High data rates are one of the most prevalent requirements in current mobile communications. To cover this and other high standards regarding performance, increasing coverage, capacity, and reliability, numerous works have proposed the development of systems employing the combination of several techniques such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) wireless technologies with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in the evolving 4G wireless communications. Our proposed system is based on the 2x2 MIMO antenna technique, which is defined to enhance the performance of radio communication systems in terms of capacity and spectral efficiency, and the OFDM technique, which can be implemented using two types of sub-carrier mapping modes: Space-Time Block Coding and Space Frequency Block Code. SFBC has been considered in our developed model. The main advantage of SFBC over STBC is that SFBC encodes two modulated symbols over two subcarriers of the same OFDM symbol, whereas STBC encodes two modulated symbols over two subcarriers of the same OFDM symbol; thus, the coding is performed in the frequency domain. Our solution aims to demonstrate the performance analysis of the Space Frequency Block Codes scheme, increasing the Signal Noise Ratio (SNR) at the receiver and decreasing the Bit Error Rate (BER) through the use of 4 QAM, 16 QAM and 64QAM modulation over a 2x2 MIMO channel for an LTE downlink transmission, in different channel radio environments. In this work, an analytical tool to evaluate the performance of SFBC - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, using two transmit antennas and two receive antennas has been implemented, and the analysis using the average SNR has been considered as a sufficient statistic to describe the performance of SFBC in the 3GPP Long Term Evolution system over Multiple Input Multiple Output channels.


Objectives: Family Medicine (FM) training started two decades ago in Nigeria. The influence of FM training on the consultation style of practitioners in Nigeria is not known. This study examined the consultation style of family physicians in an outpatient clinic, the amount of information provided by the physicians to their patients and the level of their patients' participation in the consultation process
Methods: A systematic sample of 212 adult patients was interviewed using semi – structured questionnaire. Chi square test was used to test significance of differences in proportions.
Result: The consultation style of the physicians was predominantly doctor- centred. Doctors provided information on nature, plan of management, prognosis and prevention of illness to 38.7% 16.5%, 5.5% and 49.5% of the patients respectively. 34.3%, 21.4% and 16.7% of the patients sought information on nature, plan of management and prognosis of illness respectively. The commonest reason for patients not seeking such information from their doctors is that "they did not know they could ask such questions." Patients who asked doctors about plan of management significantly reported that they had their expectations met. The level of education of the patients determined to a great extent the information sought for and that provided by the doctors (p
Conclusion: Patients' participation during consultation is inadequate and there is a suggestion that patients would welcome more involvement in the care of their of their illness practitioners need to be taught the patients centered clinical method, a key distinguishing characteristic of Family Medical, which emphasize patients' expression of their illness experience(s) and participation in clinical decision making KEY WORDS: Patients, participation, consultation, style outpatient, clinic Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol.6(1) 2003: 10-16


This 5-page document provides a form containing the required elements to include on a record of pesticide application for meeting the restricted use pesticide and Worker Protection Standard (WPS) requirements. An example application record and an explanation of the required elements is provided. This is not a required form because there are other methods to keep records if they contain the required information. Handwritten notes, electronic records, and other recordkeeping software systems are also acceptable. Written by Frederick M. Fishel and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi280


Pulmonary sequestration is a congenital anomaly characterized by nonfunctional lung parenchymal tissue receiving blood supply from systemic arteries instead of pulmonary arteries. It is a rare entity, and diagnosis is often missed given the condition's presentation mimics other pulmonary diseases. Pulmonary sequestration leads to recurrent episodes of pneumonia, frequent hospital admissions, and, very rarely, fatal hemoptysis. Sometimes, pulmonary sequestration is diagnosed in adulthood when the patient presents with severe symptoms. We report the case of a 34-year-old woman with intralobar sequestration whose symptoms manifested in adulthood as occasional hemoptysis for two months followed by one episode of massive hemoptysis. Our case highlights the need for timely surgical intervention and thorough preoperative evaluation with imaging for optimal patient outcomes.


THUNDERTM (thin-layer composite unimorph ferroelectric driver and sensor) represents a new class of piezoceramic- based actuators capable of generating significant displacements and forces in response to input voltages. The performance capabilities of THUNDERTM actuators are due to the component materials and process used in their construction. A typical THUNDERTM actuator is composed of metallic backing materials (e.g., aluminum or stainless steel), a piezoceramic wafer, and adhesive in spray or film form. The materials are bonded under high pressures and temperatures and then cooled to room temperature after the adhesive has solidified. Due to the prestresses which result from the differing thermal properties of the component materials under cooling, the actuator is highly durable with respect to mechanical impacts and voltage levels. As a result of this construction voltages in excess of 800 V can be applied to new actuator models without causing damage. This provides the actuators with significant displacement and force capabilities. In this paper, we discuss the development of evaluation criteria which are suitable for characterizing the actuator capabilities and provide a legitimate methodology for comparing THUNDERTM properties with those of other smart material actuators. For example, the concept of blocked force is often used to quantify the force capabilities of an actuator. However due to the inherent curvature and mode of operation, standard techniques for measuring blocked forces are inappropriate for THUNDERTM actuators. Furthermore, changing operating conditions, frequency, etc., often make blocked force measurements ambiguous. We will discuss techniques for evaluating THUNDERTM properties in a manner which limits such ambiguities when comparing with other smart materials. We note that the evaluation issues discussed here are germane to a variety of high performance smart material transducers.


Site-specific modification of thiol-containing biomolecules has been recognized as a versatile and powerful strategy for probing our biological systems and discovering novel therapeutics. The addition of lipophilic silicon moiety opens up new avenues for multi-disciplinary research with broad applications in both the medicinal and material sciences. However, adhering to the strict biocompatibility requirements, and achieving the introduction of labile silicon handle and high chemo-selectivity have been formidable. In this paper, we report silicon-based conjugating reagents including β-trialkylsilyl and silyl ether-tethered alkynones that selectively react with thiols under physiological conditions. The pH-neutral, metal-free and additive-free reaction yields stable products with broad substrate compatibility and full retention of silicon handles in most cases. Besides simple aliphatic and aromatic thiols, this approach is applicable in the labeling of thiols present in proteins, sugars and payloads, thereby expanding the toolbox of thiol conjugation.


We consider inference for the parameters of a linear model when the covariates are random and the relationship between response and covariates is possibly non-linear. Conventional inference methods such as z-intervals perform poorly in these cases. We propose a double bootstrap-based calibrated percentile method, perc-cal, as a general-purpose CI method which performs very well relative to alternative methods in challenging situations such as these. The superior performance of perc-cal is demonstrated by a thorough, full-factorial design synthetic data study as well as a real data example involving the length of criminal sentences. We also provide theoretical justification for the perc-cal method under mild conditions. The method is implemented in the R package `perccal', available through CRAN and coded primarily in C++, to make it easier for practitioners to use.


Finding books, databases, journal articles, technical reports, websites, governmental resources, and NGOs. Slides (43) on 23 pages, by Scott Stephens


Visual effects commonly requires both the creation of realistic synthetic humans as well as retargeting actors' performances to humanoid characters such as aliens and monsters. Achieving the expressive performances demanded in entertainment requires manipulating complex models with hundreds of parameters. Full creative control requires the freedom to make edits at any stage of the production, which prohibits the use of a fully automatic "black box" solution with uninterpretable parameters. On the other hand, producing realistic animation with these sophisticated models is difficult and laborious. This paper describes FDLS (Facial Deep Learning Solver), which is Weta Digital's solution to these challenges. FDLS adopts a coarse-to-fine and human-in-the-loop strategy, allowing a solved performance to be verified and (if needed) edited at several stages in the solving process. To train FDLS, we first transform the raw motion-captured data into robust graph features. The feature extraction algorithms were devised after carefully observing the artists' interpretation of the 3d facial landmarks. Secondly, based on the observation that the artists typically finalize the jaw pass animation before proceeding to finer detail, we solve for the jaw motion first and predict fine expressions with region-based networks conditioned on the jaw position. Finally, artists can optionally invoke a non-linear finetuning process on top of the FDLS solution to follow the motion-captured virtual markers as closely as possible. FDLS supports editing if needed to improve the results of the deep learning solution and it can handle small daily changes in the actor's face shape. FDLS permits reliable and production-quality performance solving with minimal training and little or no manual effort in many cases, while also allowing the solve to be guided and edited in unusual and difficult cases. The system has been under development for several years and has been used in major movies.


This volume presents a range of views on the current state of global nuclear disarmament from eminent scholars from India, Israel and France. Chapters present and analyse the relationships between India, Pakistan and the USA, Russia and the USA, the position of the EU and of Israel. The perspectives presented range from optimism to pessimism on global nuclear disarmament and consequences for human security.


Aim of the paper is to investigate on the probability of a coordinated surge protective device (SPD) system to reduce the risk of failure of electrical and electronic equipment within a structure against lightning surges due to direct lightning stroke to the connected low voltage overhead lines (source of damage S3 according to IEC standard 62305). Two SPD systems are considered, namely SPD system type SL, consisting of a SPD1 switching type and a SPD2 limiting type, and an SPD system type LL, consisting of a SPD1 and a SPD2 limiting type. The approach here presented and discussed takes into account the type of SPD system and the characteristics of the upstream power line and of the downstream protected circuit. The analysis has been performed by several simulations obtained by means of the transient software EMTP-RV. The results are compared with those obtained with only one SPD (switching or limiting type) installed for the protection of apparatus within the structure. Keywords—Appraratus safety; Overvoltage protection; Surge Protective Device


OBJECTIVE
Some believe serious mental illness has been "criminalized." Effects of serious mental illness and substance abuse on criminal offenses were studied for 113 postbooking jail diversion participants and their nondiverted counterparts.

