BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to find an association between moderate, vigorous and total physical activity (PA); diet quality; and bone mineral density (BMD) among patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS
We enrolled 54 IBD patients, including those with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), and 24 healthy adults. All subjects completed the Questionnaire of Eating Behaviour based on which prohealthy and nonhealthy diet indexes were calculated, and the questionnaire included questions from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Prohealthy and nonhealthy diet indexes were divided into low-, medium- and high scores. BMD and T- and Z-scores of the lumbar spine (L1-L4) and femoral neck (FN) were assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry method.

RESULTS
BMD, T- and Z-scores of the FN and the Z-score of L1-L4 were significantly lower among patients with CD and UC than healthy controls. We did not find any differences in the time of PA among CD, UC and control groups (CG). The prohealthy diet index was higher among healthy subjects than the CD and UC groups. The nonhealthy diet index was lower among UC patients compared with the CG or CD patients. Prohealthy diet index positively correlated with BMD and T- and Z-scores of L1-L4 and FN in IBD. The prohealthy diet index correlated negatively with C-reactive protein and positively with body mass index. The prohealthy diet index correlated only with total PA in the CD group.

CONCLUSION
A well-balanced diet and proper PA may decrease the risk of osteoporosis in IBD, so education of patients referring to nutrition and PA is needed.


Current limiting diode (CLD) was fabricated using junction field effect transistor (JFET) structured two small cells and eight large cells. Two small cells and eight large cells were connected in parallel and the obtained constant current was 110 mA. The application of CLD in each of the parallel circuits on chip on board (COB) type LED lighting source, could significantly reduce the current deviation within the parallel circuits. The applications of CLD on AC power small lighting source, battery power low voltage parallel lighting source and AC flat lighting source were investigated.


The use of ionization chambers in diagnostic radiology is not feasible in measurement situations requiring small and robust dose sensors. The composition of LiF:W developed as a scintillator for the measurement of thermal neutrons seems profitable for an application in dosimetry of low-energy photons. Properties of a small LiF:W scintillator were determined with DV- and DH-standard radiation qualities. For a tube voltage range of 40 to 150 kV (corresponding to a HVL of 1.56 to 13.69 mm Al) a maximum variation in sensitivity of +/-13% was determined for a scintillator thickness of 3.7 mm. The scintillator signal was linear in a range from 6.6 mGy min(-1) to at least 13.7 Gy min(-1). Higher dose rates could not be obtained in the measurement setup. The temperature dependence of the luminescence response was found to decrease from +3.7% (at +2.5 degrees C) to -7.0% (at +45 degrees C) with respect to the luminescence response at 20 degrees C. LiF:W appears to be an interesting choice as a dosimetric scintillator in diagnostic radiology making immediate measurements of dose and dose rate with high spatial resolution feasible.


[1] The paleoproductivity, paleo-oxygenation, and paleohydrographic configuration of the southeastern Mediterranean during the late Holocene was reconstructed on the basis of the isotopic composition of the epibenthic Heterolepa floridana, shallow-endobenthic Uvigerina mediterranea, and the deeper endobenthic Bulimina inflata from two high-resolution cores GA-112 (470 m) and GA-110 (670 m). The Δδ13C between H. floridana and U. mediterranea reveals four intervals of enhanced productivity, from 3.3–2.6, 2.3–1.9, 1.5–1.1, and 0.8–0.4 kyr BP, coinciding with increased nutrient supply by the Nile River. The entire basin was well aerated, with oxygen consumption varying between 1.0 and 3.5 mL O2/L. Oxygen consumption increases toward present day, probably because of higher accumulation of total organic carbon at 1.7 kyr BP, coinciding with the appearance of the mesotropic benthic species. The hydrographic configuration of the basin has changed during the course of the last 3.75 kyr. The Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) deepens below 470 m between 3.3 and 2.0 kyr, and especially between 2.5 and 2.0 kyr. During the last 1.5 kyr, the LIW becomes shallower than 470 m, similar to the present day. The change in the hydrographic configuration reflects changes in evaporation/precipitation ratio and in temperature.


Symptoms of vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA), including dyspareunia and vaginal dryness, have a distinct negative impact on a woman's quality of life. The REVIVE survey highlighted the lack of awareness of VVA symptoms among postmenopausal women with vaginal symptoms, with many women reluctant to initiate discussions with their healthcare professionals despite the presence of vaginal symptoms. The REVIVE survey also provided insights into women's views of VVA treatments. Women reported displeasure with the vaginal administration route, lack of symptom relief with over-the-counter products, and concerns about the safety of estrogen therapies. With the high prevalence of VVA, obstetricians/gynecologists should become vigilant in identifying women with VVA by implementing screening and discussion of symptoms during routine office visits - providing patients with information about appropriate therapies based on the severity and impact of symptoms, keeping in mind individual preferences and perceptions.


ABSTRACT Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a potent mycotoxin produced by Fusarium molds and affects intestinal nutrient absorption and barrier function in experimental and farm animals. Free DON and the plant metabolite DON-3-β-d-glucoside (D3G) are frequently found in wheat and maize. D3G is stable in the upper human gut, but some human intestinal bacteria release DON from D3G in vitro. Furthermore, some bacteria derived from animal digestive systems degrade DON to a less toxic metabolite, deepoxy-deoxynivalenol (DOM-1). The metabolism of D3G and DON by the human microbiota has not been fully assessed. We therefore conducted in vitro batch culture experiments assessing the activity of the human fecal microbiota to release DON from D3G. We also studied detoxification of DON to DOM-1 by the microbiota and its potential effect on urinary DON excretion in humans. Fecal slurry from five volunteers was spiked with DON or D3G and incubated anaerobically (from 1 h to 7 days), and mycotoxins were extracted into acetonitrile. Mycotoxins were detected in fecal extracts and urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The fecal microbiota released DON from D3G very efficiently, with hydrolysis peaking after 4 to 6 h. The fecal microbiota from one volunteer transformed DON to DOM-1. Urine from the same volunteer also contained DOM-1 (4.7% of DON), whereas DOM-1 was not detectable in urine from other volunteers. Our results confirm that the fecal microbiota releases DON from its glycosylated form, hence increasing the toxic burden in exposed individuals. Furthermore, this is first evidence that the human fecal microbiota of one volunteer detoxifies DON, resulting in the appearance of DOM-1 in urine.


The hydrothermal synthesis of kaolinite was examined in the Al2O3-SiO2-H2O system to study inhibitory effects of additional ions on the formation of kaolinite. Syntheses were carried out with amorphous starting materials and salt solutions of various concentrations in Teflon pressure vessels at 220°C for 5 days. The reaction products were characterized by XRD, IR, DTA-TG, NMR and TEM. In all of the runs using solutions with cation concentrations less than 0.001 M, no significant effect on the formation of kaolinite was observed. The inhibitory effect of the univalent cations Li+, Na+ or K+ was less than that of divalent cations such as Mg2+ or Ca2+. The addition of trivalent Fe3+ or excess Al3+ ions interfered with the formation of kaolinite significantly. Sulfate and acetate solutions interfered with the formation of kaolinite more than chlorides and nitrates. No crystalline product was obtained using a 1.0 M basic solution of carbonate or hydroxide. The addition of the lithium ion to the system affected the crystallization of kaolinite only slightly. The use of 0.1 M LiCl and LiNO3 solutions for the syntheses improved crystallization of kaolinite along the [001] direction.


'IF THE STATE DID NOT EXIST, WE WOULD HAVE TO INVENT IT. Comment.' Few of the responses to this examination question qualified its suggestion that the state might be amenable to instantaneous contrivance or conscious design. The oversight on the part of my undergraduate charges pointed to the still potent legacy of a generation of Canadian political artificers whose projects of inventing the Canadian state had abetted the rise of a species of 'constitutional politics' given to the ever more elaborate concoction of comprehensive solutions to Canada's vexing constitutional shortcomings. These projects tended to politicize historically embedded elements in the constitutional order, serviceable if imperfect, which had been conventionally regarded as resistant beyond redemption to improved reformulation. This new-style politics was at centre stage in the long and eventful prime ministerial years of the Liberal Party's Pierre Trudeau, the great Cartesian inventor par excellence of the contemporary Canadian state. It would remain a central feature of the nine-year incumbency of Trudeau's Conservative Party successor, Brian Mulroney. Trudeau's vision of a reinvented Canada had proceeded from his background preparation for public life as an academic constitutional lawyer. Mulroney, aiming to finesse what the more cerebral Trudeau could not, would bring to bear on the affairs of the Canadian state the skills of a labour lawyer with the know-how to get Canada's perennially fractious provinces and interest groups to the political bargaining table, there to resolve once and for all any constitutional differences still outstanding.


Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation under therapeutic warfarin reduces periprocedural risk of complications, compared to periprocedural bridging with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). The aim of study was to compare the safety of an uninterrupted warfarin protocol in patients undergoing AF ablation without intracardiac echocardiography and to assess the experience of patients who had previous ablation with bridging protocol on the change of anticoagulation protocol. Method Two anticoagulation regimes for patients undergoing AF ablation were evaluated—uninterrupted warfarin group (120 in Group 1) and bridging LMWH group (100 in Group 2). Bleeding complications were compared between the two groups. Patients in Group 1 who had had previous ablation on bridging LMWH were asked to comment on their experience with the change of protocol at 4 weeks post discharge. Drug cost comparison in two groups was performed. Results Preprocedural INR in Group 1 was 2.48±0.42 compared to 1.08±0.16 in Group 2 (95% CI 1.38 to 1.41, p<0.005). Only nine patients required trans-oesophageal echocardiographic guidance for trans-septal puncture. Bleeding was observed in 24% in the Group 2 compared to 9.2% in the Group 1, mainly due to increased incidence of minor groin haematoma (18% vs 5%, 95% CI −0.21 to −0.48, p=0.002). One patient in each group required pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade (95% CI −0.27 to 0.024, p=0.89). Those in Group 1 (n=22) who have previously had AF ablation with bridging LMWH stated a better experience with the change of anticoagulation protocol. The average total drug cost per person in Group 1 was £8.53±4.5 compared to £108.89±2.3 in Group 2 (p<0.001). Conclusions AF ablation under therapeutic warfarin is safe without echocardiography guidance, associated with improved patients' experience and potentially cost saving in long term.


