Background: Despite the recent success of checkpoint inhibitors, there continues to be a significant medical need for lung cancer therapies that can be directed to the patients most likely to respond. Somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2) is the most widely upregulated subtype in both small and non-small cell lung cancers and is also expressed in tumoral (but not mature) blood vessels. Peptide-targeted radiotherapy has advantages over traditional targeted therapies in that targeted tumor cells as well as surrounding cancer cells and supporting stroma are selectively killed. This study was conducted to determine the ability of Rhenium Re 188 P2045, a radiolabeled somatostatin analog specific for SSTR2 to both image (to select the most appropriate patients) and treat lung and neuroendocrine cancer patients who overexpress somatostatin receptors. Methods: In an open-label, single-arm study, refractory lung cancer and metastatic neuroendocrine patients to standard-of-care therapy were identified by image analysis using Rhenium Re 188 P2045, a radiolabeled somatostatin analog. Twenty-five patients received the imaging dose of 10uCi of Re188 and 265ng of peptide by intravenous injection. Three patients were selected based on high SSTR expression levels to receive 30uCi of Re188 P2045 as a therapeutic dose 14 days after imaging. Patients were followed for 8 weeks post treatment. Results: The imaging study revealed a high density of expression of the somatostatin receptor in the lungs of patients. Patients in the imaging and therapeutic treatment groups reported no adverse advents or signs of toxicity. The image analysis using Re188 P2045 was compared to CT images and demonstrated accurate detection of lung and neuroendocrine tumor lesions. The patients who received R188 P2045 at the therapeutic dose had a 25% reduction in tumor mass based on image analysis versus typical results of stable disease from standard of care. The images obtained using Re188 P2045 were of sufficiently high quality to enable identification of receptor expression at the tumor site as shown in Figures 1 and 2 (figures not available). Conclusions: Rhenium Re 188 P2045, a radiolabeled somatostatin analog, may be used to both identify and treat lung and neuroendocrine cancer tumors. The ability to image and dose patients with the same targeted molecule enables a personalized medicine approach, and this highly targeted patient therapy may significantly improve treatment of tumors that overexpress somatostatin receptors. Citation Format: Chris Adams, Ajit Shinto, Wasif Saif. Targeted radiopeptide therapy re188-P2045 to treat neuroendocrine lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic; Jan 8-11, 2018; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(17_Suppl):Abstract nr B06.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how job overload, relationship with senior perceived by nurses and emotional exhaust related to turnover and explored the mediating role of emotional exhaust in job characteristics-turnover relationship. Method: Participants were 280 nurses from around the greater metropolitan area of Seoul, completed questionnaires. Correlation and Structural Equation Models were employed to investigate the various factors associated with this. Result: Job overload related positively to emotional exhaust and turnover and the quality of relationship with senior related negatively to emotional exhaust but positively to turnover. These findings suggest the important role played by job conditions in preventing nurses' emotional burnout and the intention to quit their jobs. Furthermore, emotional burnout mediated the effects of these job characteristics on nurses' turnover. Conclusion: It is suggested that the benefit of job conditions and emotional burnout should be taken into consideration when developing strategies to improve nurse retention and. social supporting programs for nurses more generally.


The increased power output resulting from the addition of small amounts of different substrates to glucose-limited chemostats depended on the added C-source; four types of substrate were recognised. The additional heat evolved increased linearly with the amount of added acetate, but not with glucose or pyruvate. Small amounts of uncouplers disturbed the steady-state power output, and the increased heat was related to the stimulation of the ATPase system. The enhanced power output on increasing the growth pH to 8 was associated with proton translocating ATPase activity.


Middle Miocene (Badenian and Sarmatian) bivalve faunas from the Carpathian Foredeep in Poland were analysed in order to determine their potential stratigraphic importance. The study revealed that selected pectinid species are useful to characterize the Badenian substages, but that comparison of pectinid assemblages from Poland and Hungary indicates that subdivision of the Badenian based on pectinids holds true only within individual basins of the Central Paratethys. On the other hand, the strong similarity of the Polish Sarmatian bivalve assemblages to assemblages from other basins of the Fore-Carpathian part as well as from the Euxino-Caspian part of the Paratethyan Province makes the molluscan biozonation of the Eastern Paratethys valid for Poland.


Background The security of several popular arthroscopic knots to prolonged, incremental, cyclic loads is unknown, as is the security of knots tied with newer, superstrong sutures. Hypothesis Some arthroscopic knots are as secure as openly tied square knots, and knots tied with superstrong sutures are more secure than those tied with braided polyester. Some arthroscopic knots are significantly bulkier than openly tied square knots. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Five types of openly tied knots (3-throw square, 4-throw square, 5-throw square, 5-throw slip, open SAK [simple arthroscopic knot]), 6 complex arthroscopic knots backed with 3 reversed half-hitches with alternating posts (RHAPs) (SMC, Weston, taut-line hitch, Tennessee slider, Roeder, Duncan loop), and 2 stacked half-hitch (SHH) arthroscopic knots (surgeon's [S=S=S//xS//xS//xS], SAK [S=S//xSxS//xS]) were tied using No. 2 Ethibond around 2 aluminum rods, which were pulled apart with stepwise, incremental, cyclic loads to a maximum force of 120 N (2250 total cycles). Then, 5-throw square knots openly tied with No. 2 Fiberwire, Orthocord, or Ultrabraid were subjected to the stepwise, incremental, cyclic loading protocol extended to a 260-N load level. Before mechanical testing, the height (maximum diameter) of each knot was measured with digital calipers. Results For Ethibond, the openly tied 3-throw square knots (56.2 ± 21.4 N) and 5-throw slip knots (49.9 ± 26.9 N) reached clinical failure (3 mm of laxity) at significantly lower loads (P < .05) than openly tied 5-throw square knots (90.8 ± 6.5 N), whereas the openly tied SAK (82.3 ± 9.4 N) and 4-throw square (84.3 ± 11.6 N) and all arthroscopically tied knots reached 3 mm of laxity at statistically similar loads. Five-throw square knots openly tied with Fiberwire or Orthocord reached 3 mm of laxity at much higher loads (194.9 ± 28.4 N and 168.4 ± 8.6 N, respectively) than those tied using Ethibond (P < .001 for each comparison), but there was no significant difference in performance between Fiberwire knots and Orthocord knots. Although Ultrabraid square knots also were stronger than those tied with Ethibond (137.9 ± 15.9 N, P < .005), they were not as secure as those tied with Orthocord or Fiberwire (P < .05). Compared with the 5-throw square knots, all arthroscopic knots were significantly bulkier. Especially bulky knots were the Duncan loop and the taut-line hitch. Orthocord square knots demonstrated bulkiness similar to Ethibond square knots, whereas Fiberwire and Ultrabraid square knots were significantly bulkier. Conclusions For braided suture, 5-throw knots optimize square knot security. Open or arthroscopic slip knots can achieve similar security with post switching and loop reversal. Fiberwire, Orthocord, or Ultrabraid openly tied square knots offer greater security than those tied with Ethibond. Arthroscopic knots vary in their bulkiness, but all are significantly bulkier than 5-throw openly tied square knots. Square knots openly tied with Fiberwire or Ultrabraid tend to be bulkier than if tied with Ethibond or Orthocord, which are similar to each other. Clinical Relevance The 5-throw openly tied square knot remains the gold standard, although the openly tied SAK offers similar security when tying in a hole. Arthroscopic knots, whether complex knots backed up by 3 RHAPs, the 6-throw surgeon's knot, or the 5-throw SAK, give security similar to the standard. Square knots tied with the newer sutures in open fashion are more secure than if tied with braided polyester. Using lower profile knots may be especially important when employing Fiberwire or Ultrabraid, as these sutures tend to result in bulkier knots than those tied with Ethibond or Orthocord.


To test acamprosate's role as an aid in preventing relapse after detoxification, 296 alcohol-dependent patients entered a prospective, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, parallel comparison of acamprosate treatment consisting of two 333 mg tablets given three times daily for 180 days with matching placebo treatment. Unlike previous studies, acamprosate was prescribed from the start of alcohol withdrawal, rather than after the detoxification process. During the treatment period, 110 patients dropped out. The two treatment groups were balanced with regard to baseline values and reasons for discontinuation. There was no difference between the groups in the severity of withdrawal symptoms as measured by the CIWA-Ar (Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol scale). Acamprosate given during withdrawal did not cause unwanted effects. The cumulative abstinence duration (CAD, main end-point) was 19 days longer in the acamprosate treatment group than the placebo treatment group (analysis of variance on ranks, P = 0.0006) and the stable recovery duration, defined as the number of abstinent days between the last relapse into any drinking and the end of the trial, was 16 days longer in the acamprosate treatment group (P = 0.021). Continuous abstinence, estimated by survival analysis on time to first relapse, was achieved by 35% of acamprosate-treated patients and 26% of placebo-treated patients (log rank P = 0.068). The geometric mean of the ratio final/baseline values for serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin was 0.802 (placebo) and 0.733 (acamprosate) (P = 0.059). The geometric mean of the ratio final/baseline values for serum gamma-glutamyltransferase was 0.496 (placebo) and 0.415 (acamprosate) (P = 0.024) which corroborated the greater abstinence reported by the acamprosate group.


