Abstract Aims The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) can present either as an asymptomatic carrier state or an acute respiratory disease, with or without severe pneumonia. The asymptomatic carriers are a challenge for the dental profession as the infection could be transmitted via virus-laden, and saliva in dental settings through aerosol-generating procedures (AGPSs). The aim of this review was to perform a systematic review of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the saliva of asymptomatic individuals. Materials and methods PubMed, Google scholar, and MedRxiv databases were searched between and a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data were performed to assess the viral burden in the saliva of asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2. All investigators of the included studies used qRT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 and yield quantitative data (the Ct values) appertaining to the viral load. Results A total of 322 records in the English literature were identified, and eight studies with 2642 SARS‐CoV‐2-positive and asymptomatic individuals were included in the final analysis. Of these, 16.7% (95% CI: 11–23%) yielded SARS-CoV-2-positive saliva samples in comparison to 13.1% (95% CI: 12–17%) of the respiratory specimens (nasopharyngeal or nose-throat swabs). Conclusion As approximately 1 in 5 to 1 in 10 asymptomatic individuals harbour SARS-CoV-2 in either saliva or respiratory secretions, our results highlight the need for continued vigilance and the critical importance of maintaining strict, additional infection control regimens for the foreseeable future to mitigate the potential risks of COVID-19 transmission in dentistry.


Triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC), a thermal curing agent, was encapsulated with poly(methyl methacrylate) with small particle size and narrow distribution for the application in acrylic resins to prepare one-package UV and thermal dual-cured coatings. Investigation of the wettability and thermal properties suggests that the microcapsules have better compatibility with acrylic resins and thermal stability as compared to pure TGIC. Results of the release performance experiments indicate good storage stability at 25°C and a quick release of vast TGIC at 120°C for the microcapsules. The UV-thermal dual-cured coatings prepared with the microcapsules exhibit a fast, even and complete hardening at 130°C together with an excellent adhesion to the mild steel panels. The results presented here show an application potential of the microcapsules in UV and thermal dual-cured paints. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41008.


This article introduces the basic notions of the widely neglected Philosophical Anthropology of Helmuth Plessner. Instead of defining man as a privileged holder of consciousness, Plessner claims that all living organisms can be defined by their specific relation to their physical boundaries. In contrast to other living organisms such as plants and animals, however, the 'eccentric' nature of man allows for a comparatively high degree of freedom from the physical environment, which enables him to transcend, objectify, and deconstruct the boundaries of the same. The article concludes by outlining Plessner's original contribution to contemporary debates in social theory, in particular constructivism and post-humanist studies.


Objective To reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies, we designed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based nomogram prediction model of prostate maximum sectional area (PA) and investigated its zone area for diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa). Methods MRI was administered to 691 consecutive patients before prostate biopsies from January 2012 to January 2020. PA, central gland sectional area (CGA), and peripheral zone sectional area (PZA) were measured on axial T2-weighted prostate MRI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed to evaluate and integrate the predictors of PCa. Based on multivariate logistic regression coefficients after excluding combinations of collinear variables, three models and nomograms were generated and intercompared by Delong test, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results The positive rate of PCa was 46.74% (323/691). Multivariate analysis revealed that age, PSA, MRI, transCGA, coroPZA, transPA, and transPAI (transverse PZA-to-CGA ratio) were independent predictors of PCa. Compared with no PCa patients, transCGA (AUC = 0.801) was significantly lower and transPAI (AUC = 0.749) was significantly higher in PCa patients. Both of them have a significantly higher AUC than PSA (AUC = 0.714) and PV (AUC = 0.725). Our best predictive model included the factors age, PSA, MRI, transCGA, and coroPZA with the AUC of 0.918 for predicting PCa status. Based on this predictive model, a novel nomogram for predicting PCa was conducted and internally validated (C-index = 0.913). Conclusions We found the potential clinical utility of transCGA and transPAI in predicting PCa. Then, we firstly built the nomogram based on PA and its zone area to evaluate its diagnostic efficacy for PCa, which could reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies.


The possible physiological effect of power frequency fields (60 Hz in the US, 50 Hz in most other countries) is still a hotly debated issue. These relatively slow fields distribute themselves across cell membranes and a common approach has been to compare the strength of these fields to the strength of the electric noise that the membrane generates itself through Brownian motion. However, there has been disagreement among researchers on how to evaluate the membrane electric noise. In the first part of this article three major models are discussed. In the second part an ab initio modeling of membrane electric fields finds that different manifestations of Brownian noise lead to an electric noise intensity that is many times larger than what conventional estimates have yielded. Finally, the legitimacy of gauging a nonequilibrium external signal against internal equilibrium noise is questioned. Bioelectromagnetics 26:595–609, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The extent causes and possible solutions to problems of hunger inequality and disease in developing countries are discussed in this essay. Various frameworks and indicators have been proposed for identifying the poorest of nations; currently 21 African 9 Asian and 1 American nation are regarded as the poorest of the poor. The 31 least developed countries the 89 developing countries and the 37 developed countries respectively have populations of 283 million 3 billion; infant mortality rates of 160 94 and 19/1000 live births; life expectancies of 45 60 and 72 years; literacy rates of 28 55 and 98%; per capita gross national products of $170 and $520 and $6230; and per capita public health expenditures of $1.70 $6.50 and $244. Developing countries in the year 2000 are expected to have 4.87 billion of the worlds 6.2 billion inhabitants. The 3rd world contains 70% of the worlds population but receives only 17% of world income. 40 million persons die of hunger or its consequences each year. Economic and social development is the only solution to problems of poverty and underdevelopment and will require mobilization of all present and future human and material resources to achieve maximum possible wellbeing for each human being. Among principal causes of underdevelopment in the 3rd World are drought illness exile socioeconomic disorder war and arms expenditures. Current food production and a long list of possible new technologies would be adequate to feed the worlds population but poor distribution condemns the worlds people to hunger. Numerous UN agencies organizations and programs are dedicated to solving the problems of hunger underdevelopment and disease. In 1982 600 billion dollars were spent in armanents of $112 for each of the worlds inhabitants; diversion of these resources to development goals would go a long way toward solving the problem of underdevelopment. The main problem is not lack of resources but the need to establish a new and more just economic and distributive order along with genuine solidarity in the struggle against underdevelopment. Several steps should be taken: agricultural production should be increased with the full participation of the developng nations; the industrialized or petroleum-producing nations should aid the poor states with at least .7% and up to 5% of their gross national products for the struggle against drought disease illiteracy and for the green revolution and new agropastoral technologies; prices paid to poor countries for raw materials should be fair; responsible parenthood education womens rights clean drinking water environmental sanitation and primary health care should be promoted; the arms race should be halted and the North-South dialogue should be pursued in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation.


FOCUSED QUESTION
What is the clinical influence of probiotics as an adjunctive therapy of scaling and root planing (SRP) when compared with SRP alone or in combination with placebo in the treatment of chronic periodontitis (CP).

METHODS
Electronic databases were searched up to July 2015. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SRP + probiotic versusSRP were included. PPD reduction and CAL gain were selected as primary outcome variables.

RESULTS
Independent screening resulted in four eligible publications for the systematic review and three were included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed a statistically significant CAL gain (-0.42 mm, p = 0.002) and bleeding on probing (BOP) reduction (-14.66, p = 0.003) for SRP + probiotic treatment versusSRP at short-term. Only a tendency (p = 0.06) has been observed in terms of overall PPD reduction, whereas results were significant when stratified for moderate (-0.18, p = 0.001) and deep pockets (-0.67, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Within the limitations of this study, the findings of this meta-analysis seem to support the adjunctive use of L. reuteri to SRP in CP treatment at short-term, especially in deep pockets. Heterogeneity and limited available data may reduce the impact of these conclusions. Future long-term RCTs evaluating the clinical efficacy of adjunctive probiotics to SRP are needed.


The ability of tetrandrine (Tet), as a Ca2+ antagonist isolated from a traditional Chinese herb, to reduce cortical neuronal injury was quantitatively examined in cell cultures derived from fetal rats by measurement of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released to the extracellular bathing media. Cell cultures exposed to excitotoxins-glutamate (Glu), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), beta-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine(BOAA, on non-NMDA receptors) and beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine(BMAA, on NMDA receptors)-for 24 h showed widespread neuronal injury, which was substantially attenuated by addition of Tet 10(-7)-10(-6) mol.L-1 except to NMDA. Tet failed to protect neurons against NMDA. These results suggest that Tet has protective effect on fetal rat cortical neuronal injury induced by some excitotoxins in vitro. The mechanism of action was hypothesized that opening of Ca2+ channel in cellular membrane would not happen, because of inhibition of Na+ influx and membrane depolarization induced by Tet. As a result, cytosolic free Ca2+ overload and then neuroal injury were prevented or lightened.


A bipolar forceps for sealing tissue includes an elongated shaft having opposing jaw members at a distal end thereof, each of the jaw members including an electrically conductive sealing Surface. The jaw members are movable relative to one another from a first position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween. The bipolar forceps is connected to a source of electrical energy Such that the jaw members are capable of conducting bipolar energy through tissue held therebetween to effect a seal. The forceps also includes a stop member assembly having at least one non-conductive stop member which is selectively extendible to regulate the distance between the jaw members when tissue is held therebetween.