The adoption of Health 2020, the European policy framework for health and well-being, has encouraged Member States to implement a values-based approach to measuring and reporting on health and wellbeing. The WHO Regional Office for Europe set up an expert group to investigate ways in which these complex, values-based concepts could be routinely reported on at a national level. The fourth expert group meeting was convened in December 2018 to review the action plan, comment on the group's remaining outputs, recommend a strategy for operationalizing the monitoring and reporting of the concepts in the project portfolio, and consider the continued relevance of the project objectives beyond the scope of Health 2020. This report outlines the recommendations made by the expert group in relation to these objectives.


Clenbuterol is one of the most misused anabolic agents in professional sports. Therefore, the monitoring of clenbuterol in body fluids such as human urine is related to the development of rapid, selective and sensitive analytical methods that produce reliable results. In this work, these requirements were met by a two-dimensional separation method based on online solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (SPE–UHPLC–MS/MS). The developed method provides favorable performance parameters, and it is characterized by minimum manual steps (only dilution and the addition of an internal standard) in the sample preparation. A limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.1 ng/mL, excellent linearity (0.9999), remarkable precision (1.26% to 8.99%) and high accuracy (93.1% to 98.7%) were achieved. From a practical point of view, the analytical performance of the validated SPE–UHPLC–MS/MS method was demonstrated on blinded spiked urine samples from ten healthy volunteers. The estimated concentrations of clenbuterol were in accordance with their corresponding nominal values, as supported by the precision and accuracy data (relative standard deviation ≤5.4%, relative error ≤11%). The fulfillment of the World Anti-Doping Agency's screening and confirmation criteria indicates that the proposed method is suitable for implementation in routine use in toxicologic and antidoping laboratories. Due to its high orthogonality and separation efficiency, the SPE–UHPLC–MS/MS method should also be easily adapted to the separation of structurally related compounds (such as clenbuterol metabolites). Thus, future antidoping applications could also include monitoring of clenbuterol metabolites, providing a longer detection widow.


Abstract It was hoped that the Partnership for Modernisation would improve the troubled relationship between the Russian Federation and the European Union (EU), but it has fallen far short of expectations. Moreover, the disagreement between the two parties has been evident not only on such predictably conflictual topics as human rights but also in the areas where mutual understanding would have seemed likely to have been achieved. This article analyses one of these topics, the fight against corruption, as it is defined in the Russian discourse. It is argued that the Russian discourse on corruption exists at three levels, which do not overlap at all. The first level is the official definition of corruption; the second is 'home corruption', which is interpreted only as an economic problem and frequently understood as a part of the socio-economic system and the third level – that of political opposition, where the fight against corruption, although being the axial line for the articulation of the protest agenda, has nothing to do with the anti-corruption fight as such. As a result, the Russian and the EU discourses have little in common, which presents some problems for future cooperation.


A hybrid mouse major urinary protein (MUP)/SV40 T antigen gene was microinjected into fertilized mouse embryos and the resulting transgenic mice analyzed for the regulated expression of the transgene. Available evidence indicates that the MUP gene used for the hybrid gene construct is expressed in both male and female liver and possibly mammary gland. Three different transgenic lines exhibited a consistent pattern of tissue specific expression of the transgene. As a consequence of transgene expression and T antigen synthesis in the liver, both male and female transgenic animals developed liver hyperplasia and tumors. Transgene expression and liver hyperplasia commenced at approximately 2‐4 weeks of age, the same time that MUP gene expression is first detected in the liver. The expression of the transgene resulted in an immediate strong suppression of liver MUP mRNA levels but had relatively little effect on other liver specific mRNAs. From 4 to 8 weeks, the liver increased several fold in size, relative to non‐transgenic littermates. Definitive tumor nodules were not apparent until 8‐10 weeks. The transgene was also consistently found to be expressed in the skin sebaceous glands and the preputial gland, a modified sebaceous gland. The expression of the transgene in the skin sebaceous glands is consistent with the presence of MUP mRNA in the skin and a putative role for MUPs in the transport and excretion of small molecules. Occasional expression of the transgene in other tissues (kidney and mammary connective tissues) was also noted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We calculate the optical conductivity of an anisotropic two-dimensional system with Rashba spin-flip excitation within the Kubo formalism. We show that the anisotropic Rashba effect caused by an external field changes significantly the magnitude of the spin splitting. Furthermore, we obtain an analytical expression for the longitudinal optical conductivity associated with inter-band transitions as a function of the frequency for an arbitrary polarization angle. We find that the diagonal components of the optical conductivity tensor are direction-dependent and the spectrum of optical absorption is strongly anisotropic with an absorption window. The height and width of this absorption window are very sensitive to the system anisotropy. While the height of absorption peak increases with increasing effective mass anisotropy ratio, the peak intensity is larger when the light polarization is along the armchair direction. Moreover, the absorption peak width becomes broader as the density of state mass or Rashba interaction is enhanced. These features can be used to determine parameters relevant for spintronics through the optical absorption spectrum.


Taman Universiti Sports & Recreations Club Courts Reservation On-Line System is a system which is used to provide the members of the club an easy way to make reservation of courts provided by the club by using Internet. Therefore, the users do not have to go to the club only to make a reservation. The development methodology used for the system is Prototype Methodology. This system will use Genetic Algorithms scheduling technique to schedule the reservation. The data and information are collected by performing interviews, discussions and doing some references. The result of the project is a prototype of a system which can schedule the reservation and also suggest the courts which can be reserved according to the date and time given by the user. As a conclusion, this system will be more systematic and the process of courts reservation will become faster.


CheY, a key protein in the mechanism of bacterial chemotaxis, is known to interact with the flagellar switch and thereby cause clockwise rotation. This activity of CheY was significantly increased by producing acetyladenylate (AcAMP) within cytoplasm-free bacterial envelopes containing purified CheY. This was achieved by including in the envelopes the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) and ATP, and adding acetate externally. The fraction of clockwise-rotating envelopes, tethered to glass by their flagella, increased from 14% to 58% by the presence of AcAMP (or its derivative). In parallel experiments carried out with [14C]acetate under similar conditions, CheY became acetylated: [1-14C]acetate was as effective as [2-14C]acetate in labeling CheY, and ACS-dependent labeling of CheY by [alpha-32P]ATP was not detected. The switch proteins, FliG, FliM, and FliN, isolated to purity, were not acetylated. The acetylation was specific for CheY and dependent on its native conformation. The acetylated form the CheY was estimated to be more active than its nonacetylated form by 4-5 orders of magnitude. Acetylated CheY was stable in the presence of the strong nucleophiles hydroxylamine or ethanolamine, indicative of N-acetylation. There was a correlation between the activity of CheY in vivo and its ability to be acetylated in vitro. Thus, proteins with a single substitution at their active site, CheY57DE and CheY109KR, are not active in vivo and accordingly were not acetylated in vitro; in contrast, the protein CheY13DK is active in vivo and was normally acetylated in vitro. The possibility that CheY acetylation plays a role in bacterial chemotaxis is discussed.


As carbon sources for the denitrification process, agricultural wastes have some problems, such as excess release of organic carbon; unclear release characteristics of nitrogen, phosphorus, and colorimetric substances; and unclear components, release mechanisms, and potential effects of the released dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the start-up period. To resolve those problems, rice straw, wheat straw, corn stalk, corncob, soybean stalk, and soybean hull were selected as denitrification carbon sources to investigate the release mechanisms and potential influences of the organic matter, secondary pollutants, and DOM. The results showed that the six agricultural wastes could be used as the denitrification carbon source. The carbon content in the wheat straw was the highest and the secondary pollution risk from the corncob was the lowest. For the six carbon sources, the second-order kinetic equation and Ritger-Peppas equation were followed during the 1-120 h carbon release process. The fitting results demonstrated that corncob was more suitable for use as the denitrification carbon source because of its moderate cm value and longer t1/2 value, and the release mechanisms of the six types of carbon sources were mainly controlled by the diffusion process. The NH4+-N, TN, and TP contents in the immersion water of the rice straw were higher than those of the five other agricultural wastes, and there was heavy chromaticity in the immersion water of the wheat straw and corn stalk. The amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and chromatic substances released from the corncob were the lowest. The leachates of the corncob and soybean hull had higher biodegradability and lower risks of secondary pollution than those of the other sources. The aromaticity and molecular weight of DOM increased as the reaction time increased, and the humification of DOM was low. Five components were identified by PARAFAC. The main component was protein-like matter, which was mainly composed of tyrosine-like and tryptophan-like substances. There was less humic acid-like matter in the immersion water. The component characteristics of DOM might have had an adverse effect on the subsequent water treatment process. These results could provide theoretical support for the impact on effluent water quality and risk assessment when the agricultural wastes are used as an additional denitrification carbon source at the start-up stage.


Cryoglobulinemia (Cg) in multiple myeloma (MM) is rare and no standard treatment has yet been established. Herein, we report a case of MM with Cg, successfully treated with a combination of lenalidomide and dexamethasone. A 76-year-old woman suffering from skin ulcerations, extremity pain and peripheral neuropathy was diagnosed as having IgG-kappa MM with Cg in 1992. She intermittently received conventional chemotherapy, immunosuppressant therapy and plasma exchange. Despite these treatments, Cg-related symptoms eventually became uncontrollable. She was admitted to our hospital in 2012 because of worsening skin symptoms involving both ankles. Plasmapheresis proved ineffective. Improvement of skin ulcerations and numbness was achieved with administration of lenalidomide at 25 mg daily with weekly dexamethasone, which also decreased the cryoglobulin level. The course of this patient suggests that lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is a promising treatment for MM with Cg.


