The traditional fermentation of cassava starch was investigated by a polyphasic approach combining (i) microbial community identification using conventional and molecular techniques, (ii) analyses of organic acids, volatile compounds, fermentation products and spin-lattice relation time and (iii) evaluation of technological properties, such as pasting properties, water absorption and water solubility indexes. Cassava fermentation microbiota was dominated by bacteria and yeasts genera. Bacteria genera include Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Lactococcus and Enterococcus. Lactobacillus was the prevalent genera responsible for the acidification of cassava fermentation by the production of organic acids and also aromatic compounds. Yeast community was dynamically adjusted through the cassava fermentation Pichia kudriavzevii and Issatchenkia orientalis were succeeded by Geotrichum candidum, Clavispora lusitaniae and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Candida rugosa, C. pararugosa, C. akabenensis, Cryptococcus albidus, Neurospora crassa and N. intermedia were found exclusively in sour cassava. The acidification of sour cassava was due to the production of acetic, lactic and succinic acids. Volatile compounds, including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, esters and terpenes contribute to the aroma and correspond to 23% of compounds found after fermentation and sun-drying treatment. The acidification and fermentation process reduced the peak viscosity, paste viscosity, breakdown viscosity and set back viscosity in cassava starch. Solid-state NMR relaxometry measures were associated to the expansion ability and indicated that the fermented and sun-dried products were more inclined to expansion. Loaf expansion ability and pasting temperatures were increased in sour cassava (fermented and sun-dried). The results showed here should be useful to standardize the manufacturing of cassava starch in Brazil, providing homogeneous and high quality products.


The 1997 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus and the Provisional Report of the WHO Consultation focus on a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) that is 126 mg/dl or greater and confirmed on a subsequent day as the preferred criterion for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. This criterion is supported by studies demonstrating that this threshold accurately differentiates between non-diabetic and diabetic populations and is associated with the development of specific diabetic microvascular complications. It corrects for the inequivalence of the FPG and 2- hour post glucose (2hPG) criteria of the previous National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) and WHO diagnostic schemes and recognises that oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) rarely are performed in clinical practice. Although the new and the previous criteria produce similar estimates of the prevalence of diabetes, there may be a considerable degree of reclassification. Preliminary studies suggest that the new criteria favour the diagnosis of diabetes in younger and more obese individuals, whereas the older criteria increase the likelihood of diagnosis in older, leaner individuals.


Angiotensin (Ang) II has 2 major receptor isoforms, Ang type 1 (AT1) and Ang type (AT2). AT1 transphosphorylates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to activate extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK). Although AT2 was shown to inactivate ERK, the action of AT2 on EGFR activation remains undefined. Using AT2-overexpressing vascular smooth muscle cells from AT2 transgenic mice, we studied these undefined actions of AT2. Maximal ERK activity induced by Ang II was increased 1.9- and 2.2-fold by AT2 inhibition, which was abolished by orthovanadate but not okadaic acid or pertussis toxin. AT2 inhibited AT1-mediated EGFR tyrosine phosphorylation by 63%. The activity of SHP-1 tyrosine phosphatase was significantly upregulated 1 minute after AT2 stimulation and association of SHP-1 with EGFR was increased, whereas AT2 failed to tyrosine phosphorylate SHP-1. Stable overexpression of SHP-1–dominant negative mutant completely abolished AT2-mediated inhibition of EGFR and ERK activation. AT1-mediated c-fos mRNA accumulation was attenuated by 48% by AT2 stimulation. Induction of fibronectin gene containing an AP-1 responsive element in its 5′-flanking region was decreased by 37% after AT2 stimulation, corresponding to the results of gel mobility assay with the AP-1 sequence of fibronectin as a probe. These findings suggested that AT2 inhibits ERK activity by inducing SHP-1 activity, leading to decreases in AP-1 activity and AP-1–regulated gene expression, in which EGFR dephosphorylation plays an important role via association of SHP-1.


Rifampin, a semisynthetic rifamycin, is the cornerstone of current tuberculosis treatment. Among many semisynthetic rifamycins, benzoxazinorifamycins have great potential for TB treatment due to their superior affinity for wild-type and rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA polymerases and their reduced hepatic Cyp450 induction activity. In this study, we have determined the crystal structures of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase complexes with two benzoxazinorifamycins. The ansa-naphthalene moieties of the benzoxazinorifamycins bind in a deep pocket of the β subunit, blocking the path of the RNA transcript. The C3'-tail of benzoxazinorifamycin fits a cavity between the β subunit and σ factor. We propose that in addition to blocking RNA exit, the benzoxazinorifamycin C3'-tail changes the σ region 3.2 loop position, which influences the template DNA at the active site, thereby reducing the efficiency of transcription initiation. This study supports expansion of structure-activity relationships of benzoxazinorifamycins inhibition of RNA polymerase toward uncovering superior analogues with development potential.


Purpose: To explore the feasibility of preoperative planning for treatment of benign mandibular lesions (BML) using digital technologies such as three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, measurement, visualization as well as image contrast and design of neural positioning protection template (NPPT) in combination with 3D printing technology in the BML diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The 3D models of BML and inferior alveolar nerves (IAN) of 10 BML patients were reconstructed based on their digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) data using MIMICS16.0 software. The models were used to visualize lesions and nerve contrast measurement and guide design of personalized NPPT and osteotomy after operation modality was determined in order to achieve accurate, minimally invasive operation with shortened intraoperative time. Results: Intraoperative NPPT application could accurately locate lesions and their scope and assist osteotomy. The measurement results were consistent with those of preoperative reconstruction and measurement. The BML were curetted completely without damage IAN. The 10 BML patients had no numbness and other discomforts in the lower lip and mandibular teeth after operation. Conclusions: The digital diagnosis and treatment technology is an effective method for functional treatment of BML patients and its application could achieve personalized, minimally invasive and precise treatment and save intraoperation time.


Objectives: The location of mental foramen (MF) is significant in many surgical and nonsurgical procedures related to the mandible to avoid the injury of the mental nerve. The location of mental foramen is considered variable in different populations and even in different groups of population. We used CBCT to locate the position of the mental foramen. As high-resolution three-dimensional images of CBCT reveal anatomic structures more clearly, it improves mental foramen detection, offering advantages over two-dimensional radiological images. Study Design: Cross-sectional Descriptive study. Setting: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, University College of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Lahore. Period: July 2017 to Dec 2019. Material & Methods: A sample of 230 CBCT scans was obtained from the data already available in the department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. The horizontal position of MF was analyzed utilizing 3D images of CBCT at 6 positions concerning the long axis of mandibular premolars and molars. Results: Ninety-six (41.7%) mental foramen were located at position 3, i.e., between the first and second premolars. Moreover, this was the most common location of the mental foramen. Followed by position 4 (in line with the long axis of the second premolar) 90(39.1%). No statistically significant relationship between the gender of the patient and the location of the mental foramen was seen. Conclusion: The location of mental foramen is variable; care should be taken in performing procedures in the area of the mental foramen to avoid iatrogenic injury of the mental nerve. Our results are different from previous studies conducted in the Pakistani population.


A bidirectional DC-DC Converter by using sliding mode controller is designed and simulated in this paper. The proposed converter employs a coupled inductor with same winding turns in primary and secondary sides. In step-up mode, to achieve high step-up voltage gain, the primary and secondary windings of the coupled inductor are charged in parallel and discharged in series. In step-down mode, to achieve high step-down voltage gain, the primary and secondary windings of the coupled inductor are charged in series and discharged in parallel. The structure of the proposed converter is very simple. Thus, the proposed converter has higher step-up and step-down voltage gains than the conventional bidirectional boos/buck converter. The operating principle and efficiency analysis are discussed in detail. Finally, a 14/42-V circuit in closed loop mode is designed and simulated to verify the performance for the automobile battery system.
Keywords
Bidirectional dc-dc converter; Sliding Mode Controller; coupled inductor


In this paper, we study the legal issues brought forth by illegal content in anonymous networks. These issues appear when illegal content or activity is encountered on the internet, but the source cannot be identified due to the source's usage of one or more anonymizing methods. In order to study these issues, a survey is made of both International and Dutch laws and the main anonymous Mix and Peer-to-Peer protocols. These methods are analyzed and placed in the context of the Dutch law system in order to see what roles they assume when illegal content is passed through them.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three different distributions of aerobic training on the isokinetic strength and vertical jump performance [SJ, CMJ and Abalakov (ABA)] in thirty middle-aged endurance athletes (38.7 ± 9.8 yrs; 174.7 ± 6.5 cm; 72.0 ± 9.8 kg). Three zones of training were required to quantify volume of training: Zone 1, low-intensity-training < VT1; Zone 2, threshold-training, between VT1 and VT2; and Zone 3, high-intensity-training > VT2. The INC group (n = 10) began training in the Zone 1 and then gradually built up training in Zone 2 and Zone 3, thereby increasing the intensity of aerobic activity over the 4-week training period. The CON group (n = 10) performed the same activity every week in Zones 1, 2 and 3. The FRE group followed a free distribution of endurance training loads (n = 10). The results showed significant decreases in peak torque knee extension 30° (p < 0.05) in CON group and significant decreases (p < 0.05) in ABA in FRE group. Results provide a physiological basis to support several performance studies that consistently indicate 5 d·wk(-1) endurance training does not impair strength development over the short term. In conclusion, variations in volume and intensity in training groups did not interfere with isokinetic strength and vertical jump performance.


