Estrogen (E2) stimulation promotes proliferation in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, which accounts for 60-75% of all breast cancer. E2 signals through the ER via three pathways: the classical genomic pathway involving transcriptional activation of the ER, crosstalk between ER and other transcription factors, and "non-genomic" signaling cascades, which do not involve the transcriptional activity of the ER. This "non-genomic" pathway likely involves Src family kinases (SFKs) and has been implicated in cell cycle progression in fibroblasts engineered to express the ER (Castoria 1999). While not typically amplified or mutationally activated in ER+ breast cancer, Src is hyperactive in most breast cancers. To test whether SFK activity is required for G1/S cell cycle progression in breast cancer cells, we pretreated quiescent ER+ MCF7 or ZR75-1 cells with a selective SFK inhibitor (SU11333) prior to stimulation with E2. Inhibition of SFK activity blocked progression from G1 to S phase. Previous data from our laboratory has demonstrated that G1/S progression in response to peptide growth factor stimulation of quiescent fibroblasts is dependent upon SFK-mediated stabilization of myc mRNA (Bromann 2005). We therefore tested whether SFK activity also regulates myc expression in breast cancer cells. Our data suggest that SFK activity is required for accumulation of myc mRNA in quiescent MCF7s after E2 stimulation, and that E2 stimulated stabilization of myc mRNA is dependent on SFK activity. We are currently investigating the mechanism involved in stabilizing myc mRNA levels. References: Castoria et al. EMBO J, 1999 Bromann et al. JBC, 2005 Citation Format: Christopher Abdullah, Hasan Korkaya, Sara A. Courtneidge. A role for src kinase in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research; Oct 17-20, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(2_Suppl):Abstract nr A39.


The material constants of wood required for finite element analysis (FEA) are usually calculated using small clear specimens. However, defects, such as knots and slope of grain affect the strength reduction in the full-size specimens. Consequently, an error occurs if only the material constant calculated from the small clear specimens is used to predict modulus of rupture (MOR). Therefore, in this study, the MOR reduction coefficient according to defect was obtained through the bending test of the full-size specimens and applied to the FEA, in addition to the material constant from the small clear specimens. The maximum bending moment section was measured for a 3-section four-point load, and defects in the outermost tension layer were measured for laminated timber and glulam. The result of the bending test confirmed that MOR also decreased as the size of the defect increased. Therefore, when predicting MOR, a strength reduction ratio according to visual grade was applied. The MOR predicted FEA was twice as large as the actual MOR before defect correction, but the prediction error after defect correction was greatly reduced to 8%, thus increasing the prediction accuracy.


We present C-functions for static and spherically symmetric spacetimes in Lovelock gravity theories. These functions are monotonically increasing functions of the outward radial coordinate and aquire their minima when evaluated on the horizon. Unlike the case of Einstein gravity, where there is a single C-function, we find that this function is non-unique in the case of Lovelock gravity. We define two C-functions, which agree at the horizon giving the black hole entropy, and state the different energy conditions that must hold in order for these functions to satisfy the monotonicity condition. firstname.lastname@example.com email@example.com


Ancient floors represent one of the most significant class of artefacts for illustrating the principles of a fruitful collaboration between professionals working on archaeological excavations. One of the principal reasons for such a synergy lies upon the interdisciplinary feature of the new season of studies on ancient mosaics, as is particularly shown by the most recent conservation interventions. Aesthetic and antiquarian approaches - which for a long time have resulted in lifting mosaic panels to be exhibited as paintings in museums - have been replaced by historical-conservative approaches aimed to the conscious restitution of the formal and historical features of the artefacts. The expertise of the Soprintendenza archeologica toscana allows to provide a significant documentary evidence of the evolution of this approach, with examples spaninning from the 19th to the 21st century: from the so called "strappo a rullo", applied the mosaics retrieved in the early nineteenth century, at Florence, in square S. Giovanni, to the increasingly numerous cases of preservation and valorization in situ of the last years.


The purpose of this longitudinal study was to describe object-centred interactions between mothers and their 2–4-month-old infants, before and during the emergence of reaching and grasping movements. We hypothesized that when reaching movements emerge at around 3 months, mothers alternate between attention stimulation and reaching stimulation, before joint actions between mother and infant develop around objects. Twelve dyads were recorded when infants were 2 months, 3 months and 4 months. The interactive sessions lasted 5 min. Three age-appropriate toys the infant could handle were available to the mother. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on verbal and non-verbal maternal behaviours, motor infant behaviours and co-occurrences of those behaviours. The developmental course of prehension in infants when playing with their mother follows similar pathways, as was described when they are observed alone. Mothers appeared to early scaffold prehension skills by verbal and non-verbal means. Moreover, maternal behaviours change according to the infant's behaviour, and conversely, infant's behaviours influence maternal behaviours: mother plays first an active part in joint action, while later on, the infant achieves joint action when motor skills develop. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Objective Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequent oral malignancy with a poor prognosis, in which tumor-infiltrating immune cells may play a critical role. Therefore, our study aims to screen potential immune cells and immune-related genes for predicting OSCC prognosis. Methods A total of 310 OSCC patients with full transcriptional data and clinical characteristics were extracted from the TCGA database. Then, we obtained their abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells on TIMER 2.0 and analyzed them using xCell method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regressions were applied successively to identify the immune cells associated with overall survival of OSCC patients. Furthermore, we screened the prognostic genes that related to the identified immune cells and validated their expressions by immunohistochemistry. Results CD4+ central memory T (TCM) cell was recognized as the sole independent immune cell correlated with OSCC prognosis (p = 0.0085). A novel nomogram based on CD4+ TCM cell abundance was established for predicting the prognosis of OSCC patients, with calibration plots showing good performance for 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival. Thirty-four related prognostic genes were screened according to the differential abundance of CD4+ TCM cell infiltration. In immunohistochemistry analysis, DEFB1 showed a significant positive relationship with the density of CD4+ TCM cells (p = 0.0075). Conclusion CD4+ central memory T cell was proposed as an independent prognostic biomarker for OSCC patients. DEFB1 might positively regulate the abundance of tumor-infiltrating CD4+ TCM cells, thus improving OSCC prognosis. Our findings may provide a new insight into better prognosis prediction and precise medicine for OSCC.


As part of ongoing studies of Tunisian Malvaceae, a population of Phymosia umbellata was discovered in Monastir city. It represents the first generic record for the national and continental flora. Morphological characters, as well as ecological data are given. A list of all the accepted names in Phymosia, their synonyms and types is also provided, with nomenclatural notes about some accepted Phymosia species are provided.


We tackle the problem of identifying the trajectory of a moving radio source from Time of Arrival (TOA) measurements collected by a set of cooperating receivers. The considered system is completely asynchronous: nodes clocks are affected by unknown time and frequency offsets, and no control is exerted over packet transmission times. In the proposed solution, the receiver clock offset terms are estimated from TOA measurements on packets originated by non-cooperative reference transmitters, possibly but not necessarily coincidental with reference receivers. Transmission time ambiguity is resolved by exploiting the redundancy associated to the reception of the same packet at multiple receivers. A distinguishing feature of the proposed solution is that it seeks to identify the parameters of the trajectory as a whole, rather than the individual points of transmission as done in traditional point-based approaches. This allows the effective exploitation of TOA measurements collected in lossy scenarios, where the generic packet is received by a smaller subset of the available receivers (at least two). For the problem at hand, we provide distinct estimators based on TOA and Time-Difference of Arrival (TDOA) and prove their equivalence. Numerical results from simulations and from a real WiFi testbed are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Background The abnormal regulation on the expression of lncRNAs had been linked to multiple kinds of cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma. Methods In this study, we carried out RNA-Seq on the three tumors and their paired normal samples from Chinese patients with lung adenocarcinoma. All the transcripts were de novo assembled, among which all the possible lncRNAs were predicted by tools including PLEK, CNCI, CPC, Blastp, hmmscan, and so forth. Their expression levels, altogether with the annotated mRNAs, were quantified. The weighted correlation network analysis and analysis of differential expression were carried out to explain the biological function of these novel lncRNAs. Results The weighted correlation network analysis showed that the lncRNAs, which were highly correlated with protein-coding genes, participated in various pathways, including PI3K kinase pathways. These lncRNAs were important regulators in biological processes. Next, the differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified, including four known lncRNAs and one novel lncRNA (XLOC_009190). The cis-regulation of this novel lncRNA might act on MGST1, which protected cells by conjugation and glutathione peroxidase functions. The trans-regulation of this lncRNA was investigated by its correlated mRNAs. The results showed that it possibly played a role in transmembrane receptors like G protein-coupled receptors and potassium channels. Conclusion We proposed the potential biological function of XLOC_009190, but further experiments are needed to elucidate its roles and its potential to be the therapeutic target.


Motivated by the vital role played by grain boundaries and interfaces in Ni-based superalloys in influencing mechanical properties such as creep rupture strength, fatigue crack growth rates and resistance towards environmental embrittlement, we use first-principles simulations to estimate fracture strengths of Ni Σ3(111) grain boundary, Ni Σ5(012) grain boundary, Ni/Ni3Al interfaces and Ni/boride interfaces through determination of their work of separation. We find that Ni/boride interfaces have higher fracture strengths than the other commonly occurring interfaces in Ni-alloys, such as NiΣ5 & NiΣ3 grain boundaries and coherent Ni/Ni3Al interfaces, and are less susceptible to oxygen-induced embrittlement. Our calculations show how the presence of Mo at Ni/M5B3 (M = Cr, Mo) interfaces leads to additional reduction in oxygen-induced embrittlement. Through Electron-LocalizationFunction based analyses, we identify the electronic origins of effects of alloying elements on fracture strengths of these interfaces and observe that chemical interactions stemming from electronegativity differences between different atomic species are responsible for the trends in calculated strengths. Our findings should be useful towards designing Ni-based alloys with higher interfacial strengths and reduced oxygen-induced embrittlement.