Audio mastering, notwithstanding an apparent lack of scholarly attention, is a crucial gateway between production and consumption and, as such, is worth further scrutiny, especially in music genres like house or techno, which place great emphasis on sound production qualities. In this article, drawing on personal interviews with mastering engineers and field research in mastering studios in Italy and Germany, I investigate the practice of mastering engineering, paying close attention to the negotiation of techniques and sound aesthetics in relation to changes in the industry formats and, in particular, to the growing shift among DJs from vinyl to compressed digital formats. I then discuss the specificity of audio mastering in relation to EDM, insofar as DJs and controllerists conceive of the master, rather than as a finished product destined to listening, as raw material that can be reworked in performance.


Abstract. The physiological structure parameter of vegetation is an important index to measure the ecological health status of mangroves, and it is of great value to measure the ecological health status. Taking Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve of Guangxi as the study area, The Chlorophyll-A/B(CAB),Leaf Area Index (LAI),Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) and Fraction of absorbed photo synthetically active radiation (FAPAR) were calculated by using Sentinel-2 image data to calculate the chlorophyll content of mangrove vegetation in the study area. The BP neural network algorithm is used to verify the accuracy difference between the inversion results and the corresponding products of MODIS, and the dynamic changes of physiological structure parameters of vegetation in mangroves are further studied. Results showed that: (1)The correlation coefficients between LAI, CAB, FAPAR, FVC and MODIS products were higher than 0.71 in 95% confidence interval in mangrove years, it is proved that Sentinel-2A/B multispectral image inversion of mangrove physiological structure parameters has high accuracy and quality. (2)The physiological structure parameters of mangroves fluctuated during the year. In February, the lowest values of LAI, CAB, FAPAR and FVC were 0.30, 0.08, 0.08 and 0.13, respectively. The highest values were 0.69 in October, 0.29 in December, 0.27 in August, 0.40 in April, 0.24 and 0.24 in September, and 0.27 and 0.33 in LAI in November, respectively, with the highest LAI in October, 0.29 in December, 0.27 in August, 0.40 in April, 0.24 and 0.24 in September, and 0.27 and 0.33 in November. The results provide the basis for the monitoring of mangrove vegetation change and provide a reference for ecological assessment and protection.


We consider the problem of adaptive power allocation and modulation mode selection over fading channels and finite buffer size in the link layer. The objective is to maximize the long-term system throughput under the constraint of some average transmission power and BER by varying the transmission power and modulation mode according to the buffer and channel conditions. In this model, we assume that the knowledge of the buffer occupancy and the fading state is available at the transmitter. In link layer, we use ARQ technology to alleviate transmission error and the process of ARQ continues until the packet is successfully received. So maximizing the system throughput is equivalent to minimizing packet loss due to buffer overflow regardless of transmission error. We formulate this optimization problem as a MDP and use dynamic programming techniques to obtain the solution. We also present a simplified scheduling scheme for package transmission and our results show that the package loss of the simplified scheme is very close to that achieved by the optimal policy


The Activated Protein C Resistance (APCR) is the common phenotype of Factor V Leiden (arg506gln), which is considered as a thrombotic risk factor. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of APCR and its association with Factor V Leiden in indian and black populations from Zulia State in western Venezuela. Blood samples were taken from 80 Yukpa indians from Sierra de Perijá and 91 black individuals from the southeast of Lago de Maracaibo. APCR was determined by the Dahlback's method with the modifications of Jorquera et al. and Trossaert et al. The results were expressed as n-APC-SR (positive value < or = 0.75). Factor V Leiden genotype was identified by PCR and restriction analysis standard methods at the Institute of Human Genetics (Greifswald, Germany). No significative difference was found between n-APC-SR from indians (mean +/- SEM 1.13 +/- 0.02, CI 95% = 1.07-1.19) and black people (1.07 +/- 0.02, CI 95% = 1.03-1.12). APCR prevalence from indians was 1.25% (1 out of 80) who was heterozygote case for F V Leiden and 4.4% (4 out of 91) from blacks (one case was heterozygous for F V Leiden). No thrombotic event personal or familial was demonstrate. Our data represent the first report related to the association between APCR and F V Leiden in venezuelan indian and black individuals. APCR without the Factor V Leiden expression suggest a different type of mutation in the Factor V molecule. In spite of high endogamy in the indian group, we can not discard the role of foreign genes in both populations. The determination of the prevalence of this phenotype and its molecular marker in various ethnic groups is important for the interpretation of their role as risk factors for thrombotic disease.


The present paper employs the perspective of Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) to analyze the relevance of formal and informal controls in selecting the governance form. The evidence supports the influence of frequency, information sharing and relation-specific investments as a cause of control mechanisms, and the effect of these factors on the choice of the governance form, but there is no evidence about the combined interaction between these variables. The present work proposes that there is a mediation effect of formal and informal norms on the relationship between the TCE variables (frequency, information asymmetry and relation-specific investments) and the governance form. We applied Structural Equation Modelling to companies in the telecommunications sector in Spain. Our results confirm the opposite effect of formal and informal controls on the selection of governance forms and the mediation effect of these mechanisms of control on the selection of the governance form.


The inclusion of the botanical projects in the Swedish-Russian Tundra Ecology -94 expedition provided new information on the ecology of tundra plants. The vegetation patterns on different scales were documented, and interpreted as the result of a complex interaction with environmental factors. The distribution of fruticose lichens was studied, and it was shown that these lichens rely on different modes of asexual reproduction for their dispersal. Extreme old genet ages were demonstrated for species of Carex and there were similar strong indications for lichens. Populations of Carex were genetically diverse in spite of old ages and often low levels of flowering. Large differences between sites in flowering and vegetative ramet production (vegetative reproduction) in Carex reflected a asynchronous between-year population fluctuation, which was related to cyclic lemming populations and climate. Important gaps in our knowledge of the ecology of tundra plants are pointed out, some of which will hopefully be resolved during the tundra expedition, Tundra Northwest 1999. (Less)


Flowering is an essential stage of plant growth and development. The successful transition to flowering not only ensures the completion of plant life cycles, it also serves as the basis for the production of economically important seeds and fruits. CONSTANS (CO) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) are two genes playing critical roles in flowering time control in Arabidopsis. Through homology-based cloning and rapid-amplifications of cDNA ends (RACE), we obtained full-lengths cDNA sequences of Prunus persica CO (PpCO) and Prunus persica FT (PpFT) from peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) and investigated their functions in flowering time regulation. PpCO and PpFT showed high homologies to Arabidopsis CO and FT at DNA, mRNA and protein levels. We showed that PpCO and PpFT were nucleus-localized and both showed transcriptional activation activities in yeast cells, consistent with their potential roles as transcription activators. Moreover, we established that the over-expression of PpCO could restore the late flowering phenotype of the Arabidopsis co-2 mutant, and the late flowering defect of the Arabidopsis ft-1 mutant can be rescued by the over-expression of PpFT, suggesting functional conservations of CO and FT genes in peach and Arabidopsis. Our results suggest that PpCO and PpFT are homologous genes of CO and FT in peach and they may function in regulating plant flowering time.


After sol 511 of its mission in Gusev Crater, Spirit traversed from the top of Husband Hill to its current Winter Haven on Low Ridge. M ssbauer analyses of several rock and soil targets along the traverse yielded further evidence for the wide-spread occurrence of aqueous processes in the Columbia Hills. The rock Independence was found on the flank of Husband Hill. It has low total Fe with about 24-30 % of its iron in ilmenite. This assemblage implies alteration under aqueous conditions; some phases were altered and elements such as Fe were leached out, while less soluble Fe-bearing phases such as ilmenite remain. The soil target Dead_Sea_Samra was found in subsurface soil revealed when the wheels dug into soil during the traverse from Husband Hill to Home Plate. Its M ssbauer spectrum shows a high abundance of ferric sulfate, similar to the Paso Robles soil targets found on Husband Hill. At its current location at Winter Haven Spirit investigated the target Halley which appears to be part of a wider-spread indurated layer underlying basaltic soil. This target shows the highest abundance of hematite in all Gusev soil and rock targets investigated to date. Opportunity at Meridiani Planum traversed from the 300 m diameter buried Erebus Crater towards 800 m Victoria Crater. The main components of Meridiani Planum jarosite-bearing outcrop rocks, basaltic soil, and a hematite lag remain remarkably constant in M ssbauer spectra throughout the traverse. Cobbles (rock fragments greater than 1 cm) show variability however. A meteorite (Barberton) has been identified based on kamacite peaks in the M ssbauer spectrum. Other cobbles show Mossbauer spectra similar to jarosite-bearing outcrops, or to basaltic rock, or mixtures thereof, suggesting an origin as impact breccias. Some cobbles were investigated at the edge of the annulus of Victoria Crater from which they may have been excavated. Mossbauer spectra reveal a basaltic signature, dominated by olivine and pyroxene. In general for both rovers the radioactive Mossbauer source became naturally weaker, but both instruments are still able to perform good quality measurements.


In the past 20 years, phenotypic typing methods have been largely replaced by typing methods based on the comparison of genomic DNA (molecular typing), such as PCR fingerprinting, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). An alternative approach to bacterial typing is based on applying Raman spectroscopy to test subtle differences in the molecular composition of the biomass, reflecting differences in the genomic DNA. The most important advantages of Raman spectroscopy compared to established molecular typing methods are speed, high sample throughput, and ease of use. In a Raman scattering event, an incident photon transfers some of its energy to the molecule, which leads to a lower energy in the scattered photon than in the incident photon. The approach can be as simple as a visual assessment of clearly identifiable spectral features that can only correlate to the biochemical component of interest. A well-known example of a microorganism causing hospital-acquired infections (HAI) is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Therefore, the authors used an MRSA reference collection to demonstrate the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy. This reference collection contained 20 well-characterized MRSA isolates that had previously been analyzed by multiple typing techniques. Using Raman spectroscopy as a bacterial typing tool, infection control teams will have a tool for the continuous monitoring of isolates in their hospital, and they will be aware of the need for corrective action earlier, all leading to an accurate, real-time rather than retrospective surveillance approach in combating HAI.


