Aims: To assess the cost-effectiveness of varicella vaccination, taking into account its impact on zoster. Methods: An age structured transmission dynamic model was used to predict the future incidence of varicella and zoster. Data from national and sentinel surveillance systems were used to estimate age specific physician consultation, hospitalisation, and mortality rates. Unit costs, taken from standard sources, were applied to the predicted health outcomes. Results: In England and Wales, the annual burden of VZV related disease is substantial, with an estimated 651 000 cases of varicella and 189 000 cases of zoster, resulting in approximately 18 000 QALYs lost. The model predicts that although the overall burden of varicella will significantly be reduced following mass infant vaccination, these benefits will be offset by a significant rise in zoster morbidity. Under base case assumptions, infant vaccination is estimated to produce an overall loss of 54 000 discounted QALYs over 80 years and to result in a net cost from the health provider (NHS) and the societal perspectives. These results rest heavily on the impact of vaccination on zoster. Adolescent vaccination is estimated to cost approximately £18 000 per QALY gained from the NHS perspective. Conclusion: Routine infant varicella vaccination is unlikely to be cost-effective and may produce an increase in overall morbidity. Adolescent vaccination is the safest and most cost-effective strategy, but has the least overall impact on varicella.


Effect of calcitonin (CT) upon the AP of contractile cardiomyocytes was absent under conditions of blockade of beta-adrenoreceptors with inderal which reduced the level of intracellular sodium and ionized calcium. Inderal facilitated the effect of parathyroid hormone on the myocardium electrical activity. In conditions of blockade of beta-adrenoreceptors, the CT acted upon the autorhythmic activity of pace-maker cardiomyocytes as in control solution.


Canine mammary gland tumors (CMTs) constitute the most common cancer in female dogs and comprise approximately 50% of all canine cancers. With the advent of high-throughput technologies such as microarray and next-generation sequencing, the molecular phenotyping (classification) of various cancers has been extensively developed. The present study used a canine RNA-sequencing dataset, namely GSE119810, to classify 113 malignant CMTs and 64 matched normal samples via an unsupervised hierarchical algorithm with a view to evaluating the association between the resulting subtypes (clusters) (n=4) and clinical and molecular characteristics. Finally, a molecular classifier was developed, and it detected 1 high-risk molecular subtype in the training dataset (GSE119810) and 2 independent validation datasets (GSE20718 and GSE22516). Our results revealed 4 molecular subtypes (C2-C5) in malignant CMTs. Furthermore, the normal samples constituted a distinct group in the clustering analysis. Marked significant associations were observed between the molecular subtypes (especially C5) and clinical/molecular features, including positive lymphatic invasion, high tumor grades, histopathology diagnoses, short survival, and high TP53 mutation rates (Ps<0.05). The high-risk subtype (C5) was further characterized through the development of a cell cycle-based gene signature, which comprised 37 proliferation-related genes according to the support vector machine algorithm. This signature identified the high-risk group in both training and validation datasets (Ps<0.001). In the validation analysis, our potential classifier robustly predicted patients with positive lymphatic invasion, metastases, and short survival.


Two groups of seven pregnant sows were farrowing either naturally after 111-114 days of gestation or prematurely after 109 days following an injection of 125 micrograms/animal of a prostaglandin analogue. Colostrum intake was controlled individually on piglets during the first 24 h of life. Measurements of IgG, IgA and IgM were performed on 3 samples of colostrum after 0, 12 and 24 h following the birth of the first piglet, then in the serum of the piglets, sampled at 4, 12 and 42 days of age. Then, we calculated the total amount of Ig intake during the first 24 h of life and an estimation of the Ig stores of each piglet on the basis of weight, blood volume, and hematocrit at different ages. Results showed a marked average difference in the birth weight in favour of mature piglets as well as an increased colostrum intake: 315 vs an average of 213 g for premature piglets. Considerable variations between sows were found in the initial level of colostral IgG, independently of the gestation length. Two thirds of the IgG intake by piglets occurred during the first 12 h. Total Immunoglobulin intake in the first day was respectively 15.8 g vs 25.1 g for premature or mature piglets. Total estimated Ig content in the serum of 4 day-old piglets was also lower for premature ones (2.55 vs 3.2 g/animal), representing 10 to 27% of the total amount of Igs ingested during the first day of life.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Gramsci viewed popular religion as having the possibility of being a progressive movement against the bourgeois hegemony produced and reproduced in symbiosis with official religion and the state. In this pre—mass consumption society, there was the germ of a revolt in popular religion that could help the revolutionary push needed and guided by earlier Marxists. The goal of this chapter is to argue that with the entry of popular religion into the consumer societies of the Western world, popular religion has not moved further in terms of its opposition against the state. A case study of hyperreal religions and more specifically of Jediism will form the thread of the chapter. Following Simmel and Beck, I will argue that popular religion, like money, now individualizes and standardizes and by this process loses its oppositional strength. Introduction In pre-consumer and pre-cyber culture, Gramsci argued that popular religion could help with counterhegemonic forces and that this could offer an opposition to the state. Could this still be the case today? Jediism is a spirituality that has been inspired by the Star Wars franchise. It is a subset of popular religion that has emerged in consumer and cyber culture and will be used as a case study for the purpose of this chapter. Jediism has infiltrated a few censuses around the world and is actively present on the internet.


In the current era of precision astronomy, a complete sky background model is crucial, especially as the telescopes become even larger in the next decade. Such a model is needed for planning observations as well as understanding and correcting the data for the sky background. We have developed a sky model for this purpose, and it is the most complete and universal sky background model that we know of to date (Article A). It covers a wide range of wavelengths from 0.3 to 30 microns up to a resolution of 1,000,000 and is instrument independent. Currently it is optimized for the telescopes at Cerro Paranal and the future site Cerro Armazones in Chile. Its original purpose was to improve the ESO (European Southern Observatory) ETC (Exposure Time Calculator) used for predicting exposure times of observations with a given signal to noise ratio for a set of conditions, as part of the Austrian contribution to ESO. Improving the ETC allows for better scheduling and telescope efficiency, and our new sky model has already been implemented by ESO. The brightest natural source of optical light at night is the Moon, and it is a major contributor to the astronomical sky background. We have an improved scattered moonlight model (Article B and G), where all of the components are computed with physical processes or observational data with less empirical parametrizations. This model is spectroscopic from 0.3 to 2.5 microns and was studied and verified with observations. To our knowledge, this is the first spectroscopic model extending into the near-infrared. There are several applications of the sky background model. We have developed two tools for data reduction, skycorr (Article C) and molecfit (Article E and F). Additionally, the sky background model can be used in atmospheric science. Since the model is more physical, we can use the scattered moonlight to determine the distribution of aerosols (Article D). We can also investigate


Two new heteroleptic pentacoordinated Zn(II) complexes (1 and 2) containing 4,4′-disubstituted 2,2′-bipyridines as the main ligand and curcumin (curc) as an ancillary ligand have been synthesized, spectroscopically and structurally characterized, and tested in vitro towards different human cancer cell lines. While the nitrogen ligands are almost inactive, Zn(II) curc derivatives 1 and 2 show promising and selective anticancer properties. In particular the curc Zn(II) complex 1 shows the strongest growth inhibition in all cell lines, being even more effective than the pure curc in the LAN-5 neuroblastoma cell line. Furthermore, the curc moiety makes the complexes 1 and 2 fluorescent, a feature enabling investigation of their interaction with DNA through a new optical method previously tested with the reference fluorescent intercalator ethidium bromide. This analysis demonstrates that the interaction mode of curc, 1 and 2 with DNA in the double helix favors their alignment perpendicular to the DNA axis, suggesting a partial inter-base intercalation of these Zn(II) complexes.


Histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) is considered as the most promising algorithm in human detection, however its complexity and intensive computational load is an issue for real-time detection in embedded systems. This paper presents a hardware accelerator for HOG feature extractor to fulfill the requirements of real-time pedestrian detection in driver assistance systems. Parallel and deep pipelined hardware architecture with special defined memory access pattern is employed to improve the throughput while maintaining the accuracy of the original algorithm reasonably high. Adoption of efficient memory access pattern, which provides simultaneous access to the required memory area for different functional blocks, avoids repetitive calculation at different stages of computation, resulting in both higher throughput and lower power. It does not impose any further resource requirements with regard to memory utilization. Our presented hardware accelerator is capable of extracting HOG features for 60 fps (frame per second) of HDTV (1080x1920) frame and could be employed with several instances of support vector machine (SVM) classifier in order to provide multiple object detection.


Abstract: We describe 2 renal transplant recipients with severe but reversible neurological manifestations related to Varicella zoster virus (VZV) cerebral vasculopathy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of cerebral VZV vasculopathy in solid organ transplant recipients. We review the published literature on the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment. In solid organ transplant recipients presenting with neurological signs and symptoms, a diagnosis of VZV‐associated vasculopathy should be considered.


Advocates of no-take marine reserves emphasize their conservation benefits. Critics counter that reserves would decrease fisheries yield. Analysis of a spatially explicit harvesting model, however, shows that no-take marine reserves are always part of an optimal harvest designed to maximize yield. The optimal harvest generates a spatial source–sink structure with source populations placed in reserves. The sizes and locations of the optimal reserves depend on a dimensionless length parameter. For small values of this parameter, the maximum yield is obtained by placing a large reserve in the centre of the habitat. For large values of this parameter, the optimal harvesting strategy is a spatial 'chattering control' with infinite sequences of reserves alternating with areas of intense fishing. Such a chattering strategy would be impossible to actually implement, but in these cases an approximate yet practicable policy, utilizing a small number of reserves, can be constructed.


