Introduction Class I cytokines regulate key processes such as growth, lactation, hematopoiesis, and immune function and contribute to oncogenesis. Although the extracellular domain structures of their receptors are well characterized, little is known about how the receptors activate their associated JAK (Janus kinase) protein kinases. We provide a mechanistic description for this process, focusing on the growth hormone (GH) receptor and its associated JAK2. Receptor-JAK2 activation process. (Top) Cartoons of the GH receptor basal state (state 1, left) and the active state (state 2, right) with (Bottom) transmembrane helix alignments for these states derived by modeling. GHR, GH receptor. Rationale We tested whether the receptor exists as a dimer in the inactive state by homo-FRET [fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the proteins labeled with the same fluorophore] and other means. Then, to define receptor movements resulting from activation, we attached FRET reporters to the receptor below the cell membrane and correlated their movement with receptor activation, measured as increased cell proliferation. We controlled the position of the transmembrane helices with leucine zippers and mutagenesis, and we again monitored FRET and receptor activation. We used cysteine cross-linking data to define the faces of the transmembrane helices in contact in the basal state and verified this with molecular dynamics, which allowed us to model the activation process. We also used FRET reporters to monitor the movement of JAK2, and we matched this with molecular dynamics docking of the crystal structures of the kinase and its pseudokinase domains to derive a model for activation, which we then verified experimentally. Results We found that the GH receptor exists predominantly as a dimer in vivo, held together by its transmembrane helices. These helices are parallel in the basal state, and binding of the hormone converts them into a left-hand crossover state that induces separation of helices at the lower transmembrane boundary (hence, Box1 separation). This movement is triggered by increased proximity of the juxtamembrane sequences, a consequence of locking together of the lower module of the extracellular domain on hormone binding. This movement is triggered by increased proximity of the juxtamembrane sequences , a Both this locking and the helix state transition require rotation of the receptors, but the key outcome is separation of the Box1 sequences. Because these sequences are bound to the JAK2 FERM (4.1, ezrin, radixin, moesin) domains, this separation results in removal of the pseudokinase inhibitory domain of one JAK2, which is blocking the kinase domain of the other JAK2, and vice versa. This brings the two kinase domains into productive apposition, triggering JAK2 activation. We verified this mechanism by kinase-pseudokinase domain swap, by changes in JAK2 FRET signal on activation, by showing association of pseudokinase-kinase domain pairs, and by docking of the crystal structures. An animation of our complete model of GH receptor activation is provided at http://web-services.imb.uq.edu.au/waters/hgh.html. Conclusion The proposed mechanism will be useful in understanding the many actions of GH, which include altered growth, metabolism, and bone turnover. We expect that it may extend to other members of this important receptor family. The mechanism provides a molecular basis for understanding the oncogenic JAK2 mutations responsible for polycythemia vera and certain other hematologic disorders and may thus be of value in the design of small-molecule inhibitors of clinical applicability. Signaling from JAK (Janus kinase) protein kinases to STAT (signal transducers and activators of transcription) transcription factors is key to many aspects of biology and medicine, yet the mechanism by which cytokine receptors initiate signaling is enigmatic. We present a complete mechanistic model for activation of receptor-bound JAK2, based on an archetypal cytokine receptor, the growth hormone receptor. For this, we used fluorescence resonance energy transfer to monitor positioning of the JAK2 binding motif in the receptor dimer, substitution of the receptor extracellular domains with Jun zippers to control the position of its transmembrane (TM) helices, atomistic modeling of TM helix movements, and docking of the crystal structures of the JAK2 kinase and its inhibitory pseudokinase domain with an opposing kinase-pseudokinase domain pair. Activation of the receptor dimer induced a separation of its JAK2 binding motifs, driven by a ligand-induced transition from a parallel TM helix pair to a left-handed crossover arrangement. This separation leads to removal of the pseudokinase domain from the kinase domain of the partner JAK2 and pairing of the two kinase domains, facilitating trans-activation. This model may well generalize to other class I cytokine receptors. A molecular mechanism for transmembrane signaling by the growth hormone receptor is elucidated. [Also see Perspective by Wells and Kossiakoff] The Hormone's Message The receptor for growth hormone is a well-studied representative of a family of cytokine receptors through which binding of hormone molecules at the cell surface is converted into a biochemical signal within the cell. Brooks et al. (10.1126/science.1249783; see the Perspective by Wells and Kossiakoff) used a combination of crystal structures, biophysical measurements, cell biology experiments with modified receptors, and molecular dynamics and modeling to decipher how the receptor actually transmits the information that a hormone molecule is bound. The results suggest that the receptors exist in inactive dimeric complexes in which two associated JAK2 protein kinase molecules interact in an inhibitory manner. Binding of growth hormone causes a structural change in the receptor that results in movement of the receptor intracellular domains apart from one another. This relieves the inhibition of the JAK2 molecules and allows them to activate one another, thus initiating the cellular response to the hormone.


A new method to determine gas content in solid materials based on the phenomenon of gas desorption induced by mechanical action, i.e. friction, indentation, etc., has been developed. Absorbed gases including hydrogen and helium can be analyzed using this method in both bulk or thin film materials. The sensitivity of the method for most gases is below 10 ppm of atomic concentration, while depth resolution is below 1 micrometer. The study of the effect of adsorption and readsorption of the desorbed molecules on the accuracy, sensitivity and the dynamic range of measurements is discussed. Experimental validation of the method has been done using normal and deuterated stainless steel samples.


Keywords: calibration, inverse modeling, stochastic modeling, nonlinear biodegradation, stochastic-convective, advective-dispersive, travel time, network design, non-Gaussian distribution, multimodal distribution, representers This thesis offers three new approaches that contribute to the ability of groundwater modelers to better account for heterogeneity in physically-based, fully distributed groundwater models. In both forward and inverse settings, this thesis tackles major issues with respect to handling heterogeneity and uncertainty in various situations, and thus extends the ability to correctly and/or effectively deal with heterogeneity to these particular situations. The first method presented in the thesis uses the recently developed advective-dispersive streamtube approach in combination with a one-dimensional traveling wave solution for nonlinear bioreactive transport, to study the interplay between physical heterogeneity, local-scale dispersion and nonlinear biodegradation and gain insight in the long-term asymptotic behavior of solute fronts, in order to deduce (the validity of) upscaling equations. Using the method in synthetic small-scale numerical experiments, it is shown that asymptotic front shapes are neither Fickian nor constant, which raises questions about the current practice of upscaling bioreactive transport. The second method presented in the thesis enhances the management of heterogeneity by extending inverse theory (specifically, the representer-based inverse method) to determinations of groundwater age/travel time. A first-order methodology is proposed to include groundwater age or tracer arrival time determinations in measurement network design. Using the method, it is shown that, in the applied synthetic numerical example, an age estimation network outperforms equally sized head measurement networks and conductivity measurement networks, even if the age estimations are highly uncertain. The study thus suggests a high potential of travel time/groundwater age data to constrain groundwater models. Finally, the thesis extends the applicability of inverse methods to multimodal parameter distributions. Multimodal distributions arise when multiple statistical populations exist within one parameter field, each having different means and/or variances of the parameter of concern. No inverse methods exist that can calibrate multimodal parameter distributions while preserving the geostatistical properties of the various statistical populations. The thesis proposes a method that resolves the difficulties existing inverse methods have with the multimodal distribution. The method is successfully applied to both synthetic and real-world cases.


Networks-on-chips (NoCs) are gaining in popularity as replacement for shared medium interconnects in chip-multiprocessors (CMPs) and multiprocessor systems-on-chips, and their performance becoming essential to system performance. There have been emerging studies to achieve better power/energy efficiency without performance degradation on NoCs. However, there are still non-negligible latency issues caused by the mechanism of power efficient approaches. To alleviate the latency problem and to transfer data efficiently with the high utilization of interconnect resources, we propose an on-chip network architecture that improves latency and bandwidth. Increasing the data/link widths across the network may considerably resolve this problem but is a costly proposition both in terms of device area and of power. Alternatively, we propose a dual-path router architecture that efficiently exploits path diversity to attain low latency without significant hardware overhead. By: 1) doubling the number of injection and ejection ports; 2) splitting packets into two halves; 3) recomposing routing policy to support path diversity; and 4) provisioning the network hardware design, we can considerably enhance network resource utilization to achieve much higher performance in latency. The proposed simultaneous dual-path routing (SDPR) scheme outperformed the conventional dimension order routing (DOR) technique across synthetic workloads by 31%–40% in average latency and up to a 100% improvement in throughput performance running on a 49-core CMP. Our synthesizable model for the SDPR router and network provides accurate power and area reports. According to the synthesis reports, SDPR incurs insignificant overhead compared to the baseline XY DOR router.


Abstract Background Accurate primary staging is one of the most important issues for initial management of prostate cancer (PCa) patients to perform an optimal selection of patients for curative intended treatment. 68Ga-Prostate-Specific-Membrane-Antigen (PSMA) PET/CT was found superior to conventional imaging both for detection of recurrence after curative intended treatment and for primary staging. We studied the recurrence rate after radical prostatectomy in high-risk PCa patients primary staged with 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT compared with conventional imaging. Material and methods The study included 247 D'Amico high-risk PCa patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) after primary staging with 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT and a reference group of 137 high-risk patients with RP after conventional imaging (99mTc bone scintigraphy and CT). Recurrence rates were assessed by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 71.1% in the 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT cohort compared with 56.4% in the conventional imaging cohort. Primary staging by 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT reduced biochemical recurrence (BCR) risk by 42% (HR = 0.58 (0.41–0.83), p = .004). Conclusion The present data could indicate a lower recurrence rate after RP following primary staging with 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT compared to conventional imaging, likely due to improved selection of patients for surgery.