The discretisation of the Euler equations for a barotropic state law is considered. An upwind scheme based on the definition of a Roe's type matrix is first obtained for this particular hyperbolic problem. A low Mach number asymptotic study is performed both in the continuous and discrete case showing that the discrete solution admits pressure fluctuations in space much larger than those of the exact one. This is the same kind of behaviour observed for the case of a polytropic state law. A preconditioning is then applied such that the obtained discrete formulation has an asymptotic behaviour in agreement with the continuous case. A linearised implicit scheme is defined using the properties of the Roe matrix instead of the first-order homogeneity of the flux function which is not satisfied here. The implicit formulation is also extended to the preconditioned scheme. All the proposed ingredients are validated in the case of a quasi 1-D nozzle flow of a cavitating liquid.


The design and implementation of an energy-management system (EMS) applied to a residential direct current microgrid (DC-µG) is presented in this work. The proposed residential DC-µG is designed to provide a maximum power of one kilowatt by using two photovoltaic arrays (PAs) of 500 W, a battery bank (BB) of 120 V–115 Ah, a supercapacitor module of 0.230 F and a bidirectional DC–AC converter linked to the AC main grid (MG). The EMS works as a centralized manager and it defines the working operation mode for each section of the DC-µG. The operation modes are based on: (1) the DC-link bus voltage, (2) the generated or demanded power to each section of the DC-µG and (3) the BB's state of charge. The proposed EMS—during the several working operation modes and at the same time—can obtain the maximum energy from the PAs, reduce the energy consumption from the main grid and keep the DC-link bus voltage inside a range of 190 V ± 5%. The EMS and local controllers are implemented by using LabVIEW and NI myRIO-1900 platforms. Moreover, experimental results during connection and disconnection of each DC-µG sections and different on-the-fly transitions are reported, these results focus on the behavior of the DC bus, which shows the DC bus robustness and stability. The robustness of the DC-µG is demonstrated by maintaining a balance of energy between the sources and loads connected to the DC bus under different scenarios.


The aim of the study was to assess spine bone mineral density in 160 dialyzed subjects with end-stage renal failure, 81 patients after renal transplantation, and 148 controls. Spine bone mineral density [g/cm (2)] was measured by Lunar DPX-L (USA). Data analyses were performed using Statistica for Windows. In gender subgroups Z-score were significantly lower after transplantation than in controls (p<0.001), but not in subjects on dialysis. The mean value of Z-score in subjects after transplantation was significantly lower than in dialyzed patients. Z-score both in transplanted and dialyzed males were significantly lower than in females. Duration of dialysis, time since transplantation, and cumulative dose of steroids did not associate with values of spine bone mineral density (except for the negative association with dialysis duration time in males). In patients after transplantation, multiple stepwise regression analysis of spine bone mineral density and age, body size, parathormone, duration of dialysis, time after transplantation, and cumulative dose of steroids after transplantation have shown negative role of steroids use and positive role of parathormone and bone mass in males. Spine bone mineral density in dialyzed subjects was not decreased as compared with controls while the aggravation in skeletal status was observed after renal transplantation.


Adversarial attacks pose significant challenges for detecting adversarial attacks at an early stage. We propose attack-agnostic detection on reinforcement learning-based interactive recommendation systems. We first craft adversarial examples to show their diverse distributions and then augment recommendation systems by detecting potential attacks with a deep learning-based classifier based on the crafted data. Finally, we study the attack strength and frequency of adversarial examples and evaluate our model on standard datasets with multiple crafting methods. Our extensive experiments show that most adversarial attacks are effective, and both attack strength and attack frequency impact the attack performance. The strategically-timed attack achieves comparative attack performance with only 1/3 to 1/2 attack frequency. Besides, our black-box detector trained with one crafting method has the generalization ability over several crafting methods.


Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which almost every organ may be affected. Various psychological problems are associated with systemic conditions, but the influence of SLE is still a matter of discussion. Objectives We evaluated depression, anxiety, anger, fatigue and quality of life in patients with SLE, compared to healthy controls. We also investigated the relationship between these psychological problems, disease activity and damage in patients with SLE. Methods 108 patients with SLE and 52 healthy controls completed a psychological questionnaire. Psychological parameters were assessed as follows: depression, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); anxiety, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); anger, State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI); fatigue, the Profile of Mood States fatigue-inertia scale (POM); quality of life (QOL), Functional Assessment Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT). Disease activity and damage indices were measured by the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and the SLE Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR), respectively. Results Patients with SLE showed higher symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger and fatigue (p=0.005; p=0.057; p=0.044; p=0.020, respectively), and lower level of QOL (p=0.003) than healthy controls. In the patients with SLE, mood symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and anger were correlated with each other (depression and anxiety: r=0.710, p<0.001; depression and anger: r=0.602, p<0.001; anxiety and anger: r=0.546, p<0.001). Fatigue and QOL were closely correlated with mood symptoms, respectively. The patients with higher prednisolone use (>7.5 mg/day) showed higher levels of depression, anxiety, anger and fatigue (p=0.002; p=0.022; p=0.027; p=0.010, respectively), and lower level of QOL (p=0.001) than the patients with lower prednisolone use (≤7.5mg/day). However, there were no significant differences in evaluating these parameters according to disease activity or damage indices. Conclusions The patients with SLE had higher levels of depression, anger and fatigue and lower level of QOL compared to healthy controls. Psychological parameters were affected by daily glucocorticoid dose rather than disease activity or damage indices. These findings suggested that the comprehensive evaluation of the various psychological problems could be helpful to SLE patients, especially those with higher doses of glucocorticoid, even if disease activity and damage are not severe. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4112


One of the most controversial topics in neuroscience surrounds the Nobel Prizewinning split-brain experiments of Sperry and colleagues. Their experiments were carried out on patients who had undergone a callosotomy, which is a surgery that removes the corpus callosum-one of the commissures that connect the cerebral hemispheres. After years of research that have allowed us to address some of the major concerns regarding this work, scientists remain doubtful about the validity of Sperry's findings. This is due, in part, to the number of other commissures that also allow for communication between the hemispheres, including the anterior commissure, hippocampal (Fornix), septum pellucidum commissure, the interthalamic adhesion (intermediate mass), the habenular commissure, and the posterior commissure. Therefore, the original assumption made by Sperry, that severing the corpus callosum divides the brain, is an exaggeration of reality: while there is no doubt that the corpus callosum plays the largest contribution in the passage of information from one hemisphere to the other, it is not the only route. After reading and consulting the bibliography of this article, I hope that you will be able to formulate your own opinions about these questions.


This paper explores the specific factors influencing the consumer trust in B2C e-commerce and proposes a three-dimensional trust model with the ability to provide dynamic support for trust establishment and management. The model summarizes the factors influencing the consumer trust in three aspects that are personal attitude, public opinion and third party. This paper also elaborates on the specific composition of the three factors. It explains the specific variables influencing the personal attitude of consumers, expounds the connotation of public opinion, defines the structure and frame of the third party. The model has good adaptability to serve as a basis for establishing and managing consumer trust in different stages of the trust relationship.


Recommendation system is a process or tool used to provide predictions for users to choose something based on an existing domain. This system has become a primary need for today's modern digital industry such as in the entertainment, shopping, and service sectors. In this research, we focus on how to develop a recommendation system for accommodation services. We use the Alternating Least Square and Singular Value Decomposition methods to predict and recommend lodging to users


ABSTRACT The envelope glycoprotein complex (gp120-gp41) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) promotes the fusion of viral and cellular membranes through formation of the fusion-active six-helix bundle in the gp41 ectodomain. This gp41 core structure consists of three C-terminal helices packed in an antiparallel manner into hydrophobic grooves on the surface of the N-terminal trimeric coiled coil. Alanine mutations that destabilize the N- and C-terminal interhelical packing interactions also reduce viral infectivity. Here we show that viruses bearing these mutations exhibit a marked potentiation of inhibition by peptides that make up the gp41 core. By contrast, these viruses are unchanged in their sensitivities to soluble CD4, the CXCR4 coreceptor ligand SDF-1α, and human anti-HIV immunoglobulin, reagents that impact the initial, receptor-induced conformational changes in the envelope glycoprotein. Our results support the notion that these alanine mutations specifically affect the conformational transition to the fusion-active gp41 structure. The mutations also increase viral sensitivity to the gp41-directed monoclonal antibody 2F5, suggesting that this broadly neutralizing antibody may also interfere with this transition. The conformational activation of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein likely represents a viable target for vaccine and antiviral drug development.


Based on the relaxation equations describing the chemical equilibration of gluons, quarks and s quarks at finite baryon density derived from the Juttner distribution of partons, with the help of a rapid phase transition scenario from quark phase to hadron phase, we calculate strangeness production in the quark phase and hadron phase. It is found that the K^-/π^- ratio is enhanced to be larger than that in pp collisions by about a factor 3.


This study investigates hydrogen production via a directly coupled solar-PEM electrolysis system using aqueous methanol instead of water. The effect of load matching and methanol concentration on hydrogen production rates, electrolysis efficiency, and solar-hydrogen efficiency was investigated. The electrolysis efficiencies were subsequently used in simulation studies to estimate production costs in scaled up systems. The results show that the added hydrogen production associated with the methanol solutions leads to favourable hydrogen production costs at smaller scales.


This paper argues that interpretations are fine-grained and that, to come to a full understanding of meaning, it is important to find out more about how such detailed interpretations are derived. As a first step towards answering this question it is insightful to look at the interpretation of metaphors. Psycholinguistic experiments have shown that the interpretation of metaphors involves the suppression of irrelevant or incompatible features. These studies could be taken as an indication against the common view that word meanings are underspecified and enriched in a context. In contrast with this underspecification view, this paper suggests a view of the lexicon in which words come with very rich semantic representations. When two representations are combined, a conflict may arise when elements of the representations are incompatible. This paper argues that such a conflict is best analyzed in Optimality Theory. The optimization process of combining rich lexical representations is illustrated with an analysis of the adjective-noun combination stone lion.