When we as developers and designers create a system that requires user interaction-whether it is computer software, a kitchen appliance, or a door knob-we often fall victim to a common mistake: we use ourselves as the model for our system's potential users. Even developing for an "average user" is a pitfall that results in numerous users whose needs are overlooked. The average user might account for the largest spike under a bell curve, but nonaverage users account for a much larger percentage of the general population. Additionally, the number of people possessing all of the average attributes being considered in a design is very small. So, the designers' goal should be to broaden the section of the bell curve that their system targets. This concept is called universal design, and it's especially important in wearable computing because using a system while mobile and while in different environments can have a major effect on its usability.


The interaction of trivalent lanthanide and actinide cations with polyaminopolycarboxylic acid complexing agents in lactic acid buffer systems is an important feature of the chemistry of the TALSPEAK process for the separation of trivalent actinides from lanthanides. To improve understanding of metal ion coordination chemistry in this process, the results of an investigation of the kinetics of lanthanide complexation by ethylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and diethylenetriamine-N,N,N',N'',N''-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) in 0.3 M lactic acid/0.3 M ionic strength solution are reported. Progress of the reaction was monitored using the distinctive visible spectral changes attendant to lanthanide complexation by the colorimetric indicator ligand Arsenazo III, which enables the experiment but plays no mechanistic role. Under the conditions of these experiments, the reactions occur in a time regime suitable for study by stopped-flow spectrophotometric techniques. Experiments have been conducted as a function of EDTA/DTPA ligand concentration, total lactic acid concentration, and pH. The equilibrium perturbation reaction proceeds as a first order approach to equilibrium over a wide range of conditions, allowing the simultaneous determination of complex formation and dissociation rate constants. The rate of the complexation reaction has been determined for the entire lanthanide series (except Pm(3+)). The predominant pathway for lanthanide-EDTA and lanthanide-DTPA dissociation is inversely dependent on the total lactate concentration; the complex formation reaction demonstrates a direct dependence on [H(+)]. Unexpectedly, the rate of the complex formation reaction is seen in both ligand systems to be fastest for Gd(3+). Correlation of these results indicates that in 0.3 M lactate solutions the exchange of lanthanide ions between lactate complexes and the polyaminopolycarboxylate govern the process.


A UMTS network based on the Wide Band-CDMA technology is a 3 rd generation tele- communication system which provides various multimedia applications along with the conventional telephony service. These various multimedia applications fall into four different categories, which are differentiated from each other on the basis of required bit rate and delay tolerance etc. parameters. In order to get best Quality of Service (QoS) for a particular application running on the subscriber equipment the parameters of the respective category to which the application belong need to be in a required range. In this work the performance of a UMTS network scenario is evaluated by using various values of the precedence bits of the CBR application. The simulation tool used is QUALNET 5.0. The performance of the scenario according to the respective precedence bits is analyzed by four metrics: average jitter, end to end delay, throughput and UMTS signals received and forwarded to MAC. The comparative analysis of all the four metrics according to the precedence bit values will be carried out and it will be concluded in the last section that which precedence bit gives the best performance for the simulated UMTS network scenario.


This report describes a laboratory model that permits study of the radiochemotherapy interactions in the CNS. Rats are stereotaxically implanted with a cerebroventricular cannula attached to an osmotic minipump, which slowly infuses a chemotherapeutic agent into CSF for up to 14 days. The cervical cord is irradiated, and forelimb paralysis develops 4-6 months later at an effective dose for paresis in 50% of the animals; the doses with radiotherapy alone are 2,125 cGy for a single fraction and 2,950 cGy for split fractions. Investigations with the model indicate that mature CNS tissue is not sensitized to either single-fraction or split-dose irradiation with either simultaneous or post-radiation exposure to high concentrations of methotrexate.


The introduction of internet service in Cinta Mekar village-Subang, west Java, becomes a unique phenomenon. This is because; the village located far from the city and it does not have telecommunication facility. The rural ICT technology built by the Digital Learning Team (DLT) become one of the prime movers for internet rising in this village. This rising is marked by e learning in two elementary schools, there are Cinta Mekar and MI Al Huda elementary schools. The teacher study from the e-learning, meanwhile the DLT guide them in learning process through e-learning. The internet raises the pride of the teachers and encourages them to to find the information. The first problem with the implementation of e-learning are the teachers do not understand how to use it. Due to the problems, there is a need to measure the e-learning and define the activities phase, especially in rural area. ELearning Maturity Model (EMM) is used to measure the e-learning and the activities is developed based on ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) model of change management. From EMM, we focused on 2 sub process learning, 1 sub process development, 2 sub process support, 1 sub process evaluation, and 1 sub process organization. From this measurement, the e-learning condition in the elementary school indicated partially adequate status. This result is proven by the readiness from the system but lack of training, supervising and coaching from the DLT. To solve the current condition, we define the activities based on ADKAR, for example group development, documentation, research and review.


Abstract. The continuous monitoring of industrial and environmental processes is becoming an increasingly important aspect with both economic and societal impact. So far, spectral-optical sensors with their outstanding properties in terms of sensitivity and reliability have not been considered as a potential solution because of the cost-intensive and bulky readout hardware. Here we present a card-size, inexpensive, and robust readout platform based on a wavelength-sensitive photodiode. In test and characterization experiments we achieved a wavelength shift resolution of better than 0.1 nm and a detection limit of 0.001 AU for ratiometric measurements. We furthermore discuss the capability and current limitations of our readout unit in context with interrogation experiments we performed with a photonic crystal-based fluid sensor. In sum we expect the presented readout platform to foster the exploitation of spectral-optical sensor technology for gas monitoring, chemical analytics, biosensing and many others fields.


Background Estimating the burden of neglected tropical diseases is a valuable tool to support policymakers in the resource allocation for control and elimination of these diseases. Spatial analysis allows to identify the geographical distribution patterns of infectious and parasitic diseases within a country and allows to assess their possible correlation with other health disorders. Despite being neurocysticercosis (NCC) considered as the most important parasitic disease of the nervous system, few efforts have been addressed to assess the real burden of NCC in endemic countries, to date, there are no studies estimating the burden of NCC in South America. In this study we aimed to use the Disability Adjust Life Years (DALY) and spatial indicators as tools to measure the impact of human neurocysticercosis in Ecuador between 2013 and 2017. Methods Mortality, morbidity and spatial data from the national agency of statistics were used to estimate the burden of disease of NCC during a five-year period (2013–2017). NCC cases and its two main sequelae, epilepsy and migraine headache, were stratified by sex and age group to calculate the DALY associated to NCC using the DALY package in R. SATSCAN software was used to assess spatial clusters of NCC and its possible neurological sequelae as epilepsy, status epilepticus, migraine and hydrocephalus. Principal findings The burden of human neurocysticercosis ranged from 56201 [95% CI 29961–89333] to 59612 [95% CI 31854–94689] DALY per year, corresponding to 3.54 to 3.56 DALY per 1000 population. Average yearly incidence rates per 10 000 person-years were 0.23 [95% CI 0.21–0.26] for NCC, 4.89 [95% CI 4.78–5.00] for epilepsy, 0.130 [95% CI 0.11–0.15] for status epilepticus, 0.62 [95% CI 0.58–0.66] for migraine headache, and 1.02 [95% CI 0.98–1.07] for hydrocephalus. Most important significant spatial clusters (p<0.0001) were located in the southern region of the highlands of the country. Conclusion/Significance This is the first study in South America to calculate estimates for burden of NCC and one of the few using spatial analysis to show the importance of sequelae other than epilepsy that play an important role in the impact of human neurocysticercosis.


The most commonly cited justification for international criminal law is that it addresses crimes of such gravity that they "shock the conscience of humanity." From decisions about how to define crimes and when to exercise jurisdiction, to limitations on defenses and sentencing determinations, gravity rhetoric permeates the discourse of international criminal law. Yet the concept of gravity remains highly undertheorized. This book uncovers the consequences for the regime's legitimacy of its heavy reliance on this poorly understood idea. It argues that gravity's ambiguity may at times enable a thin consensus to emerge around decisions, such as the creation of an institution or the definition of a crime, but that, increasingly, it undermines efforts to build a strong and resilient global justice community. The book suggests ways to reconceptualize gravity in line with global values and goals to better support the long-term legitimacy of international criminal law.


In embedded systems, especially in multi-purpose platforms, the need for computational power can vary greatly. This depends mainly on the type of applications running on the platform as well as on limitations such as real-time constraints or the amount of data being processed. These factors can change during lifetime of the system and even during runtime. A highly adaptive computing platform is desirable, providing exactly the computational power and speed needed for any particular task at any particular time using minimal resources. This contribution discusses a highly scalable multiprocessor system composed of minimal sized processor cores. The proposed architecture is intended for computational intensive applications such as on-line routing and placement on FPGAs or applications in the cryptographic domain. While offering a lot of leeway in computational power it uses minimal resources on an FPGA, thus freeing hardware resources for applications running in parallel to the multiprocessor system.


On observing a black line against a white background through a single slit parallel to the line, it is found that the line becomes practically invisible. On the contrary, when the slit and the line are orthogonal, the line remains perfectly clear. Starting from this particularly simple principle, a simple and quick directional filtering can be created. The use of a reflex camera allows both observation and photography of the filtered image at the same time.