SUMMARY Lymphocyte capping with concanavalin A was studied in adult patients with Down's syndrome and aged patients with primary degenerative dementia. In both disorders a decreased capping was found as compared with age-matched and clinically relevant control groups. Col-chicine had a strong enhancing effect on capping in Down's syndrome. In primary degenerative dementia the enhancing effect ofcolchicine was restricted to a subgroup of patients with onset of the dementing illness before the age of 80 years. Epidemiological investigations by Heston' present evidence of an association between Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome. A microtubular disturbance has been proposed as the common underlying mechanism. Partial confirmation of this hypothesis has been established by Naeim et al2 who demonstrated a decrease in concanavalin A induced capping of surface membrane receptors on lymphocytes of young adult patients with Down's syndrome. They also found an enhancing effect of colchicine, an agent which disturbs microtubule assembly, on concanavalin A capping in Down's syndrome. We here present a study which replicates the experiments of Naeim et al in patients with Down's syndrome and extends the testing of the hypothesis of Heston with lymphocyte capping experiments in patients with primary degenerative dementia. Since we are specially interested in the clinical value of a reduced capping, the aged control groups consist of patients with multi-infarct dementia and patients with a functional psychiatric disorder.


Revision with unchanged content. In 2002, an NCAA report showed that out of 2015 senior-level athletic administrative positions, 1837 were held by Whites, 132 were held by Blacks, and 46 were held by other minorities. The report excluded administrators at Historically Black Colleges & Universities. The 2004 version of the same report showed a slight increase (150 from 132). The author found five possible attributable factors: Stereotypical beliefs; Discriminatory acts; Racist attitudes; Old boys' network; and Positional segregation. The results showed that stereotypical beliefs, discriminatory acts, and racist attitudes were no longer primary factors limiting Blacks from entering the athletic administration profession or advancing in the profession, although still relevant, they were not deemed applicable to the overall concern of the lack of color in senior-level athletic administrative positions at Division I institutions. The old boys' network and positional segregation were two factors that participants perceived had a significant impact in limiting Blacks from entering the athletic administration profession and advancing, but participants also cited the lack of mentoring as a significant factor.


Recently, pure transformer-based models have shown great potentials for vision tasks such as image classification and detection. However, the design of transformer networks is challenging. It has been observed that the depth, embedding dimension, and number of heads can largely affect the performance of vision transformers. Previous models configure these dimensions based upon manual crafting. In this work, we propose a new one-shot architecture search framework, namely AutoFormer, dedicated to vision transformer search. AutoFormer entangles the weights of different blocks in the same layers during supernet training. Benefiting from the strategy, the trained supernet allows thousands of subnets to be very well-trained. Specifically, the performance of these subnets with weights inherited from the supernet is comparable to those retrained from scratch. Besides, the searched models, which we refer to AutoFormers, surpass the recent state-of-the-arts such as ViT and DeiT. In particular, AutoFormer-tiny/small/base achieve 74.7%/81.7%/82.4% top-1 accuracy on ImageNet with 5.7M/22.9M/53.7M parameters, respectively. Lastly, we verify the transferability of AutoFormer by providing the performance on downstream benchmarks and distillation experiments. Code and models are available at https://github.com/microsoft/Cream.


We aimed to study the behaviour of tissue renewal in blood, pectoral muscle and keel of fattening quails during their growth and adulthood through carbon-13 turnover using the stable isotope technique. Three hundred male European quails were randomly subjected to six treatments. Diets fed to animals were initially based on corn and soybean meal and were replaced at 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days of age with diets of rice grits and soybean meal. These diets have distinct isotopic signals and over time it changes; the tissue will incorporate dietary signal, and then, we can measure the return time for each tissue in each age. Treatments were T1 (0 to 21 days), T2 (7 to 35 days), T3 (14 to 42 days), T4 (21 to 56 days), T5 (28 to 63 days) and T6 (35 to 70 days). Carbon-13 turnover in tissues of the birds at the above-mentioned time periods was calculated using the first-order exponential function. The values of half-lives were 2.6, 3.6, 5.4, 6.3, 9.0 and 9.8 days for blood and 2.0, 1.7, 4.8, 6.7, 6.9 and 6.6 days for pectoral muscle in treatments T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 respectively. The half-lives for the keel in treatments T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 were 2.0, 5.4, 7.7, 8.9 and 15 days respectively. Thus, half-life in sampled tissues generally increased with age of birds. Initially, the tissue half-lives are influenced by growth, and at the end of the growth cycle, the breast muscle tissue was the most metabolically active in either periods, followed by blood and the keel. All tissues showed a sigmoidal growth curve, which can be confirmed by half-life as a function of age.


The influence of cimetidine on the disposition pharmacokinetics of the antidepressant drug, venlafaxine, and its active metabolite, O‐desmethylvenlafaxine, was examined in 18 healthy young men and women. The steady‐state pharmacokinetic profiles of venlafaxine and O‐desmethylvenlafaxine were evaluated during a 24‐hour period after 5 days of treatment with venlafaxine (50 mg three times a day) and during a second 24‐hour period after 5 days of combination treatment with venlafaxine (50 mg three times a day) and cimetidine (800 mg once a day). The apparent oral clearance of venlafaxine decreased significantly in the presence of cimetidine and the average steady‐state plasma concentration of venlafaxine increased significantly in the presence of cimetidine, but there were no changes in the corresponding concentrations of the active metabolite. However, O‐desmethylvenlafaxine exhibits pharmacologic activity that is approximately equimolar to that of venlafaxine, and the sum of venlafaxine plus O‐desmethylvenlafaxine plasma concentrations was increased by an average of only 13%. Therefore, the effect of cimetidine coadministration is not expected to result in clinically important alterations in the response to venlafaxine in patients with depression. This may not be true, however, for patients with compromised hepatic metabolic function.


ABSTRACT Sustained academic engagement with the colonial and imperial implications of videogames is a relatively recent phenomenon. This article employs the case study of Medieval II: Total War's 2006 simulation of the battle of Otumba to interpret player interactivity with grand narrative formations dating back to the sixteenth century. The steady revitalization of imperial apologism, colonial violence, and commemorations of heroic action suggest the complexity of player reception of gamified history and the importance of games to not only popular culture, but also historical memory and constructions of identity.


Silver nanoparticles embedded in glass are prepared by a two-step ion exchange process, where silver ions are introduced into glass in silver ion exchange, and reduced into metallic silver in subsequent potassium ion exchange. The formation of the particles can be explained by the combination effect of the galvanic replacement reaction and the electrolytic deposition. The formed particles are characterized by optical absorption measurements, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Their application in SERS is demonstrated, and the optimal surface features in terms of SERS enhancement are also discussed.


Micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are of great importance to national economies. However, due to their small size, the growth of MSMEs is vulnerable. Generally, MSMEs lack the capability to innovate on their own, and most MSMEs cannot grow into large and competitive firms. In this paper, we argue that intermediary organizations can integrate innovation resources for MSMEs and enhance the innovation capabilities of MSMEs. Through a case study of an intermediary organization in China, this paper confirms that intermediary organizations can expand the innovation resources available for MSMEs, help MSMEs scan and identify useful innovation resources, and provide expertise to MSMEs in utilizing innovation resources. While traditional resource-based theories maintain that a firm's internal heterogeneous resources can generate competitive advantages, this paper proposes that specialized intermediary organizations can also play the role of resource integrators for small firms and help small firms acquire and utilize external strategic resources. This research also provides insights to the literature about the growth of local firms in emerging economies. Although technological innovation projects require significant R&D investments and are difficult for local MSMEs to handle, this paper suggests that intermediary organizations can help MSMEs initiate innovation projects by expanding the resources available to MSMEs and by assisting them in maximizing the use of the resources at a reasonable cost. Finally, this paper provides some policy implications for firms and policy-makers in emerging economies.


Introduction: monoclonal lymphocytosis of B cells is a condition characterized as having less than 5x109/L clonal B cells in the peripheral blood, in the absence of clinical signs or symptoms of a chronic B cell lymphoproliferative disorder Methods: a search of articles published in multidisciplinary databases and specific areas of health, such as PubMed , Ovid , Science Direct, SciELO, Scopus and Embase data was performed; also some book chapters were included. Terms related with the topic were used like Monoclonal B lymphocytosis, Monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Articles that met criteria for methodological quality and content were selected. Results: different studies based on large hospital series of MBL, have manifested a higher risk of subjects with MBL progressing to B-CLL. Some researchers claim that most people with MBL type LLC will not develop progressive disease over a period of about 5 years, 75 % will be alive with a stable count of lymphocytes and between 1 % and 4 % per year will gradually develop a disease requiring treatment. Conclusions: there is great variation in the prevalence of MBL, dependent largely on the characteristics of the study population and the detection methods used for identification. Methods using increasingly sensitive detection has led to the identification of increasingly smaller MBL clones. Risk factors that determine the passage of monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis to chronic lymphocytic leukemia are yet to be determined, however, several studies have reported that the age, sex, family history of CLL, the presence of some single nucleotide polymorphisms and markers such as ZAP 70, CD38 and CD49d, could be related to the risk of developing the disease. But so far the best defined progression factor is the absolute B cell count.


Objectives. To investigate the prevalence of ultrasound elementary lesions in dactylitis in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and the reliability of scoring these lesions in a clinical setting.Methods. In 31 patients with PsA and clinical dactylitis, ultrasound assessment of the affected digit was performed using grey-scale and color Doppler mode. One examiner scanned all patients and a 2nd examiner scanned 10 patients for inter-reader reliability. The following lesions were evaluated: subcutaneous edema; soft tissue thickening; synovitis of the digital joints; tenosynovitis of the flexor tendon; enthesitis at the deep flexor tendon and the extensor tendon entheses; and paratenonitis of the extensor tendon. A dactylitis sum-score was calculated. Findings in clinically tender and non-tender digits were compared.Results. The most frequent lesions were soft tissue thickening (81%) and subcutaneous edema (74%) followed by synovitis (56–68%) and flexor tenosynovitis (52%). Color Doppler was most frequently found subcutaneously (55%) and around the flexor tendons (45%). All lesions were typically found in combinations, most commonly subcutaneous edema and synovitis (71%), subcutaneous edema and flexor tenosynovitis (52%), and all three in combination (52%). Tender digits had a higher dactylitis sum-score and numerically higher prevalence of most lesions than non-tender digits. Intra- and inter-reader agreements were moderate to excellent, though lower for few components of digital enthesitis, especially hypoechogenicity.Conclusion. Dactylitis in PsA appears to encompass several pathologies, most often subcutaneous changes combined with synovitis and/or flexor tenosynovitis. Reliability of scoring established ultrasound lesions of dactylitis in a clinical setting is moderate-excellent.


