Cellular homeostasis is the effort of all living cells to maintain their intracellular content when facing physiological change(s) in the extracellular environment. To date, cellular homeostasis is known to be regulated mainly by time-consuming active mechanisms and via multiple signaling pathways within the cells. The aim of this thesis is to show that time-efficient passive (physical) mechanisms also, under the control and regulation of bio-physical factors such as cell morphology and distribution and co-localization of transport proteins in the cell membrane, can regulate cellular homeostasis. This thesis has been developed in an interface between physics and biology and focuses on critical cases in which cells face physiologically unstable environments at their steady state and therefore may need a constituent effort to maintain their homeostasis. The main hypothesis here is that the cell geometry is oriented in such a way that cellular homeostasis is preserved in a given environment. For exploring these cases, comparative spatial models have been developed that combine transporting function of membrane proteins with simple versus complex geometries of cells. Models confirm the hypothesis and show that cell morphology, size of extracellular space and intercellular distances are important for a dynamic regulation of water and ion homeostasis at steady state. The main clue is the existence of diffusion limited space (DLS) in the bulk extracellular space (ECS). DLS can, despite being ECS, maintain its ionic content and water balance due a controlled function of transport proteins in the membrane facing part of DLS. This can significantly regulate cellular water and ion homeostasis and play an important role in cell physiology. In paper I, the role of DLS is explored in the kidney whereas paper II addresses the brain. The response of cells to change in osmolarity is of critical importance for water homeostasis. Cells primarily respond to osmotic challenge by transport of water via their membranes. As water moves into or out of cells, the volumes of intra- and extracellular compartments consequently change. Water transport across the cell membrane is enhanced by a family of water channel proteins (aquaporins) which play important roles in regulation of both cell and the extracellular space dimensions. Paper III explores a role for aquaporins in renal K+ transport. Experimentally this role is suggested to be different from bulk water transport. In a geometrical model of a kidney principal cell with several DLS in the basolateral membrane, a biophysical role for DLS-aquaporins is suggested that also provides physiological relevance for this study. The biophysical function of water channels is then extensively explored in paper IV where the main focus has been the dynamics of the brain extracellular space following water transport. Both modeling and experimental data in this paper confirmed the importance of aquaporin-4 expressed in astrocytes for potassium kinetics in the brain extracellular space. Finally, geometrically controlled transport mechanisms are studied on a molecular level, using silicon particles as a simplified model system for cell studies (paper V and VI). In paper V the role of electrostatic forces (around the nano-pores and in between the loaded material and the silicon surface) is studied with regard to transport processes. In paper VI the roles of pore size and molecular weight of loaded material are studied. All together this thesis presents various modeling approaches that employ biophysical aspects of transport mechanisms combined with cell geometry to explain cell homeostasis and address cell physiology-based questions.


With the continuous improvement of Virtual Reality (VR) hardware and software facilities and development of VR streaming platform, the VR industry ushered in a period of rapid development. VR makes use of 360-degree panoramic or omnidirectional video with high resolution and high frame rate in order to create the immersive experience to the user. However those characteristics cause the big volume of 360-degree video and bandwidth intensive during transmission. Due to the limitation of the human eye vision, the user can only watch the part of the 360-degree video in a head-mounted display (HMD) at one time. Hence, streaming the VR video by the traditional video transmission method causes bandwidth waste. In view of this, this paper proposed a 360-degree video adaptive transmission method based on user viewport. Firstly, a 360-degree video region prioritization scheme is proposed based on user vision characteristics and head motion features. Different priority regions transmit 360-degree video content with different quality levels as the format of tiles. Then, based on the bandwidth estimation, buffer status and user viewport prediction, a 360-degree video adaptive transmission decision strategy is given. According to the predicted available bandwidth and viewport, the quality combination of the 360-degree video tiles to be transmitted in the near future is determined to implement adaptive transmission. The test results of the 360-degree video transmission experiment system based on the DASH standard show that the proposed 360-degree video adaptive transmission strategy can effectively reduce the bandwidth consumption on the basis of guaranteeing the user Quality of Experience(QoE).


Background

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to repetitive mild TBI (rmTBI), which can increase the incidence of chronic neurodegenerative disorders. Microglia are the main mediators of the innate immune response in the central nervous system (CNS), and their polarization phenotype plays a dual role in exerting beneficial and detrimental effects on neuroinflammation. This study investigated the mechanism and effect of Resatorvid (TAK242), a specific inhibitor of TLR4, on learning and memory in mice with rmTBI.
Methods

A controlled cortical impact (CCI) method was used to establish the mild TBI model in this study. Mice in the rmTBI model underwent four head impacts with a 24-hour interval between each impact.
Results

TAK242 treatment significantly reduced the expression levels of APP and p-Tau, promoted neurological recovery, and improved learning and memory after rmTBI. Furthermore, TAK242 promoted the polarization of microglia from the M1 to M2 phenotype, accompanied by the upregulation of anti-inflammatory factors and downregulation of pro-inflammatory factors. The inhibition of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling pathway might be involved in the protective effect of TAK242 mentioned above.
Conclusions

TAK242 significantly inhibits the neuroinflammatory response by regulating microglial M1/M2 polarization, thereby improving cognitive function after rmTBI.


The mechanical behavior of expansive soils is influenced by the concentration of salts in their pore water. Research has shown that volume change of soil can occur due to a difference in salt concentration in the pore water between different zones of the soil as a result of either osmotically-induced consolidation or osmotic consolidation. The effect of the salt concentration of the pore water in unsaturated soil mechanics can be expressed as osmotic suction. Very little work has been done to quantify the mechanical equivalence of osmotically-induced and osmotic consolidation. This study attempts to quantify the mechanical stress equivalence of consolidation of an expansive soil submerged in a salt solution. Two remoulded soil samples of kaolin bentonite mixture in proportions of 70% – 30% and 90% 10%, (kaolin – bentonite) by dry mass were submerged in different concentrated salt solutions to investigate the effect of osmotic suction. Results showed that osmotic suction caused an additional settlement over the consolidation settlement under a mechanical stress but does not affect the soil compressibility. The osmotic coefficient of volume change (mπ) is only a fraction of the coefficient of volume change (mv). .


Objective To determine the frequency of clinically significant cervical spine injuries missed by multidetector computed tomography (CT) in obtunded blunt trauma victims. Subjects and Methods We retrospectively identified 590 consecutive patients over 2 years with blunt trauma and decreased level of consciousness who had undergone emergency department cervical spine CT. CT results were compared with a composite reference standard derived from both medical record review and imaging reports, including institutionally mandated upright cervical spine radiographs. Additional outcomes studied included resource utilization and time in cervical collar. Results A total of 367 subjects were eligible, of whom 75.5% were male, with a mean age of 40.2 years. The mean Injury Severity Score was 24.5 and the mean Glasgow Coma Score was 5.9. There was a single missed, nonoperative ligamentous cervical injury, resulting in negative predictive value of 366 of 367 (99.7%). The mean time in a cervical collar following a normal cervical spine CT interpretation was 2.7 days, with 42% (138 of 328) in collar over 48 hours. A total of 459 additional cervical spine imaging studies were performed on subjects with a normal initial CT, including 367 upright cervical radiographs, 60 supine cervical spine radiographs (16%), 3 CT (1%), and 28 MRI (8%). Conclusion Given the extremely low yield and substantial cost of further evaluation, it is reasonable to consider clearing cervical spines of obtunded patients with concurrent head trauma with a single negative cervical CT. This should allow earlier removal of cervical collars and diminished subsequent use of imaging resources.


Background: Cardiovascular disease significantly impairs quality of life. Inadequate social support has been associated with poor quality of life in patients with Cardiovascular. The aim of this study was to describe social support and explore its association with quality of life among cardiovascular patients.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in 2020 from September to January. We selected 150 cardiovascular patients through convenience sampling. The structured questionnaires included: the Persian version of the WHOQOL-BREF was used to obtain the necessary data on the quality of life, psychometric evaluation of the interpersonal support evaluation list–short form as well as demographic variables were included in each questionnaire. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to explore the association between perceived social support and quality of life.Results: The demographic variables were able to predict 12.2% of the variance of quality of life in the first step. In the second step, after adjusting control variables, dimensions of social support the predictability increased to 29% of the variance with the addition of variables. All dimensions of social support, excluding tangible assets support, were significant predictors of quality of life in addition to monthly income status. Self-esteem support (β= 0.387) was the higher level of predictor of quality of life in cardiovascular patients.Conclusion: Overall, the current study revealed that social support is one of the strategies that cardiovascular patients can utilize to improve their quality of life and overcome their disease. It is possible to say that enhancing social support in patients improves their health and quality of life.


This paper presents the effectiveness of linguistic features to identify the sentiment of Twitter messages using the apache storm framework. We calculate the effectiveness of present lexical resources and features that capture information about the informal and creative language used in microblogging. In the past few years, there has been a huge growth in the use of microblogging platforms such as Twitter. Influenced by intensification, companies, and media organizations are increasingly seeking ways to excavate Twitter information about what people think and feel about their products and services. Here we download Twitter messages for a particular hashtag and carry out sentiment analysis i.e. to find a positive, negative or neutral sense of that tweet using apache storm framework. Each hashtag may have 1000 of comments and new comments are added every minute, in order to handle so many live tweets we are using apache storm framework. Keywords— Sentiment analysis, Apache storm framework, Preprocessing, NLP, K-means clustering, Porter stemming algorithm


The C. elegans insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) cascade plays a central role in the regulation of lifespan, dauer diapause, metabolism and stress response. The major regulatory control of IIS is through phosphorylation of its components by serine/threonine-specific protein kinases. In an RNAi screen for serine/threonine protein phosphatases that counteract the effect of the kinases in the IIS pathway, we identified pptr-1, a B56 regulatory subunit of the PP2A holoenzyme. Modulation of pptr-1 affects phenotypes associated with the IIS pathway including life span, dauer, stress resistance and fat storage. We show that PPTR-1 functions by regulating worm AKT-1 phosphorylation at Thr 350. With striking conservation, mammalian B56β regulates Akt phosphorylation at Thr 308 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In C. elegans, this modulation ultimately leads to changes in subcellular localization and transcriptional activity of the forkhead transcription factor DAF-16. This work reveals a conserved role for the B56 regulatory subunit in modulating insulin signaling through AKT dephosphorylation and thereby has widespread implications in cancer and diabetes research.