Genomic characterization using nonradioactive probes, polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers for whitefly transmitted geminiviruses and nucleotide sequencing were used to describe a new bipartite geminivirus, associated with dwarfing and leaf curling of tomatoes and peppers in Jamaica. Partial DNA-A and DNA-B clones were obtained. DNA sequence analysis showed that tomato and pepper samples have a similar geminivirus associated with them. Nucleotide sequence identity > 92% between the common regions of DNA-A and DNA-B confirmed the bipartite nature of the Jamaican geminivirus isolates. Nucleotide sequence comparisons of DNA-A and DNA-B with those of geminiviruses representing the major phylogenetic groups of Western Hemisphere geminiviruses showed the greatest similarity to potato yellow mosaic virus and members of the Abutilon mosaic virus cluster of geminiviruses. This new virus is given the name tomato dwarf leaf curl virus (TDLCV) because of the dwarfing and leaf curling symptoms associated with infected tomato plants. Polymerase chain reaction and Southern hybridization showed mixed infections of TDLCV with tomato yellow leaf curl virus from Israel in 16% of the field samples of tomatoes and peppers.


This case studies the clinical, laboratory, and pathologic findings observed in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Although TTP is a well-recognized syndrome, it is frequently undetected antemortem and represents a rare cause of sudden death. We recently were involved in a case of TTP in which an 18-year-old woman with no previous history died suddenly. The case was referred to our office for consultation because of a recent history of methamphetamine abuse. We report herewith our approach to the diagnostic workup of TTP and review relevant literature.


A major Irish study, based upon more than 8000 samples collected over the measurement period of 22 years, for sulfur dioxide (SO2-S), sulfate (SO4-S) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2-N) concentrations (microg m(-3)) within air, and the ionic composition of precipitation samples based on sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), calcium (Ca2+), chloride (Cl-), sulfate (SO4-S), non-sea salt sulfate (nssSO4-S), ammonium (NH4-N), and nitrate (NO3-N) weighted mean concentrations (mg l(-1)), has been completed. For the air samples, the sulfur dioxide and sulfate concentrations decreased over the sampling period (1980-2004) by 75% and 45%, respectively, whereas no significant trend was observed for nitrogen dioxide. The highest concentrations for sulfur dioxide, sulfate and nitrogen dioxide were associated with wind originating from the easterly and northeasterly directions i.e. those influenced by Irish and European sources. The lowest concentrations were associated with the westerly directions i.e. for air masses originating in the North Atlantic region. This was further verified with the use of backward (back) trajectory analysis, which allowed tracing the movement of air parcels using the European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) ERA-40 re-analysis data. High non-sea salt sulfate levels were being associated with air masses originating from Europe (easterlies) with lower levels from the Atlantic (westerlies). With the precipitation data, analysis of the non-sea salt sulfate concentrations showed a decrease by 47% since the measurements commenced.


In this study, the analysis of load transition of PHC pile was performed with the static load test, which was driven in deep soft clay layer of MyungJi site in the western area of Pusan. The results of test showed that the range of unit side resistance of pile in sand layer were to and in the soft clay layer, while the unit base resistance was in dense silty sand layer. To select the most reasonable static bearing capacity formular, the field measured values are compared with the calculated ones from the suggested various formular. In the case of side resistance in sand layer, the suggest formular in the Structural Foundation Design Manual by KGS was most reasonable, while in clay layer Railroad Design Manual.


In this paper, a method is provided for determining all fractional-order (FO) proportional–integral-derivative (PID) controllers that robustly stabilize a single-input and single-output (SISO) transfer function of arbitrary order with a time delay. The parameters of the FO PID controllers are determined in the frequency domain and are given in terms of the proportional gain Kp, integral gain Ki, and derivative gain Kd. In this paper, they will be plotted on the (Kp, Ki), (Kp, Kd), and (Ki, Kd) planes. For a robust stability condition, a multiplicative weight is selected to bound all multiplicative errors of the closed-loop system. In particular, this technique can be used even when the transfer function of a system is not available, as long as the system frequency response can be obtained. An example is given to illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of the method presented.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Background: Although today, transfusion therapy has turned from a hazardous condition to a relatively safe method with the improvement of technology, the highest risk for the patient is a complication of blood transfusions. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of transfusion-related adverse events. Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective review which examined data of all those who received blood transfusions at Kashani and Imam Khomeini hospitals of the south of Kerman province from 2014 to 2018 years. Results: Of the total 16081 blood transfusions, 148 (0.92%) cases of blood complications were observed. Most cases occurred in males aged 31-40 and over 50 years, O blood group, injection packed red blood cell (PRBC) product, and within 20-60 minutes. Most of the transfusion-related complications were related to the surgery ward and in patients without underlying disease, and most complications included fever and chills. Conclusion: The results of our study showed that the highest transfusion-related complications were fever and chills. Therefore, fever and chills in the early hours of transfusion should be considered as the most common transfusion-related complications.


We present time-resolved spectroscopy of the soft X-ray transient XTE J2123–058 in outburst. A useful spectral coverage of 3700–6700 A was achieved spanning two orbits of the binary, with single-epoch coverage extending to 9000 A. The optical spectrum approximates a steep blue power law, consistent with emission on the Rayleigh–Jeans tail of a hot blackbody spectrum. The strongest spectral lines are He ii 4686 A and C iii/N iii 4640 A (Bowen blend) in emission. Their relative strengths suggest that XTE J2123–058 was formed in the Galactic plane, not in the halo. Other weak emission lines of He ii and C iv are present, and Balmer lines show a complex structure, blended with He ii. He ii 4686-A profiles show a complex multiple S-wave structure, with the strongest component appearing at low velocities in the lower-left quadrant of a Doppler tomogram. Hα shows transient absorption between phases 0.35 and 0.55. Both of these effects appear to be analogous to similar behaviour in SW Sex type cataclysmic variables. We therefore consider whether the spectral line behaviour of XTE J2123–058 can be explained by the same models invoked for those systems.


CONTENTS I. Introduction 509 II. The structure and composition of zeolites. Classification 510 III. The preparation of synthetic zeolites 512 IV. The sorptive properties of zeolites 514 V. The separation of mixtures by molecular sieves 517 VI. Methods of altering the selectivity of zeolites 518 VI. Possible technical applications of molecular sieve 519


Energy harvesting from smart tire has been an influential topic for researchers over several years. In this paper, we propose novel energy harvester for smart tire taking advantage of adaptive tuning stochastic resonance. Compared to previous tire energy harvesters, it can generate large power and has wide bandwidth. Large power is achieved by stochastic resonance while wide-bandwidth is accomplished by adaptive tuning via centrifugal stiffening effect. Energy harvesting configuration for modulated noise is described first. It is an electromagnetic energy harvester consists of rotating beam subject to centrifugal buckling. Equation of motion for energy harvester is derived to investigate the effect of centrifugal stiffening. Numerical analysis was conducted to simulate response. The result show that high power is achieved with wide bandwidth. To verify the theoretical and simulation results, the experiment was conducted. Equivalent horizontal rotating platform is built to mimic tire environment. Experiment results showed good agreement with the numerical result with around 10% of errors, which verified feasibility of proposed harvester. Maximum power 1.8mW is achieved from 3:1 scale experiment setup. The equivalent working range of harvester is around 60-105 km/h which is typical speed for car in general road and highway.


Acoustic bianisotropic materials couple pressure and local particle velocity fields to simultaneously excite monopole and dipole scattering, which results in asymmetric wave transmission and reflection of airborne sound. In this work, we systematically realize an arbitrarily given bianisotropic coupling between the pressure and velocity fields for asymmetric wave propagation by an acoustic grating with inversion symmetry breaking. This acoustic bianisotropic grating is designed by optimizing the unit cells with a finite element method to achieve the desired scattering wavevectors determined by the bianisotropic induced asymmetric wave propagation. The symmetry and Bloch wavevectors in the reciprocal space resulted from the grating are analyzed, which match with the desired scattering wavevectors. The designed structures are fabricated for the experimental demonstration of the bianisotropic properties. The measured results match with the desired asymmetric wave scattering fields.


This paper reports results from a larger study that has focused on the development of novel Pt+Hf-modified γ-Ni+γ′-Ni3Al-based compositions for high temperature bond coatings with improved reliability and durability. The effects of Pt, Hf and Cr contents on resistance to both isothermal and cyclic oxidations at 1150°C in air were analyzed. It was found that Pt contents of up to 20at.% significantly enhanced the selective oxidation of aluminum so as to suppress the formation of less-protective NiO and NiAl2O4. The Pt also served to decrease the reactivity of Hf in the γ′ phase, to the extent that unwanted HfO2 formation could be suppressed. Balanced Pt+Hf-modified γ+γ′ compositions exhibited remarkably slow oxidation kinetics. Moreover, γ+γ′ coatings were shown to offer clear potential advantages over β-NiAl-based coatings, with the former exhibiting excellent surface stability (i.e., no rumpling) and compatibility with the superalloy substrate (i.e., no SRZ formation).


