Background The rate of suicide in the US has increased substantially in the past two decades, and new insights are needed to support prevention efforts. The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), the nation's most comprehensive registry of suicide mortality, has qualitative text narratives that describe salient circumstances of these deaths. These texts have great potential for providing novel insights about suicide risk but may be subject to information bias. Objective To examine the relationship between decedent characteristics and the presence and length of NVDRS text narratives (separately for coroner/medical examiner (C/ME) and law enforcement (LE) reports) among 233,108 suicide and undetermined deaths from 2003–2017. Methods Generalized estimating equations (GEE) logistic and quasi-Poisson modeling was used to examine variation in the narratives (proportion of missing texts and character length of the non-missing texts, respectively) as a function of decedent age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, military history, and homeless status. Models adjusted for site, year, location of death, and autopsy status. Results The frequency of missing narratives was higher for LE vs. C/ME texts (19.8% vs. 5.2%). Decedent characteristics were not consistently associated with missing text across the two types of narratives (i.e., Black decedents were more likely to be missing the LE narrative but less likely to be missing the C/ME narrative relative to non-Hispanic whites). Conditional on having a narrative, C/ME were significantly longer than LE (822.44 vs. 780.68 characters). Decedents who were older, male, had less education and some racial/ethnic minority groups had shorter narratives (both C/ME and LE) than younger, female, more educated, and non-Hispanic white decedents. Conclusion Decedent characteristics are significantly related to the presence and length of narrative texts for suicide and undetermined deaths in the NVDRS. Findings can inform future research using these data to identify novel determinants of suicide mortality.


The authors present their data on results of an investigation of blast cells including morphocytochemical examination, determination of the presence of receptors to Fc-fragments of Ig, to C3 component of the complement. Criteria were obtained permitting to differentiate myeloid forms of acute leukosis.


The spatial organization of cells within tissues is tightly linked to their biological function. Yet, methods to probe the entire transcriptome of multiple native tissue microenvironments at single cell resolution are lacking. Here, we introduce spheresequencing, a method that enables the transcriptomic characterization of single cells within spatially distinct tissue niches. Sphere-sequencing of the mouse metastatic liver revealed previously uncharacterized zonated genes and ligand-receptor interactions enriched in different hepatic microenvironments and the metastatic niche.


To the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law, and consistent with the principles set forth in the report on the National Performance Review, each Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the United States and its territories and possessions, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands.


This article provides an analytical background to the concepts and paradigms of leadership and examines why leadership and in particular women's leadership has been, and continues to be, a contentious, problematic issue for women and organisations. A case study of exceptional Caribbean women leaders is presented as well as an historical context to ideas about leadership is established in order to isolate and define the key components of women's transformational leadership. Power, authority, and decision making are identified as critical components of leadership. These characteristics are then related to the social and political economy and developmental needs of Caribbean society. The article isolates the alleged differences in leadership styles between women and men, as well as provides a set of research questions to guide the discovery of practices that are conducive to the promotion of women's transformational leadership.


Background: Stroke is one of the most common deadly diseases with an estimated 780,000 new cases globally, of which ischemic stroke accounts for over 80% of all cases. Ferroptosis is a new form of programmed cell death that plays a vital role in many diseases, including ischemic stroke and heart diseases. The role of the ferroptosis-related gene in the diagnosis, prognosis, or therapy of ischemic stroke was not fully clarified. Methods: Ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ischemic stroke were identified by bioinformatic analysis of the GSE16561 and GSE22255 datasets. Subsequently, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) monofactor analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of ferroptosis-related biomarkers in ischemic stroke. Results: A total of 10 ferroptosis-related DEGs were identified in ischemic stroke vs. normal control. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that these 10 ferroptosis-related DEGs were mainly enriched in response to oxidative stress, HIF-1 signaling pathway, ferroptosis, lipid, and atherosclerosis. Moreover, the random forest model suggested three ferroptosis-related biomarkers, namely, PTGS2, MAP1LC3B, and TLR4, for ischemic stroke. Interestingly, the expression of PTGS2, MAP1LC3B, and TLR4 was upregulated in ischemic stroke. ROC monofactor analysis demonstrated a good performance of MAP1LC3B, PTGS2, and TLR4 in the diagnosis of ischemic stroke. The expression and diagnostic value of MAP1LC3B, PTGS2, and TLR4 in ischemic stroke were also verified using GSE22255. We also revealed the transcription factor regulation network and co-expressed protein network of ferroptosis-related biomarkers. Several potential therapeutic compounds corresponding to MAP1LC3B, PTGS2, and TLR4 were also identified for ischemic stroke, including Zinc12503187 (Conivaptan), Zinc3932831 (Avodart), Zinc64033452 (Lumacaftor), Zinc11679756 (Eltrombopag), Zinc100378061 (Naldemedine), and Zinc3978005 (Dihydroergotamine). Conclusion: Our results suggested MAP1LC3B, PTGS2, and TLR4 as potential diagnostic biomarkers for ischemic stroke, providing more evidence about the vital role of ferroptosis in ischemic stroke.


AGU held separate briefings on 8 February for members and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives and of the Senate about AGU's position statement that calls for renewing investment in ocean research.The statement, which was adopted by the AGU Council in December 2005, supports the integrated research, infrastructure, and education findings of the 2004 U.S. Ocean Commission Report.

AGU President John Orcutt, and Steve Bohlen, Joint Oceanographic Institutions president and chair of the panel that prepared the statement, noted ways in which ocean research and education contribute to U.S. innovation and competitiveness. They provided examples of recent discoveries, trends in ocean research, and their application to society


H/ACA small nucleolar RNPs (snoRNPs) that guide pseudouridylation reactions are comprised of one small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) and four common proteins (Cbf5, Gar1, Nhp2 and Nop10). Unlike other H/ACA snoRNPs, snR30 is essential for the early processing reactions that lead to the production of 18S ribosomal RNA in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To determine whether snR30 RNP contains specific proteins that contribute to its unique functional properties, we devised an affinity purification strategy using TAP-tagged Gar1 and an RNA aptamer inserted in snR30 snoRNA to selectively purify the RNP. Northern blotting and pCp labeling experiments showed that S1-tagged snR30 snoRNA can be selectively purified with streptavidin beads. Protein analysis revealed that aptamer-tagged snR30 RNA was associated with the four H/ACA proteins and a number of additional proteins: Nop6, ribosomal proteins S9 and S18 and histones H2B and H4. Using antibodies raised against Nop6 we show that endogenous Nop6 localizes to the nucleolus and that it cosediments with snR30 snoRNA in sucrose density gradients. We demonstrate through primer extension experiments that snR30 snoRNA is required for cleavages at site A0, A1 and A2, and that the absence of Nop6 decreases the efficiency of cleavage at site A2. Finally, electron microscopy analyses of chromatin spreads from cells depleted of snR30 snoRNA show that it is required for SSU processome assembly.


Wastewater treatment plant involves highly complex and uncertain processes, which are quite difficult to forecast. However, smooth and efficient operation of the treatment plant depends on an appropriate model capable of describing accurately the dynamic nature of the system. Most of the existing models were applied to industrial wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, this paper proposed an ANFIS model for carbon and nitrogen removal in the Bunus regional sewage wastewater treatment plant, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For comparison, feed-forward neural network is used. Simulation results revealed that the ANFIS model demonstrated slightly better prediction capability in all the considered variables, chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) as compared to the FFNN model, thus proving that the proposed ANFIS model is reliable and useful to the wastewater treatment plant.


Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Disparities in risk factor prevalence, stroke incidence, and mortality exist across races and gender. Although healthcare providers may know the risk factors of stroke, prevention of strokes and control of the major risk factors remain poor. In addition, the general population lacks knowledge of the warning signs of strokes and the factors that put them at risk for having a stroke. Stroke prevention programs have been found to be successful in increasing awareness of the disease, but more prevention through reduction of modifiable risks is needed to lower the incidence of strokes.


In this article we conduct a pragmatic analysis of the Dutch utterance-final particle hoor (lit.
 'hear'). Apparently, hoor has contradictory uses. It expresses politeness (involvement, togetherness), but it can
 also contribute to the face-threatening force of an utterance. We argue that there is a core meaning that all uses share, which is
 that by adding hoor, speakers claim a proposition at issue to be part of the common ground. This core meaning
 will be shown to account for hoor's key characteristics. Hoor expresses involvement and is often
 attached to speech acts that are intrinsically polite, such as apologizing and giving compliments. Also, while
 hoor never occurs in interrogative sentences, it can be used with a certain type of directive speech acts,
 namely those that are in the interest of the hearer or are presented as having shared interests.


Metastatic lesions of primary tumors comprise almost 1% of different types of oral cancers. These lesions can affect either bones or soft tissues in the maxillofacial region. Whenever the maxillofacial area is affected, the most common location is in the molar region of the mandible. A 70-year-old male patient, presented with swelling in the jaw region, of acute onset. Clinical, radiological, and histological examinations were carried out. Finally, it was diagnosed to be a metastatic lesion in the jaw, with the primary lesion being in the prostate gland. The clinical presentation of mandibular metastasis follows a pattern characterized by irradiated dental pain in the third molar region. Differential diagnosis and treatment of these patients can be extremely difficult because there are several pathologic conditions with similar symptoms.


Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility data obtained from discrete subsamples recovered from two Integrated Ocean Drilling Program sites (Expedition 347 sites M0061 and M0062 in the Baltic Sea) by an Advanced Piston Corer are compared to results obtained on subsamples recovered by replicate 6-m-long Kullenberg piston cores. Characteristic natural remanence directions were obtained from the total of 1097 subsamples using principal component analyses. The three principal anisotropy axes of subsamples taken from Advanced Piston Core liners align to the subsample axes, with the maximum axis (K1) parallel to the split core surfaces, possibly caused by outwards relaxation of the core-liners after splitting. A second anomalous anisotropy fabric is characterized by steep values of the angular difference between the inclination of the minimum anisotropy axes (K3) and that expected for horizontal bedding (90°). This fabric is confined to the upper 1–2 m of the Kullenberg cores and specific sections of the advanced piston cores, and we attribute it to conical deformation caused by either excessive penetration speeds and downwards dragging of sediment along the edge of the liner or stretching caused by undersampling. By using our data in an example, we present a protocol to accept palaeomagnetic secular variation data that uses (i) a threshold 90-K3 value of 15°, combined with a modelled, locally applicable minimum inclination of 65° and (ii) an A95 cone of confidence based on Fisher statistics applied to virtual geomagnetic pole distributions.


Data on the biological activity of kappa-opioid receptor agonists - derivatives of three groups of compounds: 1,2-cyclohexylamine, 1,2,3,4-piperidine, 1,2,4-piperazine are presented. On the examples of 1,2-cyclohexylamine and 1,2,4-piperazine derivatives, it has been shown that a decrease in the length of the carbon chain in the phenylalkyl substituent at the nitrogen atom is accompanied by a decrease in the analgesic activity and toxicity of compounds. The replacement of chlorine atoms in the 3 and 4 positions of the phenyl ring with fluorine atoms, which are more electronegative, leads to an increase in the analgesic effect and a decrease in the toxicity of the compounds.


Prostatic urethral giant calculus is extremely unusual. A 37-year-old man was diagnosed with a giant prostatic urethral calculus; he underwent suprapubic cystotomy and the calculus was removed through a bladder neck incision. Recurrence of prostatic calculus was noted 2 years later. Urethroscopy screening was performed and revealed a giant calculus located partially in a prostatic diverticulum. Complete endoscopic removal was not feasible and calculus was extracted entirely via cystotomy through bladder neck. The calculus was calcium phosphates in composition. World J Nephrol Urol. 2016;5(4):91-93 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/wjnu287w


Severe skin lesions caused by Staphylococcus aureus infection are associated with production from bacterial cells of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), a typical virulence factor of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA), as well as other toxins represented by exfoliative toxins. Through a retrospective study of 26 S. aureus strains isolated from skin lesions of diabetic patients admitted to a hospital in Bangladesh, 2 PVL-gene-positive MRSA-IVa strains and 8 PVL-negative, exfoliative toxin D (ETD) gene (etd)-positive MRSA-IVa strains were isolated. A PVL-positive MRSA-IVa strain had a type I arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME), belonged to ST8/agr-type I/spa-type t121 (a variant of t008), and harbored blaZ, tet(K), msrA, and aph(3')-IIIa, which are mostly typical characteristics found in USA300, a predominant CA-MRSA clone in the United States. Another PVL-positive MRSA strain, belonging to ST1929 (CC88)/agr-type III/spa-type t3341, was negative for ACME, but possessed blaZ and tet(K). The etd-positive MRSA-IVa strains possessed the epidermal cell differentiation inhibitor B (EDIN-B)-encoding gene (edinB) and belonged to ST1931 (CC80)/agr-type III/spa-type t11023 (a variant of t044), which was genetic trait similar to that of the European CA-MRSA ST80 clone. However, unlike the European ST80 strains, the etd-positive MRSA strains detected in the present study harbored seb, sek, and seq, while they were negative for tet(K), aph(3')-IIIa, and fusB, showing susceptibility to fusidic acid. These findings suggested that etd-positive ST1931 MRSA strains belong to the same lineage as the European ST80 MRSA clone, evolving from a common ancestral clone via acquisition of a different pathogenicity island. This is the first report of a USA300-like MRSA-IV strain, PVL-positive ST1929 (CC88) MRSA-IV, and European ST80 CA-MRSA-like etd-positive ST1931 (CC80) MRSA-IV strains isolated in Bangladesh.


Coronary heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK, causing more than a quarter of deaths in 2018 ( British Heart Foundation, 2018 ). Congenital defects are the most common cause of heart disease in pregnancy ( Wylie and Bryce, 2016 ). This article will discuss Marfan syndrome and the impact this has on pregnancy and childbirth. Current literature and research will be appraised and discussed to explore mode of delivery during the second stage of labour and calculate the most appropriate method of delivery. Additionally, this article will address how the midwife can support women with Marfan syndrome during the pregnancy booking, antenatal period and intrapartum period without labelling them, and discuss how this may be achieved in relation to the uncertainty reduction communication theory.


There has recently been great interest in fullerene molecular solutions, and especially in their pos- sible medical and biological applications. In almost all fullerene solutions, the problem arises of describing cluster formation and growth. The theoretical description of these is at present still restricted to chemical ther- modynamics or to simple phenomenological models. In the present work, a first attempt is made to provide a consistent description of the kinetics of cluster growth in fullerene molecular solutions. The Frenkel-Zeldovich equation of nucleation theory (the Fokker-Plank equation) is used as the basis for this theoretical model. Two simple models are used for describing the growth of clusters: a solution-liquid drop model and a model of con- fined growth for unsaturated and supersaturated concentrations of solution. Numerical solutions for the system of kinetic equations describing the evolution of the cluster size distribution function f ( n , t ) are obtained. The time dependence of the characteristics of the cluster state, the mean size of the cluster, and the cluster concen- tration in solution are obtained and compared with the analytical estimates. In the case of unsaturated solutions, we find for both models that the fullerenes are solved mostly in the form of free monomers. In the case of super- saturated (metastable) solutions, the processes of cluster formation and growth take place. If the liquid drop model is used, we find that the mean size of the cluster decreases as the solution concentration increases. If the confined growth model is used, we find that the mean cluster size does not depend on the initial supersaturation. Experiments with fullerene solutions in toluene and carbon disulfide, for which we have the most complete data for estimating the model parameters, are analyzed with respect to our results.


Background To develop a method for systematic classification of gallbladder stones, analyze the clinical characteristics of each type of stone and provide a theoretical basis for the study of the formation mechanism of different types of gallbladder stones. Methodology A total of 807 consecutive patients with gallbladder stones were enrolled and their gallstones were studied. The material composition of gallbladder stones was analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and the distribution and microstructure of material components was observed with Scanning Electron Microscopy. The composition and distribution of elements were analyzed by an X-ray energy spectrometer. Gallbladder stones were classified accordingly, and then, gender, age, medical history and BMI of patients with each type of stone were analyzed. Principal Findings Gallbladder stones were classified into 8 types and more than ten subtypes, including cholesterol stones (297), pigment stones (217), calcium carbonate stones (139), phosphate stones (12), calcium stearate stones (9), protein stones (3), cystine stones (1) and mixed stones (129). Mixed stones were those stones with two or more than two kinds of material components and the content of each component was similar. A total of 11 subtypes of mixed stones were found in this study. Patients with cholesterol stones were mainly female between the ages of 30 and 50, with higher BMI and shorter medical history than patients with pigment stones (P<0.05), however, patients with pigment, calcium carbonate, phosphate stones were mainly male between the ages of 40 and 60. Conclusion The systematic classification of gallbladder stones indicates that different types of stones have different characteristics in terms of the microstructure, elemental composition and distribution, providing an important basis for the mechanistic study of gallbladder stones.


Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are stealthy attacks that threaten the security and privacy of sensitive information. Interactions of APTs with victim system introduce information flows that are recorded in the system logs. Dynamic Information Flow Tracking (DIFT) is a promising detection mechanism for detecting APTs. DIFT taints information flows originating at system entities that are susceptible to an attack, tracks the propagation of the tainted flows, and authenticates the tainted flows at certain system components according to a pre-defined security policy. Deployment of DIFT to defend against APTs in cyber systems is limited by the heavy resource and performance overhead associated with DIFT. In this paper, we propose a resource-efficient model for DIFT by incorporating the security costs, false-positives, and false-negatives associated with DIFT. Specifically, we develop a game-theoretic framework and provide an analytical model of DIFT that enables the study of trade-off between resource efficiency and the effectiveness of detection. Our game model is a nonzero-sum, infinite-horizon, average reward stochastic game. Our model incorporates the information asymmetry between players that arises from DIFT's inability to distinguish malicious flows from benign flows and APT's inability to know the locations where DIFT performs a security analysis. Additionally, the game has incomplete information as the transition probabilities (false-positive and false-negative rates) are unknown. We propose a multiple-time scale stochastic approximation algorithm to learn an equilibrium solution of the game. We prove that our algorithm converges to an average reward Nash equilibrium. We evaluate our proposed model and algorithm on a real-world ransomware dataset and validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