The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C5H5ClN2·0.5C4H4O4, comprises a neutral 2-amino-5-chloropyridine molecule and one half of a fumaric acid molecule which lies on an inversion center. The dihedral angle between the pyridine ring and the plane formed by the fumaric acid molecule is 3.22 (8)°. The 2-amino-5-chloropyridine molecule is planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.004 (1) Å for the pyridine N atom. In the crystal, the 2-amino-5-chloropyridine molecules interact with the carboxyl groups of fumaric acid molecules through N—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming centrosymmetric R 2 2(8) ring motifs and another N—H⋯O hydrogen bond links these motifs into a two-dimensional network parallel to (100).


This plenary talk gives an overview of our research in optimization and control of mechatronic systems. In the first part of the talk, a convex program known as semidefinite program (SDP) will be presented. An SDP is an optimization problem with a linear objective function, and constraints on the eigenvalues of a linear matrix-valued function of the optimization variables. Key practical features of the SDP will be reviewed using mathematical language common to most control and automation engineers. The value of utilizing semidefinite programming in several important engineering problems will be discussed. In particular, it will be shown how SDP has facilitated advancements in the following areas: the design of estimation and control algorithms with fixed point arithmetic, the design of control laws with multiple specifications, the analysis of vibrations in turbomachinery components, and the design of state estimation algorithms with probability constraints on the state trajectories. In the second part of this talk, a (virtually) model-free optimization algorithm for control known as extremum seeking control (ESC) will be described. The ESC is based on the gradient method of nonlinear programming. The effectiveness of ESC to identify and track operating points of maximum performance of complex nonlinear mechatronic systems will be illustrated using a thermoacoustic cooling process. This talk will conclude with a personal perspective of growth opportunities for higher education in mechatronics and automation, which was developed essentially during my recent tenure as Program Director for Control Systems at the National Science Foundation.


In this paper, we formulate two nonlinear stress-strain relations including memory effect in the dynamical behavior of gels that are the kind of viscoelastic materials. The basic assumption of the model is made that the gels consist of blobs of high polymers. Hereditary response of blobs to the stress determines the average stress-strain relation of the material. Two stress-strain relations are derived for different models of gels. These stress-strain relations are compared with the fractional derivative version of Lodge's rubber-like liquids and the empirical nonlinear fractional derivative model proposed by Fukunaga et. al. at FDA08.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


This thesis investigates the disappointing use of computers and courseware in Dutch agricultural education. The central question is: How to develop courseware that will be used by teachers in agricultural education practice? On the basis of a theoretical frame of reference and by means of two case studies, the use of courseware in the context of Dutch agricultural education is described, understood and explained; and use influencing factors are established. Prescriptions are formulated that reckon with these factors and presumably increase the likelihood of use in practice. In two additional case studies, both the process and the organisation of courseware development for Dutch agricultural education are described, understood and explained. On the basis of this understanding, the prescriptions, phrased in the two preceding case studies, are adjusted and extended. The resulting prescriptions fit into five categories: a) courseware should address needs b) courseware should lead to lower costs of use c) courseware development should match teacher learning d) courseware development should reckon with contexts of use e) courseware development should be organised in manner that facilitates use increasing development Essentially, the formulation of these use-increasing prescriptions as described above amounts to tailoring the courseware-development process to the context in which the courseware will be used. For this process of tailoring, insight is needed in the contingencies between courseware- development characteristics and the attributes of a context of use. These contingencies are described in the last chapter of this thesis. Risk prevention is the most important argument in selecting a specific courseware-development characteristic for a given context. In this research, this tailoring process is applied to Dutch agricultural education. The resulting alternative and supposedly use-increasing approach of courseware development can be characterised as situation specific, teacher-driven, and processoriented. Important domains of expertise are those of subject matter, of teachers as users, of project and educational innovation management and of instructional design. This approach combines a small scale with a high level of ambition. This approach is termed ecological since insights from ecology offer instructive analogies that for courseware development can be phrased as follows. Courseware may offer a wide range of educational improvements, the contexts of use determine the quality characteristics of viable courseware applications. Consequently, characterising, a viable courseware application implies describing its context of use.


The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the clinical outcome of Dalbo®-Rotex® retention elements in a private practice. The majority of the retention elements was fixed with self-adhesive composite cement, and in almost 40% the exposed root surface was additionally covered with composite. The success rate of 96.3% after 24 months in a total of 50 included patients (response rate 48.5%) demonstrated that a simple and cost-effective fixation of removable dentures using prefabricated, chair-side inserted retention elements is feasible. Maintenance care comprised single or repeated replacement and activation of the female part in 12.3% and 39.4% of the cases, respectively. Fractures were rare, occurring in 3.4% of the cases and more likely in patients with parafunctional habits. Frequent oral hygiene correlated with probing depths up to 3 mm at the maxi- mum, while the risk of greater probing depths associated with less frequent oral hygiene increased by a factor of 2.4. Patients' assessment of the parameters handling and wearing comfort, chewing ability and prosthesis retention was predominantly positive. Based on the findings of the study, covering of exposed dentin areas with composite resin and regular recall comprising professional cleaning, fluoride application and oral hygiene instruction are recommended.


A behind the ear-wearable speech processor for the Vienna cochlear prosthesis has been designed. In a comparative study 6 patients used the new device for 1 week and were then tested. The results from the auditory test battery and a speech tracking were about the same, only the perception of speech from an open list was better when the patients used the conventional processor. It is possible to reduce the size of a speech processor substantially by modifying the speech-processing strategy without major decrease of the performance. More patients have to be tested after using the device for a longer time.


The study of composite materials based on mechanical mixtures of microdispersed PbTe and nanodispersed additional component ZnO, TiO2, SiO2 (50-70 nm) or microdispersed CdTe (32-50 μm) was performed. The purpose of this study is to reduce the thermal conductivity of the material. Measurements of specific electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity coefficient of the studied samples were measured. It is established that the achievement of low values of the thermal conductivity is complicated by the processes of agglomeration of the nanodispersed component at the temperatures of production and processing of composite samples, as well as the chemical interaction of the components of the additive and matrix.


This article studies, on the basis of the evidence provided by the discursive action of journalists and patriot pamphleteers, the transformations brought about in the context of the process leading to the fall of the king.


Lung cancer is leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide in both men and women. Metastasis is responsible for most lung cancer related deaths; therefore, a better understanding of the metastatic processes and therapies designed to prevent the spread of cancer cells are greatly needed. The specific mechanisms that promote metastases have not been fully elucidated. Among all known chemokine receptors involved in cancer progression, most cancer cells including lung cancer express CXCR4. Furthermore, involvement of CXCR4 and CCR7 in breast cancer and CXCR4, CCR9 and CX3CR1 in prostate cancer progression further indicates that multiple chemokine receptors are involved in dictating the multi-step process of metastasis. For the first time, we show that lung cancer cells and tissue form Non Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC) express CCR9, which is the receptor for CCL25. CCR9 was highly expressed by NSCLC cell lines as compared to Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (SCLC) cell lines at mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, we have shown that CCR9-CCL25 interaction plays a crucial role in lung cancer cell migration. It addition to these, serum levels of CCL25 was significantly elevated in lung cancer patents compared to normal healthy donor. The mechanism underlying these clinically and biologically important finding need to be further explored. Increased serum CCL25 in lung cancer patients with metastatic disease required further validation as a potential therapeutic target and/or diagnostic marker for lung cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5247. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5247


The authors measured the critical current density Jc of artificially grown Ge/Pb multilayers as a function of the magnetic field Hperpendicular to applied perpendicular to the layers. In these layered structures Jc(Hperpendicular to ) rapidly drops to a pronounced minimum at a field H*perpendicular to , then increases through a broad maximum and finally decays to zero at Hc2 perpendicular to . The systematic evolution of this minimum as a function of temperature, layer thickness and pinning strength allows us to conclude that this peculiar behavior is due to a thermally driven softening of the flux line lattice which can be related either to a magnetic decoupling or a melting of the vortex structure.


In a tangential magnetic field the electrons flowing from the cathode spot towards the anode are deflected by the Lorentz force. The surplus electric charges accumulate at the plasma-electrode boundary (positive at the retrograde side of the spot and negative at the opposite side), thus forming a Hall electric field. This field increases the cathode voltage drop at the retrograde side and reduces it at the amperian side; the difference between the cathode voltage drops between these two sides being delta Vc. It is shown that since the Hall parameter omega e tau e increases with the distance from the spot, the main contribution to delta Vc is made by the rather distant (up to a distance of the order of the interelectrode gap) additional electric charges. The formula describing arc velocity is obtained on the basis of the hypothesis of the leading role of the cathode voltage drop asymmetry formed by the Hall field. This formula describes the experimental data on the velocity in the weak magnetic field as well as on the magnitude of magnetic field for which the velocity saturates. It also describes, in accordance with the experiment the velocity decrease with interelectrode gap decrease, in addition to the external gas and superimposition of magnetic field normal to the cathode surface.