The ascites microenvironment of ovarian cancers is enriched in ovarian cancer stem cells (OvCSCs) and macrophages (MPs). The immune system is complicit in the progression, chemoresistance and metastasis of ovarian cancer, yet little is known about the exact nature of interactions between OvCSCs and MPs, especially in the malignant ascites microenvironment. Here, we describe the use of the 3D in vitro hanging drop spheroid platform to study the reciprocal interactions between OvCSCs and MPs. Hetero-spheroids contained: i) monocyte-derived Macrophages (MP); and ii) OvCSCs (ALDH+ CD133+ OVCAR3). For immuno-modulation, we characterized MP polarization markers by flow cytometry and gene expression analysis. Using qPCR, we quantified changes in IL6, IL10, IL12, and Wnt7A, to understand signaling involved in OvCSC/MP hetero-spheroids. CD68 expression (~50%) was observed in OvCSC/MP hetero-spheroids, indicating the presence of MPs. OvCSCs drove higher CD206 expression in MPs (75%) when compared to unsorted ovarian cancer cells (OvCa; 40%). Even if MPs were pre-polarized to inflammatory M1 (HLA-DR+ CD206-), co-culture with OvCSCs reversed the M1 phenotype, and strongly induced CD206 expression. Pre-polarized M2 MPs resulted in 2-fold increase in ALDH+ cells in hetero-spheroids. Apart from CD206, MPs in hetero-spheroids also expressed iNOS, IFN-ϒ, and CD163. Gene expression analysis revealed increased immuno-suppressive IL10 in hetero-spheroids, with more IL10 in OvCSC/MP (3.5 fold) compared to OvCa/MP. OvCSC/MP and OvCa/MP spheroid also had consistently elevated (2-3 fold) increase in IL6 gene expression, consistent with the importance of the IL6/STAT3 axis in both cancer stem cell and macrophage signaling. Lastly, Wnt7A was significantly elevated in both differentiated MPs, and OvCSC/MP spheroids, indicating reciprocal trophic and immuno-suppressive signaling components at play. The 3D spheroid model can simulate biological interactions between OvCSCs and MPs within the malignant ascites. We describe that OvCSCs primarily polarize macrophages into a mixed phenotype that express both inflammatory and pro-tumoral markers. We believe that the putative involvement of Wnt7a in OvCSC/MP interactions drives this phenotype, and could have functional implications for tumorigenicity, response to chemotherapeutics and metastatic potential. This work was supported by the DOD OCRP W81XWH-13-1-0134, MIOCA, Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer and NIH T32DE00007057-41 and P30CA046592. Citation Format: Shreya Raghavan, Geeta Mehta. Immuno-modulation of macrophages by ovarian cancer stem cells in an in vitro 3D spheroid platform [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 118.


Our work is concerned with the discovery of delivery systems that are safe as well as efficacious for gene therapeutics by being biocompatible and stabilising nucleic acids from degradation after oral administration. We have designed an efficient, synthetic nucleic acid vector, which is relatively non-toxic compared to lipofectamine. [N-(2-ethylamino-palmitoyl)-6-O-glycol chitosan – EAGCP] was able to increase the stability of the polyplexes due to the presence of the palmitoyl group in the chemical structure of the polymer. Increasing the level of amine groups in EAGC and EAGCP has enhanced the stability of the polyplexes. Additionally, the endosomal escape capability of the polyplexes is associated with the buffer capacity of the polymers as an endosomal escape is necessary for transfection. Our results showed that increasing the incubation time required to form a complex plays a critical role in elevating transfection efficiency at low polymer, DNA mass ratio. EAGC polymers with a low degree of ethylamino substitution have maximum transfection at high polymer, DNA mass ratio compared to those with a high degree of substitution. Accordingly, we have found the complexation time, and degree of substitution are critical factors that may be manipulated to decrease the polymer content of polyplexes and in turn make efficient, biocompatible complexes. Furthermore, the results show that modification of the chemical structure of the EAGC polymer through adding palmitoyl group decreases the cytotoxicity of the polyplex. In contrast, the transfection efficiency of the polyplex was decreased as the degree of palmitoylation increased due to the strong stability that restricted the release of DNA inside the cells. The polyplexes stability against gastrointestinal enzymes has been investigated, and the results showed that EAGC and EAGCP have the ability to protect DNA against pancreatin enzyme for 2 hours while the polymers did not protect DNA against pepsin due to the presence of anions such as chloride in SGF that are able to destabilize the polyplex. EAGCP showed its ability to improve the opening of in vitro MDCK cells tight junctions and increase paracellular permeability of 4kDa dextran when compared to sodium caprate (C10). A promising result of an in vivo transfection has been observed with EAGCP and EAGC after oral administration; however, the results were not reproducible.


Derivatives of an antidiuretic hormone raise factor VIII levels in patients with mild or moderate hemophilia A. This case report describes the use of desmo-pressin acetate to raise the factor VIII level in a patient with hemophilia A, before and after extraction of 27 teeth.


This paper proposes a novel method for instantaneous balancing of neutral-point (NP) voltages with stacked multilevel inverters (MLIs) for variable-speed drives. The stacked MLI uses series-connected dc sources and NPs (connecting points of dc sources) to obtain the desired levels. The balancing of NP voltages are obtained by using a low-voltage-capacitor-fed cascaded H-bridge (CHB) per phase of a symmetrical six-phase induction machine (IM), which ensures zero current drawn from NPs (at any given instant). Since no current is drawn from NPs, the single dc-link operation with stacked capacitors is also possible. The scheme is suitable for applications, where low-voltage dc sources and batteries are stacked to form a dc link. A variable-speed operation is done using a seven-level inverter scheme for a symmetrical six-phase IM, which is formed by three dc-link stacked capacitors cascaded with two low-voltage-capacitor-fed CHBs per phase. Furthermore, the method is extended for an open-end IM to obtain a seven-level common-mode eliminated space vector structure using a single dc link. The generalization of this method for any stacked $n$-level inverter without NP voltage deviation is also presented in this paper. The experimental results and analysis are included to validate the proposed method.


A threshold-based adaptive resource reservation scheme for soft handoff calls in wireless code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular networks is proposed. The scheme gives handoff calls a higher admission priority than new calls, and is designed to adaptively adjust the reservation-request time threshold according to the varying traffic load. The individual reservation requests form a common reservation pool, and handoff calls are served on a first-come, first-served basis. With the proposed scheme, a minimum grade of service (GoS) in terms of new call blocking and handoff call dropping probabilities can be achieved. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the improvement in the GoS performance in comparison with other schemes.


Introduction Although coronary artery disease (CAD) presentations and clinical outcomes differ by sex, little is known about premature CAD (PCAD). The present analysis aimed to evaluate the gender-related differences of PCAD in an Asian population from the FOCUS registry. Methods A total of 1397 Asian young patients with angiographically confirmed CAD undergoing drug-eluting stent implantation were included in this analysis and divided into two groups according to the genders. Patients were followed up for three years and clinical outcomes were compared between groups. Results Young women were older and more likely to have hypertension and diabetes than men (all p<0.001). In contrast, males with PCAD had higher BMI and higher prevalence of current smoking as well as previous vessel revascularizations (all p<0.05). Men were more likely to be manifested as total occlusive lesions (p<0.001). Regardless of the clinical characteristics, the cumulative incidences of adverse events such as major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), cardiovascular death, and all-cause death were not significantly different at one- or three-year follow-up (all p>0.05). Conclusion Despite remarkable differences in clinical characteristics between Asian males and females with PCAD, the two groups did not differ significantly in clinical outcomes.


Two new steroidal saponins (1, 2) were isolated from the roots of Smilax aspera subsp. mauritanica (POIR.) ARCANG. (Liliaceae), together with the known curillin G (3), asparagoside E (4), asparoside A (5), asparoside B (6) and the phenolic compound resveratrol (7). Their structures were established mainly on the basis of 600 MHz 2D-NMR spectral data. 3 exhibited antifungal activity against the human pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis (minimum inhibitory concentrations of 25, 25 and 50 microg/ml, respectively) whereas the other compounds were inactive.


Abstract We demonstrate that even though during WWII the interest rate was close to zero supporting the financing of the military effort, dissent inside the FOMC occurred with a similar frequency to other policy episodes. Our analysis highlights that the debates which resulted in dissents turned around two broad issues: the size of the Fed's balance sheet as well as the functioning of and communication with financial markets. Thus, we argue that the conventional view depicting the Fed as merely accommodating treasury needs should be revised. Our detailed investigation of dissents emphasises the modernity of the objections raised by Fed officials.


Inactivation of p53 greatly contributes to serous ovarian cancer, while the role of the wild-type p53 induced phosphatase 1 (Wip1) is quite unclear. In this study, by silencing or overexpression of Wip1, we found that Wip1 suppressed ovarian cancer cell invasion, migration, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), and ovarian cancer metastasis in xenograft animal models. Mechanistic studies showed that Wip1 may block ovarian cancer metastasis through inhibition of Snail and p-Akt expression because silencing or overexpression of Wip1 either upregulated or downregulated the expression of Snail and p-Akt (Ser 473), while further knockdown of Snail by shRNA or inhibition of p-Akt by a chemical compound attenuated cell invasion, migration and EMT in Wip1 silencing cells. We also found that the phosphorylation of Akt at Ser 473 might be mediated through p-ATM (Ser 1981). Thus, Wip1 may suppress ovarian cancer metastasis through negative regulation of p-ATM, p-Akt, and Snail, which was also evidenced in the limited clinical specimens. Therefore, our data may provide a novel therapeutic indication for serous ovarian cancer based on the uncovered mechanism associated with the precise function of Wip1 independent of p53.


How ion channels are gated to regulate ion flux in and out of cells is the subject of intense interest. The Escherichia coli mechanosensitive channel, MscS, opens to allow rapid ion efflux, relieving the turgor pressure that would otherwise destroy the cell. We present a 3.45 angstrom–resolution structure for the MscS channel in an open conformation. This structure has a pore diameter of ∼13 angstroms created by substantial rotational rearrangement of the three transmembrane helices. The structure suggests a molecular mechanism that underlies MscS gating and its decay of conductivity during prolonged activation. Support for this mechanism is provided by single-channel analysis of mutants with altered gating characteristics.