How Jewish is Jewish History?, by Moshe Rosman. Oxford and Portland, Oregon: The Liftman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2007. 220 pp. $24.95. Moshe Rosman recognizes that postmodernism has changed the way historians approach their craft, but he rejects those trends in postmodern scholarship that he believes deny the "Jewishness" of Jewish history. His concern is that much postmodern academic discourse, especially in its postcolonial variant, reduces Jews to a metaphor for some larger historical process. He believes that this undermines the legitimacy of Jewish Studies (and, implicitly, of the Israeli state). He therefore proposes a way of synthesizing a postmodern approach to texts with "traditional" historical methodology. Rosman begins by introducing challenges posed to historiography by postmodernism's "central tenet": "that there can never be objective description, only subjective interpretation" (p. 1). His first chapter then examines the difficulty of defining Jewishness and Jewish history and examines metahistories that guided modern Jewish historiography. Rosman defines a metahistory as "a historian's position on a priori issues . . . [that] determine the framework within which he or she conducts research and composes a narrative" (p. 47). The remaining essays, first published between 1993 and 2004, examine periodization in Jewish history, postcolonial theories regarding Jewish cultural hybridity, multiculturalist critiques of Jewish studies, approaches to Jewish cultutal history, the relationship between Jewish cultural history and folkloristics, and work on women's history by pioneering Jewish social historian Jacob Katz. In his conclusion, Rosman pulls this material together to argue for a methodological synthesis that he describes as "reformed" positivism. He illustrates his methodological points with examples from the Jewish history of the Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth, a topic on which he has written two excellent monographs and several important articles. Rosman is especially concerned with a trend that he defines as "the Jew as a trope." He singles out Yuri Slezkine, who in The Jewish Century (Princeton: Princeton University Press) described Diaspora Jews as the embodiment of modernity and concluded that the twentieth century triumph of modernity made everyone "Jewish." If everyone is Jewish, then particularistic Jewish identity is an anachronism. And, as Rosman reads Slezkine, so is the state of Israel. Rosman is particularly worried about postcolonial theorist Homi Bhabha's influence on Jewish scholarship, exemplified in Bryan Cheyette and Laura Marcus, eds., Modernity, Culture, and "the Jew" (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998). Rosman focuses on Bhabha's description of "traditional premodern Jewish communities as subaltern peoples" and "Jewish culture everywhere, like the cultures of modem colonized peoples, as primarily hybrid with the culture of the majority" (p. 95). Therefore, Rosman argues, Jews become a metaphor for all subaltern colonized peoples, whose localized hybrid cultures result from resistance to and the domination of colonial masters. Rosman sees this as leading to the paired conclusions that: a) Jewish cultures (plural) were dependent upon "dominant" cultures; and b) there was no coherent common Jewish culture, only local hybrids. To Rosman, not only is this historically inaccurate, but it inappropriately delegirimates Jewish history and Jewish Studies as disciplines. He is critical, though, of Jewish postmodernist scholars like Diana Pinto who defend Jewish Studies by positing what he calls a revamped "contributionist metahistory," not unlike earlier justifications of Jewish history that cited "the Jewish contribution to civilization." In Pinto's version, Jewish Studies is relevant because it illuminates and "realizes" the pluralist agenda. Rosman, however, holds that Jewish history and Jewish studies have intrinsic value and need no justification. …


We describe quantitatively effects of nonlinear transfer phenomena that drive energy generators (thermal engines) and heat pumps. It is shown that these transports can be treated either in a standard way or as peculiar rate processes (chemical reactions governed by appropriate affinities). An approach to nonlinear transports links heat fluxes with differences of temperature in certain power Ta . A more recent approach distinguishes in each elementary transfer step two competitive (unidirectional) fluxes and the resulting flux as their difference. We show how the kinetics of this sort can be implemented into the contemporary theory of thermal energy generators.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


The arthropod community associated with irrigated rice grown in five sites in Luzon Island, Philippines, was analysed using guild categories. Phytophages and predators were predominant in all sites. The phytophage species were mainly Homoptera and dominated by Nephotettix virescens (Distant), N. nigropictus (Stal) (Cicadellidae), and Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) and Sogatella furcifera (Horvath) (Delphacidae). Predators were mainly Heteroptera with Microvelia douglasi atrolineata Bergoth (Veliidae), Mesovelia vittigera (Horvath) (Mesoveliidae), and Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter (Miridae) as the most abundant species. Spiders were the next dominant group with Pardosa pseudoannulata (Boesenberg & Strand) and three species of Tetragnatha the most common. Differences in species diversity between the sites were easily differentiated using diversity indices. The relative differences in arthropod abundance, species richness and diversity may be attributed to the median temperatures, cropping patterns, and diversity in crop stages and germplasm in the sites. Predator-Homoptera correlations were significant in all cases. High positive correlations were obtained for veliids, spiders and Cyrtorhinus lividipennis , in most sites.


We report the preparation of bifunctional silver–iron oxide composite nanostructures (Ag@Fe2O3) and demonstrate their magnetic separation with an analyte molecule from silver nanoparticles in a mixed solution. Magnetic and non-magnetic plasmonic nanostructures and their separation are monitored by the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of two different analytes attached to each kind of particles. In general, such separation experiments can provide insight into basic phenomena of adsorption and exchange of adsorbed molecules which are of strong interest in SERS. The formation of stable Ag@Fe2O3 nanoparticle–molecule complexes suggests small magnetic SERS labels without additional protective layers for application in analytical assays. The magnetic plasmonic nanostructures have great promise for targeted imaging and sensing in biological structures by directing nanosensors to places of interest using magnetic fields. The option of magnetic separation and collection of plasmonic particles improves the analytical capabilities of SERS. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Turmeric has been used as a spice and a medicine in traditional Thai and Indonesian medicine since ancient times. It contains antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and anti-bacterial properties. As both Thailand and Indonesian are producers of turmeric in the world market, this makes the sharing of this resource and the creation of trade bargain possible. However, the geographical area may have an impact on the medicinal properties of this plant. Therefore, this article aims to study curcumin content and some biological properties of turmeric, including its antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties, by using in vitro experiments. Turmeric samples were collected from Madura Island, Indonesia and from Ubonratchathani Province, Thailand during May–June 2015. Curcumin content was measured by using the UV spectrum. Antioxidant activity was measured by using DPPH assay. The experimental data showed that turmeric samples collected from Indonesia and Thailand contain similar curcumin content and biological properties. From the data from this study, it can be concluded that sharing of the turmeric resource between the studied areas is possible, not only for material use but also for scientific knowledge.


Vanadium doped ZnO films with the doping concentration of 0.8% were deposited onto glass substrates at different sputtering pressures by direct current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering using a zinc target doped with vanadium. The effect of the sputtering pressures (5*10-3 - 3*10-2 mbar) on the structural properties of the deposited films have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The results of XRD show that all the films have a wurtzite structure and grow mainly with the c-axis orientation. The residual stresses which have been estimated by fitting the XRD results decrease with increasing sputtering pressure. The optical properties of the films were studied by measuring the transmittance. The optical constants (refractive index and extinction coefficient) and the film thickness were obtained by fitting the transmittance. All the results are discussed in relation with the sputtering pressure and the doping of the vanadium.


The atria produce several peptides that have natriuretic and vasoactive properties, collectively called atrial natriuretic factor. All these peptides share a single messenger ribonucleic acid, the amount of which greatly increases in the rat left ventricle when the latter is submitted to chronic volume overload. Using the molecular hybridization technique and a desoxyribonucleic acid probe complementary to the atrial natriuretic factor messenger ribonucleic acid, we now report that a very important increase in the amount of this messenger ribonucleic acid is also observed in rat ventricle at at the compensatory stage of a pressure overload induced cardiac hypertrophy. This result suggests that the pressure overload hypertrophied rat ventricle also has the potential to itself regulate it's loading conditions via the regulation of extracellular fluid volume and vascular resistance.


Systematic measurements of the critical current versus temperature over a range between 10 K ad and of the energy barrier for vortex motion versus current density were performed for ten YBCO thin films made by different deposition methods in various laboratories. A new technique, which uses ring-shaped samples and a scanning Hall probe, has been developed to study thin film properties. The results imply a universal behaviour of and for all YBCO films independent of thin growth conditions, substrates, film thickness and the magnitude of or . We suggest that this behaviour is governed by an intrinsic property of YBCO, the Josephson nanostructures in the a-b planes.


Allelism at the duplex comb locus was studied by means of crosses between the Sicilian Buttercup and La Flèche breeds of chickens and two single combed breeds. The horn V-shaped duplex comb of the La Flèche was shown to be inherited as an incomplete dominant when crossed with single comb birds, and it exhibited complete penetrance and a strong expression of duplex. The buttercup duplex comb of the Sicilian Buttercup in similar crosses was also shown to be inherited as an incompletely dominant trait, but with this type comb penetrance was reduced by 32% in females and its expression of duplex was greatly reduced when compared with the La Flèche. When the duplex comb types were crossed to each other, the V-shaped comb showed complete dominance over the buttercup comb. It is proposed that there are at least three alleles at the duplex locus: D (v-type) greater than Dc (buttercup type) greater than d+ (non-duplex type). The most dominant allele (Dv) causes both doubling of the comb and suppression of its tissue mass, while the less dominant allele (Dc) only causes doubling of the comb.


Water use patterns of trees and shrubs in the Picea schrenkiana coniferous forest remain unclear, due to a lack of quantitative analysis on water use dynamics. In this study, the xylem water hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope compositions of P. schrenkiana and the companion shrub species Berberis heteropoda were measured to detect their water sources. The IsoSource model was used to analyze the relative contribution of each potential water source for both species during summer. The results showed that during July, P. schrenkiana and B. heterocarpa mainly extracted water from the 0-60 cm soil layer due to the relatively sufficient soil water content, with the relative contributions being 73.8% and 63.2% for the two species, respectively. In August, with the decreases in soil water content, water source of P. schrenkiana remained stable, and the relative contribution of soil water above 60 cm was 69.5%. In contrast, B. heterocarpa reverted to water source from deeper soil layer, with the relative contribution of shallow soil (0-20 cm) water decreasing to 14.3% and that of middle (20-60 cm) to deep (60-100 cm) soil water increased to 67.7%. In September, with the increases of water content in the shallow soil layer, both species extracted water from shallow soil layers, with the relative contribution reaching to 95.0%. In summary, P. schren-kiana exhibited typical shallow root characteristics, while B. heterocarpa extracted water from the 0-100 cm soil profile and could flexibly change its water source corresponding to changes in soil water content to cope with changing environmental water condition.