Aim: Superficial targets are those which either is on skin surface or within 1-2cm of skin surface. If the target is widespread and situated in conjunction with vital normal structures, it is complicated to treat. Here we discuss three situations, were we used megavoltage photons to treat scalp, face and combined scalp and face lesions. Materials and Methods: One case is a verrucous carcinoma of scalp after excision of the tumours treated with radical radiation. He had good response with radiation and is on regular follow up. Next one is peripheral T cell lymphoma of the face which was resistant to chemotherapy. He also had excellent response to radiation and good palliation of symptoms, but due to the biology of the disease, he developed widespread disease. And a rare angiosarcoma of face and scalp, which was inoperable, and underwent PET-CT based planning for his lesion. He had satisfactory regression of the lesions. Results: Good target coverage with acceptable normal tissue constraints was achieved in all the three cases and there was a good clinical regression of the tumours. Thus with modern planning techniques, complex targets can be treated adequately. Conclusion: With improved technology complex superficial targets can be treated adequately with high energy photon beams.


Abstract Lifecycles of baroclinic waves obtained by integrating the primitive and quasi-geostrophic equations on the sphere are compared. Two basic states are considered. The first is based on Northern Hemisphere winter climatology, while the other has a maximum baroclinicity at midlevels, but no temperature gradients on the upper and lower boundaries. The earlier part of the lifecycles are broadly similar for both equation sets, although there are significant quantitative differences. In the later stages, the momentum fluxes of the decaying waves can differ greatly. Moreover, we are unable to identify any systematic pattern in these differences. We conclude that the use of quasi-geostrophic results to parameterize the modification of the mean flow by baroclinic wave activity is likely to be subject to large errors.


john constable further documents and correspondence is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our book servers hosts in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the john constable further documents and correspondence is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Abstract This article examines the use of boundaries and the related phenomenon of hybridity in the book of Nahum through a variety of postcolonial optics. Moving beyond the essentialist/interactivist dichotomy, it explores the various kinds of difference between Judah and Neo-Assyria that Nahum articulates, their reuse as a means of critiquing Assyria, and the intriguing similarity between Judah and all nations but Assyria. The article also suggests that an inner-Judahite distinction coexists alongside the book's response to empire, and that Nahum's stereotypes are crucial to its varied uses of hybridity.


Aim: to assess the influence of age on quality of spirometry

Methods:

A retrospective analysis was performed on the personal best spirometry of every patient referred to our lung function lab in the last 5 years and coached by the same experienced lung function technician. The quality of spirometry was evaluated using e-code (on a scale of 0 to 6) for each of the following items: 1. the best FVC and another FVC agree within 5% (FVC), 2. the best FEV1 and another FEV1 agree within 5% (FEV1), 3. best PEF and another PEF agree within 10% (PEF), 4. extrapolated volume was less than 5% of FVC (EV), 5. meeting "end of test" criterium "volume change is less 25ml/s (25ml/s), and 6. expiratory effort exceeded 6 seconds (6 sec).

Results: spirometric test results of 2598 subjects were evaluated, 49% male, 37% current smokers, 40% obstructed, age range 20-91 yr, mean 53 yr (SD+17).

View this table:

Conclusion: Although overall high spirometry quality was reached regardless of age (total e-code: 0.9 – 1.3), younger patients failed more often to exhale for 6 sec. and PEF was less repeatable in the oldest group. The end of test criterion "25ml/s" was hard to reach for the majority of the subjects.


The "Bag of Visual Words" (BoW) framework has been widely used in query-by-example video retrieval to model the visual content by a set of quantized local feature descriptors. In this paper, we propose a novel technique to enhance BoW by the selection of Word-of-Interest (WoI) that utilizes the quantified temporal motion coherence of the visual words between the adjacent frames in the query example. Experiments carried out using TRECVID datasets show that our technique improves the retrieval performance of the classical BoW-based approach.


High-rise buildings move during construction due to time-dependent material properties of concrete (creep and shrinkage), construction sequences, and structural shapes. The building movements, including vertical and horizontal displacements, result from the sum of axial and lateral deformation of vertical members at each level. In addition to the vertical shortenings, the lateral movement induced by differential shortening can have adverse effects on the construction tolerance and serviceability of non-structural elements such as elevators and curtain walls. In this study a construction stage analysis method is developed to predict lateral movement induced by shortening, including the effect of creep and shrinkage. The algorithm of construction stage analysis is combined with the FE analysis program. It is then applied to predict lateral movement of a 58-story reinforced concrete building that was constructed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Gravity induced lateral movement of this building is predicted by the construction stage analysis. A field three-dimensional laser scanning survey is carried out to verify the prediction results, and satisfactory agreement is obtained.


Two fluorescence modes were combined to analyze the binding properties of terminally substituted alkanes (C_nX, X = COOH, OH, CHO, NH_2) to human serum albumin (HSA). A competitive binding assay using an 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) fluorescence probe provides information on all the hydrophobic binding sites in HSA. A binding assay using the intrinsic fluorescence of the tryptophan residue in HSA (Trp-HSA) provides information on the specific binding site close to the tryptophan residue. There are three fluorescence-active ANS binding sites in HSA, which can be classified into two types by their affinity for ANS. C_nCOOH bound to all three ANS binding sites including the Trp-HSA site, however, it did not quench the fluorescence of Trp-HSA. C_nCHO bound only to the Trp-HSA site with quenching of the fluorescence of Trp-HSA. By comparing the binding affinities of HSA for C_nOH and C_nCHO, it was concluded that the C_nOH binding site is different from the C_nCHO binding site. C_nNH_2 did not bind to any of the three ANS binding sites in HSA.


We have observed that the evolution of the senescence in vase can be appreciated by the measures of pH, conductivity, or osmolarity of the petal cell sap of a rose variety. We wanted to check whether these physiological tests could be used to select the post-harvest quality of varieties in process of evaluation. Whereas the measures of pH and osmolarity do not seem to be correlated with the flower's vase life, those of conductivity seem to be linked to it (r=-0.74). As far as the pH is concerned, when the correlation is tested on varieties grouped in colours (white, yellow and ochre; pink and red; multicoloured) and not on the whole mixed varieties, then the correlation seems to be satisfactory, being characterized by r coefficients between -0.78 and -0.91.


This proceedings, "Engineering, Construction and Operations in Space IV", consists of over 155 papers presented at Space 94, the Fourth International Conference, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, February 26 - March 3, 1994. The papers are divided into the various sessions that occurred at the conference: Mechanics of Space Structures, Extraterrestrial Mission, Orbital Mission, and Specialty Track. Mechanics papers cover topics of the dynamics and control, response of composites, nonlinear response, integrity, design, thermomechanical response, and impact loads on space structures. Extraterrestrial Mission reports on lunar soil, concrete, oxygen and manufacturing, and lunar and Mars basing and construction. The Orbital Mission section includes topics on space station and space facilities, mission to earth and communications, access to space and space ports, space environment, space power, and solar power satellite technology. Under the Specialty area, papers cover asteroid hazards, high school student papers, spacebased astronomy, space policy, education, and human factors.


The properties of recycled low temperature biodegradable polycaprolactone-based thermoplastic polyurethane (rTPU), filled with different types of organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) prepared by two-roll milling, were studied. The dependence of rTPU properties on the mastication time and clays content was determined by various structural and physical testing methods. Results show that the melt flow and mechanical properties of rTPU deteriorate with increasing of mastication time, but thermal properties were affected only slightly. rTPU/MMT composites show exfoliated or intercalated structures depending on the nature of organic modifier of clay. MMT reduces slightly rTPU tensile and melt flow properties, but accelerates hydrolytic degradation process. During degradation the weight loss and polydispersity increase significantly in the presence of MMT, but it does not accelerate crystallinity changes. The degradation of rTPU composites with higher hydrophilicity organoclays proceeds faster than that with hydrophobic ones due to the relatively higher interaction with polymer matrix. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013


Due to ever-increasing global energy demands and dwindling resources, there is a growing need to develop materials that can fulfil the World's pressing energy requirements. Electrochemical energy storage devices have gained significant interest due to their exceptional storage properties, where the electrode material is a crucial determinant of device performance. Hence, it is essential to develop 3-D hierarchical materials at low cost with precisely controlled porosity and composition to achieve high energy storage capabilities. After presenting the brief updates on porous carbons (PCs), then this review will focus on the nitrogen (N) doped porous carbon materials (NPC) for electrochemical supercapacitors as the NPCs play a vital role in supercapacitor applications in the field of energy storage. Therefore, this review highlights recent advances in NPCs, including developments in the synthesis of NPCs that have created new methods for controlling their morphology, composition, and pore structure, which can significantly enhance their electrochemical performance. The investigated N-doped materials a wide range of specific surface areas, ranging from 181.5 to 3709 m2  g-1 , signifies a substantial increase in the available electrochemically active surface area, which is crucial for efficient energy storage. Moreover, these materials display notable specific capacitance values, ranging from 58.7 to 754.4 F g-1 , highlighting their remarkable capability to effectively store electrical energy. The outstanding electrochemical performance of these materials is attributed to the synergy between heteroatoms, particularly N, and the carbon framework in N-doped porous carbons. This synergy brings about several beneficial effects including, enhanced pseudo-capacitance, improved electrical conductivity, and increased electrochemically active surface area. As a result, these materials emerge as promising candidates for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. The challenges and outlook in NPCs for supercapacitor applications are also presented. Overall, this review will provide valuable insights for researchers in electrochemical energy storage and offers a basis for fabricating highly effective and feasible supercapacitor electrodes.