The recent scandal of the National Security Agency (NSA) "Hoovering" up the metadata on US and foreign citizens from Google, Facebook and Yahoo exposes in the full light of day the central paradox of the new digital age: The Internet enables us to know and learn more than ever before, but enables more to be known and learned about us by both snooping governments and monetizing information corporations alike.

In this section, Google's Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen discuss this paradox. We also reprint an interview from 2009 with Mike McConnell, a former chief of the National Security Agency and the driving force behind Booz, Allen, Hamilton's digital security operation. Edward Snowden, the systems administrator who blew the whistle, was employed by the NSA as a subcontractor from Booz, Allen, Hamilton.


One proposal to significantly reduce cardiovascular disease is the idea of administering a 'polypill'—a combination of drugs that reduce the risk of heart disease and carry few side effects—to everyone over the age of 55. Despite their promise, population strategies like the polypill have not been well-accepted. In this article, I defend the polypill (and consequently, other similar population strategies) by appealing to fairness. The argument focuses on the need to fairly distribute the costs to individuals. While the fact that population strategies like the polypill impose minor costs on everyone has primarily been used to criticize such strategies, I argue that it gives us a reason to support them. I argue that implementing a population strategy with the polypill contributes to the public good of 'health system capacity'. I then explain that public goods have widely accepted obligations: they carry an obligation to fairly distribute the costs of the goods and prevent free-riding. Thus, we have at least one pro tanto moral reason to implement the polypill. As such, this article challenges the current literature on the topic, which has largely held adopting population strategies like the polypill to be unjustifiable.


Abstract This article examines how the outcome of neoliberal educational reforms has affected urban schooling in the inner city of Stockholm – making it into a centralized nexus or a 'hot-spot' for students and schools. The aim is to analyse how geographical place and space have become major distinctive criteria in inner-city students' educational strategies, as well as a comparative advantage for upper-secondary schools in the fierce in-between school competition. The data consist of interviews with close to 120 participants, official statistics and marketing from 55 inner-city upper-secondary schools. Our findings suggest that the growing commodification and upward socio-spatial homogenization of the inner city both affect the way schools use spatial representations in their marketing and also the strategies deployed by students in their school choice.


Objective: We studied the effect of stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and celecoxib for increasing the amount of neural stem cells in the lesion zone and clinical outcomes of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods: Twenty-eight rats, strain Wistar, divided into four groups: control, treated with celecoxib, SDF-1, and the combination of celecoxib+SDF-1. The neural stem cells identified by immunohistochemistry procedures with Nestin as primary antibodies and the levels of proliferation were assessed by Ki-67 as primary antibodies. The clinical outcomes were examined by Bederson scale. Results: This study revealed the combination treatment group had the highest histoscores of Nestin and highest of Ki-67 histoscores for SDF-1 group. The amount of neural stem cells in the lesion zone of treatments groups was higher than controls (p 0.05). The proliferation levels were higher in SDF-1 group (P 0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest celecoxib, SDF-1, and the combination of celecoxib+SDF-1 can increase neural stem cells in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, and SDF-1 increased proliferation levels. The clinical outcomes were not significantly different between rats, regardless of the fact that almost all of rats in the combination group were back to normal.


A device, positioned within a well bore, configured to generate and direct an acoustic beam into a rock formation around a borehole is disclosed. The device comprises a source configured to generate a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency; a transducer configured to receive the generated first and the second signals and produce acoustic waves at the first frequency and the second frequency; and a non-linear material, coupled to the transducer, configured to generate a collimated beam with a frequency equal to the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency by a non-linear mixing process, wherein the non-linear material includes one or more of a mixture of liquids, a solid, a granular material, embedded microspheres, or an emulsion.


Friend virus‐transformed mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells can be induced to undergo erythroid differentiation by a variety of compounds, including dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and the adenosine analog xylosyladenine. The present studies have monitored the effects of the stable adenosine receptor ligand N6‐phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA) on induction of MEL cell differentiation. PIA has been previously shown to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity in rat hepatic and mouse Leydig l‐10 cells as well as inhibit adenylate cyclase in adipocytes. In the present study, PIA was ineffective as an inducer of the differentiated MEL cell phenotype. However, the results demonstrate that PIA inhibits the induction of MEL cell differentiation by DMSO and xylosyladenine. The extent of this inhibition as determined by benzidine staining, induction of globin RNA, and loss of self‐renewal capacity was dependent on PIA concentration. The results also demonstrate that PIA induces a rapid and sustained increase in cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels. Furthermore, there was a highly significant correlation between cAMP levels and inhibition of xylosyl‐adenine‐induced differentiation (r = 0.962, P < 0.0005). This relationship is further supported by the demonstration that prostaglandins E1 and E2 increase MEL cell cAMP levels and inhibit induction of the differentiated MEL cell phenotype. Moreover, PIA inhibited induction of MEL cell differentiation by butyric acid, diazepam, hypoxanthine, and the aminonucleoside analog of puromycin. These results suggest that cAMP may act as a negative regulatory signal in the induction of MEL cell differentiation.


This paper discusses a teaching innovation project that integrates technological communication advances with the small group methodology to improve the English competency of university students of finance. This is a fundamental competency for studies in finance considering the increasingly international framework of financial business and the increasingly required mobility of human resources in all types of financial careers. This methodology requires the cooperation of a foreign university to help students understand the practical implications of using English when applying the theoretical concepts and methodologies studied in class in an international professional setting. As a first approach, we implement and assess the implementation of this methodology and its impact on students' learning process in an elective module offered in an official degree in finance in Spain.


Based on the concept of the recently developed quantitative rescattering theory for the momentum distributions of high-energy photoelectrons generated by infrared lasers, we applied the theory to extract large-angle elastic differential cross sections (DCS) of the target ions with free electrons. Using experimental photoelectron spectra for rare gas atoms of Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe, we showed that the extracted DCS are in good agreement with the DCS calculated theoretically. The current method of retrieval does not require precise knowledge of the peak laser intensities. The results show that accurate DCS between electron–ion scattering indeed can be retrieved from experimental photoelectron spectra generated by lasers, thus paving the way for using infrared laser pulses for dynamic chemical imaging of transient molecules with temporal resolution of few femtoseconds.


An experiment was conducted at IAAS Paklihawa, Bhairahawa from 6th October 2018 to 15th November 2018 (40 days). An open barrel Aquaponics system with a double factor RCBD type experimental design was used consisting of 3 replications and 2 factors under study. The two factors were boron concentrations (1%, 2% and 3%) and BLM varieties (Marfa Chauda Paat, Manakamana and chinese-430). Marfa Chauda Paat (47.35 gm.) was the highest yielding variety followed by Manakamana (36.42 gm.) and Chinese-430 (26.82 gm.). 1% Boron was found to be the most suitable concentration among the test concentrations for leaf yield. A maximum weight gain of the fish was observed in tank 3 (96.44%) followed by tank 1 (86.26%) and tank 2 (82.18%). An excellent survival percentage of fish was observed as 88.89%, 95.56% and 91.11% in tank 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Similarly, the Average Daily Growth Rate (ADGR) was recorded to be 126.5mg, 91.5mg and 128.25mg in tank 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The Specific Growth Rate (SGR %) was obtained to be 1.26, 1.38 and 1.46 for tank 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Furthermore, final harvest weight of fish was obtained to be 437g, 349.21g and 428.2g in tanks 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 7(3): 359-364


As the resistive instabilities with their serious difficulty at the thermonuclear fusion programs have attracted much interest of the researchers, the present study has the ambition to provide an applicable and useful criterion for examining and identifying whether a observed plasma wave is resistive or not. A dispersion relation is obtained, by using the two fluids equation and considering that a resistive force exists, and then the growth rate can be solved. Subsequently, the resistance factor is calculated using the experimental values and data obtained. Finally, a comparison of the calculated resistance factor with the ones published in bibliography will be performed, which gives the expected answer about the type of the examined wave.


Semantic roles are a critical aspect of linguistic knowledge because they indicate the relations of the participants in an event to the main predicate. Experimental studies on children and adults show that both groups use associations between general semantic roles such as Agent and Theme, and grammatical positions such as Subject and Object, even in the absence of familiar verbs. Other studies suggest that semantic roles evolve over time, and might best be viewed as a collection of verb-based or general semantic properties. A usage-based account of language acquisition suggests that general roles and their association with grammatical positions can be learned from the data children are exposed to, through a process of generalisation and categorisation. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic usage-based model of semantic role learning. Our model can acquire associations between the semantic properties of the arguments of an event, and the syntactic positions that the arguments appear in. These probabilistic associations enable the model to learn general conceptions of roles, based only on exposure to individual verb usages, and without requiring explicit labelling of the roles in the input. The acquired role properties are a good intuitive match to the expected properties of various roles, and are useful in guiding comprehension in the model to the most likely interpretation in the face of ambiguity. The learned roles can also be used to select the correct meaning of a novel verb in an ambiguous situation.