We propose a novel cross layer optimization scheme for the design and dimensioning of greenfield WDM PON networks. For a given geographical location of the OLT, the ONUs and their corresponding aggregated traffic demand, we propose a generic integer linear programming (ILP) model which optimally and simultaneously: (i) congregates the ONUs into clusters, (ii) determines the type (splitter/ AWG) and number of output ports of the passive switching equipment for all clusters so that all ONUs can be served, (iii) identifies the location of the switching equipment, (iv) determines the proper link dimensioning so as to allow the provisioning of the overall aggregated traffic demand destined to/from the ONUs. The ILP model not only includes the physical layer constraints of PON (i.e., power attenuation and splitting ratio), but the optical layer constraints as well (i.e., number wavelengths carried by the optical fibers depending on the traffic and on the selected switching equipment). The resulting model is therefore the most general model proposed so far, and it guarantees the optimal solution in terms of minimum deployment cost for greenfield WDM PON, with a two stage architecture. Computational results demonstrate the validation and effectiveness of the proposed solution scheme on various data sets with up to 128 ONUs.


OBJECTIVE
To find out the efficacy of Modified Alvarado (MA) scoring system in diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the overweight patients.

METHODS
All the patients with suspected acute appendicitis admitted in the surgical department at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Al-Hassa, during the period from September 2004 to December 2006 were included in the study. Patients with score of 7 or more of modified Alvarado score were included, patients with score of 6 or less were excluded. All patients underwent diagnostic laparoscopy, and the diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination.

RESULTS
There was total of 228 patients. Twenty -four percent were overweight and 12% patients were obese. Sixty percent of the patients had confirmed diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

CONCLUSION
Modified Alvarado scoring system is an easy method for diagnosis for acute appendicitis. It can be used as complementary aid for supporting the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in overweight and obese patients.


A form of basic sedation for cardiac catheterisation in children with congenital heart disease is described. The drugs used (Toronto cardiac mixture, papaveretum--hyoscine respectively) offer a true alternative to general anesthesia. Blood gases and acid-base status of 32 children aged two days to twelve years were investigated. The observed tendency towards metabolic acidosis is believed to be related to the angiographic contrast medium.


There have been many researches concerning the modeling for material removal mechanisms of bonnet polishing (BP) based on the well-known Preston model. However, various parameters involved in the BP process are not formulated and considered in the classical model, such as slurry characteristics, pad properties, bonnet features, and processing conditions. In this paper, a micro-analysis model capturing those parameters is proposed based on the mutual interaction of the slurry, pad, and workpiece among the BP interfaces with the micro-contact theory and the tribology theory. The proposed model is validated by comparison with the experimental data, and good agreement can be obtained. According to the analysis of key parameters, the proposed model is capable of providing some insight into the material removal mechanisms of BP, and even those cannot be explained properly by the classical Preston model.


The Spanish turbot aquaculture sector holds a top position in the international market. This activity is mainly developed along the Galician coast (NW Spain). This article evaluates the environmental performance of Galician turbot aquaculture according to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Previously, on account of the expected relevance of feed for aquaculture, marine aquafeed production was assessed from an LCA perspective. Environmental characterization results for marine feed production led to identify aquafeed formulation as the focus for improvement actions. Furthermore, the environmental profile of feed for continental aquaculture was estimated and compared to that of marine aquafeed. The LCA of marine aquafeed was then implemented into the case study of Galician turbot aquaculture. Electricity use in hatching facilities arose as the main hot spot, ahead of aquafeed and diesel use in ongrowing plants.LCA proved to be a useful tool to provide chain transparency and accountability throughout these case studies.


Macroglossia is defined as an enlarged tongue that in the resting position protrudes beyond the alveolar ridge or teeth. Macroglossia may be a chronic, indolent phenomenon or may be acute. We present a case of acute traumatic macroglossia in a pediatric patient following accidental self-application of an orthodontic elastic band. The 5-year-old patient presented with swelling of the anterior portion of the tongue unassociated with upper airway obstruction. The diagnosis was delayed until the patient was in the operating room under general anesthesia for repair of a presumed traumatic laceration, 3 weeks after her initial presentation. A thorough history may not reveal the cause of acute macroglossia. Examination under sedation may be necessary to establish a definitive diagnosis.


The quick-freezing and freeze-etching techniques were used to analyze surface domains of Tritrichomonas foetus. The surface of the protozoan body was not smooth, presenting surface projections, except on the flagellar surface. Images of the actual surface of the anterior flagella revealed the presence of intramembranous particles that form rosettes, as observed on the protoplasmic fracture face. They may represent integral transmembrane proteins exposed at the cell surface. Surface specializations were also observed at the flagella base and where the recurrent flagellum attaches to the cell body.


Background: Germline alterations in ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, and other genes are responsible for early-onset breast cancer. However, up to 20% of molecular tests report genetic variant of unknown significance (VUS) or novel variants that have never been previously described and their clinical significance are unknown. An existing open access databases (ClinVar, BIC, and ENIGMA and other) play an important role in the interpretation of VUS, but in Asian populations the interpretation of VUS is still difficult due to restricted data. This study aimed to reclassify the genetic variants by using the ActiveDriveDB database that annotates variants through the lens of sites of post-translational modifications.Methods: Our study included young Buryat BC patients, anthropologically belonging to the Central Asia. Genomic DNA was used to prepare libraries. NGS sequencing was performed on a NextSeq 500 System. Results: We re-examined 135 rare variants (41 VUS, 25 conflicting, 64 benign and 5 new variants). We identified 10 out of 135 (7.4%) mutations that affected the sites of post-translational modification in proteins. Of 135 rare mutations, 1 benign variant was reclassified as network-rewiring - motif loss mutation, 3 VUS and 1 new variant were reclassified as distal PTM- mutations, 2 new and 1 benign variant were classified as proximal PTM- mutations and 1 benign and 1 conflicting variant were classified as direct PTM- mutations.Conclusions: For the first time, 7.4% (10 out of 135) of mutations that affected the sites of post-translational modification in proteins were identified among Buryat women with early-onset breast cancer.


The authors discuss and analyze the complex interplay between rail infrastructure development and land use development of railway station areas in the Netherlands. They argue that although this interrelation has been theorized and studied in the academic literature, the underlying complex and dynamic mechanisms, and the appropriate planning and management responses, are still insufficiently understood. This is particularly relevant for local, regional and national policymakers in the various subsystems, because a lack of network understanding and interconnectedness may produce suboptimal, unsustainable spatial and rail infrastructure planning. In order to better understand and manage the dynamic interrelations between rail infrastructure and urban development in the Delta Metropolis, the serious game SprintCity was developed. The game is played with the real stakeholders (administrators, planners, politicians, interest groups, experts and consultants, etc.). In this paper, the authors describe and analyze why and how the complexity of the real world system was modeled into a serious game.


Few studies have assessed the efficacy and safety of reconstruction of sternal infection using a pectoralis muscle flap combined with a rectus abdominis muscle (RAM) sheath fasciocutaneous flap. We report here our experience with this procedure to reconstruct the sternal defect in patients (n = 46) with a deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) after cardiac surgery. After wound reconstruction, the proportion of prolonged mechanical ventilation use and intensive care unit (ICU) stay were 17.4% (n = 8) and 21.7% (n = 10), respectively. The 30‐day all‐cause mortality was 15.2%; recurrence rate was 17.4%; postoperative complications were 15.2%; and median hospital stay was 31 (0‐157) days. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension (β = 21.32, 95%CI 4.955‐37.68, P = .014), drainage‐tube use (β = 0.944, 95%CI 0.273‐1.614, P = .008), and prolonged intensive care unit stay (β = 53.65, 95%CI 31.353‐75.938, P < .001) were significantly correlated with hospital stay. In conclusion, a procedure including surgical debridement, sternal reconstruction with bilateral PM and RAM sheath flap, long‐term antibiotics, and adequate drainage is a beneficial technique in the reconstruction of deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery. Duration of drainage tube use may be as an index for a hospital stay or wound healing.


Response surface method (RSM) is a set of mathematical and statistical methods for experimental design and evaluating the effects of variables and searching optimum conditions of variables topredict targeted responses. Oestrone (E1) is one of the most important steroid estrogens in sewage and waterbody. An internal standard method of HPLC-MS-MS for E1 is established with its operational parameters in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode being optimized by RSM. With a sample pretreatment using two-step solid phase extraction (SPE), the detection limit of the method was 0.5 ng/L.


Almost half of the Greenland ice sheet's mass loss occurs through iceberg calving at marine terminating glaciers. The presence of buoyant subglacial discharge plumes at these marine termini are thought to increase mass loss both through submarine melting and by undercutting that consequently increases calving rates. Plume models are used to predict submarine melting and undercutting. However, there are few observations that allow these relationships to be tested. Here, we use airborne lidar from the terminus of Helheim Glacier, SE Greenland to measure the bulge induced at the surface by the upwelling plume. We use these measurements to estimate plume discharge rates using a high‐resolution, three‐dimensional plume model. Multiyear observations of the plume are compared to a record of calving from camera and icequake data. We find no evidence to suggest that the presence of a plume, determined by its visibility at the surface, increases the frequency of major calving events and also show that mass loss at the terminus driven directly by plume discharge is significantly less than mass loss from major calving events. The results suggest that the contribution of direct plume‐driven mass loss at deep marine‐terminating glaciers may be less than at shallower termini.


as "when the pH of blood is higher than 7.45 an alkaline condition exists" all reduce the value of this book. The book would be of greater value if the sections on physiological principles improved, many of the chapters shortened, and if the title were changed to "The Nursing Practice of Intravenous Therapy". It would then be a useful addition to the shelves of the nurse and clinician involved in the practice of intravenous therapy. L. L G. WORTHLEY


During a recent trip to India I truly became aware of and understood the notion of a "holy cow". And as clear as this description might seem, it becomes less understandable once you see it. In a country with 1,3 billion people and almost 300 million cattle, most people live below the breadline and are subject to starvation, because they are not allowed to slaughter the cattle.