Flood risk is the combination of the probability of a flood event and the potential adverse consequences for the human health, the environment, the cultural heritage and the economic activity associated with a flood event (2007/60/EC). Usually, the potential consequence of a flood with a certain probability is evaluated through the flood stage raised in the analysed area, combined with the variables characterising the type of vulnerability. Indeed, flood damages are evaluated from stage-damage curves, also called damage functions. Recently, flood social vulnerability indexes are defined taking into account the flood stage as the primary hydraulic variable. The standard approach evaluates the flood stage starting by a univariate hydrological load, corresponding to one hydrograph with a peak discharge of a certain probability and adequate durations. This correspondence is a critical issue that is originated from the approximation of the river flood flow process. A bivariate hydrological methodology for improving flood maps is proposed. A consistent number of synthetic hydrographs composes the bivariate hydrological load, with peak discharge and volume belonging to their bivariate distribution. A flood map corresponds to each hydrograph. Each flood map is a grid developing through 2d hydraulic model. A specific flood stage value corresponds to each cell of the grid. The whole set of hydrograph produces a flood stage series for each grid cell. The flood map with a certain probability, i.e. return period, results from the interpolation of the corresponding quantile values for each grid cell. The methodology is applied to a case study. The resulting map is benchmarked with a map obtained by the standard hydrological approach. The proposed methodology is based on tools that are widely known and it is replicable by the public administrations or public entities that are interesting in the hydrologic and hydraulic risk assessment.


. Between 2012 and 2015, I published four long articles or short monographs (Denham 2012, 2013, 2014a, 2015a) in Mathematical Anthropology and Cultural Theory concerning kinship and related topics among the Alyawarra speaking people of Central Australia in 1971-72. They contained a great deal of data and had a total length of 400 pages plus comments and replies. The article that you are reading now is a 28-page overview of that four item set. It can serve as an introduction for people who are new to my work and want a brief introduction to my data and methods, or as a summary for those who are familiar with my work and want to see new interconnections that emerged after the separate items and accompanying comments were published. The paper deals broadly with methods, data, theory and findings.


Migrants are increasingly leading transnational lives, impacting the institutions that shape local economies both in their place of residence and in their home communities. One example of this is the institution of funerals in developing countries. Funerals are becoming multi-sited events as migrants from developing countries play important roles in the organization, financing and practice of funeral ceremonies in their home countries. Funerals thus give rise to flows of money, goods and people across national borders, ultimately affecting different economies around the world. This article uses a multi-sited research design to follow the flows associated with a funeral held in a village in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Detailed data were collected simultaneously in four locations involved in the funeral, and a multiplier analysis was used to trace funeral spending in different locations and sectors. The analysis shows that funeral spending supports various economic sectors in Ghana and across the globe, reinforcing the nature of funerals as (partly) economic events, which should be included in economic analyses of remittances and migration. Funeral practices are modified in various ways to accommodate transnational elements. At the same time, funerals continue to act, even in a transnational context, as occasions for reaffirming ties and a sense of belonging; they form a way for home communities, both rural and urban, to keep migrants interested in them.


The emphasis of lean thinking on eliminating waste and improving production makes it easy to relate to the construction domain to have more successful projects. Several tools and techniques have been introduced to simplify lean adoption. However, the human side of lean has not yet seen the emphasis it deserves. Interdisciplinary teams are the implementers of lean practices within projects. Therefore, this study seeks to shed light on the nature of lean teams within construction projects. The human dynamics are mapped to the lean principles to investigate the link between these constructs and lean initiatives implementation. To support the alignment of team enablers with lean principles, eight constructs from the A_B_C framework of team psychology have been identified through the literature search, including openness, trust and psychological safety, cohesion, team viability, collaboration and communication, conflict, information sharing, and knowledge exchange. The findings highlight that organizations should consider the behavioral side of lean in a team context if they want to realize the full benefits of lean transformation. By emphasizing the importance of lean foundations within the organizational culture and team member behavior, construction teams will be able to develop the link necessary between team members' interactions and lean principles adoption.


We report a case of a 61-year-old male who had recently been discharged home after contracting COVID-19 during an extended hospital admission. He presented to the emergency department after episode of sudden onset central chest pain and D-dimer was 390 mcg/L on admission. The patient was initially managed for acute coronary syndrome, however within twenty-four hours of admission the patient desaturated to 74% on room air and required 15L oxygen. CT Pulmonary Angiogram showed right lower lobe segmental pulmonary emboli and extensive COVID-19 lung changes. Subsequently, acute coronary syndrome treatment was stopped, and the patient treated for pulmonary embolus. Following this, his oxygen requirement improved significantly, and the patient stabilised within one week.
Emerging data and clinical evidence suggests an increased risk and prevalence of venous thromboembolic events in COVID-19, particularly in patients with more severe disease. It is currently unclear how long this increased risk persists. This case report highlights the importance of risk stratification of patients on discharge from hospital, to determine who requires extended thromboprophylaxis on discharge. Going forward, clinical trials are needed to evaluate the duration and dose of thromboprophylaxis in high-risk patients, and aid the formation of clearer guidelines for clinicians.


Here is a paper that continues on with Astrotheology by the same author. It provides solutions to the Kalonite Universe using well established Soil Mechnics principles used now in Soil Physics. In addition, an explanation for Black Holes is provided as well as a calculation on moisture content of the universal material. This Kalonite is sometimes called the Ether or perhaps Dark Matter. There is no vacume in the universe, thus particles can communicate from on end to the other.


BACKGROUND
Sports specific dental injuries are seen to occur frequently among children and young athletes. Dental injury is a distressing event often causing psychological as well as physical problems. The risk of children getting dental injuries during sports activities can be minimized by using a mouth guard and other oro-facial protective devices. The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of physical instructors in Bangalore, regarding oro-facial injuries and orofacial protective devices.

MATERIAL & METHODS
A self-completion questionnaire was sent to 50 physical instructors of schools, sports academies and gymnasiums situated in the South of Bangalore city. The questionnaire sought information about the knowledge of the incidence of oro-facial injuries, common sports causing oro-facial injuries and oro-facial protective devices and their role in the prevention of injuries. The data was subjected to statistical analysis.

RESULTS
The population under study comprised of 92 males and 8 females. About 38% of oro-facial injuries were reported by physical instructors in the previous year. Physical instructors had knowledge regarding oro-facial protective devices like mouth guards (54%) and helmet (40%). The attitude and practice regarding the usage of mouth guards was found to be minimal.

CONCLUSION
The physical instructors had knowledge especially through the media on the protective effectiveness of mouth guards in reducing the oro facial injuries. Despite their awareness, only 4% of them recommended the mandatory use of the mouth guards. Majority of them could not recommend its usage as they were unaware of its availability and the reason for not using the mouth is its improper fitting. How to cite the article: Neeraja G, Bharadwaj S, Shah K, Subramaniam P. Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding oro-facial injuries and oro-facial protective devices among physical instructors in Bangalore. J Int Oral Health 2014;6(3):1-6.


We investigated the linezolid susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from a tertiary care hospital in Izmir. A total of 67 M. tuberculosis strains (33 multidrug-resistant [MDR] and 34 non-MDR) were isolated and identified by the Tuberculosis Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University. The activity of linezolid was studied by the standard agar proportion method. For all of the strains, the MIC range was 0.06-1 mg/L, and the MIC(50) and MIC(90) values were 0.5 mg/L. No differences were observed between the MDR and non-MDR isolates. In general, linezolid was found to be effective for both the non-MDR and MDR M. tuberculosis strains.


The use of water to support mining operations in remote areas represents a significant challenge to all mineral companies operating in Australia. When infrastructure and management systems provided by the company are also involved in supplying local communities and rural industries, the multiple stakeholders and different values involved introduce a complexity that reflects overlapping and sometimes conflicting priorities associated with the concept of sustainable development. This paper describes a joint project between BMA Coal and the University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute which used a modified risk management technique to evaluate a section of the BMA water infrastructure in Central Queensland. The Sustainability Opportunity and Threat Analysis (SOTA) technique has been designed to consider opportunities, as well as threats, that could affect the viability of an operation and its ability to contribute to sustainable development objectives. Once key threats and opportunities have been identified, the focus is then on selecting controls for managing priority risks/opportunities and developing indicators for gauging progress in these areas. The technique was applied to the water life cycle for a portion of the BMA system including both operating mines and communities. In the process a number of broad issues suitable for inclusion in company strategic planning processes were identified. The risk management approach proved to be a useful tool for focusing attention on sustainability issues which might not otherwise be captured. The main challenges have been to ensure that opportunities as well as risks are properly identified, and that sufficient regard is paid to the interests and concerns of external stakeholders. 1 This is a modified version of a paper presented at the Minerals Council of Australia's Sustainable Development 03 Conference, held in Brisbane in November 2003


Introduction: Non-union of acetabulum fracture is a common occurrence in developing countries. Pelvic discontinuity due to ununited fracture acetabulum poses a serious challenge in the management of the patient. Results of ORIF of these fractures are not promising due to various reasons. We aim to present results on single-stage acetabulum reconstruction and total hip arthroplasty, the literature on which is lacking. Materials and Methods: We prospectively studied the outcome of single-stage acetabulum reconstruction and total hip arthroplasty in patients with pelvic discontinuity caused by ununited fracture acetabulum of more than 3 months duration. From March 2015 to December 2018, 11patients (7 males, 4 females, average age 42 years) were treated in our hospital. All cases underwent open reduction internal fixation with posterior column plate, impaction bone grafting, uncemented porous coated hemispherical acetabulum cup hip arthroplasty. Results: Union of the columns was achieved in all the cases with 7 patients (63.6%) showed union at 12 months and rest 4 patients (36.4%) took 18 months to unite. At final follow up, mean Harris hip score improved from 54.2 points (range 24-63) to 91.4 points (range 79-95). One superficial surgical site infection and one heterotopic ossification was noted in our study which had no sequel on clinical outcome at their last follow up. Conclusion: Single stage acetabulum reconstruction by posterior column plating with impaction bone grafting and uncemented porous coated hemispherical acetabulum cup hip arthroplasty is a genuine option in management of pelvic discontinuity caused by ununited fracture of acetabulum.