The objective of this paper is to present an experimental study that aimed to establish correlations between primary dendrite spacing (λ1) and microhardness of a ternary Al-6wt%Cu-8wt%Si alloy solidified under transient heat extraction, using a horizontal unidirectional water-cooled solidification device. To examine the microstructural evolution, solidification thermal parameters (growth rate and cooling rate - VL and TR, respectively) were calculated through the application of an experimental method and were then correlated with λ1 using analytical power functions laws. The correlation between microstructural parameters and the measured microhardness values are presented in the forms of power and Hall-Petch types of equations. The analysis of the microstructure of the investigated alloy indicated that the increasing of TR and VL reduced the primary dendrite arm spacing, increasing the microhardness.


A recrystallized Co-Ni-Cr-Mo based superalloy was produced by cold working of 72% and subsequent recrystallization heat treatment. Microstructural observation revealed that a full recrystallization of the cold-worked alloy occured when heat treatment was performed at and above 1273K for 1h. So that, recrystallization heat treatment was carried out in a temperature range from 1273K to 1473K for 1h~24h, by which the average grain size was controlled to 28µm~238µm. Tensile tests were carried out from room temperature (RT) to 1073K in order to understand the effect of grain size on the mechanical properties of the Co-Ni-Cr-Mo based superalloy. At RT and 943K, yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the recrystallized alloy were improved with decreasing grain size. The alloy having a grain size less than 42µm exhibited a steady-state flow behavior in the true stress-true strain curve at 943K. However, the alloy having a grain size of 28µm showed lower yield strength than that of 42µm at 1073K. It was found that the steady state flow is closely related to the occurrence of {111}<112> deformation twinning in the Co-Ni-Cr-Mo based superalloy.


66 patients with reactive arthritis took dry air radon baths. Radon concentration was 1.5 kBq/l (40 nCi/l), temperature regimens 27 +/- 3 and 37 +/- 3 degrees C. The procedures produced analgetic, anti-inflammatory and immunocorrective effects.


The advent of information technology opened a window of investment opportunities that has exceeded the supply of properly trained talent while trade with low-wage economies, low-skilled immigration, trade deficits, and aging demographics have relieved constraints to low-skilled labor and risk-averse savings. As the economy devotes more resources to raising the productivity of talent, low-skilled productivity and wage growth have slowed. With a constrained supply of risk-reducing talent allocated to more productive endeavors, an unconstrained supply of risk-averse savings has lowered interest rates. With improbable innovation needed to capitalize on the value of information, high returns to success have fortunately motivated increased risk-taking, despite the declining productivity of innovators. Proponents of income redistribution have concluded that high returns to success and slowing productivity growth, despite low interest rates, are evidence of rising cronyism, notwithstanding extensive evidence to the contrary. This chapter provides an alternative explanation.


In light of the on-going discussions of the possibility of an East Asia FTA, this paper attempts to estimate the impacts of an East Asia FTA using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. Although most previous simulation studies on the impacts of FTAs focus only on the liberalization of trade in goods, our paper attempts to take into account other aspects of FTAs such as capital accumulation and trade and investment facilitation measures. Our simulation analysis finds that an ASEAN+3 FTA is the most desirable FTA of eight hypothetical FTAs in East Asia to all member countries at the macro level. At the same time, our results demonstrate the significant impacts of capital accumulation and various trade and investment facilitation and coordination programs. At the sectoral level, many sectors gain in terms of output and trade. Although some sectors in certain countries indeed lose in terms of output as a result of an ASEAN+3, most of them experience increases in both exports and imports, even if output declines. These results indicate that the larger the coverage in terms of membership as well as contents such as trade and FDI liberalization and facilitation, and economic cooperation is, the greater benefits can be accrued to the members.


Choice of the appropriate surgical exposure is an essential for visualization, extraction of old components and for the achievement of a stable and properly aligned construct at the end of the revision surgery. Controlled exposure reduces time of the procedure, minimizes blood loss and bone and soft-tissue damage. Authors introduced MIS direct anterior approach for primary total hip arthroplasty in 2006 year which resulted in necessary revision surgeries in 6 from 37 patients because of component misalignment and recurrent hip dislocation. In two cases only one prosthesis component had to be exchanged and in following four cases prosthesis cup and stem were revised. In 3 procedure was performed via the same surgical approach. In two cases authors performed proximal and distal enlargement of previous MIS approach. In one case revision surgery was performed with separate anterolateral approach. In all revised patients stable and congruent hip prosthesis construct was achieved. Authors did not observed any vascular or nerve lesion. No significant muscle damage was caused by incision enlargement. Revision hip arthroplasty can be performed with use of existing minimally invasive direct anterior approach. In revision cases with intensive femoral bone loss, after MIS direct anterior approach, separate lateral approach should be introduced. Increased risk of complications can be expected during learning phase of new MIS direct anterior approach.


Purpose: The present article reports the diagnosis and treatment of two siblings with dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI) type II.
Case description: Two Caucasian children, thirteen and six-years old, male and female gender, respectively, had teeth with dentinogenesis imperfecta type II. The patients did not have any associated systemic disease. Dentinogenesis imperfecta is a dental development disorder, characterized by dentin defects in both primary and permanent dentitions. The affected teeth have color alteration, most often of bluish-gray or yellowish-brown color; with short and bulbous shaped crowns with dentin exposure and attrition. Radiographically, the teeth show short constricted root and pulp chamber obliteration. The thirteen-year old boy with permanent teeth received orthodontic treatment with a removable appliance and dental bleaching. The six-year old girl with mixed dentition received dentures adapted over the remaining teeth that were in good clinical conditions for maintenance.
Conclusion: It is important that the dentist knows how to diagnose the early manifestations of DI to provide professional orientation on the dental alterations and adequate care. The treatment should be conservative aiming to preserve dental substrate and reestablish function and esthetics.
Key words: Dentinogenesis imperfecta; hereditary opalescent dentin; abnormalities; Pediatric Dentistry


We study general stochastic birth and death processes including delay. We develop several approaches for the analytical treatment of these non-Markovian systems, valid, not only for constant delays, but also for stochastic delays with arbitrary probability distributions. The interplay between stochasticity and delay and, in particular, the effects of delay in the fluctuations and time correlations are discussed.


PURPOSE
To examine long-term risks and predictors of mesh erosion and reoperation following midurethral sling (MUS) procedure for stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Women aged 18 years or older who received a MUS procedure for SUI between 2008 and 2016 in outpatient surgical settings in New York State were included in our study. Those who underwent concomitant mesh pelvic organ prolapse repair were excluded. Primary outcomes were post-implantation time to erosion and reoperations. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the risks of erosion diagnosis and reoperation.

RESULTS
Our cohort included 36,195 women with a mean age of 53.7 + 12.4 (SD) years. Estimated risks of erosions and reoperations at 7 years after sling procedures were 3.7% and 6.7%, respectively. Older age (≥65 vs. <65: HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.99) and high-volume facilities (high vs. low: HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68-0.92) were associated with a lower risk of erosion. History of hysterectomy was associated with a higher risk of erosion (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.36-1.92). Predictors of reoperation included concurrent abdominal or native-tissue transvaginal prolapse repair, previous hysterectomy, and depression.

CONCLUSIONS
One in 27 women had sling erosions and one in 15 had invasive reoperations at 7 years after sling procedures. The highest erosion cases were observed among younger white women treated at low-volume facilities. Continued and vigilant surveillance of mesh in SUI repairs, the nature and burden of SUI recurrence, different types of re-treatment, patient-reported outcomes, and information about treating surgeons are crucial.


Sucrose use in wound treatment is a common practice that seems to promote tissue healing and reduce microbial load. The objective here was thus to analyze the scientific evidence through an integrative review to determinate indications and contraindications for use of sucrose in the form of granulated, brown (unrefined muscovado sugar) and/or refined sugar in infected wounds and thus assist the professional in clinical decision-making. Ten studies published in full articles were selected, from the period 2002 to 2012 and indexed in the PubMed, Cinahl, Lilacs and Cochrane databases. Considering the analysis of studies, mostly experimental in the animal model, sugar's effectiveness in tissue repair was verified, as was positive modulation in the inflammatory response. To elucidate the mechanisms or action of sucrose in the wound, further clinical trials are recommended in order to standardize the concentration, volume and frequency of sucrose in changes of wound dressings.


In digital signal processing (DSP), FIR digital filter isvery important device to deal with particular frequencies of acertain signal to be appropriate for some applications such ascommunications, sound equalizers, etc. In this paper, FIRfilters are adapted to decompose the original sound signal intofour signals. Each one is created by one FIR filter and eachfilter represents a narrow band of frequencies. The filteroutput is used to drive a certain variable speed drive (VSD) tocontrol the speed of a water pump and light intensity of acolored lamp. This filter output signal is applied to the analogcontrol voltage terminals of the VSD unit to control thefrequency and magnitude of the voltage supplied to the lampand pump. Thus, the heads of the water jets and the lightintensity is controlled according to the analog control signalswhich are created by the FIR filters (The VSD is used to mapthe filter output into light intensity and water head bycontrolling the supplied voltage of them). The goal of this studyis to design and simulate four sound harmonics bandsproduced by FIR filters to drive four VSDs which aresimulated using V/F ratio constant method for musicalfountain operation.