A practical two-stage one-pot synthesis of N-substituted β-amino alcohols using aldehydes and isocyanides as starting materials has been developed. This method features mild reaction conditions, broad scope, and general tolerance of functional groups. Based on a less common central carbon-carbon bond disconnection, this protocol complements traditional approaches that involve amines and various carbon electrophiles (epoxides, α-halo ketones, β-halohydrins). Medicinally relevant products can be prepared in a concise and efficient way from simple building blocks, as demonstrated in the synthesis of the antiasthma drug salbutamol. Upgrading the synthesis to an enantioselective variant is also feasible.


Background: Carotenoids are a large group of natural pigments that occur in many foods, fruits, and vegetables. Several studies have shown a number of biological properties of carotenoids, particularly bene fi cial impacts on cancer, metabolic, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases. However, recent evidence has shown that these compounds could prevent, delay, and ameliorate diabetic retinopathy (DR). The aim of current study was to review the therapeutic effects of carotenoids in the treatment of DR and discuss the molecular mechanisms that are behind these pharmacological activities. Methods: Six online databases (Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, Embase, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest) were searched until September 2019. The systematic review was carried out using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Results: A total of 25 studies were included after the fi nal retrieval. A relationship was observed between carotenoids and management of DR. Findings also demonstrated that the underlying mechanism of bene fi cial effects of these compounds was antioxidant, anti-in fl ammatory, anti-angiogenic, and neuroprotective properties. Conclusion: Carotenoids potentially delay the initiation and prevent the progression of DR; however, ample preclinical studies are required to con fi rm their effect, and adequate clinical trials are needed to really understand how well these compounds in fl uence DR among humans. endothelial growth factor; p38 MAPK, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases; AMPK α , AMP-activated protein kinase alpha; FOXO3 α , forkhead O transcription factor 3 alpha; SOD, superoxide dismutase; advanced glycation end products; MDA, malondialdehyde; MMP-2, matrix metalloproteinase-2.


Traditional approaches to computer-based learning often focus on the delivery of information. Such applications usually provide large stores of information which can be accessed in a wide variety of ways. Typical access facilities provided within such applications include Boolean search engines and hypermedia (non-linear) browsing. These types of approach often centre on providing human-computer dialogues which are relatively low on interaction. The interactive-laboratory approach, however, aims to limit the quantity of information presented, and instead to provide a highly interactive learning environment. In the field of psychology, users are able interactively to design and deliver a broad range of psychological experiments. This paper details the approach, and describes how it can be used to teach psychology within a university environment. The way in which its effectiveness as a learning tool can be evaluated is also discussed DOI: 10.1080/0968776940020203


This paper is devoted to obtaining the existence and uniqueness result of nonhomogeneous first order nonlinear difference equation with nonlocal condition in cone metric space. Banach contraction principle is used to prove the results. Finally an application of the established result is demonstrated.


This investigation presents an embedded analog spatial filter, EASF, in a current-mode CMOS image sensor. The EASF successfully identifies the output value of the pixel in B/W so as to benefit specific real world applications. Over the last few years, image quality has been improved by better progress in CMOS process technology; however, low cost issue regarding the integration of backend circuit still is an important competition point in imager design. Embedding an analog mask filter in a CMOS image sensor not only reduces cost, but also improves speed and simplicity of design integration with the backend image processing circuit. In this paper, a 66 x 66 embedded sensor array has been implemented in TSMC 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS process. Each pixel occupies a 13.8 /spl mu/m x 9.8 /spl mu/m area with a fill factor of 31.2%. The power consumption is 71.14 mW when the sensor operates at 32 frames/sec.


Objective: The objective of the present study is to investigate the analgesic activity profile of xanthium strumarium Linn. (Family: Asteraceae) in mice and rats, using various models. Materials and Methods: The effects of the butanolic extract were observed in three different dose levels 50, 100, and 150 mg / kg, as the extract did not show any sign of toxicity up to 500 mg / kg (p.o.) dose. The investigation was carried out for assessing the activity on thermal and chemical-induced pain reactions. Result: The Xanthium strumarium (XS) fruit′s butanolic extract did not have any significant effect on the thermal pain reaction (hot plate method). The extract was devoid of any protective effect against acetic acid-induced writhing, at any of the tested doses. Conclusion: The Xanthium strumarium Fruits′ butanolic extract lacked analgesic activity.


Biochemical networks are not only complex but also extremely large. The dynamic biological model of great complexity resulting in a large number of parameters is a main difficulty for optimization and control processes. In practice, it is highly desirable to further simplify the structure of biological models for the sake of reducing computational cost or simplification for the task of system analysis. This paper considers the S-system model used for describing the response of biochemical networks. By introducing the technique of singular value decomposition (SVD), we are able to identify the major state variables and parameters and eliminate unimportant metabolites and the corresponding signal transduction pathways. The model reduction by multiobjective analysis integrates the criteria of reactive weight, sensitivity, and flux analyses to obtain a reduced model in a systematic way. The resultant model is closed to the original model in performance but with a simpler structure. Representative numerical examples are illustrated to prove feasibility of the proposed method.


The biological activity of a novel synthetic retinoid 6-[3-(1-adamantyl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]-2-naphthalene carboxylic acid (AHPN) was investigated in human breast carcinoma (HBC) cells. Although capable of selective binding to the RAR gamma nuclear receptor, AHPN inhibited the growth of a number of HBC cell lines via RAR- or RXR-independent pathways. AHPN also inhibited the growth of the human leukemia cell line HL-60R which does not possess functional RARs. RA significantly inhibited AP-1 mediated gene activation in MCF-7 cells while AHPN displayed no such anti-AP-1 activity. Retinoids normally are cytostatic in their inhibition of breast carcinoma growth and permit cell proliferation upon their removal, wher as AHPN induced G0/G1 arrest within 6h followed by apoptosis. In MCF-7 cells that harbor wild type p53, AHPN-induced G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis was accompanied by p53-independent regulation of WAF1/CIP1 as well as bax mRNA levels while bcl-2 mRNA levels were decreased. In MDA-MB-231 cells which possess a mutant p53, AHPN-mediated G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis was also associated with a concomitant up regulation of WAF1/CIP1 mRNA while these cells did not express bax or bcl-2 messages. Thus AHPN represents a novel retinoid that induces G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis via a unique pathway which appears to involve activation of known downstream effectors of p53 in a p53-independent manner.


In this column, content area literacy scholars Tom Bean and David O'Brien challenge the older "infusion" model of content area literacy with its emphasis on generic strategies. Rather, they argue for and provide examples of projects that draw on the unique dimensions of various disciplines like history, science, and English, particularly in light of the Common Core State Standards. They offer alternative approaches that capitalize on students' interests in multimedia and the arts. Acknowledging the increasingly diverse dimensions of our classrooms and students' transnational experiences, Bean and O'Brien call for creative lesson and unit planning that engages students in preparation for global citizenship.


This paper introduces a new task to elicit individual aversion to deceiving, defined as the lowest payoff for which an individual agrees to switch from faithful to deceitful communication. The core task is a modified version of the Deception Game as presented in Gneezy (Am. Econ. Rev. 95 (1): 384395: 2005). Deceitful communication brings about a constant loss for the receiver, and a range of benefits for the sender. A multiple-price-list mechanism is used to determine the sender's communication strategy contingent on the various benefits from deception. The results show that 71% of the subjects in the sender role will implement pure or threshold communication strategies. Among them, 40% appear to be process driven, being either "ethical" or "spiteful". The other 60% respond to incentives in line with the fixed cost of lying theory; they will forego faithful communication if the benefit from deceiving the other is large enough. Regression analysis shows that this reservation payoff¤ is independent of the risk aversion and social preferences of the subject; it would thus capture an inner preference for "behaving well".


Gene therapy targeting the SNCA gene yields promising results in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). The most challenging issue of the RNAi gene therapy strategy is maintaining efficient delivery without inducing significant toxicity and other adverse effects. This study aimed to characterize polyethylene glycol‐polyethyleneimine as a vector for alpha‐synuclein siRNA delivery to PC12 cells for Parkinson's disease.


The aim of the study was to investigate the preferred learning styles of undergraduate Saudi students at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia and to examine the influence of achievement level on the choice of learning styles. A total of 110 undergraduate students participated in the study. They were in their third year of study and were majoring in English. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and by an English achievement test. Reid's (1987) questionnaire was used to determine the students' preferred learning styles. It identifies six learning styles referred to as perceptual learning styles; they are visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic learners, tactile learners, group learners and individual learners. An English achievement test was conducted to classify students according to their academic grade. The results showed the preferred learning styles used by undergraduate Saudi students at KKU. The order of the preferred learning styles based on sensory channels was as follows: visual, tactile, kinesthetic and finally the least frequent one was auditory, furthermore, the results revealed that students prefer individual learning more than group learning. Besides that, the findings also indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between the learning styles and achievement level except with the group learning style which was used by students who got grade Excellent or Very Good. The study concluded by providing some possible implications of the study for English teachers.