In this research, by responding to users' utterances with multiple replies to create a group chat atmosphere, we alleviate the problem that Natural Language Generation chatbots might reply with inappropriate content, thus causing a bad user experience. Because according to our findings, users tend to pay attention to appropriate replies and ignore inappropriate replies. We conducted a 2 (single reply vs. five replies) × 2 (anonymous avatar vs. anime avatar) repeated measures experiment to compare the chatting experience in different conditions. The result shows that users will have a better chatting experience when receiving multiple replies at once from the NLG model compared to the single reply. Furthermore, according to the effect size of our result, to improve the chatting experience for NLG chatbots which is single reply and anonymous avatar, providing five replies will have more benefits than setting an anime avatar.


Purpose / Context – Temperature is known to have impact on human health. In estimating such health effects outdoor temperature data are usually used as proxy for temperature exposure due to scarcity of indoor temperature data though humans spend most of their time indoor. Thus there is a need to investigate how outdoor temperature relates to indoor temperature especially in residential settings. Methodology / Approach – Field measurements were conducted in 15 residential houses in different suburb of Brisbane to identify the relationship between indoor and outdoor temperature during the winter season of 2016. Results –In the month of June the minimum indoor temperature ranged from 9.56 – 16.25 oC, whiles the maximum was between 22.19 – 26.50 oC. Also for the month of July minimum temperature ranged between 11.75 – 16.69 oC and the maximum temperature was between 24.75 – 28.31 oC. In the month of August, for indoor temperature minimum temperature was between 12.31 – 17.75 oC and a maximum of 22.69 – 26.31 oC. Outdoor temperature recorded in the month of June varied between 2.95 – 7.80 oC for minimum range and 24.00 – 32.44 oC for maximum range. July minimum temperature ranged from 6.25 – 9.31 oC as maximum temperature was between 28.50 – 34.38 oC. Minimum outdoor temperature for the month of August was also between 5.69 – 17.75 oC as the maximum temperature ranged between 24.44 – 35.00 oC. Pearson correlation coefficient calculated between mean hourly indoor and outdoor temperatures ranged from 0.25 – 0.85. Key Findings / Implications – The results obtained indicated that indoor and outdoor temperatures relationship in residential settings may vary depending on factors including type of ventilation, insulation, type of building and behaviour of occupants. Originality – The findings attained will contribute to precise estimation of temperature exposure at a personal level especially in residential settings and empirical data will contribute to filling the gap of limited indoor temperature data.


A novel analytical method based on centrifuging dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (CD-LLME) procedure for pre-concentration of As (III) has been developed prior to determine by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS). In this method, 0.1 g of a task-specific ionic liquids (methyltrioctylammonium 2-mercaptobenzoate; TOMAS; TSIL) as the extracting and complexing solvent and acetone as dispersant solvent were rapidly added into the water and blood samples at pH 4.5. The As (V) is simply calculated by difference between total concentration and inorganic forms As (III) in liquid samples. By optimizing parameters, the enrichment factor (EF) was obtained 9.8 and 49.6 for blood and water samples, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of 22.4 ngL-1 and 4.3 ngL-1 were achieved for 10 mL and 50 mL of As(III) in blood and water samples, respectively (RSD<%5). The real samples were validated by certified reference material (CRM) by proposed procedure.


Conjugative transfer of the broad‐host‐range RA3 plasmid, the archetype of the IncU group, relies on the relaxase NIC that belongs to the as yet uncharacterized MOBP4 subfamily. NIC contains the signature motifs of HUH relaxases involved in Tyr nucleophilic attack. However, it differs in the residue involved in His activation for cation coordination and was shown here to have altered divalent cation requirements. NIC is encoded in the mobC‐nic operon preceded directly by oriT, where mobC encodes an auxiliary transfer protein with a dual function: autorepressor and stimulator of conjugative transfer. Here an interplay between MobC and NIC was demonstrated. MobC is required for efficient NIC cleavage of oriT in supercoiled DNA whereas NIC assists MobC in repression of the mobC‐nic operon. A 7‐bp arm of IR3 (IR3a) was identified as the binding site for NIC and the crucial nucleotides in IR3a for NIC recognition were defined. Fully active oriTRA3 was delineated to a 47‐bp DNA segment encompassing a conserved cleavage site sequence, the NIC binding site IR3a and the MobC binding site OM. This highly efficient RA3 conjugative system with defined requirements for minimal oriT could find ample applications in biotechnology and computational biology where simple conjugative systems are needed.


Libraries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are affected by the repercussions of globalization, especially the "phenomenon of accelerating changes", which has become one of the most prominent features of the twenty-first century. To avoid confusion and loss of control, librarians must face the questions of the future. Depending on the analysis of specialized intellectual production, we aim to define a set of prospective questions: • What are the future roles of librarians and professional associations? • What are the amendments that should be made to the librarian profession to handle new trends? • What is the future of employment in the library sector? • What will the "over smart libraries" look like? • How will the libraries be affected by the equation of the dilemma of a printed book versus an electronic and a "TikTok's" book? The study also aims to identify the most dominant trends that library and information experts expect and the serious problems that should be prepared for, based on the classification of the Center for the Future of Libraries of the American Library Association (ALA). These challenges are mainly about: • The impact of anticipated crises (epidemics, wars, etc.) on the financial capabilities related to employment and the risk of closing many libraries. • The growing phenomenon of the information explosion and its effects on the mechanisms for retrieving data and documents in libraries • The growing phenomenon of smart cities and the consequent emergence of smart and postsmart libraries. The growing phenomenon of artificial intelligence and the consequent destabilization of the library science identity as a human science discipline (integrating library departments in faculties of computer engineering). Moreover, we are reviewing opportunities that libraries can size to prove their position in the social and economic modern systems: • Libraries and services marketing to attract communities towards the practicing of information awareness as a strategic need required by knowledge economies. • Conducting educational curricula towards adopting libraries as a tool for building selflearning skills. • The use of positive psychology to improve life at workplaces of a library staff. The add-value of the current study is about the scarcity of similar studies related to the MENA region, especially those related to public libraries


Depression is a complex but treatable disorder if diagnosed appropriately. However, despite the advances in the understanding of the molecular basis of this disorder and the vast range of medication, psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy, very safe and effective drug to treat this disease is still being sought. Several studies suggest that St.John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) has phloroglucinol derivative, hyperforin, exhibiting antidepressant activity. This bioactive component can be exploited to create a major shift in the safer treatment of
depression.

Keywords: Hypericum perforatum L., St. John's wort, Antidepressant, Hyperforin


Exploiting the transmission and reception of low frequency ultrasounds in air is often associated with the innate echolocating abilities of some mammals, later emulated with sophisticated electronic systems, to obtain information about unstructured environments. Here, we present a novel approach for the reception of ultrasounds in air, which exploits a piezopolymer broadband sensor and an electronic interface based on a second-generation voltage conveyor (VCII). Taking advantage of its capability to manipulate both voltage and current signals, in this paper, we propose an extremely simple interface that presents a sensitivity level of about −100 dB, which is in line with commercially available references. The presented results are obtained without any filtration stage. The second-generation voltage conveyor active device is implemented through a commercially available AD844, with a supply voltage of ±15 V.


The Jomon Period of Japanese prehistory, which extends from the 11th millennium BC to about 300 BC, has been termed 'Neolithic' in the tradition of the archaeology of North-eastern Asia since diagnostic artifacts include ceramics and polished stone tools. In more general terms, however, the subsistence pattern may be seen as Mesolithic, with the utilization of shellfish, fish, nuts, and roots. In recent years, Japanese archaeologists have raised the question of the possibility of early cultivation, and this has become one of the main problems in Jomon research. Richard and Kazue Pearson prepared this general survey of problems in Jomon subsistence for the Symposium on Japanese Archaeology held at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies, Boston, 3 April 1974. It was further revised during the tenure of a Research Fellowship of the Japan Foundation, Tokyo, during the summer, 1974, as part of a broader study of prehistory of the broadleaf evergreen forest zones of eastern Asia. Richard Pearson is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Kazue Pearson is co-translator of the English edition of Jeong-hak Kim's book on Korean archaeology (Kankoku no Kokogaku, 1972; Kawade Shobo Press) which will appear in 1978 as the 'Prehistory of Korea', from the University Press of Hawaii.