There is widespread brain pathology in Parkinson's disease (PD), with the primary pathology in the substantia nigra. Oxidative stress is believed to play a role in cell death in PD. Rotenone is a mitochondrial toxin which can produce Parkinson syndrome (PS) in rats. Myristoyl-CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), which catalyzes the co-translational transfer of myristate from myristoyl-CoA to the amino-terminal glycine residue of selected polypeptides, is increased in the myocardium of ischemia-reperfusion rat model myocardium. Animals received rotoneone (n=10) or placebo vehicle (n=6) via Alzet osmotic pumps. Mean cardiac muscle NMT activity of placebo treated (control) rats was 0.608+/-0.366 units/mg protein. Rats with mild or no detectable PS features on rotenone showed slight (mean 0.853+/-0.192) but insignificantly increased activity. Rats that had moderately severe PS features had higher level of NMT activity (mean 1.223+/-0.057), which was borderline significant compared to controls (P=0.066). Rats with severe PS features had the highest NMT activity (1.353+/-0.128) which was significantly greater compared to controls (P=0.003) and to the rats that had equivocal or no motor slowing (P=0.005). Our data show cardiac metabolic dysfunction in a rotenone rat model of PS. The severity of this change correlates with the severity of motor manifestations. Further studies of NMT activity in human PD cases and patients with cardiomyopathy of unknown cause may provide valuable information in these disorders.


Abstract Adult spinal deformity (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of disorders that affect spinal alignment. We review the clinical evaluation and radiographic assessment of ASD. Evaluation begins with a thorough patient history and a global and spine-specific physical examination. Thorough radiographic evaluation is essential for diagnosis, evaluation of deformity, planning of surgical procedures, and monitoring of outcomes. Spinopelvic parameters can be used to evaluate deformities; they are associated with quality of life, and they help characterize sagittal malalignment and pelvic compensation. Newly described radiographic parameters, including T1 pelvic angle and deformity angular ratio, assist surgeons in the evaluation of ASD.


A new implementation of high-dimensional quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol is discussed. Using three mutual unbiased bases, we present a d-level six-state QKD protocol that exploits the orbital angular momentum with the spatial mode of the light beam. The protocol shows that the feature of a high capacity since keys are encoded using photon modes in d-level Hilbert space. The devices for state preparation and measurement are also discussed. This protocol has high security and the alignment of shared reference frames is not needed between sender and receiver.


Following the passage of the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008, the UK government began a process of consultation to review existing legal powers for the handling of banks and financial institutions that had encountered financial difficulties or were facing insolvency as a result of the financial crisis. Fashioning a rescue regime that also maintained confidence in the banking system was the principal priority of the so-called Tripartite Authorities, the UK Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority. A series of consultation papers were issued seeking to develop a special resolution regime and other tools for the rescue of failing banks. These consultation papers did not propose more than a 'tweaking' of the existing system of bank rescue. The changes focussed on depositor protection and the speed at which depositors could receive their funds from failing banks; however, other stakeholder concerns, such as those of shareholders and creditors, were not given the same priority. To a large degree, this approach was a legacy of the bank run on Northern Rock plc in 2007 with a government now faced by a political concern to avoid any new damage to bank depositors. A much wider degree of consultation might have been undertaken given the range of interests involved so as to facilitate the development of a more comprehensive new banking rescue law. This process is another example of law making on the run in the midst of a majofinancial and economic crisis. Inevitably, laws produced in this way are limited in some way, but are hard to reform later. But, there is probably little other alternative in the circumstances.


Are mental states "in the head"? Or do they intrinsically involve aspects of the subject's physical and social context? This volume presents a number of essays dealing with the compass of the mind. The contributors broach a range of issues with a commmon view that physical and social magnets do act upon mental states. The approaches that run through these papers make the volume challenging to cognitive psychologists, theorists of artificial intelligence, social theorists, and philosophers.


We report on the 13C NMR visibility of the C‐1 glycosidic carbon of α‐particulate glycogen in perfused rat liver. We used rats fed ad libitum, animals refed after a 48 h fast with a sucrose supplement with or without glucocorticoid treatment, and gsd/gsd rats with a hepatic glycogen storage disease due to phosphorylase kinase deficiency. Thus we studied a wide range of glycogen levels (25‐140 mg/g liver). All livers were perfused with 15 mM glucose, to maintain constant glycogen levels. Failure to activate glycogen phosphorylase ensures stable glycogen levels in gsd/gsd livers. Natural abundance 13C NMR signals were calibrated against a phantom containing a fixed amount of glycogen. Accumulated free induction decays were analysed after Fourier transformation by numerical integration, or by direct analysis of the signal in the time domain using a non‐iterative method based on singular value decomposition. NMR quantification of the glycogen correlated well with the chemical determination over the whole concentration range. However, the precision (reproducibility) of glycogen determinations (be it by chemical methods or by NMR spectroscopy) may pose problems. Authors should be encouraged to report systematically on the precision of their methods.


The changes in the compressive strength of laterized bricks produced from stabilised residual tropical laterite (RTL) are reported in this paper. The RTL was stabilised with different percentages (2, 4, 6 and 8%) by weight of dry soil of 1M phosphoric acid (PA). Some geotechnical properties and elemental oxide composition of the RTL were determined. Adobe bricks were produced from the PA stabilised, 5% cement stabilised and unstabilised RTL. Adobe bricks produced from 5% cement stabilised RTL served as the control. The bricks were cured under ambient air condition for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The pH, dry density, moisture content and compressive strength (fc) of the bricks were determined at the end of each curing period. The influence of PA was evaluated using the changes in the fc of the adobe bricks. The effectiveness of PA was also evaluated using a standard minimum requirement. Statistical analysis of the results was done using Analysis of variance. There was about 90 and 200% increase in fc of PA and cement stabilised Adobe bricks, respectively. The fc of 6% PA stabilised and cement stabilised adobe bricks met the minimum requirement. It is concluded that PA has great potential for stabilising Adobe bricks for building.


The aim of this work was to evaluate longitudinal studies about the treatment of periapical abscess without fistula, using a systematic review. MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL search strategies were developed to identify articles using the following uniterms: Endodontic(s) and Alveolar Abscess, Endodontic(s) and Acute Apical Periodontitis, Endodontic(s) and Periapical Abscess, Endodontic(s) and Dento-Alveolar Abscess, Endodontic(s) and Acute Abscess, Endodontic(s) and Acute Periapical Abscess The search included articles from Medline from 1952 to August 29 of 2007. From 543 studies, only 1 article satisfied the inclusion criteria. Considering the estimate of clinical success, it is important to establish the control of microorganisms by root canal preparation, the sanitization process, purulent drainage, intracanal and systemic medication.


A large number of transitions between climates have been found in phylogenetic trees, but some clades with particular features are more likely to shift to new climates than others. Several traits have previously been associated with these multiple transitions. In order to understand how traits are involved in transitions between climates, the enabling effects of traits on transitions and the evolution of traits in new climates need to be identified. The diversity of species that have made multiple transitions between climates in grasses allows the phylogenetic comparative method to be used to address this issue. In this thesis, I investigated the morphological, physiological and genomic traits which have been hypothesised to be enablers of, or adaptations to, the transitions between climates. I provide evidence that pre-existing traits are important factors in facilitating the migration between climates. Using a biogeographical analysis, I first showed that the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in tropical climates facilitates transitions into cooler climates and expansion into warmer climates. This is consistent with modelling analyses which show that the benefits of C4 photosynthesis for canopy carbon gain are maximised at high temperatures, but remain significant at low temperatures if leaves can resist chilling and freezing. Using an experimental approach, I next showed that transitions into cold climates were facilitated by additional pre-existing traits that provide constitutive chilling and freezing resistances. These also arise initially in tropical species. Freezing resistance was determined by osmotic pressure, moisture content and cold acclimation, which influence the transition to cold climates, while chilling resistance was associated with culm height and leaf width. Therefore the combined facilitating effects of pre-existing traits determined the initiation of transitions into new climates. However, the adaptive evolution of traits to improve the efficiency of a plant after migration to new environments may also be required for specialism in cold climates. I found that cold acclimation to increase freezing tolerance evolved after migration to cold climates. This suggests that cold acclimation may enhance the efficiency of freezing resistance. In particular, I found signatures of adaptive evolution to cold climates in chloroplast genes encoding proteins which function in the structural stability of the photosystems. These findings suggest that pre-existing traits facilitate migration to new climates, but their efficiency depends on the total effect of related traits. Once in new climates, the additional adaptive evolution of multiple traits is required for a plant to become successful.


cephalic Alpine. These three types evolved under radically different conditions, none of which is wholly comprehended in the present climate of our island. We are therefore in process of evolving a type or group of subtypes more or less perfectly adapted to existing conditions. It is when a patient of a given type or subtype gets into an environment overtaxing his powers of adaptation that trouble is likely to begin-3 trouble often to be cured by restoring the patient to environmental conditions suited to his type. As an illastration of my meaning, I will call attention to a passage in a paper by Sir William Bennett, in the June number of the Practitioner for this year, entitled " Some Points relating to Tuberculous Glands, mainly with Reference to Treatment." He remarks: "A child born at a seaside resort, who, some years after, whilst living in another place, developed tuberculosis of the cervical glands, was subjected without much benefit to every kind of treatment, including residence at several duly accredited seaside places, a high altitude, a sea voyage, etc. Finally, she was sent to the place of her nativity, with a benefit which was quite remarkable. I have seen similar cases in people born inland. It looks, in fact, very much as if there may be some peculiar relation between the health of individuals and the climate in which they are born." Now, I would submit that the mere fact of their' being born in a given climate does not connote that that climate is the most favourable for their recovery from disease; it may be quite the reverse, as in white children born in the tropics. If, on the other hand, the physical type is the outcome of selection through many generations from the influence of local climatic and social conditions-a subtype, it may be, showing the mixed features of more than one of the primary ancestral races-then one can readily understand that a restoration to such conditions may rouse the latent powers of resistance, and effect a cure in such a disease as tuberculosis. Herein, I am convinced, is the explanation why one patient benefits in the Alps in winter, another in Egypt, a third in the Riviera, a fourth on our own coasts or inland, or in their birthplace, according as they approximate to pure ancestral types or are examples of local subtypes. In my paper referred to above I have entered into the evolution of the original racial types which go to compose our nation. The evolution of the Jews, studied in the same light, is highly significant in regard to their special pathology, and the whole question of migration bristles with formidable problems. It is, however, specially with regard to the treatment of phthisis that my letter is penned, and I submit that until the evolution of individual types is considered and applied, sanatorium and "open-air" treatment will continue to yield a large proportion of those disappointing cases familiar to the family practitioner. -I am, etc, Hampstead, Sept. 18th. J. S. MACKINTOSH.