A novel method of measuring instantaneous frequency, azimuth and amplitude based on circle array is proposed. It is not limited by indeterminancy principle, and realizes truly instantaneous frequency azimuth and amplitude measurement. In this method, amplitude is estimated using the association between array elements received signals with reference signal; frequency and azimuth are estimated dexterously by FFT, because circle array is essentially periodic. Simulation results show that instantaneous frequency, azimuth and amplitude can be estimated accurately in very short time, and this method is effective


This paper deals with optimum design criteria for maximum torque density and minimum torque ripple of synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) according to the rated wattage using response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM has been achieved to use the experimental design method in combination with the finite element method and well adapted to make analytical model for a complex problem considering a lot of interaction of design variables. The proposed procedure allows to define the rotor optimum shape for maximum torque density and minimum torque ripple starting from an existing motor or a preliminary design.


Abstract In this paper, we analyze the use of simple models for solving the inverse problem in electrocardiography (IPE), which aims at recovering the heart condition from a set of remote voltages measurements. Specifically, we consider here the problem of estimating the shape, size and location of cardiac ischemic regions. The forward problem to generate the data (voltage measurements) is formulated by using the Luo–Rudy model, which provides a detailed description of the electrical behavior of cardiac cells. As for the inversion process, we use the two-current phenomenological model. The inversion procedure also incorporates a semi-automatic stage to characterize the conduction properties of the cardiac tissue. The ischemic regions are modeled by using standard level set techniques. Numerical results show that the algorithm is capable of estimating the position, size and shape of cardiac ischemic regions from noisy voltage measurements, for both 2D and 3D geometries. Our inverse procedure is benchmarked against zero-order Tikhonov regularization. This work is a proof of principle demonstrating the possibility of using simple models in the IPE towards realistic situations.


Purpose This study evaluated the efficacy and ocular surface status of Breath-O Correct, novel orthokeratology (OK) lenses, worn overnight for 3 months. Lens-induced changes in the tear proteome were evaluated. Methods Thirty-one subjects, aged 19 to 26 years with refractive error from −1.00 to −5.00 D, were randomly assigned 1:1 to the treatment or control group. Refraction, visual acuity, corneal integrity, biomechanics and endothelial health, ocular surface changes, and subjective symptoms were assessed at the baseline, one-month, and three-month visits. The tear proteome was characterized over time using sequential window acquisition of all theoretical ion spectra mass spectrometry. Results Lenses improved uncorrected visual acuity and reduced spherical powers with similar efficacy to other OK lenses. Significant reductions (P < 0.05) in corneal hysteresis (11.12 ± 1.12 to 10.38 ± 1.36 mm Hg) and corneal resistance factor (11.06 ± 1.32 to 9.90 ± 1.45 mm Hg) were observed in the treatment group after one month of lens wear, whereas other assessed factors remained unchanged. Thirteen and eight differentially expressed proteins were found after one month and three months of lens wear, respectively. Two proteins (proline-rich protein 27 and immunoglobulin V regions) were differentially expressed at both visits. Conclusions Over a three-month period, Breath-O Correct lenses were overall safe, well tolerated, efficacious in refractive power reduction, and comparable with other OK lenses. Furthermore, their use caused only minor noninflammatory protein expression changes in the tear proteome. Translational Relevance This study investigated the safety of orthokeratology contact lenses on the ocular surface in molecular aspects and standard clinical parameters.


The number one cause for people who lose their nerve and the pleasure of riding, is the feeling of not being in control. If one can get riders to adopt ways of gaining control, half the battle is won, says William Bondesio about the confidence-building clinics which he and his wife, Bonnita, manage on a farm just outside of Bela Bela in Limpopo.


To understand the progression of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection, we inoculated gnotobiotic pigs with a newly emerged US strain, PC21A, of the virus. At 24–48 hours postinoculation, the pigs exhibited severe diarrhea and vomiting, fecal shedding, viremia, and severe atrophic enteritis. These findings confirm that strain PC21A is highly enteropathogenic.


The authors present a theory of stochastic interactive parallel processing with special emphasis on channel interactions and their relation to system capacity. The approach is based both on linear systems theory augmented with stochastic elements and decisional operators and on a metatheory of parallel channels' dependencies that incorporates standard independent and coactive parallel models as special cases. The metatheory is applied to OR and AND experimental paradigms, and the authors establish new theorems relating response time performance in these designs to earlier and novel issues. One notable outcome is the remarkable processing efficiency associated with linear parallel-channel systems that include mutually positive interactions. The results may offer insight into perceptual and cognitive configural-holistic processing systems.


Who gets to parent whom? Anca Gheaus claims that each child should be parented by the "best available parent" and that parental interests should play no role in assigning parental authority. I investigate this view. I find that it does not clearly rule out parental interests and is underspecified. Various further specifications do not seem to be about giving children the best available parent, but rather concern familiar distributive principles that attempt to balance competing interests. At the level of policy, I find the view less radical than it may first appear.


Background Primary care physicians (PCPs) are often limited in their ability to collect detailed medical histories from patients, which can lead to errors or delays in diagnosis. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) show promise in augmenting current human-driven methods of collecting personal and family histories; however, such tools are largely unproven. Objective The main aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a conversational AI medical interviewing system among patients. Methods The study was conducted among adult patients empaneled at a family medicine clinic within a large academic medical center in Northern California. Participants were asked to test an AI medical interviewing system, which uses a conversational avatar and chatbot to capture medical histories and identify patients with risk factors. After completing an interview with the AI system, participants completed a web-based survey inquiring about the performance of the system, the ease of using the system, and attitudes toward the system. Responses on a 7-point Likert scale were collected and evaluated using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 20 patients with a mean age of 50 years completed an interview with the AI system, including 12 females (60%) and 8 males (40%); 11 were White (55%), 8 were Asian (40%), and 1 was Black (5%), and 19 had at least a bachelor's degree (95%). Most participants agreed that using the system to collect histories could help their PCPs have a better understanding of their health (16/20, 80%) and help them stay healthy through identification of their health risks (14/20, 70%). Those who reported that the system was clear and understandable, and that they were able to learn it quickly, tended to be younger; those who reported that the tool could motivate them to share more comprehensive histories with their PCPs tended to be older. Conclusions In this feasibility and acceptability pilot of a conversational AI medical interviewing system, the majority of patients believed that it could help clinicians better understand their health and identify health risks; however, patients were split on the effort required to use the system, and whether AI should be used for medical interviewing. Our findings suggest areas for further research, such as understanding the user interface factors that influence ease of use and adoption, and the reasons behind patients' attitudes toward AI-assisted history-taking.


This review of adrenergic control of coronary arteries is based on studies conducted on isolated vessels. Both alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors are present in the coronary vasculature but with different distributions. The large coronary arteries have a larger percentage of alpha receptors, which mediate contraction, whereas the small coronary arteries are equipped almost exclusively with beta receptors, which mediate relaxation. The beta receptors are of the subclass beta 1. Both alpha 1 and alpha 2 receptors are present in the large coronaries. The alpha 2 receptors are prejunctional and inhibit neuronal release of norepinephrine (NE), and are also postjunctional and mediate contraction of the vascular smooth muscle. Evidence is reviewed suggesting that coronary alpha and beta receptors may be different conformational states of the same parent macromolecule in which the alpha state predominates at lower temperatures. Contrary to these results we have observed that whereas the response of the large coronary artery to NE at 39 C is predominantly constriction, it is predominantly dilation at 29 C. The characteristic of the adrenergic receptor is clearly temperature dependent.


Using research from two eleventh-grade U.S. history classrooms in the San Francisco area, this article examines how students draw on their lived experiences to create historical meanings. Specifically, a three-day lesson on Mendez v. Westminster was used as part of a curricular intervention to explore the following question: How do students use their experiences with race/ethnicity and language to understand how discrimination was enacted in a different time? A grounded theory approach was used to identify patterns and codes from the data including student work, student interviews, and classroom observations. Findings reveal that students' lived experiences served as a tool for understanding racial/ethnic discrimination and reasons why 1940s Mexican Americans claimed whiteness. At the same time, students' lived experiences limited their ability to recognize language segregation in the 1940s. Having said this, students in this study view history through various lenses: 1) a racialized lens that recognizes White privilege; and 2) a language lens that reifies language discrimination. The authors conclude by presenting the complexity of students' intersectional identities in shaping their historical analysis.


Lung cancer has been associated with radon concentration even at low levels such as those found in dwellings. This study aimed to (i) determine radon diurnal variations in three nurseries and one primary school in the Bragança district (north of Portugal) and (ii) compare radon concentrations with legislated standards and assess the legislated procedures. Radon was measured in three nurseries and a primary school in a rural area with nongranite soil. Measurements were performed continuously to examine differences between occupation and nonoccupation periods. Indoor temperature and relative humidity were also measured continuously. A great variability was found in radon concentrations between the microenvironments examined. Radon concentrations surpassed by severalfold the recommended guidelines and thresholds, and excessive levels of health concern were sporadically found (361.5–753.5 Bq m−3). Thus, it is of importance to perform a national campaign on radon measurements and to reduce exposure.