Abstract The recent expansion of the English academies programme has initiated a period of significant change within the state education system. As established administration has been disrupted, new providers from business and philanthropy have entered the sector with a range of approaches to transform schools. This paper examines the development of co-operative schools, which are positioned as an 'ethical alternative' within the system and have proved popular with teachers and parents. Using a theory of co-operative power drawn from the philosophy of Spinoza (1632–1677), the author explores how co-operative schools have emerged, with and against the reforming agenda, using narratives of hope and resistance. Spinoza provides theoretical resources to critique this positioning and to project beyond the limiting narratives to an affirmative vision for co-operative schools.


Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze pparun bal dollyuchagi(fast spin kick) motion of Taekwondo players, divided as outstanding ones and unskilled ones, to provide kinematic information on Taekwondo kicks and pparun bal dollyuchagi motion, and analyze differences in kicks between comparative groups. Method: The subjects of this study are Taekwondo players in their 20s who are attending the Taekwondo department at K University, five outstanding ones who have won prizes at domestic competitions and five unskilled ones who have not won competitions. Prior to the experiment, the subjects were asked for consent and explained how to proceed with the experiment. Kinematic data were collected using eight digital cameras. Statistical processing in this study was conducted using SPSS 22.0 software, and statistical analysis values were calculated as mean(M) and standard deviation(SD). An independent sample t-test was conducted to analyze the differences between groups, and the statistical significance probability was set to p<0.05. Results: There was no significant difference in the total execution time during the comparative analysis between the skilled and unskilled players of Jasebaqeo Pparunbal Dollyuchagi, and significant differences were found in the left and right variables of body center. Also, significant differences were found for each event in the hip, knee, and ankle joints of the lower extremities. Conclusion: According to the experiment, it is necessary to select an efficient hitting distance to improve the completeness of the pparun bal dollyuchagi motion, and to hit the target, the width of the center of mass displacement on the left and right sides must be small and balanced without shaking. The knee joint and ankle joint should be quickly extended when striking a target, then vertically moved quickly to perform a perfect motion. This study is considered significant in that it provided fundamental data necessary for the efficient performance of kicks. [Keywords] Kinematic, Pparun Ball Dollyuchagi, Center of Mass, Time Required, Angle


The store-operated calcium channel Orai1 is required for both the transport of calcium into milk and the ejection of milk during lactation. Calcium (Ca2+) transport into milk by luminal epithelial cells in mammary alveoli during lactation involves the coordinated functions of Ca2+ channels, pumps, and Ca2+-sensing proteins. Expression of the gene encoding Orai1, a store-operated Ca2+ channel, increases in the mammary gland during lactation. Davis et al. found that the concentration of Ca2+ in milk from lactating Orai1-deficient (Orai1–/–) mice was half that in milk from wild-type (Orai1+/+) mice; however, total milk protein and maternal serum Ca2+ concentrations were indistinguishable. Histological analysis of mammary gland sections of Orai1+/+ and Orai1–/– mice showed that their structural development and secretory capacity were similar; however, alveoli from Orai1–/– mammary glands were more dilated and had increased staining of milk proteins trapped in the ducts and alveolar lumen. The structure and organization of myoepithelial cells, which generate the contractile force necessary to eject milk, were normal in Orai1–/– mice, and ionomycin-stimulated Ca2+ release from these cells was similar in both the wild-type and deficient mice. Oxytocin, a hormone that induces milk secretion, stimulated an initial Ca2+ spike in myoepithelial cells, which was followed by Ca2+ oscillations; however, these oscillations were dampened in Orai1–/– cells. Imaging of oxytocin-induced alveolar contractions in excised live mammary tissue showed that contractions were well coordinated in tissue from Orai1+/+ mice, but not that from Orai1–/– mice. These findings reveal a relationship between Orai1-mediated entry of Ca2+ into myoepithelial cells and alvelolar contraction, and suggest that Orai1 plays a role in both transporting Ca2+ into milk and ejecting milk through lactation. F. M. Davis, A. Janoshazi, K. S. Janardhan, N. Steinckwich, D. M. D'Agostin, J. G. Petranka, P. N. Desai, S. J. Roberts-Thomson, G. S. Bird, D. K. Tucker, S. E. Fenton, S. Feske, G. R. Monteith, J. W. Putney Jr., Essential role of Orai1 store-operated calcium channels in lactation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112, 5827–5832 (2015). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing bacteria (KPC) is one of the most serious threats to global public health. Due to the limited antibiotic options, colis- tin often represents a therapeutic choice. In this study, we performed Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) by Illumina and Nanopore platforms on four colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates (CoRKp) to explore the resistance profile and the mutations involved in colistin resistance. Mapping reads with reference sequence of the most com- mon genes involved in colistin resistance did not show the presence of mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes in all CoRKp. Complete or partial deletions of mgrB gene were observed in three out of four CoRKp, while in one CoRKp the mutation V24G on phoQ was identified. Complementation assay with proper wild type genes restored colistin susceptibility, validating the role of the amino acid substitution V24G and, as already described in the literature, confirming the key role of mgrB alterations in colistin resistance. In conclusion, this study allowed the identification of the novel mutation on phoQ gene involved in colistin resistance phenotype.


Objectives Endoscopic pituitary surgery usually requires a collaboration between neurosurgeons and ENT surgeons to achieve optimal outcomes. However, neurosurgeons occasionally perform these procedures alone without an ENT surgeon. In this study, postoperative sinonasal quality of life and olfactory function were compared in patients who underwent endoscopic pituitary surgery performed by a single neurosurgeon or by a collaborative team of a neurosurgeon and an ENT surgeon. Methods A retrospective review of prospectively collected data was performed. Patients who underwent endoscopic pituitary surgery for pituitary adenoma from January 2015 to April 2018 were included. The study patients were divided into two groups; patients in group 1 underwent surgery performed by a single neurosurgeon, while patients in group 2 received surgery performed by a collaborative team of surgeons. Olfaction was assessed using a subjective Likert scale, the Cross-Cultural Smell Identification Test (CC-SIT), and the butanol threshold test (BTT). In addition, patients answered the Sino-nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire regarding sinonasal quality of life before and 3 months after surgery. Results This study included 152 patients (46 patients in group 1 and 106 patients in group 2). Significant differences were not observed between the two groups regarding age, sex, tumor size, or operation time. Although subjective olfaction was not significantly different before and after surgery, group 2 showed significantly better objective olfactory function based on the CC-SIT (8.44±3.00 vs. 9.84±1.40; P=0.012) and BTT (4.67±0.84 vs. 5.02±0.33; P=0.022) scores at 3 months after surgery. The SNOT-22 scores were not statistically significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion In the present study, better olfactory outcomes were observed in patients who underwent surgery performed by a collaborative team of a neurosurgeon and an ENT surgeon. This result shows the need for collaboration between neurosurgeons and ENT surgeons in endoscopic pituitary surgery.


Only seven cases of identifiable intraocular botfly larva infestation have been reported in North America--five since 1969. Two additional cases, both from the same institution, are documented here. The offending maggot or larva was visible in both instances. The findings in each case were diagnostically and morphologically striking. The characteristic funduscopic finding of subretinal tracks, along with the appearance of the larva--encysted in one patient and free-floating in the other-deserves emphasis, since this condition is not always benign and may not be as rare as previously assumed.


SUMMARY Epistaxis is one of the most common complaints presenting to emergency departments. The aim of this study is to systematically review and critically evaluate the evidence relating to treatment of idiopathic epistaxis for guiding best practice. A comprehensive review of the English language literature was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Central electronic databases. The inclusion criteria were: retrospective or prospective or randomised controlled clinical trials which included outcomes in the management of idiopathic epistaxis. Twenty-three articles met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Nasal packing still represents the first-line approach to epistaxis, although, at present, it appears that there is clear evidence in the literature to suggest that it is less effective and associated with more admissions and longer hospital stays than endoscopic electrocoagulation-based management of epistaxis. In conclusion, cauterisation should be the first-line approach for its high cost-effectiveness rate and low risk of complications. Further research is urgently needed to assess the efficacy of new biomaterials.


Specification and Description Language (SDL) is a high abstraction level system design language with a clear graphical notation. Because of formal presentation, an SDL model can be automatically converted into source C code for implementation. However, the high abstraction level creates a conceptual gap between a general SDL model and its implementation in a final operational platform. The paper studies the SDL development of an embedded Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for a wireless local area network (WLAN) demonstrator. The SDL design flow for the protocol is first started by architectural design without target platform dependencies. Functionality is added to the model using the top-down design approach. Functional simulations are used for verifying the operation of the protocol. Next, the performance is estimated using performance simulations in a workstation environment. Performance improvements can be achieved by optimising the SDL model.


We present an adaptive control methodology that requires no plant modeling information. The method is based on a cumulative retrospective cost adaptive control algorithm, which is a direct adaptive control algorithm for stabilization, disturbance rejection, and command following when partial plant modeling information is available, specifically, the first nonzero Markov parameter, the relative degree, and estimates of nonminimum-phase zeros. The same adaptive algorithm is used online to estimate the required modeling information. By merging these processes into a single architecture, the resulting hybrid adaptive control algorithm requires no prior modeling information. The method is demonstrated on several illustrative disturbance rejection and command following problems, where the plant can be either minimum or nonminimum phase, and stable or unstable.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the interval cytoreduction in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

METHODS
A prospective study was carried out with 25 patients with advanced ovarian cancer (stages IIIC or IV) who underwent interval cytoreduction. Nonresectability criteria were based on the ones from Gustave-Rousy Institute. After induction chemotherapy and rapprochement we evaluated the rates of optimal surgery and the morbidity and mortality of the procedure in addition to the overall survival at two years.