METHODS
Raters read participants' and police report descriptions of criminal offenses and participants' explanations for them. Using 5-point scales, raters independently estimated whether an offense resulted directly or indirectly from serious mental illness or substance abuse.

RESULTS
Serious mental illness and substance abuse had little effect on offenses. However, substance abuse led to a sizable minority of offenses and was more likely than mental illness to cause an offense.

CONCLUSIONS
Unless factors unique to serious mental illness can be specifically associated with behavior leading to incarceration, the criminalization hypothesis should be reconsidered in favor of more powerful risk factors for crime that are widespread in social settings of persons with serious mental illness.


Neonatal hypoglycemia may cause severe neurological damages; therefore, tight glycemic control is crucial to identify neonate at risk. Previous blood glucose monitoring system (BGMS) failed to perform well in neonates; there are calls for the tightening of accuracy requirements. It remains a need for accurate BGMS for effective bedside diabetes management in neonatal care within a hospital population. A total of 300 neonates were recruited from local hospitals. Accuracy performance of a commercially available BGMS was evaluated against reference instrument in screening for neonatal hypoglycemia, and assessment was made based on the ISO15197:2013 and a tighter standard. At blood glucose level < 47 mg/dl, BGMS assessed met the minimal accuracy requirement of ISO 15197:2013 and tighter standard at 100% and 97.2%, respectively.


Abstract: Reproductive investment theory assumes that females invest more in mate choice than males do because eggs are more energetically costly to produce than sperm. However, recent studies indicate that the relationship between initial investment and patterns of sexual selection is more nuanced. Simultaneous hermaphrodite mating systems offer unique opportunities to explore reproductive investment theory, as individuals exhibit fluid preferences for donating or receiving sperm and eggs. Shifts in gender role can depend on environmental or physiological conditions such as size. However, environment factors (e.g. temperature) that affect mating role preference or behavior (e.g. latency to copulate, reciprocity) have not been explored, despite evidence that the physiological consequences of elevated temperature interfere with reproductive success. By constraining the amount of energy available during copulation, elevated temperature may directly impact individual investment, reflected in changes in gender role. We observed courtship and gender roles in Physella acuta (Draparnaud 1805) at standard (19-20°C) and elevated (28-29°C) temperature. Elevated temperature reduced duration and frequency of copulation but had no effect on latency to copulate or reciprocity. Contrary to previous studies, gender role was not found to be size-dependent in either temperature treatment. Lack of size dependence across temperature treatments could be due to low population density or climate in situ. Combined results indicate that although elevated temperature clearly has negative physiological consequences, its impact is not reflected in changes to gender role patterns. This relationship is more complicated than previously expected and requires further study.


Pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PyNPase) is a general term for enzymes which phosphorolyse pyrimidine class nucleosides; convert 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-DFUR), a fluoropyrimidine class anticancer drug, to an active type of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU); and demonstrate higher concentrations in tumor tissue. These findings have attracted attention from the standpoint of drug delivery systems. With regard to immunohistochemical staining studies, PyNPase expression correlated with cancer proliferation and metastasis. However, few have shown a relation between PyNPase assay and prognosis. We measured PyNPase value in tumor tissue of operative specimens from 60 gastric cancer patients. The results showed that the PyNPase value in tumor tissue was significantly higher (1.9 times) than in normal mucosa. There was no correlation between the PyNPase level in tumor tissue and clinicopathologic factors. However, many patients with relatively early gastric cancer had high enzyme levels, indicating that PyNPase may influence cancer proliferation and metastasis as well as prognosis. By detecting such a factor as PyNPase, and clinically applying the results, 5'-DFUR is promising for the treatment of patients with respect to prognosis.


Working memory (WM) is the active retention and processing of information over a few seconds and is considered an essential component of cognitive function. The reduced WM capacity is a common feature in many diseases, such as schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The theta-gamma neural code is an essential component of memory representations in the multi-item WM. A large body of studies have examined the association between cross-frequency coupling (CFC) across the cerebral cortices and WM performance; electrophysiological data together with the behavioral results showed the associations between CFC and WM performance. The oscillatory entrainment (sensory, non-invasive electrical/magnetic, and invasive electrical) remains the key method to investigate the causal relationship between CFC and WM. The frequency-tuned non-invasive brain stimulation is a promising way to improve WM performance in healthy and non-healthy patients with cognitive impairment. The WM performance is sensitive to the phase and rhythm of externally applied stimulations. CFC-transcranial-alternating current stimulation (CFC-tACS) is a recent approach in neuroscience that could alter cognitive outcomes. The studies that investigated (1) the association between CFC and WM and (2) the brain stimulation protocols that enhanced WM through modulating CFC by the means of the non-invasive brain stimulation techniques have been included in this review. In principle, this review can guide the researchers to identify the most prominent form of CFC associated with WM processing (e.g., theta/gamma phase-amplitude coupling), and to define the previously published studies that manipulate endogenous CFC externally to improve WM. This in turn will pave the path for future studies aimed at investigating the CFC-tACS effect on WM. The CFC-tACS protocols need to be thoroughly studied before they can be considered as therapeutic tools in patients with WM deficits.


Empirically, net capital inflows are pro-cyclical in developed countries and counter-cyclical in developing countries. That said, private inflows are pro-cyclical and public in flows are counter-cyclical in both groups of countries. The dominance of private (public) in flows in developed (developing) countries drives the difference in total net inflows. We rationalize these patterns using a dynamic stochastic two-sector model of a small open economy facing borrowing constraints. Private agents over-borrow because of the pecuniary externality arising from constraints. The government saves abroad to reduce aggregate debt, making the economy resilient to adverse shocks. Differences in borrowing constraints and shock processes across countries explain the empirical patterns of capital inflows.


Glyphosate resistance is a serious problem in weed control, especially in oil palm plantations. However, evaluation of suspected resistant weeds such as Eleusine indica L. Gaertn at the gene level is still scarce in Indonesia. Here, target-site resistance to glyphosate of the EPSPS gene was evaluated. The objective of this study was to identify glyphosate resistance caused by mutation points in goosegrass biotypes from oil palm plantation in Jonggol, West Java, Indonesia. Bio-assay analysis was carried out by planting goosegrass in pots. Glyphosate was applicated using eight-level, namely 0, 0.125x, 0.25x, 0.5x, x, 2x, 4x, and 8x, where x was the recommended dose (972 g ha-1) for three replications. Weed damage was evaluated from plant biomass and then regression analysis was performed to obtain the LD50 and resistance index. The E. indica from block V had a reduced sensitivity status with 2.343 value of resistance index, and those from Block II biotype had a sensitive status with 1.588 resistance index. Alignment of the EPSPS gene showed no mutation was observed at two target-points, indicating that increasing resistance of E. indica in the study site could be controlled by other factors. Nevertheless, E. indica of block V biotype had a resistance potential due to the highest LD50. It is necessary to evaluate further the possibility of mutation in other target-points of the EPSPS gene.
Keywords: bio-assay; EPSPS; LD50; resistance index; sequencing; target-site resistance


flt3-ligand (flt3-L) is a very effective mobilizer of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and is capable of inducing multilineage hematopoietic cell differentiation both in vivo and in vitro. We measured, by ELISA, the plasma peripheral blood flt3-L concentrations in 28 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients before and after mobilization with three different mobilization regimens, including priming with cyclophosphamide (CY) plus G-CSF, CY plus GM-CSF, and CY plus GM-CSF (8 days) followed by G-CSF. We also determined the levels of flt3-L in the peripheral blood during four apheresis collections and 6 months after transplantation. The steady-state level of flt3-L in NHL patients (n = 18) who mobilized > or =2 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg in four apheresis collections was 34 +/- 4 pg/ml and was similar to the levels observed in 10 normal controls (27 +/- 7, p = 0.1) regardless of the mobilization protocol used. In contrast, patients who failed to mobilize a total of >0.4 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg in two consecutive apheresis collections (n = 10) had flt3-L levels of 106 +/- 11 pg/ml, significantly higher (p = 0.006) than that of the good mobilizers group, regardless of the mobilization protocol used. Similar results were observed in 29 multiple myeloma (MM) patients. A mean of 23.8 +/- 7.9 pg/ml and 450 +/- 85 pg/ml flt3-L was obtained in the good mobilizers (n = 24) and the nonmobilizers (n = 5) groups of patients, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference (p = 0.0006) between the two groups of MM patients, but no correlation was observed between the levels of flt3-L and CD34+ cell/microl, in mobilized peripheral blood. Our results also suggest that measurement of plasma levels of flt3-L before mobilization can be clinically useful to predict for patients with poor mobilization outcome.


There has been increasing interest in eliciting the views of children and young people; one arena for this has been the integration/inclusion context. However the increasing emphasis on the right of children to be heard has tended to emphasise the fact of production over the complexities of elicitation and interpretation. Ethical considerations in interviewing children about integration/inclusion include issues relating to confidentiality, anonymity, protocols, consent, assent and intrusion. Sampling issues include access, mode of communication and selection of data for analysis. This paper also discusses the use of various interview strategies applicable in this context. They include the merits of various ways of initiating (e.g. use of statements rather than questions) and sustaining (e.g. use of pause, interviewer phrasing) the dialogue. It is concluded that researchers in this field need to be rigorous in acknowledging and probing the complexities of child interviews in the integration/inclusion context.