In this paper, we present the first study that compares different models of Bayesian Neural Networks (BNNs) to predict the posterior distribution of the cosmological parameters directly from the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature and polarization maps. We focus our analysis on four different methods to sample the weights of the network during training: Dropout, DropConnect, Reparameterization Trick (RT), and Flipout. We find out that Flipout outperforms all other methods regardless of the architecture used, and provides tighter constraints for the cosmological parameters. Additionally, we describe existing strategies for calibrating the networks and propose new ones. We show how tuning the regularization parameter for the scale of the approximate posterior on the weights in Flipout and RT we can produce unbiased and reliable uncertainty estimates, i.e., the regularizer acts as a hyper parameter analogous to the dropout rate in Dropout. The best performances are nevertheless achieved with a more convenient method, in which the network parameters are let free during training to achieve the best uncalibrated performances, and then the confidence intervals are calibrated in a subsequent phase. Furthermore, we claim that the correct calibration of these networks does not change the behavior for the aleatoric and epistemic uncertainties provided for BNNs when the size of the training dataset changes. The results reported in the paper can be extended to other cosmological datasets in order to capture features that can be extracted directly from the raw data, such as non-Gaussianity or foreground emissions.


BACKGROUND
Glutathione (GSH) is an important endogenous antioxidant protecting cells from oxidative injury. Cysteine (Cys), the substrate limiting the production of GSH, is mainly generated from the trans-sulfuration pathway. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is a critical molecule produced in the methionine cycle and can be utilized by the trans-sulfuration pathway. Reductions in GSH and SAM as well as dysfunction in the trans-sulfuration pathway have been documented in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Our previous in vivo study revealed that SAM administration attenuated oxidative stress induced by amyloid-β (Aβ) through the enhancement of GSH.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of Aβ-induced oxidative stress on the trans-sulfuration pathway in astrocytes and neurons, respectively, and the protective effect of SAM on neurons.

METHODS
APP/PS1 transgenic mice and the primary cultured astrocytes, neurons, and HT22 cells were used in the current study.

RESULTS
SAM could rescue the low trans-sulfuration pathway activity induced by Aβ only in astrocytes, accompanying with increasing levels of Cys and GSH. The decrease of cellular viability of neurons caused by Aβ was greatly reversed when co-cultured with astrocytes with SAM intervention. Meanwhile, SAM improved cognitive performance in APP/PS1 mice.

CONCLUSION
In terms of astrocyte protection from oxidative stress, SAM might be a potent antioxidant in the therapy of AD patients.


Summary Recent advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) techniques and progress made with drug-eluted stents as well as with post-interventional anti-thrombotic management have increased the number of patients with three vessel coronary artery disease who are nowadays initially treated interventionally. However, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has proven to be as effective as percutaneous methods, although these approaches are selected for different states of the disease. This is especially true for diabetic patients who generally demonstrate a greater mid- to long-term benefit following CABG than PCI. Nevertheless, surgery should also integrate the most recent advances like total arterial revascularisation and off-pump techniques in selected cases.


The process of excitation of surface electromagnetic waves (SEW's) in corrugated thin metal film is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The existence of an anomalous increase of the reflection coefficient is demonstrated. The excitation of long-range plasmons in thin metal films opens new possibilities for sensor applications.


Abstract In the late nineteenth century, British funerals became increasingly rational as they began to strip away the excesses of Victorian custom. Yet imposing public funerals for well-known figures continued to take place. Historians have previously underestimated the entertainment value which a public funeral could offer. As this article demonstrates, attendance at such funerals could only be guaranteed if the occasion held particular emotional resonance, personal appeal or came with a degree of novelty. Focusing on Middlesbrough in 1889, the circumstances surrounding two particular funerals are considered in order to understand both local shifts in values and priorities concerning death ritual, as an indicator of a broader national trend.


This paper studies the time-symmetry problem in quantum gravity. The issue depends critically on the choice of the quantum state and has been considered in this paper by restricting it to the case of quantum wormholes. It is seen that pure states represented by a wave functional are time symmetric. However, a maximal analytic extension of the wormhole manifold is found that corresponds to a mixed state describable by a nondegenerate density-matrix functional that involves an extra quantum uncertainty for the three-metric, and is free from the divergences encountered so far in statistical states formulated in quantum gravity. It is then argued that, relative to one asymptotic region, the statistical quantum state of single Euclidean wormholes in semiclassical approximation is time-asymmetric and gives rise to a topological arrow of time which will reflect in the set of all quantum fields at low energies of the asymptotically flat region.


This article addresses the presence of the famous Czechoslovak shoe company Bat'a in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean during the 1920s and 1930s. It is a topic that has not yet been properly researched by historians; therefore this work can shed some light on the activity of Czechoslovak companies in Latin America. The objective is to compare Bat'a's influence in the countries of the respective region and study where it was successful and why and where it was not. This comparative and quantitative analysis is based mainly on the unpublished archive material of Czech and Mexican origin. These sources are supplemented by memoirs of several Bat'a's officials present in the region and published in some local Czechoslovak newspapers.


This paper deals with our investigations into improving the performance of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system with low computational complexity. In the proposed scheme, by taking attribute of a user channel like channel capacity decrease rate, subcarriers are allocated depending on the individual users' priority. This scheme is high reliable technique by ordering the capacity decrease rate and allocating subcarriers to users depending on the proposed user' priority. Also we apply error-based bit allocation scheme according to channel condition. And to reduce the computational complexity and iterations until reaching a final allocation, simplified adaptation based on bit error rate (BER) is suggested and compared with original algorithm. As the channel evaluation parameter, signal to noise ratio (SNR) estimation method is used. Our proposed scheme is simulated in comparison with a conventional resource allocation scheme. It is shown that proposed method demonstrates better results than the simulated schemes.


CONTEXT. 2MASS is the reference survey in the NIR part of the spectrum given its whole-sky coverage, large dynamic range, and proven calibration uniformity. However, previous studies disagree in the value of the zero points (ZPs) for its three bands JHK at the hundredth of a magnitude level. The disagreement should become more noticeable now that Gaia provides whole-sky optical photometry calibrated below that level. AIMS. We want to establish the value of the 2MASS ZPs based on NICMOS/HST spectrophotometry of the CALSPEC standard stars and test it with the help of Gaia DR2 parallaxes. METHODS. We have computed the synthetic JHK photometry for a sample of stars using the HST CALSPEC spectroscopic standards and compared it with their 2MASS magnitudes to evaluate the ZPs. We have tested our results by analysing a sample of FGK dwarfs with excellent 2MASS photometry and accurate Gaia DR2 parallaxes.} RESULTS. The Vega ZPs for 2MASS J, H, and K are found to be -0.025$\pm$0.005 mag, 0.004$\pm$0.005 mag, and -0.015$\pm$0.005 mag, respectively. The analysis of the FGK sample indicates that the new ZPs are more accurate than previous ones.


Invariant (i)NKT cells influence the response to viral infections, although the mechanisms are poorly defined. Here we show that these innate-like lymphocytes secrete IFN-γ upon culture with CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-stimulated dendritic cells (DCs) from mouse bone marrow. This requires TLR9 signaling and IL-12 secretion by the activated DCs, but does not require CD1d expression. iNKT cells also produce IFN-γ in response to mouse CMV (MCMV) infection. Their mechanism of MCMV detection is quite similar to that of CpG, requiring bothTLR9 signaling and IL-12 secretion, while the need for CD1d expression is relatively minor. Consequently, iNKT cells have the ability to respond to a variety of microbes, including viruses, in an antigen-independent manner, suggesting they may play a broad role in anti-pathogen defenses despite their limited TCR repertoire.


Currently accepted standard of surgical treatment of patients with locally advanced stage III and IV laryngeal and laryngopharyngeal cancer is laryngectomy which leads to loss of vocal function. Therefore, vocal rehabilitation is one of the most important tasks of the doctor. It allows to increase quality of life of patients after treatment. Currently used techniques of vocal rehabilitation have their advantages and disadvantages. The article considers various techniques of vocal rehabilitation, primarily, subtotal laryngectomy with laryngotracheal shunt as a promising method of surgical rehabilitation of patients with locally advanced caner of the larynx and laryngopharynx.


This Project report entitled Pre-Feasibility Study of Upper Balephi Khola Hydroelectric Project,Sindhupalchowk. We the students of 4th year of Civil Engineering of Kantipur Engineering college jointly completed the project on 4 months of time period. We visited the site studied the background, area, location, access, catchment areas ,transmission route, hydrology, geology for project. Then desk study, Map study, Design of the various structures were done. Design discharge at 50th percentage of time was 21.84,net head 47.5 m available power 89.10 Mw, available energy 60.60 Gwh were calculated. Then the financial analysis of the project was done which gave the total cost of project of 99 crores,80 lakhs only(lump sum rounded figure),thus the cost per Mw generation was 12 crores, ninty lakhs only and simple pay back period nearly equal to 5 yrs, benefit cost ratio 1.52>1 .Hence selling price of our energy per unit @Rs.3.50 seems feasible. Thus, from our calculations and computation we are able to say that our project is feasible and any one willing can take the project,since this project is promoted so that loadshedding problem of Nepal can be minimized to some extent.


Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is currently used in the debridement and disinfection of the root canal system, supporting the mechanical procedures. Although it is considered a safe irrigant, the literature reports a few cases of adverse reaction caused by NaOCl: They range from injection through the apical foramen to air emphysema and allergic reactions as complications during endodontic treatment. The present report shows the possible severe clinical consequences of concentrated NaOCl extruding through the periapical tissues during root canal irrigation in a patient not allergic to NaOCl.