This paper presents a controller for the problem of Network Selection in 5G Networks, based on Reinforcement Learning. The problem of Network Selection and Traffic Steering is modeled as a Markov Decision Process and a Q- Learning based control solution is designed to meet 5G requirements, such as Quality of Experience (QoE) maximization, Quality of Service (QoS) assurance and load balancing. Numerical simulations preliminarily validate the proposed approach on a simulated scenario considered in the European project H2020 5G-ALLSTAR.


Pharmacologic tools were used to identify receptors in functional studies by measuring either transepithelial current (I(sc)) in strial marginal cells (SMC) or cAMP production in stria vascularis (SV). Further, receptors were identified in SV as transcripts by cloning and sequencing of reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products. Experiments were performed using tissues isolated from gerbils unless specified otherwise. I(sc) under control conditions was 1090 +/- 21 microA/cm(2) (n = 213) in gerbil SMC and 2001 +/- 95 microA/cm(2) (n = 6) in murine SMC. Direct stimulation of adenylate cyclase with 10(-5) m forskolin but not with 10(-5) m 1,9-dideoxy-forskolin resulted in an increase in the I(sc) by a factor of 1.14 +/- 0.01 (n = 6). The vasopressin-receptor agonist 10(-8) m Arg(8)-vasopressin had no significant effect on I(sc) in gerbil and murine SMC. The beta-adrenergic agonists isoproterenol, norepinephrine and epinephrine stimulated I(sc) with an EC(50) of (6 +/- 2) x 10(-7) m (n = 28), (3 +/- 1) x 10(-6) m (n = 40) and (7 +/- 2) x 10(-6) m (n = 38), respectively. Isoproterenol stimulated cAMP production in SV with an EC(50) of (5 +/- 2) x 10(-7) m (n = 8). The beta-antagonist 10(-4) m propanolol completely inhibited 2 x 10(-5) m isoproterenol-induced stimulation of I(sc). The beta-antagonists atenolol, ICI118551 and CGP20712A inhibited isoproterenol-induced stimulation of I(sc) with a K(DB) of 1 x 10(-7) m (pK(DB) = 6.96 +/- 0.15, n = 14), 1 x 10(-7) m (pK(DB) = 7. 01 +/- 0.14, n = 15), 2 x 10(-9) m (pK(DB) = 8.73 +/- 0.13, n = 19), respectively. CGP20712A inhibited isoproterenol-induced cAMP production with a K(DB) of 1 x 10(-10) m (pK(DB) = 9.94 +/- 0.55, n = 9). RT-PCR of total RNA isolated from SV using primers specific for the beta(1)-, beta(2)- and beta(3)-adrenergic receptors revealed products of the predicted sizes for the beta(1)- and beta(2)- but not the beta(3)-adrenergic receptor. Sequence analysis confirmed that amplified cDNA fragments encoded gene-specific nucleotide sequences. These results demonstrate that K(+) secretion in SMC is under the control of beta(1)-adrenergic receptors but not beta(2)-adrenergic or vasopressin-receptors and that the beta(1)-subtype is the primary beta-adrenergic receptor in SV although SV contains transcripts for both beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenergic receptors.


A detailed prospective study of 58 consecutive breast cancer patients and contemporaneous controls, using age, duration of tumour and presence or absence of poor prognostic signs as clinical parameters, clearly showed that the patients fell into three distinct groups. Group A accounted for 30 per cent of cancers and consisted of young women (21–45 years) with advanced cancers, a short history (3 months or less) and poor prognostic signs; these patients had fast‐growing tumours. Group B, to which nearly 60 per cent of patients belonged, was made up of menopausal women (46–50 years) with advanced disease, a history of from 3 months to 1 year and poor prognostic signs; their tumour growth rate was intermediate. Group C made up slightly more than 10 per cent of cases and consisted of postmenopausal women (50 years and above) who gave a long history (1 year or more), and had resectable tumours without poor prognostic signs. Thus, although advanced breast cancer in tropical Africa is due to late presentation in the majority of cases, a small but significant proportion of women have advanced disease in spite of early presentation, attributable to fast tumour growth rate.


Wildfires are a major environmental hazard that causes fatalities greater than structural fire and other disasters. Computerized models have increased the possibilities of predictions that enhanced the firefighting capabilities in U.S. While predictive models are faster and accurate, it is still important to identify the right model for the data type analyzed. The paper aims at understanding the reliability of three predictive methods using fused dataset. Performances of these methods (Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors, and decision tree models) are evaluated using binary and multiclass classifications that predict wildfire occurrence and its severity. Data extracted from meteorological database, and U.S fire database are utilized to understand the accuracy of these models that enhances the discussion on using right model for dataset based on their size. The findings of the paper include SVM as the best optimum models for binary and multiclass classifications on the selected fused dataset.


In the twenty-three years that have elapsed since the announcement by Rous of his discovery of a fowl sarcoma transmissible by a presumably cell-free filtrate, the exact nature of the causative agent is still undetermined. Of the three principal possibilities, that of filter-passing tumor cells would seem to be excluded rather definitely. But whether we are dealing with a living agent, or with a product of metabolism apparently of enzymatic character capable of inciting the changes which in turn produce it, is still open to question. The production by Fischer of a tumor of this type, by the prolonged treatment of cultures of fowl fibroblasts with weak solutions of arsenic oxide, constitutes strong evidence in favor of the latter view. The principal evidence of contrary character lies in the work of Nakahara, who found that repeated freezing and thawing of the tumor cells greatly impaired the transmissive effect of the agent. His work has been questioned, however, on the ground of neglect to guard against oxidation, to which the agent is peculiarly susceptible.

Partly for the purpose of checking this work of Nakahara, and partly to determine the limits of the possibly lethal effect on the agent of repeated extreme temperature changes, the work reported here was instituted. In it the agent, as well as suspensions of tumor cells, were subjected to repeated freezing by means of carbon dioxide ice, and to rapid thawing, both in practically complete absence of oxygen.

The procedure was relatively simple. The virus, after filtration in physiological salt solution through a sterile "W" Berkefeld filter, was placed in glass ampoules with slender, drawn-out necks. The air was then exhausted by means of a strong water pump, and replaced by pure hydrogen. This procedure was repeated ten times, and the ampoules were finally sealed in the exhausted condition. They were then frozen a variable number of times by means of "dry ice" kept in a large Dewar jar, and after freezing were rapidly thawed by immersion in boiling water exactly to the point of liquefaction of the virus. For comparison, various bacterial suspensions were similarly treated, except as to filtration, at the same time.


Critical thinking and teamwork have never been more important than they are in the 21st century. These skills are the key to success in the job market and an essential part of the university curriculum. Educators and education policy makers around the world look for ways to develop and improve these skills, for example, through student engagement in various activities on campus. The aim of this study is to investigate the contribution of student extracurricular engagement to the development of student soft skills.
The current study is based on the project "Student experience at the research university (SERU)".  The sample involves 3,344 respondents representing undergraduate students enrolled in different majors at a Russian national research university in the academic year of 2016-2017. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the contribution of student extracurricular engagement. Results suggest that there is a statistically significant difference between the distributions of gains in interpersonal and teamwork skills of those students who were and those who were not involved in extracurricular activities.
The purpose of the study is to show that engaging students in the activities beyond classroom but closely tied to educational process increases their human and social capital up to the level required by higher education. Extracurricular activities facilitate student interpersonal communication and help develop teamwork competency. The findings might encourage university administration and academic staff to consider creating and promoting a place where students could reflect upon what they have learned and practice their skills.


The first fraction of soluble amastigote antigen through Sephadex G-200 which was determined to contain the specific surface antigen to amastigote in the previous experiment was digested by pronase to examine the antigenic character of the carbohydrate moiety. The digested product was applied to Sephadex G-50 column after deproteinization by 7% TCA. The first peak from Sephadex G-50 showed the precipitin line against antiamastigote serum and the line, of course, shared commonantigenicity with the specific antigen with a small spur from the latter to the former. This peak, probably polysaccharide with small peptides, was further purified by DEAE-cellulose column chromatrography.


Here, we report on the unique observation of flaring coronal loops at the solar limb using high-resolution imaging spectropolarimetry from the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope. The vantage position, orientation, and nature of the chromospheric material that filled the flare loops allowed us to determine their magnetic field with unprecedented accuracy using the weak-field approximation method. Our analysis reveals coronal magnetic field strengths as high as 350 G at heights up to 25 Mm above the solar limb. These measurements are substantially higher than a number of previous estimates and may have considerable implications for our current understanding of the extended solar atmosphere.