The visual appearance of arc cathode spots in vacuum is studied experimentally and theoretically. Emission photographs of the spots taken with line radiation have a broad light profile with a rather flat slope (proportional to r/sup -/spl beta// with /spl beta//spl ap/2, r being the distance from the spot center), while photographs taken in absorption are small, having a sharp edge with a steep slope of the profile (/spl beta//spl ges/4). Emission photographs from the continuum are similar to absorption photographs. Theoretical analysis shows that the emitted line radiation cannot stem from the locus of excitation. As a consequence, the particles are excited at the edge of the dense spot core, but they radiate at a greater distance due to the finite lifetime of the excited levels and the plasma expansion. Thus, emission photographs from line radiation indicate a greater spot size (about 100 /spl mu/m) than corresponding to the active spot radius which amounts to /spl les/10 /spl mu/m. This statement holds for discharge durations from 10 ns up to at least 100 /spl mu/s. The spots exist not only at ignition but during the whole time of the discharge, the location varying due to the spot movement. Absorption photographs show a small size of 10-20 /spl mu/m still 200 /spl mu/s after ignition. >


Background: Despite the availability of risk assessment tools and risk-reducing interventions, high risk women are not routinely identified in clinical practice, and the few that are, rarely choose interventions — often due to misperception of risk. Identification of patients at risk needs to begin in the primary care setting, rather than the breast health specialty world. To accomplish this, we developed a web-based tool that provides automated risk assessment and personalized decision support designed for collaborative use between patients and clinicians in the primary care setting. We assessed the feasibility and efficacy of using this tool in a primary care clinic at an academic hospital to identify women at high. Methods: Women aged 40 to 65 years of age were recruited from a schedule of patients attending annual physicals at a primary care clinic in an academic hospital. Patients with a history of breast cancer, genetic testing, or chemoprevention education were excluded. Information used to assess breast cancer risk was gathered from medical record review and phone interviews when necessary. Risk assessment was performed on all patients using four risk assessment models (Gail, Claus, BRCAPRO, and BCSC Density). Patients were randomized to view the decision aid either before their appointment or with their PCP during their appointment. Prior to each visit, providers received a risk report that summarized patient risk and recommended referrals. Outcomes were gathered from surveys administered to patients before and after appointments, and to providers after appointments. Results: Over 4-months, 98 women were approached to reach the enrollment goal of 60 women (61%). 24/60 (40%) patients were identified to be high risk for breast cancer using standard high risk thresholds. 9/60 (15%) of patients fit criteria for referral to genetic counseling, while 15/60 (25%) fit the criteria for referral to a BC specialist. Out of the 24 patients who fit the referral criteria, 17 (71%) were referred to a high risk clinic by their PCPs. 9/17 (53%) patients followed through in scheduling the appointment within 4 months of the referral date. The PCPs' perceptions of these patients' risk was in line with the calculated risk for 21 (88%) of the patients. A discussion regarding breast cancer risk reduction occurred with 22/24 (92%) of these patients during the visit, while the PCPs chose to use the decision aid with only 13/24 (54%) of them. PCP chose to view the decision aid during the visit with more high risk patients than average risk patients (p=0.04). Use of the DA during the appointment did not alter provider satisfaction with visit. A majority of patients thought the DA was helpful in making a decision and would recommend it to women like them. Conclusions: Performing personalized risk assessment and use of the decision aid in the primary care setting was feasible and acceptable. These results suggest risk assessment alone may be enough to encourage a discussion about breast cancer risk reduction for some providers. This method of risk assessment and decision support holds promise in the effort to reduce the incidence and burden of breast cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-10-04.


In many wireless communication networks a common channel is shared by multiple users who must compete to gain access to it. The operation of the network by self-interested and strategic users usually leads to the overuse of the channel resources and to substantial inefficiencies. Hence, incentive schemes are needed to overcome the inefficiencies of non-cooperative equilibrium. In this work we consider a slotted-Aloha like random access protocol and two incentive schemes: pricing and intervention. We provide some criteria for the designer of the protocol to choose one scheme between them and to design the best policy for the selected scheme, depending on the system parameters. Our results show that intervention can achieve the maximum efficiency in the perfect monitoring scenario. In the imperfect monitoring scenario, instead, the performance of the system depends on the information held by the different entities and, in some cases, there exists a threshold for the number of users such that, for a number of users lower than the threshold, intervention outperforms pricing, whereas, for a number of users higher than the threshold pricing outperforms intervention.


"At once above - beneath her sex" - the heroine in male-authored Regency verse romance "a soulless toy for a tyrant's lust?" - the heroine as passive victim "the firmness of a female hand" - the active heroines of the tales "quiet cruising o'er the ocean woman" - Byron's "Don Juan" and the woman question "each was radiant in her proper sphere" - Byron's theory of repression from Greece to the "gynocrasy" "why, what is virtue if it needs a victim?" - heroic heroines in Regency drama "my hope was to bring forth heroes" - the fostering of masculine "virtu" by the stoical heroines of the political plays "daughters of Earth" - the divided self and the heroines of the mythological dramas.


A survey of the in vitro bacteriostatic action of forty-two furan compounds, including derivatives of furan, 2-furaldehyde, 2-furfuryl alcohol and 2-furoic acid has been presented. It disclosed that with a few exceptions, the presence of a nitro group in the 5-position of the furan ring conferred considerable bacteriostatic action on such derivatives. Twenty-five compounds of this type were tested and twenty-four showed bacteriostatic activity in varying degrees. The single ineffective compound was tested as a saturated solution in broth which contained less than 1.5 mgm. %. The specificity of this group in activating these simple furan compounds was indicated by a comparison of seventeen nitrofuran compounds with their non-nitrated analogues. Fourteen of the latter, entirely inactive under the test conditions were bacteriostatic when a nitro group was introduced into the 5-position, while the action of three slightly active derivatives was considerably enhanced by the same process. The action of the nitro group was least effective with nitrofuroic acid. The bacteriostatic action of the nitrofuran compounds was effective against both Gram positive and Gram negative organisms, being least active in inhibiting the growth of Ps. pyocyanea. An examination of the antibacterial action of several of the nitrofuran compounds by subculture and plate count methods showed them to be slowly bactericidal in high concentrations, while lower concentrations were merely bacteriostatic for twenty-four hours or longer. Both of these activities were decreased, and in some cases, completely abolished when large inocula were employed. The enhancement of antibacterial action when tested in a synthetic medium suggested the existence of specific substances in broth capable of inhibiting both the bacteriostatic and bactericidal action of the nitrofuran complex.


Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences wanted to test if thereexists a relationship between damage by R. solani and free-living nematodes by investigatingthe dry weight of various plant parts from potato crops in relation to various treatments.In this thesis we analysed data from the first of a series of experiments to try to identifya interaction effect between free-living nematodes and the pathogenic fungus R. solani.Due to violations of assumptions, the standard analysis of variance model could not beused, instead we resorted to the unequal variance model which offers an intuitive methodof dealing with heteroscedasticity in the multiple comparison case. From the analysis thereis evidence that R. solani has the most severe impact on dry weight, while nematodes havemostly insignificant effects. Due to a problematic experimental design, the analysis proveddifficult, and no conclusion regarding the interaction could be reached.


Background: Knowledge, attitude and practices of nurses can have a significant effect on the delivery of health services to pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Information regarding this can help in modifying and improving the training programs for nurses working in various health facilities. Objectives: To study the knowledge, attitude and practices of nurses regarding pulmonary tuberculosis in an academic hospital. Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire based study was conducted over a period of one month at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Karnataka. 202 (89.8%) out of the 225 nurses who were approached agreed to take part in the study and were included in the analysis. The data was analysed using SPSS 16.0., p values were calculated using chi- square test. Results: 79 (39.1%) respondents were worried about getting tuberculosis from patients. 37 (63.8%) subjects who had work experience in a tuberculosis ward as compared to 58 (40.3%) who had never worked in a TB ward were able to write the expanded form of DOTS (p = 0.002). Only 4.5% of respondents collected sputum in an open area. Regarding the measures taken to reduce transmission of TB infection in the ward it was found that 143 (70.8%) respondents followed the correct practices. It was noted that only 86 (42.6%) subjects displayed satisfactory level of awareness. Conclusion: Majority of the respondents were not choosing the right location for sputum collection. With less than fifty per cent of the respondents having satisfactory level of awareness there is a need to further strengthen the training and skill monitoring programs.


The properties of wood depend strongly on its water content, but the physicochemical basis for the interaction of water with cell wall components is poorly understood. Due to the importance of the problem both in the context of wood technology and the biological function of swelling and dehydration for growth stresses and seed dispersal, a wealth of descriptive data has been accumulated but a microscopic theory of water-biomolecular interactions is missing. We develop here, at a primitive level, a minimal parameter-free, coarse-grained, model of wood secondary cell walls to predict water absorption, in the form of an equation of state. It includes for the first time all three—mechanical, colloidal and chemical—contributions, taking into account the cell walls microstructure. The hydration force around the elongated cellulose crystals and entropy of mixing of the matrix polymers (hemicelluloses and lignin) are the dominant contributions driving the swelling. The elastic energy needed to swell the composite is the main term opposing water uptake. Hysteresis is not predicted but water uptake versus humidity, is reproduced in a large temperature range. Within this framework, the origin of wood dissolution and different effects of wood treatments on water sorption can be understood at the molecular level.


Carbon is central to the formation and environmental impact of large igneous provinces (LIPs). These vast magmatic events occur over geologically short timescales and include voluminous flood basalts, along with silicic and low-volume alkaline magmas. Surface outgassing of CO2 from flood basalts may average up to 3,000 Mt per year during LIP emplacement and is subsidized by fractionating magmas deep in the crust. The large quantities of carbon mobilized in LIPs may be sourced from the convecting mantle, lithospheric mantle and crust. The relative significance of each potential carbon source is poorly known and probably varies between LIPs. Because LIPs draw on mantle reservoirs typically untapped during plate boundary magmatism, they are integral to Earth's long-term carbon cycle.


NF-kappaB transcription factors and the signaling pathways that activate them play a critical role in cancer development, progression and therapy, and recently have become a focal point for intense drug discovery and development efforts. This article presents a critical review on the different types of inhibitors targeting the NF-kappaB pathway at several stages.