This essay traverses linked scales of development by DuPont, centering on its Iranian joint venture, Polyacryl Iran Corporation. This brief episode of petrochemical development took place where the global supply chain linked oil to polyester, amid the corporate and architectural patronage of the late Pahlavi era, and in the literal ground of the desert outside of Isfahan. Over the course of construction and plant startup (1975–79), DuPont's synthetics mythology acted on the desert site and local labor, understood to be similarly amenable to transformation. The relatively minor part played by architects Moira Moser (Khalili) and Nader Khalili in this process are also curiously cast in terms of plasticity, something they attributed to the landscape and its capacity for change.


The system reliability analyzer tool for analyzing the reliability of system designs is described and its use illustrated in a system engineering case study of a naval command and control system. The performance of systems consisting of human operators and technology components is assessed by Bayesian nets, which calculate error probabilities from inputs of agent properties and environmental conditions. The tool tests scenarios representing the system design and its operational behavior, which is modeled as cycles of command and control tasks. The tool indicates weak points in the scenario sequence and assesses the reliability of one or more system designs with a set of operational scenarios and a variety of environmental conditions


This paper extends the concept of the discrete describing function proposed previously for the analysis of sector type nonlinear sampled data control systems. The previously defined functions were only applicable to the signals which have sub-harmonics of sampling frequencies. We remove the restriction on frequencies and make it possible to apply to an arbitrary frequency. All frequencies less than a half of the sampling frequency are divided into many groups.For frequencies that belong to the same group, the evaluation of the discrete describing function provides the same region on the complex-plane. Practically, it is enough to consider a few shapes of these regions. Drawing the inverse Nyquist diagram of linear part of the system on the same complex-plane, limit cycles are predicted by the well-known. graphical method.To clarify the description, a few examples are given. The simulation results show that our proposed method is useful for predicting limit cycles which have a period not equal to the sampling period multiplied by an integer.


We consider a periodic-review single-product inventory system with fixed cost under censored demand. Under full demand distributional information, it is well known that the celebrated (s, S) policy is optimal. In this paper, we assume the firm does not know the demand distribution a priori and makes adaptive inventory ordering decisions in each period based only on the past sales (a.k.a. censored demand). Our performance measure is regret, which is the cost difference between a feasible learning algorithm and the clairvoyant (full-information) benchmark. Compared with prior literature, the key difficulty of this problem lies in the loss of joint convexity of the objective function as a result of the presence of fixed cost. We develop the first learning algorithm, termed the [Formula: see text] policy, that combines the power of stochastic gradient descent, bandit controls, and simulation-based methods in a seamless and nontrivial fashion. We prove that the cumulative regret is [Formula: see text], which is provably tight up to a logarithmic factor. We also develop several technical results that are of independent interest. We believe that the developed framework could be widely applied to learning other important stochastic systems with partial convexity in the objectives. This paper was accepted by Chung Piaw Teo, optimization.


In this article, the concept of low-velocity impact resistance in composite materials is presented. Three existing expressions (e.g., bilinear, parabola, and exponential) that show the relationship between the dent depth and impact energy of composite laminates subjected to low-velocity impact are presented. Because of some flaws in these expressions, new supposed functions between impact energy and impact dent have been established. By means of existing ASTM D 7136 tests and simulation analysis, the new expressions are verified, and the nature of dent formation in composite materials is well explained. The conclusion is reflected in the ending part.


Carbonate reservoirs represent a large portion of the world's oil and gas reserves, exhibiting specific characteristics that pose complex challenges to the reservoirs' characterization, production, and management. Therefore, the evaluation of the relationships between the key parameters, such as porosity, permeability, water saturation, and pore size distribution, is a complex task considering only well-log data, due to the geologic heterogeneity. Hence, the petrophysical parameters are the key to assess the original composition and postsedimentological aspects of the carbonate reservoirs. The concept of reservoir petrofacies was proposed as a tool for the characterization and prediction of the reservoir quality as it combines primary textural analysis with laboratory measurements of porosity, permeability, capillary pressure, photomicrograph descriptions, and other techniques, which contributes to understanding the postdiagenetic events. We have adopted a workflow to petrofacies classification of a carbonate reservoir from the Campos Basin in southeastern Brazil, using the following machine learning methods: decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting, K-nearest neighbors, and naïve Bayes. The data set comprised 1477 wireline data from two wells (A3 and A10) that had petrofacies classes already assigned based on core descriptions. It was divided into two subsets, one for training and one for testing the capability of the trained models to assign petrofacies. The supervised-learning models have used labeled training data to learn the relationships between the input measurements and the petrofacies to be assigned. Additionally, we have developed a comparison of the models' performance using the testing set according to accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score evaluation metrics. Our approach has proved to be a valuable ally in petrofacies classification, especially for analyzing a well-logging database with no prior petrophysical information.


In the present study we have observed the reactivity of retinal arterioles which were surgically exposed and directly stimulated, a method successfully used in studying spasm of cerebral arteries.1 A controversy concerning the nature of transient narrowing of retinal arterioles has existed since the invention of the ophthalmoscope. The observation that certain abnormally narrow retinal arterioles appear on later examination to be of normal caliber is the basis for much speculation about "retinal arterial spasm," a subject recently reviewed by Wagener.2Although the use of the word "spasm" appears to be objectionable to many who will accept the term "narrowing" or even "vasoconstriction," there seems to be little reason not to apply the term "spasm" to a local and transient narrowing of arterioles. This narrowing, as our results show, immediately follows mechanical stimulation of an arteriole and presumably results from contraction of the smooth muscle in the arteriolar


Background: One of the aims of maternity care is the timely recognition of the risk of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) by specific screening for antibodies. Although the antibody screening test (ABST) is recommended as an obligatory measure during gravidity in the draft of the Austrian guidelines for blood group serology and transfusion medicine part IV, the Austrian ordinance concerning the mother-child screening card provides for merely a confirmation of the blood group, though no screening for antibodies. Material and Methods:Over a period of 46 months (January 1, 1994 to October 31, 1997) the ABSTs of 24,538 (19,285 D-positive and 5,253 D-negative) pregnancies were evaluated in the province of Salzburg. Results:The prevalence of antibodies in pregnancies of D-positive women amounted to a total of 0.47%, that of D-negative women to 2.41%. HDNs being in need of transfusion were found in 0.25% of the children with D-negative and in 0.02% of children with D-positive mothers.


Purpose of reviewEndotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are lifesaving measures in critically ill patients. However, these interventions increase the risk of respiratory infections, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). VAP constitutes a serious burden for the healthcare system and worsens the patient's outcomes; thus, several preventive strategies have been implemented. This communication reviews the current knowledge on VAP pathogenesis and the latest preventive measures. Recent findingsPathogen-laden oropharyngeal secretions leak across the endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff; thus, a continuous control of the internal cuff pressure and cuffs made of polyurethane improve sealing effectiveness and associated risks of infections. Subglottic secretions aspiration prevents VAP, and the latest evidence demonstrated a reduction in the incidence of late-onset VAP. The role of ETT biofilm in the pathogenesis of VAP is not fully elucidated. Nevertheless, antimicrobial-coated ETTs have showed beneficial effects in VAP incidence. Recent experimental evidence has challenged the benefits associated with the use of the semirecumbent position; yet, these findings need to be corroborated in clinical trials. The latest results from trials testing the effects of selective digestive decontamination (SDD) showed beneficial effects on patients' outcomes, but concerns remain regarding the emergence of bacterial resistance, specifically upon digestive tract re-colonization. The use of oropharyngeal decontamination with antiseptics and the use of probiotics are potential alternatives to SDD. SummaryThere is consistent evidence that strategies affecting the primary mechanisms of VAP pathogenesis efficiently reduce the occurrence of the disease. Preventive measures should be implemented grouped into bundles to improve overall efficacy.


The present paper presents a first attempt to produce a dynamical simulation model for the development process of open source software projects. First, a general framework for such models is introduced. Then, a specific simulation model is described and demonstrated. The model equations are based on available literature case studies whenever possible or reasonable assumptions when literature data are not adequate. The model is demonstrated against data obtained from a recent case study by A. Mockus, R. Fielding and J. Herbsleb ('A case study of open source software development: the Apache server') on the Apache www server software so as to reproduce quantitatively real results as closely as possible. Computer simulation results based on the calibrated model are thus presented and analysed. OSS dynamic simulation models could serve as generic predicting tools of key OSS project factors such as project failure/success as well as time dependent factors such as the evolution of source code, defect density, number of programmers and distribution of work effort to distinct project modules and tasks. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In recent years research in the basic and applied sciences has broadened our understanding of oxygen chemistry and its influences on biological systems. Although living organisms are endowed with a broad array of biochemical defense mechanisms for protection against potentially harmful radical chemistry, oxidative stress may overwhelm those defenses. It is now clear that exercise may initiate oxidative stress. It is the aim of this symposium to review and broaden our understanding of the problem of free radical chemistry as it applies to the exercise milieu.