We aimed to assess the removal efficiencies of four pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, crotamiton, metformin, and sulfamethoxazole) and four polyand perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) (PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, and PFOS) by lab-scale ozonation, granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane processes under varying operating conditions. Ozonation and GAC adsorption processes were conducted at two temperatures (5 and 25°C) and three pH conditions (3, 7, and 11). The membrane process was performed using an unstirred cell with two different RO membranes. The most pharmaceuticals were effectively removed by ozonation, whereas metformin and PFASs were unaffected due to their stable chemical structures. In the GAC process, metformin was hardly removed under acidic conditions but it was enhanced by over 90%. PFASs were effectively removed by GAC adsorption and RO membrane processes. The RO membrane for brackish water treatment showed higher rejection than that for residential water treatment. Moreover, the rejection of PFAS increased as the molecular weight increased. A strategy was found to effectively remove the remaining metformin in most advanced water treatment processes. Chemically persistent PFASs were hardly removed by the ozonation process but were effectively removed by physical treatments such as GAC adsorption and RO membrane processes.


Objective: The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ECMO-supported sedative, analgesic, and muscle relaxants have changed, but there are insufficient data to determine the optimal dosing strategies for these agents. Sedation, analgesia and muscle relaxation therapy for patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receiving ECMO support are more specific and have not been fully reported. This study observed and evaluated the use of sedative and analgesic drugs and muscle relaxants in SARS-CoV-2 patients treated with VV-ECMO. Methods: This study was a single-center, retrospective and observational study. Our study includes 8 SARS-CoV-2 patients treated with VV-ECMO in an intensive care unit at Shanghai Public Health Center from February to June 2020. We collected the demographic data from these patients and the dose and course of sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxants administered during ECMO treatment. Results: The doses of sedative, analgesic and muscle relaxant drugs used in patients with VV-ECMO were significant. Over time, the doses of drugs that were used were increased, and the course of muscle relaxant treatment was extended. Conclusion: Sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxant use require individualized titration in patients with SARS-CoV-2 who have respiratory failure and who are receiving VV-ECMO.


In the present work, the global and local reactivity of S-(4-chlorobenzyl)-N,N-diethylthiocarbamate (TB) and its oxidized derivatives (sulfone (TBSu) and sulfoxide (TBS) were analyzed. In addition, the chemical reactivities of the dechlorinated forms of TB (DTB), TBSu (DTBSu) and TBS (DTBS) were studied. The calculations were performed at the wB97XD/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory in the aqueous phase. The condensed Fukui functions indicated that for TB and DTB, the most preferred sites for donating electron in a reaction are located on the S and N atoms, while the most reactive sites for accepting electrons are associated with the aromatic ring (AR). For TBS and DTBS, the more reactive sites are located on AR, S and AR for nucleophilic, electrophilic and free radical attacks, respectively. In the case of TBSu and DTBSu, the results showed AR to be the more reactive zone for the three kinds of attacks. These last results suggest that cleavage of the C–S bond in TB, TBS and their dechlorinated forms is favored by electrophilic attacks. Additionally, the obtained results suggest that in TB, it is plausible that the cleavage of the C–N is favored on attack of this molecule by electrophiles.


BACKGROUND
Concerns have been expressed that in travelers the efficacy of the live oral Ty21a typhoid vaccine Vivotif could be lower than reported, maybe due to a lack of compliance. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of compliance with the recommendations regarding dosing, timing of dosing with respect to food intake, and storage.

METHODS
Travelers were randomized into two groups: one received oral information only, and the second, a combination of oral and written information. Four criteria of compliance were applied to travelers: 3 capsules needed to be swallowed (criterion 1) on day 1, 3 and 5 (criterion 2), at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal (criterion 3) and the vaccine had to be kept refrigerated (2-8 degrees C) (criterion 4). Compliance was evaluated using three different methods: a questionnaire, pill counting, and electronic monitoring using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). Storage conditions were checked by temperature tags, and viability of the vaccine was assessed by culturing the content of remaining capsules.

RESULTS
The data of 115 travelers were analyzed. All the travelers took the 3 capsules. Compliance to all four criteria was complete in 68% of travelers according to the questionnaire, and 53% according to the MEMS (p =.05). Sixty-seven percent of all the doses intervals were of 48 hours +/- 6 hours, 12% being shorter than 36 hours and 7% longer than 60 hours. Eighty-seven travelers (76%) took their capsules on each alternate day. The method of information had no significant impact on compliance. Forty-two percent of tags showed exposure to temperature over 10 degrees C for more than 24 hours. Yet, no difference could be found in the viability of the vaccine compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS
Most travelers take their 3 capsules on alternate days, but many did not follow the other recommendations. Electronic monitoring of compliance provides more accurate results than questionnaires. Emphasis must be put on motivating the travelers to take the vaccine as recommended.


Development of a continuous teleoperation system for urban road vehicle Teleoperation is a remote control technology that also provides situational awareness to the remote operator via camera feeds and other data. In the context of road vehicles, teleoperation is needed for testing the self-driving abilities as well as assisting the vehicle or implementing a fully teleoperated solution on a similar platform. At the University of Tartu, a self-driving vehicle is being developed at Autonomous Driving Lab (ADL), which currently lacks a suitable teleoperation solution. The goal of this thesis is to develop a prototype teleoperation solution, which could be later used on the actual self-driving vehicle. During the process multiple software solutions are compared, taking into account previous teleoperation test results from ADL as well. The result is a teleoperation prototype that uses RTCBot, which is a Python library for teleoperation. Finally the prototype is tested on the Robotont platform


Results are presented of the COOMET key comparison of the national measurement standards of air kerma for 60Co ? radiation. Participants of the comparison were PTB (Germany, pilot institute), VNIIM (Russia), SMU (Slovakia), BelGIM (Belarus), CPHR (Cuba) and RMTC (Latvia). PTB, VNIIM and SMU had previously taken part in a key comparison with the Bureau International de Poids et Mesures (BIPM) and operated as link laboratories in order to evaluate the degree of equivalence of the participants' results with the key comparison reference value. These data form the basis of the results entered into the BIPM key comparison database for comparison COOMET.RI(I)-K1. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI Section I, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).


Femur fractures during birth are very rare and the treatment of the fractures is variable. Pavlik harness is available in the treatment of the femur fractures in infants but any literature on the treatment of the birth fractures of femurs can not be found as far as we know. We experienced two cases of femur fractures in neonates treated with Pavlik harness and present them with a review of the literature.


This paper deals with a cognitive radio approach based on a noncooperative spectrum sensing technique for applications in a very-high-frequency (VHF) aeronautical communications system to detect idle VHF channels and allocate them to an additional overlay system or secondary users. In particular, the focus here is on a spectrum sensing technique belonging to the class of energy detectors based on the Welch windowed periodogram. The performance of the proposed detector is presented in terms of the missed detection probability of the primary user under different application conditions. The obtained results and resulting implementation complexity highlight better behavior of the proposed detector with respect to alternative schemes previously proposed in the literature on this subject.


In multiple rows of photovoltaic fields, the rows may be installed with several modules placed along the row width. The verification of the sky view factor model pertains to the second and subsequent rows. Photovoltaic (PV) modules along the row width experience uneven incident diffuse radiation caused by differences in the sky view factor of the modules. The present experimental study verifies first the sky view factor model, and second shows the differences in output power of the PV modules (affected by the sky view factors) placed in different locations along the width of the second row. This work complements the theoretical previous work and emphasizes the importance of the incident diffuse radiation, associated with the sky view factor, on the energy loss of the PV field. Two rows deployed with PV modules were tested on the laboratory roof for several days for different inclination angles and distances between rows. The results show that a top module on a row may generate 8% more power than a bottom module at noontime. The findings of this experimental study have technical significance in designing PV systems.


This research study was devoted to the modeling of the mechanical behavior of three carbon black/silica natural rubber/butadiene rubber (NR/BR) compounds under a tensile load. These compounds were prepared on a two-roll mill, and the tensile testes were carried out on a dumbbell-shaped specimen and three rubber-strip specimens with different widths. Heat buildup tests were also performed, and the temperature rise was determined. The time-independent behavior of the rubber was described by traditional hyperelastic models, including those of Marlow and Yeoh. The viscoelastic behavior was studied with two linear (Prony series) and nonlinear [Bergstrom–Boyce (BB)] models. A previously developed methodology by the authors, which was based on the finite element modeling of the tension of the rubber strips, was used to determine the parameters of the mentioned equations. It was shown that neglecting the viscoelasticity would have given rise to large errors in predicting the mechanical deformation in the rubbers. However, the linear viscoelastic model failed to predict the correct behavior at a large strain, particularly for wider samples. On the other hand, not only could the combination of the Yeoh hyperelastic model with the BB equation describe the mechanical behavior at low to medium strains, but also the large strains were taken into consideration. Both the linear and nonlinear hyperviscoelastic models accurately described the hysteresis in rubbers, and this could be used for the evaluation of the rolling resistance in tires. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013


Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) are considered an attractive alternative to the traditional wired backbone networks for broadband Internet access. However, their capacity is limited due to the nature of the radio channel, which must be shared by the nodes forwarding the traffic from and to the gateway. Therefore, estimating the capacity of WMNs is an important question. The capacity analysis proposed for ad hoc networks can not be directly applied to WMN due to some fundamental differences, e.g. a different traffic pattern and node density. The main contribution of this work is the application of collision domains concept to the 802.16 based WMNs. We consider a simple chain topology but the method can be extended to any arbitrary topology and the real world impairments (interference, fading, etc.) can be easily incorporated in the analysis. The presented results may have important implications for 802.16 mesh networks planning.


This paper compares student evaluation of teaching on the web site MeinProf.de to the
standard evaluation procedures at German universities. While MeinProf offers the advantage
of a broad, publicly available database, a number of theoretical and econometric problems
emerge. Many of these problems are, however, pervasive in the student evaluation of teaching
as a whole. We demonstrate that this seriously hampers empirical work on the relationship of
teaching and research.