Existing physiological control fatigue models propose that there may be a regulator in the central nervous system which modulates our daily physical activity. Within limits, this regulator ensures physical activity is completed without physiological system failure through interactive communications between the peripheral systems and the central systems. The ability of the central nervous system to regulate exercise is vital to optimise sport performance when severe intensity exercise might be required for prolonged or frequent periods. Based on mathematical models, this investigation explores the complex relationship between some of the mechanisms controlling physical activity and behaviour. In order to analyse the system control mechanisms, heart rate, volume of oxygen consumption and power output were measured for a well-trained male cyclist. Using power spectrum analysis, fractal analysis and continuous wavelet transforms, we show that the system control mechanisms regulating physiological systems, have distinct complexity. Moreover, the potential central controller uses specific frequency bands simultaneously to control and communicate with the various physiological systems. We show that pacing trials are regulated by different physiological systems.


We address the question of how well end-to-end transport connections perform in a satellite environment composed of one or more satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) or low-altitude Earth orbit (LEO), in which the connection may traverse a portion of the wired Internet. We first summarize the various ways in which latency and asymmetry can impair the performance of the Internet's transmission control protocol (TCP), and discuss extensions to standard TCP that alleviate some of these performance problems. Through analysis, simulation, and experiments, we quantify the performance of state-of-the-art TCP implementations in a satellite environment. A key part of the experimental method is the use of traffic models empirically derived from Internet traffic traces. We identify those TCP implementations that can be expected to perform reasonably well, and those that can suffer serious performance degradation. An important result is that, even with the best satellite-optimized TCP implementations, moderate levels of congestion in the wide-area Internet can seriously degrade performance for satellite connections. For scenarios in which TCP performance is poor, we investigate the potential improvement of using a satellite gateway, proxy, or Web cache to "split" transport connections in a manner transparent to end users. Finally, we describe a new transport protocol for use internally within a satellite network or as part of a split connection. This protocol, which we call the satellite transport protocol (STP), is optimized for challenging network impairments such as high latency, asymmetry, and high error rates. Among its chief benefits are up to an order of magnitude reduction in the bandwidth used in the reverse path, as compared to standard TCP, when conducting large file transfers. This is a particularly important attribute for the kind of asymmetric connectivity likely to dominate satellite-based Internet access.


The involvement of the calcium-calmodulin system in the gonadotropic regulation of granulosa cell steroidogenesis during follicular development was assessed by comparing the effects of agents known to alter calcium metabolism or calmodulin activity on gonadotropin-stimulated progesterone production by rat granulosa cells at different stages of cellular differentiation. Granulosa cells from pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin-injected rats (PMSG-cells) could be stimulated to produce steroids by both follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), whereas those from 17 beta-estradiol-pretreated animals (E2-cells) only responded to to FSH. Although PMSG-cells demonstrated greater capacities for adenosine 3': 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and progesterone production, their sensitivity to the various agents tested was similar to that of the E2-cells. [Ethylene-bis(oxyethylene-nitrilo)] tetraacetic acid (EGTA) markedly reduced both basal and FSH-stimulated progesterone production by both cell preparations. Verapamil, an agent which inhibits cellular uptake of calcium, attenuated cyclic AMP and progesterone production by both cell groups at similar concentrations. Calcium ionophore A23187, a stimulator of cellular calcium uptake, significantly stimulated progesterone production by both E2-cells and PMSG-cells. While FSH-stimulated progesterone production by both cell groups was lowered by the calmodulin inhibitor, 1-[bis(p-chlorophenyl)methyl]-3-[2,4-dichloro-beta-(2,4-dichlorobenzy loxy) phenethyl] imidazolium chloride (R24571), cyclic AMP production by PMSG-cells in response to both FSH and LH was significantly reduced by R24571 and trifluoperazine (TFP), another calmodulin inhibitor. These findings indicate that the calcium-calmodulin system is involved in the regulation of granulosa cell steroidogenesis by both FSH and LH. Its participation in the gonadotropic regulation is independent of the stage of follicular maturation and cellular differentiation.


Fate decisions in developing tissues involve cells transitioning between a set of discrete cell states, each defined by a distinct gene expression profile. Geometric models, often referred to as Waddington landscapes, in which developmental paths are given by the gradient and cell states by the minima of the model, are an appealing way to describe differentiation dynamics and developmental decisions. To construct and validate accurate dynamical landscapes, quantitative methods based on experimental data are necessary. To this end we took advantage of the differentiation of neural and mesodermal cells from pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells exposed to different combinations and durations of signalling factors. We developed a principled statistical approach using flow cytometry data to quantify differentiating cell states. Then, using a framework based on Catastrophe Theory and approximate Bayesian computation, we constructed the corresponding dynamical landscape. The result was a quantitative model that accurately predicted the proportions of neural and mesodermal cells differentiating in response to specific signalling regimes. Analysis of the geometry of the landscape revealed two distinct ways in which cells make a binary choice between one of two fates. We discuss the biological relevance of these mechanisms and suggest that they represent general archetypal designs for developmental decisions. Taken together, the approach we describe is broadly applicable for the quantitative analysis of differentiation dynamics and for determining the logic of developmental cell fate decisions.


Summary The palaeomagnetic time–scale discussed in sections 2 and 3 is helpful in establishing the dates of a few important changes in climate and in marine and in marine faunas which occured more than 700 t.y. ago: it is of little help in dating more recent events. The most promising evidence for determining the ages of the later climatic changes comes from depp-sea sediments. Arrhenius (1952) and Olausson (1960 A,b) found in cores taken by the Swedish Deep-Sea Expedition of 1947–8 a record of cyclic changes in the proportion of carbonate and in the abudance of foraminifera. These changes were interpreted as indications of broad climatic chnages. Emiliani (1955A) found somewhat similar cyclic changes in the proportions of the oxygen isotope 18O contained in foraminifera preserved in deep-sea sediments. Despites uncertainties in the exact interpretation of the variations of this isotope, it is agreed that they do reflect the major changes in climate. This deduction is supported by mire recent work, especially in the Caribbean, which has shown that the 18O variations are closely parallel to variariona in the amount of coarse material in the sediments and in the proportions of temperature-sensitive foraminifera. The various parameters which give an indication of climate are usually presnted in graphs in which climate is plotted against depth below the top of the core. There are now sufficient cores with radiometric dates to make it possible to calibrate the scale of these graphs in terms of thousands of years. Figure 9 shows a climate–time curve


The Bioflocs technology development in the aquaculture industry is very prospective due to many inheren benefits, especially for water quality control and nutrition substitution. This study aims to determine the effect of media bioflocs nursery for freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) larvae rearing. The experiment design with completely randomized design was used in the study with 3 treatments and 6 replications. The treatment used were: A. without bioflocs addition (control), B. the addition of 5 ml bioflocs, and C. the addition of 10 ml bioflocs. The 1st day old larvae was used in the study and reared on a 60 l conical fiberglass at 50 ind/l of density. The main parameters were larvae development or larval stage index (LSI) and survival rate (SR). Based on the result of statistical analysis showed that the addition of bioflocs affected survival rate significantly (p<0.05) and the best survival values generated by the addition biofloc treatment as much as 5 ml.


Enneagrams used in personality typological studies are only one of numerous types of diagrams that model actual and potential interrelationships based on 9 factors, para-meters, or variables (=FPVs). However, the psychological-sociological discipline – like any field of investigation (whether non-scientific or scientific) – has to deal with so many FPVs that the over-simplistic enneagrams and similar conceptual figures do not reveal all possible interconnections. When all known FPVs are integrated, many hundreds of additional complexities become obvious. Several linkage or concatenation diagrams useful in handling more than just 9 (=ennea-), or multiple of 9, FPVs are offered here; psychosocial "systems" are as complex as any of the earth science-based complexes, like the world-wide ecological systems (e.g., Gaia-type) which are controlled by "innumerable" FPVs. Investigations should go far beyond the simplistic enneagrams.


Negative central magnetic shear (NCS) discharges with and up to 80% of the current non-inductively driven are reproducibly produced in the DIII-D tokamak. Strong peaking of , plasma rotation and, in some cases, are observed inside the NCS region. Transport analysis shows that the core ion thermal diffusivity is substantially reduced and near the neoclassical value after the formation of the internal transport barrier. The negative central shear is necessary but not sufficient for the formation of this transport barrier. The power required for the formation appears to increase with the toroidal magnetic field. The high performance phase of H-mode NCS discharges often ends with an ELM-like collapse initiated from the edge whereas the L-mode discharges which have a more peaked pressure profile tend to end with a more global n = 1 MHD event.


Obesity is a global problem with high risks of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. The current study aimed to clarify effects of maternal obesity on functional and structural integrity of pancreatic islets in newborn rats. Pancreatic specimens were obtained from 1-day-old newborn rats of obese and non-obese mothers. After processing, sections were stained with anti-insulin antibodies. A morphometry was performed on pancreatic islets. Blood glucose and insulin levels were measured in newborns of obese and non-obese mothers. The immunohistological structure of newborn pancreatic islets of obese mothers was normal and didn't differ from that of controls. Volume density, percentage of B cells per total islet cells and diameter of newborn pancreatic islets of obese mothers didn't vary significantly from that of controls. Blood glucose level of newborns of obese mothers was not significantly different from that of controls. The serum insulin of newborns of obese mothers was significantly higher than that of the controls. Maternal obesity didn't affect volume density of B cells, percentage of B cells per total islet cells, diameter of pancreatic islets and blood glucose level of rat newborns. However, obesity during pregnancy resulted in an increase of serum insulin of rat newborns.