RESULTS
optimal cytoreduction was possible in 17 patients (68%) with morbidity and mortality from 8% to 4%. The overall survival at two years was 68%.

CONCLUSION
The interval cytoreduction is an alternative therapy in advanced ovarian cancer, allowing optimal cytoreduction opportunity to patients suffering from unresectable disease, with acceptable morbidity and mortality.


Data-driven methods are commonly used to identify abnormal operating conditions to maintain the health and safety of processes, which assume that the process data are precisely known and single-valued. However, in practice, process data are from multiple sources and are in various formats with uncertainties or measurement errors, which may lead to a high false-alarm rate and imprecise decisions. In addition, various key variables are difficult or impossible to measure online, and they are always estimated and described in terms of semantic information by operators or experts. In this work, a one-versus-rest interval radial basis function neural network (OVR-IRBF-NN)-based abnormality identification method is proposed for imprecise data and semantic information in the process industry. First, three types of process data, namely, precise single-valued variables (PSVVs), imprecise single-valued variables (ISVVs), and two-dimensional-interval-valued variables (2DIVVs), which are transformed from semantic information, are analyzed to investigate more comprehensive process information. Then, transformation approaches are presented for transforming these three types of data into one-dimensional intervals. Gaussian mixture model (GMM)-based measurement error estimation is developed for ISVVs, and an uncertain-unchanged interval adjustment strategy is proposed for 2DIVVs. Moreover, the one-versus-rest interval radial basis function neural network (OVR-IRBF-NN) is put forth for the identification of abnormal operating conditions via the analysis of one-dimensional-interval-valued data, providing more reliable and robust identification results due to the employment of interval-valued data. The proposed strategy is evaluated on both a numerical example and a real hydrometallurgical metallurgy leaching process, and the results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the strategy.


We have proposed to make use of the low-loss characteristic of chalcogenide glass material for infrared filter applications. A stop-band chalcogenide filter design based on a grating structure was presented. The study shows that by varying the grating's geometric structure, the bandwidth can be adjusted and the resonant frequency can be fine-tuned. However, high-Q characteristics can only be realized with thicker grating structures. This initial investigation indicates that a chalcogenide glass stop-band filter can achieve reflectances higher than 90% at infrared wavelengths.


Background Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is clinically the most aggressive subtype of lung cancer, and accounts for about 15% of all newly diagnosed lung cancer cases. Approximately 1/3 of SCLC patients are diagnosed with limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC). The standard of treatment for most patients with LS-SCLC is concurrent chemoradiotherapy. LS-SCLC is sensitive to first-line therapy, but has a high recurrence rate and patients show a poor response to second-line treatment. Referring to extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC), durvalumab plus platinum-etoposide chemotherapy has been approved by the Food Drug Administration and National Medical Products Administration. It is hoped that durvalumab will produce good results for LS-SCLC patients. Case Description In this article, we report the case of a 75-year-old male patient with LS-SCLC of the left lung (tumor, node metastasis stage cT3N0M0 IIB) who received 2 cycles durvalumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The neoadjuvant therapy was favorable and no adverse events were observed. The assessment of the tumor via Resist1.1 by videography indicated a complete response. Then a thoracoscopic resection of the left lower lobe of the lung was performed under general anesthesia. The operation was successful, and the patient's postoperative recovery was good. Fortunately, the postoperative pathology results showed pathological complete response. After the surgery, the patient received 3 cycles of adjuvant therapy. Now, the patient is still alive and there is no sign of tumor recurrence. Conclusions This case highlights the benefits of neoadjuvant programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor plus chemotherapy and radical surgery for patients with LS-SCLC and identifies a significant treatment option for LS-SCLC patients.


Abstract: Forskolin has been used to stimulate adenylyl cyclase. However, we found that forskolin inhibited voltage‐sensitive Ca2+ channels (VSCCs) in a cyclic AMP (cAMP)‐independent manner in PC12 cells. Ca2+ influx induced by membrane depolarization with 70 mM K+ was inhibited when cells were preincubated with 10 µM forskolin. Almost maximum inhibitory effect on Ca2+ influx without any significant increase in cellular cAMP level was observed in PC12 cells exposed to forskolin for 1 min. In addition, the forskolin effect on Ca2+ influx was not affected by the presence of 2′,5′‐dideoxyadenosine, an inhibitor of adenylyl cyclase that reduces dramatically forskolin‐induced cAMP production. 1,9‐Dideoxyforskolin, an inactive analogue of forskolin, also inhibited ∼80% of Ca2+ influx induced by 70 mM K+ without any increase in cAMP. The data suggest that forskolin and its analogue inhibit VSCCs in PC12 cells and that the inhibition is independent of cAMP generation.


From the organic extracts of two Guam sponges, Rhaphoxya sp. and Suberea sp., determined to have cytotoxic and chemopreventive activities, three new compounds, theonellin isocyanate (1) and psammaplysins I and J (5, 6), and six previously reported compounds (2-4, 7-9) were isolated and characterized spectroscopically ((1)H and (13)C NMR, MS, IR, UV, [α](D)). The two new metabolites (5 and 6) isolated from the Suberea sp. sponge are rare examples of compounds containing a bromotyramine moiety rather than the more usual dibromo analogue. For the compounds isolated from the Rhaphoxya sp., this is the first report of the known compounds 2-4 being found in a single sponge. For previously reported compounds 2-4 complete unambiguous (1)H and (13)C NMR data are provided.


In 129 patients with tuberculosis of the urinary system subjected to enterocytoplasty repeated surgical interventions took place. Repeated operations were performed in 103 patients after sigmocytoplasty. Operations of the reconstructive-reparative character prevailed among the repeated operations (reimplantation of the ureter into the intestinal transplant, resection of the intestine-bladder anastomosis and combination of these two operations). Remote results were studied in 106 out of 129 patients after repeated operations. Good results were obtained in 55.6%, satisfactory--in 18.9%, bad--in 6.6% of cases. Twenty patients died from the increasing renal insifficiency.


Abstract The circular cylinder pipes are used in the many industrial areas. In this paper, the acoustic wave propagation in the pipe containing a gas is researched. First of all, the theory for the coupled acoustic wave propagation in a pipe is investigated. Acoustic wave propagation in pipe can not be occurred independently between the wave of the fluid and the shell. It requires complicated analysis. However, as a special case, the coupled wave in a high density pipe containing a light density medium is corresponded closely to the uncoupled in-vacuo shell waves and to the rigid-walled duct fluid waves. The coincidence frequencies of acoustic and shell modes contribute to the predominant energy transmission. The coincidence frequency means the frequency corresponding to the coincidence of the wavenumber in both acoustic and shell. In this paper, it is assumed that the internal medium is much lighter than the pipe shell. After the uncoupled acoustic wave in the internal medium and uncoupled shell wave are considered, the coincidence frequencies are found. The analysis is successfully confirmed by the verification of the experiment using the real long steel pipe. This work verifies that the coupled wave characteristic of the shell and the fluid is occurred as predominant energy transmission at the coincidence frequencies. 기호설명


BACKGROUND Latin America has high rates of single motherhood and intergenerational coresidence, resulting in children experiencing changes in household composition – particularly with respect to fathers and grandparents. In other contexts, such changes have been shown to influence educational outcomes. OBJECTIVE To test if the presence of grandparents and fathers in the household are differentially associated with educational outcomes during schooling years in Peru. METHODS Young Lives longitudinal data consist of around 2,000 children who were followed from age 1 to age 15 between 2002 and 2017. Using value-added and child fixed effects models, I examine if the number of changes in household structure involving fathers and grandparents, the type of change (exit or entrance), and the identity of the household members are associated with cognitive outcomes. Persistence was tested as well as heterogeneous associations by child's age at transition and disadvantage. RESULTS More than half the children experienced a change in household composition between ages 5 and 15. Father separation was associated with worse cognitive scores and lower likelihood of being on-grade. This was strongest if separation occurred when children were older. Grandparent presence in the household was not as strongly correlated with child outcomes, but results suggest that children have better cognitive performance after grandparent separation from the household. Associations between household composition and child outcomes were stronger if children were disadvantaged. CONTRIBUTION This research provides evidence that fathers and grandparents are both important contributors to child educational outcomes in a context where three-generational households are common.


Recently, tube-to-tube wear indications of triangular tube bundle steam generators caused by in-plane fluid elastic instability (FEI) have been reported. In the U-bend region of the steam generators with flat bar type supports, friction damping plays dominant role because U-tube is supported only by friction force for in-plane direction. In the conventional way, friction force was evaluated as energy dissipation against external forced excitation. However, in the case of self-excited vibration like SG U-tube, friction damped system shows the characteristics of forced self-excited vibration system intrinsically. Therefore, stability analysis against nonlinear friction force and unstable fluid force is required. We developed evaluation method about this kind of friction damping. Nonlinear numerical simulation was conducted by taking into consideration of friction force and unstable fluid force. Furthermore, we conducted validation test using single tube excitation test facility. Analytical result showed very good agreement with test result. Calculation procedure of friction damping used for FEI evaluation was verified.


