturbation, the amplitude distribution of the fundamental mode has one peak value whereas those of the second and third harmonics have two and three peak values, respectively. Harmonics generation versus wave number is also given and it is close to the result of direct numerical simulation.


N, O-dimethylhydroxylamine was identified as a degradation product of linuron formed in the presence of extracts of Bacillus sphaericus ATCC 12123 by characterization of its dinitrophenyl derivative.


Integrated mid-infrared micro-spectrometers have a great potential for applications in environmental monitoring and space exploration. Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) is a promising platform to tackle this integration challenge, owing to its unique capability for large volume and low-cost production of ultra-compact photonic circuits. However, the use of SOI in the mid-infrared is restricted by the strong absorption of the buried oxide layer for wavelengths beyond 4 µm. Here, we overcome this limitation by utilizing metamaterial-cladded suspended silicon waveguides to implement a spatial heterodyne Fourier-transform (SHFT) spectrometer operating at wavelengths near 5.5 µm. The metamaterial-cladded geometry allows removal of the buried oxide layer, yielding measured propagation loss below 2 dB/cm at wavelengths between 5.3 and 5.7 µm. The SHFT spectrometer comprises 19 Mach-Zehnder interferometers with a maximum arm length imbalance of 200 µm, achieving a measured spectral resolution of 13 cm-1 and a free spectral range of 100 cm-1 at wavelengths near 5.5 µm.


Synchronization is about providing coherent orchestration of events or resources involved in a multimedia application. In a synchronized application, the user has the notion that his device's content is directly connected with others. In this paper we discuss the existing synchronization techniques, their advantages and disadvantages, and the current implementations and usage. We also present our open source solution for local synchronization of Web applications, the Audio Markings API, detailing its usage, components and functionalities. The focus of this paper is on smart devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops since they often have built-in microphones and speakers - resources that we intend to explore. In addition to that, those devices are perfectly capable of running full-featured web browsers, something that we also need to take advantage of. Our goal is to give developers an alternative for synchronization of Web applications, using the Web browser as a platform and the sound as a bridge.


Intravesical BCG therapy has been for years, the standard of care in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer. But upon recurrence/relapse, radical cystectomy is imposed, due to the paucity of other therapeutic options. Immunotherapy has been revolutionizing cancer treatment, and its indications continue to broaden. It has been approved for the treatment of advanced urothelial cancer of the bladder, mainly as a second-line therapy. Its activity is being studied in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer that is not responsive to BCG; we herein report the trials investigating these checkpoint inhibitors (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab and avelumab) in this particular setting.


Addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and the mammotropic hormones prolactin, hydrocortisone, insulin, and estradiol to confluent cultures of the epithelial cell line Rat Mammary (Rama) 25 increases dramatically the formation of domes in the cell monolayer after 48–72 hr. Associated with the increase in doming is an increase of 24% in the activity of the Na+/K+ ATPase. Both Ca2+ (A23187) and Na+ (monensin, gramicidin J, melittin) ionophores can replace DMSO in inducing domes whilst the K+ ionophore valinomycin inhibits doming. However, there are no synergistic nor additive effects, respectively, with suboptimal or optimal concentrations of A23187 and melittin together. Ouabain, at concentrations which inhibit the Na/K ATPase in vitro, and amiloride, at concentrations reported to inhibit the passive transport of Na+, both inhibit completely the formation of domes induced by DMSO, A23187, and melittin. EGTA, however, inhibits only the induction of doming by DMSO and A23187; it is without effect with melittin. A23187 and melittin induce the major polypeptide changes that occur in doming cultures with DMSO, and most of these changes are also inhibited with ouabain. It is suggested that one possible interpretation of the findings is that the induction of doming by DMSO in Rama 25 cells occurs by means of sequential increases in Ca2+ and Na+ influxes into the cell, and that the increased intracellular concentration of Na+ so produced stimulates the Na+/K+ ATPase, with a net effect of pumping liquid beneath the cellular monolayer.


Low pH and phosphorus are among major soil chemical constraints to Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) and soybean production in sub-Saharan Africa. A screenhouse pot experiment was conducted at Sokoine University of Agriculture- Morogoro Tanzania, to examine the ameliorating effect of liming to pH, phosphorus uptake, BNF and yield of soybean grown on an ultisol. The experiment was a 33 factorial laid out as a split plot with two replications. Source of nitrogen (inoculation, non-inoculation and applied inorganic nitrogen) was main plot factor, while the subplots received combinations of lime and phosphorus. The levels of lime used for the incubation experiment were 0, 5 and 10 ton ha-1 while those of P were 0, 50 and 100 kg*ha-1. A commercial inoculant-Legumefix, was used for inoculation. Results indicated that liming significantly (P<0.05) raised the soil pH and that the interaction of lime and phosphorus showed significant (P<0.05) effect on nodulation and N2 fixation. Overall, application of 5 tons of lime per ha-1 and 100 kg P*ha-1 gave the best case scenario in terms of pH amelioration, P availability and BNF enhancement by the soybean-Bradyrhizobium symbiosis.


Using data from the Philippines, we study the impact of mobile phones on the prices agricultural producers receive for their cash crop. We first look at the impact on price of mobile phone ownership at the household level. Because this masks a considerable amount of heterogeneity, we then look at the impact on price of the intrahousehold allocation of mobile phones. We find that whether the household owns a mobile phone has no impact on price, but whether a farmer or his spouse own a mobile phone is associated with a 5- to 7-percent increase in price.