For producing pure hydrogen from biomass gasification with steam as the gasifying agent, an intensified process is proposed. In the process, a bubbling fluidized bed gasifier is used for the steam gasification of biomass, a steam reformer is used for upgrading the biosyngas, and an H2-membrane water-gas-shift (HMWGS) reactor is used for converting the carbon monoxide and separating the hydrogen. Pure hydrogen is the product of the process. High-purity CO2 can be produced and taken as a coproduct. To better simulate the proposed process, models for the steam-blown fluidized bed gasifier and catalytic steam reformer have been developed. The simulation results have been compared with the experimental data, and good agreement has been obtained. The analysis of the proposed process is carried out in terms of the amount of pure hydrogen per kilogram of biomass and the overall thermodynamic efficiency of the process. Factors affecting the pure hydrogen production and thermodynamic efficiency have been studied an...


Background Models estimating risk for advanced proximal colorectal neoplasia (APN) may be used to select colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test, either prior to knowing distal colorectal findings or afterward. Current models have only fair discrimination and nearly all require knowing distal findings. Objective Derive and test risk prediction models for APN with and without distal findings. Setting Selected endoscopy centers within central Indiana, USA. Participants Average-risk persons undergoing first-time screening colonoscopy Interventions Demographics, personal and family medical history, lifestyle factors and physical measures were linked to the most advanced finding in proximal and distal colorectal segments. For both models, logistic regression identified factors independently associated with APN on a derivation set. Based on equation coefficients, points were assigned to each factor, and risk for APN was examined for each score. Scores with comparable risks were collapsed into risk categories. Both models and their scoring systems were tested on the validation set. Main outcome APN, defined as any adenoma or sessile serrated lesion ≥1 cm, one with villous histology or high-grade dysplasia, or CRC proximal to the descending colon. Results Among 3025 subjects in the derivation set (mean age 57.3 ± 6.5 years; 52% women), APN prevalence was 4.5%; 2859 (94.5%) had complete data on risk factors. Independently associated with APN were age, sex, cigarette smoking, cohabitation status, metabolic syndrome, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and physical activity. This model (without distal findings) was well-calibrated (P = 0.62) and had good discrimination (c-statistic = 0.73). In low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups that comprised 21, 58 and 21% of the sample, respectively, APN risks were 1.47% (95% CI, 0.67–2.77%), 3.09% (CI, 2.31–4.04%) and 11.6% (CI, 9.10–14.4%), respectively (P < 0.0001), with no proximal CRCs in the low-risk group and 2 in the intermediate-risk group. When tested in the validation set of 1455, the model retained good metrics (calibration P = 0.85; c-statistic = 0.83), with APN risks in low- (22%), intermediate- (56%) and high-risk (22%) subgroups of 0.62% (CI, 0.08–2.23%) 2.20% (CI, 1.31–3.46%) and 13.0% (CI, 9.50–17.2%), respectively (P < 0.0001). There were no proximal CRCs in the low-risk group, and two in the intermediate-risk group. The model with distal findings performed comparably, with validation set metrics of 0.18 for calibration, 0.76 for discrimination and APN risk (% sample) in low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups of 1.1 (69%), 8.3 (22%) and 22.3% (9%). Conclusion These models stratify large proportions of average-risk persons into clinically meaningful risk groups, and could improve screening efficiency, particularly for noncolonoscopy-based programs.


Existing studies on mining in Angola are mostly concerned with its social and military underpinnings and tend to analyse the diamond sector as empirically distinct from the state. In addition, little attention has been paid to how they are bound together and what these interconnections mean for the nature of politics in Angola. This gap in the literature is significant because diamond companies produce far more than revenue and profits: for some 100 years, the diamond sector has governed, policed, defended and controlled the strategic, diamond-rich provinces of Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte. In order to fill this lacuna, this article offers a case study on the role of the diamond industry for the state in Angola from the creation of the first diamond company in 1917 to the end of the Angolan civil war in 2002. Drawing on a wide range of untapped official documents and on interviews, it argues that the diamond sector has functioned historically as the conduit through which the state projects its power and secures its interests in strategic but hostile territory.


Emerging research has identified that neuroimmune factors are produced by cells of the central nervous system (CNS) and play critical roles as regulators of CNS function, directors of neurodevelopment and responders to pathological processes. A wide range of neuroimmune factors are produced by CNS cells, primarily the glial cells, but the role of specific neuroimmune factors and their glial cell sources in CNS biology and pathology have yet to be fully elucidated. We have used transgenic mice that express elevated levels of a specific neuroimmune factor, the cytokine IL-6 or the chemokine CCL2, through genetic modification of astrocyte expression to identify targets of astrocyte produced IL-6 or CCL2 at the protein level. We found that in non-transgenic mice constitutive expression of IL-6 and CCL2 occurs in the two CNS regions studied, the hippocampus and cerebellum, as measured by ELISA. In the CCL2 transgenic mice elevated levels of CCL2 were evident in the hippocampus and cerebellum, whereas in the IL-6 transgenic mice, elevated levels of IL-6 were only evident in the cerebellum. Western blot analysis of the cellular and synaptic proteins in the hippocampus and cerebellum of the transgenic mice showed that the elevated levels of CCL2 or IL-6 resulted in alterations in the levels of specific proteins and that these actions differed for the two neuroimmune factors and for the two brain regions. These results are consistent with cell specific profiles of action for IL-6 and CCL2, actions that may be an important aspect of their respective roles in CNS physiology and pathophysiology.


Purpose/Objective: Reproducible patient positioning remains one of the major challenges in modern radiation therapy. Recently, optical surface scanners have been introduced into clinical practice in addition to well-established positioning systems, such as room laser and skin marks. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate setup errors of the optical surface scanner Catalyst HD (C-RAD AB) in different anatomic regions. Material/Methods: Between October 2016 and June 2017 a total of 1902 treatment sessions in 110 patients were evaluated. The workflow of this study included conventional setup procedures using laser-based positioning with skin marks and an additional registration of the 3-dimensional (3D) deviations detected by the Catalyst system. The deviations of the surface-based method were then compared to the corrections of cone beam computed tomography alignment which was considered as gold standard. A practical Catalyst setup error was calculated between the translational deviations of the surface scanner and the laser positioning. Two one-sided t tests for equivalence were used for statistical analysis. Results: Data analysis revealed total deviations of 0.09 mm ± 2.03 mm for the lateral axis, 0.07 mm ± 3.21 mm for the longitudinal axis, and 0.44 mm ± 3.08 mm vertical axis for the Catalyst system, compared to −0.06 ± 3.54 mm lateral, 0.53 ± 3.47 mm longitudinal, and 0.19 ± 3.49 mm vertical for the laser positioning compared to cone beam computed tomography. The lowest positional deviations were found in the cranial region, and larger deviations occurred in the thoracic and abdominal sites. A statistical comparison using 2 one-sided t tests showed a general concordance of the 2 methods (P ≤ 0.036), excluding the vertical direction of the abdominal region (P = 0.198). Conclusion: The optical surface scanner Catalyst HD is a reliable and feasible patient positioning system without any additional radiation exposure. From the head to the thoracic and abdominal region, a decrease in accuracy was observed within a comparable range for Catalyst and laser-assisted positioning.


Previous research has been unable to establish consistent relationships between personality and gender orientation across studies, in particular how femininity relates to personality. A sample of 583 university students completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Abbreviated (Francis, Brown, & Philipchalk, 1992) and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1974, 1975). Results indicated that females scored significantly higher on femininity, extraversion, and the lie scale, and males scored significantly higher on masculinity and psychoticism. Correlation analyses supported the majority of previous studies that had found significant positive associations between masculinity and extraversion, and significant negative associations between masculinity and neuroticism, for both males and females, and significant negative associations between femininity and psychoticism for females.


The current study primarily focused on the relationship of public high school teachers' perceived organizational support and psychological capital levels. Further, this relationship was investigated in relation to participants' gender, education, type of high school, tenure, marital status and membership to an education union. The study group of the study consists of 337 high school teachers from eight public high schools located in Ankara. The data were analyzed by utilizing t test, ANOVA, Pearson Momentum Correlation Coefficient, and multiple linear regression. The main findings are as follows; teachers perceive moderate levels of organizational support; the overall psychological capital level of teachers is relatively high; married teachers have higher levels of hope than single teachers; members of education unions have higher levels of hope and self-efficacy than non-member teachers; teachers working in vocational high schools have higher levels of resilience than teachers working in Anatolian high schools; and, teachers with bachelor's degree have higher levels of optimism than teachers with graduate education degree. In addition, there is a moderate, positive and statistically significant relationship between teachers' perceived organizational support level and overall psychological capital level. Furthermore, it was found that perceived organizational support together predict 20% of the total variance in overall psychological capital level of teachers, and perceived organizational support is a statistically significant predictor of psychological capital.


We extend the current state of the art in real-time divisible load theory (RT-DLT), by considering the problems of scheduling a real-time divisible job on computing clusters in which different processing nodes have different computing capabilities, as well as different costs associated with executing on them. We seek to minimize the cost of executing a job while also meeting its deadline.


The p resent work deals with pharmacological studies of formulated tablet of Bombax ceiba Linn root extract comparing with marketed one. An aphrodisiac activity by mating behavior test model was investigated. The dissolved tablet slurry (400 mg/kg body wt./day) was administered orally by gavages for 28 days. Mount latency (ML), intromission latency (IL), ejaculation latency (EL), mounting frequency (MF), intromission frequency (IF), ejaculation frequency (EF) and post-ejaculatory interval (PEI) are the parameters observed before and during the sexual behavior study at day 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. The formulated tablet reduced significantly ML, IL, EL and PEI (p<0.05). The formulated tablet also increased significantly MF, IF and EF (p<0.05) as compared to the marketed formulation (Sildenafil Citrate-100 gm). These effects were observed in sexually active and inactive male mice. Bombax ceiba roots extract tablet (400 mg/kg body wt.) has comparative aphrodisiac activity with that of marketed formulation (Sildenafil citrate-100 mg) in inactive mice. Keywords: Bombax ceiba, aphrodisiac, formulated tablet, sexual behavior study Cite this Article Pallavi D Rai, Sharada L Deore , Irfan A Farooqui et al. Comparative aphrodisiac activity of formulated tablet of bombax ceiba linn. extract with sildenafil citrate tablet in male mice. Research & Reviews: Journal of Pharmacology . 2015; 5(3): 19–26p.