The use of data compression to reduce bandwidth and reduce storage requirements is discussed. The merits of lossless versus lossy compression techniques, the latter offering far greater compression ratios, are considered. The limits of lossless compression are discussed, and a simple method for lossless compression, runlength encoding, is described, as are the more sophisticated Huffman codes, arithmetic coding, and the trie-based codes invented by A. Lempel and J. Ziv (1977, 1978), WAN applications as well as throughput and latency are briefly considered.<<ETX>>


This study aimed to determine the combined treatment effects of Mulligan sustained natural apophyseal glides (SNAGs) and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on function, pain, and range of motion (ROM) in patients with chronic low back pain. A total of 49 adults participated in this study and were randomly divided into three groups (SNAGs with LLLT group, SNAGs group, and control group). The participants in the SNAGs with LLLT group received SNAGs for 10 min, LLLT for 10 min, and electrotherapy for 10 min. The SNAGs group received SNAGs for 10 min and electrotherapy for 20 min. The control group received electrotherapy for 30 min. All participants received the assigned treatment for 30 min a day, 3 times a week, for 4 weeks. We used the visual analogue scale (VAS) to measure pain, the modified-modified Schober test (MMST) to measure ROM, and the Roland Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ) to measure physical disability. Compared to the pre-intervention values, the VAS and MMST scores significantly increased after the intervention in the SNAGs with LLLT group (p = 0.000) and the SNAGs group (p = 0.000). The RMDQ score significantly improved in the SNAGs with LLLT (p = 0.000), SNAGs (p = 0.000) and control (p = 0.025) group after the intervention. The inter-group differences were greater for the SNAGs with LLLT and SNAGs groups than for the control group (p = 0.001), and the difference was greater for the SNAGs with LLLT than for the SNAGs (p = 0.001) with respect to the VAS, MMST, and RMDQ scores. These results indicate that significant improvement in pain, function, and ROM may be achieved by a combination of SNAGs and LLLT to treat chronic low back pain.


Background: Hispanic/Latino individuals are less likely to receive optimal treatment for chronic kidney disease (CKD) than non-Hispanic whites. This may be particularly detrimental for women of reproductive age as CKD may increase risk for infertility, menstrual irregularities, and pregnancy loss. While these maternal outcomes have been associated with advanced CKD, their occurrence in mild CKD is unclear. Methods: Using baseline (2008-2011) and second study visit (2014-2017) data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), we assessed the association between CKD and self-reported infertility, cessation of menses, hysterectomy, and nonviable pregnancy loss (experienced at less than 24 weeks gestation) in women of reproductive age (18-45 years). Multivariable survey logistic regression analyses were used to compute prevalence odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (OR, 95% CI). Results: Of the 2,589 women included (mean age 31.4 years), 4.6% were considered to have CKD. In adjusted analyses, women with CKD did not have a significantly increased odds of infertility (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.42 - 2.49), cessation of menses (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.52 - 3.04) or hysterectomy (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.61 - 2.25) compared to those without CKD. In those with CKD, the adjusted odds of a nonviable pregnancy loss was increased when considering pregnancies occurring after baseline visit (OR 2.11, 95% CI 0.63 - 7.02) but not statistically significance. Conclusion: In our Hispanic/Latino cohort, the presence of mild CKD did not confer an additional risk of our outcomes of interest. Examining nonviable pregnancy loss after CKD diagnosis in a larger sample warrants further study.


Increased dependence of resource-poor rural communities on soils of low inherent fertility are the major problem of desert agroecosystem. Agrisilviculture practices may help to conserve the soil biota for maintaining essential soil properties and processes in harsh climate. Therefore, the impacts of different land use systems on faunal density, nutrient dynamics and biochemical properties of soil were studied in agrisilviculture system of Indian desert. The selected fields had trees (Zizyphus mauritiana, Prosopis cineraria, Acacia nilotica) and crops (Cuminum cyminum, Brassica nigra, Triticum aestivum) in different combinations. Populations of Acari, Myriapoda, Coleoptera, Collembola, other soil arthropods and total soil fauna showed significant changes with respect to different land use practices and tree species, indicating a strong relation between above and below ground biodiversity. The Coleoptera exhibited greatest association with all agrisilviculture fields. The Z. mauritiana system indicated highest facilitative effects (RTE value) on all groups of soil fauna. Soil temperature, moisture, organic carbon, nitrate- and ammonical-nitrogen, available phosphorus, soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity were greater under tree than that of tree plus cropping system. It showed accumulation of nitrate-nitrogen in tree field and more utilization by crops in cultivated lands. Positive and significant correlation among organic carbon, nitrate- and ammonical-nitrogen, phosphorus, soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity clearly reflects increase in soil nutrients with the increase in microbial and other biotic activity. P. cineraria field was the best pedoecosystem, while C. cyminum was the best winter crop for cultivation in desert agroforestry system for soil biological health and soil sustainability. The increase in organic carbon, soil nutrients and microbial activity is associated with the increase in soil faunal population which reflect role of soil fauna in fertility building. This suggests that strategies may be developed for nurturing fertility-building soil fauna and managing degraded pedoecosystem in desert just by adopting suitable agricultural practices.


The main aim of the research was to develop a new biocompatible and injectable composite with the potential for application as a bone-to-implant bonding material or as a bone substitute. A composite based on hydroxyapatite, gelatin, and two various types of commercially available transglutaminase (TgBDF/TgSNF), as a cross-linking agent, was proposed. To evaluate the impacts of composite content and processing parameters on various properties of the material, the following research was performed: the morphology was examined by SEM microscopy, the chemical structure by FTIR spectroscopy, the degradation behavior was examined in simulated body fluid, the injectability test was performed using an automatic syringe pump, the mechanical properties using a nanoindentation technique, the surface wettability was examined by an optical tensiometer, and the cell viability was assayed by MTT and LDH. In all cases, a composite paste was successfully obtained. Injectability varied between 8 and 15 min. The type of transglutaminase did not significantly affect the surface topography or chemical composition. All samples demonstrated proper nanomechanical properties with Young's modulus and the hardness close to the values of natural bone. BDF demonstrated better hydrophilic properties and structural stability over 7 days in comparison with SNF. In all cases, the transglutaminase did not lead to cell necrosis, but cellular proliferation was significantly inhibited, especially for the BDF agent.


This review paper illustrates the different SQUID based systems used for biomagnetic imaging. The review is divided into nine sections. The first three sections are introductory: section 1 is a short overview of the topic; section 2 summarizes how the biomagnetic fields are generated and what are the basic mathematical models for the field sources; section 3 illustrates the principles of operation of the SQUID device. Sections 4-8 are specifically devoted to the description of the different systems used for biomagnetic measurements: section 4 discusses the different types of detection coils; section 5 illustrates the SQUID sensors specifically designed for biomagnetic applications together with the necessary driving electronics, with special emphasis on high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) SQUIDs, since HTS devices are still in a developing stage; section 6 illustrates the different noise reduction techniques; section 7 describes the different multichannel sensors presently operating; and, finally, section 8 gives a hint of what kind of physiological and/or clinical information may be gathered by the biomagnetic technique. Section 9 suggests some future trends for the biomagnetic technique.


We study a complex perturbation of a self-adjoint infinite band Schrodinger operator (defined in the form sense), and obtain the Lieb--Thirring type inequalities for the rate of convergence of the discrete spectrum of the perturbed operator to the joint essential spectrum of both operators.


Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain NTM048 has been shown to have intestinal IgA-inducing ability. In this study, we investigated the immunostimulant potency of an exopolysaccharide secreted from strain NTM048 (NTM048 EPS) in vitro and in vivo in a murine model. NTM048 EPS ranges in size from 10 to 40 kDa and is speculated to be mainly composed of glucose and fructose. The in vitro study revealed that NTM048 EPS induced total and antigen-specific IgA production by Peyer's patch cells and influenced Th1 and Th2 cell-mediated response in splenocytes. Oral administration of NTM048 EPS dose-dependently induced fecal IgA production accompanied by the up-regulation of retinoic acid synthase and transforming growth factor-β receptor genes in Peyer's patch cells. Flow cytometric analysis of the splenocytes revealed an increase of the CD3+ T-cell population and the ratio of CD4+ T-cells/CD8+ T-cells. These results indicate that NTM048 EPS could enhance the mucosal barrier and influence the systemic immune response.


This study suggests that paternal occupational lead exposure may be associated with low birth weight in the offspring. The odds of low birth weight rose fivefold among infants of fathers who were potentially exposed to high levels of lead during the period 6 months before pregnancy to the end of pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 4.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-20). This effect was most prominent for low-birth-weight infants who were both preterm and small for gestational age. There was a suggestion of a gradual increase of the odds of low birth weight at medium levels of exposure, but this increase was not statistically significant. No increased odds was observed at low levels of exposure. Low birth weight was not associated with paternal ever versus never exposure, indirect exposure, or exposure frequency. An independent effect of exposure duration could not be evaluated as it was highly correlated with exposure level.


Fungi can hasten microbial degradation of hydrophobic compounds by enhancing capture and dissolution into biofilms. For methane (CH4 ) released from natural soils and agricultural systems, prokaryotes are ultimately responsible for oxidation and degradation; however, in many cases Henry's law of gas dissolution, not oxidation, is rate-limiting. Given that fungi can improve capture and bioremediation of other hydrophobic compounds (e.g., toluene), we tested fungi for CH4 capture. We used a batch system of CH4 -flooded vials to screen candidate fungi. We found 79% removal efficiency by Ganoderma lucidum relative to activated carbon. In a follow-up, we found comparable efficiency in other Ganoderma species (G. applanatum, G. meredithae). However, these efficiency gains by Ganoderma species could not be sustained when inoculated wood substrates were placed in "live" soils. Substrates colonized naturally, without preinoculations, performed similarly to those deployed with (native) test strains, likely because inoculated fungi were outcompeted and displaced by native colonizers. Instead of rescreening using more combative fungi, we tested an alternative way to present fungi with high single-strain efficiencies for filtration: in dried form as dead biomass (necromass). In dried biomass trials, dried G. lucidum biomass performed better than when testing living biomass, again with the highest strain-specific removal efficiencies (84% of activated carbon). These results demonstrate the potential for G. lucidum, commonly used in biomaterial production, in a variety of indoor and outdoor biofiltration scenarios. It also implies an overlooked, potentially large role for fungi and their soil necromass in capturing and reducing CH4 emissions from soils in nature.