In a previous paper it has been established that almost all spatially periodic motions of an infinite homogenous conducting fluid give magnetohydrodynamic dynamo action for almost all values of the magnetic diffusivity or resistivity A. It was shown that there is a dynamo action if and only it or some real vector j there is a growing magnetic field solution of the form where the complex vector function H(x) has the same periodicity as the motion. The complex growth rate b was studied in a first-order limit of small j to obtain the above result. In this sequel the special case of spatially periodic motions with their three components functions of the two Cartesian coordinates y and z only is considered. The first-order method establishes dynamo action for only half, in a certain sense, of the motion-resistivity combinations. It is shown that the two-dimensional spatially periodic motion u = (cos y — cos z, sin z, sin y) is a first-order dynamo, at least for almost all resistivities. Three similar motions, which are not firstorder dynamos for any resistivity, are also studied. It is proved that multiple-scale versions of all three can give growing magnetic fields for certain resistivities when terms of higher order in j are included. Heuristic descriptions of all four dynamo mechanisms are given. A numerical method is described for determining the most rapidly growing magnetic field solution ot toe above form, and results for all four motions are presented, giving the growth rate R e/, as a function of j for a range of resistivities A down to about 10~a. The first motion gives growing solutions for all resistivities in this range, the others give dynamo action only for resistivities below critical values near unity. The numerical and analytic results agree.


Objective: The aim of this study was to detect the frequency of suicide attempts as well as psychological disorders for the individuals that attempt to commit suicide in the province of Sivas and clarify the relation between suicide attempts and the relevant characteristics.  Method: The socio-demographic information was collected during the clinical interview. Structured clinical interview for axis I disorders based on DSM-IV (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, SCID-I) and structured clinical interview for personality disorders based on DSM-III-R (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, SCID-II) were administered, consecutively. Results : Majority of the suicide attempters were women, at the 18-29 age group, people with low level of education, housewives and unemployed people of low socio-economical status whose parents also have a low education profile and people who belong to the core family structure. The most common method of suicide attempts was taking high doses of drugs. The most frequent reported reason for suicide was family disputes (33%). 61% of the cases were identified as having an axis I disorder and 58% were identified as having an axis II disorder. The most frequent axis I diagnosis was major depressive disorder and the most frequent axis II diagnosis was borderline personality disorder. Mood disorders were more common among married people, people at age 30 or older, people who have a history of a psycho-social stress factor before attempt and among those who have previous suicide attempts. Cluster B personality disorders were more common among people with dysfunctional family relationships, split family, alcohol abuse and previous suicide attempts. Conclusions: In-depth assessment for cases with depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder should include inquiry about previous suicide attempts and these cases should receive appropriate treatment. It should be kept in mind that the probability of suicide attempts is high for these cases.


Metallic nanoparticles are gradually emerging as important materials because of their novel shape and size-dependent chemical and physical properties that differ drastically
from their bulk counterparts. The main challenges in the field of nano-chemistry are the rational control and manipulation of synthesis to derive materials with one of their dimensions in nanometer regime, and upscale production of nanomaterials for device fabrication. This chapter reviews the fundamentals of the quantum properties of metals
and quantum mechanical size effects with special focus on clusters of Pd, Pt, Au and Ag. Effects of reduction in size of metal nanoparticles to nanoscale on their various properties (structural, thermal, mechanical, chemical, electronic, magnetic and optical) are reviewed. The chapter concludes with a review of select medical applications of metal nanoparticles.


Author(s): Lu, Yao | Advisor(s): Dey, Sujit | Abstract: Cloud gaming architecture has been proposed and deployed in large-scale com- mercial systems in recent years. It renders and encodes video views on cloud servers, with the resulting video streamed through network to end devices. This approach has the advantage of relieving high computation, power and storage requirements of gaming from end devices. The challenge therefore shifts to streaming high quality video with low latency through fluctuating network. In this thesis, we extend the basic cloud gaming architecture in three aspects. First, we consider not only gaming as target application, but also consider much more virtual immersive applications, such as virtual classroom and virtual art gallery, etc. Second, with the development of ubiquitous wireless network for mobile devices, we specifically consider streaming the video through mobile wireless network. Third, with the growing popularity of mobile auto-stereoscopic 3D displays, we consider capture, record and stream two views (left and right views) in the virtual world so that it can render 3D views on mobile 3D displays. To conclude, we term our extended architecture as cloud mobile 3D display virtual immersive application architecture. Because 3D videos contain two views that doubles video bit rate requirement for the same quality versus 2D video, and also because mobile wireless network is much more fluctuating than wired and WiFi network, streaming high quality 3D video with low latency becomes much more challenging. In this thesis, based on prior research results that show human brain can compensate perceived video quality automatically when one of the views is of inferior quality, we propose asymmetric rendering where we tune graphics rendering quality to be asymmetric in rendering engine. We develop both user experience models and bit rate models by applying different rendering settings and conducting subjective tests. We further develop optimization algorithms which use the above two models to automatically decide the optimal rendering settings for left view and right view to ensure the best user experience given the network conditions. Experiments conducted using real 4G-LTE network profiles on commercial cloud service with different genres of applications demonstrate significant improvement in user experience when the proposed technology is applied.


The Pastor-Evangelist in the Parish By Richard Stoll Armstrong Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press 1990, 244 pp., papec $14.95 Reviewed by Robert C Anderson If he were not so gentle and genial, we could almost call Richard Armstrong a Christian gadfly. Repeatedly, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, he prods pastors with two theses: (1) The work of evangelism is squarely the responsibility of the church; and (2) The pastor is the principle person to see that evangelism is not only performed but is successful. The pastor accomplishes this by personal example as well as word. This is the third in a series of books which not only builds a biblical base confronting us with these realities, but also proposes successful methodologies to carry out the task It is a refreshing change from the endless array of "ought" books which give scant clues as to how we should accomplish the "ought." As well as being a theoretician, it is evident that Armstrong is an active practitioner. Painting a broad sweep over the countless activities which demand a pastor's time, and using numerous helpful, personal anecdotes, Armstrong proposes that the pastor adopt a n evangelistic awareness, considering each occasion an opportunity to share the good news. For the author, "Evangelism is not just one thing among many that a pastor does. It is the heart of everything a pastor does!" (13). He feels that many pastors, like himself, have graduated from seminary without proper training for integrating evangelism into their pastoral duties. In many ways this book is a delightful time warp, a throwback to a servant-oriented pastorate which is different from the slick management-oriented professionalism touted today by many churchgrowth "experts." Imagine a pastor who still makes house calls! Picture a pastor who uses worship, counseling sessions, home visits, board meetings, and all his other duties as opportunities for sharing the good news! Imagine a book that tells him how to do this! Armstrong feels strongly that "pastoral care and evangelism are, or ought to be, intimately rela ted (23). He insists, "Evangelism that is not pastoral is insensitive; pastoral care that is not concerned with the person's spiritual well-being is incomplete" (24). To this I would heartily agree, and I recommend this book to pastors and prospective pastors as a warm, stimulating prod to evangelize.


The purpose of this study is to analyze women apparel's colors in the Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo collections and examine the color characteristics of three collections through comparison with trend colors suggested by Carlin, a color forecasting group. A literature review and an empirical study were used for methodology. The literature review examined the status and characteristics of the three collections, a fashion color forecast, and F/W 2014-15 trend colors by Carlin based on previous researches and literature data on fashion color. The empirical study extracted and analyzed 2014-15 F/W women's ready-to-wear collections in Seoul, Tokyo, and Beijing and compared the result with trend colors by Carlin. First, the colors of women's apparel were analyzed in the Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo collections. All three collections commonly used achromatic colors and the percentage of Bk, Gy, Wh, R, and B colors was high. All three collections used achromatic colors frequently for the main color and sub colors. For accent colors, while the application of achromatic colors was high in the Seoul collection, the application of chromatic colors was high in the Tokyo and Beijing collections. Second, women's apparel colors in the Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo collections were compared with trend colors suggested by Carlin. All three collections highly reflected Bk, Wh, and R (Carlin's forecasting color of 'Splendor') and B (forecasting color of 'Boreal'). However, the reflection of metallic colors suggested as a keyword of 'Brave New World' and Pk color of 'Sensitive' and 'Boreal' were a bit low.


In this study, we evaluated and compared the chemical composition, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative effects of four methanol extracts (R1–R4), of Salvia rosmarinus Spenn. in two different sites of Southern Italy obtained by maceration or ultrasound-assisted extraction. Extracts of S. rosmarinus collected on the Ionian coast are indicated with the abbreviations R1 (maceration) and R2 (ultrasound-assisted extraction). Extracts of S. rosmarinus collected on the Tyrrhenian coast are indicated with the abbreviations R3 (maceration) and R4 (ultrasound-assisted extraction). The chemical composition was analyzed using High Pressure liquid chromatography–Diod-Array detection–Electrospray ionization–Quadrupole–Mass Spectroscopy (HPLC-DAD-ESI-Q-MS). The antioxidant activity was analyzed by 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), β-carotene bleaching, and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays. Antioxidant features were also assessed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW-264.7 murine macrophages, evaluating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production; in the same experimental model, the anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was investigated. Interestingly, all extracts displayed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They exhibited significative nitrite production inhibitory activity, whith IC50 values ranging from 3.46 to 5.53 µg/mL, without impairing cell viability. The anti-inflammatory activity was also investigated by Western Blotting and immunofluorescence assay, highlighting the R3 and R4 extracts ability to reduce NF-κB translocation, as well as to disrupt the MAPKs signaling pathway. Extracts exhibited both potential anti-proliferative activity on breast cancer cells, inducing apoptosis, without affecting non-tumorigenic cells, and the ability to inhibit MDA-MB-231 cells' motility. Finally, the rosemary extracts treatment significantly reduced the power of conditioned media, from MCF-7 or MDA-MB-231 cells to induce nitrite production on RAW 264.7 cells, confirming their promising anti-inflammatory activity.