Healthcare management continues to worsen, with process inefficiencies, wastage, unsafe practices and accordingly, non-optimal patient care. The concept of the Learning Health Systems (LHS) demonstrates the potential for the utilisation of  health data in real time, through rapid and continuous cycles of data interrogation, implementation of insights into practice, and eventually practice change (Friedman & Flynn, 2019). Yet, the lack of appropriately skilled workforce results in an inability to leverage existing data to design innovative solutions. We identified a need to develop tailored professional development programs to foster skilled interdisciplinary learning communities in the healthcare workforce, as well as digital health champions that understand each other's roles and capabilities, to collaboratively solve these complex problems. Thus, we have developed multiple educational programs of work, including a professional development short course and a year-long Academy Fellowship program, to teach LHS principles.
The short course is wholly online, open to interdisciplinary professionals working in the digital health arena. To foster interprofessional learning, we assigned participants into working groups of five interprofessional members, who worked together and shared knowledge, perspectives and experiences in workshop activities throughout the 13-week course. We employed a flipped classroom approach, utilising various eLearning tools such as crowdsourced evidence synthesis Mind Maps; Jupyter Notebooks for hands on data interrogation, data visualisation and interpretation of machine learning models; clinical process modelling software (LucidChart); and virtual care platform for prototype testing digital health solutions (Datos), which showcasing the potential of technology.
We undertook a mixed methods evaluation, to determine the utility and success of our programming. This framework consisted of pre and post-surveys with identical measures of self-efficacy, ratings scales for engagement, usefulness, applicability and value for various aspects of the course. Participants were also invited to participate in a semi-structured interview post course. This allowed a deeper dive into themes relating to utility, barriers, recommendations for future applicability, and evolving digital health identity.
The evaluation results demonstrated that participants found the teaching model useful, engaging, applicable and valuable to their daily tasks and workplace LHS projects. Self-efficacy scales revealed a significant increase in perceive confidence. From interviews and analysis of free text responses, we discovered that the program gave participants a shared language and common understanding to converse with other interprofessional peers; transformed their perceptions of their role and the potential of data and technologies; provided a framework to organise their transformation plans; and finally provided a toolkit to refer to and operate from. The most notable observation from the LHS Academy Fellows, was a significant increase in the number of fellows identifying themselves as leaders at the end of their foundational coursework compared to at the start of the program.
It is clear that in order to transform healthcare systems to their full potential, it requires a workforce with an understanding of LHS and the potential of data driven approaches, as well as an appreciation for the need for diversly skilled learning communities to tackle these problems together.


Two molecular forms (BE-I and -II) of 1,4-alpha-glucan branching enzyme were purified from rat liver by affinity chromatography on glycogen-adipoyldihydrazide-Sepharose 4B and glycogen-ethylenediamine-Sepharose 4B, respectively, after hydrophobic chromatography on hexylamine-Sepharose 4B, as single proteins with the same molecular weight of 82,000 on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. By comparing their UV spectra and by RNA detection on polyacrylamide gels after electrophoresis, BE-I and -II were identified to be RNA associated and unassociated forms, respectively. The molecular weights of BE-I and -II estimated by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration were 91,000 and 98,000, respectively, indicating that both forms consist of a monomer. As Be-II had about half the specific activity of BE-I, the RNA component was not essential for the activity of the rat liver branching enzyme, and it was also dissociable from the protein component (BE-II) on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 7.3, whereby BE-II showed a heterogeneity of at least three microspecies as revealed by protein staining as well as by activity staining of the gels. Using the antibody against BE-I, BE-I and -II were indistinguishable on immunodiffusion, and the activity inhibition rate of BE-II by the antibody was almost the same as that of BE-I if their specific activities are considered, indicating that the RNA component may have no effect on the enzyme-antibody reaction. Immunochemically no isoenzyme was detected for this enzyme in rat tissues.


Ocean heat storage due to local addition of heat ("added") and due to changes in heat transport ("redistributed") were quantified in ocean-only 2xCO2 simulations. While added heat storage dominates globally, redistribution makes important regional contributions, especially in the tropics. Heat redistribution is dominated by circulation changes, summarized by the super-residual transport, with only minor effects from changes in vertical mixing. While previous studies emphasized the contribution of redistribution feedback at high latitudes, this study shows that redistribution of heat also accounts for 65% of heat storage at low latitudes and 25% in the midlatitude (35°–50°S) Southern Ocean. Tropical warming results from the interplay between increased stratification and equatorward heat transport by the subtropical gyres, which redistributes heat from the subtropics to lower latitudes. The Atlantic pattern is remarkably distinct from other basins, resulting in larger basin-average heat storage. Added heat storage is evenly distributed throughout midlatitude Southern Ocean and dominates the total storage. However, redistribution stores heat north of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Atlantic and Indian sectors, having an important contribution to the peak of heat storage at 45°S. Southern Ocean redistribution results from intensified heat convergence in the subtropical front and reduced stratification in response to surface heat, freshwater, and momentum flux perturbations. These results highlight that the distribution of ocean heat storage reflects both passive uptake of heat and active redistribution of heat by changes in ocean circulation processes. The redistributed heat transport must therefore be better understood for accurate projection of changes in ocean heat uptake efficiency, ocean heat storage, and thermosteric sea level.


In this paper, we propose a color-based segmentation method that uses the K-means clustering technique to track tumor objects in magnetic resonance (MR) brain images. The key concept in this color-based segmentation algorithm with K-means is to convert a given gray-level MR image into a color space image and then separate the position of tumor objects from other items of an MR image by using K-means clustering and histogram-clustering. Experiments demonstrate that the method can successfully achieve segmentation for MR brain images to help pathologists distinguish exactly lesion size and region.


The main problems in visual servo system are long sampling period and extent of visual field. For sampling period of camera used in general is longer than joint servo period, hidden oscillation is controversial. Also, if a object is out of visual field, motion control is impossible. This paper discusses such problems, taking assist mobile robot system for application. An assist mobile robot which mounts a camera supports a working mobile robot with various tasks including delivery and receipt of baggage and removal of obstacles. At the first step of this study, an assist mobile robot is controlled to track a working mobile robot. Here, It doesn't matter whether transmission facility between an assist mobile robot and a working mobile robot is available. This study proposes virtual image plane by sensor fusion of vision and encoder. Virtual image plane is developed by estimated feature. And estimation and correcting of image feature on virtual image plane are realized. In conclusion, motion control with disturbance observer on virtual image plane is designed. And the validity of proposed method is shown in simulation results.


The paper presents a robust digital image watermarking scheme that uses both the characteristics of the human visual system (HVS) and statistical information measure. Spread transform approach is used where data is embedded through transform coefficients of both the cover and the watermark data. The spread transform watermarking technique yields better results in terms of imperceptibility, resiliency, capacity and cost compared to widely used spread spectrum watermarking schemes. Hadamard transformation is used not only for simpler implementation but also for its higher data hiding capacity (M. Ramkumar and AN Akansu, 2001). Experimental results show that the visual quality of the extracted watermark is good in spite of several external attacks. The fact is also supported by mutual information values used as objective measure.


Inflation can be supported in very steep potentials if it is generated by rapidly turning fields, which can be natural in negatively curved field spaces. The curvature perturbation, ζ, of these models undergoes an exponential, transient amplification around the time of horizon crossing, but can still be compatible with observations at the level of the power spectrum. However, a recent analysis (based on a proposed single-field effective theory with an imaginary speed of sound) found that the trispectrum and other higher-order, non-Gaussian correlators also undergo similar exponential enhancements. This arguably leads to 'hyper-large' non-Gaussianities in stark conflict with observations, and even to the loss of perturbative control of the calculations. In this paper, we provide the first analytic solution of the growth of the perturbations in two-field rapid-turn models, and find it in good agreement with previous numerical and single-field EFT estimates. We also show that the nested structure of commutators of the in-in formalism has subtle and crucial consequences: accounting for these commutators, we show analytically that the naively leading-order piece (which indeed is exponentially large) cancels exactly in all relevant correlators. The remaining non-Gaussianities of these models are modest, and there is no problem with perturbative control from the exponential enhancement of ζ. Thus, rapid-turn inflation with negatively curved field spaces remains a viable and interesting class of candidate theories of the early universe.