The critical points of condensation in Coulomb systems are described here by a modified van der Waals equation of state taking into account a many-particle exchange interaction between virtual atoms with overlapping classically accessible spheres of valence electrons. A characteristic feature of the Coulomb critical points is strong electron – ion coupling caused by the proximity to the metal – insulator transition. We consider a cell model of the exchange interaction of virtual atoms and examples of Coulomb critical points in a system of charged hard spheres, in alkali metals, in metal – ammonia solutions, and in excitonic systems. The Coulomb critical point parameters of transition metals are determined. We consider examples of insulator – metal transitions in semiconducting and dielectric fluids which form the Coulomb systems only in the liquid phase, and discuss a semiconducting critical state of mercury.


Human-human hybridoma technology was used to produce human monoclonal antibodies with reactivity to colorectal cancer antigens. Two different B-lymphoma cell lines were fused with lymphocytes obtained from mesenteric lymph nodes from colorectal cancer patients. The fusion frequency was 11% with LICR-LON-HMy-2. Out of 294 growing hybridomas 26 secreted antibodies reacting with epitopes on cultured colon adenocarcinoma cells. Only one (D4213) was established and has now been in culture for 1.5 years. D4213 antibody shows a strong reaction with colon cancer tissue compared with normal colon epithelium. Using W1-L2-729-HF2 the fusion frequency was about 50%. Of 2,487 hybridomas 499 produced immunoglobulin and 44 of these reacted with colon cancer tissues or cultured cancer cells. One of the established hybridomas produces antibody reacting with cancer cell membrane antigens, and on immunoblotting a number of components were stained. The antibody from the other hybridomas reacts with cytoplasmatic antigens, and only one of these showed reactivity in immunoblotting where it bound to a component with Mr of about 60K.


In Canada, winter weather is a fact of life, and one unfortunate consequence of our sometimes-snowy climes is weather related collisions. Based on geography and associate microclimate, certain highway corridors are particularly susceptible to weather conditions that complicate winter driving, and the result is a higher-than-expected concentration of winter-weather-related collisions. One such location is the section of Highway 401 that passes through Northumberland County, in southeastern Ontario. In recent years, the Ministry of Transportation has implemented a number of countermeasures aimed at reducing the frequency of winter-weather-related collisions along this corridor. Included in those measures are warning messages on static and dynamic signs, snow fencing, and measures to prohibit highway access and communicate detours during weather-related highway closures. As a Traffic Engineering Services Retainer assignment for the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), IBI Group was asked to assess the safety effectiveness of the applied countermeasures. The assessment was conducted by means of an Empirical Bayes before-after study. In addition to providing an account of the safety effectiveness of the countermeasures in their current application, the assessment also attempted to develop collision modification factors (CMF) for the various treatments for future use. Based on the available data and the types of countermeasures that were applied along the corridor, CMFs were initially developed to account for the aggregate impacts of all treatments at the project level. The analysis produced CMFs that suggest a 37% reduction in total collisions (40% reduction in fatal + injury collisions and 36% reduction in property damage only collisions) across the study corridor. Subsequent analysis produced CMFs that isolated the impacts of installing snow fencing. The results of that analysis suggest a 33% reduction in total collisions that is attributable to snow fencing alone. However, the specific micro-climate within the study area is such that it may amplify the benefits of the applied treatments, and were they applied elsewhere the countermeasures might not achieve the same effect. As a result, caution should be exercised in adopting the CMFs described herein for application in any other context.


The plankton constitutes the basic food sources of any aquatic ecosystem, which supports fish and other aquatic animals. Zooplankton diversity is one of the most important ecological parameters in water quality assessment. Zooplanktons are good indicators of the changes in water quality because they are strongly affected by environmental conditions & respond quickly to changes in water quality. Zooplankton is the intermediate link between phytoplankton and fish. Hence qualitative and quantitative studies of zooplankton are of great importance.In the present work, we provide quantitative information on the seasonal variations of zooplankton and selected physico-chemical variables a large man-made reservoir in the Osmanabad district during the year June 2009- May 2010. In the study period we have recorded rotifers showed 5 species, Cladocera by 4 species and Copepods represents 2 species where as Ostracoda showed 2 species. Among zooplankton, particularly Cladocera was the dominant group.


Three frequently used and cited formulas used to rate correct the QT interval (Bazett's, Fridericia's, and Van de Water's) were compared and ranked using a large population-based cohort of beagle dogs (99 males and 99 females). In addition, analysis of covariance was used to derive a flexible method to rate correct the QT.interval for heart rate. The method is flexible in that it utilizes pretest or control data to determine the degree of correction. In addition, it can also be used to evaluate whether treatment alters the association between heart rate and QT. Specifically, pretest QT (unadjusted) and heart rate data were used to estimate coefficients in the linear regression log(QT) = alpha + beta log(HR). The estimated slope (beta) from the pretest data was used to heart rate correct the QT interval in the formula log(QT)ca = log(QT) - beta *[log(HR - log(HRm)]. The term "log(HRm)" is included to standardize QTca to a reference value, either a fixed value or an average heart rate for the data set being analyzed. These formulas were retrospectively compared under a typical toxicity study paradigm with a class III antiarrhythmic agent (L-768,673) that selectively prolongs the QT interval by blocking the slow activating component of the delayed rectifying potassium channel (lks). Based on their ability to dissociate the effects of heart rate on the QT interval, the formulas received the following ranking: Covariate Adjustment (preferred) = Van De Water's > Fridericia's > Bazett's (not recommended). Analysis of covariance based on pretest or control data is preferred for moderate to large studies where there are adequate data for estimation of the slope parameter beta, the investigator does not have sufficient control over HR, or treatment alters the association between HR and the QT interval. Conversely, for smaller studies a fixed rate adjustment formula from the literature (such as Van de Water's or Fridericia's equations) may be preferable since the bias from using a fixed formula is likely to be smaller than the variance resulting from estimating beta from a small sample.


While the behavioral development of male and female rats differs, adolescents of both sexes have an interest in novelty. Environmental enrichment (EE) can add to that interest by providing opportunity for interaction with objects and other rats, and a history of EE does affect the behavior of adolescent rats in object and environment novelty preference tasks. Of interest in this study was determining if interest in social novelty might be enhanced by EE and influence adolescent rats' interaction with a known and novel conspecific in a social preference task. On postnatal day (PND) 21, a group of rats began EE sessions with novel social partners and objects 5 days a week for 1.5 h, which continued until PND 49. On PND 35 and 49, the rats were introduced to two conspecifics, j1 and j2, for a 3-min trial, then were placed back in their home cage. After a 30-min delay, the test animals were replaced in the apparatus for a choice trial, where they were expected to show higher investigation behaviors toward a third animal, j3, rather than one of the original animals, j1. There were no significant differences between EE and no-EE animals in time spent near or nose pokes directed toward the novel animal (j3) during the test phase nor between behavior of males and females, independent of EE status. On PND 35, no-EE females investigated the third rat, j3, significantly less than the other animals. There were no differences in behavior due to main effects of EE or sex for the general investigation variables rearing or self-grooming; however, EE animals groomed more in response to novelty on PND 49 than no-EE animals, and males reared more on PND 35 and females more on PND 49. While many hypotheses were not supported, EE was an important factor and interacted with other variables to alter experimental rats' behavior in the social preference task.


Background: Cyclin D1 has a central role in cell cycle control, but also directly affects the estrogen receptor. It has been shown that cyclin D can activate the estrogen receptor in a ligand-independent way and studies are implying that cyclin D overexpression may be linked to tamoxifen resistance. We wanted to explore the prognostic value of cyclin D overexpression in node negative breast cancer. Patients and methods: We examined the expression of cyclin D1 using immunohistochemistry on tissue micro array (TMA) sections from a case control study (1:1) consisting of 380 patients with T1-2N0M0 breast cancer. Adjuvant radiotherapy and endocrine treatment was allowed, but not chemotherapy. Event was defined as breast cancer death. Breast cancer specific survival was analyzed in univariate and multivariate models using conditional logistic regression. Results: Cyclin D1 was inversely correlated to Elston grade (rho = 0.2; p = 0.000); moderately correlated to PgR status (rho = 0.3, p = 0.000) and strongly correlated to ER status (rho = 0.4, p = 0.000). Cyclin D1 overexpression did not increase the risk for breast cancer death analyzing the whole patient population. However, subgroup analyses of hormone receptor positive patients showed an increased risk for breast cancer death (OR 4.2; 95% CI 1.4-12.6) and (OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.3-12) when adjusted for tumor size and age at diagnosis. Conclusion: Cyclin D1 is an independant prognostic factor of outcome in hormone receptor positive and node negative breast cancer with overexpression increasing the risk for breast cancer death 4-fold. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P3-02-02.


Background The use of array-based SNP genotyping in the beef and dairy industries has produced an astounding amount of medium-to-low density genomic data in the last decade. While low-density assays work exceptionally well in the context of genomic prediction, they are less useful in mapping and causal variant discovery. This project focuses on maximizing imputation accuracies to the marker set of two high-density research assays, the Illumina Bovine HD, and the GGP-F250 which contains a large proportion of rare and potentially functional variants (~850,000 total SNPs). This 850K SNP set is well-suited for both imputation to sequence-level genotypes and direct downstream analysis. Results We find that a large multi-breed composite imputation reference comprised of 36,131 samples with either HD and/or F250 genotypes significantly increases imputation accuracy compared to a standard within-breed reference panel, particularly at low minor allele frequencies. Imputation accuracies were maximized when an individual's ancestry was adequately represented in the composite reference, particularly with complete 850K genotypes. The addition of rare content from the F250 to our composite reference panel significantly increased the imputation accuracy of rare variants found exclusively on the HD. Additionally, we identify 50,000 variants as an ideal starting density for 850K imputation. Conclusion Using high-density genotypes on all available individuals in a multi-breed reference panel maximizes imputation accuracy for all cattle populations. Admixed breeds or those sparsely represented in the composite reference are still imputed at high accuracy which will increase further as the reference panel grows. We expect that the addition of rare variation from the F250 will increase the accuracy of imputation at the sequence level.