The concentration of disadvantage in specific neighbourhoods is a widespread characteristic of many Australian cities. A broad range of policies and programs which utilize integrated forms of governance have been designed and implemented to redress this. Within the state of New South Wales, Australia, local governments have been identified as being amongst the most effective drivers for these integrated governance approaches. Utilizing a case study of the Penrith Neighbourhood Renewal Program, this paper explores recent attempts by Penrith City Council to develop a framework to redress neighbourhood disadvantage, firstly by establishing an integrated governance framework for the program, and secondly by transforming the council's operational structure.


New product development (NPD) consists of exploitative activity for incremental product development and explorative activity for radical product development. However, since the functions of exploitative and explorative NPDs are of opposite directions, they compete for scarce resources that make them in trade-off nature. This trade-off nature can negatively affects NPD performance. As a solution to this problem, a concept of organisational ambidexterity has emerged. This concept refers to a firm's ability to simultaneously pursuit exploitative and explorative NPDs that able to achieve the benefits of both worlds. However, as this concept is relatively new, its relationship with NPD performance is still underexplored. In details, structural ambidexterity and contextual ambidexterity that are two types of organisational ambidexterity need to be compared and contrasted to NPD financial and nonfinancial performance since they pursuit exploitative and explorative NPDs in different ways. As such, this study contributes to NPD and organisational ambidexterity literatures through a conceptual framework that shows the relationships between structural ambidexterity, contextual ambidexterity, and NPD financial and nonfinancial performance. A potential setting for empirical study based on this conceptual framework is also addressed.


Combining the outputs of several neural networks into an aggregate output often gives improved accuracy over any individual output. The set of networks is known as an ensemble or committee. This paper presents an ensemble method for classification that has advantages over other techniques for linear combining. Normally, the output of an ensemble is a weighted sum whose weights are fixed, having been determined from the training or validation data. Our ensembles are weighted dynamically, the weights determined from the respective certainties of the network outputs. The more certain a network seems to be of its decision, the higher the weight.


We investigate uniqueness of weak solutions for a system of partial differential equations capturing behavior of magnetoelastic materials. This system couples the Navier-Stokes equations with evolutionary equations for the deformation gradient and for the magnetization obtained from a special case of the micromagnetic energy. It turns out that the conditions on uniqueness coincide with those for the well-known Navier-Stokes equations in bounded domains: weak solutions are unique in two spatial dimensions, and weak solutions satisfying the Prodi-Serrin conditions are unique among all weak solutions in three dimensions. That is, we obtain the so-called weak-strong uniqueness result in three spatial dimensions.


Carbon dioxide emissions contribute to potential long term impacts on the environment with health challenges on humans. The objective of this paper is to seek ways to mitigate the impact of carbon dioxide on the environment 1 by resorting to non-fossil sources of energy, which include renewable energy and other forms of clean energy. There is need to sensitize industries and homes to burn less fossil to improve their clean energy ratings.2 Nigeria as a country has to encourage the influx of new technology in the area of clean and renewable energy infrastructure. It is recommended that a trans-boundary solution is required3 through the use of international law to harmonise global reduction in rate of emissions. 4 Keywords : Carbon Emissions, Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Environment


Donation-based support for open, peer production projects such as Wikipedia is an important mechanism for preserving their integrity and independence. For this reason understanding donation behavior and incentives is crucial in this context. In this work, using a dataset of aggregated donation information from Wikimedia's 2015 fund-raising campaign, representing nearly 1 million pages from English and French language versions of Wikipedia, we explore the relationship between the properties of contents of a page and the number of donations on this page. Our results suggest the existence of a reciprocity mechanism, meaning that articles that provide more utility value attract a higher rate of donation. We discuss these and other findings focusing on the impact they may have on the design of banner-based fundraising campaigns. Our findings shed more light on the mechanisms that lead people to donate to Wikipedia and the relation between properties of contents and donations.


Carbon is a commonly used p-type dopant in planar III–V semiconductors, however its use in nanowire (NW) growth has been much less reported. In this work we show that the morphology of gold assisted GaAs NWs can be strongly modified by the presence of CBr4 vapor during growth by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. GaAs NWs were grown under conditions which result in strong tapering and lateral growth at low growth temperatures by the use of triethylgallium (TEGa) instead of the more usual precursor, trimethylgallium (TMGa). Under these conditions, NWs grown in the presence of CBr4 exhibit higher axial and lower radial growth rates, and negligible tapering compared with NWs grown in the absence of CBr4 under the same conditions. We attribute this primarily to the suppression of the 2d growth rate by CBr4, which enhances the axial growth rate of the nanowires. NWs grown with CBr4 show stacking-fault-free zincblende structure, while the NWs grown without CBr4 show a high density of stacking faults. This work underlines the striking effects which precursor chemistry can have on nanowire morphology.


This article presents a case report (including the 10-year follow-up) of a 10-year-old patient who suffered displacement of the maxillary right central incisor, intrusion of the maxillary left central incisor, and crown fractures to the mesial angles of these teeth as a result of dental trauma. Treatment involved an interdisciplinary approach that utilized a pediatric dentist, an endodontist, and an orthodontist.


In high precision and heavily loaded spur gears the effect of gear errors is negligible, so the periodic variation of tooth stiffness is the principal cause of noise and vibration. High contact ratio spur gears could be used to exclude or reduce the variation of tooth stiffness. The analysis of static and dynamic transmission error of spur gears cut with stan- dard tools of 20° profile angle is presented in this paper. A simple method to design spur gears with a contact ratio nearly 2.0 is used. It consists of increasing the number of teeth on mating gears and simultaneously introducing negative profile shift in order to provide the same center distance. Computer programs to calculate static and dynamic transmission error of gears under load have been developed. The analysis of gears using these programs showed that gears with high contact ratio have much less static and dynamic transmission error than standard gears.


The identification of protein targets of small molecules is essential for drug discovery. With the increasing amount of chemogenomic data in the public domain, multiple ligand-based models for target prediction have emerged. However, these models are generally biased by the number of known ligands for different targets, which involves an under-representation of epigenetic targets, and despite the increasing importance of epigenetic targets in drug discovery, there are no open tools for epigenetic target prediction. In this work, we introduce Epigenetic Target Profiler (ETP), a freely accessible and easy-to-use web application for the prediction of epigenetic targets of small molecules. For a query compound, ETP predicts its bioactivity profile over a panel of 55 different epigenetic targets. To that aim, ETP uses a consensus model based on two binary classification models for each target, relying on support vector machines and built on molecular fingerprints of different design. A distance-to-model parameter related to the reliability of the predictions is included to facilitate their interpretability and assist in the identification of small molecules with potential epigenetic activity. Epigenetic Target Profiler is freely available at http://www.epigenetictargetprofiler.com.


Abstract In this paper, a planar biaxial vehicle model with four degrees of freedom is presented based on spring-damping-mass system theory. By using Runge-Kutta method, the dynamic characteristics of a simply support bridge acting by moving vehicle with uniform variable speed are analyzed, and the effects of inertia force, relative acceleration and initial velocity are taken into consideration in the present research. The time-deflection response curves of the bridge under the variation of initial speed and acceleration are analyzed. Some valuable results are found which can provide a theoretical direction for the consideration of dynamical characteristics in design of bridge system.


Carbon fibers were pretreated by ultrasonic agitation and then were used to manufacture carbon fiber-reinforced wood composites (CFRWCs). The modulus of rupture (MOR) and the modulus of elasticity (MOE) for the CFRWCs were measured. The effects of the compounding pattern and proportion of carbon fiber on the dynamic performance were investigated by dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) and finite element analysis (FEA). Finite element modeling was performed to simulate composite dynamic analysis using ANSYS commercial software. DMA results showed that the critical parameters for the mixed boards appeared to initially increase and then decrease as the content of carbon fiber increased. ANSYS simulations showed that the first-order natural frequency increased for single-sided and two-sided boards as the composite's carbon fiber content increased, whereas it initially increased and then decreased for mixed boards. In general, the mixed board with 20 wt.% carbon fiber had maximum dynamic performances. ANSYS simulation results were very close to those of the static test, which demonstrated that the finite element model was accurate.


A sulfonate-based chemosensor 1 was designed and synthesized for sensing various analytes: Cu2+, Fe2+/3+ and Al3+. Sensor 1 showed a high selectivity and sensitivity for the analytes in a near-perfect aqueous medium. Cu2+ and Fe2+/3+ could be monitored by fluorescence quenching of 1. It had sufficiently low detection limits (1.25 μM for Cu2+ and 3.96 μM for Fe3+), which were below the recommended levels of the World Health Organization for Cu2+ (31.5 μM) and the Environmental Protection Agency for Fe3+ (5.37 μM). 1 showed the high preferential selectivity for Cu2+ and Fe3+ in the presence of competitive metal ions without any interference. Importantly, pyrophosphate could be used to distinguish Fe3+ from Cu2+. In addition, this sensor could monitor Al3+ through fluorescence emission change. Moreover, 1 was successfully applied to quantify and image Al3+ in water samples and living cells. Based on photophysical studies and theoretical calculations, the sensing mechanisms of 1 for Cu2+ and Al3+ were explained, respectively.