Background/Aims: The majority of foreign body ingestions occur in pediatric population. We assessed the characteristics and endoscopic treatment outcome of esophageal foreign bodies in adults. Methods: Medical records of consecutive 257 patients who received trial of endoscopic treatment for esophageal foreign bodies, from January 1998 through November 2003 in Gyeongsang National University Hospital, were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Among 257 cases, 132 were male. The incidence was highest in 5th decade, and mean age was 54.6 years. Most common location was upper esophagus (84.6%). Accidental ingestion accounted for 92.2%. Twenty cases (7.8%) of voluntary ingestion were all prisoners or in psychiatric problems. Fish bone was the most common type. Endoscopic treatment was successful in 253 cases (98.4%) and 4 were managed with rigid esophagoscopy. Four cases who complicated by acute mediastinitis or pneumomediastinum at presentation had sharp-pointed or long objects lodged in upper esophagus, and almost presented at 48 hours after the ingestion. Full esophagogastroduodenoscopy could find 37 organic lesions in 35 cases. Conclusions: Majority of esophageal foreign bodies in adults developed accidentally during meals. Voluntary ingestion of foreign bodies was not related to meals, and developed by prisoners or psychiatric patients. The sharp-pointed or long objects lodged in upper esophagus with delayed presentation may cause complication. Endoscopic treatment is safe and beneficial, and a full endoscopic evaluation should be recommended for the evaluation of a synchronous organic disease.


Columbite Zn0.8Co0.2Nb2O6 crystals were grown by optical floating zone methods. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to check the structure information of the grown Zn0.8Co0.2Nb2O6 crystal. The room temperature and temperature-dependent Raman spectra were tested to investigate the optical phonon behaviors of columbite Zn0.8Co0.2Nb2O6, which exhibited a temperature stable property. The magnetics properties of Zn0.8Co0.2Nb2O6, measured by a physical property measurement system (PPMS), were also presented in this work.


This letter presents an effective data-driven anomaly detection scheme for automatically recognizing unbalanced sitting posture in a wheelchair using data from pressure sensors embedded in the wheelchair. Essentially, the designed approach merges the desirable features of the kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) as a feature extractor with the Kantorovich distance (KD)-driven monitoring chart to detect abnormal sitting posture in a wheelchair. It is worth noting that this approach does not require labeled data but only employs normal event data to train the detection model, which makes it more appealing in practice. Specifically, we used the KPCA model to exploit its capacity to reduce the dimensionality of nonlinear data to obtain good detection. At the same time, the KD monitoring scheme is an efficient distribution-driven anomaly detection approach in multivariate data. Furthermore, a nonparametric decision threshold using kernel density estimation is adopted to extend the flexibility of the proposed approach. Publicly available data have been used to verify the detection capacity of the proposed approach. The overall detection system proved promising, outperforming some commonly used monitoring methods.


In this contribution I will offer a rough guide through "situated affectivity", a small galaxy of theories, ideas, intuitions which are recently growing at the boundaries between philosophy of emotion, philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science. In the last years, we are witnessing a real "affective turn" in the domain of analytic philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and situated affectivity is an excellent example of what is going on in the field. In the first part, I will present the main versions of situated affectivity, distinguishing between the ideas of situated or scaffolded emotions (Griffi-ths, Scarantino 2009; Colombetti, Krueger 2015) and properly extended emotions (Carter et al. 2016; Colombetti, Roberts 2015), and showing their link to the corresponding idea of the mind: scaffolded, extended or otherwise. In the second part, I will further explore the connection between situated affectivity and the domain of extended mind: I will argue that, even if situated affectivity could be in principle evaluated independently from any particular theory about the mind, dealing with situated affectivity is, beside its independent interest, also a good way to tackle an unsettled problem in the literature on extended mind, namely extended consciousness.


Amino acids regulate TOR complex 1 (TORC1) via two counteracting mechanisms, one activating and one inactivating. The presence of amino acids causes TORC1 recruitment to lysosomes where TORC1 is activated by binding Rheb. How the absence of amino acids inactivates TORC1 is less well understood. Amino acid starvation recruits the TSC1/TSC2 complex to the vicinity of TORC1 to inhibit Rheb; however, the upstream mechanisms regulating TSC2 are not known. We identify here the eIF4A‐containing eIF4F translation initiation complex as an upstream regulator of TSC2 in response to amino acid withdrawal in Drosophila. We find that TORC1 and translation preinitiation complexes bind each other. Cells lacking eIF4F components retain elevated TORC1 activity upon amino acid removal. This effect is specific for eIF4F and not a general consequence of blocked translation. This study identifies specific components of the translation machinery as important mediators of TORC1 inactivation upon amino acid removal.


This study reveals that the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation (QBO) has a marked impact on the spatial structure of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) in boreal winter. In particular, the North Pacific center (NPC) of the AO is stronger during the westerly phase of the QBO (WQBO) than the easterly phase of the QBO (EQBO). In other words, the variability associated with the AO over the North Pacific is stronger in WQBO years than EQBO years, even though the overall variability is insensitive to QBO phase. The QBO is suggested to influence the spatial pattern of the winter AO mainly via modulating the intensity of the stratospheric polar vortex, with a stronger stratospheric polar vortex during WQBO than EQBO years. A stronger stratospheric polar vortex can lead to more planetary wave refraction and facilitate the eastward propagation of wave activity flux from the mid‐latitude North Pacific to the North Atlantic. Thus an enhanced connection between North Pacific and North Atlantic atmospheric variability is established, and a more prominent NPC of the AO occurs in WQBO years. In addition, the modulation of the AO structure by the QBO and the associated physical process is supported by output from the CNRM‐CM6‐1 model. Our results indicate that, for seasonal climate prediction in North America based on the AO, WQBO leads to a larger predictable signal while EQBO leads to reduced skill.


The use of highly crosslinked polyethylene (PE) in the knee remains controversial, because of reduced fatigue fracture properties of the material. The current study investigated postmelt surface damage as well as potential contributors to this damage in retrieved highly crosslinked PE tibial components, after short-term in vivo durations. Retrieved conventional PE tibial components were examined for comparison, as well as unused time zero highly crosslinked and conventional PE tibial components for inherent manufacturing surface characterization. Predominant surface damage modes on highly crosslinked PE components were machine mark loss and abrasion, while conventional PE components primarily had machine mark loss, abrasion, and delamination. In vivo duration, PE thickness, and conformity of the design were significant predictors of surface damage on retrieved conventional PE components. Donor weight and the conformity of the design were significant predictors of surface damage on retrieved highly crosslinked PE components. This retrieval data on highly crosslinked PE tibial components suggest that in vivo wear occurred, observed as postmelt surface damage. The highly crosslinked Durasul material examined in this retrieval study appeared to outperform the conventional PE components made from 4150 resin, ram-extruded and gamma-sterilized in air, but not the conventional components made from 1020 resin, compression molding and gamma sterilization in nitrogen. Early retrieval data of highly crosslinked PE tibial components are important to serve as a benchmark to be compared with future longer-term retrieval studies investigating whether surface damage translates to clinically relevant particulate wear debris generation and PE clinical performance.


Pindi, P. K. and T. SulTana, 2013. Bacterial and fungal diversity in rhizosphere soils of Bt and non-Bt cotton in natural systems. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19: 1306-1310 Bacteria are the most diverse living beings on earth and only a fraction of them have been identified. This study aims at the analysis of the diversity of bacteria and fungi in rhizosphere soils of Bt and non-Bt cotton fields, which were collected from four different locations of Mahabubnagar District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Bacterial and fungal genera identification was done based on 16S rRna and 18S rRna gene sequences respectively. The results regarding bacterial and fungal diversity revealed 6 and 7 predominant genera resp. in Bt and non-Bt cotton species. The most abundant representatives belong to the Azospirillum, Bacillus and Pseudomonas in bacteria and and Fusarium, Aspegillus, Rhizopus and Alternarica in fungi. Results revealed that non-Bt cotton plant growth is more than Bt cotton plant growth and rhizosphere soil sample of non-Bt cotton has shown increased number of bacterial and fungal populations indicating adverse effects on soil micro flora.


There is an increasingly vocal debate on potential long-term changes in environmental sustainability spurred by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This article scrutinizes the social science basis of selected popular hypotheses regarding the nexus between the COVID-19 pandemic and the societal transitions towards environmental sustainability. It presents results that were derived through an interdisciplinary dialogue among social scientists. First, it is confirmed that the COVID-19 crisis has likely created a potential window of opportunity for societal change. Yet, to ensure that societal change is enduring and actually supporting the transition towards environmental sustainability, a clear and well-targeted political framework guiding private investments and behavior is required. Second, it is emphasized that there are important structural differences between the COVID-19 crisis and environmental crises, like time scales. Consequently, many strategies used to address the COVID-19 crisis are hardly suitable for long-term transitions towards environmental sustainability. Third, it is argued that transitions towards environmental sustainability—building both on reducing environmental degradation and building socio-techno-ecological resilience—may create co-benefits in terms of preventing and coping with potential future pandemics. However, research still needs to explore how big these synergies are (and whether trade-offs are also possible), and what type of governance framework they require to materialize.


Bilious vomiting in a newborn is a sign of bowel obstruction and can present with or without abdominal distention. The more proximal the obstruction is, the less distended the abdomen will be. A thorough physical exam followed by plain abdominal films often gives the diagnosis. Dilated loops of bowel or air fluid levels suggest the diagnosis of obstruction. Upper gastrointestinal or contrast enema study is often necessary to make a diagnosis. The causes of bilious vomiting in the newborn are duodenal, jejunoileal, and colonic atresias, meconium ileus, meconium plug, hypoplastic left colon, necrotizing enterocolitis, Hirschsprung disease and malrotation with midgut volvulus. The latter represents a neonatal emergency and prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary to prevent rapid bowel necrosis.


Research summary: The efforts of multinational corporations to be socially responsible do not always engender positive evaluations from overseas stakeholders. Drawing on attribution theory, we argue that two heuristics guide stakeholders in evaluating firms' social performance: foreignness and the valence of firms' social responsibility. We provide evidence from a field study of secondary stakeholders and an experimental study involving 129 non-governmental organizations. Consistent with attribution theory, the liability of foreignness is minimized when firms engage in "do-good" social responsibility (focused on proactive engagement creating positive externalities) but is substantial when firms engage in "do-no-harm" social responsibility (focused on attenuating negative externalities). In online supporting information, Appendix S1, we demonstrate that these evaluations have consequences for whether stakeholders subsequently cooperate, or sow conflict, with firms.