Purpose: Here, we determined whether epigenetic inactivation of miR-34a and miR-34b/c genes may serve as a prognostic marker for distant metastases in colon cancer. Experimental Design: Using a case–control study design of 94 primary colon cancer samples with and without liver metastases, we determined CpG methylation frequencies of miR-34a and miR-34b/c promoters, expression of miR-34a, and its targets c-Met, Snail, and β-catenin and their prognostic value. Results: miR-34a methylation was detected in 45.1% (n = 42 of 93) of the samples and strongly associated with metastases to the liver (P = 0.003) and lymph nodes (P = 0.006). miR-34b/c methylation was detected in 91.9% of the samples (n = 79/86). A significant inverse correlation between miR-34a methylation and expression of mature miR-34a (P = 0.018) was detected. Decreased miR-34a expression was associated with upregulation of c-Met, Snail, and β-catenin protein levels (P = 0.031, 0.132, and 0.004), which were associated with distant metastases (P = 0.001, 0.017, and 0.005). In a confounder-adjusted multivariate regression model miR-34a methylation, high c-Met and β-catenin levels provided the most significant prognostic information about metastases to the liver (P = 0.014, 0.031, and 0.058) and matched pairs showed a higher prevalence of these risk factors in the samples with distant spread (P = 0.029). Finally, we obtained statistical evidence indicating that the simultaneous detection of these three markers has the highest prognostic value. Conclusions: Silencing of miR-34a and upregulation of c-Met, Snail, and β-catenin expression is associated with liver metastases of colon cancer. Detection of miR-34a silencing in resected primary colon cancer may be of prognostic value, especially in combination with detection of c-Met and β-catenin expression. Clin Cancer Res; 19(3); 710–20. ©2012 AACR.


The myoglobin protein binds oxygen and catalyzes NO oxidation. As a key model protein, its dynamics have been well studied by spectroscopy and by crystallography as well as by simulation. Nonetheless, visualization of the mechanism of movement of ligands within myoglobin has been difficult. Coordinates of the A1 and A3 taxonomic spectral states of myoglobin from the 1 Å crystal structure (1a6g) are generated as consistent sets of correlated clusters of residues with A or B crystal alternates. Analysis of cavities in these A1 and A3 conformations clarifies the pathway of ligand motion from distal entry through interior movement to the proximal side of the heme. Cavities opened up by buried alternate conformations link the distal to the proximal side of the heme. Structural conservation highlights the relevance of this pathway to human neuroglobin. Cavity migration via myoglobin crystal alternates provides a specific link of protein structure to protein dynamics and protein function and demonstrates the relevance of substates (discrete disorder) to function for all proteins.


Topical 8% capsaicin is a recently approved treatment for post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Capsaicin works by causing extensive depolarization of nociceptive epidermal transient receptor potential cation channel V1-positive C-fibers leading to defunctionalization. In this case story a 51-year-old male patient, who was suffering from severe PHN pain and associated allodynia, experienced drastic pain relief upon treatment with topical 8% capsaicin. Pain associated with the patch application could be successfully alleviated by pretreatment with topical lidocaine/prilocaine 2.5% and/or oral tramadol. Topical 8% capsaicin should be considered as a feasible treatment option for PHN.


The thermal properties of organic membranes attract much attention due to the fact that heat dissipation in electronic devices limits their functionality and reliability. Here, we enhance the thermal conductivity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membrane using nano-fibers fabricated by electrospinning. Measured by the 3-Omega method, the results show that the effective thermal conductivity of the electrospinning membranes (with/without Cu nanoparticles) are as high as 0.7 W/m-K at room temperature which is as twice as the value of thermal conductivity of amorphous spin-coated PVA membrane (0.35 W/m-K). The mechanism of enhancement are that, compared with amorphous membrane, the phonon scattering is attenuated and the crystallinity is improved in the electrospinning process. Our studies bring new insights in designing new kind of membrane with high thermal conductivity.


Sensitive detection of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2, an important cancer marker associated with tumor invasion and metastasis) activity in vitro and at cellular level is of great significance to clinical diagnosis and medical treatment. With unique physical properties, nanoparticles are emerging as a platform for the construction of conjugates of various biological molecules, which can be expected to generate new types of biosensors. In this work, Fe3O4 NPs were modified with Gd chelates via linking peptides to construct NP-substrate (Fe3O4-pep-Gd) conjugates for kinetic MMP-2 activity assessment in vitro at the cellular level and in vivo. Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 quenched the longitudinal relaxation effect (T1 relaxivity) of the attached Gd chelates by perturbing proton relaxation process under an external magnetic field. MMP-2 cleaved the peptide substrates and released Gd chelates from the local magnetic fields accompanied by T1 relaxivity recovery and T1 contrast enhancement. Benefiting from signal amplification through binding multiple Gd chelates to one linking peptide, Fe3O4-pep-Gd conjugates exhibited high sensitivity for the detection of MMP-2 (as low as 0.5 nM). Enzymatic processes were in good agreement with the integrated Michaelis-Menten model, revealing an unexpected activity enhancement in the initial stage. Fe3O4-pep-Gd conjugates could also probe MMP-2 at cellular level and in vivo that indicates a great promise in in vitro diagnosis (IVD) and disease monitoring.


This article discusses recent naturalistic theories of religion from the viewpoint of how the deal with the issue of the origins of religion. It will be argued that the theories can be divided according to if they view religion as being an adaptation or not, on the other hand, and if they consider it to be mostly natural or cultural on the other. On the basis of this discussion, it is suggested that a cognitive mechanism referred to here as the narrative drive seem to have a fundamental role to play in the formation of religious beliefs and, thus, in the origins of religion.


The coronavirus, which has now taken over the world in a short period of time, is a virus that resembles the causative agent of atypical syphilis (SARS), a family of viruses known as TORS. This causes chronic illness. We know that as a result of this disease, many people died prematurely and the economic development of the entire world has plummeted. In such conditions, the treatment of coronavirus disease by the method of lectin-affinity hemodialysis, obtained using lectin isolated from local raw materials, is an urgent problem.


This paper considers the generation of skillful control actions, which require high experience of a task, by manual control using a master-slave manipulator. The authors have shown that a robot manipulator can be "taught" a skilled task using a "teaching method" based on manual control at a master manipulator. It takes, however, a long time for a human operator to control the master-slave manipulator satisfactorily when the task is complicated. In this paper, an iterative modification method using the master-slave manipulator (IMMSM) is proposed, which makes it possible to improve the movement of the slave based on performance evaluation. As the master-slave manipulator is usually used in teleoperation, the master is complicated and expensive because of the high maneuverability required. By applying the proposed method, a simple device like a joystick can be used. Using a joystick and a small manipulator, the authors have investigated the effect of IMMSM allowing iteration in the "teaching" of a simple task. The experimental results show that the operator can "teach" a skilled task to the robot manipulator using IMMSM. The oscillation frequency of the task error becomes large as progress is made through iterative modifications and the operator, finally, can not modify the high frequency signal any further. To avoid this confusing development for the operator the high frequency signal of the master manipulator is restricted by a function like a low-pass filter. In an experiment, it is confirmed that a filtering function helps the human operator to perform IMMSM more accurately. >


Post traumatic osteonecrosis of distal pole of scaphoid is very rare. We present a case of 34 years old male, drill operator by occupation with nontraumatic osteonecrosis of distal pole of the scaphoid. The patient was managed conservatively and was kept under regular follow-up every three months. The patient was also asked to change his profession. Two years later, the patient had no pain and had mild restriction of wrist movements (less than 15 degrees in either direction). The radiographs revealed normal density of the scaphoid suggesting revascularization.


ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the compliance, satisfaction and adverse effects of immunomodulating drugs in a German multiple sclerosis (MS) population. Research design and methods: A standardised, anonymous questionnaire was sent to the 1985 members with MS of the Berlin section of the German Multiple Sclerosis Association. Patients were questioned with regards to sociodemographic data, MS-related topics, therapy, adverse effects and compliance. The response rate was 51.1%, from which 681 patients were selected who were experienced in therapy with interferon beta 1a or 1b or glatiramer acetate. Results: Most participants were treated with beta-interferons and only one-third with glatiramer acetate. Patients were moderately satisfied with their medication. Approximately 75.5% of patients had used the medication for longer than 2 years, especially those with a relapsing–remitting course (RRMS). Around one-third of all participants had their immunomodulating drug changed, mostly only once. The main reasons for discontinuation of the therapy were adverse effects, physician's recommendation and lack of treatment effect. Mood-related adverse effects (e.g., depression), fever and pain were perceived as most disturbing. Regression analysis revealed that dependence on a wheelchair and a secondary progressive course predicted a low compliance to treatment. Conclusion: Treating MS is a challenge and to positively influence the course of the disease it is necessary to administer medication in a constant manner. Our data showed a moderate compliance and satisfaction with the immunomodulating medication. Adverse effects and perceived lack of treatment effect were reasons for discontinuation of therapy. To increase compliance and satisfaction with treatment, adequate information about MS, the therapeutic options, handling of medication, side-effects and their management are necessary. Additionally, realistic therapeutic aims should be discussed with the patients.