In Escherichia coli, RecA protein catalyzes DNA pairing and strand exchange activities essential for genetic recombination. This is critical for normal cellular function under conditions that lead to altered DNA metabolism and DNA damage. The RecA proteins of E. coli and Bacillus halodurans both can bind to DNA and catalyze the specific proteolytic cleavage of LexA and lambda repressor which induces SOS response. At neutral pH self-cleavage of LexA depends exclusively on its binding to RecA filament, while at elevated pH (~10) it autodigests in the absence of RecA. We have shown in this work that the RecA-mediated cleavage and the binding of RecA to DNA promoted by B. halodurans are similar to those promoted by E. coli RecA, excepted that in the case of B. halodurans the rate of the cleavage reactions is increased at alkaline pH and that NaCl favors the binding of RecA to DNA. The results lead to two hypotheses for the pathway for RecA-mediated cleavage, in which we first suppose that the internal pH of the bacteria is neutral. Thus LexA cannot undergo autodigestion, the genes involving in DNA repair and replication are not transcribed, regulating the growth of the cell. The second hypothesis is that the external environment and the internal pH of the bacteria are alkaline; here also the bacteria may have developed strategies to maintain LexA not inactivated. These observations suggest that the LexA autodigestion in B. halodurans at high pH may be regulated at the transcriptional level and that B. halodurans may be haloalkaliphile bacterium.


In this article we aim to highlight the activities that fall under the scope of the de minimis aid scheme "Aid for the establishment of social enterprises" and those for which the scheme is not applicable, the certification requirements for social enterprises, the necessary elements of a business plan, but also the underlying principles of its selection, the eligible expenses and the reasons for fully or partially reimbursing the de minimis aid. It is mandatory for all these facts to be known by all those involved in order to prevent any departure from the regulation in this field.


This useful manual has been published in its first revision since 1962. It is written to be used by the pediatric clinician and in the laboratory oriented to pediatrics. After short sections on "Normal and Therapeutic Values" and "Apparatus and Practical Points," a series of about 100 sections on procedures are detailed in more or less alphabetical order (bilirubin, bile pigments, blood volume, serum bromide, and bromide space). Each of these procedure-sections includes a "Clinical Commentary" which is expanded in the current edition, a useful "Technical Commentary," "Normal Values," details of the procedure (s), and adequate "References." The volume covers a diverse spectrum of determinations from usual (bilirubin, glucose, and electrolytes) to abnormal hemoglobins and red cell enzymes, intestinal enzymes, urinary metabolites, measurement of body water, determination of tolbutamide tolerance, etc. The book should be a bible for the pediatric investigator in his search for procedures to solve special problems.


Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is rare and is peculiar to the latter half of pregnancy. Despite the high rates of death among affected mothers and their fetuses, early recognition of the disease and immediate delivery of the infant may improve the chances of survival. This paper describes a case of AFLP, characterized by a rapid decrease in the size of the liver, a greatly prolonged prothrombin time and minimal increases in the serum transaminase levels, in which an immediate cesarean section followed by vigorous supportive care led to survival of both mother and infant. It is clear that guidelines on treatment are necessary if the management of such cases is to be successful.


The nation's opioid epidemic requires a paradigm shift in the way patients with co-occurring opioid use disorder are treated during episodes of acute pain. Patients are often introduced to prescription opioids after an extremity fracture or sprain or resulting from musculoskeletal back, abdominal, or dental pain. Opioid naive patients who receive their first opioid prescription on discharge from the emergency department may be more likely to develop chronic opioid use compared to patients receiving non-opioid pain medications. This case report will highlight one patient's journey including initial prescription opioid use, escalation into illicit opioids, entry to a recovery and treatment program, discussions with her physician about alternative therapies, and barriers to satisfactory pain relief. A shared decision-making model will be explored.


The blood tissue is made up of three main cell types: erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells) and platelets (thrombocytes), suspended in a liquid phase named plasma. In addition to the cells, blood is composed of proteins, inorganic and organic substances, hormones and various components. The captive condition can also predispose the animal to a number of conditions, making it necessary to carry out laboratory tests for the biomonitoring of the animals. Among these tests, the complete hemogram stands out. This is done to assess the general health, guiding and deepening the nature of pathophysiological situations besides its utility as an aid to diagnosis and prognosis of certain diseases. The objective of this study is to describe the hematological values of brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus). Hence, eleven adult animals of both sexes (seven males and four females) at appropriate health conditions were used in the experiment. Blood was collected from the cephalic vein and analyzed through veterinary hematology counter. The evaluate hematological parameters included total count of erythrocytes and leukocytes, hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, average corpuscular volume, average corpuscular hemoglobin, average corpuscular hemoglobin concentration differential leukocyte count and platelet count. In general, the values did not differ from few studies in the literature. However, the score of platelets was greater in males than in females. The results achieved in the study can serve as a basis in determination and interpretation as hematologic references to brown-throated sloths in Para Amazon.


The murals of Tomb No. 4 of the Ohoebun Goguryeo cemetery, in Ji'an City of presentday People's Republic of China, display the sun god, Haesin, and the moon goddess, Dalsin. They play the role of mediators or intermediate beings, like shamans, connecting humans on earth and the gods in the sky. This study aims to trace the vitality of Haesin and Dalsin, whose faces are painted with extraordinary realism. The vitality of the paintings and their peculiar energy reflect the artist's accomplishment. The murals show that the painter believed in animism and that all things were alive. As the Mongolian and Siberian tribes shared the common belief system of shamanism, the Goguryeo people believed in a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism, and shamanism. In particular, the vitality of the realistic faces combined with symbolism connecting the visible and invisible worlds, are characteristics of the Haesin and Dalsin images. This study suggests that the artist's integrative perception of visual literacy (an ability to see and use images) was a key factor in making the murals look alive, which stemmed from the animistic, shamanistic, and monistic worldviews of the artist, who projected the belief system of the Goguryeo people on to the images.


A variety of animal species utilize the ultraviolet (UV) component of sunlight as their environmental cues, whereas physiological roles of UV photoreception in mammals, especially in human beings, remain open questions. Here we report that mouse neuropsin (OPN5) encoded by the Opn5 gene exhibited an absorption maximum (λmax) at 380 nm when reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal. Upon UV-light illumination, OPN5 was converted to a blue-absorbing photoproduct (λmax 470 nm), which was stable in the dark and reverted to the UV-absorbing state by the subsequent orange light illumination, indicating its bistable nature. Human OPN5 also had an absorption maximum at 380 nm with spectral properties similar to mouse OPN5, revealing that OPN5 is the first and hitherto unknown human opsin with peak sensitivity in the UV region. OPN5 was capable of activating heterotrimeric G protein Gi in a UV-dependent manner. Immuno-blotting analyses of mouse tissue extracts identified the retina, the brain and, unexpectedly, the outer ears as the major sites of OPN5 expression. In the tissue sections of mice, OPN5 immuno-reactivities were detected in a subset of non-rod/non-cone retinal neurons as well as in the epidermal and muscle cells of the outer ears. Most of these OPN5-immuno-reactivities in mice were co-localized with positive signals for the alpha-subunit of Gi. These results demonstrate the first example of UV photoreceptor in human beings and strongly suggest that OPN5 triggers a UV-sensitive Gi-mediated signaling pathway in the mammalian tissues.


Measuring tray as a component in irrigation control system using drainage electrodes was designed and applied for tomato perlite bed culture, and the effectiveness of the irrigation control system was investigated in terms of cultural development and cultivation costs. Five different types of measuring trays equipped with drainage electrodes were tested and the traditional tray was used as the control equipped with time clock. After the first experiment, "Tube-2" was removed because of instability of water content in the substrate. After second experiment, "Tube-1" was removed because of instability of water content in the substrate and low plant yields. In third experiment, "Up-Board" exhibited the best stability in water contents and yields as well as efficiencies in water and fertilizer utilization. The "Up-Board" was the most economical and the easiest system among the tested trays. Therefore, the "Up-Board" system was concluded as the excellent design to apply for the control method using drainage electrodes for tomato perlite bed culture.


> An ideal lung function test should be easy to obtain, and involve no risk to the subject. In order to be of value, it should be able to help diagnosis, assist prognosis, monitor disease progress or measure the effect of therapeutic interventions.1

Regular spirometry measurement is an accepted component of clinical monitoring of adults and school-age children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Specifically, the forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV1), or its rate of decline, is commonly used to monitor disease progression in individuals, and as an outcome measure in clinical trials. However, as the survival of subjects with CF improves,2 there has been a shift towards closer monitoring and more aggressive treatment of early CF lung disease.3 As a consequence, two major disadvantages to the use of FEV1 in early CF lung disease have become apparent. Many school-age children with CF now have FEV1 within the normal range, even though they probably have lung disease.3 Also, reliable forced expiratory manoeuvres are difficult to obtain in children under the age of 5 years, with testing in infants being largely confined to specialist laboratories,4 and testing in preschool children relatively novel.5

There are good theoretical reasons why spirometry may be insensitive to early CF lung disease. First, airway disease in CF is known to be non-uniformly distributed. As flow measured during forced expiration is the integrated output of all airways,6 then it is possible that minor alterations of airway calibre in some lung regions may be masked by normal function in other regions. Secondly, airway obstruction in CF is partly due to intraluminal mucus, and this may be dislodged by a forced …


This chapter discusses the importance of designing valid tests of second language (L2) learning in order to investigate the effects of form-focused instruction (FFI). It argues that such tests must provide measures of both implicit and explicit L2 knowledge. Various methods for designing such tests are considered – the methods used in psychological studies of implicit/explicit knowledge, the methods used in neuropsychological studies, and the methods that have been used in FFI studies. Psychometric studies (Ellis, 2005; Bowles, 2011; Zhang, 2013) that have investigated attempts to design tests that distinguish the two types of knowledge are then reviewed. The chapter concludes by proposing a set of general principles that can guide the measurement of learning in FFI studies.