Managerial summary: There is no guarantee that efforts to be socially responsible will improve multinational corporations' relations with overseas stakeholders, such as customers, governments, and activists. In a field study and an experiment, we unpack when foreign firms suffer from harsh stakeholder evaluations. Foreign firms especially suffer from harsh evaluations when they conduct "do-no-harm" CSR rather than "do-good" CSR. Stakeholders attribute the motive for foreign firms' do-no-harm CSR to managerial interests and shareholder pressures, perceiving a wedge between managers and owners (who may be unmotivated to reduce the negative impacts of their business activities) and local stakeholders (who bear the social costs). A practical implication is that foreign firms gain more from highlighting do-good rather than do-(no)-harm CSR initiatives. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Globalisation is not what it used to be. Earlier debates over how to read the indicators of economic liberalisation and the impact of technological expansion have now been joined by the increasingly pressing need to explore the social, environmental and political aspects of global change. Earlier discussions emphasised a number of dichotomies within the international political economy – open/closed, state/market and so on. These have proved limited in their ability to inform explanations of change under conditions of globalisation. To these we must now add what we might call the 'governance from above', 'resistance from below' dichotomy as a popular metaphor for understanding order and change in international relations under conditions of globalisation. But this new binary axis is in many ways as unsatisfactory as those that went before. It too can obscure as much as it reveals in terms of understanding the normative possibilities of reforming globalisation. In this article we wish to suggest that there is perhaps a more useful way of thinking about politics and the changing contours of political life in the contemporary global order. This approach blurs the distinction between governance and resistance by emphasising an ethical take on globalisation.


The Certified Association Executive credential is a professional certification designed to identify association management professionals committed to a wide range of knowledge essential to the management of an association. Though the CAE has existed since 1960, no research exists related to the motivations of those individuals that chose to purse the certification. The purpose of this study was to identify the most significant motivations that lead association professionals to sit for the Certified Association Executive certification and the relationship of those motivations to certain demographic variables. The researcher used the Educational Participation Scale A-Form to ascertain the motivational factors most relevant to association management professionals that choose to sit for the CAE. The researcher's survey included three demographic questions that asked participants to self-identify their gender, race, and career stage at the time they sat for the CAE. The results of this study were organized to answer four research questions that examined these motivations overall and how they related to the demographic data. The study concluded there were not significant differences in motivations amongst the demographics identified by the researcher, but the data did ascertain that the motivational factors of professional advancement and cognitive interest were the prevailing motivators across all demographics.


The genetic diversity of aquaculture stocks can be maintained, and their genetic impact on wild stocks minimized, by breeding programmes that deliberately generate genetic diversity. Current animal breeding practices are likely to reduce the diversity of domestic stocks if they are extended to aquaculture. It is proposed that national breeding programmes for aquaculture should, instead, try to develop numerous breeds specially adapted to local environments and aquaculture systems. An economic model is presented of decision-making by individual farmers who, in choosing which breed to produce, determine the "fitness" of the breeds in a meta-population that includes all breeds. As long as strong genotype-environment interaction for production traits is maintained by artificial selection, the economic self-interest of farmers should ensure the stability of genetic polymorphisms among breeds. Genetic variation would be conserved (in the among-breed component of genetic diversity) but not the primordial distrib...


Surmmary
Protoplasts of Candida utilis obtained by treatment with helicase built a new wall in a liquid medium. The spherical protoplast was converted to a tubular form which later changed to an ellipsoidal yeast. Walls isolated at different stages of regeneration were analysed. Glucan (42 to 48%), mannan (25 to 31%) and protein (8 to 9%) were the main constituents of walls of normal and completely regenerated ellipsoidal forms. Walls of the tubular forms differed markedly by having a high content of chitin (12 to 18%) and of protein (20%); mannose was present only as traces. The glucan content was similar in normal, tubular and ellipsoidal regenerating yeasts. These results demonstrate that some modifications occur in the structural poly-saccharides of the yeast wall which can be correlated with morphological changes in the reversion process. The significance of glucose, mannose and acetylglucosamine polymers is discussed in relation to the biosynthesis of regenerated walls.


Looks at how Western law was interpreted and applied to perceived cannibals and corsairs in the Spanish Caribbean in the 16th and 17th c., by Spanish jurists in the period, and at the development of the cannibal and corsair image in Spanish culture. Author outlines the convergence of terms suggesting a growing semantic linkage between certain indigenous peoples, specially the famed "Carib cannibals", and foreign, mostly Western European, corsairs poaching on Spanish wealth. He describes how of the Caribs, said to be cannibals, involved in piracy, an image was constructed of not only cannibals, but also greedy criminals, or rebelers against Catholicism, in order to (legally) justify punishments or wars against them, and thus Spanish rule. He then discusses how of French, British, and other corsairs in the Caribbean involved in piracy against the Spanish, an in some ways similar image was painted of fanatical canine types ruled by appetites, and also of anti-Catholic heretics and criminals, in order to justify punishments as well as the Spanish claim on rule of the Caribbean.


OBJECTIVE
Laboratory hemostatic variables and parameters of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) were evaluated for their ability to predict perioperative excessive blood loss (PEBL) after congenital cardiac surgery.

DESIGN
Retrospective and observational.

SETTING
Single, large university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS
The study comprised 119 children younger than 10 years old undergoing congenital cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Intraoperative excessive blood loss was defined as estimated blood loss≥50% of estimated blood volume (EBV). Postoperative excessive blood loss was defined as measured postoperative chest tube and Jackson-Pratt drainage≥30% of EBV over 12 hours or≥50% of EBV over 24 hours in the intensive care unit. PEBL was defined as either intraoperative or postoperative excessive blood loss. External temogram (EXTEM) and fibrinogen temogram (FIBTEM) were analyzed before and after CPB with ROTEM and laboratory hemostatic variables. Multivariate logistic regression was performed. Incidence of PEBL was 19.3% (n = 23). Independent risk factors for PEBL were CPB time>120 minutes, post-CPB FIBTEM alpha-angle, clot firmness after 10 minutes<5 mm, post-CPB EXTEM alpha-angle, clot firmness after 10 minutes<30 mm, and post-CPB EXTEM maximal lysis>20%. Laboratory hemostatic variables were not significant in multivariate analysis. The risk prediction model was developed from the results of multivariate analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.94 (95% confidence interval: 0.90-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS
Post-CPB ROTEM may be useful for predicting both intraoperative and postoperative excessive blood loss in congenital cardiac surgery. This study provided an accurate prediction model for PEBL and supported intraoperative transfusion guidance using post-CPB FIBTEM-A10 and EXTEM-A10.


The risk assessment process is described with a focus on the hazard identification and dose-response components. Many of the scientific questions and uncertainties associated with these components are discussed, and the role for biomarkers and specimen banking in supporting these activities are assessed. Under hazard identification, the use of biomarkers in defining and predicting a) biologically adverse events; b) the progression of those events towards disease; and c) the potential for reversibility are explored. Biomarker applications to address high-to-low dose extrapolation and interindividual variability are covered under dose-response assessment. Several potential applications for specimen banking are proposed.


A new fast successive approximation algorithm for the solution of the inverse position analysis of a general serial manipulator is presented. With the algorithm, we can search out the inverse solution of the serial manipulator quickly under the desired precision when the position of the three non-collinear end effector points is given. The position analysis of the 7R redundant serial manipulator is illustrated in the literature as an example. The simulation results verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Since the three non-collinear end effector points can be selected at random, the algorithm can be applied to any other type serial manipulator.


* Buildings at Bristol's school of dentistry needed modernising. * A "decant, refurbish, move in" cycle was chosen. * It was completed on time and within budget.


Hysteresis effects of laminated steel materials on the detent torque in permanent magnet (PM) motors are described physically. There are many methods to simulate hysteresis effects. However most studies only focus on loss calculation but not on other important issues. Based on field orientation interpolation method, four-quadrant hysteresis effects are taken into consideration in the proposed cogging torque computation. Simulation results using finite element analysis (FEA) show that laminated materials with high hysteresis effects give higher detent torque when compared to those with narrow hysteresis loops. Two brushed type PMDC motors, with a 4-pole, 22-slot configuration and with different laminated steel materials, are built, and their test data are used to validate the analysis.


Abstract Health of the population is one of the basic factors of social development. The results of empirical studies indicate a number of factors determining the level of health of the population related to access to health care services, the level of environmental pollution and the wealth of society. It must be assumed that the observed disparities in the health depend on distributions of particular determinants. The aim of the article is to assess the significance of the main factors affecting the occurrence of spatial disparities in the level of social development districts NTS-4 in terms of health of the population. The analysis was based on estimates of the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) which takes into account the impact of neighborhood spatial units on level of dependent variable and the explanatory variables. The size of the level of social development in terms of health of the population in the study was approximate by the aggregate value of the index, which is the local component of the Local Human Development Index LHDI.