Introduction: MET is expressed in gastric cancer and associated with poor clinical outcome. LY2875358 (LY) is a humanized immunoglobin G4 (IgG4) monoclonal bivalent antibody blocking ligand-dependent and independent MET signaling. In preclinical studies, LY showed single agent anti-tumor activity for MET amplified gastric cancer in xenograft models. Based on these results, a non-randomized, multicenter, single-arm, open-label, Phase 2 study was conducted to evaluate the antitumor activity of LY in patients (pts) with MET diagnostic positive (+), advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. Methods: Pts with MET diagnostic (+), advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma, who had received 2 prior chemotherapies, were administered LY 2000 mg as flat dose intravenously every 2 weeks (Q2W) on a 28 day cycle. MET diagnostic (+) tumor status was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The primary objective was to evaluate the activity of LY in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 8 weeks (+ 3 days). Secondary objectives were to assess other efficacy variables (eg overall response rate, disease control rate [DCR], PFS, overall survival [OS]), toxicity and safety profile of LY, and pharmacokinetics (PK). The exploratory objectives included evaluation of pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenomics, and exploratory biomarkers. Results: Tumor samples of 65 pts were screened for MET expression by IHC and 15 pts (23.1%) with MET diagnostic (+) were enrolled in this study. Fifteen pts (5 female, 10 male) from Asia (Japan 8, Korea 7) with a median age of 63 years (range 39-74) were enrolled. PFS rate at 8 weeks was 47% (70% Confidence Interval [CI]: 33%, 59%). There was no partial response according to RECIST, while shrinkage of tumor size was observed in 3 out of 15 pts. DCR was 40.0%, with stable disease shown in 6 out of 15 pts. Median PFS was 8.3 weeks (95% CI: 4.1, 12.1) with stable disease for up to a maximum of 37.1 weeks. Median OS was 17.1 weeks (95% CI: 6.3, Not Available). A total of 12 pts (80%) experienced at least 1 LY-related treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE). Common LY-related TEAE (all grades) included constipation and hypoalbuminemia (3 pts [20%] each). LY-related TEAEs with Grade ≥ 3 were hyponatremia and hyperuricemia (2 events in 1 patient), and hyperkalemia (1 patient). Serious adverse events were reported in 6 patients, none of which was related to LY. There was no TEAE leading to death or study treatment discontinuation. PK profiles were similar to those observed in previous studies of LY monotherapy, which were conducted in the United States, and the majority of patients were Caucasian. Exploratory biomarker analysis (IHC data) will be presented at the venue. Conclusion: LY 2000 mg Q2W showed a well-tolerated safety profile with a limited single agent activity in heavily pretreated patients with MET diagnostic (+), advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma. Citation Format: Hyun Cheol Chung, Taroh Satoh, Do-Youn Oh, Se Hoon Park, Shigenori Kadowaki, Volker Wacheck, Ayuko Yamamura, Kazunori Uenaka, Xuejing Aimee Wang, Sameera R. Wijayawardana, Toshihiko Doi. A non-randomized, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study of LY2875358 in Asian patients with MET diagnostic positive, advanced gastric cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr C121.


We present the full-resolution correspondence learning for cross-domain images, which aids image translation. We adopt a hierarchical strategy that uses the correspondence from coarse level to guide the fine levels. At each hierarchy, the correspondence can be efficiently computed via PatchMatch that iteratively leverages the matchings from the neighborhood. Within each PatchMatch iteration, the ConvGRU module is employed to refine the current correspondence considering not only the matchings of larger context but also the historic estimates. The proposed Co-CosNet v2, a GRU-assisted PatchMatch approach, is fully differentiable and highly efficient. When jointly trained with image translation, full-resolution semantic correspondence can be established in an unsupervised manner, which in turn facilitates the exemplar-based image translation. Experiments on diverse translation tasks show that CoCosNet v2 performs considerably better than state-of-the-art literature on producing high-resolution images.


Abstract This paper analyses images of international development through a study of the ways in which development representations produce and circulate " difference " with respect to women and the developing world. Through both overt and subtle narratives, representations of women as "different," "distant" and "other" construct both the object and subject of development. The paper discusses the process by which racialization operates in development through gender as a signifying practice. Based on a doctoral study of communication materials of Women in Development (WID) images produced by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the paper analyses images of women of the developing world in communication materials attached to major campaigns during the Women in Development (WID) period. WID represents an important legacy of today's prevalent images of women in development. The paper situates this legacy within the colonial roots of development and its representations, which include historical constructions of the "third world woman" that intricately reproduce a range of colonial images and practices. Images of "third world women" have become development's most eminent symbol, yet many continue to communicate static and predictable views about the developing world.


This paper proposes molecular and DNA memristors where the state is defined by a single output variable. In past molecular and DNA memristors, the state of the memristor was defined based on two output variables. These memristors cannot be cascaded because their input and output sizes are different. We introduce a different definition of state for the molecular and DNA memristors. This change allows cascading of memristors. The proposed memristors are used to build reservoir computing (RC) models that can process temporal inputs. An RC system consists of two parts: reservoir and readout layer. The first part projects the information from the input space into a high-dimensional feature space. We also study the input-state characteristics of the cascaded memristors and show that the cascaded memristors retain the memristive behavior. The cascade connections in a reservoir can change dynamically; this allows the synthesis of a dynamic reservoir as opposed to a static one in the prior work. This reduces the number of memristors significantly compared to a static reservoir. The inputs to the readout layer correspond to one molecule per state instead of two; this significantly reduces the number of molecular and DSD reactions for the readout layer. A DNA RC system consisting of DNA memristors and a DNA readout layer is used to detect seizures from intra-cranial electroencephalogram (iEEG). We also demonstrate that a DNA RC system consisting of three cascaded DNA memristors and a DNA readout layer can be used to solve the time-series prediction task. The proposed approach can reduce the number of DNA strand displacement (DSD) reactions by three to five times compared to prior approaches.


RATIONALE
Iseganan, an antimicrobial peptide, is active against aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi and yeasts. The drug has shown little resistance in vitro and to be safe and well tolerated in 800 patients with cancer treated for up to 6 wk.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the efficacy of iseganan for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

METHODS
Mechanically ventilated patients in the United States and Europe were randomized to oral topical iseganan or placebo (1:1) and treated six times per day while intubated for up to 14 d. Patients were eligible if randomized within 24 h of intubation and estimated to survive and remain mechanically ventilated for 48 h or more. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study was VAP measured among survivors at Day 14.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
A total of 709 patients were randomized and received at least one dose of study drug. The two groups were comparable at baseline except iseganan-treated patients were, on average, 3 yr older. The rate of VAP among survivors at Day 14 was 16% (45/282) in patients treated with iseganan and 20% (57/284) in those treated with placebo (p = 0.145). Mortality at Day 14 was 22.1% (80/362) in the iseganan group compared with 18.2% (63/347) in the placebo group (p = 0.206). No pattern of excess adverse events in the iseganan group compared with placebo was observed.

CONCLUSIONS
Iseganan is not effective in improving outcome in patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation.


Sustainable Economic Development (SED) is based on the premise that a sustainability revolution is taking place a transformation from an old economy that is high pollution, high carbon, waste intensive, and ecologically disruptive, to a new economy that is low pollution, energy/resource efficient, low or zero carbon, and ecologically supportive. A biofertilizer (also bio-fertilizer) is a substance which contains living microorganisms which, when applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil, colonizes the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promotes growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant. A new way of doing business is emerging out of this transformation – sustainable enterprise – and the way all businesses operate is changing significantly. As clean enterprises grow and interact with each other as suppliers and customers, and as they all become greener, a clean economy is developing. The new Clean Tech industries are at the heart of this economic transformation. While some businesses are specializing in producing and distributing them, all businesses are coming to use them. This paper may give applicable advice to commercial farmers and researches for management and concern on planting density strategy and estimate of fertilizers carefully for achieve to the sustainable economic development.


While the relationships between social networks and health are widely acknowledged in the literature, few of these studies have covered the population of refugees living in makeshift camps. In our analysis of a nationally representative Italian survey of individuals living in informal settlements, we find that many had weak family relations: only 10 per cent had one or more family members in their settlement. The paper analyses the effects of individual social network on two measures of health, and finds that the refugees' health conditions were associated with both their personal characteristics and the characteristics of the settlement. The results show that more than 50 per cent of these foreign nationals recently had health problems, and that those with no family members in the settlement had significantly higher chances of both being in bad or very bad health and having experienced a health problem in the last month.