AN OVERVIEW OF ACUPUNCTURE IN AUSTRALIA THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN International Symposium on Acupuncture in Modern Medicine was held in Sydney in August, 1978. It was sponsored jointly by the Australian Medical Acupuncture Society (AMAS) and the Medical Acupuncture Research Association (MARA). Its purposes were: (i) to afford leading international medical acupuncturists an opportunity to present their latest experiences in acupuncture research and therapy; (ii) to provide an exchange of ideas between. local and overseas medical acupuncturists. Over 150 medical acupuncturists attended; these were mostly Australians, but there were representatives from China, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, U.S.A., South Africa, Austria, West Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. The symposium was opened by Dr J. R. Magarey, Federal President of the Australian Medical Association, who said that the AMA neither approved nor disapproved of acupuncture and that there were no legal barriers in Australia to its practice by qualified doctors and dentists; indeed, the AMA believed it should be practised only by legally qualified doctors and dentists who had received proper instruction and achieved proficiency in the technique, and was strongly opposed to its use by lay people. Dr Magarey stressed that the AMA supported the view of the National Health and Medical Research Council, that acupuncture should be subject to controlled clinical trials so that its value could be properly assessed. The symposium was honoured to have as its first speaker Dr Sung Cheng Lieng, Head of the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Peking, a neurologist and medical acupuncturist, and author of the textbook An Outline of Chinese Acupuncture, which is internationally recognized and widely used. This was the first time that the People's Republic of China had sent to the West one of their most senior and experienced specialists. Other overseasspeakersincluded Dr G. Pauser, a neurophysiologist and anaesthetist from Austria; Dr W. H. Khoeand Dr R.S. Glassberg from U.S.A.; and Dr P. Voll and Dr H. Schuldt from West Germany. Their topics were wide-ranging and varied: acupuncture theory; acupuncture analgesia; bioenergetics in electroacupuncture; development of and advances in new Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion; modern modalities for an ancient art; acupuncture therapy in musculoskeletal diseases, heart diseases' and angina pectoris; ethics of acupuncture in a Western society; acupuncture anaesthesia for major surgery (such as craniotomy and removal of brain tumour, open heart surgery and caesarean section) on fully conscious patients; and the discovery of endomorphins released in the brain during acupuncture stimulation in laboratory animals. Local speakers presented their experience in treating common problems such as chronic headache, low back pain, alcohol and drug dependence, psychosomatic conditions and "whiplash" injury. These papers indicated that medical acupuncture as practised in Australia is a very effective method of treatment. Modern modalities such as electroacupuncture, aquapuncture, puncture with ultrasound, periosteal puncture, laser acupuncture and so on have increased its usefulness and efficacy. The two societies sponsoring the symposium dissociate themselves from wild claims made by the Press, non-medical groups or "colleges" that acupuncture is a cure-all, a drugless wonder or a prickly panacea.The AMAS membership is restricted to registered medical practitioners who have attended a recognized course in acupuncture. Founded in 1973, it has over 200 active members all over Australia and maintains a headquarters in Melbourne and branches in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. It holds regular clinical meetings and for three years has conducted its own course in basic acupuncture in Melbourne and Sydney. To maintain a high standard of practice, it has set up its own peer review and this year held the first nation-wide examination for its own members simultaneously in all capital cities. It plans to bring out a quarterly journal. The MARA was founded in 1975 and is based in Sydney. It is oriented towards research and its membership is restricted to doctors, dentists and veterinarians. During the past year, AMAS members have used acupuncture for pain relief in normal delivery, dilatation and curettage, dental procedures and eye operations. However, in Australia medical acupuncture is used mainly for pain relief in low back pain, chronic headache, trigeminal neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia and arthralgias; for alleviation of allergic conditions such as chronic rhinitis, bronchitis, asthma and skin rashes; for psychosomatic illnesses associated with anxiety and depression; and for alcohol and drug dependence. Other uses reported to have been successful overseas (such as the treatment of myocardial ischaemia and anaesthesiafor major surgery) have yet to be evaluated in Australia. For proper trials to be conducted a high degree of interest and cooperation will be required from the medical profession, hospital administrators, research bodies and government. In particular legislation is needed to prevent the practice of acupuncture by unqualified people. A number of countries have already enacted this legislation-New Zealand did so in 1977. Unless acupuncture is restricted to registered dental and medical practitioners, very real dangers exist of inaccurate diagnosis, puncture of vital organs, sepsis, haemorrhage and other complications, In proper hands it is an exciting non-pharmacological therapeutic toolnew to the West, but dignified by over 4000 years of use in China. .


Low-frequency (1-20 MHz) inductive coupling is a leading technique to power biomedical implants wirelessly. Even though these are non-radiating systems, the external and the implant coils can cause sufficient radiated electric field to exceed the federal standards for communication. A multi-coil-based wireless power transfer (WPT) technique is developed to selectively control the currents in the external and implant coils to reduce the radiated electric field. A four-coil WPT system, which can achieve more than 37% reduction in the radiated electric field as compared with a two-coil WPT system with the same dimensions and design constraints, is implemented and used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


We study the problem of allocating shared resources, such as bandwidth in computer networks and computational resources in shared clusters, among multiple users by the proportional-share market mechanism. Under this mechanism, each user partitions his budget among the multiple resources and receives a fraction of each resource proportional to his bid. We first formulate the resource allocation game under the proportional-share mechanism and study the efficiency and fairness of the equilibrium in this game. We present analytic and simulation results demonstrating that the proportional-share mechanism achieves a reasonable balance of high degrees of efficiency and fairness at the equilibrium.


In product development, creativity is the driving force for doing something that leads to innovation. A typical ideation background has three subsystems: inspiration, dematerialization and recombination. The most basic concepts of Axiomatic Design, i.e. domains, hierarchies and zigzagging, as well as the two design axioms, provide a powerful framework to implement ideation, as to make creativity easier when developing a new product. The result of dematerialization is in the functional domain, which is the place where the customer needs are presented by functional requirements and purged of any kind of physical bias. The recombination creates the design parameters, at the physical domain, which are the set of elements of the design object that have been chosen to satisfy the functional requirements, into a new materialization profile of a new product. In this paper, a concrete case illustrating the above-mentioned concepts is presented.


Descending facilitatory circuitry that involves the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM) exerts a significant role in the development of antinociceptive tolerance and hyperalgesia following chronic morphine treatment. The role of the RVM in the development of antinociceptive tolerance to oxycodone, another clinically used strong opioid, is not yet known. Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, attenuates opioid antinociceptive tolerance, but its effect on RVM cell discharge in opioid tolerant animals is not known. Here, we compared chronic effects of morphine and oxycodone on the discharge properties of RVM cells and attempted to attenuate chronic treatment-induced changes with ketamine. Parallel recordings of RVM cell discharge and limb withdrawal response were performed under light pentobarbital anesthesia in male rats following sustained systemic treatment with morphine or oxycodone at equianalgesic doses. Ongoing activity and the response to noxious heat and pinch were determined in pronociceptive RVM ON-cells and antinociceptive OFF-cells on the sixth treatment day. Proportions of RVM cell types were not changed. Chronic oxycodone induced antinociceptive tolerance both in limb withdrawal and RVM cell activity. Chronic morphine induced antinociceptive tolerance in limb withdrawal that was accompanied by pronociceptive heat response changes in RVM ON- and OFF-cells. A behaviorally subantinociceptive dose of acute ketamine reversed antinociceptive tolerance both to morphine and oxycodone in limb withdrawal and reversed the chronic morphine-induced pronociceptive discharge changes in RVM cells. The results indicate that an NMDA receptor-dependent descending pronociceptive circuitry involving the RVM has an important role in behavioral antinociceptive tolerance to morphine but not oxycodone.


Silencing genes of a pest with double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a promising new pest management technology. As part of the environmental risk assessment for dsRNA‐based products, the environmental fate and the potential for adverse effects to on‐target organisms should be characterized. In the present study, a nonbioactive dsRNA was spiked into the water column of a water and sediment microcosm to mimic drift from a spray application run off of unbound dsRNA or transport of plant tissues. Dissipation of dsRNA in the water column and partitioning into sediment was determined. The dsRNA rapidly dissipated in the water column and was below the limit of detection after 96 h. The levels detected in the sediment were not significant and may indicate rapid degradation in the water column prior to partitioning to sediment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1249–1253. © 2016 SETAC


Pancreatic cancer is recognized as one of the deadliest forms of cancer; yet the underlying mechanistic cause of pancreatic cancer remains unknown. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, chronic pancreatitis, obesity, and family history. Obesity is known to lead to alteration of serum adipokine levels, including the reduction of adiponectin. The purpose of this study was to determine whether adiponectin directly contributes to pancreatic cancer growth. We have previously shown that orthotopically implanted pancreatic cancer cells display increased growth in obese mice. Adiponectin acts through two identified receptors that produce proapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antiangiogenic actions. We hypothesize that decreased adiponectin signaling in the setting of obesity leads to increased pancreatic cancer growth. Adiponectin receptor status was determined in human as well as pancreatic cancer cell lines through real time PCR as well as western analysis. We have detected adiponectin receptor 1 as well as adiponectin receptor 2 in all of the pancreatic cancer cell lines tested, yet significant protein levels were only detected in these pancreatic cancer cell lines for adiponectin receptor 1 by western blot analysis. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis of pancreatic tissue showed that adiponectin receptor 1 associated with acinar, smooth muscle, and endothelial cells while adiponectin receptor 2 associated with stromal and fibroblastic cells in the pancreas. To determine whether adiponectin affected cellular proliferation, pancreatic cancer cell lines were tested in vitro for response to adiponectin treatment, which resulted in decreased proliferation of the human CFPAC and Panc1 pancreatic cancer cell lines. To determine the effect of adiponectin on pancreatic cancer growth in vivo, adiponectin deficient mice were injected orthotopically with pancreatic cancer cells and followed for 21 days of growth. Orthotopic injection of Panc02 pancreatic cancer cells into adiponectin deficient mice resulted in larger tumors. These results implicate adiponectin as a mediator of the proliferative capactiy of pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Alisha Mendonsa, Madeleine C. Chalfant, Lee Gorden, Michael N. VanSaun. Adiponectin deficiency enhances pancreatic cancer growth. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges; Jun 18-21, 2012; Lake Tahoe, NV. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A90.