Summary form only given, as follows. To continue the trend of increased functionality in IC devices at a reduced cost, it is imperative that robust new fabrication technologies be invented, innovated and implemented for reducing device features. As device dimensions shrink, new materials and technologies are developed, and methods have been invented to extend the resolution capability of the existing tool infrastructure. This talk will give an overview of challenges in IC fabrication and specifically illustrate how these challenges have been successfully met using lithography and gate etch as examples. Using existing optical lithography and etch tools, a fully functional 2.7 million transistor DSP with 120 nm gates has been fabricated. Additionally, a nonvolatile memory device of 60 nm gate dimensions has also been fabricated with further refinements in process and using advanced lithographic techniques. These results and future trends will be detailed.


The problem of this research is the social interaction that occurs between Muslims and Christians in the little settlements of North Sumatra. This study is a field study conducted with the sociological approach to religion. The capture of data is through interviews and field observations after firstly identifying the areas of Muslims and Christians in North Sumatra. The data analysis was performed by borrowing Kahane's opinion, an American sociologist who researched in Indo- nesia and revealed that the social condition of Indonesian people which is "diffuse but not perfect" potentially result in conflict, especially conflict based on primordial disintegration factors, such as poor relationship between Islam and non-Islam. By borrowing the analysis model of Kahane in sociological view, the author analyzed Muslim-Christian relationship in North Sumatra allows such relationships positively or negatively, and then analyzed the causal factors of these relationships. The results showed the social interaction that occurs between Muslims and Christians in North Sumatra formed in different patterns depending on the model and residential areas. In the model of blend settlements, social interaction tend to be positive, but in clustered settlements, the models of social interaction tends to be negative. In addition, the church built by Christians in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods also tend to lead to conflict, and this conflict usually driven by outsiders' provocative statement. Additionally, the pig farm is also a crush barrier that destabilizes social interaction between Muslim and Christian in these settlements.


Using the newly developed time-dependent transfer matrix method with nonlinear effects, we analyzed the characteristics of cross-phase modulation (XPM), cross-gain modulation and gain recovery time of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with an assist light injection, which is introduced to speed up the gain recovery of the SOA. Particularly for the application to high-speed wavelength converters using XPM with an interferometer structure where /spl pi/-phase change is required, various parameters such as SOA lengths, wavelengths and powers of injected lights, and their propagation directions are designed via numerical simulation. Discussions concerning the conditions of an SOA structure and the parameters of injected lights for high-speed operation are described to show the potential of fast gain recovery with a response time as low as 25 ps.


A strain-controlled low-cycle combined bending and torsional fatigue testing machine was designed and fabricated. It has two independent 4-bar mechanism with stepless control of both input crank lengths thus giving an independent precise control on the maximum bending deflection and maximum angle of twist. 98•9 per cent pure aluminium specimens of the ASTM hour glass type were tested in pure bending, pure torsion and combined bending and torsional fatigue loading. The machine performed satisfactorily throughout the range of bending strain and shear strain for which it was designed. The results showed that, in the pure bending and pure torsional fatigue tests, they resembled the test results of previous investigators. The combined bending and torsion low-cycle fatigue results show resemblance to high cycle fatigue results of other investigators quoted. The plot of test results can be used for design of components subject to low-cycle combined bending and torsional fatigue loading.


OBJECTIVE
To assess if the modulating effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB on p21(WAF1) was mediated by upregulating transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1) expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC).

METHODS
TGF-beta(1) mRNA and protein expressions were measured by reverse transcription-PCR and ELISA, the protein expressions of p21(WAF1) and the downstream TGF-beta signalling including TGF-beta type I receptor (ALK-5 in VSMC), Smurf2, pSmad2/3, Smad4, Smad7 were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS
PDGF-BB significantly upregulated the expressions of TGF-beta(1) at mRNA (0.79-fold) and protein (1.98-fold) levels in VSMC, significantly inhibited the expression of p21(WAF1) (-67 +/- 12)%, and enhanced the expressions of ALK-5, pSmad2/3, Smad4, Smurf2 protein by 1.21-fold, 0.95-fold, 0.69-fold and 2.55-fold respectively, inhibited Smad7 expression (-65 +/- 9)%, these alterations were partially restored by anti-TGF-beta(1) neutralizing antibody.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggested that PDGF-BB inhibited p21(WAF1) expression in VSMC partially through upregulating TGF-beta(1) expression via PDGF-BB and TGF-beta signalling pathways.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Multiple myeloma accounts for roughly 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year. Risk factors include environmental exposure, age, ancestry, gender, and obesity. Rates of obesity are on the rise in the United States and around the world; in the United States alone, 69% of adults are either overweight (BMI 25-30) or obese (BMI 30-35) and 6.3% of adults are extremely obese (BMI > 35). Although there is a strong epidemiological correlation between obesity and multiple myeloma, the mechanism by which adipocytes contribute to the development and progression of the cancer has yet to be identified. In this study, we isolated stem cells from patients undergoing elective liposuction surgery, differentiated the stem cells into adipocytes, and co-cultured the adipocytes with RPMI 8226 or NCI-H929 multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines. MM cells proliferated faster when co-cultured with adipocytes versus growing alone. MM growth rate was significantly higher in response to adipocytes from obese patients in comparison to adipocytes from normal weight individuals. Further, conditioned media from adipocytes from obese patients significantly increased pro-angiogenic signaling within a tube formation assay, induced an increase in MM cell adhesion, and increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases. In summary, our data suggests that adipocytes in the MM microenvironment contribute to MM progression and should be further evaluated as a possible therapeutic target.

Citation Format: Erica Bullwinkle. Multiple myeloma microenvironment and obesity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3203. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3203


The enumeration and characterization of microorganisms from laboratory effluents in Madonna University laboratories were carried out. The total aerobic plate count, coliform count, Escherichia coli count and fungal count were investigated using pour plate technique in nutrient agar, MacConkey agar, eosine methylene blue agar and Sabouraud dextrose agar respectively. The statistical analysis used ANOVA. The mean total aerobic plate count for the treated and untreated effluents ranged from 0Log10cfu/mL to 4.47 ± 0.01Log10cfu/mL and 6.97 ± 0.10Log10cfu/mL to 7.21 ± 0.20Log10cfu/mL respectively. The fungal count ranged from 0 Log10cfu/mL to 3.82 ± 0.17Log10cfu/mL and 5.98 ± 0.10Log10cfu/mL to 6.57 ± 0.14Log10cfu/mL respectively. The mean coliform and Escherichia coli counts for the untreated effluents ranged from 6.82 ± 0.14Log10cfu/mL to 7.09 ± 0.10Log10cfu/mL and 0Log10cfu/mL to 2.2 ± 1.24Log10cfu/mL respectively. There was no coliform and Escherichia coli counts for the treated effluents. Bacterial genera isolated were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, Micrococcus species and Pseudomonas species. The fungal genera isolated were Penicillum species, Aspergillus species, Rhizopus species and Yeast species. High microbial counts observed in the untreated effluents when compared with the treated effluents showed the need for proper treatment of laboratory effluents before disposal.


OBJECTIVE
Inflammation has been suggested to play an important role in the development and progression of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Dietary inflammatory index (DII), a measurement of inflammatory potential in diets, was suggested to be associated with MetS. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to establish the associations of DII with MetS and its components based on available observational studies.

DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.

SETTING
A comprehensive literature search of studies that assessed the associations between DII and MetS was conducted in PubMed, Medline and Embase, using a combination of search terms relating to DII and MetS.

PARTICIPANTS
Eighteen articles were eligible, of which fourteen were cross-sectional, and four were cohort in design.

RESULTS
Results from the random-effects meta-analysis showed significantly positive associations of higher DII (top vs. bottom quartiles) with MetS (OR:1.23 [95% CI: 1.10-1.37]), abdominal obesity (OR: 1.15 [95% CI: 1.02-1.29]), high blood pressure (BP) (OR: 1.17 [95% CI: 1.07-1.29]), hyperglycaemia (OR: 1.18 [95% CI: 1.05-1.33]), and hypertriacylglycerolaemia (OR: 1.17 [95% CI: 1.07-1.28]). The effects of summary OR became stronger when analyses were restricted to cohorts, studies that adjudged for covariates (including body mass index [BMI], physical activity and total energy intake).

CONCLUSIONS
Higher DII, representing pro-inflammatory diet, is associated with higher odds of MetS and its components, except for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The findings prompt dietary interventions for preventing MetS from the aspect of inflammation.


Abstract Background ASSIP (Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program) is a brief psychotherapeutic intervention found remarkably effective in reducing rate of suicide attempt repetition in the pivotal study in Bern, Switzerland. We compared effectiveness of the ASSIP to usual crisis counselling (CC) in a randomized trial (ISRCTN13464512). Methods Adult patients receiving somatic treatment for a suicide attempt at the Helsinki City general hospital emergency rooms in 2016–2017 were requested to participate. Psychotic or likely nonadherent substance abusing or dependent patients were excluded. Consenting, eligible patients (N = 239) were randomly allocated to two interventions. (a) The ASSIP comprised three visits, including a videotaped first visit, a case formulation, individualized safety plan, plus letters from their therapist every 3 months for 1 year and then every 6 months for the next year. (b) The CC involved on average four face-to-face individual sessions. In addition, all participants received treatments as usual. One and two years after the baseline, the participants' suicidal thoughts and attempts and psychiatric treatments received during the follow-up were investigated by telephone and from psychiatric records. Results Of patients randomized, two thirds initiated either ASSIP (n = 89) or CC (n = 72), with 73 (82%) completing the ASSIP and 58 (81%) the CC. There was no significant difference between the ASSIP vs. the CC patients having at least one suicide attempt during the 2-year follow-up (29.2% (26/89) vs. 35.2% (25/71), χ2 1 = 0.654, p = 0.419). Conclusion We found no evidence for a difference in effectiveness of the two active interventions in preventing the repetition of suicide attempts.