Abstract Serum chemistry panels and complete mineral and heavy metal screens were performed on blood samples from eight adult northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) breeding in Pennsylvania. Serum chemistry panels were performed to determine the health status of each bird. Biochemical values measured included serum glucose, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, uric acid, creatine kinase, and aspartate transaminase. Glucose, creatine kinase, and aspartate transaminase values were elevated when compared with published values for northern goshawks and other species of raptors. Complete mineral screens were performed to better document the blood mineral content of northern goshawks. Plasma calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, total phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc levels were determined. Whole blood heavy metal screens were done to evaluate the northern goshawk's exposure to environmental arsenic, cadmium, lead, thallium, and selenium. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and thallium whole blood levels of less than 0.05 ppm in all birds indicated that the northern goshawks were not being exposed to significant levels of heavy metals in their environment. Whole blood selenium levels of the northern goshawks were above the minimum dietary requirement for avian species (0.130–0.200 ppm) and below published toxic selenium concentrations.


Based on the seminal paper by Ronald Coase and subsequent work by Oliver Williamson, Oliver Hart and others, explanations for the existence of firms typically hinge upon the advantages of internal coordination over the purchase of market services. In recent years, the standard theory of the integrated firm has given way to a concern about the relative advantages of in-sourcing over outsourcing, recognising that the scope of the firm is a strategic matter. The issue of in-sourcing versus outsourcing has been accompanied by a concern about the geographical scope of the firm: whether the outsourcing of tasks and functions is close-at-hand or offshore. In this paper, we begin with reference to Ronald Coase and the literature that has followed in his wake and suggest, in the first instance, a way of conceptualising the tasks and functions of firms which rely upon firm-specific strategic assets including human capital, governance and decision-making procedures, and the information systems that underpin decision-making. The objects of our analysis are financial institutions like pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and investment management institutions. To the extent that the cost of services is important, these types of financial institutions have sought to discount these costs by outsourcing, even offshoring. At issue is the viable geographical reach of this type of institution. In large part, our analysis is conceptual and theoretical rather than directly empirical. Nonetheless, it is based on a set of case studies and fieldwork and the implications to be drawn thereof.


A large proportion of the energy consumed in Europe is used to maintain comfortable indoor climate in buildings. In recent time governments around the world have implemented energy requirements for buildings, in order to reduce the energy consumption to prepare for a more sustainable future. These requirements become stricter with time, urging building-makers to develop more energy-efficient housing. The building-makers need to know the energy requirements of the building before construction begins for various reasons. To be sure the building meets the government's requirements, the owner want to know what the annual energy costs will be like, and to be able to choose the right technical systems for the building. Failing the latter might lead to poor indoor climate. The consultants tools to simulate building energy and climate has become more and more advanced, and are able to accurately predict heat flows through building envelope. Yet still large variances in heating energy use are found in similar building when measurements are taking place, indicating that events happen that are not easily predicted. This study shows large differences in annual space heating when applying a more realistic model for window opening. The impact increases with higher indoor temperatures and better insulation levels. The chance that a consultant will underestimate the energy use is great. A model for variable set-point temperature was also tested, and was found to give lower indoor temperatures. This thesis is attached to the Research Centre on Zero Emission Building (ZEB).The vision of ZEB is to eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions caused by buildings. The Centre encompasses both residential and commercial buildings, as well as public buildings. This study focuses on residential buildings.


The monocyte-osteoclast hypothesis states that osteoclasts are derived from the differentiation of monocytes. Recently we reported that the U937 cell line, a monoblastic cell of human origin, differentiated to an osteoclast precursor when cultured in the presence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) and lymphokines. Using this model of monocytic differentiation we have tested the role of calcium (Ca) in the culture medium by the addition of CaCl2 in the presence or absence of EGTA, a chelating agent, on the growth and differentiation of the U937 cells. Increasing the Ca concentration ([Ca]) to 2.0 mM inhibited the differentiation of resting or 1,25(OH)2D3 exposed cells, but had no effect on the cells exposed to lymphokines or lymphokines and 1,25 (OH)2D3. Reducing the [Ca] to 10−7 M inhibited differentiation but also reduced cell viability. Addition of CaCl2 to medium containing EGTA to produce [Ca] in the range of 10−5 M to 10−3 M restored the cellular growth and viability. Inhibition of differentiation associated with the reduced calcium concentration over the range of 10−5 M to 10−3 M was not due to growth inhibition. These findings show the importance of the extracellular [Ca] in an in vitro model of monocytic differentiation induced by vitamin D and lymphokines.


Depending on their intra- and/or extracellular localization heat shock proteins (HSP) either mediate protection against stress-induced cell damage or act as danger signals stimulating the adaptive and innate immune system (1–3). However, it remained elusive how cytosolic HSPs become externalized and thus communicate with immunocompetent effector cells. Several groups demonstrated that a variety of different cell types, including tumor cells, have the capacity for an active release of Hsp70 in detergent-soluble vesicles (4,5). Biophysical properties including floating properties (1.17g/ml) correlating with a maximum acetylcholine esterase activity characterized them as exosomes (3–5). Profiling of luminal proteins revealed that tumor-derived exosomes contain cytosolic proteins but lack ER-residing proteins. An exosomal enrichment of the small GTPase Rab-4 documented their intracellular transport route from the early endosomal compartment to the plasma membrane. Exosomes originating from Hsp70 plasma membrane-positive tumors present Hsp70 on their exosomal membrane. In line with these findings only Hsp70 surface-positive exosomes but not their negative counterparts had the capacity to stimulate the innate immune system (3). These data provide an explanation how the innate immune system might become activated by tumor-derived exosomal Hsp70 in vivo.


Small and medium sized (SME) retailers strive to maintain the balance of demand and supply in their stores. By maintaining
the availability of items, they able to provide positive shopping experience for customers. Therefore, they are able to survive
in a competition with large retailers. The technological advances and the shopping behavior are among the factors that
encourage SME retailers to adopt the technology information system for supports information between business functions to
keep the balance of supply, demand and their distribution. One of the many ways to maintain balance of demand and supply
is by implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) (). However, ERP is quite difficult for SME retailers to be implemented
in their organization. Selecting the optimal ERP software is a critical process in the early phase of an ERP project. This
study aimed to investigating the priority (preference) of the criteria and alternatives using the Analytic Network Process
(ANP) approach for the small and medium-sized retailers focusing in Jakarta. This study conducted by observation and
interviews with the experts who have experience with ERP and small and medium-sized retailers. In this study, the pairwise
comparisons used to assess the proposed alternatives and criteria. Furthermore, this study also calculates the overall score
of the criteria and alternatives for analyzing the relation and preference of the criteria and alternatives. The theory of ANP
used to evaluate all criteria and alternatives with expressed numerically. The findings of this study provide an overview that
small and medium-sized retail companies tend to require systems or ERP software. In this study, there are 5 criteria most
preferred: ease of customization, technical aspects, functionality and compatibility with other systems, and software prices.
These criteria are considered to ensure the good operational activities. The most preferred alternative is SAP Business One,
as it scored highest on several criteria, Odoo and Acumatica. The limitation of this study is that this study only used three
ERP software programs as alternatives and this study focuses only for the small and medium-sized retailers in Jakarta.


The genera Chalinus Konow and Mocsarya Konow are revised. Eight species are recognised in Chalinus: C. berlandi Guiglia, C. braunsi (Enslin), C. haugi du Buysson, C. imperialis (Westwood), C. orientalis Guiglia, C. purpureiventris Cameron, C. somalicus Guiglia, C. timnaensis Kraus. Chalinus balianii Guiglia is proposed as a new synonym of C. berlandi Guiglia, C. schulthessi Guiglia as a new synonym of C. braunsi (Enslin), and the synonymy of C. congoensis Guiglia with C. imperialis (Westwood) is reestablished. Two species are recognised in Mocsarya: M. metallica (Mocsary); M. syriaca Benson. Two nominal species, Oryssus oberthueri Saussure and Oryssus plumicornis Guerin-Menneville are treated as species inquirendae in Chalinus. Keys, redescriptions and distribution maps are provided for all recognised species.


As our sophistication in medicine and biology increases, it becomes clearer daily that no disease can be completely understood without reference to developmental processes, even in our aging population. The present collection of principles with selected supporting illustrations derived from molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, pathology, and pediatrics provides a valuable overview of the often reciprocal impact of development upon disease. The style is so lucid that even the overburdened practitioner might find relaxation as well as education here. Even the layman (such as he who reads Scientific American ) may find this treatise worthwhile. There are enough specifics to be rewarding in practical medicine among the seven chapters, which are entitled: "Nature of Developing Cells," "Tissues and Organ Reactions to Injury," "Neoplasia," "Genetic Diseases of Cells and Cellular Metabolism," "Metabolic, Nutritional and Chemical Injuries," "Infectious Injury," "Immune Injury and Hyperergic Tissue Reactions." The book is warmly recommended.