The Zintl phase Ca2CdSb2 was found to be dimorphic. Besides the orthorhombic Ca2CdSb2 (-o), here we report on the synthesis, the structural characterization, and the thermoelectric transport properties of its monoclinic form, Ca2CdSb2 (-m), and its Lu-doped variant Ca2-xLuxCdSb2 (x ≈ 0.02). The monoclinic structure exhibits complex structural characteristics and constitutes a new structure type with the non-centrosymmetric space group Cm (Z = 30). The electrical resistivity ρ(T) measured on single crystals of both phases portrays a transition from a semiconductor to a degenerate p-type semiconductor upon doping with Lu and with an attendant change in the Hall carrier concentration nH from 7.15 × 1018 to 2.30 × 1019 cm-3 at 300 K. The Seebeck coefficient S(T) of both phases are comparable and indicate a hole-dominated carrier transport mechanism with magnitudes of 133 and 116 μV/K at 600 K for Ca2CdSb2 (-m) and Ca2-xLuxCdSb2, respectively. The convoluted atomic bonding with an attendant large unit cell volume of ∼4365 Å3 drives a putative low thermal conductivity in these materials resulting in a power factor PF of 1.63 μW/cm K2 and an estimated thermoelectric figure of merit zT of ∼0.5 for Ca2-xLuxCdSb2 at 600 K. Differential scanning calorimetry results reveal the stability of these phases up to about 960 K, making them candidates for moderate temperature thermoelectric materials.


Abstract Bat communities in the Neotropics are some of the most speciose assemblages of mammals on Earth, with regions supporting more than 100 sympatric species with diverse feeding ecologies. Because bats are small, nocturnal, and volant, it is difficult to directly observe their feeding habits, which has resulted in their classification into broadly defined dietary guilds (e.g., insectivores, carnivores, and frugivores). Apart from these broad guilds, we lack detailed dietary information for many species and therefore have only a limited understanding of interaction networks linking bats and their diet items. In this study, we used DNA metabarcoding of plants, arthropods, and vertebrates to investigate the diets of 25 bat species from the tropical dry forests of Lamanai, Belize. Our results report some of the first detection of diet items for the focal bat taxa, adding rich and novel natural history information to the field of bat ecology. This study represents a comprehensive first effort to apply DNA metabarcoding to bat diets at Lamanai and provides a useful methodological framework for future studies testing hypotheses about coexistence and niche differentiation in the context of modern high‐throughput molecular data.


There are several convenient and accurate molecular assays to detect respiratory bacterial infection. The NeoPlex RB-8 detection kit (NeoPlex RB-8) is a new multiplex real-time PCR assay that simultaneously detects Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Haemophilus influenzae, Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis, and Moraxella catarrhalis in a single test. ABSTRACT There are several convenient and accurate molecular assays to detect respiratory bacterial infection. The NeoPlex RB-8 detection kit (NeoPlex RB-8) is a new multiplex real-time PCR assay that simultaneously detects Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Haemophilus influenzae, Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis, and Moraxella catarrhalis in a single test. This study compared the clinical concordance of NeoPlex RB-8 with another method, Seeplex PneumoBacter ACE detection assay (Seeplex PB ACE), which simultaneously detects S. pneumoniae, M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, L. pneumophila, H. influenzae, and B. pertussis. We tested 2,137 nasopharyngeal swab and sputum specimens using both assays. For discordant Bordetella parapertussis and M. catarrhalis specimens, we also performed bidirectional sequencing. For S. pneumoniae, M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, L. pneumophila, H. influenzae, and B. pertussis, which are detected by both NeoPlex RB-8 and Seeplex PB ACE, the positive and negative agreement between the two assays ranged from 91.7 to 100% (κ = 0.918 to 1). S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae were the most discordant targets and measured with higher sensitivity and specificity by NeoPlex RB-8 than Seeplex PB ACE. For Bordetella parapertussis and M. catarrhalis, which are not detected by Seeplex PB ACE, NeoPlex RB-8 sensitivity and specificity were >99%. Overall, NeoPlex RB-8 was highly comparable to Seeplex PB ACE, but NeoPlex RB-8 was more clinically accurate, with higher throughput and more convenience.


This theoretical paper explores CSR and enhancement of growth and performance in the banking sector in response to call by previous study to explore CSR as a way to enhance bank's growth and performance. The paper examines several literature on CSR with particular reference to the banking industry. It establishes that banking industry appears to be more prone to the impact of CSR activities than most other segments of the economy. This is as a result of the need to satisfy a larger spectrum of stakeholders to achieve its economic objective and to maintain an equitable and working balance condition among its employees and the public at large to gain legitimacy to improve its overall corporate performance. In this regard, the paper suggests that banks should go beyond provision of education, hospitals, sports, competitions, community development in their CSR to socio- economic development, healthcare services as well as environmental initiatives. By so doing, they can achieve better growth and performance. However, the paper also observed that large banks are likely to achieve better growth and performance through CSR than the small banks due to the fact that they commit much resource to CSR in return to earned greater equity.


A novel source modal decomposition in spectral domain is used to analyse the radiation from a finite bi-dimensional (2-D) omnidirectional centred-fed microstrip leaky-wave antenna (LWA). The driving element of the 2-D microstrip LWA induces the excitation of surface waves along (Ox) and (Oy) directions. Thus, the 2-D structure can be modelled as a phased array antenna. The electric integral equation in the spectral domain is reduced to simple expressions by using the admittance operator, based on a simple transverse equivalent network taking into account all the antenna characteristics and the central excitation. Several numerical results are given for a 2-D structure operating in a large frequency range.


Background According to recent studies, ferroptosis is closely related to the efficacy and prognosis of tumour treatment. However, the role of ferroptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been explored comprehensively. Materials and Methods The esophageal cancer (EC) transcriptome data was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), then analyzed, to obtain the differentially expressed messenger RNA (mRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) between groups with the low and high Ferroptosis Potential Index (FPI) and construct a ferroptosis-associated ceRNA network. In addition, the expression of ARHGEF26-AS1 and miR-372-3p in ESCC cell lines was assessed, and the appropriate cell lines were selected. The interaction between ARHGEF26-AS1, miR-372-3p, and ADAM23 was also determined through a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, the Western blot, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing, cell viability, and cell death assays were conducted to establish the biological functions of the ARHGEF26-AS1/miR-372-3p/ADAM23 pathway in ESCCs. Results An FPI scoring model reflecting the activity of the ferroptosis pathway was constructed, and a ferroptosis-associated ceRNA network was established. The findings revealed that low expression of ADAM23 and ARHGEF26-AS1 as well as high expression of miR-372-3p was associated with poor prognosis and a lower FPI score in EC patients. Functionally, overexpression of ADAM23 and ARHGEF26-AS1 and the miR-372-3p inhibitor not only promoted ferroptosis in ESCC cells in vitro but also inhibited the proliferation and migration of cells. Mechanistically, ARHGEF26-AS1 upregulated the expression of ADAM23 by competitively binding to miR-372-3p. Conclusions The study showed that the lncRNA, ARHGEF26-AS1 acts as a miR-372-3p sponge that regulates the neuropeptide LGI1 receptor ADAM23 expression. This in turn not only inhibits the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells but also upregulates the ferroptosis pathway. A neuropeptide-related ferroptosis regulatory pathway was identified in this study.


Mini-abstract: Surgical sabermetrics is advanced analytics of digitally recorded surgical training and operative procedures to enhance insight, support professional development, and optimize clinical and safety outcomes. This perspectives article illustrates how surgery can leverage data science approaches in athletics and industry to transform individual and team performance in the operating room.


An experiment was conducted out during 2009 to study the effect of spraying numbers ( 0, 2 and 4 ) of Alaska foliar fertilizer (N:12, P2O5 :12 , K2O: 36 , Fe : 0.05% , Cu:0.005% , Mn: 0.03% , Zn: 0.01% , B: 0.02% , Mo: 0.003% ) on growth and yield of 7 potato cvs. (Draga, Aladin, Elpaso, Kurado, Diseree, Provento, and Red Brown ). Factorial experiment included 21 treatments arranged in Random Complete Bloke Design (RCBD) with 4 replications. Results showed that foliar fertilizer had a significant effect on plant height, tuber weight and total yield. Potato cvs differ in all studied parameters. High yields were obtained from Red Brown, Provento and Draga cvs. Interactions had a significant effect on the most studied parameters.


Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) induce ectopic bone formation in muscle tissue in vivo and convert myoblasts such that they differentiate into osteoblastic cells in vitro. We report here that constitutively active Smad1 induced osteoblastic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts in cooperation with Smad4 or Runx2. In floxed Smad4 mice-derived cells, Smad4 ablation partially suppressed BMP-4-induced osteoblast differentiation. In contrast, the BMP-4-induced inhibition of myogenesis was lost by Smad4 ablation and restored by Smad4 overexpression. A nuclear zinc finger protein, E4F1, was identified as a possible component of the Smad4 complex that suppresses myogenic differentiation in response to BMP signaling. In the presence of Smad4, E4F1 stimulated the expression of Ids. Taken together, these findings suggest that the Smad signaling pathway may play a dual role in the BMP-induced conversion of myoblasts to osteoblastic cells.