More and more clinical trials for new drugs are designed as non-inferiority trials. In order to assess the validity of these trials, however, a number of peculiarities have to be considered. This applies, e.g., to the exact definition of "non-inferiority" as well as to the data evaluation methods.


In the last decade, households have tended to shift out of bank deposits and money market funds and into stocks and bonds. Some analysts and journalists worry that the shift could be destabilizing to the economy and financial markets. Consumption spending, it is argued, might fluctuate more because households have invested in riskier stocks and bonds. Financial markets also could be more volatile because households might behave as short-sighted novices who will sell assets in panic at the first dip in the market. In addition, the pension and mutual funds through which households invest tend to trade more actively than households. The increasing role of such heavy traders, it is feared, might increase financial market volatility.> Morgan argues that these concerns, though understandable, are exaggerated. Households appear to be saving for retirement and are therefore likely to ride out short-term bumps in the market. Moreover, the market role of institutional investors has been trending up for 30 years without any accompanying trend in volatility.


TWo separate student design groups developed conceptual designs for a two-stage.to-orbit vehicle, with each design group consisting of a carrier team and an orbiter team. A two-stage-to-orbit system isconsidered in the event that single-stage-to-orbit is deemed not feasible in the foreseeable future; the two-stage system would also be used as a complement to an already existing heavy lift vehicle. The design specifications given for this project are to lift a 10,O00-1b payload, 27 fi long by 10 ft diameter, to low Earth orbit (300 n.m.) using an air breathing carrier configuration that will take off horizontally within 15,000 ft. The staging Mach number and altitude were to be determined by the design groups. One group designed a delta wing/body carrier with the orbiter nested within the fuselage of the carrier, and the other group produced a blended cranked.delta wing/body carrier with the orbiter in the more conventional piggy- back configuration. Each carrier used liquid hydrogen-fueled turbofanramjet engines, with data provided by General Electric Aircraft Engine Group. While one orbiter used a full-scale Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), the other orbiter employed a half-scale SSME coupled with scrarnjet engines, with data again provided by General Electric. This paper presents the two groups' conceptual designs, along with the technical trade-offs, difficulties, and details that surfaced during the design process.


We have performed a Monte Carlo simulation of the growth of a carbon film under ion bombardment, taking into account a preferential displacement of atoms in the film depending on their hybridization state. The size of the cascade and the number of displacements in the solid are calculated depending on the concentration in diamond-type chemical bonds (sp3) or graphite-type chemical bonds (sp2). These values are used in a Monte Carlo code which calculates the local changes in concentration in sp3 sites and sp2 sites due to the effect of the cascades. The effect of the ion energy and the ratio between ions and atoms fluxes is studied. A comparison is made with experimental results where diamondlike carbon films are obtained under Ar+ and Xe+ irradiations. Good qualitative agreement is obtained between the properties of the film measured and the results of the model.


The incidence and prevalence of occupational asthma has been extensively studied in industry settings and specialist clinics. However, it has been much less studied in the community. This study looked at the general practice notes of asthmatics in an attempt to assess the overall load of occupational asthma in the community. Eighty-six per cent of the patients with adult onset asthma in the practice population studied had at least one occupation recorded in their notes. Nearly a third of these (32%) were in jobs known to be significant causes of occupational asthma, yet a potential link between their occupation and symptoms had only been recorded in 18% of patients in these jobs. Overall 4% of the patients with adult onset asthma had been given a diagnosis of occupational asthma although in nearly half these cases the diagnosis had been made by a general practitioner and not a specialist.


Malnutrition is an important problem ion the third world. Cardiac complications is an important cause of mortality and morbidity among the children with poor nutrition. A case control study was done on 54 child aged 2-5 years with malnutrition attending Tikrit teaching hospital during the period from 1st of February 2007 to the 1st of February 2008 to evaluate the effect of malnutrition on the cardiothoracic ratio on plain CXR . Similar number of normal children were taken as a control with same age range during the period of the study. The total number of cases was 54 , males 37 (68.5%) and females were 17 cases (31.5%). According to the Welcome classification . most of the study cases were marasmic 22 cases (40.7%0) while the least were marasmic kwashiorkor category 8 cases (14.8%). according to the CTR in regard to the water law classification in regard to the total number of cases , most of the cases have CTR between 20-40% 27 case (50%). All the cases with mild malnutrition have normal CTR 8 cases (100%) , most of the cases with moderate malnutrition have CTR between 20-40% , 22 case (59.5%) while for the sever malnutrition , most of the cases have also CTR between 20-40% , 5 case (55.6%). according to the Welcome classification. Regarding the marasmus cases , 9 case (40.9%) have CTR between 2040% and 8 cases (36.4%) were between 40-50%. Most of the kwashiorkor patients have CTR between 20-40 % , 8 cases (66.7%) which is similar to the marasmus kwashiorkor category 6 cases (75%0. most of the under weight patients have CTR between 40-50% , 7 cases (58.3%). In diasystole .there is significant decrease in the left ventricular wall thickness for septum 38(70.3%) and posterior wall 39(72.2%) as compared o the control cases (0%). In systole, there is significant decrease in the left ventricular thickness for septum 48(88.9%) and posterior wall 47(87%) as compared to the control cases (0%). Most of the malnutrition cases had increased heart rate 38(70.4%) as compared to the control cases 3(5.6%). There is significant decrease in the stroke volume in the malnutrition cases 44(81.5%) as compared to the control cases (0%). There is significant decrease in the cardiac output in the malnutrition cases 44 (81.5%) as compared to the control cases (0%). As well as there is significant decrease in the cardiac contractility in malnutrition cases 53 (98.1%) as compared to the control cases (0%).Regarding the fractional shortening and ejection fraction, there is significant decrease in the fractional shortening in the malnutrition cases 44 (81.5%) as compared to the control cases (0%) as well as there is significant decrease in the ejection fraction in malnutrition cases 44(81.5%) as compared to the control cases (0%). There was no significant difference regarding the left ventricular function or mass in patients with marasmus as compared to those with kwashiorkor or marasmic kwashiorkor. The study concludes that malnourished patients have smaller CTR compared with well nourished ones with significant decrease in the left ventricular thickness and function.


Primary hyperparathyroidism is a common endocrine disorder, asymptomatic and diagnosed through a fortuitous hypercalcemia. Brown tumors are exceptional but severe hyperparathyroidism bone complications. We report in this paper an original observation of hyperparathyroidism due to a parathyroid adenoma presenting as a brown tumor. A 28 year-old girl admitted for a bone tumor of the knee, the blood test shows hypercalcemia with hyperparathyroidism, bone biopsy revealed giant cell lesions characteristic of brown tumors.


Acquired cold urticaria is an infrequent physical urticaria that can provoke severe systemic reactions. Histamine is the primary mediator, but leukotrienes are also involved in the pathogenesis. H(1) antihistamines are recommended as first-choice treatment, but their efficacy is sometimes unsatisfactory. On the basis of pathogenic knowledge, it can be hypothesized that a combination therapy with antihistamines and leukotriene receptor antagonists is more effective than each drug given alone. We tested this hypothesis in 2 patients with severe systemic cold urticaria poorly responsive to conventional therapy. The patients underwent 3 consecutive treatment regimens (each of 2 weeks): cetirizine (10 mg once a day); zafirlukast (20 mg twice a day); and their combination. They were clinically evaluated, after each regimen, by means of a visual analog scale and ice-cube test. The combination therapy was superior to the 2 drugs given alone, as testified by subjective and objective evaluations.


The evolution of permanent inquiline social parasites in ants has been conjectured to be facilitated by secondary poly gyny, that is, the re-adoption of new queens into existing mature colonies. This idea was first formulated by Wasmann, Wheeler, and Emery more than a century ago. Emery predicted that inquilines should be the sister-lineages of their hosts, which prompted Alfred Buschinger to propose that they evolve by sympatric speciation. However, these scenarios hinge on two vital conditions that have not been quantitatively documented: 1. That host sister species are secondarily polygynous and primarily recruit close kin, and 2. That such adoptions are prone to occasional mistakes that would select for the condition-dependent expression of exploitative traits and reproductive isolation by disruptive selection. Here, we use a long-term data set on the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior (ForEl, 1899), known to have a closely related inquiline social parasite A. insinuator schultz, BEKKEvolD & Boomsma, 1998, to address the first of these conditions. We estimate the frequency of secondary polygyny and the degree to which cooperatively breeding queens are related. We find that the overall frequency of polygynous colonies is ca. 8% and that polygynous colonies typically have two queens. Most queen pairs are first-degree relatives, consistent with colonies adopting one or two daughters either before or just after becoming orphaned. However, we also document a few pairs of cooperatively breeding queens that are unrelated and estimate that this social structure may apply to ca. 20% of the polygynous colonies, and thus ca. 1% of all colonies. Our findings show that the breeding system of A. echinatior matches the polygyny characteristics that are believed to facilitate the emergence of socially parasitic queen morphs.


Cell adhesion or conjugate formation between T lymphocytes and other cells is an important early step in the generation of the immune response. Although the antigen‐specific T cell receptor confers antigen recognition and specificity, a number of other molecules expressed on the T cell surface are involved in the regulation of lymphocyte adhesion. T cell molecules that function to strengthen adhesion include lymphocyte function‐associated antigen (LFA)‐1, CD2, CD4, and CD8. Their ligands have recently been identified. LFA‐1 is a member of the integrin family of adhesion receptors and one of its ligands is intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1); a ligand for CD2 is LFA‐3; and ligands for CD4 and CD8 appear to be major histocompatibility complex class II and class I molecules, respectively. In addition, T cells express a number of receptors thought to be involved in cell matrix adhesion. The function and significance of these T cell adhesion receptors and their ligands are reviewed.—Bierer, B. E.; Burakoff, S. J. T cell adhesion molecules. FASEBJ. 2: 2584‐2590; 1988.