The development of coronavirus infection outbreak into a pandemic, coupled with the lack of effective COVID-19 therapies, is a challenge for the entire pharmaceutical industry. This study aimed to assess the treatment and preventive efficacy of the amino acid-peptide complex (APC) in male Syrian hamsters infected with SARSCoV-2 (intranasal administration of 26 μl of the virus culture, titer of 4 × 104 TCD50/ml). In a modeled COVID-19 case, APC administered for treatment and preventive purposes reduced lung damage. Compared to the positive control group, test group had the lung weight factor 15.2% smaller (trend), which indicates a less pronounced edema. Microscopic examination revealed no alveolar edema, atypical hypertrophied forms of type II alveolocytes, pulmonary parenchyma fibrinization. The macrophage reaction intensified, which is probably a result of the APC-induced activation of regenerative processes in the lung tissues. Spleens of the animals that received APC for therapeutic and preventive purposes were less engorged and had fewer hemorrhages. The decrease of body weight of the test animals that received APC for treatment and prevention was insignificant (p < 0.05), which indicates a less severe course of COVID-19. Administered following a purely therapeutic protocol, APC proved ineffective against SARS-CoV-2 post-infection. Thus, APC-based drug used as a therapeutic and preventive agent reduces pulmonary edema and makes morphological signs of lung tissue damage less pronounced in male Syrian hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2.


We report on the construction, production, and characterization of a new fully human dimeric immunoRNase, obtained by fusion of Erbicin, a human anti-ErbB2 single-chain antibody fragment (scFv), with a dimeric mutant of human pancreatic RNase (HHP2-RNase). This novel immunoagent with 2 scFv moieties each fused to 1 of the 2 subunits of the dimeric RNase, called ERB-HHP2-RNase, has shown improved biologic properties with respect to the previously reported monomeric ERB-hRNase immunoRNase: it selectively binds ErbB2-positive cancer cells with an increased avidity; it is not inhibited by the cytosolic ribonuclease inhibitor; it is endowed with a more powerful cytotoxic activity.


We have a complicated, sometimes contradictory, perception of the use of political violence. This article discusses the possible legitimacy of a particular kind, referred to as "resistance violence," or violence carried out by vulnerable targeted social groups. After providing distinctions regarding who, when, and why resistance violence happens, this article considers two examples that highlight different factors. By considering the work of various philosophers including Locke, Arendt, Fanon, and Fricker, this article proposes two theses: first, that epistemic contextualization requires that the legitimacy of resistance violence always be evaluated with the understanding that vulnerable social groups often reside outside the parameters of legal/criminal/judicial protection. And, second, that resistance violence is a politically legitimate option and need not promise practical success to be worth pursuing due to the fact that resistance actors often see violence as establishing their dignity and humanity.


Ecological communities can vary greatly in species composition. Often this variation is discontinuous, in that abrupt changes in composition occur over small distances in space or short periods of time. A wide range of hypotheses from different subfields of ecology have been proposed to explain these patterns. I suggest a framework to quantitatively evaluate these hypotheses with observational data by characterizing 1) how community composition varies across sites in space, 2) how community composition varies through time, and 3) the possible drivers of this variation. I applied this approach to understand the community composition of producers in temporary and semipermanent wetlands in Michigan, USA. I identified several distinct community states which were variously dominated by particular plant functional groups (submerged, floating or emergent plants) or had no plants throughout a season. Evaluating possible hypotheses to explain this variation, I found that similar communities were not necessarily clustered near each other, suggesting that dispersal was not limited for these plants. Some sites exhibited a great deal of change in plant composition among years, shifting between two community states, but there was relatively little change at sites within a year. Moreover, these shifts did not occur in a particular order to suggest directional change or repeating cycles. Community composition was associated with several environmental variables such as pH, light and depth, and multivariate analyses suggested that species had complex, nonlinear responses to these possible drivers. Alternative stable states and interactions among multiple nonlinear drivers best explained the patterns observed in these wetlands. By formalizing initial data collection in other systems with the framework suggested here, we may gain insight into the causes of alternative community states beyond wetlands and the role of climate change and other anthropogenic forces in precipitating transitions between states.


UNLABELLED
Blymphocytes are cells of the immune system responsible for the antibody  mediated immune response. As estimated, a human body can produce as much as 1011 specific antibodies. There are no specific genes coding for every individual antibody in the human genome. Discrepancy between the huge diversity of antibodies and limited coding capacity of the genome is solved by combination of unique arrangement of genetic information for immunoglobulin and unique genetic and somatic processes providing this wide spectrum of antibodies. On one side, these mechanisms represent a life protecting source of a wide spectrum of antibodies but at the same time, they can be life threatening by raising the risk of a serious tumor disease, the B cell lymphoma. Double hit lymphomas represent a specific group of B cell lymphomas often featuring concurrent rearrangements of BCL2 and MYC genes. Activation of the MYC oncogene, typical for Burkitt lymphoma (BL), causes strong stimulation of cell proliferation. High activity of BCL 2, typical for follicular lymphoma, induces resistance to apoptosis. Concurrent damage of regulation of apoptosis and proliferation is probably responsible for the typical clinical manifestation of double hit lymphomas - aggressive course, resistance to conventional chemotherapy, high-risk of early relapse, short overall survival, frequent extranodal and central nervous system involvement. Recently, these lymphomas have attracted a strong attention of researchers as they provide sharp insights into processes of lymphocytes maturing and lymphomas development and highlight the double edged nature of mechanisms allowing the antibody broad diversity.

CASE REPORT
Fifty  three year  old man was diagnosed with B cell lymphoma unclassifiable with features intermediate between diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and BL, based on morphology and immunophenotype. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis revealed double hit lymphoma diagnosis as the tumor cells bear t(14;18) translocation concurrently with the MYC gene rearrangement. The patient died five months after dia-gnosis.


the initial phase of cardiac repolarization (phase 1 in humans) is mediated by the transient outward K+ current (Ito). Ito is composed of the Ca2+-independent K+ current (Ito1) and a Ca2+-activated chloride current (Ito2), both of which are voltage dependent (3). Ito1 is further subdivided into fast (Ito,f) and slow (Ito,s) (3). Ito,f is mediated by Kv4 channels that form complexes with K+ channel-interacting protein 2 (KChIP2) proteins in the majority of cardiomyocytes. Kv4 is the pore-forming unit, and KChIP2 is an accessory K+ channel-interacting protein residing on the cytoplasmic side (10, 12). The discovery of KChIP2 proteins in neurons (1) led to the generation of knockout mouse models of KChIP2 to study the role of this protein in cardiac electrophysiology through loss of function (9). Removal of KChIP2 in mice leads to disappearance of Ito,f. More recently, it was discovered that KChIP2 proteins also bind to Cav1.2, which is responsible for the L-type Ca2+ current (ICa,L) (15). In KChIP2−/− mouse cardiomyocytes, ICa,L is reduced but Cav1.2 protein levels are unchanged (15). Therefore, KChIP2 proteins are capable of modulating various ionic currents that determine the action potential plateau and regulate contractility.

Action potential duration (APD) prolongation is widely reported to occur in many forms of heart failure. A reduction in Ito has been suggested to be a main contributing factor responsible for the prolongation of APD. KChIP2 expression has been also reported to be significantly reduced in human and animal models of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Changes in KChIP2 expression have been reported to increase the trafficking of Ito channels to the cell membrane and shift the voltage dependence of activation to more negative values. The net result of these changes indicates that KChIP2 can modulate the amplitude of Ito more than eightfold. On the other hand, studies that have been designed to determine the ability of Ito to modulate APD have been somewhat conflicting. Depending on ICa,L levels, decreases in Ito can result in either increased or decreased APD (16). While other studies have reported increases in Ito have little or no effect on APD (11). Changes in Ito that occur with cardiac disease are often accompanied by changes in ICa,L. One potential explanation for the varied effects of Ito on APD could be related to complex interactions of these currents where the net effect on APD can vary. It is also possible that KChiP2 interactions with the channels responsible for Ito and ICa,L contribute to the net effects on cardiac function and APD.

In a study by Grubb and colleagues (5) the role of KChIP2 in determining cardiomyocyte Ca2+ transients and how this affects cardiac function were investigated. Specifically, the study focused on finding the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of cardiac function in the absence of KChIP2, given that both Ito,f and ICa,L are reduced. The authors confirmed previous reports that cardiac function is unchanged in KChIP2 knockout mice (9, 13) and that absence of KChIP2 in isolated myocytes decreased the peak inward Ca2+ current without changing the expression levels of the protein or kinetics responsible for ICa,L (15). Given that reduction in ICa,L might lead to decreased intracellular Ca2+ concentration transients and decreased contraction (7), the authors turned to computational and experimental studies to determine how KChIP2 deficiency might affect Ca2+-induced Ca2+-release (CICR). They addressed the role CICR by measuring synchronization between Ca2+ channels and ryanodine receptor (RyR) coupling, RyR sensitivity to Ca2+, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load, fractional Ca2+ release, and rate of decay. Surprisingly none of those was decreased in KChIP−/− myocytes; furthermore, they report increased Ca2+ release with β-adrenergic stimulation, suggesting augmented sensitivity of the RyR. In view of these findings and on simulation data, the authors attribute preserved contractility to a prolongation in APD secondary to the loss of Ito,f. APD prolongation would provide sufficient time for intracellular Ca2+ concentration to rise in the presence of reduced ICa,L.