When rendering images using Spherical Harmonics (SH), the projection of a spherical function on the SH basis remains a computational challenge both for high‐frequency functions and for emission functions from complex light sources. Recent works investigate efficient SH projection of the light field coming from polygonal and spherical lights. To further reduce the rendering time, instead of computing the SH coefficients at each vertex of a mesh or at each fragment on an image, it has been shown, for polygonal area light, that computing both the SH coefficients and their spatial gradients on a grid covering the scene allows the efficient and accurate interpolation of these coefficients at each shaded point. In this paper, we develop analytical recursive formulae to compute the spatial gradients of SH coefficients for spherical light. This requires the efficient computation of the spatial gradients of the SH basis function that we also derive. Compared to existing method for polygonal light, our method is faster, requires less memory and scales better with respect to the SH band limit. We also show how to approximate polygonal lights using spherical lights to benefit from our derivations. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposal, we integrate our algorithm in a shading system able to render fully dynamic scenes with several hundreds of spherical lights in real time.


Background Panophthalmitis is a severe inflammation of the globe that can result as a rare complication of ophthalmic surgery. In severe cases, it may also be associated with orbital inflammation and cavernous sinus thrombosis. Purpose This case demonstrates a rare and life-threatening post-operative complication of cataract surgery. We also hope to highlight the importance of considering the relevant risk factors associated with developing potential infections after cataract surgery, including the use of corneal sutures, high-risk behaviours such as excessive eye-rubbing, and non-compliance with appointments and post-operative medications. Case Report We report the case of a 35-year-old female with severe autism and developmental delay who developed panophthalmitis, orbital inflammation and cavernous sinus thrombosis 6 weeks post cataract surgery. The likely cause was corneal suture-related microbial keratitis, and the patient required enucleation due to sepsis. Conclusion Post-surgical panophalmitis is a rapidly progressive disease that is not only sight- but life-threatening and demands urgent and intensive treatment. Consideration of early enucleation may be required to prevent deterioration in such patients.


Cultural capital can be defined as the sum of skills acquired through education and it can also be said that it is tantamount to knowledge regarding high culture (Bourdieu, 1986). In this regard, it may not only be the means for upward social mobility, but also the source of the social inequality. In that case is it possible to talk about differentiation in the distribution of cultural capital empirically, besides, what statistical regularities can be observed in differentiated cultural capital distribution in Turkey? The focus of this study is on the composition of cultural capital at the individual level, and efforts will be made to assess whether cultural capital has led to distinctions among different generations in Turkey. The European Quality of Life Survey, 2004 is utilized while analyzing the distribution of cultural capital in Turkey. It is found that, the group enjoying the highest level of cultural capital consists of professionals and managers within the 18-49 age groups. This state of younger generations enjoying relatively more cultural capital than older generations is also the source of symbolic conflict between generations.


This article demonstrates the operation of a simple optimal location-allocation technique for solving the problem of locating one or several community recycling center(s) within a residential area. The article attempts to measure both transportation and externality costs in comparable units, and to incorporate them into the model. A sensitivity analysis of the results at the level of the nuisance provides further insight into the operation of the model and the relative importance of the quantification of pollution in applied location-allocation problems.


Background Practical implementation and the benefits of using advanced care planning to improve the experiences of patients with dementia and their families in a large care home with nursing in England. Having opened a large 81 bedded care home with nursing in 2007, at the same time as gaining accreditation with the Gold Standards Framework in End of Life Care (GSF) the structure and discipline of recording patients' end of life wishes has enabled staff to work with families to offer better end of life care and improve family experience of the last few days of life for their loved ones. Aim Using a retrospective review of the feedback received from families of those patients we haves supported through to the end of life we sought to demonstrate the impact that a having an ACP in place makes on the patient and family experience of care Methods Care Record Review. Results Where an ACP was in place, either before admission or during the early stages of the care home journey the reported experience of the families for their loved ones last few days of life was better Discussion When is it appropriate to approach people with dementia to discuss their ACP? And how do you involved families in this process? Conclusion Where an individual with dementia had the opportunity to be involved in developing their ACP the reported family satisfaction with their relative's last few days of life is reported as improved


The purpose of this article is to present the results of students' self-evaluations of their developed presentation competences during their seminar presentations as a part of both a human resource course and an organizational dynamic course in the online master program International Management. Video pedagogy employed in the courses was assessed and its effect on competency development was questioned. The main research question was which aspects of presentation competence the students develop while delivering, watching and discussing online presentations, according to their self-assessments. The methodology of self-assessment of the gained competences questioned the development courseembedded presentation competence in a virtual learning environment. A questionnaire was sent to all students attending the courses during two academic years. Students rated their acquired skills on the 7-point Likert scale. The results proved hypothesis that students had developed their online presentation competences and that they had become more self-confident. The course designers gained the feedback regarding the collaborative tool, course organization and original aim to develop presentation skills in the virtual classroom. Improvement of these exercises, meaning instruction, design, and feedback will be employed the following next year.


A 42-year-old male patient was operated on for a giant fusiform aneurysm of the right internal carotid artery. Extracranial-intracranial bypass was first performed. Despite suction decompression, the aneurysm could not be clipped for its fusiform neck, and it was coated with surgical gauze. Before surgery, his bilateral visual acuity was 1.0; there was a complete left homonymic hemianopia, the fundus oculi was normal. On postoperative day 1, the visual functions were unchanged. Then there was a visual loss in the right eye that progressed to blindness 2 weeks after surgery. The authors consider variants of the pathogenesis of blindness: 1) development of foreign-body granuloma and surgical gauze-induced optochiasmal arachnoiditis; or 2) thrombosis of the aneurysm and thickening of its wall with compression of the right optic nerve. One-year follow-up revealed that the visual acuity of the right eye recovered (1.0), but the right optic disk became pale, the left optic disk was normal. A complete left homonymous hemianopia was unchanged. Spontaneous recovery of visual acuity makes the second hypothesis of the pathogenesis of blindness more preferable.


The Faraway Tree Adventure. When Sly-one the gnome takes their friend, Princess Fenella, prisoner, Peter and Mary fly off to her rescue and on an enchanting adventure through the weird and wonderful worlds of Fairyland...First they have to get to the top of the Faraway tree, where Fairyland begins, then through the Land of Stupids and on to Giantland. Here, they are used as toys but manage to escape, with the help of the cuckoo who lives in the cuckoo clock. On their way to sly-one's castle they become friends with Pop-Off the pedlar and the Goblin Dog who help them rescue the princess and bring her home.


This paper presents a direct power control (DPC) for three-phase matrix converters operating as unified power flow controllers (UPFCs). Matrix converters (MCs) allow the direct ac/ac power conversion without dc energy storage links; therefore, the MC-based UPFC (MC-UPFC) has reduced volume and cost, reduced capacitor power losses, together with higher reliability. Theoretical principles of direct power control (DPC) based on sliding mode control techniques are established for an MC-UPFC dynamic model including the input filter. As a result, line active and reactive power, together with ac supply reactive power, can be directly controlled by selecting an appropriate matrix converter switching state guaranteeing good steady-state and dynamic responses. Experimental results of DPC controllers for MC-UPFC show decoupled active and reactive power control, zero steady-state tracking error, and fast response times. Compared to an MC-UPFC using active and reactive power linear controllers based on a modified Venturini high-frequency PWM modulator, the experimental results of the advanced DPC-MC guarantee faster responses without overshoot and no steady-state error, presenting no cross-coupling in dynamic and steady-state responses.


Purpose

In mainstream economics and finance literature, market sentiment is considered "irrational". This leads to significant challenges in capturing the effect of sentiment on economic relationships. Real estate is even more complex due to the fact that the sector exhibits several market inefficiencies. The purpose of this paper is to explore the literature and present a simple test for the potential of using three different sentiment indicators to improve a basic cap rate model. The authors establish the case using commercial real estate (CRE) data for London West End.

Design/methodology/approach

The three indicators differ in their underlying source and method. The authors used orthogonalisation and principal component analysis for a macroeconomic sentiment indicator. Furthermore, online search volume data have been used to mirror the market sentiment for the London West End market. Finally, textual analysis based on word lists has been applied to corpus of market reports.

Findings

The results indicate considerable improvement in the authors' ability to capture the effect of sentiment. Furthermore, the consideration of a human factor leads to improvement in the basic yield model.

Practical implications

The methods suggest that sentiment extracted from more forward-looking sources, such as online searches, could be a significant information gain for investors, lenders or other market participants. The additional information could be used to adjust their behaviour within the market.

Originality/value

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that applies textual analysis to market reports for the CRE market in the UK.


Possible risk factors for psoriasis were studied by means of a retrospective evaluation of epidemiological and clinical features in 472 clinical records of outpatients affected by plaques psoriasis. We calculated the relation between the categorical variables with chi-squares contingency table analysis (with Yates correction) and odds ratio (O.R.) from the two variables with their respective confidence intervals at 95%. Among patients 267 were men (57%) and 205 women (43%); the mean age was 46.5+/-16.7 years, with no differences in sex. A significant relationship was found between age at onset < or =40 years and familiarity for psoriasis (p<0.0001-O.R.=2.71, C.I..95%: 2.12-3.48). The percentage of men with extensive lesions (extension >30%) was significantly higher than of women (p<0.05-O.R.=1.60, C.I..95%:1.35-1.90). Moreover, a significant association between extension of lesions and BMI was detected (p<0.0107-O.R.=2.10, C.I.95%:1.33-3.30) and the strength of this relation was assessed using the linear regression test. Mean age at onset was significantly lower in patients systemically treated (p<0.0003-O.R.=2.61, C.I.95%: 1.69-4.04). The results obtained can provide the basis for a standard clinical record, including data for a prospective study that may confirm the relation between psoriasis and some risk factors.