A FAIRLY extensive experienice of blood cultivation during £lhe past few months, while in charge of a mobile laboratory in France, lhas sl6own tlhat, although the nmetlhod ilsuallv employed of drawing blood from a vein direct into ox bile, and'thence plating-on to special mnedia, is excellent for the typlhoid-coli group, it does -not -detect tlhe n'umerous otlher organisms wlichl may be found in the blood in cases of pyrexia of unknown origin. The special media, or tlle ox bile, appear to lhave an illhibitory effect on these. For this reason I lhave for some time used, in addition to ox tile, two otlher fluid mnedia, oine similarn inchemical coi position to ox bile, and the other a brotlh prepared from-i trypsinized bullock's heart. Instead of plating out on to Drigalslii-Conradi 'and MacConkey media onlly'I use also Conradi's brilliant green, Fawcus's brilliant green, and a modificatioln of the pea extract trypsili agar used at the Royal Armiiy Medical College, Millbank. In every case of veini puncture it is absoltutely necessary first tllorouglhlv to cleanse the sliut in the vicinity with alcolhol before painting with tinct'ure of iodine. A piece of rubber tubing, whlicll is so fastenied lr'ound thle arl that it can be instantly released, is used to constr'ict the blood flow, 'and a wide-bore 20 c.cin1. needle passed into any snitable vein at the bend of the elbow or its vicini-ty. Not less tllan 5 c.cul. of blood slhould be drawn direct into eaclh of thle tllree liqluid nmedia, and an additional 2 c.cm. into a test ttube for a Widal reaction for typhoid, para&typhoid A and B by Dreyer's method. The tubes are incubated, and next morning plated out in tlhe followisig mannier: Tlhe five plates are eachimarked -with a grease pencil into tllree sectors, and the nalmes of the tlhree fluid nmedia marled on the sectors, one on each. Tle fluid media are tllen in turni taken up and a loopful of fluiid transferred to the corresponding, miiarked sector of cacll plate. lThe plates are then returnied to the incuibator for examiniation the following day. If nao growtl lhas occurred, the process mutst be rppeated, if necessary, #for thrtee successive days. Th6e exta time taken' up in transferring in all fifteen loopfuls of fluid from the thiree media as compared witlh one or two only when usinig ox bile, is well repaid by the increased numl-ber of positive results obtaided. It happens not infrequently in the case of tlle delicate organisms like pneumococci and the feebly virlulent streptococci tllat growths may only appear on one or two of the wlhole 'fifteen sectors, although in these cases growths may 'usually be seen in tlle brotlh mediuim. Already a large number of cases of pyrexia of undefined origin, a term wlhicll includes cases of so-called "trench 'fever," have been slhown by this extended method of blood culture to be due to bacterial infections of the blood, but it is essential to examine the blood when the fever is at its height. For tlle colmposition of tlle two liquid media which I use vith the ox bile wlhen collecting the blood, and for perfectly prepared media generally, I am indebted to Sergeant H. A. H. Howard, B.Sc.Lond., R.A.M.C., m'y laboratory attendant. My analysis of tle cultivation of the blood of the last 100 cases of 'fever of nLnknownl' origin examined by me gives the following results.


In this paper, we report the design and implementation of a sound source separation system using a dynamically reconfigurable device. A robot in real-world environments should have an ability to treat a mixture of multiple sound signals. Active direction-pass filter (ADPF) which extracts sound from a specific direction by using a pair of microphones has been developed as such a method of sound source separation. The ADPF was used as a front-end for an automatic speech recognition system, and recognition of three simultaneous speech signals has been reported. The ADPF, however, requires a lot of computational power, while the battery capacity and the physical size of the robot are limited. To reduce the power consumption and the size of the system, we adopted the dynamically reconfigurable device, DRP developed by NEC Electronics. We implemented the ADPF on DRP, and investigated the effectiveness of dynamically reconfigurable device for these applications. The preliminary experiment shows that ADPF on DRP separates a mixture of sound sources in real-time with practical accuracy.


Pseudoaneurysms of the deep femoral artery have been reported after external injury to the thigh and orthopedic surgery of the femur. We describe our experience with a case of spontaneous rupture of a deep femoral pseudoaneurysm in a woman who was receiving warfarin within the therapeutic range. She received a choledocholithotomy after a radical hysterectomy for uterine cervical cancer (stage IB1). Pulmonary embolism and deep-vein thrombosis developed after choledocholithotomy, and an inferior vena cava filter was left in place permanently. She was receiving warfarin since then. This time, the patient presented with a pseudoaneurysm of the deep femoral artery and a large hematoma in the adductor muscle of the thigh. Swelling of the thigh in this condition resembled the lower-extremity edema that occurs after pelvic lymph-node dissection. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) was useful for diagnosis of the pseudoaneurysm and evaluation of the extent of muscle damage. J Med Cases. 2016;7(7):299-302 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2543w


Among pollinator insects, bees undoubtedly account for the most important species. They play a critical role in boosting reproduction of wild and commercial plants and therefore contribute to the maintenance of plant biodiversity and sustainability of food webs. In the last few decades, domesticated and wild bees have been subjected to biotic and abiotic threats, alone or in combination, causing various health disorders. Therefore, monitoring solutions to improve bee health are increasingly necessary. MALDI mass spectrometry has emerged within this decade as a powerful technology to biotype micro-organisms. This method is currently and routinely used in clinical diagnosis where molecular mass fingerprints corresponding to major protein signatures are matched against databases for real-time identification. Based on this strategy, we developed MALDI BeeTyping as a proof of concept to monitor significant hemolymph molecular changes in honey bees upon infection with a series of entomopathogenic Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. A Serratia marcescens strain isolated from one "naturally" infected honey bee collected from the field was also considered. We performed a series of individually recorded hemolymph molecular mass fingerprints and built, to our knowledge, the first computational model made of nine molecular signatures with a predictive score of 97.92%. Hence, we challenged our model by classifying a training set of individual bees' hemolymph and obtained overall recognition of 91.93%. Through this work, we aimed at introducing a novel, realistic, and time-saving high-throughput biotyping-like strategy that addresses honey bee health in infectious conditions and on an individual scale through direct "blood tests". Significance Statement Domesticated and wild bees worldwide represent the most active and valuable pollinators that ensure plant biodiversity and the success of many crops. These pollinators and others are exposed to deleterious pathogens and environmental stressors. Despite efforts to better understand how these threats affect honey bee health status, solutions are still crucially needed to help beekeepers, scientists and stakeholders in obtaining either a prognosis, an early diagnosis or a diagnosis of the health status of the apiaries. In this study, we describe a new method to investigate honey bee health by a simple "blood test" using fingerprints of some peptides/proteins as health status signatures. By computer modelling, we automated the identification of infected bees with a predictive score of 97.92%.


Diabetes mellitus, as a common metabolic disease, affects millions people's health worldwide and its incidence is continuing to increase. It is important to find effective measures of prevention and/or intervention for the disease to reduce its impact on the risk for cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of mortality among patients with diabetes mellitus. Apart from its well-known 'classic' effect in bone metabolism, vitamin D has received widespread attention for its potential role in the prevention of diabetes mellitus, in particular type 2 diabetes mellitus. A large number of studies have observed a reverse relationship between vitamin D levels and the risk of diabetes mellitus. The results from the studies aiming to reduce risk for diabetes mellitus with vitamin D supplements are mixed though no study reports worsening the disease pathologically after treatment. Most previous studies on the relationship between vitamin D and diabetes mellitus were orientated from the direction of the 'non-classic' effect of vitamin D, but the emerging evidence indicates that its 'classic' effect on bone metabolism can be the key to understand its risk association with diabetes mellitus.


A systematic analysis of the observability of an inertial navigation system (INS) in ground alignment with Bar-Itzhack and Berman's error model is presented. It is shown that the unobservable states are separately contained in two decoupled subspaces. The constraints on the selection of unobservable states are discussed. An estimation algorithm which is derived fully from the horizontal velocity outputs for computing the misalignment angles is provided. It reveals that the azimuth error can be entirely estimated from the estimates of leveling error and leveling error rate, without using gyro output signals explicitly. >


The authors examined the role of the sample-specific simulations (SSS; A. M. Ruscio & J. Ruscio, 2002; J. Ruscio & A. M. Ruscio, 2004) procedure in detecting low base-rate taxa that might otherwise prove elusive. The procedure preserved key distributional characteristics for moderate to high base-rate taxa, but it performed inadequately for low base-rate taxa, with low to moderate nuisance covariance, decreasing indicator validity, and increasing average nuisance covariance. Visual inspection of the curves produced by the SSS procedure, combined with the expectation that the inchworm test should produce a clear peak for low base-rate taxonic samples, led to inappropriate conclusions about the suitability of data. The authors speculate that examination of low base-rate taxa using SSS may require other algorithms for generating comparison distributions, consideration of the shape of the whole curve, and/or relaxation of the expectation that a clear peak will emerge with the inchworm test.


With your permission, I should like to refer to the presentations made throughout this meeting, and to the conclusions that I was able to draw from the sum of what was said here.
Like any veteran malariologist, I have lived malariology as it was before and after DDT was introduced. We, the malariologists of the pre-DDT era, were called "wet feet" because we often walked through water. We were expected to know everything about parasites, mosquitoes, patients, malaria in the community, the long list of malaria control measures, and even map-making. Because other disciplines were of very little help, a manysided training was absolutely necessary, so that malariologists were the offspring of cross-breeding medicine with biological sciences and hydraulic engineering. The strategy in the struggle against malaria was summarized by Sir Ronald Ross in the well-known remark: "To become an efficient malariologist one must learn to think like a mosquito."


Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the anti-obesity effects of mixed water extract of Plantaginis Semen & Poria (CJB) on obese rats induced with high fat diet. Method: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups; Normal group, high-fat (HF) group, HF+CJB(100 mg/kg, P.O.) for 8 weeks. The body weight, food intake and weights of adipose tissues were measured, respectively. Lipid profiles in serum were analyzed by automatic analyzer of blood. Obese marker proteins and the changes of NPY and LR immunoreactivities in hypothalamus were analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Results : CJB significantly reduced body weight, food intake, adipose tissue weights compared to HF group. Serum triglyceride and total cholesterol were significantly higher in HF group than in Normal group however, CJB significantly lowered those of HF group. HDL-cholesterol level in CJB groups was elevated compared to HF group. The pAMPK in hypothalamus were decreased in that of HF group and that of CJB group decreased. Inversely, ACC was increased in HF group and that of CJB groups decrease. Expression of PPAR□ in hypothalamus was increased by CJB treatment. However, PPARα levels in CJB group were decreased compared to HF group. The expressions of NPY and LR in PVN and ARC of hypothalamus were decreased in CJB group, respectively. Conclusion : Administration of CJB can play anti-obesity through regulations of NPY and LR activities and obesity marker proteins in obese rat`s hypothalamus.


Two different devices topology are proposed to implement parallel-plate capacitors using Ba 0.6 Sr 0.4 TiO 3 (BST) thin films. At 1 MHz frequency, the maximum tunability 1.3:1 is obtained with 32 V DC bias. The new topology capacitors have much higher tunability compared with conventional capacitors at the same total capacitance. Phase shifters, which are loaded variable structure capacitors have also been implemented. The circuits provide a maximum 190° and 262° phase shift at 18 GHz at room temperature.