Molecular dynamics simulations (MD) were carried out to model the miscibility behavior of blends of poly(p-dioxanone) (PPDO) with poly(vinylphenol) (PVPh). The Hildebrand solubility parameters of the pure polymers and the Flory-Huggins interaction parameters of the blends at different compositions were computed. Negative interaction parameters were found across the whole range of compositions, suggesting the miscibility of the system, in agreement with the experimental results. The interaction parameter obtained from melting point depression studies was also found to be in good agreement with the value computed from the simulations. The repeat unit of PPDO contains one ether and one ester group, and both can act as hydrogen bond acceptors. The radial distribution functions (RDFs) between those groups and the hydroxyl groups of PVPh were computed to investigate the competence between the acceptor groups for the specific interactions. The RDFs indicate that interassociation occurs mainly with the ester groups, which is detrimental to the ether groups. This result was also corroborated by the analysis of the hydroxyl stretching region of the blends using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The good overall agreement found between the simulated and the experimental data reveals the importance of the molecular modeling techniques in the analysis of the miscibility behavior of polymer blends.


The task of defining computer system requirements often involves the consideration of an overwhelming number of complexly related factors. Therefore, before getting started, a project team assigned this task needs to get an overview and develop a clear understanding of the main objectives and the alternative methods it can use in carrying out its responsibilities. This article presents tips and techniques for achieving success in the requirements definition phase of a software selection process.


Abstract Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are phenolic natural products, widely present in food materials and plants. Coffee is one of the richest sources of CGAs and one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The LC-MSn methods have been used to detect and characterize CGAs in green Robusta and Arabica coffee beans. During this study, 40 samples of green Robusta and Arabica coffee beans discriminated by their origin and type were investigated for their chlorogenic acid contents. Twenty-one novel CGAs and eight novel classes of CGAs were reported in green coffee beans. An LC-MSn hierarchical scheme was developed for the identification, structure elucidation, and assignment of regiochemistry of triacyl CGAs. The high resolution LC-MS-TOF data of chlorogenic acids was used to discriminate between the Arabica and Robusta coffee beans by the principal component analysis (PCA) approach. In another study on roasted coffee 20 samples of Robusta and Arabica coffee were analyzed by LC-MSn for their content of CGAs, lactones, and shikimates. Fifteen novel CGAs completely absent in green coffee samples were identified in roasted coffee samples. The CGAs of mate were investigated by LC-MSn. Forty-two CGAs were detected and characterized, twenty-four of them for the first time from this source. This was the first time when an LC-MSn method was used for the identification and structure assignment of shikimates. By these LC-MSn methods it became easy to discriminate between the shikimates and CGA lactones. Methyl quinates of CGAs are present in many food materials (including mate) and they are the most common artifacts during the methanolic extraction of chlorogenic acids. In this study an LC-MSn method was developed for their identification and characterization. This is the first time when an LC-MSn method was developed for the identification of hydroxycinnamates. Arnica (Arnica montana) flowers and Burdock (Arctium lappa) roots from the Asteraceae family and Gardeniae Fructus (Gardeniae jasminoids fruit) from the Rubiaceae family were analyzed for their chlorogenic acid contents and chlorogenic acids containing alkoyl residues such as fumaroyl, maloyl, methoxyoxaloyl, hydroxyl-methylglutaroyl, and succinoyl were identified. These chlorogenic acids show different tandem mass spectral behavior compared to previous studies. An LC-MSn method was also developed to discriminate between the feruloylquinic acids and isoferuloylquinic acids. Both classes of polyphenols are possibly present in food materials (nature) and as metabolites. A new protecting group strategy was developed by using allyl ether for the selective synthesis of CGAs and epimers of CGAs. A number of chlorogenic acids and epimers of chlorogenic acids containing muco-quinic acid moiety were synthesized by this approach. This was the first time when caffeoyl- and feruloyl-muco-quinic acids were synthesized efficiently in excellent yield. The epimers of CGAs showed promising enzyme inhibition activity against DnMT3a enzyme.


Background: Considering the quadruple burden of disease and chronic shortages of health care professionals in South Africa, the stance of the chiropractic profession on public health (PH) matters has not been established. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the attitudes and perceptions of chiropractors practicing in South Africa on PH, health promotion (HP) and disease prevention (DP). The objectives were to determine demographic profile, lifestyle practices and attitudes and perceptions of practicing chiropractors in South Africa regarding PH agencies, HP and DP. Methods: An IRB approved quantitative survey (electronic and postal) was used to collect data from a total sample of practicing chiropractors in South Africa (meeting inclusion criteria). Follow up email and telephone calls were made to encourage response from participants. After a 17 - week period, returned questionnaires were collected and data analysed. Results: A response rate of 45% was obtained. Of the participants, 51.7% were female, 60.3% practiced in upper – middle income communities and 66.4% perceived themselves as neuro - musculoskeletal specialists. Over 90% of practitioners regularly counselled patients on postural habits, injury prevention and ergonomic risk reduction. Where as 35.1% agreed to counselling patients on STI / HIV prevention, tobacco cessation and related risks (41.4%), alcohol abuse (53.4%) and cancer prevention (56.9%). Regarding evidence – based practice (EBP) and PH agencies, 39.1% could not identify the statistical significance of the p value and 46% were unable to provide examples to journals they used to inform best practice. Similarly, 59% of the participants could not identify PH agencies to refer to for information on smoking cessation / risks or PH agencies to refer patients on HIV (57%), notifiable diseases (59%) and terminal illnesses (45%). Conclusion: The results suggest that chiropractors from this study were proficient on topics of DP, but were reletively less proficient in regards to PH, HP and EBP. It was recommended that further research be done regarding EBP within the profession and that greater emphasis be placed on topics of HP and PH in chiropractic training programmes.


In this paper we
will analyze some decisions a player has to make as Shepard, the main character
from the popular video game Mass Effect.
We will view those decisions through the lenses of two philosophical positions,
utilitarianism and Nietzsche's "will to power", and connect those and other
dilemmas to our own world today. We will also discuss ways how Mass Effect could be integrated into
and be a useful aid for an introductory philosophy class.


Responsible party government theory requires that voters hold parties electorally accountable for their performance in control of government. Existing literature suggests that voters do this only to a limited extent—holding the presidential party's candidates responsible for government performance on Election Day. While this method of voting may hold the executive accountable for his performance, it is not really an effective way to hold the party in control of Congress accountable for its performance. The method falls short particularly when Congress is controlled by a different party than the president, but also whenever a Congress controlled by the same party pursues policies different from the president's. Using surveys of voters leaving the polls in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 midterm congressional elections, this study tests whether voters' evaluations of Congress's job performance also affect their support for majority party candidates in House and Senate elections, during both unified and divided government.


Annual and monthly mean values of continental freshwater discharge into the oceans are estimated at 18 resolution using several methods. The most accurate estimate is based on streamflow data from the world's largest 921 rivers, supplemented with estimates of discharge from unmonitored areas based on the ratios of runoff and drainage area between the unmonitored and monitored regions. Simulations using a river transport model (RTM) forced by a runoff field were used to derive the river mouth outflow from the farthest downstream gauge records. Separate estimates are also made using RTM simulations forced by three different runoff fields: 1) based on observed streamflow and a water balance model, and from estimates of precipitation P minus evaporation E computed as residuals from the atmospheric moisture budget using atmospheric reanalyses from 2) the National Centers for Environmental Prediction‐National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP‐NCAR) and 3) the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Compared with previous estimates, improvements are made in extending observed discharge downstream to the river mouth, in accounting for the unmonitored streamflow, in discharging runoff at correct locations, and in providing an annual cycle of continental discharge. The use of river mouth outflow increases the global continental discharge by ;19% compared with unadjusted streamflow from the farthest downstream stations. The river-based estimate of global continental discharge presented here is 37 288 6 662 km3 yr21, which is ;7.6% of global P or 35% of terrestrial P. While this number is comparable to earlier estimates, its partitioning into individual oceans and its latitudinal distribution differ from earlier studies. The peak discharges into the Arctic, the Pacific, and global oceans occur in June, versus May for the Atlantic and August for the Indian Oceans. Snow accumulation and melt are shown to have large effects on the annual cycle of discharge into all ocean basins except for the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The discharge and its latitudinal distribution implied by the observation-based runoff and the ECMWF reanalysis-based P‐E agree well with the river-based estimates, whereas the discharge implied by the NCEP‐NCAR reanalysis-based P‐E has a negative bias.


UNLABELLED
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of treatment, with Metformin alone or with the combination of Glimepiride/Metformin, on coronary endothelial function in asymptomatic patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) Methods: 16 asymptomatic patients with type DM2 and 15 healthy controls (HC) were studied. At baseline and after treatment, myocardial blood flow (MBF) was measured with 13N-ammonia Possitron Emission Tomography (PET) at rest, during cold pressor testing (CPT) and during pharmacologic stress with adenosine. The endothelial dependent vasodilation index (EDVI), myocardial flow reserve (MFR) and the percentage of the change between rest MBF and CPT MBF (%deltaMBF) were calculated as markers of endothelial function. MBF was normalized to the rate pressure product (RPP).

RESULTS
EDVI and %deltaMBF were significantly lower in diabetic patients before treatment in comparison with HC demonstrating endothelial dysfunction in the former. Treatment with Glimepiride/Metformin significantly increased EDVI and %deltaMBF in diabetic patients from baseline, thus showing an improvement in coronary endothelial function.