This paper presents a new formal method for the efficient verification of concurrent systems that are modeled using a safe Petri net representation. Our method generalizes upon partial-order methods to explore concurrently enabled conflicting paths simultaneously. We show that our method can achieve an exponential reduction in algorithmic complexity without resorting to an implicit enumeration approach.


Low-permeability sedimentary rocks commonly are fractured. Direct examination of exposed rock faces and drill cores shows evidence of hydrofracturing. The mechanism for hydrofracturing, its effects on fluid migration, and its dependence on sediment permeability, sedimentation rate, and sedimentary sequences have not been explored. In this study we carry out systematic numerical experiments to study the compaction-induced hydrofracturing. We show that the compaction-induced hydrofracturing commonly may occur in shale-rich basins and in sand-shale sequences; the frequency of such hydrofracturing depends on sediment permeability, sedimentation rate, and sedimentary sequence. An important result is that compaction-induced hydrofracturing may occur at relatively shallow depths in shale-rich basins, but it may mobilize enhanced fluid flow throughout the sedimentary basin. Over 60% of the total compaction-induced fluid flow in the basin may be expelled during hydrofracturing. We test the model against field data from the Yinggehai basin of the south China margin, where abundant hydrofractures in the uppermost Quaternary marine mud have been recently detected by seismic imaging. We suggest that the compaction-induced hydrofracturing may mobilize fluid flow at great depths and affect hydrocarbon migration in shale-rich basins.


Since a neutron has a magnetic moment, it interacts with a magnetic field. A possible configuration to confine ultracold neutrons (UCN) is a combination of a toroidal multipole field and a toroidal field; the latter prevents spin flip at the separatrix of the multipole field. It results in effective cooling to apply an appreciable ripple to the toroidal field which propagates at the resonant phase velocity. The cooling rate which is the power removed by a propagating toroidal magnetic wave was obtained through the quasilinear theory of the transit-time dumping for a plasma, and compared to the particle simulations.


This paper proposes a novel alternative to conventional internal serial connection, where precise patterning and scribing of organic layers can be eliminated. Adjacent cells can be made nearer for better space-utilization and higher voltages per unit area. Also, blade coating is proposed as the fabrication method as it has low material wastage (less than 5%), easily scalable to large area, has high film uniformity and has high throughput due to its roll-to-roll potential. This paper demonstrates 3-cells large area (12.98 cm2) external serial connection organic solar cells (OSCs) using the material poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) and 2,6-Bis(trimethyltin)-4, 8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene:6,6-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PBDTTT-CT:PC71BM) respectively. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the resulting 3-cells modules are 2.0% and 4.1% respectively.


Alasdair Maclntyre, a leading moral philosopher in the English speaking world, was from his earliest intellectual formation influenced profoundly both by Christianity and Marxism. Maclntyre argues that Marxism has religious roots, in that it gains its vision of the good life of peace and reconciliation from Christianity, mediated by Hegel, but makes this life historically concrete. The article views Maclntyre 's early intellectual career as a case study in the productive tension generated by an analysis of the connections between Christianity and Marxism. It is suggested that by examining the similarities and differences of these two traditions, Maclntyre points to the sources of radicalism that lie at the apparently conservative heart of western culture and reveals aspects of the continuing significance of this culture's religious background. He also points to the difficulties both traditions have in engaging with modern liberal culture.


OBJECTIVE
Insulin stimulates albumin synthesis but inhibits that of fibrinogen in both type 1 diabetic and healthy subjects. In type 2 diabetes, fibrinogen production is increased both in the postabsorptive state and in response to hyperinsulinemia. No data exist on the rate of albumin synthesis and its response to insulin in type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We measured fractional synthesis rates (FSRs) and absolute synthesis rates (ASRs) of both albumin and fibrinogen in postabsorptive normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients at their spontaneous glucose levels (study A), as well as albumin FSR and ASR before and after a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic euaminoacidemic clamp (study B), using leucine isotope methods.

RESULTS
In postabsorptive type 2 diabetes (study A), albumin FSR (11.2 +/- 0.9%/day) and albumin ASR (15.4 +/- 1.2 g/day) were not different from control values (albumin FSR: 9.4 +/- 0.7%/day; albumin ASR: 13.8 +/- 1.2 g/day, P > 0.1 for both). In contrast, in the type 2 diabetic subjects, both fibrinogen FSR (24.9 +/- 2.1%/day) and ASR (2.4 +/- 0.2 g/day) were greater (P < 0.025 and P < 0.007, respectively) compared with the control subjects (FSR: 18.6 +/- 1.51%/day; ASR: 1.6 +/- 0.2 g/day). Worse metabolic control in the type 2 diabetic patients was associated with hyperfibrinogenemia and increased leucine rate of appearance, whereas neither the (increased) fibrinogen ASR nor the (normal) albumin production was affected. In study B, after hyperinsulinemia (raised to approximately 860 nmol/l), albumin FSR and ASR increased by approximately 25% versus basal (P < 0.04) and to the same extent in both type 2 diabetic and control subjects.

CONCLUSIONS
In normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients, postabsorptive albumin synthesis and its response to insulin were normal, whereas fibrinogen synthesis was increased, irrespective of metabolic control. Furthermore, in normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients, a normal insulin sensitivity with respect to albumin production but a selective hepatic dysregulation of fibrinogen metabolism were present.


This paper explains the work that we have been doing since 2012 and related with what primary school teachers think about digital games in Catalan classrooms. The main objective is to discover and understand why teachers in general are not using it. While there is increasing research documenting the progress and outcomes of game- based learning and serious games, relatively little attention is paid to the real use of digital games in classrooms and the teachers perceptions. Depth interviews has been done with primary school teachers in order to have attitudes and teachers point of view. As a results of our work we present several teacher barriers to digital game use, for example, an absence of tecnics and generic tools for assessment "in" and "around" digital games.


Bio-cementation is a new sustainable approach that has gained popularity due to its low energy and carbon footprint compared to existing technologies for geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering applications. Bio-cementation is a soil improvement technique that involves binding the pore space of soil particles with calcium carbonate minerals by microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) and filling the soil pore space. The purpose of this article is to present a current state-of-the-art and comprehensive discussion on the development of bio-cementation for soil improvement/reinforcement. Premixing, injection, immersing, and surface percolation are identified as four distinct bio-cementation treatment techniques. Furthermore, scholars have reported employing ureolytic bacteria such as Sporosarcina pasteurii, Bacillus sphaericus, and Lysinibacillus sphaericus) isolated from corals, limestone caves, soils, waste materials, seawaters, and other sources to accomplish effective bio-cementation Some of the major issues (bacterial cultivation costs and ammonium production) that impede its industrial potential and promising remedial techniques were also discussed. This state-of-the-art review also discussed the benefits and drawbacks of bio-cementation compared to traditional approaches. The significance of enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation as a soil bio-cementation alternative to MICP was also highlighted. Finally, the sustainable procedure, bio-cementation principles, and future implications are discussed.


As the awareness of food security has increased, the Korean government has established national projects, such as Saemangeum proclaimed land, to secure sources of grain. Saemangeum is a large-scale agricultural area that was constructed to maintain preparedness for unstable food markets. This study aims to develop a 6th Industrialization Model (SIM) for Saemangeum Grain Complex by applying feasible strategies to wheat and two-rowed barley which have low self-sufficiency rates. In addition, this study estimates the potential economic value of each development strategy associated with a sixth industrialization model to create higher added values from production, processing and tourism experiences. The strategic plan for primary, secondary, and tertiary industries is to combine cultivating and processing wheat and two-rowed barley for sales and linking them to tourism experience. This study shows value added from the combination of the primary, secondary and tertiary industry of wheat and two-rowed barley are 7.5 and 23.0 times more than those of the primary and tertiary industry combination, respectively. Through branding Saemangeum Grain Complex's products, such as Saemanguem bread and craft beer, would further enhance the economic benefits derived from the complex.


Aorta-right atrial tunnel is rare. We report a case of aorta-right atrial tunnel in which the right coronary artery arose from the tunnel. Successful surgical treatment was performed.


In the context of the chromatic-number problem, a critical graph is an instance where the deletion of any element would decrease the graph's chromatic number. Such instances have shown to be interesting objects of study for deepen the understanding of the optimization problem. This work introduces critical graphs in context of Minimum Vertex Cover. We demonstrate their potential for the generation of larger graphs with hidden a priori known solutions. Firstly, we propose a parametrized graph-generation process which preserves the knowledge of the minimum cover. Secondly, we conduct a systematic search for small critical graphs. Thirdly, we illustrate the applicability for benchmarking purposes by reporting on a series of experiments using the state-of-the-art heuristic solver NuMVC.


Hand rejuvenation is gaining popularity, as there are now more effective treatments to make the hands appear youthful. Aging hands are usually not discussed in a consultation, but mentioning the idea often prompts the client to ask more questions; they want to hear more about what a hand rejuvenation treatment entails. It can involve a myriad of procedures including topical treatments such as moisturizers, exfoliating creams, and sun protection; light-based devices such as intense pulsed light and broad band light; ablative and nonablative fractionated laser treatments such as Profractional and Fraxel; and dermal injection treatments such as hyaluronic acids and calcium hydroxylapatite. This article briefly presents treatments for hand rejuvenation.


The primary qualification for Medicare's home health care benefit is being homebound, typically by a chronic disability. Disability and functional ability in late-life are heavily influenced by the long-term practice of health behaviors. One of the goals of Healthy People 2000 is to increase the years of healthy life which are measured, in part, by self reported health status. This compression of morbidity would, in effect, reduce the need for long term care. This paper examines three conceptual models linking health behaviors to self reported health in a unique sample of older adults who have chosen to participate in a corporate sponsored wellness program. It is hoped that these findings will encourage further research on formulating empirical pathways from health behaviors to reduced need for home health care.