Changes in winter time conditions at high‐latitude ecosystems could severely affect the carbon exchange processes. Using a 15 year stream record combined with winter field measurements and laboratory experiment, we studied the regulation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in stream water draining boreal mire during snow melt. The most unanticipated finding was that cold soils with deep soil frost resulted in increased snow melt DOC concentrations in the stream runoff. Wintertime field measurements of DOC concentrations below the mire soil frost showed that this phenomenon could be explained by freeze‐out of DOC giving higher levels of DOC in the soil water below the ice as the soil frost developed downwards in the mire. Experimental freezing of water with a certain DOC concentration in the laboratory further corroborated the freeze‐out of DOC. In this experiment, as much as 96% of the DOC was excluded from the ice, whereas the freeze‐out in the mire was less effective (60%). The difference between the proportion of DOC retained in pure water relative to the proportion retained in peat water during freezing is probably due to trapped DOC in the solid peat soil matrix. A simple mass‐balance model showed that to explain the higher stream DOC concentrations during a winter with deep soil frost, approximately 0.5% of the mire area needed to be hydrologically connected to the stream discharge. In the stream records, we also found that the DOC concentrations during snow melt episodic runoff were negatively related to increasing intensity of the snow melt episodes (dilution by low DOC snow melt water) and higher previous export of DOC.


"The three inevitabilities of human being" are a conceptual hierarchy model for approaching social complexity. The three inevitabilities are first the conscious mind, second the living body and third the social other. For the human being these three aspects prove to be another enlightening access to the conditio humana. We are looking at a complex hierarchy of embedment and structural coupling based on meaning and feeling as the condition of all possibilities that come with human nature describing the possibilities and limitations of any social system and its complexity.


Block coders are among the most common compression tools available for still images and video sequences. Their low computational complexity along with their good performance make them a popular choice for compression of natural images. Yet, at low bit-rates, block coders introduce visually annoying artifacts into the image. One approach that alleviates this problem is to downsample the image, apply the coding algorithm, and interpolate back to the original resolution. In this paper, we consider the use of optimal decimation and interpolation filters in this scheme. We first consider only optimization of the interpolation filter, by formulating the problem as least-squares minimization. We then consider the joint optimization over both the decimation and the interpolation filters, using the variable projection method. The experimental results presented clearly exhibit a significant improvement over other approaches.


Experimental data on the separation of substances by extraction, based on differences in the rates of their extraction, have been given. The physicochemical principles of dynamic separation have been examined. Approaches to the mathematical modelling of the process have been described, and specific models have been analysed. The bibliography includes 231 references.


Hyperglycemia in Diabetes mellitus (DM) induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial disruptions in the liver, thereby triggering apoptosis through Bcl-2 family signaling. Excessive apoptosis leads to liver dysfunction. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) was elucidated in this study in preventing liver dysfunction as a progression of DM. The diabetic model was conducted in Wistar rats, divided into six groups. Blood examinations were done to measure the levels of blood glucose, SGOT, and SGPT. The liver was harvested for analysis of SOD2, Bax, and Bcl-2 mRNA. A paraffin section was used for p53 immunostaining. Liver dysfunction occurred in the DM 2 months group indicated by higher levels of SGPT and SGOT, higher expression of Bax, and lower expression of Bcl-2 compared to the control group. Giving CGA 12.5 mg/kgBW ameliorated blood glucose and liver enzyme levels, which were associated with lower expression of Bax, lower signaling of p53, and higher expression of Bcl-2 compared to DM 2 months group. Administration of CGA did not affect SOD2 expression in diabetic rats. CGA may attenuate liver dysfunction in diabetic rats through downregulation of Bax and p53, and upregulation of Bcl-2 signaling.


The monomeric hemoglobins of Chironomus tentans and C. pallidivittatus have been isolated and separated into their respective components by gel chromatography on Sephadex G-75 and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel. The amino acid compositions of the purified components are given. The sequence of the 30 N-terminal amino acid residues of one of the monomeric components (Hb I from C. pallidivittatus) was determined and found to be identical in almost all of its parts with the monomeric hemoglobins of C. thummi (CTT III and CTT IV). Antibodies against the monomeric hemoglobins Hb I and Hb IIc and the dimeric fraction were highly specific and no cross reaction between dimeric and monomeric hemoglobins could be demonstrated. The antibodies against the monomers crossreact with the monomeric hemoglobins CTT III and CTT IV of C. thummi. Taken together with genetic data, the immunological results indicate that divergence of monomeric from dimeric forms was an early event in the evolution of the various hemoglobins in Chironomus.


Motivated by surprises in recent experimental findings, we study transport in a model of a quantum Hall edge system with a gate-voltage controlled constriction. A finite backscattered current at finite edge-bias is explained from a Landauer-Buttiker analysis as arising from the splitting of edge current caused by the difference in the filling fractions of the bulk ($\nu_{1}$) and constriction ($\nu_{2}$) quantum Hall fluid regions. We develop a hydrodynamic theory for bosonic edge modes inspired by this model. The constriction region splits the incident long-wavelength chiral edge density-wave excitations among the transmitting and reflecting edge states encircling it. The competition between two interedge tunneling processes taking place inside the constriction, related by a quasiparticle-quasihole (qp-qh) symmetry, is accounted for by computing the boundary theories of the system. This competition is found to determine the strong coupling configuration of the system. A separatrix of qp-qh symmetric gapless critical states is found to lie between the relevant RG flows to a metallic and an insulating configuration of the constriction system. This constitutes an interesting generalisation of the Kane-Fisher quantum impurity model. The features of the RG phase diagram are also confirmed by computing various correlators and chiral linear conductances of the system. In this way, our results find excellent agreement with many recent puzzling experimental results for the cases of $\nu_{1}=1/3,~1$. We also discuss and make predictions for the case of a constriction system with $\nu_{2}=5/2$.


The objective of this research is to evaluate the role of government in collaborative government-community coastal management initiatives. The research aimed specifically to: demonstrate that governments are willing to share selected management responsibilities with non-statutory community-based organizations and that the community-based organizations are willing and able to assume specific responsibilities to describe the conditions under which such power sharing occurs and to identify the specific management functions that can and are willing to be shared. This research was informed by a detailed review of a diverse literature and a specific case study of a well-developed community-based coastal management program in Atlantic Canada - the Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP). This thesis hypothesized that the effective functioning and sustainability of government-community partnerships will be strengthened by a clearer definition, mutual understanding and acceptance of the shared and respective roles, responsibilities and accountabilities among the government and community partners in these initiatives. The research was informed by an on-line survey and semi-structured telephone interviews with a cross-section of both community and government actors in the case study. The thesis identifies the need for a 'shifting' role for governments that enter into and support these partnership arrangements. The data show that most of the identified management functions in the case study have already shifted to a community lead, but with a clear desire for government to be involved as the collaboration continues. The significant challenges that such a shifting view and perspective require in these hybrid coastal governance partnerships are explored in depth and supported by the findings that these approaches are indeed good for government, respond to community expectations for greater and more meaningful involvement and can be strong and effective means of capitalizing on the strengths and capacities of both community and government actors in advancing Integrated Coastal Management.


The overall aim of the collected published works is to investigate how different policy interventions in the field of energy efficiency (including zero carbon homes, low carbon heat networks, and domestic energy efficiency schemes) are experienced and made sense of by a range of key actors. A further aim is to understand these interventions in the context of existing theories within the field of domestic energy efficiency including socio-technical theory and Actor Network Theory.
More specifically, this research advances existing knowledge in the following areas:
The nature of the socio-technical challenges encountered in the introduction of more energy efficient buildings, and the importance of achieving a balance between socially acceptable and technically optimal environments. (Papers 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8)
The value of qualitative research in gaining a more nuanced understanding of our relationship with the home and the implications of this for domestic energy efficiency interventions and the design of low energy buildings (all papers).
The influence of tenure as determinant of access to a more energy efficient home and in particular, the stubborn and complex barriers to achieving higher standards of energy performance within the private rented sector. (Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4)
The significance of identity, setting and notions of home in the context of domestic energy efficiency interventions. (Papers 1 and 4)
As these themes suggest, this PhD is not just concerned with carbon reduction and energy saving as technical objects, but as a way of life. More specifically, it considers the interactions between the two and contends that technical or policy instruments, no matter how sophisticated, cannot succeed if they are not compatible with our ways of life (and ways of doing business) or if our ways of life cannot be reasonably adapted to accommodate them.


Measuring distance thrown during the Seated Medicine Ball Throw (SMBT) has been used frequently within the literature to quantify upper body explosiveness, due to the test being easy to learn, low-risk, and requiring minimal equipment. The reliability of distance thrown in the SMBT has not been broadly reported, nor have familiarization protocols been thoroughly documented. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability of distance thrown during the SMBT as a representative measurement for upper body explosiveness in active, recreationally trained adults. Before testing, 20 subjects completed a dynamic warm-up. After learning proper technique, subjects were familiarized with the exercise by completing continuous trials using a 10 lb medicine ball, with 1 minute of rest between trials, until three consecutive throws within 0.25 m were achieved. Subjects rested 20 minutes, repeated the warm-up, and then completed 6 trials of the SMBT where distance of each throw was measured. Any trial in which technique deviated significantly from the instructions was repeated. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess reliability between trials. Distances thrown for trials 1-6 were as follows: 3.43±0.99 m, 3.41±0.95 m, 3.48±1.00 m, 3.48±1.00 m, 3.46±1.03 m, and 3.54±1.05 m respectively. ICCs for consecutive trial pairs ranged from 0.97-0.99. These findings suggest that distance thrown is a reliable representative measure of upper body explosiveness in recreationally trained adults. The familiarization protocol used was sufficient for producing consistent performance.