Although this study provided new information on the effects of KChIP2 activity and Ca2+ transients, a few important issues worth mentioning remain unresolved. In particular, conflicting APD data have been reported in the KChIP2−/− mice. Initially it was reported that myocytes isolated from KChIP2−/− mice had increased APD (9). More recently, it was shown that differences in APD between isolated wild-type and KChIP2−/− myocytes were only observed at room temperature but not at physiological temperatures due to an increase in Ito,s (2, 9, 14). These results are in agreement with Thomsen et al. (14) who observed prolonged APD only in KChIP2−/− myocytes that had blocked Ito,s with 4-aminopyridine. In the current study, APD was measured at physiological temperature in isolated myocytes and was longer than wild-type controls. Microelectrode measurements obtained from the epicardial left ventricular surface of intact hearts were performed by Grubb et al. (6) in a previous study and were also prolonged in KChIP2−/− compared with wild-type mice. It remains to be determined if differences observed in KChIP2 effects on APD are due to a heterogeneity of the cardiomyocyte population being assessed. Another important issue is related to the proteins that interact with Kv4. Many other proteins have been found in ventricular tissue that coimmunoprecipitate with Kv4 and modulate either its localization at the membrane surface and/or its channel kinetics (10). Interestingly, these include Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase 2 (CaMKII), which has been shown to have increased activity when Kv4 or KChiP2 are reduced (8). In this study, Grubb et al. report an increase in RyR sensitivity to β-adrenergic stimulation, which remains unexplained. One possible explanation might be the increased CaMKII activity, given that it has recently been shown that CaMKII increases RyR sensitivity to β-adrenergic stimulation (4). Finally, another component of CICR that might be involved in Ca2+ handling in pathological hearts and might influence RyR Ca2+ release is the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX). NCX influences [Ca2+] in the dyadic cleft, and it has been proposed that at highly positive membrane potentials NCX and ICa,L might act synergistically to trigger Ca2+ release (7). Overall the Grubb et al. study provides us with important information on the role of KChIP2 in modulating Ca2+ transients. In addition, these data help to emphasize the complex interactions between electrophysiological changes and their effects on cardiac function.


Purpose: To describe the clinical, radiological and histopathological features of a highly unusual primary orbital glioma. Procedures: A 6-year-old female presented with right-sided proptosis that revealed a well-defined intraconal mass on CT imaging with intact orbital bony walls. During the removal of the lesion, it dissected away freely from the muscles and was separated from the optic nerve and globe. There was no communication with the brain. Results: Histology showed histological features highly favouring a pilocytic astrocytoma enveloped by meninges. No non-neoplastic brain tissue was identified. Conclusion: This is the first documentation of a primary orbital pilocytic astrocytoma not anatomically connected with the brain. We speculate that the tumour had arisen from developmental brain heterotopia.


The heteropolysaccharide chains of enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) are composed of linear trisaccharide repeat units having the structure----3)-alpha-Fuc4NAc-(1----4)-beta-D-ManNAcA-(1---- 4)-alpha-D-GlcNAc- (1----. Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium lacking the structural gene for dTDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (rfbA) are severely impaired in their ability to synthesize dTDP-glucose, which is a precursor of dTDP-4-acetamido-4,6-dideoxy-D-galactose (Fuc4NAc), the donor of Fuc4NAc residues for ECA synthesis. These mutants synthesize only trace amounts of ECA, and they are hypersensitive to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Incubation of delta rfbA mutants with [3H]N-acetylglucosamine ([3H]GlcNAc) resulted in the accumulation of radioactivity in N-acetyl-D-mannosaminuronic acid (ManNAcA)-GlcNAc-pyrophosphorylundecaprenol (lipid II), the putative acceptor of Fuc4NAc residues in ECA synthesis. Lipid II did not accumulate in either wild-type cells or in rff mutants unable to synthesize ManNAcA. Both the accumulation of lipid II and the synthesis of trace amounts of ECA were abolished when delta rfbA mutants were grown in the presence of the antibiotic tunicamycin. Tunicamycin also prevented the SDS-mediated lysis of the mutants. SDS-resistant derivatives of delta rfbA mutants were isolated that were no longer able to synthesize trace amounts of ECA. Characterization of these derivatives revealed that they were defective in various steps of ECA synthesis leading to the synthesis of lipid II. The data support the conclusion that accumulation of lipid II is responsible in some way for the hypersensitivity of delta rfbA mutants to SDS.


An earlier heuristic model of attenuation and phase changes through a layer of oblate spheroids is replaced by a new, simpler, model with much greater accuracy. The model is meant to cover propagation through rain at 5-90 GHz frequencies and at rain rates from 5-150 mm/hr. Accurate predictions of co and crosspolar attenuation, of co and crosspolar discrimination, and of the various phase changes associated with each polarization of the incident wave are now possible by means of calculations requiring no more than simple numerical extensions of Mie calculations superposed upon the Rayleigh forward-scattering cross sections. Some degree of canting-angle variations is included. Comparison of calculations by this approximation to a variety of empirical or simulated rain statistics available in the literature is presented.


Background and aim: Every year almost 600 patients in Sweden are diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common lymphoma, and with immunochemotherapy, approximately 60 % are cured. Yet, for patients with primary refractory disease or early relapse, the prognosis is very poor. Despite advances in molecular subclassification of DLBCL, the major tool used to risk stratify patients is the clinically based International Prognostic Index (IPI). However, there is still no available system that with precision can identify the individual patients at highest risk of treatment failure. The aim of this thesis was to search for novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers, and also investigate the mechanisms behind chemoresistance in DLBCL. Patients and methods: In paper I and III, tumor tissue from two groups of DLBCL patients; (i) patients with primary refractory disease or early relapse (REF/REL; paper I: n=5, paper III: n=44); and (ii) long-term progression-free patients, clinically considered cured (CURED; paper I: n=5, paper III: n=53), was examined with mass spectrometry proteomic approaches to explore possible differences in global protein expression, but also with the aim to reveal new mechanisms involved in immunochemotherapy resistance. In paper II, metabolomic examination with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed on serum from REF/REL (n=27) and CURED (n=60) DLBCL patients, to determine if differences in clinical outcome could be correlated to diverse metabolomic profiles. Results and Conclusions: In paper I, a large number of proteins could be identified and quantified. Overexpression of actin-related proteins was found among the CURED patients, a finding that appeared to be confirmed in paper III, where in addition a novel discovery regarding overexpression of multiple ribosomal proteins in the REF/REL group was made. The findings suggest previously undescribed mechanisms for immunochemotherapy resistance in DLBCL patients. In paper II, differences in the serum metabolome was found between the two groups, that could be separated with multivariate statistical analyses. Even though the results are encouraging they need to be confirmed in larger unselected studies, with aims of further exploring actin-related and ribosomal proteins, not only as possible prognostic/predictive biomarkers, but also regarding their functional role in treatment resistance in DLBCL.


This paper identifies a corpus of anthologies of children's poetry published in Portugal in last few years where illustration plays an important role in assuring the cohesion of the volumes and in the reading process of the texts. The paper also analyses the relationships established between images and texts in order to understand the specificity of children's poetry illustration, identifying illustration functions and particular strategies that link text and image.


BACKGROUND
Research on contextual and neighborhood effects increasingly includes the built (physical) environment's influences on health and social well-being. A population-based study examined whether architectural features of the built environment theorized to promote observations and social interactions (e.g., porches, windows) predict Hispanic elders' psychological distress.

METHODS
Coding of built environment features of all 3,857 lots across 403 blocks in East Little Havana, Florida, and enumeration of elders in 16,000 households was followed by assessments of perceived social support and psychological distress in a representative sample of 273 low socioeconomic status (SES) Hispanic elders. Structural-equation modeling was used to assess relationships between block-level built environment features, elders' perceived social support, and psychological distress.

RESULTS
Architectural features of the front entrance such as porches that promote visibility from a building's exterior were positively associated with perceived social support. In contrast, architectural features such as window areas that promote visibility from a building's interior were negatively associated with perceived social support. Perceived social support in turn was associated with reduced psychological distress after controlling for demographics. Additionally, perceived social support mediated the relationship of built environment variables to psychological distress.

CONCLUSIONS
Architectural features that facilitate direct, in-person interactions may be beneficial for Hispanic elders' mental health.


Abstract. Wind-profiling lidars are now regularly used in boundary-layer meteorology and in applications such as vertical wind field measurement. In order to verify the accuracy of the Doppler wind lidar, the major domestic Doppler wind lidar manufacturers were organized to compare the Minute-level average wind speed and direction data measured by the lidar to which measured by meteorological gradient tower and L band Sounding radar in Shenzhen and Zhangjiakou, respectively. The result of comparison with the wind cup on the meteorological gradient tower is in good agreement, the correlation coefficient of wind speed is close to or higher than 90 %, and the maximum standard deviation of the wind direction is about 7° except the inflection point. When the L-band sounding radar is used as a reference for the lidar equipment which joint the comparison. The system difference and standard deviation of daily wind speed and direction vary greatly, and the reliability is poor. At the same time, it was founded that compared with the 1-minute average data, when the 10-minute average data were used for comparison, the system deviation and standard deviation were reduced. That mean the results were more stable and reliable. The comparison results show that the technical indicators of several domestic lidar equipment are equivalent to windcube indicators made by Vaisala and complying with the World Meteorological Organization's requirements for the Coherent Doppler Lidar indicator for near-term weather forecasts. It shows the lidars are reliable to obtain wind speed and direction parameters at different altitudes in real time.


In this paper we explore the factors that determine the level at which World Bank projects are implemented. In particular, focusing on the importance of informational asymmetry between levels of government, we empirically assess whether this choice is influenced by the relative importance of local information at the recipient country level. Using an AidData dataset that provides information on more than 5800 World Bank projects for the period 1995-2014, and controlling for characteristics at both country and project level, we find that transparency does influence the probability that a project is implemented locally rather than nationally. More specifically, a one standard deviation decline in transparency increases the probability that a World Bank project will be implemented locally by 3 percent.


Optimum design of a novel ultra-wideband multilayer microstrip hairpin filter is presented, providing for harmonic suppression and impedance matching between source and load impedances. The theory of N-coupled transmission lines is employed to obtain an equivalent circuit for development of a design procedure based on the method of least squares. A prototype model of proposed two-layer filter of order 5 is fabricated for 3.1–10.6 GHz. The dimensions of designed filter are 23 mm × 7 mm. The insertion loss in the passband varies from 0.3 dB to 3 dB (in the worst case at the edge of passband) and in the stopband is about 30 dB up to 20 GHz. Its group delay in the UWB region is about 0.5 ns. Close agreement among the filter frequency responses as obtained by the proposed method, full-wave computer simulation softwares, and measurement data verify the effectiveness of the proposed filter structure and design methods.