Aim: Majority of the smokers intend to stop smoking. However success rate is low and is affected by many factors. In a previous report (February 2009-January 2011) we found that he rate of smoking cessation rate was 21,8 % for 2 years. We further assessed the properties of patients admitted to our cigarette smoking cessattion setting between 2009-2013 Material and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study we evaluated 621 people admitted to our smoking cessation clinic between February 2009- February 2013. Results: Patients mean age was: 41,11±13 (min:16, max: 75) ; 71 % male,29% were female with mean 26,42 ± 20,542 pack-years of smoking status. Almost all patients (87.1%) had complaints related to cigarette consumption: halithosis (64.1%), dyspnea (58,8%), sputum (56.1%), and 85,5 % of patients had already unsuccessful attempt to quit. Fagerstrom tests showed that 64.9 % our patients had 6. The most common comorbidities in patients were dyslipidemia (11.6%), hypertension (10.8%), DM (9.8%), COPD (%9.5). Conclusions: Between February 2009 –January 2011 medical treatment was started 47.7% of the patients. Between January 2011 and January 2013 this ratio had increased to 72.8%. This may be a result of smoking cessation drugs (bupropion and varenicline) had been distributed free by the Ministry of Health in February 2012.


A cross-sectional survey of severe hypoglycaemia was performed in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients in 1984 and repeated in 1998 at the diabetes out-patient clinic of a Swedish university hospital. The study revealed that the prevalence of severe hypoglycaemia had increased by more than 50 per cent over 14 years, in spite of more frequent use of multiple insulin injection therapy and daily self monitoring of blood glucose. A multiple logistic regression analysis of risk factors for severe hypoglycaemia explained less than 10% of the variance, implicating only unawareness of hypoglycaemia and HbA1c. It is concluded that long duration type 1 diabetes mellitus patients are increasingly vulnerable with respect to severe hypoglycaemia and that this should be taken into account when individual treatment goals are being proposed to patients. Novel short-acting and long-acting analogs of insulin as well as insulin pumps may prove useful to minimize the risk of severe hypoglycaemic episodes. It is argued that the ability of currently marketed glucose monitoring systems to sensitively and specifically detect hypoglycaemia is limited.


A novel disturbance rejection solution for a benchmark mass-spring-damper (MSD) system is presented. The proposed design, adaptive mixing control (AMC,) is a deterministic multiple model adaptive control (MMAC) approach that mixes candidate controllers by monitoring real-time estimates of an unknown parameter. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to compare the performance of the AMC scheme with a stochastic robust MMAC (RMMAC) scheme, as well as a nonadaptive mixed-mu compensator.


This paper focuses on the wheel loader steer by wire system. For the reasons of the feature of the big variation range of steering resistance and the input flow, the serious non-linear, using the hybrid-fuzzy controller which combining the conventional PID and fuzzy controller together. This paper introduces the structure of steer by wire system, mathematical model of the system, the design process of the controller. The simulation results show that the hybrid-fuzzy controller has merits of quick response, little overshoot, no concussion. It can satisfy the requirement of actual steer by wire system.


The structured nature of microbial ecosystems makes their study difficult, and simple laboratory analogues are needed. Two gel-stabilized gradient systems are described in which solute transfer is by diffusion alone. In the first, organisms grow in a semi-solid agar gel located above a source layer of full-strength agar containing the diffusible solute, which was glucose in the experiments reported here. Changes in physicochemical parameters, various solutes and cell concentration have been monitored in cultures of Bacillus megaterium NCTC 10342 and Lactobacillus confusus NCIB 4037 grown in this system. In experiments with a range of bacteria, banded growth was noted for several strains. The microbiology of the water at the base of an oil storage tank was investigated in the second model, in which gas oil was poured over a semi-solid layer containing agar, a basal salts medium, cells and a steel plate. After incubation for up to 90 d the system had differentiated into aerobic and anaerobic regions, and activities included hydrocarbon catabolism, oxygen removal, sulphate reduction, and the growth of a large population of aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophs. The value of these models is discussed with reference to microbial ecology.


Introduction: Jump classes include exercises on an individual mini trampoline, comprehend sequences of rhythmic and choreographed movements and are prescribed to improve the aerobic capacity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the intensity of a Jump session performed with the musical cadence of 135 beats per minute (bpm) and using a choreography for lower body is in line with the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) to improve the aerobic condition. Materials and Methods: Eleven healthy female participants composed the sample (23.2±2.2 years-old, 61.7±8.3kg, 165.3±6.1cm). The volunteers were subjected to a maximum test using the Bruce protocol on a treadmill and, subsequently, a second test on a mini trampoline to check the consumption of oxygen (VO2) and heart rate (FC) during the performance of a pre-established choreography at a cadence of 135 bpm for 10 min. Results: Statistical analysis found an average FC of 81% and VO2 of 64%. Discussion: It was concluded that a Jump session at musical cadence of 135 bpm and using a choreography for lower body is in line with the recommendations of ACSM regarding the intensity.


Factitious disorders are characterized by physical or psychological symptoms that are intentionally produced or feigned in order to assume the sick role. In the particularly severe type presented by Munchausen syndrome, the person's entire life may consist of either trying to get admitted to or staying in hospitals. From the case of a 47 year old patient exhibiting symptoms of neurological aspect associated with psychological complaints, the issue of differential diagnosis of a factitious disorder is addressed. The integration of the reported symptomatology to the subject's personal history seems indispensable to the understanding and the global therapy of the patient.


Rotavirus was the an important causative agent of acute gastroenteritis in children. In China, rotavirus was positive in approximately 30% of the diarrhea children and become a serious public problem. This study was carried out to investigate the clinical and molecular epidemic characterization of rotavirus infection among children under 5 years old with acute diarrhea in Shandong province, China. From July 2017 to June 2018, a total of 1211 fecal specimens were detected and the prevalence of rotavirus infection was 32.12%. The mean age of positive children was 12.2 ± 10.9 months and the highest infection rate was observed in children aged 7–12 months with a rate of 41.64%. G9P[8] (76.61%) was the most prevalent combinations followed by G2P[4] (7.20%), G3P[8] (3.60%) and G9P[4] (2.06%). In addition to diarrhea, vomiting, fever and dehydration were the most common accompanied symptoms. In general, there was no significant difference in clinical manifestations among different age groups. However, the clinical manifestations between vaccinated and unvaccinated children were significantly different. Vaccinated children showed lower incidence and frequency of vomiting, lower incidence and degree of dehydration, lower incidence of severe cases than unvaccinated children. The findings suggested necessary to continue rotavirus strains surveillance in order to monitor the change of prevalent genotype. Moreover, introducing vaccine into national immunization program to prevent and control rotavirus infections is needed in China.


Hepatitis B virus is a major public health impasse all over the world. Recently a new form of hepatitis B infection named Occult hepatitis B Infection (OBI) has appeared globally. The OBI is defined as the presence of HBV DNA in the liver and/or blood in the absence of detectable serum HBsAg with/without anti-HBc or anti-HBs. The prevalence of OBI has been reported in hemodialysis (HD) patients in different regions of the world. Thus, this study investigated the prevalence of OBI among HD patients. The cross-sectional study was carried out on 84 HD patients. These sera were checked for HBsAg, HBc-IgG assessment using Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The DNA was extracted from the sera samples and tested for HBVDNA detection using Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nested PCR). The liver function tests including serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were carried out for all the HD individuals. 52/84(61.9%) of HD were males and 32/84 (38.1%) were females. The patient's age ranged from 25 to 64 with a mean age of 52.4±15.2 years. HBsAg and HBc-IgG were detected in 1(1.1%) female. 2 (2.4%; a female and a male) patients were positive for HBsAg. 14/84 (16.7%; 6 female and 8 male) HD patients were positive for anti-HBc but negative for HBsAg, among them 4(28.6%; 2 female and 2 male) cases were positive for HBV DNA, indicating the presence of OBI in HD patients. Even distribution of OBI among the HD was found in 2(2.36%) male and 2(2.36%) female (P>.0.05). In the present study the moderate rate of 4.76% OBI has been observed in HD patients. The prevalence of seropositive OBI among the gender was 2(2.36%) male and 2(2.36%) female. The seronegative OBI have not been detected in the present study but requires further investigation. In this study the affliction of OBI in HD patients is not clear.


Due to the expensive costs of collecting labels in multi-label classification datasets, partially annotated multi-label classification has become an emerging field in computer vision. One baseline approach to this task is to assume unobserved labels as negative labels, but this assumption induces label noise as a form of false negative. To understand the negative impact caused by false negative labels, we study how these labels affect the model's explanation. We observe that the explanation of two models, trained with full and partial labels each, highlights similar regions but with different scaling, where the latter tends to have lower attribution scores. Based on these findings, we propose to boost the attribution scores of the model trained with partial labels to make its explanation resemble that of the model trained with full labels. Even with the conceptually simple approach, the multi-label classification performance improves by a large margin in three different datasets on a single positive label setting and one on a large-scale partial label setting. Code is available at https://github.com/youngwk/BridgeGapExplanationPAMC.


Maize (Zea mays L.) is grown in north western Pakistan mostly in hilly area, where farmer use farm yard manure (FYM) or urea N for its production solely or in combination. To optimize the FYM and Urea-N for improved productivity, an experiment was carried out using three level of FYM, i.e., 0.5, 10, 15 t ha-1 either solely or in combination with 50 and/or 100 kg N ha-1 and was repeated during next year. A control plots having no FYM or urea N was also included. The management of FYM and inorganic N had a profound bearing on maize productivity and improved yield and yield traits. A linear increase in each yield and yield traits was observed with each increment in FYM at both levels of urea-N. Plants were taller in plots received FYM as well as urea N compared to sole FYM or control. Number of cobs/plants, grains/cob and thousand grain weight were linearly increased with the increase in levels of FYM at both levels of urea N. Plant stalk and grain yield was higher at maximum levels of both FYM and urea N. It was comprehend from the experiment that combined use of organic and inorganic N produce more than sole use of FYM and thus, is recommended for general cultivation in north western Pakistan on sustainable basis.