Hotel Online Booking: The OFT announces its intention to accept binding commitments* On 9 August 2013, the OFT issued draft commitments in the Hotel Online Booking investigation. The OFT has…


Transport responses of hot electrons in quantum structures at room temperature are calculated including longitudinal optical phonon scattering by using an iterative method based on the non-equilibrium Green function technique to study how the potential fluctuation affects the transport responses. The average kinetic energy in a quantum wire is found to be influenced only a little, while the drift velocity is considerably affected by the potential fluctuation especially at lower electric fields. The possibility of Bloch oscillation in a coupled quantum box is also discussed.


The aim of present study was to prepare and characterize extended release matrix tablets of Zidovudine using hydrophilic polymer s Carbopol 974P and HPMC K4M alone or combination with each other by wet granulation method. The in vitro dissolution studies were carried out using USP XXIV dissolution apparatus -1(paddle) type and as well the effects of variables such as different dissolution medium, different hardness and different intensity of agitation on drug release were studied. The in vitro dissolution study revealed that combination of Carbopol 974P: HPMC K4M (3:2) extended drug release for nearly 12 hour. In conclusion, the results suggest that the developed extended release tablets of Zidovudine could perform therapeutically better than conventional dosage forms, may lead to improved efficacy and patient compliance.


A literature review of kindness and gratitude interventions was conducted exploring whether they improve the well-being of adults and children. Very few empirical studies utilised child or adolescent participants, but those that did claimed to demonstrate a number of benefits for this type of intervention, including increased levels of well-being, student popularity and pro-social behaviour. The review identified a number of methodological weaknesses in available studies, which undermined the claims made for the effectiveness of kindness and gratitude interventions with children. The review also identified a number of measures to improve the research design employed in past studies e.g. use of a non-neutral control condition to reduce expectancy effects.

Based on the review, a small-scale, mixed-methods research study was designed, which aimed to explore the effectiveness of a kindness and gratitude intervention. Employing a repeated measures, waiting-list control design, the experimental study was conducted in two classrooms in the U.K, with 9 and 10 year olds. Each group participated in a six week kindness and gratitude intervention, for an hour each week. The intervention emphasised and encouraged the performance of kind and grateful activities outside the workshops.
No consistent pattern of improvements based on self-report data was found for the child participants in measures of subjective well-being, self-esteem, or popularity, although small increases in kindness and prosocial behaviour were found in one school only, post-intervention. In spite of this, much of the qualitative information provided by the teachers, parents and children involved suggested they valued the intervention and thought it was effective at improving relationships, self-regulation skills and increasing kindness. This study failed to substantiate the findings of past research, which claimed a link between intentional prosocial activities, popularity and improved levels of well-being in children. A number of recommendations have been made for future research in this area.


Abstract This article investigates the etymology of four Latin lexemes starting with /arm-/: arma, armus, armilla and armenta. It examines whether they are men- or mo-derivatives of the root commonly reconstructed as *h₂er- 'to join'. The combination of an in-depth analysis of 1) the use of armenta in Latin, and ἀραρίσκω and ἁρμόζω in Greek, and 2) similar stems in other IE languages, particularly Vedic īrmá-, Latvian ir̃mi et al., OCS ramo and jarьmъ et al., results in the conclusion that two stems should be differentiated. Armus and the other IE words for 'shoulder; arm' point to a second laryngeal and go back to a mo-stem 'joining, (shoulder) joint', originally an adjective. Its substantivation process went along with a change in accentuation and ablaut. The middle laryngeal would be the result of a contamination with *pĺ̥h₂-meh₂. The other Latin words and OCS jarьmъ et al. go back to a men-stem 'the attachment'. The armenta were originally 'the ones belonging to the attachment (a yoke)' > 'the plough animals'. Lastly, it is stated that if ἅρμα was a direct men-derivative of the PIE root, the wheel should be interpreted as 'the attachment (to the chariot frame)' rather than 'the thing joined together'.


Heterotopic ossification (HO) caused through sport injuries is a rare, clearly defined lesion. In a considerable number of cases, however, no adequate trauma can be remembered or otherwise established in the "sporting history". Differential diagnosis of this non-traumatic HO variant often presents many problems which may lead to the wrong diagnosis of sarcoma. We looked at 28 cases, in which in more than 50% a sarcoma was discussed as primary diagnosis. These difficulties arise mainly in cases where clinical features suggest a tumor, radiological changes are unspecific, and the diagnosis is based on a small biopsy sample. We demonstrate and discuss the problems involved in differential diagnosis using the history of a matchgrade sportsman as a sample. Unlike in sarcoma, patients with HO usually suffer severe pain, and well over 50% of all patients develop the disease during the 2nd or 3rd decade. Over 90% of all patients with soft tissue sarcoma, however, are over the age of 30. From the morphological point of view, the different histological pattern of HO has to be taken into account, since early stages may mimick a sarcomatous lesion. If the clinical findings suggest the presence of HO, surgical intervention including the taking of biopsy sample should be postponed, so that instead of early highly mitotic active phases more mature bone structures, which are easier to classify, will be available for evaluation. Only a profound knowledge of the different phases of HO, together with clinical and radiological features, will clarify the differential diagnostic problems of the non-traumatic variant of this lesion in sportsmen.


ABSTRACT Pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction (PUAE) of flavonoids and polyphenols from mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Tenore) leaves was examined. The response surface methodology (RSM) via face-centered central composite design (FCCD) was used to investigate the effects of extraction time (15–75 min), output amplitude (30–70%), and pH (4–10) to optimize the extraction process. The total phenolic material (TPM) and the total flavonoid material (TFM) and also the consumed energy of horn were measured as responses. Additionally, calorimetric calculations were done to evaluate the ultrasound energy dissipated into the solution. The calculated quadratic models were highly significant (p < 0.0001) for all the parameters studied with high correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.9722, 0.9805, and 0.9983. The results of the present study suggest that 65 min, 68.72 min, 15.00 extraction time, 61%, 59%, and 30% of ultrasound amplitude and 4, 6.7, and 4 pH of solution should be considered as optimal extraction conditions to get the optimum TPM (37.845 mg-GAE/g-DL), TFM (10.709 mg-CE/g-DL), and energy consumption (6130.275 Joule) for PUAE of mandarin leaves, respectively.


The development of advanced nanocatalysts, especially those integrating high catalytic activity and recyclability, is a rapidly developing field in nanocatalysis and nanomaterials science. Yolk–shell nanostructures comprising a noble metal nanoparticle as the movable core inside a hollow cavity have been proven as promising nanocatalysts towards various catalytic reactions. Herein, we developed a new class of yolk-in-shell nanocatalysts. For the proof-of-concept study, Au@mesoporous carbon (Au@C) yolk-in-shell nanostructures, where a single Au nanoparticle is incorporated into the shell of a mesoporous carbon hollow nanosphere, have been synthesized. In comparison with Au@C yolk–shell nanocatalysts with a single movable Au nanoparticle inside the hollow cavity of mesoporous carbon, Au@C yolk-in-shell nanocatalysts show incredibly improved catalytic activity and recyclability. The concept of developing yolk-in-shell nanocatalysts will be instructive for preparing robust nanocatalysts towards advanced nanocatalysis.


Komunitas Gading has a number of problems related to production and marketing aspects. However, there are a number of opportunities for solutions related to marketing of product, handling of raw materials to the storage and packaging of finished products, and completeness of production process equipment. In spite of the problems it faces, Komunitas Gading remains its role in social entrepreneurship.


The way we organise perturbation theory is of fundamental importance both for computing the observables of relevance and for extracting fundamental physics out of them. If on one hand the different ways in which the perturbative observables can be written make manifest different features (e.g. symmetries as well as principles such as unitarity, causality and locality), on the other hand precisely demanding that some concrete features are manifest lead to different ways of organising perturbation theory. In the context of flat-space scattering amplitudes, a number of them are already known and exploited, while much less is known for cosmological observables. In the present work, we show how to systematically write down both the wavefunction of the universe and the flat-space scattering amplitudes, in such a way that they manifestly show physical poles only. We make use of the invariant definition of such observables in terms of cosmological polytopes and their scattering facet. In particular, we show that such representations correspond to triangulations of such objects through hyperplanes identified by the intersection of their facets outside of them. All possible triangulations of this type generate the different representations. This allows us to provide a general proof for the conjectured all-loop causal representation of scattering amplitudes. Importantly, all such representations can be viewed as making explicit a subset of compatible singularities, and our construction provides a way to extend Steinmann relations to higher codimension singularities for both the flat-space scattering amplitudes and the cosmological wavefunction.