s. PHYTOPHARM 2012 M 96 Obzory po kliniceskoj farmacologii i lekarstvennoj terapii [Reviews of clinical pharmacology and drug therapy] ТОМ 10/2012/2 ANTIISCHEMIC PROPERTIES OF THE NEW ANTIOXIDANT DRUG VALEOKOR-Q10 (EXPERIMENTAL STUDY) © Selezneva A. I. , Makarov V. G. , Djachuk G. I. , Makarova M. N. , Zabozlaev A. A. , Khodko S. V. , Kovaleva M. A. 1 Saint-Petersburg Institute of Pharmacy, Russia Northwestern State Medical University n. a. I. I. Mechnikov, Saint-Petersburg, Russia NPK "PHARMASoFT", Moscow, Russia The aim was an experimental study of antiischemic effect of the new antioxidant drug Valeokor-q10 on the model of acute myocardial infarction. Acute experimental myocardial infarction was modulated by the method of h. Selye (1960) — occlusion of the descending branch of left coronary artery in Wistar rats. The drug Valeokorq10 was administered in forms of injection at doses of 1,6, 2,5, 7,4, 22,2 mg/kg intravenously, and suspension of the tablets at doses of 0,2, 1,6, 7,4 mg/kg intraperitoneally. Mildronate (JSC Grindeks, latvia) was used as reference. The amplitude of the ST complex on the ECG, enzymes aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase and neovascularization of damaged myocardium were controlled. Positive effect of Valeokor-q10 on the dynamics of the complex amplitude of the ST on ECG was observed. Valeokor-q10 at a dose of 1,6 mg/kg introperitoneally and doses of 1,6, 2,5 mg/kg intravenously reduced activity of creatine kinase. intraperitoneal administration of Valeokor-q10 in doses of 1,6 and 7,4 mg/kg reduced the level of aspartate aminotransferase. The drug increased the neovascularization of ischemic myocardium area and accelerated differentiation of blood vessels in arterioles and venules. The maximum effect was observed at a dose of 1,6 mg/kg. New drug has antiischemic effect and can be successfully used in the treatment of coronary heart disease. DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF TLC METHOD FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF AERVA LANATA HERB © Semionova M. V., Obukhova V. V., Kuzminova L. V. JSC "Krasnogorskleksredstva", Krasnogorsk, Moscow region, Russia in order to ensure quality and efficacy of herbal medicinal products the national quality standards must contain the modern quality control methods. The purpose of our study was to develop and validate the identification method for Aerva lanata herb. The study object was Aerva lanata herb; TlC was chosen as an analytical method for identification of phenolic compounds profile in the samples. Ethanol (80 %) appeared to be the best extraction agent and the best Aerva lanata herb phenolic compounds resolution was achieved using mobile phase ethyl acetate — anhydrous formic acid — water (12:2.5:3) in the plates TlC Silica gel 60 f254 (aluminium sheets, Merck, Germany). Solutions of rutin and quercetin were used as reference solutions. After developing the plate was heated at 100–105 °С for 3–5 minutes. Then the plate was sequentially sprayed with 1 % diphenylboryloxyethylamin solution and 5 % polyethyleneglycol solution (both in 96 % ethanol) and dried at room temperature for 30 minutes. The following zones of reference compounds present: detection at 365 nm with the reference solutions: the zone with yellow, yelloworange or orange color (R f approx. 0.4–0.5 that was accepted as R s = 1.0, due to rutin) and the zone with yellow, yellow-orange or orange color (R s approx. 1.9–2.5, due to quercetin). The following zones of phenolic compounds present in the plate with the test solution: the zone with yellow, green-yellow, yellow-orange or orange color (R s (by rutin) approx. 0.3–0.4), 2 zones with green or green-yellow color (R s approx. 0.4–0.5 and 1.8–2.2), the zone with light blue color (R s approx. 0.8–1.0); others zones could be present. The method validation was performed on 6 industrial batches (from 2009 to 2012 production years) by workers of 2 laboratories (Research & development department and quality Control department). The method specificity was evaluated by coincidence of the different batches chromatographic profiles by the main zones and by compliance of abovementioned profiles with the test solution chromatogram description. Chromatographic profiles of the different batches have coincided and been compliant with the test solution chromatogram description. The resolution between zones of rutin (R s approx. 1.0) and quercetin (R s approx. 1.9–2.5) in the chromatogram obtained with the reference solutions has been chosen as a chromatographic system suitability index. The resolution value between the


This paper discusses, from an academic perspective, the changes proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the approval process for contrast media. The proposed changes are extensive, covering indications, safety and efficacy assessments, and image acquisition and handling. The draft guidance unfortunately grouped together therapeutics and diagnostics. Indications were divided into the following categories: a) structure delineation, b) functional physiological, or biochemical assessment, c) disease or pathology detection/assessment, and d) diagnostic or therapeutic patient management. Such a division would greatly complicate the approval process, requiring multiple trials to gain approval. The draft guidance also disregarded that indications for imaging agents are often general and not disease specific. As issued, it implied that separate trials would be required for each clinical setting where lesions might be important. As the standard of truth, blinded reads with no clinical information were proposed as the primary endpoint. This ignores how diagnostic exams are interpreted and the value of medical history. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:485–488. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The sea surface temperature (SST) determined by remote sensing technique refers to the skin temperature of the sea surface, while the SST measured by conventional method employing a bucket thermometer gives the temperature of the water in the upper 1 metre water column below the sea surface. A thermal infrared scanner developed by the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad was operated on board R.V. Gaveshani in April/May 1984 for mapping SST over the eastern Arabian Sea. SST values recorded by this device during the cruise are compared with those determined by conventional bucket thermometer and the results are discussed. The difference between the temperature values from the thermal scanner and those from the bucket thermometer varied from +1 degrees K to -1 degrees K in the present study


background The radiofrequency (RF) system has been applied to Asian skin for noninvasive skin tightening. The only drawback is the pain during the treatment. objective The relationships between the effectiveness of a topical anesthetic at various RF levels and the respective treatment results were compared and assessed after 3 months. subjects and methods Eighty-four females, ranging in age from 30 to 60 years, were divided into three groups of 28 subjects each. In all groups, the entire bilateral cheeks were treated. Group A underwent RF treatment (ThermaCool TC, Thermage, Hayward, CA, USA) with topical anesthesia and group B without anesthesia, and in group C, half of the face was treated with anesthesia and the other half was not. The degree of pain was recorded. Digital photographs of the patients pre- and post-treatment were objectively assessed by double-blinded physicians. Subjective assessment was performed with questionnaires. results The average treatment levels for groups A and B were 14.13 and 14.02, respectively. Although anesthesia was useful for pain reduction, it did not allow a significant energy upgrade. In group C, 8 (28.6%) patients showed a statistically insignificant difference in the treatment levels, but not in the results, between the anesthetized and the unanesthetized sides. conclusions The use of anesthesia did not affect the final efficacy of the treatment compared with no anesthesia.


Purtscher-like retinopathy is associated with retinal hemorrhages and ischaemia probably due to the complement-mediated leukoembolization. It is a rare and severe angiopathy found in conditions such as acute pancreatitis. Case. We present a case of a 53-year-old man who presented with a Purtscher-like retinopathy associated with the development of acute pancreatitis in the context of a Klatskin tumour (a hilar cholangiocarcinoma). The ophthalmologic evaluation revealed the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/32 in the right eye (RE) and of 20/40 in the left eye (LE); biomicroscopy of anterior segment showed scleral icterus and fundoscopy revealed peripapillary cotton-wool spots, optic disc edema, and RPE hypo- and hyperpigmentation in the middle peripheral retina in both eyes with an intraretinal hemorrhage in the LE. 15 months after the initial presentation, without ophthalmological treatment, there was an improvement of BCVA to 20/20 in both eyes and optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed areas of reduction of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness corresponding to the previous cotton-wool spots. Conclusion. Purtscher-like retinopathy should not be neglected in complex clinical contexts. Its unclear pathophysiology determines an uncertain treatment strategy, but a meticulous follow-up is compulsory in order to avoid its severe complications.


The conducted research has allowed identifying the main contradictions between educational and professional standards in the field of training of teachers and determining the most vulnerable links in ensuring a systematic approach to the organization of the educational process. The conducted analysis has resulted in a scientific justification of the necessary changes and reconciliations in educational and professional standards to update them and improve the quality of training of specialists in the teaching sector. An earlier analysis of federal educational standards has shown that changes in the content of competencies were aimed at implementing education as a service rather than a pedagogical process. This makes it difficult for the teaching staff to educate the younger generation of teachers in the traditional paradigm of national education. However, the latest generation of Federal State Educational Standards (FSES) indicates the need to take into account the requirements of professional standards that correspond to the professional activities of graduates. Besides, clause 3.5 of the FSES 3++ specifies the right of an educational organization "not to include professional competencies determined independently if there are mandatory professional competencies, as well as if the recommended professional competencies are included in the bachelor's program" (Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation of December 4, 2015 No. 1426). There is an evident discrepancy of requirements of the FSES of the last generation in terms of the scope of professional competences and the need to take into account these requirements to ensure teacher's actions, presented in the professional standards, aimed at performing official duties by the teacher that allows considering the problem of compliance with the requirements proposed in the FSES and in professional standards of teachers to be very relevant. The research purpose is to conduct a comparative analysis of the requirements stated in the FSES and professional standards of teachers in the national education system.


Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. Human behaviour tends to follow patterns. Those who have previously been convicted of crime, or who can be shown to have committed other offences or to have behaved disreputably, either have a tendency to reoffend or are more likely to commit offences than those without such attributes. A defendant's previous bad character may also reflect on credibility. This chapter discusses the following: the problem of whether or not to admit evidence of a defendant's misconduct on other occasions; the situations in which evidence of a defendant's bad character may be admitted in criminal cases, and the purposes for which it may be admitted; and the admission of similar fact evidence in civil cases.


Abstract The analysis of price transmission in vertical markets is challenged by fuzzy policy environments in the case of developing countries. This paper employs threshold cointegration that takes into account the asymmetric adjustment towards a long-run equilibrium and short-run price transmission in vertical markets of wheat and flour in Bangladesh. We find evidence of threshold effects. The speed of adjustment towards the long-run equilibrium is different when the price deviations exceed the threshold value from when price deviations are below the threshold. We find evidence of short-run price asymmetries implying that downstream price responds faster when upstream price increases than when the latter falls.


The Military Medical Service is at the cross-road of two deep restructurings, that of Defense and that of the public health system. It will have to be capable of supporting a professional army prepared to conduct foreign operations. The new Military Medical Service relies on seven basic principles which have been submitted to the National Academy of Medicine for examination. It will obviously have to face many challenges.


Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and its associated mortality continues to rise in Japan. The lung cancer cure rate is still very low. To improve the survival of patients with lung cancer, well-designed and well-conducted clinical trials are essential. Several Japanese study groups have been conducting clinical trials for lung cancer. However, most randomized phase III studies were conducted by the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG), the West Japan Thoracic Oncology Group, and pharmaceutical companies supporting temporarily organized groups. In the past decade, the quality of Japanese clinical studies has improved tremendously. The results of JCOG9511 have recently been reported; and demonstrated that treatment with irinotecan/cisplatin significantly improved patient survival in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer over standard etoposide/cisplatin, with less myelosuppression. A randomized phase II study using gefitinib (ZD1839; Iressa) for non-small-cell lung cancer was also recently reported and showed a high response rate against platinum-refractory lung cancer, especially in adenocarcinoma and in females. A 4-arm multicenter, randomized cooperative phase III study for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer is currently underway.


A high-gain low sidelobe level array antenna that is fed by a radial waveguide and designed to operate over a frequency range is considered. Assuming azimuthally symmetric excitation, the radiation pattern of the circular array is approximated by the space factor for the equivalent circular aperture and a simple and efficient tool is introduced for analysis of the array radiation pattern. The effect of the tapering, for both paraboloidal and bell-shaped aperture amplitude distributions, and the consequences of the phase errors, caused by the variation with frequency of the electrical lengths in the radial waveguide feed structure, on the gain and sidelobe level are studied in detail. Results obtained based on the proposed analysis are validated with respect to experimental data available in the literature. They are applicable to designs of arrays as well as aperture antennas.


Distance education institutions have always employed a variety of technological media, and developing technologies are incorporated into the learning blend as their advantages are identified. Modern distance learning has, therefore, become linked implicitly with the latest media and handheld communication technologies are now being used to communicate with members of the educational community, share information and resources, and enable investigation, discussion and learning. The use of similar mobile technologies for the purposes of student support is under-represented in the literature. This action research study explored the limitations and benefits of handheld technologies for supporting distance learning students, and the drivers and barriers that might affect their use by students. The literature review helped to identify the attributes and limitations of m-learning and handheld technologies, and the aspects of student support that might be enabled through mobile options. The research design included a questionnaire, a year-long study in which associate lecturers developed mobile-accessible resources to use with their students, and interviews with study support experts. The research data was collected in a UK distance education institution. The study showed that handheld technologies can be used to support students for a number of different purposes: to provide an additional informal means of communication with staff and other students; to prompt participation oraction; to suggest resources or personalise the support for students; to enable access to advice and guidance; to offer factual information for study and administrative purposes; to encourage revision and review of learning.The research also suggested that students felt that increased group cohesion was promoted within the learning community through using their personal mobile technologies within the student support framework. A model of this potential method of support is presented, giving examples of the types of communications, resources and services that could be implemented within a distance education institution.


To eliminate the need for sensor placement on rotating flexible beams such as turbine blades, helicopter rotors, and similar applications, a new approach has been developed based on the linear quadratic estimator (LQE) technique for estimating the vibration of any point on the span of a rotating flexible beam mounted on a compliant hub (plant) in the presence of process and measurements noise. A nonlinear model of the plant is utilized by this study to mimic the actual plant behavior. The corresponding plant dynamics of the LQE are in the form of a reduced order linear model constructed from the eigenvalues and eigenfuctions of a finite element dynamic model of the plant formulated in the state space. A virtual hub deflection (that mimics the actual measurement of the vertical hub deflection needed by the estimation process) is generated by the non-linear model of the plant. The LQE reconstructs the states of the plant, including transverse deflection of the beam at any point, from the measurements of the vertical deflection of the hub, assuming that it is the most accessible state for measurement. Estimated beam tip deflection obtained by the proposed technique is then compared to the tip deflection generated by the non-linear model and the results show good agreement.


A review has been made of literature describing the results of research into the properties and performance of unbound mineral aggregate used in the construction of road pavements. This review highlights the different approach taken in New Zealand to the design and construction of highway pavements, compared to that used in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Europe. In New Zealand, unbound aggregate is used as a structural layer immediately under a thin bitumen seal. The geological characteristics of an aggregate determine the way it will perform as a roading material. Petrographic analysis, combined with some mechanical tests, can provide a good guide of durability. Structural properties are related to density which is a function of particle-size distribution, particle shape, compactive effort and water content. Recent research into the theory of shakedown and in the use of the laboratory shear-box has provided a much clearer appreciation of the factors which influence the performance of an unbound aggregate pavement.


Purpose: To evaluate the effects of upper occlusal plane (UOP) inclination and incisor decompensations on the outcome of surgical Class II patients. Materials and Methods: Pretreatment (T0), preoperative (T1), and posttreatment (T2) cephalograms of 30 surgical Class II patients were included. Cephalometric measurements were performed using the Dolphin Imaging Software in this retrospective study. The differences between time points were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA. Spearman correlation test was used to determine any correlations between either the UOP alterations or incisor decompensations and the cephalometric variables. Results: A significant improvement was obtained in the sagittal skeletal, dental variables, and soft tissue B point. Significant correlations were found between the decompensation achievement ratio and the change of the convexity angle. The relative percentage ratio (RPR) of the lower incisor was correlated with Wits appraisal, ANB, and Convexity Angle at the T2 stage. The RPR of the upper incisor was found to be correlated with lip strain. The relative surgical correction ratio of the UOP angle was found to be correlated with the surgical change of Wits appraisal and convexity angle. The RPR of the UOP angle was correlated with the SNB, ANB, and SN-GOGN angles at the T2 stage. Conclusions: Significant improvement in the incisor inclinations was achieved, but the incisors were inadequately decompensated at the preoperative phase. Surgical correction was limited by the inadequate presurgical decompensation. The surgical alteration of the UOP should be taken into consideration for the surgical planning to obtain better outcomes for Class II patients.


The in vitro metabolism of marcellomycin by rat tissue fractions showed conversion of marcellomycin to 7-deoxypyrromycinone, bisanhydropyrromycinone, and an as yet unidentified compound by rat liver homogenate, microsomes, cytosol, and mitochondria, and purified hepatic reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-cytochrome P-450 reductase, under anaerobic conditions and in the presence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. All these fractions except the purified reductase subsequently induced a progressive loss of fluorescence. Mitochondria, however, were much less active than microsomes, cytosol, and homogenate in inducing this latter phenomenon. Marcellomycin was converted to 7-deoxyaglycones only partially by nuclei. No loss of fluorescence was observed with this subcellular fraction. No loss of fluorescence was observed when doxorubicin or daunorubicin were incubated under similar conditions. The appearance of a compound with distinct spectrophotometric properties was demonstrated by absorbance spectrometry. The formation of a compound with different fluorescent characteristics was excluded, as was the binding of the aglycones to subcellular components. The activity inducing the loss of fluorescence was studied in greater detail with cytosol. It predominated in the liver and required both an electron donor and anaerobic conditions. The optimal pH for the reaction was between 7.5 and 8.0. Our results suggest the existence of an enzymatic pathway capable of converting the fluorescent nucleus of marcellomycin to a nonfluorescent metabolite.


This paper attempts to present a general theory to explain evaluation and development of management practices in various social systems, organizations, cultures and countries. This theory proposes that there are five stages and levels of sophistication in management. It is also possible to link management‐level in an organization and the type of leadership that goes with it. At higher management levels, more systemic and strategic management is required, also as evidenced in recent international studies by Jaques. Management in developing countries can be enhanced by understanding these stages and levels advanced in international management and administration references.


Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder that is treated with lifestyle modification, weight loss, and medications, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). An empiric course of PPI therapy is an effective and cost-effective strategy for the management of GERD. However, in some patients, PPI therapy and lifestyle changes are inadequate to control symptoms. When there is persistence of symptoms despite empiric therapy, patients are labeled as having refractory GERD. This label underestimates the wide differential diagnosis of foregut pathology that can mimic symptoms of GERD. A careful history of symptoms, response to PPI therapy, adherence, compliance, and timing helps elucidate if medication has been helping. When patients are refractory, alternative etiologies of GERD must be considered. Many of these alternatives can be determined on an upper endoscopy or with complementary testing, such as high-resolution esophageal manometry or gastric emptying testing as symptoms dictate. When an alternative cause is not found and index endoscopy is normal, additional testing with either traditional pH or impedance testing can be completed based on prior examination results and response to therapy. Further therapy, including medical, endoscopic, or surgical, can then be targeted at the etiology.


This is a report of an organizational health assessment for the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) in 2006. Organizational health is one of the four pillars of the SDDOT strategic plan, so the results of this project are a key measure of performance against the strategic goal to "make the Department of Transportation a desirable place to work" in order to "attract and retain the best possible employees." The five objectives of this study were: to: 1) measure the Department of Transportation's employees' perceptions and level of satisfaction regarding organizational health; 2) identify the Department of Transportation's organizational strengths and weaknesses; 3) evaluate progress in improving the Department's culture, through comparison between the current assessment and baseline measurements of earlier assessments; 4) recommend specific actions that the Department can take to achieve its strategic goals and improve its organizational health; and 5) refine a survey instrument and process that can be used to periodically assess the Department's organizational health.


The literature contains numerous surveys about assessment training at the level of both doctoral programs and internships. There is minimal information about how such training is assessed by state and provincial regulatory bodies. In this article, we describe the process used by one state licensing board to assess a licensure candidate's transcript, conduct an oral examination, and potentially recommend remediation when the candidate is found to be deficient in specified skills. Our focus in this article is on the application of this evaluation process to personality assessment, although we also examined other areas of practice in a comparable manner.


The African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization Initiative (AMRH) has contributed to reduce marketing authorization timelines in East African Community and the Southern African Development Community member states. Challenges still exist in using the outcome of the regional joint dossier review processes for national decision making processes by the national medicines regulatory agencies.
Progress in domestication of the African Union Model Law on Medical Products Regulation by twelve countries provides basis for improving regulatory systems.  This is coupled by the designation of eleven regional centers of regulatory excellence which will ensure sustainable training programmes and subsequent increase in Africa's regulatory workforce.
The Biennial Scientific Conferences on Medical Products Regulation in Africa is a strategic platform for knowledge and ideas exchange among key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector. The ongoing alignment of the African Vaccines Regulators Forum, the Network of Medicines Control Laboratories in Sub-Saharan Africa, Pan African Harmonization Working Party on the regulation of medical devices and diagnostics, the planned establishment of a forum for blood and blood with AMRH serves as a solid foundation for establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). AMA will be a key driver to remove technical barriers for trading among the region countries by contributing to the continental socio-economic development agenda.


In the classical Irradiance Caching algorithm, rays are first traced from the viewpoint towards the scene. For each corresponding intersection point, the irradiance cache is queried to determine whether a new irradiance record has to be created. When a new record is required, the irradiance value is computed using distribution ray tracing. The newly created record is then stored in an octree, called the irradiance cache. For nearby intersection points the record is retrieved by querying the octree.


The immunostimulatory action of oligopeptides RGH-0205 (Arg-Lys-Asp), RGH-0206 (Arg-Lys-Asp-Val) and TP-5 (Arg-Lys-Asp-Val-Try) was measured using the B10LP to C57BL skin graft system and the determination of splenic T cell ratio. While thymectomy increased the period between skin grafting and rejection, each of the oligopeptides increased the number of splenic T cells and in some extent restored the rejection capacity of thymectomised C57Bl mice, presumably by restoration of thymic hormone function.


Few can claim a career as long or legacy as lasting as Harold Billings. He began working for the University of Texas Libraries as a cataloger in 1954 while still pursuing his Master's in Library Science and by 1978 was the director of the general libraries. He remained in that position until his retirement in 2003. As a result of his leadership, UT Libraries thrived, growing its collections, introducing new digital services, and building its reputation as one if the highest ranking research libraries in the nation.

An exhibit highlighting Billings' career and life will be on display in the Scholars Commons November 1 - December 3, and an online component can be viewed on Scalar http://scalar.usc.edu/works/harold-billings/index. Borrowing the title of Billings' 1995 essay on the future of libraries, we've given the exhibit a name that we think embodies Billings' role as an innovative leader in the field: The Tomorrow Librarian.


Background Maintenance of pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity is important for reducing severity of lung injury. VE-cadherin is a major component of cell–cell adherens junctions in endothelium. In response to inflammatory stimuli, VE-cadherin is tyrosine phosphorylated, resulting in dissociation with catenins, which links to f-actin. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lysophospholipid, which regulates cell motility. LPA has been shown to increase lung epithelial barrier integrity, while it reduces endothelial barrier function. AM966 is an antagonist exhibiting an anti-fibrotic property. However, the effect of AM966 on pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity has not been well studied. Methods and Results To investigate endothelial barrier integrity, electric cell-substrate sensing (ECIS) system was used to measure permeability in human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVECs). Similar to the effect of LPA, AM966 increases permeability immediately in a dose dependent manner. To investigate the molecular mechanism by which regulates AM966-mediated reduction of endothelial barrier function, HLMVECs were treated with AM966, and then phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) and VE-cadherin were determined by immunoblotting. AM966 increased phosphorylation of MLC and VE-cadherin. VE-cadherin and f-actin double immunostaining revealed that AM966 induces gap formation and f-actin stress fibers as well as dissociation between VE-cadherin and f-actin. Conclusion This study reveals that AM966 induces lung endothelial barrier dysfunction, which is regulated by phosphorylation of VE-cadherin. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01GM115389 to J.Z.), American Heart Association 12SDG9050005 (J.Z.), American Lung Association Biomedical Research Grant RG350146 (J.Z.).


This paper studies the consensus problem of general linear discrete-time multi-agent systems (MAS) with input constraints and bounded time-varying communication delays. We propose a robust distributed model predictive control (DMPC) consensus protocol that integrates the offline consensus design with online DMPC optimization to exploit their respective advantages. More precisely, each agent is equipped with an offline consensus protocol, which is a priori designed, depending on its immediate neighbors' estimated states. Further, the estimation errors propagated over time due to inexact neighboring information are proved bounded under mild technical assumptions, based on which a robust DMPC strategy is deliberately designed to achieve robust consensus while satisfying input constraints. Moreover, it is shown that, with the suitably designed cost function and constraints, the feasibility of the associated optimization problem can be recursively ensured. We further provide the consensus convergence result of the constrained MAS in the presence of bounded varying delays. Finally, two numerical examples are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed distributed consensus algorithm.


The virulence of Escherichia coli strains for newborn rats was related to opsonic requirements of the strains, sensitivity to the bactericidal activity of serum, and K1 capsular polysaccharide content. K1 E. coli strains were more virulent than non-K1 strains after intraperitoneal injection in newborn rats (P less than 0.05) and were more resistant to phagocytosis than non-K1 strains when the classical complement pathway was blocked with Mg-ethyleneglycoltetraacetic acid (P less than 0.0005). Sensitivity to the bactericidal activity of serum was similar among K1 and non-K1 E. coli strains. Two groups of K1 E. coli strains were defined on the basis of opsonic requirements. Group I strains were efficiently opsonized by the alternative complement pathway, while group II strains required the classical complement pathway for opsonization. Group I strains had less detectable K1 polysaccharide in the washed whole cell fraction than group II strains (10.3 versus 18.9 microgram of K1 polysaccharide per 10(10) colony-forming units) and were less virulent than group II strains (mortality, 44 versus 77%, P less than 0.05). The K1 capsular polysaccharide appears to play an important role in determining virulence in newborn rats and opsonic requirements of these strains, but does not contribute to the sensitivity of strains to the bactericidal activity of serum.


Thermodynamic availability of an engineering system is described in terms of entropy generation and is a common parameter applicable to all processes and subsystems within the system. Availability methods based on this metric can be employed for the characterization of aerospace vehicle performance and mission analysis. Models of varying complexity and computational expense are typically used in vehicle design. This paper introduces an approach to construct cheap and accurate surrogate models for availability methods and analysis. The proposed technique is physics-based and aligns entropy-based metrics of computationally cheap low-fidelity models with the expensive high-fidelity models using implicit space mapping. The resulting surrogates are fast and have good generalization capabilities. The approach is applied to the compressible, viscous flow in a convergentdivergent nozzle modeled with an analytic model and a high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics model. The models are aligned in terms of the governing flow variables by aligning the entropy generation across the normal shock. The proposed approach is compared with standard correction/enhancement techniques.