The computer code COMMIX-1C/ATM, which describes single-phase, three-dimensional transient thermofluiddynamic problems, has provided the framework for the extension of the standard k-{var epsilon} turbulence model to a six-equation model with additional transport equations for the turbulence heat fluxes and the variance of temperature fluctuations. The new model, which allows simulation of anisotropic turbulence in stratified shear flows, is referred to as the Anisotropic Turbulence Model (ATM). The ATM has been verified with numerical computations of stable and unstable stratified shear flow between parallel plates.


The necessity of incorporating psychological knowledge into the science of sport has a strong grounding in the fact that, through participation in sports, one strives to actualize, develop, and enrich one's physical and biological potentials, to enrich the natural deter-minatives of one's behavior employing one's psychological features. Information that is needed for performing technical elements, about the environment in which they are performed, expectations and their consequences, the way in which success or failure are accepted, etc., all this is determined by the processes belonging to the cognitive personal aspects. The role of cognitive capabilities is reflected in the fact that there's no such sport that doesn't require the capability of perceiving time and space, rapid differentiation, deduction and decision making. Referees make one distinct group of athletes. They are a building block of team competitions, and as such they draw the attention of both athletic and public in general. This is a transversal research empiric in character, encompassing 85 respondents divided in four sub-samples by the criterion of each referee's achieved ranking for the season 2003/2004. The subject of this research is the psychological features of team handball referees, on one hand, and their achieved rating in the list of referees for the given competition rank, on the other. The goal of the research is to analyze the psychological features of team handball referees and to determine their relation to the achieved rating in refereeing. By doing this research, we have analyzed the psychological features of a very distinct athletic group represented by handball referees, and we have determined effects that some psychological features have on the achieved rating in refereeing.


Background Uncertainty and time pressure in emergency departments add a challenge to the rational decision-making process, specifically when encountering a critical patient who requires a prompt response. However, there has been little attempt to develop a mental structure model to understand the thought processes and identify cognitive weaknesses points in nurses' decision-making. A better understanding can inform changes in both practice learning strategies and decision-making in emergency department. This study aims to better understand how newly employed nurses process information and initiate actions in emergency situations characterized by time constraints and uncertainty. Method Participants worked under time pressure and uncertainty to solve a simulated shock case by establishing an assumption of what type of shock the simulated patient might have and its cause. An 8-minute window was available to initiate action. Following the simulation, a retrospective think-aloud interview was conducted. Findings Participants' ability to identify the category of shock was better than their ability to identify the underlaying cause of the shock. This influenced their ability to intervene correctly. Participants' thinking process in an emergency situation can be organized using ABCDE acronym as follows: (1) awareness of the situation, followed by, an instant (2) generation of beliefs (presumption), (3) controlling the consequence (first-line management action), (4) involvement in deliberate thinking and, finally (5) execution, actions (second-line management action). The cognitive weakness was mainly noticed during the first-line management action when participants were involved in immediate lifesaving activities. Conclusion Classification of the steps involved in decision-making when encountering emergency situations may provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the thought process at different stages. Further studies are required.


The aim of this study is to provide the basic data of spray
setting method for the fireproof covering. For this purpose,
the purpose, the behavier of different three kinds method which
s the number of times, interval, finishing for a required
performance.
The result of the data analysis shows that it is better to spray
setting method at a time and to finish by natural becomes to
reduce a period and labor cost for works


In a nonlinear theory, such as General Relativity, linearized field equations around an exact solution are necessary but not sufficient conditions for linearized solutions. Therefore, the linearized field equations can have some solutions which do not come from the linearization of possible exact solutions. This fact can make the perturbation theory ill-defined, which would be a problem both at the classical and semiclassical quantization level. Here we study the first and second order perturbation theory in cosmological Einstein gravity and give the explicit form of the integral constraint, which is called the Taub charge, on the first order solutions for spacetimes with a Killing symmetry and a compact hypersurface without a boundary.


The postnatal ontogeny of [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-Btx) binding distribution in rat neocortex was described and quantified using autoradiography of in vitro labeled brain sections. During the first two weeks, distinctive transitory radial and laminar patterns emerged. Dense columnar bands of alpha-Btx binding extended through the depth of primary sensory cortex, including somatosensory, visual and auditory areas. An association of alpha-Btx binding with thalamic input zones was further demonstrated within developing somatosensory cortex, where discrete radial bands appeared over the whisker barrels around the time that ingrowing thalamocortical fibers segregate as they selectively innervate the barrels. The early laminar distribution of alpha-Btx binding also resembled that of developing thalamocortical afferents. From P12 to P20, alpha-Btx radial distinctions faded and the laminar pattern changed further to achieve the adult distribution. The spatiotemporal ontogeny of alpha-Btx binding suggests a role for alpha-Btx binding sites in the development of cortical connectivity.


A separation procedure for the analysis of the enzyme components of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima involved in cellulose and xylan degradation was developed. Resolution of the enzymes was achieved by a combination of fast protein liquid chromatography anion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Enzyme fractions were assayed for hydrolysis of Avicel, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), beta-glucan, laminarin, xylan, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucoside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-cellobioside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xyloside, p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside, and 4-O-methyl-glucuronosyl-xylotriose. The activities of two cellulases, one laminarinase, one xylanase, two putative beta-D-xylosidases, alpha-D-glucuronidase, and alpha-L-arabinosidase were identified. Because of their selective retardation on a Superdex gel filtration column, the two cellulases could be purified to homogeneity. According to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, molecular masses of 27 and 29 kDa, respectively, were determined for cellulase I and cellulase II. Maximal activities of both enzymes were observed at 95 degree C between pH 6.0 and 7.5. In the presence of 2.5 M NaC1 the purified enzymes retained about 90% of their initial activities after a 6-h incubation at 80 degree C. On the basis of its activity towards CMC, cellulase I was classified as endo-beta-1,4-glucanase. Cellulase II was able to attack Avicel in addition to CMC, beta-glucan, and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-cellobioside. It releases cellobiose and cellotriose from Avicel. The latter product is further cleaved into glucose and cellobiose. Cellulase II may therefore be classified as exo-beta-1,4-glucanase.


Maintenance of cellular zinc homeostasis includes regulating the expression of cell membrane zinc transporters. Knowledge about the mechanisms underlying changes in mammalian zinc transporter mRNA abundance is poor. We demonstrated that when expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells as N-terminal fusions to green fluorescent protein, two splice variants of ZnT5 adopt different subcellular locations (either in the Golgi apparatus or throughout the cell, including at the plasma membrane) indicating discrete roles in cellular zinc homeostasis. We demonstrated, using a β-galactosidase reporter gene, that both splice variants were expressed from a promoter region that was transcriptionally repressed by increased extracellular zinc (150 μm compared with 3 μm; ∼40%) and by extracellular zinc depletion, using the chelator N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine (∼20%). We mapped the zinc-responsive element to the region -154 to +50, relative to the predicted start of transcription, and showed that a consensus metal response element sequence (-410 to -404) was not responsible for these effects. Changes in ZnT5 mRNA abundance in Caco-2 cells at different zinc concentrations were in parallel to the changes in promoter activity (∼40% reduction at 150 μm zinc) but in the presence of actinomycin D, to prevent transcription, we observed a marked stabilization (1.7–2-fold accumulation over 24 h) of ZnT5 mRNA. We conclude that effects of zinc on ZnT5 transcription and mRNA stability act in opposition to balance mRNA abundance for cellular zinc homeostasis. To our knowledge, this is the first report that zinc affects the stability of a transcript with a direct role in cellular zinc homeostasis.


This article explains the differences between 'integrated working' and 'blurring the boundaries'. Although often used interchangeably, these terms actually represent the best and worst possible outcomes involved when professional boundaries are crossed. The authors use a health-care example, but they tackle the issues raised as generic concerns for effective inter-professional working in all sectors. The article shows that, rather than blurring boundaries, the establishment of clear boundaries is essential for successful inter-professional working. Clearly defined boundaries establish an exploratory space in which team members can tap into and use team skills, thus harnessing the diversity of the team.


Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a clinically heterogeneous class of neurodevelopmental conditions with a strong, albeit complex, genetic basis. The genetic architecture of ASD includes different genetic models, from monogenic transmission at one end, to polygenic risk given by thousands of common variants with small effects at the other end. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was also proposed as a genetic modifier for ASD, mostly focusing on maternal mtDNA, since the paternal mitogenome is not transmitted to offspring. We extensively studied the potential contribution of mtDNA in ASD pathogenesis and risk through deep next generation sequencing and quantitative PCR in a cohort of 98 families. While the maternally-inherited mtDNA did not seem to predispose to ASD, neither for haplogroups nor for the presence of pathogenic mutations, an unexpected influence of paternal mtDNA, apparently centered on haplogroup U, came from the Italian families extrapolated from the test cohort (n = 74) when compared to the control population. However, this result was not replicated in an independent Italian cohort of 127 families and it is likely due to the elevated paternal age at time of conception. In addition, ASD probands showed a reduced mtDNA content when compared to their unaffected siblings. Multivariable regression analyses indicated that variants with 15%–5% heteroplasmy in probands are associated to a greater severity of ASD based on ADOS-2 criteria, whereas paternal super-haplogroups H and JT were associated with milder phenotypes. In conclusion, our results suggest that the mtDNA impacts on ASD, significantly modifying the phenotypic expression in the Italian population. The unexpected finding of protection induced by paternal mitogenome in term of severity may derive from a role of mtDNA in influencing the accumulation of nuclear de novo mutations or epigenetic alterations in fathers' germinal cells, affecting the neurodevelopment in the offspring. This result remains preliminary and needs further confirmation in independent cohorts of larger size. If confirmed, it potentially opens a different perspective on how paternal non-inherited mtDNA may predispose or modulate other complex diseases.