We present a new ARM architecture designed to speed up geometry computations for wireless 3D graphics. Our motivating problem is the graphics geometry pipeline, and we begin by examining its fundamental operations: matrix manipulations, dot products, cross products, distance computation and divisions. The operations are used to derive a minimal but powerful SIMD instruction set. The difficulty of vectorizing some of the operations leads to a novel solution using new load/store instructions. We conclude with examples showing how the graphics problem maps onto a possible implementation, and a discussion of the speedups provided over ARM's general-purpose floating-point processor.


Abstract — This paper discusses the validation of the use of sludge generated at UASB wastewater treatment plants and an input for the recovery of agricultural soils based on compositing.  In the first place, it presents the legal framework that currently governs the management and use of biosolids.  IN the second place, it describes the sludge generation process in a UASB WWTP and the output conditions of the sludge generated thereby.  Another section explains the standardized compositing process for organic waste; and finally, it discusses the laboratory and legal tests necessary to ensure the safety of the sludge and its use in agricultural processes.


Background

Antimicrobial resistance is the third top-ranking global causative of death.
Aims

The aim is to evaluate antimicrobial resistance and sensitivity to aid the assessment of the efficacy in Syrian management protocols.
Methods

A retrospective study was conducted to analyze children with positive culture results presenting with nosocomial or community-acquired infections in Damascus Hospital, Damascus, Syria.
Results

117 patients with 183 positive culture results were included in the study. The most antibiotic-resistant bacterium was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The highest bacterial antibiotic resistance occurred with Ceftriaxone, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (89%), Escherichia coli (77%), Enterobacter (74%), and Proteus (42%). Staphylococcus sensitivity towards vancomycin was only 3%. The mortality was 19(16%), nosocomial infection 11(55%) and community infections 9(45%).
Conclusion

The efficacy of the remaining antibiotics to which the bacteria are sensitive must be maintained through rationalization of its use. Strict precautionary measures must be implemented to ban the illegal dispensation of antibiotics.


Metal nanoparticles can be prepared by physical, chemical and biological routes; the first one is a physical approach that utilizes several methods such as evaporation/condensation and laser ablation. Various metals like copper, titanium, gold, silver and iron were used for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Among the noble metals, silver nanoparticles have become the focus of intensive research due to its wide range of applications for many sectors of life and Industry. In this work, we describe a cost effective and environment friendly technique for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from 1mM AgNO3 solution through the extract of Dodonaea angustifolia leaf as it is acts as a reducing as well as capping agent. Nanoparticles were characterized using UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy and SEM analysis showed the average particle size range1063nm with higher density polydispersed spherical in shape. The synthesized silver nanoparticles exhibited potential anti-inflammatory activity.


Aim and Objective: One of the major public health challenges globally is the impact of the converging dual epidemics of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection. We aimed to determine the prevalence of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection, and the relationship between tuberculosis and CD4/ESR in HIV patients in Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Material and method: A total of 389 HIV patients were recruited in the Department of Haematology clinic from January to December 2008. Subjects with clinical features suggestive of tuberculosis performed the following investigations; sputum for AFB examinations, sputum m/c/s, Chest x-ray, FBC, ESR, tuberculin skin test, and CD4 count. The patients were classified into three groups with respect to CD4, (1, CD41- 200. 2, CD4 200- 349, and 3, 350-499cells/µl), and into 4 groups with respect to ESR, (1, 0-15. 2, 16-40. 3, 41-99, and 4, 100mm/hr and above.). Results: The prevalence of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection was 5.91 %. Eighteen, 4, and 1 of the tuberculosis patients with regards to CD4, were in group1, 2, and 3 respectively. However, with regards to the ESR, they were all in group 4. Conclusion:The prevalence of tuberculosis - HIV coinfection is 5.91% in Niger Delta, and there are relationships between tuberculosis and CD4/ESR in HIV patients.


We consider a direct sequence (DS-) CDMA system with orthogonally multiplexed pilot signals and minimum mean square error (MMSE) data and channel estimation. Large system analysis is used to optimize the pilot-to-data power ratio (PDR). Specifically, the PDR is selected to minimize the probability of error subject to a transmitted power constraint. Both flat and frequency-selective fading channels are considered. When the MMSE filter averages over the channels of the interferers, the optimal PDR is less than that for the matched filter. That is, the MMSE filter benefits from allocating more power to the data. For the case considered, when the MMSE filter directly incorporates channel estimates, the optimal PDR is greater than that for the matched filter.


Being posted to Sarawak is the last choice for most Semenanjung doctors; it is the same for me. Working in the Land of the Hornbill has been a great cultural experience. Working as the sole Family Medicine Specialist in the Central Region (Sibu, Mukah , Sarikei and Kapit Divisions) is even more challenging. Covering the Central Region, a land area equivalent to Pahang and Trengganu combined, bring an unexpected benefit – travelling! My first familiarisation trip took me to Mukah along the Sarawak coast. Instead of toiling on the bumpy 160 km 3-hour road trip from Sibu to Mukah, I opted for the quicker route by air which took only 25 minutes. There is only one flight in and out of Mukah, hence I got the chance to spend a night there. Flying in the Twin Otter plane is yet another new experience. This is the smallest aircraft in the MAS series which only accommodate 19 persons. The cabin is nonpressurised and has no air-conditioner. However, there are two small fans like what cabbies will sometimes mount on their dashboards. The heat in there during midday is quite unbearable! There is no barrier between the passenger area and the cockpit, so you can see the pilots going through their start-up procedure in the cockpit, flipping switches and pulling levers. (copied from article)


This research utilizing the data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) (2017) reports on the factors that are linked to childhood obesity among Hispanic/Latinx communities in California with the purpose to determine the causes of the increase in childhood obesity among these two communities. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to determine the significance of the factors that most affect the rate of childhood obesity among Hispanic/Latinx children. The data from CHIS was also utilized to derive categories related to the socioeconomic factors. Frequency tests and a chi-square test on data related to childhood obesity showed that there is a high level of significant differences among the factors that were used in relation to childhood obesity. Overall, it was concluded that there is a significant relationship between childhood obesity and factors that include income, environmental conditions, parent's education, quality of meals, and physical activity.


INTRODUCTION
Intravascular brachytherapy (IVBT) utilises the percutaneous insertion of a radioactive source to inhibit myointimal hyperplasia in arteries treated by balloon angioplasty or stenting. A systematic review was performed of trials of IVBT in patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).

METHODS
Search strategy - the reviewers searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group trials register, DARE, CCT and NHS EED for clinical studies and trials of adjuvant IVBT in PAD. Two reviewers assessed trial quality independently.

RESULTS
Fourteen clinical trials were identified by the search, representing five clinical studies (all allocated D for not randomised) and one randomised controlled trial (allocated A). The randomised trial showed a benefit for IVBT compared with placebo (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.24-0.53). In the non-randomised studies, 12 month cumulative patency rates ranged from 60-87%. There were few technical complications. In the only report involving IVBT and routine concurrent stent insertion acute thrombosis occurred in 7 (21%) of patients.

CONCLUSION
Early reports have confirmed the safety and technical feasibility of IVBT. However, follow-up is too short at present to assess the durability and long-term complications of this new therapeutic option.


BACKGROUND
the effects regarding n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) supplementation on sarcopenia have been explored by several clinical trials. Nonetheless, the use of n-3 PUFA for improving body composition, muscle strength and physical performance in older people is conflicting.

OBJECTIVES
our aim was to perform a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial to evaluate the effects of 6-month n-3 PUFA supplementation on body composition, muscle strength and physical performance in older Chinese people.

METHODS
in this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 200 eligible subjects were randomly assigned to receive 4 g/day fish oil capsules (1.34 g eicosapentaenoic [EPA] + 1.07 docosahexaenoic [DHA]) or 4 g/day corn oil capsules (EPA + DHA <0.05 g) for 6 months. The primary outcomes were the changes of body composition, muscle strength (hand grip strength) and physical performance (Timed Up and Go time). Secondary outcomes were the changes in serum lipid profiles.

RESULTS
compared with control group, fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA supplementation resulted in significant increases in thigh circumference (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001), total skeletal muscle mass (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001); the differences were still significant even after height correction. Muscle strength and physical performance including hand grip strength (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001) and Timed Up and Go time (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001) were also improved after a 6-month fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA intervention. In terms of serum lipid profiles, fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA supplementation could significantly reduce serum level of triglyceride (interaction time × group effect P = 0.012) and increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol (interaction time × group effect P < 0.001); while no significant improvement was found in serum concentrations of total cholesterol (interaction time × group effect P = 0.413) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (interaction time × group effect P = 0.089).

CONCLUSIONS
our present trial demonstrated that a 6-month fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA supplementation could beneficially affect the body composition, muscle strength, physical performance and serum lipid profiles in older people, which could be into considerations when making strategies aiming to the primary prevention of sarcopenia.


Here we report a primary structure conserved between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-tumor necrosis factor-alpha inducing protein (Tipalpha) and bacterial penicillin-binding proteins. H. pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium which plays a key part in carcinogenesis in the human stomach. We previously reported that Tipalpha has a carcinogenic potential as tumor promoter, and that it has no obvious homologue in other species. To investigate the structure-function relationship of Tipalpha and to predict its ancestral protein, we searched among proteins which have weak homology to Tipalpha in their primary structures, using Psi-Blast, and we identified numerous Gram-positive bacterial penicillin-binding proteins as weakly homologous to Tipalpha. Among these, several unique amino acids are conserved and form a motif-like structure. Phylogenic tree analysis indicated that Tipalpha is closer to the penicillin-binding proteins of Gram-positive bacteria, based on their primary structures, than to H. pylori. This finding suggests that Tipalpha and penicillin-binding proteins are derived from a common ancestral protein, and that Tipalpha gene may be transferred horizontally from Gram-positive bacteria to H. pylori.