B184 The allele variants of the polymorphic microsatellite TNFa located within HLA class III region are associated with some autoimmune and infectious diseases. It was of interest to study the polymorphism of these markers in patients with cervical neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer (CC) compared with controls in order to reveal the possible association with HPV-induced carcinogenesis. We investigated 119 cases of cervical cancer and 44 cases of CIN I-III. As a control 139 females of the same age group and nationality (Russian) without any cancer autoimmune or infectious diseases were studied. A significant decrease of TNF a7 frequency in CC patients versus the CIN patients (p=0.027) was observed. The tumor necrosis factor-α gene (TNFα)-308(G→A) polymorphism is associated with a 6- to 9- fold increase of TNFα production. The high-secretor allele A association with the CC risk was shown in some populations. We have analyzed the TNFα-308 polymorphism in 138 cases of CC and CIN. The decrease of the low-secretor genotype (GG) frequency in CC patients (p=0.23) and in CIN patients (p=0.022) was observed.The significant increase of allele A frequency in CIN, prevalently CIN I-II patients (p=0.011) was revealed. We suggest the increase of allele Afrequency in CIN group may be associated with the increase of TNFα activity that causes apoptosis.


When software design teams attempt to collaborate on different design documents they suffer from a serious collaboration problem. Designers collaborate either in person or remotely. In person collaboration is expensive but effective. Remote collaboration is inexpensive but inefficient. In, order to gain the most benefit from collaboration there needs to be remote collaboration that is not only cheap but also as efficient as physical collaboration. Remotely collaborating on software design relies on general tools such as Word, and Excel. These tools are then shared in an inefficient manner by using either email, cloud based file locking tools, or something like google docs. Because these tools either increase the number of design building blocks, or limit the number of available times in which one can work on a specific document, they drastically decrease productivity. This thesis outlines a new methodology to increase design productivity, accomplished by providing design specific collaboration. Using version control systems, this methodology allows for effective project collaboration between remotely located design teams. The methodology of this paper encompasses role management, policy management, and design artifact management, including nonfunctional requirements. Version control can be used for different design products, improving communication and productivity amongst design teams. This thesis outlines this methodology and then outlines a proof of concept tool that embodies the core of these principles.


AIMS
Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is a promising therapeutic solution to treat high-risk patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) contraindicated to surgery. Optimal selection of patients who will benefit from the procedure is of paramount. We aimed at investigating factors associated with TMVR screening.

METHODS AND RESULTS
From November 2016 to July 2018, we examined conditions associated with TMVR screening success in patients referred to the two French Heart Valve Clinics with the greatest TMVR experience. Among a total of 40 consecutive screened patients, 16 (40%) were selected for TMVR (8 Twelve Intrepid, 7 Tendyne and 1 HighLife), while 24 patients (60%) were refused for TMVR mainly for too large mitral annulus (MA) (n=15,62% of refusal), or too small anatomy and risk of neo-left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction (n=6,25% of refusal). Patients with suitable anatomy for TMVR were more often male and suffered more frequently from secondary MR (p=0.01) associated with previous myocardial infarction and presented commissure-to-commissure diameter lower than 39mm (AUC=0.72, p=0.0085) and LVESD larger than 32mm (AUC=0.83, p<0.0001) on transthoracic echocardiography and MA area lower than 17.6cm² (AUC=0.95, p<0.0001) and anteroposterior diameter higher than 41.6mm (AUC=0.87, p<0.001) on CT-scan.

CONCLUSIONS
Despite several prostheses available, most patients referred to Heart Valve Clinics and good candidate regarding their clinical profile cannot be implanted with TMVR because of mismatch between their anatomy and prosthesis characteristics. Our findings suggest the need to develop new prosthesis adapted to larger MA but with lower impact on the LVOT.


Hypothesis Cochlear pathology can be evaluated in living animals using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Background The current imaging methods available for the detailed analysis of cochlear pathology in a clinical setting provide only limited information. Thus, a cochlear imaging modality with high definition is needed for improving the diagnosis of cochlear pathology. OCT has been used in other fields for obtaining high-resolution subsurface images, and its use could potentially be extended to the analysis of cochlear pathogenesis. Methods Slc26a4(–/–) mice, which generate endolymphatic hydrops, and their littermates were used in this study. Auditory function was monitored by the auditory brainstem responses (ABR). After the mice were placed under general anesthesia, OCT images of the cochlea were captured. The cochlea was subsequently dissected out and histologically evaluated. Three or 7 days later, the wild-type mice cochleae were visualized again. Results In ABR assessments, Slc26a4(–/–) mice showed severe hearing loss, while no significant hearing loss was found in Slc26a4(+/–) or Slc26a4(+/+) mice. OCT demonstrated normal morphology in the cochlea of both Slc26a4(+/–) and Slc26a4(+/+) mice, including the location of Reissner's membrane. Meanwhile, in Slc26a4(–/–) mice, obvious dislocation of Reissner's membrane was observed, indicating severe endolymphatic hydrops. These findings in the OCT images were consistent with the histologic results for the cochlear morphology, as observed with hematoxylin and eosin staining. Three or 7 days later, wild-type cochleae were successfully visualized using OCT, and no otitis media or labyrinthitis was observed. Conclusion OCT can be applied in the detection of endolymphatic hydrops in living mice, indicating the potential of OCT for cochlear imaging analyses for clinical use in the near future.


Bandwidth management and optimization are very critical to any organization especially universities and research organizations. This work is aimed at the development of a policy- based bandwidth scheme for ABU Zaria (as a case study). ABU Zaria currently has a fibre-based STM-1 links leased from Glo – I, thus providing the university with a full duplex bandwidth of 155Mbps. The university has a student – staff population of about 40000 currently and a fibre ring back-bone network linking the three campuses at Samaru, Shika and Kongo. The work involved collection and analysis of traffic data over a 90-day period using Packet Sniffer, for the development of the policy- based strategies for bandwidth optimization. Simulation of the effect of the policies on a segment of the network was carried out using the GNS3 and validation of results of the simulation was done on a small network. The results showed as improvement in bandwidth utilization from 3.9Mbps to 2.9Mbps thus saving 1.0Mbps in bandwidth when the developed policies were implemented. This is an indication that when implemented on the live network there will be better management of the bandwidth. [2] General Terms Policy based - bandwidth management implementation, Design a model, simulated in a GNS3.


The results of multicenter clinical trials show the broad potential of melatonin since discovery of this adaptogen to the present day. Melatonin is a neuropeptide that is synthesized mainly in the small brain gland, the pineal gland, and has a unique effect in humans and animals. Using melatonin, the pineal gland participates in the organization of circadian periodism and regulation of cyclic processes, acting as an intermediary between the pacemaker mechanism of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and peripheral organs. The pineal gland and the SCN of the hypothalamus form part of the system of the so-called biological clock of the body, which plays a key role in the mechanisms of regulation of the biological clock via circadian rhythms and ageing. Initially, melatonin was only considered a hormone involved in the synchronization of the mechanisms of the circadian rhythm, but later it was found that, in addition to this hormonal function, it takes part in the regulation of the seasonal cycle in animals and humans.At present, melatonin drugs have shown high efficacy and safety in various sleep-wake disorders regardless of their genesis, disorganization of circadian rhythms, stress adjustment disorders, rapid change of time zones, shift work and in complex therapy of patients with cerebrovascular diseases.The article considers the multimodal capabilities of melatonin, including adaptogenic, biorhythmogenic, hypnotic, immunostimu-lating, antioxidant effects. The role of melatonin in the treatment of various central nervous system disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, has been determined.The review emphasizes the wide-ranging effects of melatonin and offers great opportunities for measuring melatonin as a biomarker for early detection and follow-up of various diseases.


We have constructed an absolute gravity meter that determines the local gravitational acceleration by timing a freely falling mass with a laser interferometer. The instrument has made measurements at 11 sites in California, four in Nevada, and one in France. The uncertainty in the results is typically 10μGal (1 Gal ≡ 1 cm/s2; 1 μGal = 10−6 Gal = 10−8 m/s2). Repeated measurements have been made at several of the sites; only one shows a substantial change in gravity.


An insulated metallopolymer that undergoes phosphorescence-to-fluorescence conversion between complementary colors by an acid-stimulus is proposed as a color-tunable material. A Pt-based phosphorescent metallopolymer, where the conjugated polymeric backbone is insulated by a cyclodextrin, is depolymerized by HCl via acidic cleavage of Pt-acetylide bonds to form a fluorescent monomer. The insulation enables phosphorescence-to-fluorescence conversion to take place in the solid film. Rapid color change was achieved by accelerating the reaction between the metallopolymer and HCl by UV irradiation. These approaches are expected to provide new guidelines for the development of next-generation color-tunable materials and printable sensors based on precise molecular engineering.


years of radical change for women. The Idi Amin and Obote II presidencies brought 'abrupt and forcible change' – civil war and government 'campaigns of repression against women'. For family survival, a second adjustment to the DVM surfaced – the 'petty urban trade variation' flourished when Uganda's formal economy collapsed. Towards the end of the Obote II presidency, 16,000 women from 157 countries met in Nairobi at the third United Nations World Conference on Women. Inspired by the amount and variety of women's activities at the conference, on their return home Ugandan women convened their own national conference – and launched a powerful movement. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) victory in 1986, led by President Museveni, brought political and economic stability to Uganda and affirmative action for women through a new constitution that supported their presence in government, university and primary education. The media gave positive coverage to women and their burgeoning NGOs and CBOs. Women increasingly worked outside the home, often in micro-enterprises, and the availability of education brought more middle-class women to entrepreneurship and the professions; this expansion is attributed to a combination of need, interest, and NRM support. But the gains were offset by structural adjustment programmes imposed by the international lending institutions: the shrinkage in government health and education budgets created a devastating effect on women's workloads. During the NRM years debate continued on the major gender issues of colonial days. Despite its widely accepted variations, the DVM (2003) maintained a tight hold on the culture, especially in rural areas where women often remain subject to men's authority. The model 'simply could not stretch far enough to accommodate the new entrepreneurial women', who continue to be seen as socially respectable and economically secure; they attend to family needs and show 'appropriate' respect for their husbands when in public. This brings us to the present. The primary recommendation of the authors is a call for new gender definitions and active intervention to assist poor women, necessitated by the 'ongoing force of domestic virtue assumptions' which are, they assert, detrimental to both men and women. The book's maps, figures, illustrations, abbreviations, glossary and appendices list the newspapers analysed, people interviewed, and quantitative information about the samples studied. There is a report on the women leaders' meeting of 20 March 2003 that capped their research. These features, together with an extensive bibliography and an index, testify to the care with which the book has been researched and written. This is indeed a very good book and and I recommend it for secondary school and university use.