Members of the cyanobacterial genus Trichodesmium are well known for their substantial impact on nitrogen influx in ocean ecosystems and the enormous surface blooms they form in tropical and subtropical locations. However, the secondary metabolite composition of these complex environmental bloom events is not well known, nor the possibility of the production of potent toxins that have been observed in other bloom-forming marine and freshwater cyanobacteria species. In the present work, we aimed to characterize the metabolome of a Trichodesmium bloom utilizing MS/MS-based molecular networking. Furthermore, we integrated cytotoxicity assays in order to identify and ultimately isolate potential cyanotoxins from the bloom. These efforts led to the isolation and identification of several members of the smenamide family, including three new smenamide analogs (1–3) as well as the previously reported smenothiazole A-hybrid polyketide-peptide compounds. Two of these new smenamides possessed cytotoxicity to neuro-2A cells (1 and 3) and their presence elicits further questions as to their potential ecological roles. HPLC profiling and molecular networking of chromatography fractions from the bloom revealed an elaborate secondary metabolome, generating hypotheses with respect to the environmental role of these metabolites and the consistency of this chemical composition across genera, space and time.


Abstract N-linked glycosylation serves to diversify the proteome and is crucial for the folding and activity of numerous cellular proteins. Consequently, there is great interest in uncovering the rules that govern how glycosylation modulates protein properties so that the effects of site-specific glycosylation might eventually be predicted. Towards this goal, we describe a combinatorial strategy termed shotgun scanning glycomutagenesis (SSGM) that enables systematic investigation of the structural and functional consequences of glycan installation along a protein backbone. The utility of this approach was demonstrated with three different acceptor proteins, namely bacterial immunity protein Im7, bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A, and a human anti-HER2 single-chain Fv antibody, all of which were found to tolerate N-glycan attachment at a large number of positions and with relatively high efficiency. The stability and activity of many glycovariants was measurably altered by the N-linked glycan in a manner that critically depended on the precise location of the modification. Comparison of the results with calculations of simple geometrics and Rosetta energies reveals nuanced mechanisms whereby glycosylation can affect protein activity. By enabling high-resolution mapping of glycan-mediated effects on acceptor proteins, glycomutagenesis opens up possibilities for accessing unexplored regions of glycoprotein structural space and engineering protein variants with advantageous biophysical and biological properties.


Abstract. The freely available ASTER GDEM ver2 was released by NASA and METI on October 17, 2011. As one of the most complete high resolution digital topographic data sets of the world to date, the ASTER GDEM covers land surfaces between 83°N and 83°S at a spatial resolution of 1 arc-second and will be a useful product for many applications, such as relief analysis, hydrological studies and radar interferometry. The stated improvements in the second version of ASTER GDEM benefit from finer horizontal resolution, offset adjustment and water body detection in addition to new observed ASTER scenes. This study investigates the absolute vertical accuracy of the ASTER GDEM ver2 at five study sites in China using ground control points (GCPs) from high accuracy GPS benchmarks, and also using a DEM-to-DEM comparison with the Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research Consortium for Spatial Information (CGIAR-CSI) SRTM DEM (Version 4.1). And then, the results are separated into GlobCover land cover classes to derive the spatial pattern of error. It is demonstrated that the RMSE (19m) and mean (-13m) values of ASTER GDEM ver2 against GPS-GCPs in the five study areas is lower than its first version ASTER GDEM ver1 (26m and -21m) as a result of the adjustment of the elevation offsets in the new version. It should be noted that the five study areas in this study are representative in terms of terrain types and land covers in China, and even for most of mid-latitude zones. It is believed that the ASTER GDEM offers a major alternative in accessibility to high quality elevation data.


Background: O6-methylguanine (O6-MeG) is the primary cytotoxic lesion formed by SN1-methylating agents such as temozolomide. Cytotoxicity is induced following the mispairing of O6-MeG with deoxythymidine (T) residues and the subsequent activation of a mismatch repair (MMR)-mediated process. While it is generally recognized that MMR-induced DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are central to O6-MeG-induced cell death, our previous work demonstrates that signaling via the p50 subunit of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is also necessary for efficient SN1-methylation-induced cytotoxicity. In the current study, we isolated O6-MeG:T mismatches using a series of oligonucleotide duplexes and examined the hypothesis that O6-MeG:T mismatches induce a p50-dependent signaling pathway that sensitizes cells to DNA strand break-mediated cell death. Methods: A series of 40bp oligonucleotide duplex substrates bearing a unique central O6-MeG:T, G:T, O6-MeG:C, or G:C base pair were used. Cell lines included both human glioma cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Loss of function was performed with shRNA-mediated p50 knockdown and targeted p50 knockout. Techniques used include EMSA, NF-κB-dependent luciferase reporter assays, in-vitro kinase assay, indirect immunofluorescence, annexin V binding and colony formation assays. Results: When administered to nuclear extracts, O6-MeG:T substrate inhibits NF-κB DNA binding substantially more than control duplex, and, when used in live cells, inhibition of NF-kB-dependent activity is seen only in response to O6-MeG:T substrate. The inhibition of NF-kB by O6-MeG:T substrate is noted only in p50-proficient cells. O6-MeG:T, but not control substrate, induces Chk1-mediated phosphorylation of p50 at a novel serine residue, a pathway that is shown to be necessary for inhibition of NF-kB DNA binding. O6-MeG:T substrate, used at a concentration sufficient to induce MMR- and p50-mediated signaling, does not increase apoptosis or decrease clonogenic survival relative to control duplexes. However, O6-MeG:T, but not control duplex, sensitizes p50-proficient, but not p50-deficent, cells to non-cytotoxic doses of ionizing radiation. O6-MeG:T-induced sensitization to cytotoxicity occurs without changing the level of IR-induced DSB and is only seen when duplex substrate is given prior to, but not after, IR. Conclusion: While an O6-MeG-induced signaling pathway has been previously described, the role of such a pathway to the damage response is disputed. The above findings suggest that O6-MeG:T-induced, p50-dependent signaling sensitizes cells to cytotoxicity that is ultimately induced by DNA DSBs. Such a model is temporally consistent with the response to O6-MeG in that MMR-induced signaling is induced after the first S-phase following O6-MeG formation while DSBs are formed after the second S-phase. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 262. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-262


ABSTRACT In Mexico, groundwater availability has been decreasing, especially in arid and semiarid regions; this can be addressed by boosting aquifer recharge, known as managed aquifer recharge, with stormwater or treated wastewater. In this paper, we use qualitative approaches to analyse three managed aquifer recharge projects in the country and discuss the related achievements, limitations and lessons learned. We argue that the Law of Nations' Waters lacks precise rules for water storage and recovery of recharged water, making the planning of significant investments to implement these projects unlikely. We present legal, management and financial proposals to improve the relevant legal water framework.


Insects are pervasive in our lives. Sometimes we may wish them away e.g. when we are in the middle of a slumber and the buzzing of the mosquito is just so jarring plus the fear of the disease they may carry. The rising case of dengue remains one of the greatest challenges for the urbanites in Malaysia. A lovely summer in countries with four seasons can be spoiled by the hordes of insects flying into houses, and biting into our flesh. Still for all the discomfort that some insects cause, there are others who are intrinsically linked to our lifestyle and culture. Who has not savoured the deliciousness of the trickling and oozing they? Spread on a warm-buttred toast, is perfection in simplicity. Added to the untold benefits, it is truly a gift from God. Spare a thought for the laborious bee that produces not just honey, but also royal jelly, propolis, and beeswax.


Interdisciplinary research documents the continued global incidence of violence and abuse. Besides its damaging impact on the health and mental health of individuals and families across cultures, the negative consequences of violence extend to communities and the socioeconomic status of whole nations. Yet, survey data reveal that the pivotal role of health and social service professionals in preventing violence and treating victim/survivors has not been actualised systematically primarily because most health sciences faculty do not feel adequately prepared to teach on this topic. While considerable progress on this urgent issue is evident in the health arena over the past two decades, addressing violence issues in formal curricula (theory and supervised clinical practice) to prepare future health and social service professionals for competent practice often hinges on the interest of a particular faculty member in contrast to faculty-wide adoption of this content as an essential element of the curriculum, resulting for some receiving only a single lecture on the topic. Such essentials include the public health prevention facet focusing on vulnerable population groups, and the knowledge, attitudes and skills required by clinical practitioners across disciplines to deliver crisis intervention and treatment on the front lines with victim/survivors, their families and perpetrators. An international consortium of universities in Africa, Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA, aims to alleviate this curricular deficit, building on the research perspective of education as intervention. Traditional and online teaching methods are adapted to varying socio-cultural contexts.


The aerodynamic characteristics of high speed train can be improved by well-designing of its fore-body shape. In this paper, as a way of the design a fore-body shape which has optimal aerodynamic characteristics, 9 models of fore-body shapes are proposed and the change of aerodynamic characteristics is studied through calculations of flow field around high speed train for each fore-body shape. The flow field around high speed trains are calculated using Thin-Layer Navier-Stokes equation and Chimera grid technique. The application of Chimera grid technique to these flow calculations over high speed train which has ground plane under the train makes grid generation easily. As a computational algorithm, Pulliam and Chaussee's Diagonal algorithm, the modified form of the Beam and Warming's AF scheme which operates on block-tridiagonal matrices, is selected to reduce computational time. Introducing hole points flag concept to this Diagonal algorithm, a algorithm for Chimera grid is generated. The variational trends of aerodynamic characteristics are studied from the results of flow calculations around high speed trains for 9 fore-body shapes.