An effort is made in this article to present the applications of biotechnology as regards the improvement of nutritive value and the development of novel feeds as well as the production of various types of feed additives. With respect to raw materials, quality upgrading by bio technological means has been attempted through lignocellulose breakdown or protein enrichment. In addition, reference is made to bioproteins and feeds derived from transgenic plants, particularly those resistant to herbicides. In turn, reference is made to aminoacids as products of industrial fermentation. Furthermore, various feed additives, products of biotechnology, such as enzymes, antibiotics, probiotics, but also means for depression of methanogenesis in the forestomachs of ruminants, as well as silage agents, like inoculants and enzymes, are commented upon. In certain cases, reference is made to the issue of efficacy of biotechnology products when used in animal nutrition and the subject of feed safety. Finally, because of the need for licensing these products in order to be circulated, reference is made to the provisions of Community legislation governing the marketing of feeds. The article concludes with some thoughts on the future of the sector of application of biotechnology in the case of animal


Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute, immune-mediated inflammatory peripheral polyneuropathy that is characterized by flaccid paralysis. A few cases have reported that GBS can be caused by head trauma or neurosurgery, but it has never been associated with intraventricular hemorrhage. Here, we report an uncommon case of fulminant GBS that occurred after spontaneous intraventricular hemorrhage. A 73-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital after sudden unconsciousness and vomiting. A head computed tomography (CT) scan following the incident showed a newly developed intraventricular hemorrhage, which led to an immediate ventriculostomy. After 5 days, the endotracheal tube was removed. Two days later, the external ventricular drainage tube was also removed. At this time, the patient was alert and the neurological examination was normal. However, the patient suddenly presented with acute respiratory failure and bilateral limb weakness 3 days later. An analysis of the patient's cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed that albuminocytologic dissociation was present. The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (0.4 g/kg/day) for 5 days. Despite timely medical intervention in the hospital, the patient passed away 2 months later. After a cerebral hemorrhagic injury, limb and respiratory muscle weakness can occur on occasion in the ICU. In this context, the potential involvement of GBS should not be ignored. Importantly, the pathogenic mechanism of GBS has been discussed for over a century, and it still remains a mystery. We speculate that the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of GBS following intraventricular hemorrhage. The prognosis of most patients with GBS is usually good, but cerebral hemorrhage and mechanical ventilation may serve as risk factors that exacerbate the condition. This case is reported to remind clinicians to consider the possibility of GBS when patients present limb and respiratory muscle weakness after intraventricular hemorrhage, and to provide a starting point to discuss potential mechanisms of GBS after intraventricular hemorrhage.


A platform of mechanotactic hybrids is established by projecting lateral gradients of apparent interfacial stiffness onto the planar surface of a compliant hydrogel layer using an underlying rigid substrate with microstructures inherited from 3D printed molds. Using this platform, the mechanistic coupling of epithelial migration with the stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is found to be independent of the interfacial compositional and topographical cues.


This paper summarizes experimental results from recent studies on intrinsic rotation at the plasma edge of the TCABR tokamak. These results were obtained after upgrading the number of channels of the rotation diagnostic to three. The measurements were carried out in the collisional (Pfirsch–Schluter) regime and the rotation profiles of the ions were obtained from the Doppler shifts of the impurity carbon lines, CIII (464.74 nm), and CVI (529.06 nm). Results on the correlation between toroidal rotation at the plasma edge and direction of gas injection are also presented. They indicate that the direction of gas injection has a small effect on rotation; the velocity of the background neutral hydrogen is affected by direct momentum transfer from the injected gas (also hydrogen), while the carbon ions' velocity is affected by inward radial friction force between the injected gas atoms and ions, increasing their velocity in the opposite sense of the plasma current.


This paper discusses the three paintings of 豳风七月, Bin Feng Qiyue (Bin's July) in Chaoshan Area, one of which exists only in documents and the other two of which exist materially. The paintings reflect some issues in both the history of fine arts and the social history, especially some social changes from Ming and Qing Dynasties on. This is a tentative way to conduct Chaoshan studies.


Distal Surgical margin, required in the sphincter preserving operation for rectal cancer was studied histologically on the 78 resected specimens. The extramural cancer spread, examined by clearing method, was found in 20.5%, and was more frequent and expansive compared to intramural spread of cancer. No distal spread was found in cancer limited to the rectal wall. Length of the spread by 3 cm in lower rectal cancer and 4 cm in the upper rectal cancer. Postoperative anal function showed a good or fair in patients with internal sphincteric function preserved. Postoperative dysuria and male sexual disturbance showed a close relation to the pelvic nodes dissection. Ro-dissection was followed by 20% of dysuria, while RI and R 2 46.7%, R 3 1.8%.


This paper presents a new method to describe, analyse and estimate production system performances. Work-in-process (units), lead time (number of time units spent in the production system for each unit) and throughput (number of produced units per time unit) are basic performance measures, also used in this article. It is essential for industry to know about relations between system parameters and system performances in existing systems, and in not yet implemented system alternatives. Different performances are achieved by adjusting system parameters. Trade-offs between system parameters and its different performances are necessary to stay efficient and competitive in today's market. Queuing theory and simulation can help the decision makers to estimate system performances of existing and not yet implemented systems. When the complexity increases queuing theory becomes cumbersome, very difficult and eventually impossible to use. A single simulation presents limited information. Multiple simulations are necessary to ensure that the best alternative is chosen. A high number of simulations demand a lot of computer time and resources. Reduction of runs is desirable even with cheaper computer equipment. Currently, traditional two-dimensional charts are the only tools to present and analyse system performances. This article presents a new surrogate model for easier estimation and presentation of system performances, their internal relations, and relations to the system parameters. With the new surrogate model, system performances based on simulations are presented as positions in a three-dimensional environment. Parametric curves and surfaces of Bezier type are generated and adapted to these positions. System performances of other system alternatives can then be estimated without explicit simulation. The number of simulation calculations can thereby be moderated. The method is illustrated with a small production line system.


Critical illness is a hypercatabolic state. It has been hypothesized that timely and adequate nutrition support may optimize the host response and thereby minimize nutritionally related complications while improving overall outcome. Any illness in due course can lead to a malnourished state-critical illness can worsen this state as patients may become immunocompromised and unable to mount an adequate inflammatory response and therefore susceptible to poor outcomes. Data indicate that prevalence of malnutrition in the ICU ranges from 38% to 78% and is independently associated with poor outcomes. Hence, exploring the role of nutrition as a way to mitigate critical illness is important. In this review, the basic pathophysiology of critical illness and how it alters carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of malnutrition and how it affects patient and hospital outcomes. Finally, a summary of the available evidence regarding nutrition support and its impact on outcomes are provided. This review is not intended to provide practice-based guidelines; instead, it intends to highlight available data on the role of nutrition support in critically ill patients.


Preface.- Acknowledgments.- Walking With Hope and Dharma: Are Dogs Enlightened? Are Humans?.- The Costs and Benefits of Obliviousness: Growing Up in the 1950s.- Ten Bad Things That Almost Happened, And Many More That Did: Getting to the Other Side of Trauma.- What is the Opposite of Trauma? The Power of Transformational Grace.- Can There Ever Be Enough Me? Narcissism And the Positive Death of Self.- What Does It Mean to Live an "Extraordinary Life?".- References.


Bacteria possess a large number of signal transduction systems that sense and respond to different environmental cues. Most frequently these are transcriptional regulators, two-component systems and chemosensory pathways. A major bottleneck in the field of signal transduction is the lack of information on signal molecules that modulate the activity of the large majority of these systems. We review here the progress made in the functional annotation of sensor proteins using high-throughput ligand screening approaches of purified sensor proteins or individual ligand binding domains. In these assays, the alteration in protein thermal stability following ligand binding is monitored using Differential Scanning Fluorimetry. We illustrate on several examples how the identification of the sensor protein ligand has facilitated the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the regulatory process. We will also discuss the use of virtual ligand screening approaches to identify sensor protein ligands. Both approaches have been successfully applied to functionally annotate a significant number of bacterial sensor proteins but can also be used to study proteins from other kingdoms. The major challenge consists in the study of sensor proteins that do not recognize signal molecules directly, but that are activated by signal molecule-loaded binding proteins.


In this paper, we describe a method for automatically building a statistical shape model by applying a morphing method and a principal component analysis (PCA) to a large database of femurs. One of the major challenges in building a shape model from a training data set of 3D objects is the determination of the correspondence between different shapes. In our work, we solve this problem by using a morphing method. The morphing method consists of deforming the same template mesh over a large database of femur geometries, which results in isotopological meshes and one to one correspondences; i.e., the resulting meshes have the same number of nodes, the same number of elements, and the same connectivity in all morphed meshes. By applying the morphing-based registration followed by PCA to a large database of femurs, we demonstrate that the method can be used to derive a low dimensional representation of the main variabilities of the femur geometry.


A novel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor system for static and dynamic measurements with a wavelength-swept fiber laser is proposed and demonstrated. In this system, both static and dynamic perturbation of each FBG in the sensor arrays can be interrogated simultaneously. The experiments demonstrated the strain resolutions of /spl sim/1 /spl mu//spl epsiv/ and 3.4 n/spl epsiv///spl radic/Hz at 500 Hz for static and dynamic measurements, respectively.


This final rule amends regulation by requiring that, for cost reporting periods ending on or after December 31, 2004, all hospices, organ procurement organizations, rural health clinics, Federally qualified health centers, community mental health centers, and end-stage renal disease facilities must submit cost reports currently required under the Medicare regulations in a standardized electronic format. This rule also allows a delay or waiver of this requirement when implementation would result in financial hardship for a provider. The provisions of this rule allow for more accurate preparation and more efficient processing of cost reports.


Although recent commentators have attended to dramatic and ironic aspects of Plato's Republic, a more sustained examination of the relation between irony and the exchanges of Socrates and Glaucon is required because a crucial purpose and presentation of the irony have largely gone unnoticed. This paper argues that Socratesemploys irony in part to parody Glaucon's extremism and that he does so to exhort Glaucon to think critically. First, it examines how Socrates uses the term makaria (blessedness) primarily ironically and pedagogically. Then, a possible reason for this use of makaria is advanced: aspects of Kallipolis are a parody of Glaucon and that the parody aims to instruct Glaucon intellectually. This paper hopes to show that such a reading deserves further articulation and examination.