Measurements of size distributions are provided for the breakage of commercial packed bakers' yeast cells as a function of operating pressure and number of passes through a Manton Gaulin high‐pressure homogenizer. A two parameter model was developed, based upon the use of a Boltzmann function, to simulate the changes in size distribution that accompany the cell breakage process. The effects of operating pressure and number of passes are incorporated in the model and the result is used to simulate the particle size distribution of the cell homogenate. The results show that there is little breakage below a threshold pressure of 115 bar and above which breakage is critically dependent upon the pressure and number of passes through the homogenizer. The analysis provides a means of studying the efficiency of centrifugation that may follow cell disruption and provides the basis for further studies of size distribution changes accompanying cell disruption. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


PURPOSE Adjunct cervical cancer screening methods are under evaluation to improve the diagnostic accuracy of human papillomavirus (HPV)-based screening in low- and middle-income countries. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of smartphone-based cervicography among HPV-positive women living with HIV (WLWH) in Western Kenya. METHODS HPV-positive WLWH of 25-49 years of age enrolled in a clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04191967) had digital images of the cervix taken using a smartphone by a nonphysician provider following visual inspection with acetic acid. All participants had colposcopy-directed biopsy before treatment. Cervical images were evaluated by three off-site colposcopists for quality, diagnostic utility, and assigned a presumed diagnosis. We determined the proportion of images rates as low, medium, or high quality, interobserver agreement using Cohen's Kappa statistic, and the off-site colposcopist's sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) compared with histopathology. Acceptability was evaluated using a questionnaire. RESULTS One hundred sixty-four HPV-positive WLWH underwent cervicography during the study period. Mean age was 37.3 years. Images from the first 94 participants were evaluated by off-site colposcopists, with a majority (70.9%) rated as high quality. Off-site colposcopists had a sensitivity ranging from 21.4% (95% CI, 0.06 to 0.43) to 35.7% (95% CI, 0.26 to 0.46) and a specificity between 85.5% (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.90) to 94.9% (95% CI, 0.92 to 0.98) for diagnosis of CIN2+ based compared with histopathology. The majority of women, 99.4%, were comfortable having an image of their cervix taken as part of screening. CONCLUSION Cervicography by a nonphysician provider as an adjunct to HPV-based screening among WLWH in a low- and middle-income country setting is feasible and acceptable. However, low sensitivity for diagnosis of CIN2+ by off-site expert colposcopists highlights the limitations of cervicography.


Background and Objectives : Social support has a very important role in maintaining an optimum level of functioning in patients with psychosis. It is very widely believed that inadequate support from families and friends triggers the state of relapse in psychotic patients. This study is undertaken with an objective to determine if perceived social support acts as a risk factor for relapse in psychosis. Materials and Methods : Patients who are diagnosed with psychosis as per ICD-10 criteria have been included. A case control study design has been adopted to investigate the perceived social support among patients with relapse and without relapse. Convenience sampling technique is used to select 30 patients with psychosis, among which 15 subjects were in the relapse group and 15 subjects were in the non-relapse group. Results : The study results showed that, in the relapse group all the subjects (100%) had inadequate social support, where as in the non-relapse group, 80% and 20% of subjects had inadequate and adequate social support respectively. There was no statistically significant association between the perceived social support and the relapse in psychosis. Conclusion : It is evident form the present study that adequate social support especially from friends and family members are of utmost importance to prevent relapse in patients with psychosis. As indicated, almost all the subjects in the relapse group had an inadequate social support, which means that the occurrence of relapse is common in the absence of adequate social support.


The participation of T cell subsets in the modulation of immunity in athletes triggered by maximal effort was investigated. In total, 80 physically active young men (range 16–20 years) were divided into 5 age groups: 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 years old. They performed efficiency tests on mechanical treadmills until exhaustion. White blood cell (WBC) and lymphocyte (LYM) counts were determined, and the type 1 (Th1), type 2 (Th2) helper T cells, T helper 17 (Th17), and T regulatory (Treg) cell distribution and plasma levels of selected cytokines were analyzed. An increase in WBC and LYM counts after the test and in Th1 and Treg cells after the test and in recovery was observed. There were no changes in Th2 cells. An increase in interleukins (IL): IL-2 and IL-8 was observed. The IL-6 level was altered in all studied groups. IL-17A and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels were increased in all studied groups. The mechanism of differential T cell subset activation may be related to athletes' age. The novel findings of this study are the involvement of Th17 cells in post-effort immune responses and the participation of IL-6 in post-effort and the long-term biological effect of endurance effort.


As solar hydrogen is a sustainable and environmental friendly energy carrier, it is considered to take the place of fossil fuels in the near future. Solar hydrogen can be generated by splitting of water under solar light illumination. In this study, the use of nanostructured hematite thin-film electrodes in photocatalytic water splitting was investigated. Hematite (a-Fe2O3) has a narrow band-gap of 2.2 eV, which is able to utilise approximately 40% of solar radiation. However, poor photoelectrochemical performance is observed for hematite due to low electrical conductivity and a high rate of electron-hole recombination. An extensive review of useful measures taken to overcoming the disadvantages of hematite so as to enhance its performance was presented including thin-film structure, nanostructuring, doping, etc. Since semiconductoring materials which exhibit an inverse opal structure are expected to have a high surface-volume ratio, unique optical characteristics and a shorter distance for photogenerated holes to travel to the electrode/electrolyte interface, inverse opals of hematite thin films deposited on FTO glass substrate were successfully prepared by doctor blading using PMMA as a template. However, due to the poor adhesion of the films, an acidic medium (i.e., 2 M HCl) was employed to significantly enhance the adhesion of the films, which completely destroyed the inverse opal structure. Therefore, undoped, Ti and Zn-doped hematite thin films deposied on FTO glass substrate without an inverse opal structure were prepared by doctor blading and spray pyrolysis and characterised using SEM, EDX, XRD, TGA, UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical measurements. Regarding the doped hematite thin films prepared by doctor blading, the photoelectrochemical activity of the hematite photoelectrodes was improved by incorporation of Ti, most likely owing to the increased electrical conductivity of the films, the stabilisation of oxygen vacancies by Ti4+ ions and the increased electric field of the space charge layer. A highest photoresponse was recorded in case of 2.5 at.% Ti which seemed to be an optimal concentration. The effect of doping content, thickness, and calcination temperature on the performance of the Ti-doped photoelectrodes was investigated. Also, the photoactivity of the 2.5 at.% Ti-doped samples was examined in two different types of electrochemical cells. Zn doping did not enhance the photoactivity of the hematite thin films though Zn seemed to enhance the hole transport due to the slow hole mobility of hematite which could not be overcome by the enhancement. The poor performance was also obtained for the Ti-doped samples prepared by spray pyrolysis, which appeared to be a result of introduction of impurities from the metallic parts of the spray gun in an acidic medium. Further characterisation of the thin-film electrodes is required to explain the mechanism by which enhanced performance was obtained for Ti-doped electrodes (doctor blading) and poor photoactivity for Zn and Ti-doped samples which were synthesised by doctor blading and spray pyrolysis, respectively. Ti-doped hematite thin films will be synthesised in another way, such as dip coating so as to maintain an inverse opal structure as well as well adhesion. Also, a comparative study of the films will be carried out.


Cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (FDH, Aldh1L1) is an important regulator of intracellular folate pools, which displays antiproliferative effects in cancer cells. We have identified a gene at the chromosome locus 12q24.11 in the human genome, the product of which has 87% sequence similarity with cytosolic FDH. This protein has an extra amino-terminal sequence of 22 amino acid residues enriched in arginines, which is predicted to be a mitochondrial translocation signal. The mitochondrial targeting function of the leader has been confirmed in Cos7 cells: green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged at the amino-terminus with the leader, localizes to mitochondria. Transfection of Cos7 or A549 cell lines with a construct, in which GFP has been introduced between the leader sequence and the rest of the putative mitochondrial FDH (mtFDH), has also shown mitochondrial localization, suggesting that the identified gene encodes a mitochondrial enzyme. To evaluate the abundance of mtFDH, we have measured its mRNA levels in a wide array of human tissues by real-time PCR, and compared them to the levels of mRNA that encode cytosolic FDH. While cytosolic FDH mRNA is highest in liver, kidney and pancreas, mtFDH mRNA is most highly expressed in pancreas, heart and brain, but not in liver or kidney. In contrast to the cytosolic enzyme, which is non detectable in human cancer cell lines, the presence of mtFDH mRNA was demonstrated in A549 and PC3 cells by conventional and real-time PCR. The presence of the endogenous enzyme in mitochondria of A549 cells has been further confirmed using specific polyclonal antibody generated against purified recombinant mtFDH. We have also shown that recombinant mtFDH, similar to the cytosolic enzyme, catalyzes NADP + -dependent oxidation of the 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate and CO 2 . Thus, the enzyme is a likely source of CO 2 production in mitochondria and we propose that it plays an essential role in distribution of one-carbon groups between cytosolic and mitochondrial compartments of the cell. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 73.


Abstract The vulnerability of the geological record and of the natural environment in general was recognized in the nineteenth century. The Geologists' Association (GA) contributed to the national debate after the First World War and was active in consultations leading to the development of conservation policy and legislation in the 1940s. The geological issues attracted less attention in the 1950s and 1960s, but in the years that followed the GA became increasingly involved in conservation initiatives. The Fieldwork Code was published, the Curry Fund established and the GA became active in supplying the geological input to a wide variety of environmental conservation campaigns.