Trees in urban ecosystem are very important as they protect the environment and maintain the ecological balance by reducing air and noise pollution. The purpose of avenue trees in urban areas is as ornamentals, shade giving, aesthetic and medicinal value. A small study has been undertaken to assess the avenue and other amenity tree species in the urban areas of Kadapa city of Andhra Pradesh, India. Totally 58 species belonging to 51 genera and 27 families are inventoried which are grown as avenue trees, ornamentals, shade plants etc. All these species are grown in different areas of the city. They are mainly grown in the road dividers, along road sides, premises of government offices and educational institutions, temple yards, house yards etc.


Background: Doxorubicin has proved to be a useful chemotherapeutic agent especially for osteogenic sarcoma. It induces cancer cell death via apoptosis. Materials and Methods: To explore and analyze the changes of gene expression during doxorubicin induced apoptosis on human osteogenic sarcoma, Saos-2 cell, cDNA microarray was performed. After treatment with doxorubicin, total RNA was purified and expressed genes were investigated with a 17k human cDNA microarray. Results: For analysis of the cDNA microarray, the genes were filtered using the sum of the median value of Cy3 and Cy5 signal intensity of greater than 800. Expression of 264 genes was changed by more than 2 fold, and the expression of 35 genes was changed more than 3 fold after treatment with doxorubicin. The genes were primarily related to cell death, cell growth and maintenance, signal transduction, cellular component, transport, and metabolism. Conclusion: Treatment with doxorubicin induced expressional change of many genes. Some of the genes might be related with apoptosis directly or indirectly. Further study is now needed to characterize these genes.


Resveratrol and anthocyanins are important photochemicals that had high potential for health benefits.  Thailand can produce a lot of mulberry fruits that are able to use for as raw material for resveratrol and anthocyanin extraction. This research aimed to find out the optimal process for resveratrol and anthocyanin extracted from ripe mulberry fruits. Mulberry fruits from Chiang Mai variety which were harvested from mixed ripening stage were suitable for using as raw material, because of its high value of resveratrol and anthocyanin content.  In this study, two extraction methods were investigated; biological extraction and solvent extraction methods. From biological extraction without ultrasonic treatment and without deacidification, it was found that resveratrol content was increased during yeast fermentation.  After filtration, fermented mulberry fruit solution had very high recovery value of resveratrol (331.97%) from fresh ripe mulberry fruits.  From solvent extraction, preliminary dehydration of fresh ripe mulberry fruits decreased the amount of resveratrol and anthocyanin content. So that fresh ripe mulberry fruits without dehydration was suitable to use as raw material.  Mulberry juice and cake was obtained from hydraulic pressing of fresh ripe mulberry fruits. It was found that mulberry fruit cake had high resveratrol content approximately 2/3 of whole resveratrol content. In this study, mulberry fruit cake was selected as raw material for solvent extraction.  Room temperature extraction of mulberry fruit cake with mixed solvent (ethanol:ethyl acetate = 50:50) at the ratio of 1:5 for 1 hour soaking time could provided 104.24% of resveratrol recovery from fresh ripe mulberry fruits. According to resveratrol recovery, the high potential method for resveratrol extract should be biological extraction. The extract solution with high resveratrol content could be utilized as concentrate or powder forms.


Taxonogenomics combines phenotypic assays and genomic analysis as a means of characterizing novel strains. We used this strategy to study Marseille-P9898T strain, an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, spore-forming, and rod-shaped bacterium isolated from planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. Marseille-P9898T is catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. The major fatty acids detected are 12-methyl-tetradecanoic acid, 13-methyl-tetradecanoic acid, and hexadecanoic acid. Marseille-P9898T strain shared more than 98% sequence similarity with the Metabacillus niabensis strain 4T19T (98.99%), Metabacillus halosaccharovorans strain E33T (98.75%), Metabacillus malikii strain NCCP-662T (98.19%), and Metabacillus litoralis strain SW-211T (97.15%). Marseille-P9898 strain belongs to Metabacillus genus. Genomic analysis revealed the highest similarities with Ortho-ANI and dDDH, 85.76% with Metabacillus halosaccharovorans, and 34.20% with Bacillus acidicola, respectively. These results show that the Marseille-P9898T strain is a novel bacterial species from Metabacillus genus, for which we propose the name of Metabacillus schmidteae sp. nov. (Type strain Marseille-P9898T = CSUR P9898T = DSM 111480T).


The electrical compensation of chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in a coherent optical system exploiting polarization multiplexing is discussed in this paper. The benefits of combining a phase estimation algorithm with a decision directed least-mean-square equalizer in a feedback configuration is reported.


Sixty-eight cases of cancer were treated by combined use of Thermotron RF-8 hyperthermia and radiotherapy, and 16 cases by combined use of hyperthermia and anti-cancer drug. The results of analysis of treatment are summarized as follows. Thermo-radiotherapy of shallow-seated tumor: Shallow-seated tumor at a depth of 7 cm or less from the skin surface was present in 43 cases. Most of these were metastatic tumors of lymph node, chest wall and abdominal wall. Pathological findings and primary effect; The effect of treatment was evaluable in 40 cases, the breakdown being as follows: CR 21 cases 53%, PR 13 cases 40%, and NR 3 cases 7%. The effectiveness ratios (CR/PRa) were as follows: adenocarcinoma 13 cases out of 18, 72%; squamous cell carcinoma 12 cases out of 15, 80%. The effectiveness ratios were thus almost the same. Tumor size and primary effect: Out of 19 cases of tumor 5.9 cm or smaller, 17 cases obtained CR. Out of 17 cases of tumor 6 cm or larger, there were 5 cases of CR. Cases of larger-sized tumor thus showed a poorer effect of treatment. Recurrence after radiotherapy: Nine cases of recurrence after radiotherapy were treated by combined use of hyperthermia and radiotherapy. Irradiation of 20 to 40 Gy was combined with 5 to 10 rounds of hyperthermia. The effectiveness ratio was 78%, i.e., 7 cases out of 9. Cases of recurrence of radio-resistant tumor after radiotherapy responded well to low-dose irradiation. Thermo-radiotherapy of deep-seated tumor: Twenty-two cases of deep-seated tumor were treated with the combined use of radiation therapy and hyperthermia. They comprised 10 cases of rectal cancer, 3 cases each of gastric cancer and uterine cancer, 2 cases each of lung cancer and sarcoma, and 2 cases involving other regions. The treatment results were: 3 cases each of CR, 15 cases of PR, and 4 cases of NR. The effectiveness ratio (CR + PRa) was 8 cases out of 22, i.e., 36%. Thermo-chemotherapy: Systemic administration of anti-cancer drug was combined with hyperthermia, and 16 cases were treated. They comprised 11 cases of gastric cancer, 3 cases of colo-rectal cancer, and one case of bile duct cancer. The administered drug was 5-FU in 8 cases, MMC in 7 cases, and CDDP in one case. The treatment results were; one case of CR, 4 cases of PR, 6 cases of MR, 3 cases of NC, and 2 cases of PD. More cases of lymph node tumor showed excellent results.


Knowledge reuse is now a critical issue for most developers of medical knowledge-based systems. As a rule, reuse is addressed from an ambitious, knowledge-engineering perspective that focuses on reusable general purpose knowledge modules, concepts, and methods. However, such a general goal fails to take into account the specific aspects of medical practice. From the point of view of the knowledge engineer, whose goal is to capture the specific features and intricacies of a given domain, this approach addresses the wrong level of generality. In this paper, we adopt a more pragmatic viewpoint, introducing the less ambitious goal of "domain-dependent limited reuse" and suggesting effective means of achieving it in practice. In a knowledge representation framework combining objects and production rules, we propose three mechanisms emerging from the combination of object-oriented programming and rule-based programming. We show these mechanisms contribute to achieve limited reuse and to introduce useful limited variations in medical expertise.


This paper begins with a brief overview of the origins and continued use of standpoint theory in the social sciences. It highlights both historical and contemporary challenges to the utility of standpoint theory as a critical scholarly tool, including developments such as intersectionality and transgenderism / transracialism. Specifically, the implications of a post-truth era for standpoint theory are considered alongside the affective turn, purity politics and the critique of critique. Given the slow, but steady, erosion of the ivory tower in which academics enjoyed privileged access to 'truth', this paper concludes with the need to foster scholar activism via new forms of knowledge politics that move beyond existing approaches to standpoint theory.