BACKGROUND
Eating disorders (ED) are chronic and sometimes deadly illnesses. Existing treatments have limited proven efficacy, especially in the case of adults with anorexia nervosa (AN). Emerging neural models of ED provide a rationale for more targeted, brain-directed interventions.

AIMS
This systematic review has examined the effects of neuromodulation techniques on eating behaviours and body weight and assessed their potential for therapeutic use in ED.

METHOD
All articles in PubMed, PsychInfo and Web of Knowledge were considered and screened against a priori inclusion/exclusion criteria. The effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) were examined across studies in ED samples, other psychiatric and neurological disorders, and animal models.

RESULTS
Sixty studies were identified. There is evidence for ED symptom reduction following rTMS and DBS in both AN and bulimia nervosa. Findings from studies of other psychiatric and neurological disorders and from animal studies demonstrate that increases in food intake and body weight can be achieved following DBS and that VNS has potential value as a means of controlling eating and inducing weight loss.

CONCLUSIONS
Neuromodulation tools have potential for reducing ED symptomatology and related behaviours, and for altering food intake and body weight. In response to such findings, and emerging neural models of ED, treatment approaches are highly unlikely to remain 'brainless'. More research is required to evaluate the potential of neuromodulation procedures for improving long-term outcomes in ED.


Abstract:American Indians (AI) have disproportionately high rates of colorectal cancer (CRC), but there is relatively little research focused on developing AI CRC screening interventions. We held six focus groups with AIs in rural Eastern U.S. (n=74) and analyzed the qualitative data from them in order to identify individual and socio-cultural factors that influence AI CRC screening decisions. Screening fear and anxiety was a central theme of the focus groups. For example, participants told stories about how late-stage cancer diagnoses and deaths in the community contributed to their fears and cancer fatalism. Furthermore, CRC screening fears were reinforced by health communication norms that limited productive conversations about CRC screening. Our findings indicate that culturally adapted interventions, such as CRC screening decision aids, are needed to help AIs communicate and make informed decisions about CRC screening with support from family and health care providers. More research is needed on the influence of these interventions on CRC screening intentions, social norms, and shared decision-making.


In searching for a safe and effective compound to be used as a chemoprotective agent to prevent toxicity of the anthracyclin doxorubicin to renal cells, the present study demonstrated that plaunotol, a purified acyclic diterpene from Croton stellatopilosus Ohba, showed potential protection against doxorubicin-induced cell death in human proximal tubule cells. Treatment of renal cells with doxorubicin resulted in a significant decrease in viability of the cells, and we next proved that such toxicity was mainly due to apoptotic cell death. Pretreatment of the cells with plaunotol for at least 9 h prior to doxorubicin exposure improved the cells' survival. Plaunotol was shown to up-regulate the anti-apoptotic myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) level whereas it had no effect on the Bcl-2 level. The reduction in Mcl-1 after doxorubicin treatment was shown to be closely associated with the toxic action of the drug, and the increase in Mcl-1 induced by plaunotol pretreatment was able to prevent cell death induced by doxorubicin. Furthermore, the protective effect of plaunotol was evaluated in human lung and melanoma cells. Results indicated that plaunotol had no significantly protective effect in human lung carcinoma cells, whereas it sensitized melanoma cells to drug-induced cell death.


: Biological signal transduction by photoactive yellow protein (PYP) in halophilic purple sulfur bacteria is initiated by trans-to-cis isomerization of the p -coumaric acid chromophore (pCa) of PYP. pCa is engaged in two short hydrogen bonds with protein residues E46 and Y42, and it is negatively charged at the phenolate oxygen. We investigated the role in the isomerization process of the E46 short hydrogen bond and that of the negative charge on the anionic phenolate moiety of the chromophore. We used wild-type PYP and the mutant E46A, in protonated and deprotonated states (referred to as pE46A and dpE46A, respectively), to reduce the number of hydrogen bond interactions between the pCa phenolate oxygen and the protein and to vary the negative charge density in the chromophore-binding pocket. Their e ff ects on the yield and rate of chromophore isomerization were determined by ultrafast spectroscopy. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to relate these results to structural changes in the mutant protein. We found that deprotonated pCa in E46A has a slower isomerization rate as the main part of this reaction was associated with time constants of 1 and 6 ps, signi fi cantly slower than the 0.6 ps time constant in wild-type PYP. The quantum yield of isomerization in dpE46A was estimated to be 30 ± 2%, and that of pE46A was 32 ± 3%, very close to the value determined for wtPYP of 32 ± 2%. Relaxation of the isomerized product state I 0 to I 1 was faster in dpE46A. We conclude that the negative charge on pCa stabilized by the short hydrogen bonds with E46 and Y42 a ff ects the rate of isomerization but not the quantum yield of isomerization. With this information, we propose a scheme for the potential energy surfaces involved in the isomerization and suggest protein motions near the pCa backbone as key events in successful isomerization.


Photo-oxidase nanozymes are emerging enzyme-mimicking materials that produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon light illumination and subsequently catalyze the oxidation of the substrate. Carbon dots are promising photo-oxidase nanozymes due to their biocompatibility and straightforward synthesis. Carbon dot-based photo-oxidase nanozymes become active for ROS generation under UV or blue light illumination. In this work, sulfur and nitrogen doped carbon dots (S,N-CDs) were synthesized by solvent-free, microwave assisted technique. We have demonstrated that sulfur, nitrogen doping of carbon dots (band gap of 2.11 eV) enabled photo-oxidation of 3,3,5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with extended visible light (up to 525 nm) excitation at pH=4. The photo-oxidase activities by S,N-CDs  produce Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) of 1.18 mM and the maximum initial velocity (Vmax) as 4.66 x 10- 8 Ms-1, under 525 nm illumination.   Furthermore, visible light illumination can also induce bactericidal activities with growth inhibition of Escherichia coli (E. coli). These results demonstrate that  S,N-CDs can increase intracellular ROS in the presence of LED light illumination.


An adaptive block discrete-cosine transform (DCT) coding scheme is implemented with the same average distortion designated for each block. This constant distortion designation not only has perceptual advantages, but also allows the rate to vary, adjusting to the changing spectral characteristics among the blocks. The successful execution of this scheme requires a different spectral estimate for each block. To keep overhead and computation within limits, a novel technique is introduced by which a two-dimensional block spectrum is characterized by a one-dimensional autoregressive model. Simulations with images of natural scenes and medical radiology provide reconstructions with nearly uniform block distortion and very high visual and measurable quality at low rates. >


Time resolution is a key parameter in the performance of a Time-of-Flight (TOF) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner, and it is usually measured in the system with unscattered data and used as the width of the TOF kernel in reconstruction. In fact, the time distribution of detected coincidence events is a function of the energy of the detected photons, and true and scatter events have different time distributions. While the reconstruction TOF kernel should match the true or unscattered data, the scatter simulation used for scatter correction should match the time distribution of the scatter data. This work, using experimental measurements and Monte Carlo simulation, confirmed that the time resolution in a PET scanner is dependent on the energy of the detected photon pair. Moreover, it was observed that trues, single and multiple scatter in general have different time distributions. The full width half maximum (FWHM) of the time distribution of trues and scatter in different configurations of phantoms and energy threshold were evaluated. The width of the time distribution for scatter was observed to be much larger than for trues, particularly because of the effect of multiple scatter, if low energy thresholds are used. On the other hand, the use of high energy thresholds (for example, 435 keV) reduces the time distribution FWHM of the overall scatter and the amount of multiple scatter accepted: in that case, the single scatter simulation provides a good estimate of the experimental scatter time distribution. Moreover, at these high thresholds, the time distribution of the scatter becomes very close to that of the trues, and even using the trues time resolution for the scatter simulation will not produce a significant effect on the final image.


In this paper, we study three types of jammers, namely, pulse-jammer, partial-band jammer, and follower-jammer, in a typical fiber-optic-based spectrally phase-encoded optical code division multiple-access (SPE-OCDMA) system. We analyze, mathematically, the effects of the aforementioned jammers on the performance of an SPE-OCDMA system for two scenarios, namely, ideal noiseless channel with an ideal optimum receiver and an ultrahigh-speed nonlinear receiver based on two-photon-absorption (TPA) in a noisy channel. Also, for each of the above cases, two types of modulation, namely, on-off keying (OOK) and two-code keying (2CK) are investigated and their system performances are compared. It is shown that under certain conditions, the system performance can be dramatically degraded due to the jamming signals; also, systems using 2CK modulation show a better resistance and performance when compared to systems using OOK modulation.


A 17-year-old male tennis player presented to physical therapy via direct access with complaints of intermittent left lateral foot pain. Due to positive fracture testing and application of the Ottawa foot/ankle rules, an orthopaedist was consulted and radiographic imaging was performed. Radiographs revealed a nondisplaced avulsion fracture of the fifth metatarsal. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(8):620. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.8534.


This paper discusses the emergence of an opt-out movement in Israel led by parent associations at local and national levels. The protest targeted the use of a national standardized test, the Meitzav. Analyzing media coverage of this movement and informed by the theoretical arguments of the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the study suggests that by forming a coalition with the Teachers' Union, parents proclaimed their right to a role in education policymaking in a highly centralized system. The coalition was successful in that it influenced the Ministry of Education to postpone the tests and form a special committee to reevaluate the national assessment policy. The Israeli case enhances our understanding of opt-out movements in different educational and institutional contexts.