Abstract Background: Mirror therapy (MT) was found to improve motor function after stroke. However, there is high variability between patients regarding motor recovery. Objectives: The following pilot study was designed to identify potential factors determining this variability between patients with severe upper limb paresis, receiving MT. Methods: Eleven sub-acute stroke patients with severe upper limb paresis participated, receiving in-patient rehabilitation. After a set of pre-assessments (including measurement of brain activity at the primary motor cortex and precuneus during the mirror illusion, using near-infrared spectroscopy as described previously), four weeks of MT were applied, followed by a set of post-assessments. Discriminant group analysis for MT responders and non-responders was performed. Results: Six out of eleven patients were defined as responders and five as non-responders on the basis of their functional motor improvement. The initial motor function and the activity shift in both precunei (mirror index) were found to discriminate significantly between responders and non-responders. Conclusions: In line with earlier results, initial motor function was confirmed as crucial determinant of motor recovery. Additionally, activity response to the mirror illusion in both precunei was found to be a candidate for determination of the efficacy of MT.


Synopsis : Marine phytoplankton Porphyridium sp. produced and secreted a mucilaginous polysaccharide in the incubation medium. The polysaccharide production was enhanced by the addition of slag at proper concentration. This polysaccharide showed a moderate mitogen activity, similar to dextran sulfate but lower than concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide. Polysaccharide was found to have antitumor activity against Sarcoma 180 inoculated in the peritoneal cavity of ddY mice.


One hundred and twenty eight patients with cervical carcinoma underwent pretherapy staging laparotomy between the years 1991 and 1994. Adopting a transperitoneal approach nodal dissection was performed from the aortic bifurcation to the level of the renal artery. Specimens were segregated into those inferior to and superior to the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) then sent for pathologic examination. Of the 15 histologically malign node samples inferior to the IMA, none were associated with neoplasia in the groups of node samples taken from above the IMA. Of the 5 malignant nodal samples taken from above the IMA, all had concurrent neoplastic changes in the specimens taken from below the IMA. An intraoperative complication rate of 8.7% was encountered in the lower nodal dissections. This was compounded by a resultant 7.7% complication rate with nodal dissection above the IMA. As a result of our findings we feel confident in omitting upper paraaortic lymph node (PALN) dissection in the absence of malignant findings in the inferior paraaortic lymph node at frozen section.


. To address the issues of low-data integration accuracy and efficiency, as well as a lack of data integration impact, an adaptive data integration algorithm for sports event network marketing data based on big data is presented. The fundamental theory of tensor is researched by examining the notion and features of big data and by using the associated technologies of the big data framework. Collect network-marketing data from a variety of sporting events and feed it to a big data platform. Combined with MapReduce parallelization mode, tensor represents the online marketing data of sports events according to the structured, semistructured, and unstructured characteristics of different big data. Integrate each tensor model based on semitensor product, build a unified data adaptive integration tensor model, and realize the adaptive integration of sports event network marketing data. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has a good effect on the adaptive integration of sports event network marketing data and can effectively improve the accuracy and efficiency of data adaptive integration.


This study dissected the visual aspect contained in Character design of Ahri's Champion in League of Legends game with her classic skin to find the perception framing that transform nine tailed fox imagery from Korean myth and tales. League of Legends is a game that offers player an arena to fight, survive and win the game. This studies on Ahri's character, which designed from Gumiho myth and tales, the concept that can intrigue curiosity and addiction from players. The study is a qualitative research by describing Ahri's character based on it's narration and other story about nine tailed fox, then dissect the character based on Manga-matrix principle that dissect character by it's form matrix, costume matrix and personality matrix, analysis on similarity or relations among the theories as well as element that formed perception, and interpretation to the character. lastly design theory about ideology and culture that implemented on character design. The analysis shows that Ahri's skin contains imagery framing that each element formed a new perception of nine tailed fox image. The costume is focused on featuring her charm and the color mostly white and red show that champion Ahri characteristic is not dark and evil but innocent and passionate. Ahri's character design is an evidence that Gumiho image has shifted from symbols of evilness caused by people paradigm and the changes of social value in society


This paper sets the stage for research on sustainable investment (SI) related to psychological well-being (PWB). It recognizes the threat of current global consumption levels to exceed the planetary boundaries and asks what roles financial markets may play in reducing these threats without compromising PWB. SI integrates environmental (E), social (S), and governance (G) factors alongside financial factors in investments in company shares and bonds as well as through active engagement in companies. Barriers to ESG integration include lower short-term financial performance, higher financial risks, and insufficient ESG screening by investors. A brief review of PWB shows that reliable and valid measurement methods have been developed, that the resulting measures complement economic and social national welfare indicators, and that health, sufficient material welfare, income equality, and non-material consumption are important determinants of PWB. The challenge is to globally reduce private material consumption levels in affluent countries. It is suggested that one role SI may play is in investing or actively engaging in companies that efficiently meet an increasing consumer demand of non-material consumption. Future research should address this role of SI.


Different kind of external fixator osteosynthesis in the treatment of pseudoarthroses and bone defects with vascularized bone grafts are presented. Construction features of different external fixators are discussed based on clinical material of 48 patients, who have had different vascularized bone graft surgery. For tibia treatment mainly external plate ixator "Zespol" was used. Its advantages such as simplicity of construction, small size and weight and easy application are presented. The possibility of joining the external plates allowes using this method in the treatment of bone defects of arbitrary length. Some restrictions of this method are also pointed out. Fixators of larger size were used for treatment of femoral pseudoarthroses and bone defects. Emphasis was put on advantages and disadvantages of multiplane static fixators and unilateral fixators. The importance of weight bearing and dynamization for bone healing process were discussed. It seems that external fixator whose construction allows to adjust the dynamization level at various stages of the healing process is the best method of treatment of complications of bone union.


This paper shows how to control a robot with omnidirectional wheels, using as example robots with four motors, and generalizing to n motors. More than three wheels provide redundancy: many combinations of motors speeds can provide the same Euclidean movement. Since the system is over-determined, we show how to compute a set of consistent and optimal motor forces and speeds using the pseudoinverse of coupling matrices. This approach allows us also to perform a consistency check to determine whether a wheel is slipping on the floor or not. We show that it is possible to avoid wheel slippage by driving the robot with a motor torque under a certain threshold or handle it and make high accelerations possible.


A novel photonic suspension array has been developed for multiplex immunoassay. The carriers of this array were silica colloidal crystal beads (SCCBs). The codes of these carriers have characteristic reflection peaks originating from their structural periodicity; therefore they do not suffer from fading, bleaching, quenching or chemical instability. In addition, the fluorescence background of SCCBs is negligible because no fluorescence materials or dyes are involved. With a sandwich method, the proposed suspension array was used for simultaneous multiplex detection of heart failure (HF) and coronary heart disease (CAD) biomarkers in one test tube. The results showed that the three biomarkers: cardiac troponin I (cTnI), C-reactive protein (CRP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) could be assayed in the ranges of 0.1–500 ng/ml, 1–500 mg/L and 0.02–50 ng/ml with detection limits of 0.01 ng/ml, 0.36 mg/L and 0.004 ng/ml at 3σ, respectively. There were no significant differences between the photonic suspension array and traditional parallel single-analyte test. This novel method demonstrated acceptable accuracy, high detection sensitivity and reproducibility and excellent storage stability. This technique provides a new strategy for low cost, automated, and simultaneous multiplex immunoassays of bio-markers.


The triple-lined spectroscopic triple system HD 109648 has one of the shortest periods known for the outer orbit in a late-type triple, 120.5 d, and the ratio between the periods of the outer and the inner orbits is small, 22:1. With such extreme values, this system should show orbital element variations over a time-scale of about a decade. We have monitored the radial velocities of HD 109648 with the CfA Digital Speedometers for 8 yr, and have found evidence for modulation of some orbital elements. While we see no definite evidence for modulation of the inner binary eccentricity, we clearly observe variations in the inner and the outer longitudes of periastron, and in the radial velocity amplitudes of the three components. The observational results, combined with numerical simulations, allow us to put constraints on the orientation of the orbits.


Higher education policies related to quality assurance are implemented in many countries. The purpose of such policies are to ensure the provision for high quality education, university accountability and transparency in the use of public funding, confidence of various university stakeholders, competitiveness of higher education in the global arena and meeting the needs of the diverse stakeholders. The current Australian Higher Education Quality Assurance Framework was implemented in the year 2000. While the current framework has served us well with evidence of success, it is clear that the new policy on quality assurance will be more rigorous and it will be implemented in 2011-2013 as a result of the review of higher education in Australia in 2007/2008. The aims of the paper are to provide a brief history of quality assurance and its evolution in higher education in Australia and to analyse the success and deficiencies of the current quality assurance framework used by the government. The analysis of the framework is based on the views of 40 participants from 25 Australian universities and also the views of the three authors who have been in the quality assurance role in various institutions.


New observations of the optical and electrical disturbances associated with pre-breakdown events in n-hexane with a point-plane electrode configuration are reported. The sequence of events leading to the previously described black spots or trees at the tip is analysed, and a tentative interpretation accounting for the polarity effects is offered.


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