Politeness plays an important role in initiated e-mail requests sent from students to faculty. One such feature of requests susceptible to politeness is the degree of imposition, which is one of the important variables in speech act production. Although the literature on requests is abundant, there are few studies on low- and high-imposition requests, in general, and on Iranian L2 learners' low- and high-imposition requests, in particular. Through analyzing L2 learners' requests, this study was an attempt to explore the distribution of pragmalinguistic means when writing English e-mail requests with low- and high degrees of imposition. For the purpose of this study, a corpus of 208 e-mail requests was collected for a rigorous qualitative analysis. The e-requests were classified into 4 categories: information, validation, feedback, and action. They were, then, coded and analyzed. It appeared that, though similar in many ways, the distribution of request type, openings, head act strategies, and internal and external modifiers were relatively conditioned by the degree of imposition. The findings can have valuable resources for future studies of potential interlanguage pragmatics studies, which are concerned with L2 learners' performance and pragmatic competence in L2 learning.


Objective: We compared the irritancy potential of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)-free aqueous cream to SLS-containing aqueous cream and other moisturizers. Design: This was a double-blind, intraindividual occlusive study. SLS-containing aqueous cream; SLS-free aqueous cream; white soft paraffin; urea cream; Physiogel® (Stiefel Laboratories, Brentford, United Kingdom); QV cream (Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd., Braeside, Australia); Cetaphil RestoraDerm® (Galderma Laboratories, Fort Worth, Texas); Ceradan® (Hyphens Pharma International Ltd., Singapore); normal saline; and SLS 1% aqueous were applied with Finn chamber occlusion to different sites on each participant's back for 72 hours. Skin assessments were carried out on Day 0 preapplication and Day 3 and Day 7 postapplication. Participants: Twelve healthy adult volunteers were included in this study. Measurements: Study subjects were clinically evaluated by an experienced dermatologist using a four-point severity scale to assess the severity of erythema, dryness, desquamation, stinging or burning, and pruritus. Corneometer® and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) readings were taken to assess skin hydration and skin barrier integrity, respectively. All measurements were performed on Days 0, 3, and 7. Results: Application of the SLS-free aqueous cream resulted in no significant changes in TEWL or Corneometer® readings throughout the study period. The SLS-containing aqueous cream resulted in a significant increase in TEWL from Day 0 to Days 3 and 7. All test moisturizer creams showed no significant changes in their clinical assessment scores. Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that SLS-free aqueous cream has a lower irritancy potential than SLS-containing aqueous cream, with the same level of maintenance of skin barrier integrity and hydration. SLS-free aqueous cream also appears to be less irritating to the skin than other non-SLS generic and commercial moisturizers tested.


This paper addresses a periodic trajectory tracking problem arising in spacecraft formation flying. In particular, the nonlinear position dynamics of a follower spacecraft relative to a leader spacecraft are utilized to develop a learning controller which learns a periodic, unknown model reference control. Using a Lyapunov-based approach, a full state feedback control law, a parameter update algorithm, and a model reference control estimate are designed that facilitate the tracking of given periodic reference trajectories in the presence of unknown leader and follower spacecraft masses. Furthermore, using a discrete Lyapunov-type stability analysis, model reference control error is shown to converge to zero. Illustrative simulations are included to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed controller.


Let Dx be a bounded smooth strongly pseudoconvex domain in C^ and let D2 be a domain of holomorphy in CM (2 < N, 5 < M, IN < M). There exists then a proper holomorphic immersion from Dx to D2 . Furthermore if PI(DX, D2) is the set of proper holomorphic immersions from Dx to D2 and A(DX,D2) is the set of holomorphic maps from Dx to D2 that are continuous on the boundary, then the closure of Pl(Dx , D2) in the topology of uniform convergence on compacta contains A(DX, D2). The approximating proper maps can be made tangent to any finite order of contact at a given point. The same result was obtained for proper holomorphic maps, in one codimension, when the target domain has a plurisubharmonic exhaustion function with no saddle critical points. This includes the case where the target domain is convex. Density in a weaker sense was derived in one codimension when the critical points are contained in a compact subset of the target domain. This occurs (for example) when the target domain is bounded weakly pseudoconvex with C2-smooth boundary. If the target domain is strongly pseudoconvex then the approximating proper holomorphic maps can also be made continuous on the boundary. A lesser degree of pseudoconvexity is required from the target domain when the codimension is larger than the minimal. A domain in CL is called "Mdimensional-pseudoconvex" (where L > M) if it has a smooth exhaustion function r such that every point w in this domain has some M-dimensional complex affine subspace going through this point for which r, restricted to this subspace, is strictly plurisubharmonic in w . In the result mentioned above the assumption that the target domain is pseudoconvex in CM (M > 2N, 5) can be substituted for the assumption that the domain is "M-dimensionalpseudoconvex". Similarly, the assumption that the target domain D2 is "(N + 1 )-dimensional-pseudoconvex" and all the critical points of some appropriate exhaustion function are "(N+1 )-dimensional-convex" (defined in a similar manner) yields that the closure of the set of proper holomorphic maps from Dx to D2 contains A(DX, D2). All the results are obtained with embeddings when the Euclidean dimensions are such that dimc(£>2) > 2dimc(öi) + 1 . Thus, in this case, when one of the assumptions mentioned above is fulfilled, then the closure of the set of embeddings from D\ to D2 contains A{DX, D2).


In a study of the sources of health care news, nurses appeared to be virtually silent: Journalists do not seek out nurses as sources of information on health care. Even female journalists adhere to the same definition of expertise held by their male colleagues and virtually never use nurses as a source of news.


Bullous pemphigoid in a dog was diagnosed on the basis of clinical, histopathologic, and immunologic criteria. There were widespread ulcerative lesions of the skin. Numerous ulcerative lesions and occasional bullous lesions were on the oral mucous membranes. Histopathologic changes included dermal-epidermal separation, with subepidermal production of bullae. Direct immunofluorescent staining of the skin revealed depositions of immunoglobulin G and of the 3rd component of the complement system. Indirect immunofluorescent staining of donor skin sections pretreated with patient's serum revealed antibasement membrane antibody in the patient's serum. Most of the data in the serum immune profile were within normal ranges. Prednisolone therapy did not effect remission at the dosage of 4.4 mg/kg/day, but led to the beginning of remission within 7 days at a dosage of 6.6 mg/kg/day. The dosage was gradually reduced to 1.1 mg/kg, at 30 days, after which the drug was given on alternate days at that dosage. The healing was complete within 35 days, without any remissions when the dog was last examined (ie, over 6 months).


A highly efficient laser system output at the H-β Fraunhofer line of 486.1 nm has been demonstrated. A high pulse energy single-frequency hybrid 1064 nm master oscillator power amplifier was frequency-tripled to achieve 355 nm laser pulses, which acted as the pump source of the beta barium borate nanosecond pulse optical parametric oscillator. With pump energy of 190 mJ, the laser system generated a maximum output of 62 mJ blue laser pulses at 486.1 nm, corresponding to conversion efficiency of 32.6%. The laser spectrum width was measured to be around 0.1 nm, being in conformity with the spectrum width of the solar Fraunhofer line.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Introduction. Advancements in treatment modalities have not translated into marked improvement in the prognosis of Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. Major emphasis is being laid on designing new therapeutic strategies for more effective disease management. Recently, using iTRAQ-labeling and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS), we identified a panel of biomarkers, including 14-3-3 zeta and 14-3-3 sigma in HNSCC and oral pre-malignant lesions. Retrospective study of HNSCC revealed correlation of increased expression of both these biomarkers with poor disease prognosis. Herein, we report preliminary results on determining the potential of 14-3-3 zeta as a molecular target for HNSCC therapy.

Methods. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting 14-3-3 zeta was used to down-regulate its expression in head and neck cancer cell lines (SCC4 / HSC2). Transient transfection of siRNAs targeting 14-3-3 zeta in these cultured cells was done using LipofectAMINE 2000. The chemosensitivity of transfected cells was determined by measuring the cell death using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, Flow cytometry-based cell cycle analysis, Annexin V dye binding assay and TUNEL assay.

Results: Knockdown of 14-3-3 zeta showed reduced cell viability and G2/M arrest in head and neck cancer cells transfected with 14-3-3 zeta siRNA (100 nM, 48 hours). Importantly, doxorubicin / cisplatin treatment of 14-3-3 zeta siRNA transfected head and neck cancer cells (SCC4 / HSC2), showed increased cell death at lower doses in comparison to cells treated with doxorubicin or cisplatin alone. Increased sub-G phase was observed in SCC4 cells (showing reduced 14-3-3 zeta expression) on treatment with any of these chemotherapeutic agents. Annexin V staining and TUNEL assay revealed increased apoptosis. Western blot analysis showed cleaved caspase 9 and caspase 3, confirming the induction of apoptosis.

Conclusions: Our results showed that 14-3-3 zeta downregulation sensitizes head and neck cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents by induction of apoptosis. We propose that down-regulation of 14-3-3 zeta may serve as a novel strategy to improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents in the management of head and neck cancer.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 220.


Virtual colonoscopy is a new procedure that fuses computed tomography of the large bowel with advanced techniques for rendering three dimensional images to produce views of the colonic mucosa similar to those obtained during "real" colonoscopy. Preliminary results suggest that it surpasses barium enema and approaches the sensitivity of conventional colonoscopy. This review summarises the technical developments that have made virtual colonoscopy possible and describes the expected advantages of this exciting technique over conventional endoscopy and more traditional imaging methods. We describe its possible applications and outline further technical developments that can be expected in the near future.