We theorize state governance through population spatial trajectories to capture how seemingly disparate systems of punishment employ the same set of punishment logics and technologies to spatially regulate populations of color, which produces and reifies racial projects. Advancing a theoretical framework called carceral migrations, we argue that governments use legal punishment to force, restrict, and prevent movement as a racializing project of settler empire and anti-Blackness. Carceral migrations extend understandings of mass incarceration beyond confinement and holding by articulating three major points. First, the state's regulation of populations' spatial trajectories is punishment by design. Second, these spatially-oriented punishments operate as race-making and reinforcing technologies by producing punitive and recognizable spatial trajectories (or nontrajectories) for groups of people of color. Third, despite appearing race neutral in language, the development and application of legal codes and policies have disparate impacts on the spatial trajectories of people of color.


The results from a steady, viscous flow simulation of the main flowpath of a modern jet engine transonic high-pressure turbine, transition duct, and first vane of the low-pressure turbine, coupled with the secondary-air system under the high-pressure turbine, is presented. The secondary-air system configuration includes the lower cavity near the centerline, the mid-cavity with the tangential onboard injection nozzle and pump, and the upper rim cavity. In addition, the flow through the inner tangential onboard injection seal and labyrinth seals that separate the cavities is included. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the feasibility of the use of computational procedures to predict the steady-flow interaction effects between the main- and secondary-air system flow, the ability to predict flow splits in the secondary-air system, and the numerical issues associated with such a computation. A description of the numerical procedure, along with technical details of the initial and boundary conditions and convergence of the numerical procedure are presented. Details of the predicted flow physics in the secondary-air system flowpath, including the rim-cavity and inner tangential onboard injection/labyrinth seals, the main flowpath, and the interaction region at the junction between the two flowpaths are presented. The effect of the secondary-air system flow on the aerodynamic performance and hub endwall temperature distribution of the main flowpath blade rows is also discussed.


Target detection is a crucial task in defense applications such as surveillance, infrared search and track, and missile approach warning systems. Typically, the target image is extended over a few sensor pixels of the imaging system only and the detection is performed by appropriate algorithms. In order to study the impact of imaging system design parameters and environmental conditions on the detection performance, a simulation tool is developed. Apart from computing detection ranges based on the expected signal to noise ratio the algorithm requires for detection, the tool is also meant for simulating image sequences of engaging targets. Therefore, it provides means to investigate the interplay between system design parameters and algorithms for target detection. The simulation is based on a rigorous calculation of the target image in the focal plane, with consideration of the optical transfer functions of imaging chain components. Integrating the target image over the active pixel areas yields the additional signal of the detector pixels caused by the target. Based on these values and average background noise the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is obtained as function of the target distance. Image data is generated by overlaying the additional signals over a background image. We exemplify the application of the simulation tool by studying the effect of various system parameters and environmental conditions on the resulting SNR and detection range. Corresponding simulated image data is presented as well.


In this paper, we present an efficient in-DBMS framework for progressive time-aware sub-trajectory cluster analysis. In particular, we address two variants of the problem: (a) spatiotemporal sub-trajectory clustering and (b) index-based time-aware clustering at querying environment. Our approach for (a) relies on a two-phase process: a voting-and-segmentation phase followed by a sampling-and-clustering phase. Regarding (b), we organize data into partitions that correspond to groups of sub-trajectories, which are incrementally maintained in a hierarchical structure. Both approaches have been implemented in Hermes@PostgreSQL, a real Moving Object Database engine built on top of PostgreSQL, enabling users to perform progressive cluster analysis via simple SQL. The framework is also extended with a Visual Analytics (VA) tool to facilitate real world analysis.


ABSTRACT Policy interventions, to increase participation, have long been informed by data demonstrating inequity in the subsidised cultural sector. However, it is less clear how evidence is employed to judge success or failure of initiatives to create greater equity. Indeed, quantitative surveys suggest a failure to change patterns of cultural participation. Despite this a large body of evaluation reports celebrate the 'success' of participatory projects. This article presents findings from UK research that explores how cultural participation policies might be improved by better acknowledgment of failures. The research involved interviews, questionnaires, workshops, observations and documentary analysis involving over 200 policymakers, cultural practitioners, and participants. It identified a cultural policy landscape that is not conducive to honesty or critical reflection and argues that without this it will persistently fail to learn or to deliver the scale of change required to create the equity it professes to desire.


Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common and fatal types of gynecological cancer. In the early phase of OC detection, the current treatment and diagnostic methods are not efficient and sensitive enough. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the mechanisms of OC metastasis and discover valuable factors for early diagnosis of female cancers and novel therapeutic strategies for metastasis. Exosomes are known to be involved in the development, migration, and invasion of cancer cells, and their cargo could be useful for the non-invasive biopsy development. CD151- and Tspan8-positive exosomes are known to support the degradation of the extracellular matrix, and are involved in stroma remodeling, angiogenesis and cell motility, as well as the association of miR-24 and miR-101 with these processes. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship of these components of exosomal cargo, in patients with OC, to clarify the clinical significance of these markers in liquid biopsies. The levels of tetraspanins Tspan8+ and CD151+ exosomes were significantly higher in plasma exosomes of OC patients compared with healthy females (HFs). The relative levels of miR-24 and miR-101 in plasma exosomes of HFs were significantly higher than in plasma exosomes of OC patients, while the levels of these microRNAs in exosomes from plasma and ascites of ill females showed no difference. Our study revealed a strong direct correlation between the change in the ascites exosomes CD151+Tspan8+ subpopulation level and the expression levels of the ascites (R = 0.81, p < 0.05) and plasma exosomal miR-24 (R = 0.74, p < 0.05) in OC patients, which confirms the assumption that exosomal cargo act synergistically to increase cellular motility, affecting cellular processes and signaling. Bioinformatics analysis confirmed the involvement of CD151 and Tspan8 tetraspanins and genes controlled by miR-24-3p and miR-101 in signaling pathways, which are crucial for carcinogenesis, demonstrating that these tetraspanins and microRNAs are potential biomarkers for OC screening, and predictors of poor clinicopathological behavior in tumors.


Reliability in Ricean multiple-input-multipleoutput (MIMO) channels is crucial for safety-related vehicle-tovehicle(V2V) applications. In Ricean channels, there is a signal-to-noise ratio-dependent critical data rate below which signaling with zero outage is possible. The link will be more reliable the higher this critical data rate is. We present results of spectral efficiency and outage probability from channel sounder measurements of V2V MIMO radio channels in the 5.2 GHz band. Our results show that MIMO channels with higher spatial correlation lead to lower ergodic capacity and a reduced critical data rate. However, for fixed output power the temporal evolution of the ergodic capacity and critical data rate shows that the channel with the strongest line of sight (LoS)component also has the highest capacity.


. The aim is to explore how health library and information professionals can expand their current work roles by supporting open access initiatives particularly the development of institutional repositories. A role competency framework is presented to help analyse a case study in a cancer hospital in the UK, as well as some other examples from the literature. The findings show that librarians benefit from greater expertise gained in metadata standards, and the library service gains from closer relationships with the researchers. KeywordsOpen access, Health libraries, Institutional repositories.


\textbf{A}ccuracy, \textbf{R}obustness to noises and scales, \textbf{I}nterpretability, \textbf{S}peed, and \textbf{E}asy to use (ARISE) are crucial requirements of a good clustering algorithm. However, achieving these goals simultaneously is challenging, and most advanced approaches only focus on parts of them. Towards an overall consideration of these aspects, we propose a novel clustering algorithm, namely GIT (Clustering Based on \textbf{G}raph of \textbf{I}ntensity \textbf{T}opology). GIT considers both local and global data structures: firstly forming local clusters based on intensity peaks of samples, and then estimating the global topological graph (topo-graph) between these local clusters. We use the Wasserstein Distance between the predicted and prior class proportions to automatically cut noisy edges in the topo-graph and merge connected local clusters as final clusters. Then, we compare GIT with seven competing algorithms on five synthetic datasets and nine real-world datasets. With fast local cluster detection, robust topo-graph construction and accurate edge-cutting, GIT shows attractive ARISE performance and significantly exceeds other non-convex clustering methods. For example, GIT outperforms its counterparts about $10\%$ (F1-score) on MNIST and FashionMNIST. Code is available at \color{red}{https://github.com/gaozhangyang/GIT}.


This paper presents the design of a position-aided on demand routing (PAR) protocol. The objective is to effectively reduce the communication overhead associated with path discovery and maintenance with the assistance of position information. For this purpose, PAR employs a novel restricted directional flooding mechanism. This mechanism creates an ellipse-forwarding zone, across which control messages are propagated for route discovery. Moreover, PAR uses location-guided expanding ring search, which works by searching successively larger areas for paths. This searching strategy can effectively prevent unnecessary network-wide flooding. In terms of location tracking, we design a method of recursive passive listening at intermediate nodes for end-to-end location tracking. This method enables the source to effectively keep track of the up-to-date location of its communication partner at little control overhead. Simulation results demonstrate that the PAR protocol can significantly reduce the communication overhead associated with path discovery, compared with related work.