The paper examines the administrative and judicial review of the ECB decisions in the banking supervisory field. In the first part the core characteristics of the functioning of the internal administrative review carried out by the Administrative Board of Review (ABoR) are described, and the paper highlights the differences between the ABoR and similar bodies that are already in place for reviewing decisions of some European agencies. In the second part the paper explores the specific features of the judicial review of ECB decisions in this field.


: A study of 69 normal males, aged 20 to 54 years and running increased risks of arterial hypertension, demonstrated vascular hyper-reactivity to humoral vasoconstrictors, weakened gustatory sensitivity to salt and a tendency to sodium deposition in tissues, which were induced by increased salt uptake. Their plasma aldosterone levels were increased in the presence of salt loading and showed correlation to the degree of tissue sodium metabolism slow-down. No intergroup variation was demonstrated in diurnal sodium excretion, total metabolizing sodium in the body and natriuretic response to acute salt loads.


A fundamental component of any magnetically confined fusion experiment is a firm understanding of the magnetic field. The increased complexity of the C-2W machine warrants an equally enhanced diagnostic capability. C-2W is outfitted with over 700 magnetic field probes of various types. They are both internal and external to the vacuum vessel. Inside, a linear array of innovative in-vacuum annular flux loop/B-dot combination probes provide information about plasma shape, size, pressure, energy, temperature, and trapped flux when coupled with established theoretical interpretations. A linear array of B-dot probes complement the azimuthally averaged measurements. A Mirnov array of 64 3D probes, with both low and high frequency resolution, detail plasma motion and MHD modal content via singular value decomposition analysis. Internal Rogowski probes measure axial currents flowing in the plasma jet. Outside, every feed-through for an internal probe has an external axial field probe. There are many external loops that measure the plasma formation dynamics and the total external magnetic flux. The external measurements are primarily used to characterize eddy currents in the vessel during a plasma shot. Details of these probes and the data derived from their signals are described.


The frontotemporal-orbitozygomatic (FTOZ) approach is widely used for accessing anterolateral lesions in skull base surgery. Many studies have described the technique and quantified the surgical exposure and freedom provided by the FTOZ approach. However, few studies have provided a detailed analysis of the technique and surgical landmarks using three-dimensional (3D) models. In this study, we aimed to create a collection of volumetric models (VMs) and stereoscopic media on the step-by-step surgical technique of the FTOZ approach using cadaveric dissections. The FTOZ approach was divided into eight major steps: positioning, incision of the skin, dissection of scalp flap, mobilization of the temporalis muscle, dissection of periorbita, craniotomy, drilling of basal structures, and dural opening. The MacCarty keyhole and inferior orbital fissure are major surgical landmarks that were referenced for the six bony cuts. Photogrammetry and structured light scanning were used to construct high-resolution VMs. We illustrated the two-piece FTOZ craniotomy, followed by the one-piece and three-piece FTOZ craniotomies. Stereoscopic images, videos, and VMs were produced for each step of the surgical procedure. In addition, the mini-orbitozygomatic (MOz) and orbitopterional (OPt) approaches were considered and described as possible alternatives to the FTOZ approach. Recent advances in 3D technology can be implemented in neurosurgical practice to further enhance our spatial understanding of neurovascular structures. Surgical approaches should be carefully selected and tailored according to the patient's unique pathology and needs.


Skeletal muscle is a target of anabolic steroid action; however, anabolic steroid's affect on aged skeletal muscle is not well understood. The effect of 4 wk of nandrolone decanoate (ND) administration on hindlimb muscles of 5- and 25-mo-old Fischer 344/Brown Norway rats was examined. ND (6 mg/kg body wt) was injected every 7th day for 4 wk. Controls received an oil injection. ND significantly reduced 25-mo-old rat perirenal fat pad mass by 30%. Soleus (Sol) and plantaris (Plan) muscle-to-body weight ratios were reduced in 25-mo-old rats. ND did not affect Sol or Plan muscle-to-body weight ratios at either age. Sol DNA concentration was reduced by 25% in 25-mo-old rats, and ND increased it to 12% greater than 5-mo-old rats. ND did not affect Plan DNA content. Sol androgen receptor (AR) protein in 25-mo-old rats was reduced to 35% of 5-mo-old values. ND increased AR protein by 900% in 25-mo-old rat Sol. Plan AR concentration was not affected by aging but was induced by ND in both age groups. Aging or ND treatment did not affect glucocorticoid receptor levels in either muscle. These data demonstrate that fast- and slow-twitch rat hindlimb muscles differ in their response to aging and ND therapy.


The EU has not been perceived as reacting very rapidly or effectively to the so-called Arab Spring. Events do appear to validate the idea underpinning the European Security Strategy (ESS) and the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP): only where governments guarantee to their citizens security, prosperity, freedom and equality, can peace and stability last – otherwise, people will revolt. But in practice, in its southern neighborhood the EU has acted in precisely the opposite manner, so the Arab Spring is occurring in spite of rather than thanks to EU policy. The ENP stands at a crossroads therefore: Can a new start be made? Which instruments and, in times of austerity, which means can the EU apply to consolidate democratization? And, finally, can the EU continue to wage an ENP without addressing the hard security dimension, especially as the US seem to be withdrawing from crisis management in the region – or shall it continue to leave that to others?


SUMMARY
KEGG pathway database is a collection of manually drawn pathway maps accompanied with KGML format files intended for use in automatic analysis. KGML files, however, do not contain the required information for complete reproduction of all the events indicated in the static image of a pathway map. Several parsers and editors of KEGG pathways exist for processing KGML files. We introduce KEGGParser-a MATLAB based tool for KEGG pathway parsing, semiautomatic fixing, editing, visualization and analysis in MATLAB environment. It also works with Scilab.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION
The source code is available at http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/37561.


BACKGROUND
Sepsis, a complex disorder characterized by a dysregulated immune response to an inciting infection, affects over one million Americans annually. Dysglycemia during sepsis hospitalization confers increased risk of organ dysfunction and death, and novel targets for the treatment of sepsis and maintenance of glucose homeostasis are needed. Incretin hormones are secreted by enteroendocrine cells in response to enteral nutrients and potentiate insulin release from pancreatic beta cells in a glucose-dependent manner, thereby reducing the risk of insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Incretin hormones also reduce systemic inflammation in preclinical studies, but studies of incretins in the setting of sepsis are limited.

METHODS
In this bench-to-bedside mini-review, we detail the evidence to support incretin hormones as a therapeutic target in septic patients. We performed a PubMed search utilizing the Medical Subject Headings: "incretins," "glucagon-like peptide-1," "gastric inhibitory peptide," "inflammation," and "sepsis."

RESULTS
Incretin-based therapies decrease immune cell activation, inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine release, and reduce organ dysfunction and mortality in preclinical models of sepsis. Several small clinical trials in critically-ill patients have suggested potential benefit in glycemic control using exogenous incretin infusions, but these studies had limited power and were performed in mixed-populations. Further clinical studies examining incretins specifically in septic populations are needed.

CONCLUSIONS
Targeting the incretin hormone axis in sepsis may provide a means of not only promoting euglycemia in sepsis, but also attenuating the pro-inflammatory response and improving clinical outcomes.


The generation of hydroxyl radicals by rat liver microsomes was monitored by spin trapping with 5,5-dimethylpyrroline N-oxide (DMPO). The results confirm and extend previous data which demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals are produced by microsomes in the presence of NADPH and O2, and without the exogenous addition of iron. No EPR signals could be detected unless catalase activity which was associated with the microsomes could be substantially diminished. Addition of azide was the most effective means of eliminating catalase activity, but azide also reacted rapidly with hydroxyl radicals, forming azidyl radicals which were in turn trapped by DMPO. Extensive washing and preincubation of microsomes with 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole in the presence of H2O2 were evaluated as alternative methods of decreasing the catalase contamination of microsomes. Although neither method completely eliminated microsomal catalase activity, addition of azide was no longer necessary for hydroxyl radical detection with DMPO. When highly washed microsomal preparations were tested, weak signals of the superoxide radical adduct of DMPO could also be detected. These data indicate that the sensitivity of spin trapping in microsomal systems can be improved substantially when care is taken to eliminate cytosolic contaminants such as catalase.


BACKGROUND
Androgen deficiency confers an independent risk for cardiovascular events and total mortality. Hypertension, a major contributory factor to the development of cardiovascular disease, has also been associated with increased prevalence of low testosterone. We investigated whether low androgen concentration predicts incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in middle-aged nondiabetic hypertensive patients without clinical atherosclerosis.

METHODS
MACE in relation to total testosterone (TT) were analyzed with proportional hazards models in 228 male patients (mean age 56 years).

RESULTS
During a mean follow-up of 44 months, 19 of 228 participants (8.3%) experienced a MACE. Compared to patients who did not experience MACE, hypertensive subjects who developed MACE had lower TT concentration (3.9±0.7ng/ml vs. 4.6±1.5ng/ml, P < 0.01) and a higher prevalence of hypogonadism (36% vs. 16%, P < 0.05). Subjects in the lowest TT tertile (<4.0ng/ml) had a statistically significant higher risk of MACE compared to those in the highest tertile (>4.9ng/ml) in multivariate Cox models adjusted for age, systolic blood pressure, and risk factors (all P < 0.05). A TT plasma level of 5.04ng/ml was associated with a negative predictive value (ability to "rule out" MACE) of 97.2%. Addition of TT to standard risk factors model yielded a net reclassification improvement of 38.8 % (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that low plasma testosterone is associated with increased risk for a MACE in hypertensive patients. Low endogenous androgen concentration improves risk prediction when added to standard risk factors and may represent a valuable biomarker of prediction of cardiovascular disease risk in these patients.