T-Lymphocytes (T-cells), one of the many different lymphocytes, are the precursors of disease detection. Their primary purpose is to maintain a healthy immune system. They use the blood vasculature (blood stream) and lymphatic system to circulate throughout the body. Study of a T-cells journey throughout the human blood stream is useful to understand how they can detect disease, such as cancer, in an efficient and effective manner. T-cells are to be thought of as the good cells in our body searching to destroy the bad cells (cancer/infectious cells). The thymus lies in the anterior mediastinum, which is directly behind the breast plate. Initially T-cells migrate from bone marrow to the thymus so that they may proliferate, mature, and become immunocompetent. Once immunocompetent they leave and journey throughout the body to help fight disease. It is assumed that with a greater velocity in the blood stream, T-cells will circulate throughout the body much more efficiently. Hence, surveillance by faster T-cells will promote rapid detection of cancer cells. A steady-state 3-dimensional model has been coded to analyze and simulate the velocity of T-cells in the blood stream. This model is based upon the Newtonian properties of blood plasma. The mathematical properties of this model resemble those of the Navier-Stokes equation with some extra force terms added. These force terms are controlled by Beta and Gamma. Beta is the measure of an individuals quality of health. Gamma is the amount of stress an individual is exposed to. Depending on these variables, the velocity of Lymphocytes in the blood stream will vary. In an effort to achieve a steady-state model, a technique called Perturbed Functional Iterations (PFI) has been implemented.


This article examines the crucial aspects involved in developing an effective personnel management system within IT companies. Given the rapid growth and constant innovation in the IT industry, the competition for skilled and talented employees has intensified. Therefore, it is imperative for IT enterprises to establish an efficient system that can attract, retain, and effectively manage personnel to ensure their success. The article commences by emphasizing the significance of a well-designed personnel management system in the IT sector. It underscores the need for such a system to address the unique challenges and requirements specific to the industry. The key components of an effective system are discussed, encompassing job design, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, and compensation and benefits. Training and development are deemed essential for nurturing employees' skills and keeping pace with technological advancements. The article stresses the importance of providing continuous learning opportunities, mentoring programs, and career growth paths to foster employee engagement and development. The article explores effective performance management systems as a means of providing regular feedback, setting clear goals, and recognizing exceptional achievements. It emphasizes the utilization of data-driven performance evaluations and the implementation of agile performance management approaches. Furthermore, the article delves into the significance of competitive compensation and benefits packages within the IT industry, taking into account the high demand for top talent. It underscores the need for organizations to offer attractive remuneration, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities for achieving a work-life balance. Moreover, the article highlights the necessity for IT companies to embrace agile HR practices in order to adapt to the rapidly evolving industry landscape. This entails promoting flexible work arrangements, encouraging innovation and creativity, and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.


It seems that virtually nothing is to be found in the literature about the generic behavior of the power series of geometrical optics. As a first step toward remedying this state of affairs, I examine what kinds of singularities the spherical-aberration function ∊′ of symmetric systems of spherical refracting surfaces can possess and present a detailed classification of them. If χ is a suitable variable that specifies rays, and the first singularity of ∊′ is encountered at χ = χ0(∊′ not being defined in the real domain for χ > χ0), then it turns out that as χ → χ0, the asymptotic behavior of ∊′ is always of the kind given by the relation ∊′ ~ a + b(1 − χ/χ0)W. a and b are constants and W a number the possible values of which can be enumerated. As a partial check on the theoretical conclusions, the spherical-aberration function of a realistic optical system is studied numerically.


With the steady increase of crude oil production and the surge in oil prices in the mid- and late 1970s, Oman embarked upon an economic development path that transformed it into a prosperous country. Today Oman boasts impressive physical infrastructure, much improved socioeconomic conditions, and a high standard of living. The purpose of this background study is to contribute to a better understanding of developments in the Omani economy since 1980 and of the policy challenges the government faces in the medium term. The study focuses on some central aspects of Oman's economic experience, including the potential structural impediments to growth.


Two solvent-modulated Cd(II) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), [Cd4(TCS)2(DMF)2(EtOH)(H2O)7·4DMF]n (1) and [Cd2(TCS)(DMF)2·4H2O]n (2) (H4TCS = tetrakis(3-carboxyphenyl)silicon, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide), were constructed from a novel tetrapodal silicon-based linker. In 1 and 2, the TCS ligands exhibit different coordination modes and link mononuclear [Cd(COO)4] and tetranuclear [Cd4(COO)8(DMF)4] SBUs (secondary building units) to give 1 and 2 2D 44-sql net and (4,8)-connected 3D framework with rare fluorite (flu) topology, respectively. Dissimilarities in the geometry of both SBUs are originated from the different solvent systems which result in the formation of different networks in each case. The photoluminescence behaviours of them were also discussed.


Alcoholic patients are at increased risk of cancers of the head and neck but little information is available on the magnitude of the risk for specific sites and for different histological types. We followed 182 667 patients with a hospital discharge diagnosis of alcoholism during 1965–1994, for an average of 10.2 years. We compared their incidence of site- and histological type-specific cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and lung with that of the national population. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx was 5.33 (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.04–5.64, based on 1207 cases). The SIRs of laryngeal and lung cancer were 4.21 (95% Cl 3.78–4.68, 347 cases) and 2.40 (2.29–2.51, 1880 cases), respectively. The SIR was highest for cancers of the hypopharynx, floor of the mouth, mesopharynx and base of the tongue. The relative excess of lung cancer was similar for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Low age at first hospitalization was associated with higher SIRs for all sites under study. 25 years after first hospitalization for alcoholism, the cumulative probability of developing a lung cancer was in the order of 5%, for oral and pharyngeal cancer it was 2.5%, and for oesophageal or laryngeal cancer 1% each. Our study shows that the risk of head and neck cancer among heavy drinkers is highest for sites in direct contact with alcohol. The high risk of head and neck neoplasms may justify specific medical attention. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign www.bjcancer.com


Background: Mitochondria (MITO) of failed human hearts and hearts of dogs with experimental heart failure (HF) manifest structural and functional abnormalities characterized by hyperplasia and reduced organelle size and reduced respiration. These abnormalities lead to reduced ATP synthesis that adversely impacts LV function. We previously showed that chronic therapy (3 months) with Bendavia (MTP-131), a novel mitochondria-targeting peptide, improves LV systolic function in dogs with heart failure (HF), reverses MITO abnormalities and normalizes mitochondria ATP synthesis in myocardium from Bendavia-treated HF dogs. In the present study we examined the direct effects of Bendavia on mitochondria ADP-stimulated state 3 respiration in freshly isolated cardiomyocytes from dogs with advanced chronic HF.

Methods: Cardiomyocytes were isolated from LV free wall of 3 untreated dogs with HF produced by intracoronary microembolizations (LV ejection fraction <30%). A standard collagenase-based enzymatic process was used for isolation that yielded ~70% viable rod-shaped cardiomyocytes that excluded trypan blue. Equal aliquotes of cardiomyocytes were incubated in 0, 0.01, 0.10, 1.0 and 10 μM concentration of Bendavia for one hour at 37°C. At the end of incubation, ADP-stimulated state-3 respiration was measured using a Clark electrode system and quatified in nAtom Oxygen/min/mg protein.

Results: State-3 respiration in the absence of Bendavia (Vehicle-Control) was 248±9 nAtom Oxygen/min/mg protein. Compared to vehicle-control, incubation of failing cardiomyocytes with Bendavia significantly increased state-3 respiration to 303±33 at 0.01 μM, p<0.05; 405±39 at 0.10 μM, p<0.05; 371±28 at 1.0 μM, p<0.05; and 346±29 at 10.0 μM, p<0.05.

Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that the effects of Bendavia on mitochondrial respiration in cardiomyocytes is direct and not a consequence of improved global LV structure or function. Furthermore, the results indicate that the improvement in mitochondrial respiration after treatment with Bendavia can occur early after initiation of therapy (within one hour) and is dose-dependent up to concentrations of 0.10 μM.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels and radiological changes in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS
sIL-2R levels from 155 patients with active RA were measured by immunoassay over a 2 year period and the associations with radiological change and other measures of disease activity were analyzed.

RESULTS
The area under the curve for sIL-2R is weakly associated with the change in the modified Larsen score over a 2 year period; this is weaker than the association of radiological change with serum C-reactive protein.

CONCLUSION
We found no significant association of sIL-2R levels with erosive change in early RA.


Viability theory proposes geometric metaphors in addition to classical ordinary differential equation analysis. In this paper, advantages of applying viability theory to road safety domain are presented. The exact issue is to determine if, from an initial state of a vehicle/road/driver system, a soft controls strategy is compatible with a safe driving sequence. The case of a car negotiating a curve is considered. The application of the viability theory to this issue offers the advantage to avoid classical full computing of the system. Instead of that, it consists on verifying that the states and the controls belong to a subset called the viability kernel. The construction and the use of the viability kernel for a vehicle system dynamic is proposed by using support vector machines algorithm. Then, the applicability of this theory is demonstrated through experimental tests. This innovative application of the viability theory to vehicle dynamics with road safety concerns could benefit to robust embedded warning systems.


Early analysis of Bitcoin concluded that it did not meet the economic conditions to be classified as a currency. Since this conclusion, interest in Bitcoin has increased substantially. We investigate whether the introduction of futures trading in Bitcoin is able to resolve the issues that stopped Bitcoin from being considered a currency. Our analysis shows that spot volatility has increased following the appearance of futures contracts, that futures contracts are not an effective hedging instrument, and that price discovery is driven by uninformed investors in the spot market. We therefore argue that the conclusion that Bitcoin is a speculative asset rather than a currency is not altered by the introduction of futures trading.


Most large corporations are organized as multidivisional firms, consisting of a corporate headquarters and a number of semi-autonomous business units. The control of business units is crucial for the success of business units as well as the firm as a whole. In deciding on the appropriate control mechanisms both corporate factors and business level factors need to be taken into account. The multilevel nature of control and the complexities of using different styles of control within one multidivisional firm are the central topics of the dissertation.


The pure titanium cast frameworks were made using an arc-melting pressure and vacuum casting apparatus invented by Sato, and an experimental investment material. The salient features of the method and the cast frameworks were as follows: 1. The casting apparatus used was capable of making both complete and partial denture frameworks with pure titanium. It reduced casting errors and the interaction between titanium and the casting mold, producing less porous casted frameworks with a smooth surface. 2. The experimental investment material made a firm heat-resistant investment model with a smooth surface. It showed appropriate expansion and also excellent strength at room temperature after the burn out of the wax pattern. 3. The titanium casted frameworks fitted to the model and the oral cavity closely, and yielded satisfactory clinical results in more than 15 patients.


"Carelessness in system specification is probably a more serious issue for network analysis than for much survey analysis" - this quote by Laumann et al. (1983, p. 19) is becoming more and more relevant, given the increasing popularity of social network analysis (SNA) in a variety of academic disciplines (Froehlich, 2020). Criticism has been voiced against the validity of many SNA studies. This includes, for instance, the missing generalizability of much SNA work, theoretical underspecification, or conceptual slippage of the term "network". Lots has been written about the validity and reliability of different social network measurement techniques and methods, but far less about the validity of the notion of 'network'. In this presentation, we pick up this gap and focus on a specific instance of validity that we call network validity. Some thoughts have been spent on the topic, especially under the banner of the boundary specification problem. However, with this framework of network validity presented here, we hope to show that there are more considerations to be taken into account to have a valid network study. The main question we pose is how to determine whether the thing that we're studying using network methods actually constitutes a network and what kind of network it is. In developing our argument, we refer to Dellinger and Leech's (2007) mixed methods validation framework, given that SNA can be considered an inherently mixed method (Crossley & Edwards, 2016; Froehlich et al., 2020; Froehlich & Brouwer, Forthcoming)


In recent years, the protection of the intellectual property rights of digital media has become a considerable issue. Especially using digital image editing tools has made it very easy and fast to manipulate images. Therefore, manipulation detection of digital images has become a necessity. This article presents a novel Frei‐Chen based self‐embedding fragile watermarking technique implemented to 3×3 blocks for image manipulate detection. The block key and the Frei‐Chen based block feature are calculated from the non‐overlapping image blocks of size 3×3 . Exclusive‐OR operations are applied to the Frei‐Chen based block feature and the block key. After, a nine bit block authentication key is generated from the Frei‐Chen based block feature and the block key. Then the generated authentication key is embedded in the least significant bits of each block. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed method through the detection of the various attacks and obtain the excellent visual quality of watermarked images. Also, the results demonstrate that the proposed method detects all of the manipulated areas plainly.


To examine if police expressions of solidary with protesters improve public opinion toward the police, we embedded a picture- and information-based experiment in a YouGov survey ( N = 1,150), wherein respondents were randomly exposed to police expressions of solidarity with protesters. We also randomized whether the pictured officers were wearing riot gear. We find little evidence that expressions of solidarity or riot gear significantly affect public affinity for the police or support for accountability reforms in policing. Past studies show that outside of the context of protests, officers' behavior toward civilians has asymmetric effects, such that positive actions matter less than negative ones. Our findings suggest that this may be true within the protest context as well.


Average daily MAC of the sebacic acid in the ambient air established at the level of 0.05 mg/m3 (3-d class of hazard). Data of acute and chronic experiments were noted.


A key issue in exchanging XML-based data is their transformation. However, available transformation languages are generally still low-level. Their low-level transformation operators do not reflect the target language concepts and terminologies. Moreover, transformation correctness is usually beyond the scope of such operators. This paper presents a generic framework which offers higher-level transformation operators. Since it allows to express the transformation operators on the specific target languages level, the developer can more easily understand, validate, and modify the transformation. Based on a given XML schema of the target XML language, the necessary level transformation definitions are generated by the framework. In addition, transformation constraints are taken into consideration; besides transformation corresponding validation components are constructed. A showcase demonstrates how to generate the required components for BPEL- specific transformation operators and how to use them in XSLT.


This paper estimates trend growth rates for a sample of industrial countries by applying Okun's law in first differences. Despite the simplicity of the approach and the restrictive assumptions, the method typically yields reasonable results when trend shifts in the Okun coefficients and changes in structural unemployment are allowed for. Particular caution is required in using the method for estimating output gaps.


The purpose of the current paper was to develop a measurement of information security culture. Our literature analysis indicated a lack of clear conceptualization and distinction between factors that constitute information security culture and factors that influence information security culture. A sequential mixed method consisting of a qualitative phase to explore the conceptualisation of information security culture, and a quantitative phase to validate the model is adopted for this research. Eight interviews with information security experts in eight different Saudi organisations were conducted, revealing that security culture can be constituted as reflection of security awareness and security ownership. Additionally, the qualitative interviews have revealed that factors that influence security culture are top management involvement, policy enforcement, and training. These factors were confirmed formed the basis for our initial information security culture model, which was operationalised and tested in different Saudi Arabian organisations. Using data from two hundred and fifty-four valid responses, we demonstrated the validity and reliability of the information security culture model. We were further able to demonstrate the validity of the model in a nomological net, as well as provide some preliminary findings on the factors that influence information security culture.


A survey on the presently known storage and COOliYr ring projects for heavy ions is given. Some characteristic features of heavy ion storage and cooling are pointed out. The influence of proposed in-ring experiments using internal atomic or electron targets, laser radiation or colliding beam techniques on the ring designs is discussed in connection with a a brief description of the heavy ion Experimental Storage Ring llroject ESR, which is plrt of the recently approved heavy ion synchrotron facility SIS/ESR at GSI/Darmstadt [ 11.


Abstract Introduction: Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a high-grade embryonal malignant neoplasm of the central nervous system. It is rare and most often diagnosed in children <4 years of age. The biological manifestations of AT/RTs are highly malignant and have a very poor prognosis. Here, we present the case of a 16-year-old boy with AT/RT in the right parietal lobe and with a dismal outcome. Patient concerns: A 16-year-old male boy presented with a headache after waking up for 1 year without obvious cause. The pain was persistent and dull, mainly in the right orbital, and was slightly relieved after pressing the orbital. Occasionally, nausea and vomiting occurred, and the vomiting was gastric contents. Examination and head computed tomography performed at a local hospital revealed a space-occupying lesion in the right parietal lobe. The patient was then transferred to our hospital for further diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis: The patient underwent craniotomy and gross total excision of the tumor. Further histologic examination of the tumor was identified (space-occupying lesion in the right parietal lobe) AT/RT, World Health Organization grade IV. Interventions: The patient was transferred to the oncology department for radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery recovery. Outcomes: The patient did not comply with the advice for adjuvant chemotherapy regularly and the tumor recurred rapidly. Finally, the patient died after 18 months after the definitive surgery. Conclusion: In conclusion, in the presence of a tumor with peripheral cystic components or hemorrhage in young children, a diagnosis of AT/RT must always be considered. Patients must follow the doctor's advice for active treatment. All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.


This paper presents a study of the relationship between prerenal azotemia and rehabilitation outcomes of cancer patients. A retrospective chart review of 70 patients who underwent inpatient rehabilitation in a tertiary cancer center was undertaken. Eight patients with creatinine values >1.5 were excluded. The remaining 62 patients were divided into 2 groups according to the blood urea nitrogen/creatinine (BUN/Cr) ratio: 27 (44%) in the prerenal azotemia group (BUN/Cr ≥ 20) and 35 (56%) in the non-azotemic group (BUN/Cr < 20). Age, gender, <10 g/dL of hemoglobin, co-morbidity (diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension), discharge destiny and median rehabilitation length of stay were not significantly different in these 2 groups. Prerenal azotemia was present in a significant number of cancer patients, but it did not impact the length of rehabilitation stay or discharge destiny.


Following the third wave of democracy, several countries got stuck in their transition to full-fledged democracy. These countries have been labeled, among others, as hybrid regimes. Hybrid regimes are neither fully democratic nor entirely autocratic, thus incorporate elements of both democratic and authoritarian systems and these present valuable research questions for political scientists. One avenue for research is legitimization and protests movements in a hybrid political environment. This paper explores how hybrid regimes respond to protests movements and the relationship between protest and legitimacy. Can protest movements provide an opportunity for these regimes to seek legitimacy? Protests movements in Bangladesh between 2013 and 2018 are examined. Two arguments are presented: first hybrid regimes adopt different strategies of responses co-optation or repression depending on a) the nature of the movements, whether the movement is pro or anti-government and b) the level of competition from the opposition; and second protests can provide political opportunities for hybrid regimes to utilize identity- or repression-based legitimacy. By analyzing the question of domestic legitimacy and the relationship between protests and legitimacy in hybrid regimes, this articles aims to provide insights into the mechanism that hybrid regimes use to consolidate their power.


A high performance liquid chromatographic pre-column derivatization method with fluorescence detection for the analysis of glutamine (Gln) in rat intestinal mucosa is presented. Gln was derivatized with o-phthalaldehyde and 3-mercaptopropionic acid under an alkaline condition and separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography on a Lichrosorb RP18 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm). The mobile phase was consisted of 50 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 7.0)-acetonitrile (94:6, V/V) with a flow rate of 2.0 mL/min. The excited and emitted wavelength were selected at 230 nm and 389 nm respectively. The volume ratio of samples and derivatization reagent solution was 4:1 (V/V). The detection limit of Gln was 25 micromol/L (S/N= 3.5) and the regression equation was A = 16.9405C + 179.9339, r = 0.9996 at the linear range of 50-3200 micromol/L. The day-to-day deviation was 6.97% (n = 3) and the retention time of Gln was 3.158 min. This method is rapid, simple and highly sensitive, and has been applied to the determination of Gln in intestinal mucosa.